Patent ID: 8020395
Filing Date: 2011-09-20
Classification: F25B

Abstract:
1. An air conditioning apparatus comprising: a refrigerant circuit including an outdoor unit and an indoor unit connected to the outdoor unit, the outdoor unit having a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger, and the indoor unit having an expansion valve and an indoor heat exchanger with an outlet; and an operation control section configured to control the refrigerant circuit such that the outdoor heat exchanger operates as a refrigerant condenser and the indoor heat exchanger operates as a refrigerant evaporator while performing superheat degree control, an aperture of the expansion valve being controlled so that the degree of superheat of refrigerant at the outlet from the indoor heat exchanger is constant when superheat degree control is performed, the operation control section setting a lower aperture limit for the expansion valve in order to perform the superheat degree control, and the operation control section reducing the lower aperture limit when refrigerant at the outlet from the indoor heat exchanger is detected to be wet.