Absorption water cooling / heating machine and method for controlling operation of absorption water cooling / heating machine

Abstract

To provide an absorption water cooling / heating machine and a method for controlling operation of the same, which are capable of properly burning fuel having a variable heat generation amount.SOLUTION: An absorption water cooling / heating machine 1, which performs heat transfer in a cycle of a refrigerant V and absorption liquid S, comprises: a regenerator 30 that has a burner 71; a medium cooling mechanism 20 that cools a temperature-adjustment target medium C; a cooling water flow passage 11, 41 that allows cooling water D to flow therethrough; a fuel supply mechanism; an air supply mechanism; a storage unit 63 that stores a relationship for defining the flow rate of air A relative to the flow rate of fuel F being supplied to the burner 71; a control unit 61 that controls a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism 74 in the fuel supply mechanism and an air flow rate adjustment mechanism 77 in the air supply mechanism; and a temperature-related physical quantity detector 52 for the temperature-adjustment target medium C. The control unit 61 compares an actual measurement temperature detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector 52 with the theoretical temperature of the temperature-adjustment target medium C, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism 77 so as to reduce the flow rate of the air A when the actual measurement temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature and to increase the flow rate of the air A when the actual measurement temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an absorption chiller / heater machine and an operation control method for an absorption chiller / heater machine, and more particularly to an absorption chiller / heater machine that supplies fuel with a variable heating value to a burner and an operation control method for an absorption chiller / heater machine. [Background technology]

[0002] The absorption chiller-heater is a device that cools a medium to be cooled (chilled water) by removing the latent heat of evaporation required for evaporating a refrigerant liquid in an evaporator to become a refrigerant vapor from the medium to be cooled, and the refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator is absorbed by an absorbing liquid in an absorber. The absorbing liquid in the absorber, which has absorbed the refrigerant vapor and has a lowered concentration, is sent to a regenerator and heated, where the concentration increases. The absorbing liquid, whose concentration has increased in the regenerator, is returned to the absorber, and becomes capable of absorbing the refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator again. One method of heating the absorbing liquid in the regenerator is to provide a combustion device that burns fuel in the regenerator. An example of such a combustion device is one that maintains an appropriate air-fuel ratio by individually controlling the supply flow rates of fuel and air to a burner based on the relationship between the flow rate of fuel, the flow rate of air, and the amount of oxygen in the air that is stored in advance and is suitable for combustion in the burner (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-223428 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the past, fossil fuels such as commercial gas and oil were generally used as fuels to be burned in burners. However, as the impact of global warming becomes more pronounced, there is a growing trend to reduce the use of fossil fuels, and if fossil fuels can be replaced with carbon-free or carbon-neutral fuels, this will contribute to reducing the emission of carbon dioxide, which causes global warming. By-product hydrogen and biomass fuels have the potential to be used as carbon-free or carbon-neutral fuels for burners. However, when considering by-product hydrogen, for example, the hydrogen concentration may fluctuate depending on the operating status of the process in which the hydrogen is generated, which may result in fluctuations in the calorific value. When the calorific value of the fuel fluctuates, it is difficult to adjust the air flow rate to an appropriate level to be supplied when the fuel is burned.

[0005] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure relates to providing an absorption chiller-heater machine and an operation control method for an absorption chiller-heater machine that can appropriately combust fuel when fuel with a variable heating value is supplied to a burner. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An absorption chiller / heater according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat through a cycle of a refrigerant that undergoes a phase change and an absorption liquid mixed with the refrigerant, and includes a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heating value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorption liquid, a medium cooling mechanism that cools a temperature adjustment target medium by removing latent heat of evaporation when the refrigerant liquid changes phase to vapor from the temperature adjustment target medium, a cooling water flow path that flows cooling water that removes at least one of condensation heat when the refrigerant vapor changes phase to liquid and absorption heat when the refrigerant vapor is absorbed by the absorption liquid, a fuel supply mechanism having a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, an air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism and adjusts the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, a memory unit that stores a relationship that defines an air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, and a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the temperature adjustment target medium. a control unit that controls the fuel flow rate regulating mechanism so that the temperature of the burner becomes a target value, and controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to supply to the burner a flow rate of air corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the relationship stored in the memory unit; and a temperature-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-regulating medium, wherein the control unit compares a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-regulating medium calculated based on at least the physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner and the physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water, with an actual measured temperature calculated from the physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-regulating medium detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector, and controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the actual measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, and controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the actual measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature.

[0007] With this configuration, when the calorific value of the fuel supplied to the burner fluctuates, air can be supplied to the burner at a flow rate according to the fluctuation in the calorific value.

[0008] An absorption chiller / heater according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat by a cycle of a refrigerant that undergoes a phase change and an absorbing liquid mixed with the refrigerant, and includes a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heating value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorbing liquid, a medium heating mechanism that heats a temperature-adjustable medium with at least one of the heat of combustion in the burner, the heat of condensation generated when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to a liquid, and the heat of absorption generated when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbing liquid, a fuel supply mechanism having a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, an air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, a memory unit that stores a relationship that defines an air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, and a temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium to become a target value. a control unit that controls the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the temperature of the medium to be temperature adjusted, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply to the burner a flow rate of air corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the relationship stored in the memory unit, and a temperature-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the temperature of the medium to be temperature adjusted, wherein the control unit compares a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the medium to be temperature adjusted, obtained based on at least the physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, with an actual measured temperature obtained from the physical quantity related to the temperature of the medium to be temperature adjusted detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the actual measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the actual measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature.

[0009] With this configuration, when the calorific value of the fuel supplied to the burner fluctuates, air can be supplied to the burner at a flow rate according to the fluctuation in the calorific value.

[0010] Furthermore, an absorption chiller-heater according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the absorption chiller-heater according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the control unit compares the amount of combustion in the burner for bringing the temperature-adjustable medium to the target value with an upper limit amount of combustion in the burner for maintaining proper operation of the absorption chiller-heater, and operates the burner at the smaller amount of combustion.

[0011] With this configuration, even if the heating value of the fuel fluctuates, excessive heat input to the absorption chiller / heater can be prevented, and proper operation can be maintained.

[0012] Furthermore, an absorption chiller-heater according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller-heater according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires an operating state of the absorption chiller-heater, and the control unit corrects the theoretical temperature based on the past operating state acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to supply air to the burner at an appropriate flow rate according to the characteristics specific to the equipment.

[0014] Furthermore, an absorption chiller-heater according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller-heater according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present disclosure, further comprising an oxygen concentration-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the oxygen concentration contained in the exhaust gas generated by burning the fuel, and the control unit controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism so that the physical quantity detected by the oxygen concentration-related physical quantity detector becomes a predetermined value.

[0015] With this configuration, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas can be adjusted to a desired concentration, and the occurrence of incomplete combustion or misfire can be suppressed.

[0016] Further, an absorption chiller-heater according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller-heater according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the regenerator is configured to introduce at least one of a first fuel and a second fuel having a heating value different from that of the first fuel, as the fuel to be burned in the burner, the memory unit stores a first relationship defining an air flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner, and a second relationship defining an air flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, and the control unit controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the first relationship stored in the memory unit when the first fuel is supplied to the burner, and controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the second relationship stored in the memory unit when the second fuel is supplied to the burner.

[0017] With this configuration, even when fuels with different heating values ​​are introduced, an appropriate flow rate of air can be supplied to the burner.

[0018] Further, an absorption chiller / heater according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure is an absorption chiller / heater that cools or heats a temperature-adjustable medium by transferring heat through a cycle of a refrigerant that undergoes a phase change and an absorption liquid mixed with the refrigerant, and includes a regenerator having a burner that introduces and combusts at least one of a first fuel and a second fuel having a heating value different from that of the first fuel in order to generate heat for heating the absorption liquid, a fuel supply mechanism having a first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner and a second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism that adjusts the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, an air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism and the second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, and the first relationship storing a first relationship that specifies an air flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, and a second relationship that stores a first relationship that specifies an air flow rate corresponding to a flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner; and a control unit that controls the first fuel flow rate regulation mechanism or the second fuel flow rate regulation mechanism so that the temperature of the temperature-regulated medium becomes a target value, and controls the air flow rate regulation mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the first relationship stored in the memory unit when the first fuel is supplied to the burner, and controls the air flow rate regulation mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the second relationship stored in the memory unit when the second fuel is supplied to the burner.

[0019] With this configuration, even when fuels with different heating values ​​are introduced, an appropriate flow rate of air can be supplied to the burner.

[0020] Furthermore, an absorption chiller-heater according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure is the absorption chiller-heater according to the sixth or seventh aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the fuel supply mechanism has a heat generation amount measuring mechanism that measures the heat generation amount of fuel supplied to the burner, and the control unit controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the first relationship stored in the memory unit when the heat generation amount measured by the heat generation amount measuring mechanism is less than a predetermined value, and controls the air flow rate regulating mechanism to supply to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the second relationship stored in the memory unit when the heat generation amount measured by the heat generation amount measuring mechanism is less than a predetermined value,

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to automatically determine whether the first fuel or the second fuel is to be supplied to the burner, and an appropriate flow rate of air can be automatically supplied to the burner.

[0022] A method for controlling operation of an absorption chiller-heater according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is a method for controlling operation of an absorption chiller-heater that transfers heat by a cycle of a refrigerant that undergoes a phase change and an absorption liquid mixed with the refrigerant, the absorption chiller-heater including a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heating value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorption liquid, a medium cooling mechanism that cools a temperature control target medium by removing latent heat of evaporation generated when the refrigerant liquid changes phase to vapor from the temperature control target medium, and a cooling water flow path that flows cooling water that removes at least one of condensation heat generated when the refrigerant vapor changes phase to liquid and absorption heat generated when the refrigerant vapor is absorbed by the absorption liquid, the method including the steps of: supplying the fuel to the burner at a flow rate such that a temperature of the temperature control target medium becomes a target value; the step of supplying to the burner a flow rate of air corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner from the determined relationship; the step of calculating a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium, based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner and a physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water; the step of detecting the physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium; and the step of comparing the theoretical temperature with an actual measured temperature determined from the detected physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium, and adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner so as to reduce the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner when the actual measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, and to increase the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner when the actual measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature.

[0023] With this configuration, when the calorific value of the fuel supplied to the burner fluctuates, air can be supplied to the burner at a flow rate according to the fluctuation in the calorific value.

[0024] Further, as a method for controlling operation of an absorption chiller-heater according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling operation of an absorption chiller-heater that transfers heat by a cycle of a refrigerant that undergoes a phase change and an absorption liquid mixed with the refrigerant, the absorption chiller-heater includes a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heating value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorption liquid, and a medium heating mechanism that heats a temperature-adjustable medium by at least one of the combustion heat in the burner, or the condensation heat generated when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to a liquid and the absorption heat generated when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorption liquid, the method comprising the steps of: supplying the fuel to the burner at a flow rate such that a temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium becomes a target value; and calculating, from a predetermined relationship, the fuel amount by which the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium becomes a target value by the steps of: The method may include the steps of: supplying to the burner air at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner; determining a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium, based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner; detecting a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium; and comparing the theoretical temperature with an actual temperature determined from the detected physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-adjustable medium, and adjusting the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner so as to reduce the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner if the actual temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, and to increase the flow rate of the air supplied to the burner if the actual temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature. Effect of the Invention

[0025] According to the present disclosure, when the calorific value of the fuel supplied to the burner varies, air can be supplied to the burner at a flow rate according to the variation in the calorific value. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic system diagram of an absorption chiller-heater according to an embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] 4 is a graph showing an example of the relationship between the flow rate of fuel supplied to a burner and the flow rate of air required for proper combustion. [Diagram 3]4 is a flowchart illustrating control for supplying an appropriate flow rate of air to a burner. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial system diagram of an absorption chiller-heater having an optional configuration. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing a first hot water generation form in an absorption chiller-heater according to one embodiment, FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram showing a second hot water generation form in the same embodiment, and FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram showing a third hot water generation form in the same embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart illustrating control for supplying an appropriate flow rate of air to a burner during heating operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals are used to designate the same or corresponding parts, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0028] First, an absorption chiller / heater 1 according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic system diagram of the absorption chiller / heater 1. The absorption chiller / heater 1 includes an absorber 10, an evaporator 20, a regenerator 30, and a condenser 40 as main components for performing an absorption cycle, as well as a combustion device 70 and a control device 60. The absorption chiller / heater 1 is a device that transfers heat by circulating a refrigerant with a phase change relative to an absorbing liquid, and typically lowers the temperature of chilled water C as a temperature-adjusted medium during cooling operation. In this embodiment, the absorption chiller / heater 1 can raise the temperature of hot water H (see FIG. 5(A) to FIG. 5(C)) as a temperature-adjusted medium during heating operation, but will first be described as a device that performs an operation for lowering the temperature of the chilled water C (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "cooling operation"), and the temperature increase of the hot water H will be described later. In the following description, the absorbing liquid will be referred to as "dilute solution Sw", "concentrated solution Sa", etc., depending on the properties and positions in the absorption cycle in order to facilitate distinction in the absorption cycle, but will be collectively referred to as "absorbing liquid S" when the properties and the like are not important. Also, the refrigerant will be referred to as "evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve", "regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg", "refrigerant liquid Vf", etc., depending on the properties and positions in the absorption cycle in order to facilitate distinction in the absorption cycle, but will be collectively referred to as "refrigerant V" when the properties and the like are not important. In this embodiment, an aqueous solution of lithium bromide (LiBr) is used as the absorbing liquid S (a mixture of an absorbent and a refrigerant), and water (H 2 O) is used, but the present invention is not limited to this and may be used in combination with other refrigerants and absorbing liquids (absorbents).

[0029] The absorber 10 is a device that absorbs the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve generated in the evaporator 20 with a concentrated solution Sa. The absorber 10 has, inside an absorber can body 17, a cooling pipe 11 as a cooling water flow path through which the cooling water D flows, and a concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 that sprays the concentrated solution Sa toward the outer surface of the cooling pipe 11. The concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 is disposed above the cooling pipe 11 so that the sprayed concentrated solution Sa falls on the cooling pipe 11. The absorber 10 stores the dilute solution Sw, whose concentration has been reduced by the sprayed concentrated solution Sa absorbing the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve, in the lower part of the absorber can body 17. The absorber 10 is also configured so that the cooling water D takes away (removes) the heat of absorption generated when the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve is absorbed by the concentrated solution Sa.

[0030] A cooling water inlet pipe 11a, into which the cooling water D flows, is connected to one end of the cooling pipe 11. A cooling water connection pipe 14 is connected to the other end of the cooling pipe 11. A cooling water supply pipe 98 outside the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is connected to the cooling water inlet pipe 11a. The cooling water supply pipe 98 is connected to a cooling tower (not shown) outside the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1. A cooling water pump 91 outside the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is disposed in the cooling water supply pipe 98. The absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is configured such that the cooling water D flows through the cooling pipe 11 by operating the cooling water pump 91. The cooling water pump 91 may be configured such that the discharge flow rate of the cooling water D can be adjusted by an inverter. A cooling water thermometer 51 for detecting the temperature of the cooling water D introduced into the cooling pipe 11 is provided in the cooling water inlet pipe 11a. The temperature of the cooling water D can be said to be one of the physical quantities related to the temperature of the cooling water D, and the cooling water thermometer 51 can be said to be one of the cooling water temperature related physical quantity detectors.

[0031] The evaporator 20 is a device that evaporates the refrigerant liquid Vf with the heat of the cold water C to generate the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve, and cools the cold water C by removing the latent heat of evaporation required for the refrigerant liquid Vf to change phase to the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve from the cold water C, and corresponds to a medium cooling mechanism. The evaporator 20 has an evaporation tube 21 as a cold water flow path for flowing the cold water C, and a refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22 that sprays the refrigerant liquid Vf toward the outer surface of the evaporation tube 21 inside the evaporator can body 27. The refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22 is disposed above the evaporation tube 21 so that the sprayed refrigerant liquid Vf falls on the evaporation tube 21. The evaporator 20 further has a refrigerant liquid pipe 28 that guides the refrigerant liquid Vf stored in the lower part of the evaporator can body 27 to the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22, and a refrigerant pump 29 that sends the refrigerant liquid Vf in the refrigerant liquid pipe 28 to the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22. The evaporator 20 cools the cold water C by removing the heat of vaporization required for the refrigerant liquid Vf sprayed on the outer surface of the evaporator tube 21 to evaporate and become evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve from the cold water C flowing inside the evaporator tube 21, and is configured so that the refrigerant liquid Vf that has not evaporated is stored in the lower part of the evaporator can body 27.

[0032] A cold water inlet pipe 21a, through which cold water C flows, is connected to one end of the evaporation pipe 21. A cold water outlet pipe 21b, through which cold water C flowing out of the evaporation pipe 21 flows, is connected to the other end of the evaporation pipe 21. A cold water thermometer 52 is provided on the cold water outlet pipe 21b to detect the temperature of the cold water C flowing out of the evaporation pipe 21. It can be said that the temperature of the cold water C is one of the physical quantities related to the temperature of the cold water C, and the cold water thermometer 52 in this embodiment corresponds to a temperature-related physical quantity detector. A cold water return pipe 95 outside the absorption chiller / heater 1 is connected to the cold water inlet pipe 21a. A cold water supply pipe 96 outside the absorption chiller / heater 1 is connected to the cold water outlet pipe 21b. The cold water return pipe 95 and the cold water supply pipe 96 are connected to a heat utilization device (not shown) that utilizes the cold energy contained in the cold water C. A cold water pump 92 outside the absorption chiller / heater 1 is provided on the cold water return pipe 95. The absorption chiller / heater 1 is configured so that chilled water C flows through the evaporator pipes 21 by operation of a chilled water pump 92. The chilled water pump 92 may be configured so that the discharge flow rate of the chilled water C can be adjusted by an inverter.

[0033] In this embodiment, the absorber 10 and the evaporator 20 are disposed adjacent to each other, and an upper portion of the absorber can body 17 communicates with an upper portion of the evaporator can body 27. With this configuration, the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve generated inside the evaporator can body 27 can be guided into the inside of the absorber can body 17.

[0034] The regenerator 30 is a device that introduces the dilute solution Sw and heats it to separate the refrigerant V in the dilute solution Sw and generate a concentrated solution Sa. In the regenerator 30, the refrigerant V separated from the dilute solution Sw is in a vapor state, and the vapor of the refrigerant V is referred to as regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg. The regenerator 30 is provided with a combustion device 70 for heating the dilute solution Sw. The regenerator 30 has a regenerator can body 37 that stores the introduced absorption liquid S. Inside the regenerator can body 37, a burner 71, which is one of the elements that constitute the combustion device 70, is disposed. The burner 71 introduces fuel F and air A and can generate combustion heat by burning the fuel F. The regenerator 30 is configured to generate heat for heating the dilute solution Sw by burning the fuel F with the burner 71.

[0035] In addition to the burner 71, the combustion device 70 has a mechanism for supplying fuel F to the burner 71, a mechanism for supplying air A to the burner 71, and a mechanism for discharging exhaust gas E after the fuel F is burned by the burner 71. In this embodiment, the combustion device 70 employs by-product hydrogen as the fuel F to be burned by the burner 71. By-product hydrogen has a characteristic that the ratio of hydrogen in the fuel changes depending on the operating status of the process (not shown) in which the hydrogen is generated, and the calorific value may vary. For example, if the standard hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) is 70%, the hydrogen content may vary by about 70%±5% depending on the operating status of the process. The standard hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) is not limited to 70%, and may be another value depending on the characteristics of the process, etc.

[0036] A mechanism for supplying fuel F to the burner 71 (corresponding to a fuel supply mechanism) has a fuel supply pipe 72, a fuel fan 73, and a fuel damper 74. The fuel supply pipe 72 is a pipe that serves as a flow path for guiding fuel F, which is by-product hydrogen generated in the process, to the burner 71. The fuel fan 73 is disposed in the fuel supply pipe 72, and pressure-feeds the by-product hydrogen generated in the process as fuel F toward the burner 71. The fuel damper 74 is disposed in the fuel supply pipe 72. The fuel damper 74 can adjust the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71, and corresponds to a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism. The fuel damper 74 is typically configured to adjust the volumetric flow rate of the fuel F. From the viewpoint of flow rate control of the fuel F, it is preferable to use an opposed-wing type volume damper as the fuel damper 74.

[0037] The mechanism for supplying air A to the burner 71 (corresponding to an air supply mechanism) has an air supply pipe 75, an air fan 76, and an air damper 77. The air supply pipe 75 is a pipe that serves as a flow path for guiding the air A to the burner 71. The air fan 76 is disposed in the air supply pipe 75, and pressurizes and sends the air A toward the burner 71. The air damper 77 is disposed in the air supply pipe 75. The air damper 77 can adjust the flow rate of the air A supplied to the burner 71, and corresponds to an air flow rate adjustment mechanism. The air damper 77 is configured to adjust the volumetric flow rate of the air A. The air damper 77 can be of the same type as the fuel damper 74 (for example, an opposed-wing type volume damper). The air damper 77 is configured to be able to operate independently of the fuel damper 74. In other words, since the fuel damper 74 and the air damper 77 are not connected by a commonly used link mechanism, the opening adjustments are not linked, and they are configured so that the opening of each can be adjusted freely.

[0038] The mechanism for discharging the exhaust gas E from the burner 71 has an exhaust gas pipe 78. The exhaust gas pipe 78 is a pipe that serves as a flow path for guiding the exhaust gas E generated by burning the fuel F in the burner 71 to the outside of the system (outside the absorption chiller-heater 1).

[0039] The condenser 40 is a device that introduces the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg evaporated from the dilute solution Sw in the regenerator 30, cools and condenses it, and generates the refrigerant liquid Vf to be sent to the evaporator 20. The condenser 40 has a condenser tube 41, which is a member that forms a flow path (cooling water flow path) of the cooling water D, inside the condenser can body 47. In this embodiment, one end of the condenser tube 41 is connected to the other end of the cooling water communication tube 14, one end of which is connected to the cooling tube 11. The other end of the condenser tube 41 is connected to a cooling water outlet tube 41b through which the cooling water D flowing out from the condenser tube 41 flows. A cooling water return tube 99 outside the absorption chiller / heater 1 is connected to the cooling water outlet tube 41b. The cooling water return tube 99 is connected to a cooling tower (not shown) outside the absorption chiller / heater 1. With this configuration, the cooling water D flowing through the cooling water return tube 99 is cooled in the cooling tower (not shown) and supplied to the cooling water supply tube 98.

[0040] The condenser can body 47 is disposed close to the regenerator can body 37. In this embodiment, the upper part of the regenerator can body 37 and the upper part of the condenser can body 47 are connected via the regenerator refrigerant vapor passage 35. The condenser 40 is configured to introduce the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg from the regenerator 30 via the regenerator refrigerant vapor passage 35, and condense the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg into refrigerant liquid Vf by removing heat from the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg with the cooling water D flowing through the condensation tube 41. In other words, the cooling water D flowing through the condensation tube 41 removes the condensation heat generated when the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg changes phase to the refrigerant liquid Vf. In this embodiment, the condenser can body 47 and the regenerator can body 37 are disposed above the evaporator can body 27 and the absorber can body 17. The bottom or lower part of the condenser body 47 and the evaporator body 27 are connected by a condensed refrigerant liquid pipe 48, so that the refrigerant liquid Vf in the condenser body 47 can be guided into the evaporator body 27 by the position head and the internal pressure difference between the two.

[0041] The bottom or lower part of the absorber can body 17 and the regenerator can body 37 are connected by a dilute solution pipe 18. A solution pump 19 is disposed in the dilute solution pipe 18. The absorption chiller / heater 1 is configured to convey the dilute solution Sw in the absorber can body 17 into the regenerator can body 37 by the solution pump 19. In the regenerator can body 37, as the introduced dilute solution Sw moves from the inlet to the outlet, the refrigerant V is separated from the dilute solution Sw, and the concentration increases. The part of the regenerator can body 37 from which the concentrated solution Sa flows out is connected to the concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 of the absorber 10 by a concentrated solution pipe 38. The absorption chiller / heater 1 is configured to convey the dilute solution Sw to the regenerator can body 37 by the solution pump 19, and the concentrated solution Sa generated by the separation of the refrigerant V in the regenerator can body 37 is introduced into the concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 via the concentrated solution pipe 38. A solution heat exchanger 81 is inserted into the dilute solution pipe 18 and the concentrated solution pipe 38 to exchange heat between the dilute solution Sw flowing through the dilute solution pipe 18 and the concentrated solution Sa flowing through the concentrated solution pipe 38.

[0042] The control device 60 is a device that controls the operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1. The control device 60 has a control unit 61, a receiving unit 62, a storage unit 63, and a calculation unit 64. Although these units are shown distinguished by their functions in this embodiment for the sake of convenience, they are typically configured as an integrated unit within the control device 60, or one or more of these units may be configured as physically separate units.

[0043] The control unit 61 is a part that controls the operation of each device and equipment that constitutes the absorption chiller-heater 1. The control unit 61 is connected to the solution pump 19, the refrigerant pump 29, the cooling water pump 91, and the chilled water pump 92 by communication lines (wired or wireless; the same applies below), and is configured to be able to control the start / stop and discharge flow rate of these. The control unit 61 is also connected to the fuel fan 73 and the air fan 76 by communication lines, and is configured to be able to control the start / stop of these. The control unit 61 is also connected to the fuel damper 74 and the air damper 77 by communication lines, and is configured to be able to control the opening degree of these. The control unit 61 has a program for appropriately operating each of the above-mentioned devices and equipment. The control unit 61 may include a physical configuration of a processor and / or a memory (RAM).

[0044] The receiving unit 62 is a part that receives, as signals, the measurement values ​​of the measuring instruments included in the absorption chiller-heater 1. The receiving unit 62 is connected to each of the cooling water thermometer 51 and the cold water thermometer 52 via communication lines, and is configured to be able to receive the temperature of the cooling water D from the cooling water thermometer 51 and the temperature of the cold water C from the cold water thermometer 52. The receiving unit 62 may be configured as a communication interface.

[0045] The storage unit 63 is a portion in which data necessary for the operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1 is stored in advance. The storage unit 63 stores a flow rate of air A suitable for performing appropriate combustion in the burner 71 with respect to the flow rate of fuel F supplied to the burner 71. Here, appropriate combustion in the burner 71 is typically combustion that does not cause problems such as incomplete combustion, generation of carbon monoxide (CO), misfire, etc., and may be combustion in which the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E becomes a predetermined concentration. The predetermined concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas E that can be considered as appropriate combustion is preferably about 1% to 10%, and more preferably about 1.5% to 4%. The storage unit 63 may include a physical configuration of storage and / or memory (RAM and / or ROM).

[0046] FIG. 2 shows an example of the relationship between the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71 and the flow rate of the air A for performing appropriate combustion. In the relationship shown by the solid line LF in FIG. 2, the relationship between the flow rates of the fuel F and the air A is shown as the relationship between the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 and the opening degree of the air damper 77, on the premise that the hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) treated as the standard of the illustrated process is 70%. In the relationship shown in FIG. 2, as the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 (flow rate of the fuel F) increases, the opening degree of the air damper 77 (flow rate of the air A) increases while decreasing the increasing rate, but the manner of increase typically depends on the type of fuel F. This relationship between the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 (flow rate of the fuel F) and the opening degree of the air damper 77 (flow rate of the air A) is typically found by at least one of theory, experiment, simulation, and other methods, and is stored in the storage unit 63 as a function or a table.

[0047] The calculation unit 64 shown in FIG. 1 is a part that calculates values ​​used to control the operation of the absorption chiller / heater 1. The calculation unit 64 is configured to be able to calculate the theoretical temperature of the chilled water C. Here, in this embodiment, the theoretical temperature of the chilled water C is a theoretical temperature calculated by using at least the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71 and the temperature of the cooling water D introduced into the absorption chiller / heater 1 as parameters. Note that the parameters used in calculating the theoretical temperature may include the flow rate of the cooling water D, the flow rate and / or the inlet temperature of the chilled water C. The reason for doing so is that the temperature of the chilled water C supplied from the absorption chiller / heater 1 is mainly affected by the amount of combustion of the fuel F in the regenerator 30, the temperature and flow rate of the cooling water D flowing into the absorption chiller / heater 1, and the temperature and flow rate of the chilled water C. The amount of combustion of the fuel F and the temperature and flow rate of the cooling water D affect the concentration of the absorption liquid S, i.e., the refrigeration capacity. The flow rate and inlet temperature of the chilled water C relate to the amount of heat to be processed by the absorption chiller / heater 1 in order to bring the chilled water C to a target temperature. The flow rate and inlet temperature of the chilled water C change according to the amount of heat to be processed by the heat load in the heat utilization equipment (not shown). When variable flow rate control is performed on the flow rate of the cooling water D and / or the chilled water C, a signal from a flow rate sensor (not shown) may be used as an input value, or a variable flow rate signal output from the absorption chiller / heater 1 may be used as a flow rate related value. In this way, the parameters for calculating the theoretical temperature may be minimized to include at least the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71 and the temperature of the cooling water D introduced into the absorption chiller / heater 1, thereby reducing the calculation load. The calculation unit 64 may include a physical configuration of a processor and / or a memory (RAM).

[0048] 1, the operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1 will be described. When the absorption chiller-heater 1 is started and the cooling water pump 91 is operated, in this embodiment, the cooling water D circulates by flowing through the cooling water supply pipe 98, the cooling water inlet pipe 11a, the cooling pipe 11, the cooling water connection pipe 14, the condenser pipe 41, the cooling water outlet pipe 41b, the cooling water return pipe 99, and the cooling tower (not shown). When the chilled water pump 92 is operated, the chilled water C circulates by flowing through the chilled water return pipe 95, the chilled water inlet pipe 21a, the evaporation pipe 21, the chilled water outlet pipe 21b, the chilled water supply pipe 96, and the heat utilization equipment (not shown).

[0049] Regarding the absorption cycle, looking at the cycle on the refrigerant V side, the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg introduced into the condenser 40 from the regenerator 30 via the regenerator refrigerant vapor passage 35 is cooled and condensed by the cooling water D flowing through the condenser tube 41, and becomes refrigerant liquid Vf, which is stored in the lower part of the condenser body 47. The cooling water D that has cooled the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg increases in temperature and flows out of the cooling water return pipe 99 and is supplied to a cooling tower (not shown). The refrigerant liquid Vf in the condenser body 47 is introduced into the evaporator body 27 via the condensed refrigerant liquid pipe 48.

[0050] The refrigerant liquid Vf introduced from the condenser can body 47 to the evaporator can body 27 is mixed with the refrigerant liquid Vf that was sprayed from the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22 and did not evaporate, and is stored in the lower part of the evaporator can body 27. The refrigerant liquid Vf in the evaporator can body 27 flows through the refrigerant liquid pipe 28 by the refrigerant pump 29 and reaches the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22. The refrigerant liquid Vf that reaches the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22 is sprayed toward the evaporation tube 21, and a part of it evaporates by obtaining heat from the cold water C flowing through the evaporation tube 21 to become the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve, and is introduced into the absorber can body 17. The cold water C that has absorbed heat from the sprayed refrigerant liquid Vf is reduced in temperature and flows out of the evaporation tube 21, and is supplied to a heat utilization device (not shown) such as an air conditioner. The refrigerant liquid Vf that was sprayed from the refrigerant liquid spray nozzle 22 and did not evaporate is mixed with the refrigerant liquid Vf introduced from the condenser can body 47 and is stored in the lower part of the evaporator can body 27.

[0051] Next, looking at the cycle on the solution S side of the absorption chiller / heater 1, the dilute solution Sw in the absorber can body 17 flows through the dilute solution pipe 18 by the solution pump 19, and after the temperature is increased in the solution heat exchanger 81, it is introduced into the regenerator can body 37. The dilute solution Sw introduced into the regenerator can body 37 is heated by the heat of combustion when the fuel F is burned in the burner 71, and the refrigerant V is separated to become the concentrated solution Sa. The refrigerant V heated by the heat of combustion and separated from the dilute solution Sw is sent as the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg to the condenser can body 47 through the regenerator refrigerant vapor flow path 35. The concentrated solution Sa generated in the regenerator can body 37 flows through the concentrated solution pipe 38, and reaches the concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 after heat exchange with the dilute solution Sw in the solution heat exchanger 81 to lower its temperature.

[0052] The concentrated solution Sa that reaches the concentrated solution spray nozzle 12 is sprayed toward the cooling pipe 11, where it absorbs the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve introduced from the evaporator 20, decreasing its concentration and becoming a dilute solution Sw. When the concentrated solution Sa absorbs the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve in the absorber can body 17, heat of absorption is generated. This generated heat of absorption is removed by the cooling water D flowing through the cooling pipe 11. In this embodiment, the cooling water D flowing through the cooling pipe 11 removes the heat of absorption, increases in temperature, and flows out into the cooling water connection pipe 14 and is supplied to the condenser pipe 41 of the condenser 40. The dilute solution Sw generated in the absorber can body 17 is stored in the absorber can body 17.

[0053] When the absorption cycle of the absorbing liquid S and the refrigerant V is performed as described above, the control device 60 adjusts the supply flow rate of the fuel F to the burner 71 so that the temperature of the cold water C becomes a target value, and adjusts the supply flow rate of the air A to the burner 71 according to the supply flow rate of the fuel F to the burner 71. Typically, the control unit 61 adjusts the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 so that the detection value of the cold water thermometer 52 received by the receiving unit 62 becomes the target temperature of the cold water C (for example, 7°C), and also refers to the relationship between the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 and the opening degree of the air damper 77 stored in the memory unit 63, as shown by the solid line LF in Fig. 2, and adjusts the opening degree of the air damper 77 so that the opening degree of the air damper 77 corresponds to the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 at that time. The temperature (outlet temperature) of the cold water C flowing out from the absorption chiller-heater 1 can be adjusted by adjusting the combustion amount of the fuel F in the regenerator 30 (the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71). In addition, the flow rate of air A supplied to the burner 71 is adjusted according to the flow rate of fuel F supplied to the burner 71 in order to maintain the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E at a predetermined concentration and suppress the occurrence of problems such as incomplete combustion.

[0054] In the above-mentioned control, the relationship between the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 and the opening degree of the air damper 77 referred to by the control unit 61 (see the solid line LF in FIG. 2) is based on the assumption that the hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) is 70% in this embodiment. As described above, the ratio of hydrogen in the by-product hydrogen may change depending on the operating state of the process (not shown) in which hydrogen is generated. When the ratio of hydrogen in the fuel F changes, the appropriate flow rate of the air A changes with respect to the relationship (see the solid line LF in FIG. 2) stored in the storage unit 63. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following control is performed during the operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1 so that an appropriate flow rate of the air A can be supplied to the burner 71 even if the ratio (calorific value) of hydrogen in the fuel F changes.

[0055] Fig. 3 is a flow chart for explaining the control for supplying air A at an appropriate flow rate to the burner 71. In the following explanation of the control, when the configuration of the absorption chiller-heater 1 is mentioned, Fig. 1 will be referred to as appropriate. During operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1, the control unit 61 refers to the measurement value of the chilled water thermometer 52 received by the receiving unit 62 and adjusts the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 as described above, thereby supplying fuel F to the burner 71 at a flow rate that makes the temperature of the chilled water C a target value (St1). Then, the control unit 61 refers to the relationship stored in the memory unit 63 (see the solid line LF in Fig. 2) and supplies air A to the burner 71 at a flow rate suitable for the supply flow rate of fuel F to the burner 71 (St2).

[0056] When performing the above-mentioned control, the calculation unit 64 calculates the theoretical temperature from the measurement value of the cooling water thermometer 51 received by the receiving unit 62 and the flow rate of the fuel F obtained from the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 controlled by the control unit 61 (St3). The receiving unit 62 also receives the measurement value of the cooling water thermometer 52 and obtains the actual temperature (St4). Note that, in the example shown in Fig. 3, for convenience, the theoretical temperature is calculated (St3) and then the actual temperature is obtained (St4), but these are typically performed simultaneously, or the order may be reversed.

[0057] After calculating the theoretical temperature (St3) and acquiring the actual temperature (St4), the control unit 61 judges whether the actual temperature is equal to the theoretical temperature (St5). Here, the actual temperature is equal to the theoretical temperature, and does not necessarily mean that they are strictly equal, but is intended to include the case where the difference is within an allowable range. The allowable range may be determined based on, for example, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E being within an allowable range. In addition, when comparing the actual temperature with the theoretical temperature, in order to stabilize the result (suppress the variation), an average value for a desired time (e.g., 5 minutes) or a value when a capacity fluctuation of a predetermined width (e.g., ±5%) has elapsed for a predetermined time (e.g., 5 minutes or more) may be adopted. In step (St5), if the actual temperature is equal to the theoretical temperature (YES in St5), it is estimated that the flow rate of air A corresponding to the supply flow rate of fuel F is being supplied, and the process returns to step (St1), and the above-mentioned procedure is repeated thereafter. On the other hand, in step (St5), if the actual measured temperature and the theoretical temperature are not equal (NO in St5), the control unit 61 determines whether or not the actual measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature (St6).

[0058] In step (St6), if the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature (YES in St6), the control unit 61 adjusts the opening of the air damper 77 to reduce the flow rate of air A according to the difference between the measured temperature and the theoretical temperature (St7). Here, the reason for reducing the flow rate of air A is as follows. If the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, it can be estimated that the amount of fuel F burned is less than expected (compared to the value used to calculate the theoretical temperature), resulting in a smaller refrigeration capacity. This is probably due to the hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) being less than the standard value. In this case, if air A having the relationship stored in the memory unit 63 (see the solid line LF in FIG. 2) is supplied to the burner 71, it is considered that more oxygen (air A) than necessary is supplied to the burner 71. Therefore, in order to supply air A at a flow rate balanced with the amount of fuel F burned to the burner 71, the flow rate of air A is adjusted to match the small amount of fuel F burned. In this way, by matching the flow rate of air A to the amount of fuel F burned, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E can be set to a predetermined concentration (preferably about 1% to 10%), thereby preventing problems such as incomplete combustion from occurring.

[0059] On the other hand, in step (St6), if the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature (NO in St6), the control unit 61 increases the flow rate of air A according to the difference between the measured temperature and the theoretical temperature by adjusting the opening degree of the air damper 77 (St8). If the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, it can be estimated that the amount of fuel F burned is greater than expected and the refrigeration capacity is greater due to factors such as the hydrogen content in the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) being greater than the standard value. Therefore, in this embodiment, the flow rate of air A supplied to the burner 71 is increased from the relationship stored in the memory unit 63 (see solid line LF in FIG. 2) according to the increase in the amount of fuel F burned. In this way, by matching the flow rate of air A to the amount of fuel F burned, the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E is set to a predetermined concentration, and the occurrence of problems such as incomplete combustion is suppressed, as in step (St7).

[0060] After decreasing (St7) or increasing (St8) the flow rate of the air A according to the judgment in step (St6), the control unit 61 judges whether or not a command to stop the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 has been received (St9). A command to stop the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is typically received by an operator of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 pressing a stop button, or by a stop signal transmitted due to the start of a timer, etc. If there is no command to stop the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 (NO in St9), the process returns to step (St1), and the above-mentioned procedure is repeated thereafter. On the other hand, if there is a command to stop the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 (YES in St9), typically, a residual operation for reducing the concentration of the absorbing liquid S is performed, and then the operation of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is stopped.

[0061] As described above, according to the absorption chiller-heater 1 of this embodiment, the flow rate of air A supplied to the burner 71 is increased or decreased depending on the deviation between the actual measured temperature and the theoretical temperature, so that even if the heat value of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71 fluctuates, an appropriate flow rate of air A can be supplied.

[0062] The absorption chiller-heater 1 described above may be equipped with additional elements (options) described below.

[0063] As a first option, an upper limit may be set on the amount of combustion of the fuel F in the burner 71 of the regenerator 30. In the regenerator 30, as described above, the dilute solution Sw is heated by the combustion heat in the burner 71 to generate the concentrated solution Sa. The greater the amount of combustion (amount of heat), the greater the amount of evaporation of the refrigerant V in the dilute solution Sw, and the higher the concentration of the concentrated solution Sa to be generated. However, if the concentration of the concentrated solution Sa becomes too high, the absorption solution S may crystallize, causing poor flow of the absorption solution S, and it may become difficult to maintain proper operation of the absorption chiller / heater 1 (operation within a range that prevents excessive heat input (overload)). In particular, in this embodiment in which the calorific value of the fuel F may change, if the hydrogen content of the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) increases, the amount of combustion may increase unintentionally, and the concentration of the concentrated solution Sa may become too high. Therefore, the control unit 61 may compare the combustion amount in the burner 71 when the supply flow rate of the fuel F to the burner 71 is adjusted so that the temperature of the cold water C becomes the target value with the set upper limit combustion amount, and control the fuel damper 74 so that the burner 71 is operated with the smaller combustion amount. The upper limit combustion amount may be set to the combustion amount for the temperature or pressure of the regenerator 30 (inside the regenerator can body 37) or the concentration of the strong solution Sa to become the target value, and this target value may be set to a value that provides a combustion amount that provides a concentration that is lower by a margin than the concentration at which the strong solution Sa crystallizes. By setting the upper limit combustion amount in this way, even if the hydrogen content of the by-product hydrogen (fuel F) increases and the combustion amount increases, and the combustion amount increases temporarily until this increased heat is fed back and reflected in the target temperature of the cold water C, it is possible to prevent the concentration from increasing to the concentration at which the strong solution Sa crystallizes. This makes it possible to maintain proper operation of the absorption chiller-heater 1 even if the heat value of the fuel F fluctuates.

[0064] As a second option, as shown in FIG. 4, an acquisition unit 65 that acquires (records) the operating state of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 may be provided, and the operating state acquired by the acquisition unit 65 in the past may be reflected in the theoretical temperature. FIG. 4 is a partial system diagram of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 equipped with various optional configurations. The operating state of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 is typically a set of at least one or more actual measured values ​​of the temperature of the chilled water C, the temperature of the cooling water D, the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 (flow rate of fuel F), the opening degree of the air damper 77 (flow rate of air A), and other physical quantities at a target time (a certain time). The temperature of the chilled water C may be calculated from at least one of the inlet temperature of the chilled water C, the outlet temperature of the chilled water C, and the evaporation temperature of the evaporator refrigerant vapor Ve. The temperature of the cooling water D may be calculated from at least one of the inlet temperature of the cooling water D, the outlet temperature of the cooling water D, the temperature of the dilute solution Sw (temperature at the outlet of the absorber 10), and the temperature at which the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg condenses into the refrigerant liquid V. The opening degree of the fuel damper 74 (the flow rate of the fuel F) may be calculated from at least one of the temperature of the exhaust gas E, the temperature of the regenerator 30 (inside the regenerator can body 37), the pressure of the regenerator 30 (inside the regenerator can body 37), and the concentration of the strong solution Sa. The acquisition unit 65 may typically acquire the operating state of the absorption chiller-heater machine 1 continuously or intermittently (for example, at a predetermined time interval). The acquisition unit 65 may include a physical configuration of storage and / or memory (RAM and / or ROM). The acquisition unit 65 may be included in the control device 60, or may be included in a computer that is installed at a location remote from the absorption chiller-heater machine 1 and connected to the control device 60 via a communication line (for example, the Internet).

[0065] When the acquisition unit 65 is provided, the calculation unit 64 may acquire the past operating state of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 from the acquisition unit 65 and may correct the parameters based on the past operating state when calculating the theoretical temperature. For example, when a value is estimated or calculated from an actual measurement value among the values ​​substituted into the calculation formula used for calculating the theoretical temperature, if the value is different from the value of the past operating state, the value of the past operating state may be adopted instead of the value, or the value of the past operating state may be used for correction. In this way, when the theoretical temperature calculated by the calculation unit 64 is corrected based on the past operating state of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1, the air A can be supplied to the burner 71 at an appropriate flow rate according to the characteristics unique to the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1. In other words, the characteristics of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1, such as whether it is easy or difficult to produce capacity, may differ slightly depending on the machine, but the machine difference can be offset by accumulating the past conditions of each machine and correcting the theoretical temperature based on the data.

[0066] As a third option, a configuration may be added to supply a fuel (hereinafter referred to as "second fuel F2") having a different calorific value from the fuel F (by-product hydrogen) to the mechanism for supplying the fuel F to the burner 71. A fuel containing 100% hydrogen (hereinafter referred to as "100% hydrogen") may be applied as the second fuel F2. The 100% hydrogen (second fuel F2) may be used as an alternative fuel when the supply of by-product hydrogen (fuel F) from the process is stopped or insufficient. The 100% hydrogen (second fuel F2) may be filled and supplied in a cylinder 85, for example, and the cylinder 85 may be connected to the fuel supply pipe 72 by a second fuel pipe 86. In addition, an on-off valve 87 may be arranged in the second fuel pipe 86, and an on-off valve 88 may be arranged in the fuel supply pipe 72 upstream of the connection with the second fuel pipe 86, and the fuel F and the second fuel F2 may be selectively supplied to the burner 71 by switching between opening and closing the two on-off valves 87 and 88. At this time, the fuel F corresponds to the first fuel, and the second fuel F2 corresponds to the second fuel. The two on-off valves 87, 88 are typically two-way valves, and may be configured to be connected to the control unit 61 via a communication line and controlled to open and close by a command from the control unit 61. Note that, instead of the two on-off valves 87, 88, a three-way valve may be disposed at the connection portion between the fuel supply pipe 72 and the second fuel pipe 86.

[0067] When a configuration capable of supplying the second fuel F2 is added to the mechanism for supplying the fuel F to the burner 71, the memory unit 63 may also store the relationship between the flow rate of the second fuel F2 supplied to the burner 71 and the flow rate of the air A for performing appropriate combustion. That is, as shown in Fig. 2, the memory unit 63 may also store the relationship between the flow rates of the second fuel F2 and the air A illustrated by the dashed line LF2 in addition to the relationship between the flow rates of the fuel F and the air A illustrated by the solid line LF. In this case, the relationship between the flow rates of the fuel F and the air A illustrated by the solid line LF in Fig. 2 corresponds to the first relationship, and the relationship between the flow rates of the second fuel F2 and the air A illustrated by the dashed line LF2 corresponds to the second relationship. In the case where the fuel F and the second fuel F2 can be selectively supplied to the burner 71, the control unit 61 may determine the flow rate of the air A to be supplied to the burner 71 by referring to the relationship shown by the solid line LF in FIG. 2 when the fuel F is supplied, and by referring to the relationship shown by the dashed line LF2 when the second fuel F2 is supplied. Regardless of whether the fuel F or the second fuel F2 is supplied, the method of calculating the theoretical temperature and detecting the actual temperature is as described above. Which of the fuel F and the second fuel F2 is supplied to the burner 71, in other words which of the two on-off valves 87, 88 is to be opened, may be determined based on the reception by the receiving unit 62 of a signal (external signal) indicating that the process has stopped (including an emergency stop). For example, while the process is operating, it is assumed that by-product hydrogen (fuel F) is being produced, so on the basis of this, on-off valve 87 is opened and on-off valve 88 is closed, and when the process is stopped, it is assumed that the production of by-product hydrogen (fuel F) has been stopped, so on the basis of this, on-off valve 87 is closed and on-off valve 88 is opened.

[0068] In the above example, the second fuel pipe 86 is connected to the fuel supply pipe 72, and the fuel (fuel F or the second fuel F2) supplied to the burner 71 passes through the fuel supply pipe 72 downstream of the connection with the second fuel pipe 86, regardless of the type of fuel. However, the second fuel pipe 86 may be directly connected to the burner 71 without being connected to the fuel supply pipe 72. In this way, it is possible to burn the fuel F and the second fuel F2 simultaneously in the burner 71. However, even if the second fuel pipe 86 is directly connected to the burner 71 separately from the fuel supply pipe 72, the fuel F may be burned in normal times (when by-product hydrogen (fuel F) can be supplied) and the second fuel F2 may be burned in emergency situations (when by-product hydrogen (fuel F) cannot be supplied). When the second fuel pipe 86 is directly connected to the burner 71, it is preferable to provide the second fuel pipe 86 with a second fuel damper 84 capable of adjusting the supply flow rate of the second fuel F2. In this case, the fuel damper 74 provided in the fuel supply pipe 72 corresponds to a first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism, and the second fuel damper 84 provided in the second fuel pipe 86 corresponds to a second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism. A calorific value meter 89 may be provided in the fuel supply pipe 72 or the second fuel pipe 86 as a calorific value measurement mechanism for measuring the calorific value of the fuel (fuel F or second fuel F2) (provided in the second fuel pipe 86 in this modification), and the flow rate of air A supplied to the burner 71 may be adjusted based on the measurement value of the calorific value meter 89. For example, the flow rate of air A supplied to the burner 71 may be determined by referring to the relationship shown by the solid line LF in FIG. 2 when the measurement value of the calorific value meter 89 is less than a predetermined value, and may be determined by referring to the relationship shown by the dashed line LF2 when the measurement value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value. The predetermined value here is a value that allows the fuel F and the second fuel F2 supplied to the burner 71 to be distinguished from each other by the measured value of the calorific value meter 89, and may be, for example, a value between the calorific value of the fuel F and the calorific value of the second fuel F2 (for example, the calorific value in the case of a fuel with a hydrogen content of 90%). The calorific value meter 89 may also be applied to a configuration in which the second fuel pipe 86 is connected to the fuel supply pipe 72 to selectively supply the fuel F or the second fuel F2 to the burner 71. For example, the calorific value meter 89 may be installed downstream of the connection part of the fuel supply pipe 72 with the second fuel pipe 86, and the flow rate of the air A supplied to the burner 71 may be adjusted based on the measured value of the calorific value meter 89.

[0069] In the case where the fuel F and the second fuel F2 can be supplied to the burner 71 selectively or simultaneously, and fuels whose calorific value does not substantially vary are used as the fuel F and the second fuel F2, it is not necessary to adjust the flow rate of the air A based on the difference between the theoretical temperature and the measured temperature. In this case, it is not necessary to calculate the theoretical temperature in the calculation unit 64, and the calculation load can be reduced. Note that the fuel whose calorific value does not substantially vary is typically a fuel for which problems such as incomplete combustion do not occur even if the flow rate of the air A is not adjusted with respect to the flow rate of the air A calculated from the relationship between the supply flow rates of the fuels F and F2 and the supply flow rate of the air A stored in the storage unit 63.

[0070] As a fourth option, as shown in FIG. 4, an oxygen concentration meter 79 may be provided in a mechanism for discharging the exhaust gas E from the burner 71. The oxygen concentration meter 79 is typically provided in an exhaust gas pipe 78 and is an instrument for measuring the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E. The oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E is a physical quantity related to the oxygen concentration contained in the exhaust gas E, and the oxygen concentration meter 79 corresponds to an oxygen concentration-related physical quantity detector. The oxygen concentration meter 79 may be connected to the receiving unit 62 by a communication line, and the receiving unit 62 may be capable of receiving the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E measured by the oxygen concentration meter 79 as a signal. The control unit 61 may control the opening degree of the air damper 77, and thus the flow rate of the air A supplied to the burner 71, so that the detection value of the oxygen concentration meter 79 received by the receiving unit 62 becomes a predetermined value. The predetermined value here is the predetermined concentration of oxygen in the exhaust gas E that can be considered as appropriate combustion (preferably about 1% to 10%, more preferably about 1.5% to 4%), and may have a numerical range. In this way, the oxygen concentration contained in the exhaust gas E can be adjusted to a desired concentration, and the occurrence of problems such as incomplete combustion can be suppressed. When the flow rate of the air A is controlled based on the value of the oxygen concentration meter 79, an appropriate flow rate of the air A can be supplied to the burner 71, especially when the fuel F and the second fuel F2 are supplied to the burner 71 at the same time. Furthermore, when the fuel F and the second fuel F2 are hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are not generated, so that the supply flow rate of the air A can be accurately adjusted based on the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas E. The control of the flow rate of the air A based on the measurement value of the oxygen concentration meter 79 can be applied instead of or superimposed on the control of the flow rate of the air A based on the relationship (see FIG. 2) stored in the memory unit 63. When the flow rate control of the air A based on the measurement value of the oxygen concentration meter 79 is applied superimposed on the flow rate control of the air A based on the relationship stored in the memory unit 63, the deviation of the flow rate of the air A supplied to the burner 71 from the appropriate flow rate can be suppressed during the period until the measurement value of the oxygen concentration meter 79 is fed back to the opening degree of the air damper 77. In addition, in addition to the oxygen concentration meter 79, a nitrogen oxide meter or the like can be applied as an oxygen concentration related physical quantity detector.

[0071] The above-mentioned options can be applied alone or in combination to the absorption chiller-heater water machine 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment. Furthermore, the following options can also be applied to the absorption chiller-heater water machine 1 according to the above-mentioned embodiment or to the absorption chiller-heater water machine 1 to which one or more of the above-mentioned options are applied.

[0072] In the above description, by-product hydrogen is used as the fuel F burned by the burner 71, but a fuel other than by-product hydrogen whose calorific value may vary, such as a biomass fuel, may be used. In this case, a fuel other than 100% hydrogen may be used as the second fuel F2, and a fuel other than 100% hydrogen that can be used in combination with the fuel F may be used.

[0073] In the above description, the air flow rate adjustment mechanism is air damper 77. However, instead of air damper 77, the supply flow rate may be adjusted by varying the rotation speed of air fan 76 using an inverter or the like.

[0074] In the above explanation, in order to confirm whether the cold water C is at the target temperature, the temperature of the cold water C is directly measured using the cold water thermometer 52. However, as an alternative to directly measuring the temperature of the cold water C, the temperature of the cold water C may be estimated from the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant liquid Vf in the evaporator 20 (inside the evaporator body 27), the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant liquid Vf in the evaporator 20 (inside the evaporator body 27), which is correlated with the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant liquid Vf, or the pressure in the absorber 10 (inside the absorber body 17), which is connected to the evaporator 20 and has approximately the same value as the evaporation pressure.

[0075] In the above description, the theoretical temperature is calculated using at least the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71 and the temperature of the cooling water D introduced into the absorption chiller / heater 1 as parameters. However, instead of the flow rate of the fuel F, at least one of the opening degree of the fuel damper 74, the temperature of the exhaust gas E, the temperature of the regenerator 30 (inside the regenerator can body 37), the pressure of the regenerator 30 (inside the regenerator can body 37), and the concentration of the strong solution Sa may be used as a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel. Also, instead of the inlet temperature of the cooling water D, the outlet temperature of the cooling water D, the temperature of the dilute solution Sw at the outlet of the absorber 10, and the condensation temperature of the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the condenser 40 may be used as a physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water.

[0076] In the above description, the absorption cycle is a single-effect cycle, but it may be a double-effect cycle or a triple-effect cycle or more by providing a high-temperature regenerator.

[0077] In the above description, the function of lowering the temperature of the cold water C as a medium to be temperature-adjusted in the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 has been mentioned, but by switching the mode (for example, switching between a cooling mode and a heating mode), it is possible to raise the temperature of the hot water H (see Figs. 5(A) to 5(C)) as a medium to be temperature-adjusted. There are a number of modes of operation for raising the temperature of the hot water H in the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "heating operation"), for example, as shown in Figs. 5(A) to 5(C). Note that, in any mode of operation for raising the temperature of the hot water H, although additional piping or other configurations may be required, the basic configuration of the device can use the configuration of the absorption chiller / heater water machine 1 shown in Fig. 1. Therefore, for configurations that are omitted and not shown in Figs. 5(A) to 5(C), refer to Fig. 1.

[0078] In the first hot water generation form shown in FIG. 5(A), heat source water U is supplied to the evaporation tube 21 of the evaporator 20, and hot water H as a temperature-adjusted medium is flowed through the cooling tube 11 of the absorber 10 and the condensation tube 41 of the condenser 40. At this time, the absorption liquid S and the refrigerant V flow in a cycle similar to that in the case of cooling the cold water C. In addition, the heat source water U flowing through the evaporation tube 21 is supplied to provide the refrigerant liquid Vf flowing into the evaporator 20 with latent heat of evaporation. The hot water H flowing as described above is first heated by the absorption heat in the absorber 10, and then heated by the condensation heat in the condenser 40 and supplied to a heat utilization device (not shown). In this form, the absorber 10 and the condenser 40 correspond to a medium heating mechanism. In this embodiment for producing hot water H, the flow path of the temperature-adjusted medium in the absorption chiller-heater 1 changes from the evaporation pipe 21 in the case of cold water C to a cooling water flow path including the cooling pipe 11 and the condenser pipe 41, so that piping, a switching valve, etc. (not shown) for switching the flow path of the temperature-adjusted medium are installed. Also, since heat source water U flows in place of cold water C (temperature-adjusted medium) when cold water C is produced in the evaporation pipe 21, piping, a switching valve, etc. (not shown) for switching these flow paths are installed.

[0079] In the operation for generating the hot water H, the amount of fuel F burned in the burner 71 is adjusted so that the supply temperature (outlet temperature) of the hot water H becomes the target temperature. The relationship between the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 (flow rate of fuel F) and the opening degree of the air damper 77 (flow rate of air A) is not different from that in the cooling operation during heating operation, and the relationship shown in FIG. 2 can be used. The calculation unit 64 is capable of calculating the theoretical temperature of the hot water H. Since the cooling water D is not introduced during heating operation, the parameters used in calculating the theoretical temperature of the hot water H include at least the flow rate of the fuel F supplied to the burner 71, and may also include at least one of the temperature of the heat source water U, the flow rate of the heat source water U, the flow rate of the hot water H, and the inlet temperature of the hot water H. In this embodiment, the absorption chiller-heater 1 performs the same control as in the cooling operation. A flowchart for explaining the control during the heating operation is shown in FIG. 6. The flowchart for the control during the heating operation shown in FIG. 6 has many points in common with the flowchart for the control during the cooling operation shown in FIG. 3, and the same reference numerals are used for the steps common to both. The difference between the control during heating operation (see FIG. 6) and the control during cooling operation (see FIG. 3) is that, first, the "cold water temperature" in step (St1) in FIG. 3 is changed to the "hot water temperature" in step (St1A) in FIG. 6. This is because the target of temperature control is cold water C during cooling operation, whereas it is hot water H during heating operation. Also, "air flow rate reduction" in step (St7) in FIG. 3 is changed to "air flow rate increase" in step (St7A) in FIG. 6, and "air flow rate increase" in step (St8) in FIG. 3 is changed to "air flow rate reduction" in step (St8A) in FIG. 6. This change is due to the fact that, in heating operation, contrary to cooling operation, the fact that the actual measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature means that it can be estimated that the amount of fuel F burned is less than expected (compared to the value used to calculate the theoretical temperature) and the heating capacity is smaller. Other controls during heating operation (see FIG. 6) are similar to those during cooling operation (see FIG. 3). In this embodiment as well, the flow rate of air A supplied to burner 71 is increased or decreased depending on the deviation between the actual measured temperature and the theoretical temperature, so that an appropriate flow rate of air A can be supplied even if the heat value of fuel F supplied to burner 71 varies. Furthermore, when the acquisition unit 65 is provided, the temperature of hot water H is included as an operational state to be acquired.The temperature of the hot water H may be calculated from the inlet temperature of the hot water H, the outlet temperature of the hot water H, the evaporation temperature of the refrigerant liquid Vf, and the temperature of the dilute solution Sw. In the description here, the hot water H is heated by the heat of absorption in the absorber 10 and the heat of condensation in the condenser 40, but it may be heated by either the heat of absorption or the heat of condensation.

[0080] In the second hot water generation form shown in FIG. 5(B), hot water H is made to flow through the evaporation tube 21 of the evaporator 20, and the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg generated in the regenerator 30 is introduced to the evaporator 20 to be condensed, and the hot water H flowing through the evaporation tube 21 is heated by the condensation heat of the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the evaporator 20. In this form, the evaporator 20 functions as a condenser (condensation section) and corresponds to a medium heating mechanism. In this form, the cold water C in the cooling operation and the hot water H in the heating operation flow through the same evaporation tube 21, so there is an advantage that it is not necessary to switch the system of the temperature adjustment target medium (cold water C, hot water H). However, in the case of this modification, a regenerator refrigerant vapor flow path 135 is additionally provided to introduce the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg from the regenerator 30 to the evaporator 20. The refrigerant liquid Vf generated by condensing the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the evaporator 20 may be sent to the absorber 10, mixed with the absorbing liquid S, and returned to the regenerator 30 via the dilute solution pipe 18 as the dilute solution Sw. In this case, the system of the absorbing liquid S can be operated in the same manner as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(A), but a refrigerant liquid pipe 118 for leading the refrigerant liquid Vf of the evaporator 20 to the absorber 10 is additionally provided. Alternatively, although not shown, the refrigerant liquid Vf generated by condensing the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the evaporator 20 may be returned directly to the regenerator 30. In this case, it is preferable to stop the operation of the system of the absorbing liquid S. In this embodiment, the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 is adjusted so that the temperature of the hot water H becomes the target temperature, the opening degree of the air damper 77 is adjusted according to the opening degree of the fuel damper 74, and the flow rate of the air A is adjusted based on the difference between the theoretical temperature and the measured temperature, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(A).

[0081] In the third hot water generation form shown in FIG. 5(C), hot water H is made to flow through the evaporation tube 21 of the evaporator 20, and the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg and the concentrated solution Sa generated in the regenerator 30 are separately guided to the evaporator 20, and the hot water H flowing through the evaporation tube 21 is heated by the heat of absorption when the concentrated solution Sa absorbs the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the evaporator 20. In this form, the evaporator 20 functions as an absorber (absorption section) and corresponds to a medium heating mechanism. In this form, the cold water C in the cooling operation and the hot water H in the heating operation flow through the same evaporation tube 21, so there is an advantage that it is not necessary to switch the system of the temperature-adjusted medium (cold water C, hot water H). However, in the case of this modified example, a regenerator refrigerant vapor flow path 135 similar to the form shown in FIG. 5(B) and a concentrated solution pipe 138 that guides the concentrated solution Sa from the regenerator 30 to the evaporator 20 are additionally provided. The dilute solution Sw generated when the concentrated solution Sa absorbs the regenerator refrigerant vapor Vg in the evaporator 20 may be sent to the absorber 10 and then returned to the regenerator 30 via the dilute solution pipe 18. In this case, a dilute solution pipe 128 for guiding the dilute solution Sw from the evaporator 20 to the absorber 10 is additionally provided. In this embodiment, the opening degree of the fuel damper 74 is adjusted so that the temperature of the hot water H becomes a target temperature, the opening degree of the air damper 77 is adjusted according to the opening degree of the fuel damper 74, and the flow rate of the air A is adjusted based on the difference between the theoretical temperature and the actually measured temperature, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 5(A).

[0082] As another form of hot water generation, although not shown in the figures, the absorption cycle between the absorption liquid S and the refrigerant V may be stopped and the hot water H may be heated by the combustion heat of the burner 71. In this case, a pipe for flowing the hot water H is disposed at a position where the hot water H can be heated by the combustion heat of the burner 71. In this case, since the temperature of the hot water H can be adjusted by the combustion heat of the burner 71, the amount of combustion (opening degree of the fuel damper 74) may be adjusted so that the temperature of the hot water H becomes the target temperature, and the air A corresponding to the amount of combustion may be supplied to the burner 71 by referring to the relationship stored in the memory unit 63.

[0083] The absorption chiller / heater in this disclosure has been described as being capable of producing cold water C and hot water H by switching between modes. However, it is clear that the characteristic parts of this disclosure can be applied to equipment dedicated to producing cold water (absorption chillers) and equipment dedicated to producing hot water (absorption heat pumps). Therefore, the concept of the absorption chiller / heater in this disclosure includes absorption chillers and absorption heat pumps. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1 Absorption chiller / heater 10 Absorber 11 Cooling pipe (cooling water flow path) 20 Evaporator (medium cooling mechanism) 30 Regenerator 40 Condenser 41 Condenser tube (cooling water flow path) 51 Cooling water thermometer 52 Cold water thermometer (temperature-related physical quantity detector) 60 Control device 61 Control section 63 Memory section 65 Acquisition Department 70 Combustion Equipment 71 Burner 72 Fuel supply pipe (fuel supply mechanism) 73 Fuel fan (fuel supply mechanism) 74 Fuel damper (fuel flow control mechanism) 75 Air supply pipe (air supply mechanism) 76 Air fan (air supply mechanism) 77 Air damper (air flow control mechanism) 78 Exhaust gas pipe 79 Oxygen concentration meter (Oxygen concentration related physical quantity detector) A. Air C Cold water D Cooling water E Exhaust Gas F fuel H Hot water S Absorbing liquid U Heat source water V Refrigerant

Claims

1. An absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat through a cycle of a refrigerant undergoing a phase change and an absorbent liquid mixed with the refrigerant, A regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heat output can fluctuate in order to generate heat for heating the absorbent liquid, A media cooling mechanism that cools the temperature-controlled medium by removing the latent heat of vaporization from the temperature-controlled medium when the liquid refrigerant undergoes a phase change to vapor, A cooling water channel through which cooling water flows to remove at least one of the heat of condensation when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to a liquid and the heat of absorption when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent liquid, A fuel supply mechanism having a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, An air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, A storage unit that stores a relationship defining the airflow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, A control unit controls the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism so that the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium reaches a target value, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner by referring to a relationship stored in the memory unit. The system includes a temperature-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, The control unit compares a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium determined based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner and a physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water, with a measured temperature determined from a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector. If the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the burner; if the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the burner. Absorption chiller / heater.

2. An absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat through a cycle of a refrigerant undergoing a phase change and an absorbent liquid mixed with the refrigerant, A regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose heat output can fluctuate in order to generate heat for heating the absorbent liquid, A medium heating mechanism that heats the temperature-controlled medium by at least one of the heat of combustion in the burner, the heat of condensation when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to a liquid, and the heat of absorption when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent liquid, A fuel supply mechanism having a fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, An air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, A storage unit that stores a relationship defining the airflow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, A control unit controls the fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism so that the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium reaches a target value, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner by referring to a relationship stored in the memory unit. The system includes a temperature-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, The control unit compares a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium determined based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, with a measured temperature, which is determined from a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector. If the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the burner; if the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the burner. Absorption chiller / heater.

3. The control unit compares the amount of combustion in the burner required to bring the temperature-controlled medium to the target value with the upper limit of the amount of combustion in the burner required to maintain proper operation of the absorption chiller, and operates the burner at the smaller of the two amounts of combustion. The absorption chiller / heater according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The system includes an acquisition unit that acquires the operating status of the absorption chiller / heater, The control unit corrects the theoretical temperature based on the past operating conditions acquired by the acquisition unit. The absorption chiller / heater according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The system includes an oxygen concentration-related physical quantity detector that detects physical quantities related to the oxygen concentration contained in the exhaust gas produced by burning the aforementioned fuel, The control unit controls the airflow rate adjustment mechanism so that the physical quantity detected by the oxygen concentration-related physical quantity detector reaches a predetermined value. The absorption chiller / heater according to claim 1 or claim 2.

6. The regenerator is configured to introduce at least one of a first fuel and a second fuel having a different calorific value from the first fuel as the fuel to be burned in the burner. The storage unit stores a first relationship that defines the air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner, and a second relationship that defines the air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner. The control unit controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply the burner with an air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner, by referring to the first relationship stored in the storage unit, when the first fuel is supplied to the burner, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply the burner with an air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, by referring to the second relationship stored in the storage unit, when the second fuel is supplied to the burner. The absorption chiller / heater according to claim 1 or claim 2.

7. An absorption chiller / heater that cools a temperature-controlled medium by transferring heat through a cycle of a refrigerant undergoing a phase change and an absorbent liquid mixed with the refrigerant, A regenerator having a burner that burns at least one of a first fuel and a second fuel having a different calorific value from the first fuel in order to generate heat for heating the absorbent liquid, A media cooling mechanism that cools the temperature-controlled medium by removing the latent heat of vaporization from the temperature-controlled medium when the liquid refrigerant undergoes a phase change to vapor, A cooling water channel through which cooling water flows to remove at least one of the heat of condensation when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to a liquid and the heat of absorption when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent liquid, A fuel supply mechanism having a first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner and a second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism for adjusting the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, An air supply mechanism having an air flow rate adjustment mechanism that operates independently of the first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism and the second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism to adjust the flow rate of air supplied to the burner, A storage unit that stores a first relationship that defines the air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner, and a second relationship that defines the air flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, A control unit controls the first fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism or the second fuel flow rate adjustment mechanism so that the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium reaches a target value, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the first relationship stored in the storage unit when the first fuel is supplied to the burner, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner by referring to the second relationship stored in the storage unit when the second fuel is supplied to the burner, The system includes a temperature-related physical quantity detector that detects a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, The control unit compares a theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium determined based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the first or second fuel supplied to the burner and a physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water, with a measured temperature determined from a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium detected by the temperature-related physical quantity detector. If the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to reduce the flow rate of air supplied to the burner; if the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, the control unit controls the air flow rate control mechanism to increase the flow rate of air supplied to the burner. Absorption chiller / heater.

8. The fuel supply mechanism includes a calorific value measuring mechanism for measuring the calorific value of the fuel supplied to the burner. The control unit controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the first fuel supplied to the burner, by referring to the first relationship stored in the storage unit, if the heat generation amount measured by the heat generation amount measuring mechanism is less than a predetermined value, and controls the air flow rate adjustment mechanism to supply air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the second fuel supplied to the burner, by referring to the second relationship stored in the storage unit, if the heat generation amount measured is greater than or equal to the predetermined value. The absorption chiller / heater according to claim 6.

9. A method for controlling the operation of an absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat through a cycle of a refrigerant undergoing a phase change and an absorbent liquid mixed with the refrigerant, The absorption chiller includes a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose calorific value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorbent liquid; a medium cooling mechanism that cools the temperature-controlled medium by removing the latent heat of vaporization from the temperature-controlled medium when the liquid refrigerant undergoes a phase change to vapor; and a cooling water channel through which cooling water flows to remove at least one of the heat of condensation when the vapor of the refrigerant undergoes a phase change to liquid and the heat of absorption when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent liquid. A step of supplying the fuel to the burner at a flow rate such that the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium reaches a target value, A step of supplying air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, based on a predetermined relationship, A step of determining the theoretical temperature, which is the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, based on at least a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner and a physical quantity related to the temperature of the cooling water, A step of detecting a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, The system includes a step of adjusting the flow rate of air supplied to the burner by comparing the theoretical temperature with the measured temperature obtained from a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium detected, and by decreasing the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature, and increasing the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature. A method for controlling the operation of an absorption chiller / heater.

10. A method for controlling the operation of an absorption chiller / heater that transfers heat by a cycle of a refrigerant undergoing a phase change and an absorbent liquid mixed with the refrigerant, The absorption chiller includes a regenerator having a burner that burns a fuel whose calorific value can vary in order to generate heat for heating the absorbent liquid, and a medium heating mechanism that heats the temperature-controlled medium by the heat of combustion in the burner, or by at least one of the heat of condensation when the vapor of the refrigerant changes phase to liquid and the heat of absorption when the vapor of the refrigerant is absorbed by the absorbent liquid. A step of supplying the fuel to the burner at a flow rate such that the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium reaches a target value, A step of supplying air to the burner at a flow rate corresponding to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, based on a predetermined relationship, A step of determining a theoretical temperature which is the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium determined based on a physical quantity related to the flow rate of the fuel supplied to the burner, A step of detecting a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium, The system includes a step of adjusting the flow rate of air supplied to the burner by comparing the theoretical temperature with the measured temperature obtained from a physical quantity related to the temperature of the temperature-controlled medium detected, and by decreasing the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the measured temperature is lower than the theoretical temperature, and increasing the flow rate of air supplied to the burner if the measured temperature is higher than the theoretical temperature. A method for controlling the operation of an absorption chiller / heater.

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