JPH1151503A - Cooling apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate an excess state of a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit and realize stable cooling operation even in the case of any mode in a cooling apparatus which has both of an air-cooling condenser and a water-cooling condenser, and in which an air/water-cooling mode and water-cooling mode are selectively made possible. SOLUTION: This cooling apparatus 1 has a compressor 2, a condensing unit C, an expansion valve 10 and a cooler 11, which are connected to one another with pipings successively in the form of a ring. The condensing unit C is composed of an air-cooling condenser 3, which is air-cooled by a blower 4, and a water-cooling condenser 5, which is water-cooled by circulating water, and an air/water-cooling mode operating the blower 4 and a water-cooling mode stopping the operation of the blower 4 are selectively made practicable. The cooling apparatus includes a receiver tank 7 positioned between the condensing unit C and the expansion valve 10 and connected to both of them by pipings, a bypass piping 14 arranged in parallel with the receiver tank 7, and a three-way valve 6 for controlling whether a refrigerant discharged from the condensing unit C is caused to flow into the receiver tank 7 or to flow through the bypass piping 14. With the aid of this three-way valve 6, the refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass piping 14 in the air/water-cooling mode, and it is caused to flow into the receiver tank 7 in the water-cooling mode.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling device used for an ice machine, a cooling storage, or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, a cooling device employed in an ice making machine includes a compressor, a condenser, a decompression device, a cooler, and the like, which are sequentially connected in a ring form by piping to form a refrigerant circuit.
A predetermined amount of refrigerant is sealed in the refrigerant circuit. Then, when the compressor is operated, the refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas state and flows into the condenser. The refrigerant radiates heat in the condenser and is condensed and liquefied. In the cooler, the liquid refrigerant after being decompressed evaporates, and at that time, absorbs heat from the surroundings to exert a cooling effect.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-19878 (F
In an ice making machine as shown in FIG. 25C5 / 18), a condenser for releasing heat of the refrigerant only by air cooling is installed. Since hot air is generated from the condenser that releases the refrigerant only by this air cooling,
Hot air is discharged outside the ice maker, and the area around the ice maker becomes hot, causing a problem that the working environment such as a kitchen deteriorates.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, a condenser that radiates the refrigerant by air cooling (hereinafter referred to as an air-cooled condenser) and a condenser that radiates the refrigerant by water cooling (hereinafter referred to as a water-cooled condenser). A cooling device having both of them has been considered. That is, the cooling device 100 forms a refrigerant circuit by sequentially connecting the compressor 2, the air-cooled condenser 3, the water-cooled condenser 5, the dryer 9, the expansion valve 10, the cooler 11, and the like in a ring shape by piping. A refrigeration cycle is configured by filling a predetermined amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. In this case, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 first flows out to the air-cooled condenser 3 and then returns to the compressor 2 again, is discharged to the air-cooled condenser 3 again, and flows to the subsequent circuit.

[0005] With such a configuration, during a busy season when a lot of ice is used, the cooling device 100 is in the air / water cooling mode. In the air / water cooling mode, the blower 4 is operated, and the cooling water is circulated through the water-cooled condenser 5. And the compressor 2
Is operated, the refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas state, and flows into the air-cooled condenser 3. In the air-cooled condenser 3, the air is cooled by the blower 4, the refrigerant radiates heat, returns to the compressor 2 once, lowers the temperature of the compressor 2, and is discharged to the air-cooled condenser 3 again. After being similarly cooled by air, it further flows into the water-cooled condenser 5 and is cooled by the circulating water to radiate heat. The liquid refrigerant condensed and liquefied by these is decompressed by the expansion valve 10 and supplied to the cooler 11. Then, the liquid refrigerant evaporates in the cooler 11 and at that time absorbs heat from the surroundings to exert a cooling function.

In addition, during periods other than the busy season, the cooling device 1
00 is a water cooling mode. In this water-cooling mode, the cooling water is circulated through the water-cooled condenser 5, but the blower 4 is stopped. Therefore, in the refrigerant circulation as described above, the compressor 2
After passing through the air-cooled condenser 3, the refrigerant discharged from is discharged by the water-cooled condenser 5 exclusively and condensed.
That is, by stopping the hot air from the air-cooled condenser 3, the deterioration of the working environment as described above is improved.

[0007]

In the cooling device 100, since the air-cooled condenser 3 and the water-cooled condenser 5 are used in combination, the amount of the charged refrigerant is set to an appropriate amount. Accordingly, when the mode is set to the water-cooled mode, and the refrigerant is condensed only by the water-cooled condenser 5, the air-cooled condenser 3 only allows the refrigerant to pass therethrough, so that the refrigerant is excessively present in the refrigerant circuit, The operating state becomes unstable, and in the worst case, there is a risk that the liquid returns to the compressor 2. In addition, the amount of water consumed in the water-cooled condenser 5 increases.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional technical problem, and comprises an air-cooled condenser and a water-cooled condenser, and selectively executes an air / water-cooled mode and a water-cooled mode. An object of the present invention is to eliminate a state of excess refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit and realize a stable cooling operation in any mode in a cooling device made possible.

[0009]

According to the cooling apparatus of the present invention, a compressor, a condenser, a pressure reducing apparatus, and a cooler are sequentially connected in an annular pipe, and the condenser is air-cooled by a blower. And a water-cooled condenser cooled by circulating water, wherein an air / water cooling mode for operating the blower and a water cooling mode for stopping the blower can be selectively executed. A receiver tank connected to a pipe between the condenser and the decompression device, a bypass pipe connected in parallel to the receiver tank, and a controller that controls whether refrigerant flowing from the condenser flows to the receiver tank but flows to the bypass pipe. And a valve device.
In the water cooling mode, the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe,
In the water cooling mode, the refrigerant flows into the receiver tank.

According to the present invention, a compressor, a condenser, a decompression device, and a cooler are sequentially connected in an annular pipe, and the condenser is cooled by an air-cooled condenser that is air-cooled by a blower, and cooled by circulating water. And a water-cooled condenser that is selectively operated in an air / water cooling mode for operating the blower and a water-cooling mode for stopping the blower. Connect the tank with piping,
In this receiver tank, a bypass pipe is connected in parallel, and the refrigerant flowing from the condensing device flows to the receiver tank, but a valve device is provided to control whether to flow to the bypass pipe,
With this valve device, in the air / water cooling mode, the refrigerant flows to the bypass pipe, and in the water cooling mode, the refrigerant flows to the receiver tank.Therefore, the air / water cooling mode switches to the water cooling mode while circulating a specified amount of the refrigerant. In this case, the refrigerant is stored in the receiver tank, and the excess refrigerant state generated at that time can be eliminated.

Thus, a stable cooling operation can be realized in both the air / water cooling mode and the water cooling mode, and the amount of water consumption in the water-cooled condenser can be reduced.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, a check valve is provided at an outlet of the receiver tank so that a direction of the pressure reducing device is set to a forward direction, and a bypass pipe is provided opposite to the receiver tank. It is connected in parallel to the stop valve.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect of the present invention, a check valve is provided at the outlet of the receiver tank so that the direction of the pressure reducing device is forward, and the bypass pipe is provided between the receiver tank and the check valve. On the other hand, since they are connected in parallel, it is possible to reliably prevent the refrigerant flowing backward from the outlet of the bypass pipe to the receiver tank in the water cooling mode.

Thus, the cooling operation in the air / water cooling mode can be further stabilized.

[0015]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, the components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 3 are the same.

The cooling device 1 of the embodiment is, for example, employed in an automatic ice maker, and includes a compressor 2, an air-cooled condenser 3 and a water-cooled condenser 5 constituting a condenser C, and a three-way valve 6
, Receiver tank 7, check valve 8, dryer 9
An expansion valve 10 as a pressure reducing device and a cooler 11 are sequentially connected in a ring shape by a pipe 12 to form a refrigerant circuit, and a predetermined amount of refrigerant is sealed in the circuit. A blower 4 is installed near the air-cooled condenser 3, and the water-cooled condenser 5 has a structure in which cooling water is circulated. The check valve 8 is directed forward on the expansion valve 10 side.

In this case, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 2 first flows out to the air-cooled condenser 3 and then returns to the compressor 2 again, is discharged to the air-cooled condenser 3 again, and flows to the subsequent circuit. . The receiver tank 7 is connected to one outlet of the three-way valve 6, and the other outlet of the three-way valve 6 is connected to a bypass pipe 1.
4 are connected. And this bypass pipe 14
Are connected in parallel to a series circuit of the receiver tank 7 and the check valve 8. The three-way valve 6 supplies the refrigerant to the receiver tank 7
This is a valve device that controls whether to flow to the side or to the bypass pipe 14 side. Then, the ice making section of the ice making machine is cooled by the cooler 11 to perform automatic ice making.

The operation of the above configuration will be described. The cooling device 1 can selectively execute an air / water cooling mode and a water cooling mode. Then, for example, during the busy season of an ice maker that uses a lot of ice, the cooling device 1 is set to the air / water cooling mode.

In the air / water cooling mode, the blower 4 is operated and cooling water is circulated through the water-cooled condenser 5. The three-way valve 6 switches the flow path so as to communicate with the bypass pipe 14 (FIG. 1). When the compressor 2 is operated, the compressed and discharged high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant is
It flows into the air-cooled condenser 3. Then, after being cooled by air, the compressor 2 is once returned to the compressor 2, and is discharged again into the air-cooled condenser 3 while cooling the compressor 2. Then, the high-temperature refrigerant is air-cooled by the air blower 4 and then flows into the water-cooled condenser 5 where it is cooled by the cooling water circulating there, and radiates heat to condense and liquefy.

At this time, the three-way valve 6 communicates with the bypass pipe 14 as described above, and the liquid refrigerant condensed in the air-cooled condenser 3 and the water-cooled condenser 5 passes through the three-way valve 6 and bypasses. After passing through the pipe 14, moisture is removed by the dryer 9. The check valve 8 is connected to the receiver tank 7 by the expansion valve 10.
Since the direction is set to the forward direction, the refrigerant flowing out of the bypass pipe 14 does not flow backward to the receiver tank 7.

After the pressure of the liquid refrigerant is reduced by the expansion valve 10, the liquid refrigerant flows into the cooler 11 and evaporates. At this time, the temperature of the cooler 11 decreases due to the heat absorbing action, and ice is generated in the ice making section of the ice making machine. Then, the low-temperature gas refrigerant that has exited the cooler 11 returns to the compressor 2 through the pipe 12.

Next, in a time zone other than the busy season, the cooling device 1 is set to the water cooling mode. In this water cooling mode, the blower 4 is stopped, but the cooling water is circulated. Further, the three-way valve 6 switches the flow path so as to communicate with the receiver tank 7 (FIG. 2). When the compressor 2 is operated, the compressed and discharged high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant passes through the air-cooled condenser 3 in the above-described order, flows into the water-cooled condenser 5, and is circulated by the circulating water. It is cooled, radiates heat and condenses and liquefies. In this mode, the three-way valve 6 communicates with the receiver tank 7 side, and the liquid refrigerant cooled by the water-cooled condenser 5 is supplied to the three-way valve 6.
, And flows into the receiver tank 7. Then, the liquid refrigerant is temporarily stored in the receiver tank 7, and only the liquid refrigerant flows out and passes through the check valve 8.

Next, the liquid refrigerant that has passed through the check valve 8 is depressurized by the expansion valve 10 via the dryer 9, and then flows into the cooler 11 to evaporate. Then, after cooling the ice making section in the same manner, the low-temperature gas refrigerant that has exited the cooler 11 returns to the compressor 2 through the pipe 12. In such a water cooling mode, the hot air from the air-cooled condenser 3 is not blown out to the kitchen, so that the working environment can be improved.

As described above, in the air / water cooling mode of the cooling device 1, the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 14, and in the water cooling mode, the refrigerant flows into the receiver tank 7. While circulating the refrigerant,
When the mode is switched to the water cooling mode, the refrigerant is stored in the receiver tank 7, and the excess refrigerant state generated at that time can be eliminated.

Thus, a stable cooling operation can be realized in both the air / water cooling mode and the water cooling mode. In addition, since the amount of refrigerant to be cooled in the water cooling mode is also reduced, the amount of consumed water is also reduced.

In the embodiment, the cooling device of the present invention is applied to an ice making machine. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also effective for a cooling device such as a refrigerator, a freezer, and a showcase.

[0027]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, an air-cooled condenser in which a compressor, a condenser, a decompression device, and a cooler are sequentially connected in a circular pipe, and the condenser is air-cooled by a blower. And a water-cooled condenser cooled by circulating water, wherein the air-water-cooling mode for operating the blower and the water-cooling mode for stopping the blower are selectively executable. The receiver tank is connected to the pipe between the pump and the decompression device, and a bypass pipe is connected in parallel to the receiver tank, and a valve device that controls whether the refrigerant discharged from the condenser flows to the receiver tank but flows to the bypass pipe. This valve device allows the refrigerant to flow to the bypass pipe in the air / water cooling mode and the refrigerant to flow to the receiver tank in the water cooling mode. While circulating the refrigerant, stored coolant to the receiver tank when switched to the water-cooling mode, it is possible to eliminate the refrigerant excess state generated at that time.

Thus, a stable cooling operation can be realized in both the air / water cooling mode and the water cooling mode, and the amount of water consumed in the water-cooled condenser can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above, a check valve is provided at the outlet of the receiver tank so that the direction of the pressure reducing device is forward, and the bypass pipe is provided in parallel with the receiver tank and the check valve. Since the connection is made, it is possible to reliably prevent the refrigerant flowing backward from the outlet of the bypass pipe to the receiver tank in the water cooling mode.

Thus, the cooling operation in the air / water cooling mode can be further stabilized.
Therefore, the reliability of the device can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a cooling device of the present invention in an air / water cooling mode.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the cooling device of the present invention in a water cooling mode.

FIG. 3 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a conventional cooling device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cooling apparatus 2 Compressor 3 Air-cooled condenser 4 Blower 5 Water-cooled condenser 6 Three-way valve 7 Receiver tank 8 Check valve 9 Dryer 10 Expansion valve 11 Cooler 12 Pipe 14 Bypass pipe C Condenser

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A compressor, a condenser, a decompression device, and a cooler are sequentially connected in a ring shape to a pipe, and the condenser is air-cooled by an air blower, and water-cooled by circulating water. An air / water cooling mode for operating the blower and a water cooling mode for stopping the blower that can be selectively executed, and a piping is provided between the condensation device and the decompression device. A connected receiver tank, a bypass pipe connected in parallel to the receiver tank, and a valve device that controls whether refrigerant flowing from the condensing device flows to the receiver tank, but is controlled to flow to the bypass pipe. A cooling device, wherein in the air / water cooling mode, a refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe, and in the water cooling mode, a refrigerant flows through the receiver tank. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a check valve is provided at an outlet of the receiver tank, the forward direction of which is the direction of the pressure reducing device, and a bypass pipe is connected in parallel to the receiver tank and the check valve. The cooling device according to claim 1.