JPH11148678A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate the generation of bubbles in a liquid phase pipe in conveying a fluid condensed in an outdoor unit to room units ready for cooling. SOLUTION: In this air conditioning apparatus, an outdoor unit 1 is connected to a plurality of room units 4 mostly installed below the outdoor unit 1 by a liquid phase pipe 6 and a gas phase pipe 7. A phase variable fluid, for example, R-134a is circulated between the outdoor unit 1 and the room units 4 by combining a specific weight difference between a liquid phase and a gas phase and a delivery output of an electric-motor driven pump 11 of the liquid phase pipe 6 to enable cooling operation at the room units 4. In this case, a connection is made by a piping so that the R-134 conveyed being pressurized by the pump 11 is cooled again by a heat exchanger 2A of the outdoor unit 1 and reaches the room units 4.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner between an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units, all or a majority of which are installed below the outdoor unit.
A device that circulates a phase-changeable fluid using the specific gravity difference between the liquid phase and the gas phase and the discharge force of a cooling auxiliary pump installed in a liquid phase pipe, and enables cooling operation in each indoor unit. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air conditioner which does not require a power for conveying a phase-changeable fluid, that is, a fluid whose state changes between a liquid and a gas by taking in and out latent heat, is shown in FIG. 2, for example. There is such a device. In this device, an outdoor unit 1 functioning as a condenser is installed at a high position in a building, and the outdoor unit 1 and an indoor unit 4 installed in a room to be air-conditioned at a lower position are installed. Liquid phase tube 6 between heat exchanger 5
And the gas phase pipe 7 and radiate heat by the heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit 1.
The condensed liquid is transferred to the heat exchanger 5 of the indoor unit 4 by its own weight.
While the heat exchanger 5 of the indoor unit 4 exchanges heat with the high-temperature indoor air to absorb and evaporate the gas, and the fluid is condensed to a low pressure. Since it is possible to circulate the gas by flowing it into the apparatus 1 via the gas phase pipe 7, there is an advantage that the transfer power such as an electric pump is not required and the running cost can be suppressed. In addition, 8 is a flow control valve and 9 is a blower.

[0003] Further, a receiver tank 10 and an electric pump 11 are incorporated in the liquid phase pipe 6 in series as shown by a broken line,
On / off control of the electric pump 11 is performed based on the liquid level of the fluid capable of phase change stored in the receiver tank 10, and some of the indoor units 4 are installed at the same height as the outdoor unit 1. An air conditioner configured to be able to supply a phase-changeable fluid to each indoor unit 4 without excess or shortage even when installed at a high position is also known.

[0004]

However, in an air-conditioning system in which an electric pump is provided in a liquid phase pipe, when a phase-changeable fluid is pressurized and conveyed to each indoor unit by an electric pump, the air-conditioning apparatus is required to be equipped with an outdoor pump. Since the fluid which has been cooled to the supercooled state in the unit is heated and no longer in the supercooled state, if the fluid is heated by the outside air via a pipe wall such as a liquid phase tube before reaching each indoor unit, the liquid phase There is a problem that the fluid boils due to boiling, which hinders circulation, and solving this problem has been a problem.

[0005] In particular, a self-cooling type pump that is inexpensive and easy to maintain and maintain, in which the drive mechanism of the electric pump is cooled using a fluid conveyed by the electric pump without providing a cooling fan. In this case, there is a problem that the temperature of the fluid increases sharply.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention is to provide an auxiliary cooling unit between an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units, all or a majority of which are installed below the outdoor unit. Connected with a liquid-phase pipe equipped with a pump and a gas-phase pipe,
In an air conditioner configured to circulate a phase-changeable fluid using a specific gravity difference between a liquid phase and a gaseous phase and a discharge force of a cooling auxiliary pump to enable cooling operation in each indoor unit, An air conditioner having a first configuration in which the fluid radiated and condensed by the outdoor unit discharged from the auxiliary pump is recooled by the outdoor unit, and then connected to a pipe so as to reach the indoor unit;

In the air conditioner of the first configuration, a pump having a self-cooling type driving mechanism for cooling by applying heat generated by a driving mechanism to the fluid to be conveyed is used as an auxiliary cooling pump. And an air conditioner having a second configuration described above.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that, in order to facilitate understanding, in FIG. 1 also, portions having the same functions as the portions described in FIG. 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an outdoor unit which can selectively generate cold heat, for example, an absorption refrigerator or the like, which is installed in a machine room, for example, on a roof of a building, for example, inside an evaporator. Fluid that can change phase between the liquid phase and the gaseous phase enclosed in the closed circuit 3 through the heat exchanger 2 piped to, for example, the refrigerant R that can easily evaporate when the pressure is reduced even at a low temperature. The heat is exchanged with -134a, which is cooled and condensed.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a heat exchanger of the indoor unit 4 installed on each floor and each room of the building. The heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit 1 is connected to the liquid phase pipe 6 and the gas phase pipe 7 as shown in the figure. To form the closed circuit 3.

The liquid-phase tube 6 is provided with a receiver tank 10 for storing the R-134a of the liquid which is radiated and condensed and discharged in the heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit 1, and is provided with an auxiliary cooling device. The second heat exchanger 2A of the outdoor unit 1 installed in the same manner as the heat exchanger 2 is connected to the suction side liquid phase pipe 6A reaching the suction port of the electric pump 11 functioning as a pump and the discharge port of the electric pump 11 from the suction port. Discharge side liquid phase pipe 6 which reaches each indoor unit 4 via
B.

Most of the electric pump 11 is the outdoor unit 1.
Since the liquid R-134a, which is radiated and condensed by the outdoor unit 1 and is conveyed to the indoor unit 4 installed below through the heat exchanger 2A, a small pump is used.

The outdoor unit 1 has a function of controlling the temperature of the R-134a discharged and condensed by the cooling action in the heat exchanger 2A and discharged to the liquid phase tube 6 to a predetermined temperature, for example, 7 ° C. The indoor unit 4 performs a cooling action via the heat exchanger 5 to evaporate, elevate the temperature, and discharge the R-134a to the gas phase pipe 7.
Is provided with a function of adjusting the opening degree of the flow control valve 8 so that the temperature becomes a predetermined temperature, for example, 12 ° C.

The R-134a sealed in the closed circuit 3
Explaining the circulation cycle during the cooling operation of R-
134a is cooled and condensed by the cold generated by the outdoor unit 1 through the pipe wall of the heat exchanger 2, discharged to the suction-side liquid phase pipe 6A, accumulated in the receiver tank 10, and receives the discharge force of the electric pump 11. Then, it is cooled again by the heat exchanger 2A of the outdoor unit 1 and supplied to the heat exchanger 5 of each indoor unit 4 at a predetermined low temperature, for example, 7 ° C.

In each of the indoor units 4, the R-134a performs a cooling action by removing heat from the high-temperature indoor air being forcibly conveyed by the blower 9 through the tube wall of the heat exchanger 5, thereby performing a cooling action. R-134a of the evaporated gas is R-134a.
The refrigerant 134a is cooled, condensed and liquefied, flows into the heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit 1 at a low pressure through the gas phase tube 7, and circulates again where heat is released and condensed.

Thus, the electric pump 11 radiates heat of the electric motor, which is a drive unit thereof, to the R-134a carried by the electric pump 11 to cool it. And R
Even if the temperature of -134a rises during the pressurized conveyance, when it is finally supplied from the outdoor unit 1, since it is in a predetermined supercooled state, it passes through the pipe wall of the liquid phase pipe 6. Even if the air is slightly heated by the outside air, bubbles are not generated before the air is supplied to each indoor unit 4, so that the circulation of the R-134a is not hindered. Therefore, in the heat exchanger 5 of each indoor unit 4, cooling is always performed in a normal state.

The heat exchanger 2A for cooling the R-134a flowing inside may be installed in the gas phase of the evaporator in the absorption refrigerator as in the heat exchanger 2, or may be installed in the evaporator. You may make it install in a liquid phase part (coolant liquid reservoir).

The phase-changeable fluid sealed in the closed circuit 3 includes, besides R-134a, R-407c and R-404 which easily change phase by controlling temperature and pressure.
A, R-410c or the like.

[0019]

As described above, the air conditioner of the present invention provides a liquid cooling system with an auxiliary cooling pump between an outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units, all or a majority of which are installed below the outdoor unit. The phase pipe and the gas phase pipe are connected to each other, and the phase changeable fluid is circulated using the specific gravity difference between the liquid phase and the gas phase and the discharge power of the cooling auxiliary pump, and the cooling operation is performed in each indoor unit. In the air conditioner configured to allow the above, the cooling-side auxiliary pump is provided with a suction-side liquid-phase pipe so as to suck the fluid condensed by radiating heat in the outdoor unit, and the fluid discharged by the cooling-use auxiliary pump is supplied to the outdoor unit. The cooling auxiliary pump cools its drive unit with the fluid conveyed by the cooling auxiliary pump because it is connected to the pipe so that it is recooled and reaches the indoor unit. Type
Even if the temperature of the fluid may increase during the pressurized conveyance, when the fluid is finally supplied from the outdoor unit, the fluid is in a predetermined supercooled state. Therefore, even if the air is slightly heated by the outside air through the wall of the liquid phase tube, bubbles are not generated before being supplied to each indoor unit, so that the circulation of the fluid is not hindered. In each indoor unit, cooling is always performed in a normal state.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 outdoor unit 2 heat exchanger 3 closed circuit 4 indoor unit 5 heat exchanger 6 liquid phase tube 6A suction side liquid phase tube 6B discharge side liquid phase tube 7 gas phase tube 8 flow control valve 9 blower 10 receiver tank 11 electric pump

Claims (2)

[Claims] An outdoor unit and a plurality of indoor units, all or a majority of which are installed below the outdoor unit, are connected by a liquid-phase pipe having an auxiliary pump for cooling and a gas-phase pipe, In an air conditioner configured to circulate a phase-changeable fluid using a specific gravity difference between a liquid phase and a gaseous phase and a discharge force of a cooling auxiliary pump to enable cooling operation in each indoor unit, The air conditioner, wherein the fluid condensed by radiating heat in the outdoor unit discharged from the auxiliary pump is re-cooled in the outdoor unit, and then connected to a pipe to reach the indoor unit. 2. The cooling auxiliary pump according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pump for cooling is a pump having a self-cooling type driving mechanism for cooling by applying heat generated by a driving mechanism to the fluid to be conveyed. Air conditioner.