JPH1073327A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain air an conditioner having an improved operation efficiency of refrigerating cycle by a system wherein the heat generated from electric components such as power supply components and components for control which constitute a control device for controlling the operation of the air conditioner is subjected to heat exchange with a refrigerating cycle system. SOLUTION: A heat exchange system 20 wherein a part of a refrigerant piping 8 of a refrigerating cycle is laid in a serpentine manner and passed by the side of fins for radiation so that it may exchange heat with circuit components 16a... constituting a control device 13 and a refrigerant is heated by the heat from the circuit components so that evaporation thereof be facilitated and thus thermal energy be enhanced, is constructed. Thereby air conditioning equipment which can display a required refrigerating capacity even with a compressor 1 of small capacity, of which the cost is low and which is economical and can be made small in size expectedly is obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner for cooling or heating the interior of a room, and more particularly, to an air conditioner for controlling the operation of the air conditioner, which includes a power supply component and a control component. The present invention relates to an air conditioner configured to increase the operation efficiency of a refrigeration cycle by using a system for exchanging generated heat with a refrigeration cycle system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Today, air conditioners include compressors, condensers,
The mainstream is an air conditioner of the type that separates an outdoor unit containing an accumulator, etc., and an indoor unit containing an expansion device, an evaporator, etc., and uses a four-way valve to distribute the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the compressor and condenser. The refrigerating cycle including the expansion device and the evaporator is configured to be able to flow reversibly, so that the cooling operation and the heating operation can be performed.

[0003] The operation method of such a separation type air conditioner is not limited to ON / OFF operation based on a set temperature, but is also more comfortable such as inverter control for controlling operation to reach the set temperature in a short time. Advanced operation control capable of performing an excellent air conditioning has come to be implemented.

[0004] Therefore, a control device required for performing these complicated and diverse advanced controls is naturally constituted by a large number and various kinds of control electric parts.

[0005]

By the way, as the refrigerant repeats the process of compression → condensation → expansion → evaporation in the refrigeration system,
The compressor sucks the evaporated refrigerant to perform a predetermined high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant work. The operating efficiency of the compressor increases as the work amount is reduced and a predetermined compression capacity can be exhibited.

In consideration of this work and the operating efficiency of the compressor, FIG. 4 showing the relationship between the refrigeration cycle and the pressure (p) -heat energy (enthalpy h) is useful.

FIG. 4 shows a case of the heating operation, and FIG.
Graph A is a state phase diagram of the refrigerant. The left region outside the graph A with the vertex p as a boundary indicates that the refrigerant is in a liquid phase, and the right region indicates that the refrigerant is in a gaseous state. The inner region of the graph A shows a two-phase region in which the refrigerant is mixed with a liquid and a gas.

A graph M shows a Moliere diagram, wherein ab represents an evaporating process, bc represents a compression process, cd represents a condensing process, and da represents an expansion process. I have.

Therefore, the compressor performs the work of changing the refrigerant from the state b to the state c shown in the Moliere diagram. That is, due to the state change, the compressor performs work for the amount of heat energy ΔX (enthalpy h).

Here, the point (state) b represents the thermal energy of the refrigerant which evaporates in the refrigeration cycle and is about to be drawn from the accumulator into the refrigerant suction port of the compressor.

Therefore, if the point b shifts further to the right and the heat energy is kept higher, for example, if the refrigerant in the g state is sucked into the compressor, the refrigerant sucked by the compressor is changed to the high pressure. The amount of work (thermal energy) required to bring the c state into the above state can be reduced to ΔY.

Therefore, in order to make it possible for the compressor to suck the refrigerant in a situation where the heat energy is further increased, the present invention utilizes the heat of the circuit components which are the heat generating components constituting the control device. In the process of circulating the refrigerant through the refrigeration cycle, heat is exchanged with the circuit components, thereby recovering heat and sending the refrigerant having high heat energy to the compressor, whereby the compressor requires less work. It is an object of the present invention to obtain an air conditioner in which the required compression capacity can be exhibited by the amount and the operation capacity and the operation efficiency of the refrigeration system are improved.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to a refrigeration cycle in which a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, an indoor heat exchanger, and the like are connected in a ring through a refrigerant pipe. In the air conditioning apparatus including a control device for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle, a part of the refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is disposed in a heat exchange relationship with circuit components constituting the control device, A heat exchange system that heats the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle with heat recovered from the circuit components and promotes evaporation of the refrigerant is provided.

The heat exchange system may further comprise a plurality of radiating fins and a plurality of radiating fins integrally formed on a surface of the control board of the control device opposite to a surface on which the circuit components are mounted. And an evaporation promoting device having a structure in which a part of the refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is housed in a groove between them.

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual configuration diagram showing a system for recovering heat of electric components constituting a control device to a circulating refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle.

As shown in FIG. 1, a compressor 1, a four-way valve 2,
The outdoor heat exchanger 3, the first check valve 4, the capillary tube (expansion device) 5, the indoor heat exchanger 6, and the accumulator 7 are annularly connected by a refrigerant pipe 8, thereby forming a refrigeration cycle.

A capillary tube 11 is connected to the first check valve 4 in parallel, and a second check valve 12 is connected to the capillary tube (expansion device) 5 in parallel.

In this refrigeration cycle, by switching the four-way valve 2, the refrigerant circulates in the direction indicated by the solid arrow during the cooling operation, and circulates in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow during the heating operation.

Here, reference numeral 13 denotes an operation control device for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle.
/ OFF operation control and cooling fan 1 for outdoor heat exchanger 3
The control unit controls the rotation of the cooling fan 15F of the 4F and the indoor heat exchanger 6.

The operation control device 13 is composed of many and various types of circuit components 16a, 16b, 16c, etc., such as ICs, power transistors, diodes, and reactors.

The circuit components 16a, 16b,
16c generate heat, so that the components do not enter a high heat state and the reliability of the control operation by the control device 13 is not lost.
As shown in FIG. 2, the control device 13 integrally forms a large number of heat dissipating fins 18 on the surface of the control board 17 opposite to the surface on which the circuit components 16a, 16b, 16c. In addition, the heat dissipation is sufficient to prevent the temperature from becoming high.

According to the present invention, a part of the refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is made to pass therethrough so as to exchange heat with the circuit components constituting the control device. Thereby, the heat generated from the circuit components is recovered, the refrigerant circulating through the refrigeration cycle is heated, and the refrigerant is evaporated.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
The refrigerant pipe 8 is passed through a groove 19 formed between the heat dissipating fins 18 provided on the control board 17.
And, for example, the refrigerant pipe 8 that passes through the control board 17 from the top to the bottom is formed between the adjacent heat dissipating fins 18 that bend in a U shape at the lower end and extend to the left. The pipe is arranged in a meandering manner so as to return upward through the groove 19.

By arranging the refrigerant distribution pipes 8 in a meandering manner on the control board 17 in this manner, various circuit components mounted on the surface of the control board 17 opposite to the side on which the refrigerant pipes 8 are mounted are provided. The heat transmitted from 16a, 16b, 16c,... And radiated from the radiation fins 18 is transmitted to the refrigerant pipe 8, and heat exchange is performed so as to heat the refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant pipe 8, thereby recovering heat. A heat exchange system (apparatus) 20 is formed.

Next, the aspect of the heat exchange by the heat exchange system 20 will be phenomenally pursued.

That is, for example, in FIG. 1, in the case of the heating operation in which the refrigerant flows in the direction of the dotted line arrow, by providing the above-described heat exchange system 20 in the middle of the refrigeration cycle, in addition to the evaporation capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger 2, , The heat generated from the circuit components 16a, 16b, 16c,... Of the control device 17 acts, so that the refrigerant flowing into the compressor 1 via the accumulator 7 has a higher evaporation degree. That is, it becomes a refrigerant having high heat energy and is sucked.

On the other hand, looking at the entire refrigeration cycle, as can be understood with reference to FIG. 4 described above, the compressor 1 compresses the refrigerant from the state b to the state c to increase the pressure, Next, in the indoor heat exchanger 6, the condensed water is condensed from the c state to the d state at a constant pressure, and then expanded from the d state to the a state in the capillary tube 11 to become a low-pressure liquid refrigerant. Thus, the refrigeration cycle of a → b → c → d, which evaporates from the state a to the state b and returns to the compression stroke from the state b to the state c again, is repeated.

Here, the operating efficiency during heating operation (CoP
H) is the heating capacity (condensing capacity) of the compressor / input to the compressor (work load). Is required.

Therefore, in a normal refrigeration cycle without the heat exchanger system 20 with electric components as in the present invention, the compressor needs ΔX work (unit) to obtain ΔZ heating capacity (unit enthalpy). (Enthalpy), and the operating efficiency (CoPH) in this case is calculated by the following equation.

The current operation efficiency (CoPH 1) = ΔZ (44.0) / ΔX (155.8-149.0) = 6.47 (1)

On the other hand, in the refrigeration cycle provided with the heat exchanger system 20 for electric parts as shown in FIG. 1 according to the present invention, ΔW (3
The evaporation ability ΔV (149.6-149.0 = 0.6 enthalpy h) due to the heat of the electric components 16a, 16b, 16c... Of the control device 13 is added to the evaporation ability (unit enthalpy h) of 7.2). As a result, the evaporating capacity of the refrigeration system substantially increases, and the refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 1 in a state where the heat energy has increased from the b state (149.0 enthalpy) to the g state (149.6 enthalpy). .

Therefore, the operating efficiency (CoPH
2) is calculated by the following equation.

Improved operating efficiency (CoPH 2) = ΔZ (155.8-111.8 = 44.0) / ΔY (155.8-149.6) × 0.045 / 0.046 (constant) = 6.94 ... (2)

The recovered heat quantity QH at this time is obtained by the following equation.

The amount of recovered heat QH = 0.6 × {3500 × 0.86 / 44} = 41 Kccl / H = 47 W (3)

Therefore, from the above equations (1) and (2), the operating efficiency is improved by 6.94 from the conventional 6.47 to 6.94, and the ratio of both is calculated.
47 / 6.94 = 1.00 / 1.07, indicating an improvement in operating efficiency.

The heat exchange system 20 for exchanging heat between the control electric component and the refrigerant according to the present invention uses the measured temperature and heat of the refrigerant before and after the refrigerant flows into the heat exchange system. The energy values are tabulated in FIG.

As can be understood from the table in the figure, as a result of the heat of the electrical components being recovered by the refrigerant, the temperature of the refrigerant is 2 ° C. before flowing into the heat exchange system, but is 2 ° C. after flowing out. As a result of the temperature rising to 5 ° C. and the heat of the electric components being recovered by the refrigerant, it can be seen that the heat energy of the refrigerant also increased from 149.0 Kcal / Kg to 149.6 Kcal / Kg.

The numerical value related to the constant of the above equation (2) is
The figures from this table are quoted.

Similarly, in the case of the cooling operation, it was confirmed as shown in the table of FIG. 7 that the operating efficiency of the compressor was improved by recovering the heat of the control circuit parts.

That is, conventionally, as shown in FIG.
As can be understood by referring to the relationship between the refrigeration cycle and the pressure (p) -heat energy (enthalpy h), a cooling capacity (evaporation capacity) ΔN is obtained by performing a work of ΔM amount in the compressor.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the compressor performs a work of ΔP smaller than the amount of ΔM, and the cooling capacity (evaporation capacity) Δ
N can be obtained, and the operating efficiency is improved.

In the following, the above matters will be verified by numerical values.

The current operating efficiency (CoPC1) = ΔN (149.8−111.3 = 38.5) / ΔM (157.0−149.8) = 5.37 (4)

On the other hand, in the refrigeration cycle provided with the heat exchanger system 20 for electric parts as shown in FIG. 1 according to the present invention, ΔN (3
8.5), the evaporation capability ΔS (150.25-149.8) of the electric components 16a, 16b, 16c,... Of the control device 13 due to heat is added to the evaporation capability (unit enthalpy h) of 0.45.
As a result of the addition of the enthalpy h), the evaporating capacity of the refrigeration system substantially increases, and the state of the refrigerant with the heat exchanger energy increased from the b state (149.8 enthalpy) to the k state (150.25 enthalpy) Then, it is sucked into the compressor 1.

Therefore, the improved operation efficiency (CoPC2) = ΔN (38.5) / ΔP (157.0−150.25) × 0.0329 / 0.0337 (constant) = 5.57 (5) .

The recovered heat Qc at this time is obtained by the following equation. The amount of recovered heat Qc = 0.45 × {245.0 × 0.86 / 38.5} = 24.7 Kcal / H = 29 W (6)

Therefore, from the above equations (4) and (5), the operation efficiency is improved by 5.57 from the conventional 5.37 to 5.57 according to the present invention.
37 / 6.57 = 1.00 / 1.04, indicating an improvement in operating efficiency.

Similarly to the case of the heating operation, the heat exchange device constituted by the control electric parts of the present invention allows the refrigerant measured before and after the refrigerant to flow into and out of the heat exchange device. The temperature and heat energy values are tabulated in FIG.

As can be understood from the table in the figure, as a result of the heat of the electric components being recovered by the refrigerant, the temperature of the refrigerant increases from 12 ° C. to 14 ° C., and the heat energy of the refrigerant also increases to 149.
It can be seen that it increased from 8 Kcal / Kg to 150.25 Kcal / Kg.

The numerical value related to the constant of the above equation (5) is also:
The figures from this table are quoted.

[0053]

As described above, according to the present invention, a part of the refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is arranged in a heat exchange relationship with the circuit components constituting the control device for controlling the refrigeration cycle.
In the middle of circulation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor receives heat from the circuit components, and the evaporation is further advanced to increase the heat energy. A part of the work required for the compressor to obtain the required refrigeration capacity can be covered by the evaporation promoting means, so that a compressor having a small capacity can be used, and the cost and operating cost of the entire air conditioner can be increased. Can be reduced.

Further, since the heat energy generated from the control device is effectively radiated and the control device itself can be sufficiently cooled, highly reliable control can be performed.
Cooling means for cooling the control device is also simple, and there is an advantage that a compact structure can be used.

The evaporation promoting means can be easily achieved by adopting a structure in which the refrigerant pipe is inserted into a groove between a plurality of radiating fins provided on the control board of the control device. And without having to drastically change the existing refrigeration cycle or make it particularly complex
A heat exchanger system having a good heat exchange rate between the refrigerant and the refrigeration cycle system can be constructed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a refrigeration cycle of the present invention having a heat exchange system that promotes the evaporation of a refrigerant by the heat of a control device to increase the operation efficiency.

FIG. 2 is a specific plan structural view showing the heat exchange system in which a part of a refrigerant pipe is inserted between a heat dissipating fin and a heat dissipating fin on a control board of a control device.

FIG. 3 is a partial structural perspective view of the heat exchange system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relationship between a refrigeration cycle and pressure (p) -heat energy (enthalpy h) in a heating operation cited for explaining that the operation efficiency is improved by the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a relationship diagram between a refrigeration cycle and pressure (p) -heat energy (enthalpy h) in a cooling operation cited for explaining that the operation efficiency is improved by the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a chart of data values obtained by measuring a rise in refrigerant temperature and a recovered heat amount, which are confirmed by the heat exchange system of the present invention during a heating operation.

FIG. 7 is a chart of data values obtained by measuring a rise in the refrigerant temperature and a recovered heat amount confirmed by the heat exchange system of the present invention during the cooling operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Four-way valve 3 Outdoor heat exchanger 5 Expansion device 6 Indoor heat exchanger 7 Accumulator 8 Refrigerant piping 13 Control device 16a, 16b, 16c ... Circuit components 17 Control board 18 Radiation fin 20 Heat exchange system

Claims (2)

[Claims] A refrigeration cycle is formed by connecting a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, an indoor heat exchanger, and the like in an annular manner with a refrigerant pipe, and a control device for controlling the operation of the refrigeration cycle. In the air conditioner comprising: a part of the refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is disposed in a heat exchange relationship with a circuit component constituting the control device, and the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle with heat recovered from the circuit component. An air conditioner, comprising: a heat exchange system that heats air and promotes evaporation of a refrigerant. 2. The heat exchanging system according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange system includes a plurality of heat dissipating fins and a plurality of heat dissipating fins integrally formed from a surface of the control board of the control device opposite to a surface on which the circuit component is mounted. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the evaporating device has a structure in which a part of a refrigerant pipe of the refrigeration cycle is housed in a groove between the two.