EP4382831A1

EP4382831A1 - Refrigeration cycle device

Info

Publication number: EP4382831A1
Application number: EP22852773.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Yoshikazu Kawabe; Seishi Iitaka; Akira Hiwata; Tomiyuki Noma
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-02
Filing date: 2022-07-05
Publication date: 2024-06-12
Also published as: EP4382831A4; JP2023021486A; CN117795268A; WO2023013347A1

Abstract

Refrigeration cycle device (100) includes heat exchanger (50) having a plurality of heat transfer fins (2) and a plurality of heat transfer pipes (1), and refrigerant flow adjustment part (5) that adjusts a flow direction of a refrigerant. Heat exchanger (50) is divided into first heat exchanger section (3) and second heat exchanger section (4). Refrigerant flow adjustment part (5) adjusts a refrigerant flow such that air flow direction (8) and refrigerant flow direction (9, 10) are opposed to each other in first heat exchanger section (3) in either of a case where heat exchanger (50) functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a refrigeration cycle device using a refrigeration cycle and a heat pump cycle.

BACKGROUND ART

The heat pump device recited in Patent Literature 1 is configured such that a refrigerant flow direction is opposed to an air flow direction in both cooling and heating in outdoor and indoor heat exchangers by using a plurality of bypass pipes and a plurality of on-off valves, or a plurality of four-way valves.
Fig. 3 shows a configuration of the heat pump device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 in which a plurality of four-way valves are used, the diagram illustrating a state during heating operation. On this occasion, a refrigerant flows in direction 30 indicating a flow direction of the refrigerant during the heating operation. The refrigerant that has come out of compressor 21 returns to compressor 21 via four-way valve 27, use-side four-way valve 28, use-side heat exchanger 22, use-side four-way valve 28, throttle device 26, heat source-side four-way valve 29, heat source-side heat exchanger 23, heat source-side four-way valve 29, and four-way valve 27.
Air as an external fluid is sent to use-side heat exchanger 22 by use-side fan 24. Air as an external fluid is sent to heat source-side heat exchanger 23 by heat source-side fan 25. In any of the heat exchangers, the refrigerant flow direction is a counterflow opposed to flow direction 32 of the external fluid.
In cooling operation, four-way valve 27, use-side four-way valve 28, and heat source-side four-way valve 29 are switched. As a result, the refrigerant that has come out of compressor 21 flows in direction 31 indicating a refrigerant flow direction during the cooling operation. On this occasion, in any of use-side heat exchanger 22 and heat source-side heat exchanger 23, the refrigerant flow direction becomes a counterflow opposed to flow direction 32 of the external fluid.
Furthermore, in the heat pump device disclosed in Patent Literature 2, a check valve bridge refrigerant circuit is used instead of using an on-off valve or a four-way valve so that a direction of an air flow and a direction of a refrigerant flow in a use-side heat exchanger are opposed to each other in any of heating and cooling.

Citation List

Patent Literature

PTL 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-115945
PTL 2: Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. H7-190528

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a refrigeration cycle device in which an air flow direction and a refrigerant flow direction are opposed to each other in any of a case where a heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, and a cross-sectional area of a refrigerant flow path can be adjusted to achieve excellent performance of the heat exchanger and improve operation efficiency.
A refrigeration cycle device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat transfer fins and a plurality of heat transfer pipes; and a refrigerant flow adjustment part that adjusts a flow direction of a refrigerant. The heat exchanger is divided into a plurality of first heat exchanger sections, and the refrigerant flow adjustment part is connected to the plurality of first heat exchanger sections. In the first heat exchanger sections, the refrigerant is adjusted by the refrigerant flow adjustment part to flow from a leeward side to a windward side in either of a case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.
A refrigeration cycle device according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes: a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat transfer fins and a plurality of heat transfer pipes; and a refrigerant flow adjustment part that adjusts a flow direction of a refrigerant. The heat exchanger is divided into a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section, and the refrigerant flow adjustment part is connected to the first heat exchanger section. The refrigerant flow adjustment part adjusts the refrigerant to flow from a leeward side to a windward side in the first heat exchanger section in either of a case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser. The flow direction of the refrigerant is not adjusted in the second heat exchanger section.
The refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure realizes excellent heat exchange performance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.
Fig. 3 is a configuration diagram of a conventional heat pump device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

(Underlying knowledge and the like of the present disclosure)

In recent years, emphasis has been placed on operation efficiencies of air conditioners from a viewpoint of prevention of global warming, and numerous techniques have been proposed to improve operation efficiency.
A heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a refrigerant and air is one of components that greatly affect operation efficiency of an air conditioner. One of typical forms of heat exchangers is a fin-tube heat exchanger in which a refrigerant flows through a tube having fins for promoting heat exchange. In a room air conditioner or the like, there is used a plate fin tube configured to have a plurality of tubes arranged in a row penetrating a plurality of plate fins stacked. In many cases, the tube also has a plurality of rows.
In a condenser, a refrigerant changes from an overheated gas state to a gas-liquid two-phase state and finally to a supercooled liquid state. Considering efficiency of the condenser, temperature of the refrigerant preferably increases from a windward side toward a leeward side. Therefore, the refrigerant has desirably a counterflow flowing from the leeward side toward the windward side. Also in a case of an evaporator, as in the case of a condenser, performance can be improved more when the refrigerant flows from the leeward side toward the windward side than in a configuration in which the refrigerant flows from the windward side toward the leeward side. In the evaporator, however, a decrease in performance in the case where the refrigerant flows from the windward side to the leeward side with respect to the case where the refrigerant flows from the leeward side to the windward side is not so large as that in the case of a condenser.
In many cases, a single component refrigerant or a quasi-azeotropic mixed refrigerant has been used in air conditioners such as room air conditioners. Then, when a heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the heat exchanger is configured such that a refrigerant has a counterflow from a leeward side to a windward side, and when the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the heat exchanger is configured such that temperature of the refrigerant on the leeward side is lowered using a pressure loss of the refrigerant, thereby increasing heat exchange efficiency.
When a pressure of a refrigerant is constant in an evaporator, a single-component refrigerant, a quasi-azeotropic mixed refrigerant and the like absorb heat and evaporate at a substantially constant temperature.
However, in a case of a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant, an evaporation temperature of the refrigerant increases as evaporation proceeds. Then, this change in evaporation temperature greatly affects performance of a heat exchanger.
Therefore, in consideration of an influence of a change in the evaporation temperature in the non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant on the performance, a device has been proposed in which a flow of a refrigerant becomes a counterflow opposed to a flow of air in both cooling and heating. In these conventional techniques, performance of a heat exchanger is improved by realizing a configuration in which a direction of a refrigerant in the heat exchanger has a counterflow in either of the cooling operation and the heating operation. However, as will be described below, the inventors have found that there is room for further improvement in the performance of a heat exchanger.
A refrigerant has a density greatly changing with a phase change of gas-liquid, so that a flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing in a tube changes. The higher the flow velocity of the refrigerant, the higher the characteristic values of heat transfer and pressure loss on an inner surface of the tube. For this reason, there exists a desired flow velocity according to a degree of moisture of the refrigerant. The flow velocity of the refrigerant is optimized by adjusting a cross-sectional area of a refrigerant flow path by changing the number of paths, which is the number of tubes arranged in parallel, or a tube diameter of the tube. The cross-sectional area of the refrigerant flow path is desirably reduced as the degree of moisture of the refrigerant increases.
Here, the inventors have found the following problems. While in a condenser, a refrigerant outlet flow path desirably has a small cross-sectional area, in an evaporator, a refrigerant outlet flow path desirably has a larger cross-sectional area. In other words, a heat exchanger, in which a refrigerant has a counterflow in both a case of condensation and a case of evaporation, has a problem that a refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area cannot be adjusted. The inventors have come to configure a subject matter of the present disclosure in order to solve the problem.
In the following, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that unnecessarily detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of already well-known matters or redundant descriptions of substantially the same configuration may be omitted.
The accompanying drawings and the following description are presented only to help those skilled in the art fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matters described in the scope of claims.

(First exemplary embodiment)

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of refrigeration cycle device 100 according to a first exemplary embodiment. Examples of refrigeration cycle device 100 include an air conditioner such as a room air conditioner or a commercial air conditioner, a vending machine, and a showcase.

[1-1. Configuration]

Refrigeration cycle device 100 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes fin-tube heat exchanger 40 including a plurality of heat transfer pipes 1 and a plurality of heat transfer fins 2. Heat exchanger 40 is configured with two rows, windward row 12 and leeward row 13 with respect to air flow direction 8. Heat transfer fins 2 have surfaces perpendicular to heat transfer pipes 1, and a large number of heat transfer fins are stacked in a depth direction in Fig. 1.
Heat exchanger 40 of the first exemplary embodiment is divided into two sections. In Fig. 1, the two sections are first heat exchanger section 3a and first heat exchanger section 3b. First heat exchanger section 3a and first heat exchanger section 3b are different in the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel to each other. First heat exchanger section 3a has four paths and first heat exchanger section 3b has two paths. The number of paths refers to the number of flow paths of a refrigerant flowing in parallel in heat exchanger 40.
First heat exchanger section 3a is connected to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a as a refrigerant flow adjustment part. This makes the refrigerant flow from leeward row 13 to windward row 12 in first heat exchanger section 3a when heat exchanger 40 is used as a condenser and when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. First heat exchanger section 3b is connected to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b as the refrigerant flow adjustment part. This makes the refrigerant flow from leeward row 13 to windward row 12 in first heat exchanger section 3b when heat exchanger 40 is used as a condenser and when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator.
Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a, which is the refrigerant flow adjustment part, is configured by annularly coupling four check valves 11. Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a is connected to first refrigerant connection port 6, leeward row 13 of first heat exchanger section 3a, windward row 12 of first heat exchanger section 3a, and check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b. Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b, which is the refrigerant flow adjustment part, is configured by annularly coupling four check valves 11. Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b is connected to second refrigerant connection port 7, leeward row 13 of first heat exchanger section 3b, windward row 12 of first heat exchanger section 3b, and check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a. In addition to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a and check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b described in the present exemplary embodiment, refrigerant flow adjustment part 5a and refrigerant flow adjustment part 5b may be configured with on-off valves and switching valves.
First refrigerant connection port 6 is a connection port that serves as a refrigerant inlet when heat exchanger 40 is used as a condenser, and serves as a refrigerant outlet when heat exchanger 40 is used as an evaporator. Second refrigerant connection port 7 is a connection port that serves as a refrigerant outlet when heat exchanger 40 is used as a condenser, and serves as a refrigerant inlet when heat exchanger 40 is used as an evaporator.
A type of the refrigerant used in the heat exchanger according to the refrigeration cycle device of the present disclosure is not limited, and a single component refrigerant, a quasi-azeotropic mixed refrigerant, a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant, or the like may be used.

[1-2. Operation]

Operation and action of the refrigeration cycle device configured in the foregoing manner will be described below.
When heat exchanger 40 functions as a condenser, the refrigerant flows in refrigerant flow direction 9 as in condensation. Specifically, a gas refrigerant flows into first refrigerant connection port 6, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a via check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a as the refrigerant flow adjustment part and first heat exchanger section 3a, and flows to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b as the refrigerant flow adjustment part. In first heat exchanger section 3a, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is four, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12. Then, the refrigerant flows from check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b via first heat exchanger section 3b, and flows to second refrigerant connection port 7. In first heat exchanger section 3b, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is two, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12.
When heat exchanger 40 functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant flows in refrigerant flow direction 10 as in evaporation. Specifically, a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into second refrigerant connection port 7, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b via check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5b as the refrigerant flow adjustment part and first heat exchanger section 3b, and flows to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a as the refrigerant flow adjustment part. In first heat exchanger section 3b, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is two, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12. Then, the refrigerant flows from check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5a via first heat exchanger section 3a, and flows to first refrigerant connection port 6. In first heat exchanger section 3a, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is four, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12.
In the first exemplary embodiment, in either of the case where heat exchanger 40 functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, first heat exchanger sections 3a and 3b have counterflows in which the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12. This makes it possible to obtain excellent heat exchange characteristics. Then, the number of paths is four in first heat exchanger section 3a where a proportion of the gas refrigerant is high, and the number of paths is two in first heat exchanger section 3b where a proportion of a liquid refrigerant is high. In this manner, the number of paths, i.e., a refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area, is set according to a state of the refrigerant, and excellent heat exchange characteristics can be obtained.

[1-3. Effects and the like]

As described in the foregoing, in the present exemplary embodiment, the refrigeration cycle device includes heat exchanger 40 including the plurality of heat transfer fins 2 and the plurality of heat transfer pipes 1, and refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 that adjusts a refrigerant flow direction. Heat exchanger 40 is divided into a plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3 (first heat exchanger section 3a and first heat exchanger section 3b). Refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 is connected to first heat exchanger section 3. First heat exchanger section 3 is adjusted by refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 such that the refrigerant flows from the leeward side to the windward side in either of the case where heat exchanger 40 functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.
In either of the case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, this arrangement enables the air flow direction and the refrigerant flow direction to become counterflows. In addition, since heat exchanger 40 is divided into the plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3, the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area according to a degree of moisture of the refrigerant can be flexibly set. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a refrigeration cycle device realizing excellent heat exchange performance.
As in the present exemplary embodiment, the heat exchanger may include the plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3 having different numbers of paths. In other words, the plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3 may be configured to have different numbers of paths connected in parallel to each other.
This enables the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area to be set according to the degree of moisture of the refrigerant.
As described in the present exemplary embodiment, a check valve bridge refrigerant circuit may be used as refrigerant flow adjustment part 5.
This eliminates a need for a control means for adjusting the flow of the refrigerant and eliminates a need for using electric power. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a refrigeration cycle device which realizes excellent heat exchange performance, and is low-costed and easy to handle.
In the present exemplary embodiment, a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant may be used as the refrigerant.
This makes it possible to use a refrigerant having a small warming potential. In addition, according to the configuration of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a refrigeration cycle device having excellent heat exchange performance even when a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant having temperature slip characteristics is used.

(Second exemplary embodiment)

Refrigeration cycle device 100 according to a second exemplary embodiment will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. The second exemplary embodiment will be described mainly with respect to a different point from the first exemplary embodiment. In the second exemplary embodiment, a configuration identical or equivalent to that of the first exemplary embodiment will be denoted by the same reference mark. In the second embodiment, description overlapping the description of the first exemplary embodiment may be omitted in some cases.
Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of refrigeration cycle device 100 according to the second exemplary embodiment.

[2-1. Configuration]

Heat exchanger 50 of the second exemplary embodiment is divided into two sections. In Fig. 2, the two sections are first heat exchanger section 3 and second heat exchanger section 4. In first heat exchanger section 3, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is four. Second heat exchanger section 4 has two paths in leeward row 13. In second heat exchanger section 4, the two paths merge between leeward row 13 and windward row 12 to form one path. Accordingly, second heat exchanger section 4 has one path in windward row 12.
First heat exchanger section 3 is connected to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 as the refrigerant flow adjustment part. This makes the refrigerant flow from leeward row 13 to windward row 12 in first heat exchanger section 3 in both the case where heat exchanger 50 is used as a condenser and the case where the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. Note that there may be a plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3, and the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel may be different among the plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3.
Although second heat exchanger section 4 is connected to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 as the refrigerant flow adjustment part, the refrigerant flow direction is not adjusted. Accordingly, as indicated by refrigerant flow direction 9 at the time of condensation, the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12 at the time of condensation, and as indicated by refrigerant flow direction 10 at the time of evaporation, the refrigerant flows from windward row 12 to leeward row 13 at the time of evaporation.
Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5, which is the refrigerant flow adjustment part, is configured by annularly coupling four check valves 11. Check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 is connected to first refrigerant connection port 6, leeward row 13 of first heat exchanger section 3, windward row 12 of first heat exchanger section 3, and leeward row 13 of second heat exchanger section 4.

[2-2. Operation]

Operation and action of the refrigeration cycle device configured in the foregoing manner will be described below.
When heat exchanger 50 functions as a condenser, the refrigerant flows in refrigerant flow direction 9 as in condensation. Specifically, a gas refrigerant flows into first refrigerant connection port 6, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 as the refrigerant flow adjustment part via check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 and first heat exchanger section 3, and flows to second heat exchanger section 4 and second refrigerant connection port 7. In first heat exchanger section 3, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is four, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12. In second heat exchanger section 4, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is two. In second heat exchanger section 4, the refrigerant flows through two paths in leeward row 13. After passing through leeward row 13, the two paths merge into one path, and the refrigerant flows through one path of windward row 12 to flow to second refrigerant connection port 7.
When heat exchanger 50 functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant flows in refrigerant flow direction 10 as in evaporation. Specifically, a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into second refrigerant connection port 7, returns to check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5 as the refrigerant flow adjustment part via second heat exchanger section 4, check valve bridge refrigerant circuit 5, and first heat exchanger section 3, and flows to first refrigerant connection port 6. In second heat exchanger section 4, the refrigerant flows through one path in windward row 12. Then, one path becomes two paths in a part after flowing through windward row 12, and the refrigerant flows through the two paths in leeward row 13 to flow to first refrigerant connection port 6. In first heat exchanger section 3, the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes connected in parallel is four, and the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12.
In the second exemplary embodiment, in either of the case where heat exchanger 50 functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, first heat exchanger section 3 has a counterflow in which the refrigerant flows from leeward row 13 to windward row 12. This makes it possible to obtain excellent heat exchange characteristics.
Furthermore, first heat exchanger section 3 where the proportion of the gas refrigerant is high is set to have four paths, and second heat exchanger section 4 where the proportion of the liquid refrigerant is high is set to have two paths and one path. In this manner, the number of paths, i.e., the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area, is set according to a state of the refrigerant, and excellent heat exchange characteristics can be obtained.
Here, second heat exchanger section 4 has a counterflow in which the air flow direction and the refrigerant flow direction are opposed to each other at the time of condensation, and has a parallel flow in which the air flow direction and the refrigerant flow direction are parallel to each other at the time of evaporation. When heat exchanger 50 functions as an evaporator, second heat exchanger section 4 corresponds to an evaporation start part of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant is in a gas-liquid two-phase state in second heat exchanger section 4. On the other hand, first heat exchanger section 3 corresponds to a refrigerant evaporation end part. Therefore, second heat exchanger section 4 has a limited influence on a decrease in evaporation performance for the entire heat exchanger 50 as compared with first heat exchanger section 3. In second heat exchanger section 4 shown in Fig. 2, the number of paths is doubled, i.e., the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area is doubled, in a part where the refrigerant flows from windward row 12 to leeward row 13, so that a pressure of the refrigerant greatly decreases. In second heat exchanger section 4, as the pressure decreases, temperature of the refrigerant in windward row 12 becomes higher than temperature of the refrigerant in leeward row 13. In other words, in second heat exchanger section 4, a temperature distribution of the refrigerant is opposite to the air flow direction, and excellent heat exchange performance is obtained.

[2-3. Effects and the like]

As described in the foregoing, in the present exemplary embodiment, the refrigeration cycle device includes heat exchanger 50 including the plurality of heat transfer fins 2 and the plurality of heat transfer pipes 1, and refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 that adjusts a refrigerant flow direction. Heat exchanger 50 is divided into one or the plurality of first heat exchanger sections 3 and second heat exchanger section 4. Refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 is connected to first heat exchanger section 3. First heat exchanger section 3 is adjusted by refrigerant flow adjustment part 5 such that the refrigerant flows from the leeward side to the windward side in either of the case where heat exchanger 50 functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser. In second heat exchanger section 4, the refrigerant flow direction is not adjusted.
In either of the case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, this arrangement enables the air flow direction and the refrigerant flow direction to become counterflows. Furthermore, a refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area in accordance with the degree of moisture of the refrigerant can be set. In addition, as compared with the configuration of the first exemplary embodiment, the number of refrigerant flow adjustment parts can be reduced. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an inexpensive refrigeration cycle device while realizing excellent heat exchange performance.
As in the present exemplary embodiment, second heat exchanger section 4 may be configured such that the refrigerant flows from the leeward side to the windward side when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.
As a result, when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, in second heat exchanger section 4, the refrigerant flow direction becomes a counterflow opposed to the air flow direction, and excellent heat exchange performance can be obtained. When the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant flow direction is a parallel flow in parallel with the air flow direction in second heat exchanger section 4. However, a decrease in heat exchange performance due to the refrigerant flow direction being parallel to the air flow direction is not significant as compared with the case of the condenser.
As in the present exemplary embodiment, in second heat exchanger section 4, the number of paths of heat transfer pipes 1 connected in parallel on the leeward side may be larger than the number of paths on the windward side.
As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing through heat transfer pipes 1 in windward row 12 can be made closer to temperature of the air than the refrigerant flowing through heat transfer pipes 1 in leeward row 13 is without using refrigerant flow adjustment part 5. Accordingly, heat exchange efficiency can be improved. Therefore, it is possible to provide an inexpensive heat exchanger while realizing excellent heat exchange performance.
Furthermore, as in the present exemplary embodiment, in the heat exchanger, the number of paths of heat transfer pipes 1 connected in parallel in second heat exchanger section 4 may be smaller than the number of paths of the heat transfer pipes 1 connected in parallel in first heat exchanger section 3.
This enables the number of paths, i.e., the refrigerant flow path cross-sectional area, to be set according to a state of the refrigerant, and excellent heat exchange characteristics can be obtained.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described in the foregoing, the refrigeration cycle device according to the present disclosure provides excellent heat exchange performance, and its technique can be widely applied not only to air conditioners but also to vending machines that perform both cooling and heating, showcases, and the like.

REFERENCE MARKS IN THE DRAWINGS

1: heat transfer pipe
2: heat transfer fin
3, 3a,: 3bfirst heat exchanger section
4: second heat exchanger section
5: check valve bridge refrigerant circuit (refrigerant flow adjustment part)
5a: check valve bridge refrigerant circuit (refrigerant flow adjustment part)
5b: check valve bridge refrigerant circuit (refrigerant flow adjustment part)
6: first refrigerant connection port
7: second refrigerant connection port
8: air flow direction
9: refrigerant flow direction during condensation
10: refrigerant flow direction during evaporation
11: check valve
12: windward row
13: leeward row
40: heat exchanger
50: heat exchanger
100: refrigeration cycle device

Claims

A refrigeration cycle device comprising:
a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat transfer fins and a plurality of heat transfer pipes; and

a refrigerant flow adjustment part that adjusts a flow direction of a refrigerant,

wherein

the heat exchanger is divided into a plurality of first heat exchanger sections,

the refrigerant flow adjustment part is connected to the plurality of first heat exchanger sections, and

the refrigerant flow adjustment part adjusts the refrigerant to flow from a leeward side to a windward side in the plurality of first heat exchanger sections in either of a case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.
The refrigeration cycle device according to Claim 1, wherein the plurality of first heat exchanger sections have different numbers of paths connected in parallel to each other.
The refrigeration cycle device according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein
the heat exchanger is divided into the plurality of first heat exchange sections and a second heat exchanger section, and

a flow direction of a refrigerant is not adjusted in the second heat exchanger section.
A refrigeration cycle device comprising:
a heat exchanger having a plurality of heat transfer fins and a plurality of heat transfer pipes; and

a refrigerant flow adjustment part that adjusts a flow direction of a refrigerant, wherein

the heat exchanger is divided into a first heat exchanger section and a second heat exchanger section,

the refrigerant flow adjustment part is connected to the first heat exchanger section,

the refrigerant flow adjustment part adjusts the refrigerant to flow from a leeward side to a windward side in the first heat exchanger section in either of a case where the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, and

the flow direction of the refrigerant is not adjusted in the second heat exchanger section.
The refrigeration cycle device according to Claim 3 or 4, wherein in the second heat exchanger section, the refrigerant flows from a leeward side to a windward side when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.
The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of Claims 3 to 5, wherein the number of paths connected in parallel to each other in the second heat exchanger section is larger on a leeward side than on a windward side.
The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of Claims 3 to 6, wherein the number of paths connected in parallel to each other is smaller in the second heat exchanger section than in the first heat exchanger section.
The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of Claims 1 to 7, wherein the refrigerant flow adjustment part is a check valve bridge refrigerant circuit.
The refrigeration cycle device according to any one of Claims 1 to 8, wherein the refrigerant is a non-azeotropic mixed refrigerant.