JPH0612201B2 - Heat pump device - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention uses a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant to change the composition of the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit of a refrigeration circuit by a refrigerant rectification tower to constantly generate a capacity adapted to a load. The present invention relates to a heat pump device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, air conditioners for both cooling and heating, which incorporate a heat pump device for cooling and heating the inside of a room, have been widely used.

In this heat pump device, when the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit of the refrigeration cycle has a composition rich in high boiling point, the specific volume of the refrigerant gas in the compressor increases, the refrigerant circulation amount decreases, and the heating / cooling capacity decreases. On the contrary, if the composition is rich in low boiling point, the circulation amount of the refrigerant increases and the heating / cooling capacity can be increased, so that the load of the refrigeration cycle can be increased without changing the rotation speed of the compressor. It is possible to change the ability in proportion. Furthermore, by changing the refrigerant composition, it is possible to lower the pressure at high boiling points and increase the pressure at low boiling points even at the same temperature, so for example, when obtaining high temperatures, make the refrigerant composition rich in high boiling points and high pressure. By lowering, the pressure resistance design of the device can be made advantageous. Further, when obtaining a low temperature, by making the refrigerant composition rich in low boiling point to prevent negative pressure,
It is possible to prevent the destruction of the device due to the entry of air or water.

Conventionally, this type of heat pump device is generally configured to use a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant and change the composition of the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit of the refrigeration cycle by the refrigerant rectification tower, as shown in FIG. there were.

The configuration will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, 1 is a compressor, 2 is a load side heat exchanger,
Reference numerals 3 and 4 are main throttle devices, 7 is a three-way valve, and 6 is a heat source side heat exchanger. These members are sequentially connected to form a main circuit of a refrigeration cycle.

8 is a refrigerant rectification column, the top of which is via a solenoid valve 15,
Further, the tower bottom is connected to the three-way valve 7 via a solenoid valve 16, respectively. Reference numeral 11 is a top reservoir, which is a connection pipe 18 in which a connection pipe 17 and a cooling source 9 are arranged at the top of the refrigerant rectification tower 8.
Connected with. Reference numeral 12 is a bottom reservoir, which is connected to the bottom of the refrigerant rectification column 8 by a connecting pipe 19 and a connecting pipe 20 in which the heating source 10 is arranged. Reference numeral 5 is a sub-throttle device, one end of which is upstream of the heat source side heat exchanger 6 and the other end of which is the solenoid valves 13 and
Are connected to the tower top reservoir 11 and the tower bottom reservoir 12, respectively. A sub-circuit of the refrigeration cycle is formed by these members. In the above configuration, the compressor 1
The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor compressed in 1. flows to the method indicated by arrow A, is condensed in the load side heat exchanger 2 and enters the main expansion device 3.
During normal operation, the three-way valve 7 is open in the direction shown in FIG. 2, and the refrigerant exiting the expansion device 3 enters the heat source side heat exchanger 6 via the main expansion device 4, evaporates, and returns to the compressor 1.

When changing the refrigerant composition of the main circuit, the three-way valve 7 is rotated clockwise by 90 ° so that the refrigerant flowing out of the main expansion device 3 is removed from the three-way valve 7.
And then introduced into the refrigerant rectification column 8.

Then, in order to make the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit rich in the low boiling point component, the solenoid valves 13 and 15 are opened and the solenoid valve 1 is opened.
Close 4,16. As a result, the refrigerant that has passed through the solenoid valve 15 is introduced into the top portion of the refrigerant rectification column 8, and the liquid component of the refrigerant flows downward in the refrigerant rectification column 8 and exits from the bottom reservoir 12 to generate the heat source 10. Since it does not come into gas-liquid contact with the gas component generated in step 1, it gradually becomes a liquid rich in high-boiling point components, and the bottom reservoir 1
It is stored in 2. On the other hand, the gas component of the refrigerant introduced into the tower storage portion gradually became a refrigerant rich in low-boiling point components by the rectification action while being generated in the heating source 10 and rising in the refrigerant rectification column 8. The gas enters the cooling source 9 and is condensed and liquefied to be stored in the overhead reservoir 11, and also passes through the opened solenoid valve 13 to enter the sub expansion device 5 and evaporates in the heat source side heat exchanger 6. Return to compressor 1.

This flow causes the three-way valve 7 to rotate 90 ° clockwise,
From the time when the solenoid valves 13 and 15 are opened and the solenoid valves 14 and 16 are closed, the tower bottom reservoir 12 is rich in higher boiling point components than the refrigerant composition flowing in the main circuit, that is, the refrigerant composition introduced at the top of the tower. Thus, the remaining refrigerant flowing through the main circuit can be gradually enriched in the low boiling point component.

Next, in order to make the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit richer in the high boiling point component, the solenoid valves 13 and 15 are closed and the solenoid valves 14 and 16 are opened contrary to the above. As a result, the refrigerant that has passed through the solenoid valve 16 via the three-way valve 7 is introduced into the lower portion of the refrigerant rectification column 8, and the gas component thereof rises in the refrigerant rectification column 8 and is discharged from the top reservoir 11. While coming into gas-liquid contact with the refrigerant liquid flowing out and descending the refrigerant rectification column 8, it gradually becomes a gas rich in low-boiling point components, and is condensed in the cooling source 9 to become a liquid rich in low-boiling point components and is a top reservoir. It is stored in 11. On the other hand, the liquid component of the refrigerant introduced into the lower part of the tower gradually became a refrigerant rich in high-boiling point component due to the rectification action while flowing out of the overhead reservoir 11 and descending the refrigerant rectification column 8. Tower low reservoir with liquid 1
The gas is stored in No. 2 and passes through the opened solenoid valve 14, enters the sub expansion device 5, is evaporated in the heat source side heat exchanger 6, and returns to the compressor 1.

This flow causes the three-way valve 7 to rotate 90 ° clockwise,
From the time when the solenoid valves 13 and 15 are closed and the solenoid valves 14 and 16 are opened, the composition of the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit is stored in the overhead reservoir 11.
That is, the refrigerant richer in the lower boiling point component than the refrigerant composition introduced into the bottom of the column will be stored, and the remaining refrigerant flowing in the main circuit will be gradually enriched in the high boiling point component in the same manner. You can

As described above, in the conventional heat pump device, by operating the three-way valve 7 and the solenoid valves 13, 14, 15, and 16, the composition of the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit is rich in high-boiling components to low-boiling components. I was changing it to something.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention In such a conventional heat pump device, the structure is complicated because the refrigerant circuit is switched by the three-way valve 7, and all the refrigerant amount discharged by the compressor 1 is stored in the refrigerant rectification column 8. Since the refrigerant is introduced at the top or the bottom of the tower, the refrigerant velocity at the time of introduction becomes very high, the gas in the refrigerant rectification column 8 rises, and the liquid descends, which is a normal rectification phenomenon. As a result, the rectification action is not sufficiently performed, and therefore, the composition of the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit cannot be changed so much, so that there is a problem that the adaptability to a load deteriorates.

The present invention solves the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a heat pump device that can easily obtain a suitable refrigerant composition according to a load.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a main circuit of a refrigeration cycle in which a compressor, a load side heat exchanger, a main expansion device, and a heat source side heat exchanger are sequentially connected, Refrigerant rectification tower, tower top reservoir connected to the tower top of the refrigerant rectification tower, tower bottom reservoir connected to the tower bottom of the refrigerant rectification tower, the load side heat exchanger and the heat source side An on-off valve respectively arranged in a connection pipe connecting between the heat exchanger and the tower top reservoir and the tower bottom reservoir, a tower throttle reservoir and the heat source side heat exchanger as a sub-throttle device. An on-off valve arranged in a connecting pipe connected via
The tower bottom reservoir and the heat source side heat exchanger are provided with a sub-circuit consisting of an opening / closing valve arranged in a connecting pipe that connects the sub-throttle device, and a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant from the main circuit. It is configured such that the flow is branched into the tower top reservoir or the tower bottom reservoir, and is returned to the main circuit from the tower top reservoir or the tower bottom reservoir.

In addition, an outlet for returning the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant from the top reservoir or the bottom reservoir to the main circuit is arranged at the bottom of each of the top reservoir and the bottom reservoir. Is.

Action The present invention, by the above-mentioned configuration, divides the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit into the top reservoir or the bottom reservoir in the auxiliary circuit, and the refrigerant whose composition is changed by the rectification action in the rectification column is used in the main circuit. Disturbance of the rectification action in the refrigerant rectification tower due to returning the inside can be eliminated.

Further, the operation can be performed only by opening and closing the on-off valve.

Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.

As shown in the figure, 21 is a compressor, 22 is a heat exchanger on the load side, 23 and 24 are main expansion devices, 26 is a heat exchanger on the heat source side, and these members are sequentially connected to form the main circuit of the refrigeration cycle. ing.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a refrigerant rectification column, which has a connection pipe 37 and a connection pipe 38 in which a cooling source 29 is arranged at the top of the column and is provided with a top reservoir 31.
The column bottom reservoir 32 is connected to the column bottom by a connection 39 and a connection pipe 40 in which the heating source 30 is arranged.

Between the load side heat exchanger 22 and the heat source side exchanger 26, the tower top reservoir 31 is connected by a connecting pipe 41 having an opening / closing valve 35 and a connecting pipe having an opening / closing valve 36. The tower bottom reservoir 32 is connected by 42. On the upstream side of the heat source side heat exchanger 26, the tower top reservoir 31 is connected by a connecting pipe 43 in which the sub expansion device 25 and the opening / closing valve 33 are arranged, and the sub expansion device 25 and the opening / closing valve 34 are arranged. Connection pipe 4 installed
The bottom reservoir 32 is connected by 4. The outlet from the overhead reservoir 31 to the connecting pipe 43 is the overhead reservoir 3
1, and the outlet from the tower bottom reservoir 32 to the connecting pipe 44 is arranged at the bottom of the tower bottom reservoir 32.

The on-off valves 33, 34, 35, 36 are electromagnetic valves, but the invention is not limited to this.

A sub-circuit of the refrigeration cycle is formed by the above members. In the above configuration, the high-temperature high-pressure non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant vapor (hereinafter referred to as refrigerant) compressed by the compressor 21 flows in the direction of arrow A, is condensed in the load side heat exchanger 22, and is condensed in the main expansion device 23. enter. During normal operation, the on-off valves 35, 36 (hereinafter, the on-off valves 33, 34, 35, 36 are referred to as solenoid valves) are closed, so the refrigerant directly enters the main expansion device 24, and the low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant exchanges heat with the heat source side. It evaporates in the vessel 26 and returns to the compressor 17 again.

To change the composition of the refrigerant flowing through this main circuit, namely:
In order to make the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit richer in the high boiling point component, the solenoid valves 33 and 35 are closed and the solenoid valves 34 and 36 are opened. Then, a part of the refrigerant flowing from the main expansion device 23 and flowing in the main circuit is diverted to the open solenoid valve 36, and the rest flows into the main expansion device 24 and flows in the same circuit as in the normal operation. The refrigerant flowing into the solenoid valve 366 enters the tower bottom reservoir 32, but since the amount of the refrigerant is a part of the refrigerant flowing in the main circuit,
Further, since it flows into the bottom reservoir 32, it does not blow directly into the refrigerant rectification column 28 as in the conventional example or all the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit does not flow in, so the refrigerant rectification column 2
The flow of gas and liquid in 8 is not disturbed.

The refrigerant that has entered the tower bottom reservoir 32 partially enters the sub expansion device 25 through the open solenoid valve 34, merges with the refrigerant that flows in the main circuit on the upstream side of the heat source side heat exchanger 26, and remains. Enters the connecting pipe 40 in which the heating source 30 is arranged, is heated, and rises as vapor in the refrigerant rectification column 28. At this time, the refrigerant liquid stored in the overhead reservoir 31 also descends from the connection pipe 37 in the refrigerant rectification column 28 and comes into gas-liquid contact with the rising refrigerant vapor to perform a so-called rectification action. As described above, in this embodiment, since the gas-liquid flow in the refrigerant rectification column 28 is hardly disturbed, the rectification action is performed extremely smoothly, and the refrigerant vapor becomes a low boiling point component as it rises. Connection pipe 3 which is rich and in which a cooling source 29 is arranged
8 is liquefied and is stored in the tower top reservoir 31 because the electromagnetic valve 33 is closed. Then, such a rectification action is repeated, and finally, only the refrigerant rich in the extremely low boiling point component is stored in the overhead reservoir 31. Therefore, the remaining refrigerant, that is, the composition of the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit, can be very rich in high boiling point components, the load is reduced, the refrigerant rich in high boiling point components in the main circuit When necessary, the composition rich in the desired high boiling point component can be varied over a wide range by simply opening and closing the solenoid valves 33, 34, 35, 36 as described above.

Next, to enrich the main circuit for lower boiling components,
Contrary to the above, the solenoid valves 33 and 35 are opened and the solenoid valve 3
Close 4,36. Then, a part of the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit exiting the main expansion device 23 is branched and flows into the overhead reservoir 31 through the opened solenoid valve 35, but the solenoid valve 33 is also opened. Part of the refrigerant passes through the connecting pipe 43 and the auxiliary expansion device 25 to join the main circuit. Then, the remaining refrigerant enters the refrigerant rectification column 28 through the connection pipe 37 and descends. At this time, a part of the refrigerant liquid in the tower bottom reservoir 32 is heated by the heating source 30 to rise in the refrigerant rectification column 28 and come into gas-liquid contact with the descending liquid to perform a so-called rectification action ( This rectification action is also performed very smoothly with the same action as the above.). In this way, the descending refrigerant liquid gradually becomes rich in high-boiling components, and is stored in the tower bottom reservoir 27 because the electromagnetic valve 34 is closed. Then, such a rectification action is repeated, and finally, only the refrigerant rich in the extremely high boiling point component is stored in the column bottom reservoir 32. Therefore, the composition of the remaining refrigerant, that is, the refrigerant flowing through the main circuit, can be made very rich in low-boiling point components. In this case, the composition rich in the desired low boiling point component can be varied over a wide range only by opening / closing the solenoid valves 33, 34, 35, 36 as described above.

Thus, according to the heat pump device of the embodiment of the present invention,
There is an effect that a very wide range of desired refrigerant composition can be obtained from a refrigerant composition rich in a low boiling point component to a refrigerant composition rich in a high boiling point component.

In addition, an electromagnetic valve 33 for causing the refrigerant to flow out from each of the reservoirs is provided by arranging an outlet for letting the tower top reservoir 31 and the bottom reservoir 32 flow out to the main circuit at the bottom of each reservoir. , 34 are closed,
Since the refrigerant having an unnecessary composition can be stored in the main circuit up to the full capacity of the reservoir, the storage amount for obtaining the desired composition is sufficiently large, and the solenoid valve 33,
When 34 is open, the refrigerant that has flowed in is not flowed out but stored, so that the amount of refrigerant that fills the entire device can be minimized.

Although the heating source 30 and the cooling source 29 of this embodiment are not described, an electric heater or a compressor discharge refrigerant is used for the heating source 30, and water cooling or a throttle device outlet refrigerant is used for the cooling source 29. It is possible to use these, and those using these are also included in the present invention.

In addition, in this embodiment, the refrigerant rectification column 28 has the load side heat exchanger 2
2 is an example of operating at an intermediate pressure between the internal pressure of the heat source side heat exchanger 26 and the internal pressure of the heat source side, but may be operated at the internal pressure of the load side heat exchanger 22 or the internal pressure of the heat source side heat exchanger 26, These are included in the present invention.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION As is apparent from the above description of the embodiments, according to the present invention, a part of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flowing in the main circuit of the refrigeration cycle is provided in the sub circuit as a top reservoir of the refrigerant rectification column. Alternatively, by selectively branching to the bottom reservoir, without disturbing the rectification action in the refrigerant rectification column, rich in very high boiling point components,
Alternatively, a refrigerant rich in low boiling point components can be stored. As a result, the variable width of the refrigerant composition flowing in the main circuit can be increased, and a heat pump device that can always obtain a suitable refrigerant composition corresponding to the load can be provided. Further, by disposing the outflow port from the reservoir at the bottom portion thereof, the amount of refrigerant enclosed in the entire heat pump device can be minimized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a heat pump device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a structure of a conventional heat pump device. 21 ... Compressor, 22 ... Load side heat exchanger, 23, 24
...... Main throttle device, 25 …… Sub throttle device, 26 …… Heat source side heat exchanger, 28 …… Refrigerant rectification tower, 31 …… Top reservoir,
32 ... Bottom reservoir, 33, 34, 35, 36 ... Open / close valve (solenoid valve).

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A main circuit of a refrigeration cycle in which a compressor, a load side heat exchanger, a main expansion device and a heat source side heat exchanger are sequentially connected, a refrigerant rectification column, and an upper part of the refrigerant rectification column. , A tower bottom reservoir connected to the lower part of the refrigerant rectification tower, between the load side heat exchanger and the heat source side heat exchanger, and the tower top reservoir and the tower bottom. An on-off valve disposed on each connection pipe connecting the reservoir, an on-off valve disposed on the connection pipe connecting the tower top reservoir and the heat source side heat exchanger via an auxiliary throttle device, and A bottom circuit comprising a bottom reservoir and an on-off valve arranged in a connecting pipe connecting the heat source side heat exchanger via the sub-throttle device, further, a lower refrigerant of the refrigerant rectification tower A heating source for heating and a cooling source for cooling the upper refrigerant of the refrigerant rectification tower are provided, and a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant is supplied to the main circuit. The overhead reservoir or diverted to the bottoms reservoir, heat pump device comprising fed back to the main circuit from the overhead reservoir or the bottoms reservoir. 2. An outlet for returning the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant from the top reservoir or the bottom reservoir to the main circuit is provided at the bottom of each of the top reservoir and the bottom reservoir. The heat pump device according to claim 1.