Refrigeration cycle apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024019186-A1
Application number	US-202118251746-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 5, 2021
Priority date	Jan 5, 2021
Publication date	Jan 18, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a refrigeration cycle apparatus, at start-up of heating, a controller sets a first four-way valve to an ON state and sets a second four-way valve to an OFF state so as to form a flow path in which refrigerant flows through a compressor, a load-side heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, and an accumulator and returns to the compressor, and during a heating operation, the controller sets the first four-way valve to the ON state and sets the second four-way valve to the ON state so as to form a flow path in which the refrigerant flows through the compressor, the load-side heat exchanger, the first expansion valve, the receiver, and the heat-source-side heat exchanger and returns to the compressor.

First claim

1 . A refrigeration cycle apparatus in which refrigerant circulates, the refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising:
a compressor; a first heat exchanger; a second heat exchanger; a first flow rate control valve; a first four-way valve configured to switch a flow path for the refrigerant by switching a state of the first four-way valve between a first state and a second state; a second four-way valve configured to switch a flow path for the refrigerant by switching a state of the second four-way valve between a third state and a fourth state; a refrigerant container; and a controller configured to control the first four-way valve and the second four-way valve, wherein at start-up of heating, the controller sets the first four-way valve to the first state and sets the second four-way valve to the fourth state so as to form a flow path in which the refrigerant flows through the compressor, the second heat exchanger, the first flow rate control valve, the first heat exchanger, and the refrigerant container and returns to the compressor, and during a heating operation, the controller sets the first four-way valve to the first state and sets the second four-way valve to the third state so as to form a flow path in which the refrigerant flows through the compressor, the second heat exchanger, the first flow rate control valve, the refrigerant container, and the first heat exchanger and returns to the compressor.

2 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at start-up of cooling, the controller sets the first four-way valve to the second state and sets the second four-way valve to the fourth state so as to form a flow path in which the refrigerant flows through the compressor, the first heat exchanger, the first flow rate control valve, the second heat exchanger, and the refrigerant container and returns to the compressor.

3 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein at each of the start-up of heating and the start-up of cooling, the refrigerant container is used as a liquid separator configured to separate a liquid and a gas included in the refrigerant, and during the heating operation, the refrigerant container is used as a liquid receiver configured to store the liquid included in the refrigerant.

4 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a second flow rate control valve, wherein
at the start-up of cooling, the first flow rate control valve is disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and the second flow rate control valve is disposed between the compressor and the first heat exchanger.

5 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a second flow rate control valve, wherein
at the start-up of cooling, the first flow rate control valve is disposed between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and the second flow rate control valve is disposed between the second heat exchanger and the refrigerant container.

6 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein
the controller controls a degree of opening of the first flow rate control valve and a degree of opening of the second flow rate control valve, and at each of the start-up of heating and the start-up of cooling refrigerant, the controller sets the degree of opening of the first flow rate control valve to be smaller than a fully opened state and sets the degree of opening of the second flow rate control valve to the fully opened state.

7 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein during the heating operation, the controller sets the degree of opening of the first flow rate control valve to be smaller than the fully opened state, and sets the degree of opening of the second flow rate control valve to be smaller than the fully opened state.

8 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls the second four-way valve to the third state when a degree of superheat of a suction side of the compressor becomes 2° C. or more at the start-up of heating.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Gyotoku Shunya
• Kadowaki Kimitaka
• Sakamoto Nobuhide

Classifications

• F25B49/02 Primary

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25B13/00 Primary

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

• F25B43/006

  Accumulators · CPC title

• F25B2313/0292

  related to reversing valves · CPC title

• F25B2313/02742

  using two four-way valves · CPC title