Relay Unit Shutoff Layout for Multi-Indoor Air Conditioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning apparatuses face challenges in completely shutting off refrigerant flow due to the inability of flow control valves to be fully closed, and the complexity and cost associated with multiple shutoff valves for each indoor unit, leading to incomplete refrigerant containment and increased control complexity.
Innovation Solution
An air-conditioning apparatus with a relay unit that includes a first branch unit where liquid-side pipes join together and a refrigerant shutoff valve to control bidirectional flow, reducing the number of shutoff valves needed, thereby simplifying control and reducing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flow control valve is used to control refrigerant flow, then the flow rate can be adjusted, but the valve cannot be fully closed resulting in incomplete refrigerant shutoff
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a flow control valve and a shutoff valve in series within the same liquid line. The flow control valve adjusts refrigerant flow rate during normal operation, while the shutoff valve provides complete closure when needed. This merging allows the system to achieve both continuous flow control and complete shutoff capability that a single valve cannot provide.
2Reliability
If multiple shutoff valves are provided for each indoor unit, then refrigerant containment is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of flow control and shutoff into a single integrated valve assembly where a flow control valve and shutoff valve are positioned in series. This reduces the total number of valves needed per indoor unit while maintaining complete refrigerant containment capability through the shutoff valve.
Solution Approach 2:
The valve assembly serves multiple functions: the flow control valve regulates refrigerant flow during normal operation, the shutoff valve provides complete closure for leak isolation, and together they enable both continuous operation and emergency shutdown. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated valves for each function.
3Reliability
If multiple shutoff valves are provided for each indoor unit, then refrigerant containment is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the flow control valve and shutoff valve in a series arrangement within each indoor unit, the patent reduces the total number of valves that need to be controlled. The centralized placement in the liquid line simplifies the control architecture compared to having multiple distributed shutoff valves, while still achieving complete refrigerant containment when the shutoff valve is activated.
Data Source
AI summary
An air-conditioning apparatus, including an outdoor unit including a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger, and a relay unit configured to distribute refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit to the plurality of indoor units, the relay unit including a first branch unit in which liquid-side pipes connected to the plurality of indoor units join together, and a refrigerant shutoff valve, which is configured to control bidirectional flow of the refrigerant, and is provided to the first branch unit, the number of the refrigerant shut off valve being smaller than a number of the plurality of indoor units.