Air-conditioning apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9303906-B2
Application number	US-201013877080-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2010
Priority date	Nov 19, 2010
Publication date	Apr 5, 2016
Grant date	Apr 5, 2016

Abstract

To reduce pressure loss of refrigerant while suppressing a cost increase.
[Solution] In an air-conditioning apparatus 100 having a compressor 201 , a radiator 204 ( 301 ), an expansion device 302 , and an evaporator 301 ( 204 ), which are connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigeration cycle, at least a part of the refrigerant pipe ( 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212 ) that connects from the suction side of the compressor 201 to the evaporator 301 ( 204 ) is configured by a plurality of pipes connected in parallel, and a refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle is a tetrafluoropropene-based refrigerant or a refrigerant mixture having tetrafluoropropene as a main component.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An air-conditioning apparatus comprising a compressor, a radiator, an expansion device, an evaporator, and an accumulator, which are connected by a refrigerant pipe to form a refrigeration cycle, wherein: a refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle is a tetrafluoropropene-based refrigerant or a refrigerant mixture having tetrafluoropropene as a main component, the refrigerant pipe that connects from the accumulator to a suction side of the compressor and the refrigerant pipe that connects from the evaporator to the accumulator are configured by a plurality of pipes connected in parallel, respectively, and an inside diameter of each of the plurality of pipes connected in parallel is set in accordance with an output of the compressor.

2. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a heat source side heat exchanger that is caused to function as the radiator or the evaporator; and
a use side heat exchanger that is caused to function as the radiator or the evaporator,
wherein in a case where the cooling operation and the heating operation can be switched by switching a flow of the refrigerant,
in the heating operation, the use side heat exchanger is caused to function as the radiator, and the heat source side heat exchanger is caused to function as the evaporator, and
in the cooling operation, the heat source side heat exchanger is caused to function as the radiator, and the use side heat exchanger is caused to function as the evaporator.

3. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
a heat source side heat exchanger that is caused to function as the radiator or the evaporator; and
a plurality of heat exchangers related to heat medium that are each caused to function as the radiator or the evaporator, and are connected to a plurality of use side heat exchangers by a heat medium pipe,
wherein in a case where a heating only operation, a cooling only operation, and a cooling and heating mixed operation can be performed by switching a flow of the refrigerant flowing into the plurality of heat exchangers related to heat medium,
in the heating only operation, the heat source side heat exchanger is caused to function as the radiator, and the heat exchangers related to heat medium are each caused to function as the evaporator,
in the cooling only operation, the heat source side heat exchanger is caused to function as the evaporator, and the heat exchangers related to heat medium are each caused to function as the radiator, and
in the cooling and heating mixed operation, the heat source side heat exchanger is caused to function as the radiator or the evaporator, at least one of the heat exchangers related to heat medium is caused to function as the radiator, and a rest of the heat exchangers related to heat medium is caused to function as the evaporator.

4. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the compressor and a heat source side heat exchanger are included in an outdoor unit; and
the plurality of pipes connected in parallel are provided within the outdoor unit.

5. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the compressor has an output of approximately 22 kW, the inside diameter of each of the plurality of pipes connected in parallel is set to be not more than 26.9 mm.

6. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the compressor has an output of approximately 28 kW to 33 kW, the inside diameter of each of the plurality of pipes connected in parallel is set to be not more than 31.5 mm.

7. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
in a case where the compressor has an output of approximately 40 kW, the inside diameter of each of the plurality of pipes connected in parallel is set to be not more than 35.9mm.

8. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle is HF01234yf.

9. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle is HF01234ze.

10. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle has HF01234yf as a main component.

11. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle has HF01234ze as a main component.

12. The air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the refrigerant that flows through the refrigeration cycle is a refrigerant such that the ratio of the weight of the refrigerant encapsulated in the refrigeration cycle to the weight of the tetrafluoropropene-based refrigerant is 75% or more.

Assignees

• Morimoto Hiroyuki
• Yamashita Koji
• Wakamoto Shinichi
• Takenaka Naofumi
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Morimoto Hiroyuki
• Yamashita Koji
• Wakamoto Shinichi
• Takenaka Naofumi

Classifications

• F25B25/005

  using primary and secondary systems · CPC title

• F25B2400/121

  using R1234 · CPC title

• F25B2313/02741

  using one four-way valve · CPC title

• F25B41/046 Primary

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25B13/00 Primary

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