Patent ID: 8197760

Claim:
A heat medium heating-cooling apparatus comprising a reactor whose temperature is controlled by a heat medium; a heat medium heating unit that heats the heat medium by an indirect heat exchange with a heating fluid; a heat medium cooling unit that cools the heat medium by an indirect heat exchange with a cooling fluid; and a circulation pump and a line that circulate the heat medium through the reactor, the heat medium heating unit, and the heat medium cooling unit; wherein the heat medium heating-cooling apparatus further comprises a bypass line bypassing the heat medium heating unit; a switching valve switching the direction of a flow of the heat medium to the heat medium heating unit or the bypass line; a reactor temperature measuring means measuring the present temperature of the reactor; a heat medium temperature measuring means measuring the temperature of the heat medium fed to the reactor; a target temperature setting means setting a target temperature of the reactor; a stable temperature range setting means setting a tolerable range of a difference between the present temperature and the target temperature as a stable temperature range; a control switching temperature setting means setting a control switching temperature for switching a control between a cooling control and a heating control, when the difference between the present temperature and the target temperature is within the stable temperature range; a stable temperature deciding means deciding whether or not the temperature difference between the present temperature and the target temperature is within the stable temperature range; a first deciding means deciding which of the heating control or the cooling control is conducted within the stable temperature range by comparing the target temperature and the control switching temperature when the temperature difference is within the stable temperature range; a second deciding means deciding which of the heating control or the cooling control is conducted toward the target temperature by comparing the target temperature and the present temperature when the temperature difference is not in the stable temperature range; a heating control unit activating the heat medium heating unit to heat the heat medium when the first deciding means or the second deciding means decides on the heating control; and a cooling control unit activating the heat medium cooling unit to cool the heat medium when the first deciding means or the second deciding means decides on the cooling control.