Air-conditioning apparatus

• US 9,353,958 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Motomura, Yuji, Yamashita, Koji, Morimoto, Hiroyuki, Ue, Jyunichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ciric, Ljiljana
• Assistant Examiner(s): COX, ALEXIS K
• Application Number:
  US13/577,762
• Publication Number:
  US 20120304675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 621/59, 621/75, 621/85, 621/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/41 Defrosting; Preventing freezing
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/89 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2221/54 Heating and cooling, simultaneously or alternatively
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 3/06 characterised by the arrangements for the supply of heat-exchange fluid for the subsequent treatment of primary air in the room units
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 13/00 Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle defrosting cycles F25B47/02
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0231 with simultaneous cooling and heating
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02322 during defrosting
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/0272 using bridge circuits of one-way valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02732 using two three-way valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2313/02741 using one four-way valve
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/005 using primary and secondary systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/2513 Expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 47/025 by reversing the cycle

Abstract

An apparatus including a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger and two or more heat exchangers related to heat medium. A heat medium circuit includes two heat medium loops each including a pump. A bypass piping is provided at the refrigerant circuit for bypassing the heart exchanger related to heat medium. A controller is configured to perform a defrosting operation, a heating operation, a heat recovery defrosting operation mode, and a bypass defrosting operation that melts frost attached to the heat source side heat exchanger during the heating operation mode by passing a portion or all of the heat source side refrigerant through the bypass piping.

Claims

1. An air-conditioning apparatus, comprising:

a refrigerant circuit including, connected by piping, at least a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, each refrigerant passage of two or more heat exchangers related to heat medium that each exchange heat with the refrigerant and an expansion device arranged in each refrigerant passage of the two or more heat exchangers related to heat medium, the refrigerant circuit circulating a heat source side refrigerant; and

a heat medium circuit including at least two heat medium loops, each including connected by piping, at least a heat medium passage of one of the two or more heat exchangers related to heat medium, a pump, and a use side heat exchanger, the at least two heat medium loops configured to circulate a heat medium, wherein

at least a bypass piping is provided in the refrigerant circuit, which bypasses the two or more heat exchangers related to heat medium and returns the heat source side refrigerant to the compressor,

a controller which includes a temperature sensor arranged in an outlet of each of the heat exchangers related to a heat medium to detect a heat medium temperature, and configured to carry out a first defrosting operation or second defrosting operation based on the detected temperatures,

the controller being configured to operate the air-conditioning apparatus sequentially in;

a heating operation in which after the refrigerant discharged from the compressor has flowed into at least one of the heat exchangers related to heat medium and has exchanged heat with the heat medium, the refrigerant receives heat in the heat source side heat exchanger and the heat medium that has been heated in the heat exchanger(s) related to heat medium flows into a use side heat exchanger having a heating requirement and transfers heat;

a first defrosting operation that is switched from the heating operation when an evaporating temperature in the heat source side heat exchanger becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, in which after the refrigerant discharged from the compressor has transferred heat in the heat source side heat exchanger, the refrigerant flows into the at least one of the heat exchangers related to heat medium that had heated the heat medium during the heating operation, receives heat from the heat medium, and is sucked into the compressor, and the heat medium that had been cooled in the heat exchanger related to heat medium flows into a use side heat exchanger having a heating requirement; and

a second defrosting operation that is switched from the first defrosting operation when a heat medium temperature flowing into the use side heat exchanger having the heating requirement is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, in which after the refrigerant discharged from the compressor transfers heat in the heat source side heat exchanger, the refrigerant bypasses the heat exchanger(s) related to heat medium that is conveying the heat medium to the use side heat exchanger having a heating requirement and is sucked into the compressor,

wherein the controller includes a temperature sensor arranged in an outlet of each of the heat exchangers related to heat medium to detect a heat medium temperature and the controller is configured to carry out the first defrosting operation or the second defrosting operation based on the detected temperatures.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to carry out the first defrosting operation when the heat medium temperature in the outlets of the heat exchangers related to heat medium is equal to or higher than a first set temperature and

to carry out the second defrosting operation when the heat medium temperature in the outlets of the heat exchangers related to heat medium are lower than the first set temperature.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first set temperature is a highest temperature of temperatures of each of a use side heat transfer medium supplied to the use side heat exchangers.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a temperature sensor arranged in each refrigerant passage in any portion in the passage between the expansion device and the outlet side of each of the heat exchangers related to heat medium to detect a refrigerant temperature;

wherein the controller is configured to reduce a compressor rotation speed or carry out the second defrosting operation when the detected refrigerant temperature of any portion in the passage between the expansion device to the outlet side of each of the heat exchangers related to heat medium is lower than a second set temperature or when estimated to be lower.

5. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to carry out the first defrosting operation during a heating only operation, in which all of the heat exchangers related to heat medium heat the heat medium,

by melting frost attached to the heat source side heat exchanger by fully opening the expansion device and by having the heat source side refrigerant receive heat from the heat medium flowing in all of the heat exchangers related to heat medium.

6. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to carry out the second defrosting operation by totally closing the expansion device and passing the entire heat source side refrigerant that is flowing in all of the heat exchangers related to heat medium through the bypass piping.

7. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to carry out the first defrosting operation during a heating main operation, in which one or some of the heat exchangers related to heat medium heat the heat medium and one or some of the remaining heat exchangers related to heat medium cool the heat medium,

by melting frost attached to the heat source side heat exchanger by fully opening the expansion device corresponding to the heat exchangers related to heat medium that had heated the heat medium, by continuing the cooling in the heat exchangers related to heat medium that had been cooling the heat medium, and by having the heat source side refrigerant receive heat from the heat medium flowing in the heat exchanger related to heat medium that had heated the heat medium.

8. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to carry out the second defrosting operation by totally closing the expansion device corresponding to the heat exchangers related to heat medium that had heated the heat medium, by continuing the cooling in the heat exchangers related to heat medium that had been cooling the heat medium, and by passing a portion of the heat source side refrigerant through the bypass piping.

9. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to, in the first defrosting operation,

stop supplying the use side medium to the use side heat exchanger that had been carrying out heating operation and continuing supplying of the use side medium to a use side heat exchanger that is carrying out a cooling operation.

10. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein a housing accommodating the compressor and the outdoor heat exchanger;

a housing accommodating the heat exchanger related to heat medium, the expansion device, and the pump; and

a housing accommodating the use side heat exchanger are each a different housing.