Outdoor unit and heat pump cycle device

Abstract

To provide an outdoor unit which enables improvement of safety while avoiding electric leakage and uses a refrigerant.SOLUTION: A housing 10 houses a compressor 22, a utilization side heat exchanger 23, expansion means 24, and a heat source side heat exchanger 20 therein and includes: a refrigerant circuit which is formed by connecting these components in an annular form and uses a combustible refrigerant; a blower module 21 which circulates air to the heat source side heat exchanger 20; and an electrical equipment box 30. An outdoor unit is provided with a cover member 50 which covers a space ranging from an end of the heat source side heat exchanger 20 to an area between a water circuit of the utilization side heat exchanger 23 and the refrigerant circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an outdoor unit and a heat pump cycle device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology that includes an air blower chamber that houses a fan, a first machine chamber that houses a compressor, a second machine chamber that houses a control unit, and a third machine chamber that houses a wiring unit that connects the compressor and the control unit, the first machine chamber and the second machine chamber being arranged on either side of the air blower chamber, and the third machine chamber being arranged between the first machine chamber and the second machine chamber in a first direction that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the fan, and being arranged alongside the fan in a second direction that is perpendicular to both the rotation axis and the first direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] WO2020-170327 publication Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides an outdoor unit and a heat pump cycle apparatus that use a refrigerant that can improve safety while avoiding electric leakage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure includes a housing that houses a compressor, a user-side heat exchanger, an expansion means, and a heat-source-side heat exchanger, and the housing is provided with a refrigerant circuit that connects these components in a ring and uses a flammable refrigerant; a blower that circulates air through the heat-source-side heat exchanger; and an electrical box. A cover member is provided to cover the area between the end of the heat source side heat exchanger and the refrigerant connection port and the water connection port of the user side heat exchanger. The compressor is disposed on the refrigerant connection port side with respect to the cover member. . [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In the heat pump cycle device according to the present disclosure, the cover member can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger from contacting the compressor in the machine room or the contact points of the four-way valve, thereby reducing the possibility of explosion and improving safety. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outdoor unit of a heat pump cycle device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a front view of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment, omitting machines such as a compressor; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment, omitting machinery such as a compressor; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which a panel around the outdoor unit according to the first embodiment is removed, as seen from behind; [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic structure of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of an outdoor unit according to a first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a user-side heat exchanger according to a first embodiment; [Figure 8] A circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of a heat pump cycle device according to a first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present disclosure provides an outdoor unit and a heat pump cycle apparatus that use a refrigerant that can improve safety while avoiding electric leakage.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed description of well-known matters or redundant description of substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following description and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0010] (Embodiment 1) Hereinafter, the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. [1-1.Configuration] [1-1-1. Configuration of heat pump cycle device] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit of a heat pump cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a front view of the outdoor unit according to embodiment 1, omitting machines such as a compressor. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit according to embodiment 1, seen from the front, omitting machines such as a compressor. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the outdoor unit according to embodiment 1, seen from the rear, with surrounding panels removed. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a schematic structure of the outdoor unit according to embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a schematic structure of the outdoor unit according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the outdoor unit 2 of the heat pump cycle apparatus 1 includes a box-shaped housing 10. In this embodiment, each part of the housing 10 is formed from a steel plate.

[0011] 2, 3, and 5, a partition plate 11 extending in the vertical direction is provided inside the housing 10. The partition plate 11 divides the internal space of the housing 10 into an air blower chamber 12 and a machine chamber 13. The housing 10 comprises a bottom plate 14 that forms the bottom surface of the housing 10, a right front panel 15a and a right rear panel 15b that cover the machine chamber 13 of the housing 10 from the front and back, a front panel 16 that covers the front surface of the ventilation chamber 12, and a top plate 17 that covers the top surface of the housing 10. The front panel 16 is provided with a ventilation section 18 formed in a mesh shape to allow air to pass through.

[0012] The blower chamber 12 is provided with a heat source side heat exchanger 20 and a blower 21. The heat source side heat exchanger 20 of this embodiment extends along the height direction of the housing 10 and is formed in a substantially L-shape when viewed from above so as to face the side and rear surfaces of the housing 10. The heat source side heat exchanger 20 is, for example, a fin tube type heat exchanger. For example, an axial flow fan equipped with a propeller-shaped impeller is used as the blower 21. The blower 21 is disposed so that the axial flow direction faces the ventilation section 18.

[0013] The interior of the machine room 13 accommodates various devices that form a refrigerant circuit, such as a compressor 22, a user-side heat exchanger 23, and an expansion means 24 (see Figure 8), as well as refrigerant piping 25 (see Figure 8) that connects these devices to each other. The utilization side heat exchanger 23 is, for example, a plate heat exchanger. The upper part of the partition plate 11 is cut out so that an electrical equipment box 30 can be installed. The electrical equipment box 30 is installed in the cutout portion of the upper part of the partition plate 11. The electrical equipment box 30 is arranged across the machine room 13 and the ventilation room 12.

[0014] 7 is a perspective view showing the use-side heat exchanger 23. A plate heat exchanger is shown as the use-side heat exchanger 23. In this embodiment, a refrigerant and water are used as the heat medium. At the top and bottom of the user-side heat exchanger 23, connection ports 40, 41 for the refrigerant and connection ports 42, 43 for water are provided side by side. For example, when hot water is supplied from the heat pump cycle device 1, the refrigerant connection port 40 functions as a refrigerant inlet, the refrigerant connection port 41 functions as a refrigerant outlet, the water connection port 43 functions as a water inlet, and the water connection port 42 functions as a water outlet.

[0015] 2 to 4 and 6, in this embodiment, the housing 10 is provided with a cover member 50. The cover member 50 has one end in contact with an end of the heat source-side heat exchanger 20, extends in the left-right direction of the housing 10, and is installed so that the other end is in contact with the refrigerant connection ports 40, 41 and the water connection ports 42, 43 of the user-side heat exchanger 23. That is, the refrigerant connection ports 40, 41 of the utilization side heat exchanger 23 are located on the front side of the cover member 50, and the water connection ports 42, 43 are located on the rear side of the cover member 50.

[0016] 2, the upper end of the cover member 50 is formed slightly lower than the upper end of the heat source side heat exchanger 20. This forms a ventilated space between the upper end of the cover member 50 and the underside of the top plate 17. In addition, a space is formed between the lower end of the cover member 50 and the bottom plate 14 of the housing 10 to allow drainage.

[0017] [1-1-2. Refrigerant circuit configuration] 8 is a circuit diagram showing a refrigerant circuit of the heat pump cycle device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8, the heat pump cycle device 1 includes a compressor 22, a four-way valve 27, a user-side heat exchanger 23, an expansion means 24, and a heat-source-side heat exchanger 20 connected in a ring shape via a predetermined refrigerant piping 25 to form a refrigerant circuit. A predetermined water supply pipe 28 is connected to the utilization side heat exchanger 23, and in the utilization side heat exchanger 23, heat exchange takes place between the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit and the water. In this embodiment, a flammable refrigerant is used as the refrigerant, which may be R32 or a mixed refrigerant containing 70 weight percent or more of R32, or propane or a mixed refrigerant containing propane. It should be noted that a non-flammable refrigerant may be used as the refrigerant instead of a flammable refrigerant.

[0018] [1-2. Operation] Next, the operation of the heat pump cycle device 1 configured as above will be described. When the heat pump cycle device 1 is driven, the compressor 22 and the blower 21 are operated. As a result, when hot water is used, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 to a high temperature and high pressure flows as shown by the solid arrow in Figure 8, is sent to the user-side heat exchanger 23, and is cooled by heat exchange with water flowing through the water supply pipe 28, and the water receives heat from the refrigerant and becomes hot water, which is then supplied to a specified location. The refrigerant discharged from the user-side heat exchanger 23 is decompressed by the expansion means 24, undergoes heat exchange in the heat-source-side heat exchanger 20, and becomes a gas refrigerant, which is returned to the compressor 22 again.

[0019] When chilled water is used, the four-way valve 27 is switched so that the refrigerant flows as shown by the dashed arrows in FIG. 8, exchanges heat with the outside air in the heat source side heat exchanger 20, is decompressed by the expansion means 24, is sent to the use side heat exchanger 23, cools the water flowing through the water supply pipe 28, and is then returned to the compressor 22.

[0020] Here, the plate heat exchanger used as the user-side heat exchanger 23 exchanges heat between water and compressed refrigerant to produce hot water or cold water, and is sealed from the water by an O-ring or the like. However, water leakage may occur due to deterioration of the seal over time, etc. In a heat pump cycle device that uses a flammable refrigerant, if leaked water gets on the contacts of electronic components such as the compressor 22 or the four-way valve 27 in the machine room 13, sparks may occur, increasing the possibility of an explosion.

[0021] In this embodiment, a cover member 50 is provided that separates the area from the end of the heat source-side heat exchanger 20 to the water circuit of the user-side heat exchanger 23, so it is possible to prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger 23 from contacting the compressor 22 in the machine room 13 or the contact points of the four-way valve 27. This reduces the possibility of an explosion and increases safety.

[0022] Furthermore, since a space is formed between the upper end of the cover member 50 and the underside of the top plate 17, ventilation between the cover member 50 and the machine chamber 13 can be ensured. In addition, a space that allows drainage is formed between the lower end of the cover member 50 and the bottom plate 14 of the housing 10, so that water that leaks from the user-side heat exchanger 23 can be drained together with condensed water that occurs in the machine room 13. Furthermore, by providing spaces above and below the cover member 50, it is possible to prevent a local increase in the concentration of flammable gas inside the machine chamber 13 in the event of a refrigerant leak.

[0023] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, the outdoor unit 2 accommodates the compressor 22, the user-side heat exchanger 23, the expansion means 24, and the heat-source-side heat exchanger 20 inside the housing 10, which are connected in a ring shape via refrigerant piping 25, and is equipped with a refrigerant circuit that uses a flammable refrigerant, the blower 21 that circulates air through the heat-source-side heat exchanger 20, and an electrical box 30, and is provided with a cover member 50 that covers the area from the end of the heat-source-side heat exchanger 20 to the refrigerant connection ports 40, 41 and the water connection ports 42, 43 of the user-side heat exchanger 23. As a result, the cover member 50 can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger 23 from contacting the compressor 22 in the machine room 13 or the contact points of the four-way valve 27. This reduces the possibility of an explosion and increases safety.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the outdoor unit 2 has a space between the upper end of the cover member 50 and the top plate 17 of the housing 10 that allows ventilation. This ensures good ventilation between the machine room 13 and the inside of the housing 11 .

[0025] In addition, in this embodiment, the outdoor unit 2 has a space below the cover member 50 that allows drainage. This allows the water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger 23 to be drained together with the condensed water generated in the machine room 13.

[0026] In the present embodiment, the flammable refrigerant used in the outdoor unit 2 is R32 or a mixed refrigerant containing 70 weight percent or more of R32, or propane or a mixed refrigerant containing propane. As a result, even when a particularly flammable refrigerant is used, the cover member 50 can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger 23 from contacting the compressor 22 in the machine room 13 or the contact points of the four-way valve 27, thereby reducing the possibility of explosion and increasing safety.

[0027] (Other embodiments) As described above, the first embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can also be applied to embodiments in which modifications, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. are made.

[0028] [Configuration supported by the above embodiment] The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

[0029] (Configuration 1) The outdoor unit has a housing that houses a compressor, a user-side heat exchanger, an expansion means, and a heat-source-side heat exchanger, and is equipped with a refrigerant circuit that connects these in a ring shape and uses a flammable refrigerant, a blower that circulates air through the heat-source-side heat exchanger, and an electrical box, and is provided with a cover member that covers the area from the end of the heat-source-side heat exchanger to the refrigerant connection port and water connection port of the user-side heat exchanger. With this configuration, the cover member can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger from contacting the compressor in the machine room or the contact points of the four-way valve, thereby reducing the possibility of an explosion and increasing safety.

[0030] (Configuration 2) The outdoor unit according to configuration 1, wherein a space allowing ventilation is provided between the upper end of the cover member and the top plate of the housing. This configuration ensures good ventilation between the machine room and the enclosure.

[0031] (Configuration 3) The outdoor unit according to configuration 1 or 2, wherein a space that allows drainage is provided below the cover member. According to this configuration, it is possible to drain water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger together with condensed water generated in the machine room.

[0032] (Configuration 4) 4. The outdoor unit according to any one of configurations 1 to 3, wherein the flammable refrigerant is R32 or a mixed refrigerant containing 70 weight percent or more of R32, or propane or a mixed refrigerant containing propane. With this configuration, even when a particularly flammable refrigerant is used, the cover member can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger from contacting the compressor in the machine room or the contact points of the four-way valve, thereby reducing the possibility of explosion and increasing safety.

[0033] (Configuration 5) A heat pump cycle apparatus comprising the outdoor unit according to any one of configurations 1 to 4. According to this configuration, by providing the heat pump cycle device with its outdoor unit, the cover member can prevent water leaking from the user-side heat exchanger from contacting the compressor in the machine room or the contact points of the four-way valve, thereby reducing the possibility of explosion and providing a heat pump cycle device that is safer. [Industrial Applicability]

[0034] The present disclosure can be suitably used in a heat pump cycle device that can prevent water leaking from a user-side heat exchanger from contacting the compressor in the machine room or the contact points of the four-way valve, thereby reducing the possibility of explosion and increasing safety. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1. Heat pump cycle device 10. Cabinet 11 Divider 12 Ventilation room 13 Machine room 14 Bottom plate 15a Right front panel 15b Right rear panel 16 Front Panel 17 Top plate 18 Ventilation section 20 Heat source side heat exchanger 21 Blower 22 Compressor 23 User side heat exchanger 24 Expansion means 25 Refrigerant piping 27 Four-way valve 28 Water supply piping 30 Electrical box 40, 41 Refrigerant connection ports 42, 43 Water connection ports 50 Cover member

Claims

1. The refrigerant circuit includes a compressor, a user-side heat exchanger, an expansion means, and a heat source-side heat exchanger, and these are connected in a ring shape, and uses a flammable refrigerant; a blower that circulates air through the heat source-side heat exchanger; and an electrical box. a cover member that covers an area extending from an end of the heat source side heat exchanger to a portion between the refrigerant connection port and the water connection port of the user side heat exchanger; The compressor is disposed on the refrigerant connection port side with respect to the cover member. outdoor unit.

2. A space allowing ventilation is provided between the upper end of the cover member and the top plate of the housing. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 .

3. A space that allows drainage is provided below the cover member. The outdoor unit according to claim 1 .

4. The flammable refrigerant is R32 or a mixed refrigerant containing 70 weight percent or more of R32, or propane or a mixed refrigerant containing propane. The outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. A heat pump cycle apparatus comprising the outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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