Refrigeration cycle equipment

Abstract

To provide a refrigeration cycle device capable of suppressing a reduction in the heat exchange ability of a heat storage heat exchanger to improve defrosting performance and also improve heating ability.SOLUTION: An outdoor unit 10 including a compressor 11, a four-way valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, and a heat storage tank 30 provided on the outer periphery of the compressor 11 and storing a heat storage material 31 and a heat storage heat exchanger 40, and an indoor unit 20 including an indoor heat exchanger 21 are connected to each other via a refrigerant pipe 16 (a pipe where refrigerant flows). Between the intake side of the compressor 11 and the four-way valve 12, a three-way valve 18 is provided for switching between a pipe for carrying the refrigerant from the four-way valve 12 directly to the suction side of the compressor 11 and a pipe for carrying the refrigerant from the four-way valve 12 via the heat storage heat exchanger 40 to the suction side of the compressor 11. During defrosting operation, the three-way valve 18 is switched so that the refrigerant flows from the four-way valve 12 to the heat storage heat exchanger 40, and the refrigerant flows from the lower side of the heat storage heat exchanger 40 to the upper side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle apparatus. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, Patent Document 1 discloses a refrigeration apparatus and an operation method for the refrigeration apparatus, which prevents reductions in the COP of the refrigeration apparatus and the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration apparatus by preventing uneven frost formation in a heat pump air conditioner using a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant having a temperature gradient. [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent No. 6765538 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] The present disclosure provides a refrigeration cycle apparatus that can suppress reduction in heat exchange capacity of a heat storage heat exchanger, and improve defrosting performance and heating capacity. [Means for Solving the Problem]

[0005] The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle apparatus in which an outdoor unit including a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a heat storage tank provided on an outer periphery of the compressor and accommodating a heat storage material and a heat storage heat exchanger, and an indoor unit including an indoor heat exchanger are connected via a pipe through which a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows, wherein a refrigerant flow path switching means is provided for switching between a pipe that allows the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant to flow directly to a suction side of the compressor and a pipe that allows the refrigerant to flow to the suction side of the compressor via the heat storage heat exchanger, and during a defrosting operation, the refrigerant flow path switching means switches such that the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows through the heat storage heat exchanger, and the temperature gradient caused by temperature glide of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger, and the gradient of the temperature distribution of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank The slopeThe heat storage heat exchanger is characterized by being configured such that a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows from the bottom to the top, in a manner that closely matches the flow rate. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to this disclosure, by flowing the refrigerant from the bottom to the top of the heat storage heat exchanger, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger and the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank become approximately the same, making it possible to uniformly absorb heat from the heat storage material. As a result, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Refrigeration cycle diagram showing the configuration of the air conditioner in Embodiment 1 [Figure 2] A perspective view showing the compressor in Embodiment 1 with the heat storage tank assembled. [Figure 3] Perspective view showing the internal piping of the thermal storage heat exchanger in Embodiment 1 [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the pressure and temperature changes of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant in the heat storage heat exchanger in Embodiment 1. [Figure 5] This diagram illustrates the pressure and temperature changes of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant in the heat storage heat exchanger in Embodiment 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors conceived of this disclosure, there was a technology available for heat pump air conditioners using non-azeotropic refrigerant mixtures with a temperature gradient that prevented uneven frost formation and thus prevented a decrease in the COP of the refrigeration system and the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration system.

[0009] However, the inventors discovered that with conventional technology, when a thermal storage heat exchanger is used as an evaporator during defrosting, temperature glide occurs in the thermal storage heat exchanger due to the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant, reducing the heat exchange capacity with the heat storage material in the thermal storage heat exchanger, which prolongs the defrosting time and reduces the low-temperature heating capacity. To solve this problem, the inventors have come to form the subject of this disclosure. This disclosure provides a refrigeration cycle system that can suppress the decrease in heat exchange capacity in a thermal storage heat exchanger and improve defrosting performance and heating capacity.

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art. The attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0011] (Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings. [1-1. Structure] [1-1-1. Air Conditioner Configuration] First, let me explain the components of an air conditioner. Figure 1 is a refrigeration cycle diagram showing the configuration of an air conditioner. As shown in Figure 1, the air conditioner 1 comprises an outdoor unit 10 and an indoor unit 20. The outdoor unit 10 houses a compressor 11, a four-way valve 12 for switching the refrigerant flow path, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, an outdoor fan (not shown), an outdoor throttling device 14, and a strainer 15. These components are sequentially connected by outdoor refrigerant piping 16a. In this embodiment, a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant is used as the refrigerant. Further, an accumulator (17) for separating a liquid-phase refrigerant and a gas-phase refrigerant is provided in a suction refrigerant pipe (16b) connected to a refrigerant suction side of the compressor (11).

[0012] In addition to an indoor heat exchanger (21), the indoor unit (20) is provided with a blower fan not shown in the drawings. The indoor heat exchanger (21) performs heat exchange between indoor air sucked into the indoor unit (20) by the blower fan and a refrigerant flowing inside the indoor heat exchanger (21). During heating, the air warmed by the heat exchange is blown into the room, while during cooling, the air cooled by the heat exchange is blown into the room. An indoor refrigerant pipe (16c) is connected to the indoor heat exchanger (21), and each of the indoor refrigerant pipes (16c) is connected to a connection on-off valve (22). The outdoor unit (10) and the indoor unit (20) are connected by a connecting refrigerant pipe (16d) via the connection on-off valve (22).

[0013] Furthermore, a heat storage tank (30) is provided around the compressor (11). A heat storage heat exchanger (40) is provided inside the heat storage tank (30). The interior of the heat storage tank (30) is filled with a heat storage material (31) (for example, an ethylene glycol aqueous solution) for heat exchange with the heat storage heat exchanger (40), and the heat storage tank (30), the heat storage heat exchanger (40) and the heat storage material (31) constitute a heat storage device.

[0014] Further, a three-way valve (18) serving as electrically switchable refrigerant flow path switching means is provided in a middle portion of the suction refrigerant pipe (16b) connecting the four-way valve (12) and the accumulator (17). The remaining connection port of the three-way valve (18) is connected to an inlet side of the heat storage heat exchanger (40) via an inlet side pipe (41). An outlet side of the heat storage heat exchanger (40) is connected to the suction refrigerant pipe (16b) between the three-way valve (18) and the accumulator (17) via an outlet side pipe (42).

[0015] [1-1-2. Configuration of Heat Storage Heat Exchanger] Next, the configuration of the heat storage heat exchanger (40) will be described. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where the heat storage tank (30) is assembled to the compressor (11). Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing internal pipes of the heat storage heat exchanger (40). As shown in Figure 2, the heat storage tank 30 includes a heat storage tank body 32 having an open upper portion, and a lid 33 that closes the upper opening of the heat storage tank body 32. The interior of the heat storage tank 30 is filled with a liquid heat storage material 31, and an internal pipe 43 through which a refrigerant flows is accommodated in the heat storage tank 30.

[0016] The heat storage tank body 32 is formed in a substantially U-shape in plan view, and is attached in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the compressor 11. The heat storage tank body 32 is fixed to the compressor 11 via a band 34. Note that the accumulator 17 is formed integrally with the compressor 11, and the heat storage tank body 32 is attached to a position where the accumulator 17 is not attached. Further, there may be cases where the accumulator 17 is not provided (not shown). A heat transfer sheet (not shown) is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the compressor 11. The compressor 11 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the heat storage tank body 32 on the compressor 11 side via this heat transfer sheet.

[0017] As shown in Figure 3, the heat storage heat exchanger 40 includes an internal pipe 43 formed, for example, by bending a copper pipe or the like into a meandering shape. The internal pipe 43 is supported at both ends by the lid 33 of the heat storage tank 30. One end of the internal pipe 43 is connected to an inlet-side pipe 41. The internal pipe 43 connected to the inlet-side pipe 41 includes a linear portion 44 that extends linearly toward the lower part of the heat storage tank body 32. The internal pipe 43 includes a meandering portion 45 that meanders upward from the lower end of the linear portion 44 along the substantially U-shaped heat storage tank 30. The upper end of the meandering portion 45 is connected to an outlet-side pipe 42 of the lid 33. As described above, by providing the meandering portion 45, it is possible to effectively utilize the heat amount of the heat storage material 31 inside the heat storage tank 30.

[0018] In the present embodiment, the internal pipe 43 is configured such that pressure loss is generated inside the pipe during defrosting operation. Specifically, the internal pipe 43 is configured to have a smaller diameter than the inlet-side pipe 41 and the outlet-side pipe 42. By configuring the internal piping 43 to have a small diameter in this way, a pressure loss of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43 can be created. This makes it possible to balance the temperature gradient of the refrigerant, which flows through the internal piping 43 and exchanges heat with the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage heat exchanger 40, with the temperature gradient due to the pressure loss in the internal piping 43. Another way to configure the internal piping 43 to have a pressure loss is to construct the internal piping 43 as a grooved pipe with grooves formed on its inner surface.

[0019] The compressor 11, four-way valve 12, outdoor throttle device 14, and three-way valve 18 are electrically connected to a control device (not shown) and controlled by the control device (not shown).

[0020] [1-2. Operation] The operation of the air conditioner according to the present invention with the above configuration will be described. During heating operation, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 passes through the outdoor refrigerant piping 16a and is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 via the four-way valve 12, connecting refrigerant piping 16d, and indoor refrigerant piping 16c, respectively. The refrigerant that has condensed after exchanging heat with indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21 leaves the indoor heat exchanger 21 and passes through the indoor refrigerant piping 16c, connecting refrigerant piping 16d, and outdoor refrigerant piping 16a, and is sent to the outdoor throttling device 14 via a strainer 15 that prevents foreign matter from entering the outdoor throttling device 14.

[0021] The refrigerant, depressurized by the outdoor throttle device 14, is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 through the outdoor refrigerant piping 16a. The refrigerant that has evaporated after exchanging heat with the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is returned to the suction side of the compressor 11 by sequentially passing through the outdoor refrigerant piping 16a, the four-way valve 12, and the accumulator 17. At this time, since the compressor 11 of the heat storage tank body 32 is in contact with the outer surface of the compressor 11, the heat from the compressor 11 is transferred to the heat storage tank 30 and stored in the heat storage material 31 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40.

[0022] When switching from heating operation to defrosting operation, the three-way valve 18 is switched. As a result, the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 21 via the four-way valve 12, through the connecting refrigerant piping 16d and the indoor refrigerant piping 16c, respectively, just as during heating operation. The refrigerant that has condensed after exchanging heat with the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 21 leaves the indoor heat exchanger 21 and passes through the indoor refrigerant piping 16c, the connecting refrigerant piping 16d and the outdoor refrigerant piping 16a, and is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 via the strainer 15 and the outdoor throttling device 14.

[0023] The refrigerant sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 is sent to the thermal storage heat exchanger 40 via the four-way valve 12, the three-way valve 18, and the inlet side piping 41, respectively. The refrigerant sent to the thermal storage heat exchanger 40 is first sent to the bottom of the thermal storage heat exchanger 40 through the straight section 44 of the internal piping 43, and then moves upward from below the meandering section 45 of the internal piping 43, exchanging heat with the thermal storage material 31. As a result, the refrigerant absorbs heat from the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage heat exchanger 40, evaporates, becomes a gas, and is returned to the suction side of the compressor 11 from the accumulator 17 through the suction refrigerant piping 16b.

[0024] In this way, the refrigerant exchanges heat with the heat storage material 31, so that when heating is in operation, the refrigerant is warmed by the heat stored in the cold storage material 31 and is drawn into the compressor 11, thereby increasing the efficiency of heating. Furthermore, the refrigerant that has exchanged heat with the indoor heat exchanger 21 is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 at a temperature higher than a predetermined temperature, thereby enabling defrosting of the outdoor heat exchanger 13.

[0025] In this embodiment, when the refrigerant flows through the internal piping 43 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40, the internal piping 43 is configured to be small in diameter, which can cause a pressure loss in the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43. This makes it possible to balance the temperature gradient of the refrigerant, which flows through the internal piping 43 and exchanges heat with the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage heat exchanger 40, with the temperature gradient due to the pressure loss in the internal piping 43.

[0026] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the pressure change and temperature change of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant in the heat storage heat exchanger 40. Figure 4(a) shows the case of this embodiment, and Figure 4(b) shows the case where the internal piping 43 is not made small in diameter. As shown in Figure 4(a), when the refrigerant flows from the inlet pipe 41 to the internal pipe 43, the pressure of the refrigerant decreases due to heat exchange with the heat storage material 31. On the other hand, when the refrigerant flows from the inlet pipe 41 to the internal pipe 43, the internal pipe 43 is configured to be small in diameter, causing internal losses in the internal pipe 43. As a result, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger 40 balances the temperature gradient due to the pressure loss in the internal pipe 43. Therefore, the temperature of the entire heat storage heat exchanger 40 becomes uniform, allowing heat to be absorbed uniformly from the heat storage material 31.

[0027] In contrast, as shown in Figure 4(b), if the diameter of the internal piping 43 is formed with a normal diameter, the pressure loss of the refrigerant is small, but the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant becomes large, and it can be seen that it does not balance with the temperature gradient due to the pressure loss in the internal piping 43.

[0028] In this embodiment, the refrigerant sent to the heat storage heat exchanger 40 is first sent downwards through the internal piping 43, and then moves upwards from the lower part of the internal piping 43 while exchanging heat with the heat storage material 31. Generally, within the heat storage tank 30, the temperature of the heat storage material 31 is higher at the top and lower at the bottom. Therefore, by allowing the refrigerant supplied from the three-way valve 18 to flow from the bottom of the internal piping 43, the refrigerant first comes into contact with the low-temperature heat storage material 31, and heat exchange takes place.

[0029] Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the pressure change and temperature change of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant in the heat storage heat exchanger 40. Figure 5(a) shows the case of this embodiment, and Figure 5(b) shows the case when the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows in the opposite direction to that of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 5(a), by flowing the refrigerant downwards through the internal piping 43, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40 and the temperature gradient of the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage tank 30 become approximately the same, making it possible to absorb heat uniformly from the heat storage material 31. In contrast, as shown in Figure 5(b), when the refrigerant is introduced from above the internal piping 43, the refrigerant comes into contact with the heat storage material 31 at a higher temperature, and as it flows downwards through the internal piping 43, it exchanges heat with the refrigerant at a lower temperature. Therefore, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40 and the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage tank 30 are in opposite directions, which may cause variations in heat absorption from the heat storage material 31.

[0030] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, according to this embodiment, an outdoor unit 10, which includes a compressor 11, a four-way valve 12, an outdoor heat exchanger 13, and a heat storage tank 30 provided on the outer circumference of the compressor 11 and containing a heat storage material 31 and a heat storage heat exchanger 40, and an indoor unit 20, which includes an indoor heat exchanger 21, are connected via refrigerant piping 16 (piping through which the refrigerant flows). Between the suction side of the compressor 11 and the four-way valve 12, a three-way valve 18 is provided to switch between piping that directly flows the refrigerant from the four-way valve 12 to the suction side of the compressor 11 and piping that flows the refrigerant from the four-way valve 12 to the suction side of the compressor 11 via the heat storage heat exchanger 40. During defrosting operation, the three-way valve 18 is switched so that the refrigerant flows from the four-way valve 12 to the heat storage heat exchanger 40, and the refrigerant flows from the bottom to the top of the heat storage heat exchanger 40. As a result, by flowing the refrigerant from the bottom to the top of the internal piping 43, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40 and the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage tank 30 become approximately the same, making it possible to absorb heat uniformly from the heat storage material 31. Therefore, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved.

[0031] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the thermal storage heat exchanger 40 is equipped with internal piping 43 that is formed in a meandering manner from the bottom to the top of the thermal storage heat exchanger 40. As a result, the internal piping 43 causes the refrigerant to flow upwards from the relatively lower temperature lower part of the heat storage tank 30 in a meandering manner. This causes the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping 43 of the heat storage heat exchanger 40 to roughly match the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage tank 30, making it possible to absorb heat uniformly from the heat storage material 31. Therefore, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved.

[0032] In this embodiment, a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows through the refrigerant piping 16. With this configuration, when a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant is used, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger 40 and the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage tank 30 are approximately the same, making it possible to absorb heat uniformly from the heat storage material 31.

[0033] Furthermore, with the above configuration, heating capacity can be improved even when using refrigerants other than non-azeotropic mixed refrigerants (single refrigerant, azeotropic mixed refrigerant). The refrigerant exchanges heat with the heat storage material 31 in the heat storage heat exchanger 40, evaporating from a liquid state and entering a superheated state. At this time, the temperature of the refrigerant in the superheated state rises. According to this embodiment, since the refrigerant flows from the bottom to the top of the heat storage heat exchanger, it becomes easier to secure a temperature difference between the refrigerant in the superheated state and the heat storage material 31, thereby suppressing a decrease in defrosting performance.

[0034] (Other embodiments) As described above, Embodiment 1 has been explained as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the elements described in Embodiment 1 above.

[0035] For example, in Embodiment 1, the internal piping 43 of the thermal storage heat exchanger 40 is configured to have a smaller diameter than the other piping that constitutes the path from the three-way valve 18 to the suction side of the compressor 11, and the refrigerant is configured to flow from the bottom to the top of the internal piping 43, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the diameter of the internal piping 43 may be made smaller than the diameter of the other pipes, and the refrigerant may be flowed from the top to the bottom of the internal piping 43. Even in this case, the effects shown in Figure 4 can be achieved. Alternatively, the diameter of the internal piping 43 may be configured to be the same as the diameter of the other pipes, and the refrigerant may be flowed from the bottom to the top of the internal piping 43. In this case as well, the effects shown in Figure 5 can be achieved.

[0036] (Note) Based on the above description of embodiments, the following technologies are disclosed.

[0037] (Technology 1) A refrigeration cycle device comprising an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a heat storage tank provided on the outer circumference of the compressor and housing a heat storage material and a heat storage heat exchanger, and an indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger, connected via piping through which a refrigerant flows, characterized in that a refrigerant flow path switching means is provided to switch between piping that directly flows the refrigerant to the suction side of the compressor and piping that flows the refrigerant to the suction side of the compressor via the heat storage heat exchanger, and during defrosting operation, the refrigerant flow path switching means is switched so that the refrigerant flows to the heat storage heat exchanger, and the refrigerant flows from below to above the heat storage heat exchanger. This configuration allows the refrigerant to flow from the bottom to the top of the heat storage heat exchanger. As a result, the temperature gradient caused by the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger closely matches the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank, enabling uniform heat absorption from the heat storage material. Therefore, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved.

[0038] (Technical 2) The refrigeration cycle device according to Technical 1, characterized in that the thermal storage heat exchanger has internal piping comprising a straight section extending downward from the top of the thermal storage heat exchanger and a meandering section that meanders upward from the lower end of the straight section toward the top of the thermal storage heat exchanger. This configuration allows the refrigerant to flow upwards from the relatively lower temperature lower part of the heat storage tank through internal piping in a meandering path. As a result, the temperature gradient caused by the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the internal piping of the heat storage heat exchanger closely matches the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the tank, enabling uniform heat absorption from the heat storage material. Therefore, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved.

[0039] (Technology 3) The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to Technology 2, characterized in that during defrosting operation, the refrigerant flows from below to above the meandering portion of the internal piping. This configuration allows the refrigerant to flow from the bottom to the top of the meandering section of the internal piping. As a result, the temperature gradient caused by the temperature glide of the refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger closely matches the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank, enabling uniform heat absorption from the heat storage material. Therefore, the decrease in defrosting performance can be suppressed, the defrosting time can be shortened, and the heating capacity can be improved.

[0040] (Technical 4) The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to Technical 1, characterized in that a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows through the piping as the refrigerant. With this configuration, when using a non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture, the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger and the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank are approximately the same, making it possible to absorb heat uniformly from the heat storage material. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] The refrigeration cycle device according to this disclosure can be suitably used as a refrigeration cycle device that can suppress the decrease in heat exchange capacity in the thermal storage heat exchanger and improve defrosting performance and heating capacity. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] 1. Air conditioner 10 Outdoor unit 11 Compressor 12 Four-way valve 13 Outdoor heat exchanger 14 Outdoor throttle device 15 Strainer 16a Outdoor refrigerant piping 16b Suction refrigerant pipe 16c Indoor refrigerant piping 16d Connecting refrigerant piping 17 Accumulator 18 Three-way valve 20 Indoor unit 21 Indoor heat exchanger 22 Connection valve 30 Heat storage tank 31 Heat storage material 32 Heat storage tank body 33 Lid 34 bands 40 Heat storage heat exchanger 41 Inlet side piping 42 Outlet side piping 43 Internal Piping 44 Straight section 45. Meandering section

Claims

1. In a refrigeration cycle system comprising an outdoor unit equipped with a compressor, a four-way valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a heat storage tank provided on the outer circumference of the compressor and containing a heat storage material and a heat storage heat exchanger, and an indoor unit equipped with an indoor heat exchanger, the two are connected via piping through which a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows, A refrigerant flow path switching means is provided to switch between a pipe that directly flows a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant to the suction side of the compressor and a pipe that flows the refrigerant to the suction side of the compressor via the heat storage heat exchanger. During defrosting operation, the refrigerant flow path switching means is switched so that a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flows to the heat storage heat exchanger, and the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant is configured to flow from the bottom to the top of the heat storage heat exchanger so that the temperature gradient due to the temperature glide of the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant flowing through the heat storage heat exchanger matches the slope of the temperature distribution gradient of the heat storage material in the heat storage tank. A refrigeration cycle device characterized by the following features.

2. The heat storage heat exchanger includes internal piping consisting of a straight section extending downward from the top of the heat storage heat exchanger and a meandering section that meanders upward from the lower end of the straight section toward the top of the heat storage heat exchanger. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to feature 1.

3. During defrosting, the non-azeotropic refrigerant mixture flows from the bottom to the top of the meandering section of the internal piping. The refrigeration cycle apparatus according to feature 2.

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