Outdoor unit and heat pump apparatus

Abstract

In an outdoor unit housing (5) of an outdoor unit (3), provided are: a water circuit device housing space (13a) that houses a water circuit device (45) including a plate heat exchanger (57), a pump (71), and an expansion tank (77); and a refrigerant circuit device housing space (13b) that houses a refrigerant circuit device (35) including a compressor (51) and a plate heat exchanger (57). The water circuit device housing space (13a) and the refrigerant circuit device housing space (13b) are positioned in a manner aligned along a front surface part (6). In the water circuit device housing space (13a), the expansion tank (77) is disposed above the pump (71).

Description

Outdoor units and heat pump devices

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an outdoor unit and a heat pump device.

[0002] Conventionally, there is a heat pump device that uses a heat pump cycle to heat or cool water, for example, for air conditioning (Patent Document 1). In such a heat pump device, water flowing through a water circuit exchanges heat with a refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant circuit, and the water that has undergone this heat exchange is supplied indoors to heat or cool the indoor space.

[0003] The water circuit in a heat pump unit is provided with an expansion tank to maintain the pressure, which changes due to changes in water volume caused by heating, within a certain pressure range. When the heat pump unit is installed in a large facility such as a factory, hotel, or building, the water circuit installed within the facility will be large depending on the size of the facility. As the water circuit becomes larger, the amount of water expansion also increases, so the expansion tank must also be large.

[0004] JP 2013-167398 A

[0005] In a heat pump system, it is necessary to accommodate, within the outdoor unit housing of the outdoor unit, refrigerant circuit equipment that constitutes the refrigerant circuit, as well as water circuit equipment that constitutes the water circuit, which includes an expansion tank and a pump that are becoming larger. Accordingly, it is necessary to ensure ease of maintenance for the refrigerant circuit equipment and water circuit equipment that are housed in the limited space within the outdoor unit housing of the outdoor unit.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made based on such development, and one object is to provide an outdoor unit that can ensure maintainability of the refrigerant circuit equipment and water circuit equipment housed in the limited space within the outdoor unit casing of a heat pump device, and another object is to provide a heat pump device equipped with such an outdoor unit.

[0007] The outdoor unit according to the present disclosure is an outdoor unit for a heat pump device. The outdoor unit includes a refrigerant circuit, a water circuit, and an outdoor unit housing. The refrigerant circuit includes refrigerant circuit equipment, including a compressor and a first heat exchanger, connected by refrigerant piping. The water circuit includes water circuit equipment, including the first heat exchanger, a pump, and an expansion tank, connected by water piping. The water circuit exchanges heat with the refrigerant circuit in the first heat exchanger. The outdoor unit housing has a refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space that accommodates the refrigerant circuit equipment, and a water circuit equipment accommodating space that accommodates the water circuit equipment. The outdoor unit housing includes a bottom portion and a front portion. The water circuit equipment accommodating space and the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space are positioned side by side along the front portion. In the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space, the compressor and the first heat exchanger are disposed on the bottom portion. In the water circuit equipment accommodating space, the pump is disposed on the bottom portion. The expansion tank is disposed above the pump.

[0008] A heat pump apparatus according to the present disclosure is a heat pump apparatus including the outdoor unit described above. In the heat pump apparatus, the water circuit device includes a third heat exchanger. The heat pump apparatus includes an indoor unit that houses the third heat exchanger.

[0009] In the outdoor unit according to the present disclosure, the outdoor unit housing includes a refrigerant circuit equipment housing space for housing refrigerant circuit equipment, as well as a water circuit equipment housing space for housing water circuit equipment. An expansion tank is disposed above the pump in the water circuit equipment housing space. The water circuit equipment housing space and the refrigerant circuit equipment housing space are positioned side by side along the front surface. This minimizes the installation area for the pump and expansion tank, minimizing the volume of the water circuit equipment housing space that must be secured within the outdoor unit housing in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment housing space, and also allows for easy maintenance of the water circuit equipment and refrigerant circuit equipment from the front surface.

[0010] The heat pump apparatus according to the present disclosure includes the outdoor unit described above. This minimizes the volume of the water circuit equipment storage space that must be secured within the outdoor unit housing in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment storage space, and allows for easy maintenance of the water circuit equipment and refrigerant circuit equipment from the front.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a refrigerant circuit and a water circuit of a heat pump apparatus including an outdoor unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a first perspective view showing the appearance of the outdoor unit in the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a second perspective view showing the appearance of the outdoor unit in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a first front view showing the arrangement of refrigerant circuit devices and water circuit devices within an outdoor unit housing of the outdoor unit in the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a second front view showing the arrangement of refrigerant circuit devices and water circuit devices within an outdoor unit housing of the outdoor unit in the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a top view showing the arrangement of refrigerant circuit devices and water circuit devices within an outdoor unit housing of the outdoor unit in the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a front view showing a step for explaining a procedure for maintenance of an expansion tank in the embodiment. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 8 for explaining a procedure for maintenance of an expansion tank in the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 9 for explaining a procedure for maintenance of an expansion tank in the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a tank frame on a triangular prism-shaped stand for explaining a procedure for maintenance of an expansion tank in the embodiment. 12 , describing the procedure for maintenance of the pump; FIG. 13 is a top view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 9 , describing the procedure for maintenance of the expansion tank in the same embodiment; FIG. 14 is a partial front view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 13 , describing the procedure for maintenance of the pump in the same embodiment; FIG. 15 is a partial front view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 14 , describing the procedure for maintenance of the compressor in the same embodiment; FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a front cover of the compressor cover, describing the procedure for maintenance of the compressor in the same embodiment; FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a top cover of the compressor cover, describing the procedure for maintenance of the compressor in the same embodiment; and FIG. 18 is a partial front view showing a step performed after the step shown in FIG. 15 , describing the procedure for maintenance of the compressor in the same embodiment.19 is a partial top view illustrating a step performed after the step illustrated in FIG. 18 for explaining a procedure for maintaining a compressor in the same embodiment. FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view illustrating a step performed after the step illustrated in FIG. 21 for explaining a procedure for maintaining a plate heat exchanger in the same embodiment. FIG. 21 is a partial perspective view illustrating a step performed after the step illustrated in FIG. 21 for explaining a procedure for maintaining a plate heat exchanger in the same embodiment.

[0012] First, an example of a refrigerant circuit and a water circuit in a heat pump apparatus equipped with an outdoor unit according to an embodiment will be described. As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerant circuit 31 in the heat pump apparatus 1 includes, as refrigerant circuit equipment 35, a compressor 51, a four-way valve 55, an air heat exchanger 59 as a second heat exchanger, an expansion valve 61, and a plate heat exchanger 57 as a first heat exchanger. The refrigerant circuit equipment 35 is connected by refrigerant piping 33.

[0013] The water circuit 41 in the heat pump unit 1 includes a pump 71, a plate heat exchanger 57, and an indoor heat exchanger 85 as water circuit equipment 45. The water circuit equipment 45 is connected by water piping 43. In the heat pump unit 1, heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant circuit 31 and the water circuit 41 in the plate heat exchanger 57. Next, the operation of the heat pump unit 1 described above will be described.

[0014] (Cooling Operation) First, the cooling operation will be described (see solid arrows). In the refrigerant circuit 31, by driving the compressor 51, high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant is discharged from the compressor 51. The discharged high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant flows into the air heat exchanger 59 via the four-way valve 55.

[0015] In the air heat exchanger 59, heat is exchanged between the gas refrigerant that has flowed in and the air sent in by the fan 27. The high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant condenses into high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure refrigerant sent out from the air heat exchanger 59 is transformed into a two-phase refrigerant of low-pressure gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant by the expansion valve 61. The two-phase refrigerant flows into the plate heat exchanger 57.

[0016] The plate heat exchanger 57 functions as an evaporator. In the plate heat exchanger 57, heat is exchanged between the two-phase refrigerant and the water flowing through the water circuit 41, thereby cooling the water. The water circuit 41 will be described later. In the plate heat exchanger 57, the liquid refrigerant in the two-phase refrigerant evaporates and becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant.

[0017] The low-pressure gas refrigerant sent out from the plate heat exchanger 57 flows into the compressor 51 via the four-way valve 55. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the compressor 51 is compressed to become high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant, and is again discharged from the compressor 51. This cycle is then repeated.

[0018] Meanwhile, water is circulated in the water circuit 41 by the pump 71. The water cooled in the plate heat exchanger 57 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 85. In the indoor heat exchanger 85, heat is exchanged between the cooled water that has flowed in and the air that has been sent into the indoor heat exchanger 85, thereby cooling the air. The air that has undergone heat exchange is sent into the room, where it is cooled.

[0019] The water that has exchanged heat with the air is sent out from the indoor heat exchanger 85. The water sent out from the indoor heat exchanger 85 flows into the plate heat exchanger 57 by the pump 71. The water that has flowed into the plate heat exchanger 57 is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant and is sent out from the plate heat exchanger 57. This cycle is then repeated.

[0020] (Heating Operation) Next, the heating operation will be described (see dotted arrow). In the refrigerant circuit 31, driving the compressor 51 causes high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant to be discharged from the compressor 51. The discharged high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant flows into the plate heat exchanger 57 via the four-way valve 55. The plate heat exchanger 57 functions as a condenser. In the plate heat exchanger 57, heat is exchanged between the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant and the water flowing through the water circuit 41, thereby heating the water. The water circuit 41 will be described later.

[0021] In the plate heat exchanger 57, the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant condenses into high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the plate heat exchanger 57 is converted into a two-phase refrigerant of low-pressure gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant by an expansion valve 61. The two-phase refrigerant flows into the air heat exchanger 59. In the air heat exchanger 59, heat is exchanged between the two-phase refrigerant that has flowed in and the air sent in by the fan 27.

[0022] In the air heat exchanger 59, the liquid refrigerant of the two-phase refrigerant evaporates and becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant. The low-pressure gas refrigerant sent out from the air heat exchanger 59 flows into the compressor 51 via the four-way valve 55. The low-pressure gas refrigerant that has flowed into the compressor 51 is compressed to become high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant, and is discharged again from the compressor 51. This cycle is then repeated.

[0023] Meanwhile, water is circulated in the water circuit 41 by the pump 71. The water heated in the plate heat exchanger 57 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 85. In the indoor heat exchanger 85, heat is exchanged between the heated water that has flowed in and the air that has been sent into the indoor heat exchanger 85, thereby warming the air. The air that has undergone heat exchange is sent into the room, where it is heated.

[0024] The water that has exchanged heat with the air is sent out from the indoor heat exchanger 85. The water sent out from the indoor heat exchanger 85 flows into the plate heat exchanger 57 by the pump 71. The water that flows into the plate heat exchanger 57 is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant and is sent out from the plate heat exchanger 57. This cycle is then repeated.

[0025] As described above, in the heat pump unit 1, the expansion tank 77, which is one of the water circuit devices 45, is provided to maintain the pressure, which changes due to changes in the volume of water as a result of heating, within a certain pressure range. When the heat pump unit 1 is installed in a large facility such as a factory, hotel, or building, the water circuit 41 installed within the facility will be larger depending on the size of the facility. As the water circuit 41 becomes larger, the amount of expansion of the water also increases, so the expansion tank 77 must also be larger.

[0026] The refrigerant circuit equipment 35 that constitutes the refrigerant circuit 31 is housed in the outdoor unit housing 5 of the outdoor unit 3 that is installed outdoors. Of the water circuit equipment 45 that constitutes the water circuit 41, the plate heat exchanger 57, the pump 71, and the expansion tank 77 are also required to be housed in the outdoor unit 3.

[0027] Hereinafter, the outdoor unit 3 that can ensure ease of maintenance for the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 and the water circuit equipment 45 housed in the limited space inside the outdoor unit housing 5 will be specifically described.

[0028] Embodiment An example of an outdoor unit 3 according to an embodiment will be described. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outdoor unit casing 5 of the outdoor unit 3 includes a front portion 6, a first side portion 7, a second side portion 8, a rear portion 9, and a bottom portion 11. The front portion 6 and the rear portion 9 are attached to the bottom portion 11 with a gap therebetween in a first direction. The first side portion 7 and the second side portion 8 are attached to the bottom portion 11 with a gap therebetween in a second direction intersecting the first direction, so as to close the gap between the front portion 6 and the rear portion 9.

[0029] Front panels 15 are attached to the front portion 6. The front panels 15 include a first front panel 15a, a second front panel 15b, a third front panel 15c, a fourth front panel 15d, and a fifth front panel 15e. Center pillars 17 are also attached to the front portion 6. The center pillar 17 is disposed between the first front panel 15a and the fourth front panel 15d. The center pillar 17 is also disposed between the second front panel 15b and the fifth front panel 15e.

[0030] The first front panel 15a and the second front panel 15b each have a first width W1. The fourth front panel 15d and the fifth front panel 15e have a second width W2 that is narrower than the first width W1. As will be described later, the first front panel 15a and the second front panel 15b are intended to be common front panels 15 as front panels for outdoor unit housings (not shown) that do not house water circuit equipment 45.

[0031] An air heat exchanger 59 serving as a second heat exchanger is disposed in the outdoor unit housing 5. The air heat exchanger 59 includes an air heat exchanger first section 59a serving as a second heat exchanger first section, an air heat exchanger second section 59b serving as a second heat exchanger second section, and an air heat exchanger third section 59c serving as a second heat exchanger third section. The air heat exchanger first section 59a is disposed on the first side surface section 7. The air heat exchanger second section 59b is disposed on the second side surface section 8. The air heat exchanger third section 59c is disposed on the rear surface section 9.

[0032] Next, the arrangement of the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 and the water circuit equipment 45 within the outdoor unit housing 5 will be described. As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 6, the outdoor unit housing 5 is provided with a water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a that accommodates the water circuit equipment 45 and a refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b that accommodates the refrigerant circuit equipment 35. The water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a and the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b are positioned side by side along the front surface 6. The water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a is positioned on the first side surface 7 side. The refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b is positioned on the second side surface 8 side.

[0033] The water circuit equipment accommodation space 13a accommodates a pump 71 and an expansion tank 77. The pump 71, which is a heavy object, is fixed to the bottom surface 11 via a flange 73. A frame-like base 91 is disposed on the bottom surface 11 so as to cover the pump 71. The expansion tank 77 is placed on the frame-like base 91. The expansion tank 77 is placed above the pump 71 by being placed on the frame-like base 91 which is disposed so as to cover the pump 71.

[0034] Meanwhile, in the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b, the compressor 51 and the plate heat exchanger 57, which are heavy objects, are arranged on the bottom surface 11. The plate heat exchanger 57 is arranged on the side closer to the rear surface 9 than the compressor 51. A compressor cover 67 is attached to cover the compressor 51. The compressor cover 67 includes a front cover 63 and a top cover 65. Note that the refrigerant circuit 31 may be provided with an accumulator as the refrigerant circuit equipment 35. As shown in FIG. 6 , in that case, the accumulator 62 is arranged next to the plate heat exchanger 57 on the side closer to the rear surface 9 than the compressor 51.

[0035] Also disposed within the outdoor unit housing 5 are a control box 21 and a control box frame 23 that supports the control box 21. An active filter 25 is disposed on top of the control box 21. A fan 27 for sending air to the air heat exchanger 59 is disposed above the active filter 25 on the upper part (ceiling) of the outdoor unit housing 5.

[0036] In the outdoor unit 3 described above, in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b that accommodates the refrigerant circuit equipment 35, a water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a that accommodates the water circuit equipment 45 is provided within the outdoor unit housing 5. A pump 71 is fixed to the bottom surface portion 11 of the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a, and a frame-like stand 91 is arranged to cover the pump 71.

[0037] By placing the expansion tank 77 on the frame-like mount 91, the expansion tank 77 is disposed above the pump 71. This makes it possible to minimize the installation area for the pump 71 and the expansion tank 77 in the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a, which is provided in the limited space within the outdoor unit housing 5. By minimizing the installation area for the pump 71 and the expansion tank 77, it is possible to minimize the volume of the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a that must be secured within the outdoor unit housing 5 in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b.

[0038] Furthermore, the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a and the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b are positioned side by side along the front surface 6. This allows easy maintenance of the water circuit equipment 45 accommodated in the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a and the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 accommodated in the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b from the front surface 6 of the outdoor unit housing 5.

[0039] Next, a method (procedure) for maintaining the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 and the water circuit equipment 45 will be specifically described.

[0040] (Expansion Tank Maintenance) First, the front panels 15 arranged on the front portion 6 of the outdoor unit housing 5, as shown in Fig. 7, are removed. In this case, three of the front panels 15, namely, the first front panel 15a, the second front panel 15b, the fourth front panel 15d, and the fifth front panel 15e, are removed. Fig. 8 shows the state after the front panels 15 have been removed. Next, the center pillar 17, the control box 21, and the control box frame 23 shown in Fig. 8 are removed. This state is shown in Fig. 9.

[0041] Next, the expansion tank 77 fixed to the frame-like frame 91 is removed from the frame-like frame 91. The expansion tank 77 has three legs 79. As shown in Figure 10, the frame-like frame 91 is equipped with a tank frame 92. The bolts (not shown) fixing the three legs 79 to the tank frame 92 are removed. In addition, the flare piping 81 (see Figure 9) connected to the pump 71 (water circuit 41) is removed.

[0042] 11 , the expansion tank 77 is pulled out from the outdoor unit housing 5, and necessary maintenance is performed on the expansion tank 77. After the maintenance on the expansion tank 77 is completed, the expansion tank 77 is fixed to the frame-like stand 91 by performing the above-described operations in reverse.

[0043] (Pump maintenance) First, the front panels 15 arranged on the front portion 6 of the outdoor unit housing 5, as shown in Fig. 7, are removed. In this case, all of the front panels 15, namely the first front panel 15a, the second front panel 15b, the third front panel 15c, the fourth front panel 15d, and the fifth front panel 15e, are removed. Fig. 12 shows the state after the front panels 15 have been removed. Next, the center pillars 17 and attachments 19 shown in Fig. 12 are removed. Fig. 13 shows the state after the center pillars 17 and other parts have been removed.

[0044] Next, the flange 73 shown in Figure 13 is removed, and the pump 71 is detached from the water piping 43. Next, the pump 71 is pulled out from the outdoor unit housing 5, and necessary maintenance is performed on the pump 71. After the maintenance on the pump 71 is completed, the above-described operations are performed in reverse, thereby connecting the pump 71 to the water piping 43 via the flange 73.

[0045] (Compressor maintenance) First, the front panels 15 arranged on the front portion 6 of the outdoor unit housing 5 are removed, as shown in Fig. 14. In this case, three front panels 15, namely, a first front panel 15a, a second front panel 15b, and a third front panel 15c, are removed. Fig. 15 shows the state in which the front panels 15 have been removed.

[0046] Next, the compressor cover 67 shown in Fig. 15 that covers the compressor 51 is removed. The compressor cover 67 includes a front cover 63 shown in Fig. 16 and a top cover 65 shown in Fig. 17. The front cover 63 is disposed in front of (on the front side of) the compressor 51. The top cover 65 is disposed above the compressor 51. Fig. 18 shows the compressor with the compressor cover 67 removed.

[0047] Next, as shown in Figure 18, the discharge port 53a and the suction port 53b of the compressor 51 are removed from the refrigerant piping 33 (see Figure 1). Next, as shown in Figure 19, the bolts 54 that secure the compressor 51 to the bottom surface portion 11 are removed. Next, the compressor 51 is pulled out from the outdoor unit housing 5, and necessary maintenance is performed on the compressor 51. After the maintenance on the compressor 51 is completed, the compressor 51 is connected to the refrigerant piping 33 by performing the above-described operations in reverse.

[0048] (Maintenance of the plate heat exchanger) First, the front panels 15 arranged on the front portion 6 of the outdoor unit housing 5, as shown in Fig. 7, are removed. In this case, all of the front panels 15, namely the first front panel 15a, the second front panel 15b, the third front panel 15c, the fourth front panel 15d, and the fifth front panel 15e, are removed. The state in which the front panels 15 have been removed is shown in Fig. 20.

[0049] Next, the control box 21 and the control box frame 23 shown in Fig. 20 are removed. As shown in Fig. 21, by removing the control box 21 and other components, the plate heat exchanger 57 and other components arranged behind the compressor cover 67 (towards the rear surface 9) can be seen.

[0050] Next, the water pipes 43 (see FIG. 1) and refrigerant pipes 33 (see FIG. 1) connected to the plate heat exchanger 57 are disconnected. Next, as shown in FIG. 22, the plate heat exchanger 57 is pulled out to the front side (front section 6) while aligning it with the corners of the compressor cover 67. At this time, the pulling out process can be made easier by placing a platform 97 of an appropriate height on the back side of the compressor cover 67 and gradually pulling up the plate heat exchanger 57.

[0051] Necessary maintenance is performed on the plate heat exchanger 57 that has been pulled out from the outdoor unit housing 5. After the maintenance on the plate heat exchanger 57 is completed, the above-described operations are performed in reverse to position the plate heat exchanger 57 behind the compressor cover 67.

[0052] The refrigerant circuit equipment 35 may have an accumulator 62 (see FIG. 6) that stores refrigerant. When performing maintenance on the accumulator 62, the same work as for the plate heat exchanger 57 is performed. After disconnecting the refrigerant piping connected to the accumulator 62, the accumulator 62 is pulled out from the outdoor unit housing 5 while aligning it with the corner of the compressor cover 67, and the necessary maintenance can be performed.

[0053] As described above, in the outdoor unit 3, in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b that accommodates the refrigerant circuit equipment 35, the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a that accommodates the water circuit equipment 45 is provided within the outdoor unit housing 5. In the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a, the expansion tank 77 is placed on a frame-like stand 91 that is arranged so as to cover the pump 71. This minimizes the installation area for the pump 71 and the expansion tank 77, and makes it possible to minimize the volume of the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a that must be secured within the outdoor unit housing 5 in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b.

[0054] Furthermore, within the outdoor unit housing 5, the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space 13b and the water circuit equipment accommodating space 13a are provided in such a manner that the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 and the water circuit equipment 45 are arranged side by side along the front surface 6 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). This allows the pump 71 and the expansion tank 77 (water circuit equipment 45) to be pulled out from the front surface 6 to the outside of the outdoor unit housing 5, facilitating maintenance of the pump 71 and the expansion tank 77.

[0055] The compressor 51 (refrigerant circuit equipment 35) can also be pulled out from the front portion 6 to the outside of the outdoor unit housing 5, facilitating maintenance of the compressor 51. Furthermore, the plate heat exchanger 57 (refrigerant circuit equipment 35) and the like can also be pulled out to the outside of the outdoor unit housing 5 along the compressor cover 67, facilitating maintenance of the plate heat exchanger 57 and the like.

[0056] Furthermore, in the outdoor unit 3 described above, which accommodates the water circuit equipment 45 in addition to the refrigerant circuit equipment 35, the expansion tank 77 is already accommodated in the outdoor unit housing 5 at the time the outdoor unit 3 is shipped as a product. This eliminates the need to arrange for the expansion tank 77 at the site where the outdoor unit 3 is to be installed, which contributes to reducing the workload and shortening the installation time.

[0057] In addition to the first specification outdoor unit 3 that houses the above-mentioned refrigerant circuit equipment 35 and water circuit equipment 45, there is also a second specification outdoor unit (not shown) that houses the refrigerant circuit equipment 35 but does not house the water circuit equipment 45. In this second specification outdoor unit, the same front panels as the first front panel 15a, second front panel 15b, and third front panel 15c are used as the front panels. Front panels corresponding to the fourth front panel 15d and fifth front panel 15e are not used.

[0058] In other words, the front panel 15 in the first specification outdoor unit 3 (see Figures 2 and 3) includes the same first front panel 15a, second front panel 15b, and third front panel 15c as the front panel of the second specification outdoor unit (not shown). This allows the front panel 15 to be common between the first specification outdoor unit 3 and the second specification outdoor unit, which can contribute to reducing production costs.

[0059] Furthermore, the length L (see FIG. 2) from the second side surface 8 to the water pipe connection port 75 in the first specification outdoor unit 3 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is set to be the same as the length from the side surface corresponding to the second side surface to the water pipe connection port in the second specification outdoor unit (not shown). This makes it possible, for example, to align the pitch (length L) of the water pipe connection ports 75 (water pipe connection ports 75a, 75b) when installing one first specification outdoor unit 3 together with multiple second specification outdoor units.

[0060] The embodiments disclosed herein are examples and are not intended to be limiting. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the scope of the claims, not the scope described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

[0061] The present disclosure is effectively applied to an outdoor unit of a heat pump device including an expansion tank and a pump.

[0062] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 heat pump device, 3 outdoor unit, 5 outdoor unit housing, 6 front portion, 7 first side portion, 8 second side portion, 9 back portion, 11 bottom portion, 13a water circuit equipment accommodating space, 13b refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space, 15 front panel, 15a first front panel, 15b second front panel, 15c third front panel, 15d fourth front panel, 15e fifth front panel, 17 center pillar, 19 attachment, 21 control box, 23 control box frame, 25 active filter, 27 fan, 29 indoor unit, 31 refrigerant circuit, 33 refrigerant piping, 35 refrigerant circuit equipment, 41 water circuit, 43 water piping, 45 water circuit equipment, 51 compressor, 53a discharge port, 53b suction port, 54 anchor bolt, 55 four-way valve, 57 plate heat exchanger, 59 air heat exchanger, 59a Air heat exchanger first part, 59b Air heat exchanger second part, 59c Air heat exchanger third part, 61 Expansion valve, 62 Accumulator, 63 Front cover, 65 Top cover, 67 Compressor cover, 71 Pump, 73 Flange, 75, 75a, 75b Water pipe connection port, 77 Expansion tank, 79 Legs, 81 Flare pipe, 85 Indoor heat exchanger, 91 Frame-shaped stand, 92 Tank frame, 98 Unit, W1 First width, W2 Second width, L Length.

Claims

1. An outdoor unit for a heat pump device, comprising: a refrigerant circuit in which refrigerant circuit equipment including a compressor and a first heat exchanger are connected by refrigerant piping; a water circuit in which water circuit equipment including the first heat exchanger, a pump, and an expansion tank are connected by water piping, and heat exchange with the refrigerant circuit takes place in the first heat exchanger; and an outdoor unit housing having a refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space that accommodates the refrigerant circuit equipment, and a water circuit equipment accommodating space that accommodates the water circuit equipment, wherein the outdoor unit housing includes a bottom portion and a front portion, and the water circuit equipment accommodating space and the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space are positioned side by side along the front portion, and in the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space, the compressor and the first heat exchanger are disposed on the bottom portion, and in the water circuit equipment accommodating space, the pump is disposed on the bottom portion, and the expansion tank is disposed above the pump.

2. The outdoor unit according to claim 1, wherein the outdoor unit housing has the front and rear sections attached to the bottom section with a gap in a first direction, and a first side section and a second side section attached to the bottom section with a gap in a second direction intersecting the first direction and positioned so as to block the space between the front section and the rear section, and wherein, when the outdoor unit housing is viewed from the front section, the water circuit equipment accommodating space is located on the first side section side, and the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space is located on the second side section side.

3. The outdoor unit according to claim 2, wherein in the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space, the first heat exchanger is disposed closer to the rear portion than the compressor.

4. The outdoor unit according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a compressor cover that covers the compressor is attached to the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space.

5. An outdoor unit according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the expansion tank is placed on a frame-like stand attached to the bottom surface of the outdoor unit housing.

6. An outdoor unit according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the refrigerant circuit equipment includes a second heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant circuit and air, the second heat exchanger including a second heat exchanger first section, a second heat exchanger second section, and a second heat exchanger third section, the second heat exchanger first section being disposed on the first side section, the second heat exchanger second section being disposed on the second side section, and the second heat exchanger third section being disposed on the rear section.

7. The outdoor unit according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerant circuit equipment includes a fan that sends the air to the second heat exchanger, and the fan is disposed above the refrigerant circuit equipment accommodating space and the water circuit equipment accommodating space.

8. An outdoor unit according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the outdoor unit housing comprises a front panel arranged on the front portion, the front panel including: a front panel first portion having a first width and arranged on the second side surface portion side; and a front panel second portion having a second width narrower than the first width and arranged on the first side surface portion side.

9. The outdoor unit according to claim 8, wherein the outdoor unit housing includes a pillar member interposed between the first front panel portion and the second front panel portion and to which the first front panel portion and the second front panel portion are attached.

10. A heat pump device equipped with an outdoor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the water circuit equipment includes a third heat exchanger, and the heat pump device is equipped with an indoor unit that houses the third heat exchanger.

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