Refrigerant system and air conditioner

Abstract

A refrigerant system and an air conditioner. The refrigerant system comprises a refrigerant circulating pipeline and a compressor arranged in the refrigerant circulating pipeline. The refrigerant system further comprises: a pressure relief pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end being in communication with the refrigerant circulating pipeline at an exhaust end of the compressor, and the second end being in communication with the refrigerant circulating pipeline at an intake end of the compressor; and a pressure relief valve arranged on the pressure relief pipe and used for controlling the opening and closing of the pressure relief pipe. According to the refrigerant system in the present disclosure, after shutdown, a high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulating pipeline at the exhaust end of the compressor flows into the refrigerant circulating pipeline at the intake end of the compressor via the pressure relief valve, reducing a pressure difference between the refrigerant at the exhaust end and the refrigerant at the intake end of the compressor, so as to prevent overload protection of the compressor when the compressor is started next time.

Description

Refrigerant system and air conditioner

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of the following patent applications, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference:

[0003] A Chinese patent application entitled “Refrigeration System and Air Conditioner”, application number 202321652004.9, submitted to the State Intellectual Property Office of China on June 27, 2023. Technical Field

[0004] The present invention relates to the field of household appliances, in particular to a refrigerant system and an air conditioner. Background Art

[0005] Existing air conditioning equipment requires a throttling element to reduce the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant liquid from the condenser to a low-pressure, low-temperature refrigerant that enters the evaporator for evaporation and heat absorption. In the refrigerant systems of some air conditioning equipment, a thermal expansion valve is used as a throttling component. When the system is shut down, the thermal expansion valve blocks the refrigerant flow path, preventing the refrigerant from the high-pressure side from flowing through the thermal expansion valve to the low-pressure side. This results in a high pressure difference between the compressor's discharge and intake pipes. When the compressor is restarted, this can lead to an excessively high pressure difference between the intake and exhaust sides, triggering compressor overload protection.

[0006] Application Contents

[0007] The purpose of the present disclosure is to at least solve the problem of compressor overload protection caused by excessive pressure difference between the suction and exhaust sides of the compressor. This purpose is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] The first aspect of the present disclosure proposes a refrigerant system, which includes a refrigerant circulation pipeline and a compressor, a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger connected in series in the refrigerant circulation pipeline. The refrigerant system also includes: a pressure relief pipe, the pressure relief pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline where the exhaust end of the compressor is located, and the second end being connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline where the intake end of the compressor is located; a pressure relief valve, provided on the pressure relief pipe, the pressure relief valve being used to control the on and off of the pressure relief pipe.

[0009] According to the refrigerant system disclosed in the present invention, a pressure relief pipe is provided between the exhaust end and the intake end of the compressor. After shutdown, the pressure relief valve is controlled to open so that the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline at the exhaust end of the compressor flows through the pressure relief valve to the refrigerant circulation pipeline at the intake end of the compressor, thereby reducing the pressure difference between the refrigerant at the exhaust end of the compressor and the refrigerant at the intake end, so as to reduce the overload protection situation of the compressor when it is started next time.

[0010] In addition, the refrigerant system according to the present disclosure may also have the following additional technical features:

[0011] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first heat exchanger is a condenser, the second heat exchanger is an evaporator, and the first end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the compressor and the air inlet end of the condenser.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the air intake end of the compressor and the exhaust end of the evaporator.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system also includes a four-way valve, which is arranged in the refrigerant circulation pipeline, the first end of which is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the compressor and the inlet of the four-way valve, and the second end of which is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the intake end of the compressor and the outlet of the four-way valve.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system further includes a first one-way valve, which is disposed in the refrigerant circulation pipeline, and the first one-way valve is disposed adjacent to the first end and located on the downstream side of the first end, and the first one-way valve is configured so that the refrigerant flows from the compressor toward the first heat exchanger.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system further includes a refrigerant charging pipe, and the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the first one-way valve and the compressor is connected to the liquid outlet end of the refrigerant charging pipe.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system further includes a second one-way valve, which is disposed on the refrigerant filling pipe and configured to allow the refrigerant to flow from the refrigerant filling pipe toward the refrigerant circulation pipeline.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system further includes a high-pressure shut-off valve, which is disposed in the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the condenser and the air inlet end of the evaporator.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the refrigerant system further includes a low-pressure shut-off valve, which is disposed in the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end and the second end of the evaporator.

[0019] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner is further provided, comprising the refrigerant system according to any one of the technical solutions of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present disclosure. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

[0021] FIG1 schematically shows a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG2 schematically shows a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG3 schematically shows a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG4 schematically shows a schematic structural diagram of a refrigerant system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG5 schematically shows a structural diagram of a refrigerant system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] The reference numerals are as follows:

[0027] 100, refrigerant system; 10, refrigerant circulation pipeline; 20, compressor; 30, first heat exchanger; 40, second heat exchanger; 50, pressure relief pipe; 51, first end; 52, second end; 53, pressure relief valve;

[0028] 60, four-way valve; 61, port A; 62, port B; 63, port C; 64, port D;

[0029] 11. First one-way valve; 12. High-pressure stop valve; 13. Low-pressure stop valve;

[0030] 70. Refrigerant charging pipe; 71. Second one-way valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0032] It should be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific example embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "an" and "said" as used herein may also be meant to include plural forms. The terms "comprise", "include", "contain" and "have" are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring them to be performed in the specific order described or illustrated, unless the order of execution is clearly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0033] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used in the text to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence when used in the text. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teaching of the example embodiments.

[0034] For ease of description, spatially relative terms may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature as shown in the figures, such as "inside," "outside," "inside," "outside," "below," "beneath," "above," and the like. Such spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as "below" or "below" another element or feature would then be oriented as "above" or "above" another element or feature. Thus, the example term "below" can include both above and below orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0035] As shown in FIG1 , according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigerant system is proposed.

[0036] The refrigerant system 100 includes a refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 and a compressor 20 arranged on the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10, wherein the refrigerant system 100 also includes a pressure relief pipe 50 and a pressure relief valve 53 arranged on the pressure relief pipe 50, wherein the pressure relief valve 53 is used to control the on and off of the pressure relief pipe 50, and the pressure relief pipe 50 has a first end 51 and a second end 52, and the first end 51 and the second end 52 of the pressure relief pipe 50 are respectively connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 at the intake end and the exhaust end of the compressor 20, so that when the pressure relief valve 53 is opened to make the pressure relief pipe 50 connected, the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 at the exhaust end of the compressor 20 flows through the pressure relief valve 53 to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 at the intake end of the compressor 20.

[0037] Among them, the thermal expansion valve provided in the refrigerant system 100 will be in a closed state when the air conditioner is shut down and lock the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the air conditioner receives a shutdown command and shuts down the compressor 20, the thermal expansion valve and other components, the pressure relief valve 53 is controlled to open to connect the pressure relief pipe 50, and the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 at the exhaust end of the compressor 20 flows through the pressure relief pipe 50 to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 at the intake end of the compressor 20, so that the refrigerant pressure at the exhaust end of the compressor 20 is reduced and the refrigerant pressure at the intake end of the compressor 20 is increased, thereby reducing the pressure difference between the refrigerant at the exhaust end and the refrigerant at the intake end of the compressor 20, so that the high and low pressure difference of the compressor 20 is less than 10PSI (Pounds per square inch), ensuring that the compressor 20 can operate normally when it is started again, and avoiding the overload protection of the compressor 20.

[0038] In this embodiment, the refrigerant system 100 further includes a compressor 20 , a first heat exchanger 30 , and a second heat exchanger 40 connected in series in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 .

[0039] In some embodiments, please refer to Figures 1, 2 and 3. When the air conditioner is a cooling-only type air conditioner, the air conditioner only has a cooling function, then the first heat exchanger 30 in the refrigerant system 100 is a condenser, and the second heat exchanger 40 in the refrigerant system 100 is an evaporator. The first heat exchanger 30 is arranged in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, and the second heat exchanger 40 is arranged in the indoor unit of the air conditioner.

[0040] The first end 51 of the pressure relief pipe 50 is located between the exhaust end of the compressor 20 and the intake end of the condenser, and the second end 52 is located between the intake end of the compressor 20 and the exhaust end of the evaporator. The first end 51 and the second end 52 are positioned as close as possible to the intake and exhaust ends of the compressor 20, respectively. Generally, the compressor 20 is located in the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, and the first end 51 and the second end 52 are positioned as close as possible to the intake and exhaust ends of the compressor 20, respectively. The entire pressure relief pipe 50 can be located within the outdoor unit, thereby reducing the total length of the pressure relief pipe 50, thereby accelerating the corresponding pressure relief speed and reducing the amount of refrigerant retained in the pressure relief pipe 50.

[0041] In other embodiments, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the air conditioner is a cooling and heating type air conditioner, the air conditioner has cooling and heating functions, and a four-way valve 60 is still provided in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10. By controlling the four-way valve 60 to switch between different connection states, the refrigerant flow direction in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 can be changed.

[0042] In cooling mode, as shown in Figure 4 , the first heat exchanger 30 serves as a condenser, the second heat exchanger 40 serves as an evaporator, and the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 4 . In heating mode, as shown in Figure 5 , the first heat exchanger 30 serves as an evaporator, the second heat exchanger 40 serves as a condenser, and the refrigerant flows in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 5 .

[0043] In detail, please refer to Figures 4 and 5. The four-way valve 60 includes port A 61, port B 62, port C 63 and port D 64. Port A 61 is connected to the exhaust end of the compressor 20, port C 63 is connected to the intake end of the compressor 20, port D 64 is connected to the first heat exchanger 30, and port B 62 is connected to the second heat exchanger 40. Among them, port A 61 is the inlet of the four-way valve 60, and port C 63 is the outlet of the four-way valve 60.

[0044] In this embodiment, the first end 51 of the pressure relief pipe 50 is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 between the A port 61 and the exhaust end of the compressor 20, and the second end 52 of the pressure relief pipe 50 is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 between the C port 63 and the air inlet end of the compressor 20, so that the first end 51 and the second end 52 are respectively arranged as close as possible to the air inlet end and the exhaust end of the compressor 20. The entire pressure relief pipe 50 can be arranged in the outdoor unit, reducing the total length of the pressure relief pipe 50, thereby accelerating the corresponding speed of pressure relief and reducing the amount of refrigerant retained in the pressure relief pipe 50.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the refrigerant system 100 further includes a first one-way valve 11. The first one-way valve 11 is disposed in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10. When the air conditioner is a cooling-only type air conditioner, the first one-way valve 11 is located between the first end 51 of the pressure relief pipe 50 and the air inlet end of the condenser, and the first one-way valve 11 is disposed adjacent to the first end 51. By providing the first one-way valve 11, when the pressure relief valve 53 is opened to relieve pressure in the refrigerant system 100, the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 and the condenser downstream of the first one-way valve 11 cannot flow back through the first one-way valve 11. Therefore, only the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 between the exhaust end of the compressor 20 and the first one-way valve 11 needs to be relieved. This makes the pressure relief process of the compressor 20 faster and produces less noise for a shorter period of time, which is beneficial to improving the user experience.

[0046] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the refrigerant system 100 further includes a first one-way valve 11. The first one-way valve 11 is disposed in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10. When the air conditioner is a cooling / heating type air conditioner, the first one-way valve 11 is located between the first end 51 of the pressure relief pipe 50 and the port A 61 of the four-way valve 60, and the first one-way valve 11 is disposed adjacent to the first end 51. By providing the first one-way valve 11, when the pressure relief valve 53 is opened to relieve pressure in the refrigerant system 100, the high-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 and the condenser downstream of the first one-way valve 11 cannot flow back through the first one-way valve 11. Therefore, only the refrigerant pressure in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 between the exhaust port of the compressor 20 and the first one-way valve 11 needs to be relieved. This makes the pressure relief process of the compressor 20 faster and produces less noise for a shorter period of time, which is beneficial to improving the user experience.

[0047] It should be noted that, by providing the first one-way valve 11 , the pressure relief process of the compressor 20 can be quickly completed within 1 minute and the noise can be reduced.

[0048] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, after a first one-way valve 11 is provided in the refrigerant system 100, if the refrigerant system 100 needs to be filled with refrigerant due to a lack of refrigerant or other reasons, when the refrigerant is filled from the position of the high-pressure stop valve 12 in the refrigerant system 100, the refrigerant cannot migrate in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 and reversely pass through the first one-way valve 11 into the interior of the compressor 20, causing a vacuum state inside the compressor 20, and causing the compressor 20 to have a hidden danger of vacuum discharge causing damage to the compressor 20.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the refrigerant system 100 further includes a refrigerant charging pipe 70, which is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10, and the connection position between the refrigerant charging pipe 70 and the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 is located between the first one-way valve 11 and the exhaust end of the compressor 20. In detail, when the refrigerant system 100 is charged with refrigerant, the refrigerant is charged into the refrigerant system 100 from the refrigerant charging pipe 70, and the refrigerant passes through the first one-way valve 11 in a forward direction and is stored in the condenser. Some gaseous refrigerant can migrate into the interior of the compressor 20 through the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10, causing the vacuum resistance inside the compressor 20 to increase rapidly, thereby preventing vacuum discharge from causing damage to the compressor 20 and the installer.

[0050] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a second one-way valve 71 is further provided in the refrigerant filling pipe 70. The second one-way valve 71 is used to make the refrigerant filling pipe 70 unidirectional from the external filling device to the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 to prevent the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 from leaking through the refrigerant filling pipe 70.

[0051] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the refrigerant system 100 further includes a high-pressure shut-off valve 12 and a low-pressure shut-off valve 13, both of which are arranged in series in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10, wherein the high-pressure shut-off valve 12 is arranged between the exhaust end of the condenser and the air inlet end of the evaporator, and the low-pressure shut-off valve 13 is arranged between the exhaust end of the evaporator and the second end 52. In some embodiments, when it is necessary to charge refrigerant into the condenser in the outdoor unit, the high-pressure shut-off valve 12 can also be used as a charging port to improve the efficiency of refrigerant charging.

[0052] When the air conditioner is a single-cooling type air conditioner, as shown in Figure 3, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant in the compressor 20 is discharged through the exhaust end, and then flows through the condenser for cooling and heat exchange. The refrigerant after heat exchange passes through the throttling element and the high-pressure stop valve 12 in the refrigerant circulation pipeline 10 in turn to achieve further throttling and pressure reduction of the refrigerant. Then the refrigerant enters the evaporator in the indoor unit, flows through the evaporator for heat exchange, and finally achieves the purpose of cooling the indoor air. The refrigerant after heat exchange in the indoor unit passes through the low-pressure stop valve 13 and then flows back to the compressor 20 through the air intake end, thereby realizing the refrigeration cycle of the single-cooling type air conditioner.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioner is also provided, comprising a refrigerant system. The air conditioners provided herein include, but are not limited to, cooling-only air conditioners, heating-cooling air conditioners, window air conditioners, split-type wall-mounted air conditioners, split-type floor-standing air conditioners, ceiling-mounted air conditioners, embedded air conditioners, and central air conditioners. The air conditioners provided herein have the same technical effects as the refrigerant system, and therefore are not further described herein.

[0054] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of protection of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A refrigerant system, comprising a refrigerant circulation pipeline and a compressor, a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger connected in series in the refrigerant circulation pipeline, wherein: The refrigerant system further comprises: A pressure relief pipe, the pressure relief pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline where the exhaust end of the compressor is located, and the second end being connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline where the intake end of the compressor is located; A pressure relief valve is provided on the pressure relief pipe, and the pressure relief valve is used to control the on-off of the pressure relief pipe.

2. The refrigerant system according to claim 1, wherein: The first heat exchanger is a condenser, the second heat exchanger is an evaporator, and the first end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the compressor and the intake end of the condenser.

3. The refrigerant system according to claim 2, wherein: The second end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the air intake end of the compressor and the exhaust end of the evaporator.

4. The refrigerant system according to claim 1, wherein: The refrigerant system also includes a four-way valve, which is arranged in the refrigerant circulation pipeline. The first end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the compressor and the inlet of the four-way valve, and the second end is connected to the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the intake end of the compressor and the outlet of the four-way valve.

5. The refrigerant system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The refrigerant system also includes a first one-way valve, which is arranged in the refrigerant circulation pipeline, and the first one-way valve is arranged adjacent to the first end and located on the downstream side of the first end, and the first one-way valve is configured so that the refrigerant flows from the compressor toward the first heat exchanger.

6. The refrigerant system according to claim 5, wherein: The refrigerant system further includes a refrigerant filling pipe, and the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the first one-way valve and the compressor is connected to a liquid outlet end of the refrigerant filling pipe.

7. The refrigerant system according to claim 6, wherein: The refrigerant system further includes a second one-way valve, which is disposed on the refrigerant filling pipe and configured so that the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant filling pipe toward the refrigerant circulation pipeline.

8. The refrigerant system according to claim 3, wherein: The refrigerant system further comprises a high-pressure shut-off valve, which is arranged in the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end of the condenser and the intake end of the evaporator.

9. The refrigerant system according to claim 8, wherein: The refrigerant system further comprises a low-pressure stop valve, which is arranged in the refrigerant circulation pipeline between the exhaust end and the second end of the evaporator.

10. An air conditioner, wherein: The air conditioner comprises a refrigerant system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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