An apparatus for air-conditioning of watercraft and the like comprising: an electronically controlled variable-r.p.m. compressor, a main gas/water condenser (5), at least one environmental heat-exchanger (3) with an electronically controlled fan (14), at least one electronically controlled expansion valve (8), and at least one first electronic control unit (4) programmed for calculating continuously a temperature deviation detected (DeltaT=T_adT_a), and as a function of said temperature deviation regulating in combination, the r.p.m. of the compressor (1), opening of the flow valve (8), and the r.p.m. of the fan of the heat-exchanger (3).

To avoid decline in the efficiency of a compressor at a low load, the thermal storage air conditioner has an operation controller which, if a rotational speed of the compressor is slowed down to a predetermined lower reference value in a simple cooling operation, switches operation of the thermal storage air conditioner from the simple cooling operation to a cooling and cold thermal energy storage operation to increase the rotational speed of the compressor. During the simple cooling operation refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger and evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger, and during a cooling and cold thermal energy storage operation the refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger, evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger, and the thermal storage medium in the thermal storage section is cooled by the refrigerant.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a vehicle air conditioning system and a control method of the vehicle air conditioning system which enable detecting leaks of flammable refrigerant without requiring a separate sensor. This vehicle air conditioning system is provided with: a refrigeration cycle for cooling (23); a heat pump cycle for heating (33); a refrigerant that is very flammable, has an explosive range near room temperature, and circulates in the refrigeration cycle for cooling (23) and the heat pump cycle for heating (33); an outside temperature sensor (44) which detects the outside temperature; a pressure sensor (49) which detects the refrigerant pressure; and a control device which calculates the refrigerant density, which is the density of refrigerant, on the basis of the outside temperature and the pressure, and determines whether or not the refrigerant density has fallen below a prescribed threshold value which is based on the amount of sealed refrigerant, the total volume in the refrigeration cycle for cooling (23) and in the heat pump cycle for heating (33), the volume of the vehicle cabin, the standard density of the atmosphere, and the explosive limit of the refrigerant.

A heat pump system includes a compressor, a usage side heat exchanger, a heat source side heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, a main refrigerant flow control valve switchable between cooling and heating modes, a gas reheat heat exchanger, a fan, and a secondary refrigerant flow control device switchable between first, second, and third modes. Refrigerant flows from the compressor discharge line to the main refrigerant flow control device in the first mode. Refrigerant flows from discharge line to gas reheat heat exchanger and then main refrigerant flow control valve in the second mode. Refrigerant flows both from discharge line to gas reheat heat exchanger and then main refrigerant flow control valve, and from discharge line to main refrigerant flow control valve without flowing through the gas reheat heat exchanger in the third mode. Refrigerant flows to the usage side and hot gas reheat heat exchanger in the heating mode.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger that operates as an evaporator. A first heat exchange unit of the outdoor heat exchanger includes: first heat transfer tubes extending in an upward/downward direction, and arranged apart from each other in a lateral direction; a first junction pipe extending in the lateral direction, and connected to the lower ends of the first heat transfer tubes; an outflow pipe connected to the first junction pipe at or below a center position of the first junction pipe in the upward/downward direction; second heat transfer tubes extending in the upward/downward direction, and arranged apart from each other in the lateral direction; a first distribution pipe extending in the lateral direction, and connected to the lower ends of the second heat transfer tubes, and a first connection part connecting upper ends of the first heat transfer tubes and upper ends of the second heat transfer tubes.

There is disclosed a reversible heat pump system 100 and a method of operating a reversible heat pump system to control the temperature of a process fluid of a chiller system 500. In a cooling mode, a working fluid is circulated for co-current flow with a process fluid at a heat exchanger 104 functioning as an evaporator heat exchanger, whereas in a heating mode, the working fluid is circulated for counter-current flow with the process fluid at the same heat exchanger 104 functioning as a condenser heat exchanger.

A heat exchanger and a heat pump system capable of reducing the amount of a refrigerant that accumulates in an outdoor heat exchanger during heating operation, and of decreasing the appropriate amount of refrigerant during heating operation. A vehicle-external heat exchanger is provided with a hollow first header, a hollow second header provided facing the first header, and a plurality of tubes provided between and communicating with the first header and the second header. The first header is provided with a partition plate that divides the interior of the first header. A first opening formed on a partition plate side between the upper end of the first header and the partition plate. When functioning as an evaporator, the refrigerant is supplied from the lower part of the first header or of the second header, and the first opening serves an outflow port for the refrigerant.

A heat exchanger that includes a plurality of conduits that transmit a refrigerant therethrough. A valve that actuates to fluidly couple a first set of conduits of the plurality of conduits in a first setting and fluidly couple a second set of conduits of the plurality of conduits in a second setting.

An apparatus for air-conditioning of watercraft and the like including: an electronically controlled variable-r.p.m. compressor, a main gas/water condenser (5), at least one environmental heat-exchanger (3) with an electronically controlled fan (14), at least one electronically controlled expansion valve (8), and at least one first electronic control unit (4) programmed for calculating continuously a temperature deviation detected (DeltaT=T_adT_a), and as a function of the temperature deviation regulating in combination, the r.p.m. of the compressor (1), opening of the flow valve (8), and the r.p.m. of the fan of the heat-exchanger (3).

An air conditioner including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an indoor heat exchanger, a switching valve for guiding refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the outdoor heat exchanger during a cooling operation and to the indoor heat exchanger during a heating operation, and an injection module for injecting a portion of the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger to the compressor, performing heat exchange between a portion of the refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger and the refrigerant that moves from the outdoor heat exchanger to the indoor heat exchanger during the cooling operation, and injecting the refrigerant into the compressor.