Refrigeration – Reversible – i.e. – heat pump – With refrigerant collection and intermittent discharge
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-02-13
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Reversible, i.e., heat pump
With refrigerant collection and intermittent discharge
C062S333000, C165S104240, C417S208000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06185953
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a heat transport system, which can be used as refrigerant circuitry for an air conditioning system, for example. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat transport system for transporting heat by circulating a heat transport medium without requiring a driving source such as a pump.
BACKGROUND ART
As refrigerant circuitry for an air conditioning system, two-system refrigerant circuitry, such as that disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 62-238951, has conventionally been known. Refrigerant circuitry of this type includes: a primary refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a heat exchanger on a first heat source side, a pressure reducing mechanism and a heat exchanger on a first application side are sequentially connected to each other through a refrigerant pipe; and a secondary refrigerant circuit in which a pump, a heat exchanger on a second heat source side and a heat exchanger on a second application side are connected to each other through a refrigerant pipe.
And, heat is exchanged between the heat exchanger on the first application side of the primary refrigerant circuit and the heat exchanger on the second heat source side of the secondary refrigerant circuit, and the heat exchanger on the second application side is disposed within a room to be air-conditioned.
In this refrigerant circuitry, during the room cooling running, a refrigerant is evaporated in the heat exchanger on the first application side and is condensed in the heat exchanger on the second heat source side. In the heat exchanger on the second application side, the condensed refrigerant exchanges heat with the indoor air and is evaporated, thereby cooling the indoor air.
On the other hand, during the room heating running, a refrigerant is condensed in the heat exchanger on the first application side and is evaporated in the heat exchanger on the second heat source side. In the heat exchanger on the second application side, the evaporated refrigerant exchanges heat with the indoor air and is condensed, thereby heating the indoor air.
In this way, the piping length of the primary refrigerant circuit is intentionally shortened, thereby trying to improve the refrigerating capacity.
However, in such an arrangement, a pump is required as a discrete driving source for circulating the refrigerant in the secondary refrigerant circuit. As a result, the power consumption and the like are increased. In addition, since such a driving source is required, the number of parts having such factors as to cause some failure is increased and thus the reliability of the entire system is adversely deteriorated.
As refrigerant circuitry for overcoming these problems, there exists a heat transport system of a so-called “non-powered” heat transport type, in which no driving source is provided for a secondary refrigerant circuit. The heat transport systems of such a type include a system disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 63-180022. In the heat transport system, the secondary refrigerant circuit is constructed such that a heater, a condenser and a sealed container are sequentially connected to each other through a refrigerant pipe and that the sealed container is disposed at a position higher than that of the heater. Moreover, the heater and the sealed container are connected to each other through an equalizer pipe including an opening/closing valve.
In such an arrangement, during the room heating running, the opening/closing valve is first closed. The gaseous refrigerant heated by the heater is condensed in the condenser so as to be liquefied. Then, the liquid refrigerant is recovered into the sealed container. Thereafter, the opening/closing valve is opened, the pressure in the heater is equalized by the equalizer pipe with the pressure in the sealed container, and then the liquid refrigerant is recovered from the sealed container, disposed at a position higher than that of the heater, to the heater.
By repeating this operation, the circulation of the refrigerant is enabled without providing any driving source such as a pump for the secondary refrigerant circuit.
(Problems to be solved)
However, in such a heat transport system, if the gaseous refrigerant flows from the condenser into the sealed container, then the pressure in the sealed container rises, As a result, there is some possibility that the operation of circulating the refrigerant cannot be performed satisfactorily. Thus, the condenser is required to excessively cool the refrigerant so that the gaseous refrigerant does not flow out from the condenser.
Moreover, the heat transport system ameliorates the inner structure of the sealed container so as to suppress a rise in pressure within the sealed container. However, the system cannot be regarded as attaining sufficient reliability.
Furthermore, if the liquid refrigerant is to be introduced into the sealed container with certainty in this manner, then the condenser is required to be disposed at a position higher than that of the sealed container. Thus, since undue restriction is imposed on the positions where the respective units are disposed, it has been difficult to apply such a system to a large-scale system or a system having a long pipe.
In view of this point, the present invention has been made in order to accomplish an objective of alleviating the restriction on the positions where units are disposed and attaining high reliability and universality for a heat transport system of a non-powered heat transport type requiring no driving source.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
In order to accomplish the above-described objective, according to the present invention, a refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit on an application side is pressurized, and is circulated in the refrigerant circuit on the application side by utilizing this pressure. In addition, the direction in which the refrigerant circulates is controlled such that heat exchange means on the application side can perform a predetermined operation.
Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 1
, the first solution provided by the present invention includes a refrigerant circuit (B) constituted such that heat exchange means (
1
) on a heat source side is connected to heat exchange means (
3
) on an application side through a gas pipe (
6
) and a liquid pipe (
7
) so as to circulate a refrigerant therein, the heat exchange means (
1
) on the heat source side exchanging heat with heat source means (A).
And tank means (T) for communicating with the liquid pipe (
7
) and reserving a liquid refrigerant therein is also provided. And pressure regulating means (
18
) for alternately performing a pressurizing operation for raising an internal pressure of the tank means (T) and a pressure reducing operation for lowering the internal pressure is further provided.
In addition, refrigerant control means (H) is further provided for allowing only a supply of the liquid refrigerant from the tank means (T) to any of the heat exchange means to be an evaporator during the pressurizing operation of the pressure regulating means (
18
) and allowing only a recovery of the liquid refrigerant from any of the heat exchange means to be a condenser to the tank means (T) during the pressure reducing operation thereof, thereby circulating the refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit (B) and making the heat exchange means (
3
) on the application side absorb or radiate heat.
In the first solution, the liquid refrigerant is supplied from the tank means (T) to the heat exchange means to be an evaporator during the pressurizing operation of the pressure regulating means (
18
). On the other hand, during the pressure reducing operation of the pressure regulating means (
18
), the liquid refrigerant is recovered from the heat exchange means to be a condenser to the tank means (T). Thus, the refrigerant is circulated in a predetermined direction between the heat exchange means (
1
) on the heat source side and the heat exchange means (
3
) on the application side and the heat absorption or radiation is caused in the heat exchange m
Hori Yasushi
Maeda Tetsushi
Sada Shinri
Daikin Industries Ltd.
Doerrler William
Jiang Chen-Wen
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Studebaker Donald R.
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