JP5157615B2 - Heat exchange system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchange system such as an air conditioner.

  There is an urgent need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to prevent global warming. As one of the countermeasures, reducing the energy consumption of air conditioning is an important issue, and the development of a heat exchange system with excellent energy saving is urgently needed.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that uses midnight surplus power to store ice as a cold heat source and uses the stored cold heat during daytime cooling operation. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an air conditioner provided with means for melting ice that has been stored using surplus power in the middle of the night when all the ice remains in the daytime cooling operation. ing. These technologies attempt to streamline the facilities necessary for power supply by improving the midnight and daytime power usage imbalance. While effective as an energy-saving measure, the air-conditioning equipment is large and suitable for use as energy-saving technology in large-scale facilities such as buildings and factories.

Patent Document 3 discloses an air conditioning system using snow and ice. Because it uses snow and ice, it is limited to winter use and is intended for use in large freezers and refrigerated facilities.
JP-A-6-94284 JP 2000-55417 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-292931

In recent years, supermarkets are often located in the suburbs, and shopping has become more diversified, making each shopping time longer, and the use of cold heat sources to maintain the freshness of purchased fresh food items until they return home. Usage is increasing. In particular, during the summer season, distribution of cold heat sources such as ice and dry ice is being carried out at retail stores. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of hygiene, these cold heat sources are often discarded after returning home.
However, even though a great deal of energy is used to generate the cold heat source, discarding only a part of the energy as the cold heat is an act of increasing the waste of energy. In order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and prevent global warming, it is necessary to use this cold heat source effectively.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to effectively use a discarded cold heat source and increase the use efficiency of energy in a heat exchange system such as an air conditioner.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the heat exchange system according to the present invention, energy use efficiency is improved by a simple means of installing a cooling tank into which a discarded cold heat source can be input.

  The present invention has an indoor unit installed indoors, an outdoor unit that exchanges heat with the outside air, and a pipe through which a refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit is located inside the outdoor unit. The heat exchange system is provided with a cooling tank that is installed and capable of supplying a coolant from the outside of the outdoor unit and that cools the refrigerant. Thereby, the efficiency of a heat exchange system can be improved using the energy of the discarded cold heat source.

  The heat exchange system according to the present invention is characterized in that a cooling vessel is provided with a mesh-like container for separating water and solid matter in a state where it can be taken out to the outside. This makes it easy to put in and take out the cold heat source.

In the heat exchange system according to the present invention, a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the cooling tank, a drain port provided at a lower portion of the cooling tank, and an opening / closing by an output of the temperature detector provided in the drain port. and the valve possible to, when the temperature of the cooling bath exceeds a predetermined temperature, characterized by draining by opening the valve. Thereby, the water which has no cooling effect can be suitably discharged | emitted from a cooling tank.

  The heat exchange system according to the present invention includes a compression pump that compresses the refrigerant, a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and the outside air, and an expansion valve that expands the refrigerant, between the compression pump and the heat exchanger. Or a cooling tank is disposed between the heat exchanger and the expansion valve. This improves the efficiency of the heat exchange system.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively use a cold heat source such as ice and dry ice, which has been discarded, as an energy source, and to improve the energy use efficiency of the heat exchange system.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of the operation of the heat exchange system according to the present invention. The heat exchange system in the present embodiment is a domestic air conditioner. This is a heat exchange system in which an indoor unit 2 that cools indoor air by an indoor heat exchanger 3 and an outdoor unit 10 that releases heat to the outside air by an outdoor heat exchanger 7 are connected by a pipe 5 through which a refrigerant circulates.

  The indoor unit 2 has an indoor heat exchanger 3 that cools indoor air by applying heat to the refrigerant, an expansion valve 4 that adiabatically expands the refrigerant to lower the temperature, and blows indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 3. And a fan 9 for cooling. The outdoor unit 10 includes a compression pump 6 that adiabatically compresses and raises the temperature of the refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 7 that heats and discharges the outside air by the heat of the refrigerant, a cooling tank 8 that cools the refrigerant using the introduced coolant, and outside air Is provided to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 to release the warmed air to the outside. The indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 10 are connected by a pipe 5, and a heat exchange system using a heat pump action is configured by circulating refrigerant between the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 10.

  In the heat exchange system of FIG. 1, the refrigerant circulating between the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor unit 10 by the pipe 5 is vaporized by taking heat from the indoor air blown by the fan 9 in the indoor heat exchanger 3, 6 is sent. At this time, the air discharged from the indoor heat exchanger 3 is cooled, while the refrigerant is a warmed gas. In the compression pump 6, the refrigerant sent from the indoor heat exchanger 3 is adiabatically compressed to a high pressure to form a high-temperature gas. The refrigerant that has become high-temperature and high-pressure gas by the compression pump 6 is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 through a pipe attached to the cooling tank 8. At this time, if a coolant such as ice or dry ice is put in the cooling tank 8, the refrigerant is cooled and sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 7.

  The refrigerant sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 7 exchanges heat with the outside air blown by the fan 9, releases heat, condenses and liquefies. On the other hand, the outside air receives heat, is warmed and released. The liquefied refrigerant is sent to the indoor unit 2 and is decompressed by the expansion valve 4 to adiabatically expand into a low-temperature liquid. The refrigerant that has become a low-temperature liquid is again vaporized by absorbing heat from the indoor air blown by the fan 9 in the indoor heat exchanger 3, and the cool air deprived of heat by the refrigerant is blown into the room.

  In the heat exchange system according to the present invention, the room is cooled by repeating the above heat exchange process.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing another aspect of the heat exchange system according to the present invention. Each unit constituting the system is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 except that the cooling tank 8 is arranged after the outdoor heat exchanger 7 in the heat exchange system of FIG. In this case, the refrigerant that has condensed into a liquid in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 is sent to the indoor unit 2 through a pipe attached to the cooling tank 8. At this time, if the cooling tank 8 is at a low temperature due to the introduction of a coolant such as ice or dry ice as described above, the refrigerant is further cooled and sent to the indoor unit 2.

  In the heat exchange system 1 according to the present invention described above, a coolant that is a cold heat source such as ice or dry ice, which has not been effectively used in the past, is put into the cooling tank 8 and the cooling tank 8 is kept at a low temperature. In the meantime, the refrigerant circulating in the pipe 5 is cooled to improve the efficiency of the heat exchange system. For example, the heat of fusion at which 1 kg of ice at 0 degrees Celsius changes to water at 0 degrees Celsius is about 334 KJ, and the amount of heat required when 1 kg of water at 0 degrees Celsius rises to 40 degrees Celsius is about 167 KJ. . Usually, the refrigerant of the heat exchange system reaches a temperature of 60 ° C. or higher at the outdoor unit inlet, and therefore, it can be used as a cold source up to about 40 ° C. in consideration of the temperature difference of heat exchange.

  Therefore, when 1 kg of ice is charged as a cold heat source and used until the cooling bath 8 is heated to 40 ° C., it is possible to use the heat amount of 334 + 167 = 501 kJ as the cold heat source of the heat exchange system. This is equivalent to 0.139 kWh in terms of electricity, resulting in a reduction of 0.077 kg of CO2 emissions. (The average CO2 emissions of all power sources is based on the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry ordinance No. 3 of March 2006. 0.555kg-CO2 / kWh).

Of the approximately 47 million households nationwide, the number of air-conditioner-installed households has reached 88% (2008 survey on consumption trends by the Cabinet Office). When 0.1% of the households introduce the air conditioner according to the present invention and introduce 1 kg of ice once a week, approximately 100 tons of CO2 emissions per month as estimated by the following formula. Reduction.
[Equation 1]
47,000,000 x 0.88 x 0.001 x 365/12/7 x 0.555 = 99,744 (kg-CO2)

  Fig.3 (a) is a schematic diagram which shows the external appearance of the outdoor unit 10 of the heat exchange system which concerns on this invention. Usually, the outdoor unit 10 is installed outdoors such as a veranda, and the refrigerant inlet 27 and the refrigerant outlet 26 are connected to a pipe and connected to the indoor unit 2. The side surface is provided with an outside air discharge port 21 that receives heat from the refrigerant in the outdoor heat exchanger 7 and discharges warmed outside air. On the upper surface, a charging port 23 for charging the coolant is provided, and a lid 22 is attached. The cooling tank 8 is connected to the charging port 23 so that an inner basket 24 that is a mesh-like container can be attached thereto. A heat insulating material is attached to the inside of the lid 22 so that the coolant supplied from the input port 23 is not warmed by the outside air.

  FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the cooling bath 8. The cooling tank 8 is attached to the charging port 23 inside the upper surface of the outdoor unit 10. The periphery of the cooling tank 8 is covered with a heat insulating material 25, and the heat insulating material 25 is also attached to the inside of the lid 22 as described above. Thereby, heat exchange with outside air is interrupted, and the coolant inside the cooling tub 8 absorbs heat from the refrigerant passing through the cooling pipe 5a. The cooling pipe 5a is directly attached to the side surface of the cooling tank 8, and the efficiency of heat exchange is enhanced. Moreover, as another aspect, it is good also as a structure which penetrates the side surface of the cooling tank 8 and attaches the cooling piping 5a inside the cooling tank 8. FIG.

  The inner basket 24 mounted in the cooling tank 8 holds a coolant such as ice or dry ice that has been charged. When heat exchange with the refrigerant is performed through the cooling pipe 5 a attached to the side surface of the cooling tank 8, the ice serving as the coolant is melted to become water and accumulates at the bottom of the cooling tank 8. The dry ice evaporates and goes out through the gap between the lid 22 and the cooling bath 8. When ice and dry ice are mixed and introduced, as shown in FIG. 3B, the lower part of the inner basket 24 and the cooling tank 8 are prevented so that the melted water and dry ice come into contact with each other and rapid evaporation does not occur. It is preferable to provide a space for collecting water between the bottoms of the two. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the dry ice held in the inner basket 24 from coming into contact with water. Further, in order to prevent the internal pressure from increasing due to the evaporated dry ice, it is preferable to attach the lid 22 so as not to seal the cooling tank 8 or to provide an exhaust port at the upper part of the cooling tank 8.

  As the coolant, in addition to ice and dry ice, a cold storage agent made of a superabsorbent resin or the like that is generally used can be used. Since the regenerator made of a highly water-absorbent resin or the like is usually reusable, it is preferable to take out and recycle it together with the inner basket after use. In addition, when ice or dry ice and a cold storage agent are mixed and put into the cooling tank 8, the dry ice evaporates and disappears, but the ice melts and becomes water and accumulates at the bottom of the cooling tank 8, and the cold storage agent is a solid substance. Will remain. Therefore, if the inner basket 24 is attached to the cooling tank 8, only the cold storage agent remains in the inner basket and can be easily separated and taken out from the water.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the internal configuration of the outdoor unit 10 of the heat exchange system according to the present invention. As described above, the outdoor unit 10 includes the compression pump 6, the outdoor heat exchanger 7, and the cooling tank 8, and each unit is connected by the pipe 5. Although not shown, a fan 9 for blowing air is installed on the back side of the outdoor heat exchanger 7. A bent cooling pipe 5a is directly attached to the side surface of the cooling tank 8, and the heat exchange efficiency with the coolant is increased as described above.

  A temperature detector 31 that detects the temperature inside the cooling tank 8 is attached to the side surface of the cooling tank 8. The temperature detector 31 preferably outputs a voltage corresponding to the internal temperature. For example, a temperature switch incorporating a semiconductor temperature sensor can be used as the temperature detector.

Further, a drain port 32 is provided at the lower side of the cooling tank 8 via an electromagnetic valve 33. The output of the temperature detector 31 is connected to the control terminal of the electromagnetic valve 33, and the electromagnetic valve 33 can be opened and closed by the output of the temperature detector 31. Thereby, when the internal temperature of the cooling tank 8 becomes higher than a predetermined value (for example, the aforementioned 40 ° C.), the electromagnetic valve 33 is opened, and the water accumulated in the lower part of the cooling tank 8 is discharged from the drain port 32. Can be controlled. Further, when the internal temperature of the cooling tank 8 becomes higher than 40 ° C. and the refrigerant cannot be cooled, the electromagnetic valve 33 is opened to discharge the water accumulated in the lower part of the cooling tank 8 to the outside, and the coolant is charged again. It is also possible to control the solenoid valve 33 to close when the internal temperature of the cooling bath 8 becomes lower than 40 ° C.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the function of the heat exchange system which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the function of the heat exchange system which concerns on this invention. (A) is a schematic diagram which shows the external appearance of the outdoor unit of the heat exchange system which concerns on this invention. (B) is a schematic diagram which shows the cross section of the cooling tank which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the outdoor unit of the heat exchange system which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Heat exchange system 2 ... Indoor unit 3 ... Indoor heat exchanger 4 ... Expansion valve 5 ... Piping 5a ... Cooling piping 6 ... Compression pump 7 ... Outdoor heat Exchanger 8 ... Cooling tank 10 ... Outdoor unit 23 ... Input port 24 ... Inner basket 25 ... Insulating material 31 ... Temperature detector 32 ... Drain port 33 ... Electromagnetic valve

Claims (4)

Indoor units installed indoors;
An outdoor unit that exchanges heat with the outside air,
A pipe through which a refrigerant circulates between the indoor unit and the outdoor unit,
The heat exchanger system according to claim 1, wherein the outdoor unit is disposed inside the outdoor unit, includes a cooling tank that can be charged with a coolant from the outside of the outdoor unit and cools the refrigerant. 2. The heat exchange system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling tank includes a mesh-like container that separates water and solids in a state where the container can be taken out to the outside. A temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the cooling tank;
A drain outlet provided at a lower portion of the cooling tank ;
A valve provided at the drain opening and opened and closed by the output of the temperature detector ;
The heat exchange system according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature of the cooling tank exceeds a predetermined temperature, the valve is opened to drain water. A compression pump for compressing the refrigerant;
A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and outside air;
An expansion valve for expanding the refrigerant;
The provided, between the heat exchanger and the compression pump or heat exchange system according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein when placing the cooling bath between said heat exchanger and said expansion valve, .

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