Heat pump system, heat pump unit using the same, and method for controlling multiple functional modes thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10197306-B2
Application number	US-201414911927-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2014
Priority date	Aug 14, 2013
Publication date	Feb 5, 2019
Grant date	Feb 5, 2019

Abstract

A heat pump system, a controlling method thereof, and a heat pump unit using the heat pump system. The heat pump system includes a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, a multi-way valve, a throttling element, and a mode-switching flow path, which has both air conditioning and water heating functions. By switching the multi-way valve and powering on/off electromagnetic valves in the heat pump system, the controlling method controls the heat pump system to implement multiple functional modes. Furthermore, the heat pump unit using the heat pump system provides multiple functions simply by laying a small amount of parts and elements and pipelines outdoors, thereby greatly reducing the engineering cost and cost of parts, and ensuring a much higher water heating efficiency.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat pump system, comprising:
a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, a multi-way valve, and a throttling element, wherein any flow path between any two of the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger, and the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger is disposed with the throttling element; further comprising:
a mode-switching flow path, having a first flow path, a second flow path, a third flow path, and a fourth flow path, wherein each of the flow paths is controllably turned on or off to implement a different functional mode, wherein the different functional modes include at least one of,
a cooling mode, a cooling medium sequentially circulates through an outlet of the compressor, the multi-way valve, the first heat exchanger, the first flow path of the mode-switching flow path, the second heat exchanger, and the multi-way valve, and reaches an inlet of the compressor; and
a heating mode, the cooling medium sequentially circulates through the outlet of the compressor, the multi-way valve, the second heat exchanger, the second flow path of the mode-switching flow path, the first heat exchanger, and the multi-way valve, and reaches the inlet of the compressor; and
a heat recovery mode, the cooling medium sequentially circulates through the outlet of the compressor, the multi-way valve, the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, the third flow path of the mode-switching flow path, the second heat exchanger, and the multi-way valve, and reaches the inlet of the compressor; and
a water heating mode, the cooling medium sequentially circulates through the outlet of the compressor, the multi-way valve, the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, the fourth flow path of the mode-switching flow path, the first heat exchanger, and the multi-way valve, and reaches the inlet of the compressor;
wherein the mode-switching flow path comprises a first three-way port, a second three-way port, a third three-way port, and a four-way port, and the throttling element is disposed within the mode-switching flow path.

2. The heat pump system according to claim 1 ,
wherein
the first flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path from the first three-way port to the third three-way port through the throttling element; and
the second flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path from the third three-way port to the first three-way port through the throttling element; and
the third flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path from the four-way port to the third three-way port through the throttling element; and
the fourth flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path from the four-way port to the first three-way port through the throttling element.

3. The heat pump system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path staring from the first three-way port, passing through the four-way port, the throttling element, and the second three-way port, and reaching the third three-way port; and
the second flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path starting from the third three-way port, passing through the four-way port, the throttling element, and the second three-way port, and reaching the first three-way port; and
the third flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path starting from the four-way port, passing through the throttling element and the second three-way port, and reaching the third three-way port; and
the fourth flow path of the mode-switching flow path is a flow path starting from the four-way port, passing through the throttling element and the second three-way port, and reaching the first three-way port.

4. The heat pump system according to claim 3 , wherein
a first end of the first three-way port is connected with the first heat exchanger, a second end of the first three-way port is connected with a first end of the second three-way port via a first electromagnetic valve, and a third end of the first three-way port is connected with a first end of the four-way port via a first check valve; a second end of the second three-way port is connected with a first end of the third three-way port via a second electromagnetic valve, and a third end of the second three-way port is connected with a third end of the four-way port via the throttling element; a second end of the third three-way port is connected with the second heat exchanger, and a third end of the third three-way port is connected with a second end of the four-way port by a second check valve; and a fourth end of the four-way port is connected with the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger via a third check valve.

5. The heat pump system according to claim 4 , wherein a fourth check valve is disposed between the first electromagnetic valve and the second end of the first three-way port; and/or a fifth check valve is disposed between the second electromagnetic valve and the first end of the third three-way port.

6. The heat pump system according to claim 5 , wherein a liquid storage tank is disposed between the throttling element and the third end of the four-way port.

7. The heat pump system according to claim 5 , wherein a gas-liquid separator is disposed between the multi-way valve and the inlet of the compressor.

8. The heat pump system according to claim 5 , wherein the throttling element is an electronic expansion valve.

9. The heat pump system according to claim 1 , wherein
the multi-way valve has a first switching position, a second switching position, a third switching position, and a fourth switching position;
in the first switching position, the multi-way valve respectively communicates the outlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger, and communicates the inlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger, and
in the second switching position, the multi-way valve respectively communicates the outlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger, and communicates the inlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger; and
in the third switching position, the multi-way valve respectively communicates the outlet of the compressor with the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, and communicates the inlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger; and
in the fourth switching position, the multi-way valve respectively communicates the outlet of the compressor with the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger; and communicates the inlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger.

10. The heat pump system according to claim 9 , wherein
the multi-way valve comprises a first four-way valve and a second four-way valve that are serially connected with each other;
in the first switching position, the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve communicate the outlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger, and communicate the inlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger; and
in the second switching position, the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve communicate the outlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger, and communicate the inlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger; and
in the third switching position, the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve communicate the outlet of the compressor with the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, and communicate the inlet of the compressor with the second heat exchanger; and
in the fourth switching position, the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve communicate the outlet of the compressor with the heat-recovery-type heat exchanger, and communicate the inlet of the compressor with the first heat exchanger.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Li Haijun
• Wang Weijuan
• Shen Guangyu

Classifications

• F25B13/00 Primary

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title

• F24D19/1039

  the system uses a heat pump · CPC title

• F24D11/0214

  water heating system · CPC title

• F25B2313/0272

  using bridge circuits of one-way valves · CPC title

• Y02A30/62

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic