Heat pump with an auxiliary heat exchanger for compressor discharge temperature control

An air-conditioning apparatus comprising:

• a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant circulates, the refrigeration cycle including a compressor, a refrigerant flow switching device, a heat source-side heat exchanger, a load-side expansion device, and a load-side heat exchanger that are connected by a refrigerant pipe, the refrigeration cycle being configured to perform cooling operation and heating operation, by switching flow of the refrigerant by the refrigerant flow switching device;
• a bypass pipe having one end connected to a pipe through which refrigerant having a high-side pressure flows, and being configured to:
• in the cooling operation, allow a part of the refrigerant routed from the heat-source side heat exchanger, being in a liquid state and having a high-side pressure, to flow therethrough, and
• in the heating operation, allow a part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor, being in a gas state and having the high-side pressure, to flow therethrough;
• an auxiliary heat exchanger connected to an other end of the bypass pipe and a suction part of the compressor, and configured to cool, by air, refrigerant flowing through the bypass pipe and supply the cooled refrigerant to the suction part of the compressor;
• and
• a flow regulating unit provided on a refrigerant outlet side of the auxiliary heat exchanger, and configured to regulate a flow rate of refrigerant routed into the suction part of the compressor from the auxiliary heat exchanger.