Composite air-liquid separation mechanism

Abstract

This invention provides a mechanism for efficiently discharging refrigerant gas leaked from the heat exchanger of a heat pump into the hot water circulation path to the outdoors, regardless of the amount of refrigerant gas leaked. [Solution] A pressure relief valve comprising a valve mechanism that opens when the pressure inside the fluid path becomes high and an open-holding mechanism that holds the valve mechanism in the open state after opening; a gas-liquid separation device comprising a raw water storage chamber, a float chamber communicating with the raw water storage chamber, and a float valve disposed in the float chamber; and a flow path connecting the two. The aforementioned flow path is the raw water storage chamber of the gas-liquid separation device, and the gas-liquid separation device and the pressure relief valve are integrated. ru.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism.

Background Art

[0002] The applicant of the present application proposed a pressure relief valve in Patent Document 1, which includes a valve mechanism that opens when the internal pressure in the fluid path becomes high and a valve opening holding mechanism that holds the valve mechanism in the open state after opening, preventing the complication of the valve mechanism. The applicant of the present application proposed a gas-liquid separation device in Patent Document 2, which includes a raw water storage chamber, a float chamber communicating with the raw water storage chamber, and a float valve disposed in the float chamber, and has a higher gas separation efficiency compared to the prior art. The pressure relief valve of Patent Document 1 and the gas-liquid separation device of Patent Document 2 are for discharging the refrigerant gas leaked from the hot water circulation path of the heat pump heat exchanger to the outside. However, the pressure relief valve of Patent Document 1 does not have a refrigerant gas discharge function when the leakage amount of the refrigerant gas is small and the internal pressure in the hot water circulation path is low, and has a good refrigerant gas discharge function when the leakage amount of the refrigerant gas is large and the internal pressure in the hot water circulation path is high. The gas-liquid separation device of Patent Document 2 has a good refrigerant gas discharge function when the leakage amount of the refrigerant gas is small and the flow rate of the hot water in the hot water circulation path is slow, and when the leakage amount of the refrigerant gas is large, the balance of the swirling flow in the raw water storage chamber is disrupted and the refrigerant gas discharge function is not achieved.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a mechanism for efficiently discharging refrigerant gas leaked from the heat exchanger of a heat pump into the hot water circulation path to the outdoors, regardless of the amount of refrigerant gas leaked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a pressure relief valve comprising a valve mechanism that opens when the pressure inside the fluid path becomes high and an open-holding mechanism that holds the valve mechanism in the open state after opening; a gas-liquid separation device comprising a raw water storage chamber, a float chamber communicating with the raw water storage chamber, and a float valve disposed in the float chamber; and a flow path connecting the two. The aforementioned flow path is the raw water storage chamber of the gas-liquid separation device, and the gas-liquid separation device and the pressure relief valve are integrated. The present invention provides a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism characterized by [this feature]. By connecting a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism, consisting of a pressure relief valve that is kept open, a gas-liquid separation device, and a flow path connecting the two, to the portion of the hot water circulation path that extends within the heat source unit and downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger, refrigerant gas leaking from the heat pump heat exchanger into the hot water circulation path can be efficiently discharged outdoors, regardless of the amount of refrigerant gas leakage. By installing a pressure relief valve in the raw water storage chamber of the gas-liquid separation device and integrating the two, the efficiency of installing the combined gas-liquid separation mechanism into the hot water circulation path is improved. In the present invention, a heat pump type heat source unit is provided that is placed outdoors to generate high-temperature water, and is connected to a hot water utilization device placed indoors via a hot water circulation path. The above The present invention provides a heat pump type heat source unit characterized in that a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism is disposed within the heat source unit of the hot water circulation path and in a portion extending downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger. In the above heat source unit, refrigerant gas leaking from the heat pump heat exchanger into the hot water circulation path can be efficiently discharged outdoors regardless of the amount of refrigerant gas leaked. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0006] [Figure 1]This is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a storage-type water heater and heating unit equipped with a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is an overall configuration diagram, and (b) is a diagram that comprehensively shows three options for the relative positional relationship between the pressure relief valve and the gas-liquid separation device that form the composite gas-liquid separation mechanism. The diagram shows three cases in a single figure: when the pressure relief valve is installed in the flow path connected to the raw water supply pipeline of the gas-liquid separation device, i.e., on the upstream side of the gas-liquid separation device; when the pressure relief valve is installed in the raw water storage chamber of the gas-liquid separation device; and when the pressure relief valve is installed in the flow path connected to the degassed water discharge pipeline of the gas-liquid separation device, i.e., on the downstream side of the gas-liquid separation device. (a) shows the case where the pressure relief valve is installed on the upstream side of the gas-liquid separation device. [Figure 2] This is a structural diagram of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a top view showing a portion of the valve in a plan view when closed, (b) is a view taken along arrow bb in (a), (c) is a front view showing a portion of the valve taken along arrow cc in (a), and (d) is a perspective view of a projection rising from the upper end wall of the casing. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a manual valve opening lever provided in a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a perspective view taken from diagonally above, and (b) is a perspective view taken from diagonally below. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the correlation between the manual valve opening lever and the projection rising from the upper wall of the casing of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows the operating state of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention at normal pressure. (a) and (b) correspond to (b) and (c) in Figure 2. [Figure 6] This figure shows the operating state of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention when abnormal pressure occurs. (a) and (b) correspond to (b) and (c) in Figure 2, and (c) is a perspective view showing the correlation between the manual valve opening lever and the projection rising from the upper wall of the casing. [Figure 7] This figure shows the rightward movement of the manual valve opening lever when abnormal pressure occurs in a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a perspective view showing the correlation between the manual valve opening lever and the projection rising from the upper end wall of the casing. [Figure 8]This figure shows the operating state of a pressure relief valve according to an embodiment of the present invention when the pressure drops after an abnormal pressure occurs. (a) corresponds to (c) in Figure 2, (b) is a partially enlarged view of (a), and (c) is a perspective view showing the correlation between the manual valve opening lever and the projection rising from the upper wall of the casing. [Figure 9] This is a structural diagram of a gas-liquid separation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. (a) is a front view, (b) is a view taken along arrow bb in (a), (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line cc in (a), (d) is a view taken along arrow dd in (a), and (e) is a view taken along arrow ee in (a). [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0007] A storage-type hot water heater and heating unit equipped with a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the descriptions in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7501986 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 7651250. As shown in Figure 1, the storage-type water heater and heater H comprises a heat pump type heat source unit 1 that generates high-temperature water and a hot water storage tank unit 2. The heat source unit 1 is located outdoors, and the hot water storage tank unit 2 is located indoors. The heat source unit 1 includes a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11, a compressor 12, an evaporator 13, and an expansion valve 14, which are sequentially connected in a ring shape by refrigerant piping. The hot water storage tank unit 2 includes a hot water storage tank 21, a water supply pipe 22 connected to the bottom of the hot water storage tank 21, a first circulation path 25 that extends upward through the inside of the hot water storage tank 21 to the top of the hot water storage tank 21, passing through a water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11, a circulation pump 23, and a three-way valve 24 from the top of the hot water storage tank 21, and further forming a heat exchange pipe 25a, the hot water outlet pipe 26 that takes out high-temperature water from the top of the hot water storage tank 21, a first pressure relief valve 27 for protecting the hot water storage tank connected to the hot water outlet pipe 26, a drain pipe 28 extending from the first pressure relief valve 27, and a hot and cold water mixing valve 29 connected to the hot water outlet pipe 26 and a branch pipe 22a extending from the water supply pipe 22. A faucet 30 is connected to the hot and cold water mixing valve 29 via the hot water piping. The storage-type hot water heater and heater H further includes a second pressure relief valve 3 for protecting the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 and for responding to damage, connected to a portion of the heat source unit 1 of the first circulation path 25 that extends within the heat source unit 1, more specifically to the portion immediately downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11; a drainage section 30a of the second pressure relief valve 3; and a gas-liquid separator 100 connected to a portion of the heat source unit 1 of the first circulation path 25 that extends within the portion immediately downstream of the second pressure relief valve 3. The second pressure relief valve 3 and the gas-liquid separator 100 work together to form a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism 200. The storage-type hot water heater and heater H is further equipped with a heating unit 4. The heating unit 4 includes a second circulation path 41, the upstream end of which is connected to a three-way valve 24 for flow path switching and the downstream end of which is connected to a part of the first circulation path 25 downstream of the hot water storage tank 21, and an indoor heat exchanger 42 located in the middle of the second circulation path 41. The portion of the second circulation path 41 that extends within the indoor heat exchanger 42 forms a heat exchange pipe 41a.

[0008] The structure of the second pressure relief valve 3 will be explained below. In the following explanation, the directions of arrows I, II, III, IV, V, and VI in Figures 2 to 8 will be referred to as upward, downward, left, right, forward, and backward. As shown in Figures 2(a) to (c), the second pressure relief valve 3 is equipped with a cylindrical casing 31 that extends vertically. An opening 31a1 connected to the first circulation passage 25 is formed at the lower end of the casing 31, and an opening 31a2 connected to the drainage section 30a is formed at the front of the lower part of the circumferential side wall of the casing 31. A valve seat 31b is formed in the portion of the casing 31 that extends between the openings 31a1 and 31a2. A valve body 32 is disposed opposite the valve seat 31b. The valve body 32 comprises a valve body 32a and a diaphragm 32b attached to the valve body 32a. A valve shaft 33 extending upward from the valve body 32a is slidably inserted into a small-diameter cylindrical body 31c at the top of the casing 31 and extends upward and outward from the casing 31. A coil spring 34 is provided that engages with the valve body 32a and the upper end wall 31d of the casing surrounding the small diameter cylindrical body 31c, thereby biasing the valve body 32a and, consequently, the valve element 32 downward, i.e., in the closing direction.

[0009] A manual valve-opening lever 36 is connected to the upper end 33a of the valve stem 33 via a pin 35 that slides through the upper end 33a of the valve stem 33 so as to be able to swing around the left-right axis X, which is the central axis of the pin 35. As shown in Figure 3, the rear end of the manual valve opening lever 36 forms a cylindrical body 36a that extends vertically in a rectangular cross-section, and the pin 35 penetrates the left and right side walls of the cylindrical body 36a, with the head 35a of the pin 35 screwed into the right side wall of the cylindrical body 36a. A coil spring 37 is disposed between the head 35a of the pin 35 and the right side of the upper end 33a of the valve stem, biasing the head 35a, and thus the manual valve opening lever 36, to the right. In Figure 2(b), when the manual valve opening lever 36 is swung clockwise, the front end wall of the cylindrical body 36a comes into contact with the upper end wall 31d of the casing, and then the valve stem 33 lifts up as it swings around the contact point, opening the valve. As shown in Figures 2(a) and (d), a cylindrical first projection 31e, which is roughly rectangular in top view, rises upward from the upper end wall 31d of the casing. The first projection 31e is curved in top view and has a front end wall 31e1 that slides against the upper end 33a of the valve stem to guide the upper end 33a of the valve stem, a front-rear central partition wall 31e2, and a rear end wall 31e3. The front end wall 31e1 and the front-rear central partition wall 31e2 are of the same height, higher than the rear end wall 31e3. The first projection 31e further has left and right side walls 31e4 that connect the left and right ends of the front end wall 31e1, the front-rear central partition wall 31e2, and the rear end wall 31e3. In a top view, a gate-shaped second projection 31f, outside the first projection 31e and surrounding it, rises upward from the upper end wall 31d of the casing. The second projection 31f comprises a rear end wall 31f1 and side walls 31f2 extending forward and downward from the rear end wall 31f1. A stepped portion 31f3 is formed in the center of the front-to-back direction on the upper surface of the side wall 31f2. As a result, the upper surface of the second projection 31f has an upper stepped portion formed by the upper surface of the rear end wall 31f1, a middle stepped portion that slopes downward, and a lower stepped portion 31f4 in front of the stepped portion 31f3. A curved recess 31f5 is formed in the lower stepped portion 31f4 on the upper surface of the right side wall 31f2. As shown in Figure 2(d), the upper surface of the second projection 31f is flush with the upper surface of the middle section front end flat portion 31f6 and the portion extending between the front end wall 31e1 and the central partition wall 31e2 of the first projection side wall 31e4. The rear end wall 31e3 of the first protrusion is integrated with the rear end wall 31f1 of the second protrusion.

[0010] The operation of the hot water storage type water heater and heater H and the second pressure relief valve 3 will be described. Tap water is supplied to the lower part of the hot water storage tank 21 through the water supply pipe 22. The circulation pump 23 operates, and the high-temperature water heated by the water-cooled medium heat exchanger 11 of the heat source unit 1 flows into the heat exchange pipe 25a via the first circulation path 25 and the three-way valve 24. The low-temperature tap water flowing into the lower part of the hot water storage tank 21 exchanges heat with the high-temperature water flowing through the heat exchange pipe 25a and is heated to become high-temperature water, filling the upper part of the hot water storage tank 21 with high-temperature water and pressurizing the hot water storage tank 21 due to thermal expansion. The water in the heat exchange pipe 25a whose temperature has decreased due to heat exchange with the low-temperature tap water returns to the water-cooled medium heat exchanger via the first circulation path 25, is reheated to become high-temperature water, and refluxes to the heat exchange pipe 25a in the hot water storage tank 21. The pressurized high-temperature water discharged from the upper part of the hot water storage tank 21 through the hot water discharge pipe 26 is mixed with the tap water supplied through the branch pipe 22a by the hot and cold water mixing valve 29 to become appropriate-temperature water and is discharged from the faucet 30. When the internal pressure of the hot water storage tank 21 reaches a predetermined value A, the first pressure relief valve 27 opens, and the high-pressure high-temperature water is released to the external environment through the drain pipe 28 to decompress the hot water storage tank 21. As a result, damage to the hot water storage tank 21 is prevented. After the hot water storage tank 21 is decompressed, the first pressure relief valve 27 closes. The high-temperature water heated by the water-cooled medium heat exchanger 11 of the heat source unit 1 flows into the heat exchange pipe 41a extending in the indoor heat exchanger 42 via the first circulation path 25, the three-way valve 24, and the second circulation path 41. The indoor cold air sucked into the indoor heat exchanger 42 exchanges heat with the high-temperature water flowing through the heat exchange pipe 41a and is heated to become warm air and refluxes into the room.

[0011] When the second pressure relief valve 3 shown in Fig. 2 is closed, as can be seen from Figs. 2 and 4, the rear end cylindrical body 36a of the manual valve opening lever 36 fits into the gap between the first protrusion 31e and the second protrusion 31f, and the right surface of the left side wall of the cylindrical body 36a abuts against the left surface of the left side wall 31e4 of the first protrusion, preventing the manual valve opening lever 36 from moving to the right. The manual valve opening lever 36 is held at a first predetermined position with respect to the right direction. Also, the lower bottom surface of the corming 36a1 that protrudes rightward from the right surface of the right side wall of the cylindrical body 36a and houses the pin head 35a abuts against the curved concave portion 31f5 at the lower stage of the upper surface of the right side wall of the second protrusion 31f, preventing the manual valve opening lever 36 and thus the valve shaft 33 from moving in the valve closing direction.

[0012] When the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 exceeds a predetermined value B due to some cause such as a malfunction of the heat source unit 1, as shown in Fig. 5, the second pressure relief valve 3 opens, and the high-pressure and high-temperature water in the first circulation path 25 is discharged to the external environment, reducing the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 and preventing damage to the heat source unit 1. When the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 reaches the predetermined value B, the amount of protrusion of the upper end portion 33a of the valve shaft outside the casing 31 is less than the predetermined value. As can be seen from Fig. 5, the contact between the right surface of the left side wall of the cylindrical body 36a and the left surface of the left side wall 31e4 of the first protrusion is maintained, preventing the manual valve opening lever 36 from moving to the right. The manual valve opening lever 36 is held at the first position with respect to the right direction. Therefore, when the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 decreases, the manual valve opening lever 36 and thus the valve shaft 33 descend and the second pressure relief valve 3 closes.

[0013] If the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 of the heat source unit 1 is damaged and high-pressure refrigerant such as propane gas in the heat pump refrigerant circuit mixes with the circulating water in the first circulation path 25, causing the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 to rise abnormally above the predetermined value B, the valve body 32 rises further than the open position shown in Figure 5 and stops when it comes into contact with the annular step portion 31g formed inside the casing 31 as shown in Figure 6, and the second pressure relief valve 3 opens completely. Because the pressure-receiving area of ​​the valve body 32 is increased by the presence of the bellows 32b, the second pressure relief valve 3 quickly opens completely, the discharge flow rate of the circulating water increases rapidly, and the high-pressure water and high-pressure refrigerant in the first circulation path 25 are quickly released into the external environment. As a result, even if a part of the first circulation path 25, such as the heat exchange pipe 25a, or a part of the second circulation path 41, such as the heat exchange pipe 41a, is damaged, there is no risk of flammable or toxic refrigerants being released into the room. As the second pressure relief valve 3 fully opens, the amount of the upper end of the valve stem 33a protruding outside the casing 31 exceeds a predetermined value, and in the fully open state of the second pressure relief valve 3 shown in Figure 6, the contact between the right surface of the left side wall of the cylindrical body 36a and the left surface of the left side wall 31e4 of the first projection is released. As a result, as shown in Figure 7, the manual valve opening lever 36, which is biased by the coil spring 37, moves to the right, and the right surface of the left side wall of the cylindrical body 36a comes into contact with the left surface of the upper end of the valve stem 33a and stops, and is held in the second position with respect to the right. When the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 decreases, the valve body 32, and consequently the valve stem 33 and the manual valve opening lever 36, are lowered by the biasing force of the spring 34. However, as shown in Figure 8, the lower surface of the left side wall of the cylindrical body 36a abuts against the upper surface of the portion extending between the front end wall 31e1 of the first projection left side wall 31e4 and the central partition wall 31e2, and the lower surface of the right side wall of the cylindrical body 36a abuts against the front end flat portion 31f6 of the middle section of the upper surface of the second projection right side wall 31f2, thereby preventing the manual valve opening lever 36 and consequently the valve stem 33 from descending. As a result, the open state of the second pressure relief valve 3 is maintained. Therefore, the refrigerant is reliably released into the external environment, ensuring safety inside the room. Furthermore, the situation in which the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 becomes abnormally high again before the cause of the abnormally high pressure is resolved does not occur. Since the movement mechanism and movement restriction mechanism for the manual valve opening lever 36 are located outside the casing 31, the valve mechanism of the second pressure relief valve 3 is not complicated. To release the valve from being in the open position, simply bias the head 35a of the pin to the left and return the manual valve opening lever 36 to the first position. As can be seen from the above explanation, the second pressure relief valve 3 efficiently discharges refrigerant gas to the outside when there is a large amount of refrigerant leakage from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 and the pressure of the hot water in the first circulation path 25 is high. On the other hand, when there is little refrigerant leakage from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 and the pressure of the hot water in the first circulation path 25 is low, it does not discharge refrigerant gas to the outside.

[0014] The gas-liquid separation device 100 is described below. As shown in Figure 9, the gas-liquid separation device 100 includes a raw water storage chamber 102 with a circular cross-section for storing raw water mixed with gas, a raw water supply pipeline 103 connected to the upper part of the raw water storage chamber 102, a degassed water discharge pipeline 104 connected to the lower part of the raw water storage chamber 102, a float chamber 105 disposed above the raw water storage chamber 102 and communicating with the raw water storage chamber via a communication hole 105a, and a float valve 106 having a float 106a and a valve mechanism 106b, disposed inside the float chamber 105, which normally closes the float chamber 105 and opens when a predetermined amount of gas accumulates in the float chamber 105 to discharge the gas to the atmosphere. The connection port 102a of the raw water storage chamber 102 to the raw water supply pipeline 103 is directed tangentially to the inner surface of the side wall surrounding the raw water storage chamber 102, and the connection port 102b of the raw water storage chamber 102 to the deaerated water discharge pipeline 104 is directed tangentially to the inner surface of the side wall surrounding the raw water storage chamber 102. The communication hole 105a between the raw water storage chamber 102 and the float chamber 105 is offset from the center C of the cross-section of the raw water storage chamber toward the connection port 102a of the raw water storage chamber 102 toward the connection port 102a of the raw water supply pipeline 103.

[0015] The operation of the gas-liquid separation device 100 will be explained. As shown in Figures 9(c) to 9(e), the raw water flowing from the raw water supply pipeline 103 into the raw water storage chamber 102 flows tangentially to the inner surface of the circumferential side wall of the raw water storage chamber 102, forming a swirling flow SF. The bubbles dispersed in the raw water gather near the center of the raw water storage chamber cross-section due to the centrifugal force of the swirling flow SF, forming a bubble cluster. As shown by the white arrow A1 in Figure 9(c), the bubble cluster rises in the raw water near the center of the raw water storage chamber cross-section. Due to the ejector effect of the raw water flowing from the raw water supply pipeline 103 into the raw water storage chamber 2, the raw water above the connection port 102a of the raw water storage chamber 102 to the raw water supply pipeline 103 is drawn toward the connection port 102a. The group of bubbles rising in the raw water near the center of the cross-section of the raw water storage chamber is carried toward this raw water, and as shown by the white arrow A2 in Figure 9(c), the upward flow of the bubble group is directed toward the connection port 102a. Since the communication hole 105a between the raw water storage chamber 2 and the float chamber 105 is offset from the center C of the raw water storage chamber cross-section toward the connection port 102a with the raw water supply pipeline 103 of the raw water storage chamber 102, the rising bubbles that are offset toward the connection port 102a accumulate directly below the communication hole 105a and enter the float chamber 105 through the communication hole 105a. The gas accumulated in the float chamber 105 pushes down the water level in the float chamber 105, causing the float 106a to descend. When the amount of gas accumulated in the float chamber 105 reaches a predetermined value, the float valve 106 opens due to the operation of the valve mechanism 106b, and the gas is discharged to the outside. As can be seen from the above explanation, in the gas-liquid separator 101, the communication hole 5a between the raw water storage chamber 102 and the float chamber 5 is shifted from the center C of the cross-section of the raw water storage chamber toward the connection port 102a of the raw water storage chamber 102 to the raw water supply pipeline 103. This allows the group of bubbles rising in the raw water to be guided to the communication hole 105a, effectively introducing the group of bubbles into the float chamber 105, effectively accumulating gas in the float chamber 105, effectively opening the float valve 106, suppressing water leakage from the float valve 106, and effectively discharging the gas separated from the raw water to the outside. 3D-CAD fluid analysis has revealed that gas discharge efficiency improves when the fluid velocity in the raw water storage chamber 2 at the location of the communication hole 105a is slow. Since the output of the circulation pump 23 installed in the first circulation path 25 is constant, when the amount of refrigerant leakage from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 is small and the density of the bubble flow in the first circulation path 25 is large, the flow velocity of the bubble flow becomes slow. Therefore, the gas-liquid separator 100 efficiently discharges refrigerant gas to the outside when the amount of refrigerant leakage from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 is small and the flow velocity of hot water in the first circulation path 25 is slow. On the other hand, when the amount of refrigerant gas leakage is large, the balance of the swirling flow in the raw water storage chamber 2 is disrupted, and the refrigerant gas discharge function is not performed.

[0016] As can be seen from the above explanation, the storage-type hot water heater and heater H is equipped with a composite gas-liquid separation mechanism 200 consisting of a second pressure relief valve 3 and a gas-liquid separation device 100, which are connected to a part of the heat source unit 1 of the first circulation path 25 that extends within the heat source unit 1, more specifically to the part immediately downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11, for the protection of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 and for responding to damage. The second pressure relief valve 3 operates when the internal pressure of the first circulation path 25 is high and the amount of refrigerant gas leaking from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 is large, and the gas-liquid separation device 100 operates efficiently when the flow velocity of hot water in the first circulation path 25 is slow and the amount of refrigerant gas leaking from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 is small. As a result, refrigerant gas leaked from the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 of the heat pump into the first circulation path 25, which is the hot water circulation path of the storage-type hot water heater, can be efficiently discharged outdoors regardless of the amount of refrigerant gas leaked. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Any other pressure relief valve equipped with an open valve maintenance mechanism may be used instead of the second pressure relief valve 3, and any other gas-liquid separation device comprising a raw water storage chamber, a float chamber communicating with the raw water storage chamber, and a float valve disposed within the float chamber may be used instead of the gas-liquid separation device 100. In the above embodiment, the combined gas-liquid separation mechanism 200 was applied to a storage-type hot water heater and heater H, but the combined gas-liquid separation mechanism 200 can also be applied to hot water heaters, heaters, etc. equipped with a heat pump. As can be seen from Figure 1(b), which comprehensively shows three options for the relative positional relationship between the pressure relief valve and the gas-liquid separator, instead of installing the second pressure relief valve 3 upstream of the gas-liquid separator 100, the second pressure relief valve 3 may be installed downstream of the gas-liquid separator 100, or the second pressure relief valve 3 may be attached to the raw water storage chamber 102 of the gas-liquid separator 100. By attaching the second pressure relief valve 3 to the raw water storage chamber 102 of the gas-liquid separator 100 and integrating the two, the efficiency of the installation work for the refrigerant gas discharge mechanism in the first circulation path 25 of the storage-type hot water heater H, specifically in the portion extending downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 11 within the heat source unit 1, is improved. [Industrial applicability]

[0017] This invention can be widely used in storage-type water heaters, heating systems, and hot water systems equipped with heat pumps. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0018] H Storage-type water heater and heating unit 1 Heat source unit 2. Hot water storage tank unit 27. First pressure relief valve 3. Second pressure relief valve 4 Heating Units 31 Casing 31e 1st protrusion 31f 2nd protrusion 31i 3rd protrusion 31j 4th protrusion 32 valve body 33 Valve stem 33a Upper end of valve stem 35 pins 36. Manual valve opening lever 36a cylinder 36b Leaf spring 37 Coil spring 38 Leaf springs 100 Gas-liquid separation equipment 102 Raw Water Storage Room 103 Raw water supply pipeline 104 Deaerated water discharge pipe 105 Float Chamber 105a Communication hole 106 Float valve 200 Combined gas-liquid separation mechanism A1, A2 Bubble Flow C: Center of the raw water storage chamber cross-section SF swirl flow

Claims

1. A composite gas-liquid separation mechanism comprising: a pressure relief valve having a valve mechanism that opens when the pressure inside the fluid path becomes high and an open-holding mechanism that holds the valve mechanism in the open state after opening; a gas-liquid separation device having a raw water storage chamber, a float chamber communicating with the raw water storage chamber, and a float valve disposed in the float chamber; and a flow path connecting the two, wherein the flow path is the raw water storage chamber of the gas-liquid separation device, and the gas-liquid separation device and the pressure relief valve are integrated.

2. A heat pump type heat source unit that generates high-temperature water when placed outdoors, and is connected to a hot water utilization device placed indoors via a hot water circulation path, characterized in that the composite gas-liquid separation mechanism described in Claim 1 is disposed within the heat source unit of the hot water circulation path and in a portion that extends downstream of the water-refrigerant heat exchanger.

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