JP4073166B2 - Air conditioner and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air conditioner including an engine cooling device that is driven by an engine, cools the engine, and can use engine exhaust heat as hot water.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As the air conditioner, a gas heat pump type air conditioner in which a compressor is driven by a gas engine is known, and the engine cooling device cools the gas engine with engine cooling water.
[0003]
Some of the above-described engine cooling devices cool engine gas for cooling a gas engine by directly switching to a radiator by switching a hot water three-way valve, or by cooling to a radiator via a hot water heat exchanger. The hot water heat exchanger exchanges heat between the hot water flowing through the hot water extraction system and the engine cooling water, and the heated hot water is extracted from the hot water extraction system and can be supplied.
[0004]
Conventionally, in the heating operation mode of the air conditioner, the heat of the engine cooling water (engine exhaust heat) is used as a heat source of the outdoor heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator. Is not performed in the heating operation mode of the air conditioner, but is performed in the cooling operation mode and the dry operation mode of the air conditioner.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Incidentally, the operation mode of the air conditioner includes a cooling / heating automatic operation mode in which the cooling operation and the heating operation are determined by the air conditioner itself. If the hot water extraction system is operated during cooling operation in this cooling / heating automatic operation mode and hot water is taken out, the hot water extraction system will be stopped during heating operation in this cooling / heating automatic operation mode. There is a risk that the ability of the device that uses the hot water will change unexpectedly, for example, the hot water use device may be operated or stopped.
[0006]
An object of the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-described circumstances, and provides an air conditioner and an operation method thereof that can prevent the ability of a device that uses hot water from a hot water extraction system from changing unexpectedly. It is to provide.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The invention according to claim 1 includes an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, and a compressor mounted on the outdoor unit is driven by an engine, and the outdoor unit cools the engine with engine cooling water. An air conditioner in which the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are controlled by a control unit, and the engine cooling unit includes a hot water extraction system capable of exchanging heat with engine cooling water to extract and supply hot water. The air conditioner has at least a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode, and a cooling / heating automatic operation mode as operation modes, and the control device operates the warm water extraction system in the cooling operation mode, and the heating operation mode In the automatic heating / cooling operation mode, control is performed to stop the hot water extraction system.
[0008]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the engine cooling device cools the engine cooling water alternatively to the radiator and the heat exchanger by a hot water three-way valve. In the cooling / heating automatic operation mode, the hot water three-way valve is switched to the heat exchanger side, and control is performed to stop the hot water extraction system.
[0009]
The invention according to claim 3 is such that a compressor mounted on an outdoor unit is driven by an engine, and the outdoor unit includes an engine cooling device that cools the engine with engine cooling water. In the operation method of an air conditioner having a hot water extraction system that enables heat water to be extracted and supplied by exchanging heat with engine cooling water, the air conditioner has at least a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode, and a cooling / heating operation mode. An automatic operation mode is provided, and the hot water extraction system is operated in the cooling operation mode, and the hot water extraction system is stopped in the heating operation mode and the cooling / heating automatic operation mode .
[0010]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode, a hot water three-way valve that selectively directs engine cooling water to a radiator and a heat exchanger is switched to the heat exchanger side. At the same time, the hot water extraction system is stopped.
[0011]
The inventions according to claims 1 to 4 have the following effects.
[0012]
The air conditioner stops the hot water extraction system in the heating operation mode, uses the heat of the engine cooling water of the engine cooling device as the heat source of the outdoor heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator, and operates the hot water extraction system in the cooling operation mode The hot water is taken out and supplied by exchanging heat with the engine cooling water. Therefore, by stopping the hot water extraction system in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode in which the cooling operation and the heating operation are determined by the air conditioner itself, the capability of the equipment that uses the hot water of the hot water extraction system is expected in this cooling / heating automatic operation mode. It is possible to surely prevent the fluctuation without performing.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit and the like in an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
[0015]
As shown in FIG. 1, a heat pump air conditioner 10 as a refrigeration apparatus includes an outdoor unit 11, a plurality of (for example, two) indoor units 12 </ b> A and 12 </ b> B, and a control device 13. The outdoor refrigerant pipe 14 is connected to the indoor refrigerant pipes 15A and 15B of the indoor units 12A and 12B.
[0016]
The outdoor unit 11 is installed outside, a compressor 16 is disposed in the outdoor refrigerant pipe 14, an accumulator 17 is disposed on the suction side of the compressor 16, and a four-way valve 18 is disposed on the discharge side. An outdoor heat exchanger 19, an outdoor expansion valve 24, and a dry core 25 are sequentially arranged on the four-way valve 18 side. An outdoor fan 20 that blows air toward the outdoor heat exchanger 19 is disposed adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 19. The compressor 16 is connected to the gas engine 30 via the flexible coupling 27 and the like, and is driven by the gas engine 30. Further, a bypass pipe 26 is provided to bypass the outdoor expansion valve 24.
[0017]
On the other hand, the indoor units 12A and 12B are installed indoors, indoor heat exchangers 21A and 21B are disposed in the indoor refrigerant pipes 15A and 15B, respectively, and indoor heat exchangers are provided in the indoor refrigerant pipes 15A and 15B, respectively. Indoor expansion valves 22A and 22B are arranged in the vicinity of 21A and 21B. Indoor fans 23A and 23B for blowing air to the indoor heat exchangers 21A and 21B are disposed adjacent to the indoor heat exchangers 21A and 21B.
[0018]
In addition, the code | symbol 28 in FIG. 1 shows a strainer. Reference numeral 29 denotes a safety valve that releases the refrigerant pressure on the discharge side of the compressor 16 to the suction side of the compressor 16.
[0019]
The controller 13 is installed in the outdoor unit 11 and controls the operation of the outdoor unit 11 and the indoor units 12A and 12B. Specifically, the control device 13 includes the gas engine 30 (that is, the compressor 16), the four-way valve 18, the outdoor fan 20, and the outdoor expansion valve 24 in the outdoor unit 11, and the indoor expansion valves 22A and 22B in the indoor units 12A and 12B. , And indoor fans 23A and 23B, respectively. Further, the control device 13 controls a circulation pump 47, a hot water three-way valve 45, an external pump 50, and the like of the engine cooling device 41 described later.
[0020]
By switching the four-way valve 18 by the control device 13, the heat pump air conditioner 10 is set to the cooling operation mode or the heating operation mode. That is, when the control device 13 switches the four-way valve 18 to the cooling side, the refrigerant flows as indicated by solid arrows, the outdoor heat exchanger 19 becomes a condenser, and the indoor heat exchangers 21A and 21B become evaporators to perform a cooling operation. Each indoor heat exchanger 21A, 21B cools the room. Further, when the control device 13 switches the four-way valve 18 to the heating side, the refrigerant flows as indicated by broken arrows, the indoor heat exchangers 21A and 21B become condensers, and the outdoor heat exchanger 19 becomes an evaporator and heating operation is performed. It will be in a state and each indoor heat exchanger 21A, 21B will heat a room | chamber interior.
[0021]
Moreover, the control apparatus 13 controls each valve opening degree of indoor expansion valve 22A, 22B according to an air-conditioning load at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation. During the heating operation, the control device 13 controls the valve openings of the outdoor expansion valve 24 and the indoor expansion valves 22A and 22B according to the air conditioning load.
[0022]
On the other hand, an air-fuel mixture is supplied from an engine fuel supply device 31 to a combustion chamber (not shown) of the gas engine 30 that drives the compressor 16. In the engine fuel supply device 31, two fuel cutoff valves 33, a zero governor 34, a fuel adjustment valve 35, and an actuator 36 are sequentially disposed in a fuel supply pipe 32. The gas engine 30 is configured to be connected to the combustion chamber.
[0023]
Two fuel shut-off valves 33 are arranged in series to form a two-closed type fuel shut-off valve mechanism, and the two fuel shut-off valves 33 are interlocked to be fully closed or fully opened so that fuel gas does not leak. And communication.
[0024]
The zero governor 34 is caused by fluctuations in the primary pressure a among the primary fuel gas pressure (primary pressure a) and the secondary fuel gas pressure (secondary pressure b) before and after the zero governor 34 in the fuel supply pipe 32. Also, the secondary pressure b is adjusted to a constant predetermined pressure to stabilize the operation of the gas engine 30.
[0025]
The fuel adjustment valve 35 optimally adjusts the air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture generated by introducing air from the upstream side of the actuator 36. Further, the actuator 36 controls the rotational speed of the gas engine 30 by adjusting the supply amount of the air-fuel mixture supplied to the combustion chamber of the gas engine 30.
[0026]
An engine oil supply device 37 is connected to the gas engine 30. The engine oil supply device 37 is provided with an oil shutoff valve 39, an oil supply pump 40, and the like in an oil supply pipe 38, and appropriately supplies engine oil to the gas engine 30.
[0027]
The control of the gas engine 30 by the control device 13 is specifically performed by the fuel cutoff valve 33 of the engine fuel supply device 31, the zero governor 34, the fuel adjustment valve 35 and the actuator 36, and the oil cutoff valve 39 of the engine oil supply device 37. The control device 13 controls the oil supply pump 40.
[0028]
The gas engine 30 is cooled by engine coolant that circulates in the engine cooling device 41 installed in the outdoor unit 11. The engine cooling device 41 has a substantially closed loop shape in which one end is connected to an exhaust gas heat exchanger (not shown) attached to the gas engine 30 via the gas engine 30 and the other end is directly connected to the exhaust gas heat exchanger. The cooling water pipe 42 is provided with a wax three-way valve 43, a hot water three-way valve 45, a hot water heat exchanger 44 as a heat exchanger, a radiator 46, and a circulation pump 47 in this order, and has a hot water extraction system 49. .
[0029]
The circulation pump 47 boosts the engine cooling water during operation and circulates the engine cooling water in the cooling water pipe 42.
[0030]
The wax three-way valve 43 is for quickly warming up the gas engine 30. The wax three-way valve 43 has an inlet 43A on the side of the exhaust gas heat exchanger attached to the gas engine 30 in the cooling water pipe 42, a low temperature side outlet 43B on the suction side of the circulation pump 47 in the cooling water pipe 42, and a high temperature side outlet. 43C is connected to the hot water three-way valve 45 side in the cooling water pipe 42, respectively.
[0031]
The engine cooling water flows into the exhaust gas heat exchanger of the gas engine 30 from the discharge side of the circulation pump 47 at about 40 ° C., and flows through the gas engine 30 after recovering exhaust heat (heat of exhaust gas) of the gas engine 30. The lever engine 30 is cooled and heated to about 80 ° C. The engine coolant flowing into the wax three-way valve 43 from the gas engine 30 is returned to the circulation pump 47 from the low-temperature side outlet 43B when the temperature is low (for example, 80 ° C. or lower), and the gas engine 30 is quickly warmed up. When it is 80 ° C. or higher), it flows from the high temperature side outlet 43C to the hot water three-way valve 45.
[0032]
The hot water three-way valve 45 has an inlet 45A connected to the wax three-way valve 43 side in the cooling water pipe 42, an ON side outlet 45B connected to the hot water heat exchanger 44 side in the cooling water pipe 42, and an OFF side outlet 45C. The cooling water pipe 42 is connected to the radiator 46 side.
[0033]
The hot water three-way valve 45 switches the engine cooling water flowing in from the wax three-way valve 43 to the hot water heat exchanger 44 side via the ON side outlet 45B or to the radiator 46 side via the OFF side outlet 45C. This is a three-way valve that is driven by a motor (not shown). This motor is controlled by the control device 13.
[0034]
The hot water heat exchanger 44 exchanges heat between the hot water flowing in the external pipe 53 of the hot water extraction system 49 provided with the external pump 52 and the engine cooling water flowing in from the hot water three-way valve 45, and this hot water extraction system. The hot water 49 is heated by the exhaust heat of the gas engine 30 to raise the temperature. The external pump 52 is controlled by the control device 13.
[0035]
Hot water in the hot water extraction system 49 flows into the hot water heat exchanger 44 to be heated, taken out and supplied to the outside. The hot water in the hot water extraction system 49 that has been heated is supplied to a hot water supply device that uses the hot water or a desiccant drying device of the desiccant air conditioner. Here, the desiccant air conditioner is an air conditioner that enables dehumidification using a dehumidifying agent without lowering the room temperature.
[0036]
The engine cooling water cooled by heat exchange with the hot water in the hot water extraction system 49 by the hot water heat exchanger 44 is guided to the radiator 46 to be further cooled (radiated), and the radiator 46 is discharged from the OFF-side outlet 45C of the hot water three-way valve 45. In the same manner as the engine cooling water that is directly guided to and cooled (heat radiation), it is guided to the exhaust gas heat exchanger of the gas engine 30 through the suction side of the circulation pump 47. The gas engine 30 is cooled by the guided engine coolant. The radiator 46 is disposed adjacent to the outdoor heat exchanger 19.
[0037]
In the heating operation mode of the air conditioner 10, the hot water three-way valve 45 directly guides engine cooling water from the wax three-way valve 43 to the radiator 46, and the heat radiated from the radiator 46 is an outdoor heat exchange functioning as an evaporator. It is taken into the vessel 19 and used as a heat source for the evaporator.
[0038]
In the cooling operation mode of the air conditioner 10, the hot water three-way valve 45 guides engine cooling water from the wax three-way valve 43 to the hot water heat exchanger 44, and the hot water heat exchanger 44 is connected to the hot water flowing through the hot water extraction system 49. Heat exchange with the engine cooling water is performed, and the hot water in the hot water extraction system 49 is heated by the heat of the engine cooling water. This heated and heated hot water is effectively used for hot water supply.
[0039]
Incidentally, the air conditioner 10 has a dry operation mode, a blower operation mode, a stop mode, and a cooling / heating automatic operation mode in addition to the above-described cooling operation mode and heating operation mode. This cooling / heating automatic operation mode is an operation mode in which the cooling operation state and the heating operation state are determined by the control device 13 of the air conditioner 10.
[0040]
The control device 13 switches the hot water three-way valve 45 to the hot water heat exchanger 44 side and flows into the inlet 45A only in the cooling operation mode (including the cooling test operation) and the dry operation mode of the air conditioner 10. The engine coolant is led from the ON side outlet 45B to the hot water heat exchanger 44, and the external pump 52 is driven to operate the hot water extraction system 49.
[0041]
Therefore, in each of the heating operation mode, the air blowing operation mode, the stop mode, and the cooling / heating automatic operation mode of the air conditioner 10, the control device 13 moves the hot water three-way valve 45 to the ON side outlet 45B side (the hot water heat exchanger 44). The hot water extraction system 49 is stopped without driving the external pump 52. In the cooling / heating automatic operation mode, the control device 13 switches the hot water three-way valve 45 to the ON side outlet 45B side (the hot water heat exchanger 44 side) in both the heating operation state and the cooling operation state. The extraction system 49 is stopped.
[0042]
Therefore, according to the said embodiment, there exists the following effect.
[0043]
The air conditioner 10 stops the hot water extraction system 49 in the heating operation mode, uses the heat of the engine cooling water of the engine cooling device 41 as a heat source of the outdoor heat exchanger 19 that functions as an evaporator, and warm water in the cooling operation mode. The take-out system 49 is operated, the hot water in the hot water take-out system 49 is heated by exchanging heat with the engine cooling water by the hot water heat exchanger 44, and the heated hot water is taken out from the hot water take-out system 49 and supplied. Accordingly, by stopping the hot water extraction system 49 in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode in which the cooling operation and the heating operation are determined by the air conditioner 10 itself, a device that uses the hot water of the hot water extraction system 49 in this cooling / heating automatic operation mode ( It is possible to reliably prevent unexpected fluctuations in the capabilities of the aforementioned hot water supply equipment and dehumidifying agent drying equipment.
[0044]
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on the said embodiment, this invention is not limited to this.
[0045]
For example, when there are a plurality of air conditioning apparatuses 10 and some of the air conditioning apparatuses 10 are in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode, the cooling between the air conditioning apparatuses 10 in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode is performed. Even when the operation state and the heating operation state coexist, the hot water extraction system 49 of each system in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode is stopped, whereby the hot water from the hot water extraction system 49 in the multiple air conditioning apparatuses 10 is stopped. It is possible to prevent fluctuations in the ability of equipment that uses the.
[0046]
【The invention's effect】
According to the air conditioner pertaining to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the ability of the equipment that uses the hot water from the hot water extraction system from changing unexpectedly.
[0047]
According to the operation method of the air conditioner pertaining to the invention of claim 3, it is possible to prevent the ability of the equipment that uses the hot water from the hot water extraction system from changing unexpectedly.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit and the like in an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Air conditioning apparatus 11 Outdoor unit 12A, 12B Indoor unit 13 Control apparatus 16 Compressor 30 Gas engine 41 Engine cooling apparatus 44 Hot water heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
45 Hot water three-way valve 46 Radiator 49 Hot water extraction system

Claims (4)

A compressor having an outdoor unit and an indoor unit is driven by an engine, and the outdoor unit includes an engine cooling device that cools the engine with engine cooling water. In the air conditioner having a hot water extraction system that allows heat water to be exchanged with engine cooling water to be taken out and supplied, and the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are controlled by a control device,
The air conditioner has at least a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode, and a cooling / heating automatic operation mode as operation modes,
The air conditioner is characterized in that the control device controls the hot water extraction system to operate in the cooling operation mode, and stops the hot water extraction system in the heating operation mode and the cooling / heating automatic operation mode .   The engine cooling device selectively cools the engine cooling water to the radiator and the heat exchanger by a hot water three-way valve, and the control device moves the hot water three-way valve to the heat exchanger side in the cooling / heating automatic operation mode. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is controlled so as to be switched and to stop the hot water extraction system. A compressor mounted on the outdoor unit is driven by an engine, and the outdoor unit includes an engine cooling device that cools the engine with engine cooling water. The engine cooling device exchanges heat with the engine cooling water to In the operation method of the air conditioner equipped with a hot water extraction system that can take out and supply
The air conditioner has at least a cooling operation mode, a heating operation mode and a cooling / heating automatic operation mode as operation modes,
An operation method of an air conditioner, wherein the warm water extraction system is operated in the cooling operation mode, and the warm water extraction system is stopped in the heating operation mode and the cooling / heating automatic operation mode .   The hot / cold automatic operation mode switches a hot water three-way valve that guides engine coolant to a radiator and a heat exchanger to the heat exchanger side, and stops the hot water extraction system. Method of operating the air conditioner.

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