Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – Compressor-condenser-evaporator circuit
Patent
1994-09-23
1996-02-13
Wayner, William E.
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
Compressor-condenser-evaporator circuit
62160, 623246, F25B 110, F25B 1300
Patent
active
054903998
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a refrigeration apparatus which has a plurality of thermal source units and which is capable of performing a cooling operation and a heating operation at the same time.
BACKGROUND ART
Conventionally, there has been known a multi-type air conditioner as a refrigeration apparatus in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to a single outdoor unit through refrigerant piping so as to be arranged in parallel with one another, as disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette No. 3-186157. The outdoor unit has a compressor, a four-way selector valve, two outdoor heat exchangers, an outdoor motor-operated expansion valve and a receiver. The indoor unit has an indoor motor-operated expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger. The outdoor heat exchangers are each connected at an end thereof to the discharge and inlet sides of the compressor through the four-way selector valve so as to be switchable between the two sides of the compressor by the four-way selector valve. The outdoor heat exchangers is each connected at the other end to a liquid line. The liquid line is connected to an end of the indoor heat exchanger. The discharge side and the inlet side of the compressor are connected to a high-pressure gas line and a low-pressure gas line, respectively. The high-pressure and low-pressure gas lines are connected to the other end of the indoor hear exchanger so as to be switchable therebetween.
At a cooling operation, refrigerant discharged from the compressor is circulated, in such a manner as to be condensed at the outdoor heat exchanger, reduced in pressure at the indoor motor-operated expansion valve, evaporated at the indoor heat exchanger and then returned to the compressor. At a heating operation, refrigerant discharged form the compressor is circulated, in such a manner as to be condensed at the indoor heat exchanger, reduced in pressure at the outdoor motor-operated expansion valve, evaporated at the outdoor heat exchanger and then returned to the compressor.
When the indoor units perform a cooling operation and a heating operation at the same time, for example, when two indoor units perform cooling operations and the other two indoor units perform heating operations, one of the outdoor heat exchangers serves as a condenser according to an indoor load and the other outdoor heat exchanger serves as an evaporator.
PROBLEMS THAT THE INVENTION IS TO SOLVE
In the above-mentioned air conditioner, since only a single outdoor unit is provided, it is required that many kinds of outdoor units having different capacities from one another are produced in accordance with the indoor load, i.e., the number of indoor units to be connected. In addition, when the indoor load does not accord with the capacity of the outdoor unit, the capacity of the outdoor unit is disadvantageously increased in spite of the small indoor load.
Further, since only a single outdoor unit is provided, a refrigerant circuit of the outdoor unit must be formed in a circuit which can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation at the same time and an exclusive outdoor unit for the simultaneous cooling and heating operation must be produced. That is, a plurality of outdoor heat exchangers must be provided and refrigerant piping must be arranged through the four-way selector valve so that the outdoor heat exchangers serve as a condenser or an evaporator individually.
Therefore, there cannot be applied for the above air conditioner a normal outdoor unit which can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation individually by switching between the cooling and heating operations, so that many kinds of outdoor units must be produced according to the uses of the indoor units.
In view of the foregoing problems, the present invention has been made. The present invention has its object of forming a system for performing a cooling operation and a heating operation at the same time by using a normal thermal source unit.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
To attain the above object, a
REFERENCES:
patent: 5150582 (1992-09-01), Gotou
Brackett Jr. Tim L.
Daikin Industries Ltd.
Ferguson Jr. Gerald J.
Wayner William E.
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