An air conditioner and a method of operating an air conditioner are provided. The air conditioner may include a heat pump having a water-refrigerant heat exchanger that condenses or evaporates a refrigerant by heat exchange with heat source water; a heat source water flow path connected to the water-refrigerant heat exchanger; a pump installed on the heat source water flow path; a variable flow valve installed on the heat source water flow path; and a variable flow valve controller that controls an opening degree of the variable flow valve. The variable flow valve controller may include a heat source water minimum flow manipulator that manipulates a minimum flow rate of the heat source water and regulates the opening degree of the variable flow valve according to the manipulation of the heat source water minimum flow manipulator. Accordingly, a user or installation personnel may selectively regulate power consumption and efficiency as desired.

Disclosed herein are evaporator assemblies for heat pump systems. The evaporator units can comprise a housing defining an interior chamber, an air inlet and an air outlet. The air inlet and the air outlet can form an air flow path through the interior chamber, and an evaporator unit can be positioned within the interior chamber such that the air flow path contacts the evaporator unit. The air inlet having a semi-circular cross section through which air flows into the interior chamber, the semi-circular cross section having a straight edge and a curved edge. A velocity magnitude of the air flowing from the air inlet into contact with the evaporator unit can deviate less than 0.1 m/s from the average air velocity across the surface area of the evaporator.

A wearable air temperature control system has two separable parts, a garment and an external heat pump, and the two parts are connected together via a connecting tube. The garment comprises an inner layer, a middle layer which is a carrier supporting the PCM capsules, and an insulating layer. The three layers is secured together to form a laminated unitary structure, which is flexible, soft and breathable. The external heat pump circulates cold or hot water through the garment when the garment is connected. The water flows in the capillary tube embedded in the PCM capsules and recharge the PCM. As a result, the garment could achieve cooling or heating by melting or freezing the PCM material inside the PCM capsules, whether the garment is separated from or connected to the heat pump for recharging. After the garment is fully recharged, the garment can be disconnected from the heat pump which allows wearers to move or work easily outdoors only wearing the portable garment.

An outdoor unit of an air conditioner coupled to an indoor unit by a liquid pipe and a gas pipe, includes: a compressor; an outdoor heat exchanger; a discharge pipe coupled to a refrigerant discharge side of the compressor; an intake pipe coupled to a refrigerant intake side of the compressor; an outdoor-unit high-pressure gas pipe coupled to the discharge pipe; an outdoor-unit low-pressure gas pipe coupled to the intake pipe; an outdoor-unit liquid pipe that couples a first refrigerant entry/exit opening of the outdoor heat exchanger and the liquid pipe together; a bypass pipe coupled to the outdoor-unit liquid pipe; a first flow-passage switcher coupled to a second refrigerant entry/exit opening of the outdoor heat exchanger, the discharge pipe, the intake pipe, and the bypass pipe; and a second flow-passage switcher coupled to the gas pipe, the outdoor-unit high-pressure gas pipe, and the outdoor-unit low-pressure gas pipe.

A system and method of heat exchanger freeze protection for an HVAC system by operating an indoor unit assembly and an outdoor unit assembly in a cooling mode and operating a fan at an initial airflow, operating a temperature sensor to measure a temperature value of a heat exchanger, at the expiration of a first predetermined time period, determining whether the temperature value is less than or equal to a first temperature preset value, determining whether a current airflow multiplier is equal to a maximum airflow multiplier limit, increasing the current airflow by an airflow offset multiplier if the current airflow multiplier is less than or equal to the maximum airflow multiplier limit and the temperature value is less than or equal to the first temperature preset, and operating the fan at an increased airflow to move more air across the heat exchanger.

A multi-split system includes an outdoor unit, a distribution device, and a plurality of indoor units. The distribution device includes a gas-liquid separator, a first heat exchange assembly, a first electronic expansion valve, a second heat exchange assembly, a second electronic expansion valve, a third electronic expansion valve connected in parallel with the second electronic expansion valve. When the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the first electronic expansion valve is greater than a first preset value, the distribution device is configured to calculate a value of superheat degree according to the outlet temperature of the indoor heat exchanger of each cooling indoor unit and the temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the second heat exchange assembly, and to perform a PI control over the second electronic expansion valve and the third electronic expansion valve according to the value of superheat degree.

One aspect presents a controller that comprises a control board, a microprocessor located on and electrically coupled to the control board, and a memory coupled to the microprocessor and located on and electrically coupled to the control board. The controller is configured to receive an operating parameter signal and recalculate a first maximum heating % demand to a second maximum heating % demand that is greater than the first maximum heating % demand, when a value of the operating parameter signal exceeds a predetermined value, and operate the HP system based on the second maximum heating % demand.

A refrigerant channel switching unit is disposed between a heat source unit and a utilization unit to switch flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant channel switching unit includes a first refrigerant pipe connected to a suction gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a second refrigerant pipe connected to a high-low pressure gas communicating pipe extending from the heat source unit, a third refrigerant pipe connected to a gas pipe extending to the utilization unit, a coupling portion, a first switch valve mounted to the first refrigerant pipe, and a second switch valve mounted to the second refrigerant pipe. The coupling portion is connected to the first, second and third refrigerant pipes. The First second and third are coupled through the coupling portion.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus simultaneously performs a cooling operation mode in which a refrigerant from a compressor is caused to flow to an indoor heat exchanger of an indoor unit having a cooling load, and a hot water supply operation mode in which a refrigerant from the compressor is caused to flow to a water heat exchanger of a hot water supply unit having a hot water supply demand. An operation control part switches the control mode of the simultaneous cooling and heating and hot water supply operation mode between a cooling-prioritized mode and a hot-water-supply-prioritized mode according to the relationship between the cooling load and the hot water supply load.

An exhaust heat reclaim system may include a diverter valve selectively connected in fluid communication to an exhaust vent tube and an exhaust delivery tube and configured to selectively divert hot exhaust fluid discharged from an exhaust of a power generation device to at least one of the exhaust vent tube and the exhaust delivery tube. The exhaust heat reclaim system may be a component of an HVAC system and be configured to discharge hot exhaust fluid onto a heat exchanger of the HVAC system, where the heat exchanger may be configured to promote heat transfer between the hot exhaust fluid and a refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger of the HVAC system.