Safety system and method for constructing air conditioning system
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat pump systems face challenges in safely managing refrigerant leakage from valves, particularly when multiple valves are distributed across separate locations, leading to difficulties in detection and containment, which can be hazardous and burdensome to maintain.
Innovation Solution
A safety system with valve units featuring casings equipped with refrigerant leakage detectors and discharge structures that prevent refrigerant spread and allow for swift detection and containment, using a common discharge structure for multiple units, even when valves are separated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If valves are separated into multiple casings, then spatial arrangement flexibility is improved, but safety and maintenance burden worsen due to refrigerant leakage risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the refrigerant leakage management function by providing individual leakage detectors for each casing while using a shared discharge structure. This allows each casing to be independently monitored and managed, enabling spatial distribution of valves while maintaining safety through centralized discharge capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge structure is designed as a universal component that serves multiple casings simultaneously. This multi-functional design allows a single discharge mechanism to handle refrigerant leakage from any of the multiple casings, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining safety across distributed valve arrangements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If valves are integrated into a single casing, then refrigerant leakage containment is improved, but device complexity and installation difficulty worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the valve assembly into multiple separate casings, each housing specific valves. This segmentation reduces the complexity of individual casings while maintaining effective leakage containment through the combination of individual detectors and a shared discharge structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared discharge structure acts as an intermediary that connects multiple casings. It serves as a common pathway for refrigerant discharge from any casing, enabling simplified individual casing designs while maintaining overall containment capability through the centralized discharge mechanism.
3Ease of repair
If multiple casings are used, then ease of maintenance is improved through localized access, but detection and response time worsen due to distributed locations
Solution Approach 1:
Each casing is equipped with a refrigerant leakage detector that continuously monitors for leaks in advance. This preliminary detection capability ensures that leakage is identified immediately at the source, enabling rapid response while maintaining the benefits of localized maintenance access through separate casings.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through individual leakage detectors in each casing that provide real-time information about refrigerant leakage status. This feedback mechanism enables immediate detection and response to leaks in any specific casing, maintaining fast response times despite the distributed arrangement of multiple casings.
Data Source
AI summary
A safety system for a heat pump system includes a plurality of valve units each having refrigerant pipe portions with control valves, a refrigerant leakage detector, and a casing accommodating the valves and the refrigerant leakage detector and formed with first and second openings. The safety system further includes a connection structure connecting the internal spaces of the casings via the first and second openings, and a discharge structure connected to the connection structure or one of the casings and configured to discharge air from the internal space of the casing in which a refrigerant leakage has occurred. The casing has first and second lateral faces facing different directions, and the first opening is formed in the first lateral face and the second opening is formed in the second lateral face.