Heat pump and control method thereof

Abstract

A heat pump that uses solar heat as an evaporation heat source of a refrigerant. The heat pump includes a solar heat collector, a compressor to compress a refrigerant, a first heat exchanger to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and to perform heat exchange between the condensed refrigerant and water, a second heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and heat collected by the solar heat collector, a third heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and external air, and a first flow channel switching valve to allow the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger to selectively flow to the second heat exchanger or the third heat exchanger therethrough.

1 . A heat pump comprising:
 a solar heat collector;   a compressor to compress a refrigerant;   a first heat exchanger to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and to perform heat exchange between the condensed refrigerant and water;   a second heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and heat collected by the solar heat collector;   a third heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and external air; and   a first flow channel switching valve to allow the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger to selectively flow to the second heat exchanger or the third heat exchanger therethrough.   
     
     
         2 . The heat pump according to  claim 1 , wherein the third heat exchanger evaporates the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and performs heat exchange between the evaporated refrigerant and the external air. 
     
     
         3 . The heat pump according to  claim 2 , further comprising a hot water supply device to heat water supplied from an external water supply source so as to supply hot water,
 wherein the hot water supply device comprises
 a water storage unit to store the water supplied from the external water supply source; and 
 a first heating pipe to heat the water stored in the water storage unit using the heat collected by the solar heat collector. 
   
     
     
         4 . The heat pump according to  claim 3 , wherein one end of the first heating pipe is configured in the form of a coil surrounding an outer circumference of the water storage unit. 
     
     
         5 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , further comprising a fourth heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between water flowing in the first heating pipe and the heat collected by the solar heat collector. 
     
     
         6 . The heat pump according to  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a first connection pipe to connect an inlet side of the solar heat collector and an outlet side of the second heat exchanger;   a second connection pipe to connect an outlet side of the solar heat collector and an inlet side of the second heat exchanger; and   a second flow channel switching valve disposed on the second connection pipe to allow the refrigerant flowing in the second connection pipe to selectively flow to the second heat exchanger or the fourth heat exchanger therethrough.   
     
     
         7 . The heat pump according to  claim 4 , further comprising:
 a first connection pipe to connect an inlet side of the solar heat collector and an outlet side of the second heat exchanger; and   a second connection pipe to connect an outlet side of the solar heat collector and an inlet side of the second heat exchanger, wherein   the first heating pipe directly communicates with the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe.   
     
     
         8 . The heat pump according to  claim 7 , further comprising a second flow channel switching valve disposed on the second connection pipe to allow the refrigerant flowing in the second connection pipe to selectively flow to the second heat exchanger or the first heating pipe therethrough. 
     
     
         9 . The heat pump according to  claim 3 , wherein the hot water supply device further comprises a second heating pipe to heat the water stored in the water storage unit using heat generated when the refrigerant is condensed by the first heat exchanger. 
     
     
         10 . The heat pump according to  claim 9 , wherein one end of the second heating pipe is configured in the form of a coil surrounding an outer circumference of the water storage unit. 
     
     
         11 . A heat pump comprising:
 a solar heat collector;   an outdoor unit comprising a compressor to compress a refrigerant and an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant and perform heat exchange between the evaporated refrigerant and external air;   a hydro unit to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and to perform heat exchange between the condensed refrigerant and water; and   a hybrid unit comprising a first solar heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit and heat collected by the solar heat collector and a first flow channel switching valve to allow the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit to be selectively heat-exchanged by the evaporator or the first solar heat exchanger.   
     
     
         12 . The heat pump according to  claim 11 , wherein the first flow channel switching valve is configured to switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit is guided to the first solar heat exchanger and is heat-exchanged with the heat collected by the solar heat collector when temperature of external air around the outdoor unit is below zero, and switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit is guided to the evaporator and is heat-exchanged with the external air when temperature of external air around the outdoor unit is above zero. 
     
     
         13 . The heat pump according to  claim 11 , further comprising a hot water supply device to heat water supplied from an external water supply source so as to supply hot water,
 wherein the hot water supply device comprises
 a water storage unit to store the water supplied from the external water supply source; and 
 a first heating pipe to heat the water stored in the water storage unit using the heat collected by the solar heat collector. 
   
     
     
         14 . The heat pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the hybrid unit further comprises a second solar heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between water flowing in the first heating pipe and the heat collected by the solar heat collector. 
     
     
         15 . The heat pump according to  claim 14 , wherein the hybrid unit further comprises:
 a first connection pipe to connect an inlet side of the solar heat collector and an outlet side of the first solar heat exchanger;   a second connection pipe to connect an outlet side of the solar heat collector and an inlet side of the first solar heat exchanger; and   a second flow channel switching valve disposed on the second connection pipe to allow the refrigerant flowing in the second connection pipe to selectively flow to the first solar heat exchanger or the second solar heat exchanger therethrough.   
     
     
         16 . The heat pump according to  claim 15 , wherein the first flow channel switching valve is configured to switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit is guided to the first solar heat exchanger and is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant having passed through the second connection pipe when temperature of external air around the outdoor unit is below zero or when temperature of the refrigerant in the second connection pipe is higher than the temperature of the external air around the outdoor unit and the temperature of the refrigerant in the second connection pipe is equal to or higher than 5° C. and lower than 40° C., and switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit is guided to the evaporator and is heat-exchanged with the external air when the temperature of the refrigerant in the second connection pipe is equal to or higher than 40° C. 
     
     
         17 . The heat pump according to  claim 16 , wherein the second flow channel switching valve is configured to switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the second connection pipe is guided to the first solar heat exchanger and is heat-exchanged with the refrigerant having passed through the hydro unit when the refrigerant condensed by the hydro unit is introduced into the first solar heat exchanger via the first flow channel switching valve and switch between flow channels so that the refrigerant having passed through the second connection pipe is guided to the second solar heat exchanger and is heat-exchanged with the water flowing in the first heating pipe when the refrigerant condensed by the hydro unit is introduced into the evaporator via the first flow channel switching valve. 
     
     
         18 . The heat pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the hybrid unit further comprises:
 a first connection pipe to connect an inlet side of the solar heat collector and an outlet side of the second heat exchanger; and   a second connection pipe to connect an outlet side of the solar heat collector and an inlet side of the second heat exchanger,   wherein the first heating pipe directly communicates with the first connection pipe and the second connection pipe.   
     
     
         19 . The heat pump according to  claim 18 , wherein the hybrid unit further comprises a second flow channel switching valve disposed on the second connection pipe to allow the refrigerant flowing in the second connection pipe to selectively flow to the first solar heat exchanger or the first heating pipe therethrough. 
     
     
         20 . The heat pump according to  claim 13 , wherein the hot water supply device further comprises a second heating pipe to heat the water stored in the water storage unit using heat generated when the refrigerant is condensed by the hydro unit. 
     
     
         21 . A heat pump comprising:
 a solar heat collector; a compressor to compress a refrigerant; a condenser to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and to perform heat exchange between the condensed refrigerant and water; a solar heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant condensed by the condenser and heat collected by the solar heat collector so that the refrigerant is evaporated; and an evaporator to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant condensed by the condenser and external air so that the refrigerant is evaporated,   wherein the refrigerant condensed by the condenser is evaporated by the solar heat exchanger or the evaporator based on an amount of heat collected by the solar heat collector or temperature of external air around the evaporator.   
     
     
         22 . A heat pump comprising:
 a solar heat collector;   a compressor to compress a refrigerant;   a first heat exchanger to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor and to perform heat exchange between the condensed refrigerant and water;   a second heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and heat collected by the solar heat collector; and   a third heat exchanger connected in parallel to the second heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant having passed through the first heat exchanger and external air.   
     
     
         23 . The heat pump according to  claim 22 , wherein the refrigerant condensed by the first heat exchanger is heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger or the third heat exchanger based on an amount of heat collected by the solar heat collector or temperature of the external air. 
     
     
         24 . The heat pump according to  claim 22 , further comprising:
 a hot water supply device comprising a water storage unit to store water supplied from an external water supply source and a heating pipe to heat the water stored in the water storage unit using the heat collected by the solar heat collector; and   a fourth heat exchanger connected in parallel to the third heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between water flowing in the heating pipe and the heat collected by the solar heat collector.   
     
     
         25 . The heat pump according to  claim 24 , wherein the refrigerant having absorbed solar heat from the solar heat collector is heat-exchanged by the second heat exchanger or the fourth heat exchanger based on an amount of heat collected by the solar heat collector or temperature of the external air.