Air conditioning system and control method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an air conditioning system and a control method thereof. The air conditioning system comprises a refrigerating machine; a plurality of heat exchangers configured to cool a second fluid with a first fluid, the heat exchangers comprising first heat exchange tubes and second heat exchange tubes; a plurality of first control valves respectively arranged at fluid inlet ends of the first heat exchange tubes of the plurality of heat exchangers and configured to regulate flow rates of the first fluid in the corresponding first heat exchange tubes; a plurality of second control valves respectively arranged at fluid inlet ends of the second heat exchange tubes of the plurality of heat exchangers and configured to control whether the refrigerating machine provides the first fluid to the corresponding second heat exchange tubes; and a control device communicatively connected with the first control valves and the second control valves corresponding to the heat exchangers. The control method comprises controlling whether the second control valves of the corresponding heat exchangers are opened according to opening degrees of the first control valves to determine whether the refrigerating machine simultaneously provides the first fluid to the first heat exchange tubes and the second heat exchange tubes of the corresponding heat exchangers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of air conditioning technology, and in particular to an air conditioning system and its control method. Background Technology

[0002] In factories, due to the non-parallel piping arrangement between various air conditioning units and the real-time changes in the load of each unit, situations may arise where most air conditioning unit valves are still only slightly open, while some units have their valves fully open, yet the cooling demand still cannot be met. This necessitates lowering the temperature of the chilled water in the entire refrigeration system. However, lowering the chilled water temperature by 1°C will increase the energy consumption of the refrigeration unit by approximately 4%. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an air conditioning system and its control method to minimize the energy consumption of the air conditioning system while meeting cooling requirements.

[0004] The first aspect of this disclosure provides an air conditioning system, comprising:

[0005] The refrigeration unit is configured to cool the first fluid;

[0006] Multiple heat exchangers are configured to cool a second fluid using the first fluid, each heat exchanger including a first heat exchange tube and a second heat exchange tube connected to the fluid outlet of the refrigerator.

[0007] Multiple first control valves are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet end of the first heat exchange tube of the multiple heat exchangers, and are configured to regulate the flow rate of the first fluid in the corresponding first heat exchange tube;

[0008] A plurality of second control valves are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet ends of the second heat exchange tubes of the plurality of heat exchangers, and are configured to control whether the refrigerator supplies the first fluid to the corresponding second heat exchange tube; and

[0009] The control device, which is communicatively connected to the first control valve and the second control valve corresponding to each of the heat exchangers, is configured to control whether the second control valve of the corresponding heat exchanger is opened according to the opening degree of each of the first control valves, so as to determine whether the refrigerator simultaneously provides the first fluid to the first heat exchange tube and the second heat exchange tube of the corresponding heat exchanger.

[0010] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, it also includes:

[0011] A first pump is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigerator and the first heat exchange tubes of each of the heat exchangers and is communicatively connected to the control device, the control device being configured to adjust the frequency of the first pump to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the first heat exchange tubes; and

[0012] The second pump is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigerator and the second heat exchange tubes of each of the heat exchangers and is communicatively connected to the control device, which is configured to adjust the frequency of the second pump to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the second heat exchange tube.

[0013] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the rated flow rate of the second pump is less than the rated flow rate of the first pump.

[0014] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, it also includes:

[0015] A fluid distribution device has an inlet, a first outlet, and a second outlet. The inlet of the fluid distribution device is connected to the fluid outlet of the refrigerator, the first outlet of the fluid distribution device is connected to the first pump, and the second outlet of the fluid distribution device is connected to the second pump.

[0016] A fluid collection device has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet of the fluid collection device is connected to the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube of each heat exchanger and the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube of each heat exchanger. The outlet of the fluid collection device is connected to the fluid inlet of the refrigerator.

[0017] The refrigerator, the fluid distribution device, the first pump, the first control valve, the first heat exchange tube, and the fluid collection device are sequentially connected to form a first circulation loop, and the refrigerator, the fluid distribution device, the second pump, the second control valve, the second heat exchange tube, and the fluid collection device are sequentially connected to form a second circulation loop.

[0018] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the refrigerator further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit, and the control device is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit and configured to regulate the cooling capacity of the refrigerator according to the opening degree of each of the first control valves, so as to regulate the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet of the refrigerator.

[0019] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the first heat exchange tube is disposed upstream of the second heat exchange tube along the airflow direction of the heat exchanger.

[0020] According to some embodiments of this disclosure

[0021] The first heat exchange tube and the second heat exchange tube are configured as multiple rows of pipes connected in series. Along the airflow direction of the heat exchanger, the inlet end of the first heat exchange tube is located downstream of the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube, and the inlet end of the second heat exchange tube is located downstream of the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube.

[0022] A second aspect of this disclosure provides a control method for the air conditioning system described in the first aspect of this disclosure, comprising: controlling whether the second control valve of the corresponding heat exchanger is opened according to the opening degree of each of the first control valves, so as to determine whether the refrigerator simultaneously provides the first fluid to the first heat exchange tube and the second heat exchange tube of the corresponding heat exchanger.

[0023] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, including:

[0024] If the opening degree of the first control valve corresponding to any of the heat exchangers is greater than a preset opening degree, the corresponding second control valve is opened, so that the refrigerator simultaneously supplies the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube and the second heat exchange tube; or

[0025] If the opening degree of the first control valve corresponding to any of the heat exchangers is less than the preset opening degree, the difference between the first control valve and the preset opening degree is less than the preset difference, and the opening degree of the first control valve gradually increases within a preset time, the corresponding second control valve is opened, so that the refrigerator simultaneously provides the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube and the second heat exchange tube.

[0026] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the air conditioning system further includes a second pump, which is disposed on a pipeline between the refrigeration unit and the second heat exchange tubes of each of the heat exchangers and is communicatively connected to the control device, wherein the control method includes:

[0027] If any of the second control valves is opened, the frequency of the second pump increases to the first frequency, the opening degree of the corresponding first control valve decreases, and the cooling capacity of the corresponding heat exchanger remains unchanged.

[0028] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the air conditioning system further includes a first pump, which is disposed on a pipeline between the refrigeration unit and the first heat exchange tubes of each of the heat exchangers and is communicatively connected to the control device, wherein the control method includes:

[0029] If the first frequency is less than or equal to the maximum frequency of the second pump and the opening degree of the first control valve is less than the preset opening degree, the opening degree of the first control valve shall be maintained at its current opening degree.

[0030] If the first frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the second pump, and the opening degree of the first control valve is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the frequency of the corresponding first pump is increased to the second frequency.

[0031] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the refrigerator further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit, and the control device is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the second frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the first pump, and the opening degree of the first control valve is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator is increased, so as to reduce the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet of the refrigerator, and reduce the frequency of at least one of the second pump and the first pump.

[0032] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the control method includes: if the second control valves corresponding to a plurality of heat exchangers are open, determining the first frequency based on the first control valve with the largest opening degree.

[0033] According to some embodiments of this disclosure, the refrigerator further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit, and the control device is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve of each heat exchanger is less than a preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator is reduced, so as to increase the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet of the refrigerator.

[0034] In the air conditioning system disclosed herein, the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange tube and a second heat exchange tube. Each heat exchanger can handle the normal cooling requirements through the first heat exchange tube. If the cooling requirements of individual heat exchangers are stronger and the opening degree of the corresponding first control valve is larger, the air conditioning system can open the second control valve to allow the chiller to simultaneously supply the first fluid required for cooling to both the first and second heat exchange tubes of that heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can then handle supplementary, emergency cooling requirements through the second heat exchange tube. While maintaining a constant heat exchange capacity and meeting the current cooling requirements, the opening degree of the first control valve corresponding to that heat exchanger can be appropriately reduced without becoming excessive, thus maintaining a relatively balanced opening degree of the first control valves for each heat exchanger. Therefore, even if the cooling requirements of the environment where an individual heat exchanger is located continue to increase, it is not necessary to lower the temperature of the first fluid to meet the overall cooling requirements of the air conditioning system, which helps reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0035] The control method for the air conditioning system provided in this disclosure has the advantages of the aforementioned air conditioning system.

[0036] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become clear from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this disclosure and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are used to explain this disclosure, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this disclosure. In the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an air conditioning system according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the control principle of the air conditioning system.

[0040] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a top view of the air conditioning system.

[0041] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The diagram shows a front view of the air conditioning system.

[0042] Figures 1 to 4 In the figures, the labels represent:

[0043] 1. Refrigeration unit; 2. Fluid distribution device; 21. Inlet of fluid distribution device; 22. First outlet of fluid distribution device; 23. Second outlet of fluid distribution device; 3. Fluid collection device; 31. First inlet of fluid collection device; 32. First outlet of fluid collection device; 40. First pump; 41. First frequency converter; 50. Second pump; 51. Second frequency converter; 6. First control valve; 7. Second control valve; 8. Heat exchanger; 81. Heat exchanger body; 82. First heat exchange tube; 83. Second heat exchange tube; 84. Heat exchange fins; 85. First fluid distribution pipe; 86. First fluid collection pipe; 9. Control device. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this disclosure, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure or its application or use. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0045] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of this disclosure. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following drawings denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it need not be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0046] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0047] In the description of this disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and is only for the convenience of describing this disclosure and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this disclosure; the directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0048] refer to Figures 1 to 4 Some embodiments of this disclosure provide an air conditioning system, including a refrigeration unit 1, a plurality of heat exchangers 8, a plurality of first control valves 6, a plurality of second control valves 7, and a control device 9.

[0049] A refrigerator 1 is configured to cool a first fluid. Multiple heat exchangers 8 are configured to cool a second fluid using the first fluid. Each heat exchanger 8 includes a first heat exchange tube 82 and a second heat exchange tube 83 connected to the fluid outlet 12 of the refrigerator 1. Multiple first control valves 6 are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet ends of the first heat exchange tubes 82 of the multiple heat exchangers 8, and are configured to regulate the flow rate of the first fluid within the corresponding first heat exchange tube 82. Multiple second control valves 7 are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet ends of the second heat exchange tubes 83 of the multiple heat exchangers 8, and are configured to control whether the refrigerator 1 supplies the first fluid to the corresponding second heat exchange tube 83. A control device 9 is communicatively connected to the first control valves 6 and second control valves 7 corresponding to each heat exchanger 8, and is configured to control whether the second control valves 7 of the corresponding heat exchanger 8 are opened based on the opening degree of each first control valve 6, thereby determining whether the refrigerator 1 simultaneously supplies the first fluid to the first heat exchange tubes 82 and second heat exchange tubes 83 of the corresponding heat exchanger 8.

[0050] For air conditioning systems used in factories, the first fluid can be chilled water, and the second fluid can be air. Of course, the first fluid can also be other fluids that can provide cooling. The heat exchanger 8 can be a surface cooler.

[0051] In the air conditioning system provided in this embodiment, the heat exchanger includes a first heat exchange tube and a second heat exchange tube. Each heat exchanger can handle the normal cooling demand through the first heat exchange tube. If the cooling demand of individual heat exchangers is stronger and the opening degree of the corresponding first control valve is larger, the air conditioning system can open the second control valve to allow the chiller to simultaneously supply the first fluid required for cooling to both the first and second heat exchange tubes of that heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can then handle the supplementary, emergency cooling demand through the second heat exchange tube. While maintaining a constant heat exchange capacity and meeting the current cooling demand, the opening degree of the first control valve corresponding to that heat exchanger can be appropriately reduced without becoming excessive, thus maintaining a relatively balanced opening degree of the first control valves for each heat exchanger. Therefore, even if the cooling demand of the environment where an individual heat exchanger is located continues to increase, it is not necessary to lower the temperature of the first fluid to meet the overall cooling demand of the air conditioning system, which helps reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0052] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2The air conditioning system also includes a first pump 40 and a second pump 50. The first pump 40 is disposed on the pipeline between the chiller 1 and the first heat exchange tubes 82 of each heat exchanger 8 and is communicatively connected to a control device 9. The control device 9 is configured to adjust the frequency of the first pump 40 to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the first heat exchange tubes 82. The second pump 50 is disposed on the pipeline between the chiller 1 and the second heat exchange tubes 83 of each heat exchanger 8 and is communicatively connected to the control device 9. The control device 9 is configured to adjust the frequency of the second pump 50 to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the second heat exchange tubes 83.

[0053] In the air conditioning system of the above embodiment, the chiller 1, the first pump 40, the first control valve 6, and the corresponding first heat exchange tube 82 are connected in sequence to form a circulation loop for normal heat exchange needs. The air conditioning system can adjust the overall heat exchange capacity by changing the frequency of the first pump 40, thereby reducing the opening of individual first control valves 6 with larger openings. The chiller 1, the second pump 50, the second control valve 7, and the corresponding second heat exchange tube 83 are connected in sequence to form a circulation loop for supplementing heat exchange needs or emergency heat exchange needs. The air conditioning system can either supplement cooling to individual heat exchangers 8 by opening the second control valve 7 to improve the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 8, or adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the second heat exchange tube 83 by changing the frequency of the second pump 50, thereby adjusting the heat exchange capacity of the corresponding heat exchanger 8.

[0054] Optionally, refer to Figure 2 The air conditioning system includes a first frequency converter 41 and a second frequency converter 51. The first frequency converter 41 is connected to the control device 9 and the first pump 40 by signal. The first frequency converter 41 is configured to adjust the frequency of the first pump 40 to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid of the first pump 40. The second frequency converter 51 is connected to the control device 9 and the second pump 50 by signal. The second frequency converter 51 is configured to adjust the frequency of the second pump 50 to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid of the second pump 50.

[0055] In some embodiments, the rated flow rate of the second pump 50 is less than the rated flow rate of the first pump 40.

[0056] Considering that the circulation loop where the second pump 50 is located is usually used as a supplementary or emergency cooling circulation loop, the above configuration allows the power of the second pump 50 to be in a more efficient operating range, resulting in lower operating costs.

[0057] In order to distribute the first fluid to each heat exchanger for cooling, and to collect the first fluid after heat dissipation, in some embodiments, reference is made to... Figure 1The air conditioning system also includes a fluid distribution device 2 and a fluid collection device 3. The fluid distribution device 2 has an inlet 21, a first outlet 22, and a second outlet 23. The inlet 21 of the fluid distribution device 2 is connected to the fluid outlet 12 of the chiller 1. The first outlet 22 of the fluid distribution device 2 is connected to the first pump 40, and the second outlet 23 of the fluid distribution device 2 is connected to the second pump 50. The fluid collection device 3 has an inlet 31 and an outlet 32. The inlet 31 of the fluid collection device 3 is connected to the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube 82 and the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube 83 of each heat exchanger 8. The outlet 32 ​​of the fluid collection device 3 is connected to the fluid inlet 11 of the chiller 1. The chiller 1, fluid distribution device 2, first pump 40, first control valve 6, first heat exchange tube 82, and fluid collection device 3 are sequentially connected to form a first circulation loop. The chiller 1, fluid distribution device 2, second pump 50, second control valve 7, second heat exchange tube 83, and fluid collection device 3 are sequentially connected to form a second circulation loop.

[0058] In some embodiments, reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The refrigerator 1 also includes a cooling capacity regulating unit. The control device 9 is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit and is configured to regulate the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 1 according to the opening degree of each first control valve 6, so as to regulate the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet 12 of the refrigerator 1.

[0059] If the air conditioning system is in an extreme situation where the opening of one or more first control valves 6 is large and the frequency of the first pump 40 has reached the maximum frequency, but the cooling demand still cannot be met, the air conditioning system can also adjust the cooling capacity of the refrigeration unit 1 through the cooling capacity adjustment unit to meet the cooling demand by reducing the temperature of the first fluid.

[0060] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 Along the airflow direction of heat exchanger 8, the first heat exchange tube 82 is located upstream of the second heat exchange tube 83.

[0061] During heat exchange, the airflow first passes through the first heat exchange tube and then through the second heat exchange tube. After exchanging heat with the first fluid in the first heat exchange tube, if the heat exchange demand is strong, the airflow can continue to exchange heat with the first fluid in the second heat exchange tube, resulting in a better heat exchange effect.

[0062] In some embodiments, reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 The first heat exchange tube 82 and the second heat exchange tube 83 are configured as multiple rows of pipes connected in series. Along the airflow direction of the heat exchanger 8, the inlet end of the first heat exchange tube 82 is located downstream of the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube 82, and the inlet end of the second heat exchange tube 83 is located downstream of the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube 83.

[0063] The number of rows of pipes in the first heat exchange tube 82 and the second heat exchange tube 83 can be set according to the heat exchanger, for example... Figure 3 In the heat exchanger shown, the first heat exchange tube can be configured with 6 rows of pipes, and the second heat exchange tube can be configured with 2 rows of pipes. During heat exchange, the airflow first exchanges heat with the first fluid at a higher temperature, and then exchanges heat with the first fluid at a lower temperature. This can achieve countercurrent heat exchange, which helps to reduce the heat exchange area, improve heat exchange efficiency, and save costs.

[0064] Optionally, Figure 3 and Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, to improve heat exchange efficiency, the heat exchanger 8 may include multiple layers of first heat exchange tubes 82 and second heat exchange tubes 83. Each layer of first heat exchange tubes 82 and second heat exchange tubes 83 is configured as multiple rows of pipes connected in series. The heat exchanger 8 also includes multiple heat exchange fins 84 arranged side-by-side perpendicular to the first heat exchange tubes 82 and second heat exchange tubes 83. The heat exchanger 8 further includes a first fluid distribution pipe 85 and a first fluid collection pipe 86. The first fluid distribution pipe 85 is connected to the inlet ends of the multiple layers of first heat exchange tubes 82 and the multiple layers of second heat exchange tubes 83, and the first fluid collection pipe 86 is connected to the outlet ends of the multiple layers of first heat exchange tubes 82 and the multiple layers of second heat exchange tubes 83.

[0065] Some embodiments of this disclosure also provide a control method for the aforementioned air conditioning system, including: controlling whether the second control valve 7 of the corresponding heat exchanger 8 is opened according to the opening degree of each first control valve 6, so as to determine whether the refrigerator 1 simultaneously provides the first heat exchange tube 82 and the second heat exchange tube 83 of the corresponding heat exchanger 8.

[0066] The control method provided by the embodiments of this disclosure has the advantages of the aforementioned air conditioning system.

[0067] In some embodiments, the control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to any heat exchanger 8 is greater than a preset opening degree, the corresponding second control valve 7 is opened so that the refrigerator 1 simultaneously provides the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube 82 and second heat exchange tube 83.

[0068] The preset opening value can be determined by comprehensively considering the overall load change of the air conditioning system, the load change of each heat exchanger, and the safety factor. For example, it can be set to 80% of the maximum opening of the first control valve 6.

[0069] When the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to any heat exchanger 8 is greater than the preset opening degree, it indicates that the cooling demand of the environment where the heat exchanger 8 is located is relatively strong. By opening the corresponding second control valve 7, the heat exchanger 8 can supplement the cooling supply to the environment through the second heat exchange tube 83, so as to keep the opening degree of each first control valve 6 relatively balanced under the premise of meeting the cooling demand, and reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0070] In some embodiments, the control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to any heat exchanger 8 is less than a preset opening degree, the difference between the first control valve 6 and the preset opening degree is less than a preset difference, and the opening degree of the first control valve 6 gradually increases within a preset time, the corresponding second control valve 7 is opened so that the refrigerator 1 simultaneously provides the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube 82 and second heat exchange tube 83.

[0071] When the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to any heat exchanger 8 is less than the preset opening degree, the difference between the first control valve 6 and the preset opening degree is less than the preset difference, and the opening degree of the first control valve 6 gradually increases within a preset time, it indicates that the opening degree of the first control valve 6 has a tendency to exceed the preset opening degree, and the cooling demand of the environment where the heat exchanger 8 is located is also strong. By opening the corresponding second control valve 7, the heat exchanger 8 can also supplement the cooling supply to the environment through the second heat exchange tube 83 to meet the cooling demand.

[0072] In the control method of the above embodiment, the cooling requirement can be met by opening the second control valve 7 corresponding to the first control valve 6. There is no need to reduce the temperature of the first fluid in the entire air conditioning system due to the excessive opening of individual first control valves 6, which is beneficial to reducing the energy consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0073] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system further includes a second pump 50, which is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigeration unit 1 and the second heat exchange tubes 83 of each heat exchanger 8 and is communicatively connected to the control device 9. The control method includes: if any second control valve 7 is opened, the frequency of the second pump 50 is increased to a first frequency, the opening degree of the corresponding first control valve 6 is reduced, and the heat exchange capacity of the corresponding heat exchanger 8 remains unchanged.

[0074] With any of the second control valves 7 open, by increasing the frequency of the second pump 50, the flow rate of the first fluid in the corresponding second heat exchange tube 83 increases. By reducing the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to the second control valve 7, the opening degree of each first control valve 6 can be made more balanced, and the heat exchanger 8 can maintain its current heat exchange capacity.

[0075] In some embodiments, the air conditioning system further includes a first pump 40, which is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigeration unit 1 and the first heat exchange tubes 82 of each heat exchanger 8 and is communicatively connected to the control device 9. The control method includes: if the first frequency is less than or equal to the maximum frequency of the second pump 50 and the opening degree of the first control valve 6 is less than a preset opening degree, the opening degree of the first control valve 6 is maintained at its opening degree; if the first frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the second pump 50, and the opening degree of the first control valve 6 is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the frequency of the corresponding first pump 40 is increased to the second frequency.

[0076] In the control method of the above embodiment, the air conditioning system supplements cooling by opening the second control valve 7 and adjusting the frequency of the second pump 50, thereby reducing the opening degree of the first control valve 6. After adjustment, the following different situations may occur:

[0077] If, after the above adjustments, the first frequency is less than or equal to the maximum frequency of the second pump 50 and the opening of the first control valve 6 is less than the preset opening, it indicates that the air conditioning system can achieve the control objectives of maintaining the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger 8 with strong cooling demand and reducing the opening of the corresponding first control valve 6 to below the preset opening by increasing the frequency of the second pump 50. At this time, the air conditioning system only needs to maintain the opening of the first control valve 6.

[0078] If, after the above adjustments, the first frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the second pump 50, and the opening of the first control valve 6 is still greater than or equal to the preset opening, it indicates that simply increasing the frequency of the second pump 50 is insufficient to meet the above control objective. In this case, increasing the frequency of the first pump 40 can be prioritized to meet the above control objective, as this method increases energy consumption less.

[0079] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit, and the control device 9 is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the second frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the first pump 40, and the opening degree of the first control valve 6 is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 1 is increased, so that the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet 12 of the refrigerator 1 is reduced, and the frequency of at least one of the second pump 50 and the first pump 40 is reduced.

[0080] When both the second pump 50 and the first pump 40 have reached their maximum frequencies, but the opening of the first control valve 6 is still greater than or equal to the preset opening, it indicates that the cooling demand of the air conditioning system is strong. For the first fluid at the current temperature, simply adjusting the frequencies of the second pump 50 and the first pump 40 is no longer sufficient to meet the cooling demand. In this case, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the first fluid to meet the cooling demand. Considering that the overall cooling capacity of the air conditioning system increases after the temperature of the first fluid decreases, reducing the frequency of at least one of the second pump 50 and the first pump 40 is beneficial for energy saving and consumption reduction.

[0081] In some embodiments, the control method includes: if the second control valves 7 corresponding to a plurality of heat exchangers 8 are open, determining a first frequency based on the one with the largest opening degree among the corresponding first control valves 6.

[0082] When the second control valves corresponding to multiple heat exchangers 8 are opened, it indicates that the cooling demand of the environment where multiple heat exchangers 8 are located in the air conditioning system is relatively strong. Among them, the environment where the heat exchanger 8 with the largest opening of the first control valve 6 is located has the strongest cooling demand. At this time, by matching the frequency of the second pump to the cooling demand of the environment where the heat exchanger 8 is located, the cooling demand of all the environments where the heat exchangers 8 are located can be met, and there is no need to reduce the temperature of the first fluid.

[0083] In some embodiments, the refrigerator 1 further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit, and the control device 9 is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve 6 of each heat exchanger 8 is less than the preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 1 is reduced, so that the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet 12 of the refrigerator 1 increases.

[0084] When the opening degree of the first control valve 6 of each heat exchanger 8 is less than the preset opening degree, it indicates that the cooling demand of the environment where each heat exchanger 8 of the air conditioning system is located can be met, and there is a large surplus in the cooling capacity of the first fluid. At this time, even if the cooling capacity of the chiller 1 is reduced and the temperature of the first fluid is increased, the heat exchange demand can still be met by increasing the opening degree of the first control valve 6 or increasing the frequency of the first pump 40. The control method of the above embodiment reduces the cooling capacity of the chiller 1 when the environmental cooling demand is relatively weak, thereby reducing the energy consumption of the chiller 1.

[0085] If the overall load of the air conditioning system is small, in order to further reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system, in some embodiments, the control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve 6 corresponding to any heat exchanger 8 is greater than the preset opening degree, the corresponding second control valve 7 is opened, the frequency of the second pump 50 is increased to the first frequency, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator 1 is reduced, and the heat exchange capacity of the corresponding heat exchanger 8 remains unchanged.

[0086] In some embodiments, the control device described above may be implemented as a general-purpose processor, a programmable logic controller (PLC), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, or any suitable combination thereof for performing the functions described herein.

[0087] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this disclosure and not to limit them; although this disclosure has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the specific implementation of this disclosure or equivalent substitutions can be made to some technical features, all of which should be covered within the scope of the technical solutions claimed in this disclosure.

Claims

1. An air conditioning system, characterized in that, include: A refrigeration unit (1) is configured to cool the first fluid; Multiple heat exchangers (8) are configured to cool a second fluid using the first fluid, the heat exchangers (8) including a first heat exchange tube (82) and a second heat exchange tube (83) connected to the fluid outlet (12) of the refrigerator (1); Multiple first control valves (6) are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet end of the first heat exchange tube (82) of the multiple heat exchangers (8), and are configured to regulate the flow rate of the first fluid in the corresponding first heat exchange tube (82); Multiple second control valves (7) are correspondingly disposed at the fluid inlet end of the second heat exchange tubes (83) of the multiple heat exchangers (8), and are configured to control whether the refrigerator (1) provides the first fluid to the corresponding second heat exchange tubes (83); and The control device (9) is communicatively connected to the first control valve (6) and the second control valve (7) corresponding to each of the heat exchangers (8), and is configured to control whether the second control valve (7) of the corresponding heat exchanger (8) is opened according to the opening degree of each of the first control valves (6), so as to determine whether the refrigerator (1) simultaneously provides the first fluid to the first heat exchange tube (82) and the second heat exchange tube (83) of the corresponding heat exchanger (8).

2. The air conditioning system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A first pump (40) is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigerator (1) and the first heat exchange tube (82) of each heat exchanger (8) and is communicatively connected to the control device (9). The control device (9) is configured to adjust the frequency of the first pump (40) to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the first heat exchange tube (82). and The second pump (50) is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigerator (1) and the second heat exchange tubes (83) of each of the heat exchangers (8) and is communicatively connected to the control device (9), which is configured to adjust the frequency of the second pump (50) to adjust the flow rate of the first fluid in the second heat exchange tubes (83).

3. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rated flow rate of the second pump (50) is less than the rated flow rate of the first pump (40).

4. The air conditioning system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Also includes: A fluid distribution device (2) has an inlet (21), a first outlet (22) and a second outlet (23). The inlet (21) of the fluid distribution device (2) is connected to the fluid outlet (12) of the refrigerator (1). The first outlet (22) of the fluid distribution device (2) is connected to the first pump (40). The second outlet (23) of the fluid distribution device (2) is connected to the second pump (50). A fluid collection device (3) has an inlet (31) and an outlet (32). The inlet (31) of the fluid collection device (3) is connected to the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube (82) of each heat exchanger (8) and the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube (83) of each heat exchanger (8). The outlet (32) of the fluid collection device (3) is connected to the fluid inlet (11) of the refrigerator (1). The refrigeration unit (1), the fluid distribution device (2), the first pump (40), the first control valve (6), the first heat exchange tube (82), and the fluid collection device (3) are connected in sequence to form a first circulation loop, and the refrigeration unit (1), the fluid distribution device (2), the second pump (50), the second control valve (7), the second heat exchange tube (83), and the fluid collection device (3) are connected in sequence to form a second circulation loop.

5. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The refrigerator (1) further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit. The control device (9) is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit and is configured to regulate the cooling capacity of the refrigerator (1) according to the opening degree of each of the first control valves (6) to regulate the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet (12) of the refrigerator (1).

6. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Along the airflow direction of the heat exchanger (8), the first heat exchange tube (82) is located upstream of the second heat exchange tube (83).

7. The air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The first heat exchange tube (82) and the second heat exchange tube (83) are configured as multiple rows of pipes connected in series. Along the airflow direction of the heat exchanger (8), the inlet end of the first heat exchange tube (82) is located downstream of the outlet end of the first heat exchange tube (82), and the inlet end of the second heat exchange tube (83) is located downstream of the outlet end of the second heat exchange tube (83).

8. A control method for an air conditioning system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, include: The opening degree of each of the first control valves (6) is used to control whether the second control valve (7) of the corresponding heat exchanger (8) is opened, so as to determine whether the refrigerator (1) simultaneously supplies the first fluid to the first heat exchange tube (82) and the second heat exchange tube (83) of the corresponding heat exchanger (8).

9. The control method according to claim 8, characterized in that, include: If the opening degree of the first control valve (6) corresponding to any of the heat exchangers (8) is greater than the preset opening degree, the corresponding second control valve (7) is opened so that the refrigerator (1) simultaneously provides the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube (82) and second heat exchange tube (83); or If the opening degree of the first control valve (6) corresponding to any of the heat exchangers (8) is less than the preset opening degree, the difference between the first control valve (6) and the preset opening degree is less than the preset difference, and the opening degree of the first control valve (6) gradually increases within a preset time, the corresponding second control valve (7) will be opened, so that the refrigerator (1) will simultaneously supply the first fluid to the corresponding first heat exchange tube (82) and second heat exchange tube (83).

10. The control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The air conditioning system further includes a second pump (50), which is disposed on the pipeline between the chiller (1) and the second heat exchange tubes (83) of each heat exchanger (8) and is communicatively connected to the control device (9). The control method includes: If any of the second control valves (7) is opened, the frequency of the second pump (50) is increased to the first frequency, the opening degree of the corresponding first control valve (6) is reduced, and the heat exchange capacity of the corresponding heat exchanger (8) remains unchanged.

11. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The air conditioning system further includes a first pump (40), which is disposed on the pipeline between the refrigeration unit (1) and the first heat exchange tubes (82) of each of the heat exchangers (8) and is communicatively connected to the control device (9). The control method includes: If the first frequency is less than or equal to the maximum frequency of the second pump (50) and the opening degree of the first control valve (6) is less than the preset opening degree, the opening degree of the first control valve (6) shall be maintained at its opening degree. If the first frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the second pump (50), and the opening degree of the first control valve (6) is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the frequency of the corresponding first pump (40) is increased to the second frequency.

12. The control method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The refrigerator (1) further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit. The control device (9) is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the second frequency has reached the maximum frequency of the first pump (40), and the opening degree of the first control valve (6) is still greater than or equal to the preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator (1) is increased, so that the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet (12) of the refrigerator (1) is reduced, and the frequency of at least one of the second pump (50) and the first pump (40) is reduced.

13. The control method according to claim 10, characterized in that, include: If the second control valve (7) corresponding to multiple heat exchangers (8) is opened, the first frequency is determined according to the first control valve (6) with the largest opening degree.

14. The control method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, characterized in that, The refrigerator (1) further includes a cooling capacity regulating unit. The control device (9) is communicatively connected to the cooling capacity regulating unit. The control method includes: if the opening degree of the first control valve (6) of each heat exchanger (8) is less than the preset opening degree, the cooling capacity of the refrigerator (1) is reduced, so that the temperature of the first fluid at the fluid outlet (12) of the refrigerator (1) increases.

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