Air-conditioning apparatus with a control unit operating as an evaporator

An air-conditioning apparatus in which a heat source unit having a compressor, a four-way switching valve, and a heat-source-side water heat exchanger, and a use side load device having a throttle device and a use side heat exchanger are connected by a pipeline so as to constitute a refrigerant circuit that performs cooling/heating by switching a circulation path of a refrigerant by the four-way switching valve, wherein:

• a control unit that controls operations of at least the compressor and the four-way switching valve is disposed in the refrigerant circuit as an evaporator that exchanges heat generated by the control unit with the refrigerant;
• the heat source unit is further provided with
• a first opening/closing valve and a second opening/closing valve that limit inflow/outflow of the refrigerant to/from the heat source unit,
• water inlet temperature detecting means that detects a temperature of water flowing into the heat-source-side water heat exchanger,
• water outlet temperature detecting means that detects a temperature of water flowing out of the heat-source-side water heat exchanger,
• water quantity detecting means that detects a flow rate of the water flowing through the heat-source-side water heat exchanger, and
• anti-freezing control means that compares the water temperatures according to detection of the water inlet temperature detecting means and the water outlet temperature detecting means and the water flow rate according to detection of the water quantity detecting means with predetermined values respectively and determines whether or not a water anti-freezing operation is to be performed and, upon determination that the anti-freezing operation is to be performed
• the anti-freezing control means performs the water anti-freezing operation including:
• closing the first opening/closing valve and the second opening/closing valve, and
• using the heat-source-side water heat exchanger as a condenser and the control unit as an evaporator.