Air-conditioning system

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an air conditioning system includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, a switching valve, an evaporator, a pump, a radiator, and a heat storage unit. The switching valve performs switching so that a first heat medium flows through either a first flow path or a second flow path. The pump supplies a second heat medium to the heat source. The heat storage unit has a heat storage material. The heat storage unit has a first heat exchange region in which heat is exchanged between the first heat medium flowing through the first flow path and the heat storage material. The heat storage unit has a second heat exchange region which is provided upstream of the radiator and in which heat is exchanged between the second heat medium supplied to the heat source and the heat storage material.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a compressor which compresses and discharges a first heat medium taken therein;   a condenser provided on a discharge side of the compressor;   an expansion valve provided on the outflow side of the condenser;   a switching valve which is provided on the outflow side of the expansion valve and which performs switching so that the first heat medium flows through either a first flow path or a second flow path;   an evaporator provided downstream of confluence position of the first flow path and the second flow path, on the intake side of the compressor;   a pump which supplies a second heat medium to the heat source;   a radiator which releases heat of the second heat medium supplied to the heat source; and   a heat storage unit having a heat storage material, wherein   the heat storage unit has
 a first heat exchange region in which heat is exchanged between the first heat medium flowing through the first flow path and the heat storage material, and 
 a second heat exchange region which is provided upstream of the radiator and in which heat is exchanged between the second heat medium supplied to the heat source and the heat storage material. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first flow path connects one outflow side of the switching valve and the evaporator via the heat storage unit, and the second flow path connects the other outflow side of the switching valve and the evaporator. 
     
     
         3 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the second heat exchange region is provided closer to a center of the heat storage unit than the first heat exchange region. 
     
     
         4 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat storage unit has a cylindrical shape, the first heat exchange region is provided on a side of an inner wall of the cylindrical heat storage unit, and the second heat exchange region is provided on a side of a center of the cylindrical heat storage unit. 
     
     
         5 . The system according to  claim 1  further comprising a first temperature measuring unit which measures temperature of the evaporator, wherein the switching valve performs switching, based on the measured temperature of the evaporator, so that the first heat medium flows through either the first flow path or the second flow path. 
     
     
         6 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the switching valve performs switching so that the first heat medium flows through the second flow path when the measured temperature of the evaporator is higher than a predetermined value, and   the switching valve performs switching so that the first heat medium flows through the first flow path when the measured temperature of the evaporator is lower than a predetermined value.   
     
     
         7 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the compressor is thermally connected to the heat storage unit. 
     
     
         8 . The system according to  claim 7 , further comprising a second temperature measuring unit which measures temperature of the compressor, wherein the switching valve performs switching, based on the measured temperature of the compressor, so that the first heat medium flows through either the first flow path or the second flow path. 
     
     
         9 . The system according to  claim 8 , wherein the switching valve performs switching so that the first heat medium flows through the second flow path when the measured temperature of the compressor is lower than a predetermined value. 
     
     
         10 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a nucleation unit which is provided inside the heat storage unit and causes the heat storage material to nucleate. 
     
     
         11 . The system according to  claim 1 , wherein the heat storage material is a latent heat storage material. 
     
     
         12 . The system according to  claim 11 , wherein the latent heat storage material includes at least one type selected from the group consisting of sodium acetate hydrate, sodium sulphate hydrate, paraffin, erythritol, and sodium acetate trihydrate. 
     
     
         13 . The system according to  claim 9 , further comprising a first temperature measuring unit which measures temperature of the evaporator, wherein
 the heat storage material is a latent heat storage material capable of supercooling, and   when the heat storage material is in a supercooled state, and the measured temperature of the evaporator is lower than a predetermined value,   the nucleation unit releases the supercooled state of the heat storage material.   
     
     
         14 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the nucleation unit is an electrode which applies a voltage to the heat storage material. 
     
     
         15 . The system according to  claim 9 , wherein the nucleation unit causes the heat storage material to nucleate at a fixed time interval. 
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 10 , wherein
 the nucleation unit is provided downward in the gravity direction inside the casing.   
     
     
         17 . The system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a heating unit which heats the heat storage material. 
     
     
         18 . An air conditioning system comprising:
 a compressor which compresses and discharges a first heat medium taken therein;   a condenser provided on a discharge side of a discharge side of the compressor;   an expansion valve provided on the outflow side of the condenser;   an evaporator provided on the outflow side of the expansion valve, and also on the intake side of the compressor;   a pump which supplies a second heat medium to the heat source;   a radiator which releases heat of the second heat medium supplied to the heat source; and   a heat storage unit having a heat storage material, wherein   the heat storage unit has
 a first heat exchange region which is provided upstream of the evaporator and in which heat is exchanged between the first heat medium and the heat storage material, and 
 a second heat exchange region which is provided upstream of the radiator and in which heat is exchanged between the second heat medium supplied to the heat source and the heat storage material. 
   
     
     
         19 . The system according to  claim 18 , wherein the second heat exchange region is provided closer to the center of the heat storage unit than the first heat exchange region. 
     
     
         20 . The system according to  claim 18 , wherein the heat second exchange region is provided adjacent to the first heat exchange region.