Refrigeration – Disparate apparatus utilized as heat source or absorber – With vapor compression system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-19
2002-06-18
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Disparate apparatus utilized as heat source or absorber
With vapor compression system
C062S434000, C062S318000, C062S319000, C062S238600, C062S324300
Reexamination Certificate
active
06405551
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heating apparatus having a refrigeration cycle which includes a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator, and more particularly to a heating apparatus having a refrigeration cycle, which is capable of cooling and heating as well as supplying hot water.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A heating apparatus comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and the like having a refrigeration cycle is well known. In addition, heat pumps are also well known. In a heating apparatus, upon activating the compressor, a refrigerant through the condenser, the expansion valve, the evaporator and the like, which allows the refrigerant to be changed in its state from liquid to gas at the condenser and from gas to liquid at the evaporator. The generated heat is then released outside by the condenser, while an external heat is absorbed by the evaporator. Thus, the condenser and the evaporator can serve as a heat source and a heat sink, respectively. A cooling/heating/hot-water supply apparatus applying such a refrigeration cycle has been widely known. As exemplarily shown in
FIG. 9
, this apparatus comprises a compressor
200
for compressing a refrigerant, a condenser or hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
for preparing hot water with a high-temperature refrigerant transferred from the compressor
200
, and a cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
acting as a condenser for heating and as an evaporator for cooling, and a heat source heat exchanger
203
acting as a condenser for heating and as an evaporator for cooling. In
FIG. 9
, reference numbers
204
,
205
,
206
,
207
and
208
indicate a cooling fan, a four-way switching valve, an expansion valve, a check valve, and a room heat exchanger, respectively. Thus, heating, cooling, and both hot water supply and cooling can be achieved by controlling the flow direction of the refrigerant as follows. In heating use, the four-way switching valve
205
is switched to allow the refrigerant to flow from the compressor
200
to the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
. The refrigerant then flows through the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
into the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
. Water serving as the refrigerant is heated by the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
, acting as a condenser, and is then supplied into the room heat exchangers
208
,
208
to provide indoor heating, as is widely known. In cooling use, the four-way switching valve
205
is switched to allow the refrigerant going out of the compressor
200
to flow to the heat source heat exchanger
203
. The refrigerant passes through the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
and then flows from the heat source heat exchanger
203
into the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
. In this case, the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
acts as an evaporator so that the water refrigerated by the cooling/heating heat exchanger
202
is supplied into the room heat exchanger
208
to provide indoor cooling.
In hot-water supply use, the four-way switching valve
205
is switched to allow the refrigerant to flow to the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
. The refrigerant is then condensed at the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
. When cold water is supplied from a city water pipe
210
to the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
, the water is heated by the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
and is then discharged from a tapping-water pipe
211
. When cooling is performed in parallel with hot water supply, the four-way switching valve
205
is switched to allow the refrigerant to flow from compressor
200
to both the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
and the heat source heat exchanger
203
. The refrigerant is then condensed at the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
so that hot water may be supplied as described above, and the refrigerant is simultaneously evaporated at the hot-water supply heat exchanger
201
so that indoor cooling may be provided as described above.
Thus, the conventional refrigeration cycle or heat pump is capable of providing both cooling/heating and hot water supply by a single unit. In addition, the conventional refrigeration cycle is economical as compared with hot water supplies using other heat sources, such as electricity or gas fuel. However, the conventional cooling/heating/hot-water supply apparatus is only available for cooling/heating and hot water supply. Moreover, it is only difficult to determine if the potential efficiency of the refrigeration cycle is fully brought out and utilized in the conventional apparatus. There is also the problem that the water temperature obtained from the conventional heat pump is less than 55° C. which is insufficient for tap water. It is expected that the tap water temperature could be raised in some measure by increasing the condensing pressure of the heat pump, for example, up to 2.2MPa or more. However, when the condensing pressure is increased, the compressor is imposed to operate under severe conditions, and pressure differential between lower and upper pressures in operation is disadvantageously large. In addition, a safety device is applied to most machines in order to prevent an operation under high pressure. Thus, the operating pressure is limited, for example not more than 2.75MPa, resulting in tap water 55° C. In a conventional heat pump capable of preparing hot water instantaneously, tap of 60° C. or more can be obtained. However, the temperature of the water supplied to the hot-water supply heat exchanger ranges from 0-35° C., thus the heat pump is inefficient because such a heat pump cannot reheat the water to 55° C. right after use. Under the reasons described above, regardless of system types, such as an instantaneous system and a circulating system, the conventional cooling/heating/hot water supply apparatus has a problem with difficulty of use as a heat source for air conditioning and floor heating, or a heat source for drying and the like.
A water purifying apparatus for making it possible to enjoy taking a bath at pleasure on a 24-hour basis has proposed in various patent applications by the present applicant, such as Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 6-48893, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 7-185574. Such a purifying apparatus of bathwater comprises: a filtering device for removing a solid matter, such as hair of a person taking a bath; a water pump for compulsorily circulating the bathwater; an activating device containing an active stone, such as ceramics, shell fossil and Bakahan-stone; an ozone gas generator, or ozonizer, for generating ozone gas for sterilization, deodorization and the like; a heater for heating up the bathwater to a predetermined temperature; and a control device for controlling the ozone gas, the heater and the like. Thus, when the bathwater is passed through the activating device, an organic matter, such as ammonia which leads to purification of the bathwater, is decomposed by bacteria which propagates itself in the active stone and has heteronomy, so that the bathwater may be purified. In addition, ion exchange is taken place in the bathwater, and active ingredients, such as magnesium, zinc, calcium and sodium, are dissolved into the bathwater, so that hydrogen-ion concentration of the bathwater may be controlled in an alkalescent state. As described above, this apparatus has various advantages, but is not economical with regard to heating, because the bathwater is required to be maintained at a predetermined temperature on a 24-hour basis and the heater is formed of an electrical resistive element or the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been devised in view of the foregoing conventional circumstances. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heating apparatus having a refrigeration cycle, which is capable of heating efficiently and sanitarily a relatively high temperature hot water supply, bathwater and the like or any combination thereof, without a particular increase in size of the refrigeration cycle,
Kobayashi Akihiro
Kuwabara Katumi
Takahashi Mitiyuki
Wakikawa Junji
Armstrong Westerman & Hattori, LLP
Doerrler William
Science, Inc.
Shulman Mark
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