KR101402837B1 - Air conditioner using the geothermal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a cooling and heating system using geothermal heat comprising: a geothermal heat exchanger buried in the ground, having an inlet for flowing refrigerant in one side and an outlet for discharging refrigerant in the other side to heat exchange refrigerant with geothermal heat, and having multiple unit ports where refrigerant is flowing inside; a control unit for controlling the refrigerant, which is heat exchanged by the geothermal heat exchangers, in one mode selected among series, parallel, and serial-pararell; a heat pump connected to the control unit, and having multiple compressors to provide high-temperature or low-temperature air for an indoor unit prepared in indoor space by receiving the refrigerant, which is heat exchanged by geothermal heat from the geothermal heat exchanger, from the control unit; and a heat storage part for supplying the refrigerant, which is compensated at a constant temperature, to the heat pump by receiving the refrigerant which is heat exchanged from the geothermal heat exchanger.

Description

Air conditioner using the geothermal system [

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling / heating system using geothermal heat, and more particularly, to a cooling / heating system using geothermal heat that can heat indoor /

Domestic and industrial energy sources commonly used are fossil fuels such as petroleum and natural gas or nuclear fuel. These energy sources not only pollute the environment including water quality and soil due to various pollutants generated in the combustion process, but also have a limited amount of reserves, so alternative energy development is actively proceeding.

Among these alternatives, research on wind power, solar heat, geothermal energy, and the like, which are under the spotlight as green energy and have an infinite energy source, are continuing. These energy sources can obtain energy without affecting air pollution and climate change While the energy density is very low.

In particular, in order to obtain energy using wind power and solar heat, it is necessary to secure a large area together with the limit of the installation site, and these devices have a low energy production capacity per unit device, and are also expensive to install and maintain.

In addition, geothermal heat, which is a part of alternative energy, can be applied to air conditioners that provide cooling and heating by using geothermal heat distributed in a certain range of the ground. When applied to heating and heating technologies such as buildings and the like using geothermal heat, It can save up to 40% more energy than the device and save 40 ~ 70% energy cost.

This type of geothermal air conditioner discharges the heat of refrigerant to the ground during the summer through an underground heat exchanger buried at a certain depth in the ground. In the winter season, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the ground, It is possible to perform stable cooling and heating operation within the year.

However, in the conventional air conditioner using geothermal heat, the amount of heat required for continuous operation for a long time is not continuously supplied from the geothermal heat.

In addition, there is a problem that the heat exchanging direction or flow rate of the refrigerant is constant and the underground heat exchanger is easily scratched.

In addition, when the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the heat pump increases, the life of the heat pump is shortened.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-1100096 (Feb.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling / heating system using geothermal heat that can control the flow direction of a refrigerant in a geothermal heat exchanger and store heat through surplus electric power .

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention is characterized in that an inlet through which refrigerant is introduced into one side so as to allow heat exchange between refrigerant and geothermal heat buried in the ground and an outlet through which refrigerant is discharged to the other side is formed, An underground heat exchanger having a plurality of unit ports that flow; A control unit for controlling the refrigerant heat exchanged through the underground heat exchangers in one mode selected from serial, parallel, or serial / parallel; A heat pump connected to the control unit and having a plurality of compressors for supplying high-temperature or low-temperature air to the indoor unit, which is supplied from the control unit with refrigerant heat-exchanged by geothermal heat from the underground heat exchanger, And a heat storage unit that receives the refrigerant heat-exchanged from the underground heat exchanger and supplies the refrigerant compensated to a predetermined temperature to the heat pump.

The heat storage unit includes a heat storage chamber connected to the heat pump to store high temperature refrigerant, a water storage tank disposed laterally with a partition wall for selectively communicating with the heat storage chamber, and a part of a refrigerant heat exchanged from the underground heat exchanger And a heat exchange valve provided on the partition wall between the heat storage chamber and the water tank chamber for selectively mixing the high temperature refrigerant inside the heat storage chamber and the low temperature refrigerant inside the water tank chamber by convection.

A plurality of the heat exchange valves are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the partition wall, and can be selectively opened and closed in the direction in which the refrigerant moves due to the temperature difference of the refrigerant when convection occurs.

The control unit may include a latent heat unit buried in the ground to heat-exchange the refrigerant from the water introduced from the outside.

The heat pump may selectively heat the heat storage chamber when the indoor unit is at rest or at night.

The geothermal cooling and heating system may further include a sensor unit provided inside the heat storage unit and measuring the temperature of the refrigerant stored in the heat storage chamber or the water tank chamber.

When the temperature of the heat storage chamber reaches the set temperature range based on the data supplied from the sensor unit, the heat exchange valve is opened to forcibly mix the refrigerant in the water storage chamber and the heat storage chamber through the convection phenomenon, And the refrigerant can be supplied to the control unit.

The heat storage unit may control the supply of the refrigerant directly to the indoor unit when the temperature of the heat storage chamber is higher than the set temperature range based on the data supplied from the sensor unit.

According to the geothermal heating / cooling system of the present invention,

First, since the heating and cooling can be performed using the geothermal heat in the summer or winter when the outdoor temperature difference is large, the electricity cost can be drastically reduced,

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Secondly, it is possible to maximize the cooling and heating efficiency by increasing the coefficient of performance (COP) according to the efficiency of the refrigerator,

Third, the underground heat exchanger can analyze the stress caused by the consumption of the underground heat source to realize the optimum underground heat exchange,

Fourth, it is possible to selectively use a plurality of unit ports, so that it is possible to smoothly operate an underground heat exchanger even in an emergency.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a geothermal heating / cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
Fig. 2 is a front view showing the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in Fig. 1. Fig.
FIG. 3 is a reference view showing a state in which the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. 2 is operated in the forward direction in the serial mode.
FIG. 4 is a reference view showing a state in which the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. 2 is operated in the reverse direction in the serial mode.
Fig. 5 is a reference view showing an operating state in the parallel mode of the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in Fig. 2. Fig.
6A and 6B are reference views showing a state in which the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. 2 partially bypasses the control unit.
7A and 7B are partially enlarged views of the heat storage portion shown in Fig.
8 is a reference view showing a forced circulation mode of the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in FIG.
9 is a reference view showing a heat storage unit heating mode of the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in FIG.
10 is a reference view showing a low-power-eco operation mode of the cooling / heating system using the geothermal heat shown in Fig.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms and words used in the specification and claims should not be construed to be limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventor should appropriately define the concept of the term to describe its invention in the best way possible It should be construed in the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a reference view schematically showing a cooling / heating system using a geothermal heating / cooling system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view showing a cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat , FIG. 3 is a reference view showing a state in which the cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. 2 is operated in the forward direction in the serial mode, FIG. 4 is a view showing the serial mode In a reverse direction.

1 to 4, a geothermal cooling / heating system 100 according to the present invention includes an underground heat exchanger (hereinafter, referred to as " U ") having a plurality of unit ports U, A control unit 120 connected between the control unit 120 and the indoor unit 10 to control the flow of the refrigerant by connecting the plurality of unit ports U in series or in parallel, A heat pump provided between the control unit and the indoor unit for supplying high temperature or low temperature air to the indoor unit and a refrigerant compensated to a predetermined temperature by the heat pump, .

The unit ports U are inserted into perforated portions (not shown) spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval in the ground, each having an inlet 117 through which refrigerant flows into one side and an outlet 117 through which refrigerant is discharged to the other side (118) are formed. The inlet 117 and the outlet 118 are respectively connected to the control unit 120 and the opening and closing of the inlet 117 and the outlet 118 are controlled by the control unit 120. Accordingly, the functions of the inlet and outlet as the control direction of the inlet 9117 and the outlet 118 are changed may be changed, respectively.

The control unit 120 includes a first flow path 121 having one end connected to the heat pump 130 and connecting the inlets 117 of the unit ports U, A second flow path 122 connected to the other end of the unit port U and each outlet 118 and the other end of the unit port U are connected to the heat pump 130, And a third flow path 123 extending between the other end of the second flow path 122 and one end of the second flow path 122 and connected to the heat pump 130.

First valves 121a provided on the first flow path 121 to open and close the respective ports 117 of the unit ports U or to open and close a part of the first flow path 121, Second valves 122a provided on the two flow paths 122 for opening and closing the respective outlets 118 of the unit ports U or opening and closing a part of the second flow path 122, And a third valve (123a) provided at a portion of the second flow path (121) where the second flow path (122) meets the third flow path (123) between the other end and the one end of the second flow path (122).

The refrigerant flowing in the first to third flow paths 121 to 123 may be supplied to the first and second valves 121a and 123b in accordance with the opening and closing operations of the first and second valves 122a and 123a. The unit ports U are heat-exchanged with the geothermal heat in a serial mode or a parallel mode.

The control unit 120 includes a temperature sensor 124 for sensing the temperature difference generated when the refrigerant flowing into the inlets 117 of the unit ports U is discharged to the respective outlets 118. The temperature sensor 124 is provided adjacent to the inlet 117 side and the outlet 118 side of the unit ports U and is disposed adjacent to the outlet 118 side to measure the temperature of the geothermal heat. . Further, the temperature sensor may be provided at any position capable of sensing a temperature change of the refrigerant flowing in the unit ports U.

Also, it is possible to control the refrigerant to flow in the forward direction or the reverse direction between the first flow path 121 and the third flow path 123 corresponding to the degree of heat exchange stress in the earth.

Referring to FIG. 3, the control unit 120 is operating in a serial mode operation. Hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the unit ports U are configured from the first port 111 to the sixth port 116 as an example. The first port 111 to the sixth port 116 may be configured to represent the flow of the refrigerant, and the number of the unit ports U may be changed according to the heat exchange scale.

The first flow path 121 receives the refrigerant discharged from the heat pump 130 and supplies the refrigerant to the inlet 117 side of the first port 111 and the outlet 118 of the first port 111 The refrigerant discharged to the inlet port 117 of the second port 112 flows into the outlet port 118 of the second port 112 through the second flow path 122, And flows into the inlet 117 of the third port 113 through the first flow path 121. In this manner, the inlet 117 and the outlet 118 of each port flow respectively and circulate all the ports sequentially, and then the refrigerant is circulated through the third flow path 123 to the heat pump 130, .

Then, the heat pump 130 receives the auxiliary heat source necessary for cooling and heating through the heat-exchanged refrigerant.

4, the refrigerant discharged from the heat pump 130 is first supplied to the inlet 117 side of the sixth port through the third flow path 123, If the refrigerant is sequentially supplied in the direction opposite to the flow direction, the following effects can be expected.

For example, when the refrigerant is circulated in the direction from the first port 111 to the sixth port 116, the first port 111, in which the initial heat exchange takes place, is relatively more stressed than the sixth port 116 . Conversely, when the temperature difference of the geothermal heat around the first port 111 decreases, the refrigerant is circulated from the sixth port 116 toward the first port 111 to reduce the stress of the first port 111 , And can also operate efficiently for faster heat exchange.

FIG. 5 is a reference view showing an operating state in the parallel mode of the cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5, the control unit 120 is operating in a parallel mode operation state. The first flow path 121 receives the refrigerant discharged from the heat pump 130 and supplies the refrigerant to the inlet 117 of the first port 111 to the fifth port 115, The refrigerant flows to the outlet 118 side, and heat exchange is performed in the ground. The heat exchanged refrigerant is discharged to the outlet 118 side and is collected on the second flow path 122 and the second flow path 122 supplies the heat exchanged refrigerant to the heat pump 130 again .

Then, the heat pump 130 receives the auxiliary heat source necessary for cooling and heating through the heat-exchanged refrigerant.

Although not shown in the drawing, it is needless to say that the refrigerant can be selectively controlled in the forward or reverse direction even in a state of being operated in the parallel mode. The refrigerant discharged from the heat pump 130 can be easily introduced to the outlet side of each port through the second flow path 122, so that redundant explanation is omitted.

6A and 6B are reference views showing a state in which the cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. 2 bypasses the control unit 120 partially.

Referring to FIG. 6A, although FIG. 6A illustrates an operating state in the serial mode, heat exchange is not performed in the third port 113 at an intermediate portion, and the fourth port 114 is disconnected from the second port 112, The refrigerant flows.

This is because, for example, when there is a problem in the operation state of the third port 113, or when the third port 113 is extremely stressed due to heat exchange, or because the amount of heat exchange with the geothermal heat is sufficient, It is possible to selectively operate some of the unit ports U when heat exchange is performed.

6B shows an operation state in the parallel mode, but the heat exchange is not performed in the third port 113 at the middle portion, and the second port 112 is connected to the fourth port 114 ) To bypass the refrigerant.

This is also the case when the operation state of the third port 113 has a problem or the third port 113 is subjected to extreme stress due to heat exchange, It is possible to selectively operate some of the unit ports U when the heat exchange is performed only to some ports.

Therefore, it is possible to selectively operate some of the unit ports U, thereby providing an optimum heat exchange performance in consideration of the stresses of the unit ports U.

In addition to the function of selectively using the unit ports U or controlling the flow direction of the refrigerant, the control unit 120 may control the temperature of the refrigerant in the first flow path 121 to the third flow path 123 in order to change the flow rate of the refrigerant.

This increases the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the unit ports U so that the stresses received by the unit ports U increase, but the heat exchange rate increases. Therefore, when rapid heat exchange is required in a short period of time, the flow rate of the refrigerant may be increased to increase the heat exchange rate.

7A and 7B are partially enlarged views of the heat accumulating unit 140 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 8 is a view showing the forced circulation mode of the heating / cooling system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in FIG. .

Referring to FIGS. 7A to 8, the heat pump 130 includes a plurality of compressors 131 arranged in parallel. Although not shown in the drawing, the heat pump 130 includes a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator that are interlocked with the compressors disposed in parallel. One or more of the compressors are selectively activated according to the load used in the indoor unit.

The heat storage unit 140 includes a heat storage chamber 141 for storing high temperature refrigerant and a refrigerant heat exchanged from the underground heat exchanger 110 in a lateral direction so as to selectively communicate with the heat storage chamber 141, And a partition wall 144 formed between the heat storage chamber 141 and the water tank chamber 142 so as to cool the high temperature refrigerant in the heat storage chamber 141 and the inside of the water tank chamber 142. [ And a heat exchange valve 143 for selectively mixing the low-temperature refrigerant by the convection phenomenon.

The heat storage chamber 141 is connected to one side of the heat pump 130 to store heat and the other side is arranged to selectively communicate with the water tank chamber 142. The partition wall 144 is disposed between the heat storage chamber 141 and the water tank chamber 142 so as to be horizontally spaced apart from the partition wall 144. The heat storage chamber 141 and the water tank chamber 142, The side surface is preferably formed of a heat insulating material.

The water tank chamber 142 is a reservoir for storing a part of refrigerant heat exchanged from the underground heat exchanger 110. Since the temperature of the refrigerant is relatively lower than the refrigerant stored in the heat storage chamber 141, A convection phenomenon occurs due to a pressure difference between the high temperature and low temperature refrigerant so that the water tank chamber 142 and the refrigerant in the heat storage chamber 141 are mixed to achieve thermal equilibrium in a set temperature range.

The heat exchange valve 143 is composed of, for example, a butterfly valve. The valve can be easily controlled by opening and closing a conduit by rotating the disk.

A plurality of the heat exchange valves 143 are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the partition 144 so as to selectively open and close the refrigerant in a direction in which the refrigerant moves due to the temperature difference of the refrigerant when convection occurs.

And a sensor unit 145 for sensing the temperature of the refrigerant stored in the heat storage chamber 141 or the water tank chamber 142. [

When the temperature of the regenerative chamber 141 reaches the set temperature range based on the data supplied from the sensor unit 145, the heat exchange valve 143 is opened to open the water reservoir chamber 142, The refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 141 is mixed through the convection phenomenon, and the mixed refrigerant can be supplied to the control unit 120.

The control unit 120 includes a latent heat unit 126 buried in the ground to heat-exchange the refrigerant introduced from the outside with the geothermal heat.

The latent heat unit 126 stores the rainwater and dry water, and recovers waste heat or air heat to supply latent heat. The latent heat unit 126 includes a heat exchanger 127. The heat exchanger 127 supplies the latent heat generated from the rainwater or dry water or the latent heat recovered from the air heat to the control unit 120 .

8, the refrigerant in the regenerative chamber 141 is mixed with the refrigerant in the water tank chamber 142 to be heat-exchanged, and then supplied to the control unit 120 to be supplied to the underground heat exchanger 110, And the refrigerant is supplied to the heat pump 130.

This is because cavitation occurs when high-temperature refrigerant flows into the heat pump 130, thereby reducing or damaging the efficiency of the heat pump 130. Therefore, To be supplied.

Therefore, the geothermal water, which is a refrigerant stored in the water tank chamber 142, is stored in the heat storage chamber 141 and is mixed with the heated refrigerant forcibly to compensate the temperature, and the heat pump 130).

FIG. 9 is a reference view showing a heating mode of the heat storage unit 140 of the cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 9, in the heating mode of the heat storage unit 140, the heat pump 130 heats the refrigerant in the heat storage chamber 141. The heat pump 141 selectively heats and accumulates the regenerative chamber 141 provided in the regenerator 140 when the indoor unit 10 is at rest or at night. In addition, when the indoor unit 10 is lightly loaded, one compressor 131 may be selectively used to control the heat storage.

This makes it possible to compensate the temperature difference of the refrigerant flowing into the heat pump 130 to be small by heating the refrigerant in the heat storage chamber 141 using the surplus electric power when the load applied to the heat pump 130 is weak .

10 is a reference diagram showing a low-power eco operation mode of the cooling / heating system 100 using the geothermal heat shown in Fig.

Referring to FIG. 10, a refrigerant heated by the heat pump 130 is stored in the heat storage chamber 141. When the refrigerant heated by the heat pump 130 is heated by the heat pump 130 in the winter, the temperature of the refrigerant in the heat storage chamber 141 is higher than a preset temperature range based on data supplied from the sensor unit 145, 141 to the indoor unit 10 to perform the heating operation. Since the heat pump 130 or the control unit 120 is not used, it is possible to perform the low-power echo operation using the surplus electric power and to stop the heat pump 130 when a system peak occurs or an overload occurs, It is possible to supply the high-temperature refrigerant to the indoor unit (10) from the indoor unit (141).

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100: Heating and cooling system using geothermal
110: underground heat exchanger 120: control unit
121: first flow path 121a: first valve
122: second flow path 122a: second valve
123: third flow path 123a: third flow path
124: temperature sensor 126: latent heat part
127: heat exchanger 130: heat pump
131: compressor 140:
141: heat storage chamber 142: water tank chamber
143: heat exchange valve 144: partition wall
145: Sensor unit U: Unit port
10: indoor unit

Claims (8)

A plurality of unit ports each having an inlet through which coolant flows into the one side and a coolant outlet through which the coolant flows in the other side so that the coolant can be exchanged with the geothermal heat, heat transmitter;
A control unit for controlling the flow of the refrigerant such that the unit ports are connected in a selected one of a serial mode and a parallel mode;
A heat pump connected to the control unit and having a plurality of compressors for supplying high-temperature or low-temperature air to the indoor unit, which is supplied from the control unit with refrigerant heat-exchanged by geothermal heat from the underground heat exchanger,
A regenerative chamber connected to the heat pump to store the high-temperature refrigerant to supply the refrigerant compensated at a predetermined temperature range to the heat pump by receiving the refrigerant heat-exchanged from the underground heat exchanger; A water tank chamber for storing a part of the refrigerant heat exchanged from the underground heat exchanger and disposed on a side of the partition wall and a partition wall provided on the partition wall between the heat storage chamber and the water tank chamber so as to cool the hot refrigerant inside the heat storage chamber, And a heat storage portion having a heat exchange valve for selectively mixing the low-temperature refrigerant inside by convection,
The plurality of heat exchange valves are disposed on the upper and lower sides of the partition, and selectively open and open in a direction in which the refrigerant moves due to the temperature difference of the refrigerant when convection occurs,
And a sensor unit provided inside the heat storage unit and measuring the temperature of the refrigerant stored in the heat storage chamber or the water tank chamber,
When the temperature of the heat storage chamber reaches the set temperature range based on the data supplied from the sensor unit, the heat exchange valve is opened to forcibly mix the refrigerant in the water storage chamber and the heat storage chamber through the convection phenomenon, And the refrigerant is supplied to the control unit. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The control unit includes:
And a latent heat unit buried in the ground to heat-exchange the refrigerant from the water introduced from the outside. The method according to claim 1,
The heat pump includes:
Wherein the heat storage chamber is selectively heated when the indoor unit is at rest or at a light load at night. delete delete The method according to claim 1,
The heat storage unit
And controls to supply the refrigerant directly to the indoor unit when the temperature of the heat storage chamber is higher than the set temperature range based on data supplied from the sensor unit.

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