WO2015186181A1

WO2015186181A1 - Control device for refrigerating and air conditioning devices

Info

Publication number: WO2015186181A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/064651
Authority: WO
Inventors: 光晃松尾; 拓也伊藤; 寛也石原
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2014-06-02
Filing date: 2014-06-02
Publication date: 2015-12-10

Abstract

This control device (100) for refrigerating and air conditioning devices comprises: a demand level determining unit (130) for determining the demand level; a total operating capacity calculating unit (140) that calculates, during each first control cycle, the total operating capacity, which is the total of the operating capacities for each of a plurality of refrigerating and air conditioning devices; a total operating capacity upper limit setting unit (150) that sets, during each second control cycle, an upper limit for the total operating capacity on the basis of the upper and lower limits for the operating capacities of the plurality of refrigerating and air conditioning devices, the total operating capacity, and the demand level; a cooperative controlling unit (160) that determines, during each second control cycle and on the basis of the total operating capacity and the upper limit, a provisional total operating capacity, wherein the total operating capacity is no more than the upper limit; and an optimized number of units controlling unit (170) that determines, during each first control cycle, the number of refrigerating and air conditioning devices in operation and the operating capacity on the basis of the total operating capacity, the provisional total operating capacity, and the relationship between the operating capacity and the coefficient of performance, such that the overall coefficient of performance for the plurality of refrigerating and air conditioning devices is a maximum.

Description

Control device for refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment

The present invention relates to a control device for a refrigeration air conditioner that controls the refrigeration air conditioner. In particular, the present invention relates to an apparatus that performs control to achieve both demand suppression and energy saving operation.

Demand control using a demand control device is generally performed when the power demand (supplied power) is to be controlled below the target demand (contract power or lower than the contract power). For example, the demand control device calculates a predicted value that predicts the transition of the power demand, and compares the predicted value with the target demand. If the predicted value exceeds the target demand, control is performed to avoid excess power by issuing an alarm, cutting off the load and reducing power consumption (suppressing power supply), etc. (for example, patent document) 1).

Here, as the load to be cut off, an air conditioner, a refrigeration unit, or the like is often selected. The main reason is that the power consumption in these devices is relatively large compared to other devices.

On the other hand, for example, when heat is supplied from a plurality of refrigeration air conditioners to the same load, the coefficient of performance (hereinafter referred to as COP (Coefficient Of Performance)) of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners is maximized (maximum). There is a technology for improving the energy saving performance by controlling the number of refrigeration air conditioners. For example, based on the relationship between the operating capacities of a plurality of refrigeration equipments and COPs, the optimum number of operating units is determined, and the optimal numbering control is performed to control the operation with the determined number of operating units, thereby maximizing the COP for the entire refrigeration unit. A heat pump device is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 63-26614 JP 2013-231542 A

However, the above-described demand control technology of the conventional demand control device and the optimal number control technology of the conventional heat pump device are functions that function independently, and the two controls are not coordinated at the same time. For this reason, for example, while suppressing the power demand, both the demand control and the energy saving performance such that the number of operating units is optimally controlled so as to maximize the COP of the entire refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus as much as possible within the power demand limit. In order to realize advanced control, it is necessary to devise control of the refrigeration air conditioner.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems. For example, an object of the present invention is to obtain a control device for a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus that can perform demand control and optimal number control while coordinating. .

A control apparatus for a refrigeration air conditioner according to the present invention is a control apparatus for a refrigeration air conditioner capable of controlling a plurality of refrigeration air conditioners, and is a demand level for determining a demand level that is a relationship between a transition of power demand and a target demand A determination unit, a total operation capacity calculation unit that calculates a total operation capacity that is the sum of the operation capacities of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners for each first control cycle, and a plurality of refrigeration air conditioners for each second control cycle Based on the upper and lower limit values of the operating capacity, the total operating capacity, and the demand level, the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit that sets the upper limit value of the total operating capacity, and the total operating capacity and the upper limit value for each second control cycle. Based on the cooperative control unit that determines the temporary total operating capacity at which the total operating capacity is equal to or less than the upper limit, and the relationship between the operating capacity and the coefficient of performance of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners, the total operating capacity and the temporary operating capacity for each first control cycle. Total luck Based on the capacity, the number of operating units and the operating capacity of the refrigerating and air-conditioning devices are determined so that the coefficient of performance of the plurality of refrigerating and air-conditioning devices is maximized as a whole, and an optimal number control unit that controls the refrigerating air-conditioning devices is provided .

According to the present invention, since the total operating capacity upper limit value is set according to the demand level, the total operating capacity of the refrigeration air conditioner can be suppressed to the total operating capacity upper limit value or less, and the power consumption can be reduced. Optimal number control can be realized within the range below the total operating capacity upper limit. Thereby, the apparatus which controls electric power demand control and optimal number control in cooperation can be obtained.

It is a figure which shows the whole system containing the control apparatus for refrigeration air conditioners of Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the refrigerator control apparatus 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the whole control operation | movement of the refrigerator control apparatus 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the model information holding | maintenance process which the model information holding | maintenance part 120 performs at the time of starting of the refrigerator control apparatus 100 (at the time of power activation). It is a figure which shows the relationship (COP curve) of the total operation capacity | capacitance and COP which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the process which the model information holding | maintenance part 120 performs when the request | requirement of data is received. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the demand level determination process which the demand level determination part 130 performs. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the total operation capacity calculation process which the total operation capacity calculation part 140 performs. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the total operation capacity upper limit setting process which the total operation capacity upper limit setting part 150 performs. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the cooperative control process which the cooperative control part 160 performs. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the optimal number control process which the optimal number control part 170 performs. It is a figure which shows the whole system containing the control apparatus for refrigeration air conditioners of Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the centralized controller 101 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the whole control operation of the centralized controller 101 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the demand level determination process which the demand level determination part 130 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention performs. It is a figure which shows the relationship (COP curve) of the total operation capacity | capacitance and COP of the chiller 32 which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship (P curve) between the operating capacity and power consumption which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Hereinafter, a control device for a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Here, in FIG. 1 and the following drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts, and are common to the whole text of the embodiments described below. And the form of the component represented by the whole specification is an illustration to the last, Comprising: It does not limit to the form described in the specification. In particular, the combination of the components is not limited to the combination in each embodiment, and the components described in the other embodiments can be applied to another embodiment. Furthermore, when there is no need to particularly distinguish or identify a plurality of similar devices that are distinguished by branch numbers, the branch numbers may be omitted. In the drawings, the size relationship of each component may be different from the actual one.

Furthermore, in the following, the operating capacity of the refrigeration air conditioner is shown as a percentage (%) with respect to the rated operating capacity. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be displayed using other units. For example, when the compressor rotation speed (Hz) is regarded as the operation capacity, the display is in units of Hz. When the cooling capacity (kW) is regarded as the operating capacity, the display is in units of kW. Moreover, although COP is expressed as a ratio (%) to the rated COP, it is not limited to this expression. The contents according to the present invention can be similarly executed by any expression.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire system including a control device for a refrigeration air conditioner according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The configuration of the entire system will be described with reference to FIG. The system of the present embodiment uses a set of a refrigerator 22 and a cooler 23 connected by a refrigerant pipe as a refrigeration air conditioner, and has a plurality of (three in FIG. 1) refrigeration air conditioners. Cooling in the space). In this embodiment, a plurality of refrigeration air conditioners (the refrigerator 22 and the cooler 23) and a plurality of unit controllers 24 that control operation / stop of each refrigeration air conditioner constitute a refrigeration apparatus group.

Moreover, the refrigerator control device 100 is provided as a control device for the refrigeration air conditioner. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the refrigerator 22-1 serving as a master unit has the refrigerator control device 100. In addition, the system according to the present embodiment includes an external demand controller (DC) 21 as a device that performs control such as determination regarding power demand (hereinafter referred to as demand). The external demand controller 21 determines the demand level based on the relationship between the transition of the power demand and the target demand. The external demand controller 21 and the refrigerator control device 100 are connected by a signal line 29. Here, the configuration of the system of the present embodiment is an example of the configuration of a system to which the control device for a refrigeration air conditioner according to the present invention is applied, and is not limited to this configuration.

The refrigerator 22 has a compressor, a condenser, and the like. In the present embodiment, it is assumed that each refrigerator 22 has the same capacity (horsepower). Here, the refrigerator 22 of the present embodiment includes the refrigerator control device 100, and includes a refrigerator 22-1 serving as a master unit that performs overall control of the refrigeration apparatus group, and refrigerators 22-2 and 22 serving as slave units. -3. In addition, each refrigerator 22 and each unit controller 24 are connected by a communication line 27. Here, the refrigerator 22 and the unit controller 24 have a communication function, and can exchange data by communication.

The unit controller (UC) 24 includes a temperature sensor (temperature detection device) 26. The temperature sensor 26 detects the temperature of the air in the freezer warehouse 11. Each unit controller 24 is connected to a remote controller (RC, hereinafter referred to as a remote controller) 25 through a remote control line 28 and can communicate. For example, the unit controller 24 sends a signal including data such as the internal temperature detected by the temperature sensor 26 and the control state of the refrigerator 22 to the remote controller 25. The remote controller 25 performs display based on data sent to display means (not shown). Further, the remote controller 25 sends a signal including data related to various settings (for example, set temperature) set / changed by the user from the input means of the remote controller 25 to the unit controller 24. The unit controller 24 stores in a storage device (not shown).

Further, the unit controller 24 compares the set temperature set by the user via the remote controller 25 with the temperature (detected temperature) detected by the temperature sensor 26, and determines whether the refrigerator 22 and the cooler 23 are operated or stopped. Has the function of When the unit controller 24 determines that the detected temperature is higher than the thermo return temperature slightly higher than the set temperature, the unit controller 24 operates the refrigerator 22 and the cooler 23 (sets the thermo ON state). On the other hand, when it is determined that the detected temperature is lower than the thermo stop temperature slightly lower than the set temperature, the unit controller 24 stops the refrigerator 22 and the cooler 23 (sets the thermo OFF state). Thereby, the internal temperature of the freezer warehouse 11 can be maintained near the set temperature, and for example, the internal load can be stored in a cold state. Here, the operation or stop of the cooler 23 mainly means drive or stop of a blower (not shown) provided in the cooler 23.

The refrigerator control device 100 included in the refrigerator 22-1 serving as a master unit has a function of executing demand control and optimum number control. For example, processing such as determination of a demand level transmitted through the signal line 29 from the external demand controller 21 and determination of the number of operating refrigerators 22 (coolers 23) is performed.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the refrigerator control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerator control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention includes a control set value holding unit 110, a model information holding unit 120, a demand level determination unit 130, a total operating capacity calculation unit 140, and a total operation. The capacity upper limit setting unit 150, the cooperative control unit 160, the optimum number control unit 170, and the time measuring unit 180 are included as components. In this Embodiment, each part is comprised based on the content of the process which the refrigerator control apparatus 100 performs.

The control set value holding unit 110 performs processing for holding (recording) control set values and the like necessary for controlling the refrigerator 22 and executing the contents of the present invention. The control setting value can be set and changed by the user using, for example, a setting operation device (not shown) provided in the remote controller 25 and the refrigerator 22. As will be described later, the model information holding unit 120 performs processing for holding model information data in a signal sent from the refrigerator 22. The demand level determination unit 130 performs processing for determining a demand level based on data from the external demand controller 21. The total operating capacity calculation unit 140 performs processing for calculating the total operating capacity of each refrigerator 22. The total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 performs processing for setting an upper limit value (total operating capacity upper limit value) of the total operating capacity based on the demand level.

The cooperative control unit 160 determines a temporary total operation capacity based on the total operation capacity and the total operation capacity upper limit value. The optimal number control unit 170 performs processing for determining the number of operating refrigerators 22 based on the provisional total operating capacity. The timekeeping unit 180 has timekeeping means such as a timer, and performs timekeeping (counting up). In this embodiment, it has a first control cycle timer and a second control cycle timer, whether or not the first control cycle timer is equal to or greater than a preset first control cycle, and the second control cycle timer is preset. It is determined whether or not the second control cycle is exceeded.

Here, the refrigerator control device 100 can also be configured by each of different dedicated devices (hardware), but here, for example, a microcomputer having a control arithmetic processing device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) is used. Constitute. In addition, it has a storage device (not shown), and has data in which a processing procedure related to control and the like is a program. And a control arithmetic processing apparatus performs the process of each part based on the data of a program, and implement | achieves control.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the entire control operation of the refrigerator control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The overall control operation performed by the refrigerator control device 100 will be described based on FIG. 3, and then the processing of each unit will be described in detail. First, in step S <b> 11, the model information holding unit 120 performs a process of acquiring and holding (storing) model information data based on a signal sent from each refrigerator 22. In step S12, the timer 180 counts up the first control cycle timer and the second control cycle timer.

In step S13, the demand level determination unit 130 determines the demand level based on the signal sent from the external demand controller 21 (the contact opening / closing state becomes a signal) and the set value data held by the control set value holding unit 110. Demand level determination processing is performed. In step S14, the time measuring unit 180 determines whether or not the count value of the first control cycle timer is equal to or greater than a preset first control cycle. If it is determined that it is longer than the first control cycle, the process proceeds to step S15, and if it is determined that it is less than the first control period, the process proceeds to step S16.

In step S15, the total operating capacity calculation unit 140 acquires data of each operating capacity of the refrigerator 22 that is currently operating, and performs a total operating capacity calculation process for calculating the total operating capacity by adding the data. In step S16, the timer 180 determines whether or not the count value of the second control cycle timer is equal to or greater than a preset second control cycle. If it is determined that it is longer than the second control cycle, the process proceeds to step S17, and if it is determined that it is less than the second control period, the process proceeds to step S20.

In step S17, the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 is based on the model information held by the model information holding unit 120, the demand level determined by the demand level determining unit 130, and the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140. Then, a total operating capacity upper limit setting process for calculating an upper limit (total operating capacity upper limit) for limiting the total operating capacity is performed. In step S18, the cooperative control unit 160 calculates a temporary total operating capacity based on the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140 and the total operating capacity upper limit calculated by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150. To perform cooperative control processing. In step S19, the timer 180 resets the second control cycle timer and starts counting again.

In step S20, the timing unit 180 determines whether or not the count value of the first control cycle timer is equal to or greater than the first control cycle. If it is determined that it is longer than the first control cycle, the process proceeds to step S21, and if it is determined that it is less than the first control period, the process proceeds to step S12.

In step S21, the optimal number control unit 170 stores the model information held by the model information holding unit 120, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculation unit 140 in step S15, and the provisional total calculated by the cooperative control unit 160 in step S18. Based on the operation capacity, the optimum operation number is calculated, and the optimum number control process for adjusting the operation number of the refrigerators 22 is performed. In step S22, the timer unit 180 resets the first control cycle timer, proceeds to step S12, and starts counting again.

By repeating the above processing at time intervals of the first control cycle and the second control cycle, the control operation of the refrigerator control device 100 according to Embodiment 1 can be realized. Here, when the total operating capacity upper limit value is changed, the first control cycle is a cycle equal to or shorter than the second control cycle in order to reflect the effect at an early stage and change the operating number and operating capacity of the refrigerator 22. It is good to set to. Next, a detailed control operation of each process described above will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the model information holding process performed by the model information holding unit 120 when the refrigerator control device 100 is started (when the power is turned on). In step S31, after the power is turned on and the initialization (start-up process) of the refrigerator control device 100 is completed, the communication from the refrigerator 22 (22-1, 22-2 and 22-3) is performed via the communication line 27. The model information data is acquired based on the signal. In step S32, the acquired model information data of the refrigerator 22 is held. Here, the model information is the relationship between the upper and lower limits of the operating capacity of the refrigerator 22 and the operating capacity and the COP.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a relationship (COP curve) between the total operating capacity and the COP according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the total operating capacity, and the vertical axis represents COP. A COP curve is drawn for each operating number. In Embodiment 1, since there are three refrigerators 22, three COP curves are drawn (one unit operation, two unit operation, and three unit operation). Here, in Patent Document 2 described above, the COP curve is changed depending on the evaporation temperature and the condensation temperature of the refrigeration equipment, but here, the same COP curve is simplified regardless of the evaporation temperature and the condensation temperature. We will use it. However, this simplification does not limit the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, adjacent COP curves have intersections (portions indicated by arrows in FIG. 5, hereinafter referred to as switching capacities). When the temperature adjustment following the load is performed, the operation capacity of each refrigerator 22 changes from moment to moment, and the total operation capacity also changes. Here, the COP as the entire refrigeration apparatus group is improved by changing the number of operating units rather than increasing or decreasing the operating capacity with the number of operating units as it is, with the switching capacity as a boundary.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of processing performed by the model information holding unit 120 when a data request is received. For example, when the model information holding unit 120 receives a request for model information data from the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 or the optimum number control unit 170 in step S33, the model information data is read from the storage device in step S34. I do. In step S35, the model information data is returned (output).

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of the demand level determination process performed by the demand level determination unit 130. In step S <b> 41, the demand level determination unit 130 performs level determination based on the demand level signal output (contact opening / closing signal) of the external demand controller 21. The external demand controller 21 can transmit the demand level by communication, but here, the demand level is transmitted by three contact opening / closing signals. The external demand controller 21 outputs the degree of danger for the demand over step by step according to the relationship (excess amount, tolerance) between the demand and the target demand. Here, it is assumed that the slight excess amount is level 1 (contact A is closed, not shown). Further, when the amount is moderate, the level is 2 (contact B is closed, not shown). Further, when the amount is excessive, level 3 (contact C is closed, not shown). If there is no risk, the level is 0 (contacts A, B, and C are open, not shown).

Next, in step S42, the setting value data relating to the demand level determination held from the control setting value holding unit 110 is read. The set value data is data on the reduction rate (%) of the power consumption of the refrigerator group corresponding to the three demand levels on a one-to-one basis. For example, when the demand level obtained from the external demand controller 21 is level 1, it is set to 5%. At level 2, it is 10%. Furthermore, at level 3, it is set to 100%. When the level is 0, -5% is set. Here, the set value can be changed by the remote controller 25, for example. When changing, a large set value is assigned to a high level (a large excess amount).

In step S43, the demand level (%) is determined by associating the demand level (level 0 to 3) with the set value. For example, when the demand level output from the external demand controller 21 is level 0, it is -5%, when it is level 1, it is 5%, when it is level 2, it is 10%, and when it is level 3, it is 100%. In step S44, the demand level (%) determined in step S43 is output.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the total operation capacity calculation process performed by the total operation capacity calculation unit 140. In step S51, the total operating capacity calculation unit 140 acquires the current operating capacity of the refrigerators 22-1, 22-2, and 22-3 through the communication line 27. In step S52, the obtained operating capacities are added together to calculate the total operating capacity. For example, when the refrigerator 22-1 has an operating capacity of 50%, the refrigerator 22-2 has an operating capacity of 80%, and the refrigerator 22-3 has an operating capacity of 0% (stopped), the total operating capacity is 50 + 80 + 0 = 130%. Become. In step S53, the total operating capacity calculated in step S52 is output.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the total operating capacity upper limit setting process performed by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150. In step S61, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S62, model information (upper and lower limit values of the operating capacity) held by the model information holding unit 120 is acquired. In step S63, the demand level (%) determined by the demand level determination unit 130 is acquired. In step S64, the total operating capacity upper limit value is calculated by the following equation (1).

上限 For each first control cycle, the upper limit value of the total operating capacity is determined according to the demand level (%). For example, when the demand level is level 1 to level 3, the upper limit value is lowered, and when the demand level is level 0, the upper limit value is raised. For this reason, the operating capacity of the refrigerator group can be adjusted and the demand can be controlled.

In step S65, the minimum operating capacity of the refrigerator 22 which is the model information acquired in step S62 is compared with the total operating capacity upper limit value. If it is determined that the total operating capacity upper limit value is greater than or equal to the minimum operating capacity, the process proceeds to step S66. If it is determined that the total operating capacity upper limit value is less than the minimum operating capacity, the process proceeds to step S67.

In step S67, 0% is set (assigned) to the total operating capacity upper limit value. In step S66, the calculated total operating capacity upper limit value is output.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the cooperative control process performed by the cooperative controller 160. In step S71, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S72, the total operating capacity upper limit calculated by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 is acquired.

In step S73, the total operating capacity is compared with the total operating capacity upper limit value. When it is determined that the total operating capacity is equal to or greater than the total operating capacity upper limit value, the process proceeds to step S76, and the total operating capacity is less than the total operating capacity upper limit value. If it judges, it will progress to step S74.

In step S74, the total operating capacity is set as a temporary total operating capacity. In step S76, the total operating capacity upper limit value is set as a temporary total operating capacity (this can suppress the power consumption of the refrigerator group). In step S75, the temporary total operating capacity is output.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the optimum number control process performed by the optimum number control unit 170. In step S81, the optimal number control unit 170 acquires model information (COP curve) held by the model information holding unit 120. In step S82, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S83, the provisional total operating capacity calculated by the cooperative control unit 160 is acquired.

In step S84, the optimum number of operating units is determined based on the COP curve data, which is the model information acquired in step S81, the total operating capacity acquired in step S82, and the temporary total operating capacity acquired in step S83. Specifically, when there is a switching capacity (see FIG. 5) between the current total operating capacity and the provisional total operating capacity, a determination is made to change (increase or decrease) the number of operating units. If not, a decision is made to maintain the current operating number.

In step S85, it is determined whether or not the number of operating units calculated in step S84 changes. If the number of operating units changes, the process proceeds to step S86, and if the number of operating units does not change, the process proceeds to step S87. In step S86, the changed number of operating units and operating capacity are notified to the refrigerator 22 through the communication line 27 so that each refrigerator 22 and the cooler 23 are operated. For example, the operating capacity after the update is equally allocated by dividing the temporary total operating capacity by the number of operating units after the change. In step S87, the current operating number is maintained without changing the operating number.

Here, in order to avoid a sudden increase in demand when the number of units is increased, it is desirable that the number of units to be increased at a time be a certain number or less. Further, when adding a plurality of refrigerators 22, it is better to start up one unit at a certain time interval. By configuring in this way, avoiding a situation where the demand increases rapidly, the demand level rapidly increases, and the total operating capacity upper limit value is once increased, but it must be reduced again at an early stage Can do.

As described above, according to the control device for a refrigeration air conditioner of Embodiment 1, the upper and lower limit values of each operating capacity and the demand level determination in the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners (refrigerators 22) held by the model information holding unit 120 Based on the demand level determined by the unit 130 and the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140, the cooperative control unit 160 temporarily determines the upper limit value of the total operating capacity set by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150. The total operating capacity is determined, and the optimum number control unit 170 maximizes the COP of the refrigerator group as a whole based on the COP curve, total operating capacity, and provisional total operating capacity held by the model information holding unit 120. Since the number of operating units and operating capacity of the refrigeration air conditioners are determined, the demand suppression control and the optimal number control are coordinated to realize more energy saving. Door can be. At this time, when the total operating capacity upper limit value is changed by setting the first control cycle to a cycle equal to or less than the second control cycle for the first control cycle and the second control cycle timed by the timer unit 180. The effect can be reflected at an early stage, and the number of operating units and the operating capacity of the refrigerators 22 can be changed.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the entire system including the control device for the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In FIG. 12, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 and so on perform the same operations and the like as described in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the refrigeration air conditioner has a plurality (six in FIG. 12) of chillers 32 having the same capacity (horsepower). Moreover, it has the centralized controller 101 (a control apparatus separate from the control apparatus of each chiller 32) as a control apparatus for refrigeration air conditioners. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. Here, in the present embodiment, the centralized controller 101 determines the demand level that the external demand controller 21 has performed, but is not limited to this configuration.

In the present embodiment, for the same load (cold water or hot water), the air conditioning system has a plurality of chillers 32, a plurality of pumps 33, and a centralized controller 101 that executes demand control and number control of the chillers 32. Configure. Here, the chiller 32 according to the present embodiment includes a chiller 32-1 that has a control device that controls a plurality of chillers 32, and a chiller that has a control device that receives instructions from the control device of the chiller 32-1. 32-2 to 32-6. The master unit, the slave unit, and the centralized controller 101 of the chiller 32 are connected by a communication line 27 so that data can be transmitted and received in both directions. The centralized controller 101 is connected to the remote controller 25 via the remote control line 28 and to the watt hour meter 41 via the signal line 29.

Since the control of the pump 33 is not related to the essence of the present invention, for the sake of simplicity, the pump 33 is controlled by a local control device and is rotating at a constant rotational speed (constant power consumption). And

The chiller 32 is automatically controlled by a control device (not shown), and the operating capacity is adjusted according to the temperature of cold water (or hot water). When the cold water (or hot water) reaches the target temperature, the compressor (not shown) of the chiller 32 is stopped, and when the temperature is outside the target temperature, the compressor is restarted. By adjusting the start / stop and operating capacity, water temperature is adjusted in response to load fluctuations.

The watt-hour meter 41 is a device that measures the amount of power used in the entire area including the area where the load is installed and the business office. The watt-hour meter 41 is connected to an electric wire (not shown) to be measured. Further, it is connected to the centralized controller 101 via a contact. The watt-hour meter 41 converts the amount of power used into a pulse and transmits it to the centralized controller 101 by opening and closing the contacts. The centralized controller 101 counts the number of output pulses of the watt hour meter 41 and multiplies it by a multiplication factor (kWh / pulse) to convert it into an electric energy (kWh). The multiplication factor must be set according to the pulse unit setting (kWh / pulse) of the watt-hour meter 41 to be used, and the user sets the centralized controller 101 by operating the remote controller 25. The centralized controller 101 holds the electric energy (kWh) measured by the electric energy meter 41 as an accumulated value. And a demand level determination process is performed based on the accumulated value of electric energy.

The centralized controller 101 can record the temperature of cold water or hot water, the operating state of the chiller 32 (temperature, pressure, operating capacity, etc.), operation history, and the like. Further, when the remote controller 25 is operated, the recorded data is sent to the centralized controller 101 so that it can be displayed on a display unit (not shown) of the remote controller 25. In particular, the centralized controller 101 of this embodiment has functions of demand control and control of the number of operating chillers 32.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the centralized controller 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 13, the components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 perform basically the same operations as those in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment, the model information holding unit 120 acquires and holds model information data based on a signal from the chiller 32 instead of the refrigerator 22. The demand level determination unit 130 is different from the first embodiment in that the demand level determination unit 130 performs a demand level determination process based on a signal from the watt-hour meter 41 instead of the external demand controller 21. Time count unit 180 has a third control cycle timer, and differs from the first embodiment in that it determines whether or not the third control cycle timer is equal to or greater than a preset third control cycle. Here, the third control cycle may be the first control cycle or the second control cycle described in the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the entire control operation of the centralized controller 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The overall control operation performed by the centralized controller 101 will be described based on FIG. 14, and then the processing of each unit will be described in detail. First, in step S111, the model information holding unit 120 performs a process of acquiring and holding (storing) model information data based on a signal transmitted from each chiller 32. In step S112, the timer 180 counts up the third control cycle timer.

In step S113, the timer 180 determines whether or not the count value of the third control cycle timer is equal to or greater than a preset third control cycle. If it is determined that it is longer than the third control cycle, the process proceeds to step S114, and if it is determined that it is less than the third control period, the process proceeds to step S112.

In step S114, the demand level determination unit 130 performs a demand level determination process for determining the demand level based on the signal sent from the watt-hour meter 41 and the set value data held by the control set value holding unit 110.

In step S115, the total operation capacity calculation unit 140 acquires data of each operation capacity of the chiller 32 currently operating, and performs a total operation capacity calculation process for calculating the total operation capacity by adding the data. In step S116, the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 is based on the model information held by the model information holding unit 120, the demand level determined by the demand level determining unit 130, and the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140. Then, a total operating capacity upper limit setting process for calculating an upper limit (total operating capacity upper limit) for limiting the total operating capacity is performed. In step S117, the cooperative control unit 160 calculates a temporary total operating capacity based on the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140 and the total operating capacity upper limit calculated by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150. To perform cooperative control processing.

In step S118, the optimal number control unit 170 stores the model information held by the model information holding unit 120, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculation unit 140 in step S115, and the provisional total calculated by the cooperative control unit 160 in step S117. Based on the operation capacity, the optimum operation number is calculated, and the optimum number control process for adjusting the operation number of the chiller 32 is performed. In step S119, the timer 180 resets the third control cycle timer and starts counting again. By repeating the above processing at time intervals of the third control cycle, the control operation of the second embodiment of the present invention can be realized.

The model information holding process performed by the model information holding unit 120 when the centralized controller 101 is activated (when the power is turned on) is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 4 described in the first embodiment. For example, in step S31, after the power is turned on and the initialization (start-up process) of the centralized controller 101 is completed, the chillers 32 (32-1, 32-2, 32-3, 32-4) are connected via the communication line 27. , 32-5 and 32-6), the model information data is acquired. In step S32, the acquired model information data of the chiller 32 is held. Here, the model information in the present embodiment includes the upper and lower limit values of the operating capacity of each chiller 32, the relationship between the operating capacity and COP (COP curve), and the relationship between the operating capacity and power consumption (P curve). It is. The COP curve and P curve will be described later.

On the other hand, the processing when the model information holding unit 120 of the centralized controller 101 receives a data request is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 6 described in the first embodiment. For example, when the model information holding unit 120 receives a request for model information data from the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 or the optimum number control unit 170 in step S33, the model information data is read from the storage device in step S34. I do. In step S35, the model information data is returned (output).

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the demand level determination process performed by the demand level determination unit 130 according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In step S45, the demand level is determined based on the amount of power acquired from the watt-hour meter 41, the target demand acquired from the control set value holding unit 110, and the like. Here, the demand level is an excess amount (or tolerance) of the demand predicted value with respect to the target demand, and the unit is kW. Here, the demand level (kW) of the present embodiment takes a positive or negative value, and becomes a positive value when the demand predicted value exceeds the target demand. As a demand level (kW) calculation method, any one of various conventional methods may be used. In step S46, the demand level (kW) determined in step S45 is output.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a relationship (COP curve) between the total operating capacity of the chiller 32 and the COP according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 16, the horizontal axis represents the total operating capacity, and the vertical axis represents COP. A COP curve is drawn for each operating unit. The COP of the present embodiment includes the power consumption of the pump 33. In the second embodiment, since six chillers 32 are provided, six COP curves are drawn. Here, in Patent Document 2 described above, the COP curve is changed depending on the evaporation temperature and the condensation temperature of the refrigeration equipment, but here, the same COP curve is simplified regardless of the evaporation temperature and the condensation temperature. We will use it. However, this simplification does not limit the present invention.

The total operation capacity calculation process performed by the total operation capacity calculation unit 140 is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 8 described in the first embodiment. In step S 51, the total operating capacity calculation unit 140 acquires the current operating capacity of the chillers 32-1 to 32-6 through the communication line 27. In step S52, the obtained operating capacities are added together to calculate the total operating capacity. In step S53, the total operating capacity calculated in step S52 is output.

The total operating capacity upper limit setting process performed by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 of the centralized controller 101 is substantially the same as the flowchart of FIG. 9 described in the first embodiment, except for the method of calculating the total operating capacity upper limit. is there. In step S61, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S62, the model information held by the model information holding unit 120 (relationship between operating capacity and power consumption and upper and lower limit values of the operating capacity) is acquired. In step S63, the demand level (kW) determined by the demand level determination unit 130 is acquired.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a relationship (P curve) between the operating capacity and the power consumption according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. As can be seen from FIG. 17, the relationship between the operating capacity and the power consumption can be approximated by a quadratic function. Practically, it is possible to use linear approximation. Therefore, in this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, a linear approximation is used. Therefore, the operating capacity and the power consumption are directly proportional.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, in step S64, the demand level (kW) calculated by the demand level determining unit 130, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculating unit 140, and the model held by the model information holding unit 120 Based on the information P curve, the amount of change in the total operating capacity corresponding to the demand level (kW) is calculated. And what subtracted the variation | change_quantity with respect to the present total operation capacity is made into a total operation capacity upper limit. Here, dP / dF in Equation (3) is the slope of the P curve.

Specific explanation using numerical values. For example, the current total operating capacity is 150%, the power consumption at that time is 75 kW, the slope of the P curve is 0.5, and the demand level (kW) is +25 kW. At this time, the change amount = 2 × 25 = 50 (%) and the total operating capacity upper limit value = 150−50 = 100 (%).

On the condition that the demand level (kW) is −25 kW, the change amount = 2 × (−25) = − 50 (%) and the total operating capacity upper limit value = 150 − (− 50) = 200 (%). .

Thus, as in the case of the first embodiment of the present invention, the chiller 32 can be obtained by lowering the total operating capacity upper limit value when the demand level is high, and conversely increasing the total operating capacity upper limit value when the demand level is low. Power consumption can be adjusted according to demand.

In step S65, the minimum operating capacity of the chiller 32, which is the model information acquired in step S62, is compared with the total operating capacity upper limit value. If it is determined that the total operating capacity upper limit value is greater than or equal to the minimum operating capacity, the process proceeds to step S66. If it is determined that the total operating capacity upper limit value is less than the minimum operating capacity, the process proceeds to step S67.

The cooperative control process performed by the cooperative controller 160 is almost the same as the flowchart of FIG. 10 described in the first embodiment. In step S71, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S72, the total operating capacity upper limit calculated by the total operating capacity upper limit setting unit 150 is acquired.

In step S74, the total operating capacity is set as a temporary total operating capacity. In step S76, the total operating capacity upper limit value is set as the provisional total operating capacity (this can suppress the power consumption of the chiller 32). In step S75, the temporary total operating capacity is output.

The optimum number control process performed by the optimum number control unit 170 is almost the same as the flowchart of FIG. 11 described in the first embodiment. In step S81, the model information (COP curve) held by the model information holding unit 120 is acquired. In step S82, the total operating capacity calculated by the total operating capacity calculator 140 is acquired. In step S83, the provisional total operating capacity calculated by the cooperative control unit 160 is acquired.

In step S84, the optimum number of operating units is determined based on the COP curve data, which is the model information acquired in step S81, the total operating capacity acquired in step S82, and the temporary total operating capacity acquired in step S83. Specifically, when there is a switching capacity (see FIG. 16) between the current total operating capacity and the provisional total operating capacity, a determination is made to change (increase or decrease) the number of operating units. If not, a decision is made to maintain the current operating number.

In step S85, it is determined whether or not the number of operating units calculated in step S84 changes. If the number of operating units changes, the process proceeds to step S86, and if the number of operating units does not change, the process proceeds to step S87. In step S86, the changed number of operating units and operating capacity are notified to the chiller 32 through the communication line 27, and the chiller 32 is operated. For example, the operating capacity after the update is equally allocated by dividing the temporary total operating capacity by the number of operating units after the change. In step S87, the current operating number is maintained without changing the operating number.

Here, in order to avoid a sudden increase in demand when the number of units is increased, it is desirable that the number of units to be increased at a time be a certain number or less. Further, when adding a plurality of chillers 32, it is better to start one at a certain time interval.

As described above, according to the control device for a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus of the first embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the COP has a total operating capacity equal to or less than the upper limit value of the total operating capacity of the chiller 32 determined by the demand level. Since the number of operating units and the operating capacity of the chiller 32 are determined so as to be the maximum as a whole, it is possible to perform advanced operation control that achieves both demand suppression and energy saving operation. Further, in the present embodiment, the centralized controller 101 determines the demand level from the watt-hour meter 41, so that management related to demand can be performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the refrigeration apparatus has been described as an example of the refrigeration air conditioning apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to other refrigeration cycle devices (heat pump devices) such as an air conditioner, a hot water supply device, and a refrigeration device.

11 freezer warehouse, 21 external demand controller, 22 refrigerator, 23 cooler, 24 unit controller, 25 remote controller, 26 temperature sensor, 27 communication line, 28 remote control line, 29 signal line, 32 chiller, 33 pump, 41 watt hour meter, 100 chiller control device, 101 centralized controller, 110 control set value holding unit, 120 model information holding unit, 130 demand level determining unit, 140 total operating capacity calculating unit, 150 total operating capacity upper limit setting unit, 160 cooperative control unit, 170 Optimal number control unit, 180 timing unit.

Claims

A control device for a refrigeration air conditioner capable of controlling a plurality of refrigeration air conditioners,
A demand level determination unit that determines a demand level that is a relationship between the transition of the power demand and the target demand;
For each first control cycle, a total operating capacity calculation unit that calculates a total operating capacity that is the sum of the operating capacities of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners;
A total operating capacity upper limit setting unit that sets an upper limit value of the total operating capacity based on upper and lower limits of operating capacity of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners, the total operating capacity, and the demand level for each second control cycle. When,
A cooperative control unit that determines a temporary total operating capacity at which the total operating capacity is equal to or lower than the upper limit value, based on the total operating capacity and the upper limit value, for each second control cycle;
Based on the relationship between the operating capacity and the coefficient of performance of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners, the total operating capacity, and the temporary total operating capacity for each first control cycle, the coefficient of performance of the plurality of refrigeration air conditioners as a whole is a maximum. The control apparatus for refrigeration air conditioners provided with the optimal number control part which determines the operation | movement number and operation capacity of the said refrigeration air conditioners which become and controls the said refrigeration air conditioner.
The total operating capacity upper limit setting unit according to claim 1, wherein when the excess amount of the power demand with respect to the target demand is large, the upper limit value is set small, and when the excess amount is small, the upper limit value is set large. Control device for refrigeration air conditioner.
The control unit for a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optimum number control unit sets the increase in the number of operating units to a certain number or less.
The said optimal number control part is for the refrigeration air conditioner as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3 which increases one by one at a fixed time interval, when increasing the number of operation | movement number two or more. Control device.
The control device for a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first control cycle is a cycle equal to or shorter than the second control cycle.
The control device for a refrigeration air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the demand level determination unit determines the demand level based on a signal sent from outside.
The refrigerating and air-conditioning according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the demand level determination unit predicts the power demand based on a power amount, and determines the demand level based on the predicted power demand. Control device for equipment.