A refrigeration cycle device includes a pre-evaporator decompression unit that decompresses refrigerant which flowed out from an exterior heat exchanger, and an evaporator passage that guides the refrigerant which flowed out from the exterior heat exchanger to a suction port of a compressor while passing through a pre-evaporator decompression unit and an evaporator. Further, the refrigeration cycle device includes a bypass passage that guides the refrigerant which flowed out from the exterior heat exchanger to the suction port of the compressor while bypassing the pre-evaporator decompression unit and the evaporator, a pre-exterior device switching unit, and a passage switching unit that opens and closes the bypass passage. Further, the pre-exterior device switching unit and the passage switching unit form a coupled valve where the pre-exterior device switching unit and the passage switching unit are mechanically coupled.

An outdoor unit being part of a refrigeration cycle apparatus in which refrigerant circulates and having a maintenance opening port includes an open-close panel configured to cover the maintenance opening port by being attached openably and closably to the outdoor unit, a heat source side heat exchanger disposed above the maintenance opening port and provided at least with an open-close panel-facing heat exchange unit facing a plane containing the open-close panel, a drainage channel located at least below the open-close panel-facing heat exchange unit of the heat source side heat exchanger, wherein the heating energy supply unit includes a refrigerant pipe configured to pass refrigerant higher in temperature than a freezing point of water in an upstream direction from a downstream direction of the drainage channel.

Provided is a refrigeration cycle apparatus capable of achieving an improvement in heat exchange performance during a heating operation and during a cooling operation, while suppressing increases in manufacturing cost and volume required for packaging. The outdoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger are connected in parallel to the indoor heat exchanger via the branch portion. The flow path switching device includes a first port, a second port, and a third port. The first port is connected with a third refrigerant flow path. The second port is connected with the outdoor heat exchanger. The third port is connected with a fourth refrigerant flow path. The second port is configured to switch between a state in which the second port is connected to the first port and a state in which the second port is connected to the third port.

A variable refrigerant volume system includes: a compressor; a four-way valve; an indoor unit; a liquid tube, the first end thereof being connected to the indoor unit, the second end thereof being connected to the third valve port of the four-way valve, and a condenser being provided on the liquid tube; a low pressure air pipe, the first end thereof being connected to the indoor unit, and the second end thereof being connected to the fourth valve port of the four-way valve; a refrigerant adjustment tank, the first port thereof being connected to the liquid tube, the second port thereof being connected to the low pressure air pipe, and the third port thereof optionally communicating with the liquid tube or the low pressure air pipe.

To avoid decline in the efficiency of a compressor at a low load, a thermal storage air conditioner has a refrigerant circuit (11) which has a compressor (22), an outdoor heat exchanger (23), and an indoor heat exchanger (72) and performs a refrigeration cycle, and a thermal storage section (60) which has a thermal storage medium and exchanges heat between the thermal storage medium and a refrigerant of the refrigerant circuit (11). The thermal storage air conditioner performs a simple cooling operation in which in the refrigerant circuit (11), the refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (23) and evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger (72), and a cooling and cold thermal energy storage operation in which in the refrigerant circuit (11), the refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (23) and evaporates in the indoor heat exchanger (72), and in which the thermal storage medium in the thermal storage section (60) is cooled by the refrigerant. The thermal storage air conditioner has an operation control section (100) which, if a rotational speed of the compressor (22) is slowed down to a predetermined lower reference value in the simple cooling operation, switches an operation of the thermal storage air conditioner from the simple cooling operation to the cooling and cold thermal energy storage operation to increase the rotational speed of the compressor (22).

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.

The present application provides a heat pump system, comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a valve device. A first connecting port of the valve device is connected to an exhaust port of the compressor, a second connecting port of the valve device is connected to a first port of the second heat exchanger, a third connecting port of the valve device is connected to an air suction port of the compressor, a fourth connecting port of the valve device is connected to a first port of the first heat exchanger, and a fifth connecting port of the valve device is connected to a fourth port of the first heat exchanger. The valve device is configured to: when the heat pump system is operating in a refrigeration mode, the valve device communicates the third connecting port thereof with the air suction port of the compressor, so that the first heat exchanger acts as a falling film evaporator; and when the heat pump system is operating in a heating mode, the valve device communicates the first connecting port thereof with the exhaust port of the compressor, so that the first heat exchanger acts as a condenser.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a first heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and a second heat exchanger are connected by pipes. The first heat exchanger includes a first refrigerant passage and a second refrigerant passage that share a plurality of fins with each other and provided in parallel in the refrigerant circuit. The apparatus further includes a high-and-low-pressure switching mechanism which is located on an inlet side of the second refrigerant passage of the first heat exchanger in flowing of refrigerant in an operation in which the first heat exchanger functions as a condenser, and which performs switching between flow directions of the refrigerant. The apparatus further includes a refrigerant blocking mechanism located on an outlet side of the second refrigerant passage of the first heat exchanger in the flowing of the refrigerant in the operation, and which blocks the flowing of the refrigerant.

A heat pump system includes a compressor, usage side heat exchanger, heat source side heat exchanger, expansion mechanism, main refrigerant flow control device switchable between cooling and heating modes, gas reheat heat exchanger connected in the refrigerant circuit, a fan disposed to direct an airflow across the usage side heat exchanger and the gas reheat heat exchanger into a target space, and a secondary refrigerant flow control device switchable between first and second modes. Refrigerant flows from the discharge line to the main refrigerant flow control device in the heating mode and the cooling mode in the first mode. Refrigerant flows from the discharge line to the gas reheat heat exchanger in a gas reheat mode and then flows to the main refrigerant flow control device in the second mode. A flow of the heat transfer medium to the heat source side heat exchanger is adjustable.

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 device 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 device in the second mode. Refrigerant flows both from discharge line to gas reheat heat exchanger and then main refrigerant flow control device, and from discharge line to main refrigerant flow control device without flowing through the gas reheat heat exchanger in the third mode. Refrigerant may flow to the usage side and hot gas reheat heat exchanger in the heating mode.