Daikin Industries, Ltd.

Takeru Miyazaki

Eiji Kumakura

Atsushi Yoshimi

Takuro Yamada

Ikuhiro Iwata

Hiromune Matsuoka

Tomoatsu Minamida

Teruo Kido

An air conditioner includes an ejector that raises a pressure of refrigerant by using energy for refrigerant decompression and expansion. A switching mechanism switches between a refrigerant flow in a first operation and a refrigerant flow in a second operation. The air conditioner is configured such that in the first operation, refrigerant compressed by a compression mechanism radiates heat in a use-side heat exchanger and is decompressed and expanded by the ejector while refrigerant evaporated in a heat-source-side heat exchanger is raised in pressure by the ejector. The air conditioner is configured such that in the second operation, refrigerant compressed by the compression mechanism radiates heat in the heat-source-side heat exchanger and is decompressed and expanded by a first expansion valve before being evaporated in the use-side heat exchanger while refrigerant does not flow through the ejector.

Air conditioner

A heat transfer method uses a heat transfer system including: a heat source unit in which heat is exchanged between a heat transfer medium and a heat source; a utilization unit in which heat is exchanged between the heat transfer medium and a temperature adjustment target; and a first flow path and a second flow path that connect the heat source unit and the utilization unit. The heat transfer medium flows through the first flow path from the heat source unit to the utilization unit, and flows through the second flow path from the utilization unit to the heat source unit. In the heat transfer method, inorganic hydrate slurry, in which an inorganic hydrate that absorbs heat when dissolved in water is mixed with water, is used as the heat transfer medium.

Heat transfer method

An air conditioner includes: a heat-source-side unit including a compressor and a heat-source-side heat exchanger; use-side units each including a use-side heat exchanger; an intermediate unit that causes the use-side heat exchanger of each of the use-side units to individually function as an evaporator or a radiator of a refrigerant; and two connection pipes that each connect the heat-source-side unit and the intermediate unit. The intermediate unit includes: an ejector that is configured to pressurize the refrigerant evaporated in the use-side heat exchanger that functions as the evaporator by using a driving flow; and a gas-liquid separator into which the refrigerant flowing out from the ejector flows.

An air conditioner includes: a heat-source-side unit including a compressor and a heat-source-side heat exchanger; use-side units each including a use-side heat exchanger; an intermediate unit that causes the use-side heat exchanger of each of the use-side units to individually function as an evaporator or a radiator of a refrigerant; and three or more connection pipes that connect the heat-source-side unit to the intermediate unit. The intermediate unit includes: an ejector that pressurizes the refrigerant; and a gas-liquid separator into which the refrigerant flowing out from the ejector flows. The refrigerant that has released heat in any of the use-side units that perform a heating operation is not pressurized by the ejector.

An air conditioner includes: use-side units that are each switchable between a cooling operation and a heating operation; and a heat-source-side unit including a compressor, a discharge pipe through which a refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows, a first main heat-source-side flow path and a second main heat-source-side flow path that branch off from the discharge pipe, a first heat-source-side heat exchanger, a second heat-source-side heat exchanger, a first economizer heat exchanger, and a second economizer heat exchanger. The first heat-source-side heat exchanger is connected to the first economizer heat exchanger in series in the first main heat-source-side flow path. The second heat-source-side heat exchanger is connected to the second economizer heat exchanger in series in the second main heat-source-side flow path.

A heat-source-side heat exchanger is divided so that a heat-source-side heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator also functions as an intermediate cooler. Since, when an air conditioner includes a bypass pipe, a heat-source-side heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator and as an intermediate cooler also further functions as a radiator, operation efficiency is increased.

In a refrigeration cycle apparatus, a switching mechanism includes a first channel and performs switching among a first, second and third connection states. In the first connection state, the refrigeration cycle apparatus repeatedly performs a first cycle in which refrigerant flows through a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and the compressor in that order. In the second connection state, the refrigeration cycle apparatus repeatedly performs a second cycle in which refrigerant flows through the compressor, the second heat exchanger, the first heat exchanger, and the compressor in that order. In the third connection state, a passage between the compressor and the first heat exchanger and a passage between the compressor and the second heat exchanger are closed, and the first channel in the refrigeration cycle apparatus provides interconnection between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

Refrigeration cycle apparatus and four-way valve

A refrigeration cycle device includes a heat source, a first use unit, a second use unit, a first connection flow path, and a second connection flow path. The heat source has a compressor and a heat-source side heat exchanger. The first use unit is separated from the heat source unit and has a first use-side heat exchanger. The second use unit is separated from the heat source unit and has a second use-side heat exchanger. The first connection flow path connects the heat source unit to the first and the second use units and causes a first refrigerant to flow. The second connection flow path connects the heat source unit to the first and the second use units and causes a second refrigerant to flow. A specific enthalpy of the second refrigerant is smaller than a specific enthalpy of the first refrigerant.

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Osaka, Japan

Takeru Miyazaki