WO2014175109A1

WO2014175109A1 - Air conditioner

Info

Publication number: WO2014175109A1
Application number: PCT/JP2014/060664
Authority: WO
Inventors: 中村　芳郎; 尚宣日野; 克明矢部; 哲也毛利; 浩高西; 直樹相澤; 池田　昌弘; 柴田　克彦; 正憲井上; 博之森本
Original assignee: 東芝キヤリア株式会社; 株式会社関電エネルギーソリューション; 株式会社東芝
Priority date: 2013-04-24
Filing date: 2014-04-15
Publication date: 2014-10-30
Also published as: JP2014214948A; TW201512605A; JP6126447B2

Abstract

An air conditioner is provided with indoor units which each have a machine chamber, and also with at least one outdoor unit. The indoor units are vertically stacked in tiers, the machine chambers of the indoor units are vertically connected to each other, and the connection end of the piping of the indoor units is provided above the uppermost indoor unit of the indoor units which are stacked in tiers, the connection end being connected to the piping of the outdoor unit.

Description

Air conditioner

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an air conditioner.

Generally, data centers and server rooms contain information processing devices such as communication devices for constructing servers and networks having various functions.

In these data centers and server rooms, in order to stably operate these information processing devices, it is necessary to always maintain a temperature suitable for the device operation, and for this purpose, an air conditioning system is provided.

As this type of conventional air conditioning system, for example, an air conditioning system described in Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2011-220665 A

In the air conditioning system of Patent Document 1, the cooling unit, which is an indoor unit, includes a plurality of dry coil units. Each dry coil unit is provided with a heat exchanger, and a refrigerant supply port and a refrigerant discharge port of the heat exchanger are provided so as to protrude from the side surface of the dry coil unit.

For this reason, when a plurality of dry coil units are arranged to form a cooling unit for an indoor unit, a space for connecting the refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant supply port, and the refrigerant discharge port from the heat source portion is required. The Doral coil units cannot be arranged closely, and the installation space for the entire cooling unit of the indoor unit is large.

For these reasons, there is a need for indoor units that save space.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that saves space for installing an indoor unit.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is an air conditioner having a plurality of indoor units each having a machine room and at least one outdoor unit, wherein the plurality of indoor units are stacked in a vertical direction to form a plurality of stages. Among the indoor units arranged in such a manner that each machine room of these indoor units communicates with each other in the vertical direction, and pipe connection end portions of the indoor units connected to the pipes of the outdoor units are stacked on the plurality of stages. This is achieved by providing an air conditioner characterized by being provided at the upper part of the indoor unit located at the uppermost stage.
Moreover, the said air conditioner can take the following suitable embodiment.
Each of the indoor units includes a ventilation path communicating with an air inlet and an air outlet provided in the indoor unit, and a heat exchanger and a fan for blowing air to the heat exchanger are provided in the ventilation path. It is desirable that the exchangers are connected in parallel by piping in the machine room.
In addition, each indoor unit preferably includes a first drain pan that receives drain from the heat exchanger.
In addition, it is desirable to further include a second drain pan that receives drain from the first drain pan and piping in the machine room.
Further, a top plate may be provided at the upper end of the uppermost indoor unit, and a rope guide for hooking a transportation rope to the top plate may be formed.
Moreover, when stopping the operation of the indoor unit, it is desirable that a panel for closing the air suction port can be attached.

According to the air conditioner of the present invention having the above features, a plurality of

indoor units

2 and 3 are stacked in the vertical direction to form a plurality of stages, so that these indoor units are installed rather than side by side. Space can be saved. The installation space can be effectively used, and connection with other related arrangement devices can be effectively performed.
Further features of the present invention and effects thereof will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The schematic diagram which shows the whole structure of the air conditioner which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The front view by the side of the air blower outlet of the indoor unit apparatus of the air conditioner shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. The perspective view seen from the air blower outlet side of the indoor unit apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. The perspective view seen from the air inlet side of the indoor unit apparatus shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the positional relationship of the 1st, 2nd drain pan, inclination board, etc. which are shown by FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram mainly showing a positional relationship between first to third drain pans. The plane sectional view of the indoor unit which shows the modification of the inner duct shown in FIG. The front view of the indoor unit which shows the modification of the indoor fan shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the modification of the air conditioner shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the other modification of the air conditioner shown in FIG. The schematic diagram which shows the state which installed multiple air conditioners shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same or an equivalent part in several drawing. In the following description, terms indicating vertical and horizontal directions will be described with reference to the illustrated state or the installed state.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of an air conditioner according to an embodiment, and a free cooling system (FC) is not shown. The air conditioner 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that a refrigerant heat exchanger (indoor heat exchanger) of a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant such as R410A circulates and a water heat exchanger of a free cooling system (FC) can be provided. Has been.

The refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner will be described based on FIG.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes a plurality of units of the same shape and size, for example, two

indoor units

2 and 3, and one or more units, for example, two outdoor units 4 and 5. It has. Here, the cooling rated (maximum) capacity of each of the

indoor units

2 and 3 is 10 horsepower (28 kW), and the entire air conditioner 1 is 20 horsepower (56 kW).

These two

indoor units

2 and 3 are stacked in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction and fixed to each other to constitute one indoor unit device 6.

Each of the

indoor units

2 and 3 has a cubic frame structure (frame structure) 7 and 8 as will be described later, and a top plate 39 which will be described later is provided at the upper end of the upper body 7 of the upper indoor unit 2. Provided. Moreover, in each of these

housings

7 and 8,

ventilation chambers

2a and 3a for accommodating

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10,

indoor fans

11 and 12 and

machine chambers

2b and 3b for accommodating refrigerant piping 13 and the like. Is forming. The

machine rooms

2b and 3b are formed so that a pair of upper and lower

indoor units

2 and 3 can communicate with each other in the vertical direction. The refrigerant pipe 13 includes a liquid side refrigerant pipe 13a connected to each

indoor heat exchanger

9, 10, and a gas side refrigerant pipe 13b.

That is, the liquid-side refrigerant pipe 13a are connected to the refrigerant inlet of the branch pipe 13a _1, 13a ₂ of the upper and lower through the

indoor heat exchanger

9 and 10 for branching the tip 2 crotch. Each of the bifurcated branch pipes 13a _{1 and} 13a ₂ is provided with

expansion valves

15 and 16 in the middle thereof. The

expansion valves

15 and 16 are electronic expansion valves whose opening degrees can be adjusted.

The gas-side refrigerant pipe 13b is also connected to the refrigerant outlets of the pair of upper and lower

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 via branch pipes 13b _{1 and} 13b ₂ that branch the tip part into two branches. That is, the upper and lower

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 are connected in parallel.

Further, the liquid side and gas

side refrigerant pipes

13a and 13b extend the upper end portion in FIG. 1 upward and outward from the upper end through hole 14 of the top plate 39 of the uppermost indoor unit 2, respectively. Liquid side and gas side

pipe connection ends

17 and 18 are formed at the ends, respectively. The liquid-side and gas-side pipe connection ends 17 and 18 do not have to be provided on the upper end of the upper indoor unit 2, and the upper side is close to the upper end where a worker who performs the pipe connection work can reach. It may be inside the machine room 2b of the indoor unit 2.

The liquid side pipe connection end portion 17 is connected to the liquid side refrigerant connection pipe 19 connected to each liquid side pipe connection portion of at least one, for example, two refrigerant outdoor units 4 and 5.

Further, gas side refrigerant connection pipes 20 connected to the gas side pipe connection portions of the refrigerant outdoor units 4 and 5 are connected to the gas side pipe connection end portions 18 on the

indoor units

2 and 3 side. That is, the two refrigerant outdoor units 4, 5 are also connected in parallel.

Each outdoor unit 4, 5 is provided with at least a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor fan, etc. (not shown) in its housing, and the

indoor heat exchangers

9, 10 of each

indoor unit

2, 3, Are connected in many ways.

Next, a more specific configuration of the indoor unit device 6 will be described.

In this embodiment, a case where a water heat exchanger of a free cooling system (FC) is provided will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 9, the indoor unit device 6 is configured such that the

casings

7 and 8 of the

indoor units

2 and 3 are formed into a rectangular parallelepiped frame structure (frame structure) using, for example, a C-shaped or L-shaped steel. In addition, an air suction port 21 is formed on the back surface (upper end in FIG. 3) side of the

housings

7 and 8, and an air outlet 22 is formed on the front surface (lower end in FIG. 3) side. The suction port 21 is formed so that the back sides of the

indoor units

2 and 3 are opened almost entirely, and almost the entire back surfaces of the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 are exposed. The air outlet 22 is formed in, for example, a square shape by opening almost the entire front surface of the

indoor units

2 and 3. In addition, a metal strip-shaped reinforcing plate 23 is fixed over almost the entire circumference of each side (four sides) of the outer periphery of the joint between the pair of upper and

lower housings

7 and 8. Improvement of fixing strength is achieved.

As shown in FIG. 3, the

casings

7 and 8 are provided with inner ducts (ventilation passages) 24 and 25 having a substantially rectangular tube straight body shape made of sheet metal or the like in the

ventilation chambers

2a and 3a.

Each of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 is provided with the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 on the inlet 21 side, and the

indoor fans

11 and 12 are provided on the outlet 22 side of the

inner ducts

24 and 25, respectively. The suction port 21 and the air outlet 22 are opposed to each other and communicated with each other.

Moreover, the

inner ducts

24 and 25 are each comprised so that the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 of a free cooling system can be additionally provided between the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 and the suction inlet 21 side. Yes.

In the free cooling system, a pair of upper and lower

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 are connected to each other by a water pipe (not shown) and the water outlets are connected to each other by an inlet side and an outlet side water pipe (not shown). The

heat exchangers

26 and 27 are connected in parallel. These inlet and outlet water pipes extend upward from the machine room 2b, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the inlet side, as well as the liquid side of the refrigerant pipe and the gas side pipe connection ends 17 and 18, Outlet pipe

connection end portions

50 and 51 are formed. The inlet side and outlet side pipe connection ends 50 and 51 of these water pipes are connected to a water cooler such as a cooling tower via a connection water pipe (not shown). At least one cooling tower may be used, but in the case of a plurality of units, for example, two units, they are connected in parallel by a connecting water pipe (not shown) as in the case of the outdoor units 4 and 5.

The flow rate of the cooling water passing through the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 is controlled by the opening degree of the electric two-way valve interposed in the middle of the water pipe and the rotational speed of the water circulation pump (both not shown). In addition, the capacity | capacitance of the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 is set so that the free cooling system can output the capacity | capacitance equivalent to the cooling rated (maximum) capacity | capacitance by the refrigerating cycle of the air conditioner 1. FIG.

The

inner ducts

24 and 25 are substantially rectangular tube-shaped ducts, and air flow paths connecting the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27, the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 and the

indoor fans

11 and 12 are provided. These

heat exchangers

9 and 10 and the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 are formed in an air flow path (ventilation path) having substantially the same cross section as the lateral width.

The

indoor fans

11 and 12 are configured by, for example, providing a motor such as a direct current fan motor integrally with a fan such as a propeller fan or a turbo fan. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, in this embodiment, a turbo fan is employed as the fan.

The

indoor fans

11 and 12 include a fan guard (not shown) that covers the outer surface of the fan, and a protective cover that covers and protects the outer surface of the fan motor is provided on the outer surface of the center of the fan guard.

The

indoor fans

11 and 12 are attached to attachment plates 24a and 25b provided in the

inner ducts

24 and 25, respectively. The

inner ducts

24, 25 are partitioned by the mounting plates 24 a, 25 b into a primary side (indoor heat exchanger side) and a secondary side (outlet 22 side) of the

indoor fans

11, 12. As shown in FIG. 2, on the secondary side of the

inner ducts

24, 25, the flow path cross section is formed in a substantially square shape. Although the horizontal dimensions of the primary duct and the secondary duct of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 are the same, the longitudinal dimension of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 is provided with an inclined plate 34 (FIG. 8) to be described later on the lower surface of the primary duct. The primary side is smaller than the secondary side. In the present embodiment, the longitudinal dimension Lh and the width dimension Lw of the secondary side flow passage cross section (blower port 22) of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 are each 1000 mm, and the turbo fan diameter D1 of the

indoor fans

11 and 12 is 500 mm. It is said. It is most preferable in terms of air blowing efficiency that the secondary side channel shape is square and the diameter D1 of the turbofan is approximately ½ of the channel cross-sectional dimensions (Lh, Lw).

FIG. 11 shows the indoor unit device 6 in which a propeller fan is adopted as the fan of the

indoor fans

11 and 12. Although the secondary side channel cross-sectional dimensions Lh and Lw of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 are the same at 1000 mm, the diameter D2 of the propeller fan is set to 630 mm. Thus, when using a propeller fan, it is most preferable from the surface of ventilation efficiency that the diameter D2 of a propeller fan shall be about 3/5 of flow-path cross-sectional dimension (Lh, Lw).

As shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the

machine chambers

2b and 3b are formed between one side surface of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 and the outer side surface (right side surface in FIG. 3) of the

indoor units

2 and 3. . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the

machine chambers

2b and 3b are formed so as to communicate in the vertical direction of the pair of upper and lower

indoor units

2 and 3, and the main control shown in FIG. The board 28, the sub control board 29, the

expansion valves

15 and 16 interposed in the refrigerant pipe 13, and the like are accommodated.

As shown in FIG. 7, the

expansion valves

15 and 16 are disposed on the back side of the

indoor units

2 and 3 or in the vicinity thereof, and can be easily accessed and maintained from the back side.

Further, the main control board 28 shown in FIG. 5 is a control device that integrally controls the operation of the two

indoor units

2 and 3, and is disposed, for example, in the machine room 2 b of the upper indoor unit 2. The sub-control board 29 is a control device that is disposed in each of the

machine chambers

2b and 3b of the

indoor units

2 and 3 and controls the opening degree of the

expansion valves

15 and 16 according to a command from the control device of the outdoor unit. is there.

The casing 8 of the lower indoor unit 3 is provided with a pair of right and left

prism bases

30a and 30b having a predetermined height (thickness) on the outer surfaces of the bottom left and right ends thereof. The indoor unit device 6 is installed and fixed on a required installation surface via 30b, and a required gap is formed between this installation surface and the outer bottom surface of the lower indoor unit 3.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the

indoor units

2 and 3 are located below the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 and the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 and below the

inner ducts

24 and 25, respectively. On the downstream side (secondary side) of the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10, a first drain pan 31 that receives drain generated in the indoor and

water heat exchangers

9, 10, 26, and 27 is provided. The first drain pan 31 is provided with a water receiving port 32 communicating with the downstream side of the air flow from the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 on the upper surface in FIG. 8, while a drain port 33 is provided below the first drain pan 31. Yes. Although the drain port 33 is illustrated in a short tube shape in FIG. 8, it may be a simple drain port instead of a short tube shape. The first drain pan 31 has the upper surface in FIG. 8 having the water receiving port 32 and the height of the drain port 33 on the primary side of the indoor fans 11 and 12 (secondary side of the indoor heat exchangers 9 and 10). Is set to a height that is sufficiently larger than the maximum differential pressure between the static pressure and the indoor static pressure.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent drainage from staying in the

inner ducts

24 and 25 due to a decrease in static pressure by the

indoor fans

11 and 12.

Further, an inclined plate 34 is provided on the bottom surface of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 on the downstream side of the air flow of the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10. The inclined plate 34 is formed at a required inclination angle that gradually decreases from the

indoor fans

11, 12 side toward the

indoor heat exchangers

9, 10, and receives the splash of drain from the

indoor heat exchangers

9, 10, The water is guided to the water receiving port 32 of the first drain pan 31 and drained.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, below the first drain pan 31, there are drains drained from a drain port 33 of the drain pan 31,

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10, and

water heat exchangers

26 and 27. The second drain pans 35 for receiving the drains are provided. The second drain pan 35 has a drain water-receiving side opening larger than the first drain pan 31 and has one end (left end in FIG. 9) slightly extended to the

machine chambers

2b and 3b.

Further, a third drain pan 36 is provided at the lower part of the machine room 2b of the lower indoor unit 3 to receive the drain dripped from the refrigerant pipes 13 and the like of the

machine rooms

2b and 3b and guide it into the second drain pan 35. Yes.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a short tubular external drain outlet 37 and a short tubular preliminary drain pipe 38 are arranged in parallel on the back side bottom outer surface of the

machine room

2 b, 3 b of each

indoor unit

2, 3. Yes.

The external drain drain port portion 37 communicates the inner opening end with the inside of each second drain pan 35, and drains the drain in the second drain pan 35 from the external drain drain port portion 37 to the outside. For example, an external drain drain pipe (not shown) having a deodorizing trap is connected to the external drain drain port 37.

A preliminary drain pipe 38 is disposed above the external drain outlet 37. Normally, the drain is not drained from the preliminary drain pipe 38, but even if the external drain drain port 37 is clogged, the drain in the second drain pan 35 is drained, so that the air conditioning operation can be continued. Further, by providing a sensor for detecting water in a connection pipe (not shown) connected to the preliminary drain pipe 38, it is possible to detect clogging of the external drain outlet 37.

A top plate 39 is provided at the upper end of the upper indoor unit 2 shown in FIGS. In the drawing, a pair of left and right rope guides 40a and 40b for hooking a transport rope (not shown) are provided on the top and bottom ends of the top plate 39 as viewed from the front. These rope guides 40a and 40b are made of, for example, a U-shaped steel, and are attached over almost the entire length from one end on the front side of the top plate 39 to the other end on the back side with the U-shaped opening facing upward in the figure. .

Therefore, when the heavy indoor unit device 6 is transported, the transport rope can be hung on the pair of left and right rope guides 40a and 40b to prevent the rope being transported from coming off.

Moreover, since the rope guides 40a and 40b can reinforce the strength of the casing of the indoor unit device 6, it is possible to prevent or reduce the deformation and distortion of the indoor unit device 6 during the transportation of the indoor unit device 6. it can.

Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the indoor unit device 6 has an opening including the

suction ports

21 and 21 on the back side of the pair of upper and lower

indoor units

2 and 3 almost at a predetermined interval. Each

rear panel

41a, 41b made of sheet metal, for example, is configured to be attachable.

These

rear panels

41a and 41b have, for example, a small air conditioning load, so that when one operation of the

indoor units

2 and 3 is stopped or when the operation is stopped due to a failure, the

indoor units

2 and 3 are stopped. By attaching to the back surface and closing the suction port 21, it is possible to prevent or reduce a short circuit in which the temperature-controlled air blown from the blower port 22 is sucked into the

suction ports

21 and 21.

Further, each

indoor unit

2, 3 has a structure in which a pair of left and right sheet

metal side panels

42a, 42b for closing the left and right side openings can be attached to the left and right side surfaces. When the

side panels

42a and 42b are attached, the appearance can be improved, and even when the

side panels

42a and 42b are not attached, the air ducts are secured by the

inner ducts

24 and 25 and the air conditioning operation is possible. . In that case, cost reduction and weight reduction can be achieved.

Furthermore, each

indoor unit

2, 3 has a configuration in which a pair of upper and lower

front panels

43a, 43b made of a sheet metal closing the front opening can be attached to the front side of the

machine room

2b, 3b. An operation unit 44 for operating the air conditioning operation is provided on the outer surface of the upper front panel 43a.

In the air conditioner 1 configured as described above, the operation is controlled in the following four operation modes (1) to (4) based on the air conditioning load and the cooling water temperature of FC (free cooling).
(1) When the outside air temperature is low and the air conditioning load is small, only the FC is operated, and the refrigeration cycle is stopped. Since FC saves power, it uses FC as much as possible.
(2) When the air conditioning load is larger than the above (1) by a predetermined value, the compressor of the refrigeration cycle is operated with the minimum capacity, and the FC capacity is controlled variably. The FC capacity is controlled by controlling the opening of a two-way valve (not shown) and controlling the rotational speed of a water circulation pump.
(3) Furthermore, when the air conditioning load is larger than the above (2), the FC capacity is fixed to the maximum (for example, the opening of the two-way valve is fully opened (100%)) and the refrigeration cycle is compressed. The machine's ability is controlled variably.
(4) When the outside air temperature is high, such as in midsummer, and the hot water of the FC is hot, when the FC is operated, the FC operation is stopped and the refrigeration cycle only is operated when the FC is not cooled but rather heated. To do.

As described above, according to the air conditioner 1 of this embodiment, the refrigeration cycle and the FC can be controlled in a coordinated manner, and the operation of both systems can be controlled in an integrated manner according to the air conditioning load. Electricity can be planned.

According to the air conditioner 1 described above, since the two

indoor units

2 and 3 are stacked in the vertical direction and formed in a plurality of stages, the installation space is larger than the case where the

indoor units

2 and 3 are installed side by side. Savings.

Further, the liquid side of the refrigeration cycle, the gas side pipe

connection end portions

17 and 18 and the FC system inlet side and outlet side pipe connection end portions (not shown) are provided on the upper end surface of the upper indoor unit 2, so that the server By providing the refrigerant system and FC system pipes using the ceiling space in the room or the like, it is possible to save the pipe connection space between the pipe connection ends 17 and 18. As a result, when a plurality of indoor unit devices 6 are installed side by side as shown in FIG. 14, the indoor unit devices 6 can be installed in close contact with each other, and installation space can be saved. Furthermore, since the piping does not get in the way when the indoor unit device 6 is added or replaced, the indoor unit device 6 can be added and removed easily.

Further, according to this air conditioner 1, since a plurality of

indoor units

2, 3 are connected in parallel to the outdoor units 4, 5, so-called multi-connected (multi) connection, the indoor units 2, Even if one of the 3 stops due to a failure or the like, the other can continue the operation. For this reason, it is possible to prevent or reduce an information processing device such as an expensive server or communication device from being down due to a temperature rise.

Furthermore, since the

inner ducts

24 and 25 form an air flow path having substantially the same cross section as the horizontal width of the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 and the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27, pressure loss can be reduced. That is, the air sucked into the

indoor units

2 and 3 from the suction port 21 is widened in the air flow path from the

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 and the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 to the

indoor fans

11 and 12. However, the

inner ducts

24 and 25 maintain the width of the cross section of the air flow path substantially the same as the width of the indoor and

water heat exchangers

9, 10, 26, and 27. Pressure loss can be reduced. For this reason, the power consumption of the

indoor fans

11 and 12 can be saved.

In addition, a water receiving port 32 of the first drain pan 31 that receives the drain generated in the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 is provided on the downstream side of the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10 below the

inner ducts

24 and 25. The upper surface of the first drain pan 31 having 32 and the drainage port 33 are formed so that the negative pressure is sufficiently lower than the maximum negative pressure on the primary side of the

indoor fans

11 and 12.

With the above configuration, the drain in the first drain pan 31 can be forcibly drained from the drain port 33 into the second drain pan 35 due to the negative pressure difference, and the drain is retained on the inner bottom surfaces of the

inner ducts

24 and 25. Can be reduced. Further, the drain of the second drain pan 35 can be drained to the outside from the external drain drain port 37. Furthermore, even if the external drain outlet 37 is clogged, it can be drained to the outside by the preliminary drain pipe 38.

Furthermore, since the inclined plate 34 is provided on the bottom surface of the

inner ducts

24 and 25 on the downstream side of the air flow of the

indoor heat exchangers

9 and 10, air flows from the indoor and

water heat exchangers

9, 10, 26, and 27. Since the slanted plate 34 receives the splash-like drain that scatters on the flow and guides it to the first drain pan 31 by its downward inclined surface, it can be drained. Can be planned.

In addition, free cooling (FC)

water heat exchangers

26 and 27 can be added as appropriate, so that the air conditioner using the refrigeration cycle and the FC water heat exchanger can be installed separately. The installation space can be saved and the cost can be reduced.

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view showing a modification of the

indoor units

2 and 3. In this modification, a diameter-reduced portion 45 that is reduced to a required diameter is formed at the end of the

inner ducts

24, 25 shown in FIG. 3 on the

indoor fan

11, 12 side. The

inner ducts

24 and 25 shown in FIG.

According to the

inner ducts

24 and 25 shown in FIG. 10,

flat mounting plates

24a and 25a for attaching the

indoor fans

11 and 12 to the

inner ducts

24 and 25, and the

inner ducts

24 and 25 on the mounting

plates

24a and 25a side. Since the reduced diameter portion 45 can smoothly guide the airflow flowing into the corner formed by one end of the

indoor fan

11 and 12, the flow resistance can be reduced. For this reason, the power consumption of the

indoor fans

11 and 12 can be saved.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of a modification of the air conditioner 1. This modification is not a multi-connection in which the indoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 are connected in parallel, but a pair in which the indoor unit 2 and the indoor unit 3 are independently connected to the outdoor units 4 and 5, respectively. 1 corresponding connection. In this structure, since the

indoor units

2 and 3 are not connected in parallel, a branch pipe becomes unnecessary. Also, the outdoor units 4 and 5 are not outdoor units that support multi-connection, and cheaper outdoor units for one-to-one connection can be used.

The air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 12 can further reduce costs.

In the above embodiment, the

machine rooms

2b and 3b have been described as being formed in a communication space that simply communicates in the vertical direction of the

indoor units

2 and 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a partition plate that divides the

machine chambers

2b and 3b in the vertical direction corresponding to the

indoor units

2 and 3 is provided, and the partition plate is provided with a through-hole that penetrates the refrigerant pipe 13 and the water pipe, thereby The

machine rooms

2b and 3b may be communicated. Further, the required number of these communication holes may be formed by knockout holes.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing an overall configuration of another modification of the air conditioner 1. In this modification, the liquid side and gas side

pipe connection portions

17 and 18 shown in FIG. 1 are provided on the lower surface of the lowermost indoor unit 3, and the other configuration is the indoor unit device 6 shown in FIG. 1. It is the same composition as. Also in the air conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 13, the cost can be further reduced by saving the installation space.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the present invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Air conditioner, 2, 3 ... Indoor unit, 2b, 3b ... Machine room, 4, 5 ... Outdoor unit, 9, 10 ... Indoor heat exchanger, 11, 12 ... Indoor fan, 13 ... Refrigerant piping, 17 ... Liquid side pipe connection end, 18 ... Gas side pipe connection end, 24, 25 ... Inner duct (ventilation path), 26, 27 ... Water heat exchanger, 31 ... First drain pan, 32 ... Receiving port, 33 ... Drainage Mouth, 34 ... inclined plate, 35 ... second drain pan, 36 ... third drain pan, 37 ... external drain drain port, 39 ... top plate, 40a, 40b ... rope guide.

Claims

In an air conditioner having a plurality of indoor units each having a machine room and at least one outdoor unit,
A plurality of indoor units are stacked in the vertical direction to form a plurality of stages, the machine rooms of these indoor units communicate with each other in the vertical direction, and a pipe connection end of the indoor unit that connects to the pipe of the outdoor unit An air conditioner provided on an upper part of an indoor unit positioned at the uppermost stage among the indoor units arranged in a plurality of stages.
Each indoor unit includes a ventilation path that communicates an air inlet and an air outlet provided in the indoor unit, and a heat exchanger and a fan that blows air to the heat exchanger are provided in the ventilation path, and the heat exchange The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the units are connected in parallel by piping in the machine room.
The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein each of the indoor units includes a first drain pan that receives drain from the heat exchanger.
4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein each of the indoor units includes a second drain pan that receives drain from the first drain pan and piping in the machine room. 5.
The air conditioner according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a top plate is provided at an upper end of the uppermost indoor unit, and a rope guide for hooking a transport rope to the top plate is formed. Machine.
6. The air conditioner according to claim 2, wherein when the operation of the indoor unit is stopped, a panel for closing the air suction port can be attached.