KR20220021679A - Airconditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. The air conditioner includes: a first bypass pipe having one end connected to an outdoor heat exchanger and having the other end connected to a compressor inlet pipe connected to an inlet port of a compressor; and a second bypass pipe having one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and having the other end connected to an injection port formed on the compressor. As at least one of the first and second bypass pipes bypasses at least one part of a refrigerant flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger, a gasified refrigerant is separated from the two-phase refrigerant flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger to reduce a pressure loss in the outdoor heat exchanger, the gasified refrigerant separated by a first separation means is bypassed to the compressor inlet pipe through the first bypass pipe, and the gasified refrigerant separated by a second separation means is bypassed to the injection port of the compressor through the second bypass pipe, and, thus, the pressure loss can be more reduced, and the performance of the mechanism can be more improved.

Description

air conditioner {Airconditioner}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner having a bypass pipe having one end connected to an outdoor heat exchanger and bypassing a portion of refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger.

In general, an air conditioner is a device that cools or heats an indoor space using a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and an indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner may include two assemblies of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The double outdoor unit is installed outside, and includes a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor unit is installed indoors and includes an indoor heat exchanger.

Since the outdoor heat exchanger is placed in the outdoor unit, it is affected by the installation environment. For example, when the place where the outdoor unit is installed is a cold area, the refrigerant flowing inside the outdoor heat exchanger may be excessively cooled. Accordingly, the specific volume of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger may be increased, and accordingly, there is a problem in that the pressure loss of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger is excessively increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that reduces pressure loss by separating the phases of a two-phase refrigerant flowing inside an outdoor heat exchanger.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that further reduces pressure loss by including a plurality of separation means for separating the phases of the two-phase refrigerant.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, an indoor heat exchanger for exchanging the refrigerant with indoor air, an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant, and an outdoor air conditioner for exchanging the refrigerant with outdoor air Heat exchanger, first bypass pipe connected to the outdoor heat exchanger at one end and the compressor inlet pipe at the other end connected to the inlet port of the compressor, one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and the other end connected to the injection port formed in the compressor and a second bypass pipe, wherein at least one of the first bypass pipe and the second bypass pipe bypasses at least a portion of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger.

The connection part of the first bypass pipe and the outdoor heat exchanger may be disposed downstream from the connection part of the second bypass pipe and the outdoor heat exchanger based on the heating operation.

The pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the first bypass pipe may not be higher than the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the second bypass pipe.

The air conditioner, the outdoor heat exchanger may include a plurality of unit flow passages, and may further include a header disposed between the first bypass pipe or the second bypass pipe and the plurality of unit flow passages.

The air conditioner may further include a bypass valve disposed on at least one of the first bypass pipe and the second bypass pipe.

The air conditioner may further include a separation means disposed at one end of the first bypass pipe or one end of the second bypass pipe, and separating the two-phase refrigerant into a gas phase and a liquid phase.

The separation means includes an inlet pipe at one end connected to the upstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger, a gas phase outlet pipe having one end inserted into the other end of the inlet pipe and the other end connected to the first bypass pipe or the second bypass pipe. , it may include a liquid phase outlet pipe having one end coupled to one side of the inlet pipe and the other end connected to the downstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger.

The liquid-phase outlet tube may include a bent portion.

The inlet pipe and the gaseous outlet pipe may be arranged on a straight line.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the air conditioner of the present invention, there are one or more of the following effects.

First, the gas phase refrigerant is separated from the two-phase refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger, which has the advantage of reducing the pressure loss inside the outdoor heat exchanger.

Second, the gaseous refrigerant separated from the first separating means is bypassed to the compressor inlet pipe through the first bypass pipe, and the gaseous refrigerant separated from the second separating means is bypassed to the compressor injection port through the second bypass pipe As a result, there is an advantage of further reducing the pressure loss and further improving the performance of the device.

Third, the refrigerant bypassed in the second bypass pipe joins with other refrigerants in the compressor inlet pipe, and then the refrigerant bypassed in the first bypass pipe joins with other refrigerants at the compressor injection port, improving the performance of the device. There is also the advantage of further improvement.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an air conditioner according to the present invention;
2 is a diagram showing the relationship between dryness and pressure loss;
3 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the outdoor heat exchanger of FIG. 1;
4 is a view showing the structure of the separation means;
5 is a PH chart when the air conditioner according to the present invention is in operation.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining the air conditioner 1 according to embodiments of the present invention.

The air conditioner 1 is disposed outdoors to exchange heat with a refrigerant and external air, and includes an outdoor unit that radiates heat of the refrigerant to the outside, and is disposed indoors to exchange heat with the refrigerant and indoor air, and to absorb internal heat. Includes indoor unit.

The air conditioner (1) includes a compressor (11) for compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger (14) installed outdoors to exchange heat with outdoor air and a refrigerant, an expansion mechanism (15) for expanding the refrigerant, and an indoor air installed indoors and an indoor heat exchanger 16 for exchanging heat with the refrigerant.

Hereinafter, main components constituting the air conditioner 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 based on the heating operation. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the air conditioner 1, and in more detail, is a structural diagram showing the flow of refrigerant during a heating operation.

The compressor 11 compresses the incoming low-temperature-low pressure refrigerant into a high-temperature-high pressure refrigerant. The compressor 11 is generally disposed in an outdoor unit. The compressor 11 may have various structures, and may be a reciprocating compressor using a cylinder and a piston or a scroll compressor using an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll. The compressor 11 in this embodiment is a scroll compressor. Although one compressor is illustrated in the present invention, a plurality of compressors may be provided according to embodiments.

The compressor inlet port 111 is a hole through which the refrigerant flows into the compressor 11 . A compressor inlet pipe 112 is connected to the compressor inlet port 111 . The compressor inlet pipe 112 is connected to the accumulator 13 .

The compressor discharge port 113 is a hole through which the compressed refrigerant is discharged. A compressor outlet pipe 114 is connected to the compressor discharge port 113 . The compressor outlet pipe 114 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 16 during heating operation and is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 during cooling operation.

The compressor injection port 115 is a hole through which the injected refrigerant or the bypassed refrigerant is introduced.

The compressor 11 guides the high-temperature-high pressure refrigerant to the switching valve 12 .

The switching valve 12 is a device to which a plurality of pipes are connected and switched to switch the refrigerant flow path. Referring to FIG. 1 , the switching valve 12 is connected to the compressor 11 , the outdoor heat exchanger 14 , the indoor heat exchanger 16 , and the accumulator 13 . The switching valve 12 may switch to a cooling operation and a heating operation according to switching.

1 shows the switching valve 12 during heating operation. During the heating operation, the switching valve 12 connects the discharge port 113 of the compressor and the indoor heat exchanger 16 , and connects the accumulator 13 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

Although not shown, during the cooling operation, the switching valve 12 connects the discharge port 113 of the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 , and connects the accumulator 13 and the indoor heat exchanger 16 .

An accumulator 13 may be disposed in the refrigerant inflow direction of the compressor 115 . The accumulator 13 is a device for preventing damage to the compressor 115 by preventing excessive refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 115 . In the accumulator 13 , the refrigerant may exist in a liquid phase and a gas phase, and only the gaseous refrigerant flows to the compressor 115 to prevent damage to the compressor 115 .

The indoor heat exchanger 16 is a device that heats the indoor air by exchanging heat with a high-temperature-high pressure refrigerant and indoor air, and transferring heat to the indoor air. The indoor heat exchanger 16 is disposed in the indoor unit. The indoor heat exchanger 16 acts as a condenser for condensing refrigerant during a heating operation. The refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger (16) flows to the expansion mechanism (15).

The expansion mechanism 15 is a device for discharging low-temperature-low-pressure refrigerant by expanding the refrigerant. The expansion mechanism 15 may be disposed in an outdoor unit or an indoor unit. Preferably, the expansion mechanism 15 may be disposed in the outdoor unit in order to reduce noise of the indoor unit and to reduce the size of the indoor unit. During the heating operation, the expansion mechanism 15 is completely opened to allow the refrigerant to pass through, so that the low-temperature-high pressure refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 16 is discharged in a cryogenic-low pressure state. The low-temperature-low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the expansion mechanism 15 flows to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

The outdoor heat exchanger 14 is disposed in the outdoor space and exchanges heat with outdoor air between the low-temperature-low-pressure refrigerant supplied from the expansion mechanism 15 based on the heating operation. During the heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 14 acts as an evaporator to heat the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 14 is disposed in the outdoor unit. The outdoor heat exchanger 14 heats the cryogenic-low pressure refrigerant with outdoor air and discharges the cryogenic-low pressure refrigerant. The medium temperature-low pressure refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 14 flows to the compressor 115 .

When the air conditioner 1 is installed in a cold area, the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 may be excessively cooled due to very low outdoor air. Accordingly, the specific volume of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 may increase.

2 is a diagram showing the relationship between dryness and pressure loss. Referring to FIG. 2 , when the phase of the refrigerant is mostly liquid, the pressure loss is small. Similarly, even when the phase of the refrigerant is mostly gaseous, the pressure loss is small. However, in the case of a two-phase refrigerant in which the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant coexist, the pressure loss increases. For example, when the dryness is about 0.7, the pressure loss of the refrigerant reaches about 25 kPa. When the pressure loss of the refrigerant increases, the performance of the air conditioner 1 is deteriorated, and there is a problem in that the operation efficiency is reduced.

Accordingly, the air conditioner 1 according to the present invention is disposed in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and includes bypass pipes 110 and 210 for bypassing some gaseous refrigerants among the refrigerants flowing in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . .

The gas phase refrigerant among the phase-changed two-phase refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is bypassed through the bypass pipes 110 and 210 . By separating the gaseous refrigerant having a large specific volume through the bypass pipe, the pressure loss inside the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is reduced. In addition, the overall flow rate of the refrigerant is reduced, there is an effect that the pressure loss is reduced. In addition, as the gaseous refrigerant is discharged, the dryness of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 decreases, and thus the pressure loss decreases. In addition, the heat exchange efficiency of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 can be improved.

The air conditioner 1 according to the present invention includes at least two bypass pipes 110 and 210 . These are defined as a first bypass pipe 110 and a second bypass pipe 210 . The first bypass pipe 110 and the second bypass pipe 210 have different positions connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and different positions where they are bypassed.

The first bypass pipe 110 has one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and the other end connected to the inlet pipe 112 of the compressor. The first separation means 120 is disposed at the other end of the first bypass pipe 110 . The first separating means 120 separates the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant from the two-phase refrigerant, and bypasses the gaseous refrigerant through the first bypass pipe 110 . The bypassed refrigerant flows to the compressor inlet pipe 112 .

The second bypass pipe 210 has one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and the other end connected to the compressor injection port 115 . A second separation means 220 is disposed at the other end of the second bypass pipe 210 . The second separating means 220 separates the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant from the two-phase refrigerant, and bypasses the gaseous refrigerant through the second bypass pipe 210 . The bypassed refrigerant flows to the compressor injection port 115 .

The refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is sequentially bypassed through the second bypass pipe 210 and the first bypass pipe 110 . Therefore, it is possible to more effectively separate the gaseous refrigerant present in the two-phase refrigerant, thereby reducing the pressure loss and improving the efficiency.

The refrigerant flowing through the second bypass pipe 210 flows to the compressor inlet pipe 112 and is mixed with other refrigerants. The refrigerant flowing through the first bypass pipe 110 flows to the compressor injection port 115 and is mixed with other refrigerants. The refrigerant bypassed in the second bypass pipe 210 and the refrigerant bypassed in the first bypass pipe 110 are sequentially mixed with other refrigerants, thereby reducing performance degradation that may occur when refrigerants are combined.

Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.

One end of the bypass pipes 110 and 210 is disposed in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and is a component that bypasses at least a portion of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The bypass pipe may be divided into a first bypass pipe 110 or a second bypass pipe 210 . At least one of the first bypass pipe 110 and the second bypass pipe 210 bypasses at least a portion of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

The first bypass pipe 110 has one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and the other end connected to the compressor inlet pipe 112 connected to the inlet port 111 of the compressor.

One end of the first bypass pipe 110 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , the first separating means 120 is disposed between one end of the first bypass pipe 110 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The first bypass pipe 110 guides the gaseous refrigerant separated from the first separating means 120 . The separated gaseous refrigerant refers to refrigerant 3 in FIG. 5 .

A first header 130 is disposed between one end of the first bypass pipe 110 and the first separating means 120 . The first header 130 sufficiently mixes the gaseous refrigerant separated by the plurality of first separating means 120 , and guides it to the first bypass valve 140 .

The other end of the first bypass pipe 110 is connected to the compressor inlet pipe 112 . The gaseous refrigerant separated in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is mixed with the remaining refrigerants that have all passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 in the compressor inlet pipe 112 . The remaining refrigerants that have all passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 refer to refrigerant 4 in FIG. 5 .

The second bypass pipe 120 has one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and the other end connected to the injection port 115 formed in the compressor 115 .

One end of the second bypass pipe 210 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

Referring to FIG. 3 , a second separating means 220 is disposed between one end of the second bypass pipe 210 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The second bypass pipe 210 guides the gaseous refrigerant separated from the second separating means 220 . The separated gaseous refrigerant indicates refrigerant 1 in FIG. 5 .

A second header 230 is disposed between one end of the second bypass pipe 210 and the second separating means 220 . The second header 230 sufficiently mixes the gaseous refrigerant separated by the plurality of second separating means 220 , and guides it to the second bypass valve 240 .

The other end of the second bypass pipe 210 is connected to the compressor injection port 115 . The gaseous refrigerant separated in the outdoor heat exchanger (14) is mixed with other refrigerants being compressed inside the compressor (115). The other refrigerants under compression refer to refrigerant 2 in FIG. 5 .

The connection part of the first bypass pipe 110 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is disposed downstream of the connection part of the second bypass pipe 210 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 based on the heating operation. Referring to FIG. 3 , the refrigerant introduced into the outdoor heat exchanger 14 passes through the second separating means 220 and then through the first separating means 120 .

The refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is separated into a gaseous refrigerant (refrigerant 1) and a liquid refrigerant (refrigerant 2) by the second separating means 220 . The liquid refrigerant flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and may be partially vaporized, and may become a two-phase refrigerant again. The two-phase refrigerant is separated into a gaseous refrigerant (refrigerant 3) and a liquid refrigerant (refrigerant 4) by the first separating means (120).

The refrigerant 1, which is a gaseous refrigerant separated by the second separating means 220, has a higher pressure than that of the refrigerant 3, which is a gaseous refrigerant separated from the first separating means 120 . In other words, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the first bypass pipe 110 is not higher than the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the second bypass pipe 210 . Accordingly, it is preferable to guide the refrigerant 3 having a lower pressure to the compressor inlet pipe 112 and to guide the refrigerant 1 having a higher pressure to the compressor injection port 115 . Therefore, the refrigerant 3 having a lower pressure is bypassed to the compressor inlet pipe 112, the mixed refrigerant of the refrigerant 3 and the refrigerant 4 flows into the compressor, and the refrigerant 1 is mixed with the refrigerant 3/refrigerant 4 mixed refrigerant under compression. .

The header 130 is a component for assembling a plurality of tubes.

The outdoor heat exchanger 14 includes a plurality of unit passages 141 and 142, and the header is disposed between the bypass pipe and the plurality of unit passages 141.142, and the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the plurality of unit passages is mixed.

The first header 130 is disposed between the first bypass pipe 110 and the plurality of unit flow passages 141 and 142 to mix the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the plurality of unit flow passages. The second header 230 is disposed between the second bypass pipe 210 and the plurality of unit flow passages, and mixes gaseous refrigerant discharged from the plurality of unit flow passages. A header may be disposed at the outlet end of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 , and the header disposed at the outlet end of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 mixes the refrigerant discharged from each unit flow path and guides it to the accumulator 13 .

The header mixes the refrigerant flowing through each unit flow path 141 and 142 and guides the refrigerant in a constant state to the compressor injection port 115 or the compressor inlet pipe 112 . For example, the second unit flow path 142 is located below the first unit flow path 141 , and there may be a difference in heat exchanged due to the position difference, and accordingly, the compressor injection port 115 or the compressor inlet. As the temperature/pressure of the refrigerant bypassed in the pipe 112 fluctuates, the compression efficiency of the compressor 115 may fluctuate or the performance of the air conditioner 1 may fluctuate. Accordingly, by disposing a header, the refrigerant having a constant temperature/pressure that does not fluctuate is bypassed by sufficiently mixing the gaseous refrigerant separated from each unit flow path.

Bypass valves 140 and 240 for opening and closing the refrigerant flow in the bypass pipe are installed in the bypass pipes 110 and 210 . The first bypass valve 140 is disposed in the first bypass pipe 110 , and controls the refrigerant bypassed to the compressor inlet pipe 112 . The second bypass valve 240 is disposed in the second bypass pipe 210 and controls the refrigerant bypassed to the compressor injection port 115 .

The bypass valves 140 and 240 are opened when the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator, that is, during a heating operation. The bypass valve is closed when the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as a condenser, that is, during a cooling operation. Therefore, the bypass valve allows the bypass pipe to be used only when the outdoor heat exchanger 14 is used as an evaporator during heating operation.

The bypass valves 140 and 240 may close the bypass pipe even when the outdoor heat exchanger 14 functions as an evaporator during heating operation. For example, when the flow rate of the refrigerant is small or the outdoor temperature is relatively high, the bypass pipe may not be used.

The bypass valves 140 and 240 may be controlled by the controller. The controller may selectively open and close the first bypass valve 140 and the second bypass valve 240 to control the amount of bypassed refrigerant. For example, by opening only the first bypass pipe 110 , the separated refrigerant can be bypassed only through the compressor inlet pipe 112 . Also, by opening only the second bypass pipe 210 , the separated refrigerant is transferred to the compressor Only the injection port 115 can be bypassed. In addition, by opening both the first bypass pipe 110 and the second bypass pipe 210 , the separated refrigerant may be bypassed in stages to the compressor inlet pipe 112 and the compressor injection port 115 .

The bypass valves 140 and 240 may be disposed downstream of the header. In more detail, the first bypass valve 140 is disposed downstream of the first header 130 , and the second bypass valve 240 is disposed downstream of the second header 230 .

The separation means 120 and 220 are disposed at one end of the first bypass pipe 110 or one end of the second bypass valve 240 , and are components that separate the two-phase refrigerant into a gaseous phase and a liquid phase. The first separating means 120 and the second separating means 220 are formed in the same shape. Hereinafter, the first separating means 120 will be mainly described, and unless there is a special circumstance, the second separating means 220 is also can be applied.

The first separation means 120 is disposed between the first bypass pipe 110 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . When the first header 130 is disposed, the first separation means 120 is disposed between the first header 130 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The first separating means 120 separates the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant from among the refrigerants that have passed through the second separating means 220 , and guides the gaseous refrigerant to the first header 130 and the first bypass pipe 110 , , and guide the liquid refrigerant back to the outdoor heat exchanger (14).

The second separation means 220 is disposed between the second bypass pipe 210 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . When the first header 130 is disposed, the first separation means 120 is disposed between the first header 130 and the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The second separating means 220 separates the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger 14, and guides the gaseous refrigerant to the second header 230 and the second bypass pipe 210, The liquid refrigerant is again guided to the outdoor heat exchanger (14).

The second separating means 220 is disposed upstream of the first separating means 120 . When the refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 14 , the refrigerant passes through the first separating means 120 , through the second separating means 220 , and is discharged to the outside of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . A portion of the refrigerant is bypassed by the second separating means 220 , and the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the first separating means 120 is less than the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the second separating means 220 .

The first separating means 120 and the second separating means 220 are respectively disposed in the unit flow passages 141 and 142 . For example, at least one of the first separating means 120 and the second separating means 220 are respectively disposed in the first unit flow path 141 , and the first separating means 120 is also disposed in the second unit flow path 142 . and at least one second separation means 220 are respectively disposed.

The separation means 120 may be divided into an inlet pipe 121 , a gaseous-phase outlet pipe 122 , and a liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 .

The inlet pipe 121 is formed in a tubular shape having a hollow therein. The inlet pipe 121 may be formed of a metal material. The inlet of the inlet pipe 121, which is one end of the inlet pipe 121, is connected to the upstream tube of the outdoor heat exchanger 14. The inlet pipe 121 may be connected to a connection point of a straight part and a curved part of the tubes of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The inlet pipe 121 may be connected to a connection point that changes from a straight part to a curved part among the tubes of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 . The refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger (14) is introduced into the separation means through the inlet pipe (121).

The vapor outlet pipe 122 is formed in a tubular shape having a hollow therein. The vapor outlet pipe 122 may be formed of a metal material. The inlet of the vapor outlet tube 122, which is one end of the vapor outlet tube 122, is inserted into the other end of the inlet tube 121. The exit of the gas phase outlet pipe 122 , which is the other end of the gas phase outlet pipe 122 , is connected to the first bypass pipe 110 or the second bypass pipe 210 . When the header is disposed, the outlet of the vapor outlet pipe 122 is connected to the first header 130 or the second header 230 .

The diameter of the inlet of the gas phase outlet pipe 122 may be smaller than the diameter of the outlet.

The diameter of the inlet of the gaseous outlet pipe 122 may be smaller than the diameter of the outlet of the inlet pipe 121 . Accordingly, the gaseous refrigerant among the refrigerants flowing through the inlet pipe 121 flows into the inlet of the gaseous outlet pipe 122 .

The liquid outlet pipe 123 is formed in a tubular shape having a hollow therein. The liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 may be formed of a metal material. The liquid outlet pipe 123 may be integrally formed with the inlet pipe 121 .

The liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 may include a bent portion. The inlet of the liquid-phase outlet tube 123 is vertically connected to the inlet tube 121 from one side of the inlet tube 121, and the outlet of the liquid-phase outlet tube 123 guides the refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 14, Between the inlet and the outlet of the liquid phase outlet pipe 123, including a bent portion to change the flow direction of the refrigerant.

The inlet of the liquid-phase outlet tube 123, which is one end of the liquid-phase outlet tube 123, is coupled to one side wall of the inlet tube 121. The outlet of the liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 , which is the other end of the liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 , is connected to the downstream tube of the outdoor heat exchanger 14 .

The liquid outlet pipe 123 may be connected to one end of the inlet pipe 121 . The liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 is connected to and communicates with one side wall of the inlet pipe 121 . The liquid outlet pipe 123 may be connected to the lower end of the inlet pipe 121 . The liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 may be connected downstream of the inlet of the gas-phase outlet pipe 122 . The inlet of the liquid phase outlet pipe 123 may be located between the inlet of the gaseous phase outlet pipe 122 and the outlet of the gaseous phase outlet pipe 122 . Accordingly, the gaseous refrigerant may easily flow to the gaseous outlet pipe 122 , and the liquid refrigerant may easily flow to the liquidus outlet pipe 123 .

The inlet pipe 121 and the gaseous outlet pipe 122 are arranged on a straight line, the inlet pipe 121 and the liquid outlet pipe 123 are arranged at an intersection, and the gaseous outlet pipe 122 and the liquid phase outlet pipe 123 are arranged in a straight line. are placed at intersections. The inlet pipe 121 or the gaseous-phase outlet pipe 122 may be vertically disposed with the liquid-phase outlet pipe 123 . The inlet pipe 121 and the gaseous outlet pipe 122 are arranged on a straight line to easily bypass the gaseous refrigerant, and the liquid outlet pipe 123 is arranged to intersect the inlet pipe 121 to discharge the liquid refrigerant. Guide to the outdoor heat exchanger (14) again. The separation means may be formed in an h-shape.

The operation of the air conditioner 1 according to the present invention configured as described above will be described as follows.

The refrigerant circulation flowing inside the air conditioner 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 .

Based on the heating operation, the refrigerant is compressed at high temperature and high pressure in the compressor 115 [route (1)], heat is transferred from the indoor heat exchanger 16 to the indoor air [route (2)], and the expansion mechanism ( 15), it expands (route 3), receives heat from outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 14 (route 4), and goes back to the compressor 115.

The refrigerant flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 and receives heat from the outdoor air, and the liquid refrigerant is vaporized into a gaseous refrigerant. Referring to FIG. 5 , of the refrigerants, a gaseous refrigerant is set as refrigerant 1, and a liquid refrigerant is set as refrigerant 2.

The refrigerant flowing in from the second separating means 220 is a two-phase refrigerant of a gaseous phase and a liquid phase. The refrigerant is separated into a gaseous refrigerant 1 and a liquid refrigerant 2 by the second separating means 220 .

Refrigerant 1 flows to the compressor injection port 115 through the second vapor outlet pipe 222 - the second header 230 - the second bypass pipe 210. Refrigerant 1 joins with refrigerant 2 inside the compressor 115 .

Refrigerant 2 is again guided to the outdoor heat exchanger (14). Refrigerant 2 flows through the outdoor heat exchanger (14), receives heat from outdoor air, and is vaporized into liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant. Referring to FIG. 5 , the gas phase refrigerant is set as refrigerant 3, and the liquid refrigerant is set as refrigerant 4 among refrigerants 2.

The refrigerant flowing in from the first separating means 120 is a two-phase refrigerant 2 in a gaseous and liquid phase. Refrigerant 2 is separated into refrigerant 3 in gas phase and refrigerant 4 in liquid phase by the first separating means 120 .

Refrigerant 3 flows to the compressor inlet pipe 112 through the first gaseous outlet pipe 122 - the first header 130 - the first bypass pipe 110 . Refrigerant 3 joins with refrigerant 4 in the compressor inlet pipe 112 and flows into the compressor 115 .

Refrigerant 4 is again guided to the outdoor heat exchanger (14). Refrigerant 4 flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 14 to the end, receives heat from outdoor air, and vaporizes into liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant. Refrigerant 4 flows through the accumulator 13 to the compressor inlet pipe 112 . Refrigerant 4 joins refrigerant 3 in the compressor inlet pipe 112 . Accordingly, the flow rate of the mixed refrigerant of the refrigerant 3 and the refrigerant 4 is the same as the flow rate of the refrigerant 2.

Refrigerant 2 flows into the compressor 115 and is compressed. Refrigerant 2 under compression joins refrigerant 1 bypassed at the compressor injection port 115 . Accordingly, the refrigerant after the compressor injection port 115 is equal to the flow rate of the total refrigerant.

According to the present invention, the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger (14) has two phases: a gaseous phase and a liquid phase. Since the two-phase refrigerant increases the pressure loss and impairs the performance of the air conditioner 1, the gaseous refrigerant is separated and only the liquid refrigerant flows through the outdoor heat exchanger 14, thereby reducing the pressure loss. In addition, according to the present invention, since the gas phase refrigerant is separated in stages from the second separating means 220 and the first separating means 120, the pressure loss can be further reduced.

According to the present invention, the pressure of the refrigerant 1 separated by the upstream second separating means 220 is greater than the pressure of the refrigerant 3 separated by the first separating means 120 . Accordingly, the refrigerant 3 separated by the first separating means 120 is bypassed to the compressor inlet pipe 112 , and the refrigerant 1 separated by the second separating means 220 is bypassed to the compressor injection port 115 . Accordingly, the refrigerant 3 is compressed from the beginning through the compressor inlet port 111, and the refrigerant 1 is joined to the refrigerant 3 under compression. Accordingly, when the refrigerant 1 and the refrigerant 3 are joined, the pressures of the refrigerant 1 and the refrigerant 3 are almost equal, so that the efficiency of the compressor 115 is improved and damage to the compressor 115 is prevented. .

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and in the technical field to which the present invention belongs, without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims Various modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

1: Air conditioner
11: Compressor 112: Compressor inlet pipe
114: compressor outlet pipe 115: compressor injection port
12: selector valve 13: accumulator
14: outdoor heat exchanger 15: expansion mechanism
16: indoor heat exchanger
110: first bypass pipe 120: first separation means
130: first header 140: first bypass valve
210: second bypass pipe 220: second separation means
230: first header 240: first bypass valve

Claims (9)

a compressor that compresses the refrigerant;
an indoor heat exchanger for exchanging the refrigerant with indoor air;
an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant;
an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging the refrigerant with outdoor air;
a first bypass pipe having one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and the other end connected to the compressor inlet pipe connected to the inlet port of the compressor;
a second bypass pipe having one end connected to the outdoor heat exchanger and the other end connected to the injection port formed in the compressor; and
At least one of the first bypass pipe and the second bypass pipe bypasses at least a portion of the refrigerant flowing through the outdoor heat exchanger. According to claim 1,
A connection part between the first bypass pipe and the outdoor heat exchanger,
An air conditioner disposed downstream of a connection part between the second bypass pipe and the outdoor heat exchanger based on a heating operation. According to claim 1,
The pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the first bypass pipe is,
The air conditioner that is not higher than the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the second bypass pipe. According to claim 1,
The outdoor heat exchanger includes a plurality of unit flow paths,
and a header disposed between the first bypass pipe or the second bypass pipe and the plurality of unit flow passages. The method of claim 1,
and a bypass valve disposed on at least one of the first bypass pipe and the second bypass pipe. According to claim 1,
and a separation means disposed at one end of the first bypass pipe or one end of the second bypass valve and separating the two-phase refrigerant into a gas phase and a liquid phase. 7. The method of claim 6,
The separation means,
an inlet pipe having one end connected to an upstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger;
a vapor outlet pipe having one end inserted into the other end of the inlet pipe and the other end connected to the first bypass pipe or the second bypass pipe;
An air conditioner comprising a; one end coupled to one side of the inlet pipe and the other end connected to a downstream side of the outdoor heat exchanger. 8. The method of claim 7,
The liquid outlet pipe is an air conditioner including a bent portion. 8. The method of claim 7,
The inlet pipe and the gaseous outlet pipe are disposed on a straight line.

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