Air conditioner

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10054348-B2
Application number	US-201614992556-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2016
Priority date	Jan 12, 2015
Publication date	Aug 21, 2018
Grant date	Aug 21, 2018

Abstract

An air conditioner is provided. The air conditioner may include at least one indoor device, an electric heat pump (EHP) outdoor device connected with the at least one indoor device, and having a first compressor driven using electric power and a first outdoor heat exchanger, and a gas heat pump (GHP) outdoor device connected with the at least one indoor device, and having an engine that drives a second compressor using a combustion gas and a second outdoor heat exchanger. The GHP outdoor device may include an exhaust gas heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant flowing through the EHP outdoor device and an exhaust gas of the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner, comprising:
at least one indoor device;
an electric heat pump (EHP) outdoor device connected with the at least one indoor device, and having a first compressor driven using electric power and a first outdoor heat exchanger;
a circulation pipe that extends from the EHP outdoor device; and
a gas heat pump (GHP) outdoor device connected with the at least one indoor device, and having an engine that drives a second compressor using a combustion gas and a second outdoor heat exchanger, wherein the GHP outdoor device includes:
a cooling water heat exchanger provided at one side of the engine to absorb heat of the engine using cooling water;
an exhaust gas heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant flowing through the EHP outdoor device and an exhaust gas of the engine; and
an exhaust gas heat exchanger pipe that connects the engine with the exhaust gas heat exchanger and guides the exhaust gas generated from the engine to the exhaust gas heat exchanger, and

wherein the circulation pipe extends from the EHP outdoor device to the exhaust gas heat exchanger and supplies the refrigerant in the EHP outdoor device to the exhaust gas heat exchanger.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the EHP outdoor device further includes:
a first connection pipe that connects the at least one indoor device with the first outdoor heat exchanger, and a suction pipe that guides suction of the refrigerant to the first compressor.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the circulation pipe includes a first end, which is coupled to the first connection pipe, and a second end, which is coupled to the suction pipe.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the circulation pipe includes:
a first circulation pipe, which is branched from the first connection pipe and extends to the exhaust gas heat exchanger; and
a second circulation pipe, which extends from the exhaust gas heat exchanger and connects to a second connection pipe of the second outdoor heat exchanger.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4 , wherein the circulation pipe further includes a third circulation pipe, which is connected to the first circulation pipe and the second circulation pipe and provided inside of the exhaust gas heat exchanger.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5 , further including a circulation control valve, which is provided at the first circulation pipe or the second circulation pipe to control a flow rate of the refrigerant supplied toward the exhaust gas heat exchanger.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6 , wherein the circulation control valve includes an electronic expansion valve (EEV).

8. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the EHP outdoor device further includes a first accumulator, which is provided at a suction side of the first compressor and supplies the refrigerant to the first compressor, and when the air conditioner performs a warming operation, the refrigerant condensed in the indoor device is introduced into the first outdoor heat exchanger via the first connection pipe, and the refrigerant evaporated in the first outdoor heat exchanger is introduced into the first accumulator via the suction pipe.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 2 , wherein the EHP outdoor device further includes a first connection valve that connects a discharge side pipe of the first compressor with a first pipe of the at least one indoor device, and a second connection valve that connects the first connection pipe with a second pipe of the at least one indoor device.

10. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the GHP outdoor device further includes a second accumulator, which is provided at a suction side of the second compressor and supplies the refrigerant to the second compressor, and the refrigerant evaporated in the second outdoor heat exchanger is introduced into the second accumulator.

11. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the GHP outdoor device further includes:
a cooling water pipe that connects with the cooling water heat exchanger and guides a flow of the cooling water for cooling the engine.

12. The air conditioner according to claim 11 , further including:
a cooling water pump provided at the cooling water pipe and that generates a flowing force of the cooling water; and
a radiator provided at a side of the first outdoor heat exchanger to exchange heat with external air and to cool the cooling water.

13. The air conditioner according to claim 1 , wherein the exhaust gas heat exchanger pipe extends from the engine to the exhaust gas heat exchanger via the cooling water heat exchanger.

14. An air conditioner, comprising:
at least one indoor device;
an electric heat pump (EHP) outdoor device, which communicates with the at least one indoor device, having a first compressor driven using electric power and a first outdoor heat exchanger; and
a gas heat pump (GHP) outdoor device, which communicates with the at least one indoor device, wherein the GHP outdoor device includes:
an engine that uses a gas fuel to drive a second compressor;
a second outdoor heat exchanger;
a cooling water heat exchanger provided at one side of the engine to absorb heat of the engine using cooling water;
an exhaust gas heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a refrigerant from the EHP outdoor device and an exhaust gas from the engine;
a circulation pipe that connects the exhaust gas heat exchanger to the EHP outdoor device to supply the refrigerant in the EHP outdoor device to the exhaust gas heat exchanger;
an exhaust gas heat exchanger pipe that connects the engine with the exhaust gas heat exchanger and guides the exhaust gas generated from the engine to the exhaust gas heat exchanger.

15. The air conditioner according to claim 14 , wherein a portion of the circulation pipe is provided inside of the exhaust gas heat exchanger.

16. The air conditioner according to claim 14 , wherein the EHP outdoor device further includes:
a first connection pipe that connects the at least one indoor device with the first outdoor heat exchanger, and a suction pipe that guides suction of the refrigerant to the first compressor.

17. The air conditioner according to claim 16 , wherein the circulation pipe includes:
a first circulation pipe, which is branched from the first connection pipe and extends to the exhaust gas heat exchanger; and
a second circulation pipe, which extends from the exhaust gas heat exchanger and connects to a second connection pipe of the second outdoor heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Shin Kwangho
• Jeong Hojong
• Chung Minho
• Choi Song

Classifications

• F25B27/00

  Machines, plants or systems, using particular sources of energy (F25B30/06 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24F12/00

  Use of energy recovery systems in air conditioning, ventilation or screening (with both heat and humidity transfer between supplied and exhausted air F24F3/147) · CPC title

• F25B27/02

  using waste heat, e.g. from internal-combustion engines · CPC title

• F25B49/02 Primary

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F24F1/08

  Compressors specially adapted for separate outdoor units · CPC title