JPH0894206A - Air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide an air conditioner capable of keeping the balance of a refrigerant load in the case where the level of a load for heating and the level of a load for cooling are different from each other. CONSTITUTION: An air conditioner is provided with primary heating units, primary cooling units 5a-5e, indoor units and an outdoor unit 9. The outdoor unit 9 has a compressor 23, heat exchangers 27, 29 and bypass passages 35, 37 which bypass the heat exchangers 27, 29. In response to the balance of a load which is required for the primary cooling units 5a-5e and the primary heating units, a refrigerant is introduced into or made to bypass the heat exchangers 27, 29 of the outdoor unit 9, whereby the load of the refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circulating path 10 is balanced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention comprises an outdoor unit, a primary cooling unit, a primary heating unit and an indoor unit. The heat medium of the primary cooling unit and the primary heating unit is introduced into the indoor unit to heat the indoor air and heat. Regarding the air conditioner to be replaced.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An outdoor unit primary cooling unit or primary heating unit (collectively referred to as a "primary heat exchange unit") is provided, and the heat medium of this primary heat exchange unit is introduced into an indoor heat exchanger to heat the indoor air and heat. The configuration for the exchange is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 60-53826.

The air conditioner disclosed in this publication is
A plurality of primary heat exchange units are connected in series to the refrigerant circuit connected to the outdoor unit to uniformly heat or cool the heat medium of the plurality of primary heat exchange units.

In Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-5583,
In a multi-unit type air conditioner having a plurality of indoor heat exchangers, a configuration is disclosed in which a heating medium is introduced from a refrigerant circuit or a hot water circuit to heat or cool the indoor air.

According to such an air conditioner, one outdoor unit can efficiently perform air conditioning in many rooms such as a building.

By the way, each room is not limited to only cooling or only heating, but in a room where OA equipment and a computer are installed, there are cases where cooling is required even in the winter in order to manage the equipment. At the position (room facing south and room facing north), seasonal change, etc., there may be a mixture of rooms requiring cooling and rooms requiring heating.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, the load required for each primary heating unit or primary cooling unit is significantly different, or the number of operating primary heating units and primary cooling units is different. In this case, for example, when one primary heating unit operates and two primary cooling units operate, the refrigerant load circulating through the entire refrigerant circuit cannot be balanced. If the refrigerant loads cannot be balanced in this way, there is a problem in that efficient operation and the ability according to the required load cannot be enhanced.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner capable of balancing the refrigerant loads when the heating and cooling loads differ in magnitude.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is directed to a primary heating unit for heating a heat medium in a tank by a heat exchanger, and a first heating unit in the tank for the heat exchanger. A primary cooling unit in which a heat medium is cooled, an outdoor unit that supplies a refrigerant to each heat exchanger of the primary heating unit and the primary cooling unit, and a heat medium in the primary heating unit layer and / or the In an air conditioner provided with an indoor unit that introduces a heat medium in a primary cooling unit tank and exchanges heat with indoor air, the outdoor unit includes a compressor, a heat exchanger, and a bypass that bypasses the heat exchanger. It has a passage.

A second aspect of the invention is a primary heating unit for heating the heat medium in the tank by a heat exchanger, a primary cooling unit for cooling the heat medium in the tank by the heat exchanger, and the primary heating unit. An outdoor unit that supplies a refrigerant to each heat exchanger of the temperature unit and the primary cooling unit, and a heat medium in the primary heating unit layer and / or a heat medium in the primary cooling unit tank is introduced to supply indoor air. In an air conditioner including an indoor unit that performs heat exchange with the indoor unit, the indoor unit includes a pair of heat exchange coils for introducing the heat medium in each tank of the primary heating unit and the primary cooling unit,
The opening and closing of the valve controls the introduction of the heat medium into each heat exchange coil.

[0011]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the refrigerant is introduced into the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit, bypassed, or the amount of bypass is controlled according to the load balance required for the primary cooling unit and the primary heating unit. Then, the load of the refrigerant flowing through the entire refrigerant circuit is adjusted. For example, when there is a bias in the heat balance of the refrigerant due to, for example, driving one primary cooling unit and not driving the primary heating unit, the refrigerant is supplied only to the heat exchanger of the primary cooling unit, and the outdoor unit The refrigerant is allowed to pass through the heat exchanger and the heat exchanger acts as a heating heat exchanger to balance the refrigerant load in the refrigerant circuit.

When the primary cooling unit and the primary heating unit are operated under the same load, the refrigerant is allowed to flow to the bypass circuit without flowing to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit, and the entire refrigerant circuit is operated. Balance.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the indoor unit is provided with a pair of heat exchange coils, and the opening / closing of the valves is controlled to adjust the flow rates of the heat medium of the primary heating unit and the heat medium of the primary cooling unit. And adjust the temperature of the room air. If necessary, both heat exchange coils can be supplied with only the heat medium of one unit to enhance the air conditioning capacity.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the overall construction of an air conditioner 1 according to the present invention. Three primary heating units 3a, 3b, 3c and five primary cooling units are provided on each floor of the building. 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, and 5e are arranged, and each room on each floor is provided with a large number of indoor units 7 that blow conditioned air into the room. An outdoor unit 9 is installed on the roof of the building.

Each of the primary heating units 3a, 3b, 3c is
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a heat storage tank 11 that stores a heat medium such as water or brine, and a heat exchanger 13 that is disposed in the heat storage tank 11 and heats the heat medium in the tank are provided. ing.
The heat exchanger 13 includes a refrigerant circuit 1 connected to the indoor unit 7.
0 refrigerant is introduced, and a bypass pipe 15 that bypasses the heat exchanger 13 is provided on the inlet side and the outlet side thereof, and the bypass pipe 15 controls the inflow by a control valve 17. In addition to permitting or bypassing the inflow of the refrigerant into the heat exchanger 13, the inflow amount of the refrigerant is adjusted.

The heat medium in each heat storage tank 11 is transferred to the indoor unit 7 by the heat medium transfer circuit 21 by the pump 19.

The outdoor unit 9 is, as shown in FIG.
The three-way valve 25, the first heat exchanger 27, and the second heat exchanger 29 are connected to the refrigerant circuit 10 in series. The refrigerant circuit 10 extends from the outdoor unit 9 and connects the heat exchangers 13 of the above-described primary heating units 3a to 3c, the refrigerant control valve 12 and the primary cooling units 5a to 5e in series.

The four-way valve 25 switches the flow path of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit. By switching the four-way valve 25, the primary heating units 3a to 3c act as primary cooling units, and the primary cooling units 5a to 5e. Will act as a primary heating unit.

The first and second heat exchangers 27 and 29 are air-cooled heat exchangers, and heat is exchanged with outdoor air by outdoor fans 31 and 33, respectively.

Bypass pipes 35 and 37 are provided in the first and second heat exchangers 27 and 29 so that the refrigerant can bypass the heat exchangers 27 and 29. Motor-operated valves 39 and 41 are provided in the bypass pipes 35 and 37 to control the inflow of the refrigerant into each heat exchanger. In this way, by controlling the refrigerant inflow to the first and second heat exchangers 27 and 29, the primary cooling units 5a to 5a.
5e or the primary heating units 3a to 3c, the refrigerant load in the entire refrigerant circuit 10 that supplies the refrigerant can be balanced.

Each indoor unit 7 is, as shown in FIG.
In the present embodiment, a double coil type having two indoor coils 41 and 43 is used. One of the indoor coils 41 is connected to the primary cooling unit 3a through the cold water circuit 45.
It is connected to a cold water carrier circuit (heat medium carrier circuit) 21 of 3c, and introduces cold water pressure-fed by a pump 19. A flow rate control valve 47 is provided on one of the indoor coils 41 to control the flow rate of cold water flowing into the coil. Similarly, the other indoor coil 43
Is the primary heating unit 5a-5e via the hot water circuit 49.
It is connected to the hot water transport circuit (heat medium transport circuit) 22 and is adapted to introduce the hot water pumped by the pump 19. A flow rate control valve 48 is also provided in the other indoor coil 43 to control the flow rate of cold water flowing into the coil.

The cold water transport circuit 21 and the hot water transport circuit 22 are provided with a flow path controller 51. The flow path control unit 51 is provided with two pairs of communication pipes 53 and 55 that connect the cold water transport circuit 21 and the hot water transport circuit 22 to each other. Valve 57 total 8
It is provided individually. Thereby, depending on the required heat capacity, hot water or cold water can be made to flow through both of the double coils 41, 43 of the indoor unit 7 to enhance the temperature control effect of the indoor unit and provide a dehumidifying function.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

The refrigerant pressure-fed by the drive of the compressor 23 passes through the four-way valve 25 and the first heat exchanger 29 of the outdoor unit 9, and the heat exchanger 13 of the primary heating units 3a to 3c and the refrigerant control valve 12 are provided. , The primary cooling units 5a to 5e and the second heat exchanger 27 of the outdoor unit are sequentially circulated.

Each of the primary heating units 3a to 3c and the primary cooling units 5a to 5e may or may not be operated depending on necessity. For example, the third floor and the fourth floor of the building
This may be the case when the floor on the 5th floor is not used or when there is a computer room in only one room on the 5th floor, which requires cooling operation even in winter. In such cases, the unused primary heating unit or primary cooling unit
The control valve 17 is opened to allow the refrigerant to flow into the bypass pipe 15. As a result, when the two primary cooling units 5a and 5b are operated and the three primary heating units 3a, 3b, and 3c are operated, the heat capacity of the primary heating unit and the primary cooling unit in the entire refrigerant circuit is increased. However, in this case, the second heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit 9 acting as a condenser is lost.
The refrigerant is caused to flow through the bypass pipe 35 without flowing the refrigerant at 9, and the refrigerant is caused to flow through the first heat exchanger 27 of the outdoor unit 9 which functions as an evaporator. As a result, the apparent primary heating units 3a-3
The number of operating heat exchangers of c and the number of operating heat exchangers of the primary cooling units 5a to 5e become equal, and the balance of heat capacities is maintained. As a result, the air conditioning capacity according to the operating load of the primary unit (primary heating unit and primary cooling unit) can be increased.

That is, according to the present embodiment, the primary heating units 3a to 3c and the primary cooling units 5a to 5e are balanced in order to balance the number of operating units.
When the operating number of c is small, the second heat exchanger 2 of the outdoor unit
By causing 9 to act as a condenser and bypassing the first heat exchanger 27, the number of operating primary heating units and the number of operating primary cooling units are apparently balanced. On the other hand, when the number of operating primary cooling units is small, the second heat exchanger 29 of the outdoor unit 7 is bypassed,
Balance the number of operating primary heating units and the number of operating primary cooling units.

When the operating numbers of the primary heating unit and the primary cooling unit are the same, no refrigerant flows through the first and second heat exchangers of the outdoor unit, and both bypass pipes 35 are used. , 37 through.

In the indoor unit 7, the flow rate control valves 47, 4
8 is opened, cold water is introduced into one indoor coil 41, and hot water is supplied to the other indoor coil 43 to adjust the temperature of the indoor air.

When only high-load heating or cooling is performed, the required electromagnetic valve 57 of the flow path control unit 51 is opened / closed to allow hot water or cold water to flow through the pair of indoor coils 41, 43.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the refrigerant load is balanced when the heating and cooling loads are different in magnitude.
While conserving energy, it is possible to enhance the air conditioning capacity according to the required load.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be variously modified without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the indoor unit 7 may have a three-way valve 59 provided on the inlet side and the outlet side of the one and the other indoor coils 41, 43. In this case, the complicated circuit of the flow path controller 51 is not required,
Eight solenoid valves 57, which were required in the flow path control unit 51,
A total of four coils can be installed before and after the indoor coils 41 and 43.

Further, the indoor unit 7 is not limited to a so-called double coil having two indoor coils, but may have a structure having one indoor coil 61 as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the four-way valve 25 is not limited to being provided on the discharge side of the compressor 23, but may be provided on the outlet side of the second heat exchanger. In this case, the flow of the refrigerant in the outdoor unit can always be unidirectional regardless of the switching position of the four-way valve 25.

[0036]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the refrigerant is introduced or bypassed to the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit according to the load balance required for the primary cooling unit and the primary heating unit, and Since the load of the refrigerant flowing through the circuit can be adjusted, the refrigerant load of the entire refrigerant circuit can be balanced, and the air conditioning capacity according to the required load can be enhanced.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the indoor unit is provided with a pair of heat exchange coils, and the opening / closing of the valves is controlled to adjust the flow rates of the heat medium of the primary heating unit and the heat medium of the primary cooling unit. The temperature of the indoor air can be adjusted in a wide load range and finely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram schematically showing the arrangement of units in an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of an outdoor unit.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit of a primary heating / cooling unit and an indoor unit.

FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit of an indoor unit according to another embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit of an indoor unit according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit of an outdoor unit according to another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Air conditioner 3a, 3b, 3c Primary heating unit 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e Primary cooling unit 7 Indoor unit 9 Outdoor unit 23 Compressor 27 First heat exchanger (heat exchanger) 29 Second heat exchange Vessel (heat exchanger) 35, 37 bypass pipe (bypass passage)

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A primary heating unit in which a heat medium in a tank is heated by a heat exchanger, a primary cooling unit in which a heat medium in a tank is cooled by a heat exchanger, the primary heating unit and the above. An outdoor unit that supplies a refrigerant to each heat exchanger of the primary cooling unit, and a heat medium in the primary heating unit layer and / or a heat medium in the primary cooling unit tank are introduced to exchange heat with indoor air. An air conditioner including an indoor unit that performs the air conditioner, wherein the outdoor unit includes a compressor, a heat exchanger, and a bypass passage that bypasses the heat exchanger. 2. A primary heating unit that heats the heat medium in the tank by a heat exchanger, a primary cooling unit that cools the heat medium in the tank by the heat exchanger, the primary heating unit and the An outdoor unit that supplies a refrigerant to each heat exchanger of the primary cooling unit, and a heat medium in the primary heating unit layer and / or a heat medium in the primary cooling unit tank are introduced to exchange heat with indoor air. In an air conditioner including an indoor unit for performing the indoor unit, the indoor unit includes a pair of heat exchange coils for introducing the heat medium in each tank of the primary heating unit and the primary cooling unit, and each of which is opened and closed by a valve. An air conditioner that controls introduction of a heat medium to a heat exchange coil.