KR102103965B1 - Air conditioner with auxiliary cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

The thermo-hygrostat according to the present invention is provided with a heating coil for a reheater and a humidifier that receives a portion of the refrigerant from the compressor and uses condensation heat of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant condensed in the heating coil for the reheater and humidifier does not join the main cooling cycle. By forming a separate cooling cycle, condensation heat can be recycled, and the problem of refrigerant stagnation and piping complexity due to reheating can be solved, and furthermore, the cooling load of the main cooler can be reduced through the auxiliary cooler. Overall energy efficiency can be improved.

Description

Air conditioner and humidifier {AIR CONDITIONER WITH AUXILIARY COOLING SYSTEM}

The present invention relates to a thermo-hygrostat, and more particularly, to a thermo-hygrostat having a re-heater, an auxiliary cooler, and a humidifier installed in a facility to maintain indoor air at a constant temperature and humidity.

The indoor environment of various facilities such as houses, hotels, halls, offices, and computer rooms must be controlled with a constant temperature and humidity to suit its intended use. The thermo-hygrostat is installed in the above-described facilities, so that the indoor environment of the facilities can be maintained in a constant state according to the purpose of use.

Since the indoor temperature and humidity of the facility affects the object or worker who works, the productivity or production quality is changed in the case of a production facility, and the experiment results are different in the case of a laboratory. Therefore, the role of a thermo-hygrostat to maintain the indoor environment of a facility is very important.

For example, in the process of processing chopped tobacco leaves in the tobacco plant, the humidity is set relatively high so that the tobacco leaves do not become powder, and in the chocolate plant, the temperature is set low to prevent the chocolate from melting. It is very important to keep the indoor environment constant by using a thermo-hygrostat so that the quality of the produced products is evenly maintained and defective products do not occur.

Conventional thermo-hygrostat consists of a cooler and a reheater (electric heater or hot air fan) to control the temperature, and a humidifier and dehumidifier to control indoor humidity. Cooling consists of a cooling cycle of a refrigerant including a cooler (evaporator), a condenser, a compressor, an expansion valve, etc., and reheating is made of a reheater that generates heat using electric power. Dehumidification is performed together in the process of cooling the indoor air through the cooling cycle of the refrigerant or through a separate dehumidifier, and humidification is performed through a humidifier or the like that evaporates water using electric power.

In addition, a conventional thermo-hygrostat is provided with a sensor that measures indoor temperature and humidity, and controls the cooler, reheater, dehumidifier, humidifier, etc. based on the information measured by the sensor, so that constant temperature and humidity are achieved.

A conventional thermo-hygrostat is provided with a reheater and a humidifier to increase the room temperature and humidity by inputting electric power separately from a cooler that cools and dehumidifies by circulation of the refrigerant. The reheater and humidifier use separate power, so the thermo-hygrostat consumes energy twice, resulting in lower overall energy efficiency.

In particular, in order to create a very low temperature indoor environment, the cooler must be operated very strongly, but in this case, the dehumidifying capacity of the cooler also increases, so to adjust the humidity to a target level, the humidifier must be operated with a lot of power.

Similarly, in order to create a very low humidity indoor environment, the cooler must be operated very strongly to utilize the dehumidifying capacity of the cooler, but in this case, the cooling power of the cooler also increases, so a lot of power is required to adjust the temperature to the target level. The reheater (electric heater) must be operated by input.

Looking at the power consumption of the cooler, humidifier, and reheater provided in the thermo-hygrostat, for example, when the cooler consumes 31.4 kW of power, the humidifier consumes 8.33 kW and the reheater consumes 16 kW. That is, the humidifier consumes 26.5% of the cooler and the reheater consumes 50.9% of the cooler.

As such, in the thermo-hygrostat, the power consumption of the humidifier and reheater is very high, so if the compressor uses the thermal energy of the refrigerant that is converted to high temperature and high pressure (discharged) from the condenser, the power consumed in reheat and humidification can be saved. You can.

In order to solve this problem, a thermo-hygrostat has been proposed in which reheating and humidification are performed by utilizing condensation heat of a refrigerant that has passed through a compressor.

1 is a block diagram of a thermo-hygrostat in which reheating is performed using condensation heat.

In the thermo-hygrostat shown in the figure, the refrigerant is circulated back to the compressor (1) through the compressor (1), the condenser (2), the expansion valve (4), and the cooler (5). Between the condenser 2 and the expansion valve 4, a receiver 3 for storing the liquefied refrigerant is provided, and a liquid separator 6 for separating the liquid refrigerant between the cooler 5 and the compressor 1 Is prepared. And a part of the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor (1) flows into the reheater (7) to reheat the indoor air by condensation heat.

A part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (1) is branched to the reheater (7) and the refrigerant that has passed through the reheater (7) flows into the receiver (3).

The biggest problem with this type of thermo-hygrostat is that due to the pressure difference between the refrigerant passing through the reheater (7) and the refrigerant passing through the condenser (2), the refrigerant does not circulate smoothly and stagnation of the refrigerant occurs.

The problem caused by the pressure difference of the refrigerant is also pointed out in the Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1624173, "Dehumidifying device that improves dehumidification efficiency in a constant temperature and humidity control device that combines constant temperature and constant humidity and dehumidifying function by recycling condensation heat from an outdoor unit".

As the refrigerant compressed in the compressor passes through the condenser, it is usually operated under high temperature and high pressure (40 ~ 48 ℃, 17 ~ 18㎏ / ㎠), and refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary heat exchanger (reheater and humidifier mentioned above). Is operated at a temperature of 15 to 18 ℃ lower than the refrigerant condensed in the outdoor unit and a pressure of about 0.1 to 0.2㎏ / ㎠.

Due to the difference in temperature and pressure, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerants cannot be smoothly mixed with the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerants, and remain in various parts of the pipe to cause congestion. In addition, due to this stagnation, a phenomenon in which the refrigerant in the cooling cycle becomes insufficient occurs, and energy efficiency is rapidly reduced.

In addition, since the reheater 7 is generally provided indoors (indoor) together with the cooler 5 and the receiver 3 is provided outdoors (outdoor) together with the condenser 2, the reheater disposed indoors ( 7) In order to connect the receiver 3 arranged outdoors, the length of the piping is inevitably complicated.

On the other hand, the conventional thermo-hygrostat is not only used for the purpose of controlling the room temperature, but also performs a dehumidifying function, so a high level of cooling capability is required. Therefore, a high cooling load is applied to a cooler that performs both dehumidification and cooling, and there is a problem in that the cooling cycle of the refrigerant is not smoothly performed and power is excessively consumed.

Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-1624173 "Dehumidifying device that improves dehumidifying efficiency in a constant temperature and humidity device that combines constant temperature and constant humidity and dehumidification function by recycling condensation heat from outdoor units" Republic of Korea Registered Patent No. 10-13355957 "Compressor thermo-hygrostat using discharge heat source"

The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and is provided with a heating coil for a reheater and a humidifier that receives a portion of the refrigerant from the compressor and uses condensation heat of the refrigerant, and condenses in a heating coil for the reheater and humidifier By allowing the refrigerant to form a separate cycle without joining the main cooling cycle, condensation heat can be recycled, and the congestion problem of the refrigerant due to reheating and the complexity of the piping can be solved. It is intended to provide a new type of thermo-hygrostat that can reduce the cooling load of the cooler.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention, a compressor for converting a refrigerant into a gas state of high temperature and high pressure; A condenser in which a part of the refrigerant passing through the compressor is condensed while releasing condensation heat to outdoor air; A first pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser; A receiver in which a refrigerant in a liquid state that has passed through the condenser is stored; A second pipe connecting the condenser and the receiver; A first expansion valve through which the refrigerant passing through the condenser expands; A main cooler through which the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve evaporates while cooling indoor air; A third pipe connecting the receiver and the main cooler, wherein the first expansion valve is provided at an intermediate portion; A reheater configured to heat indoor air using a condensation heat of the refrigerant by introducing a portion of the refrigerant passing through the compressor, and heating the indoor air provided at the rear end of the main cooler and cooled by the main cooler; A second expansion valve through which the refrigerant passing through the reheater expands; A cooler that has passed through the second expansion valve and evaporates while cooling indoor air, and is provided at a front end of the main cooler to cool the indoor air before the main cooler; A humidifier provided at a rear end of the main cooler to humidify the indoor air cooled by the main cooler; A heating coil for a humidifier configured to heat water stored in the humidifier using a condensation heat of the refrigerant by introducing a part of the refrigerant passing through the compressor; One end is connected to the first pipe and the other end is provided with a first opening and closing valve, but is provided with a 6-1 pipe and a second opening and closing valve connected to the reheater, but a 6-2 connected to the heating coil for the humidifier. A sixth pipe branched into the pipe; A seventh pipe connected to the 7th pipe connected to the reheater and a 7-2 pipe connected to the heating coil for the humidifier and the other end provided with the second expansion valve but connected to the auxiliary cooler ; A liquid separator through which the refrigerant passing through the main cooler and the refrigerant passing through the auxiliary cooler flow; A fourth pipe connecting the main cooler and the liquid separator; An eighth pipe connecting the auxiliary cooler and the liquid separator; A fifth pipe connecting the liquid separator and the compressor so that the refrigerant passing through the liquid separator flows into the compressor; It characterized in that it comprises a.

As described above, the thermo-hygrostat according to the present invention provides a heating coil for a reheater and a humidifier that receives a portion of the refrigerant from the compressor and uses condensation heat of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant condensed in the heating coil for the reheater and humidifier to the main cooling cycle. By forming a separate cooling cycle without joining, it is possible to recycle condensation heat, solve the problem of congestion of refrigerant due to reheating, and the complexity of piping, and further reduce the cooling load of the main cooler through the auxiliary cooler. It is possible to increase the overall energy efficiency.

1 is a block diagram of a thermo-hygrostat according to the prior art,
Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of a thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Figure 3 is a view showing the operating state of the main cooling cycle of the thermo-hygrostat of Figure 2,
Figure 4 is a view showing the operating state of the first and second auxiliary cooling cycle of the thermo-hygrostat of Figure 2,
5 is a Molly diagram of the R22 refrigerant according to the operation of the thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may easily practice. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to clearly describe the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals are assigned to similar parts throughout the specification. When a part of the specification "includes" a certain component, this means that other components may be further included rather than excluding other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

2 is a conceptual diagram of a thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an operation state of a main cooling cycle of the thermo-hygrostat of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a first of the thermo-hygrostat of FIG. 2, 2 is a diagram showing the operation state of the auxiliary cooling cycle, and FIG. 5 is a Mollier diagram of the R22 refrigerant according to the operation of the thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention is a compressor 110, a condenser 120, a receiver 130, a first expansion valve 140, a main cooler 150, and a liquid separator 160 forming a main cooling cycle. ) And the main piping, and the reheater 210 forming the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles, the heating coil for the humidifier, the second expansion valve 230, the auxiliary cooler 240 and the sub piping.

The first and second auxiliary cooling cycles are used to use a part of the refrigerant circulating through the main cooling cycle. After receiving a part of the refrigerant from the compressor 110, the condensation heat of the refrigerant is used, and after the expansion and evaporation, refrigerant is used. It is a cycle that returns to the liquid separator 160 again.

That is, in the first auxiliary cooling cycle, the refrigerant is circulated back to the compressor 110 through the compressor 110, the reheater 210, the second expansion valve 230, the auxiliary cooler 240, and the liquid separator 160. The cycle, the second auxiliary cooling cycle, the refrigerant is circulated back to the compressor 110 through the compressor 110, the heating coil for the humidifier, the second expansion valve 230, the auxiliary cooler 240, the liquid separator 160 It is a cycle.

Meanwhile, the condenser 120 and the receiver 130 are provided in the outdoor unit 10, and the compressor 110, the main cooler 150, the liquid separator 160, the reheater 210, the humidifier 220, and the auxiliary cooler 240 is provided in the indoor unit (20).

In addition, all sub-pipes forming an auxiliary cooling cycle are provided indoors. Since the sub-pipe is provided only indoors, the length and complexity of the sub-pipe is reduced.

The outdoor unit 10 is further provided with an outdoor air blowing fan 11 to help heat exchange of the condenser 120, and the indoor unit 20 sucks indoor air through the intake port 21 and discharges it through the outlet port 22 to discharge the main cooler 150 ) And the indoor air blower fan 23 to help heat exchange of the auxiliary cooler 240 is further provided.

First, each component of the main cooling cycle will be described.

The compressor 110 is a device that converts a refrigerant into a gas state of high temperature and high pressure by using electric power. The compressor 110 not only converts the refrigerant into a gas state of high temperature and high pressure, but also serves to circulate the refrigerant along the main pipe and the sub pipe.

The condenser 120 is a device that receives the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor 110 and heats the condensation heat of the refrigerant with outdoor air. Refrigerant, which is a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous state, releases condensation heat to external air and condenses and converts it into a liquid state.

A receiver 130 for storing the refrigerant in the liquid state that has passed through the condenser 120, and a first expansion valve 140 for converting the refrigerant in the liquid state stored in the receiver 130 into an easily vaporized state are provided. .

The refrigerant that has passed through the first expansion valve 140 is introduced into the main cooler 150. The main cooler 150 is a vaporizer in the form of a cooling coil, as shown in the figure. The liquid refrigerant passing through the main cooler 150 is vaporized by absorbing heat from indoor air. The main cooler 150 cools the indoor air and at the same time performs a dehumidifying function to condense and remove moisture in the indoor air.

The refrigerant vaporized through the main cooler 150 flows into the liquid separator 160. The liquid separator 160 is a device for separating the liquid refrigerant that is not vaporized from the main cooler 150. The liquid separator 160 separates the liquid refrigerant and allows the refrigerant in the gas state to flow back into the compressor 110.

Refrigerant is cooled through the compressor (110), condenser (120), receiver (130), first expansion valve (140), main cooler (150), and liquid separator (160) in order to enter the main cooling again. In order to achieve a cycle, a main pipe connecting them is provided.

The main pipe is the first pipe 171 connecting the compressor 110 and the condenser 120, the second pipe 172 connecting the condenser 120 and the receiver 130, the receiver 130 and the main cooler Connect the 150, but the first expansion valve 140 is provided with a third pipe (173), the main cooler 150 and the fourth pipe 174 connecting the liquid separator 160, the liquid separator 160 It consists of a fifth pipe (175) connected to the compressor (110) again.

Next, each component constituting the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles will be described.

A reheater 210 and a humidifier 220 are provided. The reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 are devices that receive a portion of the refrigerant from the compressor 110 and use the heat of condensation of the refrigerant.

The reheater 210 is provided at the rear end of the main cooler 150. The reheater 210 reheats the supercooled indoor air through the main cooler 150 to raise the temperature of the air to be discharged through the outlet 22 of the indoor unit 20 to a set temperature.

The humidifier 220 is provided at the rear end of the main cooler 150. The humidifier 220 passes through the main cooler 150 and humidifies the excess dehumidified indoor air to increase the humidity of the air discharged through the outlet 22 of the indoor unit 20 to a set humidity. In general, the humidifier performs humidification of the water in the water tank for the humidifier by the operation of an electric heater for humidification, but in the humidifier 220 of the present embodiment, the heating coil for the humidifier passing through the refrigerant is provided in the water tank for the humidifier to pass the heating coil for the humidifier By using the condensation heat of the refrigerant to heat the water stored in the water tank for the humidifier, it is possible to reduce the operating time of the electric heater for humidification and reduce the power required for humidification. Hereinafter, the refrigerant passing through the heating coil for the humidifier will be briefly described as passing through the humidifier 220, but the refrigerant passing through the humidifier 220 is strictly passing the heating coil for the humidifier.

The refrigerant is selectively input or distributed to either the reheater 210 or the humidifier 220, and the refrigerant that has passed through the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 is input to the second expansion valve 230. . That is, the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 are connected to the sub-pipes in parallel. The form of the sub-pipe connecting this will be described in detail again after explaining both the second expansion valve 230 and the auxiliary cooler 240.

A second expansion valve 230 for expanding the condensed refrigerant while passing through the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 is provided. The refrigerant passes through the second expansion valve 230 and is converted into a low pressure liquid state that is easily vaporized.

The refrigerant that has passed through the second expansion valve 230 is introduced into the auxiliary cooler 240. The auxiliary cooler 240 is a device provided at the front end of the main cooler 150 to pre-cool indoor air sucked through the inlet 21 of the indoor unit 20.

The auxiliary cooler 240, like the main cooler 150, is a cooling coil type vaporizer that cools indoor air by using the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant. The auxiliary cooler 240 lowers the temperature of the indoor air sucked into the indoor unit 20 in advance, thereby reducing the cooling load of the main cooler 150.

The refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary cooler 240 flows back into the liquid separator 160 forming the main cooling cycle. Among the refrigerants that have passed through the auxiliary cooler 240, the non-vaporized liquid refrigerant is separated from the liquid separator 160, and the refrigerant in the gaseous state is again input from the liquid separator 160 to the compressor 110.

The reheater 210, the humidifier 220, the second expansion valve 230, and the auxiliary cooler 240 are connected through a sub-pipe to form first and second auxiliary cooling cycles.

The sub-pipe is branched from the first pipe 171 to the sixth pipe 176 connected to the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220, and the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 to the auxiliary cooler 240 It is made of a seventh pipe 177 in which a second expansion valve 230 is connected, and an eighth pipe 178 for connecting the auxiliary cooler 240 to the liquid separator 160.

The reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 are connected in parallel as described above. One end of the sixth pipe 176 is connected to the point A of the first pipe 171, and the other end is branched into the 6-1 pipe and the 6-2 pipe to the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220, respectively. Connected. One end of the seventh pipe 177 is branched into the 7-1 pipe 177-1 and the 7-2 pipe 177-2, and connected to the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220, respectively. The second expansion valve 230 mentioned above is connected to the auxiliary cooler 240 in a prepared state.

The 6-1 piping 176-1 is provided with a first opening / closing valve 176-a for opening and closing the 6-1 piping 176-1, and the 6-2 piping 176-2 A second opening / closing valve 176-b is provided for opening and closing the 6-2 piping 176-2. The first opening / closing valve 176-a and the second opening / closing valve 176-b individually open and close the 6-1 pipe 176-1 and the 6-2 pipe 176-2 to reopen 210 ) And the humidifier 220 to open and close the flow of refrigerant flowing into the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 so that they can be operated individually.

Check valves 177-a and 177-b that allow one-way flow of the refrigerant are provided in the 7-1th pipe 177-1 and the 7-2th pipe 177-2, respectively, to prevent the reverse flow of the refrigerant.

The flow rate of the refrigerant flowing to the sixth pipe 176 is preferably adjusted so that the cooling capacity of the auxiliary cooler 240 is 30% to 40% of the main cooler 150, through which the first for the main cooling cycle The efficiency of the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles is maximized while minimizing the influence of the, 2 auxiliary cooling cycles.

The eighth pipe 178 has one end connected to the auxiliary cooler 240 and the other end connected to point B of the fourth pipe 174 to connect the auxiliary cooler 240 to the liquid separator 160. Depending on the embodiment, the other end of the eighth pipe 178 may be directly connected to the liquid separator 160.

In this embodiment, since all of the sub-pipes are sufficient to be disposed only in the indoor unit 20, the length of the sub-pipes is reduced and the complexity of the piping structure is reduced compared to the method of connecting the indoor reheater and the outdoor receiver in the prior art.

Since the refrigerant in the main cooling cycle flowing into the liquid separator 160 and the refrigerant in the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles are both low-pressure refrigerants in an evaporated state, there is no problem due to the pressure difference between the refrigerants. That is, when the liquid separator 160 flows back into the compressor 110, stagnation of the refrigerant does not occur and circulation of the refrigerant is smoothly performed.

The indoor unit 20 includes a first expansion valve temperature sensor 24 for measuring the refrigerant temperature of the first expansion valve 140 and a second expansion valve temperature sensor for measuring the refrigerant temperature of the second expansion valve 230 ( 25) is preferred for precise temperature control, but is generally not required to be installed, and the outdoor unit 10 is provided with a condenser temperature sensor 12 for measuring the refrigerant temperature discharged from the condenser 120, and A discharge port temperature and humidity sensor 26 for measuring the temperature and humidity of the air to be discharged through the discharge port 22 is provided.

The condenser temperature sensor 12, the first and second expansion valve temperature sensors 24 and 25, and the outlet temperature and humidity sensor 26 are connected to the control unit 30, and the first and second values based on the measured values of each sensor. The on-off valves 176-a, 176-b and respective components are controlled.

Next, an operation state of the main cooling cycle and the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles of the thermo-hygrostat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The operating state of the main cooling cycle is shown in FIG. 3.

The main cooling cycle begins at compressor 110. The compressor 110 converts the refrigerant into a gas state of high temperature and high pressure using electric power and moves it to the condenser 120 through the first pipe 171.

The high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant transferred to the condenser 120 dissipates heat into the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid state. The refrigerant in the condensed liquid state is stored in the receiver 130 through the second pipe 172.

The refrigerant in the liquid state stored in the receiver 130 is moved to the main cooler 150 through the third pipe 173. While the refrigerant moves through the third pipe 173, it passes through the first expansion valve 140 provided in the third pipe 173, and the refrigerant is converted into a low-pressure liquid state that is easily vaporized.

The refrigerant moved to the main cooler 150 is evaporated while cooling the indoor air. In addition, moisture contained in the indoor air is condensed and dehumidified. Thereafter, the refrigerant is moved to the liquid separator 160 through the fourth pipe 174.

The liquid separator 160 separates the liquid refrigerant that is not completely vaporized from the main cooler 150. The refrigerant in the gaseous state in which the liquid refrigerant is separated flows into the compressor 110 again through the fifth pipe 175 and the main cooling cycle is repeated.

The operating states of the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles are shown in FIG. 4.

As mentioned above, the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles include a part of the main pipe including the compressor 110 and the liquid separator 160.

The first and second auxiliary cooling cycles are also started in the compressor 110 like the main cooling cycle. The refrigerant converted from the compressor 110 into a high-temperature, high-pressure gas state is moved along the sixth pipe 176 branching from the point A of the first pipe 171, and the sixth pipe-176-1 and It is moved to the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 connected in parallel to the 6-2 piping 176-2, respectively.

Reopening by opening and closing the first opening / closing valve 176-a and the second opening / closing valve 176-b respectively provided in the 6-1 piping 176-1 and the 6-2 piping 176-2, respectively. The 210 and the humidifier 220 may be individually operated, and the flow rate of the refrigerant may be controlled by adjusting the degree of opening and closing.

For example, in order to control the indoor air to a low temperature and a high humidity, the main cooler 150 is operated to lower the temperature and the first open / close valve 176-a is closed to stop the operation of the reheater 210. The humidity is increased by the humidifier 220 by opening the two opening / closing valves 176-b. That is, the refrigerant is formed to form only the main cooling cycle and the second auxiliary cooling cycle.

On the contrary, in order to adjust the indoor air to a high temperature and a low humidity, the main cooler 150 is operated to lower the humidity, and the first opening / closing valve 176-a is opened to raise the temperature to the reheater 210 and the second The opening / closing valve 176-b is closed to prevent the humidity from rising by the humidifier 220. That is, the refrigerant is formed to form only the main cooling cycle and the first auxiliary cooling cycle.

The refrigerant that has passed through the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 is moved to the auxiliary cooler 240 through the seventh pipe 177. The refrigerant expands while passing through the seventh pipe 177 to a state that can be easily vaporized in the second expansion valve 230.

The refrigerant that has passed through the second expansion valve 230 passes through the auxiliary cooler 240 provided at the front end of the main cooler 150 and precools the indoor air sucked through the inlet 21 of the indoor unit 20. The auxiliary cooler 240 passes through the reheater 210 and the humidifier 220 and does not consume extra power since the condensed refrigerant is re-vaporized and used for pre-cooling. Therefore, the cooling load of the main cooler 150 is reduced and energy efficiency is increased.

The refrigerant that has passed through the auxiliary cooler 240 flows into the liquid separator 160 through the eighth pipe 178. The refrigerant flowing into the liquid separator 160 from the secondary cooler 240 is a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant forming the main cooling cycle is also a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant, so that no pressure difference occurs between the refrigerants. Since the refrigerant in the liquid separator 160 is directly sucked by the compressor 110, stagnation of the refrigerant does not occur.

As shown in the figure, the liquid separator 160 is provided in the indoor unit 20 together with the auxiliary cooler 240, and all sub-pipes connecting them are also provided indoors. Therefore, the length of the sub-pipe is short, the structure is simple, and the manufacturing and maintenance are very easy.

FIG. 5 shows a Mollier chart of the thermo-hygrostat of this embodiment using an R22 refrigerant. In the figure, the red line represents the main cooling cycle, and the blue line represents part of the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles. As shown in the figure, the first and second auxiliary cooling cycles and the main cooling cycle form separate cooling cycles from each other.

The above description of the present invention is for illustration only, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can understand that it can be easily modified to other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. .

Therefore, it should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single type may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the above detailed description, and it should be interpreted that all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and equivalent concepts thereof are included in the scope of the present invention. do.

10: outdoor unit 11: outdoor unit blower fan
12: Condenser temperature sensor
20: indoor unit 21: intake
22: outlet 23: indoor fan
24: first expansion valve temperature sensor 25: second expansion valve temperature sensor
26: outlet temperature and humidity sensor
30: control unit
110: compressor 120: condenser
130: receiver 140: first expansion valve
150: main cooler 160: liquid separator
171: 1st pipe 172: 2nd pipe
173: 3rd pipe 174: 4th pipe
175: 5th pipe 176: 6th pipe
176-1: Pipe 6-1 176-2: Pipe 6-2
176-a: First open / close valve 176-b: Second open / close valve
177: 7th pipe 177-1: 7th pipe
177-2: Pipe 7-2 178: Pipe 8
210: reheater 220: humidifier
230: second expansion valve 240: auxiliary cooler

Claims (1)

A compressor that converts the refrigerant into a gas state of high temperature and pressure;
A condenser in which a part of the refrigerant passing through the compressor is condensed while releasing condensation heat to outdoor air;
A first pipe connecting the compressor and the condenser;
A receiver in which a refrigerant in a liquid state that has passed through the condenser is stored;
A second pipe connecting the condenser and the receiver;
A first expansion valve through which the refrigerant passing through the condenser expands;
A main cooler through which the refrigerant passing through the first expansion valve evaporates while cooling indoor air;
A third pipe connecting the receiver and the main cooler, wherein the first expansion valve is provided at an intermediate portion;
A part of the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor is introduced to heat indoor air using condensation heat of the refrigerant, and is provided at a rear end of the main cooler to reheat the indoor air cooled by the main cooler;
A second expansion valve through which the refrigerant passing through the reheater expands;
A cooler that has passed through the second expansion valve and evaporates while cooling indoor air, and is provided at a front end of the main cooler to cool the indoor air before the main cooler;
A humidifier provided at a rear end of the main cooler to humidify the indoor air cooled by the main cooler;
A heating coil for a humidifier configured to heat water stored in the humidifier using a condensation heat of the refrigerant by introducing a part of the refrigerant passing through the compressor;
One end is connected to the first pipe and the other end is provided with a first opening and closing valve, but a 6-1 pipe connected to the reheater and a second opening and closing valve, but connected to the heating coil for the humidifier 6-2 A sixth pipe branched into the pipe;
A 7-1 pipe connected to the 7-1 pipe connected to the reheater and a 7-2 pipe connected to the heating coil for the humidifier, and a 7th pipe connected to the auxiliary cooler while the other end is provided with the second expansion valve. ;
A liquid separator through which the refrigerant passing through the main cooler and the refrigerant passing through the auxiliary cooler flow;
A fourth pipe connecting the main cooler and the liquid separator;
An eighth pipe connecting the auxiliary cooler and the liquid separator;
A fifth pipe connecting the liquid separator and the compressor so that refrigerant passing through the liquid separator flows into the compressor;
A thermo-hygrostat characterized in that it comprises a.

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