Heat pump

Abstract

A heat pump according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit through a refrigerant pipe and including an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit by means of independent loops, wherein the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which a refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a heat pump capable of cooling or heating an indoor space while supplying warm water to a room.[Background Art]

[0002] Generally, a heat pump refers to a device that cools or heats a room through processes of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant. When an outdoor heat exchanger of the heat pump functions as a condenser and an indoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the room may be cooled. In contrast, when the outdoor heat exchanger of the heat pump functions as an evaporator and the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the room may be heated.

[0003] For example, the heat pump may be an Air-to-Water Heat Pump (AWHP) using water as a medium for heat exchange with the refrigerant. In this connection, a hot water supply operation may be performed to supply warm water to a room by heating the water stored in a water tank with a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from a compressor.

[0004] Related Art Document 1 (Korean Patent No. 10-2261862) and Related Art Document 2 (Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2019-0081837) relate to a multi-type air-conditioning system capable of simultaneously providing air-conditioning and hot water. The related art documents disclose a structure in which a refrigerant discharged from an outdoor unit compressor flows into a separate hot water unit for heat exchange.

[0005] In this multi-type system, when an external wall coil is applied, the amount of refrigerant increases due to the increase in the amount of refrigerant caused by the application of the external wall coil. Hence, there was an issue that a separate ventilation means or safety device had to be added due to the limitation of the increased amount of refrigerant upon applying an alternative refrigerant. In addition, when hot water heating is operated simultaneously, it was difficult to form different condensation temperatures.[Disclosure][Technical Problem]

[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to addressing the aforementioned issue and other issues.

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump capable of simultaneously performing air-conditioning and hot water supply at low cost.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump that minimizes the amount of leaked refrigerant and is safer.

[0009] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump capable of configuring different condensation temperatures during simultaneous operation.[Technical Solution]

[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air-conditioning-side and a hot water-side refrigerant circulation structures are separated into a double loop, so that hot water supply operation and air-conditioning operation may be performed independently, thereby enhancing safety.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, by configuring the heat exchanger of an outdoor unit as a double loop in which a hot water loop and an air-conditioning loop are separated, the hot water supply operation and the air-conditioning operation may be performed independently, thereby enhancing safety.

[0012] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a compressor separate from the air-conditioning loop is applied so that a refrigerant may flow in the hot water loop. In addition, a water tank consisting of a separate expansion device and an external wall coil is applied to the hot water loop.

[0013] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit through a refrigerant pipe and including an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit by independent loops; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0014] The hot water unit may further include a hot water compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and a hot water expansion valve that expands the refrigerant that has passed through the hot water heat exchanger.

[0015] The hot water compressor and the hot water expansion valve may be disposed in a machine room above the water tank.

[0016] The hot water heat exchanger may be wrapped around an external wall of the water tank, wherein one end thereof may be connected to the hot water compressor and the other end thereof may be connected to the hot water expansion valve.

[0017] The outdoor compressor may be an inverter compressor capable of varying a compression capacity of the refrigerant, and the hot water compressor may be a constant-speed compressor with a constant compression capacity of the refrigerant.

[0018] The hot water compressor may have a smaller capacity than the outdoor compressor.

[0019] The outdoor heat exchanger may include a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit.

[0020] The outdoor unit may further include an outdoor fan installed on one side of the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger.

[0021] The first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger may be disposed vertically.

[0022] The first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger may be spaced apart from each other.

[0023] The loops may be connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by dividing internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger differently.

[0024] The air-conditioning loop may include a header connected to the outdoor compressor, a distributor connected to an outdoor expansion valve side, and a plurality of branch tubes connected to the distributor.

[0025] The outdoor unit may further include a switching valve that selectively guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger.

[0026] The switching valve may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger during cooling operation, and may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger during heating operation.

[0027] The indoor unit may further include an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

[0028] The outdoor unit may further include an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

[0029] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit including a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0030] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0031] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit including a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0032] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.[Advantageous Effects]

[0033] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a heat pump capable of simultaneously performing air-conditioning and hot water supply at low cost can be provided.

[0034] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the condensation temperature can be configured differently during simultaneous operation, so that not only the simultaneous operation of cooling operation and hot water supply operation but also the simultaneous operation of heating operation and hot water supply operation can be performed more effectively.

[0035] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the warm water capacity can be varied with a simple action depending on the situation.

[0036] Various other benefits will be described directly or implicitly in the detailed description according to the embodiments of the present disclosure to be described later.[Description of Drawings]

[0037] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram for reference in the description of hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram for reference in the description of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Mode for Invention]

[0038] Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0039] In order to clearly and briefly describe the present disclosure, the parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the specification.

[0040] In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element.

[0041] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in the present specification, do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps and / or operations.

[0042] An embodiment of the present disclosure may independently configure a loop, which is a structure in which a refrigerant circulates, by separating an air-conditioning side and a hot water supply side, regardless of a connection pipe of a single pipe type (see Fig. 1) or a multi-pipe type (see Fig. 8).

[0043] Accordingly, a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may independently perform air-conditioning operation for cooling or heating and hot water supply operation. The heat pump may perform cooling, heating, or hot water supply operation independently. In addition, the heat pump may operate cooling and hot water supply simultaneously, or heating and hot water supply simultaneously.

[0044] To this end, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided with an outdoor heat exchanger for a hot water loop for hot water supply and an outdoor heat exchanger for an air-conditioning loop for air-conditioning (see FIGS. 1 and 8).

[0045] Alternatively, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may apply a portion of the outdoor heat exchanger to the hot water loop. In this connection, the hot water loop may constitute an entire row of the outdoor heat exchanger (see FIG. 7), some ends of several rows, or some ends of a single row.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an outdoor unit 10, one or more indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via a refrigerant pipe, and a hot water unit 30 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe.

[0048] The outdoor unit 10 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 11, an outdoor compressor 13, and an outdoor expansion valve 17. At least one indoor unit 20 installed indoors each includes an indoor heat exchanger 21.

[0049] The outdoor heat exchanger 11 is connected to the indoor unit 20 and the hot water unit 30 by independent loops. The loops include an air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the indoor unit 20, and a hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the hot water unit 30.

[0050] Accordingly, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 is configured so that the refrigerant circulating in the air-conditioning loop and the refrigerant circulating in the hot water loop do not mix. Accordingly, the air-conditioning operation and the hot water supply operation may be performed independently without affecting each other. In addition, the air-conditioning operation and the hot water supply operation may be performed simultaneously while the refrigerant is circulated in each of the air-conditioning loop and hot water loop.

[0051] The outdoor heat exchanger 11 may include a first outdoor heat exchanger 11a connected to the indoor unit 10 and a second outdoor heat exchanger 11b connected to the hot water unit 30. The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a is included in the air-conditioning loop, and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b is included in the hot water loop.

[0052] The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b may be disposed vertically. In addition, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b may be spaced apart from each other.

[0053] In another embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may separate flow paths within one heat exchanger (see 11c in FIG. 7) to form the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop, respectively. The hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be connected to the indoor unit 10 or the hot water unit 30 by dividing internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c differently. Accordingly, the refrigerant for supplying hot water in the hot water loop and the refrigerant for air-conditioning in the air-conditioning loop may not mix.

[0054] The outdoor heat exchanger 11a may exchange heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air. The direction of heat transfer between the refrigerant and the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may vary depending on an air-conditioning operation mode.

[0055] The outdoor unit 10 further includes a switching valve 14 that selectively guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the indoor heat exchanger 21 or the outdoor heat exchanger 11a, 11. The flow direction of the refrigerant in the air-conditioning loop may be controlled by the switching valve 14 that switches according to the air-conditioning operation mode.

[0056] The switching valve 14 may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the outdoor heat exchanger 11a, 11 during cooling operation, and may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the indoor heat exchanger 21 during heating operation.

[0057] A discharge pipe 43 is connected as a high-pressure connection pipe to a discharge portion 41 of the outdoor compressor 13. The discharge pipe 43 passes through the switching valve 14 and is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The discharge pipe 43 causes the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 11.

[0058] The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a is connected to the switching valve 14 by the discharge pipe 43. In the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the refrigerant is condensed or evaporated through heat exchange with the outside air. During cooling operation, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11 is used as a condenser, and during heating operation, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11 is used as an evaporator.

[0059] To facilitate heat exchange, an outdoor fan 12 introduces air into the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The outdoor fan 12 may be disposed on one side of the outdoor heat exchanger 11 to adjust the amount of air provided to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. For example, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may include the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a positioned relatively at an upper side and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b positioned relatively at a lower side. The outdoor fan 12 may be installed on one side of the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b.

[0060] The hot water unit 30 includes a water tank 31 that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger 33 that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant. A water inlet pipe 36a for supplying water to the water tank 31 and a water outlet pipe 36b for discharging heated water from the water tank 31 are connected to the water tank 31.

[0061] The water inlet pipe 36a for supplying water to the water tank 31 may be formed at the bottom of the water tank 31. The end of the water inlet pipe 36a may be formed to be sunken into the inside of a water heater 1, or may be formed to protrude outside the water heater 1. The water inlet pipe 36a may be formed in a structure in which a water supply source such as a hose may be inserted or settled, and is connected to the water supply source to supply water into the inside of the water tank 31.

[0062] The water outlet pipe 36b for discharging heated water from the water tank 31 may be formed at the top of the water tank 31. The end of the water outlet pipe 36b may be formed to be sunken into the inside of the water heater 1, or may be formed to protrude outside the water heater 1. The water outlet pipe 36b may be formed in a structure in which a water supply source such as a hose may be inserted or settled, and is connected to the water supply source so that water heated in the water tank 31 may be discharged to a warm water demand source.

[0063] The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be disposed on an external wall of the water tank 31 disposed indoors. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be installed in a coil shape, wrapping around the external wall of the water tank 31. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be disposed with a minimum gap for heat exchange with the water inside the water tank 31, and may also be disposed to be attached to the external wall of the water tank 31. This hot water heat exchanger 33 may exchange heat more effectively by increasing the contact area by winding the pipe through which a refrigerant flows in a coil shape around the outside of the water tank 31.

[0064] Heat exchange between the water tank 31 and the hot water heat exchanger 33 is achieved by heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the hot water heat exchanger 33 and the water inside the water tank 31, and the hot water heat exchanger 33 acts as a condenser.

[0065] The hot water loop includes a hot water intake pipe 42 through which a refrigerant returns from the outdoor unit 10 and a hot water discharge pipe 47 through which a condensed liquid refrigerant flows after heat exchange with the water tank 31.

[0066] In order to independently configure the hot water loop, the hot water unit 30 further includes a hot water compressor 34 that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, and a hot water expansion valve 35 in which the refrigerant passing through the hot water compressor 34 expands. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be connected at one end to the hot water compressor 34 and at the other end to the hot water expansion valve 35. The hot water compressor 34 and the hot water expansion valve 35 may be disposed in a machine room 32 above the water tank 31.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hot water compressor 34, the hot water expansion valve 35, and the external wall coil water tank 31 of the hot water loop may be manufactured as an integral body.

[0068] The outdoor compressor 13 may be an inverter compressor capable of varying the compression capacity of a refrigerant. The outdoor compressor 13 may respond to various cooling and heating loads by using an inverter compressor that may control the amount of refrigerant and the discharge pressure of the refrigerant by adjusting the operating frequency.

[0069] The hot water compressor 34 may be a constant-speed compressor with a constant compression capacity of the refrigerant. A relatively low-cost constant-speed compressor may be used as the hot water compressor 34 that handles the hot water load within a predetermined range.

[0070] In addition, the hot water compressor 34 may use a low-cost compressor with a smaller capacity than the outdoor compressor 13.

[0071] The hot water compressor 34 of the hot water loop may be set to a small capacity, and even a constant-speed compressor may be used, thereby reducing material costs.

[0072] In addition, the hot water expansion valve 35 formed in the discharge portion of the hot water heat exchanger 33 may be an electronic expansion valve, and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe of the hot water heat exchanger 33 and flows the condensed refrigerant to the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor unit 20. The hot water expansion valve 35 may be installed in the hot water discharge pipe 47. The hot water expansion valve 35 formed in the discharge portion of the hot water heat exchanger 33 may be an electronic expansion valve, and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe of the hot water heat exchanger 33 and flows the condensed refrigerant to the outdoor unit 10.

[0073] When the hot water compressor 34 is operated, the refrigerant may circulate along the hot water loop.

[0074] The hot water loop may include the hot water compressor 34 that compresses a refrigerant, the hot water heat exchanger 33 that supplies heat to water by exchanging heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the hot water compressor 34 and water inside the water tank 31, the hot water expansion valve 35 that decompresses the refrigerant condensed through the hot water heat exchanger 33, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11b that evaporates the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant decompressed through the hot water expansion valve 35 by exchanging heat with outside air. The refrigerant circulating in the hot water loop exchanges heat with water and air in the hot water heat exchanger 33 and the outdoor heat exchanger 11b, which are heat exchangers.

[0075] As such, heat exchange between the water and refrigerant inside the water tank 31 is performed directly without a separate hydro-kit, so that heat exchange efficiency may be improved by performing heat exchange directly without requiring additional parts and without performing heat exchange multiple times.

[0076] A plurality of indoor units 20 may be connected to one outdoor unit 10. In FIG. 1, three indoor units B1, B2, B3 are illustrated, but this is not limited thereto. The indoor units B1, B2, B3 each include the indoor heat exchanger 21. In addition, each of the indoor units B1, B2, B3 may further include an indoor fan 23.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 1, when the three indoor units B1, B2, B3 are installed, the first, second, and third indoor heat exchangers 21 are each connected to a liquid line connection pipe 44. In addition, a low-pressure connection pipe 46 is installed to flow the refrigerant discharged from the indoor units B1, B2, B3 to the outdoor compressor 13.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 1, the indoor unit 20 may further include an expansion valve 22 disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. The expansion valve 22 may be installed in the liquid line connection pipe 44 and may also be named an indoor expansion valve.

[0079] In another embodiment, the outdoor unit 10 may further include an expansion valve (see 19 of FIG. 8) disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. Also in this embodiment, the expansion valve 19 performs the same role as the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1, and thus may also be named the indoor expansion valve.

[0080] An embodiment of the present disclosure separates the air-conditioning side and the hot water supply side into a double loop, thereby minimizing the amount of refrigerant leakage and preventing the addition of separate ventilation means or safety devices as much as possible.

[0081] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, simultaneous operation of cooling and hot water supply is possible, thereby reducing electricity costs by recovering waste heat.

[0082] In addition, according an embodiment of the present disclosure, simultaneous operation of heating and hot water supply is possible, and when simultaneous operation is performed, the condenser is different so that the condensation temperature may be configured differently, thereby performing differentiated functions.

[0083] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, by applying an external wall coil 33 to the water tank 31, the hot water loop is composed only of a refrigerant loop, eliminating the need for a water pump and a plate heat exchanger, thereby reducing material costs.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 1, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the hot water unit 30, the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10. The indoor unit 20 includes the indoor heat exchanger 21 and the indoor expansion valve 22.

[0085] The outdoor unit 10 includes the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a connected to the indoor unit 20 and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b connected to the hot water unit 30.

[0086] The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected by the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 are connected by the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b and the hot water unit 30.

[0087] As described later in FIG. 7, when the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop use the same heat exchanger 11c, the outdoor heat exchanger 11c divides the internal flow paths differently and is connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 by independent loops. The loops include the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the indoor unit 20, and the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the hot water unit 30.

[0088] Hereinafter, various operations of the heat pump will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, using the heat pump of FIG. 1 as an example.

[0089] FIG. 2 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during simultaneous operation of cooling and hot water supply.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 2, when the hot water supply and cooling operation of the heat pump starts, the heat exchangers 11, 33 of the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 act as condensers, and the indoor heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as an evaporator.

[0091] In addition, the refrigerant for air-conditioning is circulated along the air-conditioning loop, and the refrigerant for supplying hot water is circulated along the hot water loop.

[0092] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a exchanges heat with the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0093] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit 20 in cooling operation, and is delivered to the indoor heat exchanger 21 as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0094] After entering the indoor unit 20, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with indoor air, cools the indoor air, passes through the switching valve 14 via the low-pressure engine pipe 46, flows into an intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0095] During cooling operation, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the indoor expansion valve 22, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the low-pressure engine pipe 46, the switching valve 14, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0096] After the hot water compressor 34 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase is sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the water inside the water tank 31, heats the water inside the water tank 31, and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0097] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the hot water expansion valve 35 and the hot water discharge pipe 47 and is sent to the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b. The refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the outdoor air in the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b returns to the hot water unit 30 through the hot water intake pipe 42.

[0098] During hot water supply operation, the refrigerant for supplying hot water sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34 along the hot water loop.

[0099] FIG. 3 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 3, when hot water and heating operation starts, the heat exchangers 21, 33 of the indoor unit 20 and the hot water unit 30 act as condensers, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11 of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator.

[0101] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 that is in heating operation. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat with indoor air and condenses into a liquid phase. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 cools the indoor air while exchanging heat with the indoor air and is condensed into a liquid phase.

[0102] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the indoor expansion valve 22 and the outdoor expansion valve 17 of the outdoor unit 10, and is delivered to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0103] After entering the outdoor unit 10, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with outdoor air, passes through the switching valve 14, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0104] During heating operation, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the indoor expansion valve 22, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the switching valve 14, the intake pipe 45, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0105] The refrigerant for supplying hot water flows independently along the hot water loop without mixing with the refrigerant for air-conditioning. During hot water supply operation, the refrigerant sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34.

[0106] FIG. 4 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during cooling-only operation.

[0107] When the cooling-only operation of the heat pump starts, the flow of refrigerant proceeds as shown in FIG. 4.

[0108] When the cooling-only operation starts, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a of the outdoor unit 10 acts as a condenser, and the heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as an evaporator. Because it is the cooling-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for air-conditioning. Because it is the cooling-only operation, the hot water compressor 34 does not act and the refrigerant for supplying hot water does not circulate.

[0109] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a exchanges heat with the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0110] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit 20 in cooling operation, respectively, and is delivered to the indoor heat exchanger 21 as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0111] After entering the indoor unit 20, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with the indoor air, thereby cooling the indoor air. The refrigerant passes through the switching valve 14 via the low-pressure engine pipe 46, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0112] FIG. 5 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during heating-only operation.

[0113] When the heating-only operation of the heat pump starts, the flow of refrigerant proceeds as shown in FIG. 5.

[0114] When the heating-only operation starts, the heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as a condenser, and the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator. Because it is the heating-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for air-conditioning. Because it is the heating-only operation, the hot water compressor 34 does not act and the refrigerant for supplying hot water does not circulate.

[0115] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to at least one indoor heat exchanger 21. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat with indoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0116] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the indoor expansion valve 22 and the outdoor expansion valve 17 and is delivered to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0117] After entering the outdoor unit 10, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with the outdoor air, passes through the switching valve 14, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0118] FIG. 6 is a diagram for reference in the description of hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during hot water supply-only operation.

[0119] In the case of hot water supply-only operation as in FIG. 6, the hot water heat exchanger 33 of the hot water unit 30 acts as a condenser, and the second heat exchanger 11b of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator.

[0120] Specifically, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase after the operation of the hot water compressor 34 is sent directly to the hot water heat exchanger 33. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the water inside the water tank 31 and heats the water inside the water tank 31, while condensing into a liquid phase.

[0121] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the hot water expansion valve 35 and is delivered to the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b as a low-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the outdoor air in the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b returns to the hot water unit 30.

[0122] Because it is the hot water supply-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for supplying hot water. Because it is the hot water supply-only operation, the outdoor compressor 13 does not act and the refrigerant for air-conditioning does not circulate.

[0123] FIG. 7 is a diagram for reference in the description of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 7, the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 by dividing the internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c, 11 differently.

[0125] The air-conditioning loop may include a header 73 connected to the outdoor compressor 13, a distributor 71 connected to an outdoor expansion valve 17 side, and a plurality of branch tube 72 connected to the distributor 71. The distributor 71 and the header 73 may provide a flow path connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 11c.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 7, the pipes 42, 47 of the hot water loop are connected to the beginning and end of one row of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c, so that one entire row may be included in the hot water loop, and at least a portion of another row may be included in the air-conditioning loop. Accordingly, the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop are configured independently of each other to prevent mixing of refrigerants.

[0127] The row and / or end of the heat exchanger included in the air-conditioning loop acts like the first heat exchanger 11a described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The row and / or end of the heat exchanger included in the hot water loop acts like the second heat exchanger 11b described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0128] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a heat exchanger, and an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be configured as different loops without mixing refrigerants. For example, the hot water loop may configure some ends of several rows of the outdoor heat exchangers 11c. Alternatively, the hot water loop may configure some ends of a single row of the outdoor heat exchangers 11c.

[0129] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] FIGS. 1 to 6 illustrate a single-pipe structure heat pump, and FIG. 8 exemplifies a multi-pipe structure heat pump.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 8, the outdoor unit 10 includes the expansion valve 19 disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. In this embodiment, the expansion valve 19 of FIG. 8 performs the same role as the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1, differing only in that the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1 is included in the outdoor unit 10.

[0132] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected to the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 are connected to the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b and the hot water unit 30.

[0133] In addition, in an embodiment using the outdoor heat exchanger 11c of FIG. 7, the outdoor heat exchanger 11c is connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 as independent loops by dividing the internal flow paths differently. The loops include the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the indoor unit 20, and the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the hot water unit 30.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 8, when cooling / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or cooling is operated alone, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the indoor expansion valve 19, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the low-pressure engine pipe 46, the switching valve 14, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0135] When heating / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or heating is operated alone, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the indoor expansion valve 19, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the switching valve 14, the intake pipe 45, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0136] When cooling / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or heating / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or hot water supply is operated, the refrigerant for supplying hot water sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water supply expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34 along the hot water loop.

[0137] As described above, the heat pump may act in various operation modes. The heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure not only enables waste heat recovery through simultaneous operation of hot water supply and cooling, but also enables implementation of different condensation temperatures during simultaneous operation of hot water supply and heating, thereby enabling more effective simultaneous operation.

[0138] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of refrigerant that increases due to the addition of hot water is distributed to a different refrigerant loop independent of the air-conditioning loop, thereby minimizing the amount of leaked refrigerant. Accordingly, the need for adding a separate ventilation device or refrigerant blocking / sensing device is reduced, which may also reduce manufacturing costs.

[0139] In addition, hereinbefore, although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that persons having ordinary skills in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains may implement the present disclosure by various modifications thereof without departing from gist of the present disclosure defined by the claims, and such modifications are not to be construed individually from the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0038]Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0039]In order to clearly and briefly describe the present disclosure, the parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the specification.

[0040]In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element.

[0041]The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plu...

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a heat pump capable of cooling or heating an indoor space while supplying warm water to a room.[Background Art]

[0002] Generally, a heat pump refers to a device that cools or heats a room through processes of compression, condensation, expansion, and evaporation of a refrigerant. When an outdoor heat exchanger of the heat pump functions as a condenser and an indoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the room may be cooled. In contrast, when the outdoor heat exchanger of the heat pump functions as an evaporator and the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the room may be heated.

[0003] For example, the heat pump may be an Air-to-Water Heat Pump (AWHP) using water as a medium for heat exchange with the refrigerant. In this connection, a hot water supply operation may be performed to supply warm water to a room by heating the water stored in a water tank with a high-temperature refrigerant discharged from a compressor.

[0004] Related Art Document 1 (Korean Patent No. 10-2261862) and Related Art Document 2 (Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2019-0081837) relate to a multi-type air-conditioning system capable of simultaneously providing air-conditioning and hot water. The related art documents disclose a structure in which a refrigerant discharged from an outdoor unit compressor flows into a separate hot water unit for heat exchange.

[0005] In this multi-type system, when an external wall coil is applied, the amount of refrigerant increases due to the increase in the amount of refrigerant caused by the application of the external wall coil. Hence, there was an issue that a separate ventilation means or safety device had to be added due to the limitation of the increased amount of refrigerant upon applying an alternative refrigerant. In addition, when hot water heating is operated simultaneously, it was difficult to form different condensation temperatures.[Disclosure][Technical Problem]

[0006] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to addressing the aforementioned issue and other issues.

[0007] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump capable of simultaneously performing air-conditioning and hot water supply at low cost.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump that minimizes the amount of leaked refrigerant and is safer.

[0009] An aspect of the present disclosure is directed to providing a heat pump capable of configuring different condensation temperatures during simultaneous operation.[Technical Solution]

[0010] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air-conditioning-side and a hot water-side refrigerant circulation structures are separated into a double loop, so that hot water supply operation and air-conditioning operation may be performed independently, thereby enhancing safety.

[0011] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, by configuring the heat exchanger of an outdoor unit as a double loop in which a hot water loop and an air-conditioning loop are separated, the hot water supply operation and the air-conditioning operation may be performed independently, thereby enhancing safety.

[0012] According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a compressor separate from the air-conditioning loop is applied so that a refrigerant may flow in the hot water loop. In addition, a water tank consisting of a separate expansion device and an external wall coil is applied to the hot water loop.

[0013] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit through a refrigerant pipe and including an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit by independent loops; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0014] The hot water unit may further include a hot water compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and a hot water expansion valve that expands the refrigerant that has passed through the hot water heat exchanger.

[0015] The hot water compressor and the hot water expansion valve may be disposed in a machine room above the water tank.

[0016] The hot water heat exchanger may be wrapped around an external wall of the water tank, wherein one end thereof may be connected to the hot water compressor and the other end thereof may be connected to the hot water expansion valve.

[0017] The outdoor compressor may be an inverter compressor capable of varying a compression capacity of the refrigerant, and the hot water compressor may be a constant-speed compressor with a constant compression capacity of the refrigerant.

[0018] The hot water compressor may have a smaller capacity than the outdoor compressor.

[0019] The outdoor heat exchanger may include a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit.

[0020] The outdoor unit may further include an outdoor fan installed on one side of the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger.

[0021] The first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger may be disposed vertically.

[0022] The first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger may be spaced apart from each other.

[0023] The loops may be connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by dividing internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger differently.

[0024] The air-conditioning loop may include a header connected to the outdoor compressor, a distributor connected to an outdoor expansion valve side, and a plurality of branch tubes connected to the distributor.

[0025] The outdoor unit may further include a switching valve that selectively guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger.

[0026] The switching valve may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger during cooling operation, and may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger during heating operation.

[0027] The indoor unit may further include an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

[0028] The outdoor unit may further include an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

[0029] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit including a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0030] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0031] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit including a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein: the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

[0032] A heat pump according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: a hot water unit including a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and including an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit including an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein: the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops include an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.[Advantageous Effects]

[0033] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a heat pump capable of simultaneously performing air-conditioning and hot water supply at low cost can be provided.

[0034] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the condensation temperature can be configured differently during simultaneous operation, so that not only the simultaneous operation of cooling operation and hot water supply operation but also the simultaneous operation of heating operation and hot water supply operation can be performed more effectively.

[0035] According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the warm water capacity can be varied with a simple action depending on the situation.

[0036] Various other benefits will be described directly or implicitly in the detailed description according to the embodiments of the present disclosure to be described later.[Description of Drawings]

[0037] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a diagram for reference in the description of hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 is a diagram for reference in the description of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Mode for Invention]

[0038] Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0039] In order to clearly and briefly describe the present disclosure, the parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the specification.

[0040] In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element.

[0041] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used in the present specification, do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps and / or operations.

[0042] An embodiment of the present disclosure may independently configure a loop, which is a structure in which a refrigerant circulates, by separating an air-conditioning side and a hot water supply side, regardless of a connection pipe of a single pipe type (see Fig. 1) or a multi-pipe type (see Fig. 8).

[0043] Accordingly, a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may independently perform air-conditioning operation for cooling or heating and hot water supply operation. The heat pump may perform cooling, heating, or hot water supply operation independently. In addition, the heat pump may operate cooling and hot water supply simultaneously, or heating and hot water supply simultaneously.

[0044] To this end, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided with an outdoor heat exchanger for a hot water loop for hot water supply and an outdoor heat exchanger for an air-conditioning loop for air-conditioning (see FIGS. 1 and 8).

[0045] Alternatively, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may apply a portion of the outdoor heat exchanger to the hot water loop. In this connection, the hot water loop may constitute an entire row of the outdoor heat exchanger (see FIG. 7), some ends of several rows, or some ends of a single row.

[0046] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an outdoor unit 10, one or more indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via a refrigerant pipe, and a hot water unit 30 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via the refrigerant pipe.

[0048] The outdoor unit 10 includes an outdoor heat exchanger 11, an outdoor compressor 13, and an outdoor expansion valve 17. At least one indoor unit 20 installed indoors each includes an indoor heat exchanger 21.

[0049] The outdoor heat exchanger 11 is connected to the indoor unit 20 and the hot water unit 30 by independent loops. The loops include an air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the indoor unit 20, and a hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11 and the hot water unit 30.

[0050] Accordingly, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 is configured so that the refrigerant circulating in the air-conditioning loop and the refrigerant circulating in the hot water loop do not mix. Accordingly, the air-conditioning operation and the hot water supply operation may be performed independently without affecting each other. In addition, the air-conditioning operation and the hot water supply operation may be performed simultaneously while the refrigerant is circulated in each of the air-conditioning loop and hot water loop.

[0051] The outdoor heat exchanger 11 may include a first outdoor heat exchanger 11a connected to the indoor unit 10 and a second outdoor heat exchanger 11b connected to the hot water unit 30. The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a is included in the air-conditioning loop, and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b is included in the hot water loop.

[0052] The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b may be disposed vertically. In addition, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b may be spaced apart from each other.

[0053] In another embodiment, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may separate flow paths within one heat exchanger (see 11c in FIG. 7) to form the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop, respectively. The hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be connected to the indoor unit 10 or the hot water unit 30 by dividing internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c differently. Accordingly, the refrigerant for supplying hot water in the hot water loop and the refrigerant for air-conditioning in the air-conditioning loop may not mix.

[0054] The outdoor heat exchanger 11a may exchange heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air. The direction of heat transfer between the refrigerant and the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may vary depending on an air-conditioning operation mode.

[0055] The outdoor unit 10 further includes a switching valve 14 that selectively guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the indoor heat exchanger 21 or the outdoor heat exchanger 11a, 11. The flow direction of the refrigerant in the air-conditioning loop may be controlled by the switching valve 14 that switches according to the air-conditioning operation mode.

[0056] The switching valve 14 may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the outdoor heat exchanger 11a, 11 during cooling operation, and may guide the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to the indoor heat exchanger 21 during heating operation.

[0057] A discharge pipe 43 is connected as a high-pressure connection pipe to a discharge portion 41 of the outdoor compressor 13. The discharge pipe 43 passes through the switching valve 14 and is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The discharge pipe 43 causes the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor 13 to flow to the outdoor heat exchanger 11.

[0058] The first outdoor heat exchanger 11a is connected to the switching valve 14 by the discharge pipe 43. In the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the refrigerant is condensed or evaporated through heat exchange with the outside air. During cooling operation, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11 is used as a condenser, and during heating operation, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11 is used as an evaporator.

[0059] To facilitate heat exchange, an outdoor fan 12 introduces air into the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The outdoor fan 12 may be disposed on one side of the outdoor heat exchanger 11 to adjust the amount of air provided to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. For example, the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may include the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a positioned relatively at an upper side and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b positioned relatively at a lower side. The outdoor fan 12 may be installed on one side of the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b.

[0060] The hot water unit 30 includes a water tank 31 that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger 33 that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant. A water inlet pipe 36a for supplying water to the water tank 31 and a water outlet pipe 36b for discharging heated water from the water tank 31 are connected to the water tank 31.

[0061] The water inlet pipe 36a for supplying water to the water tank 31 may be formed at the bottom of the water tank 31. The end of the water inlet pipe 36a may be formed to be sunken into the inside of a water heater 1, or may be formed to protrude outside the water heater 1. The water inlet pipe 36a may be formed in a structure in which a water supply source such as a hose may be inserted or settled, and is connected to the water supply source to supply water into the inside of the water tank 31.

[0062] The water outlet pipe 36b for discharging heated water from the water tank 31 may be formed at the top of the water tank 31. The end of the water outlet pipe 36b may be formed to be sunken into the inside of the water heater 1, or may be formed to protrude outside the water heater 1. The water outlet pipe 36b may be formed in a structure in which a water supply source such as a hose may be inserted or settled, and is connected to the water supply source so that water heated in the water tank 31 may be discharged to a warm water demand source.

[0063] The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be disposed on an external wall of the water tank 31 disposed indoors. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be installed in a coil shape, wrapping around the external wall of the water tank 31. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be disposed with a minimum gap for heat exchange with the water inside the water tank 31, and may also be disposed to be attached to the external wall of the water tank 31. This hot water heat exchanger 33 may exchange heat more effectively by increasing the contact area by winding the pipe through which a refrigerant flows in a coil shape around the outside of the water tank 31.

[0064] Heat exchange between the water tank 31 and the hot water heat exchanger 33 is achieved by heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the hot water heat exchanger 33 and the water inside the water tank 31, and the hot water heat exchanger 33 acts as a condenser.

[0065] The hot water loop includes a hot water intake pipe 42 through which a refrigerant returns from the outdoor unit 10 and a hot water discharge pipe 47 through which a condensed liquid refrigerant flows after heat exchange with the water tank 31.

[0066] In order to independently configure the hot water loop, the hot water unit 30 further includes a hot water compressor 34 that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, and a hot water expansion valve 35 in which the refrigerant passing through the hot water compressor 34 expands. The hot water heat exchanger 33 may be connected at one end to the hot water compressor 34 and at the other end to the hot water expansion valve 35. The hot water compressor 34 and the hot water expansion valve 35 may be disposed in a machine room 32 above the water tank 31.

[0067] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the hot water compressor 34, the hot water expansion valve 35, and the external wall coil water tank 31 of the hot water loop may be manufactured as an integral body.

[0068] The outdoor compressor 13 may be an inverter compressor capable of varying the compression capacity of a refrigerant. The outdoor compressor 13 may respond to various cooling and heating loads by using an inverter compressor that may control the amount of refrigerant and the discharge pressure of the refrigerant by adjusting the operating frequency.

[0069] The hot water compressor 34 may be a constant-speed compressor with a constant compression capacity of the refrigerant. A relatively low-cost constant-speed compressor may be used as the hot water compressor 34 that handles the hot water load within a predetermined range.

[0070] In addition, the hot water compressor 34 may use a low-cost compressor with a smaller capacity than the outdoor compressor 13.

[0071] The hot water compressor 34 of the hot water loop may be set to a small capacity, and even a constant-speed compressor may be used, thereby reducing material costs.

[0072] In addition, the hot water expansion valve 35 formed in the discharge portion of the hot water heat exchanger 33 may be an electronic expansion valve, and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe of the hot water heat exchanger 33 and flows the condensed refrigerant to the outdoor unit 10 or the indoor unit 20. The hot water expansion valve 35 may be installed in the hot water discharge pipe 47. The hot water expansion valve 35 formed in the discharge portion of the hot water heat exchanger 33 may be an electronic expansion valve, and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe of the hot water heat exchanger 33 and flows the condensed refrigerant to the outdoor unit 10.

[0073] When the hot water compressor 34 is operated, the refrigerant may circulate along the hot water loop.

[0074] The hot water loop may include the hot water compressor 34 that compresses a refrigerant, the hot water heat exchanger 33 that supplies heat to water by exchanging heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the hot water compressor 34 and water inside the water tank 31, the hot water expansion valve 35 that decompresses the refrigerant condensed through the hot water heat exchanger 33, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11b that evaporates the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant decompressed through the hot water expansion valve 35 by exchanging heat with outside air. The refrigerant circulating in the hot water loop exchanges heat with water and air in the hot water heat exchanger 33 and the outdoor heat exchanger 11b, which are heat exchangers.

[0075] As such, heat exchange between the water and refrigerant inside the water tank 31 is performed directly without a separate hydro-kit, so that heat exchange efficiency may be improved by performing heat exchange directly without requiring additional parts and without performing heat exchange multiple times.

[0076] A plurality of indoor units 20 may be connected to one outdoor unit 10. In FIG. 1, three indoor units B1, B2, B3 are illustrated, but this is not limited thereto. The indoor units B1, B2, B3 each include the indoor heat exchanger 21. In addition, each of the indoor units B1, B2, B3 may further include an indoor fan 23.

[0077] As shown in FIG. 1, when the three indoor units B1, B2, B3 are installed, the first, second, and third indoor heat exchangers 21 are each connected to a liquid line connection pipe 44. In addition, a low-pressure connection pipe 46 is installed to flow the refrigerant discharged from the indoor units B1, B2, B3 to the outdoor compressor 13.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 1, the indoor unit 20 may further include an expansion valve 22 disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. The expansion valve 22 may be installed in the liquid line connection pipe 44 and may also be named an indoor expansion valve.

[0079] In another embodiment, the outdoor unit 10 may further include an expansion valve (see 19 of FIG. 8) disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. Also in this embodiment, the expansion valve 19 performs the same role as the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1, and thus may also be named the indoor expansion valve.

[0080] An embodiment of the present disclosure separates the air-conditioning side and the hot water supply side into a double loop, thereby minimizing the amount of refrigerant leakage and preventing the addition of separate ventilation means or safety devices as much as possible.

[0081] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, simultaneous operation of cooling and hot water supply is possible, thereby reducing electricity costs by recovering waste heat.

[0082] In addition, according an embodiment of the present disclosure, simultaneous operation of heating and hot water supply is possible, and when simultaneous operation is performed, the condenser is different so that the condensation temperature may be configured differently, thereby performing differentiated functions.

[0083] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, by applying an external wall coil 33 to the water tank 31, the hot water loop is composed only of a refrigerant loop, eliminating the need for a water pump and a plate heat exchanger, thereby reducing material costs.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 1, the heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the hot water unit 30, the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10. The indoor unit 20 includes the indoor heat exchanger 21 and the indoor expansion valve 22.

[0085] The outdoor unit 10 includes the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a connected to the indoor unit 20 and the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b connected to the hot water unit 30.

[0086] The outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected by the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 are connected by the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b and the hot water unit 30.

[0087] As described later in FIG. 7, when the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop use the same heat exchanger 11c, the outdoor heat exchanger 11c divides the internal flow paths differently and is connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 by independent loops. The loops include the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the indoor unit 20, and the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the hot water unit 30.

[0088] Hereinafter, various operations of the heat pump will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6, using the heat pump of FIG. 1 as an example.

[0089] FIG. 2 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during simultaneous operation of cooling and hot water supply.

[0090] Referring to FIG. 2, when the hot water supply and cooling operation of the heat pump starts, the heat exchangers 11, 33 of the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 act as condensers, and the indoor heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as an evaporator.

[0091] In addition, the refrigerant for air-conditioning is circulated along the air-conditioning loop, and the refrigerant for supplying hot water is circulated along the hot water loop.

[0092] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a exchanges heat with the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0093] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit 20 in cooling operation, and is delivered to the indoor heat exchanger 21 as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0094] After entering the indoor unit 20, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with indoor air, cools the indoor air, passes through the switching valve 14 via the low-pressure engine pipe 46, flows into an intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0095] During cooling operation, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the indoor expansion valve 22, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the low-pressure engine pipe 46, the switching valve 14, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0096] After the hot water compressor 34 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase is sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the water inside the water tank 31, heats the water inside the water tank 31, and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0097] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the hot water expansion valve 35 and the hot water discharge pipe 47 and is sent to the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b. The refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the outdoor air in the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b returns to the hot water unit 30 through the hot water intake pipe 42.

[0098] During hot water supply operation, the refrigerant for supplying hot water sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34 along the hot water loop.

[0099] FIG. 3 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating and hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 3, when hot water and heating operation starts, the heat exchangers 21, 33 of the indoor unit 20 and the hot water unit 30 act as condensers, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11 of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator.

[0101] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 that is in heating operation. The high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat with indoor air and condenses into a liquid phase. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 cools the indoor air while exchanging heat with the indoor air and is condensed into a liquid phase.

[0102] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the indoor expansion valve 22 and the outdoor expansion valve 17 of the outdoor unit 10, and is delivered to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0103] After entering the outdoor unit 10, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with outdoor air, passes through the switching valve 14, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0104] During heating operation, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the indoor expansion valve 22, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the switching valve 14, the intake pipe 45, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0105] The refrigerant for supplying hot water flows independently along the hot water loop without mixing with the refrigerant for air-conditioning. During hot water supply operation, the refrigerant sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34.

[0106] FIG. 4 is a diagram for reference in the description of cooling operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during cooling-only operation.

[0107] When the cooling-only operation of the heat pump starts, the flow of refrigerant proceeds as shown in FIG. 4.

[0108] When the cooling-only operation starts, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a of the outdoor unit 10 acts as a condenser, and the heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as an evaporator. Because it is the cooling-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for air-conditioning. Because it is the cooling-only operation, the hot water compressor 34 does not act and the refrigerant for supplying hot water does not circulate.

[0109] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a exchanges heat with the outdoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0110] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor expansion valve 22 of the indoor unit 20 in cooling operation, respectively, and is delivered to the indoor heat exchanger 21 as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0111] After entering the indoor unit 20, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with the indoor air, thereby cooling the indoor air. The refrigerant passes through the switching valve 14 via the low-pressure engine pipe 46, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0112] FIG. 5 is a diagram for reference in the description of heating operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during heating-only operation.

[0113] When the heating-only operation of the heat pump starts, the flow of refrigerant proceeds as shown in FIG. 5.

[0114] When the heating-only operation starts, the heat exchanger 21 of the indoor unit 20 acts as a condenser, and the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator. Because it is the heating-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for air-conditioning. Because it is the heating-only operation, the hot water compressor 34 does not act and the refrigerant for supplying hot water does not circulate.

[0115] Specifically, after the outdoor compressor 13 is operated, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase passes through the switching valve 14 and is sent to at least one indoor heat exchanger 21. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 exchanges heat with indoor air and condenses into a liquid phase.

[0116] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the indoor expansion valve 22 and the outdoor expansion valve 17 and is delivered to the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a as a low-pressure refrigerant.

[0117] After entering the outdoor unit 10, the low-pressure refrigerant evaporates via heat exchange with the outdoor air, passes through the switching valve 14, flows into the intake pipe 45 of the outdoor compressor 13, and re-enters the outdoor compressor 13.

[0118] FIG. 6 is a diagram for reference in the description of hot water supply operation of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and illustrates the flow of refrigerant during hot water supply-only operation.

[0119] In the case of hot water supply-only operation as in FIG. 6, the hot water heat exchanger 33 of the hot water unit 30 acts as a condenser, and the second heat exchanger 11b of the outdoor unit 10 acts as an evaporator.

[0120] Specifically, the refrigerant that has become a high-pressure gas phase after the operation of the hot water compressor 34 is sent directly to the hot water heat exchanger 33. As such, the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant sent to the hot water heat exchanger 33 exchanges heat with the water inside the water tank 31 and heats the water inside the water tank 31, while condensing into a liquid phase.

[0121] The condensed liquid refrigerant passes through the hot water expansion valve 35 and is delivered to the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b as a low-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the outdoor air in the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b returns to the hot water unit 30.

[0122] Because it is the hot water supply-only operation, the refrigerant is circulated only in the loop for supplying hot water. Because it is the hot water supply-only operation, the outdoor compressor 13 does not act and the refrigerant for air-conditioning does not circulate.

[0123] FIG. 7 is a diagram for reference in the description of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] Referring to FIG. 7, the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 by dividing the internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c, 11 differently.

[0125] The air-conditioning loop may include a header 73 connected to the outdoor compressor 13, a distributor 71 connected to an outdoor expansion valve 17 side, and a plurality of branch tube 72 connected to the distributor 71. The distributor 71 and the header 73 may provide a flow path connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 11c.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 7, the pipes 42, 47 of the hot water loop are connected to the beginning and end of one row of the outdoor heat exchanger 11c, so that one entire row may be included in the hot water loop, and at least a portion of another row may be included in the air-conditioning loop. Accordingly, the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop are configured independently of each other to prevent mixing of refrigerants.

[0127] The row and / or end of the heat exchanger included in the air-conditioning loop acts like the first heat exchanger 11a described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The row and / or end of the heat exchanger included in the hot water loop acts like the second heat exchanger 11b described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0128] FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a heat exchanger, and an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the hot water loop and the air-conditioning loop may be configured as different loops without mixing refrigerants. For example, the hot water loop may configure some ends of several rows of the outdoor heat exchangers 11c. Alternatively, the hot water loop may configure some ends of a single row of the outdoor heat exchangers 11c.

[0129] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0130] FIGS. 1 to 6 illustrate a single-pipe structure heat pump, and FIG. 8 exemplifies a multi-pipe structure heat pump.

[0131] Referring to FIG. 8, the outdoor unit 10 includes the expansion valve 19 disposed between the outdoor expansion valve 17 and the indoor heat exchanger 21. In this embodiment, the expansion valve 19 of FIG. 8 performs the same role as the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1, differing only in that the expansion valve 22 of FIG. 1 is included in the outdoor unit 10.

[0132] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 8, the outdoor unit 10 and the indoor unit 20 are connected to the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a and the indoor unit 20, and the outdoor unit 10 and the hot water unit 30 are connected to the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b and the hot water unit 30.

[0133] In addition, in an embodiment using the outdoor heat exchanger 11c of FIG. 7, the outdoor heat exchanger 11c is connected to the indoor unit 20 or the hot water unit 30 as independent loops by dividing the internal flow paths differently. The loops include the air-conditioning loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the indoor unit 20, and the hot water loop in which a refrigerant circulates between the outdoor heat exchanger 11c and the hot water unit 30.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 8, when cooling / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or cooling is operated alone, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the indoor expansion valve 19, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the low-pressure engine pipe 46, the switching valve 14, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0135] When heating / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or heating is operated alone, the refrigerant for air-conditioning sequentially circulates through the outdoor compressor 13, the switching valve 14, the indoor heat exchanger 21, the indoor expansion valve 19, the outdoor expansion valve 17, the first outdoor heat exchanger 11a, the switching valve 14, the intake pipe 45, and the outdoor compressor 13 along the air-conditioning loop.

[0136] When cooling / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or heating / hot water supply is operated simultaneously or hot water supply is operated, the refrigerant for supplying hot water sequentially circulates through the hot water compressor 34, the hot water heat exchanger 33, the hot water supply expansion valve 35, the hot water discharge pipe 47, the second outdoor heat exchanger 11b, the hot water intake pipe 42, and the hot water compressor 34 along the hot water loop.

[0137] As described above, the heat pump may act in various operation modes. The heat pump according to an embodiment of the present disclosure not only enables waste heat recovery through simultaneous operation of hot water supply and cooling, but also enables implementation of different condensation temperatures during simultaneous operation of hot water supply and heating, thereby enabling more effective simultaneous operation.

[0138] In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the amount of refrigerant that increases due to the addition of hot water is distributed to a different refrigerant loop independent of the air-conditioning loop, thereby minimizing the amount of leaked refrigerant. Accordingly, the need for adding a separate ventilation device or refrigerant blocking / sensing device is reduced, which may also reduce manufacturing costs.

[0139] In addition, hereinbefore, although preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that persons having ordinary skills in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains may implement the present disclosure by various modifications thereof without departing from gist of the present disclosure defined by the claims, and such modifications are not to be construed individually from the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0038]Hereinafter, the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

[0039]In order to clearly and briefly describe the present disclosure, the parts irrelevant to the description are omitted in the drawings. The same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar parts throughout the specification.

[0040]In addition, it will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element.

[0041]The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing exemplary embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plu...

Claims

1. A heat pump comprising: a hot water unit comprising a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and comprising an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit through a refrigerant pipe and comprising an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit by independent loops; and the loops comprise an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

2. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the hot water unit further comprises a hot water compressor that compresses and discharges the refrigerant, and a hot water expansion valve that expands the refrigerant that has passed through the hot water heat exchanger.

3. The heat pump of claim 2, wherein the hot water compressor and the hot water expansion valve are disposed in a machine room above the water tank.

4. The heat pump of claim 2, wherein the hot water heat exchanger is wrapped around an external wall of the water tank, wherein one end thereof is connected to the hot water compressor and the other end thereof is connected to the hot water expansion valve.

5. The heat pump of claim 2, wherein: the outdoor compressor is an inverter compressor capable of varying a compression capacity of the refrigerant; and the hot water compressor is a constant-speed compressor with a constant compression capacity of the refrigerant.

6. The heat pump of claim 2, wherein the hot water compressor has a smaller capacity than the outdoor compressor.

7. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger comprises a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit.

8. The heat pump of claim 7, wherein the outdoor unit further comprises an outdoor fan installed on one side of the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger.

9. The heat pump of claim 8, wherein the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger are disposed vertically.

10. The heat pump of claim 7, wherein the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger are spaced apart from each other.

11. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the loops are connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by dividing internal flow paths of the outdoor heat exchanger differently.

12. The heat pump of claim 11, wherein the air-conditioning loop comprises a header connected to the outdoor compressor, a distributor connected to an outdoor expansion valve side, and a plurality of branch tubes connected to the distributor.

13. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the outdoor unit further comprises a switching valve that selectively guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger or the outdoor heat exchanger.

14. The heat pump of claim 13, wherein the switching valve guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger during cooling operation, and guides the refrigerant discharged from the outdoor compressor to the indoor heat exchanger during heating operation.

15. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the indoor unit further comprises an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

16. The heat pump of claim 1, wherein the outdoor unit further comprises an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger.

17. A heat pump comprising: a hot water unit comprising a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and comprising an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit comprising a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

18. A heat pump comprising: a hot water unit comprising a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and comprising an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; and an outdoor unit comprising an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, and an outdoor expansion valve, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops comprise an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

19. A heat pump comprising: a hot water unit comprising a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and comprising an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit comprising a first outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit, a second outdoor heat exchanger connected to the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein the outdoor unit and the indoor unit are connected by an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the first outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit; and the outdoor unit and the hot water unit are connected by a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the second outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

20. A heat pump comprising: a hot water unit comprising a water tank that accommodates water and a hot water heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the water and a refrigerant; at least one indoor unit installed indoors and comprising an indoor heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit comprising an outdoor heat exchanger connected to the indoor unit and the hot water unit, an outdoor compressor, an outdoor expansion valve, and an expansion valve disposed between the outdoor expansion valve and the indoor heat exchanger, wherein the outdoor heat exchanger is connected to the indoor unit or the hot water unit by independent loops by dividing internal flow paths differently; and the loops comprise an air-conditioning loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor unit, and a hot water loop in which the refrigerant is circulated between the outdoor heat exchanger and the hot water unit.

Images