JPH04320740A - Ice heat accumulating tank - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce the consumption of electric power for cooling in the daytime by a method wherein a heat exchanger in an ice heat accumulating tank is constituted of a vessel whose upper surface is flat and a linear heat-generating member disposed around the side part of the vessel, and ice blocks are made efficiently by utilizing electric power available at midnight to use them as a cold heat source. CONSTITUTION:A heat exchanger 5 disposed in a tank 20 into which water is supplied is constituted of a heat-exchanging pipeline 22 and a heat exchanger 23, and the heat exchanger 23 consists of a bag-shaped vessel 25 made of copper, which is placed on the bottom of the tank 20 and occupies the major part of the bottom area thereof, and a heat-generating cord 27 mounted on the side peripheral face 26 of the vessel 25. Electric power available at midnight is utilized to repeat an ice-making process of forming ice blocks on the upper surface of the vessel 25 and an ice block separating process by means of the heat-generating cord 27, and by circulating water with a pump 33, the disc-shaped ice blocks are stored in the tank 20 to use them as a cold heat source. Accordingly, the cold heat source can be obtained in a short period of time, and electric energy to be consumed for cooling can be saved by using the cold heat source for cooling in the daytime.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an ice heat storage tank that can be used as a cooling heat source in a heat pump system.
A heat exchanger is disposed inside a tank supplied with water, ice is made by reversible circulation of a heat medium to the heat exchanger, and ice is stored as a cold heat source inside the tank.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art Air conditioning systems using heat pumps have become widely used as systems equipped with various functions such as heating, cooling, and dehumidification, and are becoming indispensable equipment in modern residential equipment.

[0003] A specific configuration of a general air conditioning system includes a compressor that reversibly circulates a heat medium between a heat exchanger installed outdoors and a heat exchanger installed indoors. Indoor air is heated or cooled by operating an indoor heat exchanger as a radiator or heat absorber.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, the air conditioning system using the heat pump described above also has some points to be improved.

[0005] That is, during the daytime in summer, the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger installed outdoors decreases as the outside air temperature rises, and as a result, a large amount of electric power is required to maintain indoor comfort. The current situation was that it had to be consumed to operate the air conditioning system.

[0006] Therefore, conventional air conditioning systems using heat pumps have problems in terms of energy saving, ie, power consumption.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and by efficiently producing and storing ice inside the tank using late-night electricity, it can be used as a cold heat source during the day for cooling with low power consumption. The purpose is to provide an ice heat storage tank.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The ice heat storage tank according to the present invention has a heat exchanger disposed inside the tank, and operates the heat exchanger to radiate heat by reversibly circulating a heat medium to the heat exchanger. Alternatively, an ice heat storage tank is used to make ice through endothermic operation and store ice inside the tank, and the heat exchanger is composed of a container with a flat top surface, and there is a wall around the sides of the container. It is characterized in that a linear heating element is provided.

[0009]

[Function] According to the ice heat storage tank of the present invention, the heat exchanger disposed inside the tank that supplies water is composed of a container with a flat top surface, so when ice is made, heat is exchanged. As the container acts as a heat absorber, the liquid heat medium passing through the container becomes a gaseous refrigerant and absorbs heat, and ice is formed on the surface of the container in a short time.

Furthermore, since the linear heating element is arranged around the side of the container, when ice is made, the ice formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the container is heated by the linear heating element, and the ice is heated by the linear heating element. The lower part is formed separately, and when the ice is peeled off from the container, the ice formed on the upper surface of the container is easily peeled off and floats to the top of the ice heat storage tank and is stored.

[0011]

[Example] The following is an example of the ice heat storage tank of the present invention.
This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

[0012] The ice heat storage tank of this embodiment makes ice by repeating the heat absorption/dissipation operation of the heat exchanger disposed inside the ice heat storage tank using, for example, late-night electricity, and the formed ice is An operation of storing ice inside the tank (hereinafter referred to as ice storage operation) is carried out, and during the daytime, the gaseous heat medium sent from the indoor heat exchanger is sent into the inside of the tank where ice is stored. It works as a cold heat source for air conditioning by condensing and liquefying it and sending it again to other heat exchangers (hereinafter referred to as
It is abbreviated as cooling operation. ).

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a heat pump type air conditioner system incorporating the ice heat storage tank of the present invention.

First, the overall basic configuration of this air conditioner will be explained.

[0015] This configuration includes a compressor 1, heat exchangers 2, 3,
4, 5, an expansion valve 6, a flow divider 7, and a plurality of first and second control valves 8, 9, the discharge pipe 1 of the compressor 1
a, a first control valve 8 and heat exchangers 2, 3, 4, respectively;
A plurality of connecting pipes A in which the expansion valve 24 and the expansion valve 6 are connected in series.
, B, C, and D, and these connecting pipes A,
The expansion valves 6 sides of B, C, and D are connected to the flow divider 7, and the first control valves 8 of each of the connecting pipes A, B, C, and D are connected to the heat exchangers 2, 3, 4, and 24. The basic configuration is such that branch pipes E, F, G, and H each having a second control valve 9 are branched and connected to the suction pipe 1b of the compressor 1.

In this embodiment, heat exchangers 2, 3,
Among the heat exchangers 4 and 24, the heat exchanger 2 is installed in the outdoor unit, the heat exchanger 3 is installed in the indoor air conditioner, and the heat exchanger 4 is installed inside the hot water tank 10 that stores water (hot water). ing.

Furthermore, the heat exchanger 24 includes a heat exchange tank 24a.
is located inside. This heat exchange tank 24a is provided with a connecting pipe J and a connecting pipe K connected in series with a brine pump 24b. Further, the connecting pipes J and K are connected to a brine type heat exchanger 5 installed inside the ice heat storage tank 20. As a result, the heat medium is configured to circulate within the path of the heat exchanger 5, the connecting pipes J and K, and the heat exchange tank 24a.
Heat exchange is performed between the two. Here, a rust preventive agent, an antifreeze solution, or the like may be dissolved in the water in the ice heat storage tank 20.

Next, the constituent elements of this embodiment will be specifically explained.

First, the compressor 1 rotates at a predetermined frequency under the control of the inverter 15, compresses the heat medium sent from the accumulator 11, and pumps it in the direction of the arrow from the top to the bottom in FIG. be. The heat medium discharged from the compressor 1 is transferred to the heat exchangers 2, 3, 4, 5, 24 by related switching control of the first and second control valves 8, 9.
are selectively passed through.

Next, the heat exchanger 2 installed outdoors is used as a heat absorber or a heat radiator by exchanging heat between the heat medium passing through the interior and the outside air.

Furthermore, the heat exchanger 3 installed indoors is formed with finned piping or the like so as to have a large contact area with the indoor air, and is used as a heat radiator or a heat absorber. 6, the amount of heat released and the amount of heat absorbed are adjusted.

[0022] Also, like the heat exchangers 2 and 3, the heat exchanger 4 disposed inside the hot water storage tank 10 is formed of a finned corrugated pipe or the like so as to have a large contact area with the heat storage medium. It is often used as a heat radiator and a heat absorber, and its heat radiation amount and heat absorption amount are adjusted by switching the first and second control valves 8 and 9 and by the expansion valve 6. .

Further, the expansion valve 6 is an electronic type, and has the function of lowering the pressure of the heat medium that has passed through the heat exchangers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 24 through a narrow passage. The opening of the valve is gradually adjusted automatically.

[0024] Furthermore, the flow divider 7 connects each connecting pipe A, B, C.
, D are connected, and the heat medium that has passed through the heat exchanger that operates as a heat radiator is made to flow toward the heat exchanger that operates as a heat absorber.

Furthermore, as the first and second control valves 8 and 9, flow control valves or the like whose opening degree can be changed continuously may be used.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the heat exchanger 5 disposed inside the ice heat storage tank 20
It is connected to connecting pipes J and K. As shown in FIG. 1, the ice heat storage tank 2 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 21.
0 Meandering heat exchange piping 22 extending downward from the top inside
and a heat exchanger 23 connected to the heat exchange pipe 22 and arranged horizontally at the bottom of the ice heat storage tank 20.

Here, the heat exchanger 23 is shown in FIGS. 2 to 4.
As shown in FIG. 2, it is generally composed of a copper container 25 arranged substantially horizontally at the bottom of the ice heat storage tank 20, and a heat generating cord 27 attached to a side peripheral surface 26 of the container 25. In addition,
The lower surface of the heat exchanger 23 may be subjected to heat insulation treatment.

The copper container 25 has a circular shape that occupies most of the bottom area of the ice heat storage tank 20 when viewed from above, and is shaped like a bag with an enlarged internal volume. The connecting portions 28 and 29 formed on the side circumferential surface of the container include
The heat exchange pipe 22 is connected to a pipe 30 that sends out the heat medium that has circulated inside the container. Further, the upper surface 25a and lower surface 25b of the container 25 are formed flat.

The heating cord 27 attached to the side peripheral surface 26 of the container 25 generates heat by itself when energized. This heating cord 27 uses a high-resistance nichrome wire 30 as a conductor, and has a structure in which the outer periphery of the nichrome wire 30 is coated with a coating material 31 such as vinyl chloride.

The heat exchanger 5 arranged as described above is connected to an external pipe extending to the outside of the ice heat storage tank 20. Note that the order in which the heat exchange piping 22 and the heat exchanger 23 are connected to the external piping may be reversed.

Furthermore, air holes 32 are provided in the upper wall of the ice heat storage tank 20. Further, reference numeral 33 in the figure is a pump, and by operating this pump 32, water or air is sent from the top to the bottom of the ice heat storage tank 20, and the temperature inside the tank is made uniform and the ice is removed from the heat exchanger 23. It is designed to encourage separation.

[0032] Thereby, the heat exchanger 5 has the first and second
By switching the control valves 8 and 9 and the expansion valve 6, the amount of heat released and absorbed by the heat medium is adjusted.

Next, using the device configuration shown in FIG. 5 described above, the ice storage operation performed by the ice heat storage tank 20 of the present invention and the cooling operation using the ice heat storage tank 20 in which ice is stored will be described below. explain.

Note that the device configuration shown in FIG.
, 3, 4, and 5 perform heat absorption or heat dissipation operations, thereby providing functions such as cooling, cooling + heating, and cooling (dehumidification) + heating. That is, the heat medium compressed to a high temperature and high pressure state by the compressor 1 and discharged from the discharge pipe 1a is connected to each of the connecting pipes A, B, C, and D.
The above functions can be performed by controlling the opening and closing of the control valve 8 and the second control valve 9 connected to each of the branch pipes E, F, G, and H. Explanation will be omitted.

First, as described above, the ice storage operation of the ice heat storage tank 20 is normally performed by operating the heat exchanger 5 inside the ice heat storage tank 20 using late-night electricity. In this ice storage operation, an ice making process in which ice is formed on the top surface of the container and an ice peeling process in which ice is peeled off from the top surface of the container are performed, and by repeating these ice making processes and ice peeling process, the ice heat storage 20, a disc-shaped ice is stored inside.

That is, in the ice making process, connecting pipes B, C,
The first control valve 8 of D is closed, the first control valve 8 of connecting pipe A is opened, only the second control valve 9 of branch pipe G is opened, and the other second control valve is opened. 9 is in the closed state. Then, with the heat medium flowing in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 4, the heat exchanger 2 installed outdoors is operated as a radiator, and the heat exchanger 24 is operated as a heat absorber. Furthermore, the brine pump 24b is operated to exchange heat between the heat medium circulating inside the heat exchange tank 24a and the heat exchanger 24, and the heat exchanger 5 installed in the ice storage tank 20 is operated as a heat absorber. let At the same time, the heating cord 27 is energized.

In this state, the liquid heat medium sent into the container 25 evaporates while absorbing heat, and as shown in FIG.
Ice is formed on the upper surface 25a and lower surface 25b of the container 25 in a short time. Here, since the heating cord 27 that generates heat is attached to the side peripheral surface 26 of the container 25, ice is not formed around it, and the ice 34 on the upper surface 25a side of the container 25 and the lower surface 26 of the container The ice 35 is efficiently formed in a separated state to a thickness of about 1 cm.

[0038] Also, in the ice peeling process, the connecting pipes A, B, D
The first control valve 8 of the connecting pipe A is closed, the first control valve 8 of the connecting pipe A is opened, only the second control valve 9 of the branch pipe E is opened, and the other second control valve 9 is opened. is closed. Then, with the heat medium flowing in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 2 installed outdoors is operated as a heat absorber, and the heat exchanger 24 is operated as a radiator. Furthermore, the brine pump 24b is operated to exchange heat between the heat medium inside the heat exchange tank 24a and the heat exchanger 24, and the heat exchanger 5 installed in the ice heat storage tank 20 is operated as a radiator. At the same time, the heating cord 27 is kept energized.

As a result, the ice 34 and 35 formed separately on the upper surface 25a and lower surface 25b of the container 25 are heated by the high-temperature heat medium, so that the ice 34 and 35 are
As shown in FIG. 4, it peels off easily. The ice 34 peeled off from the top surface 25b of the container 25 forms a disc-shaped ice 3.
4, the ice floats to the top of the ice heat storage tank 20 and is stored. Note that the ice 35 on the lower surface side remains in place.

[0040] In this way, the ice storage operation repeatedly performs the ice making process and the ice peeling process to produce a predetermined volume of ice in a short period of time while increasing the ice making speed and cooling heat property (melting property). Can be stored.

Next, a cooling operation using the ice heat storage tank 20 storing ice 34 will be explained. First, connect pipes A and C
, D are closed, and the first control valve 8 of connecting pipe B is closed.
The control valve 8 of the branch pipe G is opened, and the second control valve 9 of the branch pipe G is opened.
Only the second control valve 9 is opened and the other second control valve 9 is closed. Then, the heat exchanger 3 installed indoors is operated as a radiator with the heat medium flowing in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

As a result, the heat medium evaporated in the heat exchanger 3 is sent to the heat exchanger 5 of the ice heat storage tank 20, and after being condensed and liquefied with high efficiency inside the ice heat storage tank 20, the heat medium is transferred to the branch pipe G.
sent to. In this case, the compressor 1 only needs to function as a pump, and its power consumption is low.

As can be easily understood from the above description, during the ice-making process, the heat exchanger 23 is operated to absorb heat and the heat generation cord 27 is energized, so that the inside of the container 25 whose internal volume has been expanded is Since the liquid heat medium sent into the container absorbs latent heat as it evaporates, ice 34 and 35 of a predetermined thickness are divided and formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the container 25 in a short time.

[0044] Also, during the ice peeling process, the heat exchanger 23
By radiating heat, the disc-shaped ice 34 is peeled off from the upper surface 25a of the container 25, floats to the upper part of the ice heat storage tank 20, and is stored. By repeating these ice making steps and ice separating steps, a cold heat source in which a plurality of disc-shaped ices 34 are stored inside the tank can be obtained in a short time.

Furthermore, by operating the ice heat storage tank as a cold heat source that stores ice 34 inside in conjunction with other heat exchangers, the heat medium evaporated in the other heat exchangers can be transferred to the ice heat storage tank. Since the ice can be sent to the heat exchanger 23 and condensed and liquefied with high efficiency inside the ice heat storage tank, cooling can be performed with a significant reduction in power consumption during the day.

Next, FIGS. 6 and 7 show another embodiment of the heat exchanger disposed inside the ice heat storage tank to which water is supplied.

In addition to the structure shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the heat exchanger 23 of this embodiment has a structure in which heating cords 36 are arranged in a lattice pattern on the upper surface 25a of the container 25.

By using the heat exchanger 23 constructed as described above and operating the heat exchanger 23 to absorb heat during the ice-making process, a portion 37 surrounded by the lattice-shaped heat generating cord 36 is formed on the upper surface 25a of the container 25. Ice 38 with a thickness of about 1 cm is formed. By operating the heat exchanger 23 to release heat in the ice peeling process, the ice formed on the upper surface 25a of the container 25 is quickly peeled off, and as shown in FIG. It floats to the top of the tank 20 and is stored. This is to improve cooling and heat dissipation properties compared to disk-shaped ice.

Therefore, the heat exchanger of this embodiment can obtain the same effects as the heat exchanger shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

Furthermore, the ice heat storage tank 20 of the present invention is not only used for ice making and cooling operations in the summer;
In winter and spring, the heat exchanger inside the ice heat storage tank 20 is constantly operated as a radiator to store heat, and this heat is transferred to the heat exchanger 22.
It can also be used as a heating heat source tank by absorbing heat. Note that the shapes of the ice heat storage tank 20 and the heat exchanger 23 are not limited to those described above.

[0051]

As explained above, in the ice heat storage tank of the present invention, by operating the heat exchanger to absorb heat and energizing the linear heating element, the liquid heat medium sent into the container evaporates. Since ice is absorbed as latent heat, ice can be formed on the top surface of a flat container in a short time.

Furthermore, since linear heating elements are arranged around the sides of the container, when making ice, the ice formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the container is heated by the linear heating elements. When ice is peeled off from the container, the ice formed on the top surface of the container is easily peeled off and floats to the top of the ice storage tank where it is stored. By repeating these operations, a cold heat source with ice stored inside the tank can be obtained in a short time.

[0053] Furthermore, by operating the ice heat storage tank, which serves as a cold heat source that stores ice inside, in conjunction with other heat exchangers, the heat medium evaporated in the other heat exchangers can be transferred to the ice heat storage tank. It is sent to a heat exchanger that performs heat dissipation operation, and can be condensed and liquefied with high efficiency inside the ice heat storage tank, making it possible to significantly reduce power consumption during the day and save energy.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an ice heat storage tank of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a heat exchanger in the ice heat storage tank of the present invention.

[Figure 3] Figure 2 showing the state in which ice is formed on the top and bottom surfaces of the container
It is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

[Figure 4] Figure 2 showing the state in which ice peels off from the upper and lower surfaces of the container
It is a sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an air conditioning system in which the ice heat storage tank of the present invention is installed.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the heat exchanger in the ice heat storage tank of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an ice heat storage tank in which a heat exchanger according to another embodiment is installed.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Heat exchanger 20 Tank (ice heat storage tank) 23 Heat exchanger 25 arranged at the bottom of the tank
Copper container (container) 25a Top surface of the container 26 Circumferential side of the container 27 Heat generating cord (linear heating element) 34 Disc-shaped ice 36 Heat generating cord provided in a lattice shape (linear heating element) 38 Square ice.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A heat exchanger is disposed inside the tank, and ice is made by operating the heat exchanger in a heat dissipating or absorbing operation by reversibly circulating a heat medium to the heat exchanger. An ice heat storage tank for storing ice, wherein the heat exchanger is composed of a container with a flat top surface, and a linear heating element is arranged around the side of the container. An ice heat storage tank featuring: