Heat Pump Vent Channel for Flammable Refrigerant Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heat pumps using flammable refrigerants face challenges in ensuring safe refrigerant leakage management, particularly in indoor installations, as they require large installation spaces or costly fans to meet safety standards, limiting their adaptability to different room sizes.
Innovation Solution
A heat pump design featuring a closable receptacle for a fan in the ventilation channel, allowing for easy retrofitting and adaptation to various installation room sizes, along with a flat ventilation duct that can be extended outside, enabling safe refrigerant discharge without increasing the pump's dimensions, and incorporating sound insulation to reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fan is installed in the ventilation channel to pump refrigerant safely out of the heat pump, then refrigerant safety is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fan from the main heat pump body and places it in a separate closable receptacle that can be accessed from the outside. This allows the fan to be removed or installed as needed, reducing device complexity when the fan is not required, while maintaining refrigerant safety when the fan is installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the fan installation dynamic by providing a closable receptacle that allows the fan to be installed or removed based on the installation room size and safety requirements. This dynamic configuration enables the same heat pump to adapt to different safety requirements without permanently increasing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the heat pump is designed for different installation room sizes with different safety configurations, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal heat pump design that can function in multiple safety configurations. The same heat pump with the closable receptacle can be used in large rooms (where the fan is not needed), medium rooms (where the fan is installed), and small rooms (where the fan is installed and ducted outside), eliminating the need for different heat pump models.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables dynamic adaptation to different installation room sizes through the closable receptacle design. The fan can be installed or removed based on the specific installation conditions, allowing the heat pump to adapt to various room sizes without increasing inherent device complexity.
3Reliability
If the ventilation duct is extended outside the installation room, then refrigerant safety is improved, but the heat pump dimensions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the ventilation system into two parts: a compact internal ventilation duct integrated into the heat pump, and an external duct that can be connected separately. This segmentation allows the external duct to be added only when needed for small installation rooms, without increasing the heat pump's base dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the ventilation capability to another dimension by providing an external duct connection that routes refrigerant outside the installation room vertically or horizontally, rather than only extending the duct length from the heat pump body. This dimensional approach allows safety improvement without proportionally increasing heat pump dimensions.
4Length of stationary object
If the ventilation duct is designed as a flat duct, then the heat pump dimensions are reduced, but the cross-sectional area for refrigerant mixing is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flat duct design that optimizes the cross-sectional area within the constrained thickness dimension. The flat duct provides sufficient cross-sectional area for refrigerant mixing while keeping the duct thickness minimal, allowing it to fit against the heat pump housing without excessively increasing dimensions.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a heat pump, in particular an indoor heat pump, comprising a housing, a refrigeration circuit with a flammable refrigerant, in particular R454C, and a vent channel for the discharge of escaping refrigerant, wherein the housing has an outlet opening and wherein the vent channel connects to the outlet opening, wherein the vent channel has a closable receptacle designed to accommodate a fan.