Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24F—AIR-CONDITIONING; AIR-HUMIDIFICATION; VENTILATION; USE OF AIR CURRENTS FOR SCREENING
  • F24F5/00—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater
  • F24F5/0096—Air-conditioning systems or apparatus not covered by F24F1/00 or F24F3/00, e.g. using solar heat or combined with household units such as an oven or water heater combined with domestic apparatus
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
  • F25B41/20—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B41/00—Fluid-circulation arrangements
  • F25B41/20—Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves
  • F25B41/24—Arrangement of shut-off valves for disconnecting a part of the refrigerant cycle, e.g. an outdoor part
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B40/00—Subcoolers, desuperheaters or superheaters
  • F25B40/04—Desuperheaters
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B5/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity
  • F25B5/02—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several evaporator circuits, e.g. for varying refrigerating capacity arranged in parallel
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B6/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits
  • F25B6/04—Compression machines, plants or systems, with several condenser circuits arranged in series

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an air-conditioner with heat recovery according to the preamble to the main claim.
• air-conditioners of the so-called "split" type typically comprises a cooling circuit with a motor-driven condenser including a compressor and a condenser, connected to one or more evaporation units which are advantageously arranged in the rooms to be conditioned.
• Air-conditioners of this type are also used, amongst other places, in hotels and holiday resorts, where a motor- driven condenser unit may be provided for each room or apartment (or for groups of rooms or apartments) and connected to respective evaporation units installed in the individual rooms to be conditioned.
• an auxiliary heat exchanger may be connected in the cooling circuit in order to recover heat.
• this heat-exchanger puts the water to be heated into thermal contact with the hot coolant fluid output from the compressor.
• a main limitation of this type of air-conditioning system with heat recovery is that the production of hot water is inextricably linked with the operation of the cooling circuit as a whole. In particular, it is not possible to produce hot water without_ simultaneously cooling at least some of the rooms in which the evaporation units are present. This consequently limits the use of this resource to climatic periods in which such cooling responds to a primary requirement .
• the problem upon which the present invention is based is that of providing an air-conditioner with heat recovery which is designed structurally and functionally to overcome the limitations set out above with reference to the prior art mentioned.
• the air-conditioner 1 is preferably of the "split" type and comprises a cooling circuit 2 in which a coolant fluid is circulated.
• the cooling circuit 2 includes a compressor 3, connected by means of a delivery line 4 to a heat-exchanger 5 and then to a condenser 6.
• the heat-exchanger 5 is preferably of the type with plates and is arranged to put the coolant fluid output from the compressor 3 into thermal contact with water for hygiene purposes which circulates in a second circuit 7 and is then advantageously stored in a storage tank 8.
• An evaporation unit 9 is provided in the delivery line 4, downstream of the condenser 6, and is advantageously positioned in the room to be conditioned.
• the evaporation unit 9 comprises first means 10 for the expansion of the coolant fluid, including, for example a capillary 11, an evaporator 12, and an on-off valve 13 which can exclude the evaporation unit 9 from the cooling circuit .
• the output 14 of the evaporation unit 9 is connected to a return line 15 which in turn is connected to the intake of the compressor 3.
• the air-conditioner 1 may also comprise further evaporation units 9a, indicated by broken lines in the drawings, positioned in other rooms and suitably connected in parallel with the evaporator unit 9.
• First and second by-pass means indicated 16 and 17, respectively, as well as second expansion means 18 interposed between the heat-exchanger 5 and the condenser 6, are also provided in the air-conditioner 1.
• the first by-pass means 16 is arranged in parallel with the evaporation unit 9 and comprises a first on-off valve 19 which can selectively put the delivery line 4 downstream of the condenser 6 into communication with the return line 15 in order to exclude the evaporation unit 9 from the flow-path of the coolant fluid.
• the second by-pass means 17 in turn is arranged in parallel with the second expansion means 18 and comprises a second on-off valve 20 which can selectively put the heat- exchanger 5 into communication with the condenser 6 in order to exclude the second expansion means 18 from the flow-path of the coolant fluid.
• the first and second on-off valves 19, 20 are controlled by control means 21 which are set to open one or other of the valves alternatively in a mutually exclusive arrangement so that, when one of the two on-off valves is open, the other is necessarily closed. Two different modes of operation of the air-conditioner 1 are thus defined, according to the selection made by the control means 21.
• the first on-off valve 19 is closed and the second on-off valve 20 is open.
• the hot coolant fluid output from the compressor 3 has given up some of its heat to the water of the second circuit 7 in the heat exchanger 5, it is admitted by means of the second on-off valve 20 to the condenser 6 where it is fully condensed by means of a service fluid, normally external air.
• a service fluid normally external air.
• the control means 21 By operating the control means 21, it is possible to change from the first mode of operation to the second mode in which the first on-off valve 19 is open and the second on-off valve 20 is closed.
• this mode after the coolant fluid has exchanged heat with the water of the second circuit 7, it is brought to a lower pressure by passing through the second expansion means 18 and is then admitted to the condenser 6.
• the coolant fluid is in temperature and pressure conditions such as to be evaporated, removing heat from the service fluid (external air) .
• the coolant fluid is then admitted to the return line 15 by means of the first on-off valve 19, without passing through the evaporation unit 9.
• the condenser 6 actually performs the function of an evaporator in the cooling circuit 2. From the energy point of view, this enables heat to be supplied to the water of the second circuit 7 by the removal of heat from the service fluid, rather than from the room in which the evaporation unit 9 is disposed, and the air-conditioner 1 can thus produce hot water without simultaneously having an air- conditioning effect on the room with which it is associated.
• the present invention thus solves the problem complained of above with reference to the prior art mentioned, at the same time offering many other advantages, amongst which is the ability to provide, with the air-conditioner, a hot-water producing system which is functionally independent of the system for the air-conditioning of the rooms.
• This characteristic is particularly advantageous in applications relating to systems in hotels and holiday resorts, where there is a need, on the one hand, to condition rooms at predetermined times of the year and, on the other hand, to respond to a demand for hot water which is particularly concentrated during predetermined time bands.
• the air-conditioners of the present invention enable every room or apartment to be rendered independent with regard to hot-water requirements.
• the need to provide centralized heating systems of a size suitable for responding to hot-water requirement peaks is thus eliminated, which has an advantageous impact on the costs connected with their installation and maintenance.
• a further advantage is that the characteristics of the air-conditioner according to the invention are achieved with low production costs.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• Sustainable Development (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Air Conditioning Control Device (AREA)
• Steam Or Hot-Water Central Heating Systems (AREA)
• Central Heating Systems (AREA)
• Air-Conditioning For Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=11451771

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (3)

Citations (5)

• 2000
  • 2000-01-26 IT IT2000PD000017A patent/IT1319448B1/it active
• 2001
  • 2001-01-22 WO PCT/EP2001/000654 patent/WO2001055647A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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