Dual-function heat pump system and integrated freezer hot water generator

Abstract

The invention discloses a dual-function heat pump system and an integrated freezer hot water generator, the dual-function heat pump system comprises a refrigerant circulation loop, and the dual-function heat pump system further comprises a heating system and a refrigerating system; the heating system is at least provided with a first heat exchanger capable of exchanging heat with a compressor in the refrigerant circulation loop so as to obtain heat from the heating system. An evaporator in the refrigerant circulation loop can exchange heat with air, and the refrigerating system conducts refrigeration by obtaining the cooling capacity in the air. Compared with the prior art, the freezer and the water heater are designed in an integrated mode, energy can be reasonably utilized, energy waste is prevented, meanwhile, the design of a water heater outdoor unit and a water tank is reduced, and the product manufacturing cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to heat pump systems, and more particularly to a dual-function heat pump system and an integrated refrigerator hot water generator. Background Technology

[0002] The increasing versatility and integration of household appliances is an inevitable trend in meeting the needs of modern families as society develops. Household appliances generally include water heaters and refrigerators. Water heaters mostly consist of an outdoor unit and an indoor water tank. The indoor water tank needs heat to produce hot water, while the outdoor unit will release the cold energy generated in the process into the air and waste it.

[0003] The working logic of a freezer is exactly the opposite of that of a water heater. It requires cold energy to cool down, but in the process, heat is wasted.

[0004] This design leads to significant energy waste in household appliances. Therefore, how to design a dual-function heat pump system and an integrated freezer water heater that can integrate the water heater and freezer while making rational use of energy and preventing energy waste is a technical problem that the industry urgently needs to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the problem of high energy waste in existing household appliances, this invention proposes a dual-function heat pump system and an integrated refrigerator water heater.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention is to propose a dual-function heat pump system, including a refrigerant circulation loop, wherein the dual-function heat pump system further includes a heating system and a cooling system;

[0007] The heating system has at least a first heat exchanger 6 that can exchange heat with the compressor 1 in the refrigerant circulation loop, for obtaining heat from the heating system;

[0008] In the refrigerant circulation loop, the evaporator 3 can exchange heat with the air, and the refrigeration system cools by acquiring the cold energy in the air.

[0009] Furthermore, the dual-function heat pump system also includes a heat recovery system;

[0010] The heat recovery system has at least a second heat exchanger 7 that can exchange heat with the heating system, and the second heat exchanger is connected to the suction port of the compressor 1 for recovering heat from the heating system and for converting the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop into a gaseous state to supplement the compressor 1.

[0011] Furthermore, the heating system is a water heater;

[0012] The first heat exchanger 6 has at least a first branch disposed in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected to the exhaust port of the compressor 1, and a second branch connected between the water inlet pipe 101 and the hot water inlet 1002 of the water heater, and heat exchange can be performed between the first branch and the second branch.

[0013] Furthermore, the second heat exchanger 7 has a third branch disposed in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected between the evaporator 3 and the suction port of the compressor 1, and a fourth branch connected to the return water pipe 102 of the water heater, wherein heat exchange can be performed between the third branch and the fourth branch.

[0014] Furthermore, the second branch is also connected to the return water pipe 102 of the water heater, which has a rotary ball valve for switching between cold water use and hot water use;

[0015] When the rotary ball valve is switched to cold water use, the second branch connects the inlet pipe 101 and the return pipe 102;

[0016] When the rotary ball valve is switched to hot water use, the second branch connects the water inlet pipe 101 to the hot water inlet 1002.

[0017] Furthermore, the refrigeration system is a freezer 9;

[0018] The storage area of ​​the freezer 9 is separated from the evaporator 3, and the refrigeration system has a fan 5 that can blow low-temperature air from the evaporator 3 to the storage area of ​​the freezer 9.

[0019] Furthermore, the dual-function heat pump system also includes a water tank 11 disposed in the water heater;

[0020] The first branch of the first heat exchanger 6 is connected to the water tank 11 for heat exchange between the refrigerant output by the compressor 1 and the water in the water tank 11.

[0021] One side of the water tank 11 is connected to the water inlet pipe 101 of the water heater to obtain cold water, and the other side of the water tank 11 is connected to the hot water inlet 1002 of the water heater to provide hot water.

[0022] Furthermore, the second heat exchanger 7 is arranged in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop. The second heat exchanger 7 has a third branch connected to the suction port of the evaporator 3 and the compressor 1, and a fourth branch connected to the return water pipe 102 of the water heater. Heat exchange can be performed between the third branch and the fourth branch.

[0023] The second heat exchanger 7 is only turned on when the water heater is using hot water.

[0024] Furthermore, the dual-function heat pump system also includes a regulating valve 12 connected in series between the second heat exchanger 7 and the evaporator 3, the regulating valve 12 being used to regulate the refrigerant flow from the evaporator 3 to the second heat exchanger 7.

[0025] The present invention also proposes an integrated freezer hot water generator, which has the above-mentioned dual-function heat pump system.

[0026] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0027] 1. The dual-function heat pump system proposed in this invention integrates the heating system and the cooling system through a refrigerant circulation loop. For the heating system, the useless cooling capacity generated at the evaporator through the refrigerant circulation loop can be utilized by the cooling system. For the cooling system, the useless heat output at the compressor exhaust port through the refrigerant circulation loop can be utilized by the heating system. By using the integration method, energy is rationally utilized and energy waste is avoided.

[0028] 2. The dual-function heat pump system proposed in this invention also has a heat recovery system, which can recover the heat wasted during the use of the heating system and use it to convert the refrigerant into a gaseous state to supplement the compressor, thereby increasing the output of the compressor and further improving the capability of the dual-function heat pump system.

[0029] 3. In this invention, the heating system is a water heater and the cooling system is a freezer. Through the integrated design of the water heater and the freezer, this invention can save on the design of the outdoor unit and water tank of the water heater, thereby reducing the product manufacturing cost. Attached Figure Description

[0030] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dual-function heat pump system in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dual-function heat pump system in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the dual-function heat pump system in the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Among them, 1 is the compressor, 2 is the electronic expansion valve, 3 is the evaporator, 4 is the gas-liquid separator, 5 is the fan, 6 is the first heat exchanger, 7 is the second heat exchanger, 8 is the filter, 9 is the freezer, 10 is the user end of the water heater, 11 is the water tank, and 12 is the regulating valve.

[0035] 101 is the water inlet pipe, 102 is the water return pipe, and 103 is the drainage pipe;

[0036] 1001 is the cold water inlet, 1002 is the hot water inlet, 1003 is the return water outlet, and 1101 is the drain outlet. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To make the technical problems, solutions, and beneficial effects of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0038] Therefore, a feature pointed out in this specification is used to describe one feature of one embodiment of the invention, and does not imply that every embodiment of the invention must have the described feature. Furthermore, it should be noted that this specification describes many features. Although certain features may be combined to illustrate possible system designs, these features may also be used in other combinations not explicitly stated. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the described combinations are not intended to be limiting.

[0039] The principles and structure of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0040] Water heaters designed separately in household appliances suffer from the problem of wasted cooling capacity, while freezers suffer from the problem of wasted heat capacity. To address these issues, this invention proposes a dual-function heat pump system that integrates a water heater and a freezer through a refrigerant circulation loop. This allows the water heater to utilize the heat wasted by the freezer, and the freezer to utilize the heat wasted by the water heater, thus making rational use of energy and avoiding the waste of cooling capacity.

[0041] Please see Figure 1 In one embodiment of the present invention, the dual-function heat pump system has a refrigerant circulation loop, a heating system that obtains heat from the refrigerant circulation loop, and a refrigeration system that obtains cooling capacity from the refrigerant circulation loop.

[0042] The refrigerant circulation loop consists of at least a compressor 1, an electronic expansion valve 2, an evaporator 3, and a gas-liquid separator 4. During the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the compressor 1 outputs a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant with high heat. The heating system in this invention obtains this heat to generate heat.

[0043] Therefore, the present invention is provided with a first heat exchanger 6, which is used to obtain this part of the heat and provide it to the heating system for heating;

[0044] Meanwhile, in the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the evaporator 3 needs to vaporize the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. During this process, the evaporator 3 will absorb a large amount of heat, thereby providing cooling capacity to the surrounding environment. The refrigeration system in this invention uses this portion of cooling capacity to perform refrigeration.

[0045] Since evaporator 3 generally exchanges heat directly with the air, no additional heat exchanger is installed here. Instead, the cooling system obtains the cold air from the air for cooling.

[0046] In traditional designs, refrigerant circulation loops integrated with the heating system waste cooling capacity generated at the evaporator 3 because the heating system only utilizes the refrigerant's heat. Similarly, refrigerant circulation loops integrated with the refrigeration system waste heat from the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output by the compressor 1 because the refrigeration system only utilizes the refrigerant's cooling capacity. This invention integrates the heating and refrigeration systems through a single refrigerant circulation loop, ensuring the efficient utilization of both the heat from the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output by the compressor 1 and the significant cooling capacity generated during evaporator 3's operation, thus preventing energy waste.

[0047] The aforementioned refrigeration system can be a water heater, which produces hot water during use. However, this hot water is not used continuously. It may be lost due to switching to cold water. At the same time, even when using hot water, the heat in the hot water is not completely consumed. This part of the hot water is generally discharged through the water heater's return pipe 102 and drain pipe 103, resulting in heat waste.

[0048] Therefore, the dual-function heat pump system proposed in this invention also includes a heat recovery system;

[0049] Please see Figure 1 The heat recovery system has at least a second heat exchanger 7 that can exchange heat with the heating system, and the second heat exchanger 7 is connected to the suction port of the compressor 1 (in practical applications, it can be as follows). Figure 1 The second heat exchanger is connected in series between the evaporator 3 and the gas-liquid separator 4 to obtain the refrigerant output from the evaporator 3, and to heat this portion of the refrigerant before outputting it to the gas-liquid separator 4, so as to recover the heat wasted by the heating system and to convert the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop into a gaseous state to supplement the compressor 1.

[0050] Here, the second heat exchanger 7 is configured to recover the heat wasted in the heating system. For the water heater, the second heat exchanger 7 can be connected to the water return pipe 102 of the water heater to recover the heat wasted in the heating system. After the user 10 finishes using water, it often takes away body heat, residual heat from food, etc., especially the heat after the user 10 finishes using hot water. This part of the heat will enter the water return pipe 102 through the water return outlet 1003. By connecting the second heat exchanger 7 to the water return pipe 102, the heat of the hot water in the water return pipe 102 can be recovered, thereby recovering the heat wasted by the water heater and further improving the energy utilization rate.

[0051] In the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the suction port of compressor 1 needs to introduce low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. Therefore, it is necessary to convert the liquid refrigerant into a gaseous state. The heat obtained by the heat recovery system in this invention is used for this conversion process. After the heat recovery system is connected to the refrigerant circulation loop to obtain refrigerant, it uses the heat obtained from the heating system to convert the liquid refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant. Then, this part of the gaseous refrigerant is added to compressor 1, which can be used to increase the output of compressor 1.

[0052] As can be seen from the above settings, in order to make reasonable use of energy and improve energy utilization efficiency, this invention has made two improvements. First, the heating system and the cooling system are integrated through the same refrigerant circulation loop, which utilizes the energy that was originally useless in the heating and cooling systems and avoids energy waste. Second, a heat recovery system is set up to recover the heat wasted by the heating system during use, thereby further improving energy utilization efficiency.

[0053] The heating system can be a water heater, which obtains heat from the refrigerant circulation loop mainly for preparing hot water. In order to realize heat exchange between refrigerant and water, a first heat exchanger 6 is provided in this invention.

[0054] Please see Figure 1 The first heat exchanger 6 has at least a first branch (a pipe in the first heat exchanger 6 connecting the compressor 1 and the filter 8) that is disposed in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected to the exhaust port of the compressor 1, and a second branch (a pipe in the first heat exchanger 6 connecting the water inlet pipe 101 and the hot water inlet 1002) that is connected to the water inlet pipe 101 and the hot water inlet 1002 of the water heater, and heat exchange can be performed between the first branch and the second branch.

[0055] As mentioned above, in the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the compressor 1 will output high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. In this invention, the first branch of the first heat exchanger 6 is connected in series with the exhaust port of the compressor 1 (specifically, it is connected in series between the exhaust port of the compressor 1 and the filter 8). In this way, the refrigerant flowing through the first branch is a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant.

[0056] The second branch is connected to the water inlet pipe 101 of the water heater to obtain cold water (usually tap water). After this cold water enters the second branch, it will exchange heat with the high temperature and high pressure gaseous refrigerant in the first branch and obtain heat from it to prepare hot water. The other end of the second branch is connected to the hot water inlet 1002, which is used to provide hot water to the user end 10 for user use.

[0057] With the first heat exchanger 6 in place, the present invention can realize the heat transfer from the refrigerant circulation loop to the water heater, and make reasonable use of the heat in the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output by the compressor 1.

[0058] For evaporator 3, it generally exchanges heat directly with the air to absorb heat from the air for cooling. In setting up the refrigeration system, this invention does not require adding an additional heat exchanger to exchange heat with the refrigerant in evaporator 3, and can directly obtain cooling capacity from the cold air at evaporator 3.

[0059] Please see Figure 1 The refrigeration system in this invention is a freezer 9, which has a storage area, generally used for storing food. It is separated from the evaporator 3 to avoid the problem of excessively low temperature drop in the storage area and uncontrollable temperature caused by the large amount of heat absorbed by the evaporator 3 during operation. At the same time, in order to obtain the cold air in the evaporator 3, this invention is equipped with a fan 5 that can blow the cold air in the evaporator 3 to the storage area of ​​the freezer 9.

[0060] With the fan 5 in place, the cold air at the evaporator 3 can be blown to the storage area of ​​the freezer 9, thereby exchanging heat with the food and achieving a cooling effect.

[0061] Based on this configuration, the present invention can realize the transfer of cold energy from the refrigerant circulation loop to the freezer 9, and make reasonable use of the cold energy generated during the operation of the evaporator 3 for refrigeration.

[0062] The above-mentioned heating and cooling system configuration is also an improvement of part of the present invention. In the present invention, the heating system adopts a water heater and the cooling system adopts a freezer 9, thereby realizing the integrated design of the water heater and the freezer 9. Structurally, it can save the design of the outdoor unit and water tank of the water heater and reduce the manufacturing cost of the product.

[0063] In practical applications of water heaters, cold water and hot water are often switched between each other, rather than always being in hot water mode. Therefore, this invention includes a rotary ball valve to achieve the switching between cold water and hot water.

[0064] Since the hot water of the water heater is prepared by heat exchange through the first heat exchanger 6 in the present invention, in order to adapt to the use of the rotating ball valve, the second branch of the first heat exchanger 6 is also connected to the return water pipe 102 of the water heater in the present invention.

[0065] When the ball valve is turned to switch to cold water use, the second branch connects the inlet pipe 101 and the return pipe 102. At this time, the hot water prepared in the first heat exchanger 6 cannot enter the user end 10 through the hot water inlet 1002, while the cold water inlet 1001 of the user end 10 can normally obtain cold water from the inlet pipe 101, thereby meeting the cold water use requirements. At the same time, the hot water prepared by the first heat exchanger 6 is input into the return pipe 102, and the heat can also be recovered through the second heat exchanger 7 to replenish the gaseous refrigerant for the compressor 1, further improving the energy of the dual-function heat pump system.

[0066] When the ball valve is turned to switch to hot water use, the second branch connects the inlet pipe 101 to the hot water inlet 1002. At this time, the hot water prepared in the first heat exchanger 6 will be directly delivered to the user terminal 10 through the hot water inlet 1002. The user can use hot water normally. At the same time, the user terminal 10 can also obtain cold water through the cold water inlet 1001. By adjusting the opening of the ball valve, the ratio of cold water to hot water supply can be adjusted, thereby adjusting the actual water temperature output by the user terminal 10 to meet the user's needs.

[0067] Based on this design, the present invention can rationally allocate the supply ratio of cold water and hot water when the user needs hot water, so as to adjust the actual water temperature and meet the user's needs. At the same time, when the user needs cold water, the heat in the hot water prepared in the first heat exchanger 6 can be recovered to improve the energy of the dual-function heat pump system and avoid energy waste.

[0068] Please see Figure 1 For the heat recovery system, it obtains the heat wasted in the heating system through the second heat exchanger 7. Specifically, it includes a third branch (a pipe in the second heat exchanger 7 connecting the evaporator 3 and the gas-liquid separator 4) set in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected between the evaporator 3 and the suction port of the compressor 1, and a fourth branch (a pipe in the second heat exchanger 7 connecting the return water pipe 102 and the drain pipe 103) connected to the water heater. The third branch and the fourth branch can directly exchange heat.

[0069] As mentioned above, when the user terminal 10 is in use, some hot water will be wasted, as it will enter the return water pipe 102 through the return water outlet 1003. At the same time, the first heat exchanger 6 will also provide hot water to the return water pipe 102 when the user uses cold water. If the hot water in the return water pipe 102 is heat recovered, this part of the hot water will be discharged through the drain pipe 103, resulting in a large amount of heat waste. In this invention, after the second heat exchanger 7 is set, it can introduce hot water from the return water pipe 102 to obtain this part of the heat to the fourth branch.

[0070] In the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, compressor 1 introduces low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant (if liquid refrigerant is introduced, it may cause liquid slugging in compressor 1, so a gas-liquid separator 4 is generally required at the suction port of compressor 1) and outputs high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. After connecting the third branch of the second heat exchanger 7 between the evaporator 3 and the gas-liquid separator 4, the second heat exchanger 7 can obtain the refrigerant output by the evaporator 3 through the third branch.

[0071] Since heat exchange can occur between the third and fourth branches, it can heat the refrigerant in the third branch, allowing some of the refrigerant that was not completely vaporized by the evaporator 3 to be converted into gaseous refrigerant, which is then output to the compressor through the gas-liquid separator 4.

[0072] In this design, the present invention can utilize the heat wasted in the heating system to provide more gaseous refrigerant to the compressor 1. On the one hand, it avoids the waste of heat in the heating system, and on the other hand, it can increase the output of the compressor 1, further improving the capability of the dual-function heat pump system.

[0073] Please see Figure 2 In another embodiment of the present invention, the dual-function heat pump system has a refrigerant circulation loop, a heating system that obtains heat from the refrigerant circulation loop, and a refrigeration system that obtains cooling capacity from the refrigerant circulation loop.

[0074] The refrigerant circulation loop consists of at least a compressor 1, an electronic expansion valve 2, an evaporator 3, and a gas-liquid separator 4. During the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the compressor 1 outputs a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant with high heat content. The heating system obtains this heat to provide heating.

[0075] Meanwhile, in the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the evaporator 3 needs to vaporize the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. During this process, the evaporator 3 will absorb a large amount of heat, thereby providing cooling capacity to the surrounding environment. The refrigeration system then uses this portion of cooling capacity to perform refrigeration.

[0076] Compared to Figure 1 In this embodiment of the technical solution, the present invention adds a water tank 11.

[0077] The first branch of its first heat exchanger 6 is connected to the water tank 11 for heat exchange between the refrigerant output by the compressor 1 and the water in the water tank 11;

[0078] One side of the water tank 11 is connected to the water inlet pipe 101 of the water heater to obtain cold water, and the other side of the water tank 11 is connected to the hot water inlet 1002 of the water heater to provide hot water.

[0079] In this embodiment, the water tank 11 can directly obtain cold water through the inlet pipe 101 and store it in the water tank 11. The first heat exchanger 6 only needs to heat the water in the water tank 11. When the user terminal 10 needs hot water, it can obtain it from the water tank 11 at any time through the hot water inlet 1002. Compared to Figure 1 In terms of the technical solution of this embodiment, the technical solution under this embodiment can provide the user with 10 stable hot water stability and flow rate.

[0080] Please see Figure 3 In another embodiment of the present invention, the dual-function heat pump system has a refrigerant circulation loop, a heating system that obtains heat from the refrigerant circulation loop, and a refrigeration system that obtains cooling capacity from the refrigerant circulation loop.

[0081] The refrigerant circulation loop consists of at least a compressor 1, an electronic expansion valve 2, an evaporator 3, and a gas-liquid separator 4. During the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the compressor 1 outputs a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant with high heat content. The heating system obtains this heat to provide heating.

[0082] Meanwhile, in the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop, the evaporator 3 needs to vaporize the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. During this process, the evaporator 3 will absorb a large amount of heat, thereby providing cooling capacity to the surrounding environment. The refrigeration system then uses this portion of cooling capacity to perform refrigeration.

[0083] Compared to Figure 1 In this embodiment of the invention, the second heat exchanger 7 is not directly installed in the refrigerant circulation loop. Instead, the second heat exchanger 7 is connected in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop. The second heat exchanger 7 has a third branch connected to the suction port of the evaporator 3 and the compressor 1, and a fourth branch connected to the return water pipe 102 of the water heater. Heat exchange can be performed between the third branch and the fourth branch.

[0084] The second heat exchanger 7 is only turned on when the water heater is using hot water.

[0085] like Figure 1As shown, in this embodiment, the third branch of the second heat exchanger 7 is directly set in the refrigerant circulation loop. After obtaining refrigerant from the evaporator 3, the refrigerant is heated and vaporized before being transferred to the gas-liquid separator 4. Although the heat of the heating system can be recovered and used to heat the refrigerant through the setting of the second heat exchanger 7 in this embodiment, since the second heat exchanger 7 is essentially connected in series in the refrigerant circulation loop, it is necessary to ensure that the third branch of the second heat exchanger 7 is always in the conducting state, that is, it is necessary to keep the second heat exchanger 7 in the heat recovery state, which will affect the service life of the second heat exchanger 7.

[0086] like Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the second heat exchanger 7 is connected in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop. Its third branch is not directly connected in series between the evaporator 3 and the gas-liquid separator 4 in the refrigerant circulation loop. Instead, a new pipeline is added, connecting one side of the third branch to the evaporator 3 and the other side to the suction port of the compressor 1. In this embodiment, since the second heat exchanger 7 is connected in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop, whether the third branch of the second heat exchanger 7 is in a conductive state does not affect the normal operation of the refrigerant circulation loop. Therefore, the third branch of the second heat exchanger 7 can be started and stopped at any time, without needing to constantly maintain the second heat exchanger 7 in a heat recovery state, which can improve the service life of the second heat exchanger 7 to a certain extent.

[0087] As mentioned above, when the user uses hot water, a large amount of hot water heat enters the return water pipe 102. Therefore, in this embodiment of the invention, the second heat exchanger 7 is controlled to be turned on only when the water heater is using hot water.

[0088] To achieve the above-mentioned control over the on / off state of the second heat exchanger 7, the present invention provides a regulating valve 12 connected in series between the second heat exchanger 7 and the evaporator 3. The regulating valve 12 can regulate the refrigerant flow from the evaporator 3 to the second heat exchanger 7.

[0089] Based on the setting of the regulating valve 12, it can be ensured that the second heat exchanger 7 is only turned on when the water heater is using hot water, thereby improving the service life of the second heat exchanger 7.

[0090] Please see Figure 3 In this embodiment, since the second heat exchanger 7 is connected in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop, the refrigerant heated by the second heat exchanger 7 will directly enter the suction port of the compressor 1 without passing through the gas-liquid separator 4. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the refrigerant output from the second heat exchanger 7 to the suction port of the compressor 1 is all gaseous to avoid liquid refrigerant entering the compressor 1 and causing liquid slugging.

[0091] The present invention, through the setting of the regulating valve 12, enables it to regulate the refrigerant flow from the evaporator 3 to the second heat exchanger 7, thereby ensuring that the refrigerant entering the second heat exchanger 7 can be completely converted into gaseous refrigerant and avoid liquid slugging problems.

[0092] Here, the regulating valve 12 can be controlled by an electronic expansion valve, which has higher control precision.

[0093] In other embodiments of the present invention, the appendix may also be attached. Figure 2 The water tank in the embodiment is increased to the attached Figure 3 In this embodiment, the service life of the second heat exchanger 7 is further improved while providing stable hot water and flow to the user end 10.

[0094] In practical design, the aforementioned dual-function heat pump system can be configured in three zones, as shown in the attached diagram. Figure 1 To be continued Figure 3 The distribution of the dashed lines is divided into upper and lower layers. The upper layer is a high-temperature zone, which can be used to prevent compressor 1 and the first heat exchanger 6 from obtaining heat from the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant output by compressor 1 and providing it to the heating system.

[0095] The lower layer is a low-temperature zone, which is divided into two parts. One side is used to place the evaporator 3, and the other side is the storage area of ​​the freezer 9. The cold air around the evaporator 3 is output to the storage area of ​​the freezer 9 by the fan 5 to cool the food.

[0096] The aforementioned second heat exchanger 7 and regulating valve 12 can be installed in either the high-temperature zone or the low-temperature zone;

[0097] The high-temperature zone and the low-temperature zone are only connected by refrigerant piping, while the other structural components are separated to avoid the problem of direct temperature neutralization between the different parts.

[0098] The present invention also proposes an integrated freezer hot water generator, which has the above-mentioned dual-function heat pump system.

[0099] In summary, compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0100] 1. The dual-function heat pump system proposed in this invention integrates the heating system and the cooling system through a refrigerant circulation loop. For the heating system, the useless cooling capacity generated at the evaporator through the refrigerant circulation loop can be utilized by the cooling system. For the cooling system, the useless heat output at the compressor exhaust port through the refrigerant circulation loop can be utilized by the heating system. By using the integration method, energy is rationally utilized and energy waste is avoided.

[0101] 2. The dual-function heat pump system proposed in this invention also has a heat recovery system, which can recover the heat wasted during the use of the heating system and use it to convert the refrigerant into a gaseous state to supplement the compressor, thereby increasing the output of the compressor and further improving the capability of the dual-function heat pump system.

[0102] 3. In this invention, the heating system is a water heater and the cooling system is a freezer. Through the integrated design of the water heater and the freezer, this invention can save on the design of the outdoor unit and water tank of the water heater, thereby reducing the product manufacturing cost.

[0103] 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.

Claims

1. A dual-function heat pump system, comprising a refrigerant circulation loop, characterized in that, The dual-function heat pump system also includes a heating system and a cooling system; The heating system has at least a first heat exchanger (6) that can exchange heat with the compressor (1) in the refrigerant circulation loop, for obtaining heat from the heating system; The evaporator (3) in the refrigerant circulation loop can exchange heat with the air, and the refrigeration system refrigerates by acquiring the cold energy in the air.

2. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dual-function heat pump system also includes a heat recovery system; The heat recovery system has at least a second heat exchanger (7) that can exchange heat with the heating system, and the second heat exchanger is connected to the suction port of the compressor (1) for recovering the heat of the heating system and for converting the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation loop into a gaseous state to supplement the compressor (1).

3. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heating system is a water heater; The first heat exchanger (6) has at least a first branch located in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected to the exhaust port of the compressor (1), and a second branch connected between the water inlet pipe (101) and the hot water inlet (1002) of the water heater, and heat exchange can be performed between the first branch and the second branch.

4. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second heat exchanger (7) has a third branch located in the refrigerant circulation loop and connected between the evaporator (3) and the suction port of the compressor (1), and a fourth branch connected to the return water pipe (102) of the water heater, wherein heat exchange can be performed between the third branch and the fourth branch.

5. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second branch is also connected to the return water pipe (102) of the water heater, which has a rotary ball valve for switching between cold water use and hot water use; When the rotary ball valve is switched to cold water use, the second branch connects the inlet pipe (101) and the return pipe (102). When the rotary ball valve is switched to hot water use, the second branch connects the water inlet pipe (101) to the hot water inlet (1002).

6. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigeration system is a freezer (9); The storage area of ​​the freezer (9) is separated from the evaporator (3), and the refrigeration system has a fan (5) that can blow low-temperature air from the evaporator (3) to the storage area of ​​the freezer (9).

7. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The dual-function heat pump system also includes a water tank (11) installed in the water heater. The first branch of the first heat exchanger (6) is connected to the water tank (11) for heat exchange between the refrigerant output by the compressor (1) and the water in the water tank (11); One side of the water tank (11) is connected to the water inlet pipe (101) of the water heater to obtain cold water, and the other side of the water tank (11) is connected to the hot water inlet (1002) of the water heater to provide hot water.

8. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second heat exchanger (7) is connected in parallel with the refrigerant circulation loop. The second heat exchanger (7) has a third branch connected to the suction port of the evaporator (3) and the compressor (1) and a fourth branch connected to the return water pipe (102) of the water heater. Heat exchange can be performed between the third branch and the fourth branch. The second heat exchanger (7) is turned on only when the water heater is using hot water.

9. The dual-function heat pump system according to claim 8, characterized in that, The dual-function heat pump system also includes a regulating valve (12) connected in series between the second heat exchanger (7) and the evaporator (3), the regulating valve (12) being used to regulate the refrigerant flow from the evaporator (3) to the second heat exchanger (7).

10. An integrated freezer hot water generator, characterized in that, The integrated freezer water heater has a dual-function heat pump system as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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