Packaged fluid machine

Abstract

This packaged fluid machine (1) comprises: a partition wall (13) that divides the interior of an enclosure (10) into a machine chamber (14) and an electric chamber (15); a fluid machine body (20) disposed in the machine chamber (14); an electric component (30) disposed in the electric chamber (15); a cooling flow path (40) provided in the machine chamber (14) and adjacent to the electric chamber (15) with the partition wall (13) therebetween; an inverter (31) that is partially disposed in the electric chamber (15) and is partially exposed to the cooling flow path (40); a fan (45) disposed in the cooling flow path (40) to form, in the cooling flow path (40), airflow for cooling the inverter (31); a temperature sensor (71) that detects the temperature of the electric chamber (15) or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the electric chamber (15); and a control device (50) that, when stopping the operation of the fluid machine body (20), causes the fan (45) to continue to operate after the stopping of the fluid machine body (20) if a detected temperature that is detected by the temperature sensor (71) is a prescribed value or more.

Description

Package-type fluid machine

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a package-type fluid machine.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a package-type compressor having a rectangular parallelepiped appearance. In this package-type compressor, a machine room for housing the compressor body and an electrical component box for housing electrical components are provided on a single base. The machine room and the electrical component box are covered together with a cover.

[0003] Inside the cover, a duct is provided adjacent to the electrical component box. A part of the inverter is housed in the electrical component box, while the remaining part is arranged in the duct together with the self-cooling fan of the inverter. During the operation of the self-cooling fan, outside air is introduced into the duct, and the inverter is air-cooled.

[0004] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-30227

[0005] Along with the stop of the compressor body, the self-cooling fan stops. Then, the inside of the electrical component box may be heated up by the heat radiation from the inverter. When electrical components other than the inverter are exposed to high temperatures, there is a possibility that their stable operation may be hindered.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a package-type fluid machine capable of suppressing excessive temperature rise in the electrical chamber.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure provides a packaged fluid machine comprising: a housing; a partition wall dividing the inside of the housing into a machine room and an electrical room; a fluid machine body disposed in the machine room and driven by a motor; electrical components disposed in the electrical room for controlling the fluid machine body; a cooling channel provided in the machine room and adjacent to the electrical room via the partition wall; an inverter constituting part of the electrical components for controlling the motor, partially disposed in the electrical room, and partially exposed to the cooling channel; a fan disposed in the cooling channel for forming an airflow within the cooling channel to cool the inverter; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the electrical room or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical room; and a control device that, when stopping the operation of the fluid machine body, if the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is above a predetermined value, causes the fan to continue operating even after the fluid machine body has stopped.

[0008] Here, we assume that at the time the fluid machine body stops, the temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical chamber is above a predetermined value. In this case, the temperature of the electrical chamber is already high at the time the fluid machine body stops. Therefore, if the fan stops simultaneously with the fluid machine body, the temperature of the electrical chamber will rise even further due to heat dissipation from the inverter, potentially reaching a temperature that makes it difficult to guarantee the stable operation of the electrical components.

[0009] With the above configuration, if the detected temperature is above a predetermined value when the fluid machine is stopped, the fan will continue to operate regardless of whether the fluid machine is stopped. This suppresses heat dissipation from the inverter to the electrical room, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the electrical room. This prevents electrical components from being exposed to high temperatures while the fluid machine is stopped, and ensures that the electrical components can operate stably when the fluid machine is restarted.

[0010] The fan may be a self-cooling fan built into the inverter.

[0011] With the above configuration, compared to cases where a separate fan is provided in addition to the inverter, a separate program or wiring is not required to control the separate fan, making it easy to control the operation of the fan after the fluid machine itself has stopped.

[0012] When stopping the operation of the fluid machine body, if the detected temperature is less than the predetermined value, the control device may stop the fan simultaneously with the fluid machine body, or it may continue to operate the fan after the fluid machine body has stopped for a shorter period than the continuous operation time of the fan when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

[0013] Here, we assume that at the time the fluid machine body stops, the temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical chamber is below a predetermined value. In this case, the temperature of the electrical chamber is already low at the time the fluid machine body stops. Therefore, even if the continuous operation time of the fan after the fluid machine body stops is short, or if the fan stops simultaneously with the fluid machine body, the probability that the temperature of the electrical chamber will reach a temperature that makes it difficult to guarantee the stable operation of the electrical components is low.

[0014] According to the above configuration, when the fluid machine body is stopped, if the detected temperature is below a predetermined value, the fan is stopped simultaneously with the fluid machine body, or the continuous operation time of the fan is shortened compared to when the temperature is above the predetermined value. This makes it possible to suppress excessive temperature rise in the electrical room while reducing energy consumption by the fan.

[0015] The temperature sensor may detect the suction temperature of the fluid machine body.

[0016] Both the suction temperature of the fluid machine body and the temperature of the electrical chamber are affected by the ambient temperature outside the enclosure. Therefore, it can be said that the suction temperature of the fluid machine body is correlated with the temperature of the electrical chamber. Furthermore, sensors for detecting the suction temperature of the fluid machine body can conventionally be equipped in packaged fluid machines to control the operation of the fluid machine body.

[0017] With the above configuration, it is not necessary to add temperature sensors when implementing new control for the fan, thus keeping the manufacturing cost of the packaged fluid machine low. The suction temperature correlates well with the temperature of the electrical chamber. Therefore, based on the comparison result between the suction temperature and a predetermined value, it is possible to reasonably determine whether or not to continue operating the fan in order to suppress excessive temperature rise in the electrical chamber.

[0018] According to this disclosure, a packaged fluid machine capable of suppressing excessive temperature rise in the electrical chamber can be provided.

[0019] A perspective view of a packaged fluid machine according to an embodiment. An exploded perspective view of the packaged fluid machine of Figure 1. A front view of the packaged fluid machine of Figure 1 with the door removed. A side cross-sectional view of the packaged fluid machine of Figure 1. A standard cross-sectional view of the packaged fluid machine of Figure 1. A closed cross-sectional view of the packaged fluid machine of Figure 1. A block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the fluid machine system of Figure 1. A flowchart showing the processing performed by the control device of Figure 7.

[0020] Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings, and redundant detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0021] Referring to Figures 1 to 6, the packaged fluid machine 1 according to this embodiment comprises a housing 10, a fluid machine body 20, and electrical components 30.

[0022] The housing 10 is, for example, rectangular in shape. The front of the housing 10 is closed by a left door 11 and a right door 12, which can be opened. The housing 10 is provided with a partition wall 13 that divides its interior into a machine room 14 and an electrical room 15. The fluid machine body 20 is located in the machine room 14. The electrical components 30 are located in the electrical room 15.

[0023] The enclosure 10 has a central column 10a that extends vertically at the center of the front side and in the left-right direction. The left door 11 opens and closes the left side of the central column 10a in the front opening, and the right door 12 opens and closes the right side of the central column 10a in the front opening. The partition wall 13 is U-shaped in plan view and includes a first wall 13a extending backward from the central column 10a, a second wall 13b extending to the right from the rear end of the first wall 13a, and a third wall 13c extending forward from the right end of the second wall 13b, with the third wall 13c being close to the right side wall 10b of the enclosure 10. The electrical room 15 is defined by the right side of the first wall 13a, the front of the second wall 13b, and the left side of the third wall 13c, and the upper and lower surfaces connected to these three sides 13a, 13b, and 13c, and is opened and closed by the right door 12. A ventilation opening 18 is provided in the right door 12. The electrical room 15 is connected to the outside (outside air) of the packaged fluid machine 1 through the ventilation opening 18. The electrical room 15 is located inside the housing 10 in an off-center position, towards the front and right.

[0024] A fluid machine consists of a fluid machine body 20 and a motor 21 (see Figure 7). A fluid machine is a machine that converts mechanical energy into fluid energy, or vice versa. Examples of fluid machines include compressors, blowers, pumps, and fans. A compressor may be, for example, a screw type, oil-free, or multi-stage type. The fluid machine body 20 is the main body of such a fluid machine. The motor 21 drives the fluid machine body 20.

[0025] When the fluid machine is a compressor, the housing 10 is provided with a structure for taking in outside air into the housing 10 and a structure for releasing exhaust gas from inside the housing 10. The machine room 14 houses a heat exchanger 22 for cooling the high-temperature compressed gas discharged from the compressor. When the heat exchanger 22 is air-cooled, the housing 10 has an exhaust structure 16 that releases the air (exhaust) after it has passed through the heat exchanger 22 from the machine room 14 to the outside of the housing 10. In this embodiment, as an example, the heat exchanger 22 is located at the top of the housing 10, and the exhaust structure 16 is composed of a number of exhaust holes provided in the top wall 10c of the housing 10.

[0026] The electrical components 30 control the operation of the fluid machine. The electrical components 30 include an inverter 31 that controls the motor 21. The electrical components 30 also include a control board 32 on which the main controller 51 (see Figure 7) is mounted. The electrical components 30 are fixed to the partition wall 13. The operator of the packaged fluid machine 1 can easily access the electrical components 30 in the electrical room 15 by opening the right door 12 and perform necessary tasks such as maintenance.

[0027] The packaged fluid machine 1 is located in the machine room 14 and has a cooling passage 40 adjacent to the electrical room 15 via a partition wall 13. The cooling passage 40 is defined by a cooling duct 41 located inside the housing. The cooling duct 41 includes a first duct 41a extending left and right along the back surface of the second wall 13b of the partition wall 13, and a second duct 41b extending upward from the first duct 41a along the back surface of the second wall 13b. One end (right end) of the first duct 41a opens at a position close to the right side wall 10b. The right side wall 10b has an air intake port 17 that guides air at a position opposite the first duct 41a. A filter 42 is also attached to the right side wall 10b so as to cover the air intake port 17.

[0028] In this embodiment, the inverter 31 is a so-called self-cooling type, with a fan 45 and a heatsink integrated into one unit. The fan 45 built into the inverter 31 is also called a "self-cooling fan". In the self-cooling inverter 31, a duct-shaped rear cover that covers the fan 45 and heatsink is provided on the rear of the main housing 31a that houses the main electronic components (for example, switching elements and controllers), and the fan 45 is installed to circulate air to the heatsink inside the rear cover. The inside of the rear cover may be in communication with the inside of the main housing 31a.

[0029] An opening 13d is provided in the second wall 13b. The inverter 31 is attached to the second wall 13b such that the fan 45 and heat sink are located outside the electrical chamber 15 through the opening 13d, and the main housing 31a is located inside the electrical chamber 15. The fan 45 and heat sink are exposed to the cooling channel 40 adjacent to the electrical chamber 15. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the rear cover of the inverter 31 is the second duct 41b itself, and communicates with the first duct 41a. The fan 45 of the inverter 31 forms an airflow within the cooling channel 40 for cooling the inverter 31.

[0030] When the fan 45 operates, air from outside the enclosure 10 is filtered by the filter 42 and introduced into the first duct 41a. The air flows from the first duct 41a into the second duct 41b, cools the inverter 31, and is heated by heat exchange with the inverter 31. The air that has passed through the inverter 31 is blown out into the machine room 14 by the fan 45. The air may, for example, be discharged outside the enclosure 10 along with the air that has passed through the heat exchanger 22 by the exhaust structure 16.

[0031] Referring to Figure 7, the control device 50 of the packaged fluid machine 1 includes a main controller 51 mounted on a control board 32 as an electrical component 30. The control device 50 may also include a controller 61 built into the inverter 31 and controlled by the main controller 51. The main controller 51 has a CPU 52, memory 53, input / output unit 54 (interface), and timer 55.

[0032] The inverter 31 comprises a controller 61, a switching element 62, and the aforementioned fan 45. The switching element 62 intervenes in the power supply system from the power supply 70 to the motor 21 of the fluid machine and adjusts the voltage and frequency supplied to the motor 21. The controller 61 controls the operation of the switching element 62 and the fan 45.

[0033] The controller 61 stores a status value. The status value is information indicating the state of the packaged fluid machine 1, such as whether the fluid machine is operating or stopped. If the controller 61 determines, based on the status value, that the fluid machine is operating, it starts the fan 45. If the controller 61 determines, based on the status value, that the fluid machine is stopped, it stops the fan 45. The main controller 51 is configured to control this status value.

[0034] The input / output section 54 of the main controller 51 is connected to the controller 61, and also to the control panel 33 and the temperature sensor 71. The control panel 33 is operated by the operator of the packaged fluid machine 1. The control panel 33 receives input commands to start or stop the fluid machine in response to the operation, and outputs the input commands to the main controller 51.

[0035] The temperature sensor 71 detects the ambient temperature and outputs the detection result to the main controller 51. In this disclosure, ambient temperature broadly refers to the temperature of the environment in which the packaged fluid machine 1 is installed, and narrowly refers to the temperature of the location where the inverter is installed. That is, ambient temperature in this disclosure includes the temperature of the electrical chamber 15 or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical chamber 15. The temperature sensor 71 may be placed inside the electrical chamber 15 and detect the temperature of the electrical chamber 15 itself. The temperature sensor 71 may be placed on the outer surface of the housing 10 and detect the temperature of the environment in which the packaged fluid machine 1 is installed. The electrical chamber 15 is in contact with the environment via the housing 10 and the right door 12. The temperature of the electrical chamber 15 is positively correlated with the ambient temperature. If the fluid machine is an air compressor, the temperature sensor 71 may detect the suction temperature of the compressor body. The suction temperature is equivalent to the ambient temperature and correlates with the temperature of the electrical chamber 15. Furthermore, a sensor for detecting the suction temperature is inherently provided for the control of the compressor. Processing based on the temperature of the electrical chamber 15 can be performed without the need for a dedicated sensor.

[0036] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the process performed by the control device 50 shown in Figure 7. The process shown in Figure 8 starts while the fluid machine is in operation and the fan 45 is running. If the main controller 51 has not received a stop command from the control panel 33 (S1: NO), the process ends and the operation of the fluid machine continues.

[0037] When a stop command is input from the control panel 33 to the main controller 51 (S1: YES), the main controller 51 obtains the ambient temperature detected by the temperature sensor 71 (step S2), and compares the obtained temperature detection value (detected temperature) with the temperature threshold stored in the memory 53 (step S3).

[0038] If the detected temperature is below the temperature threshold (S3: NO), the timer 55 starts measuring time (step S11). The fan 45 continues to operate until the elapsed time from the input of the stop command reaches the second time stored in the memory 53 (S13: NO) (step S12). When the elapsed time reaches the second time (S13: YES), the fan 45 is stopped (step S14). The main controller 51 controls the state value of the inverter 31 from the time it determines that the detected temperature is below the temperature threshold until the time the fan 45 stops, and thereby the state value is rewritten with information indicating that the fluid machine is stopped.

[0039] If the detected temperature is above the temperature threshold (S3: YES), the timer 55 starts measuring time (step S21), and the main controller 51 controls the status value of the inverter 31 (step S22). Here, even though a stop command has already been input, the status value is controlled to indicate that the fluid machine is in operation. As a result, the controller 61 of the inverter 31 recognizes that the fluid machine is in operation and continues to operate the fan 45 even after the fluid machine body 20 has stopped (step S23). The main controller 51 does not update the status value and continues to operate the fan 45 as long as the elapsed time since the stop command was input is less than the first hour stored in the memory 53 (S24: NO) (step S23). When the elapsed time reaches the first hour (S24: YES), the main controller 51 controls the status value of the inverter 31 (step S25). Here, the status value is controlled to indicate that the fluid machine is stopped. As a result, the controller 61 of the inverter 31 recognizes that the fluid machine is stopped and stops the fan 45 (step S26).

[0040] The first hour is, for example, a long period of time ranging from several tens of minutes to several hours. The second hour is shorter than the first hour, for example, a few minutes.

[0041] According to this embodiment, when the fluid machine body 20 is stopped, if the detected temperature is above a predetermined value, the fan 45 continues to operate regardless of whether the fluid machine body 20 is stopped. This suppresses heat dissipation from the inverter 31 to the electrical chamber 15, thereby suppressing the temperature rise of the electrical chamber 15. This prevents the electrical components 30 from being exposed to high temperatures while the fluid machine body 20 is stopped, and enables the electrical components 30 to operate stably when the fluid machine body 20 is restarted.

[0042] Furthermore, when the fluid machine body 20 is stopped, if the detected temperature is below a predetermined value, the continuous operating time of the fan 45 is shortened compared to when the detected temperature is above a predetermined value. This makes it possible to suppress excessive temperature rise in the electrical room 15 while reducing energy consumption by the fan 45.

[0043] Further, since the fan 45 is a self-cooling fan built into the inverter 31, there is no need for a separate program or separate wiring for controlling a separate fan, and compared with the case where a fan separate from the inverter 31 is provided, the operation control of the fan 45 after the fluid machine main body 20 stops can be easily performed.

[0044] The configuration of the above embodiment is merely an example and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0045] For example, if the detected temperature is less than the temperature threshold (S3: NO), the fan 45 may stop immediately. In that case, the fan 45 may be stopped immediately by setting the continuous operation time (second time) to zero seconds. Also, without counting the continuous operation time (second time), that is, by omitting steps S11, step S12, and step S13 themselves in the process shown in FIG. 8, the fan 45 may be stopped immediately.

[0046] Further, the inverter 31 may incorporate a self-cooling fan and also include an off-delay timer. In that case, instead of steps S11, step S12, and step S13 in the process shown in FIG. 8, the self-cooling fan may be stopped at an elapsed time corresponding to the second time by the off-delay timer of the inverter 31.

[0047] The fan 45 may be separate from the inverter 31. In this case, the second duct may also be separate from the inverter 31.

[0048] The present disclosure may include the following aspects. (Aspect 1) A housing, a partition wall that divides the interior of the housing into a machinery room and an electrical room, a fluid machinery main body disposed in the machinery room and driven by a motor, electrical components disposed in the electrical room for controlling the fluid machinery main body, a cooling flow path provided in the machinery room and adjacent to the electrical room through the partition wall, an inverter that controls the motor, is partially disposed in the electrical room, and is partially exposed in the cooling flow path, a fan disposed in the cooling flow path for forming an air flow for cooling the inverter in the cooling flow path, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the electrical room or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical room, and a control device that continues to operate the fan after the fluid machinery main body stops if the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is a predetermined value or more when stopping the operation of the fluid machinery main body. A packaged fluid machinery. (Aspect 2) The packaged fluid machinery according to Aspect 1, wherein the fan is a self-cooling fan built in the inverter. (Aspect 3) When stopping the operation of the fluid machinery main body, if the detected temperature is less than the predetermined value, the control device simultaneously stops the fan with the fluid machinery main body or continues to operate the fan after the fluid machinery main body stops for a time shorter than the continuous operation time of the fan when the detected temperature is a predetermined value or more. The packaged fluid machinery according to Aspect 1 or 2. (Aspect 4) The packaged fluid machinery according to any one of Aspects 1 to 3, wherein the temperature sensor detects the suction temperature of the fluid machinery main body.

[0049] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-001672, the filing date of which is January 6, 2025, and the entire content thereof is incorporated herein by reference.

[0050] 1 Package-type fluid machine 10 Housing 10a Central column 10b Right side wall 10c Top wall 11 Left door 12 Right door 13 Partition wall 13a First wall 13b Second wall 13c Third wall 13d Opening 14 Machine room 15 Electrical room 16 Exhaust structure 17 Intake port 18 Ventilation port 20 Fluid machine body 21 Motor 22 Heat exchanger 30 Electrical components 31 Inverter 31a Main housing 32 Control board 33 Operation panel 40 Cooling passage 41 Cooling duct 41a First duct 41b Second duct 42 Filter 45 Fan 50 Control device 51 Main controller 53 Memory 54 Input / output section 55 Timer 61 Controller 62 Switching element 70 Power supply 71 Temperature sensor

Claims

1. A packaged fluid machine comprising: a housing; a partition wall dividing the inside of the housing into a machine room and an electrical room; a fluid machine body located in the machine room and driven by a motor; electrical components located in the electrical room for controlling the fluid machine body; a cooling channel provided in the machine room and adjacent to the electrical room via the partition wall; an inverter controlling the motor, partially located in the electrical room and partially exposed to the cooling channel; a fan located in the cooling channel for forming an airflow within the cooling channel to cool the inverter; a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the electrical room or a temperature correlated with the temperature of the electrical room; and a control device that, when stopping the operation of the fluid machine body, if the detected temperature detected by the temperature sensor is above a predetermined value, causes the fan to continue operating even after the fluid machine body has stopped.

2. The packaged fluid machine according to claim 1, wherein the fan is a self-cooling fan built into the inverter.

3. The packaged fluid machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the operation of the fluid machine body is stopped, if the detected temperature is less than the predetermined value, the control device stops the fan simultaneously with the fluid machine body, or continues to operate the fan after the fluid machine body has stopped for a shorter period than the continuous operation time of the fan when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the predetermined value.

4. The packaged fluid machine according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the temperature sensor detects the suction temperature of the fluid machine body.

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