Water-cooled air conditioner

Abstract

A water-cooled air conditioner includes a first heat exchanger where indoor air is heat-exchanged with refrigerant, a compressor for compressing the refrigerant, an accumulator that is installed adjacent to the compressor to filter off liquid-phase refrigerant so that only gas-phase refrigerant can be introduced into the compressor, a plate-shaped second heat exchanger where the refrigerant compressed by the compressor is heat-exchanged with the water, and a refrigerant bypassing unit that selectively operates to allow a portion of the refrigerant compressed in the compressor to be directly returned to the second heat exchanger.

1 . A water-cooled air conditioner comprising:
 a first heat exchanger where indoor air is heat-exchanged with refrigerant;   a compressor for compressing the refrigerant;   an accumulator that is installed at a side of the compressor to filter off liquid-phase refrigerant so that only gas-phase refrigerant can be introduced into the compressor;   a second heat exchanger where the refrigerant compressed by the compressor is heat-exchanged with the water; and   a refrigerant bypassing unit that selectively operates to allow a portion of the refrigerant compressed in the compressor to be directly returned to the second heat exchanger.   
   
   
       2 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant bypassing unit selectively operates when the air conditioner operates in a heat mode. 
   
   
       3 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 2 , wherein the refrigerant bypassing unit selectively operates depending on a temperature of the water passing through the second heat exchanger. 
   
   
       4 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant bypassing unit comprises:
 a refrigerant bypassing pipe for guiding a refrigerant flow direction; and   a bypassing blocking valve for selectively blocking the refrigerant bypassing pipe.   
   
   
       5 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein the refrigerant bypassing pipe has first and second ends that are fluidly connected to a refrigerant inlet of the second heat exchanger and a refrigerant outlet of the compressor. 
   
   
       6 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 4 , further comprising a hot gas pipe that is disposed between the compressor and the accumulator to allow the high pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor to be returned to the accumulator, wherein the refrigerant bypassing pipe has a first end connected to a side of the hot gas pipe. 
   
   
       7 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 4 , wherein an outdoor temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the water passing through the second heat exchanger is provided at a side of the second heat exchanger. 
   
   
       8 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 7 , wherein the bypassing blocking valve opens the refrigerant bypassing valve when the temperature detected by the outdoor temperature sensor is equal to or less than a threshold temperature. 
   
   
       9 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 8 , wherein the threshold temperature is 0° C. 
   
   
       10 . The water-cooled air conditioner according to  claim 1 , wherein the compressor is an inverter compressor whose RPM is controlled in accordance with a load capacity.