Cabinet air conditioner and control method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a cabinet air conditioner and a control method thereof. The cabinet air conditioner comprises an indoor side space in the cabinet body, an evaporator, a water collecting structure, a first inner fan, a conveying pump and a heat exchanger, wherein the water collecting structure is below the evaporator, and the conveying pump can pump the condensed water collected in the water collecting structure into the heat exchanger. According to the application, when the condensed water collected in the water collecting structure reaches a certain amount, the conveying pump is controlled to pump the condensed water in the water collecting structure into the heat exchanger. Under the action of the wind force of the first inner fan, the condensed water in the heat exchanger and the hot air in the cabinet body exchange heat, and the cooled air and the cold produced by the evaporator are blown into the cabinet body, so that the condensed water is reasonably utilized without affecting the refrigeration of the air conditioner, the refrigeration efficiency of the unit and the heat exchange efficiency of the system are improved, and the refrigerating capacity is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of air conditioning technology, specifically relating to a cabinet air conditioner and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the demand for 5G server rack air conditioners is increasing. However, most server rack air conditioners on the market simply drain condensate directly from the unit's chassis, failing to make proper use of the condensate, which is a waste of condensate resources. Furthermore, the dripping condensate can also impact the environment inside and outside the server rack. Properly utilizing the condensate can improve the unit's cooling efficiency and the system's heat exchange efficiency, thereby increasing cooling capacity. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the present invention provides a cabinet air conditioner that overcomes the shortcomings of the cabinet air conditioner in that the condensate water generated during operation is directly discharged without being properly utilized.

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention provides a cabinet air conditioner, comprising: an evaporator, a water collection structure, a first internal fan, a delivery pump, and a heat exchanger. The cabinet air conditioner has an indoor space facing the cabinet. The evaporator, water collection structure, first internal fan, delivery pump, and heat exchanger are all located within the indoor space. The water collection structure is located below the evaporator, and the delivery pump is capable of pumping the condensate collected within the water collection structure into the heat exchanger.

[0005] In some embodiments, a second internal fan and a partition are also included, the partition dividing the indoor space into a first independent space and a second independent space, the evaporator, water collection structure and the first internal fan being located in the first independent space, the delivery pump, the heat exchanger and the second internal fan being located in the second independent space, the second internal fan being used to independently drive the air circulation of the heat exchanger.

[0006] In some embodiments, the delivery pump is positioned above the heat exchanger, and the second internal fan is positioned between the heat exchanger and the delivery pump.

[0007] In some embodiments, a water level monitoring device is also included, which is disposed within the water collection structure; and / or, a temperature monitoring device is disposed on the heat exchanger.

[0008] In some embodiments, the bottom of the water collection structure has a drain outlet, the delivery pump has a first water inlet connected to the drain outlet; and / or, the heat exchanger has a second water outlet, and a water valve is provided on the water flow path of the second water outlet.

[0009] In some embodiments, a drain pipe is also included, with a first end of the drain pipe connected to the second outlet and a second end of the drain pipe connected to the outside of the cabinet.

[0010] The present invention also provides a control method for a cabinet air conditioner, used to control the operation of the cabinet air conditioner. The control method includes: an acquisition step, acquiring the water level H1 in the water collection structure; and a judgment execution step, when H1≥Ha and the heat exchanger is in a waterless state, controlling the delivery pump to start and controlling the water valve of the cabinet air conditioner to close, wherein Ha is a preset water level value.

[0011] In some implementations, when the duration of the pump operation exceeds a preset time, the pump is controlled to shut down, and the second internal fan of the cabinet air conditioner is controlled to operate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the tube wall temperature T1 of the heat exchanger is obtained, and when T1 ≥ Ta, the water valve is opened and the second internal fan is stopped, wherein Ta is a preset temperature value.

[0013] In some embodiments, when the heat exchanger is in a water-filled state and H1≥Ha, the water valve is opened and the second internal fan is stopped.

[0014] This invention provides a cabinet air conditioner and its control method. During unit operation, the evaporator produces condensate, which collects in a water collection structure under gravity. When the collected condensate reaches a certain amount, a pump is controlled to pump the condensate from the collection structure to the heat exchanger. Under the action of the first internal fan, the condensate in the heat exchanger exchanges heat with the hot air inside the cabinet, and the cooled air after the heat exchange, along with the cooling capacity generated by the evaporator, is blown into the cabinet. This allows for the rational utilization of the condensate without affecting the air conditioner's cooling efficiency, improving the unit's cooling efficiency and the system's heat exchange efficiency, and increasing the cooling capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the rack air conditioner installed on the rack according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cabinet air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cabinet air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a side view of a cabinet air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the condensate cooling system of a cabinet air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram of a cabinet air conditioner in the prior art;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a cabinet air conditioner from another perspective.

[0022] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows:

[0023] 1. Evaporator; 2. Water collection structure; 3. First internal fan; 4. Transfer pump; 5. Heat exchanger; 6. Second internal fan; 7. Water level monitoring device; 8. Temperature monitoring device; 9. Water valve; 10. Middle partition; 11. First independent space; 12. Second independent space; 13. Drain pipe; 14. Water inlet pipe; 15. Water outlet pipe; 16. Electrical box; 17. Cabinet; 18. Cabinet air conditioner; 19. Cabinet door panel. Detailed Implementation

[0024] See also Figures 1 to 7 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a rack-mounted air conditioner is provided, comprising: an evaporator 1, a water collection structure 2, a first internal fan 3, a transfer pump 4, and a heat exchanger 5. The rack-mounted air conditioner 18 has an indoor space facing the cabinet 17. The evaporator 1, the water collection structure 2, the first internal fan 3, the transfer pump 4, and the heat exchanger 5 are all located within the indoor space. The water collection structure 2 is located below the evaporator 1. The transfer pump 4 can pump the condensate collected in the water collection structure 2 into the heat exchanger 5. In this technical solution, during unit operation, the evaporator 1 produces condensate, which collects in the water collection structure 2 under gravity. When the condensate collected in the water collection structure 2 reaches a certain amount, the transfer pump 4 is controlled to pump the condensate in the water collection structure 2 into the heat exchanger 5. Under the action of the first internal fan 3, the condensate in the heat exchanger 5 and the hot air in the cabinet 17 exchange heat, and the cooled air after the heat exchange, along with the cooling capacity generated by the evaporator 1, is blown into the cabinet 17. This allows for the rational utilization of the condensate without affecting the air conditioner's cooling capacity, improving the unit's cooling efficiency and the system's heat exchange efficiency, and increasing the cooling capacity. In existing technologies, condensate generated by the evaporator 1 is sprayed onto the condenser inside the cabinet air conditioner 18 to cool the condenser and improve heat exchange efficiency. However, when the condensate is sprayed onto the condenser, complete vaporization is not achieved, and some condensate will always drip from the condenser. This dripping condensate not only corrodes metal components but also threatens the electrical safety of electrical components. The technical solution of this application prevents these two problems.

[0025] See also Figure 3As shown, it also includes a second internal fan 6 and a partition 10. The partition 10 divides the indoor space into a first independent space 11 and a second independent space 12. The evaporator 1, the water collection structure 2, and the first internal fan 3 are located in the first independent space 11, while the transfer pump 4, the heat exchanger 5, and the second internal fan 6 are located in the second independent space 12. The second internal fan 6 is used to independently drive the airflow of the heat exchanger 5. The addition of the second internal fan 6 allows for rapid and sufficient heat exchange between the condensate in the heat exchanger 5 and the hot air in the cabinet 17, and blows the cooled air into the cabinet 17. The first internal fan 3 is mainly used to drive the airflow of the evaporator 1, enabling heat exchange between the evaporator 1 and the hot air in the cabinet 17, and sending the cooling energy generated by the evaporator 1 into the cabinet 17. The partition 10 prevents heat exchange between the evaporator 1 and the heat exchanger 5. This means the refrigeration system, primarily composed of the evaporator 1 and the first internal fan 3, does not interfere with the condensate cooling system, which consists of the delivery pump 4, heat exchanger 5, and the second internal fan 6. The condensate cooling system does not affect the normal operation of the rack air conditioner 18. Furthermore, the addition of the condensate cooling system is an improvement to the rack air conditioner 18 without changing the overall frame dimensions. This fully utilizes the internal space of the rack air conditioner 18 without increasing its size. Simultaneously, with the increased cooling capacity of the condensate cooling system, the compressor of the rack air conditioner 18 can appropriately reduce its operating frequency during cooling, thereby achieving energy savings.

[0026] Specifically, the delivery pump 4 is positioned above the heat exchanger 5, and the second internal fan 6 is located between the heat exchanger 5 and the delivery pump 4, ensuring that there are no other components in the airflow path from the second internal fan 6 to the heat exchanger 5, thus guaranteeing smooth airflow. At the same time, this also ensures a rational layout of all components, making full use of the limited space without increasing the volume of the cabinet air conditioner 18.

[0027] In this embodiment, a water level monitoring device 7 is also included, which is installed inside the water collection structure 2; and / or, a temperature monitoring device 8 is installed on the heat exchanger 5. The water level monitoring device 7 is a level switch. When the water level in the water collection structure 2 reaches the height of the level switch, the delivery pump 4 is controlled to start, and then the delivery pump 4 pumps the condensate in the water collection structure 2 into the heat exchanger 5. The level switch enables the automatic start and stop of the delivery pump 4. The temperature monitoring device 8 is a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor can obtain the tube wall temperature of the heat exchanger 5 in real time. When the tube wall temperature of the heat exchanger 5 is high, it indicates that the condensate in the heat exchanger 5 has significantly increased in temperature due to heat exchange with the hot air inside the cabinet 17, and it is no longer suitable to use this part of the condensate to cool the inside of the cabinet 17. This part of the condensate needs to be discharged from the heat exchanger 5, and then the newly collected condensate in the water collection structure 2 is pumped into the heat exchanger 5.

[0028] In one specific implementation, the water collection structure 2 has a drain outlet at its bottom, and the delivery pump 4 has a first inlet connected to the drain outlet; and / or, the heat exchanger 5 has a second outlet, with a water valve 9 installed in the water flow path of the second outlet. An inlet pipe 14 is also installed between the drain outlet of the water collection structure 2 and the first inlet of the delivery pump 4, with one end of the inlet pipe 14 connected to the drain outlet of the water collection structure 2 and the other end connected to the first inlet of the delivery pump 4. The inlet pipe 14 enables the delivery pump 4 to extract condensate from the water collection structure 2. The drain outlet being located at the bottom of the water collection structure 2 facilitates the delivery pump 4's extraction of water from the water collection structure 2. Meanwhile, the delivery pump 4 has a first outlet, and the heat exchanger 5 has a second inlet. One end of the outlet pipe 15 is connected to the first outlet of the delivery pump 4, and the other end of the outlet pipe 15 is connected to the second inlet of the heat exchanger 5. The outlet pipe 15 allows the condensate pumped by the delivery pump 4 to be diverted into the heat exchanger 5. The water valve 9 enables automatic drainage of the heat exchanger 5. When condensate needs to be injected into the heat exchanger 5, the water valve 9 is closed to allow the heat exchanger 5 to store condensate; when the water temperature in the heat exchanger 5 is high and drainage is needed, the water valve 9 is opened to allow the warm water in the heat exchanger 5 to be discharged.

[0029] See also Figure 5 As shown, it also includes a drain pipe 13, with one end of the drain pipe 13 connected to the second water outlet and the second end of the drain pipe 13 connected to the outside of the cabinet 17. The drain pipe 13 ensures that the condensate is ultimately discharged outside the cabinet 17, preventing condensate from dripping into the cabinet 17, restricting the flow of condensate, and preventing condensate from causing unpredictable adverse effects on the unit.

[0030] This invention also provides a control method for a cabinet air conditioner, used to control the operation of the aforementioned cabinet air conditioner. The control method includes: an acquisition step, acquiring the water level H1 in the water collection structure 2; and a judgment execution step, whereby, when H1 ≥ Ha and the heat exchanger 5 is in a waterless state, the transfer pump 4 is started, and the water valve 9 of the cabinet air conditioner 18 is closed, wherein Ha is a preset water level value. The heat exchanger 5 being in a waterless state means that there is no condensate stored in the heat exchanger 5 or that the condensate stored in the heat exchanger 5 has been drained. When the water level H1 in the water collection structure 2 is greater than or equal to the preset water level value Ha, it indicates that sufficient condensate has been collected in the water collection structure 2, requiring the transfer pump 4 to be started and the water valve 9 to be closed, so that the transfer pump 4 pumps the condensate from the water collection structure 2 to the heat exchanger 5 for storage.

[0031] In one specific implementation, when the duration of the delivery pump 4's operation exceeds a preset time, the delivery pump 4 is shut down, and the second internal fan 6 of the cabinet air conditioner 18 is activated. When the duration of the delivery pump 4's operation exceeds the preset time, it indicates that the heat exchanger 5 is full of condensate, requiring the delivery pump 4 to stop operating and cease further water injection into the heat exchanger 5. Simultaneously, the second internal fan 6 is activated to allow heat exchange between the condensate in the heat exchanger 5 and the hot air inside the cabinet 17, and to blow the cooled air into the cabinet 17. The preset time is 2 to 3 minutes.

[0032] In some embodiments, the wall temperature T1 of the heat exchanger 5 is obtained. When T1 ≥ Ta, the water valve 9 is opened, and the second internal fan 6 is stopped, where Ta is a preset temperature value. When the wall temperature T1 of the heat exchanger 5 is greater than or equal to the preset temperature value Ta, it indicates that the condensate in the heat exchanger 5 has significantly increased in temperature due to heat exchange with the hot air inside the cabinet 17, and is no longer suitable for cooling the cabinet 17. At this time, the water valve 9 is opened, the second internal fan 6 is stopped, and the warm water in the heat exchanger 5 is drained to the outside of the cabinet 17 by the drainage pipe 13. After drainage is completed, if the water level exceeds the level switch, the transfer pump 4 is started again, and the water valve 9 is closed, so that the transfer pump 4 pumps the condensate in the water collection structure 2 back into the heat exchanger 5 to improve the cooling efficiency.

[0033] Specifically, when heat exchanger 5 is in a water-containing state and H1 ≥ Ha, the control water valve 9 opens, and the second internal fan 6 stops operating. The water-containing state of heat exchanger 5 means that condensate collected in the water collection structure 2 has been injected into heat exchanger 5, and heat exchanger 5 and the second internal fan 6 are performing condensate-assisted cooling. When the water level H1 in the water collection structure 2 is again greater than or equal to the preset water level value Ha, it indicates that sufficient condensate has been collected again in the water collection structure 2. The newly collected condensate is usually lower in temperature than the condensate stored in heat exchanger 5 at this time. To improve cooling efficiency, it is necessary to control the water valve 9 to open and the second internal fan 6 to stop operating, allowing the warm water in heat exchanger 5 to be drained. After drainage is complete, the transfer pump 4 is started to pump the condensate from the water collection structure 2 back into heat exchanger 5. To determine whether heat exchanger 5 is in a water-containing or water-free state, a pressure sensor can be installed inside the drain outlet of heat exchanger 5 and near the upstream position of water valve 9. The current state of heat exchanger 5 can be determined by acquiring the water pressure.

[0034] It will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the aforementioned advantageous methods can be freely combined and superimposed without conflict.

[0035] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cabinet air conditioner, characterized in that, The cabinet air conditioner (18) includes an evaporator (1), a water collection structure (2), a first internal fan (3), a delivery pump (4), and a heat exchanger (5). The cabinet air conditioner (18) has an indoor space facing the cabinet (17). The evaporator (1), water collection structure (2), first internal fan (3), delivery pump (4), and heat exchanger (5) are all located in the indoor space. The water collection structure (2) is located below the evaporator (1). The delivery pump (4) can pump the condensate collected in the water collection structure (2) into the heat exchanger (5). It also includes a second internal fan (6) and a partition (10), the partition (10) dividing the indoor space into a first independent space (11) and a second independent space (12), the evaporator (1), the water collection structure (2) and the first internal fan (3) being located in the first independent space (11), the delivery pump (4), the heat exchanger (5) and the second internal fan (6) being located in the second independent space (12), the second internal fan (6) being used to independently drive the air circulation of the heat exchanger (5).

2. The cabinet air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The delivery pump (4) is located above the heat exchanger (5), and the second internal fan (6) is located between the heat exchanger (5) and the delivery pump (4).

3. The cabinet air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a water level monitoring device (7), which is installed in the water collection structure (2); and / or, a temperature monitoring device (8) is installed on the heat exchanger (5).

4. The cabinet air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the water collection structure (2) has a drain outlet, the delivery pump (4) has a first water inlet, the first water inlet is connected to the drain outlet; and / or, the heat exchanger (5) has a second water outlet, and a water valve (9) is provided on the water flow path of the second water outlet.

5. The cabinet air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that, It also includes a drain pipe (13), the first end of which is connected to the second water outlet, and the second end of which is connected to the outside of the cabinet (17).

6. A control method for a cabinet air conditioner, characterized in that, The control method for controlling the operation of the cabinet air conditioner as described in any one of claims 1 to 5 includes: The acquisition step is to acquire the water level H1 within the water collection structure (2); In the judgment execution step, when H1≥Ha and the heat exchanger (5) is in a waterless state, the delivery pump (4) is started and the water valve (9) of the cabinet air conditioner (18) is closed, wherein Ha is a preset water level value.

7. The control method according to claim 6, characterized in that, When the duration of the pump (4) being started exceeds the preset duration, the pump (4) is controlled to shut down, and the second internal fan (6) of the cabinet air conditioner (18) is controlled to run.

8. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The wall temperature T1 of the heat exchanger (5) is obtained. When T1 ≥ Ta, the water valve (9) is opened and the second internal fan (6) is stopped. Ta is a preset temperature value.

9. The control method according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the heat exchanger (5) is in a water-filled state and H1≥Ha, the water valve (9) is opened and the second internal fan (6) is stopped.

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