JPH11159905A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further save energy by a method wherein supply and discharge of a refrigerant between an absorption refrigerator and a refrigerant coil are effected by a single pump. SOLUTION: A pump 30 with a suction port pointing to the refrigerator 1 side and a discharge port pointing to the refrigerant coil 8 side is located in a liquid line 11 to interconnect an absorption refrigerator 1 serving as an outdoor machine A and the refrigerant coil 8 serving as an indoor machine B. A switch circuit consisting of two bypass lines 34 and 35 and four solenoid valves 32, 33, 36, and 37 is disposed at the periphery of the pump 30. In a cooling cycle, the solenoid valves 32 and 33 are opened and the solenoid valves 36 and 37 are closed to feed refrigerant liquid from the refrigerator 1 to the refrigerant coil 8. In a heating cycle, the solenoid valves 32 and 33 are closed and the solenoid valves 36 and 37 are opened to feed the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant coil 8 to the refrigerator 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner in which an absorption refrigerator and a refrigerant coil are combined.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown by reference numeral 1 in FIG. 4, an absorption-type absorption chiller includes a condenser 2, an evaporator 3, an absorber 4 and a regenerator 5. The refrigerant is incorporated in one circulation circuit 6 in which the refrigerant circulates. The absorber 4 contains an absorbing solution for absorbing the refrigerant gas. The absorbing solution absorbs the low-temperature refrigerant gas generated in the evaporator 3 and moves to the regenerator 5, where the gas or oil-fired heat source 7 separates the high temperature refrigerant gas. The high-temperature refrigerant gas separated and generated in the regenerator 5 is conveyed to the condenser 2 to be liquefied and sent to the evaporator 3 as a refrigerant liquid. The absorbing solution after the refrigerant has been separated by the regenerator 5 is returned to the absorber 4 via a return pipe (not shown).

The above-mentioned absorption refrigerator 1 is usually used as an outdoor unit A, and a refrigerant coil 8 used as an indoor unit B is circulated between the evaporator 3 and the heat source 7 of the regenerator 5. A piping 9 for carrying the refrigerant is routed. In addition,
The piping 9 is directed to the evaporator 3 side during the cooling cycle by the switching valves 10a and 10b, and to the heat source 7 during the heating cycle.
Each can be switched to the side. here,
Conventionally, water has been generally used as the refrigerant circulating through the refrigerant coil 8, but recently, a gas, for example, Freon gas R-134a, R-22, or the like has been used. This is because heat exchange efficiency is improved when gas is used as a refrigerant as compared with the case where water is used as a refrigerant.
This is because space can be saved, and a small pump can be used to save energy.

When the above gas is used as a refrigerant, the refrigerant is transported between the absorption refrigerator 1 and the refrigerant coil 8 in a liquid state or a gas state. Naturally, it is necessary to change the diameter of the pipe that carries the gas. For this reason, in the conventional air conditioner, as shown in FIG. 5, a liquid pipe 11 and a gas pipe 12 having different diameters are piped between the absorption refrigerator 1 and the refrigerant coil 8, and each pipe 11 , And 12, the refrigerant liquid and the refrigerant gas flow independently of each other. In this case, since the refrigerant gas naturally flows through the gas pipe 12 due to the gas pressure,
Although no special pumping means is required, the refrigerant liquid does not flow through the liquid pipeline 11 unless pumped by a pump. However, in the cooling cycle, the liquid refrigerant in the liquid pipeline 11 is transferred from the refrigerator 1 to the refrigerant coil 8 as indicated by the black arrow, and from the refrigerant coil 8 to the refrigerator 1 as indicated by the white arrow in the heating cycle.
Therefore, it becomes impossible to supply and discharge the refrigerant liquid using the same liquid conduit 11.

Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 5, a first pump 13 is interposed in the liquid line 11,
A second pump 15 is interposed in a bypass line 14 provided in the liquid line 11 so as to bypass the first pump 13, and the cooling machine 1 is operated by the operation of the first pump 13 in a cooling cycle.
From the refrigerant coil 8 to the refrigerant coil 8 (black arrow), and in the heating cycle, the second pump 15 operates to pump the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant coil 8 to the refrigerator 1 (open arrow).

More specifically, in the cooling cycle, the refrigerant liquid pumped from the refrigerator 1 to the refrigerant coil 8 through the liquid line 11 by the first pump 13 flows into the refrigerant coil 8 while being depressurized by the expansion valve 16. Then, by the operation of the fan 17, heat is exchanged with the air sucked into the housing 18 and gasified, and the refrigerant gas is returned to the refrigerator 1 through the gas line 12. On the other hand, in the heating cycle, the gas line The refrigerant gas sent to the refrigerant coil 8 through 12
Therefore, the refrigerant is liquefied by heat exchange with air, and the refrigerant liquid is returned to the refrigerator 1 from the liquid line 11 via the bypass line 14 by the second pump 15. Since the refrigerant liquid generated in the refrigerant coil 8 contains a small amount of refrigerant gas, a tank 19 for temporarily storing the refrigerant liquid is provided in the bypass pipe 14 immediately before the second pump 15. I have. In addition, the air that has undergone heat exchange in the housing 18 of the indoor unit B and has become cool air or warm air is sent to the injection nozzle 21 through the duct 20 and is injected indoors. In addition, the outdoor unit A is provided with a cooling tower 22 for storing cold water for the condenser 2 of the absorption refrigerator 1.

[0007]

That is, according to the above-described conventional air conditioner, the absorption type refrigerator 1 and the refrigerant coil 8 are provided.
To supply and discharge the refrigerant liquid between the two pumps 13, 1
5 is indispensable, and the operation of the two pumps increases the energy consumption, and there is a problem that energy saving as expected cannot be achieved with respect to the case where water is used as the refrigerant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to supply and discharge refrigerant liquid between an absorption refrigerator and a refrigerant coil with a single pump. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an air conditioner which can greatly contribute to energy saving.

[0009]

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention relates to an absorption type refrigerator as an outdoor unit and a refrigerant coil for circulating a refrigerant heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the refrigerator as an indoor unit. In the air conditioner used, a single pump is interposed in a liquid line that carries a refrigerant liquid between the refrigerator and the refrigerant coil, and a refrigerant liquid is provided in the liquid line according to a cooling cycle and a heating cycle. And a switching circuit that connects the supply source of the refrigerant to the suction port of the pump and the supply destination of the refrigerant liquid to the discharge port of the pump.

[0010] In the air conditioner configured as described above,
In the cooling cycle, the refrigerator is the supply source of the refrigerant liquid, and the refrigerant coil is the supply destination of the refrigerant liquid. On the other hand, in the heating cycle, the refrigerant coil is the supply source of the refrigerant liquid, and the refrigerator is the supply destination of the refrigerant liquid. Respectively, but the switching circuit is
Since the supply source of the refrigerant liquid is always conducted to the suction port of the pump, and the supply destination of the refrigerant liquid is always conducted to the discharge port of the pump, one pump can be shared for the cooling cycle and the heating cycle. .

In the present invention, the refrigerant has a characteristic of evaporating at room temperature, such as Freon gas R-1.
34a, R-22 and the like are desirably used. Since these fluorocarbon gases are not subject to regulation and evaporate at room temperature, they are suitable as refrigerants for air conditioning.

[0012]

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

FIG. 1 shows an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention. The absorption refrigerator 1 used here is the same as that shown in FIG.
Since the structure of the entire device is the same as that shown in FIG. 5 above, the same portions as those shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description will be omitted. I do. In this air conditioner, one pump 30 is interposed in a liquid pipeline 11 that carries a liquid of a refrigerant (for example, Freon gas R-134a, R-22, or the like) between the air conditioner 1 and the refrigerant coil 8. And the second pump 19, which was conventionally required to recirculate the refrigerant liquid from the refrigerant coil 8 to the air conditioner 1.
(FIG. 5) has been abolished from the present air conditioner. In the present embodiment, the pump 30 is arranged with the suction port facing the refrigerator 1 and the discharge port facing the refrigerant coil 8, respectively.
Around the pump 30, a switching circuit 31 to be described later is provided.

The switching circuit 31 is connected to the refrigerator line 1 (front side) of the liquid line 11 with respect to the pump 30 and the refrigerant coil 8.
First and second solenoid valves (opening / closing valves) 32 and 33 interposed at the parts on the side (rear side), and two bypass lines provided in the liquid line 11 so as to bypass the pump 30 34,
35, and a third, interposed in each bypass line 34, 35,
Fourth solenoid valves (open / close valves) 36 and 37 are provided.
Thus, one of the two bypass pipes 34 is branched from between the first solenoid valve 32 and the pump 30 and connected to the rear side of the second solenoid valve 33. The other conduits 35 are provided so as to branch off from the front side of the first solenoid valve 32 and to be connected between the pump 30 and the second solenoid valve 33. The operation of these solenoid valves is controlled by a command from a control device (not shown).

In the present embodiment, a bypass pipe 38 provided with the tank 15 is provided on the indoor unit B side of the liquid pipe 11.
Is provided. Unlike the conventional bypass pipe 14 (FIG. 5), the bypass pipe 38 is provided only in the middle of the liquid pipe 11 without bypassing the pump 30 described above. An on-off valve (electromagnetic on-off valve) 39 is interposed between the liquid line 11 and the branch point of the bypass line 38. When the on-off valve 39 is closed, the bypass line is closed. The refrigerant liquid flows around the path 38.

The operation of the air conditioner constructed as described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. In the cooling cycle, as shown in FIG. 2, the third and fourth solenoid valves 36 and 37 are closed, and the first and second solenoid valves 32 and 33 and the on-off valve 39 on the indoor unit B side are connected. be opened. In addition, in order to make the description easy to understand, in the drawings, the closed valve is shown in black. When the absorption chiller 1 is operated and the pump 30 is operated under the open / closed state of each valve, the refrigerant liquid is pressure-fed from the refrigerator 1 to the refrigerant coil 8 through the liquid line 11, and this refrigerant liquid is , Expansion valve 16
Flows into the refrigerant coil 8 while being decompressed by the fan 17.
By the operation, heat is exchanged with the air sucked into the housing 18 and gasified. The refrigerant gas generated in the refrigerant coil 8 is returned to the refrigerator 1 through the gas pipe 12, while the air sucked into the housing 18 is generated by the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant while passing through the refrigerant coil 8. The heat is deprived, the air becomes cold, and is injected from the injection nozzle 21 into the room.

In the heating cycle, as shown in FIG. 3, the first and second solenoid valves 32 and 33 and the open / close valve 39 on the indoor unit B side are closed, and the third and fourth solenoid valves 36 and 36 are closed. , 37 are opened. At the same time, the absorption refrigerator 1 is operated such that the switching valves 10a and 10b switch the liquid pipeline 11 and the gas pipeline 12 to the heat source 7 side. When the pump 30 is operated in this state, the refrigerant gas is sent from the refrigerator 1 to the refrigerant coil 8 through the gas line 12, and the refrigerant gas is introduced into the housing 18 in the refrigerant coil 8. It exchanges heat with liquefaction. Then, the refrigerant liquid generated in the refrigerant coil 8 flows into the liquid conduit 11, but flows to the bypass conduit 38 side because the on-off valve 39 in the middle thereof is closed, and the tank in the refrigerant conduit 11 flows therethrough. 15 once. On the other hand, the suction port of the pump 30 is electrically connected to the tank 15 because the second solenoid valve 33 is closed and the third solenoid valve 34 is open. Is returned to the liquid line 11 and then sucked into the pump 30 via the bypass line 34, further discharged from its discharge port and returned to the refrigerator 1 via the bypass line 35. Here, the air sucked into the housing 18 is heated by the latent heat released by the refrigerant while passing through the refrigerant coil 8, becomes warm air, and is injected from the injection nozzle 21 into the room.

In the present invention, the arrangement of the pump 30 is reversed, that is, its suction port is located on the refrigerant coil 8 side.
The discharge port may be directed to the refrigerator 1 side. However, in this case, the opening and closing of each of the solenoid valves 32, 33, 36, and 37 need to be reversed from that in the above-described embodiment. During the cooling cycle, the first and second solenoid valves 32 and 33 are closed and , The third and fourth solenoid valves 36 and 37 are opened, and during the heating cycle, the first and second solenoid valves 3 and 3 are opened.
2, 33 are opened, and the third and fourth solenoid valves 36,
Close 37. The present invention also relates to the above tank 1
5 can be omitted, and in this case, the on-off valve 39 is not required.

[0019]

As described above, according to the air conditioner according to the present invention, the supply and discharge of the refrigerant liquid between the absorption refrigerator and the refrigerant coil can be performed by one pump. As a result, energy consumption and cost can be reduced as compared with a conventional air conditioner that requires two pumps.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram schematically showing the structure of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a system diagram showing an operation state of the air conditioner in a cooling cycle.

FIG. 3 is a system diagram showing an operation state of the air conditioner in a heating cycle.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a structure of an absorption refrigerator used in the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a system diagram schematically showing the structure of a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air conditioner, 8 Refrigerant coil 11 Liquid line 12 Gas line 30 Pump 31 Switching circuit A outdoor unit, B indoor unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An air conditioner using an absorption refrigerator as an outdoor unit and a refrigerant coil circulating a refrigerant heat-exchanged with a refrigerant in the refrigerator as an indoor unit, wherein an air conditioner is provided between the refrigerator and the refrigerant coil. A single pump is interposed in the liquid conduit that carries the refrigerant liquid at the same time, and a supply source of the refrigerant liquid is conducted to the suction port of the pump regardless of a cooling cycle and a heating cycle, and the refrigerant is connected to the liquid conduit. An air conditioner further comprising a switching circuit for connecting a liquid supply destination to a discharge port of the pump. 2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant has a characteristic of evaporating at room temperature.