An air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat source unit, a plurality of indoor units, and a relay unit. The heat source unit includes a heat-source-side flow control valve connected to a heat-source-side heat exchanger, a bypass pipe connected in parallel to the heat-source-side heat exchanger, a bypass flow control valve provided in the bypass pipe, and a gas-liquid separating unit configured to, when refrigerant flows out to the high-pressure pipe, mix refrigerant in a liquid state flowing through the heat-source-side heat exchanger and refrigerant in a gas state flowing through the bypass pipe and cause mixed refrigerant to flow out to the high-pressure pipe, and configured to, when refrigerant flows in from the low-pressure pipe, separate the refrigerant flowing in from the low-pressure pipe into refrigerant in a liquid state flowing into the heat-source-side heat exchanger and refrigerant in a gas state flowing into the bypass pipe.

An air-conditioning apparatus that includes a compressor, a flow switching device, an outdoor heat exchange unit, an expansion section and an indoor heat exchanger, which are connected by pipes, in which the outdoor heat exchange unit includes a first outdoor heat exchanger, a first flow rate control device, a second outdoor heat exchanger, a second flow rate control device, a bypass pipe, the second outdoor heat exchanger, the second flow rate control device, a third flow rate control device, and a flow control device.

A heat pump system includes a first unit; a second unit connected to a first flow path of the first unit; and a third unit connected to a second flow path of the first unit and connected to the second unit. The heat pump system can operate in a cooling and water heating mode and a heating and water heating mode, wherein, in the cooling and water heating mode, the heat pump system is configured to switch a switching assembly to a first position and connect the at least one first heat exchangers and the second heat exchanger in series; in the heating and water heating mode, the heat pump system is configured to switch the switching assembly to a second position and connect the second heat exchanger and the at least one third heat exchangers in parallel.

An air conditioner that includes a compressor that compresses a refrigerant, a main outdoor heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant in a cooling mode and that evaporates the refrigerant in a heating mode, an indoor heat exchanger that evaporates the refrigerant in the cooling mode while condensing the refrigerant in the heating mode, a switch that guides the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the main outdoor heat exchanger in the cooling mode and that guides the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the indoor heat exchanger in the heating mode, and a sub outdoor heat exchanger that evaporates a portion of the refrigerant condensed in the main outdoor heat exchanger in a low-load cooling mode and that condenses a portion of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor in a low-load heating mode.

Embodiments as disclosed herein are directed to a heat pump that employs at least two different refrigerants, each of which is optimized for either a cooling operation mode or a heating operation mode. The embodiments as disclosed herein can help increase the capacity and/or efficiency of a heat pump in both the cooling operation mode and the heating operation mode. In addition, the embodiments as disclosed herein may also eliminate the need for a ground source in a relatively low ambient temperature environment.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes an outdoor unit, indoor units, and a relay unit, and forms a refrigerant circuit. The air-conditioning apparatus further includes a fourth flow control device that regulates the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, a switching valve that regulates the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through a bypass pipe, and a control unit that controls the first heat-source-unit flow control device and the switching valve based on a pressure on a refrigerant inlet side of the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, an inlet temperature and an outlet temperature of a medium passing through the heat source unit-side heat exchanger, and the ratio of a cooling operation capacity to a heating operation capacity of the use-side heat exchangers.

An air conditioner includes a refrigeration cycle in which a first compressor and a second compressor are connected in parallel, and the first compressor, the second compressor, a first outdoor heat exchanger, a second outdoor heat exchanger, a first indoor heat exchanger, a second indoor heat exchanger, and expansion valves are connected. When the air conditioning apparatus is operated in a first operation mode in which the second outdoor heat exchanger and the first indoor heat exchanger are operated as condensers and the second indoor heat exchanger is operated as an evaporator, refrigerant discharged from the first compressor flows through the first indoor heat exchanger, the expansion valves, and the second indoor heat exchanger in order while bypassing the first outdoor heat exchanger and the second outdoor heat exchanger.

An air conditioner provided which has: a main refrigerant circuit including a compressor, a heat source side heat exchanger, a first expansion valve, and a utilization side heat exchanger and configured such that refrigerant flows in the main refrigerant circuit; a sub refrigerant circuit including a cooling member configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the cooling member and configured such that refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant circuit flows in the sub refrigerant circuit; and a heat generator to be cooled by the cooling member, wherein a pipe in which part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows is connected to the cooling member of the sub refrigerant circuit.

An air conditioner is provided that may include at least one compressor that compresses a refrigerant to a high pressure; a plurality of heat exchanger that condenses the refrigerant compressed in the at least one compressor; a plurality of outdoor valves, respectively, provided at an outlet side pipe of the plurality of heat exchangers; a gas liquid separator that separates the refrigerant into gas and liquid refrigerants and supplies the gas refrigerant to the at least one compressor; and one or more bypass devices connected to the outlet side pipe of one or more of the plurality of heat exchangers and an inlet side pipe of the gas liquid separator, the one or more bypass devices controlling a flow of the liquid refrigerant. During a cooling low load operation in which a portion of the plurality of heat exchangers is operating, a liquid refrigerant loaded into a heat exchanger of the plurality of heat exchangers, which is not operated, may flow through the one or more bypass device.

A dual function water heater and air-conditioning unit including air-conditioner and water heater subassemblies. In the operational cycle illustrated, the unit heats the water in a geyser and operates an air-conditioner in cooling mode. The geyser heat exchanger acts as a condenser in which the refrigerant transitions from a vapor phase to a liquid phase. The liquid refrigerant is conveyed to an interior unit expansion valve where the liquid refrigerant is flash evaporated and conveyed to the interior unit heat exchanger operating as an evaporator, in which adiabatic cooling of the refrigerant causes extraction of heat from air flowing over the interior unit heat exchanger tubes. The extracted heat is transferred to the refrigerant, causing evaporation of the liquid refrigerant to a gaseous refrigerant, which is directed, from the internal unit heat exchanger to the compressor, for repetition of the cycle.