Heat pump heat source machine

Abstract

To enable installation even when the depth of an installation space is small.SOLUTION: This heat pump heat source machine 1 includes a tank body 20 for storing hot water, a heat pump unit 3 for heating the hot water in the tank body 20, and a casing 2 for storing the tank body 20 and the heat pump unit 3. The tank main body 20 and the heat pump unit 3 are installed side by side in the horizontal direction in the housing 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat pump heat source machine that heats water stored in a tank using a heat pump. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a heat pump-type hot water supply system has been put into practical use, which includes a heat pump and a tank for storing hot water heated by the heat pump, and supplies the hot water in the tank to a kitchen, bathroom, etc. In this hot water supply system, the heat pump operates during times when hot water usage is relatively low to heat the water in the tank, and when the hot water tap is opened or a command is given to fill the bathtub, hot water is supplied from the tank. Therefore, in order to supply the required amount of hot water to the bathtub, the tank needs to be sized to store a large amount of hot water. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention for a hybrid hot water supply system in which a burner heating device, which is a water heater, is installed in a supply line downstream of a tank that stores hot water heated by a heat pump, which is a heat source unit, and the burner heating device is activated when the temperature of the water supplied from the tank is lower than the hot water supply set temperature or when there is little hot water in the tank when filling it with water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-224762 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned hot water supply system, the heat pump, tank, and water heater are all independent, so the entire system inevitably becomes large, which may make it difficult to install in apartment buildings or houses with close proximity to neighboring houses. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the tank capacity to, for example, 20 to 30 L, and incorporate the reduced tank and heat pump heat source unit into the housing to make the entire unit more compact. In this case, the internal space of the rectangular parallelepiped housing can be divided into upper and lower spaces, with the heat pump housed in the upper space and the tank, water supply path including the valve unit, and hot water outlet path housed in the lower space, making it possible to fit everything inside the housing. However, because there are restrictions on the vertical height of the tank placed in the space below, the diameter of the tank must be large to obtain the required capacity, which increases the depth and thickness of the housing, making it impossible to install in houses with narrow boundaries between neighboring houses.

[0005] Therefore, the present disclosure aims to provide a heat pump heat source machine that can be installed even in houses with a small depth of installation space, such as houses with a narrow distance to the boundary between neighboring houses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the present disclosure provides a heat pump heat source machine, A tank for storing hot water, a heat pump that heats the hot water in the tank; a housing that houses the tank and the heat pump, The tank and the heat pump are arranged side by side in the horizontal direction within the housing. Another aspect of the present disclosure is a heat pump having the above configuration, wherein the heat pump includes a compressor, a water heat exchanger, an expansion valve, a heat absorption unit having a fan, and a circulation path for a heat medium, The installation space of the heat pump within the housing is divided into an upper space and a lower space, the compressor, the water heat exchanger and the expansion valve are installed in either the upper space or the lower space, the heat absorption part is installed in the other space in a direction extending along the horizontal direction, and the circulation path is arranged across the upper space and the lower space. Another aspect of the present disclosure is characterized in that, in the above configuration, the tank extends above the lower space within an installation space of the tank within the housing. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the tank and heat pump are installed side by side within the housing, so the tank can be extended vertically to ensure the required capacity. This eliminates the need for a large diameter tank, reducing the thickness of the housing and achieving a slimmer design. This allows installation even in narrow installation spaces, such as houses with a narrow boundary between neighboring houses. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, the compressor, water heat exchanger, and expansion valve are installed in either the upper or lower space, and the heat absorption unit is installed in the other space, extending in a horizontal direction, so that a relatively large heat absorption unit can be installed in a space-saving manner, which contributes to a more compact thickness. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, the tank extends higher than the lower space within the tank installation space, so that the required capacity can be secured without increasing the dimensions of the tank in the thickness direction of the housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] Schematic diagram of a heat pump heat source unit, (A) shows a plan view, and (B) shows a front view. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic front view of a heat pump heat source machine according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a heat pump heat source machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "heat source machine") 1 of the present disclosure, where (A) shows a plan view and (B) shows a front view. The heat source device 1 accommodates a heat pump unit 3, a tank unit 4, and a valve unit 5 in a housing 2. First, the housing 2 is formed into a rectangular parallelepiped shape by multiple frames. The internal space of the housing 2 is divided into a left space 7 and a right space 8 by a vertical partition plate 6. The left space 7 is formed with a smaller left-right width than the right space 8. The right space 8 is divided into an upper right space 8a and a lower right space 8b by a horizontal partition plate 9. However, each of the partition plates 6 and 9 has holes for passing piping and cables. The housing 2 has a depth (thickness) D in the front-to-rear direction that is smaller than its width W in the left-to-right direction in FIG. 1.

[0010] The heat pump unit 3 is housed in the right space 8. The right space 8 is an example of a space in which the heat pump of the present disclosure is installed. The heat pump unit 3 includes a compressor 10, a water heat exchanger 11, an expansion valve 12, a heat absorption unit 13, and a loop-shaped circulation path 14 connecting these in series. A heat medium (e.g., a chlorofluorocarbon alternative) can circulate through the circulation path 14. Here, the compressor 10, the water heat exchanger 11, and the expansion valve 12 are housed in the lower right space 8b. The heat absorption unit 13 has a fan 13a on the front side and is installed on the horizontal partition plate 9 in the upper right space 8a, extending in the left-right direction. The circulation path 14 is disposed across the upper right space 8a and the lower right space 8b. The heat pump unit 3 is an example of a heat pump of the present disclosure. The compressor 10 compresses the heat medium that has absorbed heat in the heat absorption section 13, turning it into a high-temperature, high-pressure medium, which is then sent to the water heat exchanger 11. The water heat exchanger 11 is equipped with a heat-side piping 15 and a water-side piping 16. The heat-side piping 15 is incorporated into the circulation path 14. The water-side piping 16 is incorporated into a tank circulation path 27, which will be described later. The expansion valve 12 reduces the pressure of the heat medium from which heat has been absorbed in the water heat exchanger 11, turning it into a low-temperature, low-pressure medium, which is then sent to the heat absorption section 13. The heat absorption section 13 exchanges heat between the heat medium and outside air taken in by the fan 13a.

[0011] The tank unit 4 includes a tank body 20, a tank supply pipe 21, and a tank return pipe 22. The tank body 20 is accommodated alone in the left space 7. The left space 7 is an example of an installation space for the tank of the present disclosure. Tank body 20 can store a predetermined volume (e.g., 20 to 30 L) of hot water, has a circular cross section, and extends vertically within left space 7. A tank temperature sensor 23 that detects the temperature of the hot water is provided inside tank body 20. Tank body 20 is an example of a tank of the present disclosure.

[0012] The tank supply pipe 21 is connected to the upper part of the tank body 20. The tank supply pipe 21 is connected to the downstream end of the water-side pipe 16 of the water heat exchanger 11 of the heat pump unit 3. The tank supply pipe 21 is provided with a supply temperature sensor 24 that detects the temperature of the hot and cold water. The tank return pipe 22 is connected to the lower part of the tank body 20. The tank return pipe 22 is connected to the upstream end of the water side piping 16. The tank return pipe 22 is provided with a pump 25 and a return temperature sensor 26 that detects the temperature of the hot and cold water. The tank supply pipe 21, the tank return pipe 22, and the water-side piping 16 form a tank circulation path 27 through which hot and cold water circulates within the tank body 20.

[0013] A water supply pipe 30 is connected to the bottom of the tank body 20. The water supply pipe 30 is drawn from the left space 7 to the lower right space 8b and connected to a water inlet 31 provided in the housing 2 via the valve unit 5. An external water pipe (not shown) is connected to the water inlet 31. A hot water outlet pipe 32 is connected to the top of the tank body 20. The hot water outlet pipe 32 is drawn from the left space 7 to the lower right space 8b and is connected to a hot water outlet 33 provided in the housing 2 via a valve unit 5. A hot water heater, for example, is connected to the hot water outlet 33 via an external connecting pipe (not shown). The valve unit 5 can switch between a connected / separated state between the flow path of the water supply pipe 30 and the flow path of the hot water outlet pipe 32, and in the connected state, the hot water discharged from the hot water outlet pipe 32 can be mixed with the clean water supplied from the water supply pipe 30.

[0014] A controller 40 is provided within the housing 2. The controller 40 includes a CPU and a memory connected to the CPU. The controller 40 is electrically connected to the valve unit 5, the compressor 10 of the heat pump unit 3, the expansion valve 12, the fan 13a of the heat absorption section 13, a temperature sensor (not shown) provided in the circulation path 14, the sensors of the tank unit 4, and the pump 25. The controller 40 controls the heat retention operation of the heat pump unit 3 and the hot water supply operation in the tank body 20 based on operation commands set by an operation unit or remote control (not shown) and detection signals from each sensor, in accordance with a program stored in a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium including a memory connected to the CPU.

[0015] In the heat source unit 1 configured as described above, the tank body 20 is housed alone in the left-side space 7, so the vertical dimensions can be secured to the full extent of the internal vertical dimensions of the housing 2. Therefore, for the same capacity, the outer diameter is small and the vertical dimensions are large, resulting in a small-diameter, vertically elongated shape. For this reason, the depth D of the housing 2 can be set to match the heat absorption section 13, which is the thickest part of the heat pump unit 3, rather than the tank body 20. This allows for a thinner unit, and if the heat source unit 1 is installed in the left-right direction along the exterior wall 50 of a house that extends in the left-right direction, as shown in FIG. 1(A), the amount of protrusion from the exterior wall 50 can be kept small.

[0016] When the controller 40 of the heat source machine 1 receives an instruction from the operation unit or remote control to perform heat retention operation on the heat pump unit 3, it operates the compressor 10 and expansion valve 12 of the heat pump unit 3 and the pump 25 of the tank unit 4. Then, in the heat pump unit 3, the heat medium is compressed by the compressor 10 to become high temperature and high pressure, releases heat in the water heat exchanger 11, becomes low temperature and low pressure in the expansion valve 12, and circulates through the circulation path 14 as shown by the arrow in Figure 1 (B) while absorbing heat in the heat absorption section 13. Meanwhile, in the tank unit 4, operation of the pump 25 causes the hot water in the tank body 20 to circulate through the tank circulation path 27. That is, as shown by the dotted arrows in FIG. 1(B), the hot water repeats a cycle of passing from the tank return pipe 22 through the water-side piping 16 of the water heat exchanger 11 and returning to the tank body 20 through the tank supply pipe 21. Thus, in the water heat exchanger 11, heat exchange occurs between the heat medium flowing in the heat-side piping 15 and the hot water flowing in the water-side piping 16, heating the hot water in the tank body 20. After the hot water in the tank body 20 is heated to a high temperature (e.g., 75°C), the compressor 10 is turned on and off based on the temperature detected by the return temperature sensor 26, thereby maintaining the hot water at a predetermined temperature (e.g., 65°C).

[0017] When the hot water dispensing operation is instructed, the controller 40 controls the valve unit 5 to supply clean water supplied from the water inlet 31 to the water supply pipe 30 to the lower part of the tank body 20, as shown by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1(B). This supply pressure then forces the hot water in the tank body 20 from the upper part of the tank body 20 into the hot water outlet pipe 32, and the hot water is then dispensed directly from the hot water outlet 33 via the valve unit 5. The dispensed hot water is heated via an external hot water heater, or is dispensed directly from the hot water tap. If the temperature detected by the tank temperature sensor 23 is higher than the set temperature for the hot water dispensing operation, the valve unit 5 mixes the clean water to lower the outlet hot water temperature.

[0018] Thus, the heat source machine 1 of the above form includes a tank body 20 for storing hot water, a heat pump unit 3 for heating the hot water in the tank body 20, and a housing 2 for accommodating the tank body 20 and the heat pump unit 3. The tank body 20 and the heat pump unit 3 are installed side by side in the horizontal direction within the housing 2. With this configuration, the tank body 20 can be extended in the vertical direction to ensure the required capacity. This eliminates the need to make the tank body 20 large in diameter, reducing the depth (thickness) D and achieving a slim design. This allows installation even in houses with a narrow installation space, such as those with a narrow boundary between neighboring houses.

[0019] The heat pump unit 3 includes a compressor 10, a water heat exchanger 11, an expansion valve 12, a heat absorbing section 13 having a fan 13a, and a circulation path 14 for the heat medium. The right-hand space 8, which is the installation space for the heat pump unit 3 within the housing 2, is divided into an upper right space 8a and a lower right space 8b, with the compressor 10, water heat exchanger 11 and expansion valve 12 installed in the lower right space 8b, the heat absorption section 13 installed in the upper right space 8a extending in the left-right direction, and the circulation path 14 arranged across the upper right space 8a and the lower right space 8b. Therefore, the heat absorption section 13, which is relatively large in the heat pump unit 3, can be installed in the upper right space 8a in a space-saving manner, which contributes to making the depth (thickness) D compact. The tank body 20 extends upward in the left space 7, which is the installation space of the tank body 20 within the housing 2, beyond the lower right space 8b. Therefore, the necessary capacity can be ensured without increasing the dimensions of the tank body 20 in the depth (thickness) D direction of the housing 2.

[0020] Modifications of the present disclosure will be described below. In the above embodiment, the heat pump unit is installed on the right side and the tank unit is installed on the left side, but they may be installed side by side with the left and right sides reversed. In the above embodiment, the installation space of the heat pump unit is divided into upper and lower sections, with the heat absorption unit installed in the upper right space and the rest in the lower right space, but the opposite may be true, with the heat absorption unit installed in the lower right space and the rest in the upper right space. Separation of the heat absorption unit from the rest is not required, and for example, the heat absorption unit and expansion valve may be installed in either the upper or lower space, and other components may be installed in the other upper or lower space. However, the heat pump does not have to be installed with its components separated into upper and lower sections. For example, as shown in Figure 2, the right-side space 8 may be formed lower than the left-side space 7, and the heat pump unit 3 may be installed entirely in the right-side space 8. Of course, the left-right arrangement may be reversed. As exemplified here, if the heat pump unit and tank unit can be installed side-by-side within the housing, there is no need to separate the inside of the housing with a partition plate.

[0021] The housing is not limited to a structure formed by a frame, but may be formed by a frame and a plate that closes the surface surrounded by the frame. The housing may also be box-shaped and formed only by a plate. The connection between the tank body and the piping can be changed as needed. For example, the tank supply pipe and the tank return pipe may both be connected to the bottom or top of the tank body, or the water supply pipe and the hot water outlet pipe may both be connected to the bottom or top of the tank. The capacity of the tank is not limited to 20 to 30 L in the above embodiment, and may be increased or decreased as appropriate. The shape of the tank does not have to be circular in cross section, and may be rectangular, square, or polygonal in cross section. Therefore, in the above embodiment, the installation space for the tank has a smaller left-to-right width than the installation space for the heat pump, but depending on the shape of the tank, the left-to-right widths of both installation spaces may be the same, or the installation space for the tank may be larger left-to-right than the installation space for the heat pump. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 1 Heat pump heat source unit, 2 Housing, 3 Heat pump unit, 4 Tank unit, 5 Valve unit, 6 Vertical partition, 7 Left side space, 8 Right side space, 8a Upper right space, 8b Lower right space, 9 Horizontal partition, 10 Compressor, 11 Water heat exchanger, 12 Expansion valve, 13 Heat absorption section, 14 Circulation path, 15 Hot side piping, 16 Water side piping, 20 Tank body, 21 Tank supply pipe, 22 Tank return pipe, 27 Tank circulation path, 30 Water supply pipe, 32 Hot water outlet pipe, 40 Controller, 50 Exterior wall.

Claims

1. A tank for storing hot water, a heat pump that heats the hot water in the tank; a housing that houses the tank and the heat pump, The tank and the heat pump are installed side by side horizontally within the housing.

2. The heat pump includes a compressor, a water heat exchanger, an expansion valve, a heat absorption unit having a fan, and a circulation path for a heat medium, The heat pump heat source machine of claim 1, wherein the installation space of the heat pump within the housing is divided into an upper space and a lower space, the compressor, the water heat exchanger and the expansion valve are installed in either the upper space or the lower space, the heat absorption section is installed in the other space in a direction extending along the horizontal arrangement direction, and the circulation path is arranged across the upper space and the lower space.

3. The heat pump heat source machine according to claim 2 , wherein the tank extends above the lower space within an installation space of the tank within the housing.

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