Refrigeration cycle system, refrigeration cycle device, management device, management method, and program

Abstract

Provided is a refrigeration cycle system comprising: a refrigeration cycle device which has a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and which uses a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit; a sensor that detects the water quality of the water refrigerant; and a management device that collects water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor and determines whether or not the water quality information meets a prescribed condition, wherein once the management device has determined that the water quality information meets the prescribed condition, the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant. This can inhibit the progression of pipe corrosion that occurs when operation is continued while there is problem with the water quality of the water refrigerant.

Description

Refrigeration cycle system, refrigeration cycle device, management device, management method, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a refrigeration cycle system, a refrigeration cycle device, a management device, a management method, and a program.

[0002] In a conventional refrigeration cycle apparatus having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, the quality of the water refrigerant can cause abnormalities such as corrosion in the piping. The heat exchange system described in Patent Document 1 includes a dechlorinating agent supply means for removing residual chlorine from the cold or hot water in the heat storage tank and a pH adjuster supply means for adjusting the pH value. The circulating hot water supply system described in Patent Document 2 includes a measurement sensor for detecting the quality of the hot water flowing through the circulating hot water supply pipe. Examples of the measurement sensor include a pH meter, a residual chlorine meter, a dissolved oxygen meter, and a conductivity meter.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 03-013040 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-308276

[0004] However, the heat exchange system described in Patent Document 1 and the circulating hot water supply system described in Patent Document 2 have the problem that corrosion of the piping will progress if operation is continued when there is a problem with the water refrigerant's water quality.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and provides a refrigeration cycle system, a refrigeration cycle device, a management device, a management method, and a program that can suppress the progression of corrosion of piping that occurs when operation is continued under conditions where there is a problem with the water quality of the water refrigerant, more than conventional systems.

[0006] This disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and one aspect of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system comprising: a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit; a sensor for detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant; and a management device for collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor and determining whether the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, wherein the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined conditions.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure is the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle system, wherein the management device collects abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle system, wherein the management device collects operating information of the refrigeration cycle device and abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the operating information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure is the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle system, wherein when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, the management device notifies the refrigeration cycle device of an upper limit value of the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure is the above-mentioned refrigeration cycle system, wherein the management device generates a trained model representing the correlation through machine learning.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle device in a refrigeration cycle system that includes a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, the refrigeration cycle device including a control unit that acquires the detection results from a sensor that detects the water quality of the water refrigerant, and when the management device determines that water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor satisfies predetermined conditions, the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a management device in a refrigeration cycle system that includes a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, wherein the management device collects water quality information indicating the water quality of the water refrigerant, and when it determines that the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, causes the refrigeration cycle device to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a management method for a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, the management method including the steps of detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant, collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected in the step and determining whether the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, and limiting the flow rate of the water refrigerant if the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined conditions.

[0014] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer of a management device in a refrigeration cycle system, which includes a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, to collect water quality information indicating the water quality of the water refrigerant, and if it is determined that the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, cause the refrigeration cycle device to execute a step of limiting the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0015] The refrigeration cycle system, refrigeration cycle device, management device, management method, and program disclosed herein can more effectively prevent the progression of corrosion in pipes that occurs when operation continues when there is a problem with the water quality of the water refrigerant.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a system configuration of a refrigeration cycle system in an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a functional configuration of a management device 300 in the same embodiment. FIG. 3 is a table illustrating an example of water quality information stored in a memory unit 305 in the same embodiment. FIG. 4 is a table illustrating an example of operating information stored in a memory unit 305 in the same embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a trained model M1 in the same embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the management device 300 in the same embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a control unit 30 in the same embodiment. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the management device 300 according to the same embodiment.

[0017] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, an air conditioner will be described as an example of a refrigeration cycle apparatus. However, the present disclosure is not limited to air conditioners and may also apply to other devices, such as circulating water heaters, as long as the refrigeration cycle apparatus has a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and uses a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit. A refrigeration cycle system of the present disclosure includes a refrigeration cycle apparatus, a sensor for detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle apparatus, and a management device that collects water quality information indicating the water quality of the water refrigerant detected by the sensor and determines whether the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition. When the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined condition, the refrigeration cycle apparatus limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant. This reduces the progression of piping corrosion that occurs when the refrigerant continues to operate when the water refrigerant has a problem with its quality.

[0018] 1 is a diagram showing the system configuration of a refrigeration cycle system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The refrigeration cycle system according to this embodiment includes an air conditioning apparatus 100 and a management device 300 communicatively connected to the air conditioning apparatus 100 via a network 200. Note that the refrigeration cycle system may include a plurality of air conditioning apparatuses 100, and the management device 300 may be communicatively connected to the plurality of air conditioning apparatuses 100 via the network 200. The air conditioning apparatus 100 has a refrigerant circuit A and a load circuit B, and uses a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit B.

[0019] The refrigerant circuit A is configured to circulate the heat source side refrigerant by sequentially connecting with piping a compressor 4, a four-way valve 5, an outdoor heat exchanger 6, a throttling device 8, and a load side heat exchanger 9. The load circuit B is configured to circulate the load side refrigerant by sequentially connecting with piping a pump 10 as a medium conveying device, the load side heat exchanger 9, indoor heat exchangers 12A and 12B (hereinafter collectively referred to as "indoor heat exchanger 12"), and flow control valves 11A and 11B (hereinafter collectively referred to as "flow control valve 11").

[0020] In the load circuit B, the load side refrigerant transported by the pump 10 is circulated through the load side heat exchanger 9, and then branches into multiple paths. Each of the branched load side refrigerants passes through each indoor heat exchanger 12 and each flow control valve 11, and then joins together and returns to the pump 10.

[0021] The air conditioning apparatus 100 heats or cools the room by exchanging heat between the heat source side refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit A and the load side refrigerant of the load circuit B in the load side heat exchanger 9, and supplies the load side refrigerant of the load circuit B to the indoor heat exchanger 12, where it exchanges heat with the indoor air. A natural refrigerant such as chlorofluorocarbon or CO2 circulates in the refrigerant circuit A as the heat source side refrigerant, and a water refrigerant circulates in the load circuit B as the load side refrigerant (heat medium).

[0022] A compressor 4, a four-way valve 5, an outdoor heat exchanger 6, and an outdoor unit blower 7 that blows outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 6 are disposed in the outdoor unit 1. Also, a throttling device 8, a load-side heat exchanger 9, a pump 10, a flow control valve 11, a sensor 26, and a control unit 30 are disposed in the relay unit 2. Also, indoor heat exchangers 12A and 12B and indoor unit blowers 13A and 13B (hereinafter collectively referred to simply as "indoor unit blowers 13") that blow indoor air to the indoor heat exchangers 12A and 12B are disposed in the indoor units 3A and 3B (hereinafter collectively referred to simply as "indoor units 3").

[0023] The relay unit 2 has branch paths corresponding to the indoor units 3 on its inlet side, through which the water refrigerant flows in from each indoor unit 3, and each branch path is provided with a flow control valve 11. The relay unit 2 also has branch paths corresponding to the indoor units 3 on its outlet side, through which water flows out to each indoor unit 3. The water refrigerant flowing out of each branch path on the outlet side passes through the corresponding indoor unit 3, then flows into the branch path on the inlet side, passes through the corresponding flow control valve 11, and then merges and is drawn into the pump 10. The branch paths on the inlet side of the relay unit 2 and the branch paths on the outlet side are connected by a main path including the pump 10 and the load-side heat exchanger 9. The main path from the pump 10 to the load-side heat exchanger 9 is provided with a sensor 26 that detects the water quality of the water refrigerant flowing through the main path. The water quality detected by the sensor 26 includes, for example, hydrogen ion concentration (pH), electrical conductivity (S / m), and chloride ion concentration (mg / L). The sensor 26 may also detect the temperature of the water refrigerant.

[0024] The control unit 30 acquires water quality information indicating the quality of the water refrigerant as a measurement result from the sensor 26 and transmits this information to the management device 300 via the network 200. The control unit 30 also receives a setting of an upper limit for the flow rate of the water refrigerant from the management device 300 via the network 200. The upper limit for the flow rate may be set for each indoor unit 3A, 3B, or may be the combined value for the indoor units 3A, 3B. Once the upper limit is set, the control unit 30 follows the set upper limit when controlling the opening of the flow rate adjustment valve 11.

[0025] If the upper limit value is the total value of the indoor units 3A and 3B, the control unit 30 may equally divide the set upper limit value to set the upper limit value for the flow rate of each flow control valve 11, or may limit the flow rate of the flow control valve 11 with the highest flow rate so that the total value of the flow rates of the flow control valves 11 does not exceed the set upper limit value. The control unit 30 may acquire the pressure on the inlet and outlet sides of each flow control valve 11 and calculate the flow rate from the difference between the pressures, or may calculate the flow rate from the rotation speed of the pump 10. The control unit 30 transmits operating information indicating the temperature of the water refrigerant detected by the sensor 26 and the flow rate of the water refrigerant to the management device 300 via the network 200. The pressure difference between the inlet and outlet sides of the flow control valve 11, the opening degree of the flow control valve 11, or the rotation speed of the pump 10 may be used instead of the flow rate.

[0026] The network 200 may be a network such as a mobile communication network or the Internet. The management device 300 collects water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor 26, and when the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant in the air conditioning device 100. The management device 300 also collects abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the air conditioning device 100, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality information, and determines the predetermined condition. The management device 300 may also collect operating information of the air conditioning device 100 and abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the air conditioning device 100, detect a correlation between the water quality information and the operating information, and the abnormality information, and determine the predetermined condition. The management device 300 may generate a trained model representing any of these correlations using machine learning. The management device 300 may be realized by one or more computers reading and executing a program, or may be located on a so-called cloud.

[0027] 2 is a schematic block diagram showing the functional configuration of the management device 300 in this embodiment. The management device 300 includes an information receiving unit 301, a water quality abnormality determination unit 302, a flow rate limit determination unit 303, a flow rate limit notification unit 304, a memory unit 305, a condition determination unit 306, an administrator notification unit 307, and an apparatus abnormality acquisition unit 308.

[0028] The information receiving unit 301 receives water quality information from the control unit 30 and stores it in the storage unit 305. Furthermore, the information receiving unit 301 may receive operation information from the control unit 30 and store it in the storage unit 305.

[0029] The water quality abnormality determination unit 302 uses the trained model generated by the condition determination unit 306 to determine whether the water quality information received by the information receiving unit 301 satisfies a predetermined condition. For example, the water quality abnormality determination unit 302 inputs the water quality information received by the information receiving unit 301 into the trained model generated by the condition determination unit 306, calculates the likelihood that an abnormality will occur in the air conditioning apparatus 100 by a predetermined time after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, and determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied if the likelihood is equal to or greater than a threshold. The water quality abnormality determination unit 302 may further input the total operating time of the air conditioning apparatus 100 or may input operating information into the trained model. The total operating time is the accumulated value of the time the air conditioning apparatus 100 has been operating since installation or the elapsed time since installation, and may be received by the information receiving unit 301 from the control unit 30 or may be calculated by the water quality abnormality determination unit 302. The water quality abnormality determination unit 302 may also read water quality information and operating information for the period required for input into the trained model from the storage unit 305.

[0030] When the water quality abnormality determination unit 302 determines that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, the flow rate limit determination unit 303 determines an upper limit value for the water refrigerant flow rate in the air conditioning apparatus 100. The upper limit value may be determined based on the device configuration of the air conditioning apparatus 100, such as the number of indoor units 3, the model of the indoor units 3, and the model of the repeater 2, or may be determined based on the likelihood of an abnormality occurring calculated by the water quality abnormality determination unit 302, or may be determined based on a combination of these.

[0031] The flow rate limit notification unit 304 notifies the control unit 30 of the upper limit determined by the flow rate limit determination unit 303 via the network 200 .

[0032] The storage unit 305 stores the water quality information received by the information receiving unit 301 and the abnormality information acquired by the device abnormality acquisition unit 308. Furthermore, the storage unit 305 may store the operating information received by the information receiving unit 301.

[0033] The condition determination unit 306 uses machine learning to detect a correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality information stored in the storage unit 305, and generates a trained model that calculates the likelihood that an abnormality will occur in the air conditioning apparatus 100 by a predetermined time after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. Note that the condition determination unit 306 may also use machine learning to detect a correlation between the water quality information, the operating information, and the abnormality information stored in the storage unit 305, and generate a trained model that calculates the likelihood that an abnormality will occur in the air conditioning apparatus 100 by a predetermined time after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. These models generated by machine learning may be any of neural networks such as a transformer, a convolutional neural network (CNN), or a recurrent neural network (RNN), or a support vector machine (SVM), etc.

[0034] When the water quality abnormality determination unit 302 determines that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, the administrator notification unit 307 notifies the administrator of the air conditioning apparatus 100 of the water quality abnormality. This notification may be made, for example, by sending an email to an email address associated with the administrator, or by sending an SMS (Short Message Service) or voice message to a phone number associated with the administrator. The administrator may be the owner, maintenance technician, or user of the air conditioning apparatus 100. This notification may also prompt the user to replace the water refrigerant in the air conditioning apparatus 100.

[0035] The timing at which the administrator notification unit 307 notifies the administrator and the timing at which the flow rate limit determination unit 303 determines the upper flow rate limit may be different. For example, if the number of times or the period of time that the water quality abnormality determination unit 302 has consecutively determined that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition is equal to or greater than a first threshold, the administrator notification unit 307 may notify the administrator, and if the number of times or the period of time is equal to or greater than a second threshold, the flow rate limit determination unit 303 may determine the upper flow rate limit. The first threshold may be one time. The second threshold is equal to or greater than the first threshold. This allows the water refrigerant to be restricted only when a high probability of an abnormality occurring persists even if the administrator is notified, and the water refrigerant is not replaced.

[0036] The device abnormality acquisition unit 308 collects abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the air conditioning device 100. The abnormality information indicates, for example, the occurrence and timing of an abnormality, such as corrosion of the piping of the load circuit B. This collection may be performed, for example, by an operator of the management device 300 inputting the information using a keyboard, mouse, or the like.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a table showing an example of water quality information stored in the storage unit 305 in this embodiment. In the example of Fig. 3, the storage unit 305 stores time, pH (hydrogen ion concentration), electrical conductivity, and chloride ion concentration as water quality information, in association with each other. In the table of Fig. 3, the storage unit 305 stores the time "202306221022" indicating 10:22 on June 22, 2023, in association with pH "7.31," electrical conductivity "18.8," and chloride ion concentration "120.3." Similarly, the memory unit 305 stores the time "202306231022", pH "7.32", electrical conductivity "18.6", and chloride ion concentration "121.2" in association with each other, and stores the time "202306241022", pH "7.29", electrical conductivity "18.7", and chloride ion concentration "120.8" in association with each other.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a table illustrating an example of operating information stored in the storage unit 305 in this embodiment. In the example of FIG. 4, the storage unit 305 stores, as operating information, time, the flow rate of the water refrigerant, and the temperature of the water refrigerant, in association with each other. In the table of FIG. 4, the storage unit 305 stores the time "202306221011" indicating 10:11 a.m. on June 22, 2023, in association with the flow rate "3.5," and the temperature "15.3." Similarly, the storage unit 305 stores the time "202306221021" in association with the flow rate "7.2," and the temperature "16.5," and stores the time "202306221031" in association with the flow rate "2.6," and the temperature "15.2."

[0039] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the trained model M1 in this embodiment. The trained model M1 in FIG. 5 is a trained model generated by the condition determination unit 306 and used by the water quality abnormality determination unit 302. When the total operating time T, water quality information Qt, and operating information Jt are input, the trained model M1 calculates an abnormality occurrence probability R, which is the probability that an abnormality will occur at a predetermined time, such as one year from now. The water quality information Qt and operating information Jt may each be information for a time interval of a predetermined length. The condition determination unit 306 may generate the trained model M1 by machine learning using training data based on the water quality information, operating information, and abnormality information stored in the memory unit 305. For example, the training data inputs include water quality information, operating information, and part or all of the total operating time, and outputs the presence or absence of an abnormality.

[0040] Fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the management device 300 in this embodiment. The flowchart in Fig. 6 is a flowchart for the case where a trained model has already been generated by the condition determination unit 306. First, the information receiving unit 301 performs a process for receiving information from the control unit 30 (step Sa1). The information receiving unit 301 determines whether or not water quality information has been received in step Sa1 (step Sa2).

[0041] If it is determined that the water quality information has not been received (step Sa2—No), the information receiving unit 301 determines whether or not the operation information has been received in step Sa1 (step Sa10). If it is determined that the operation information has been received (step Sa10—Yes), the information receiving unit 301 stores the received operation information in the storage unit 305 (step Sa11), and the process returns to step Sa1. If it is determined that the operation information has not been received (step Sa10—No), the process returns to step Sa1.

[0042] If it is determined in step Sa2 that water quality information has been received (step Sa2—Yes), the information receiving unit 301 stores the received water quality information in the storage unit 305 (step Sa3). Next, the water quality abnormality determination unit 302 inputs the water quality information, operating information, and total operating time into the trained model to calculate the probability of an abnormality occurring. The water quality abnormality determination unit 302 determines a water quality abnormality based on whether the calculated probability of an abnormality occurring exceeds a threshold value (step Sa4). If it is determined that the probability of an abnormality occurring does not exceed the threshold value and there is no water quality abnormality (step Sa5—No), the process returns to step Sa1.

[0043] On the other hand, if the probability of an abnormality exceeds the threshold and it is determined that the water quality is abnormal (step Sa5—Yes), the administrator notification unit 307 notifies the administrator of the water quality abnormality (step Sa6). Next, the flow rate limit determination unit 303 determines whether the number of times that the water quality has been determined to be abnormal is equal to or greater than threshold α (step Sa7). If it is determined that the number of times that the water quality has been determined to be abnormal is not equal to or greater than threshold α (step Sa7—No), the process returns to step Sa1.

[0044] On the other hand, if it is determined that the number of times that the water quality has been determined to be abnormal is equal to or greater than the threshold value α (step Sa7—Yes), the flow rate limit determination unit 303 determines an upper limit for the flow rate of the water refrigerant (step Sa8). Next, the flow rate limit notification unit 304 notifies the control unit 30 of the upper limit determined in step Sa8 (step Sa9), and the process returns to step Sa1.

[0045] The flowchart in FIG. 6 is an example in which the first threshold is 1 time and the second threshold is α times.

[0046] 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the control unit 30 in this embodiment. First, the control unit 30 acquires operating information and transmits it to the management device 300 (step Sb1). Regarding the operating information, the control unit 30 may acquire the pressures on the inlet and outlet sides of the flow control valve 11 and calculate the flow rate of the water refrigerant from the difference between them, or may use the opening degree of the flow control valve 11 instead of the flow rate. Furthermore, the control unit 30 uses the temperature of the water refrigerant detected by the sensor 26.

[0047] Next, the control unit 30 determines whether or not to transmit water quality information (step Sb2). This determination is made based on whether or not it is the timing to transmit water quality information. If it is not the timing to transmit water quality information and it is determined not to transmit water quality information (step Sb2—No), the process returns to step Sb1. If it is the timing to transmit water quality information and it is determined to transmit water quality information (step Sb2—Yes), the control unit 30 measures the water quality of the water refrigerant using the sensor 26 (step Sb3). Next, the control unit 30 transmits the measurement results of step Sb3 to the management device 300 as water quality information (step Sb4).

[0048] Next, the control unit 30 performs a receiving process (step Sb5). If a flow rate limit is received from the management device 300 through this receiving process (step Sb5—Yes), the control unit 30 sets the flow rate limit (upper limit value) of the water refrigerant (step Sb7) and returns to step Sb1. If a flow rate limit is not received in step Sb5 (step Sb5—No), the process returns to step Sb1.

[0049] In the above-described embodiment, whether or not to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant is determined using a trained model, but the flow rate may also be limited if the water quality information exceeds a predetermined range.

[0050] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a management device 300 according to this embodiment. The management device 300 includes an input / output module I, a storage module M, and a control module P. The input / output module I includes some or all of the following: a communication module H11, a connection module H12, a pointing device H21, a keyboard H22, a display H23, a button H3, a microphone H41, a speaker H42, a camera H51, or a sensor H52. The storage module M includes a drive H7. The storage module M may further include some or all of a memory H8. The control module P includes a memory H8 and a processor H9. These hardware components are connected to each other via a bus (Bus) so as to be able to communicate with each other, and are supplied with power from a power supply H6.

[0051] The connection module H12 is a digital input / output port such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus). In the case of a portable device, the pointing device H21, keyboard H22, and display H23 are touch panels. The sensor H52 is an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, a GPS receiving module, a proximity sensor, or the like. The power supply H6 is a power supply unit that supplies the electricity necessary to operate each device. In the case of a portable device, the power supply H6 is a battery. The drive H7 is an auxiliary storage medium such as a hard disk drive or a solid-state drive. The drive H7 may be a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM or a flash memory, or a magneto-optical disk drive or a flexible disk drive. Furthermore, the drive H7 is not limited to being built into each device, but may also be an external storage device connected to the connector of the connection module H12. The memory H8 is a main storage medium such as a random access memory. The memory H8 may also be a cache memory. The memory H8 stores instructions when the instructions are executed by one or more processors H9. The processor H9 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor H9 may be an MPU (Microprocessing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processor H9 reads programs and various data from the drive H7 via the memory H8 and performs calculations to execute instructions stored in one or more memories H8.

[0052] In this specification and the like, the term "management device 300" may be replaced with the term "control module P."

[0053] The present disclosure may also be embodied as follows: (1) One embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, a sensor for detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant, and a management device for collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor and determining whether the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, wherein the refrigeration cycle system limits a flow rate of the water refrigerant when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined condition.

[0054] This makes it possible to suppress the progression of corrosion of the pipes that occurs when the refrigeration cycle system continues to operate under conditions where there is a problem with the water quality of the water refrigerant.

[0055] (2) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system described in (1), in which the management device collects abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

[0056] This allows the refrigeration cycle system to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant based on conditions according to the correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality.

[0057] (3) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system described in (1), in which the management device collects operating information of the refrigeration cycle device and abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the operating information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

[0058] This allows the refrigeration cycle system to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant based on conditions according to the correlation between the operating information and the water quality information and the abnormality.

[0059] (4) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system described in any one of (1) to (3), wherein the management device notifies the refrigeration cycle device of an upper limit value of the flow rate of the water refrigerant when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition.

[0060] (5) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle system described in (2) or (3), in which the management device generates a trained model representing the correlation by machine learning.

[0061] (6) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a refrigeration cycle device in a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, the refrigeration cycle device including a control unit that acquires the detection results from a sensor that detects the water quality of the water refrigerant, and when the management device determines that water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor satisfies predetermined conditions, the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0062] (7) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a management device in a refrigeration cycle system that includes a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device. The management device collects water quality information indicating the water quality of the water refrigerant, and when it determines that the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, causes the refrigeration cycle device to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0063] (8) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a management method for a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, the management method including the steps of detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant, collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected in the step and determining whether the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, and limiting the flow rate of the water refrigerant if the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined conditions.

[0064] (9) Another embodiment of the present disclosure is a program for causing a computer of a management device in a refrigeration cycle system, the management device having a refrigeration cycle device with a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, which uses a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, to collect water quality information indicating the water quality of the water refrigerant, and, if it is determined that the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, cause the refrigeration cycle device to execute a step of limiting the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

[0065] 1 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to realize management device 300. Note that the term "computer system" here includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices.

[0066] "Computer-readable recording media" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, as well as storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. Furthermore, "computer-readable recording media" also includes devices that dynamically store programs for a short period of time, such as communication lines used when transmitting programs over networks like the Internet or communication lines like telephone lines, and devices that store programs for a fixed period of time, such as volatile memory within the computer systems that serve as servers or clients. The programs may also be programs that implement some of the aforementioned functions, or may be programs that can realize the aforementioned functions in combination with programs already stored in the computer system.

[0067] The embodiments of this disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, but the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like are also included within the scope that does not deviate from the gist of this disclosure.

[0068] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 outdoor unit 2 relay 3A, 3B indoor unit 4 compressor 5 four-way valve 6 outdoor heat exchanger 7 outdoor unit blower 8 throttling device 9 load side heat exchanger 10 pump 11A, 11B flow control valve 12A, 12B indoor heat exchanger 13A, 13B indoor unit blower 26 sensor 30 control unit 100 air conditioning device 200 network 300 management device 301 information receiving unit 302 water quality abnormality determination unit 303 flow rate restriction determination unit 304 flow rate restriction notification unit 305 memory unit 306 condition determination unit 307 administrator notification unit 308 device abnormality acquisition unit

Claims

1. A refrigeration cycle system comprising: a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit; a sensor for detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant; and a management device for collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor and determining whether the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions, wherein the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined conditions.

2. A refrigeration cycle system as described in claim 1, wherein the management device collects abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects a correlation between the water quality information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

3. A refrigeration cycle system as described in claim 1, wherein the management device collects operating information of the refrigeration cycle device and abnormality information indicating an abnormality that has occurred in the refrigeration cycle device, detects correlations between the water quality information and the operating information and the abnormality information, and determines the specified conditions.

4. A refrigeration cycle system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the management device notifies the refrigeration cycle device of an upper limit value of the flow rate of the water refrigerant when it determines that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition.

5. A refrigeration cycle system as described in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the management device generates a trained model representing the correlation through machine learning.

6. A refrigeration cycle device in a refrigeration cycle system having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, comprising: a control unit that acquires the detection results from a sensor that detects the water quality of the water refrigerant, and when the management device determines that water quality information indicating the water quality detected by the sensor satisfies a predetermined condition, the refrigeration cycle device limits the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

7. A management device in a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, the management device collecting water quality information indicating the quality of the water refrigerant, and when it is determined that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, causing the refrigeration cycle device to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

8. A management method for a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, and a management device, the management method comprising the steps of: detecting the water quality of the water refrigerant; collecting water quality information indicating the water quality detected in the step, and determining whether the water quality information satisfies predetermined conditions; and limiting the flow rate of the water refrigerant when the management device determines that the water quality information satisfies the predetermined conditions.

9. A program for causing a computer of a management device in a refrigeration cycle system including a refrigeration cycle device having a refrigerant circuit and a load circuit, and using a water refrigerant as a heat medium circulating through the load circuit, to execute a step of collecting water quality information indicating the quality of the water refrigerant, and if it is determined that the water quality information satisfies a predetermined condition, causing the refrigeration cycle device to limit the flow rate of the water refrigerant.

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