Heat Pump Airflow Control for Stable Vehicle Heating Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing refrigerant cycle devices for vehicles often face a lack of heating capacity in the user-side heat exchanger, particularly when the temperature of the fluid for heat exchange adjusted by the user-side heat exchanger is equal to or less than the target temperature, leading to inefficient heat dissipation and reduced cycle efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerant cycle device includes a compressor, user-side heat exchanger, high-pressure side decompressor, gas-liquid separator, low-pressure side decompressor, evaporator, and a flow rate adjustment portion that adjusts the flow rate of the fluid into the user-side heat exchanger, increasing the refrigerant pressure and enthalpy difference to enhance heating capacity by decreasing the flow rate when the target temperature is reached, and optionally increasing the throttle opening degree of the high-pressure side decompressor to boost gas injection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the opening degree of the high-pressure side expansion valve is increased to improve heating capacity, then the heating capacity of the user-side heat exchanger is improved, but the cycle efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flow rate parameter of the refrigerant dynamically based on heating demand. By adjusting the flow rate of refrigerant to the user-side heat exchanger according to the actual heating capacity requirement, the system can operate at optimal efficiency points while meeting heating demands, resolving the contradiction between heating capacity and cycle efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic control of the refrigerant flow rate to the user-side heat exchanger based on real-time heating capacity requirements. This dynamic adjustment allows the system to adapt to varying heating demands while maintaining optimal cycle efficiency, rather than using a fixed flow rate that would compromise either heating capacity or efficiency
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration increases the temperature difference between the refrigerant and the fluid, enhances the heating capacity of the user-side heat exchanger, and stabilizes the refrigerant cycle balance, effectively addressing the lack of heating capacity and improving comfort within the vehicle interior.
Implementation Method 1
a compressor configured to compress a low-pressure refrigerant sucked from a suction port and to discharge a high-pressure refrigerant from a discharge port
Implementation Method 2
a user-side heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the discharge port and a fluid for heat exchange to thereby heat the fluid for heat exchange
Implementation Method 3
a high-pressure side decompressor configured to decompress the high-pressure refrigerant flowing from the user-side heat exchanger into an intermediate-pressure refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
a gas-liquid separator configured to separate the intermediate-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the high-pressure side decompressor into gas and liquid phases
Implementation Method 5
a low-pressure side decompressor configured to decompress the liquid-phase refrigerant separated by the gas-liquid separator into a low-pressure refrigerant
Implementation Method 6
an evaporator configured to evaporate the low-pressure refrigerant decompressed by the low-pressure side decompressor and to flow out the refrigerant toward the suction port
Data Source
AI summary
When a temperature of feed air blown into a space for air conditioning cannot be increased up to the target temperature in an indoor condenser of a heat pump cycle included in a gas injection cycle, the volume of the feed air flowing into the indoor condenser is decreased. Thus, the temperature of the refrigerant condensed by the indoor condenser is increased, while the amount of a compression work in a high-pressure side compression stage of the compressor is increased, which suppresses the lack of the heating capacity of the feed air blown into the space for air conditioning.