CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0194285 filed on Dec. 28, 2023 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to an air conditioner including a water nozzle for spraying water into an evaporative heat exchanger and a method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner.
BACKGROUND
A condenser may be a heat exchanger for cooling and liquefying high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant vapor supplied from a compressor, and may release heat in a refrigeration cycle.
In particular, an evaporative condenser may use a method based on both water cooling and air cooling, wherein water may be sprayed onto a tube through which cooling fluid passes, air supplied from a blower may flow to a surface of the tube, and vaporized water vapor may be discharged from a surface of the tube to cool the cooling fluid.
An evaporative cooler may be configured to alternately and repeatedly form a wet channel and a dry channel, and to supply cooled air to a room through a dry channel through heat exchange by evaporation in a wet channel. Specifically, an evaporative cooler may be configured to cool second air passing through the dry channel using latent heat of evaporation of water supplied to first air passing through the wet channel.
Here, it may be important for a water nozzle included in an evaporative condenser and an evaporative cooler to maintain a water supplying angle and a water flow rate to be constant for fine spraying, and to this end, it may be necessary to increase durability of a nozzle. However, when a water nozzle receives and sprays water from a water supply source, ion precipitation in which mineral components (Ca, Mg ions, or the like) in tap water meet HC03 and change into solid forms of CaCO3 and MgCO3, or changes in the water supply angle of a water nozzle and a flow rate may occur as foreign substances such as a biofilm is attached due to residual water in a supply line for supplying water to a water nozzle may occur, or the water nozzle may be clogged.
SUMMARY
An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide an air conditioner which may effectively prevent clogging of a water nozzle and may maintain performance of a water nozzle and a method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioner and a method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner as below are provided.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an air conditioner including an evaporator through which a refrigerant circulates, an expansion valve, a compressor, an evaporative condenser, and a water supply module configured to spray water into the evaporative condenser is provided, wherein the water supply module includes a supply line connected to a water supply source and including a supply valve configured to open and close a passage through which water is supplied from the water supply source; a discharge unit connected to one end of the supply line and including a water nozzle configured to supply water to the evaporative condenser; a drainage line connected to the supply line and including a drainage valve configured to open and close a passage through which water in the discharge unit is discharged; and a control unit connected to the supply valve and the drainage valve, wherein, when the compressor stops driving, the control unit closes the supply valve and opens the drainage valve after a first time period.
The water supply module may include a supply line disposed between the supply valve and the discharge unit in the supply line, and when the compressor starts driving, the control unit may open the supply valve, may close the supply valve after a second time period, and may open the supply valve again after a third time period.
The supply line may include a granular resin filter in which a plurality of granular filter media are accommodated therein.
When the compressor stops driving, the control unit may maintain the supply valve to be in an opened state for a fourth time period shorter than the first time period and may close the supply valve.
The water supply module may include a pressure reducing valve disposed between the supply valve and the discharge unit in the supply line.
The water supply module may provide an air check valve disposed between the supply valve and the pressure reducing valve in the supply line, and the air check valve may provide atmospheric pressure into the supply line, and when the compressor stops driving, and the control unit may open the drainage valve while the supply valve is closed after the first time period, the control unit may open the air check valve.
The discharge unit may include at least one water supply pipe connected to one end of the supply line and including a plurality of the water nozzles disposed therein, the water supply module may include a first air check valve disposed between the supply valve and the pressure reducing valve in the supply line and a second air check valve disposed on an end of the water supply pipe, and when the compressor starts driving, and the control unit may open the drainage valve while the supply valve is closed after the first time period, the control unit may open the first air check valve and the second air check valve.
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of controlling a water supply module includes a driving start operation of starting driving of a compressor; a water supply operation of spraying water through a water nozzle of a water supply module to a heat exchanger; a driving end operation of ending driving of the compressor; and a drainage operation of draining water in the water supply module after a first time period after the driving end operation.
The method may further include an initial driving operation of temporarily supplying water to a supply line of the water supply module in which a granular resin filter medium is accommodated, and cutting water off after the driving start operation and before the water supply operation.
In the initial driving operation, water may be supplied to the supply line after the driving start operation, may be cut off after a second time period, and the water supply operation may be performed after a third time period.
The method may further include a cooling operation of maintaining the water supply operation for a fourth time period shorter than the first time period and being terminated after the driving end operation ends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7 is another flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 is another flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 10 is another flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 11 is another flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings.
Various embodiments will be described with reference to accompanying drawings. However, this may not necessarily limit the scope of the embodiments to a specific embodiment form. Instead, modifications, equivalents and replacements included in the disclosed concept and technical scope of this description may be employed. Throughout the specification, similar reference numerals are used for similar elements.
In the embodiments, the term “connected” may not only refer to being “directly connected” but may also include “indirectly connected” by means of an adhesive layer, or the like. Also, the term “electrically connected” may include both of the case in which elements are “physically connected” and the case in which elements are “not physically connected.”
Further, the terms “first,” “second,” and the like may be used to distinguish one element from the other, and may not limit a sequence and/or an importance, or others, in relation to the elements. In some cases, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of right of the embodiments.
Hereinafter, an air conditioner and a method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner may be described according to embodiment 1 with reference to the attached drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment. FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating a water supply module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 1, an air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 may include an evaporative condenser 110 configured to condense compressed refrigerant, an expansion valve 120 configured to expand refrigerant passing through the evaporative condenser 110, an evaporator 130 configured to evaporate refrigerant passing through the expansion valve 120, and a compressor 140 configured to compress the refrigerant passing through the evaporator 130, and the refrigerant may form a refrigerant cycle R1 by passing through the evaporative condenser 110, the expansion valve 120, the evaporator 130 and the compressor 140. In the refrigerant cycle R1, the compressor 140, the evaporative condenser 110, and the expansion valve 120 may be disposed in an outdoor unit, and the evaporator 130 may be disposed in an indoor unit 150.
Here, the evaporative condenser 110 may include a condensation module 111 including a fluid passage, a water supply module 200 for spraying water passing through condensation module 111 in an upper portion of condensation module 111, and a blowing module 113 disposed on one side of the condensation module 111 and providing air passing through the condensation module 111. The evaporative condenser 110 may be installed in an outdoor unit spatially separated from an indoor area, and in the condensing module 111, an air passage A1 in which air is suctioned in from the outside by the blowing module 113 and passes through the condensation module 111, the temperature thereof is increased and the air is discharged, and a water supply passage W1 and a refrigerant cycle R1 connected to the water supply source WS, sprayed to the condensation module 111 by the condenser water module 112, and drained below the condensation module 111 may pass therethrough, and the refrigerant may be condensed by air in the air passage A1 and water in the water supply passage W1. The evaporator 130 through which the refrigerant cycle R1 passes may be disposed in the indoor unit 150, the indoor unit 150 may include a blower 151, and indoor air may form an indoor circulation passage A10 in which the air passes through the evaporator 130 and is supplied to the indoor region again by the blower 151.
Here, the condensation module 111 may exchange heat with water and air while the refrigerant passes through a three-dimensional structure formed in the third direction, the extension direction of the header, the extension direction of the connection tube, and the stacking direction of the header heat. Accordingly, even when the volume is occupied, more heat exchange may be performed such that cooling efficiency may be improved. However, an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and a condenser structure using water evaporation may be applied to the condensation module 111.
The air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 may further include an evaporative cooler 160 if desired as illustrated in FIG. 2. The evaporative cooler 160 may be disposed in an outdoor unit, may be disposed on an inlet passage into which outdoor air flows, may include a dry channel and a wet channel and may cool air passing through the dry channel.
The evaporative cooler 160 may include a dry channel through which air requiring cooling passes and a wet channel adjacent to the dry channel, and the wet channel may exchange heat with the dry channel by evaporation of water sprayed from the cooler water supply module 200A. Generally, in the evaporative cooler 160, the dry channel and the wet channel may be alternately disposed, and the cooler water supply module 200A may be disposed in the upper portion of the wet channel and may provide water to the wet channel, and a cooler blower module (not illustrated) may be provided in the upper portion or the lower portion and may generate a flow.
Referring to FIG. 2, the evaporative cooler 160 may include a cooler body 162 and a cooler water supply module 200A for supplying water to the cooler body 162. The cooler body 162 may include a heat exchanger 164, an upper passage guide portion 166, and a lower passage guide portion 168.
In the cooler body 110, a plurality of dry channels and wet channels may be partitioned by a partition and may be disposed alternately in the front and rear directions and may be configured to cool the second air passing through the dry channel using latent heat of evaporation of water supplied to the first air passing through the wet channel.
The first air may flow in from the indoor through the indoor-side ventilation RA and may be exhausted to the outdoor through the outdoor-side exhaust (EA), and the second air may be suctioned in from the indoor through the indoor-side ventilation RA and may be supplied to the indoor through the indoor-side supply air SA. The second air may be supplied to the indoor through the evaporative condenser 110 if desired, or may be supplied directly to the indoor without passing through the evaporative condenser 110.
The upper passage guide portion 166 may form a passage of the first air flowing into the wet channel and may form a passage of the second air passing through the dry channel.
The lower passage guide portion 168 may form a passage of the second air flowing into the dry channel and may form a passage of the first air passing through the wet channel
As indicated by the black arrow in FIG. 2, the first air may flow into the upper passage guide portion 166 through the upper portion of the upper passage guide portion 166, and may flow along a passage passing through the wet channel of the heat exchanger 164 and exhausted through one side portion of lower passage guide portion 168.
Simultaneously, as indicated by the white arrow in FIG. 2, the second air may flow into the lower passage guide portion 168 through the other side portion of the lower passage guide portion 168, and may flow along the passage passing through the dry channel of the heat exchanger 164 and supplied to the indoor through one side portion of the upper passage guide portion 166.
The water provided to the wet channel of the evaporative cooler 160 by the cooler water supply module 200A may be drained through the drainage unit 170. Here, the drainage unit 170 may include a drainage line 230 described below. The evaporative cooler 160 is not limited thereto as along as the cooler uses evaporation, and other structures may be applied. Here, the cooler water supply module 200A for providing water to the wet channel of the evaporative cooler 160 may include components the same as those of the water supply module 200 providing water to the evaporative condenser 110, and the water supply module 200 providing water to the evaporative condenser 110 will be described below as an example, but the cooler water supply module 200A of the evaporative cooler 160 may be applied.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the water supply module 200 for spraying water into the evaporative condenser 110 of the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 may include a supply line 210 connected to a water supply source WS and supplied with water from the water supply source WS, a discharge unit 220 connected to one end of the supply line 210 and spraying water into the evaporative condenser 110, a drainage line 230 connected to the supply line 210 and draining water in the discharge unit 220, and a control unit 240 for controlling operation of the water supply module 200.
Components performing various functions if desired may be disposed in the supply line 210. A supply valve V1 for opening and closing a passage through which water is supplied from the water supply source WS may be disposed in the supply line 210. By a closing operation of the supply valve V1, water may be supplied or cut off from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210. In the supply line 210, the supply line 250, the pressure reducing valve V3, the air check valves V4, V41, and V42, which will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, may also be disposed if desired, and the detailed description thereof will be described later.
The discharge unit 220 may be connected to one end of the supply line 210, and a water nozzle 222 for supplying water to the evaporative condenser 110 may be disposed. The discharge unit 220 may include at least one water supply pipe 221 in which a plurality of the water nozzle 222 is disposed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the discharge unit 220 may include a water supply pipe 221 on one end of the supply line 210, and a plurality of water nozzles 222 may be disposed in the water supply pipe 221. However, an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and if desired, a plurality of water supply pipes may be included, and for example, the plurality of water supply pipes may be disposed in parallel on one end of the supply line.
The drainage line 230 may be connected to the supply line 210, and may be connected between the supply valve V1 and the discharge unit 220 in the supply line 210, for example. The drainage line 230 may be connected to a portion of the supply line 210, in which the supply valve V1 is disposed, and the other portion of the supply line 210 connected to the discharge unit 220 by a T-shaped pipe 260. The drainage line 230 may include a drainage valve V2 for opening and closing a passage for draining water in the discharge unit 220 externally. Water in the discharge unit 220 may be drained externally by the opening operation of the drainage valve V2.
The control unit 240 may be connected to the supply valve V1 and the drainage valve V2 and may control the closing operation of the supply valve V1 and the drainage valve V2.
The control unit 240 may close the supply valve V1 and may open the drainage valve V2 after the first time period T1 when driving of the compressor 140 ends. Here, the first time period T1 may be determined according to the purpose. For example, the first time period T1 may be a time determined to save water when driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100 ends due to a malfunction of the compressor 140 or when the compressor 140 is restarted in a relatively short period of time. When driving of the compressor 140 ends, drainage may not be performed immediately but after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. As another example, the first time period T1 may be determined to prevent water from splashing from the discharge unit 220 due to rapid drainage, and may be determined as a time period for natural drainage through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220 before opening the drainage valve V2. As another example, the first time period T1 may be determined as the time period before a biofilm occurs To prevent a biofilm caused by residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220. In this case, the first time period T1 may be determined as 5-7 hours, for example, as 6 hours. However, in embodiments, the first time period T1 is not limited to any particular example, and may be determined as an appropriate time range according to the purpose and the specific form and arrangement structure of the water supply module.
When driving of the compressor 140 ends, the control unit 240 may close the supply valve V1, may open the drainage valve V2 after the first time period T1, and may close the drainage valve V2 when the residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 is removed. For example, the drainage valve V2 may be closed after 3 minutes, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the water supply modules 200 and 200B, and 200C may also optionally include a supply line 250 disposed in the supply line 210, a pressure reducing valve V3, and air check valves V4, V41, and V42.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the water supply module 200B may include a supply line 250. The supply line 250 may be configured to filter water supplied from a water supply source WS, and may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the discharge unit 220 in the supply line 210. The supply line 250 may include, for example, a granular resin filter having a plurality of granular resin filter media 251 accommodated therein. That is, the supply line 250 may be a resin filter having a large number of resin beads having a bead shape and flowing according to a flow rate. The supply line 250 may perform a function of removing a trace amount of dissolved inorganic ions and organic substances included in water. When the flow rate of water flowing into the supply line 250 is low, activity of the granular resin filter medium 251 may be lowered, and when the flow rate is high, the granular resin filter medium 251 may be pushed toward an outlet side in the supply line 250. To assure filtering performance of the supply line 250, it may be necessary to determine the granular resin filter medium 251 to move evenly at an appropriate flow rate in water flowing into the supply line 250. In embodiments, when the compressor 140 starts driving, water may be supplied into the supply line 250, which may cause the granular resin filter medium 251 to be pushed upwardly, such that it may be difficult for the resin to move evenly. To assure filtering performance of the supply line 250, when driving of the compressor 140 starts, the control unit 240 may open the supply valve V1, may close the valve after a second time period T2, and may open the valve again after a third time period T3. Here, in the second time period T2, water may be completely supplied into the water supply module 200B and the main water pressure may be stabilized. The second time period T2 may be, for example, 5 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the second time period T2 may be determined as an appropriate time. In the third time period T3, the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly in the supply line 250 may completely drop downwardly. The third time period T3 may be, for example, 10 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the third time period T3 may be determined as an appropriate time. Accordingly, when the compressor 140 starts driving, the supply valve V1 may be opened, may be closed after the second time period T2 and may be maintained for the third time period T3 such that the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly within the supply line 250 may be entirely dropped downwardly, and thereafter, the supply valve V1 may be opened again such that the granular resin filter medium 251 may operate actively evenly, thereby assuring filtering performance.
The pressure reducing valve V3 may be configured to control flow pressure of water sprayed from the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220, and may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the discharge unit 220 in the supply line 210. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure reducing valve V3 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the supply line 250 in the supply line 210. In this case, the drainage line 230 may be connected between the supply line 250 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210.
The air check valves V4, V41, and V42 may be configured to assist drainage using atmospheric pressure to smoothly discharge residual water in the discharge unit 220, may be disposed in the supply line 210, and may also be further disposed in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220, if desired.
For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air check valve V4 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210, and may allow fluid such as air to flow only from the supply valve V1 to the pressure reducing valve V3. Also, the air check valve V4 may allow residual water to be drained when the water supply modules 200 and 200B are drained. When residual water in the supply line 210 is drained for a predetermined period of time by potential energy by an opening operation of the drainage valve V1, and the internal region of the supply line 210 is in a negative pressure state, the air check valve V4 may be opened by a pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210. As the air check valve V4 is opened, the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210 may be connected to each other, such that the atmospheric pressure may be supplied into the supply line 210, thereby facilitating smooth drainage of a portion of the supply line 210 and residual water in the discharge unit 220 through the drainage line 230. For example, the air check valve V4 may remove residual water disposed between the T-shaped pipe 260 and the air check valve V4 and residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. Specifically, while the supply valve V1 is closed and the drainage valve V2 is open, when residual water in the supply line 210 is drained for a predetermined period of time by potential energy, the air check valve V4 is opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210, and air flows into the T-shaped pipe 260 of the supply line 210, the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the air check valve V4 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may flow to the drainage line 230. Thereafter, when residual water passes through the T-shaped pipe 260 and flows to the drainage line 230 side, the pressure at the rear end of the T-shaped pipe 260 may become less than the internal pressure of the supply line 210 connecting the discharge unit 220 to the T-shaped pipe 260. Accordingly, the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may flow toward the drainage line 230 side, and in this case, the flowing residual water may flow due to the pressure difference between the rear end of the T-shaped pipe 260 and the internal pressure of the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260 and the potential energy of the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260. As described above, when the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260 flows, the pressure in the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may become less than the pressure in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. Accordingly, the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 may flow into the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260. In this case, the flowing residual water may flow due to the pressure difference between the pressure in the supply line 210 between the discharge unit 220 and the T-shaped pipe 260 and the pressure in the water supply pipe 221 and the potential energy of the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221. As described above, since the atmospheric pressure by the air flowing through the air check valve V4 is applied to the supply line 210 between the air check valve V4 and the T-shaped pipe 260, the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the air check valve V4 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may be drained easily. Also, since the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the air check valve V4 and the T-shaped pipe 260 flows toward the drainage line 230 side by the air check valve V4, the residual water remaining in the supply line 210 between the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220 and the water supply pipe 221 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may be drained toward the drainage line 230. Accordingly, the amount of residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220 may be effectively reduced. Accordingly, scale due to the fixation of ions dissolved in water in the water supply pipe 221 may be reduced. As such, performance of the water nozzle 222 may be maintained by reducing scale. Further, since the residual water may be drained through the air check valve V4, the amount of residual water may be reduced using potential energy without additional power consumption.
When driving of the compressor 140 ends, and the control unit 240 opens the drainage valve V2 while the supply valve V1 is closed after the first time period T1, the air check valve V4 may be opened such that the residual water in the passage portion between the air check valve V4 and the supply line 250 and the residual water in the passage portion between the discharge unit 220 and the supply line 250 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230 in the supply line 210.
As another example, the water supply module may include a plurality of air check valves. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the water supply module 200C may include a first air check valve V41 and a second air check valve V42.
The first air check valve V41 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210. When the drainage valve V2 is opened, the residual water in the supply line 210 is drained for a predetermined period of time by potential energy, and the internal region of the supply line 210 is a negative pressure state, the first air check valve V41 may be opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210. As the first air check valve V41 is opened, the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210 may be connected to each other, and the atmospheric pressure may be provided into the supply line 210, such that the residual water in a portion of the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230. The operation principle of the first air check valve V41 may be the same as that of the air check valve V4 described above, and the overlapping description will not be provided.
The second air check valve V42 may be disposed on an end of the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. When the drainage valve V2 is opened and the residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 is drained for a predetermined period of time by the potential energy, and the internal region of the discharge unit 220 may be in a negative pressure state, and the second air check valve V42 may be opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. As the second air check valve V42 is opened, the internal region and the external region of the water supply pipe 221 may be connected to each other, such that atmospheric pressure may be provided to the internal region of the water supply pipe 221, and accordingly, the residual water in the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230. The second air check valve V42 may drain the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 after the spray water is sprayed through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220. To this end, the second air check valve V42 may allow external air to flow into the water supply pipe 221 while the supply valve V1 is closed and the drainage valve V2 is open after the spray water is sprayed through the water nozzle 222. The second air check valve V42 may allow fluid such as air to flow only from the outside of the water supply pipe 221 to the internal region of the water supply pipe 221. Accordingly, the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 may flow by the air flowing in by the second air check valve V42.
As such, since the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220 may be drained to the drainage line 230 by the drainage valve V2, the first air check valve V41, and the second air check valve V42, drainage of the residual water from the water supply pipe 221 may be performed smoothly. As described above, the residual water disposed between the first air check valve V41 and the T-shaped pipe 260 may be removed through the first air check valve V41, and the residual water remaining in the water supply pipe 221 may be drained to the drainage line 230 by the first air check valve V41 and the second air check valve V42.
When driving of the compressor 140 ends, and the control unit 240 opens the drainage valve V2 while the supply valve V1 is closed after the first time period T1, the first air check valve V41 and the second air check valve V42 may be opened, such that a passage portion between the first air check valve V41 and the supply line 250 in the supply line 210, and the residual water in the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230.
When driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100 ends, and the evaporative condenser 110 is continuously exposed to a high temperature and high humidity environment, reliability may deteriorate. To cool the evaporative condenser 110, when driving of the compressor 140 ends, the control unit 240 may maintain the supply valve V1 in an opened state for a fourth time period T4 shorter than the first time period T1 and may close the supply valve V1. Here, in the fourth time period T4, the evaporative condenser 110 may be cooled. The fourth time period T4 may be, for example, 3 minutes, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the fourth time period T4 may be determined as an appropriate time. Accordingly, the evaporative condenser 110 may be cooled in real time after driving of the compressor 140 ends, thereby ensuring reliability of the air conditioner 100.
In the air conditioner 100 including the component according to embodiment 1, when driving of the compressor 140 ends, by closing the supply valve V1 and opening the drainage valve V2 after the first time period T1, the residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 may be removed, such that foreign substances such as biofilms may be prevented from being attached to the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220. Accordingly, clogging of the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module may be effectively prevented, and further, the water supply angle and the water supply flow rate of the water nozzle 222 for fine spraying may be maintained to be constant, and durability of the water nozzle 222 may be improved.
FIGS. 6 to 8 are flowcharts illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module used in an air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1. The method of controlling a water supply module may be applied to an air conditioner 100 including an evaporative condenser 110 or both an evaporative condenser 110 and an evaporative cooler 160 according to embodiment 1 described above, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and may be applied to the air conditioner including corresponding components. Hereinafter, the components of the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 1 will be described, and the method of controlling a water supply module may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.
A method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 1 may include a driving start operation (S100), a water supply operation (S300), a driving end operation (S500), and a drainage operation (S700) as illustrated in FIG. 6. The driving start operation (S100) may be an operation of starting driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100. The water supply operation (S300) may be an operation of spraying water into the heat exchanger through the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module 200. Water supplied from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210 may be sprayed to the heat exchanger through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220 by opening the supply valve V1 disposed in the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200. Here, the heat exchanger may be the evaporative condenser 110 or the evaporative cooler 160 described above. In the embodiment, the evaporative condenser 110 may be applied as a heat exchanger and will be described in detail. That is, the water supply operation (S300) may be an operation of spraying water into the evaporative condenser 110 through the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module 200 as a heat exchanger. By opening the supply valve V1 disposed in the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200, water supplied from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210 may be sprayed into the evaporative condenser 110 through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220. The driving end operation (S500) may be an operation of ending driving of the compressor 140. The drainage operation (S700) may be an operation of draining water in the water supply module 200 after the first time period T1 subsequent to the driving end operation (S500). By opening the drainage valve V2 disposed in the drainage line 230, water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 of the water supply module 200 may be drained externally. The first time period T1 in the drainage operation (S700) may be determined according to the purpose. For example, the first time period T1 may be determined to save water when driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100 ends due to a malfunction of the compressor 140 or when the compressor 140 is restarted in a short period of time. When driving of the compressor 140 ends, drainage may not be performed immediately, and may be performed after a predetermined period of time has elapsed. As another example, to prevent water splashing from the discharge unit 220 due to rapid drainage, the first time period T1 may be determined as a time period for natural drainage through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220 before opening the drainage valve V2. As another example, the first time period T1 may be determined as a time period before a biofilm is formed to prevent a biofilm due to residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220. In this case, the first time period T1 may be determined as 5-7 hours, and may be determined as 6 hours, for example. However, in embodiments, the first time period T1 is not limited to any particular example, and may be determined as an appropriate time range depending on the purpose, the specific shape and arrangement structure of the water supply module. In the drainage operation (S700), the drainage valve V2 may be opened such that residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 may be removed for a predetermined period of time, and the drainage valve V2 may be closed.
The method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 1 may further include an initial driving operation (S200) after the driving start operation (S100) and before the water supply operation (S300) as illustrated in FIG. 7. The initial driving operation (S200) may be an operation of temporarily supplying water to the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200 in which the supply line 250 including the granular resin filter medium 251 accommodated therein is disposed as described above, and cutting the water off. For example, in the initial driving operation (S200), water may be supplied to the supply line 210 after the driving start operation (S100), may be cut off after a second time period T2, and the water supply operation (S300) may be performed after a third time period T3. That is, the supply valve V1 may be opened in the initial driving operation (S200), may be closed after a second time period T2, and may be opened again after a third time period T3. In the initial driving operation (S200), the second time period T2 may be a time period in which water may be completely supplied into the water supply module 200 and the main water pressure may be stabilized. The second time period T2 may be, for example, 5 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the second time period T2 may be determined as an appropriate time. The third time period T3 may be a time period in which the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly in the supply line 250 may completely drop downwardly. The third time period T3 may be, for example, 10 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the third time period T3 may be determined as an appropriate time. Through the initial driving operation (S200), the supply valve V1 may be opened, and after the second time period T2, the supply valve V1 may be closed and maintained for the third time period T3, such that the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly within the supply line 250 may be entirely dropped downwardly, and the supply valve V1 may be opened again, and accordingly, the granular resin filter medium 251 may operate actively evenly, thereby assuring filtering performance.
Also, the method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 1 may further include a cooling operation (S600) after the driving end operation (S500), as illustrated in FIG. 8. The cooling operation (S600) may be an operation of maintaining the water supply operation (S300) for a fourth time period T4 shorter than the first time period T1 and terminating the operation. That is, in the cooling operation (S600), the supply valve V1 may be closed after maintaining the opened state for the fourth time period T4. In the cooling operation (S600), the fourth time period T4 may be a time period for the evaporative condenser 110 to be cooled. The fourth time period T4 may be, for example, 3 minutes, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the fourth time period T4 may be determined as an appropriate time. By performing the cooling operation (S600) after the driving end operation (S500), the evaporative condenser 110 may be cooled in real time after driving of the compressor 140 ends, thereby ensuring reliability of the air conditioner 100.
According to the air conditioner 100 having the component according to embodiment 1 and the method of controlling a water supply module used therein, when driving of the compressor 140 ends, by closing the supply valve V1 and opening the drainage valve V2 after the first time period T1, the residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 may be removed, and foreign substances such as biofilms may be prevented from being attached to the supply line and the discharge unit. Accordingly, clogging of the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module may be effectively prevented, and further, the water supply angle and the water flow rate of the water nozzle 222 for fine spraying may be maintained to be constant, and durability of the water nozzle 222 may be increased.
In the above embodiment, the evaporative condenser 110 may be applied as a heat exchanger, and the embodiment may be applied to the evaporative cooler 160 described above.
In the description below, the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 2 may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.
Referring to FIG. 1, similarly to embodiment 1 described above, an air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 2 may include an evaporative condenser 110 for condensing compressed refrigerant, an expansion valve 120 for expanding refrigerant passing through the evaporative condenser 110, an evaporator 130 for evaporating refrigerant passing through the expansion valve 120, and a compressor 140 for compressing refrigerant passing through the evaporator 130, and refrigerant may form a refrigerant cycle R1 by passing through the evaporative condenser 110, the expansion valve 120, the evaporator 130 and the compressor 140. Since the components of the evaporative condenser 110, the expansion valve 120, the evaporator 130 and the compressor 140 has been described in the aforementioned embodiment, and an overlapping description will not be provided. Also, the embodiment may further include the evaporative cooler 160 described in embodiment 1 if desired. In this case, the water supply module 200 may also be applied as the cooler water supply module of the evaporative cooler 160.
Referring to FIGS. 2 to 5, a water supply module 200 for spraying water into an evaporative condenser 110 of an air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 2 may include a supply line 210 connected to a water supply source WS and supplied with water from the water supply source WS, a discharge unit 220 connected to one end of the supply line 210 and spraying water into the evaporative condenser 110, and a control unit 240 for controlling operation of the water supply module 200.
Components for performing various functions may be disposed in the supply line 210 if desired. A supply valve V1 for opening and closing a passage through which water is supplied from the water supply source WS may be disposed in the supply line 210. Water may be supplied or cut off from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210 by a closing operation of the supply valve V1. The supply line 210 may also include a supply line 250, a pressure reducing valve V3, air check valves V4, V41, and V42, which will be described later, if desired.
The discharge unit 220 may be connected to one end of the supply line 210, and a water nozzle 222 for supplying water to the evaporative condenser 110 may be disposed therein. The discharge unit 220 may include at least one water supply pipe 221 in which a plurality of the water nozzles 222 are disposed. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the discharge unit 220 may include a water supply pipe 221 on one end of the supply line 210, and a plurality of water nozzles 222 may be disposed in the water supply pipe 221. However, an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and if desired, a plurality of water supply pipes may be included, and for example, a plurality of water supply pipes may be disposed in parallel to each other on one end of the supply line.
The control unit 240 may be connected to the supply valve V1 and may control a closing operation of the supply valve V1. When driving of the compressor 140 ends, the control unit 240 may open the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11 and may supply water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time. Here, the first determination time period T11 may be a time period in which the water nozzle 222 is not dried. This is because ion deposition occurs in the water nozzle when the water in the water nozzle 222 is completely evaporated. To prevent the water nozzle 222 from being dried, when driving of the compressor 140 ends, the supply valve V1 may be opened every first determination time period T11 and may supply water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time. The first determination time period T11 may be determined as, for example, 5-7 hours, and may be determined as, for example, 6 hours. However, in embodiments, the first determination time period T11 is not limited to any particular example, and may be determined as an appropriate time range in which the water nozzle 222 is not dried. Also, the opening the supply valve V1 and supplying water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time may indicate the time period in which water is supplied from the water supply source WS to the water nozzle 222 through the supply line 210 and may wet the water nozzle 222. By opening the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11 and supplying water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time, the water nozzle 222 may be prevented from being dried, thereby preventing ion precipitation within the water nozzle 222 and also preventing attachment of foreign substances such as biofilms due to stagnation of water within the discharge unit 220. Accordingly, clogging of the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module 200 may be effectively prevented, and further, the water supply angle and the water flow rate of the water nozzle 222 for fine spraying may be maintained to be constant, and durability of the water nozzle 222 may be improved.
The water supply module 200 may further include a drainage line 230 connected to the supply line 210 and draining water in the discharge unit 220. The drainage line 230 may be connected to the supply line 210, and for example, may be connected between the supply valve V1 in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220. The drainage line 230 may be connected to a portion of the supply line 210 in which the supply valve V1 is disposed by the T-shaped pipe 260 and the other portion of the supply line 210 connected to the discharge unit 220. A drainage valve V2 for opening and closing a passage for draining water in the discharge unit 220 externally may be disposed in the drainage line 230. Water in the discharge unit 220 may be drained externally by an opening operation of the drainage valve V2. The control unit 240 may be connected to the drainage valve V2 and may control the closing operation of the drainage valve V2.
The water supply module 200 may further include a supply line 250 disposed in the supply line 210, a pressure reducing valve V3 and air check valves V4, V41, and V42.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, the water supply module 200B may include a supply line 250. The supply line 250 may be configured to filter water supplied from a water supply source WS and may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the discharge unit 220 in the supply line 210. The supply line 250 may be, for example, configured as a granular resin filter having a plurality of granular resin filter media 251 accommodated therein. That is, the supply line 250 may be a resin filter having a large number of resin beads having a bead shape and flowing according to the flow rate. The supply line 250 may perform a function of removing a trace amount of dissolved inorganic ions and organic substances included in water. When the flow rate of water flowing into the supply line 250 is low, activity of the granular resin filter medium 251 may decrease, and when the flow rate is high, the granular resin filter medium 251 may be concentrated on an outlet side in the supply line 250. To assure the filtering performance of the supply line 250, it may be necessary to determine the granular resin filter medium 251 to move evenly at an appropriate flow rate in the water flowing into the supply line 250. In embodiments, when driving of the compressor 140 starts, water may be supplied into the supply line 250, and the granular resin filter medium 251 may be tilted upwardly, such that it may be difficult for the resin to move evenly. To assure filtering performance of the supply line 250, when driving of the compressor 140 starts, the control unit 240 may open the supply valve V1, and may close the supply valve V1 after a second determination time period T12, and may open the valve again after a third determination time period T13. Here, the second determination time period T12 may be the time period in which water is completely supplied into the water supply module 200B and the main water pressure is stabilized. The second determination time period T12 may be determined the same as the second time period T2 described in the above-described embodiment 1. The second determination time period T12 may be, for example, 5 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and may be determined as an appropriate time. The third determination time period T13 may be a time period in which the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly within the supply line 250 drops downwardly. The third determination time period T13 may be determined the same as the third time period T3 described in the above-described embodiment 1. The third determination time period T13 may be, for example, 10 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and may be determined as an appropriate time. Accordingly, when the compressor 140 starts driving, the supply valve V1 may be opened, and may be closed after the second determination time period T12 and may be maintained for the third determination time period T13 such that the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly in the supply line 250 may drop downwardly, and the supply valve V1 may be opened again such that the granular resin filter medium 251 may operate evenly and actively, thereby assuring filtering performance.
The pressure reducing valve V3 may be configured to control flow pressure of water sprayed from the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220 and may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the discharge unit 220 in the supply line 210. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pressure reducing valve V3 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the supply line 250 in the supply line 210. In this case, the drainage line 230 may be connected between the supply line 250 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210.
The air check valves V4, V41, and V42 may be configured to assist drainage using atmospheric pressure to smoothly discharge residual water in the discharge unit 220, may be disposed in the supply line 210, and may also be further disposed in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220, if desired.
For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the air check valve V4 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210. When residual water in the supply line 210 is drained for a predetermined period of time by potential energy by the opening operation of the drainage valve V1, and the internal region of the supply line 210 becomes a negative pressure state, the air check valve V4 may be opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210. Since the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210 are connected to each other by opening the air check valve V4, atmospheric pressure may be supplied to the internal region of the supply line 210, such that the residual water in a portion of the supply line 210 and in the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230. In other words, to drain the residual water in the water supply module 200 and 200B, when the control unit 240 opens the drainage valve V2 while the supply valve V1 is closed during drainage through the drainage line 230, the air check valve V4 may be opened, such that the residual water in the supply line 210, particularly the passage portion between the air check valve V4 and the supply line 250, and the passage portion between the discharge unit 220 and the supply line 250 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230.
As another example, the water supply module may include a plurality of air check valves. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the water supply module 200C may include a first air check valve V41 and a second air check valve V42. The first air check valve V41 may be disposed between the supply valve V1 and the pressure reducing valve V3 in the supply line 210. When the drainage valve V2 is opened, the residual water in the supply line 210 is drained by potential energy for a predetermined period of time and the internal region of the supply line 210 is in a negative pressure state, and the first air check valve V41 may be opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210. As the first air check valve V41 is opened, the internal region and the external region of the supply line 210 may be connected and the atmospheric pressure may be provided to the internal region of the supply line 210, such that the residual water in a portion of the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230. The second air check valve V42 may be disposed on an end of the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. While the drainage valve V2 is opened, and when the residual water in the supply line 210 and the discharge unit 220 is drained by potential energy for a predetermined period of time such that the internal region of the discharge unit 220 is in a negative pressure state, the second air check valve V42 may be opened by the pressure difference between the internal region and the external region of the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220. As the second air check valve V42 is opened, the internal region and the external region of the water supply pipe 221 are connected to each other such that the atmospheric pressure may be provided to the internal region of the water supply pipe 221, and accordingly, along with the opening operation of the drainage valve V2, the residual water in the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230. That is, when the residual water in the water supply module 200C is to be drained, while the supply valve V1 is closed during drainage through the drainage line 230, and when the drainage valve V2 is opened, the first air check valve V41 and the second air check valve V42 may be opened such that the residual water in the passage portion between the first air check valve V41 and the supply line 250 in the supply line 210 and in the water supply pipe 221 of the discharge unit 220 may be smoothly drained through the drainage line 230.
When driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100 ends, and the evaporative condenser 110 is continuously exposed to a high temperature and high humidity environment in a high temperature state, reliability may be reduced. To cool the evaporative condenser 110, the control unit 240 may close the supply valve V1 after maintaining the opened state for a fourth determination time period T14 shorter than the first determination time period T11 when driving of the compressor 140 ends. Here, the fourth determination time period T14 may be a time period for the evaporative condenser 110 to be cooled. The fourth determination time period T14 may be determined the same as the fourth time period T4 described in the embodiment 1 described above. The fourth determination time period T14 may be, for example, 3 minutes, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and may be determined as an appropriate time. Accordingly, the evaporative condenser 110 may be cooled in real time after driving of the compressor 140 ends, thereby ensuring reliability of the air conditioner 100.
According to the air conditioner 100 having the component according to embodiment 2, driving of the compressor 140 may prevent the water nozzle 222 from drying by opening the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11 to supply water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time, thereby preventing ion precipitation phenomenon in the water nozzle 222, and also preventing the attachment of foreign substances such as biofilms due to stagnation of water in the discharge unit 220. Accordingly, the clogging of the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module may be effectively prevented, and further, the water supply angle and the water flow rate of the water nozzle 222 for fine spraying may be maintained to be constant, and durability of the water nozzle 222 may be increased.
FIGS. 9 to 11 are flowcharts illustrating a method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 2. The method of controlling a water supply module may be applied to an air conditioner 100 including both an evaporative condenser 110 or an evaporative condenser 110 and an evaporative cooler 160 according to the above-described embodiment 2, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and may be applied to entirely the air conditioner having corresponding components. Hereinafter, the components of the air conditioner 100 according to embodiment 2 will be described, and the method of controlling a water supply module may be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 and FIGS. 9 to 11.
A method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 2 may include a driving start operation (S1100), a water supply operation (S1300), a driving end operation (S1500), and a supply operation (S1700), as illustrated in FIG. 9. The driving start operation (S1100) may be an operation of starting driving of the compressor 140 of the air conditioner 100. The water supply operation (S1300) may be an operation of spraying water into the heat exchanger through the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module 200. The supply valve V1 disposed in the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200 may be opened such that water supplied from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210 may be sprayed into the heat exchanger through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220. Here, the heat exchanger may be the evaporative condenser 110 or the evaporative cooler 160 described above. In the embodiment, the evaporative condenser 110 may be applied as a heat exchanger and described in detail. That is, the water supply operation (S1300) may be an operation of spraying water as a heat exchanger into the evaporative condenser 110 through the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module 200. By opening the supply valve V1 disposed in the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200, water supplied from the water supply source WS to the supply line 210 may be sprayed into the evaporative condenser 110 through the water nozzle 222 of the discharge unit 220. The driving end operation (S1500) may be an operation of ending driving of the compressor 140. The supply operation (S1700) may be an operation of supplying water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time every first determination time period T11 after the driving end operation (S1500). Water may be supplied to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time by opening the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11. In the supply operation (S1700), the first determination time period T11 may be a time period in which the water nozzle 222 is not dried. This is because ion precipitation may occur in the water nozzle when water in the water nozzle 222 may be completely evaporated. To prevent the water nozzle 222 from being dried, the supply valve V1 may be opened every first determination time period T11 and may supply water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time. The first determination time period T11 may be determined as, for example, 5-7 hours, and may be determined as, for example, 6 hours. However, in embodiments, the first determination time period T11 is not limited to any particular example, and may be determined as an appropriate time range in which the water nozzle 222 is not dried. By opening the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11 and supplying water to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time, the water nozzle 222 may be prevented from dried, thereby preventing ion precipitation within the water nozzle 222, and also preventing attachment of foreign substances such as biofilms due to stagnation of water within the discharge unit 220. When the compressor 140 is restarted less than the first determination time period T11 after the driving end operation (S1500), the water supply operation (S1300) may be performed without performing the supply operation (S1700).
The method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 2 may further include an initial driving operation (S1200) after the driving start operation (S1100) and before the water supply operation (S1300) as illustrated in FIG. 10. The initial driving operation (S1200) may include an operation of temporarily supplying water to the supply line 210 of the water supply module 200 in which the supply line 250 including the granular resin filter medium 251 accommodated therein is disposed, and cutting the water off. For example, in the initial driving operation (S1200), water may be supplied to the supply line 210 after the driving start operation (S1100), cutting water off after a second determination time period T12, and flowing the water into the water supply operation (S1300) after a third determination time period T13. That is, in the initial driving operation (S1200), the supply valve V1 may be opened, may be closed after the second determination time period T12, and may be opened again after the third determination time period T13 has elapsed. The second determination time period T12 in the initial driving operation (S1200) may be the time period in which water is completely supplied into the water supply module 200 and the main water pressure stabilizes. The second determination time period T12 may be, for example, 5 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the time period may be determined as an appropriate time. The third determination time period T13 may be the time period in which the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly in the supply line 250 completely drops downwardly. The third determination time period T13 may be, for example, 10 seconds, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the third determination time period T13 may be determined as an appropriate time. When the compressor 140 starts driving through the initial driving operation (S1200), the supply valve V1 may be opened, may be closed after the second determination time period T12 and may be maintained for the third determination time period T13 such that the granular resin filter medium 251 tilted upwardly in the supply line 250 may be completely dropped downwardly, and the supply valve V1 may be opened again, and accordingly, the granular resin filter medium 251 may operate actively evenly, thereby assuring filtering performance.
A method of controlling a water supply module according to embodiment 2 may further include a cooling operation (S1600) after the driving end operation (S1500) as illustrated in FIG. 11. The cooling operation (S1600) may be an operation of maintaining the water supply operation (S1300) for a fourth determination time period T14, shorter than the first determination time period T11, and terminating the operation. That is, in the cooling operation (S1600), the supply valve V1 may maintain the opened state for the fourth determination time period T14 and may be closed. The fourth determination time period T14 in the cooling operation (S1600) may be the time period for the evaporative condenser 110 to be cooled. The fourth determination time period T14 may be, for example, 3 minutes, but an embodiment thereof is not limited thereto, and the fourth determination time period T14 may be determined as an appropriate time. By performing the cooling operation (S1600) after the driving end operation (S1500), after driving of the compressor 140 ends, the evaporative condenser 110 may be cooled in real time, thereby assuring reliability of the air conditioner 100.
According to the air conditioner 100 having the component according to embodiment 2 and the method of controlling a water supply module used therein, as driving of the compressor 140 opens the supply valve V1 every first determination time period T11, and water is supplied to the water nozzle 222 for a predetermined period of time, the water nozzle 222 may be prevented from being dried, and ion precipitation in the water nozzle 222 may be prevented, and attachment of foreign substances such as biofilm due to stagnation of water in the discharge unit 220 may be prevented. Accordingly, clogging of the water nozzle 222 of the water supply module may be effectively prevented, and further, the water supply angle and the water flow rate of the water nozzle 222 for fine spraying may be maintained to be constant, and durability of the water nozzle 222 may be increased.
The evaporative condenser 110 may be applied as a heat exchanger in the above description, and the embodiment may also be applied to the evaporative cooler 160 described above.
According to the aforementioned embodiments, using the air conditioner and the method of controlling a water supply module used in the air conditioner, clogging of a water nozzle may be effectively prevented.
While the embodiments have been illustrated and described above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations could be manufactured without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20250216114
