Refrigeration cycle device

Details Refrigeration cycle device Refrigeration cycle device

2000-07-28

2001-09-25

Wayner, William (Department: 3744)

Refrigeration

Gas controller or director

Cooled gas directed relative to cooled enclosure

C062S090000, C062S197000, C062S513000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06293123

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a heat-pump-type refrigeration-cycle device, and more particularly, to a heat-pump type refrigeration-cycle device that improves heating performance by using gas-injection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In JP-A-3-294750, conventionally, the following refrigeration method is disclosed. Higher-pressure refrigerant from the outlet of a condenser is divided to two portions. One of the divided-refrigerant portions is depressurized to an intermediate pressure by a first depressurizing device. This intermediate-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the other refrigerant portion to supercool the first. This supercooled refrigerant is depressurized by a second depressurizing device, and is introduced into an evaporator and vaporized therein. The intermediate-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the higher-pressure refrigerant, and is introduced into for compression into the compressor (gas-injection). The enthalpy difference (amount of heat-extraction) between the refrigerant at the inlet of an evaporator and the refrigerant at the outlet thereof is increased by supercooling the higher-pressure refrigerant, thereby improving the coefficient of performance (COP).
In the above-described prior device, heat exchange is performed only between the intermediate-pressure refrigerant and the higher-pressure refrigerant at the condenser outlet. Therefore, the higher-pressure refrigerant can be supercooled only to as high as the saturation temperature of the intermediate-pressure refrigerant. The present invention was developed in light of these drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to increase the enthalpy difference (amount of heat-extraction) in an outdoor heat-exchanger during heating to improve the coefficient of performance (COP) in a heat-pump-type refrigeration-cycle device by gas-injection into a compressor.
In order to attain the above-described object, a refrigeration-cycle device is provided where higher-pressure refrigerant, having passed through condenser during a heating mode, is divided into two portions. One portion is depressurized by a first depressurizing device to an intermediate pressure. Then, heat exchange is performed in a refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger between the portion of the higher-pressure refrigerant having passed through condenser and the intermediate-pressure refrigerant having passed through the first depressurizing device. Further, a supercooling device is disposed within air-conditioning duct. The higher-pressure refrigerant, having been cooled in the refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger during the heating mode, exchanges heat with air within air-conditioning duct in the supercooling device. Then, the higher-pressure refrigerant, having been supercooled in the supercooling device, is depressurized to a lower pressure by the second depressurizing device. This refrigerant is vaporized in the outdoor heat-exchanger. Further, intermediate-pressure gas refrigerant, having been vaporized by the heat exchange in refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger during the heating mode, is introduced into the gas-injection port of compressor.
The higher-pressure refrigerant, having been cooled in refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger during the heating mode, is further supercooled in a supercooling device. Then, the supercooled higher-pressure refrigerant is depressurized to a lower pressure by second depressurizing device, and is vaporized in the outdoor heat-exchanger. Therefore, the amount of heat-extraction in the outdoor heat-exchanger can be increased by the amount of supercooling performed by the supercooling device. This increased amount of heat-extraction is radiated to the air within the air-conditioning duct through the supercooling device, thereby improving the coefficient of performance (COP).
Further, since gas-injection is performed by using a refrigerant-refrigerant heat exchanger, a gas-liquid separator for separating the gas and liquid intermediate-pressure refrigerant is not required. Therefore, the accumulator-cycle structure, where the lower-pressure refrigerant flows into intake port of compressor from accumulator disposed on the intake side of compressor, can be used.
In another aspect of the present invention, a higher-pressure refrigerant passes through a condenser for heating the air within air-conditioning duct during the heating mode, and is depressurized by first depressurizing device to an intermediate pressure. Then, the gas and liquid intermediate-pressure refrigerant having passed through this first depressurizing device is separated by a gas-liquid separator.
The intermediate-pressure liquid refrigerant, having been separated by gas-liquid separator during the heating mode, exchanges heat with the air within the air-conditioning duct in a supercooling device disposed within air-conditioning duct, and thereby is supercooled. The intermediate-pressure refrigerant, having been supercooled in this supercooling device, is depressurized by second depressurizing device to a lower pressure, and is vaporized in the outdoor heat-exchanger. The intermediate-pressure gas refrigerant, having been separated by gas-liquid separator during the heating mode, is introduced to gas-injection port of compressor.
During the heating mode, the intermediate-pressure liquid refrigerant from gas-liquid separator further exchanges heat with the air within air-conditioning duct in supercooling device, and is thereby supercooled. This supercooled intermediate-pressure refrigerant is depressurized by second depressurizing device, and is vaporized in outdoor heat-exchanger. Therefore, the amount of heat-extraction in outdoor heat-exchanger can be increased by the amount of supercooling performed by supercooling device, as in the invention defined in claim
1
, thereby improving the coefficient of performance (COP) during the heating mode.
In another aspect of the present invention, an evaporator is disposed upstream of condenser in an airflow direction in an air-conditioning duct, and a third depressurizing device is disposed on the inlet side of the refrigerant passage of this evaporator. During a cooling mode, the higher-pressure gas refrigerant from compressor is condensed in the outdoor heat-exchanger. The higher-pressure refrigerant, having passed through this outdoor heat-exchanger, is depressurized by third depressurizing device to a lower pressure, and this lower-pressure refrigerant is vaporized in evaporator.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.


REFERENCES:
patent: 5704219 (1998-01-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5848537 (1998-12-01), Biancardi et al.
patent: 5878589 (1999-03-01), Tanaka et al.
patent: 5934094 (1999-08-01), Itoh et al.
patent: 5983652 (1999-11-01), Iritani et al.
patent: A-58-37457 (1983-03-01), None
patent: A-3-294750 (1991-12-01), None

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