Refrigeration – Processes – Circulating external gas
Reexamination Certificate
2002-06-20
2004-11-09
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Processes
Circulating external gas
C062S094000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06813894
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a heat pump and a dehumidifying apparatus, and more particularly to a heat pump with a high COP and a dehumidifying apparatus which has such a heat pump.
BACKGROUND ART
As shown in
FIG. 17
, there has heretofore been available a desiccant air-conditioning apparatus having a heat pump as a heat source. The air-conditioning apparatus shown in
FIG. 17
employs a compression type heat pump HP including a compressor
260
as the heat pump. The air-conditioning apparatus has a path for process air A from which moisture is adsorbed by a desiccant wheel
103
, and a path for regeneration air B which is heated by a heating source and then passes through the desiccant wheel
103
which has adsorbed the moisture, to desorb the moisture from the desiccant for thereby regenerating the desiccant. The air-conditioning apparatus has an air-conditioner having a sensible heat exchanger
104
for exchanging heat between the process air from which moisture has been adsorbed and the regeneration air before it regenerates the desiccant of the desiccant wheel
103
and also before it is heated by the heating source, and also has the compression type heat pump HP. The regeneration air of the air-conditioner for regenerating the desiccant is used as a high-temperature heat source in the compression type heat pump HP, and is heated by a heating unit
220
. The process air of the air-conditioner is used as a low-temperature heat source in the compression type heat pump HP, and is cooled by a cooling unit
210
.
Here, operation of the compression type heat pump HP shown in
FIG. 17
will be described below with reference to a Mollier diagram shown in FIG.
18
. The diagram shown in
FIG. 18
is a Mollier diagram in the case where HFC134a is used as the refrigerant. A point a represents a state of the refrigerant evaporated by the cooling unit
210
, and the refrigerant is in the form of a saturated vapor. The refrigerant has a pressure of 4.2 kg/cm
2
, a temperature of 10° C., and an enthalpy of 148.83 kcal/kg. A point b represents a state of the vapor drawn and compressed by the compressor
260
, i.e., a state at the outlet port of the compressor
260
. In this state, the refrigerant has a pressure of 19.3 kg/cm
2
and a temperature of 78° C., and is in the form of a superheated vapor. The refrigerant vapor is cooled in the heating unit (as a cooling unit or a condenser from the viewpoint of the refrigerant)
220
and reaches a state represented by a point c in the Mollier diagram. In the point c, the refrigerant is in the form of a saturated vapor and has a pressure of 19.3 kg/cm
2
and a temperature of 65° C. Under this pressure, the refrigerant is further cooled and condensed to reach a state represented by a point d. In the point d, the refrigerant is in the form of a saturated liquid and has the same pressure and temperature as those in the point c. The saturated liquid has an enthalpy of 122.97 kcal/kg. The refrigerant liquid is depressurized by an expansion valve
250
to a saturation pressure of 4.2 kg/cm
2
at a temperature of 10° C. The refrigerant is delivered as a mixture of the refrigerant liquid and the vapor at a temperature of 10° C. to the cooling unit (as an evaporator from the viewpoint of the refrigerant)
210
, where the mixture removes heat from process air and is evaporated to reach a state of the saturated vapor, which is represented by the point a in the Mollier diagram. The saturated vapor is drawn into the compressor
260
again, and the above cycle is repeated.
The heat pump used in the above conventional air-conditioning apparatus does not have an excellent COP because the cooling effect of a refrigerant in a refrigerant cycle is not necessarily large. In the conventional air-conditioning apparatus, the sensible heat exchanger
104
for preliminarily cooling the process air before the process air is cooled by the cooling unit
210
plays an important role. However, since the sensible heat exchanger generally occupies a large volume in the system, it is difficult to construct the system, and the system unavoidably becomes large in size.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a heat pump having a high COP and a dehumidifying apparatus which has a high COP and a compact structure.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
According to an aspect of the present invention, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, for example, there is provided a heat pump HP
1
in which a pressurizer
260
, a condenser
220
, and an evaporator
210
are interconnected via refrigerant paths
201
-
207
, the heat pump comprising: means disposed in the refrigerant path interconnecting the condenser
220
and the evaporator
210
, for alternately evaporating and condensing a refrigerant repeatedly under an intermediate pressure which is located intermediately between a pressure to be pressurized by the pressurizer
260
and a pressure which has been pressurized by the pressurizer
260
(from a point e to a point f1 and from a point f1 to a point g1a and the like in FIG.
3
).
The heat pump may be arranged such that while the refrigerant is alternately being evaporated and condensed repeatedly as shown in a flow diagram shown in
FIG. 9 and a
corresponding Mollier diagram shown in
FIG. 10
, for example, the condensed refrigerant is condensed after it is depressurized to a second intermediate pressure lower than the previous intermediate pressure (from a point g2 to a point E in FIG.
10
). For example, the heat pump may have two means for alternately evaporating and condensing the refrigerant repeatedly as shown in a flow diagram shown in
FIG. 12 and a
corresponding Mollier diagram shown in
FIG. 13
, and the heat pump may be arranged such that the evaporation pressure and the condensation pressure in one of the means is made lower than the evaporation pressure and the condensation pressure in the other means, and while the refrigerants are alternately being evaporated and condensed repeatedly by the respective means, the condensed refrigerants are concurrently depressurized to an evaporation pressure in the evaporator (from a point g2 to a point j1 and from a point G2 to a point j in FIG.
13
).
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a dehumidifying air-conditioning apparatus comprising: a moisture adsorbing device
103
for removing moisture from process air and for being regenerated by desorbing moisture therefrom with regeneration air; and a heat pump HP
1
having a condenser
220
, an evaporator
210
, and a thin pipe group interconnecting the condenser
220
and the evaporator
210
; wherein the thin pipe group is arranged so as to introduce a refrigerant condensed by the condenser
220
to the evaporator
210
and to bring the refrigerant into alternate contact with the process air and the regeneration air.
As shown in
FIG. 12
or
FIG. 14
, for example, there may be two of the above thin pipe group, the refrigerant path for introducing the refrigerant from the condenser to the thin pipe groups may be branched into two passages which are connected respectively to the two of the thin pipe groups, and refrigerant pipes extending from the respective thin pipe groups may be joined to each other at the inlet of the evaporator or directly in the evaporator.
According to another aspect of the present invention, as shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
, for example, there is provided a heat pump comprising: a pressurizer
260
for raising a pressure of a refrigerant; an evaporator
210
for cooling a low-temperature heat source fluid A with heat of evaporation of the refrigerant to be pressurized by the pressurizer
260
; a condenser
220
for heating a high-temperature heat source fluid B with heat of condensation of the refrigerant pressurized by the pressurizer
260
; and a first heat exchanger
300
a
for exchanging heat between the low-temperature heat source fluid A upstream of the evaporator
210
and a cooling fluid; wherein the first heat exchanger
300
a
has a first compartment
310
through which the low-temperature heat sourc
Ali Mohammad m.
Doerrler William
Ebara Corporation
Westerman Hattori Daniels & Adrian LLP
LandOfFree
Heat pump and dehumidifier does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Heat pump and dehumidifier, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Heat pump and dehumidifier will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3328437