JP2000213832A - Absorption refrigeration equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To facilitate the handling of a hydrogen storage alloy and not to deteriorate the storage performance of the hydrogen storage alloy. SOLUTION: The hydrogen storage alloy 83 in the hydrogen storage 80 provided above the main tank 73 of the non-condensable gas storage 70 for storing the non-condensable gas extracted by the ejector 60 in the absorber 3 is made of ceramic. The heaters 84 are juxtaposed. When the ceramic heater 84 is energized during the cooling operation, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy 83 rises, and the oxide film on the surface is destroyed and activated. In addition, since water does not condense, no water adheres to the surface and no water film is formed. Hydrogen storage alloy 84
Since the initial activation process before assembling is unnecessary, and consideration for oxidation of the surface is unnecessary, storage can be simplified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to storage of noncondensable gas (hydrogen gas) in an absorption refrigeration system having an absorption cycle using an aqueous solution of lithium bromide or the like as an absorption liquid.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As an absorption type refrigeration system using an absorption cycle, for example, in an absorption type air conditioner provided with a cooling / heating switching valve in a heating absorption liquid flow path communicating between a regenerator and an evaporator, During the cooling operation, the cooling / heating switching valve is controlled to be closed, and the low-concentration absorbent is heated and boiled by the burner in the regenerator to separate the high-concentration absorbent and the refrigerant vapor, and the refrigerant vapor is cooled by the condenser. It becomes a refrigerant liquid. When the high-concentration absorbing liquid is sprayed on the surface of the absorbing coil in the absorber and the refrigerant liquid is sprayed on the evaporating coil in the evaporator, the refrigerant liquid vaporizes from the cold and hot water passing through the evaporating coil on the evaporating coil surface. The cold and hot water, which has been deprived of heat and evaporated and has been deprived of heat by the evaporating coil, circulates through a heat exchanger provided on the object to be cooled by the operation of the pump and becomes a cooling source in the object to be cooled. Conversely, the cold / hot water whose temperature has increased in the heat exchanger is cooled again by the evaporating coil.

On the surface of the absorption coil, the high-concentration absorption liquid absorbs refrigerant vapor and generates heat. The heat generated when the absorbing liquid absorbs the refrigerant vapor on the surface of the absorption coil moves to the cooling tower provided outside by the cooling water for exhaust heat passing by the operation of the pump in the absorption coil, and the cooling tower Released at The absorption cycle is configured so that the absorbent, which has absorbed the refrigerant in the absorber and reduced in concentration, returns to the regenerator by the absorbent pump. On the other hand, during the heating operation, the cooling / heating switching valve provided in the heating absorption liquid flow path communicating between the regenerator and the evaporator is controlled to open, and the high-temperature absorption liquid heated by the regenerator evaporates. Because it is supplied to the heater, the cold and hot water in the evaporating coil is heated and becomes a heating source to be heated.

[0004] In the above configuration, stainless steel and copper materials having high corrosion resistance to lithium bromide are used for each device such as a regenerator and the piping constituting the absorption cycle. Contains an inhibitor (corrosion inhibitor) for preventing corrosion of each appliance. However, these cannot completely eliminate the chemical reaction in each device and piping in the absorption cycle, and the non-condensable gas (specifically, hydrogen gas) due to the chemical reaction between the absorbing solution and each component device. Occurs and accumulates in absorbers and evaporators that are at low pressure in the absorption cycle during extended use. Non-condensable gases in the absorption cycle cause a reduction in cooling capacity, especially during cooling operation.

[0005] For this reason, the non-condensable gas generated in the absorption cycle is bled in an evaporative absorption case having a built-in evaporator and absorber during operation and stored in a gas storage tank branched from the absorption cycle. Further, in order to suppress the capacity of the gas storage tank from the demand for downsizing of the apparatus, hydrogen gas is stored by a hydrogen storage alloy. Hydrogen gas stored in a gas storage tank or occluded in a hydrogen storage alloy, for example, during maintenance work of an absorption type air conditioner performed at a cycle of about 10 years, non-condensable gas in the gas storage chamber is vacuum pumped. Using a palladium cell that allows hydrogen gas to permeate by heating and discharging the gas through a palladium cell that is discharged out of the absorption cycle by suction, and released from a gas storage tank etc. by heating the palladium cell during operation Long-term use of the air conditioner is possible.

[0006]

In the absorption type air conditioner constructed as described above, for example, in a case where hydrogen gas stored in a gas storage tank is stored by a hydrogen storage alloy, the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy is hydrogen gas. It is necessary to maintain an activation state suitable for storing hydrogen, and it is necessary to remove an oxide film formed on the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy when disposing the hydrogen storage alloy in the absorption cycle. During the activation process to remove the oxide film, the initial activation process that heats the hydrogen storage alloy in the air is necessary, and during the handling after the activation process, the oxide film is not generated again. Careful attention is required, which is likely to hinder productivity improvement. In addition, in the case of the hydrogen storage alloy after being mounted in the absorption cycle, when the water in the absorption cycle adheres to the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy due to condensation or the like, and the water film covers the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy, hydrogen There is a problem that the hydrogen gas storage performance of the storage alloy is reduced, and the storage alloy does not store hydrogen gas sufficiently.

The present invention is directed to an absorption refrigeration system provided with a hydrogen storage alloy for storing hydrogen gas which is a non-condensable gas. It is an object of the present invention to improve the function of the hydrogen storage alloy without reducing the storage performance of the hydrogen storage alloy while preventing moisture and the like in the absorption cycle from adhering to the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a regenerator for heating an absorbing liquid containing a refrigerant to separate the refrigerant vapor from the absorbing liquid, and regenerating the refrigerant vapor separated by the regenerator. A condenser that cools and condenses, an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant condensed in the condenser under a low pressure and serves as a cooling source, and is provided side by side with the evaporator in an evaporation absorption case forming the evaporator, Forming an absorption cycle from an absorber for absorbing the refrigerant vapor evaporated by the evaporator into the absorbing liquid supplied from the regenerator and a pump for returning the absorbing liquid from the absorber to the regenerator; In an absorption refrigeration system equipped with a non-condensable gas bleeding device for extracting non-condensable gas inside and storing it in a non-condensable gas storage tank, the absorption refrigeration system communicates with the non-condensable gas storage tank or the storage tank. Non-condensable gas storage tank Within, it provided with a hydrogen gas adsorber consisting of hydrogen absorbing alloy, characterized in that juxtaposed electrical heater for heating the hydrogen storage alloy.

A second aspect of the present invention relates to the absorption refrigeration apparatus of the first aspect, further comprising a cooling / heating switching valve, wherein the high temperature absorbing liquid of the regenerator is supplied to the evaporator when the cooling / heating switching valve is opened. An air conditioner is provided which provides a liquid conduit, closes the cooling / heating switching valve, performs a cooling operation using the evaporator as a cooling source, opens the cooling / heating switching valve, and performs a heating operation using the evaporator as a heat source. And a heater control means for energizing the electric heater only during the cooling operation.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the absorption refrigerating apparatus of the second aspect, gas generation detecting means for detecting generation of hydrogen gas in the absorption cycle during cooling operation is provided, and the heater control means includes a gas generation detecting means. The electric heater is energized only when generation of hydrogen gas is detected by the means.

[0011]

According to the above construction, in the absorption refrigeration apparatus of the first aspect, when the absorption cycle is operated, the low-concentration absorption liquid is heated and boiled by using a heating means such as a burner in the regenerator. , Separating high concentration absorbent and refrigerant vapor,
The separated refrigerant vapor is cooled by the condenser and becomes a refrigerant liquid. In the evaporator, the refrigerant liquid evaporates by removing heat of vaporization from the cold and hot water, and the cold and hot water cooled by the evaporator circulates through a heat exchanger provided in the cooling target and becomes a cooling source in the cooling target. In the absorber, the high-concentration absorbent absorbs the refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator to become a low-concentration absorbent, and the absorbent, which has absorbed the refrigerant in the absorber and reduced in concentration, returns to the regenerator by the pump.

In the above operation, the absorbing solution causes a chemical reaction with the stainless steel and copper materials constituting the appliances such as the regenerator and the absorbing device, thereby generating hydrogen gas as a non-condensable gas which does not condense into the absorbing solution. However, most of them are accumulated in the evaporative absorption case which is at a low pressure during the operation of the absorption cycle. The non-condensable gas in the evaporative absorption case is extracted by the non-condensable gas extraction device and stored in the non-condensable gas storage tank, and is stored in the storage tank or the non-condensable gas storage connected to the non-condensable gas storage tank. It is stored in the hydrogen storage alloy of the hydrogen gas storage device provided in the tank.

Here, an electric heater is provided in parallel with the hydrogen storage alloy. In the absorption cycle under low pressure, even if the oxide film covers the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy, the electric heater heats the hydrogen storage alloy. Then, the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy rises and the oxide film covering the surface is decomposed and removed,
The surface of the pure hydrogen storage alloy is exposed. Further, when the temperature of the hydrogen storage alloy is increased by heating the hydrogen storage alloy by the electric heater, the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy is always maintained at a temperature higher than the dew condensation temperature of water. . Therefore, the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy is always kept dry and activated, so that hydrogen gas approaching the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy can be reliably stored.

As a result, the hydrogen gas storage performance of the hydrogen storage alloy can be secured. In addition, since heating is performed in a low-pressure absorption cycle, the oxide film on the surface is destroyed and activated, and therefore, it is not necessary to perform the initial activation treatment of the hydrogen storage alloy before assembling the hydrogen storage alloy. Good. Therefore, the initial activation treatment of the hydrogen storage alloy becomes unnecessary, and it is not necessary to maintain the surface state of the hydrogen storage alloy after the initial activation treatment, so that the handling and storage of the hydrogen storage alloy can be simplified,
Productivity is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an absorption-type refrigeration system for heating operation which has a cooling / heating switching valve and supplies the high-temperature absorbing liquid of the regenerator to the evaporator when the cooling / heating switching valve is opened. Thus, an air conditioner capable of performing a cooling operation using the evaporator as a cooling source by closing the cooling / heating switching valve and a heating operation using the evaporator as a heat source by opening the cooling / heating switching valve is configured. . In the absorption refrigeration system configured to perform cooling and heating in this manner, during cooling operation, the cooling capacity decreases when hydrogen gas is stored in the absorber, but hydrogen gas is generated during heating. However, the heated absorbing liquid is directly supplied from the regenerator into the evaporator, so that the heating operation performance is not significantly affected. In the second aspect, the electric heater provided in parallel with the hydrogen storage alloy is provided with heater control means for energizing the electric heater only in the cooling operation in which the generated non-condensable gas (hydrogen gas) affects the performance decrease. In addition, the power supplied to the electric heater during the heating operation can be suppressed, and power can be saved.

The configuration for energizing the electric heater only during the cooling operation includes, for example, a cooling water pump for transferring heat in the absorber to the cooling tower and a cooling fan for cooling the cooling water in the cooling tower. Since the drive circuit is driven only during the cooling operation and is not driven during the heating operation, incorporating a power supply circuit for the electric heater in these drive circuits simplifies the circuit configuration for supplying the electric heater and reduces the electric power. Since there is no need to newly construct a control configuration for the heater, an inexpensive device can be provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided gas generation detecting means for detecting the generation of hydrogen gas in the absorption cycle during the cooling operation, and the electric heater is provided only when the generation of hydrogen gas is detected by the gas generation detecting means. Is turned on. Since the electric heaters arranged in parallel with the hydrogen storage alloy consume a relatively large amount of electric power, it is desirable not to energize even during the cooling operation when there is no need to store hydrogen gas. If power is supplied only when the generation of hydrogen gas is detected, the power consumption of the electric heater can be suppressed.

Means for detecting the generation of hydrogen gas include:
In order to detect the generation of hydrogen gas indirectly from the deterioration of the cooling operation, for example, the temperature of the evaporator or the temperature of the heat medium cooled by the evaporator (for example, cold water) is detected, and this temperature is detected. If the temperature is high, it is assumed that the cooling capacity has decreased due to the generation of hydrogen gas, and the electric heater is energized.If the temperature is low, the generation of hydrogen gas is small and sufficient cooling capacity is secured. It is considered that the electric power is supplied to the electric heater so that the electric heater is not continuously energized to save power.

When the hydrogen gas is generated, the pressure in the evaporative absorption case increases. Therefore, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the evaporative absorption case is provided, and the electric heater is energized based on the detected pressure. Alternatively, the electric heater may be energized by directly detecting the generated hydrogen gas by providing a hydrogen sensor.

[0020]

FIG. 1 shows an absorption air conditioner as an absorption refrigeration system of the present invention. The absorption air conditioner includes an outdoor unit 100 and an indoor unit RU.
It comprises a refrigerator main body 101 and a cooling tower (cooling tower) CT. The air conditioner is controlled by the control device 102.

The refrigerator main body 101 is formed mainly of stainless steel and forms an absorption cycle of a refrigerant and an aqueous solution of lithium bromide as an absorbing liquid. The high-temperature regenerator provided with a gas burner B as a heating source below. 1 and a low-effect regenerator 2 arranged so as to cover the outside of the high-temperature regenerator 1, and an absorption element double arranged toward the outer periphery of the low-temperature regenerator 2. The condenser 3 and the evaporator 4 are connected to the condenser 5 disposed above the absorber 3 and the evaporator 4 on the outer periphery of the low-temperature regenerator 2 through several flow paths. Note that the absorbing solution contains an inhibitor for suppressing corrosion due to the reaction between stainless steel and lithium bromide.

The high-temperature regenerator 1 is provided above the heating tank 11 heated by the gas burner B with a medium-concentration absorbent separating cylinder 1.
2, a vertical cylindrical airtight refrigerant recovery tank 10 is provided so as to cover the outer periphery of the medium-concentration absorbing liquid separation tube 12 from above.

On the lower side of the middle concentration liquid separating cylinder 12,
An absorbent partitioning vessel 13 arranged at a distance from the inner wall of the medium-concentration absorbent separation tube 12 is provided with several upper edge portions joined to the inside of the medium-concentration absorbent separation tube 12,
Between the medium-concentration absorbing liquid separating cylinder 12 and the absorbing liquid partitioning container 13, an absorbing liquid rising flow path 14 in which the absorbing liquid heated in the heating tank 11 rises is formed.

Absorbent liquid return plate 15 for returning the medium-concentration absorbent rising in absorption-liquid ascending passage 14 is provided in medium-concentration absorbent separation cylinder 12 above absorbent-liquid partition vessel 13. The above-described medium-concentration absorbent separating cylinder 12 is composed of two members, an upper member located above the absorbent returning plate 15 and a lower member located below the absorbing liquid returning plate 15. On the other hand, they are joined by welding.

At the side of the absorbing liquid partitioning vessel 13, the medium-concentration absorbing liquid from which the refrigerant has been separated and made highly concentrated is supplied to the low-temperature regenerator 2.
An inlet of the medium-concentration absorbent flow path L1 for supplying to the evaporator 4 is provided at the bottom of the absorbent-liquid partition container 13 for supplying the heated absorbent to the evaporator 4 during the heating operation. The inlet of the heating absorbent flow path L4 is open.

Inside the lower part of the refrigerant recovery tank 10, a refrigerant partitioning tube 17 for forming a heat insulating gap 17 a between itself and the middle concentration absorbing liquid separation tube 12 is provided.
Is joined to. Thereby, the medium concentration absorbing liquid separating cylinder 1
2, the heat in the refrigerant circuit tank 10 is cut off.
It is not heated by the high-temperature absorbing liquid in the absorbing liquid rising channel 14. In the refrigerant recovery tank 10 outside the refrigerant partition tube 17, a refrigerant storage unit 10 in which the separated refrigerant is stored.
a, and an inlet of a refrigerant flow path L5 communicating with the condenser 5 is opened in the refrigerant storage section 10a.

With the above configuration, in the high-temperature regenerator 1, the low-concentration absorbing liquid contained in the heating tank 11 is heated by the gas burner B to evaporate water in the low-concentration absorbing liquid to form refrigerant vapor (steam). ) As the medium-concentration absorption liquid separation cylinder 12
And the medium-concentration absorbent concentrated by evaporation of the refrigerant vapor is returned to the absorption liquid partitioning vessel 13 inside the medium-concentration liquid separation cylinder 12, and the low-temperature regenerator 2 is supplied through the medium-concentration absorption liquid flow path L1. Supply to Further, the separated refrigerant vapor is recovered in the refrigerant recovery tank 10, and the refrigerant vapor is transferred to the condenser 5 by the refrigerant flow path L5.
Supply to

The low-temperature regenerator 2 is a vertical cylindrical low-temperature regenerator case 2 installed eccentrically on the outer periphery of the refrigerant recovery tank 10.
0, a refrigerant vapor outlet 21 is provided around the ceiling of the low-temperature regenerator case 20. Low temperature regenerator case 20
The top of the ceiling is connected to the inside of the absorption liquid partitioning vessel 13 in the medium concentration absorption liquid separation tube 12 via the heat exchanger H by the medium concentration absorption liquid flow path L1.

An orifice (not shown) for restricting the flow rate of the medium-concentration absorbing liquid flowing from the absorbing liquid partitioning vessel 13 to the low-temperature regenerator 2 is provided in the medium-concentration absorbing liquid passage L1. The medium-concentration absorbing liquid is supplied into the container case 20 by a pressure difference from the medium-concentration absorbing liquid separating cylinder 12.
(Approximately 70 mmHg in the low-temperature regenerator case 20 and approximately 700 mmHg in the medium-concentration absorbent separation tube 12)

Thus, the low-temperature regenerator 2 reheats the medium-concentration absorbent supplied into the low-temperature regenerator case 20 by using the outer wall of the refrigerant recovery tank 10 as a heat source, and the medium-concentration absorbent is supplied to the low-temperature regenerator case. The refrigerant vapor and the high-concentration absorbent are separated by the gas-liquid separation section 22 above the high-absorption liquid 20, and the high-concentration absorbent is stored in the high-concentration absorbent reception section 23. At the bottom of the high-concentration absorbent receiving section 23, an inlet of a high-concentration absorbent flow path L2 communicating with the absorber 3 is opened.

On the outer periphery of the low-temperature regenerator case 20, a vertical cylindrical airtight evaporating / absorbing case 30 is concentrically disposed at a lower portion, and a condenser case 50 is concentrically disposed at an upper portion. , The low-temperature regenerator case 20 and the evaporating / absorbing case 30 are integrally welded to the bottom plate 18, and the inner end of the bottom plate 18 is welded to the outer peripheral surface of the lower member of the middle-concentration absorbent separation cylinder 12. , The refrigerator main body 101 is formed. The low-temperature regenerator case 20 is connected to the refrigerant vapor outlet 2
1 and the inside of the condenser case 50 via the gap 5A.

The absorber 3 is provided with an absorption coil 31 which is wound in a vertical cylindrical shape inside an evaporating / absorbing case 30 and through which cooling water for exhaust heat flows, and above the absorption coil 31. A high-concentration absorbent spraying device 32 for dispersing the high-concentration absorbent to the absorption coil 31 is provided.

The high-concentration absorbent sprayer 32 is supplied with a high-concentration liquid supplied from the opening of the high-concentration liquid flow path L2 connected to the high-concentration liquid receiver 23 of the low-temperature regenerator 2 via the heat exchanger H. The concentration absorbing liquid is received and sprayed, and the cooling water for exhaust heat cooled by the cooling tower CT circulates in the absorbing coil 31 during the cooling operation.

In the absorber 3, the high-concentration absorbent flows in from the high-concentration absorbent flow path L 2 due to the pressure difference, and the high-concentration absorbent flowing in is absorbed by the high-concentration absorbent dispersion device 32 into the absorption coil 31.
And adheres to the surface of the absorption coil 31 to form a thin film, flows downward by the action of gravity, and absorbs the refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator 4 to become a low-concentration absorption liquid. When absorbing the refrigerant vapor, heat is generated on the surface of the absorption coil 31, but is cooled by the cooling water for exhaust heat circulating through the absorption coil 31. The water vapor absorbed by the absorbing liquid is generated as refrigerant vapor in the evaporator 4 described later.

The bottom 33 of the absorber 3 is connected to the bottom of the heating tank 11 via a heat exchanger H and a low-concentration absorbent flow path L3 in which the absorbent pump P1 is mounted. The low-concentration absorbent in the absorber 3 is supplied into the heating tank 11 via the heat exchanger H.

An ejector 60 is provided inside the absorber 3 as a bleeding device for sucking non-condensable gas (hydrogen gas) generated in the absorption cycle. The ejector 60 is provided with a suction conduit 62 having a smaller diameter than the suction port 61 on an extension of the suction port 61 opened in the absorber 3, and a low-concentration absorption liquid on the discharge side of the absorption liquid pump P 1 inside the suction port 61. An absorption liquid discharge pipe 63 communicating with the flow path L3 is provided, and when the absorption liquid is discharged from the end of the absorption liquid discharge pipe 63 toward the suction port 61 by the discharge pressure of the absorption liquid pump P1, the suction port 61 is provided. And a gas component such as a refrigerant vapor and a non-condensable gas between the suction pipe and the suction pipe are sucked and mixed into the absorbing liquid by a so-called ejector effect.

The suction conduit 6 extended from the ejector 60
Reference numeral 2 denotes a gas-liquid separation tube 6 formed of a substantially J-shaped (or substantially U-shaped) valley tubular body provided in communication with the bottom 33 of the absorber 3.
4 and constitutes a gas-liquid separator together with the gas-liquid separation tube 64. The gas-liquid separation tube 64 has a substantially J-shaped (or substantially U-shaped) shape like the gas-liquid separation tube 64. Valley 6 inside
It opens upward at the position after 5. A non-condensable gas storage 70 is connected to and connected to the end of the gas-liquid separation tube 64 which is the end of the gas-liquid separator.

The non-condensable gas storage 70 includes a sub-tank 71 formed integrally with the gas-liquid separation pipe 64 through a trough 65 and a gas storage valve 72 comprising an electromagnetic valve at the upper end of the sub-tank 71. And a main tank unit 73 provided in communication with the main tank unit 73 through the tank.

With the above configuration, the ejector 60 and the non-condensable gas storage 70 are provided with the absorbing liquid discharged from the absorbing liquid discharge pipe 63 of the ejector 60 toward the suction port 61 during the operation of the absorbing liquid pump P1. , The vapor refrigerant and the non-condensable gas in the absorber 3 are sucked from the suction port 61 of the ejector 60 and the suction pipe 62
When the inside is mixed with the absorbing liquid, it is led to the gas-liquid separating pipe 64, where the non-condensable gas is separated from the absorbing liquid by the gas-liquid separating pipe 64, and when the gas storage valve 72 is closed, the sub-tank is closed. Store in section 71. When the gas storage valve 72 is open, the non-condensable gas in the sub tank 71 is
The gas is moved and stored in the main tank 73 through the gas storage valve 72. The sucked vapor refrigerant is supplied to the suction conduit 62.
The non-condensable gas is mainly separated as a gas from the gas-liquid separation tube 64 by being absorbed by the absorbing liquid.

Further, above the main tank 73,
As shown in FIG. 2, a hydrogen storage device 80 for storing hydrogen gas of the non-condensable gas stored in the main tank portion 73 in a small volume and the non-condensable gas stored in the main tank portion 73 are provided. A connection mechanism 90 for connecting various devices for discharging the outside of the main tank portion 73 is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the hydrogen storage device 80 is connected to a main portion of the non-condensable gas storage device 70 via an L-shaped pipe 81 extending upwardly above the main tank portion 73. A plurality of annular hydrogen storage alloys 83 are accommodated in a cylindrical storage casing 82 provided in communication with the tank 73.
Is arranged. An insertion hole 85 for inserting a ceramic heater 84 for heating the hydrogen storage alloy 83 is formed in the center of the hydrogen storage 80.

When the ceramic heater 84 is inserted into the insertion hole 85, as shown in FIG. 5, the ceramic heater 84 is fixed so as not to fall off by a stopper 87 which is fitted into an annular groove 86 formed outside the entrance of the insertion hole 85. Is done.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the connection mechanism 90, the end of the connection pipe 91 connected to the main tank portion 73 is disposed inside the casing 92, and the outside of the end is formed in a mountain shape. . In the casing 92, a sealing member 93 having a concave portion for sealing with a metal touch is disposed from the outside of the mountain-shaped end, and a substantially spherical head of the sealing member 93 is opened and closed. Screw 94. By the rotation of the opening / closing screw 94 on the tightening side, the sealing member 93 seals the end of the connection pipe 91 from the outside to ensure airtightness. In the reverse rotation, the end of the connection pipe 91 is opened, and communication with the connection connection pipe 95 connected to the side of the casing 92 near the end of the connection pipe 91 is enabled.

The connecting pipe 95 is a connecting pipe for connecting a vacuum pump for sucking the non-condensable gas in the non-condensable gas storage 70 when performing maintenance of the absorption type air conditioner. Usually, it is closed by a sealing screw 96 for closing.

The evaporator 4 is provided on the outer periphery of a vertical cylindrical partition wall 40 provided with a plurality of communication ports (not shown) provided on the outer periphery of the absorption coil 31 in the evaporator / absorber case 30. A vertical cylindrical evaporating coil 41 through which cold and hot water flows is provided, and a refrigerant liquid sprayer 42 is attached above the evaporating coil 41. The bottom 43 of the evaporator 4 communicates with the absorbent partitioning vessel 13 inside the medium-concentration absorbent separation cylinder 12 by a heating absorbent flow path L4 having a cooling / heating switching valve 6 composed of an electromagnetic valve.

In the evaporator 4, when the refrigerant liquid is dropped on the evaporating coil 41 from the refrigerant liquid sprayer 42 during the cooling operation,
The dropped refrigerant liquid wets the surface of the evaporating coil 41 by surface tension to form a film, and the evaporating liquid having a low pressure (for example, 6.5 mmHg) descends downward by the action of gravity.
The vaporization heat is taken from the evaporator coil 41 in the absorption case 30 to evaporate, and the air-conditioning cold / hot water flowing in the evaporator coil 41 is cooled.

The condenser 5 is provided with a cooling coil 51 in which cooling water for exhaust heat cooled by the cooling tower CT circulates inside a condenser case 50. Condenser case 50
Is an orifice (not shown) for restricting the refrigerant flow rate
Is connected to the refrigerant storage portion 10a of the refrigerant recovery tank 10 through the refrigerant flow path L5 provided with the refrigerant vapor outlet 2
1 and the low-temperature regenerator 2 through the gap 5A, and each has a pressure difference (about 70 mmH in the condenser case).
g) supplies the refrigerant.

In the condenser 5, the refrigerant vapor supplied to the condenser case 50 is cooled by the cooling coil 51 and liquefied. The lower part of the condenser 5 and the refrigerant liquid disperser 42 disposed above the evaporator coil 41 of the evaporator 4 are connected to the refrigerant liquid supply path L
It communicates with 6. The liquefied refrigerant liquid is supplied to the refrigerant liquid supply passage L
6 and to the refrigerant liquid dispersing tool 42 via the refrigerant cooler 52.

With the above configuration, the absorbing liquid is supplied from the high-temperature regenerator 1 → the medium-concentration absorbing liquid channel L1 → the low-temperature regenerator 2 → the high-concentration absorbing liquid channel L2 → the absorber 3 → the absorbing liquid pump P1 → low-concentration absorbing The liquid circulates in the order of the liquid flow path L3 and the high temperature regenerator 1. The refrigerant is a high-temperature regenerator 1 (refrigerant vapor) → refrigerant flow path L5 (refrigerant vapor) or a low-temperature regenerator 2 (refrigerant vapor) → condenser 5 (refrigerant liquid) → refrigerant supply path L6 (refrigerant liquid) → refrigerant Cooler 52 (refrigerant liquid) → refrigerant liquid sprayer 42 (refrigerant liquid) → evaporator 4 (refrigerant vapor) → absorber 3 (absorbent liquid) → absorbent pump P1 → low concentration absorbent liquid flow path L3 → high temperature regenerator Circulate in the order of 1.

The absorption coil 31 of the absorber 3 which exchanges heat with the absorption liquid and the cooling coil 51 of the condenser 5 are connected to form a continuous coil. The cooling water circulation path is formed by being connected to the CT. In this cooling water circuit, the absorption coil 3
A cooling water pump P2 for sending cooling water into the continuous coil is provided in a cooling water flow path 34 between the inlet of the cooling tower CT and the cooling tower CT.
The cooling water which passes through the continuous coil by the operation of the cooling water pump P2 absorbs the heat of absorption by the absorption coil 31 and the heat of condensation by the cooling coil 51, and becomes relatively high in temperature. Supplied to CT.

With the above configuration, during the cooling operation, the cooling water in the cooling tower CT is operated by the operation of the cooling water pump P2 so that the cooling tower CT → the cooling water pump P2 → the absorption coil 31 → the cooling coil 51 → the cooling tower CT. Circulate. In the cooling tower CT, self-cooling is performed in which the falling cooling water is partially evaporated into the atmosphere to cool the remaining cooling water.
An exhaust heat cycle is formed in which the heat is released into the atmosphere to lower the temperature. Note that the evaporation from water is promoted by blowing air from the cooling fan S.

The indoor unit R is provided in the evaporator coil 41 of the evaporator 4.
The air-conditioning heat exchanger 44 provided in U is connected by a cold / hot water flow path 47, and the cold / hot water pump P3 is connected to the cold / hot water flow path 47.
Is provided. With the above configuration, the evaporating coil 41
The low temperature hot and cold water circulates in the order of the evaporating coil 41 → the cold and hot water channel 47 → the air conditioning heat exchanger 44 → the cold and hot water channel 47 → the cold and hot water pump P3 → the evaporating coil 41.

The indoor unit RU is provided with an air-conditioning heat exchanger 44.
A blower 46 is provided to allow room air to pass through and blow out the room again.

The heating absorption liquid flow path L4 and the cooling / heating switching valve 6 are provided for heating operation. During the heating operation, the cooling / heating switching valve 6 is opened to operate the absorption liquid pump P1. Thereby, the high-temperature medium-concentration absorbing liquid in the medium-concentration absorbing liquid separation cylinder 12 flows into the evaporator 4 from the bottom 43 of the evaporator 4, and the cold / hot water in the evaporating coil 41 is heated and heated. The cold and hot water in the evaporating coil 41 is supplied from the cold and hot water channel 47 to the air conditioning heat exchanger 44 by the operation of the cold and hot water pump P3, and becomes a heat source for heating. The medium-concentration absorbent in the evaporator 4 enters the absorber 3 through the communication port of the partition plate 40, and is returned to the heating tank 11 by the absorbent pump P1 via the low-concentration absorbent flow path L3.

Next, in the outdoor unit 100 having the above configuration, the control device 102 for the gas storage valve 72 and the ceramic heater 84 provided between the ejector 60 and the non-condensable gas storage 70 in the absorber 3. Will be described together with the operation of the absorption air conditioner.
In the above configuration, the absorbent pump P1 and the cold / hot water pump P3 form a tandem pump driven by the same motor, and the absorbent pump P1 and the cold / hot water pump P3 always rotate in the same manner.

First, the cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. When an instruction to start the cooling operation is issued (Step 1)
0, YES), the gas burner B is ignited, the driving of the absorbent pump P1 and the cold / hot water pump P3 is started, the cooling water pump P2 is driven, and the ceramic heater 84 is turned on.
Are simultaneously started (step 11).

In the high-temperature regenerator 1, the absorbing liquid in the heating tank 11 is heated, and the absorbing liquid and the refrigerant start circulating in the absorption cycle. In the initial stage of the operation, the pressure in the evaporation / absorption case 30 is not sufficiently reduced, so that the pressure in the evaporation / absorption case 30 is higher than the pressure in the main tank 73 of the non-condensable gas storage 70. In this case, if the gas storage valve 72 is opened in such a case, the absorbing liquid may be pushed into the main tank 73. Therefore, here, the gas storage valve 72 is still closed.

The temperature of the absorbing solution heated in the heating tank 11 gradually increases, and the temperature of the absorbing solution in the high-temperature regenerator 1 becomes 130
If the temperature of the refrigerant liquid in the evaporator 4 becomes 15 ° C. or lower (YES in Step 12), the control for opening and closing the gas storage valve 72 is started (Step 13). At this time, the operation of the absorption cycle is stabilized by the absorbing liquid and the refrigerant circulating in the absorption cycle, and the pressure in the absorber 3 is lower than the pressure in the main tank portion 73. Does not enter the main tank 73 even if the valve is opened.

In the absorption cycle, the cold / hot water cooled in the evaporator coil 41 of the evaporator 4 is supplied to the air conditioning heat exchanger 44, and the indoor unit RU cools the room by the blower 46. During this cooling operation, the non-condensable gas generated in the absorption cycle is extracted by the ejector 60,
While the gas storage valve 72 is closed, the gas is stored in the sub tank 71, and when the gas storage valve 72 is opened, the non-condensable gas in the sub tank 71 moves to the main tank 73 and is stored. You.

The opening / closing control of the gas storage valve 72 is such that the gas storage valve 72 is opened for 10 minutes by energization, and the energization is stopped for 50 minutes thereafter, and this operation is repeated during the cooling operation. . Thus, the reason why the energization time of the gas storage valve 72 is limited to a shorter time than the non-energization time is as follows.
This is because, if the gas storage valve 72 is energized for a long time, the absorption liquid near the gas storage valve 72 may crystallize due to heat generated by the energization. In the present embodiment, by setting the energization time to 10 minutes and the energization stop time to 50 minutes, heat generation during energization can be sufficiently suppressed during the stoppage of energization, so that the absorption liquid does not crystallize.

On the other hand, the hydrogen gas stored in the main tank 73 is stored in the hydrogen storage alloy 83 of the hydrogen storage 80 via the L-shaped tube 81. Here, the hydrogen storage alloy 83
Since is heated by the ceramic heater 84, its surface is always activated, so that the hydrogen gas flowing into the storage casing 82 can be reliably stored.

When the stop of the cooling operation is instructed (YES in step 14), the combustion of gas burner B is stopped,
The energization of the gas storage valve 72 is stopped and the valve is closed. At this time,
Thereafter, in order to prevent crystallization in the absorption cycle, the absorption liquid pump P1, the cold / hot water pump P3, and the cooling water pump P2 are continuously operated for a predetermined time, and thereafter, they are stopped ( Step 15) At the same time, the energization of the ceramic heater 84 is stopped, and the cooling operation ends. As described above, during the cooling operation, the gas storage valve 72 is closed until the inside of the absorption cycle is stabilized. After the gas storage valve is stabilized, the gas storage valve 72 is opened and closed at a constant cycle. Thereby, when the gas storage valve 72 is opened, the non-condensable gas can be trapped in the main tank portion 73, and the crystallization of the absorbing liquid due to the heat generated by the energization of the gas storage valve 72 can be prevented. Can be.

The absorption liquid pump P1 and the cold / hot water pump P3
During the cooling operation, the rotation speed is controlled to be in proportion to the temperature of the absorbent in the heating tank 11 of the high-temperature regenerator 1, but the cooling water pump P2 is not controlled in rotation speed, and only the presence or absence of driving is controlled. , Rotate at a constant speed. So, for example,
In order to synchronize the power supply of the ceramic heater 84 with the drive of the cooling water pump P2, if the power supply circuit of the ceramic heater 84 is constituted by the same power supply circuit as the drive circuit of the cooling water pump P2, the circuit configuration is simplified. In addition to this, it is not necessary to newly provide a control configuration for energizing the ceramic heater 84. Therefore, it is possible to provide an inexpensive device that reliably absorbs hydrogen gas during the cooling operation.

Next, the heating operation will be described with reference to FIG. In the heating operation, when an instruction to start the heating operation is issued (YES in step 20), predetermined heating operation control is performed (step 21). In the heating operation control, the cooling / heating switching valve 6 is opened, the gas burner B is burned, and the absorbent pump P1 and the cold / hot water pump P3 are driven. During this heating operation, the gas storage valve 72 is normally closed. As a result, the heated absorbing liquid is supplied from the high-temperature regenerator 1 to the evaporator 4, and the cold and hot water circulating in the evaporating coil 41 is heated, and the indoor unit RU heats the room by the air-conditioning heat exchanger 44. . The non-condensable gas generated during the heating operation is stored in the sub tank 71.

As described above, during the heating operation, the gas storage valve 7
Since the valve 2 is normally closed, it is possible to prevent the absorbing liquid from entering the main tank portion 73 due to the pressure difference between the evaporating / absorbing case 30 and the non-condensable gas storage 70 which becomes high during the heating operation. The problem that the amount of circulation of the absorbent during the cycle is insufficient during the heating operation does not occur. Therefore, the height difference between the evaporating / absorbing case 30 and the main tank portion 73 does not have to be large in order to prevent the absorption liquid from flowing into the main tank portion 73, so that the absorption type air conditioner can be downsized. it can.

When the heating operation stop is instructed (step 2)
(YES in 2), the above-described heating operation control is completed, the gas burner B is extinguished, and the absorbent pump P1 is continuously operated for a predetermined time and then stopped. After the above heating operation is completed, the temperature of the absorbent in the high-temperature regenerator 1 gradually decreases with the extinguishing of the gas burner B, and when the temperature falls to 30 ° C. or lower (YES in step 23), the evaporation When it is determined that the pressure in the absorption case 30 has been sufficiently reduced, the opening / closing control of the gas storage valve 72 is started (step 24). Here, energization for 10 minutes and stop of energization for 50 minutes are repeated twice. As a result, the non-condensable gas generated during the heating operation can be stored in the main tank unit 73, and the absorbing liquid that has entered the main tank unit 73 due to leakage of the gas storage valve 72 during the heating operation. Can be returned into the absorber 3. The reason why the opening and closing control of the gas storage valve 72 is repeated twice is that the action of returning the absorbing liquid that has entered due to the leakage is slow due to the head difference and takes 10 minutes or more. In order to prevent crystallization due to heat generation due to the energization of the valve 72, the energization time for 10 minutes is a limit. This is for securing 20 minutes by repeating the process twice.

In the heating operation described above, the cooling water pump P2 is not driven, and the ceramic heater 84, which is configured to synchronize with the driving of the cooling water pump P2, is not energized during the heating operation. Therefore, during the heating operation, a water film may be formed on the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy 83 of the hydrogen storage device 80, so that the hydrogen gas may not be stored smoothly. However, in the heating operation, the absorption liquid heated by the high-temperature regenerator 1 is supplied to the evaporator 4, and the heat of the absorption liquid heats the cold / hot water in the evaporation coil 41, so that the heating efficiency may decrease. There is no hindrance to the heating operation. Therefore, during the heating operation, the ceramic heater 8
The amount of power consumption can be reduced by the amount of time when the power supply of No. 4 is not performed.

As described above, according to the present invention, the non-condensable gas generated in the absorption cycle is sucked by the ejector 60 in the absorber 3 and stored in the non-condensable gas storage 70. Furthermore, the hydrogen gas in the non-condensable gas storage 70 is stored in the hydrogen storage alloy 83 in the hydrogen storage 80. The hydrogen storage alloy 83 is provided with a ceramic heater 84 that is energized during the cooling operation. Because
The surface is always activated, and hydrogen gas can be reliably absorbed. Therefore, during the cooling operation, the cooling capacity does not decrease due to the non-condensable gas in the evaporation / absorption case 30.

In the above-described embodiment, the energization control of the ceramic heater 84 is performed by utilizing the difference in the drive state of the cooling water pump P2 between the cooling operation and the heating operation. The drive circuit of the cooling fan S of the cooling tower CT may be used to configure an energization circuit of the ceramic heater 84 in synchronization with the cooling operation.

FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment. In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the hydrogen storage alloy 80 is not provided separately from the main tank 73, and the hydrogen storage alloy 83 is disposed inside the main tank 73 of the non-condensable gas storage 70. are doing.
Here, too, a ceramic heater 84 is inserted into the center of the hydrogen storage alloy 83.

Next, another embodiment relating to energization control of the ceramic heater 84 will be described with reference to FIG. The electric power to be supplied to the ceramic heater 84 may be suppressed only when the hydrogen gas is generated and the hydrogen storage alloy 83 needs to store the hydrogen gas even during the cooling operation. Therefore, in this embodiment, after starting the cooling operation (YES in step 30), the apparatus waits for one hour (NO in step 31), and waits for 1 hour.
When the time has elapsed (YES in step 31),
The temperature inside the evaporator 4 is detected, and if the temperature is equal to or higher than 8 ° C. (YES in step 32), the ceramic heater 84 is energized (step 33) until the temperature becomes 8 ° C. or lower (step 34). NO), continue,
When the temperature falls below 8 ° C. (YES in step 34), the energization of ceramic heater 84 is terminated (step 35). Thereafter, the process is repeated until the cooling operation is completed (step 36).
The activation of the surface of the hydrogen storage alloy 83 is ensured only when the pressure in the evaporator 4 decreases due to the increase in the pressure in the evaporator 4 due to the decrease in the cooling capacity.

Even when the temperature in the evaporator 4 is 8 ° C. or less, a minimum time (for example, a minimum time) (for example, for storing hydrogen gas remaining in the main tank portion 73 of the non-condensable gas storage 70). (1 to 2 hours). As a result, during the cooling operation, the ceramic heater 8 continues.
4 is not energized, and power saving can be achieved.

In the above embodiment, the hydrogen storage unit 80 is fixed to the non-condensable gas storage unit 70. However, the hydrogen storage unit 80 may be detachably provided to the non-condensable gas storage unit 70. In that case, for example, the attachment / detachment may be performed by the connection mechanism 90. In the above embodiment, the ejector 60 is provided as a structure for separating the non-condensable gas generated in the absorption cycle.
Was used, but a siphon container may be used instead of the ejector 60. In the above embodiment, the ceramic heater 8
4, but a sheathed heater may be used. As means for detecting the generation of hydrogen gas, the evaporating coil 41
May be detected, and when the detected temperature increases and the cooling capacity decreases, the electric heater may be turned on.

In each of the above embodiments, the cooling tower CT of the cooling water flow path 34 is of the open type in which a part of the cooling water is evaporated and the cooling water is self-cooled. A water cooling device in which a closed circuit in which water is not opened to the atmosphere may be formed. In the above embodiment, only the air conditioning heat exchanger 44 is provided in the indoor unit RU. However, in order to perform the dehumidifying operation without lowering the indoor temperature, the air once cooled by the air conditioning heat exchanger 44 is heated. The heating heat exchanger may be provided in parallel with the air conditioning heat exchanger 44. Further, an absorption type air conditioner that performs floor heating may be used. In addition, not only a double effect but a single effect may be sufficient. The heating source may be an electric heater or an oil burner other than the gas burner.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an absorption type air conditioner as an absorption type air conditioner of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a non-condensable gas storage in the absorption air conditioner.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a hydrogen storage device of the non-condensable gas storage device;
(A) is a sectional view, and (b) is a plan view.

FIG. 4 is an assembly diagram for explaining an assembly structure of a storage casing of a hydrogen storage of the non-condensable gas storage and a ceramic heater.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a hydrogen storage device of the non-condensable gas storage device.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a connection mechanism of the non-condensable gas storage;
(A) is a sectional view, and (b) is a plan view.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation of a cooling operation of the absorption air conditioner.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a control operation of a heating operation of the absorption air conditioner.

FIG. 9 is a front sectional view of a non-condensable gas storage device showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining another embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 High temperature regenerator (regenerator) 2 Low temperature regenerator (regenerator) 3 Absorber 4 Evaporator 5 Condenser 6 Cooling / heating switching valve 60 Ejector (non-condensable gas extraction device) 73 Main tank part (non-condensable gas storage tank) ) 80 hydrogen storage device (hydrogen gas storage device) 82 storage case (storage tank) 84 ceramic heater (electric heater) 100 outdoor unit (absorption refrigeration device) 102 control device (heater control means) L4 heating absorbent flow path (Absorbent pipe for heating operation) P1 Absorbent pump (pump)

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor, Adult Katagiri, 2-26, Fukuzumi-cho, Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture Inside Rinnai Corporation (72) Mikio Shimizu, 2-26, Fukuzumi-cho, Nakagawa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan Inside Linnai Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yasunari Furukawa 4-1-2 Hirano-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A regenerator that heats an absorbent containing a refrigerant to separate refrigerant vapor from the absorbent, a condenser that cools and condenses the refrigerant vapor separated by the regenerator, An evaporator that evaporates the condensed refrigerant under a low pressure and serves as a cooling source; and an evaporator that is disposed in parallel with the evaporator in an evaporative absorption case that forms the evaporator and evaporates the refrigerant vapor evaporated by the evaporator from the regenerator. An absorption cycle is formed by an absorber for absorbing the supplied absorption liquid, and a pump for returning the absorption liquid from the absorber to the regenerator, and extracting the non-condensable gas in the evaporative absorption case to obtain a non-condensable gas. An absorption refrigeration system including a non-condensable gas bleeding device for storing in a gas storage tank, wherein a hydrogen storage alloy is formed in a storage tank connected to the non-condensable gas storage tank or in the non-condensable gas storage tank. Hydrogen gas Provided with a built instrument, absorption type refrigerating apparatus characterized by juxtaposed electrical heater for heating the hydrogen storage alloy. 2. The absorption-type refrigeration system according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling / heating switching valve for supplying a high-temperature absorbing solution of the regenerator to the evaporator when the cooling / heating switching valve is opened. An air conditioner that closes the cooling / heating switching valve to perform a cooling operation using the evaporator as a cooling source, opens the cooling / heating switching valve, and performs a heating operation using the evaporator as a heat source, An absorption refrigeration apparatus, further comprising heater control means for energizing the electric heater only during the cooling operation. 3. The absorption refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising gas generation detection means for detecting generation of hydrogen gas in said absorption cycle during cooling operation, wherein said heater control means controls said hydrogen generation by said gas generation detection means. An absorption refrigeration system, wherein the electric heater is energized only when gas generation is detected.