JP4643067B2 - Energy-saving system for air conditioners - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an energy saving system for an air conditioner. More specifically, the present invention relates to an energy saving system for an air conditioner that can operate air conditioning in a building having a large floor area at low cost while maintaining comfort.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Room temperature control methods using an air conditioner include intermittent operation of a fan that sends air from the air conditioner to the room, and intermittent opening and closing of control valves that control the flow rate of cold water, hot water, and steam as the heat medium. There are ways to do it. In addition to intermittent operation of the blower fan, etc., stepwise control approximated to proportional control may be performed by inverter control. However, although inverter control has an energy saving effect, the initial cost is high. Therefore, an energy saving operation control method by ON / OFF control has been proposed.
[0003]
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-257941 discloses a method in which the room temperature is measured in the conventional technology column, and the air conditioner is ON / OFF controlled so that the difference from the target temperature is within an allowable range of about ± 1 ° C. In addition to presenting a control method for turning ON / OFF the opening degree of the cold water operation valve and the hot water operation valve, in order to further save energy, the operation is performed according to the intermittent operation parameters stored in the control parameter table. An operation method is proposed in which the valve opening is intermittently turned ON / OFF.
[0004]
JP-A-8-61751 discloses zone control in which a separate air conditioner and blower are arranged for each of a plurality of zones that are subject to air conditioning, and air conditioning control is performed for each zone. In addition, it is described that energy saving is achieved by intermittent operation control that stops the operation of the air conditioner according to the temperature of the return air during the operation of the air conditioner.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
If the air conditioning zone is wide, such as a building with a large floor area, the air conditioner is divided into several units according to the size and layout of the machine room and the ducts in the ceiling. May cause harmonic action. In that case, on each floor, as shown in FIG. 6, the main duct (air supply duct) 103 is extended from each air conditioner 101, a large number of air ducts 108 are branched from the middle, and the tips of these air ducts A ventilation port 109 is provided on the front side. The main duct 103 and the air duct 108 are respectively disposed in the ceiling, and the air outlet 109 is open to the ceiling. Normally, the air supply systems in charge of the respective areas on each floor are communicated with each other through upper and lower ducts (see FIG. 3).
[0006]
As such an operation control method for a plurality of air conditioners, the method for controlling a single air conditioner as described above may be employed as it is. That is, a method is adopted in which the area that each air conditioner is in charge of is determined and the temperature is adjusted separately for each area. For example, the temperature of the return duct of each system is detected, and the fan of the corresponding air conditioner 101 is ON / OFF controlled, the air conditioner itself is ON / OFF controlled, or the fan speed is changed by inverter control. By so doing, feedback-type temperature adjustment can be performed.
[0007]
However, when ON / OFF control of multiple air conditioners is performed independently, the temperature change in the room fluctuates irregularly, and when ON / OFF control is performed all at once, the temperature change increases and comfort is impaired. It is. In other words, when the set temperature is different for each zone, the method of separately performing ON / OFF control with a plurality of air conditioners is an advantage, but when controlling the entire large room at the same level, the temperature varies depending on the location. That is a drawback. In addition, in the case of inverter control, there is a problem that the initial cost increases. The present invention effectively utilizes the use of a plurality of air conditioners. Contrary to the above-described concept of zone control, the present invention can perform air conditioning control in a wide room as uniformly as possible, and has an energy saving effect. The technical challenge is to provide an energy-saving system for high air conditioners.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The energy-saving system for an air conditioner according to the present invention includes three or more air conditioners that supply air to the same air-conditioning target area, and a plurality of main ducts that respectively supply air from the air conditioner to the target area. And a plurality of air ducts branched from the respective main ducts, and the air outlets at the tip are distributed in the area, and the operation of each air conditioner is alternately or cyclically stopped / restarted by program control. The main ducts are connected so as to form a polygonal closed loop, and the program control has a preset stop timing for each air conditioner, These stop timings approach the stop timings set for each of the air conditioners that face each other diagonally in the closed loop. It is characterized in that the alienated stop timing between which is set to each of the air conditioner between the neighborhood. In another aspect of the air conditioner energy saving system of the present invention, three or more air conditioners that supply air to the same air-conditioning target area and the air from the air conditioner are respectively supplied to the target area. A plurality of main ducts, a plurality of air ducts branched from the respective main ducts, and a plurality of air ducts whose tip is distributed in the area, and the operation of each air conditioner are cyclically stopped by program control. A control device for restarting, the main ducts are connected so as to form a polygonal closed loop, and in the program control, a stop timing is preset for each air conditioner. The air conditioners connected to the main ducts are sequentially stopped along the closed loop according to the stop timing.
[0009]
In such a system, the same air-conditioning target area is spread over multiple floors, the plurality of main ducts are provided with vertical air supply ducts penetrating each floor, and the main ducts are connected to each floor. It is preferable that a polygonal closed loop is formed . Also, between the main duct and the air supply, it is preferable to interpose a backflow prevention damper to prevent backflow to the air supply source side from the main duct.
[0010]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
In the energy saving system and other aspects of the present invention, air is sent from a plurality of air conditioners to the same air-conditioning target area. Since the air conditioner is stopped or restarted alternately or cyclically (in other embodiments, cyclically) , the energy-saving effect is surely obtained by the amount of time during which the air conditioner is stopped. In the case of the above-described zone control, a plurality of zones are individually intermittently operated with a plurality of air conditioners, but in the present invention, one air-conditioning target area is respectively controlled by a plurality of air conditioners. Air-conditioning work together while resting in order. And since the object area is the same, even if one air conditioner is rested, air is sent from the other air conditioner through the main duct. Therefore, the air conditioning work in the target air conditioning area is always continued, and the comfort of the indoor environment is maintained.
[0011]
And since the main ducts are connected to each other, the air sent from the operating air conditioner enters the main duct connected thereto, and passes through the air duct that branches from the main duct to the room (air conditioning target area) Send air to. At the same time, air is also sent to other main ducts connected to the air conditioner that is not in operation, and air is also sent into the room from the air duct of the main duct. Therefore, comfort is maintained even when the air-conditioning target area is wide and the distribution of the air outlets of the air duct is uneven.
[0012]
Further, since the plurality of main ducts are connected in a closed loop shape, the air supply from one place is divided into left and right and is blown widely and evenly. Therefore, the comfort is more evenly maintained for the entire air conditioning target area. That is, if there is one duct line, there is a tendency that a difference occurs in the environment in the vicinity of the air inlet at the inlet and the terminal. However, by using a closed loop, there is no terminal and the environment to be air-conditioned can be homogenized.
The same air-conditioning target area spans multiple floors, and the plurality of main ducts are provided with vertical air supply ducts penetrating each floor, and the main ducts are connected to each floor to form a polygonal shape. In the case where a closed loop is configured, the present invention can be applied to a department store that is air-cooled throughout the year, for example, the same air-conditioning target area having a large area extends over multiple floors.
[0013]
When a backflow prevention damper that prevents backflow from the main duct to the air supply source is interposed between the main duct and each air supply source, air is prevented from leaking to the stopped air conditioner side. Is done. Thereby, the efficiency of an air-conditioning effect | action improves.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of an energy saving system (hereinafter simply referred to as a system) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1a is a duct system diagram showing one embodiment of the system of the present invention, FIG. 1b is a timing chart showing one embodiment of the operation pattern of the system, and FIGS. 2a to 2c are other embodiments of the operation pattern of the system, respectively. timing chart illustrating, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the system of the present invention, FIG 4a~c the schematic duct system diagram showing a range of systems of the present invention, respectively, FIG 5a~b each it is a schematic duct system diagram showing a system outside the scope of the present invention.
[0015]
A system 10 shown in FIG. 1a is connected to four air conditioners AC1 to AC4 arranged on a rooftop or basement of a building 11, one of the floors, or a machine room on each floor, and the air conditioner. Four main ducts 13, 14, 15, 16 disposed in the ceiling of the room 12, an air duct 17 branched from these main ducts, and provided at the tip of each air duct, and indoors on the ceiling And an air opening 18 that is opened. In this embodiment, each main duct is branched in the middle and arranged in a T shape. And the front-end | tip of the 1st-4th main ducts 13-16 is connected with the front-end | tip of the adjacent main duct by the connection duct 19, respectively, and is comprised in the shape of a square closed loop as a whole. Moreover, the backflow prevention damper 20 is each interposed between 1st-4th air conditioner AC1-4, and main ducts 13-16 corresponding to them. The return air duct and the air intake are not shown. As the elements such as the air conditioners AC1 to AC4, the main ducts 13 to 16, the blower duct 17, and the blower port 18, conventionally known ones can be used. This embodiment is characterized in that a plurality of air conditioners and main ducts are used in one room 12 to be air-conditioned, and that a connecting duct 19 is employed. Moreover, as the backflow prevention damper 20, a motor damper or the like that electrically controls switching between opening and closing can be used.
[0016]
The timing chart of FIG. 1b has shown the operation state (operation pattern) of said four air conditioner AC1-4. In this embodiment, the time zone of one cycle T0 is divided into four time sections T1 to T4, and the four air conditioners AC1 to AC4 are stopped one by one in order. The area S where hatching is not performed is a section that is stopped, and the range W where hatching is performed is a section where the area is movable. For example, in the first section T1, the first air conditioner AC1 is stopped and the other second to fourth air conditioners AC2 to AC4 are operating. In the second section, the first air conditioner AC1 is restarted, the second air conditioner AC2 is stopped, and the operations of the other air conditioners AC3 to AC4 are continued. In this way, in this embodiment, since one air conditioner is forcibly stopped at all times by program control, substantially 75% of the electric power when operating the whole is consumed. . That is, the energy required for air conditioning such as cooling, heating, or air cleaning of the air conditioner is saved accordingly. And since the air conditioner to stop circulates in order, the environment of some rooms 12 of FIG. 1a does not fall extremely. Thereby, both energy saving and maintenance of a comfortable environment can be achieved.
[0017]
In this embodiment, since the main ducts 13 to 16 are connected to each other by the connecting duct 19 to form a closed loop, for example, even when the first air conditioner AC is stopped, the second main duct 14 and Air flows from the fourth main duct 16 into the first main duct 13 through the connecting duct 19. Therefore, conditioned air is also sent into the room from the air duct 17 and the air outlet 18 connected to the first main duct 13. Therefore, the people under the first main duct 13 are also maintained in a comfortable state. That is, even when the floor is wide, the level of comfort is leveled.
[0018]
Further, in this embodiment, the control is performed so that the stop of each of the air conditioners AC1 to AC4 and the closing of the backflow prevention damper 20 connected thereto are interlocked. Thereby, the conditioned air does not flow back to the stopped air conditioner side. By preventing backflow in this way, useless energy consumption can be avoided. In addition, in FIG. 1a, the connection duct 19 and each main duct 13-16 are demonstrated as a separate thing. This is for the purpose of refurbishing existing equipment, and when installing a new installation, of course, it can be a single continuous duct. Further, in FIG. 1a, the main duct is shown as penetrating the outer wall of the building, but actually it reaches the air conditioner installed on the rooftop, basement, or other floor through the ceiling or floor.
[0019]
In order to start and stop the operation of the air conditioners AC1 to AC4 according to the timing chart shown in FIG. 1b, for example, a control device such as a programmable controller or a timer installed in the central monitoring room or a computer is used. In addition, it can also be performed by a switch or the like that is manually provided in the monitoring room and switches ON / OFF. They are the control device in claim 1.
[0020]
For the sake of explanation, FIG. 1b shows a typical example in which the range S in which one air conditioner is stopped is divided into one section. As shown in FIG. 2a, the stop time Ta can be continued beyond the section T1, or the operation can be resumed at a time less than the section T1 as shown in FIG. 2b. For example, at the end of early summer or summer, or even in the evening in summer, the ambient temperature decreases, so the cooling effect may be reduced. In that case, as shown in FIG. 2a, energy is further saved by extending the stopped time Ta and shortening the operating time Tb. Further, particularly in the midsummer, the stop time Ta is shortened and the operation time Tb is lengthened as shown in FIG. 2b. Thereby, the comfort of the air-conditioning target area can be maintained. Thus, since the ratio of the stop time Ta and the operation time Tb can take a continuous numerical value, even if it is ON / OFF control by operating several air conditioners in order, the same air-conditioning object The air conditioning capability for the area can be continuously changed.
[0021]
Whether to use the standard timing chart of FIG. 1b or the timing chart of the low operating rate or the high operating rate of FIG. 2a or FIG. 2b is preferably set in advance depending on the season or time zone. Furthermore, it is preferable to cope with a temperature change peculiar to the region where the system is installed by applying a learning function using a computer. In the case of FIG. 2a, the two air conditioners are temporarily stopped, and in the case of FIG. 2b, all the air conditioners are temporarily operated. Included in “Operating”.
[0022]
FIG. 2c shows four air conditioners AC1 to AC4, a first group consisting of a first air conditioner AC1 and a fourth air conditioner AC4, and a second group consisting of a second air conditioner AC2 and a third air conditioner AC3. The timing chart which divides | segments into 2 groups and stops and operates a 1st group and a 2nd group alternately is shown. In this case, the effective operation rate is 50%, and it is possible to operate with further energy saving. However, even in this case, as in the case of FIGS. 2a and 2b, the stop time of each group can be extended beyond the section or shortened.
[0023]
In the operation pattern of FIG. 2c, the first air conditioner AC1 and the third air conditioner AC3 constitute a first group, and the second air conditioner AC2 and the fourth air conditioner AC4 constitute a second group. This is because when the room 12 is long horizontally as shown in FIG. 1a, for example, if the left first air conditioner and the third air conditioner are stopped simultaneously, the comfort of the left area is impaired. And, for example, by making the diagonals the same group, the overall comfort can be enhanced. In the same meaning, the order of stopping in the chart of FIG. 1b is also stopped in the order in which the letter Z is drawn, as in the order of the first, second, third, and fourth air conditioners, and one side is continuous. It is preferable not to stop. However, as in the first, second, fourth, and third order, it may be stopped so as to draw a circle.
[0024]
Next, a specific system embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows a three-dimensional view of the overall configuration when the system 10 of FIG. Each air conditioner AC1-4 is installed on the roof of a building. The blower in the air conditioner is provided with a scroll damper in order to change the blown amount (blowout amount adjustment). The air supply vertical ducts 21 to 24 that pass through the floors are extended downward from the air conditioners one by one. The main ducts 13 to 16 on each floor are branched from the middle of the vertical ducts 21 to 24 and are connected to the loop-shaped duct lines 25 to 27 via the backflow prevention damper 20. The backflow prevention damper 20 is closed when the air conditioner is stopped. Further, return air vertical ducts 29 to 32 extend downward from the return air portions of the air conditioners AC1 to AC4 and reach the return air ports 33 of the respective floors in the middle. A return air blower 34 is interposed near the upper ends of the return air ducts 29 to 32. As the backflow prevention damper 20, a proportional damper in which the damper opening continuously changes and the air volume is proportional to the opening may be used. In this case, it can be used when the air volume is controlled based on the temperature.
[0025]
A temperature sensor T for detecting the room temperature is provided on the floor. These temperature sensors T set an upper limit value and a lower limit value of the allowable temperature, detect when the temperature exceeds the upper limit value, and change the timing chart of the plurality of air conditioners to those with a high operating rate. Use to maintain comfort. That is, in the program control based on the above-described operation pattern, the ON / OFF operation is forcibly performed without feedback, and thus there is an advantage of low energy consumption, but it does not follow large fluctuations in the outside air temperature. Therefore, by detecting the indoor temperature and changing the operation mode to maintain comfort, such as changing the operation rate when the predetermined upper and lower limits are exceeded, or temporarily shortening the stop time I am doing so. Furthermore, these temperature sensors T can be used for taking data for learning control.
[0026]
A controller 40 for controlling the intermittent operation is connected to each of the air conditioners AC1 to AC4. The controller is capable of storing acquired data from the temperature sensor T, and stores, for example, yearly temperature change data at room temperature. Since there is no data in the first year when the system was installed, operation is performed according to the default operation pattern, and from the next year, the operation pattern described later is automatically selected based on the previous year's data, and operation is performed based on that. .
[0027]
In the embodiment, four air conditioners are employed, but the number of air conditioners may be three , or five or more. FIG. 4a shows an embodiment of the duct system of the system with two units. In this duct system 50, the duct line 51 is configured in a rectangular closed loop, and the air conditioners AC1 and AC2 are arranged at diagonal positions. The operation timing of this system is such that, for example, as shown in FIG. 2c, the two air conditioners AC1 and AC2 are alternately stopped and operated. In this case, the overall operation rate is 50%. In this system as well, as in the case of FIGS. 2a and 2b, the operation time can be reduced to 50% or less by extending the stop time, and the operation time can be reduced to 50% or more by reducing the stop time. You can also. However, since there are two air conditioners, it is usually 50% or more.
[0028]
The system of FIG. 4b employs a duct system in which a straight duct line 53 is provided in the elongated room 12, and air conditioners AC1 and AC2 are connected to both ends. That is, in the room 12 having such a narrow width, even after the air is blown from one main duct, the air after the air conditioning is sufficiently distributed. Therefore, it is not necessary to configure the duct line in a closed loop covering a wide range, and a straight duct line is sufficient. In this system, the air conditioners AC1 and AC2 may be alternately stopped as in the system of FIG. 4a.
[0029]
FIG. 4c shows a duct system in which main ducts 13 and 14 of the air conditioners AC1 and AC2 are arranged in parallel in a relatively narrow room 12. In the case of existing air conditioning equipment, there is such a duct line design. When the main ducts 13 and 14 extend close to each other as described above, it is not necessary to connect both the main ducts 13 and 14 or to form a closed loop, and the duct system can be used as it is. . In that case, only the control device of each air conditioner AC1, AC2 needs to be modified.
[0030]
In the system of FIG. 5 a, the two air conditioners AC <b> 1 and AC <b> 2 are relatively close to each other, and their blowing parts are directly connected by a single connection duct 19. In this system, even when one air conditioner is stopped, air from the other air conditioner is sent to the room 12 through both air supply ducts. In the system of FIG. 5b, not the main ducts but the air ducts 17 are connected, and the air outlet 18 is shared. These systems also have the same energy saving effect as the above-described system, and can maintain the same level of comfort.
[0031]
In the Figure 1 a, although the one of the air duct 17 in one position of the blower port 18 provided in the case of a large room, actually further branching the air duct 17, the blowing in each branched duct A mouth 18 is provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1a is a duct system diagram showing an embodiment of the system of the present invention, and FIG. 1b is a timing chart showing an embodiment of an operation pattern of the system.
2a to 2c are timing charts showing other embodiments of the operation pattern of the system, respectively.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing another embodiment of the system of the present invention.
[4] FIG 4a~c is a schematic duct system diagram showing a range of systems of the present invention, respectively.
[5] FIG 5a~b is a schematic duct system diagram showing a range of systems of the present invention, respectively.
FIG. 6 is a duct system diagram showing an example of a conventional air conditioning system.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Energy saving system 11 Building 12 Room AC1, AC2, AC3, AC4 Air conditioner (air conditioner)
13, 14, 15, 16 Main duct 17 Air duct 18 Air outlet 19 Connection duct 20 Backflow prevention dampers 21, 22, 23, 24 Vertical air ducts 29, 30, 31, 32 Supply air vertical duct 33 Return air port 34 Return air blower T Temperature sensor 40 Controller 50 Duct system 51, 53 Duct line

Claims (4)

Three or more air conditioners that supply air to the same air-conditioned area;
A plurality of main ducts each supplying air from the air conditioner to a target area; a plurality of air ducts branched from the respective main ducts;
It is equipped with a control device that stops or restarts the operation of each air conditioner alternately or cyclically by program control ,
The main ducts are connected to form a polygonal closed loop,
In the program control, a stop timing is preset for each air conditioner,
Those stop timings are close to each other of the air conditioners that face each other in the closed loop, and the stop timings that are set for each of the nearby air conditioners are moved away from each other. An energy-saving system for air conditioners. Three or more air conditioners that supply air to the same air-conditioned area;
A plurality of main ducts for supplying air from the air conditioner to the target area, a plurality of air ducts branched from the main ducts, and a plurality of air ducts having tip air outlets distributed in the area;
It is equipped with a control device that cyclically stops and restarts the operation of each air conditioner by program control,
The main ducts are connected to form a polygonal closed loop,
In the program control, a stop timing is preset for each air conditioner,
An energy-saving system for an air conditioner in which the air conditioners connected to the main ducts are sequentially stopped along the closed loop according to the stop timing . The same air-conditioning area spans multiple floors,
The plurality of main ducts are provided with air supply vertical ducts penetrating each floor,
The energy saving system for an air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the main ducts are connected to each floor to form a polygonal closed loop . The energy saving according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a backflow prevention damper for preventing a backflow from the main duct to the air conditioner is interposed between the main duct and each air conditioner. system.

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