JPS6161024B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

The present invention relates to an air conditioner/heater that is capable of cooling operation using a refrigeration cycle and heating operation using a natural circulation refrigerant cycle. The aim is to provide an opportunity. Since heat pump type air conditioners have a problem that causes an extreme drop in heating capacity during the severe cold of winter, cooling operation using a refrigeration cycle,
Recently, air conditioners and heaters that can be used in conjunction with heating operations that utilize hot water obtained from the combustion heat of kerosene, etc., have come into widespread use. However, this type of air conditioner requires two coils, a hot water coil and an evaporator, to be installed in the indoor unit, which means that the indoor unit becomes larger and the number of connecting pipes between the indoor and outdoor units increases. The main points are that the construction is complicated and leads to increased costs, a circulation pump is required to supply hot water, which increases costs, and there is a risk of indoor contamination due to accidents such as water leaks. These are some of the drawbacks. Therefore, the present applicant has already made many proposals regarding air-conditioning/heating machines of a shared refrigerant type in which cooling is performed by a compression refrigeration cycle and heating is performed by a natural circulation refrigerant cycle. This air conditioner can have two connecting pipes between the indoor and outdoor units, and can handle the combustion heat of kerosene, etc.
It is characterized by the fact that it can perform heating without power by utilizing sensible and latent heat accompanied by changes in gas and liquid phases using sunlight, recovered heat, etc. as a heat source, and has the advantage of overcoming the deficiencies of conventional methods mentioned above. It has been found that the following problems arise in practical use. That is, since the outdoor unit has a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant heating coil for generating a heating source during heating and a series circuit for cooling consisting of a compressor, a condenser, and a pressure reducer are connected in parallel,
Even if both ends of the series circuit are closed using on-off valves during the heating season, the refrigerant may cool down in the compressor and condenser exposed to outside air due to leakage at the valve section of the on-off valve. As a result, when the refrigerant is filled according to the cooling operation standards, the amount of refrigerant in the heating cycle system becomes insufficient and a so-called gas shortage occurs, and if the system is operated in this state, the heating The problem of lack of capacity is unavoidable. The present invention has been made in an attempt to provide an air conditioner/heater with a new structure that can also solve the above-mentioned pending problems. Hereinafter, the configuration and functions of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The present invention provides an outdoor unit 1 as shown in FIG.
The outdoor unit 1 usually has a separate structure consisting of a compressor 3, an air-cooled condenser 4 equipped with an outdoor fan 9, and an indoor unit 2A, 2B.
It is equipped with a refrigerant heating coil 6 provided to be able to exchange heat with a pressure reducer 5, a liquid receiver 12, and a heating device 7 such as a gas burner.
are each equipped with an indoor coil 8 and an indoor fan 10. The outdoor unit 1 is installed outdoors on the ground or on the floor of the machine room, while the indoor unit 2 is installed on the upper part of the wall inside the room. Connecting piping 17 between the refrigerant circuits of 2A and 2B
Connect by A, 17B, 18A, 18B. In the outdoor unit 1, the refrigerant heating coil 6
is a heat exchange coil arranged vertically, for example, with the refrigerant outlet 6b located at a higher position than the refrigerant inlet 6a, and the refrigerant in the coil is heated from below by a heating device 7 using kerosene, gas, solar heat, etc. as a heat source. The refrigerant is heated to a predetermined temperature via air or hot water. The compressor 3, condenser 4, and pressure reducer 5 are connected in series to form a series circuit, and this series circuit and the refrigerant heating coil 6 are connected in parallel to constitute the main refrigerant circuit of the outdoor unit 1. The indoor coil 8 in the indoor unit 2 has a structure in which it is arranged vertically such that there is a vertical level difference between both ends of the coil, and is connected to a high position side pipe end 8a and a low position side pipe end 8b, respectively. Connection piping 1
7A, 17B, 18A, 18B are connected to the outdoor unit 1 preferably in such a way that there is no upward slope in any part thereof. Note that when connecting the outdoor and indoor units 1, 2A, and 2B with each other through the connecting pipes 17A, 17B, 18A, and 18B, the refrigerant outlet 6b of the refrigerant heating coil 6 is connected to the high-position side pipe end 8a of the indoor coil 8. ,
Further, it is necessary to make connections such that the refrigerant inlet 6a communicates with the lower side pipe ends 8b. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 1, when the series circuit is connected in parallel with the refrigerant heating coil 6,
The outlet side of the pressure reducer 5 is connected to the refrigerant outlet 6b side of the refrigerant heating coil 6,
Further, a first on-off valve 13 is interposed in the conduit communicating with the outlet side of the condenser 4, and a third on-off valve 16
A resistance pipe 19 and a second on-off valve 11 are connected in parallel.
are interposed in series in a pipe line communicating with the suction side of the compressor 3. In addition, in FIG. 1, 12 is a liquid receiver, which is interposed in the middle of a pipe line that becomes a liquid pipe in the case of cooling operation. Further, 14 indicates that the refrigerant is the refrigerant heating coil 6.
15A and 15B are check valves that prevent the refrigerant from flowing back to the refrigerant outlet 6b, and 15A and 15B are connecting pipes 17A and 17B.
These are electromagnetic valves for operation control that are interposed in the branch pipes that connect the two. The air conditioner shown in Fig. 1 is an example in which two indoor units 2A are connected to the outdoor unit 1, but it is also possible to use a multi-connection air conditioner with three or more indoor units connected in parallel, or a single unit. Of course, the scope of the present invention also includes an air conditioner/heater that is connected only to the air conditioner, and the following explanation will be based on the case where two indoor units 2A and 2B are used. Next, the electric control circuit of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. Heating switch 21A with _A-1 , 21 _A-2 and cooling switch 22A
and three relays 24A, 25A, and 26A, the relay 24A is energized when the high temperature closing contact of the temperature regulator 20A and the cooling switch 22A are both closed, and the relay 25A is energized when the temperature regulator 20A closes. Vessel 2
The relay 26A is energized when the 0A low temperature closing contact and one of the heating switches 21A, 21 _A-1 , are both closed, and the relay 26A is energized when the other heating switch 21A, 21 _A-2, is closed. It's summery. The circuit related to the indoor unit 2B is also the same as that shown in FIG. 2, so its illustration is omitted. In the following description, the same reference numerals with the subscript A or B indicate the same equipment installed in the indoor unit 2A or 2B. On the other hand, FIG. 3 shows a circuit related to the outdoor unit 1, including a timer 23 having a settling time of 5 to 10 minutes,
A refrigerant temperature regulator 27 is provided as a control element, and is controlled by these control elements and relays 24A-26A, 24B-26B of each indoor unit 2A, 2B. The controlled devices include the compressor motor 3M, the combustor 7a of the heating device 7, and the outdoor fan motor 9M.
, the solenoid 13S of the first solenoid valve 13 corresponding to the first on-off valve, the solenoid 11S of the second solenoid valve 11 equivalent to the second on-off valve, and the solenoid of the third solenoid valve 16 corresponding to the third on-off valve. 16S and each solenoid 15 of the operation control solenoid valves 15A and 15B.
It is equipped with A-S and 15B-S. The operation of this circuit will be explained below. The timer 23 is driven by the excitation of at least one of the relays 26A and 26B, and opens the normally closed contact when the settling time has elapsed. Compressor motor 3M, first solenoid valve solenoid 13
S and the second electromagnetic valve solenoid 11S are in an interlocking relationship, and when at least one of the relays 24A and 24B is energized, the relays 26A and 26B are also energized.
is energized because at least one of the solenoid valves 13 and 23 is energized and the timer 23 is measuring time (both solenoid valves 13,
11 is open). The outdoor fan motor 9M and the third solenoid valve solenoid 16S have an interlocking relationship, and the relays 24A, 24
It is energized by the excitation of at least one of B (the solenoid valve 16 is opened). In the combustor 7a, the refrigerant temperature is lower than the set value,
In addition, combustion operation is performed when at least one of relays 25A and 25B is energized. Each solenoid 15 of the electromagnetic valve 15A, 15B
A-S, 15B-S is the former relay 24A, 2
When either one of the relays 5A is excited, the latter is energized when either one of the relays 24B and 25B is excited, thereby opening the valve. Next, the operating dynamics of the air conditioner and heater will be explained separately for cooling and heating with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. (a) Cooling operation: When the cooling switch 22A or 22B of at least one of the indoor units 2A or 2B is turned on, when the room temperature is high, the relay 24A or 2 is turned on by the closing operation of the temperature controller 20A or 20B.
4B is excited. As a result, the compressor motor 3M and the fan motor 9M are driven, and the first to third solenoid valves 13,
11 and 16 are opened, and the solenoid valve 15A
Or 15B is open. Thus, compressor 3 → condenser 4 → first solenoid valve 13 → pressure reducer 5 → liquid receiver 12 → solenoid valve 15A or 15B → indoor coils 8, 8 → second solenoid valve 11
→Third electromagnetic valve 16 →Compressor 3 A circulating refrigeration circuit is formed, and the indoor coils 8, 8 act as an evaporator, and a cooling operation is performed by a cooling cycle. The outdoor unit 1 continues to operate unless both indoor units 2A and 2B stop operating due to a drop in room temperature. Throughout this cooling operation, the refrigerant heating coil 6
Since the refrigerant inlet 6a communicates with the low pressure region and the refrigerant outlet 6b is disconnected from the high pressure region by the check valve 14, the refrigerant does not flow through the refrigerant heating coil 6, and the Therefore, there is no adverse effect on the refrigeration capacity. Note that it goes without saying that the surplus refrigerant is stored in the liquid receiver 12. (b) Heating operation, all indoor units are set to heating switches 21A, 2.
When starting heating operation from a state where 1B is turned off, that is, when starting heating and performing heating operation for the first time in the heating season and for the first time in a day, it is necessary to turn on heating switch 21A or 21B. Therefore, since the room temperature is naturally low, relays 25A, 26A or 25B, 26B are energized. Since the relay 26A or 26B is energized regardless of whether the room temperature is high or low, the timer 23 enters timing operation and the compressor motor 3M is driven.
The first and second solenoid valves 13 and 11 are each solenoid 1
The valve is opened by the biasing of 3S and 11S. On the other hand, the fan motor 9M remains stopped, and the third solenoid valve 16 also remains closed due to the de-energization of the solenoid 16S. Further, if the refrigerant temperature is low due to excitation of relay 25A or 25B, combustor 7a is activated and heating device 7 enters heating operation. At the same time, solenoid valve 15
A or 15B is also opened. Thus, the compressor 3 is operated, and a small amount of refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 3 through the resistance pipe 19.
The refrigerant (liquid) accumulated in the condenser 4 is transferred to the compressor 3
is pushed out by the discharge gas of the first solenoid valve 1.
3. The refrigerant is sent out through the pressure reducer 5 into the receiver 12 and the refrigerant piping system other than the series circuit. At this time, since the outdoor fan 9 is stopped, almost no condensing action is performed in the condenser 4, and therefore, no liquid accumulates in the condenser 4. Further, the resistance pipe 19 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 3 as described above, and the resistance pipe 19 acts to reduce the pressure, so that the refrigerant is transferred to the compressor 3 in a liquid phase.
is prevented from reverting to When the normally closed contact of the timer 23 is opened when the settling time limit is reached, the compressor 3 is stopped and both the electromagnetic valves 13 and 11 are closed. Thus, refrigerant heating coil 6→check valve 14→
The refrigerant flows through the circulation path of the liquid receiver 12 → solenoid valve 15A or 15B → indoor coils 8, 8 → refrigerant heating coil 6, and the high-temperature refrigerant gas heated by the refrigerant heating coil 6 and evaporated is passed through the indoor coil 8, 8, the heat of condensation is released into the indoor air, and the condensation is liquefied to heat the room. This liquefied refrigerant flows down due to its own weight, reaches the refrigerant heating coil 6, and is heated again. The refrigerant flow direction at this time is as shown by the broken line arrow in Figure 1, and the refrigerant undergoes a gas/liquid phase change and repeats natural circulation due to the difference in specific gravity, so heating is performed by a natural circulation heating cycle that does not use any power. Driving will take place. As mentioned above, since the liquid refrigerant in the compressor 3 or condenser 4 is forcibly pushed out for a short period of time at the start of operation, the amount of refrigerant in the natural circulation system may be insufficient. These undesirable phenomena do not occur at all, and therefore stable heating operation with sufficient capacity is achieved. In this heating operation, the heating device 7 is connected to the refrigerant heating coil 6.
By controlling the refrigerant temperature at the refrigerant outlet 6b to a constant value, this operation is performed as long as at least one indoor unit is in operation, and both heating switches 21A and 21B are opened. Except in the case of a complete shutdown, compressor operation for pushing refrigerant out of the series circuit is not restarted. Next, FIGS. 4 and 5 show the indoor unit side and outdoor unit side circuits according to another example of the air conditioner/heater of the present invention, but this air conditioner is different from the air conditioner/heater of the above example in particular in the following points. is different. That is, when the air conditioner of the above example performs the operation at the start of heating operation using the heating switches 21A and 21B,
Whereas the rest was automatically controlled, this example uses a heating switch 21 installed on the indoor side.
In addition to operating the refrigerant A and 21B, a reset button switch 29 provided on the outdoor unit 1 side is also operated, and at the start of the heating operation, the compressor is operated to push out the refrigerant liquid from the series circuit. It is characterized in that it does not cause the process to be carried out excessively. The refrigerant circuit of this device has the configuration shown in Figure 1 and is exactly the same as the previous air conditioner, but the electrical control circuit is slightly different. First, in the circuit related to the indoor unit 2A, the heating switch 21A has a single-pole structure, while the cooling switch 22A has a bipolar structure, and both switches 21A have a bipolar structure.
Relays 24A, 25A, 2 in relation to A, 22A
It has 8A. The circuit related to the outdoor unit 1 that is different from the circuit shown in FIG. start,
Timing operation is maintained by a relay 30 that is energized at the same time. Note that the indicator light 31 lights up to indicate that the timer 23 is operating. The timer 23 is connected to the relay 28A or 2.
By energizing 8B, in other words, by turning on the cooling switch 22A or 22B, the communication with the operation bus bar is cut off, so that no timekeeping operation is performed during cooling operation. The combustor 7a is in a state where the refrigerant temperature is lower than the set value and the heating switch 21A or 21
B is turned on, and when the relay 30 is energized, the combustion operation starts. This means that the heating operation will not start unless the reset button switch 29 is operated. It means. In addition, the solenoid valve 15 for operating the indoor unit
Solenoids 15 _AS and 15 _BS of units A and 15B actuate cooling switches 22A and 22 in order to put the units 2A and 2B into cooling operation or heating operation.
By turning on B or heating switches 21A and 21B, the valve is excited and opened, and the timer 2 is activated by operating button switch 29.
3 is operated for time measurement, and even while this time measurement is being performed, the relay contact 30 and the timer time limit contact 23 are closed to excite and open the valve. It is clear from the circuit configuration described above that this air conditioner cannot be operated for heating unless the reset button switch 29 is pressed. be lifted upon the release of In this way, when the button switch 29 is operated, the compressor 3 is energized for a predetermined time period of 5 to 10 minutes, the first and second solenoid valves 13 and 11 are opened, and the outdoor unit is activated. The refrigerant liquid accumulated in the series circuit of No. 1 is pushed out. Unlike the previous model, which automatically pushes out the refrigerant liquid each time heating starts, this air-conditioning/heating machine automatically pushes out the refrigerant liquid every time heating starts, but when it starts operating at the beginning of the heating season,
This is only done when switching from cooling to heating or when restarting after a power outage, which avoids unnecessary operation and has many practical advantages, such as reduced running costs. The air conditioners shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 are further examples of the present invention, and while the previous two examples are fully automatic and semi-automatic, this air conditioner allows manual refrigerant extrusion. This is what I did. Therefore, in this example, the first on-off valve 13 and the second on-off valve 11 are replaced with manual on-off valves instead of electromagnetic valves, and the on-off valves 13 and 11 are manually opened and closed in conjunction with each other. The electrical control circuit has been slightly modified to match this structure. The first on-off valves 13 and 11 are arranged in parallel and close to each other at appropriate positions that are easy for the operator to operate, and the heads of the valve stems are aligned at the same level as shown in Figure 6, and both heads are arranged in parallel. Slide plate 35 so that it can touch the
is installed horizontally so that it can slide. The slide plate 35 has five grooves 37 to 41 long in the sliding direction on the lower surface in contact with the valve stem head, and has an operating knob 3 on the upper surface on the opposite side.
6 is provided protrudingly. Two limit switches 33 and 34 are arranged in relation to this slide plate 35, and a groove 37
- 41, the groove 37 opens the second on-off valve 11, the grooves 38 and 41 open and close the micro switch 33, the groove 39 opens and closes the micro switch 34, and the groove 40 opens and closes the first valve. The on-off valve 13 is formed to be open. As shown in FIG. 7, each groove 37 to 41
By appropriately selecting the groove length and relative position of the opening/closing valves 13, 11 and the opening/closing of the micro switches 33, 34, the operation of the cooling notch (), This is done at the push-out operation notch () and the heating notch (), respectively. In this case, it is desirable that the push-out operation notch () be located at an intermediate position between the cooling notch () and the heating notch ().

[Table] The electric control circuit for the air conditioner in the above example is shown in Figures 8 and 9, but the circuit shown in Figure 8 is the same as that shown in Figure 4, so the explanation is omitted. On the other hand, regarding the circuit shown in Figure 9, the different parts from the previous two examples (Figures 3 and 5) will be explained as follows.
The fan motor 9M and the solenoid 16S of the third electromagnetic valve 16 are energized and opened when the indoor unit 2A or 2B is operated for cooling, and the limit switch 34 is closed by the cooling notch () of the slide plate 35. 32 is an auxiliary relay, which is connected to the indoor unit 2.
Both A and 2B are stopped, or the indoor unit 2A or 2B is operated for heating, and the limit switch 33 becomes energized by closing the push-out operation notch () on the slide plate 35. ing. The compressor motor 3M is connected to the indoor unit 2A or 2.
It is energized when B is operated for cooling operation and the limit switch 34 is closed by the cooling notch ( ) on the slide plate 35 and when the auxiliary relay 32 is energized. Further, the electromagnetic valves 15A and 15B are configured to be energized and opened by operation of cooling or heating, or by energization of the auxiliary relay 32. As is clear from the configuration described above, the characteristics of the operating mode of this air conditioner/heater can be explained by operating the indoor unit 2A or 2B to heating operation and operating the slide plate 35 to the push operation notch (). Therefore, the refrigerant can be pushed out prior to heating, and if necessary, the refrigerant can be pushed out according to the will of the operator. In addition, since the first and second on-off valves 13 and 11 are manually operated, the sealing performance of the valve part is higher than that of a solenoid valve, and there is little or no leakage, so the amount of refrigerant accumulated in the series circuit is Therefore, there is no need for refrigerant extrusion, or even if it is required, the operating time is shorter. Although not shown, the completion of the extrusion operation is
It is preferable to notify the completion of the extrusion operation by using a low pressure switch or by using a timer to display a lamp after an appropriate period of about 1 to 2 minutes. It is also possible to replace the slide plate 35 with a rotary type one, and in either case,
It is preferable to open the micro switch 33 after the first and second on-off valves 13 and 11 are closed, in order to ensure that the refrigerant is pushed out. As is clear from the above description, the present invention uses a common refrigerant connecting pipe connecting the outdoor unit 1 and the indoor unit 2, uses a compression refrigeration cycle for cooling, and uses an indoor coil 8 and a refrigerant heating coil for heating. In an air-conditioning/heating machine that is operated by a natural circulation cycle between the compressor 3 and the condenser 4, the compressor 3, the condenser 4, Since the refrigerant liquid accumulated in the series refrigerant circuit is forcibly pushed out of the series refrigerant circuit, during heating operation using the natural circulation heating cycle, the amount of circulating refrigerant is insufficient and a so-called gas starvation phenomenon occurs. This prevents heating from occurring and allows for fully efficient heating operation. Furthermore, it is also possible to prevent liquid from returning to the compressor at the start of cooling operation. Furthermore, by carrying out the refrigerant extrusion operation described above, there is an advantage that stable performance can be obtained without any problem even if the amount of refrigerant charged into the refrigerant system is the same for both cooling and heating.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a device circuit diagram relating to an example of the air conditioner/heater of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3, FIGS. 4 and 5,
6 to 9 show the control system of each example of the air conditioner/heater of the present invention, and FIGS. 2, 4, and 8 are electric circuit diagrams of the indoor unit, and FIGS. 9 is an electric circuit diagram of the outdoor unit, FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an on-off valve operating mechanism in an example of a manual operation type, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of a slide plate in FIG. 6. 1...Outdoor unit, 2...Indoor unit, 3
... Compressor, 4 ... Condenser, 5 ... Pressure reducer, 6 ...
... Refrigerant heating coil, 6a... Refrigerant inlet, 6b...
Refrigerant outlet, 7... Heating device, 8... Indoor coil,
8a...High position side tube end, 8b...Low position side tube end,
11...Second on-off valve, 13...First on-off valve, 16
...Third on-off valve, 19...Resistance pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. The refrigerant heating coil 6, which has the refrigerant outlet 6b located at a higher position than the refrigerant inlet 6a and is provided to be able to exchange heat with the heating device 7, is used at least when cooling operation is required and when heating is started. a compressor 3 energized only for a short time during the first operation of the season;
An outdoor unit 1 having a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting in parallel a series circuit having a condenser 4 and a pressure reducer 5 in series, and an indoor coil installed so that there is a difference in upper and lower levels between both ends of the heat transfer tube. one or more indoor units 2 having a The refrigerant outlet 6b and refrigerant inlet 6a of the refrigerant heating coil 6 are connected to the high-position side pipe end 8a and the low-position side pipe end 8b of the indoor coil 8, respectively, while the series circuit of the outdoor unit 1 is connected to the compressor 3. A first on-off valve 13 that opens in synchronization with the energization of
A resistance pipe 19 is installed in a pipe connecting to the outlet side of the condenser 4, and a third on-off valve 16 that is opened when cooling operation is required is connected in parallel to the resistance pipe 19, and The compressor 3, the condenser 4, the pressure reducer 5, and the indoor coil 8 A cooling operation using a cooling cycle consisting of the refrigerant heating coil 6 and a heating operation using a natural circulation heating cycle consisting of the indoor coil 8 are selectively performed. By operating the compressor 3 with the second on-off valve 11 open and the third on-off valve 16 closed for a short period of time, the refrigerant accumulated in the series circuit of the outdoor unit 1 is removed. An air conditioner/heater characterized in that liquid is forced out from the series circuit.