Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Daikin Europe N.v.

Shinya Matsuoka

Osamu Tanaka

Satoshi Kawano

Masahiro Oka

Yasushi Hori

Mari Susaki

Kazuhide Mizutani

Shinri Sada

Shuuichi Suzuki

Tomohisa Takeuchi

Atsushi Okamoto

Hiromune Matsuoka

Masahiro Honda

Akiharu Kojima

Takuya Kotani

Hideyuki Nakagawa

Hiroshi Fuchikami

Kikuji Hori

Yuuta Fukuyama

Tetsuro Takamizo

Satoru Okura

Hiroyuki Inoue

Atsushi Umeda

Ryota Takechi

Sayako Kimura

Hideyuki Kanagawa

A refrigeration cycle system includes a refrigeration cycle, a communication line, a refrigerant sensor to detect a refrigerant leak, a safety device, and a first electric wire different from the communication line. The refrigeration cycle unit includes utilization-side and heat source-side units connected by refrigerant connection pipe. The sensor is connected to the utilization-side unit. The safety device includes at least one of an alarm that makes a notification of refrigerant leak upon detection by the sensor, a ventilation device that operates upon detection of the leak, and a shutoff valve device that closes a shutoff valve on the pipe upon detection of the leak. The first electric wire is dedicated for interlock and connects between the utilization-side unit and safety device. The heat source-side unit is prohibited from operation when the utilization-side unit is not connected to the safety device via the first electric wire.

Refrigeration cycle system

A refrigeration cycle system includes a refrigeration cycle apparatus, an operation signal transmitter, a detection unit, a notification unit, and a processing unit. The refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit. The operation signal transmitter transmits an operation signal for the refrigeration cycle apparatus. The detection unit detects leakage of a refrigerant. The notification unit notifies of leakage of the refrigerant by emitting at least one of sound and light in a case in which the detection unit has detected leakage of the refrigerant. The processing unit causes the notification unit to execute test behavior of emitting at least one of sound and light in a case in which the operation signal transmitter transmits the operation signal to the refrigeration cycle apparatus.

A refrigerant leakage notifying device includes a refrigerant sensor, a determination unit, a notification unit, and an output unit. The refrigerant sensor detects a refrigerant and outputs a detection signal according to a detection result. The determination unit receives the detection signal outputted from the refrigerant sensor and determines leakage of the refrigerant in accordance with the detection signal received. The notification unit notifies leakage of the refrigerant with at least one of sound and light in a case in which the determination unit has determined that the refrigerant is leaking. The output unit is provided separately from the refrigerant sensor. The output unit outputs a test signal to the determination unit. The test signal is a signal that the determination unit has determined that the refrigerant is leaking in a case in which the determination unit receives the signal.

Refrigerant leakage notifying device and refrigeration cycle system including refrigerant leakage notifying device

Operation switching units, each changing directions of a refrigerant flowing through its associated indoor unit in response to a switch from a cooling operation to a heating operation, or vice versa, are each connected with the associated indoor unit through indoor communication pipes; a gas-liquid separation unit is connected with an outdoor unit through outdoor communication pipes; and the operation switching units are connected with the gas-liquid separation unit through two intermediate communication pipes preinstalled and one intermediate communication pipe newly installed. This provides a simple and cost-effective means for upgrading a preinstalled air conditioner making a switch from cooling to heating, and vice versa, into an air conditioner that can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation in parallel with each other.

Air conditioner construction method

An air conditioning apparatus includes a casing, a heat exchanger and a blower. In the casing, an intake port is formed and a blow-off port is formed in a top surface section. The heat exchanger and the blower are housed in the casing. The blower is caused to rotate while a flammable refrigerant flows to the heat exchanger during an operation, an intake air is taken into the casing from the intake port, a heat exchange is carried out between the flammable refrigerant and the intake air in the heat exchanger, and the heat-exchanged air is blown out from the blow-off port to an exterior of the casing. A first refrigerant sensor that detects the flammable refrigerant is disposed on a downwind side of the heat exchanger inside the casing.

Air conditioning apparatus

An air conditioning apparatus uses R32 as a refrigerant, and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, an evaporator, an intermediate injection channel, a suction injection channel, a switching mechanism, a branch flow channel, first and second injection opening adjustable valves, an injection heat exchanger, a refrigerant storage tank, a bypass channel, and a control part. The switching mechanism switches between an intermediate injection condition in which refrigerant flows in the intermediate injection channel, and a suction injection condition in which refrigerant flows in the suction injection channel. The branch flow channel branches from a main refrigerant channel which joins the condenser and the evaporator, and guides the refrigerant to the intermediate injection channel and the suction injection channel. The bypass channel guides a gas component of the refrigerant accumulated inside the refrigerant storage tank to the intermediate injection channel and the suction injection channel.

Refrigeration apparatus

Air conditioner having simultaneous heating and cooling

A refrigeration apparatus uses R32 as refrigerant, and includes a compressor, condenser, expansion mechanism, evaporator, accumulator, branching flow path, opening degree adjustment valve disposed in the branching flow path, injection-use heat exchanger and a first injection flow path. The accumulator has an inside space to separate and accumulate refrigerant. The injection-use heat exchanger causes heat exchange between refrigerant flowing through the main refrigerant flow path and that has passed through the opening degree adjustment valve of the branching flow path. The first injection flow path guides the refrigerant that has flowed through the branching flow path and exited the injection-use heat exchanger to the inside space of the accumulator. A distal end of the first injection flow path is located in a height position separated by a dimension from a bottom of the inside space. The dimension is 0 to 0.3 times a height dimension of the inside space.

A refrigeration apparatus uses R32 as a refrigerant, and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, an evaporator, an intermediate injection channel and a suction injection channel. The intermediate injection channel guides a part of the refrigerant flowing from the condenser toward the evaporator to the compressor, causing the refrigerant to merge with intermediate-pressure refrigerant of the compressor. The suction injection channel guides a part of the refrigerant flowing from the condenser toward the evaporator to the suction passage, causing the refrigerant to merge with low-pressure refrigerant sucked into the compressor.

A refrigeration apparatus uses R32 as refrigerant, and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, an evaporator, a branch flow channel branching from a main refrigerant channel joining the condenser and the evaporator, a first opening adjustable valve disposed along the branch flow channel, an injection heat exchanger, a first injection channel, a refrigerant storage tank disposed along the main refrigerant channel, and a second injection channel. The injection heat exchanger exchanges heat between refrigerant in the main refrigerant channel and refrigerant passing through the first opening adjustable valve. The first injection channel guides refrigerant that flows in the branch flow channel and that exits from the injection heat exchanger to the compressor or the suction passage. The second injection channel guides a gas component of refrigerant accumulated inside the refrigerant storage tank to the compressor or the suction passage.

This air conditioner performs a cooling operation and a heating operation in parallel with each other with an outdoor unit and indoor units connected together through two communication pipes. The air conditioner includes a switching mechanism changing the directions of refrigerants flowing through the communication pipes depending on whether a heating dominant operation is being performed in a first load region where a cooling load is relatively light or a second load region where the cooling load is heavier than in the first load region. In the second load region, the switching mechanism allows a low-pressure refrigerant to flow from the indoor units to the outdoor unit through the second communication pipe thicker than the first communication pipe to reduce a performance deterioration due to the pressure loss involved with the heating dominant operation.

Air conditioner

A refrigeration apparatus uses R32 as a refrigerant, and includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, an evaporator and an accumulator. The accumulator is disposed in the suction flow path supplying refrigerant to the compressor. The accumulator has a casing that forms an inside space to separate the refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant and accumulating surplus refrigerant, an inlet pipe feeding the refrigerant that has evaporated in the evaporator into the inside space, and an outlet pipe channeling the separated gas refrigerant to the compressor. A distal end opening in the inlet pipe of the accumulator is located in a height position separated by a dimension from a bottom of the inside space. The dimension is 0 to 0.3 times a height dimension of the inside space.

A heat-recovery-type refrigerating apparatus includes a compressor, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, and a plurality of usage-side heat exchangers, and refrigerant is sent from the usage-side heat exchanger functioning as a refrigerant radiator to the usage-side heat exchanger functioning as a refrigerant evaporator, whereby heat can be recovered between the usage-side heat exchangers. Here, a portion of the heat-source-side heat exchanger is configured as a precooling heat exchanger for always circulating high-pressure vapor refrigerant discharged from the compressor, and a refrigerant cooler for cooling an electrical equipment item is connected to a downstream side of the precooling heat exchanger.

Heat-recovery-type refrigerating apparatus

An air conditioning apparatus has a refrigerant circuit made up of plural indoor units connected to an outdoor unit, and the air conditioning apparatus has a capacity controlling part and a target refrigerant temperature mode setting part. The capacity controlling part controls the air conditioning capacity of the outdoor unit in such a way that the evaporation temperature of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit becomes a target evaporation temperature, or in such a way that the condensation temperature of the refrigerant becomes a target condensation temperature. The target refrigerant temperature mode setting part is configured to seta target refrigerant temperature mode to either a target refrigerant temperature changing mode or a target refrigerant temperature fixing mode. The target refrigerant temperature changing mode changes the target evaporation temperature or the target condensation temperature, and the target refrigerant temperature fixing mode fixes the target evaporation temperature or the target condensation temperature.

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Sakai, Japan

Shinya Matsuoka