AIR CONDITIONER AND METHOD FOR DRYING EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER OF AIR CONDITIONER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0201936 filed on December 31, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner and a method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner.

2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

A condenser is a heat exchanger cooling and liquefying high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant vapor supplied from a compressor, and serves to release heat within a refrigeration cycle to the outside.

In particular, an evaporative condenser is a system in which functions of water-cooled and air-cooled condensers are combined. The evaporative condenser is configured such that water is sprayed onto a tube through which a cooling fluid passes, air supplied from a blower flows across a surface of the tube, and water vapor evaporated from the surface of the tube is discharged to cool the cooling fluid.

Meanwhile, after the operation of the air conditioner, drying of moisture inside the heat exchanger becomes necessary due to operations such as spraying and cooling of the evaporative condenser. However, there is a problem in that, during the blower operation for drying, a considerable amount of time is required, and from the consumer’s perspective, it may cause confusion because the product appears to remain operating rather than being turned off, and noise is generated during the drying period.

[Related Art Document]

[Patent Document]

(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2022-0083585

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner capable of drying an evaporative condenser by controlling a speed of a compressor according to an outside temperature after determining a compressor operating time, and a method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above description. Those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will have no difficulty in understanding additional technical problems of the present disclosure from the general contents of the present specification.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, an air conditioner includes an evaporator, an expansion valve, a compressor, and an evaporative condenser through which refrigerant is circulated; a water injection module injecting water into the evaporative condenser; a blower module drying the evaporative condenser; and a controller controlling an operation of the blower module, in which the blower module sucks in air from an outside and dries the evaporative condenser, and the controller determines revolutions per second (RPS) of the compressor according to an outside temperature and controls the operations of the compressor and the blower module based on whether a target voltage for adjusting RPS of the blower module is achieved.

The controller may preset a plurality of reference ranges and RPS of a plurality of compressors corresponding to the plurality of reference ranges, and set the RPS of the compressor to compressor RPS corresponding to a reference range in which the outside temperature is detected among the plurality of reference ranges.

The controller may set the RPS of the compressor to a preset first RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset first reference range, set the RPS of the compressor to a preset second RPS that is higher than the first RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset second reference range that is higher than the first reference range, set the RPS of the compressor to a preset third RPS that is higher than the second RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset third reference range that is higher than the second reference range, and set the RPS of the compressor to a fourth RPS that is lower than the third RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset fourth reference range that is higher than the third reference range.

The controller may set the fourth RPS to be higher than the second RPS.

The controller may stop the operations of the compressor and the blower module when a voltage (VSP) controlling the rotational speed of the blower module reaches a preset target voltage, and further operate the compressor for a preset period of time and then stop the operations of the compressor and the blower module when the voltage (VSP) does not reach the preset target voltage.

The controller may set the target voltage based on the complete drying of the evaporative condenser.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner performed by a computing device including a processor and a storage medium on which one or more programs configured to be executed by the processor is recorded includes: confirming whether an operating time of a compressor is greater than or equal to a preset reference time when water injection is blocked due to reaching a preset temperature; setting a rotational speed of the compressor according to an outside temperature; determining whether a voltage (VSP) controlling a rotational speed of a blower module reaches a preset target voltage; and controlling operations of the compressor and the blower module based on whether the voltage reaches the target voltage.

In the setting, a plurality of reference ranges and a plurality of compressor rotational speeds corresponding to the plurality of reference ranges may be preset, and the RPS of the compressor may be set to compressor RPS corresponding to a reference range in which the outside temperature is detected among the plurality of reference ranges.

In the setting, the RPS of the compressor may be set to a preset first RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset first reference range, the RPS of the compressor may be set to a preset second RPS that is higher than the first RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset second reference range that is higher than the first reference range, the RPS of the compressor may be set to a preset third RPS that is higher than the second RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset third reference range that is higher than the second reference range, and the RPS of the compressor may be set to a preset fourth RPS that is lower than the third RPS when the outside temperature is detected to be within a preset fourth reference range that is higher than the third reference range.

In the setting, the fourth RPS may be set to be higher than the second RPS.

In the controlling, the operations of the compressor and the blower module may stop when a voltage (VSP) controlling the rotational speed of the blower module reaches a preset target voltage, and the compressor may further operate for a preset period of time and then the operations of the compressor and the blower module may stop when the voltage (VSP) does not reach the preset target voltage.

In the controlling, the target voltage may be set based on the complete drying of the evaporative condenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure and a computing device that may fully or partially implement the method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified in many different forms and the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

In addition, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, shapes and dimensions of components may be exaggerated for clarity.

In description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, well-known technologies are not described in detail not to obscure the description of the present disclosure with unnecessary detail. Further, the following terminologies are defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure and may be construed in different ways by the intention of users and operators. Therefore, the definitions thereof should be construed based on the contents throughout the present specification. The terms used in the detailed description is merely for describing the example embodiments of the present disclosure and should in no way be limited. Unless clearly used otherwise, an expression in the singular form includes the meaning of the plural form.

As used herein, expressions such as “including” and “comprising” are intended to indicate the presence of features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, and are not intended to preclude the possibility of the presence, addition, or substitution of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof beyond those described.

Unless otherwise specified in the present specification, the unit ‘%’ means weight%.

In this specification, the terms such as “top,” “upper portion,” “upper surface,” “bottom,” “lower portion,” “lower surface,” and “side surface” are based on the drawings and may vary depending on a direction in which elements or components are arranged in practice.

In addition, a case in which any one portion is connected with the other portion includes a case in which the portions are directly connected with each other and a case in which the portions are indirectly connected with each other with other elements interposed therebetween.

Below, the present disclosure will be described in detail through each example embodiment or example of the present disclosure. It should be noted that each example embodiment or example described in this specification is not limited to a single example embodiment or example but may also be combined with other example embodiments or examples. Therefore, the citation of claims in the claim is merely an example of an example embodiment and the technical concept of the present disclosure should not be construed as being solely limited to the combination with the cited claim. Combinations with various claims also fall within the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

An air conditioner 100 according to one example embodiment of the present disclosure includes an evaporative condenser 110 in which compressed refrigerant is condensed, an expansion valve 120 in which the refrigerant passing through the evaporative condenser 110 is expanded, an evaporator 130 in which the refrigerant passing through the expansion valve 120 is evaporated, and a compressor 140 in which the refrigerant passing through the evaporator 130 is compressed. The refrigerant may form a refrigerant cycle R1 by passing through the evaporative condenser 110, the expansion valve 120, the evaporator 130, and the compressor 140. In the above refrigerant cycle R1, the compressor 140, the evaporative condenser 110, and the expansion valve 120 may be arranged in an outdoor unit, and the evaporator 130 may be arranged in an indoor unit 150. However, the evaporative condenser 110 and the evaporator 130 may also be configured as a single, integrated product.

Here, the evaporative condenser 110 may include a condensing module 111 including a fluid passage, a water injection module 200 that injects water passing through the condensing module 111 from an upper portion of the condensing module 111, and a blower module 113 that is arranged on one side of the condensing module 111 and provides air passing through the condensing module 111. The evaporative condenser 110 may be installed in an outdoor unit (not illustrated) that is spatially separated from the indoors, and the condensing module 111 has an air passage A1 through which air is sucked in from the outside by the blower module 113, passes through the condensing module 111, and then is discharged with its temperature increased, a water supply passage W1 that is connected to a water supply source WS, is injected into the condensing module 111 by the water injection module 200, and is then drained from a lower portion of the condensing module 111, and a refrigerant cycle R1 passing through the condensing module 111. The refrigerant is condensed by the air in the air passage A1 and the water in the water supply passage W1. Meanwhile, the evaporator 130 through which the refrigerant cycle R1 passes is disposed in the indoor unit 150 which includes a blower 151. An indoor circulation passage A10 may be formed in which indoor air is supplied back into the indoor space after passing through the evaporator 130 by the blower 151.

Here, the condensing module 111 has a three-dimensional structure formed in three directions, including an extension direction of headers, an extension direction of connecting tubes, and a stacking direction of header rows. The refrigerant flows through the condensing module 111 and exchanges heat with water and air, thereby enabling greater heat exchange even within the same volume and improving cooling efficiency. Meanwhile, even if the condensing module 111 does not have the above-described structure, a condenser structure utilizing water evaporation may be applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a controller C determines revolutions per second (RPS) of the compressor 140 based on the outside temperature, and controls the operations of the compressor 140 and the blower module 113 based on whether the target voltage for adjusting RPS of the blower module 113 is achieved.

First, when a preset temperature is reached (S1a) and a compressor stop signal is transmitted (S1b), the water injection module 200 may block water injection (S1c) (S1).

Thereafter, when an operating time of the compressor 140 is less than or equal to a preset reference time (S2), the controller C terminates the operation of the compressor 140 (S5), and when the operating time of the compressor 140 is greater than or equal to a preset reference time, the controller C may set the RPS of the compressor 140 according to the outside temperature (S3).

The RPS of the compressor 140 according to the outside temperature may be set by confirming whether the outside temperature is detected within one of a plurality of preset reference ranges (S3-1) and the RPS of the compressor 140 may be set according to the detected reference range (S3-2).

More specifically, the controller C may set the RPS of the compressor 140 to a preset first RPS (S3-2a) when the outside temperature is detected within a preset first reference range (S3-1a), set the RPS of the compressor 140 to a preset second RPS that is higher than the first RPS (S3-2b) when the outside temperature is detected within a preset second reference range that is higher than the first reference range (S3-1b), set the RPS of the compressor 140 to a preset third RPS that is higher than the second RPS (S3-2c) when the outside temperature is detected within a preset third reference range that is higher than the second reference range (S3-1c), and may set the RPS of the compressor 140 to a preset fourth RPS that is lower than the third RPS (S3-2d) when the outside temperature is detected within a preset fourth reference range that is higher than the third reference range (S3-1d).

For example, the first reference range may be set to 10 to 20°C, the second reference range may be set to 20 to 26°C, the third reference range may be set to 26 to 39°C, and the fourth reference range may be set to 39 to 44°C. Furthermore, the first RPS may be set to 43 rps, the second RPS may be set to 53 rps, the third RPS may be set to 67 rps, and the fourth RPS may be set to 61 rps. Here, when the outside temperature is detected to be within the fourth reference range, it is determined to be very hot weather. Accordingly, since operating the compressor at the fastest RPS when the outside temperature is high may place an excessive load on a product, the fourth RPS may be set to be higher than the second RPS and lower than the third RPS.

Thereafter, the controller C confirms whether the voltage VSP controlling the rotational speed of the blower module 113 reaches a preset target voltage (S4). If so, the operation of the compressor 140 is terminated (S5) and the process is terminated (S7). If not, the compressor 140 may additionally operate for a preset period of time and then the process may be terminated (S7).

When the evaporative condenser 110 is filled with water, the low pressure increases, and thus, a torque of the blower module 113 increases, so the voltage VSP for adjusting the rotational speed of the blower module 113 may be measured high. Accordingly, the controller C may set the target voltage to the voltage for adjusting the rotation speed of the blower module 113 when the evaporative condenser 110 is completely dried, thereby accurately determining the drying state according to the rotation of the compressor 140.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the air conditioner according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure and a computing device that may fully or partially implement the method for drying an evaporative condenser of an air conditioner.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the computing device 400 includes at least one processor 401, a computer-readable storage medium 402, and a communication bus 403. For example, the computing device 400 may include a personal computer, a server computer, a handheld or laptop device, a mobile device (a mobile phone, a personal digital assistants (PDA), a media player, or the like), a multiprocessor system, a consumer electronic device, a mini computer, a mainframe computer, a distributed computing environment including any system or device described above, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

The processor 401 may cause the computing device 400 to operate according to the exemplary example embodiments described above. For example, the processor 401 may execute one or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium 402. The one or more programs may include one or more computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor 401, computer-executable instructions may be configured to cause the computing device 400 to perform operations according to the example embodiment. For example, the processor 401 may include, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphic processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or the like, and have a plurality of cores. A memory 1120 may be a volatile memory (such as a random access memory (RAM), or the like), a non-volatile memory (such as a read only memory (ROM), a flash memory, or the like), or a combination thereof.

The computer-readable storage medium 402 is configured to store computer-executable instructions or program code, program data, and/or other suitable form of information. A program 402a stored in the computer-readable storage medium 402 includes a set of instructions executable by the processor 401. In one example embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium 402 includes a memory (volatile memory such as random access memory, non-volatile memory, or a suitable combination thereof), one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, other types of storage media accessed by the computing device 400 and capable of storing desired information, or a suitable combination thereof.

The communication bus 403 interconnects various other components of the computing device 400, including the processor 401 and the computer-readable storage medium 402.

The computing device 400 may also include one or more input/output interfaces 405 that provide interfaces for one or more input/output devices 404 and one or more network communication interfaces 406. The input/output interface 405 and the network communication interface 406 are connected to the communication bus 403. The input/output device may be connected to other components of the computing device through the input/output interface 405. Exemplary input/output devices 404 may include input devices such as pointing devices (such as a mouse or a track pad), keyboards, touch input devices (a touch pad or a touch screen), voice or sound input devices, various types of sensor devices, and/or photographing devices, and/or output devices such as display devices, printers, speakers, and/or network cards. The exemplary input/output device 404 may be included within the computing device 400 as a component that constitutes the computing device 400, or may be connected to the computing device 400 as a separate device distinct from the computing device 400.

Meanwhile, example embodiments of the present disclosure may include a program for executing the methods described herein on a computer, and a computer-readable recording medium including the program. The computer-readable recording medium may include program instructions, local data files, local data structure, or the like, alone or a combination thereof. The medium may be designed and constituted especially for the present disclosure, or may be known to those skilled in a computer software field. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium may include a magnetic medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, and a magnetic tape, an optical recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a DVD, and a hardware device specially configured to store and perform program commands such as a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, or the like. Examples of the program include a high-level language code capable of being executed by a computer using an interpreter, or the like, as well as a machine language code made by a compiler.

Components such as “controller” used in the present specification generally refer to a computer related entity, which is hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software that is being executed. For example, the components such as “controller” may be a process that is being executed on a processor, the processor, an object, an executable structure, an executing thread, a program and/or a computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, both of an application that is being driven on a controller and the controller may be a component. One or more components may exist in the process and/or the executing thread, and the component may be localized on one computer or be distributed between two or more computers.

As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the frequent on/off of the drying operation, completely dry the evaporative condenser, and suppress the noise generation during the drying.

The present disclosure described above is not limited by the above-described example embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but is limited by the claims described below, and it can be readily understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration of the present disclosure may variously be changed and modified within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure.