Air-conditioner having multiple compressors

Abstract

An air-conditioner having multiple compressors includes: an indoor heat-exchanger disposed indoors and heat-exchanging indoor air; an outdoor heat-exchanger disposed outdoors and heat-exchanging a refrigerant with external air; four compressors for compressing the refrigerant to change the refrigerant to have a high temperature and high pressure; and three accumulators disposed at a suction side of the four compressors and separating the refrigerant into a gas and a liquid to supply a gaseous refrigerant to the compressors. Oil can be uniformly supplied to each compressor, thereby enhancing reliability of compressors, and since the three accumulators are small with low capacities, their installation space can be easily secured.

1 . An air-conditioner having multiple compressors comprising: 
 an indoor heat-exchanger disposed indoors for heat-exchanging indoor air;    an outdoor heat-exchanger disposed outdoors for heat-exchanging a refrigerant with external air;    an expansion valve installed at a refrigerant pipe connecting to between the indoor heat-exchanger and the outdoor heat-exchanger;    four compressors for compressing the refrigerant to change the refrigerant to have a high temperature and high pressure; and    three accumulators disposed at a suction passage of the four compressors for separating the refrigerant into gas and liquid so as to supply a gaseous refrigerant to the compressors.    
   
   
       2 . The air-conditioner of  claim 1 , wherein the compressors are first compressor, second compressor, third compressor and fourth compressor, and each compressors can have the same capacity or compressors with different capacities are adopted at various rates.  
   
   
       3 . The air-conditioner of  claim 2 , wherein check valves are installed at each discharge passage of the compressors for preventing a refrigerant from flowing backward.  
   
   
       4 . The air-conditioner of  claim 2 , wherein the accumulators comprises: 
 a first accumulator for receiving the refrigerant and separating refrigerant into a gas and a liquid;    a second accumulator connected to the first accumulator by a refrigerant pipe and connected to the first compressor and the second compressor; and    a third accumulator connected to the first accumulator by a refrigerant pipe and connected to the third compressor and the fourth compressor.    
   
   
       5 . The air-conditioner of  claim 4 , wherein the second accumulator is connected to the first compressor by a first pipe and connected to the second compressor by a second pipe for separating the refrigerant supplied to the first accumulator into gas and liquid so as to supply the gaseous refrigerant to the first compressor and the second compressor.  
   
   
       6 . The air-conditioner of  claim 4 , wherein the third accumulator is connected to the third compressor by a third pipe and to the fourth compressor by a fourth pipe for separating the refrigerant supplied to the first accumulator into a gas and a liquid so as to supply the gaseous refrigerant to the third compressor and the fourth compressor.  
   
   
       7 . The air-conditioner of  claim 4 , wherein accumulator comprises: 
 a housing connected to a refrigerant pipe for sucking the refrigerant and storing oil contained in the refrigerant at a lower portion of the housing; and    two discharge tubes inserted into the housing from a lower portion of the housing and discharging a gaseous refrigerant after being gasificated inside the housing,    wherein oil sucking holes are formed at each lower portion of the two discharge tubes inserted in the housing in order to suck oil stored in the housing.    
   
   
       8 . A heat-pump type air-conditioner having multiple compressors comprising: 
 an indoor heat-exchanger installed indoors for performing air-cooling or air-heating;    an outdoor heat-exchanger disposed outdoors for heat-exchanging refrigerant with external air;    an expansion valve installed at a refrigerant pipe connecting to between the indoor heat-exchanger and the outdoor heat-exchanger;    a four-way valve for switching a flow of the refrigerant in a forward direction or backward direction;    four compressors for compressing the refrigerant to be changed to have a high temperature and high pressure; and    three accumulators disposed at each suction passage of the four compressors for separating the refrigerant into gas and liquid in order to supply a gaseous refrigerant to the compressors.    
   
   
       9 . The air-conditioner of  claim 8 , wherein the compressors are first compressor, second compressor, third compressor and fourth compressor, and each compressors can have the same capacity or compressors with different capacities are adopted at various rates.  
   
   
       10 . The air-conditioner of  claim 9 , wherein check valves are installed at each discharge passage of the compressors for preventing a refrigerant from flowing backward.  
   
   
       11 . The air-conditioner of  claim 9 , wherein the accumulators comprises: 
 a first accumulator for receiving the refrigerant and separating refrigerator into gas and liquid;    a second accumulator connected to the first accumulator by a refrigerant pipe and connected to the first compressor and the second compressors; and    a third accumulator connected to the first accumulator by a refrigerant pipe and connected to the third compressor and the fourth compressors.    
   
   
       12 . The air-conditioner of  claim 11 , wherein the second accumulator is connected to the first compressor by a first pipe and connected to the second compressor by a second pipe for separating the refrigerant supplied to the first accumulator into a gas and a liquid so as to supply the gaseous refrigerant to the first compressor and the second compressor.  
   
   
       13 . The air-conditioner of  claim 11 , wherein the third accumulator is connected to the third compressor by a third pipe and to the fourth compressor by a fourth pipe for separating the refrigerant supplied to the first accumulator into a gas and a liquid so as to supply the gaseous refrigerant to the third compressor and the fourth compressor.  
   
   
       14 . The air-conditioner of  claim 11 , wherein each accumulator comprises: 
 a housing connected to a refrigerant pipe for sucking the refrigerant and storing oil contained in the refrigerant at a lower portion of the housing; and    two discharge tubes inserted into the housing from a lower portion of the housing for discharging a gaseous refrigerant after being gasificated inside the housing,    wherein oil sucking holes are formed at each lower portion of the two discharge tubes inserted in the housing in order to suck oil stored in the housing.