A reheating process for operating a cooling system having a heat pump function for a motor vehicle. The reheating process includes steps of determining a heat differential value by comparing a heat emission actual value at the heating register to a heat emission target value, and adjusting at least one operating setting of the cooling system, so that the power consumption in the cooling system is increased if the heat differential value is greater than 0 and less than a heat differential threshold value.

An air-conditioning apparatus includes: a heat source-side system having an intermediate heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between a heat source-side heat medium and a use-side heat medium, causes the heat source-side heat medium to receive or transfer heat, and causes the use-side heat medium to undergo a phase change; and a use-side cycle circuit formed of pipes connecting, to one another, the intermediate heat exchanger, a pump that sucks and delivers the use-side heat medium in a liquid state, a use-side heat exchanger that heats or cools air in an air-conditioning target space due to heat exchange causing a change in phase of the use-side heat medium, and a pressure-reducing device that reduces a pressure of the use-side heat medium that passes through the use-side heat exchanger, the use-side cycle circuit causing the use-side heat medium to circulate through the use-side cycle circuit.

A refrigeration cycle system includes a first cycle and a second cycle. The first cycle is connected with a first compressor, a cascade heat exchanger, a first expansion unit, and a first heat exchanger, and includes a first flow path that connects the first compressor to the cascade heat exchanger, a second flow path that connects the cascade heat exchanger to the first expansion unit, a third flow path that connects the first heat exchanger to the first compressor, and a bypass flow path that connects at least one of the first flow path and the second flow path to the third flow path. The second cycle includes the cascade heat exchanger. In a case of using the cascade heat exchanger as a radiator of the first cycle and a heat sink of the second cycle, the first compressor of the first cycle is started after a flow of a heat medium generates in the cascade heat exchanger in the second cycle.

A fluid pump for pumping a fluid. One or more piston-cylinder arrangements each include a respective cylinder portion, a respective head portion and a respective piston portion together defining a respective pumping chamber. One or more connecting arrangements connect a crank member to the one or more piston-cylinder arrangements to drive the respective piston portion of each of the one or more piston-cylinder arrangements. A housing and the respective piston portion of each of the one or more piston-cylinder arrangements together house the crank member in an interior. The interior is sealed to capture blow-by. A transmission is arranged to transmit power, for rotating the crank member, into the housing magnetically, electrically or both.

A heat pump includes a refrigerant loop. The refrigerant loop includes a first heat exchanger, a first region of a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a compressor, a vapor generator, an accumulator, a first expansion valve, and a first three-way valve. The compressor includes a low-pressure inlet, a mid-pressure inlet, and an outlet. The vapor generator is positioned downstream of the outlet of the compressor and upstream of both the low-pressure inlet and the mid-pressure inlet. The accumulator is positioned immediately upstream of the compressor. The accumulator includes an inlet and an outlet. The first expansion valve is positioned upstream of the accumulator. The first expansion valve includes an inlet and an outlet. The first three-way valve is positioned immediately downstream of the first expansion valve and immediately upstream of the accumulator.

A heat pump includes a refrigerant loop. The refrigerant loop includes a first heat exchanger, a first region of a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, a fourth heat exchanger, a compressor, a vapor generator, an accumulator, a first expansion valve, and a first three-way valve. The compressor includes a low-pressure inlet, a mid-pressure inlet, and an outlet. The vapor generator is positioned downstream of the outlet of the compressor and upstream of both the low-pressure inlet and the mid-pressure inlet. The vapor generator includes a first region and a second region. The accumulator is positioned immediately upstream of the compressor. The accumulator includes an inlet and an outlet. The first expansion valve is positioned upstream of the accumulator. The first expansion valve includes an inlet and an outlet. The first three-way valve is positioned immediately downstream of the first expansion. valve and immediately upstream of the accumulator.

This air conditioner performs a cooling operation and a heating operation in parallel with each other with an outdoor unit and indoor units connected together through two communication pipes. The air conditioner includes a switching mechanism changing the directions of refrigerants flowing through the communication pipes depending on whether a heating dominant operation is being performed in a first load region where a cooling load is relatively light or a second load region where the cooling load is heavier than in the first load region. In the second load region, the switching mechanism allows a low-pressure refrigerant to flow from the indoor units to the outdoor unit through the second communication pipe thicker than the first communication pipe to reduce a performance deterioration due to the pressure loss involved with the heating dominant operation.

Operation switching units, each changing directions of a refrigerant flowing through its associated indoor unit in response to a switch from a cooling operation to a heating operation, or vice versa, are each connected with the associated indoor unit through indoor communication pipes; a gas-liquid separation unit is connected with an outdoor unit through outdoor communication pipes; and the operation switching units are connected with the gas-liquid separation unit through two intermediate communication pipes preinstalled and one intermediate communication pipe newly installed. This provides a simple and cost-effective means for upgrading a preinstalled air conditioner making a switch from cooling to heating, and vice versa, into an air conditioner that can perform a cooling operation and a heating operation in parallel with each other.

A valve body in each of heat medium flow switching devices has an open portion. When the length from a connection between a first passage pipe and a third passage pipe to a connection between a second passage pipe and the third passage pipe is defined as a casing passage width, a valve body passage width of the open portion in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis of the valve body is smaller than the casing passage width.

A thermal management system includes a refrigerant system, which includes a compressor, a flow control device, a valve member, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, and a third heat exchanger. The flow control device includes a first throttle unit, a second throttle unit, and a valve assembly; the flow control device includes a first port, a second port, and a third port; a first connection port of the first heat exchanger is in communication with the second port, and a first connection port of the second heat exchanger is in communication with the third port, while a first connection port of the third heat exchanger is in communication with the first port. The thermal management system includes a first operating state and a second operating state.