Heat pump apparatus and control method for heat pump apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9377224-B2
Application number	US-201113981505-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2011
Priority date	Jan 27, 2011
Publication date	Jun 28, 2016
Grant date	Jun 28, 2016

Abstract

A heat pump apparatus includes a heat source unit that cools or heats a refrigerant, an indoor unit that performs a cooling operation, and a hot water supply unit that performs a hot water supply operation. When there is an operation request for one of the indoor unit and the hot water supply unit, even when there is no operation request for the other, the heat pump apparatus causes both the one and the other to operate if the other satisfies a certain condition so that the hot water supply unit performs a hot water supply operation by utilizing a refrigerant heated by performing a cooling operation in the indoor unit and the indoor unit performs a cooling operation by utilizing a refrigerant cooled by performing a hot water supply operation in the hot water supply unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat pump apparatus comprising:
a heat source device that cools or heats a refrigerant;
a first use device that cools a first fluid by utilizing the refrigerant cooled by the heat source device;
a second use device that heats a second fluid by utilizing the refrigerant heated by the heat source device; and
a controller that
causes, when there is an operation request for one of the first use device and the second use device, even when there is no operation request for the other, both the one and the other to operate if the other satisfies a certain condition, and
causes the first use device and the second use device to perform a waste heat recovery operation and in which the second use device heats the second fluid by utilizing a refrigerant heated by cooling the first fluid in the first use device, wherein

the controller
determines that there is an operation request for the second use device if a temperature of the second fluid is less than or equal to a first heating temperature set by a user, and
when there is the operation request for one of the first use device and the second use device, and both the one and the other are to operate, operates the second use device such that the temperature of the second fluid becomes a second heating temperature that is set higher than the first heating temperature by a certain degrees.

2. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
the controller determines that, when there is an operation request for the first use device, even when there is no operation request for the second use device, the second use device satisfies the certain condition if the temperature of the second fluid is less than or equal to the second heating temperature, and causes both the first use device and the second use device to operate so that the waste heat recovery operation is performed by the first use device and the second use device.

3. The heat pump apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the heat source device includes
a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air and heats the refrigerant, wherein
the controller further switches whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed in accordance with an outside air temperature which is a temperature of the outside air.

4. The heat pump apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the heat source device includes
a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air and heats the refrigerant, and
the controller further switches whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed in accordance with a relationship between an outside air temperature which is a temperature of the outside air and the temperature of the second fluid.

5. The heat pump apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the controller further switches whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed in accordance with time.

6. The heat pump apparatus of claim 2 , wherein
the controller further switches whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed in accordance with an electricity rate for a unit amount of electric power.

7. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an input device that receives an operation request for the first use device, wherein
the controller determines that, when there is an operation request for the second use device, even when there is no operation request for the first use device, the first use device satisfies the certain condition if a temperature of the first fluid is greater than or equal to a preset cooling temperature, and causes both the second use device and the first use device to operate to perform the waste heat recovery operation.

8. The heat pump apparatus of claim 7 , wherein
the heat source device includes
a first heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outside air to heat the refrigerant, and
the controller further switches whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed in accordance with a relationship between an outside air temperature which is a temperature of the outside air and the temperature of the first fluid.

9. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an input device that receives an input as to whether or not the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed, wherein
the controller causes the first use device and the second use device to perform the waste heat recovery operation only when the input device has received an input that indicates that the waste heat recovery operation is to be performed.

10. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display device that displays information indicating that the waste heat recovery operation is in progress when the first use device and the second use device are performing the waste heat recovery operation.

11. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a third use device that heats a third fluid by utilizing the refrigerant heated by the heat source device, wherein
the controller
causes, when there is an operation request for the first use device and the third use device, a waste heat recovery operation to be performed in which the third use device heats the third fluid by utilizing a refrigerant heated by cooling the first fluid in the first use device, and
causes, even when there is no operation request for the second use device, the second use device to also operate if an amount of heat that is removable from the refrigerant by heating the third fluid in the third use device is less than or equal to a predetermined first amount of heat and if the second use device satisfies the certain condition, and causes a waste heat recovery operation to be performed in which the second use device and the third use device heat the second fluid and the third fluid by utilizing a refrigerant heated by cooling the first fluid in the first use device.

12. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a fourth use device that cools a fourth fluid by utilizing the refrigerant cooled by the heat source device, wherein
the controller
causes, when there is an operation request for the second use device and the fourth use device, a waste heat recovery operation to be performed in which the second use device heats the second fluid by utilizing a refrigerant heated by cooling the fourth fluid in the fourth use device, and
causes, even when there is no operation request for the first use device, the first use device to also operate if an amount of heat to be applied to the refrigerant by cooling the fourth fluid in the fourth use device is less than or equal to a predetermined second amount of heat and if the first use device satisfies the certain condition, and causes a waste heat recovery operation to be performed in which the second use device heats the second fluid by utilizing a refrigerant heated by cooling the first fluid and the fourth fluid in the first use device and the fourth use device.

13. The heat pump apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an annular first refrigerant passage in which a compressor, a first opening and closing mechanism, a first heat exchanger, a first pressure reducing mechanism, a second pressure reducing mechanism, and a second heat exchanger are sequentially connected with pipes,
a second refrigerant passage that connects a node between the first pressure reducing mechanism and the second pressure reducing mechanism in the first refrigerant passage to a node between the compressor and the first opening and closing mechanism, wherein a third pressure reducing mechanism, a third heat exchanger, and a second openi

Assignees

• Tamaki Shogo
• Saito Makoto
• Baba Masanobu
• Oya Ryo
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Tamaki Shogo
• Saito Makoto
• Baba Masanobu
• Oya Ryo

Classifications

• F25B2600/2519

  On-off valves · CPC title

• F25B2700/21163

  of the refrigerant at the outlet of the condenser · CPC title

• F25B41/04

  Mechanical Engineering · mapped topic

• F25B2313/0214

  the auxiliary heat exchanger being used parallel to the indoor unit during heating operation · CPC title

• F24D2200/24

  Refrigeration · CPC title