Heat pump apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10962267-B2
Application number	US-201616308284-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2016
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Mar 30, 2021
Grant date	Mar 30, 2021

Abstract

A heat pump apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit configured to circulate refrigerant having flammability; a heat medium circuit configured to allow a heat medium to flow therethrough; a heat-medium heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the heat medium; an outdoor unit configured to accommodate the refrigerant circuit and the heat-medium heat exchanger; and an indoor unit configured to accommodate a part of the heat medium circuit, the outdoor unit including a refrigerant release valve, the refrigerant release valve being at least one of a pressure relief valve and an air purge valve which are provided in the heat medium circuit, the refrigerant release valve being provided outside a casing of the outdoor unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
a refrigerant circuit configured to circulate refrigerant having flammability;
a heat medium circuit configured to allow a heat medium to flow therethrough;
a heat-medium heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the heat medium;
an outdoor unit housing the refrigerant circuit and the heat-medium heat exchanger, the outdoor unit having at least a first chamber and a second chamber partitioned from the first chamber;

an indoor unit housing a part of the heat medium circuit,
the first chamber of the outdoor unit comprising a compressor of the refrigerant circuit, and
the second chamber of the outdoor unit comprising
a refrigerant release valve configured to release refrigerant contaminated into the heat medium, the refrigerant release valve being at least one of a pressure relief valve and an air purge valve which are provided in the heat medium circuit, and
an air-blowing fan configured to blow outdoor air toward an air heat exchanger.

2. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air heat exchanger is provided in the second chamber and configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the outdoor air.

3. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the air-blowing fan comprises a brushless motor.

4. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant release valve is provided downstream of the heat-medium heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium.

5. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant release valve includes the pressure relief valve.

6. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second chamber containing the refrigerant release valve has an opening communicating with outside space.

7. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
a refrigerant circuit configured to circulate refrigerant having flammability;
a heat medium circuit configured to allow a heat medium to flow therethrough;
a heat-medium heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant and the heat medium;
an outdoor unit configured to accommodate the refrigerant circuit and a part of the heat-medium heat exchanger; and
an indoor unit configured to accommodate another part of the heat medium circuit,
the refrigerant having a density larger than air density under an atmospheric pressure,
the part of the heat medium circuit accommodated in the outdoor unit comprising a refrigerant release valve including at least one of a pressure relief valve and an air purge valve which are provided in the heat medium circuit as a refrigerant release valve and configured to release refrigerant contaminated into the heat medium,
the outdoor unit having at least a first chamber in which an electrical component configured to cause the refrigerant circuit to operate is provided,
the refrigerant release valve being provided in the first chamber at a position below the electrical component,
the first chamber having a first ventilation port formed above the refrigerant release valve, and a second ventilation port formed below the refrigerant release valve.

8. The heat pump apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the refrigerant release valve is provided downstream of the heat-medium heat exchanger in a flow direction of the heat medium.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Suzuki Yasuhiro
• Minamisako Hirokazu

Classifications

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F25B2339/047

  Water-cooled condensers · CPC title

• F25B47/025

  by reversing the cycle · CPC title

• F25B2600/2525

  Pressure relief valves · CPC title

• F24H4/02

  Water heaters · CPC title