KR-20260066892-A - HEATPUMP SYSTEM

Abstract

A heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a valve module including a plurality of directional control valves and expansion valves, an internal heat exchanger, a compressor, and a first heat exchanger arranged along the flow direction and a heating line connected to allow refrigerant to flow into the valve module, an evaporator arranged to exchange heat between air discharged into the vehicle cabin and refrigerant, a cooling line extended to connect the valve module and the heating line, a first refrigerant line extended from one side of the valve module and connected to the other side of the valve module, and a cooling water line arranged to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant and cooling water in the first heat exchanger, wherein a heater core arranged to exchange heat between air discharged into the vehicle cabin and cooling water is arranged, and the first refrigerant line is arranged to pass through the internal heat exchanger so that the refrigerant flowing into the compressor and the refrigerant passing through the compressor can exchange heat.

Inventors

• 이준민
• 이진재
• 조성래
• 한중만

Assignees

• 한온시스템 주식회사

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20241105

Claims (19)

1. A valve module comprising a plurality of directional control valves and expansion valves; An internal heat exchanger, a compressor, and a first heat exchanger are arranged along the flow direction, and a heating line is connected to allow refrigerant to flow into the valve module; An evaporator is arranged to exchange heat between the air discharged into the vehicle cabin and the refrigerant, and a cooling line extending to connect the valve module and the heating line; A first refrigerant line extending from one side of the valve module and connected to the other side of the valve module; and A heater core is arranged to exchange heat between the air discharged into the vehicle cabin and the coolant, and a coolant line is arranged to enable heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant in the first heat exchanger; A heat pump system comprising, wherein the first refrigerant line is arranged to pass through the internal heat exchanger so as to exchange heat between the refrigerant flowing into the compressor and the refrigerant passing through the compressor.
2. In paragraph 1, A heat pump system in which the valve module changes the flow direction of the refrigerant flowing through the first refrigerant line according to the air conditioning mode.
3. In paragraph 2, The above first refrigerant line is a heat pump system including a second heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the outside air and the refrigerant.
4. In paragraph 3, A heat pump system in which the above valve module can change the refrigerant flowing through the above first refrigerant line to a first direction or a second direction, wherein in the first direction the refrigerant flows sequentially through the above valve module, the above second heat exchanger and the above internal heat exchanger, and in the second direction the refrigerant flows sequentially through the above valve module, the above internal heat exchanger and the above second heat exchanger.
5. In paragraph 4, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is a cooling mode or a serial dehumidification mode, the refrigerant flows through the first refrigerant line in the first direction, and when the air conditioning mode is a heating mode or a parallel dehumidification mode, the refrigerant flows through the first refrigerant line in the second direction.
6. In paragraph 5, A heat pump system further comprising a second refrigerant line extending from the valve module and connected to the heating line, wherein a third heat exchanger for absorbing waste heat from electrical components is disposed in the second refrigerant line.
7. In paragraph 6, A heat pump system further comprising: a third refrigerant line extending from the valve module, wherein the refrigerant flowing in the second direction passes through the second heat exchanger and then passes through the valve module to flow toward the inlet side of the internal heat exchanger.
8. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the first cooling mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows through the valve module and the first refrigerant line in the first direction, and the refrigerant passing through the first refrigerant line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the cooling line.
9. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the second cooling mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows through the valve module and the first refrigerant line in the first direction, and the refrigerant passing through the first refrigerant line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the second refrigerant line.
10. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the third cooling mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows through the valve module and the first refrigerant line in the first direction, and the refrigerant passing through the first refrigerant line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the cooling line and the second refrigerant line.
11. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the first heating mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line is expanded in the valve module and then flows in the second direction along the first refrigerant line, and the refrigerant passing through the second heat exchanger flows along the third refrigerant line through the valve module.
12. In Paragraph 11, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the second heating mode, a portion of the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the second refrigerant line.
13. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the third heating mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows through the valve module to the second refrigerant line.
14. In any one of paragraphs 11 through 13, A heat pump system in which the cooling water heated by exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger flows into the heater core to heat the interior of the vehicle.
15. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the first series dehumidification mode, the refrigerant passing through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows through the valve module and the first refrigerant line in the first direction, and partially expands in the valve module before entering the second heat exchanger, and the refrigerant passing through the first refrigerant line flows along the cooling line after expanding in the valve module.
16. In paragraph 15, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is a second series dehumidification mode, some of the refrigerant that has passed through the first refrigerant line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the second refrigerant line.
17. In Paragraph 7, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the first parallel dehumidification mode, a portion of the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line flows in the second direction through the valve module and the first refrigerant line, and after being expanded in the valve module, flows into the internal heat exchanger and then flows along the third refrigerant line through the valve module, and the remaining refrigerant is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the cooling line.
18. In Paragraph 17, A heat pump system in which, when the air conditioning mode is the second parallel dehumidification mode, a portion of the refrigerant that has passed through the compressor and the first heat exchanger of the heating line is expanded in the valve module and then flows along the second refrigerant line.
19. In any one of paragraphs 15 through 18, A heat pump system in which cooling water heated by exchanging heat with a refrigerant in the first heat exchanger flows into the heater core to heat the air discharged into the vehicle cabin.

Description

Heat Pump System The present invention relates to a heat pump system, and more specifically, to a heat pump system that facilitates thermal management and has no limitations on the cooling water to be applied. Under the policy of environmentally friendly industrial development and the development of energy sources to replace fossil fuels, electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles are the sectors receiving the most attention in the automotive industry recently. Electric and hybrid vehicles are equipped with batteries to provide driving power, and these batteries are utilized not only for driving but also for heating and cooling. In vehicles that provide driving power using batteries, the fact that the battery is used as a heat source for heating and cooling means that the driving range is reduced accordingly. To overcome this problem, a method has been proposed to apply a heat pump system, which has been widely used as a household heating and cooling device, to automobiles. For reference, a heat pump refers to a device that absorbs heat at a low temperature and transfers the absorbed heat to a high temperature. As an example, a heat pump has a cycle in which a liquid refrigerant evaporates in an evaporator, absorbs heat from the surroundings to become a gas, and then liquefies again by releasing heat to the surroundings through a condenser. Applying this to electric or hybrid vehicles has the advantage of securing a heat source that is lacking in conventional air conditioning systems. Currently, heat pump systems for electric vehicles heat the interior by exchanging heat between the air discharged into the cabin and refrigerant heated to high temperature and pressure via a compressor; in dehumidification mode, the air passing through the evaporator is heated. However, there is a disadvantage in air conditioning mode, where the refrigerant passes through multiple heat exchangers in series to dehumidify, as the amount of heat supplied to the indoor unit is insufficient, requiring the use of a separate electric heater. Additionally, there is a problem in that the amount of refrigerant used to maintain the internal temperature of the air conditioning system at an appropriate level is limited. There is a need for a heat pump system capable of implementing a serial dehumidification mode, facilitating heat management within the air conditioning unit, and having no restrictions on the refrigerant used. FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating the flow of a refrigerant in a first direction through a first refrigerant line of a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the flow of a refrigerant in a second direction through a first refrigerant line of a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a first cooling mode. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a second cooling mode. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a third cooling mode. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a first heating mode. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a second heating mode. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a third heating mode. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a first series dehumidification mode. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a second serial dehumidification mode. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a first parallel dehumidification mode. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a heat pump system according to one embodiment of the present invention implementing a second parallel dehumidification mode. The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the present inve