KR20060005848A - Outdoor unit of air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a heat dissipation structure of an electric element installed in an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a compressor; An accumulator for filtering liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing into the compressor; An electric element constituting a control circuit for driving control of the outdoor unit; It characterized in that it comprises a heat transfer material for radiating heat generated by the electrical device to the accumulator. The outdoor unit of the air conditioner uses an accumulator which is a low temperature heat source and at the same time uses heat transfer materials having better heat dissipation efficiency than air, thereby efficiently cooling the electric element.

Air conditioner, outdoor unit, electric element, heat sink, heat transfer material, antifreeze, heat pipe.

Description

Outdoor unit of air conditioner {OUTDOOR UNIT OF AIR CONDITIONER}

1 is a front view showing the internal structure of an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a view showing a heat sink installation structure of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of FIG.

Figure 3 is a front view showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a diagram showing a heat dissipation structure of an electric element of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of FIG. 3;

5 is a front view showing the internal structure of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings *

10: housing 21, 121: compressor

22: heat exchanger 24,124,224: accumulator

31,131: PCB 32,132,232: electric element

33,133: Heatsink 34,134: Pipe

35: pump 140: heat dissipation member

250: heat pipe

The present invention relates to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, and more particularly, to a heat dissipation structure of an electric element installed in an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

An air conditioner is a device that cools or heats an indoor space using a refrigeration cycle. The outdoor unit generally includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, a heat exchanger for exchanging a refrigerant using outdoor air, and a drive control for the outdoor unit. PCB board (Printed Circuit Board) is embedded. In addition, the PCB substrate is provided with various electric elements constituting the control circuit.

These electrical devices are accompanied by heat generation during operation. In particular, devices such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and intelligent power modules (IPMs), which are used in inverter circuits, generate a large amount of heat, and thus do not cool them effectively. Failure to do so may lead to control errors and risk of damage to components. Therefore, a structure for dissipating these electrical elements is provided inside the outdoor unit.

Conventionally, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 05-187724 for heat dissipation of an electric element, a heat sink equipped with a heat dissipation fin is attached to the electric element, and the heat sink is cooled by using a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle, or As described in -69627, an accumulator was installed under the heat sink, and an air flow path plate was installed so that cold air around the accumulator was guided to the heat sink side, and the heat sink was radiated with the air cooled by the accumulator.

However, when heat dissipating the heat sink using the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle as described above, the refrigerant passing through the heat sink is a loss to the refrigeration cycle, thereby reducing the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle, and using the cold air around the accumulator. In the case of dissipating the sink, since the air flow path plate is installed in front of the heat exchanger, there is a problem of decreasing heat exchange efficiency in the heat exchanger by interrupting the flow of air discharged through the heat exchanger.

The present invention is to solve this problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide an outdoor unit of the air conditioner easy to heat dissipation of the electric element and high efficiency of the entire refrigeration cycle.

The outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving this object is a compressor; An accumulator for filtering liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing into the compressor; An electric element constituting a control circuit for driving control of the outdoor unit; It characterized in that it comprises a heat transfer material for radiating heat generated by the electrical device to the accumulator.

In addition, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner includes a heat sink that absorbs heat generated by the electric element and transfers the heat transfer material to the heat transfer material, and a pipe forming a flow path for circulating the heat transfer material from the heat sink side to the accumulator side. It characterized in that it further comprises.

In addition, the heat sink is characterized in that it is provided in a hollow tank shape so that the heat transfer material flows therein.

In addition, the heat sink is installed in contact with the electrical element, it characterized in that the heat transfer grease is applied between the endothermic tank and the electrical component to facilitate heat transfer.

In addition, the pipe is characterized in that the installation is wound around the accumulator.

In addition, the air conditioner is characterized in that it further comprises a pump for generating a flow force for the circulation of the heat transfer material.

In addition, the heat transfer material is characterized in that the antifreeze.

In addition, the heat transfer material is characterized in that it is circulated by natural convection.

In addition, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner is installed on the accumulator, characterized in that it further comprises a heat dissipation member of the tank shape hollow so that the heat transfer material flows therein.

In addition, the heat center of the heat sink is installed higher than the heat center of the heat generating member so that the circulation of the heat transfer material is smooth.

In addition, the heat sink and the heat generating member is characterized in that installed long in the vertical direction.

In addition, the heat center of the heat sink is characterized in that installed more than 10cm higher than the heat center of the heat generating member.

And the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention for achieving the above object and a compressor; An accumulator for filtering liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing into the compressor; An electric element constituting a control circuit for driving control of the outdoor unit; It is another feature that a heat pipe for radiating heat generated by the electrical device to the accumulator.

In addition, the heating part of the heat pipe is installed on the electrical component side, the condensation part of the heat pipe is characterized in that it is installed on the accumulator side.

Hereinafter, an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 illustrate an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown therein, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a housing 10 having an external appearance, and a housing. A compressor (21) installed in (10) for compressing the refrigerant and a heat exchanger (22) for exchanging the refrigerant with outdoor air.

The interior of the housing 10 is divided into a heat exchange chamber 12 in which a heat exchanger 22 is installed and partitioned by a partition 11, and a compression chamber 13 in which a compressor 21 is installed. A fan 23 for generating a flow force for sucking outdoor air is installed in front of the heat exchanger 22, and a plurality of through holes 10a are provided to allow the air to be sucked into the housing 10 constituting the heat exchange chamber 12. Is formed.

The compression chamber 13 is provided with an accumulator 24 for filtering the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing from the indoor unit (not shown) and delivering only the gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 21. Since the coolant evaporated from the evaporator (not shown) on the refrigerating cycle is introduced into the accumulator 24, the temperature is generally kept lower than 20 degrees Celsius.

One side of the heat exchange chamber 12 is provided with a PCB substrate 31 for driving control of the outdoor unit, and the PCB substrate 31 is provided with a plurality of electric elements 32 constituting a control circuit. The heat radiation structure for cooling (32) is as follows.

A tank-shaped heat sink 33 is provided below the electric element 32. The upper surface of the heat sink 33 is in contact with the electric element 32 to absorb heat generated by the electric element 32. Electrothermal grease is applied to the contact portion of the heat sink 33 and the electric element 32 to facilitate heat transfer. The heat grease acts to closely maintain the contact between the heat sink 33 and the electric element 32. Do it. The heat sink 33 is preferably made of a material having a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum.

The heat sink 33 and the accumulator 24 are connected by a pipe 34 constituting a series of circulation flow paths. The heat transfer material circulates along the pipe 34 to accumulate the heat of the heat sink 33. 24) It will dissipate to the side. As the heat transfer material, a solution such as an antifreeze injected into the coolant of an automobile engine is used.                     

The heat transfer material passing through the inside of the heat sink 33 becomes high by absorbing heat generated from the electric element 32, and the high temperature heat transfer material circulates along the pipe 34 to release this heat to the accumulator 24. Done. The pipe 34 is installed so as to wind the circumference of the accumulator 24 a plurality of times so that the contact area between the accumulator 24 and the pipe 34 is widened. In the middle of the pipe 34, a pump 35 for generating a flow force for circulating the heat transfer material is installed.

The temperature of the heat sink 33 can be calculated by the following equation.

T _w = T _m + q / h --- (a)

T _m = T _in + Q / (C _p m) --- (b)

m = p·u _m cA --- (c)

h = (λ / De)·Nu --- (d)

Where T _m : mixed average temperature, T _in : inlet temperature, Q : calorific value, C _p : low pressure specific heat, m ; mass flow rate, p : density, u _m : velocity, A : area, h : heat transfer rate, λ : Thermal conductivity, De : equivalent diameter, Nu : Nusselt number, T _w : wall temperature, q : heat flux)

From equation (d) , the same Nusselt number shows that the heat transfer rate of water is about 20 times that of air, and from equation (b) , the temperature rise of water is only one quarter higher than that of air. . That is, this result means that heat dissipation of the heat sink 33 by using a heat transfer material such as an antifreeze is much better in terms of heat dissipation efficiency than using air.

3 and 4 illustrate the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention, which is substantially the same as the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the first embodiment, but the heat transfer material is circulated by natural convection. There is a difference in the way it is configured.

Since the basic configuration of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment, only the heat dissipation structure of the electric element 132 will be described below.

The PCB board 131 for controlling the driving of the outdoor unit is installed up and down on one side of the compression chamber 113 in which the compressor 121 is installed, and a heat sink attached to the electric element 132 of the PCB board 131. 133 is also installed up and down side by side with the PCB substrate 131. As in the first embodiment, the heat sink 133 is formed in a hollow shape so that heat transfer material can pass therein. A hollow heat dissipation member 140 is also attached to the outer side of the accumulator 124, and the heat dissipation member 140 is also installed up and down on the outer side of the accumulator 124. The heat sink 133 and the heat dissipation member 140 are connected by a pipe 134 that forms a waste flow path for circulating the heat transfer material.

In the heat sink 133, the heat transfer material is heated due to the heat generated by the electric element 132, the lifting force is generated by the buoyancy as the volume expands, and in the heat radiation member 140, the heat transfer material is heat to the accumulator 124 It cools while radiating heat, causing the descending force to descend as the volume shrinks. The lifting force and the lowering force become a driving force for circulating the heat transfer material, and the heat transfer material cools the electric element 132 while circulating the heat sink 133 and the heat dissipation member 140.

On the other hand, the point at which the heat sink 133 becomes the intermediate temperature between the inlet and the outlet temperature is called the heat center A of the heat sink 133. Similarly, the heat dissipation member 140 also becomes the intermediate temperature between the inlet and the outlet temperature. The point is called the heat center B of the heat dissipation member 140. In order for the heat transfer material to circulate smoothly, the heat center A of the heat sink 133 is 10 cm or more than the heat center B of the heat dissipation member 140. It is desirable to be installed high.

FIG. 5 illustrates an outdoor unit of an air conditioner according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Unlike the first and second embodiments, FIG. 5 does not include a separate pipe structure for circulating a heat transfer material, The heat pipe 250 directly connects the accumulator 224 and 232.

The heat pipe 250 is a pipe for efficiently transferring heat. Also called a heat transfer pipe, the heat pipe 250 is a pipe exhausting the inside of the heat pipe and filled with volatile liquid. When heat is applied at one end of the pipe, the liquid evaporates and moves to the other end with thermal energy. At the other end of the pipe, the heat dissipates and the vaporized one condenses again into a liquid and returns to its original position. Typically, the main body is made of copper, stainless steel, ceramics, tungsten, etc., and the inner wall is made of a porous fiber, and metalol, acetone, water, mercury, and the like are used as the volatile material therein.

In the heat pipe 250, a heating part for heating the volatile liquid therein is attached to the electric element 232, and a condensation part for liquefying the volatile liquid of the heat pipe 250 is attached to the accumulator 224, thereby making the electric element 232. Heat generated in the heat dissipation can be easily radiated to the accumulator 224 side.

As described in detail above, the air conditioner according to the present invention uses an accumulator which is a low temperature heat source and at the same time uses a heat transfer material having better heat dissipation efficiency than air, thereby efficiently cooling the electric element.

In addition, unlike the conventional method of heat dissipating the heat sink by using the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle because the heat dissipation to a low temperature accumulator side using a separate heat transfer material.

In addition, unlike the conventional method of dissipating the heat sink using air around the accumulator, since the heat is transferred directly to the accumulator using a heat transfer material, an air flow path for guiding the air around the accumulator is unnecessary, and thus the air passing through the heat exchanger is not required. Since it does not interfere with the flow of, it is possible to prevent the efficiency of the heat exchanger from being lowered.

Claims (14)

A compressor; An accumulator for filtering liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing into the compressor; An electric element constituting a control circuit for driving control of the outdoor unit; An outdoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that it comprises a heat transfer material for radiating heat generated by the electric element to the accumulator. The method of claim 1, The outdoor unit of the air conditioner further includes a heat sink that absorbs heat generated by the electric element and transfers the heat transfer material to the heat transfer material, and a pipe forming a flow path for circulating the heat transfer material from the heat sink side to the accumulator side. An outdoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that. The method of claim 2, The heat sink is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that provided in the shape of a hollow tank so that the heat transfer material flows therein. The method of claim 3, The heat sink is installed in contact with the electrical element, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the heat transfer grease is applied between the endothermic tank and the electrical component to facilitate heat transfer. The method of claim 2, The pipe is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that installed around the accumulator. The method of claim 2, The air conditioner outdoor unit of the air conditioner further comprises a pump for generating a flow force for the circulation of the heat transfer material. The method of claim 2, The outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the heat transfer material is an antifreeze. The method of claim 2, The outdoor unit of the air conditioner, the heat transfer material is circulated by natural convection. The method of claim 8, The outdoor unit of the air conditioner is installed in the accumulator and the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that further comprising a heat dissipation member of the hollow tank shape so that the heat transfer material flows therein. The method of claim 9, The outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that the heat center of the heat sink is installed higher than the heat center of the heat generating member to facilitate the circulation of the heat transfer material. The method of claim 10, The heat sink and the heat generating member is an outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that installed long in the vertical direction. The method of claim 11, The heat center of the heat sink is an outdoor unit of the air conditioner, characterized in that installed more than 10cm higher than the heat center of the heat generating member. A compressor; An accumulator for filtering liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant flowing into the compressor; An electric element constituting a control circuit for driving control of the outdoor unit; An outdoor unit of an air conditioner, characterized in that it comprises a heat pipe for radiating heat generated by the electric element to the accumulator. The method of claim 13, The heating unit of the heat pipe is provided on the electrical component side, the condensation unit of the heat pipe is installed on the accumulator side, the outdoor unit of the air conditioner.

Images