KR101305281B1 - Dual supercooling apparatus and airconditioner applying the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dual supercooling device and an air conditioner to which the same is applied, the subcooling expansion unit generating a cooling medium by expanding a refrigerant condensed in a condenser; A first supercooling unit connected to the condenser and the subcooling expansion unit and configured to supercool the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the cooling medium; And a second supercooling unit connected to the first supercooling unit and the subcooling expansion unit and configured to receive a portion of the subcooled liquid refrigerant in the first subcooling unit and to subcool the liquid to the cooling medium again. The present invention provides a supercooling apparatus for an air conditioner, by sufficiently supercooling the refrigerant, thereby preventing the mass flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the subcooling apparatus from decreasing and stably securing the subcooling degree.

Air Conditioner, Subcooling Unit, Subcooling Expansion Unit

Description

DUAL SUPERCOOLING APPARATUS AND AIRCONDITIONER APPLYING THE SAME}

1 is a refrigerant circulation diagram during a cooling operation according to a conventional air conditioner,

2 is a graph showing a relationship between pressure and enthalpy according to subcooling in a conventional air conditioner,

3 is a refrigerant circulation diagram during the cooling operation of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

4 is an enlarged detailed view of a portion A of FIG. 3;

5 is a refrigerant circulation diagram during the cooling operation of the air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 6a is a perspective view showing a plate-shaped supercooling portion according to the present invention,

6B is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line I-I of FIG. 6A;

Figure 7a is a perspective view showing a supercooled portion of the straight double tube type according to the present invention,

7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 7A;

8 is a diagram illustrating a supercooling unit of a circular double tube type according to the present invention.

*** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing ***

100: air conditioner 110: compressor

120: condenser 130: expansion device

140: evaporator 150: first supercooling unit

160: subcooling expansion portion 170: second supercooling portion

The present invention relates to a dual supercooling device and an air conditioner to which the same is applied. More specifically, the refrigerant at the outlet of the supercooling device is in two phases due to insufficient heat exchange capability, insufficient amount of refrigerant filling, or transient state in an outdoor heat exchanger. In the case of the second phase, the present invention relates to a supercooling apparatus of an air conditioner capable of preventing the mass flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the subcooling expansion apparatus from being lowered and thus reducing the subcooling degree.

In general, an air conditioner is a cooling / heating system that cools or heats a room by a repetitive action of sucking hot air in a room, exchanging heat with a low temperature refrigerant, and then discharging it into the room. A compressor-condenser-expansion device- An evaporator is a device that forms a series of cycles.

In recent years, in addition to heating and cooling, there are many additional functions such as the air purifying function that inhales and filters contaminated air in the room and makes it into clean air and reinjects it into the room, and the dehumidification function that makes humid air into dry and reintroduced room. I am also serving.

Meanwhile, as is well known, an air conditioner may be classified into a separate type air conditioner in which an outdoor unit and an indoor unit are separately installed, and an integrated air conditioner in which the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are integrally installed.

In addition, recently, a multi-type air conditioner has been released that can be effectively applied when installing two or more air conditioners in a home or when installing an air conditioner in each office in a building having several offices. Such a multi-type air conditioner can achieve the same effect as a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit, and a plurality of separate air conditioners are installed.

1 is a refrigerant circulation diagram during a cooling operation according to a conventional air conditioner, and FIG. 2 is a graph showing a relationship between pressure and enthalpy according to subcooling in a conventional air conditioner.

Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner 1 typically includes an outdoor unit including a compressor 10, an accumulator (not shown), a condenser 20, a subcooler 50, an expansion device 30, and an evaporator ( 40) and an indoor unit provided with the back.

When the air conditioner 1 of the above configuration performs the cooling action, the condenser 20 serves to condense the refrigerant in the gaseous state of the high temperature / high pressure conveyed from the compressor 10. The refrigerant condensed as described above is expanded to a low / low pressure gas state while passing through the expansion device 30 and is sent to the evaporator 40.

The refrigerant introduced into the evaporator 40 installed in the indoor unit is converted into a two-phase refrigerant in which gaseous and liquid states of low temperature / low pressure are mixed as heat is exchanged with indoor air. After the refrigerant passes through an accumulator (not shown), the refrigerant is returned to the compressor 10 to form one cycle of the refrigerant.

Referring to FIG. 2, the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 20 is in a saturated liquid state. As shown in the graph of FIG. 2, when the temperature is further lowered while maintaining the same pressure, the liquid refrigerant becomes a supercooled state.

When the liquid refrigerant is overcooled, the enthalpy of Δh decreases. Subcooling means a phenomenon in which the liquid is maintained as a liquid without solidifying even at a temperature below the freezing point.

If the refrigerant condensed in the condenser 20 is not sufficiently cooled, flashing evaporation occurs, in which part of the liquid phase changes into gas due to pressure loss in the pipe before the inlet of the expansion device 30. .

In this case, the state at the inlet of the expansion device 30 is two-phase, that is, the state in which liquid and gas coexist, and the coolant flow rate is fast, thereby generating noise. If this phenomenon is severe it may cause a decrease in cooling capacity in the evaporator (40). In addition, in the case of a building multi air conditioner with a long pipe, the above phenomenon becomes more severe.

In order to solve such a phenomenon, one end of the subcooling part 50 and the outlet side of the condenser 20 are connected by the first pipe L1. The subcooling unit 50 serves to create a higher subcooling state by lowering the temperature by exchanging the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 20 once more. This prevents the fleshing phenomenon at the inlet of the expansion device 30 can be prepared for noise generation and cooling capacity degradation in the indoor evaporator (40).

The subcooling unit 50 expands in the subcooling expansion unit 60 using a portion of the liquid refrigerant to convert it into a cooling medium, and then lowers the temperature of the liquid refrigerant through heat exchange in the subcooling unit 50. It works. The cooling medium that has exchanged heat in the subcooling unit 50 returns to the inlet of the compressor 10 through a pipe L7 connected to the other end of the subcooling unit 50.

Here, the subcooling unit 50 and the subcooling expansion unit 60 are interconnected by pipes L1 'and L2'.

However, the subcooling unit 50 of the conventional air conditioner is the subcooling if the refrigerant exiting the condenser 20 is caused by various reasons such as the initial start of the air conditioner 1 or the lack of heat exchange amount. Since the refrigerant in the gaseous state also flows through the subcooling expansion part 60, the role of the subcooling expansion part 60 may not be properly performed.

In addition, there is a problem that the mass flow rate of the refrigerant is greatly reduced by the phase change of a portion of the liquid passing through the subcooling expansion unit 60 to the gas.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, an object of the present invention is the case that the refrigerant state at the outlet of the supercooling device in the transient state is insufficient in the heat exchange capacity of the outdoor heat exchanger or the amount of refrigerant charge is insufficient or transient state Edo provides a double supercooling device and an air conditioner using the same, which can secure a stable supercooling degree by preventing the mass flow rate of the refrigerant from decreasing the supercooling degree.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a double supercooling device and an air conditioner using the same that can shorten the time taken from the initial start to ensure subcooling.

In order to achieve the object as described above, the dual supercooling device according to the present invention is a subcooling expansion unit for generating a cooling medium by expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser; A first supercooling unit connected to the condenser and the subcooling expansion unit and configured to supercool the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the cooling medium; And a second supercooling unit connected to the first supercooling unit and the subcooling expansion unit and receiving a portion of the liquid coolant supercooled in the first subcooling unit and subcooling the cooling medium again to the cooling medium.

By configuring as described above, it is possible to prevent the mass flow rate of the refrigerant due to the fleshing phenomenon can be prevented, thereby increasing the efficiency of the overall air conditioner and can improve the operating reliability of the compressor.

Here, at least one of the first subcooling unit or the second subcooling unit includes an external liquid refrigerant pipe through which the liquid refrigerant flows, and a cooling medium tube through which the cooling medium flows.

Thus, by configuring the supercooling unit with a double tube type heat exchanger, the cooling medium of the internal cooling medium tube and the liquid refrigerant of the external liquid refrigerant pipe flow in opposite directions to exchange heat, thereby reducing the supercooling time and improving the supercooling efficiency. You can.

On the other hand, one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the first supercooling unit is connected to the first pipe in which the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser is connected, and the other end is connected to the second pipe for sending the supercooled liquid refrigerant to the evaporator, the second The pipe is branched and connected to one end of the third pipe, and the other end of the third pipe is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second subcooling part, and the other end of the third refrigerant pipe is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second subcooling part. One end of the four pipes is connected, and the other end of the fourth pipe is connected to one end of the subcooling expansion part, and the other end of the subcooling expansion part is connected to one end of the fifth pipe, and the other end of the fifth pipe is the cooling medium of the second subcooling part. One end of the pipe is connected, and the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the second supercooling part is connected to one end of the sixth pipe and the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the first supercooling part is connected to the other end of the first pipe. Supercooling The other end of the cooling medium pipe is connected has a seventh pipe for sending the cooling medium to the compressor.

Here, the cooling medium pipes of the subcooling parts and the fifth pipe, the sixth pipe and the seventh pipe may be integrally formed.

In addition, the subcooling expansion device is effectively a linear expansion valve (LEV). This eliminates the need for additional refrigerant even when installing the long pipe, thereby improving installation convenience.

Here, it is preferable that at least one of the first subcooling part or the second subcooling part includes a plate-shaped liquid refrigerant pipe. This is to enlarge the area of heat exchange between the liquid refrigerant passing through the condenser and the cooling medium generated in the subcooling expansion part.

On the other hand, the present invention, a compressor for compressing the refrigerant; A condenser for condensing the refrigerant passing through the compressor; An expansion device which expands the refrigerant passing through the condenser under reduced pressure; An evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant passing through the expansion device; And a subcooling expansion part configured to expand the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to generate a cooling medium, and a first supercooling part connected to the condenser and the subcooling expansion part to supercool the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser with the cooling medium. And a double supercooling device connected to a first supercooling unit and the subcooling expansion unit, and having a second subcooling unit receiving a portion of the subcooled liquid refrigerant from the first subcooling unit and subcooling the cooling medium to the cooling medium again. to provide.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail with respect to the configuration and operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a coolant circulation diagram during a cooling operation of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view of part A of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6C is a perspective view showing a plate-shaped supercooling unit according to the present invention, FIG. 6B is a sectional view taken along the cutting line I-I of FIG. 6A, and FIG. 7A is a linear double tube supercooling unit according to the present invention. FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II of FIG. 7A, and FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a supercooled portion of a circular double tube type according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioner 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor 110 and a condenser 120 that condenses the refrigerant passing through the compressor 110 into a liquid refrigerant having a high temperature and high pressure. ), An expansion device 130 for reducing the refrigerant passing through the condenser 120 with a low temperature low pressure liquid refrigerant, and an evaporator 140 for evaporating the refrigerant passing through the expansion device 130 to a low temperature low pressure gas refrigerant. And a first supercooling unit 150 installed between the condenser 120 and the expansion device 130 to supercool the liquid refrigerant passing through the condenser 120, and connected to the first subcooling unit 150. And a second supercooling unit 170 for supercooling the liquid refrigerant once more, and a subcooling expansion unit 160 connected to the second supercooling unit 170 to generate a cooling medium.

Here, the condenser 120 and the first supercooling unit 150 are connected by a first pipe L1, and the first supercooling unit 150 is connected to the expansion device 130 by a second pipe L2. It is connected to, and the cooling medium is introduced into the compressor 110 through the seventh pipe (L7).

In addition, the third pipe (L3), the fourth pipe (L4), the fifth pipe (L5) and the sixth pipe (L6) is the first subcooling unit 150, the second subcooling unit 170 and the subcooling expansion unit. A pipe connecting 160, and a connection relationship with each pipe will be described in detail below.

Hereinafter, the supercooling apparatus of the air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4.

The first supercooling unit 150 is a liquid refrigerant pipe 151 through which the liquid refrigerant passing through the condenser 120 flows, and a cooling medium tube 152 installed inside the liquid refrigerant pipe 151 and through which a cooling medium passes. It consists of a heat exchanger in the form of a double tube composed of).

The second supercooling unit 170 is a liquid refrigerant pipe 171 through which the liquid refrigerant passing through the first subcooling unit 150 flows, and is installed inside the liquid refrigerant tube 171 and the cooling medium passes through the cooling medium. It is composed of a heat exchanger in the form of a double tube composed of a medium tube (172).

The first pipe (L1) through which the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 120 is introduced is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 151 of the first supercooling unit 150, and the other end of the supercooled liquid refrigerant is evaporator 140 The second pipe (L2) for sending to) is connected.

The second pipe L2 is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 171 of the second subcooling unit 170 by a third pipe L3, and the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second supercooling unit 170 ( One end of the fourth pipe L4 is connected to the other end of the 171.

The other end of the fourth pipe L4 is connected to one end of the subcooling expansion part 160.

By such a connection, the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 120 passes through the liquid refrigerant pipe 151 of the first subcooling unit 150 and the liquid refrigerant pipe 171 of the second supercooling unit 170 in sequence. By reaching the subcooled expansion 160, it is possible to expand in the subcooled expansion 160 to be converted into a cooling medium.

In addition, one end of the fifth pipe L5 is connected to the other end of the subcooled expansion part 160, and the other end of the fifth pipe L5 is connected to the cooling medium pipe 172 of the second supercooling part 170. Connected to the other end.

One end of the sixth pipe L6 is connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe 172 of the second supercooling unit 170, and the other end of the sixth pipe L6 is cooled in the first supercooling unit 150. It is connected to one end of the medium pipe 152.

One end of the seventh pipe L7 is connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe 152 of the first supercooling unit 150, and the other end of the seventh pipe L7 is connected to the compressor 110.

Due to this connection, the cooling medium generated in the subcooling expansion unit 160 is connected to the cooling medium tube 172 of the second subcooling unit 170 and the cooling medium tube 152 of the first supercooling unit 150. After passing through the liquid refrigerant in turn pass through the compressor 110 is compressed again.

Here, the cooling medium generated in the subcooling expansion unit 160 passes through the cooling medium tube 152 of the first subcooling unit 150 and the cooling medium tube 172 of the second subcooling unit 170. The cooling medium pipe 172 of the fifth pipe L5, the second supercooling part 170, the sixth pipe L6, the cooling medium pipe 152 and the seventh pipe of the first supercooling part 150 ( L7) may be formed in one pipe.

On the other hand, the sub-cooling expansion unit 160 is effective to constitute a linear expansion valve (LEV). The electronic expansion valve is a control expansion valve that employs a micro temperature control technology that creates optimum operating conditions in any environment, enabling the most efficient ultra-low power cooling. In addition, even when a long pipe is installed, such as a multi-type air conditioner, no additional refrigerant is required, thereby increasing installation convenience.

5 illustrates a case where the installation position of the second supercooling unit 170 according to the present invention is changed. As shown in FIG. 5, the supercooling degree may be stably secured while the installation position of the second supercooling unit 170 is changed in various ways depending on the convenience of use.

6 to 8 illustrate various forms of the first supercooling unit 150 or the second supercooling unit 170 according to the present invention.

6A and 6B, at least one of the first subcooling unit 150 or the second subcooling unit 170 may be formed to include plate-shaped liquid refrigerant tubes 151 and 171. By forming the liquid refrigerant pipes 151 and 171 of the subcooling parts 150 and 170 in a plate shape, the liquid refrigerant pipes 151 and 171 can serve as the body of the subcooling parts 150 and 170, and the liquid refrigerant and the cooling medium can exchange heat with each other. There is an advantage that can increase the supercooling by securing a lot of area.

7A and 7B, subcooling parts 150 and 170 of a straight double tube shape are illustrated, and subcooling parts 150 and 170 configured of a circular double tube type are illustrated in FIG. 8.

As such, the subcooling parts 150 and 170 are formed of a straight or circular double tube of at least one of the first subcooling part 150 and the second subcooling part 170, thereby allowing the liquid refrigerant to pass through the liquid refrigerant pipes 151 and 171. And the cooling medium passing through the cooling medium pipes 152 and 172 flow in the opposite directions to each other, so that heat exchange between the two is performed throughout the circumference of the cooling medium pipes 152 and 172.

As a result, the heat exchange between the liquid refrigerant and the cooling medium is ensured, and the liquid refrigerant is sufficiently subcooled, thereby improving the subcooling efficiency and shortening the time required for subcooling.

At this time, if the outside of the liquid refrigerant pipes 151 and 171 is wrapped with a heat insulating member (not shown) or the like, heat insulation can be ensured and heat exchange efficiency can be further increased.

Hereinafter, the operation of the dual supercooling apparatus according to the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS.

When the air conditioner 100 is operated, the refrigerant is circulated along the compressor 110, the condenser 120, the expansion device 130, and the evaporator 140 as the compressor 110 is operated.

Here, the liquid refrigerant passing through the condenser 120 of the first subcooling unit 150 through the first pipe (L1) connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 151 of the first subcooling unit 150. After flowing the liquid refrigerant pipe 151, the expansion pipe 130 is introduced by the second pipe L2.

At this time, since the cooling medium flows in the direction opposite to the liquid refrigerant in the cooling medium tube 152 of the first supercooling unit 150, the liquid refrigerant exchanges heat with the cooling medium to perform primary supercooling.

Part of the liquid refrigerant flowing through the second pipe (L2) after the first subcooling in the first supercooling unit 150 is the liquid refrigerant pipe 171 of the second supercooling unit 170 by the third pipe (L3). ) Is introduced into one end of the second supercooling unit 170, and exits through the fourth pipe L4 at the other end of the liquid refrigerant pipe 171.

At this time, since the cooling medium flows in the direction opposite to the primary supercooled liquid refrigerant in the cooling medium tube 172 of the second supercooling unit 170, the primary supercooled liquid refrigerant exchanges heat with the cooling medium for the second time. Supercooled.

On the other hand, the liquid refrigerant passing through the fourth pipe (L4) is expanded in the subcooling expansion unit 160 is converted into a cooling medium, and then in the first supercooling unit 150 and the second supercooling unit 170 Heat energy is absorbed from the liquid refrigerant.

The cooling medium absorbing the heat energy from the liquid refrigerant flows into the compressor 110 through the seventh pipe L7 connected to the cooling medium pipe 152 of the first supercooling unit 150.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, the first subcooling unit and the second subcooling unit are sufficiently supercooled through the liquid refrigerant passing through the condenser, thereby preventing a decrease in the mass flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the subcooling apparatus, thereby ensuring a stable subcooling degree. The present invention provides a dual supercooling device and an air conditioner using the same.

In addition, according to the present invention, by subcooling the first liquid subcooled in the first subcooling in the second subcooling unit once more, it is possible to shorten the time required to secure the required subcooling at the initial stage of the start of the air conditioner. An apparatus and an air conditioner using the same are provided.

Claims (7)

A subcooling expansion part configured to expand the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to generate a cooling medium; A first supercooling unit connected to the condenser and the subcooling expansion unit and configured to supercool the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the cooling medium; And And a second supercooling unit connected to the first supercooling unit and the subcooling expansion unit and receiving a portion of the liquid coolant supercooled in the first subcooling unit and subcooling the cooling medium again to the cooling medium. At least one of the first subcooling unit or the second subcooling unit includes an external liquid refrigerant pipe through which the liquid refrigerant flows, and a cooling medium tube through which the cooling medium flows through the liquid refrigerant pipe. One end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the first supercooling unit is connected to a first pipe through which the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser is introduced, and a second pipe is connected to the other end to send the supercooled liquid refrigerant to the evaporator. The second pipe is branched and connected to one end of the third pipe, and the other end of the third pipe is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second supercooling part. One end of the fourth pipe is connected to the other end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second supercooling part, and one end of the subcooling expansion part is connected to the other end of the fourth pipe. One end of the fifth pipe is connected to the other end of the subcooling expansion part, and one end of the cooling medium pipe of the second supercooling part is connected to the other end of the fifth pipe. One end of a sixth pipe is connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the second supercooling part, and one end of the cooling medium pipe of the first supercooling part is connected to the other end of the sixth pipe. And a seventh pipe connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the first supercooling unit to send the cooling medium to the compressor. delete delete The method of claim 1, And a cooling medium pipe and the fifth pipe, the sixth pipe, and the seventh pipe of the first subcooling part and the second subcooling part are integrally formed. The method according to claim 1 or 4, And the subcooling expansion part is an electromagnetic expansion valve. The method according to claim 1 or 4, At least one of the first supercooling unit or the second supercooling unit comprises a plate-shaped liquid refrigerant pipe, characterized in that the dual supercooling device. A compressor for compressing the refrigerant; A condenser for condensing the refrigerant passing through the compressor; An expansion device which expands the refrigerant passing through the condenser under reduced pressure; An evaporator for evaporating the refrigerant passing through the expansion device; And A subcooling expansion part configured to expand the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to generate a cooling medium, a first supercooling part connected to the condenser and the subcooling expansion part and subcooling the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser to the cooling medium, A second subcooling unit connected to the subcooling unit and the subcooling expansion unit and receiving a portion of the liquid refrigerant subcooled in the first subcooling unit and subcooling the subcooling unit again to the cooling medium, At least one of the first subcooling unit or the second subcooling unit includes an external liquid refrigerant pipe through which the liquid refrigerant flows, and a cooling medium tube through which the cooling medium flows through the liquid refrigerant pipe. One end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the first supercooling unit is connected to a first pipe through which the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser is introduced, and a second pipe is connected to the other end to send the supercooled liquid refrigerant to the evaporator. The second pipe is branched and connected to one end of the third pipe, and the other end of the third pipe is connected to one end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second supercooling part. One end of the fourth pipe is connected to the other end of the liquid refrigerant pipe of the second supercooling part, and one end of the subcooling expansion part is connected to the other end of the fourth pipe. One end of the fifth pipe is connected to the other end of the subcooling expansion part, and one end of the cooling medium pipe of the second supercooling part is connected to the other end of the fifth pipe. One end of a sixth pipe is connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the second supercooling part, and one end of the cooling medium pipe of the first supercooling part is connected to the other end of the sixth pipe. And a double supercooling device connected to the other end of the cooling medium pipe of the first supercooling unit, for connecting a seventh pipe for sending the cooling medium to the compressor.

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