Refrigerant Injection Bypass Control for Air Conditioner Supercooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioners face limitations in cooling and heating performance, especially in extreme external temperatures, requiring large-capacity compressors that increase manufacturing and installation costs, and struggle to maintain sufficient refrigerant circulation and supercooling.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner system that adjusts the refrigerant flow rate by incorporating supercooling devices, injection passages, and bypass passages with passage opening/closing parts to selectively control the refrigerant flow into the compressor based on cooling or heating operations, allowing for optimized refrigerant circulation and supercooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large-capacity compressor is provided to increase refrigerant circulation, then cooling and heating performance is improved, but manufacturing and installation costs are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic refrigerant flow control by providing multiple injection passages (first injection passage and second injection passage) with controllable opening/closing parts, allowing the system to adapt refrigerant circulation to actual operating conditions rather than relying on a fixed large-capacity compressor configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the refrigerant injection function into multiple separate injection passages, each serving specific purposes (one for cooling mode, one for heating mode), allowing selective activation based on operational requirements rather than using a single oversized system
2Quantity of substance
If a large-capacity compressor is provided to increase refrigerant circulation, then sufficient refrigerant circulation amount is secured, but the system complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The compressor serves multiple functions by receiving refrigerant through different injection passages depending on the operating mode, making the same hardware adaptable to both cooling and heating operations without requiring separate systems for each mode
3Productivity
If the refrigerant is overcooled in the condenser, then evaporation performance of the evaporator is improved, but it is difficult to secure the overcooling in existing systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary cooling action by introducing refrigerant through injection passages that allow the refrigerant to be cooled below its condensation temperature before entering the evaporator, ensuring sufficient supercooling is achieved in advance for improved evaporation performance
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 solution enhances the air conditioner's performance by adjusting refrigerant flow according to operational modes, improving cooling and heating efficiency, reducing noise, and lowering the required compressor power while maintaining adequate supercooling, thus addressing the limitations of existing systems.
Implementation Method 1
a supercooling device for supercooling a refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger or the indoor heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
The outdoor unit includes an outdoor heat exchanger heat-exchanging with external air, and the indoor unit includes an indoor heat exchanger heat-exchanging with indoor air
Implementation Method 3
a refrigerant is introduced into a compressor in a state 'a’, and then is compressed in the compressor and discharged in a state 'b'
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an air conditioner. The air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, and an expansion device includes a supercooling device for supercooling a refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger or the indoor heat exchanger, an injection passage through which the refrigerant passing through the supercooling device is introduced into an injection inflow part of the compressor, a bypass passage extending from the injection passage to a suction part of the compressor to bypass the refrigerant, and a passage opening/closing part disposed in at least one of the injection passage and the bypass passage to selectively block a flow of the refrigerant.