KR20100130475A - Air conditioner and control process of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An air conditioner and an operation method thereof are provided to diagnose whether cooling water is sufficient or not using a cooling water intake temperature sensor and a cooling water discharge temperature sensor. CONSTITUTION: An air conditioner comprises a compressor(51), a condenser, a cooling tower, an expanding unit, an evaporator, a cooling water coil, a cooling water intake temperature sensor(72), a cooling water discharge temperature sensor(74), a control unit(80), and an information output unit. The compressor compresses a refrigerant. The condenser condenses the compressed refrigerant. The cooling tower is connected to the condenser. The expanding unit expands the condensed refrigerant. The evaporator evaporates the expanded refrigerant. The cooling water coil is connected to the evaporator. The cooling water intake temperature sensor and the cooling water discharge temperature sensor are installed in cooing water intake and discharge pipes.

Description

Air conditioner and its operation method {Air conditioner and Control process of the same}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air conditioner and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to an air conditioner connected to a condenser by a cooling water pipe and a method of operating the same.

In general, an air conditioner is a device for cooling and cooling an indoor room by using a refrigeration cycle of refrigerant consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator to create a more comfortable indoor environment for a user.

The air conditioner is configured such that the evaporator heat exchanges the water and the refrigerant, and is provided with a separate cold water coil through which the heat exchanged with the refrigerant passes, and when the blower circulates the indoor air to the cold water coil, Can cool the room. If the condenser is configured to exchange heat between the cooling water and the refrigerant, the cooling water condenses the refrigerant passing through the condenser.

The air conditioner is installed with a cooling tower for supplying the cooling water to the condenser, and tests whether the proper cooling water is supplied to the condenser during the installation work, and if the cooling water is insufficient, additional supply of cooling water or the size of the cooling tower or the capacity of the cooling pump is provided. Custom field tests and checks will be performed.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the air conditioner itself self-diagnosing the lack of cooling water without the need to manually test or check the lack of cooling water after installation air conditioner And an operation method thereof.

Air conditioner according to the present invention for solving the above problems is a compressor for compressing the refrigerant; A condenser for condensing the refrigerant compressed in the compressor by heat exchange with cooling water; A cooling tower connected to the condenser and a cooling water inlet / outlet pipe to allow the cooling water exchanged with the refrigerant in the condenser; An expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser; An evaporator in which the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism is evaporated by heat exchange with water; A cold water coil connected to the evaporator and a cold water inlet / outlet pipe to allow the cold water exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator to pass therethrough; A cooling water inlet temperature sensor installed in the cooling water inlet pipe; A coolant output temperature sensor installed in the coolant output pipe; A controller for outputting a coolant shortage signal when a difference between the inlet temperature of the coolant detected by the coolant inlet temperature sensor and the coolant outlet temperature sensed by the coolant outlet temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a set value; It includes an information output unit for notifying the lack of cooling water in accordance with the cooling water shortage signal output from the controller.

The information output unit may include a display or a speaker connected to the control unit to notify the cooling water shortage according to the cooling water shortage signal output from the control unit.

 The operating method of the air conditioner according to the present invention includes a temperature sensing step of detecting the temperature of the coolant by the coolant inlet temperature sensor and the coolant outlet temperature sensor installed in the coolant inlet / outlet pipe connecting the condenser and the cooling tower; A cooling water shortage information outputting step of outputting a cooling water shortage signal to the information output unit when a difference between the inlet temperature and the cooling water outlet temperature of the coolant detected in the temperature sensing step is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; The information output unit includes an information notification step of outputting coolant shortage information according to the coolant shortage signal.

According to the present invention configured as described above, since the controller self-diagnoses whether the coolant is insufficient according to the detection result of the coolant inlet temperature sensor and the coolant outlet temperature sensor, the controller does not need to test the lack of coolant manually after installation. have.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes an air handling unit 1, a chiller 3, and a cooling tower 5, and the air handling unit 1 and the chiller 3 are connected to a water pipe 6. The chiller 3 and the cooling tower 5 are connected to the cooling water pipe 7.

 The air handling unit 1 is an air conditioning unit that sucks and heats indoor air and then discharges it into the room. The air handling unit 1 may be configured as a ventilation / air conditioning unit, or may be configured as a non-ventilated air conditioning unit.

When the air handling unit 1 is configured as a combined air conditioning unit, the air handling unit 1 sucks indoor air (I) and outdoor air (O), discharges some of the sucked indoor air to the outside, and mixes the remaining indoor air with the outdoor air. , Heat the mixed air at cold water demand places (hereinafter referred to as cold water coil) such as cold water coil, and supply it to the room.In case of a non-ventilated air conditioning unit, indoor air (I) is sucked and heat exchanged in the cold water coil. To supply.

The air handling unit 1 includes a cold water coil having a water flow path through which water passes, and a blowing fan that circulates and blows a mixture of indoor air and outdoor air or indoor air with the cold water coil.

When the air handling unit 1 is configured as a combined air-conditioning unit, the air handling unit 1 is installed in an air conditioning room or a machine room provided separately from the room to which the air handling unit 1 is air conditioned in a building or a house on which an air conditioner is installed, or is installed outdoors.

When the air handling unit 1 is configured as a non-ventilating air conditioning unit, the air handling unit 1 is installed in a room where the air handling unit 1 is air-conditioned, and fan fan unit that directly sucks indoor air, heat exchanges in a cold water coil, and then directly discharges it into the room. (FCU: Fan Coil Unit), etc.

The chiller 3 is a kind of cold water supply unit that supplies cold water to the cold water coil of the air handling unit 1 by using a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator, and is installed in a machine room such as a basement or outdoors. The water pipe 6 is connected to the evaporator, and the cooling water pipe 7 is connected to the condenser.

The water pipe 6 is a cold water outlet pipe 6A in which cold water of the chiller 3 is supplied to the air handling unit 1, and cold water recovery in which cold water passed through the air handling unit 1 is recovered to the chiller 3. Tube 6B.

The water pipe 6 is provided with a cold water pump (not shown) for circulating the cold water into the evaporator and the cold water coil.

The cooling water pipe 7 includes a cooling water inlet pipe 7A in which the cooling water of the cooling tower 5 flows into the condenser of the chiller 3, and the cooling water flowing out of the condenser of the chiller 3 is recovered to the cooling tower 5. Cooling water outlet pipe 7B.

The cooling water pipe 7 is provided with a cooling water pump 8 for pumping the cooling water such that the cooling water is circulated in the cooling tower 5 and the chiller 3.

The coolant pump 8 is connected to and controlled by a control line 70 to be described later.

2 is a cross-sectional view of the air handling unit shown in FIG. 1.

The air handling unit 1 has a space therein and has an air handling unit 22A, an indoor air outlet 22B, an outside air inlet 22C, and an air conditioning air outlet 22D. It is installed inside the unit case 22, the air handling unit case 22, and the blowing fan 27 and 28 which flows outdoor air and indoor air, and is installed inside the air handling unit case 22 for air conditioning. It includes a cold water coil 40 for heat-exchanging the air flowing toward the air outlet 22D with cold water.

The air handling unit 1 is connected to a ventilation duct 22E which communicates the room with the indoor air intake 22A so that indoor air is sucked into the air handling unit case 22 through the indoor air intake 22A. The exhaust air duct 22F communicating with the indoor air outlet 22B and the outside is connected so that some of the air sucked into the air handling unit case 22 is discharged to the outside through the indoor air inlet 22A. An outdoor air duct 22G is connected which communicates the outdoor and outdoor air intakes 22C so that outdoor air is sucked into the air handling unit case 22 through the outdoor air intakes 22C, and the air handling unit case ( 22) An air supply air duct 22D and an air supply duct 22H communicating with the room are connected to supply the air conditioned inside.

The ventilation duct 22E is connected to the indoor air intake 22A, the exhaust duct 22F is connected to the indoor air outlet 22B, the outdoor air duct 22G is connected to the outdoor air intake 22C, , The air supply duct 22H is connected to the air conditioning air outlet 22D.

In the air handling unit 1, some of the indoor air sucked into the indoor air intake 22A is exhausted to the outside through the indoor air outlet 22B, and the remaining air is sucked into the outdoor air intake 22C. And the mixed air is heat-exchanged with the cold water coil 40 and then is configured to be supplied to the room through the air conditioning air outlet 22D and the air supply duct 22H, and the cold water coil 40 is moved in the air flow direction. A mixing chamber (26) is located in which indoor air and outdoor air are mixed.

The blowing fans 27 and 28 are positioned between the indoor air inlet 22A and the indoor air outlet 22B in the direction of the flow of the indoor air, and blow the indoor air into the air handling unit case 22 for blowing. Air conditioner air outlet 22D after being located between the cold water coil 40 and the air-conditioning air outlet 22D in the flow direction of the mixed air, and returning the mixed air to the cold water coil 40 ) And a supply fan 28 for blowing air toward ().

Blowing fan 27, 28 is a flow rate variable blowing fan to adjust the air flow rate, the blower 29, the housing 32 surrounding the blower 29, the air inlet 30 and the air discharge port 31 is formed; And a blower drive source 33 for rotating the blower 29.

The blower drive source 33 may be formed of a motor having a rotational shaft connected to the rotational center of the blower 29, the shaft 34 connected to the rotational center of the blower 29, and a motor installed to be located outside the housing 32 ( 35 and a power transmission member including a drive pulley 36 for connecting the driving force of the motor 35 to the shaft, and a belt 37 and a driven pulley 38.

The motor 35 is composed of an inverter motor whose wind speed is variable.

The cold water coil 40 is a kind of an indoor heat exchanger in which the mixed air and the cold water exchange heat to cool the mixed air, and are installed to be positioned between the mixing chamber 26 and the supply fan 27.

The air handling unit 1 includes dampers 43, 44, 45 for adjusting the ratio of indoor air and outdoor air in the mixed air.

The dampers 43, 44, and 45 are installed at the indoor air outlet 22B to control the indoor air exhaust amount, and the outdoor air intake 22C to adjust the outdoor air intake. The outdoor air damper 44 and the mixing damper 45 installed in the mixing chamber 26 to adjust the amount of air sucked into the mixing chamber 26 in the indoor air.

3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a chiller illustrated in FIG. 1.

The chiller 3 includes a compressor 51 for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser 52 for condensing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51, an expansion mechanism 53 for expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 52, A refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism (53) includes an evaporator (54) in which heat is exchanged with water to evaporate, and the compressor (51), the condenser (52), the expansion mechanism (53), and the evaporator (54) are connected by a refrigerant pipe. Form a refrigeration cycle.

In the chiller 3, a compressor 51, a condenser 52, an expansion mechanism 53, and an evaporator 54 are installed in a case (not shown) and integrated into one unit.

Compressor 51 is composed of a variable displacement compressor that can vary the operating capacity, consisting of a plurality of compressors connected in parallel and partly or fully driven in accordance with the load, or may be composed of an inverter compressor, the capacity is adjustable It consists of a screw compressor and will be described below as a screw compressor.

The screw compressor is a rotary displacement compressor, in which a gaseous refrigerant is compressed between a pair of male and female screw rotors engaged with each other, and a bearing supports the rotor shaft of the screw rotor.

The condenser 52 causes the refrigerant to be condensed by the cooling water supplied from the cooling tower 5 shown in FIG. 1, and blocks both ends of the shell 52a through which the refrigerant and water pass, and both ends of the shell 52a. A plurality of partitions (not shown), a plurality of caps 52b and 52c covering both ends of the shell 52a, and one of the refrigerant and water pass through the plurality of partitions to penetrate the plurality of partitions, A shell-tube heat exchanger comprising a plurality of inner tubes (not shown) disposed in communication, wherein water passes through a plurality of caps 52b and 52c and an inner tube, and a coolant passes through the shell 52a and a plurality of inner tubes. It explains as passing between two inner tubes.

The condenser 52 has a coolant inlet 54d through which coolant flows into the shell 52a, and a coolant outlet 54e through which coolant flows out.

The condenser 52 has a coolant outlet 52f to which at least one of the plurality of caps 52b and 52c is connected to the coolant outlet pipe 7B of the coolant pipe 7 shown in FIG. 1 and the coolant in the coolant pipe 7. A cooling water inlet 52g to which the water inlet pipe 7A is connected is formed.

That is, when the condenser 52 drives the cooling water pump 8 shown in FIG. 1, the cooling water cooled in the cooling tower 5 flows into the condenser 52 to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 51. After circulated to the cooling tower (5), the refrigerant is moved to the expansion mechanism (53) in a condensed state.

The expansion mechanism 53 consists of a capillary tube or electronic expansion valves (EEV).

The evaporator 54 is a water cooler that cools water as the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism 53 evaporates. The evaporator 54 is formed with a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant passes and a water passage through which the water passes.

The evaporator 54 includes a shell 54a through which one of the refrigerant and water passes, a plurality of partitions blocking both ends of the shell, a plurality of caps 54b and 54c covering both ends of the shell 54a, and a refrigerant and water. A shell-tube heat exchanger comprising a plurality of inner tubes (not shown), which pass through one of the plurality of partitions and communicate with the inside of the caps 54b and 54c, wherein water is provided with a plurality of caps. It passes through the inner tube and the refrigerant passes between the shell and the plurality of inner tubes.

The evaporator 54 has a coolant inlet port 54d through which coolant flows into the shell 54a, and a coolant outlet port 54e through which the coolant flows out.

The evaporator 54 has a cold water outlet 54f to which the cold water outlet pipe 6A of the water pipe 6 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to at least one of the plurality of caps 54b and 54c. ), A cold water recovery port 54g to which the cold water recovery pipe 6B is connected is formed.

That is, the evaporator 54 is circulated to the evaporator 54 after the cold water cooled by the coolant is supplied to the air handling unit 1 through the water pipe 6 shown in FIG. 1, and the coolant is evaporated. It is moved to the compressor 51.

Evaporator 54 is a refrigerant is filled between the inner tube and the shell, the oil is located on the upper surface of the liquid refrigerant, the oil through the oil return flow path 56 connecting the evaporator 54 and the compressor 51 Recovered to (51).

The oil return flow path 56 is provided with a capillary tube and an electromagnetic expansion valve.

The air conditioner according to the present embodiment is provided with a cold water pump 58 for pumping cold water circulated in the water pipe (6).

The cold water pump 58 may be installed at a portion of the water pipe 6 located inside the air handling unit 1, may be installed at a portion located inside the chiller 3, and may include an air handling unit ( 1) and the chiller (3) can also be installed in the part, it is preferable to be installed in the air handling unit (1) or the chiller (3) inside to facilitate the control or wire connection. .

The cooling pump 58 is connected to the control unit 70 to be described later by a communication line and controlled.

The chiller 3 includes an injection mechanism 60 which expands the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 52 and injects it into the compressor 51 to allow the refrigerant to be compressed in multiple stages.

4 is a control block diagram of an air conditioner according to the present invention.

The air conditioner includes an operation unit 70, a coolant water temperature sensor 72, a coolant water temperature sensor 74, a controller 80, and an information output unit 90.

The operation unit 70 operates an air conditioner, and includes an operation / stop input unit and a desired temperature input unit.

The coolant inlet temperature sensor 72 detects the inlet temperature of the coolant flowing into the condenser 52 and is installed in the coolant inlet pipe 7A.

The cooling water discharge temperature sensor 74 detects the exit temperature of the cooling water flowing out of the condenser 52 and is installed in the cooling water discharge pipe 7B.

The controller 80 controls the air conditioner according to the operation of the operation unit 70, and in particular, controls the information output unit 90 according to the detected temperatures of the cooling water inlet temperature sensor 72 and the cooling water outlet temperature sensor 74. .

The controller 80 determines that the current coolant is insufficient if the difference between the coolant inlet temperature sensor 72 and the coolant inlet temperature and the coolant outlet temperature sensor detected by the coolant outlet temperature sensor 74 is greater than or equal to a set value. ) To output a coolant low signal.

The information output unit 90 outputs various types of information such as operation information and a malfunction of the air conditioner. When the signal output from the controller 80 is a coolant shortage signal, the coolant may be visually or audibly shortened to a consumer or a manager. Inform.

The information output unit 90 includes a display or a speaker connected to the controller 80 to notify the coolant shortage according to the coolant shortage signal output from the controller 80.

5 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating an air conditioner according to the present invention.

First, when the air conditioner is operated through the operation unit 70, the control unit 80 drives the compressor 51, drives the cold water pump 58, and performs the operation step of driving the cooling water pump 8. (S1) (S2)

When the compressor 51 is driven, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 51 and then circulated through the condenser 52, the expansion mechanism 53, and the evaporator 54, and then circulated to the compressor 51.

When the cooling water pump 8 is driven, the cooling water of the cooling tower 5 cools the condenser 52 while circulating the cooling tower 5 and the condenser 52.

Cold water is driven by the evaporator 54 while circulating the cold water coil 40 of the air handling unit 1 and the evaporator 54 of the chiller 3 when the cold water pump 58 is driven.

When the compressor 51 is driven, the air handling unit 1 is driven by the blowing fans 27 and 28, and part of the indoor air I is discharged to the outside, and the remaining air is mixed with the outdoor air and then the cold water coil ( It is cooled while passing through 40) and then discharged into the room.

On the other hand, when the compressor 51 as described above, the cooling water inlet temperature sensor 72 detects the inlet temperature of the coolant flowing into the condenser 52 and outputs the inlet temperature of the coolant to the control unit 80, the cooling water outlet The temperature sensor 74 detects the exit temperature of the coolant flowing out of the condenser 52 and performs a coolant inlet / outlet temperature sensing step of outputting the exit temperature of the coolant (S3).

The controller 80 determines that the current coolant is insufficient when the difference between the inlet temperature of the coolant and the coolant outlet temperature detected by the coolant outlet temperature sensor 74 is greater than or equal to a set value, and outputs a coolant shortage signal to the information output unit 90. A cooling water shortage information output step is performed. (S4) (S5)

Here, the set value is a preset set temperature for determining whether the coolant is insufficient, and is set larger than the difference between the coolant inlet temperature and the coolant outlet temperature during normal operation in which the coolant is not short.

For example, when the difference between the coolant inlet temperature and the coolant outlet temperature during normal operation where the coolant is not short is approximately 4 ° C to 5 ° C, the set value is set to 7 ° C and is equal to the coolant inlet temperature during the test operation or normal operation. When the difference of the cooling water discharge temperature is 7 ° C. or more, the controller 80 outputs a cooling water shortage signal to the information output unit 90.

The information output unit 90 receives the lack of coolant signal from the control unit 80, and receives the information to output coolant shortage information such as 'increase the coolant flow rate' or 'check the coolant pump' on a screen or sound. Carry out the steps.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

2 is a cross-sectional view of the air handling unit shown in FIG.

3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a chiller illustrated in FIG. 1;

4 is a control block diagram of an air conditioner according to the present invention;

5 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating an air conditioner according to the present invention.

Claims (4)

 A compressor for compressing the refrigerant; A condenser for condensing the refrigerant compressed in the compressor by heat exchange with cooling water; A cooling tower connected to the condenser and a cooling water inlet / outlet pipe to allow the cooling water exchanged with the refrigerant in the condenser; An expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser; An evaporator in which the refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism is evaporated by heat exchange with water; A cold water coil connected to the evaporator and a cold water inlet / outlet pipe to allow the cold water exchanged with the refrigerant in the evaporator to pass therethrough; A cooling water inlet temperature sensor installed in the cooling water inlet pipe; A coolant output temperature sensor installed in the coolant output pipe; A controller for outputting a coolant shortage signal when a difference between the inlet temperature of the coolant detected by the coolant inlet temperature sensor and the coolant outlet temperature sensed by the coolant outlet temperature sensor is greater than or equal to a set value; An air conditioner including an information output unit for notifying the lack of cooling water in accordance with the cooling water shortage signal output from the controller. The method of claim 1, The information output unit is an air conditioner connected to the control unit to notify the lack of cooling water according to the cooling water shortage signal output from the control unit. The method of claim 1, The information output unit is an air conditioner that is a speaker connected to the control unit to notify the lack of cooling water according to the cooling water shortage signal output from the control unit. A temperature sensing step of detecting a temperature of the cooling water by a cooling water inlet temperature sensor and a cooling water outlet temperature sensor installed in the cooling water inlet / outlet pipe connecting the condenser and the cooling tower; A cooling water shortage information outputting step of outputting a cooling water shortage signal to the information output unit when a difference between the inlet temperature and the cooling water outlet temperature of the coolant detected in the temperature sensing step is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; And an information notification step of outputting the coolant shortage information according to the coolant shortage signal.

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