Lg Electronics Inc.

Changhwan Cho

Hongseok Choi

Junhyeon Hwang

Sunyoung Kang

Daewoo Kim

Changmin Choi

Soonyong Choi

Hyuntak Lee

A method of controlling an air conditioner including collecting indoor unit data of each of a plurality of indoor units connected to an outdoor unit; controlling a total flow rate of refrigerant supplied to the plurality of indoor units based on a total load of the indoor units, which is determined based on the indoor unit data of the respective indoor units; and controlling an individual flow rate of refrigerant flowing to the respective indoor units based on clusters of the respective indoor units which are matched based on the indoor unit data of the respective indoor units.

Method of controlling total and individual refrigerant flow rates in an air conditioner

An air conditioner and a method of operating an air conditioner are provided. The air conditioner may include a heat pump having a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that condenses or evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange with heat source water; a heat source water flow path connected to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger; a pump installed on the heat source water flow path; a variable flow valve installed on the heat source water flow path; and a variable flow valve controller that controls an opening degree of the variable flow valve. The variable flow valve controller may include a heat source water minimum flow manipulator that manipulates a minimum flow rate of the heat source water and regulates the opening degree of the variable flow valve according to the manipulation of the heat source water minimum flow manipulator. Accordingly, a user or installation personnel may selectively regulate power consumption and efficiency as desired.

Air conditioner and method of operating an air conditioner

A heat exchanger is provided. The heat exchanger may include a shell; a first pipe that guides a first fluid into the shell; a plurality of spiral pipe portions, through which a second fluid, which exchanges heat with the first fluid, may pass, that have different distances from a central axis; and a second pipe that guides the first fluid outside of the shell, in which an inner spiral pipe portion of the plurality of spiral pipe portions, which is closest to a central axis, and an outer spiral pipe portion, which is farthest from the central axis, are connected by a first connection tube, and a plurality of intermediate spiral pipes, which is farther from the central axis than the inner spiral pipe portion and closer to the central axis than the outer spiral pipe portion, is connected by a second connection tube, such that the plurality of spiral pipe portions is connected while minimizing a number of connection tubes and a reduction in performance that may be generated when a difference in length of a plurality of paths is large, by minimizing a difference in length of the paths formed by the plurality of spiral pipe portions and the connection tubes.

Heat exchanger

A heat exchanger is provided that may include a shell; a first pipe that guides a first fluid into the shell; a tube, through which a second fluid that exchanges heat with the first fluid may pass; a second pipe, through which the first fluid is guided outside of the shell; and a base including a fastening portion to which the shell may be fastened and a support portion that supports the fastening portion. The fastening portion may have a tube hole, through which the tube may pass, and a pipe hole, through which at least one of the first pipe or the second pipe may pass, so that it is possible to increase availability of space at a side of and above the shell, and at least one of the first pipe, the second pipe, or the tube may be protected by the base, resulting in high reliability.

Support mechanism for a heat exchanger in an air-conditioning system

An air conditioner and a method of operating an air conditioner are provided. The air conditioner may include at least one indoor device having an indoor heat exchanger that evaporates or condenses a refrigerant by heat exchange with indoor air; at least one outdoor device having a variable capacity compression device that sucks in and compresses a refrigerant of a refrigerant intake passage and discharges the refrigerant to a refrigerant discharge passage, a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that condenses or evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange with heat source water, and an outdoor expansion device installed between the indoor heat exchanger of the at least one indoor device and the water-refrigerant heat exchanger; a heat source water flow path connected to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger; a pump installed on the heat source water flow path; and a variable flow valve installed on the heat source water flow path. An opening degree of the variable flow valve is varied depending on a pressure of at least one of the refrigerant discharge passage or the refrigerant intake passage.

An air conditioner and a method of operating an air conditioner are provided. The air conditioner may include at least one indoor device, each having an indoor heat exchanger installed therein; at least one outdoor device connected to the at least one indoor device by a refrigerant flow path, and each having a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that provides heat exchange between a refrigerant and heat source water and an outdoor device controller installed therein; a heat source water flow path connected to each water-refrigerant heat exchanger; a pump installed on the heat source water flow path; a variable flow valve installed on the heat source water flow path; a central controller that controls the at least one outdoor device; and a variable flow valve control board that regulates an opening degree of the variable flow valve and a flow rate of heat source water. The variable flow valve control board may be connected to the outdoor device controller via a first communication line, connected to the central controller via a second communication line having a different communication method from that of the first communication line, and perform protocol conversion between the central controller and the outdoor device controller.

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Changwon-si, South Korea

Changhwan Cho