The present disclosure provides a multi-air conditioner for heating/cooling operation including: at least one of indoor units for heating/cooling operation including an indoor heat exchanger respectively; and an outdoor unit for heating/cooling operation including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, and a switching unit configured to be disposed in a discharge side of the compressor to switch a flow of refrigerant, wherein the outdoor unit for heating/cooling operation includes a receiver which selectively stores refrigerant or oil according to a cooling or heating operation mode and provides the stored refrigerant or oil to the compressor. Accordingly, in the accumulator of the multi-air conditioner for heating/cooling operation using the receiver, the receiver that is not used in the heating mode can be converted and used for oil storage, thereby preventing oil burnout without adding a structure.

An air conditioning apparatus uses a heat medium containing at least one of cold water and hot water. The air conditioning apparatus includes: a heat source device; a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the heat medium and air; a flow rate control valve configured to control a flow rate at which the heat medium is supplied to the heat exchanger; a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the heat medium discharged from the heat exchanger; and a failure determination unit configured to detect presence or absence of an abnormality in a flow path of the heat medium based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor and a commanded degree of opening for the flow rate control valve.

A multi-air conditioner for cooling and heating is provided to remove latent heat and sensible heat by using a single outdoor unit. The multi-air conditioner includes: at least one indoor unit installed in a room, that comprises an indoor heat exchanger and an indoor expansion valve; an outdoor unit connected to the indoor unit via a refrigerant pipeline, that comprises an outdoor heat exchanger, a plurality of compressors, an outdoor expansion valve, and a four-way valve; and a dedicated outdoor air ventilation unit connected to the indoor unit and the outdoor unit via the refrigerant pipeline, that dehumidifies and ventilates outdoor air and supplies the outdoor air to the room, wherein the outdoor unit provides a refrigerant to both the dedicated outdoor air ventilation unit and the indoor unit by controlling the compressors depending on an operation mode of the dedicated outdoor air ventilation unit and the indoor unit. Accordingly, it is possible to run an air conditioner for cooling and heating and a dedicated outdoor air conditioner simultaneously by using a single outdoor unit. Moreover, the handling of sensible and latent heats can be controlled by a single outdoor unit, thereby minimizing facility costs and enhancing control reliability.

An air conditioning apparatus includes: an outdoor unit configured to circulate refrigerant; an indoor unit configured to circulate water; a heat exchange device that connects the indoor unit to the outdoor unit and that is configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the water; and a plurality of pipes and valves. The heat exchange device includes first and second heat exchangers. The air conditioning apparatus is configured to perform a cooling operation or a heating operation based on operating one or both of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger and one or more of the valves.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a hot water tank, a heat source for heating water in the hot water tank, and a refrigeration cycle circuit that includes an indoor heat exchanger, a heat-source heat exchanger, and a water heat exchanger. The indoor heat exchanger may operate as a condenser. When an outside temperature is greater than a specified temperature, the refrigeration cycle apparatus operates in a first state in which the heat-source heat exchanger operates as an evaporator and the water heat exchanger does not operate. When the outside temperature is less than the specified temperature, the refrigeration cycle apparatus operates in a second state in which the water heat exchanger operates as an evaporator and refrigerant therein absorbs heat from water in the hot water tank heated by the heat source and the heat-source heat exchanger does not operate.

A heat transport system includes: a refrigerant circuit that seals therein a fluid including HFC-32 and/or HFO refrigerant as a refrigerant and that includes: a refrigerant booster that boosts the refrigerant; an outdoor air heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air; a medium heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and a heat transfer medium; and a refrigerant flow path switch that switches between a refrigerant radiation state and a refrigerant evaporation state; and a medium circuit that seals carbon dioxide therein as the heat transfer medium.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a heat source unit configured to supply refrigerant, a first distribution unit and a second distribution unit respectively connected to the heat source unit, and a distribution pipe located between the heat source unit and the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit for distributing the refrigerant flowing from the heat source unit into the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit. Further, the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit individually include a heat exchanger configured to serve as a condenser. Further, if the refrigerant flowing through the distribution pipe is unevenly distributed into the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit, a degree of subcooling at an outlet of the heat exchanger of one of the first distribution unit and the second distribution unit of which the distributed refrigerant is of high quality is increased.

A heat pump and a method for operating a heat pump are provided. The heat pump may include a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and a fluid, such as water, a pump including a motor, the pump forcing the fluid to flow into the at least one fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger, and a controller. The controller may be configured to calculate power consumption of the pump, calculate a flow rate of fluid flowing due to the pump based on the power consumption of the pump, and control an operation of the pump to be stopped when the flow rate of the fluid is less than a predetermined reference flow rate.

An air conditioner includes two cut-off valves connected to respective refrigerant flow paths. At least one of the two cut-off valves is configured as a flow path switching valve configured to switch a flow path so as to block the refrigerant flow paths when a refrigerant leaks in a utilization circuit.

The present application provides an outdoor unit and a heat pump system. The outdoor unit includes a compressor, a valve assembly, an outdoor heat exchanger, a first pipeline port and a second pipeline port; a first branch that connects the valve assembly and the first pipeline port, the first branch being provided with the outdoor heat exchanger and a first switch valve assembly; a second branch that connects the mode switch valve assembly and the first pipeline port, wherein the second branch is provided with a second switch valve assembly; a third branch that connects the second pipeline port and the refrigerant inlet of the outdoor heat exchanger. The first and second switch valve assemblies control the on and off of the first branch and the second branch so that the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger.