Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025102205-A1
Application number	US-202218728292-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2022
Priority date	Mar 16, 2022
Publication date	Mar 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An air-conditioning apparatus includes: a heat medium cycle circuit; and a heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit in which a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a heat medium heat exchanger are connected by pipes, wherein the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a bypass pipe, a bypass valve, and a merging portion, the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe having one end connected to the heat medium heat exchanger, the compressor side pipe having one end connected to a heat source side refrigerant suction side of the compressor, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe in the merging portion is connected to the compressor side pipe and the bypass pipe with a pipe axis thereof being upwardly inclined relative to a horizontal direction or being oriented upward in a vertical direction when viewed from the merging portion.

First claim

1 . An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:
a heat medium cycle circuit in which a pump configured to pressurize a heat medium and an indoor heat exchanger configured to allow the heat medium to exchange heat with indoor air are connected by pipes to cause the heat medium to circulate through the heat medium cycle circuit, the heat medium serving as a heat delivery medium, the indoor air being a target to be air-conditioned; and a heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit in which a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, an expansion device, and a heat medium heat exchanger are connected by pipes to cause heat source side refrigerant to circulate through the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit, the compressor being configured to compress the heat source side refrigerant, the heat source side heat exchanger being configured to allow the heat source side refrigerant to exchange heat with outdoor air, the expansion device being configured to reduce a pressure of the heat source side refrigerant, the heat medium heat exchanger being configured to allow the heat source side refrigerant to exchange heat with the heat medium, wherein the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a bypass pipe through which the heat source side refrigerant passes to bypass the heat medium heat exchanger, a bypass valve configured to allow the heat source side refrigerant to pass through the bypass pipe or block the heat source side refrigerant from passing through the bypass pipe, and a merging portion to which a heat medium heat exchanger side pipe, a compressor side pipe, and the bypass pipe are connected, the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe having one end connected to the heat medium heat exchanger, the compressor side pipe having one end connected to a heat source side refrigerant suction side of the compressor, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe in the merging portion is connected to the compressor side pipe and the bypass pipe with a pipe axis thereof being upwardly inclined relative to a horizontal direction or being oriented upward in a vertical direction when viewed from the merging portion.

2 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bypass pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a horizontal direction, the compressor side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from a lower side, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from an upper side.

3 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the merging portion has a connection pipe in which a pipe extending in such a direction as to connect to the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe and to the compressor side pipe has an increased pipe diameter relative to a pipe diameter of a pipe extending in such a direction as to connect to the bypass pipe.

4 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the merging portion has a cyclone gas-liquid separator.

5 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bypass pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from a lower side, the compressor side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a horizontal direction, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from an upper side.

6 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bypass pipe and the compressor side pipe are connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a horizontal direction, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from an upper side.

7 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the bypass pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a vertical direction from a lower side, the compressor side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an orientation in a horizontal direction, and the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe is connected to the merging portion in an upwardly inclined orientation relative to the horizontal direction.

8 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the merging portion has a three-way valve configured to switch between communication of the compressor side pipe with the bypass pipe and communication of the compressor side pipe with the heat medium heat exchanger side pipe.

9 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

10 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the heat medium cycle circuit has a configuration in which
the relay unit having the pump, and an indoor unit including the indoor heat exchanger
are connected by a heat medium pipe.

11 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein constituent devices of the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit and the pump in the heat medium cycle circuit are installed in an outdoor unit.

12 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

13 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 3 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

14 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 4 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

15 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 5 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

16 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 6 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pipe.

17 . The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 7 , wherein
the heat source side refrigerant cycle circuit has a configuration in which an outdoor unit having the compressor and the heat source side heat exchanger, and a relay unit having the expansion device, the heat medium heat exchanger, the bypass pipe, and the bypass valve
are connected by a refrigerant pip

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Washiyama Hiroki
• Ikeda Soshi

Classifications

• F25B2500/00

  Problems to be solved · CPC title

• F25B2400/04

  Refrigeration circuit bypassing means · CPC title

• F25B41/40

  Fluid line arrangements · CPC title

• F25B2313/003

  Indoor unit with water as a heat sink or heat source · CPC title

• F25B2600/2501

  Bypass valves · CPC title