A heat pump and a method for operating a heat pump are provided. The heat pump may include an outdoor unit including a compressor that compresses a refrigerant and an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, a hybrid unit including at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit and a fluid, such as water, and at least one refrigerant control valve that controls an amount of refrigerant flowing through the at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger, a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the fluid supplied from the hybrid unit and indoor air, and a controller. The controller may calculate operation loads of the plurality of indoor units and control an opening degree of the at least one refrigerant control value based on the operation loads of the plurality of indoor units.

A heat pump and a method for operating a heat pump are provided. The heat pump may include an outdoor unit including a compressor that compresses a refrigerant and an outdoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, a hybrid unit including at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant supplied from the outdoor unit and a fluid, such as water, and at least one refrigerant control valve that controls an amount of refrigerant flowing through the at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger, a plurality of indoor units each including an indoor heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the fluid supplied from the hybrid unit and indoor air, and a controller. The controller may calculate operation loads of the plurality of indoor units and control an opening degree of the at least one refrigerant control value based on the operation loads of the plurality of indoor units.

A pipe setting structure includes a back housing, and a cover attached to the back housing. The back housing has a first recess and a second recess. The first recess is recessed from a surface of the back housing, and includes a first back portion. The second recess is adjacent to the first recess and recessed from the surface of the back housing, and includes a second back portion. The second back portion is located closer to the surface of the back housing than the first back portion. Between the first back portion and the second back portion, a step is provided.

In an indoor unit of an air conditioner that moves a front panel, a coupling member suppresses a reduction of heat exchange performance of the indoor unit. A heat exchanger has a U-shaped pipe that returns refrigerant flowing in a longitudinal direction. A panel drive unit generates a driving force that moves the front panel by a movement of the panel drive unit itself. The coupling member is disposed behind the front panel, couples the front panel and the panel drive unit, and transmits the driving force from the panel drive unit to the front panel. At least a part of the coupling member is disposed in front of the U-shaped pipe so as to overlap the U-shaped pipe as viewed from the front.

In an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, an air inlet for room air is provided at a position lower than a height position of a drain pan. A partition plate is provided to partition a space below a height position of the drain pan in a housing. A pipe connecting portion connected to a refrigerant pipe of an outdoor unit is provided in one part of the partitioned space and a heat exchanger and a fan are placed in the other part of the partitioned space. At least one communicating path is formed in the partition plate to communicate the two parts of the partitioned space with each other. The indoor unit can include a controller for activating a fan when leakage of refrigerant is detected or for closing the communicating path when leakage of refrigerant is detected.

An air conditioner indoor unit includes a housing. The housing includes a chassis and a face frame connected to the chassis. A lower portion of the face frame includes an opening. the indoor unit further includes an air passage member disposed at the chassis and exposed from the opening, and a lower panel including an air outlet communicating with the air passage member. A first side of the lower panel is rotatably connected to a first side edge of the opening or a first side of the air passage member, and a second side of the lower panel is detachably connected to a second side edge of the opening or a second side of the air passage member.

An air conditioner indoor unit includes a housing. The housing includes a chassis and a face frame connected to the chassis. A lower portion of the face frame includes an opening. the indoor unit further includes an air passage member disposed at the chassis and exposed from the opening, and a lower panel including an air outlet communicating with the air passage member. A first side of the lower panel is rotatably connected to a first side edge of the opening or a first side of the air passage member, and a second side of the lower panel is detachably connected to a second side edge of the opening or a second side of the air passage member.

A heat pump apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit for circulating combustible refrigerant, and a load unit to be provided in a room and configured to accommodate a load side heat exchanger. The load side heat exchanger allows heat exchange between the combustible refrigerant and a liquid heat medium. The load unit includes a fan, an air inlet for sucking in air from the room, and an air outlet for blowing out the air, sucked in from the air inlet, to the room. The air outlet is provided at a position of a height different from the height of the air inlet.

A heat exchanger includes a plurality of fins arranged in parallel, and a plurality of heat exchanger tubes penetrating the fins. The heat transfer tubes define a plurality of refrigerant passages through which refrigerant is passed inside the heat exchanger. Each of the refrigerant passages is formed as a single independent passage from the refrigerant inlet to the refrigerant outlet.

Provided is an air conditioner capable of improving heating performance in a cold region by reducing a refrigerant pressure loss in an outdoor heat exchanger in a heating operation. The air conditioner includes a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion device, and an indoor heat exchanger. The outdoor heat exchanger may include a plurality of unit channels into which a refrigerant channel is partitioned, and a separating device installed in each of the plurality of unit channels and configured to separate a liquid refrigerant component and a vapor refrigerant component in each of the plurality of unit channels in a heating operation. The air conditioner may further include a compressor suction channel connecting a heating-operation outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger and an inlet of the compressor, and a bypass pipe connecting the separating device and the compressor suction channel.