Outdoor unit and refrigeration cycle device

Abstract

This outdoor unit comprises: an outdoor heat exchanger which includes a plurality of heat exchangers each having a plurality of heat transfer pipes extending in a vertical direction and performing heat exchange between a refrigerant flowing through the plurality of heat transfer pipes and air; a housing which accommodates the outdoor heat exchanger, has a cuboid shape having an upper portion in which a blowout port is formed, and has a rectangular shape in a plan view; a fan which is disposed in the upper portion of the housing and which blows out air upward from the blowout port to supply air to the outdoor heat exchanger; and built-in devices which are disposed inside the housing, and which include a compressor for compressing the refrigerant. Each of the plurality of heat exchangers is disposed so as to face each of a plurality of side surfaces among four side surfaces of the housing in a plan view, and the built-in devices are disposed so as to face the plurality of heat exchangers in a direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, wherein: a proximity distance, which is the distance between any one of the plurality of heat exchangers and the built-in device having the shortest distance among the distances between the built-in devices and each of the plurality of heat exchangers, is at least equal to 125 mm and is at most equal to half of the longitudinal length of the housing when viewed in a plan view.

Description

Outdoor unit and refrigeration cycle device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit and a refrigeration cycle device having an outdoor heat exchanger.

[0002] Conventionally, there is a top-flow outdoor unit that includes, in a housing, an outdoor heat exchanger having a plurality of heat transfer tubes between a pair of headers, and a fan that is disposed above the outdoor heat exchanger and blows air upward, the fan being disposed above the outdoor heat exchanger and drawing in air from below (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The outdoor heat exchanger in the outdoor unit of Patent Document 1 is configured such that, when viewed from the front, a pair of headers are disposed spaced apart on the left and right, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes extending in the left-right direction are disposed in parallel in the vertical direction between the pair of headers, so that a refrigerant flows in the left-right direction between the pair of headers.

[0003] In a top-flow outdoor unit, the fan is installed in the upper part of the housing, which creates a distribution of air speed between the lower and upper parts of the housing, with the air speed at the upper part being faster than the air speed at the lower part. Therefore, when focusing on a single heat transfer tube, the heat exchange rate at the heat transfer tube at the lower part of the housing is less than the heat exchange rate at the heat transfer tube at the upper part of the housing. Therefore, in a top-flow outdoor unit with a configuration in which heat transfer tubes extending in the left-right direction are arranged in parallel in the vertical direction, variations in the heat exchange rate occur, resulting in reduced performance.

[0004] Therefore, in the outdoor unit of Patent Document 1, a refrigerant distributor is used to reduce the amount of refrigerant flowing through the lower heat transfer tube compared to the amount of refrigerant flowing through the upper heat transfer tube, thereby improving the variation in the heat exchange rate and suppressing a decrease in the heat exchange rate of the entire outdoor heat exchanger.

[0005] International Publication No. 2022 / 209919

[0006] The outdoor unit of Patent Document 1 attempts to suppress a decrease in heat exchange rate due to uneven vertical airflow distribution by controlling the amount of refrigerant flowing through each heat transfer tube. In a top-flow outdoor unit, if the heat exchanger is configured with vertically extending heat transfer tubes arranged in parallel in the left-right direction, it can be less affected by uneven vertical airflow distribution. However, if heat exchangers of this configuration are arranged facing multiple of the four sides of the housing (front, rear, right, and left), the following new problem arises. The outdoor unit includes built-in equipment that occupies a large volume, such as a compressor, within the housing. Therefore, if a built-in equipment with a large volume is arranged close to one of the multiple heat exchangers, the airflow resistance of that heat exchanger increases. In this case, the heat exchange rate of the outdoor unit varies between the heat exchanger adjacent to the built-in equipment and the other heat exchangers, resulting in reduced heat exchange performance.

[0007] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide an outdoor unit and a refrigeration cycle device in a top-flow type outdoor unit that suppresses a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger caused by the arrangement of built-in equipment.

[0008] The outdoor unit according to the present disclosure comprises: an outdoor heat exchanger having a plurality of heat exchangers that have a plurality of heat transfer tubes extending in the vertical direction and that exchange heat between the air and the refrigerant flowing through the plurality of heat transfer tubes; a housing that houses the outdoor heat exchanger and is cuboid-shaped with an air outlet formed at the top and rectangular in shape when viewed from above; a fan that is located at the top of the housing and blows air upward from the air outlet, and supplies air to the outdoor heat exchanger; and built-in equipment that is located inside the housing and includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, wherein each of the plurality of heat exchangers is positioned opposite each of a plurality of side surfaces out of four side surfaces when viewed from above, and the built-in equipment is positioned opposite the plurality of heat exchangers in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the proximity distance, which is the distance between the built-in equipment and any one of the plurality of heat exchangers that has the shortest distance among the distances between the built-in equipment and each of the plurality of heat exchangers, is 125 mm or more and less than half the longitudinal length of the housing when viewed from above.

[0009] A refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit described above and an indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by piping.

[0010] The outdoor unit and refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure can suppress a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger caused by the arrangement of built-in equipment inside the housing in a top-flow type outdoor unit in which a fan is arranged at the top of the housing.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a heat exchanger of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1, with some of the members constituting the outdoor unit removed. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit of a refrigeration cycle device according to a comparative example. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of measurement positions for a compressor and a heat exchanger in the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of measurement positions for an accumulator and a heat exchanger in the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance between an internal device and a heat exchanger in the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1 and heat exchanger airflow distribution loss. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example 2 of the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example 3 of the outdoor unit of the refrigeration cycle device according to embodiment 1.

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below. Also, the size relationships of the components in the drawings may differ from those in reality.

[0013] Embodiment 1. Fig. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 is, for example, an air conditioning apparatus. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 includes an outdoor unit 10 and indoor units 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 via piping 90. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 is not limited to a one-to-one correspondence between the outdoor units 10 and the indoor units 20, and may be one-to-many, many-to-one, or many-to-many.

[0014] The outdoor unit 10 has a compressor 11, a flow switching device 12, a flow control device 15, an accumulator 16, an outdoor heat exchanger 300, and a fan 17. The indoor unit 20 has a throttling device 21 and an indoor heat exchanger 22. A refrigerant circuit is formed by connecting the compressor 11, the flow switching device 12, the indoor heat exchanger 22, the throttling device 21, the outdoor heat exchanger 300, the flow control device 15, and the accumulator 16 via piping 90. The refrigerant circuit in Figure 1 is an example and is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure.

[0015] The compressor 11 draws in a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant, compresses the drawn refrigerant, and discharges a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant. The compressor 11 is, for example, an inverter compressor whose capacity, which is the amount of refrigerant delivered per unit time, is controlled by changing its operating frequency. The compressor 11 is not limited to an inverter compressor, and may be a constant-speed compressor whose operating frequency is constant.

[0016] The flow path switching device 12 is, for example, a four-way valve, and switches between cooling operation and heating operation by switching the direction of refrigerant flow. During cooling operation, the flow path switching device 12 switches to the state shown by the solid line in Fig. 1, connecting the discharge side of the compressor 11 to the outdoor heat exchanger 300. During heating operation, the flow path switching device 12 switches to the state shown by the dashed line, connecting the discharge side of the compressor 11 to the indoor heat exchanger 22.

[0017] The outdoor heat exchanger 300 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between outdoor air and a refrigerant. During cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 300 functions as a condenser that radiates heat from the refrigerant to the outdoor air to condense the refrigerant. During heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 300 functions as an evaporator that absorbs heat from the outdoor air to evaporate the refrigerant.

[0018] The outdoor heat exchanger 300 includes a plurality of heat exchangers 30a, 30b, and 30c. In the refrigerant circuit, the heat exchanger 30b is connected in parallel to the heat exchangers 30a and 30c. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 30a is connected in parallel to the heat exchanger 30c. As will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the heat exchangers 30a, 30b, and 30c are independent heat exchangers, respectively, and are disposed on the right, rear, and left sides of the outdoor unit 10. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the heat exchangers 30a, 30b, and 30c, the suffixes "a," "b," and "c" will be omitted and they will be referred to as heat exchanger 30.

[0019] The flow rate control device 15 is a device that adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 300. The flow rate control device 15 includes a first flow rate control valve 13 and a second flow rate control valve 14. The first flow rate control valve 13 and the second flow rate control valve 14 are, for example, electronic expansion valves that can adjust the aperture of their throttles. The first flow rate control valve 13 is provided corresponding to the heat exchanger 30a and the heat exchanger 30c, and by changing its aperture, it adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger 30a and the heat exchanger 30c. The second flow rate control valve 14 is provided corresponding to the heat exchanger 30b, and by changing its aperture, it adjusts the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger 30b.

[0020] The accumulator 16 is provided on the intake side of the compressor 11 and serves to store excess refrigerant that occurs due to differences in operating conditions between cooling and heating, or excess refrigerant due to transient changes in operation, etc. Furthermore, the accumulator 16 serves to prevent liquid compression in the compressor 11.

[0021] The fan 17 is a fan that supplies outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 300, and the amount of air blown is adjusted by controlling the rotation speed.

[0022] The expansion device 21 is, for example, an electronic expansion valve that can adjust the opening of the expansion valve. The expansion device 21 controls the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the outdoor heat exchanger 300 or the indoor heat exchanger 22 by adjusting the opening. In the first embodiment, the expansion device 21 is provided in the indoor unit 20, but it may also be provided in the outdoor unit 10, and the installation location is not limited.

[0023] The indoor heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat between the indoor air and the refrigerant. During cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 22 functions as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant and cools the indoor air with the heat of vaporization. During heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 22 functions as a condenser that radiates heat from the refrigerant to the indoor air to condense the refrigerant.

[0024] <Cooling operation> Here, the behavior of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 during each operation will be described. In cooling operation, as shown by the solid line in Fig. 1 , the flow path switching device 12 is switched so that the discharge side of the compressor 11 is connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 300. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into each heat exchanger 30 via the flow path switching device 12 and the flow rate control device 15. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into each heat exchanger 30 exchanges heat with the outdoor air and condenses while releasing heat, and then flows out as a low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant.

[0025] The low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant flowing out of each heat exchanger 30 flows into the expansion device 21, where it is decompressed to become a low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant, which then flows into the indoor heat exchanger 22. The low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the indoor heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat with the indoor air, absorbing heat and evaporating, becoming a low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant that flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 22. At this time, the indoor air is cooled, and cooling is performed inside the room. The low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed out of the indoor heat exchanger 22 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the flow switching device 12 and the accumulator 16, and becomes a high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant again.

[0026] <Heating Operation> In heating operation, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 1 , the flow path switching device 12 is switched so that the discharge side of the compressor 11 is connected to the indoor heat exchanger 22. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 22 via the flow path switching device 12. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant that flows into the indoor heat exchanger 22 exchanges heat with the indoor air and condenses while releasing heat, becoming a low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant that flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 22. At this time, the indoor air is heated, and heating is performed in the room. The low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant that flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 22 flows to the expansion device 21, where it is decompressed to become a low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant.

[0027] The low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows into each heat exchanger 30. The low-temperature, low-pressure two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant that has flowed into each heat exchanger 30 evaporates while absorbing heat through heat exchange with the outdoor air, and flows out as low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed out of each heat exchanger 30 is drawn into the compressor 11 via the flow control device 15, the flow path switching device 12, and the accumulator 16, and becomes high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant again.

[0028] Here, the configuration of the heat exchanger 30 will be described in detail.

[0029] Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the heat exchanger 30 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The thin arrows in Fig. 2 indicate the flow of refrigerant when the heat exchanger 30 functions as a condenser. The open arrows indicate the direction of air flow. Unless otherwise specified, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," and "rear" in Fig. 2 refer to the directions when the heat exchanger 30 is viewed in the direction of air flow.

[0030] The heat exchanger 30 includes a first header 31, heat transfer tubes 32, corrugated fins 33, a folded header 34, and a second header 35. The first header 31, the folded header 34, and the second header 35 are formed to extend in the left-right direction.

[0031] Between the first header 31, the second header 35, and the turn-back header 34, groups of heat transfer tubes 32 (hereinafter also referred to as heat transfer tube groups) are arranged in two rows in the air flow direction. The heat transfer tube groups have a configuration in which a plurality of heat transfer tubes 32 extending in the vertical direction are arranged with spaces in the left-right direction. Both ends of the heat transfer tube group 39 in the front row are connected to the second header 35 and the turn-back header 34, and both ends of the heat transfer tube group 38 in the rear row are connected to the first header 31 and the turn-back header 34. The heat exchanger 30 has a configuration in which the heat transfer tube group 39 in the front row is arranged between the second header 35 and the turn-back header 34 as a pair of headers, and the heat transfer tube group 38 in the rear row is arranged between the first header 31 and the turn-back header 34 as a pair of headers.

[0032] The first header 31 is provided below the heat exchanger 30. The first header 31 is connected to other devices constituting the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100, and is a pipe through which the refrigerant flows in and out and through which the refrigerant branches or merges. A refrigerant inlet / outlet pipe 36 through which the refrigerant flows in and out from the outside is connected to the first header 31.

[0033] The heat transfer tube 32 is composed of a flat tube. The heat transfer tube 32 has a flat cross section, and the outer surface along the longitudinal side of the flat shape along the air flow direction is flat, and the outer surface along the lateral side perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is curved. The heat transfer tube 32 is, for example, a multi-hole flat tube having multiple holes inside the tube that serve as flow paths for the refrigerant. The holes in the heat transfer tube 32 are formed to extend in the vertical direction. Note that the heat transfer tube 32 is not limited to a flat tube and may be a circular tube.

[0034] The corrugated fins 33 have a wave shape and are arranged between two adjacent heat transfer tubes 32 , with a plurality of apexes joined to the flat outer surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 32 .

[0035] The turn-back header 34 is a header that serves as a bridge that turns back from a group of heat transfer tubes 32 in one row to a group of heat transfer tubes 32 in another row.

[0036] The second header 35 is provided below the heat exchanger 30. The second header 35 is connected to other devices constituting the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100, and is a pipe through which the refrigerant flows in and out and through which the refrigerant branches or merges. The second header 35 is connected to a refrigerant inlet / outlet pipe 37 through which the refrigerant flows in and out from the outside.

[0037] The heat exchanger 30 is not limited to the configuration shown in the figure. The heat exchanger 30 includes corrugated fins 33 as fins, but the fins may be plate fins. The heat exchanger 30 may also be a finless heat exchanger that does not include fins. The heat exchanger 30 includes two rows of heat transfer tubes arranged in the airflow direction, but the number of rows of heat transfer tubes may be one, three, or more. In short, the heat exchanger 30 may include a plurality of heat transfer tubes extending vertically and spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a pair of headers connected to both ends of the plurality of heat transfer tubes.

[0038] Next, we will explain the arrangement of the heat exchanger 30, the heat exchanger 30b, and the heat exchanger 30c in the outdoor unit 10. First, we will explain the configuration of the housing 40 that forms the outer shell of the outdoor unit 10 and the general arrangement of the outdoor heat exchanger 300 in the housing 40 using Figures 3 and 4.

[0039] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to embodiment 1, and is a view showing a state in which some of the members constituting the outdoor unit 10 have been removed. Note that up / down, left / right, front / rear in Fig. 3 and subsequent figures refer to directions when the outdoor unit 10 is viewed with a sealing plate 43 (described later) facing forward. These directional terms are for explanatory purposes only and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0040] The outdoor unit 10 is a top-flow type with an air outlet 41 formed in the upper center of the housing 40. The air outlet 41 is an opening through which air blown by the fan 17 is discharged. The housing 40 has four side faces when viewed from above. These four side faces form a rectangular parallelepiped shape that rises vertically from a lower surface 40e that forms the bottom of the housing 40. The housing 40 is a rectangular parallelepiped that is elongated in the vertical direction. The four side faces are a right side 40a, a rear side 40b, a left side 40c, and a front side 40d. The housing 40 is also rectangular in plan view, with the longitudinal direction being the left-right direction and the lateral direction being the front-to-rear direction. A removable sealing plate 43 is provided on the front side 40d, which forms the front of the housing 40. The sealing plate 43 is removed during maintenance of the outdoor unit 10, for example.

[0041] 4, the heat exchanger 30a is generally flat and is disposed on the right side of the housing 40 so as to face the right surface 40a of the housing 40. The heat exchanger 30b is generally flat and is disposed on the rear side of the housing 40 so as to face the rear surface 40b of the housing 40. The heat exchanger 30c is generally flat and is disposed on the left side of the housing 40 so as to face the left surface 40c of the housing 40.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 3, an air inlet 42 is formed in an area facing the heat exchanger 30a on the right side 40a of the housing 40. The air inlet 42 is an opening for drawing in outdoor air. Although not shown in Fig. 3, air inlets are also formed on the rear side 40b and the left side 40c of the housing 40 in areas facing the heat exchanger 30b and the heat exchanger 30c.

[0043] As shown in Figure 4, the compressor 11 and other components are housed inside each heat exchanger 30 in the housing 40. A fan 17 is housed in the housing 40 above each heat exchanger 30, directly below the air outlet 41. The fan 17 is, for example, a propeller fan. The fan 17 takes in air from the air inlets 42 on each side of the housing 40, supplies it to each heat exchanger 30, and then blows it out upward from the air outlet 41.

[0044] FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view of the interior of the outdoor unit 10A of a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to a comparative example. In FIGS. 5 and 6 , thin arrows indicate the flow of refrigerant inside the outdoor units 10 and 10A. Here, the flow of refrigerant is shown when the outdoor heat exchanger 300 functions as a condenser during cooling operation. Thin solid arrows indicate the flow of refrigerant in the piping, and thin dotted arrows indicate the flow of refrigerant within each heat exchanger 30a. Open arrows indicate the direction of air flow. The size of the open arrow indicates the air flow rate, with larger arrow sizes indicating a higher flow rate.

[0045] 5, each heat exchanger 30 is arranged so that when it functions as a condenser, its refrigerant inlet is inside the housing 40 and on the downwind side of the outdoor air flow, and its refrigerant outlet is outside the housing 40 and on the upwind side of the outdoor air flow. This is because, when each heat exchanger 30 is used as a condenser, by flowing the refrigerant so that it turns from the downwind side to the upwind side of the air flow, a sufficient temperature difference with the air can be ensured in the latter half of the refrigerant flow, and heat exchange efficiency can be increased.

[0046] Although the outdoor unit 10 has three heat exchangers 30 constituting the outdoor heat exchanger 300 and is configured so that the three heat exchangers 30 face each other on three different sides in the above description, the configuration is not limited to this. The outdoor unit 10 may have at least two heat exchangers 30 and be configured so that the two heat exchangers 30 face each other on two different sides. The two sides may be any combination of the right side 40a and the left side 40c, the right side 40a and the rear side 40b, or the left side 40c and the rear side 40b.

[0047] As shown in Fig. 5, the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16 are disposed inside the housing 40. In Fig. 5 and subsequent figures, the compressor 11 is shown as having a compressor main body 11a that compresses the refrigerant and a rectangular parallelepiped compressor box 11b that covers the compressor main body 11a, but the compressor box 11b may be omitted.

[0048] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16 are disposed facing the heat exchanger 30 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The compressor 11 and the accumulator 16 are built-in devices 50 that occupy a large volume. Therefore, if these built-in devices 50 are disposed close to the heat exchanger 30, the ventilation resistance of the heat exchanger 30 increases.

[0049] For example, in the outdoor unit 10A of the comparative example shown in FIG. 6 , the compressor 11 and accumulator 16 are located closest to the heat exchanger 30a. Furthermore, when comparing the heat exchangers 30b and 30c, the compressor 11 and accumulator 16 are located closer to the heat exchanger 30b than to the heat exchanger 30c. Therefore, as indicated by the size of the white arrows, the air flow rates passing through each heat exchanger 30 are, in ascending order, the heat exchanger 30a, the heat exchanger 30b, and the heat exchanger 30c. As described above, the air flow rates passing through each heat exchanger 30 vary depending on the arrangement of the built-in devices 50 within the housing 40, resulting in variations in the heat exchange rate of each heat exchanger 30 and a decrease in the overall heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 300. Although a flow control device 15 is also located within the housing 40, its size is smaller than that of the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16, and the airflow resistance caused by the flow control device 15 is negligible.

[0050] Here, the heat exchangers 30a, 30b, and 30c are connected in parallel as shown in Fig. 1. When the refrigerant is evenly distributed and flows through each heat exchanger 30, the outdoor unit 10 requires improvement because the deterioration of heat exchange performance due to the arrangement of the built-in equipment 50 becomes particularly noticeable.

[0051] Therefore, the outdoor unit 10 of the first embodiment has the following configuration. The outdoor unit 10 of the first embodiment has a proximity distance, which will be described later, within a range of 125 mm or more and half the longitudinal length of the housing 40 when viewed in plan. The proximity distance is the shortest distance between the built-in device 50, such as the compressor 11 or the accumulator 16, and each heat exchanger 30.

[0052] A specific description will be given with reference to Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, the shortest distance between the built-in equipment 50 and each heat exchanger 30 is L1, which is the distance between the accumulator 16 and the heat exchanger 30b. Therefore, in the arrangement example of Fig. 5, the proximity distance is L1, and the accumulator 16 is arranged at a position where the distance from the heat exchanger 30b is 125 mm or more and within a range of half or less of the length in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in Fig. 5) when the housing 40 is viewed in plan.

[0053] In the illustrated example, the outdoor unit 10 includes both the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16 as built-in equipment 50 within the housing 40. However, the outdoor unit 10 may also be configured without the accumulator 16. For example, in FIG. 5 , when the outdoor unit 10 does not include the accumulator 16, the proximity distance is L2, which is the distance between the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 30c. Therefore, in FIG. 5 , when the outdoor unit 10 does not include the accumulator 16, the heat exchanger 30 closest to the compressor 11 among the heat exchangers 30a, 30b, and 30c is the heat exchanger 30. Therefore, the compressor 11 is positioned such that the distance from the heat exchanger 30c is 125 mm or more and within half the longitudinal length of the housing 40 when viewed in a plan view.

[0054] Here, we will explain the measurement position of the distance between the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30. The distance between the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30 is specifically the distance between the outer parts of the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30.

[0055] 7 is an explanatory diagram of measurement positions of the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 30 in the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The outer shell of the compressor 11, which is an example of the built-in equipment 50, is the compressor box 11b if the compressor 11 has the compressor box 11b, and is the compressor main body 11a if the compressor 11 does not have the compressor box 11b. Therefore, if the compressor 11 has the compressor box 11b, the distance between the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 30 is the horizontal distance La1 between the compressor box 11b and the heat transfer tube 32 of the heat exchanger 30. If the compressor 11 does not have the compressor box 11b, the distance between the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 30 is the horizontal distance La2 between the compressor main body 11a and the heat transfer tube 32. The compressor main body 11a includes a cylindrical container 11a1 extending vertically and various components (not shown), such as piping and a fixing base, connected to the exterior of the container 11a1. More specifically, the horizontal distance La2 is the horizontal distance between the container 11a1 of the compressor body 11a and the heat transfer tube 32.

[0056] 8 is an explanatory diagram of measurement positions of the accumulator 16 and the heat exchanger 30 in the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. The accumulator 16 has a cylindrical container 16a extending in the vertical direction and various components (not shown), such as piping, connected to the outside of the container 16a. The outer component of the accumulator 16, which is an example of built-in equipment 50, is specifically the container 16a. Therefore, the distance Lb between the accumulator 16 and the heat exchanger 30 is the horizontal distance between the container 16a and the heat transfer tube 32.

[0057] FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the distance L between the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30 in the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment and the heat exchanger airflow distribution loss. The horizontal axis represents the distance L [mm] between the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30, and the vertical axis represents the heat exchanger airflow distribution loss [%]. The heat exchanger airflow distribution loss is calculated by ((heat exchanger performance without the influence of the built-in device 50 - heat exchanger performance with the influence of the built-in device 50) / heat exchanger performance without the influence of the built-in device 50) × 100. The graph in FIG. 9 is a graph calculated using two devices, the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30, as trial models. The graph in FIG. 9 is an example of a calculation using a fluid circuit network that takes into account friction loss, airflow bending, airflow merging, and other losses that occur when air passing through the gap between the built-in device 50 and the heat exchanger 30 passes through the built-in device 50.

[0058] As shown in Figure 9, the heat exchanger airflow distribution loss decreases sharply as the distance L increases from 50 mm to 100 mm, but the rate of decrease slows down when the distance L reaches around 125 mm. For this reason, a lower limit for the distance L of 125 mm is desirable. The longer the distance L, the lower the heat exchanger airflow distribution loss, of course, but the upper limit for the distance L is set taking into account the size of the housing 40. The upper limit for the distance L is set to half the longitudinal length of the housing 40 when viewed in a plan view. When the longitudinal (left-right) length of the housing 40 is 1207 mm, the upper limit for the distance L is 603.5 mm.

[0059] In the outdoor unit 10, the arrangement of the built-in devices 50 is not limited to the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, and various modifications can be made, for example, as follows.

[0060] 5, the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16 are arranged in the center when the housing 40 is viewed in a plan view, but they do not have to be arranged in the center as long as the above-mentioned arrangement conditions are met. However, in the outdoor unit 10, if the built-in equipment 50 is arranged in the center when the housing 40 is viewed in a plan view, unevenness in ventilation resistance can be further suppressed and the effect of uniforming the heat exchange performance of each heat exchanger 30 can be further improved.

[0061] (Variation 2) Fig. 10 is an explanatory diagram of Variation 2 of the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. The compressor box 11b in Fig. 5 is arranged so that, when the outdoor unit 10 is viewed in plan, the side surface of the compressor box 11b and each of the heat exchangers 30a, which are generally flat, face each other in parallel. When the outdoor unit 10 is viewed in plan, the compressor box 11b in Fig. 10 is arranged so that the side surface of the compressor box 11b is inclined at an angle θ relative to the heat exchanger 30a that is closest to the compressor box 11b. In this way, the compressor box 11b may be arranged inclined relative to the heat exchanger 30a. The value of the angle θ is not particularly limited.

[0062] With the above configuration, the outdoor unit 10 can reduce ventilation resistance and improve heat exchange performance compared to a configuration in which the side of the compressor box 11b is arranged parallel to the heat exchanger 30a that is closest to the compressor box 11b.

[0063] (Variation 3) Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of Variation 3 of the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. In Fig. 5, the compressor box 11b is rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, but it may be cylindrical as shown in Fig. 11. When the compressor box 11b is cylindrical, air flows more easily around the compressor box 11b than when it is rectangular parallelepiped-shaped, thereby further improving heat exchange performance.

[0064] As described above, the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment includes the outdoor heat exchanger 300, the housing 40, the fan 17, and the built-in equipment 50. The outdoor heat exchanger 300 has a plurality of heat transfer tubes 32 extending in the vertical direction and a plurality of heat exchangers 30 that exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing through the heat transfer tubes 32 and the air. The housing 40 houses the outdoor heat exchanger 300 and has a rectangular parallelepiped shape with an air outlet 41 formed at the top, forming a rectangular shape in a plan view. The fan 17 is disposed at the top of the housing 40 and blows air upward through the air outlet 41, supplying air to the outdoor heat exchanger 300. The built-in equipment 50 is disposed inside the housing 40 and includes the compressor 11 that compresses the refrigerant. The plurality of heat exchangers 30 are disposed opposite each of the four side surfaces of the housing 40 when viewed in a plan view. The built-in device 50 is disposed facing the multiple heat exchangers 30 in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. The shortest distance between the built-in device 50 and any one of the multiple heat exchangers 30 is 125 mm or more and half or less of the longitudinal length of the housing 40 when viewed in plan.

[0065] With the above-described configuration, the outdoor unit 10 can reduce the ventilation resistance of the heat exchanger 30 that is closest to the built-in equipment 50 inside the housing 40, and can suppress a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 300 that is caused by the placement of the built-in equipment 50. The built-in equipment 50 is the compressor 11, or both the compressor 11 and the accumulator 16.

[0066] Here, the proximity distance refers to the horizontal distance between the external part of the built-in device 50 and any one of the heat exchangers 30. The external part is the compressor main body 11a when the compressor 11 has a compressor main body 11a that compresses the refrigerant. The external part is the compressor box 11b when the compressor 11 has a compressor main body 11a that compresses the refrigerant and a compressor box 11b that covers the compressor main body 11a.

[0067] The compressor box 11b has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and when viewed from above, the side surface of the compressor box 11b is arranged at an angle relative to the heat exchanger 30 that is closest to the compressor box 11b among the plurality of heat exchangers 30.

[0068] With the above configuration, the outdoor unit 10 can reduce ventilation resistance and improve heat exchange performance compared to a configuration in which the side of the compressor box 11b is arranged parallel to the heat exchanger 30 closest to the compressor box 11b.

[0069] In the outdoor unit 10, when the compressor box 11b is cylindrical, air flows more easily around the compressor box 11b than when the compressor box 11b is rectangular, and heat exchange performance can be improved.

[0070] The built-in device 50 is disposed in the center of the housing 40 when the housing 40 is viewed from above.

[0071] With the above configuration, the bias in ventilation resistance in each heat exchanger 30 can be more effectively suppressed and the effect of uniforming the heat exchange performance in each heat exchanger 30 can be further enhanced compared to a configuration in which the built-in equipment 50 is positioned away from the center of the housing 40 when viewed in a plan view.

[0072] The refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 includes the outdoor unit 10 configured as described above, and an indoor unit 20 connected to the outdoor unit 10 by a pipe 90. Therefore, the outdoor unit 10 of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 100 can suppress a decrease in the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 300.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the outdoor unit 10 is an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, but it may also be an outdoor unit of a refrigeration cycle device such as a water heater or a refrigeration device.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Outdoor unit, 10A Outdoor unit, 11 Compressor, 11a Compressor body, 11a1 Container, 11b Compressor box, 12 Flow path switching device, 13 First flow control valve, 14 Second flow control valve, 15 Flow control device, 16 Accumulator, 16a Container, 17 Fan, 20 Indoor unit, 21 Throttle device, 22 Indoor heat exchanger, 30 Heat exchanger, 30a Heat exchanger, 30b Heat exchanger, 30c Heat exchanger, 31 First header, 32 Heat transfer tube, 33 Corrugated fin, 34 Turned header, 35 Second header, 36 Refrigerant inlet / outlet pipe, 37 Refrigerant inlet / outlet pipe, 38 Rear row heat transfer tube group, 39 Front row heat transfer tube group, 40 Housing, 40a Right side, 40b Rear side, 40c Left side, 40d Front surface, 40e bottom surface, 41 outlet, 42 intake port, 43 sealing plate, 50 built-in equipment, 90 piping, 100 refrigeration cycle device, 300 outdoor heat exchanger.

Claims

1. An outdoor heat exchanger having multiple heat transfer tubes extending in the vertical direction, and multiple heat exchangers that perform heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the multiple heat transfer tubes and the air, The aforementioned outdoor heat exchanger is housed in a rectangular prism-shaped enclosure with an air outlet formed at the top, and the enclosure is rectangular in shape when viewed from above. A fan is positioned at the top of the aforementioned housing and blows air upward from the aforementioned outlet, supplying air to the aforementioned outdoor heat exchanger. The enclosure includes internal components, including a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, Each of the aforementioned heat exchangers is positioned opposite each of the four sides of the housing when viewed in plan, The built-in equipment is arranged facing the plurality of heat exchangers in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and the shortest distance between the built-in equipment and any one of the plurality of heat exchangers is 125 mm or more, and the outdoor unit is less than or equal to half the length in the longitudinal direction when the housing is viewed in plan.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the proximity distance is the horizontal distance between the outer casing of the built-in equipment and any one of the multiple heat exchangers.

3. The compressor has a compressor body that compresses the refrigerant, The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein the outer casing is the compressor body.

4. The compressor comprises a compressor body for compressing a refrigerant and a compressor box that covers the compressor body. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein the outer casing is the compressor box.

5. The outdoor unit according to claim 4, wherein the compressor box is rectangular in shape, and when viewed in plan, the side surface of the compressor box is inclined with respect to the heat exchanger closest to the compressor box among the plurality of heat exchangers.

6. The outdoor unit according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the compressor box is cylindrical.

7. The aforementioned built-in equipment is an outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which includes an accumulator.

8. The outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the built-in equipment is located in the center of the housing when viewed in plan.

9. The outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of heat exchangers are connected in parallel to one another.

10. A refrigeration cycle device comprising an outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and an indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit by piping.