JPS6317970Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] This invention relates to an air conditioner that improves the operating efficiency of the compressor and enables energy-saving operation.

It is well known that an air conditioner generally includes a refrigerant circulation path including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a pressure reduction mechanism (also referred to as a throttle mechanism), an indoor heat exchanger, and the like. In the case of so-called heat pump air conditioners that can be operated by selectively switching between cooling operation and heating operation, the flow system of the refrigerant sent out from the compressor is switched using a four-way switching valve, and the cooling During operation, the refrigerant is condensed in an outdoor heat exchanger, reduced in pressure by a decompression mechanism, and then evaporated in an indoor heat exchanger, and during this evaporation, indoor heat is taken away, thereby cooling the room. There is. Also, during heating operation, the refrigerant sent out from the compressor is condensed by the indoor heat exchanger, and at this time, heat is released into the room to warm the room, and then the pressure is reduced by the pressure reduction mechanism.
It is also designed to evaporate in an outdoor heat exchanger.

In addition, the cooling-only unit performs indoor cooling using the same operating system as the cooling operation of the heat pump type air conditioner.

Incidentally, in both heat pump type and cooling-only air conditioners, the compressor itself generates heat during operation. That is, during operation, the compressor generates heat due to friction between bearings, pistons, rotors, etc., and also generates heat due to compression of the refrigerant, and these heats heat the compressor body.

A portion of the heat generated in the compressor body is naturally radiated from the surface of the compressor body, but the rest causes an increase in the temperature of the compressor body. When a heat pump type air conditioner is in cooling operation or is a cooling-only unit, the temperature rise in the compressor itself causes a rise in the temperature of the refrigerant being sent out from the compressor, resulting in a high condensation temperature in the outdoor heat exchanger. As the compression ratio increases due to factors such as the above, the operating efficiency of the compressor decreases, resulting in an increase in the power consumption of the compressor.

Furthermore, in a heat pump type air conditioner, a temperature rise in the compressor body during heating operation results in heat loss due to heat radiation, and this amount of heat radiation results in a loss of heating capacity.

The present invention was developed based on these circumstances, and its purpose is to radiate heat from the compressor body to the outside according to the operating conditions.
Alternatively, the present invention attempts to provide an air conditioner that enables energy-saving operation by making it possible to perform heat transfer such as using it to heat the refrigerant, improving the operating efficiency of the compressor, and saving power consumption.

In other words, the present invention transfers the heat generated by the compressor body through a heat pipe, and by providing the heat dissipation part of this heat pipe at a heat dissipation point outdoors, for example, the heat generated by the compressor body is actively transferred to the outside. This makes it possible to use the heat generated in the compressor body to prevent a temperature rise in the compressor body, or to effectively use the heat generated in the compressor body as heating energy by using the heat radiating section of the heat pipe, thereby achieving the above-mentioned purpose. It is characterized by an air conditioner that can achieve this.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a heat pump type air conditioner will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the figure, 1 is a compressor, and the discharge side and suction side of this compressor 1 are connected to a four-way switching valve 2.
The four-way switching valve 2 can select either cooling operation or heating operation by switching the flow direction of the refrigerant fed under pressure from the compressor 1, and is electromagnetically operated. The four-way switching valve 2 is connected to an outdoor heat exchanger 3. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 includes a fan 4 driven by a motor _M1 . The outdoor heat exchanger 3 is communicated with first, second, and third capillary tubes 5, 6, and 7 as pressure reduction mechanisms. Note that these first to third capillary tubes 5,
6 and 7 are connected in series. The third capillary tube 7 is connected to an indoor heat exchanger 8. This indoor heat exchanger 8 has a fan 9 driven by a motor _M2 . This indoor heat exchanger 8 is connected to the four-way switching valve 2.

A check valve 10 is provided in parallel with the second capillary tube 6. Further, a branch pipe is provided between the second capillary tube 6 and the third capillary tube 7, and this branch pipe has a fourth capillary tube 1.
1 is provided. This fourth capillary tube 11 is one of the pipe lines 1 of the double pipe heat exchanger 12.
3 to the suction side of the compressor 1.

A heat collecting section 14 of a heat pipe is wound around the outer periphery of the compressor 1, and the compressor 1 is surrounded by the heat collecting section 14 of the heat pipe. As heat pipes are already known,
Although not shown in detail, a wick is installed on the inner surface of the sealed pipe, the pressure inside the sealed pipe is highly reduced, and a heat transfer working fluid is injected into the sealed pipe. When the heat collecting part at one end of this heat pipe is located in a high temperature area, the working fluid inside the pipe is evaporated, and this working fluid is condensed at the heat radiating part at the other end of the heat pipe. It is used to heat the surrounding atmosphere at a low temperature. Note that the condensed working fluid flows into the heat collecting section by capillary action.

In this embodiment, the heat radiating portions of the heat pipe are formed at two locations, one of which is the heat radiating portion 15.
is provided between the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4. The other heat radiating section 16 is provided in the other pipe of the double tube heat exchanger 12 described above. A three-way switching solenoid valve 18 is provided in the heat insulating section 17 connecting the heat collecting section 14 and each heat radiating section 15, 16 in the heat pipe. Therefore, it is configured to selectively communicate with the heat collecting section 14.

and the compressor 1, motors M ₁ and M ₂ , 4
The one-way switching valve 2 and the three-way switching solenoid valve 18 are connected to a power source 19 as shown in FIG. 20 is the main switch for operation, 21 is the air conditioning/heating selector switch,
Reference numeral 22 indicates an external temperature thermoswitch that detects the outdoor temperature. The air conditioning/heating selector switch 21 is, for example, a normally open switch.
When the switch 1 is turned on, the four-way switching valve 2 is operated to flow the refrigerant in the heating operation direction. The outside temperature thermoswitch 22 is turned off when the outside air temperature is higher than a predetermined value, for example, and connects the heat pipe heat collecting section 14 to one of the heat radiating sections 15 via the three-way switching solenoid valve 18. is less than a predetermined value, the three-way switching solenoid valve 18 is operated by being turned on, and the heat collecting part 14 is made to communicate with the other heat radiating part 16.

The operation of the embodiment having such a configuration will be explained.

First, when performing cooling operation, the main operation switch 20 is turned on. At this time, the air conditioning/heating changeover switch 21 is kept in the OFF state, so that the refrigerant flows as indicated by the solid line arrow in FIG. Also, in this case, since the air conditioning/heating changeover switch 21 is turned off, the three-way solenoid valve 18 switches the heat pipe heat collecting section 14 to the first heat radiating section 15 regardless of whether the outside temperature thermoswitch 22 is on or off. It communicates.

The refrigerant sent out from the compressor 1 is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 via the four-way switching valve 2, and is condensed by the outdoor heat exchanger 3. This condensed refrigerant is decompressed while passing through the first, second and third capillary tubes 5, 6 and 7 and is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 8. In the indoor heat exchanger 8, the refrigerant is evaporated by removing heat from the indoor air, thereby cooling the indoor air. This evaporated refrigerant is returned to the compressor 1 via a four-way switching valve 2.

During the circulation of the refrigerant, a part of the refrigerant passes through the second capillary tube 6, passes through the fourth capillary tube 11, and enters one of the pipes 13 of the double-tube heat exchanger 12. Compressor 1
flows into.

However, during such cooling operation, the heat generated by the compressor 1 is collected by the heat pipe heat collecting section 14. Since the heat radiation part 15 of the heat pipe 14 is interposed between the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the fan 4, it is cooled based on the rotation of the fan 4. In other words, the heat released from the heat radiating portion 15 of the heat pipe 14 is released outside.

Therefore, the heat generated by the compressor 1 is actively taken away by the heat pipe heat collecting section 14, and the heat collected in this heat pipe is forcibly released outside, so that the compressor body is actively cooled. This prevents the temperature from rising. As a result, compressor 1
This improves operating efficiency and reduces power consumption, enabling energy-saving operation.

Next, the case of heating operation will be explained.

When the heating operation is to be performed, the main operation switch 20 is turned on, and the air conditioning/heating changeover switch 21 is also turned on. This heating/cooling switch 2
1, the four-way switching valve 2 is operated to switch the flow of refrigerant in the direction of the broken line arrow in FIG.

Therefore, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 8 via the four-way switching valve 2. In the indoor heat exchanger 8, the heat of the refrigerant is transferred to the indoor air to warm the indoor air, and the refrigerant itself is condensed. The condensed refrigerant is then sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 3 via the third, second and first capillary tubes 7, 6 and 5. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 evaporates the refrigerant, and this evaporated refrigerant is returned to the compressor 1 via the four-way switching valve 2.

Further, a part of the refrigerant that has passed through the third capillary tube 7 is transferred to the fourth capillary tube 11.
It passes through one pipe line 13 of the double-tube heat exchanger 12 and is returned to the compressor 1.

By the way, when the outside air temperature is above a predetermined value, that is, when the outside air temperature is not much different from the indoor heating setting temperature, the outside temperature thermoswitch 22 is turned off, and the three-way switching solenoid valve 18 is turned off to perform the above-mentioned cooling operation. is in the same state. That is, the heat pipe heat collecting section 14 is communicated with the first heat radiating section 15 . Therefore, the heat generated by the compressor 1 is radiated to the outside air via the first heat radiating section 15, so the compressor 1 is actively cooled and the operating efficiency is improved.

On the other hand, when the outside air temperature is less than a predetermined value, that is, when the outside air temperature is low and it is desired to raise the indoor temperature compared to the outside air temperature, the outside temperature thermoswitch 22 is automatically turned on. For this reason, the three-way solenoid valve 18
is operated to switch the heat pipe heat collecting section 14 to the second
The heat radiating section 16 of the double-tube heat exchanger 12 is connected to the other pipe line of the double-tube heat exchanger 12. Therefore, the heat from the compressor 2 is radiated through the heat pipe to the double-tube heat exchanger 1.
2. Therefore, the refrigerant passing through one of the pipes 13 of the double-tube heat exchanger 12 is warmed by the heat.

As a result, the temperature of a portion of the refrigerant returned to the compressor 1 is increased, making it possible to improve the operating performance. This will be explained based on the Mollier diagram shown in FIG.

During the heating operation as described above, a part of the high pressure _P5 liquid refrigerant condensed by the indoor heat exchanger 9 is transferred to the third and fourth capillary tubes 7.
and 11, it becomes a liquid refrigerant at an intermediate pressure of P ₆ (d→e), and is heated by the double-tube heat exchanger 12 to evaporate and change to a gaseous refrigerant (e→b). , this gaseous refrigerant is returned to the compressor 1 through the outdoor heat exchanger 3 (d→f→
a ₂ ) and will be pressurized by the compressor 1.
However, if the heat pipe and double tube heat exchanger as in this embodiment are not used, the pressurized state of the compressor 1 will be as shown by the broken line, and the compressor 1 will be in a pressurized state as shown by the broken line.
As shown in _a1 , the sucked inferior refrigerant exists in the saturated region, and the liquid refrigerant that has not completely evaporated and the evaporated gas refrigerant are mixed, so the liquid refrigerant component is sucked into the compressor 1. As a result, operating performance is poor due to reduced compression operation, excessive cooling, etc.

On the other hand, if this embodiment is adopted, a part of the suction refrigerant is heated by the heat radiation of the compressor main body 1, so this heated refrigerant is evaporated and sucked into the compressor 1, and this gas refrigerant is Excessive cooling of the compressor main body 1 is prevented, and the refrigerant sucked from the outdoor heat exchanger 3 is evaporated outside the saturation region _a2 . Therefore, the temperature of the gas discharged from the compressor 1 is increased by _T2 , thereby improving the operating efficiency of the compressor 1. This results in an increase in heating capacity.

Therefore, according to the above embodiment, when the outside air temperature is high during cooling and heating operations, the heat generated by the compressor is actively released to the outside air via the heat pipe to prevent an excessive temperature rise in the compressor. Since this is prevented, the operating efficiency of the compressor is improved, and when the outside air temperature is low during heating operation, the heat radiated from the compressor is transferred to a part of the refrigerant to heat the refrigerant, which also makes it possible to improve the operating efficiency. Therefore, energy-saving operation can be realized.

Moreover, since the heat pipe transfers heat from a high temperature part to a low temperature part by the heat transfer action of the internal working fluid, a special heat transfer driving source is not required. Therefore, since no special energy is used, the energy saving effect is good.

Furthermore, if the compressor main body is surrounded by the heat pipe heat collecting section 14, there is an advantage that the noise emitted from the compressor can be prevented from being transmitted to the outside.

Note that in the above embodiment, the second heat dissipation section 1
6 is connected to the other pipe line of the double-tube heat exchanger 12 to heat the refrigerant returned to the compressor 1. It is also possible to implement an embodiment in which the heat radiated from the compressor is attached and used during heating as part of the heat for indoor heating.

Furthermore, although the above embodiments have been described with respect to a heat pump type air conditioner, the present invention is not limited to this, and can also be implemented in a cooling-only machine. It is effective.

As detailed above, according to the present invention, by surrounding the compressor body with the heat collection part of the heat pipe, the heat generated by the compressor body is transmitted to the heat pipe, and this heat is radiated through the heat radiation part of the heat pipe. Therefore, if this heat pipe heat radiation section is installed to radiate heat to the outside air, the compressor can be cooled well and the operating efficiency of the compressor can be improved. Further, during heating operation, for example, the heat radiated from the compressor can be used as energy for heating via the heat pipe heat radiating section, so that the heat generated by the compressor can be effectively utilized. Furthermore, heat pipes do not require any special external driving means and do not consume energy. This makes it possible to use energy-saving operation of air conditioners.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a refrigerant circulation path of a heat pump air conditioner.
FIG. 2 is its electric circuit diagram, and FIG. 3 is its Mollier diagram. 1...Compressor, 3...Outdoor heat exchanger, 5~
7, 11... Capillary tube (decompression mechanism),
8... Indoor heat exchanger, 14... Heat pipe heat collection section, 15, 16... Heat pipe heat radiation section.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A refrigerant circulation path is formed by a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a pressure reduction mechanism, and an indoor heat exchanger, and a cooling circuit is formed that cools the compressor by introducing a part of the liquid refrigerant into the compressor. In the air conditioner,
The main body of the compressor is surrounded by a heat collection part of a heat pipe, and the heat pipe is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and the heat exchanger installed in the cooling circuit via a three-way switching solenoid valve, respectively. , further connected in series to an air conditioning/heating changeover switch, which switches the three-way switching solenoid valve to the outdoor heat exchanger side during cooling operation, and switches the three-way switching solenoid valve to the outdoor heat exchanger side during heating operation, and when the outside air temperature is above a predetermined value during heating operation.
Switch the direction switching solenoid valve to the outdoor heat exchanger side,
3 above when the outside air temperature is less than the predetermined value during heating operation.
1. An air conditioner comprising an external temperature thermoswitch for switching a direction switching solenoid valve to a heat exchanger side of the cooling circuit.