Refrigeration – Automatic control – Of closed system sorbent type
Reexamination Certificate
2002-10-10
2004-03-09
Jiang, Chen-Wen (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Automatic control
Of closed system sorbent type
12
Reexamination Certificate
active
06701727
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for managing a heat source unit for an air conditioner.
2. Description of the Related Art
For example, the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 26237/1997 is known as a remote central control method for a heat source unit for an air conditioner. According to this invention, a terminal unit is installed in an absorption chiller/heater. Then, by use of signals indicating physical quantities or operating states of respective portions of the absorption chiller/heater, abnormality is judged in an arithmetic control portion provided in the terminal unit. When abnormality is detected, a signal stored in the terminal unit is transmitted to a central monitoring unit. In an analyzing computer provided in the central monitoring unit, deeper analysis is carried out while an indication is made on a monitor portion provided in the central monitoring unit or a warning light is lit.
In addition, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 151416/1995 discloses an absorption chiller/heater in which only pollution of cooling water likely to persist for a long time can be judged accurately.
FIG. 6
is a diagram showing the configuration of a typical double-effect type absorption refrigerator disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 151416/1995. In this double-effect type absorption refrigerator, an absorption refrigerator is used as a heat source unit for an air conditioner implemented conventionally. In
FIG. 6
, an upper body
601
, a lower body
602
, a high temperature regenerator
603
, a high temperature heat exchanger
604
, a low temperature heat exchanger
605
, and so on, are connected with one another through pipe arrangement. The upper body
601
is constituted by a condenser
611
and a low temperature regenerator
612
. The lower body
602
is constituted by an evaporator
621
and an absorber
622
. The high temperature regenerator
603
includes a burner
631
.
In the absorption refrigerator, cooling water is circulated between the refrigerator and an outdoor cooling tower. Therefore, dust or the like in the outside air is absorbed in the cooling water in the course of circulation. When the cooling water absorbing dust and the like passes through a heat exchange unit such as the absorber or the condenser, the heating surface thereof is polluted so that the heat exchange rate deteriorates. When the cooling water system of the absorption refrigerator is polluted, the efficiency of the refrigerator is reduced in proportion to the degree of the pollution. Then, the advance of this symptom may cause a serious failure such as abnormality in the high temperature regenerator or crystallization of absorbent. When such a failure occurs, operation cannot be kept on.
Therefore, in the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 151416/1995, temperatures in a plurality of portions which may be affected by the pollution of the heating surface of cooling water pipe arrangement passing through the absorber and the condenser are detected by sensors. Then, evaluation data expressing the lowering of the heat transfer performance is made up on the basis of the outputs of the sensors. Time averages are calculated from the evaluation data and compared with their reference values. Thus, pollution of the cooling water is judged.
However, it is the pollution of the cooling water that can be judged in this invention. That is, the lowering of the performance of the absorption refrigerator as a heat source unit or the occurrence of abnormality in the absorption refrigerator due to other factors cannot be evaluated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention was developed in consideration of such actual situation of the related art. It is an object of the invention to provide a management apparatus and a management method in which time to inspect a heat source unit for an air conditioner can be forecast accurately before the performance of the heat source unit is lowered or abnormality occurs in the heat source unit.
It is another object of the invention to provide a management apparatus and a management method in which maintenance is carried out on the basis of the aforementioned accurate forecast so that the loss of a user using the heat source unit can be suppressed, and further the cost required for operating the heat source unit can be reduced.
To attain the foregoing objects, a first aspect of the invention provides an apparatus for managing at least one heat source unit for an air conditioner, including: means for analyzing cyclic operation condition of the heat source unit from operating data of the heat source unit, the cyclic operation condition having an operating cycle of operation, dilution and stop; means for averaging the cyclic operation condition for a predetermined period; means for storing the averaged data into a storage unit in time series; means for comparing the data stored in time series with analyzed data of current cyclic operation condition obtained by the analyzing means; means for detecting a variation, with time, in lowering of performance and/or degree of advance of abnormality in the heat source unit on and after start of use of the heat source unit, based on a comparison result produced by the comparing means; means for estimating degree of deterioration of the heat source unit on and after the start of use based on the variation with time; and means for determining maintenance time from a predetermined deterioration threshold value and the estimated degree of deterioration.
A second aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for managing at least one heat source unit for an air conditioner, including: means for estimating temperatures of respective portions of the heat source unit during operation based on one of a temperature history during start-up of the heat source unit and a temperature history during stop of the heat source unit; means for averaging temperature in cyclic operation condition of the heat source unit for a predetermined period, the cyclic operation condition having an operating cycle of operation, dilution and stop; means for storing the averaged temperature data into a storage unit in time series; means for comparing the temperature data stored in time series with the temperature data of the respective portions estimated by the estimating means; means for detecting a variation, with time, in lowering of performance and/or degree of advance of abnormality in the heat source unit on and after start of use of the heat source unit, based on a comparison result produced by the comparing means; means for estimating degree of deterioration of the heat source unit on and after the start of use based on the variation with time; and means for determining maintenance time from a predetermined deterioration threshold value and the estimated degree of deterioration.
A third aspect of the present invention provides an apparatus for managing at least one heat source unit for an air conditioner, including a central monitoring unit connected to the heat source unit for the air conditioner through an information communication network and for carrying out remote central control upon the heat source unit for the air conditioner. The central monitoring unit includes a control unit for managing the heat source unit for the air conditioner. The control unit includes: means for analyzing cyclic operation condition of the heat source unit from operating data of the heat source unit transmitted through the information communication network, the cyclic operation condition having an operating cycle of operation, dilution and stop; means for averaging the cyclic operation condition for a predetermined period; means for storing the averaged data into a storage unit in time series; means for comparing the data stored in time series with analyzed data of current cyclic operation condition obtained by the analyzing means; means for detecting a variation, with time, in lowering of performance and/or degree of advance of abnormality in the heat sou
Fujii Tatsuo
Hanawa Yoshikazu
Komatsu Tomohiro
Machizawa Kenji
Nakajima Tadakatsu
Crowell & Moring LLP
Hitachi Building Systems Co., Ltd.
Jiang Chen-Wen
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