HEAT PUMP SYSTEM

• US 20150330675A1
• Filed: 01/07/2013
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: TAMAKI, Shogo, OYA, Ryo
• Granted Patent: US 9,797,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 17/02 using heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 19/1054 the system uses a heat pump
• CPC Class Codes: F24D 5/12 using heat pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0214 the auxiliary heat exchanger being used parallel to the indoor unit during heating operation
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0314 Temperature sensors near the indoor heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0315 Temperature sensors near the outdoor heat exchanger
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/047 Water-cooled condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/1931 Discharge pressures
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/21152 at the discharge side of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 29/003 of the compression type system
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 30/13 Hot air central heating systems using heat pumps

Abstract

A heat pump system adjusts a degree of subcooling of an indoor-side heat exchanger in a heating priority mode, and adjusts any one of a degree of subcooling of a hot-water supply-side heat exchanger (water-side heat exchanger) and a discharge temperature of a compressor in a hot-water supply priority mode.

Claims

1. A heat pump system comprising a refrigerant circuit including a compressor, an indoor-side heat exchanger, a hot-water supply-side heat exchanger, an indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism, a hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism, and a heat source-side heat exchanger,

the refrigerant circuit including

a passage connecting the indoor-side heat exchanger and the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism in series, and

a passage connecting the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger and the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism in series, and being connected in parallel with the passage connecting the indoor-side heat exchanger and the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism,

wherein the heat pump system is configured to operate in, when a heating load for heating air by the indoor-side heat exchanger and a hot-water supply load for heating water by the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger are required simultaneously,

a heating priority mode configured to set an opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism to be larger than an opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism, and

a hot-water supply priority mode configured to set the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism to be larger than the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism, wherein

the heating priority mode adjusts a degree of subcooling of the indoor-side heat exchanger based on the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism and the opening degree of the hot water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism, and

the hot-water supply priority mode adjusts any one of a degree of subcooling of the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger and a discharge temperature of the compressor based on the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism and the opening degree of the hot water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism.

3. The heat pump system of claim 1, wherein, when the degree of subcooling of the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger is smaller than a preset predetermined value and the discharge temperature of the compressor is equal to or larger than a reference value in the hot-water supply priority mode, the discharge temperature of the compressor is controlled.

4. The heat pump system of claim 1, wherein

a ratio of indoor-heating capacity and hot-water supply capacity is controlled by an indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio determined by the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism with respect to a pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree being total of the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism and the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism and the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism with respect to the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree, and

when the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree is changed, a change amount of the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism and a change amount of the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism are determined by the indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio.

5. The heat pump system of claim 4, wherein the indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio is determined based on the heating load.

6. The heat pump system of claim 4, wherein the indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio is changed so as not to exceed the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree.

7. The heat pump system of claim 4, wherein a change interval for changing the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree is set longer than a change interval for changing the indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio.

8. The heat pump system of claim 1, turning into an indoor-heating thermostat off state when an indoor temperature becomes equal to or higher than a preset indoor temperature by a predetermined value, wherein a temperature difference between the indoor temperature and the preset indoor temperature until the heat pump system turns to an indoor-heating thermostat off state is increased.

9. The heat pump system of claim 1, further comprising a remote controller capable of displaying the heating priority mode or the hot-water supply priority mode so that the heating priority mode or the hot-water supply priority mode is selectively inputtable.

10. The heat pump system of claim 1, further comprising a hot-water storage tank for storing water heated by the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger, wherein

at least one of a hot-water supply time period and a heat storage quantity of the hot-water storage tank is measured, and

when at least one of a condition where the hot-water supply time period is equal to or larger than a predetermined value and a condition where the heat storage quantity of the heat storage tank is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value at start of hot-water supply is satisfied, the hot-water supply priority mode is set as a priority mode.

11. The heat pump system of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of temperature sensors arranged in a height direction of the hot-water storage tank,

wherein the heat storage quantity of the hot-water storage tank is measured based on measurement information by the plurality of temperature sensors.

12. The heat pump system of claim 1, wherein a condensing temperature is set equal to or higher than a water temperature of water flowing through the hot-water supply-side heat exchanger in the hot-water supply priority mode.

13. The heat pump system of claim 1, wherein

a ratio of an indoor-heating capacity and a hot-water supply capacity is controlled by an indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio determined by the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism with respect to a pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree, the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree being a total of the opening degree of the indoor-side pressure reducing mechanism, the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism and the opening degree of the hot-water supply-side pressure reducing mechanism with respect to the pressure reducing mechanism total opening degree;

and

the indoor-heating/hot-water supply opening-degree ratio is determined based on the heating load.

2. (canceled)