Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Shinri Sada

Yasushi Hori

Osamu Tanaka

Shinya Matsuoka

Tetsushi Maeda

Hiroshi Fuchikami

Hiroyuki Inoue

Atsushi Umeda

The present invention provides a heat source unit capable of being used in either an air conditioner for switchable cooling and heating operation or an air conditioner for simultaneous cooling and heating operation. An air conditioner principally includes one heat source unit, a plurality of utilization units, and a connecting unit provided for each utilization unit. The heat source unit uses water as the heat source, and principally includes a compressing means, a main heat exchanger, a first switching means, a main refrigerant switching means, an auxiliary heat exchanger connected in parallel with the main heat exchanger, a second switching means, an auxiliary refrigerant switching means, and a liquid receiver. The auxiliary heat exchanger is capable of switching between functioning as an evaporator and a condenser, by the second switching means.

Heat source unit with switching means between heating and cooling

The present invention is capable of eliminating the line unit in an air conditioner that includes a plurality of heat source units, and hold increases in onsite line construction to a minimum while making it possible to adjust the amount of refrigerant in the air conditioner. The air conditioner includes a plurality of heat source units, a refrigerant liquid junction line and a refrigerant gas junction line, user units, and a refrigerant supply circuit. The refrigerant supply circuit is used in situations in which some of the plurality of heat source units stop operating in response to the operational burden of the user units, and is formed from refrigerant removal lines that remove refrigerant that accumulates inside stopped heat source units to the exterior thereof, and an oil equalization line and oil removal lines that connect the refrigerant removal lines of each stopped heat source unit and the intake sides of the compression mechanisms of the operating heat source units.

Air conditioner

A compressor (,), a heat releasing element (,A) of a heat exchanger (,) for heating, an electromotive expansion valve (,), and a heat absorbing element (,A) of a heat exchanger (,) for cooling are connected to each other to constitute a primary refrigerant circuit. A pump (,), a heat absorbing element (,B) of the heat exchanger (,) for heating, a first indoor heat exchanger (,), an electromotive expansion valve (,), a second indoor heat exchanger (,), and a heat releasing element (,B) of the heat exchanger (,) for cooling are connected to each other to compose a secondary refrigerant circuit (,). A liquid refrigerant ejected from the pump (,) is evaporated in the heat absorbing element (,B) of the heat exchanger (,) for heating, reduced in pressure by the electromotive expansion valve (,), and evaporated in the second indoor heat exchanger (,). Thereafter, the gas refrigerant is condensed in the heat releasing element (,B) of the heat exchanger (,) for heating to be returned to the pump (,).

Refrigerating plant

A heat exchanger (,) on the secondary heat source, which exchanges heat with a heat exchanger (,) on the primary heat source in a primary cooling circuit (A), is connected with an indoor heat exchanger (,) through a gas pipe (,) and a liquid pipe (,). A tank (T) storing a liquid cooling medium is connected at its lower end to the liquid pipe (,) and its upper end to a pressure adjustment mechanism (,). Check valves (CV,and CV,) are disposed on both sides of the connecting point of the tank (T) with respect to the liquid pipe (,). The internal pressure of the tank (T) is changed over alternately between a high pressure state and a low pressure state by the pressure adjustment mechanism (,) so that the liquid cooling medium is supplied to the indoor heat exchanger (,) at the time of the high pressure operation, and the liquid cooling medium is recovered from the heat exchanger (,) on the secondary side to the tank (T) and is circulated by a secondary cooling circuit (B) at the time of the low pressure operation.

Heat transport system

Refrigeration apparatus and method of manufacturing same

Refrigerating apparatus

Oil equalizing operation control device for air conditioner

Liquid lines (5LA, 5LB) and gas lines (5GA, 5GB) are connected to a main liquid line (4L) and a main gas line (4G) respectively so that a master outdoor unit (2A) and a slave outdoor unit (2B) are arranged in parallel with each other. On the gas line (5GB) extending from the slave outdoor unit (2B), a gas stop valve (V2) which is fully closed when the slave outdoor unit (2B) is deactivated during heating operation is disposed. On the liquid line (5LB) extending from the slave outdoor unit (2B), a liquid stop valve (V1) which is fully closed when the slave outdoor unit (2B) is deactivated during cooling operation and heating operation is disposed. Thus, compression of a liquid refrigerant and lack of a circulation amount of refrigerant are prevented.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Shinri Sada