KR-102961498-B1 - Geothermal heat pump system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor when switching between heating and cooling. More specifically, the invention relates to a technology that, when the heat pump (10) performs heating during the transitional season and switches to cooling, the control unit (not shown) temporarily stops the operation of the heat pump (10) and controls the valves (51, 52, 53, 54) to lower the temperature of the high-temperature heat medium on the heat source side, whose temperature has increased due to the heating, by exchanging heat with the heat medium on the heat source side through a protective heat exchanger (20), thereby controlling the heat pump (10) to perform cooling, thereby reducing the load applied to the compressor of the heat pump (10), preventing failure of the compressor, and extending its lifespan.

Inventors

• 전보경
• 허준관

Assignees

• (주)지오테크

Dates

Publication Date

20260507

Application Date

20230508

Claims (6)

1. A first circulation pipe (30) that circulates the heat source side heat medium; A second circulation pipe (40) that circulates the heat medium on the load side; A ground heat exchanger (1) connected to the first circulation pipe (30) and using geothermal heat to cool or heat the heat source side heat medium of the first circulation pipe (30); A heat pump (10) connected to the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40) to cool or heat the load-side heat medium of the second circulation pipe (40); A protective heat exchanger (20) connected to the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40) to enable heat exchange between the heat source side heat medium of the first circulation pipe (30) and the load side heat medium of the second circulation pipe (40); and A control unit for controlling the operation of the heat pump (10) and the circulation direction of the heat source side heat medium and the load side heat medium circulating through the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40); The above first circulation pipe (30) is, A first branch pipe (31) that circulates the heat source side heat medium that has passed through the heat pump (10) to the ground heat exchanger (1); and It is branched into a second branch pipe (32) that introduces the heat source side heat medium passing through the heat pump (10) into the protective heat exchanger (20); The above second circulation pipe (40) is, A third branch pipe (41) that circulates the load-side heat medium, which is heated or cooled while passing through the heat pump (10), to the load side; and The load-side heat medium passing through the heat pump (10) is branched into a fourth branch pipe (42) that introduces the heat medium to the protection heat exchanger (20). In the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40), Valves for controlling the circulation direction of the heat source-side heat medium and the load-side heat medium are each formed, and The above second circulation pipe (40) is equipped with a temperature sensor to measure the temperature of the circulating load-side heat medium and transmit it to the control unit, and When the heat pump (10) switches to cooling while performing heating, the control unit stops the operation of the heat pump (10) before switching to cooling and controls the valve so that the heat source side heat medium passing through the heat pump (10) flows into the protective heat exchanger (20), and the load side heat medium passing through the heat pump (10) flows into the protective heat exchanger (20). The above control unit measures the temperature of the load-side heat medium circulating through the second circulation pipe (40) through the temperature sensor, and when the temperature of the load-side heat medium drops below a set temperature, it controls the system to stop the heat exchange between the load-side heat medium and the heat source-side heat medium and to execute a cooling mode.
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5. In paragraph 1, The above control unit is characterized by controlling the heat source side heat medium and the load side heat medium of the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40) to flow into the protective heat exchanger (20) without operating the heat pump (10) during a preset period in winter.
6. In paragraph 1, A geothermal heat pump system characterized by additionally forming a first bypass pipe (60) and a second bypass pipe (70) in the first circulation pipe (30) and the second circulation pipe (40).

Description

Geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating/cooling switching The present invention relates to a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating and cooling switching. More specifically, it relates to a technology that prevents compressor failure and extends its lifespan by reducing the excessive load applied to the heat pump compressor and switching to cooling operation after lowering the temperature of the high-temperature heat medium on the load side, which has increased in temperature due to heating, when the heat pump switches from heating to cooling during the transitional season. Generally, a geothermal heat pump system utilizes an underground heat source that can be consistently used for heating and cooling regardless of climate conditions or seasonal changes. It is a system that uses heat exchange between groundwater located at a certain depth or greater, which contains the heat source, and a highly energy-efficient heat pump to provide heating and cooling energy for a building. These geothermal heat pump systems are classified into closed-loop systems, which indirectly exchange heat with the heat pump using U-shaped pipes filled with water or antifreeze, and open-loop systems, such as SCW (Standing Column well), which directly exchange heat with the heat pump using the geothermal energy contained in groundwater, depending on the type of heat exchanger that obtains the heat source. Meanwhile, when a geothermal heat pump system is operated during transitional seasons with significant day-night temperature differences, heating must be performed in the morning or evening when temperatures are low, and cooling must be performed during the day when temperatures are high. When switching from heating to cooling, the high-temperature heat transfer medium on the load side, whose temperature has increased due to heating, flows into the heat pump's evaporator. As the refrigerant exchanges heat with the heat pump's refrigerant, it absorbs heat from the load side medium and vaporizes; at this stage, it absorbs a large amount of heat due to the high temperature of the load side medium, becoming a high-temperature, high-pressure vapor. As described above, if the refrigerant enters the compressor in a high-temperature, high-pressure vapor state, it causes an excessive load on the compressor, which can lead to failure and reduce its lifespan. However, conventional geothermal heat pump systems lacked a separate technology to protect the compressor during cooling-cooling switching in transitional seasons when such switching is frequent, leading to frequent compressor failures and reduced lifespan. Meanwhile, prior art regarding geothermal heat pump systems includes Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0021935, etc. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the overall configuration of a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating and cooling switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating the internal structure of a heat pump in a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating and cooling switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 3 to 5 are drawings for explaining the operation process during cooling and heating switching of a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during cooling and heating switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating and cooling switching according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings, provided that technical details that are already well known will be omitted or compressed for the sake of brevity. Hereinafter, a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during heating and cooling switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating the overall configuration of a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during cooling and heating switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating the internal structure of a heat pump in a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during cooling and heating switching according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 to 5 are drawings for explaining the operation process during cooling and heating switching of a geothermal heat pump system capable of protecting the compressor during cooling and heating switching according to a preferred embodiment of the p