JPH07225064A - Heat pump hot water supplying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable operating modes of cooling and heating and water heating to be switched, to delete number of components, and to reduce in size and cost an apparatus by controlling an indoor supply fan, an outdoor supply fan, a water heater water circulating pump and one refrigerant channel switching means. CONSTITUTION:A heat pump hot water supplying apparatus comprises an annular refrigerant circuit in which an outdoor unit 15, a plurality of indoor units 16, 17 and a water heater (water heating heat exchanger) 2 are connected. The unit 15 has a compressor 1, a refrigerant path switching valve 7, an outdoor heat exchanger 8, a supply fan 12, refrigerant control means 9, etc. Both the units 16, 17 respectively have indoor heat exchangers 10, 11, and supply fans 13, 14. Further, heater 2 has water circulating means 4, 5. With such a structure, the fans 12-14 and the means 4, 5 are controlled to switch to independently cooling, heating and water heating or a parallel operation of the cooling and heating water heating.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat pump water heater, and more particularly to a refrigeration cycle structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional example of a heat pump water heater,
The device described in JP-A-60-188772 is a device having a cold water tank for connecting a refrigerator load such as a refrigerator and refrigerator in addition to cooling and heating and water heating. There is a refrigeration cycle configuration that requires switching of a plurality of refrigerant control valves just by switching between cooling and heating and water heating.

Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 58-69340 relates to operation control of cooling / heating and water heating, and has a content of performing operation mode transition by switching two four-way valves and a plurality of two-way valves. Has become.

As described above, in order to switch the operation mode between the cooling and heating operation and the water heating operation, the refrigerating cycle structure conventionally requires a plurality of refrigerant control switching valves.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned prior art, a plurality of refrigerant control switching valves are required for switching between the heating / cooling and water heating operation modes, so the refrigeration cycle configuration and valve control become complicated. Was there. Further, as the number of switching valves for controlling the refrigerant used increases, the problem of product reliability such as malfunction of the valve or malfunction of the valve coil due to incorrect connection will increase. An object of the present invention is to reduce the number of parts as a refrigeration cycle configuration capable of controlling the operation of cooling and heating and water heating with a single refrigerant control switching valve, thereby reducing the size and cost of the device and improving the reliability of the product. To raise.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The above-mentioned object is to circulate the refrigerant in a heat exchanger in which the operation of the refrigerant circulation circuit is stopped so that an indoor unit blower fan, an outdoor unit blower fan, a water heater water circulation pump and one By controlling the refrigerant flow path switching means of
This can be achieved by enabling operation control of air conditioning and water heating.

[0007]

The cooling / heating independent operation can be performed by stopping the water heater water circulation pump and operating the indoor unit blowing fan and the outdoor unit blowing fan. The water heating alone operation can be performed by operating the water heater water circulation pump and the outdoor unit blowing fan and stopping the indoor unit blowing fan. The heating water heating parallel operation can be performed by operating the indoor unit blower fan, the outdoor unit blower fan, and the water heater water circulation pump. The cooling water heating parallel operation becomes possible by operating the water heater water circulation pump and the indoor unit blower fan, and the indoor heat exchanger can be used as an evaporator to effectively use the waste heat during cooling.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows one outdoor unit 15 and two indoor units 16, 17
2 shows a refrigerating cycle configuration of a separate type air conditioner that is connected to each other to perform air conditioning when two rooms are air-conditioned.
Is a heat exchanger for heating water, and 3 is a hot water storage tank. 4 is a water circulation pump that draws water from the bottom of the hot water storage tank 3,
Water is circulated to the heat exchanger 2 for heating water. The water heated in the water heating heat exchanger 2 is stored in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 3.

Reference numeral 5 is a water circulation amount control valve, which controls the water heating temperature in the water heating heat exchanger 2 by adjusting the valve opening. The heated water sequentially stored in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 3 can be easily tapped from the tap 6 of the tap. Reference numeral 7 denotes a refrigerant flow path switching means such as a four-way valve, which is an outdoor heat exchanger 8, a refrigerant control means 9, an indoor heat exchanger A10, and an indoor heat exchanger B11.
To change the direction of refrigerant circulation.

Reference numeral 12 is an outdoor unit blowing fan, 13 is an indoor unit blowing fan A, and 14 is an indoor unit blowing fan B. FIG. 2 shows the operations of the refrigerant flow path switching means 7, the indoor unit blowing fans 13 and 14, the outdoor unit blowing fan 12, and the water circulation pump 4 in each operation mode. In the cooling only operation, the high pressure gas refrigerant compressed by the compressor 1 enters the refrigerant flow path switching means 7 through the water heating heat exchanger 2. At this time, since the water circulation pump 4 is stopped, there is no heat exchange in the water heating heat exchanger 2.

The high-pressure refrigerant on the compressor discharge side during the operation of the compressor is supplied from the refrigerant flow path switching means 7, the outdoor heat exchanger 8, the refrigerant control means 9 such as a thermal expansion valve, an electric expansion valve, a capillary tube, and the indoor heat exchange. It circulates in the order of the units A10 and B11, is heat-exchanged and condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 8 by the operation of the outdoor unit blower fan 12, and is further decompressed by the refrigerant control means 9 to have a low temperature, and is then transferred to the indoor heat exchangers A10 and B11. Sent.

The indoor unit blowing fans A13 and B14 are operated to perform the cooling operation, and the refrigerant returns to the suction side of the compressor 1. Even in the heating only operation, the same operation as the cooling only operation is performed until the high pressure gas refrigerant enters the refrigerant flow path switching means 7, and the refrigerant is sequentially supplied to the indoor heat exchangers A10 and B11, the refrigerant control means 9, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8. Circulating, indoor unit blower fan A13,
By operating B14 and the outdoor unit blower fan 12, the indoor heat exchangers A10 and B11 serve as condensers and the outdoor heat exchanger 8 serves as an evaporator, so that heating operation can be performed.

In the case of the water heating only operation, the water circulation pump 4 is operated to heat the water in the water heating heat exchanger 2, so that the refrigerant is in a low temperature state at the inlet of the refrigerant passage switching means 7. The refrigerant circulates in the order of the indoor heat exchangers A10 and B11, the refrigerant control means 9, and the outdoor heat exchanger 8. However, since the indoor unit blower fans A13 and B14 have stopped operating, the refrigerant passes through and the refrigerant control means 9 It is decompressed by and sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 8. By the operation of the outdoor unit blower fan 12, the outdoor heat exchanger 8 serves as an evaporator so that the water heating independent operation can be performed.

The heating water heating parallel operation can be realized by adding the operation of the water circulation pump 4 to the heating independent operation. At this time, the capacity of water heating and heating is distributed by adjusting the water circulation amount control valve 5. For example, when the heating load is large, such as at the start of heating operation, the valve opening of the water circulation amount control valve 5 is reduced to reduce the water circulation amount and reduce the heat exchange amount in the water heating heat exchanger 2.

When the room is sufficiently warm and the heating load is small, the opening degree of the water circulation amount control valve 5 is increased to increase the water circulation amount and increase the heat exchange amount in the water heating heat exchanger 2.
It is also possible to use a variable speed compressor for the compressor 1 to ensure the required heat exchange amount in the water heating heat exchanger 2 and the indoor heat exchangers A10, B11. The cooling water heating parallel operation can be realized by operating the water circulation pump 4 in the refrigerant circulation path during the cooling only operation and stopping the outdoor unit blowing fan 12.

At this time, the water circulation pump 4 and the indoor unit blowing fans A13 and B14 are operated, the water heating heat exchanger 2 is a condenser, and the indoor heat exchangers A10 and B11 are evaporators, and the waste heat during cooling operation is used. Can be effectively used. At this time, when the water heating amount and the cooling load are unbalanced, the operation can be continued satisfactorily by controlling the rotation speed of the outdoor unit blower fan 12.

As described above, the indoor unit blower fan A13,
B14, outdoor unit blower fan 12, water heater water circulation pump 5, just by controlling the operation of the compressor 1, operation mode switching of cooling and heating alone operation, water heating alone operation, cooling water heating parallel operation, heating water heating parallel operation Can be realized by a simple refrigeration cycle configuration with one refrigerant flow path switching means. Further, since the refrigeration cycle has only one refrigerant flow path switching means, the reliability is improved.

Further, the indoor unit blower fans A13, B14,
By controlling the operation of the water circulation amount control valve 5, the outdoor unit blower fan 12, and the compressor 1, an appropriate refrigeration cycle operation can be performed in accordance with the indoor load and the water heating load, and waste can be reduced to reduce operation maintenance costs. Further, the water circulation pump 4 may be of a variable speed type without using the water circulation amount control valve 5 during the water heating operation. When the coolant inlet side temperature or the heated water outlet temperature of the water heating heat exchanger 2 is detected during the water heating operation and the temperature is below a predetermined temperature, if the water circulation pump 4 is stopped, low temperature water is mixed in the upper part of the hot water storage tank 3. Can be prevented.

The number of revolutions of the compressor 1, the number of revolutions of the outdoor fan 12, the refrigerant control amount by the refrigerant control means 9 such as a temperature type expansion valve, an electric expansion valve, a capillary tube, an indoor fan 13,
By controlling the number of revolutions of 14, the water circulation pump 4, the water circulation amount control valve 5, and the valve opening degree of the refrigerant control means 9, cooling alone operation, heating alone operation, water heating alone operation, cooling water heating parallel operation, heating water It is possible to support low load and high load operation in each operation mode during parallel heating operation. For example, in the heating water heating parallel operation mode, when the outside air temperature is low and the heating load and the water heating load are large, the rotation speed of the compressor 1 is increased so that the required heating amount and water heating amount can be secured.

When the heating load becomes small, the indoor fan 1
When the number of revolutions of Nos. 3 and 14 is kept low or stopped, the valve opening of the water circulation amount control valve 5 can be increased to increase the amount of water heating, and the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is sufficient. A sufficient heating amount can be secured by stopping the water circulation pump 4 or reducing the valve opening of the water circulation amount control valve 5 to reduce the heat exchange amount in the water heating heat exchanger 2. Further, when the load of both heating and water heating is small, the rotational speed of the compressor 1 is kept low according to the load, and economical operation is performed.

FIG. 4 shows an example of operation control during heating water heating operation. In the cooling season when the outside temperature is high, the cooling water heating parallel operation is performed by using the waste heat during cooling to heat the water, and the amount of water heating equivalent to the cooling load can be obtained. When the cooling load is large during the cooling water heating operation and the amount of hot water stored in the hot water storage tank 3 is sufficient, the water circulation pump 4 is stopped and the heat exchanger 2 for heating water is heated.
With no heat exchange in place, the outdoor fan 12 is operated to enter the cooling only operation mode in which the outdoor heat exchanger 8 is used as a condenser, and control for maintaining the cooling operation can be performed.

When the hot water storage tank 3 discharges hot water to reduce the amount of remaining hot water, or when the hot water storage tank 3 falls below a predetermined temperature due to natural heat radiation, the water circulation pump 4 is operated and the outdoor fan 12 is operated.
Is stopped, the water heating heat exchanger 2 becomes a condenser, and the cooling water heating parallel operation mode is set. Further, when the cooling load is small and the water heating load is large, the indoor fans 13 and 14 are stopped, the outdoor fan 12 is operated and the water heating independent operation is performed until a predetermined amount of hot water is secured, and then the low load operation is performed. It is possible to control the system according to the load, for example.

Further, by providing a learning function in the water heating operation control and recognizing the hot water pattern for one sunrise, the time zone control of the water heating operation becomes possible. For example, the water heating operation may be prioritized only during a certain period so that a predetermined amount of hot water can be secured in the hot water storage tank 3 by the time when the bathtub is filled with a large amount of hot water.
It is possible to perform control so that unnecessary water heating operation is not performed during the time when the amount of hot water discharged is small. Thermo O in each operation mode
When cooling / heating and water heating operations are not required, such as during FF or when the hot water storage tank 3 is full of water, indoor unit blower fan A
13, B14, and the water circulation pump 4 are stopped.

Further, when the room temperature changes or when hot water is discharged from the hot water storage tank 3 and heating / cooling and water heating operations are required, warm air or cold air can be immediately obtained and water heating can be performed. FIG. 3 shows the structure of a refrigeration cycle which is more practical than the above-mentioned embodiment. In this example, the refrigerant control means 9 in FIG. 1 is provided for each air conditioning load, the valve opening of the refrigerant control means 9a, 9b is controlled according to the air conditioning load of each indoor unit, and the pressure balance of each air conditioning load is controlled. And a silencer A18a, B18b for reducing the refrigerant noise emitted from the indoor units A16, B17 that are stopped during the heating cycle. Others are the same as those in the embodiment shown in FIG.

An outline of the system control in the above embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG. When the presence or absence of a water heating load is detected and water heating operation is required, the opening degree of the water circulation control valve is adjusted according to the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the water heating heat exchanger to obtain the prescribed water heating temperature. To do so. When the water can be heated to a predetermined level, the water circulation pump is driven to start the water heating operation.

When the air-conditioning operation is required, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through the indoor heat exchanger is detected after controlling the refrigerant flow path switching valve such as a four-way valve according to the setting of cooling and heating. Then, the blower fan of the indoor unit is driven when the air conditioning at a predetermined temperature is achieved. After that, the rotation speed of the blower fan of the indoor unit is controlled so that the air-conditioning operation according to the load can be performed. The water heating load and the air conditioning load, and the outdoor air temperature, the blower fan of the outdoor unit and the rotation speed of the compressor according to the temperature of the outdoor heat exchanger, and an expansion valve for proper balance of the refrigeration cycle according to the load The entire system can be controlled by adjusting the refrigerant control means such as.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the operation of the cooling / heating and the water heating operation can be performed only by controlling the operation of the indoor unit blower fan, the outdoor unit blower fan, the water heater water circulation pump, and the one refrigerant flow path switching means. Mode switching is possible, the number of refrigerant control switching valves is reduced, and the number of refrigeration cycle components can be reduced, so that downsizing of equipment and cost reduction can be achieved, and product reliability can be improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of this embodiment

FIG. 2 is an operation switching operation diagram of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of this embodiment

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of system control of the refrigeration cycle of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Compressor 2 ... Heat exchanger for heating water 3 ... Hot water storage tank
4 ... water circulation pump 5 ... water circulation amount control valve 6 ... water faucet 7 ... refrigerant flow path switching valve 8 ... outdoor heat exchanger 9 ... refrigerant control means 10 ... indoor heat exchanger A 11 ... indoor heat exchanger B
12 ... Outdoor unit blower fan 13 ... Indoor unit blower fan A
14 ... Indoor unit blower fan B 15 ... Outdoor unit 16 ... Indoor unit A 17 ... Indoor unit B

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An outdoor unit having a compressor, a refrigerant flow path switching unit, an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor unit air blowing unit, a refrigerant control unit, and an indoor unit having an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor unit air blowing unit. In a heat pump hot water supply device that forms an annular refrigerant circuit by connecting a water heater composed of a water heating heat exchanger in which the outer circumference of an inner tube through which water flows is covered with a refrigerant condensation pipe,
Refrigeration for controlling the air-blowing means of the outdoor unit and the indoor unit, and the water circulating means of the water heater to switch between cooling alone operation, heating alone operation, water heating alone operation, cooling water heating parallel operation, and heating water heating parallel operation. A heat pump water heater with a cycle configuration. 2. An outdoor unit including a compressor, a refrigerant flow path switching means, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a refrigerant control means, an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger, and an outer circumference of an inner pipe through which water flows. In a heat pump water heater that forms a ring-shaped refrigerant circuit by connecting to a water heater consisting of a water heating heat exchanger covered with a condensing pipe, cooling alone operation, heating alone operation, water heating alone operation, cooling A heat pump hot water supply apparatus characterized by a refrigeration cycle configuration in which a refrigerant circulation direction is switched by a single refrigerant flow path switching means when switching between operation modes of water heating parallel operation and heating water heating parallel operation. 3. An outdoor unit consisting of a compressor, a refrigerant flow path switching means, an outdoor heat exchanger, a refrigerant control means, an indoor unit consisting of an indoor heat exchanger, and an outer circumference of an inner pipe through which water flows. In a heat pump water heater that forms a ring-shaped refrigerant circuit by connecting a water heater consisting of a water heating heat exchanger covered with a condensing pipe, the compressor discharge side of the refrigerant circulation circuit and the refrigerant during cooling and heating. Heat pump hot water supply characterized by a refrigeration cycle configuration in which a water heating heat exchanger is connected in series between circulation direction switching four-way valves and refrigerant is circulated to all heat exchangers in the refrigerant circuit during compressor operation. apparatus. 4. An outdoor unit consisting of a compressor, a refrigerant flow path switching means, an outdoor heat exchanger, a refrigerant control means, an indoor unit consisting of an indoor heat exchanger, and an outer circumference of an inner pipe through which water flows. In a heat pump water heater that forms a ring-shaped refrigerant circuit by connecting to a water heater consisting of a water heating heat exchanger covered with a condensing pipe, cooling alone operation, heating alone operation, water heating alone operation, cooling Depending on the load of each operation mode of water heating parallel operation, heating water heating parallel operation, compressor, outdoor fan, thermal expansion valve, electric expansion valve, capillary tube, etc. to obtain the required temperature for air conditioning and water heating. A heat pump water heater which controls at least one of a refrigerant control means, an indoor fan, and a water circulation pump.