CN114508878A

CN114508878A - Separator and refrigerating unit fluid conditioning device

Info

Publication number: CN114508878A
Application number: CN202110966422.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王仕相; 张院佳; 孙春霞
Original assignee: Zhejiang Zhengtai Energy Efficiency Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhejiang Zhengtai Energy Efficiency Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-23
Filing date: 2021-08-23
Publication date: 2022-05-17

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a separator and a refrigerating unit fluid conditioning device. The separator includes: the shell is provided with a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an oil inlet, the gas inlet is configured to introduce mixed-state refrigerant, the gas outlet is configured to output gaseous refrigerant in the separation cavity, and the oil inlet is configured to introduce lubricating oil to be cooled; the separation cavity is positioned in the shell, and the air inlet and the air outlet are communicated through the separation cavity; the oil pipe is arranged in the separation cavity, one end of the oil pipe is connected with the oil inlet, and the oil pipe passes through the lower area of the separation cavity, so that the lubricating oil in the oil pipe exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the separation cavity.

Description

Separator and refrigerating unit fluid conditioning device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of fluid conditioning of refrigerating units, in particular to a separator and a fluid conditioning device of a refrigerating unit.

Background

The refrigerating unit is a main component in refrigerating equipment such as a refrigerating air conditioner, a refrigerator and the like, and comprises a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and the like. The refrigerating unit utilizes refrigerant (also called refrigerant or cooling medium) to perform cooling circulation in a closed system, repeatedly compresses, condenses, expands and evaporates the refrigerant, and continuously absorbs heat and vaporizes at an evaporator to realize the purposes of refrigeration and temperature reduction. The high pressure vapor discharged from the compressor contains lubricating oil, which needs to be separated by an oil separator and cooled by an oil cooler before returning to the compressor to lubricate the moving parts of the compressor. This leads to a relatively complex construction of the refrigeration unit, which leads to increased costs and operating energy consumption of the refrigeration unit.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a separator and a refrigerating unit fluid conditioning device, which can simplify the structure of a refrigerating unit and reduce the cost and the operation energy consumption.

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a separator, including: the shell is provided with a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an oil inlet, the gas inlet is configured to introduce mixed-state refrigerant, the gas outlet is configured to output gaseous refrigerant in the separation cavity, and the oil inlet is configured to introduce lubricating oil to be cooled; the separation cavity is positioned in the shell, and the air inlet and the air outlet are communicated through the separation cavity; the oil pipe is arranged in the separation cavity, one end of the oil pipe is connected with the oil inlet, and the oil pipe passes through the lower area of the separation cavity, so that the lubricating oil in the oil pipe exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the separation cavity.

In some embodiments, the oil pipe further comprises another end, the other end of the oil pipe is connected to the outside of the housing through the air outlet; or the other end of the oil pipe penetrates through the side wall of one side of the shell; or the other end of the oil pipe is a free end arranged in the separation cavity.

In some embodiments, the separation chamber further comprises an air outlet pipe arranged in the separation chamber, the air outlet is communicated with the separation chamber through the air outlet pipe, and the air outlet pipe passes through the lower region of the separation chamber.

In some embodiments, an end of the oil pipe remote from the oil inlet is connected to the air outlet pipe, and an end of the oil pipe connected to the air outlet pipe forms a first shock absorbing pipe section having an elbow configuration.

In some embodiments, the oil tube further comprises a second shock tube section having an elbow configuration, the plane of the second shock tube section being perpendicular to the plane of the first shock tube section.

In some embodiments, the first shock tube segment is at least one of U-shaped, serpentine, and helical; and/or the second shock tube section is at least one of U-shaped, serpentine and helical.

In some embodiments, the oil tube further comprises a coil tube section, and the second shock absorbing tube section is disposed between the oil inlet and the coil tube section.

In some embodiments, the coiled tubing section is disposed around the outer circumference of the outlet duct.

In some embodiments, the coil section is wound from the tube section along a trajectory, the coil section being disposed in a lower region of the separator.

In some embodiments, the pipe section of the outlet pipe located in the lower region of the separation chamber is provided with an oil return hole.

In some embodiments, the outlet pipe is further provided with at least one high-position oil return hole, the at least one high-position oil return hole and the oil return holes are sequentially arranged from top to bottom at intervals, and the aperture of the high-position oil return hole is smaller than that of the oil return hole.

In some embodiments, the coil pipe section is located between the high level oil gallery and the oil gallery.

In some embodiments, the separator further comprises an air inlet pipe arranged in the separation cavity, the air inlet is communicated with the separation cavity through the air inlet pipe, and one end of the air inlet pipe, which is far away from the air inlet, and one end of the air outlet pipe, which is far away from the air outlet, are maintained to be staggered.

In some embodiments, the outlet conduit comprises an elbow section that passes through a lower region of the separation chamber.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a fluid conditioning device for a refrigeration unit, including: an oil separator provided with an oil inlet port configured to be connected to an exhaust port of the compressor, an oil outlet port, and an oil return port; in the separator according to any of the embodiments above, the oil inlet is connected to the oil return end, the air inlet is configured to be connected to a refrigerant outlet of the evaporator, and the air outlet is configured to be connected to a suction port of the compressor; at least one of a switching valve and a fuel level sensor; the switch valve is arranged between the oil return end and the oil inlet and is configured to control the connection and disconnection between the oil return end and the oil inlet; the oil level sensor is configured to detect an oil level of the oil separator and/or the compressor.

In the embodiment of the application, the separator is arranged, the mixed-state refrigerant is introduced through the air inlet, the gas-liquid separation of the mixed-state refrigerant is realized through the separation cavity, the gaseous refrigerant is discharged through the air outlet, and the liquid refrigerant is deposited in the lower area of the separation cavity; because the lubricating oil to be cooled introduced from the oil separator through the oil inlet flows in the oil pipe and passes through the lower area of the separation cavity, the lubricating oil with higher temperature and the low-temperature liquid refrigerant can exchange heat, so that the lubricating oil is cooled and cooled, and the liquid refrigerant is vaporized into a gaseous refrigerant and discharged from the air outlet; therefore, the separator can be used for simultaneously realizing gas-liquid separation of mixed refrigerant, cooling of lubricating oil and complete or partial vaporization of liquid refrigerant, the oil cooler is saved, the structure of the refrigerating unit is simplified, the cost and the energy consumption of the refrigerating unit are reduced, and the risk of liquid compression of the compressor is avoided or reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed to be used in the description of the embodiments are briefly introduced below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious for those skilled in the art to obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a compressor oil return system provided in some embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 3 is another block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a further block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a further block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a further block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

FIG. 7 is yet another block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with certain embodiments of the present application;

fig. 8 is yet another block diagram of a refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device provided in accordance with some embodiments of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present application, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used merely for convenience of description and for simplicity of description, and do not indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated, and thus should not be considered as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

"A and/or B" includes the following three combinations: a alone, B alone, and a combination of A and B.

The use of "adapted to" or "configured to" in this application means open and inclusive language that does not exclude devices adapted to or configured to perform additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the use of "based on" means open and inclusive, as a process, step, calculation, or other action that is "based on" one or more stated conditions or values may in practice be based on additional conditions or values beyond those stated.

In this application, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the application. In the following description, details are set forth for the purpose of explanation. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present application may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and processes are not set forth in detail in order to avoid obscuring the description of the present application with unnecessary detail. Thus, the present application is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

As shown in fig. 1, the embodiment of the present application provides a separator 10, where the separator 10 includes a housing 11, a separation chamber 111, and an oil pipe 12, so as to simplify the structure of the refrigeration unit and reduce the cost and the energy consumption for operation.

The surface of the housing 11 is provided with an air inlet 112, an air outlet 113 and an oil inlet 114. The inlet port 112 is configured to introduce a mixed-state refrigerant, the outlet port 113 is configured to output a gaseous refrigerant separated from the mixed-state refrigerant, and the inlet port 114 is configured to introduce a lubricating oil to be cooled. The positions of the air inlet 112 and the air outlet 113 on the housing 11 may be determined according to actual needs, such as a top area or a side area of the housing 11, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. Illustratively, the air inlet 112 and the air outlet 113 may be respectively disposed at a top region of the housing 11.

A separation chamber 111 is formed in the housing 11, and the air inlet 112 and the air outlet 113 may communicate through the separation chamber 111. Here, the separation chamber 111 is configured to realize gas-liquid separation of the mixed refrigerant, and may be realized by using principles such as centrifugal separation, gravity settling, or baffling separation, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 1, in some embodiments, the separation chamber 111 may employ gravity settling principles to achieve gas-liquid separation. In other embodiments, the separation chamber 111 may implement gas-liquid separation by using other gas-liquid separation principles; in designing the separator 10 according to other gas-liquid separation principles, the internal and external structures of the separator 10 may be slightly changed, but the functions and purposes of the embodiments of the present application may be still achieved. The mixed refrigerant is mainly composed of gaseous refrigerant and mixed with a small amount of liquid refrigerant. Wherein, the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant is usually not higher than 40 ℃; the temperature of the liquid refrigerant is lower than that of the gaseous refrigerant and can reach below 0 ℃.

As shown in fig. 1 to 2, the oil pipe 12 is disposed in the separation chamber 111, one end of the oil pipe 12 is connected to the oil inlet 114, and the oil pipe 12 passes through a lower region of the separation chamber 111. Thus, the pipe section of the oil pipe 12 located in the lower region of the separation chamber 111 can be in contact with the liquid refrigerant retained in the lower region, so that the lubricating oil in the oil pipe 12 can exchange heat with the refrigerant in the separation chamber 111.

Here, the other end of the oil pipe 12, that is, the end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114, may be directly or indirectly connected to the outside of the housing 11, enabling direct or indirect output of the lubricating oil.

In some embodiments, the other end of the oil pipe 12 may be connected to the outside of the housing 11 through the air outlet 113, so that the lubricating oil may be output to the outside of the housing 11 through the air outlet 113 and further to the fluid machine located outside the housing 11.

In other embodiments, the other end of the oil pipe 12 may penetrate through one side wall of the housing 11. In some examples, an end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114 may directly penetrate through a side wall of the housing 11 and protrude outside the housing 11; in this way, the lubricating oil can be directly output to the outside of the housing 11 through the oil pipe 12, and further output to the fluid machine located outside the housing 11. In other examples, the end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114 may be directly disposed on the outer surface of the housing 11 after penetrating through a side wall of the housing 11; in this way, the lubricating oil can be directly delivered to the outside of the housing 11 through the oil pipe 12, and further delivered to the fluid machine through a pipeline located outside the housing 11.

In still other embodiments, the end of the oil pipe 12 remote from the oil inlet 114 may be a free end disposed within the separation chamber 111, and may be indirectly mechanically connected to a fluid located outside the housing 11 through a conduit disposed in the separation chamber 111; thus, the lubricating oil can enter the separation chamber 111 through the end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114, and is output to the fluid machine located outside the housing 11 through the piping provided in the separation chamber 111.

When the separator 10 is in operation, the mixed refrigerant from the evaporator enters the separation chamber 111 through the inlet port 112, and gas-liquid separation is performed in the separation chamber 111. Due to the different densities, the less dense and lighter gaseous refrigerant is located in the upper region of the separation chamber 111 and the more dense and heavier liquid refrigerant is located in the lower region of the separation chamber 111. Further, the gaseous refrigerant is discharged through the gas outlet 113 and returned to the suction port 2b of the compressor 2, while the liquid refrigerant is retained in the lower region of the separation chamber 111, so that gas-liquid separation can be achieved, and the risk of liquid compression occurring in the compressor 2 can be reduced.

Meanwhile, after the oil separator 20 separates the lubricating oil in the high-temperature steam discharged from the compressor 2, the lubricating oil can enter the oil pipe 12 through the oil inlet 114. The temperature of the lubricating oil to be cooled is usually not lower than 50 ℃ and can be as high as 120-130 ℃, and the lubricating oil is called high-temperature lubricating oil and needs to be cooled. The higher temperature lubricating oil passes through the section of the oil pipe 12 located in the lower region of the separation chamber 111, and exchanges heat with the liquid refrigerant retained in the lower region. Thus, the lubricating oil with higher temperature is cooled by radiating heat, and the temperature is reduced to the allowable temperature range of the compressor 2; while the relatively low temperature liquid refrigerant absorbs heat to vaporize into a gaseous refrigerant and is discharged from the outlet duct 115. The separator 10 provided by the embodiment of the application can realize gas-liquid separation of mixed refrigerant and cooling of lubricating oil with higher temperature at the same time, an oil cooler does not need to be arranged independently, parts can be saved, and the structure of a refrigerating unit is simplified, so that the cost of the refrigerating unit is reduced. Meanwhile, the separator 10 provided by the embodiment of the application utilizes the temperature difference between the lubricating oil and the liquid refrigerant to naturally cool the lubricating oil through the liquid refrigerant, and does not need to additionally introduce a cooling medium for cooling the lubricating oil, so that the cost can be reduced and the energy consumption in operation can be reduced.

In the related art, the liquid refrigerant obtained in the gas-liquid separation process can only be slowly heated by the gaseous refrigerant, so that the liquid refrigerant is slowly vaporized. Specifically, under a short-time abnormal working condition, the liquid proportion in the mixed refrigerant is higher, and more liquid refrigerants are obtained in the gas-liquid separation process; under long-term normal working conditions, the liquid proportion in the mixed refrigerant is low, and the gaseous refrigerant with high proportion can be utilized to slowly vaporize the liquid refrigerant. Because the temperature difference between the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant is small, the vaporization speed is slow, the duration is long, and the compressor 2 still has a large risk of liquid compression.

Compared with the prior art, the separator 10 provided by the embodiment of the application heats and vaporizes the liquid refrigerant by using the lubricating oil with higher temperature, the temperature difference between the lubricating oil to be cooled and the liquid refrigerant is far greater than the temperature difference between the gaseous refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant, the heating vaporization rate of the liquid refrigerant can be obviously improved, the liquid refrigerant retained in the lower region of the separation cavity 111 is fully or partially rapidly vaporized, and the risk of liquid compression of the compressor 2 is avoided or reduced.

Here, depending on the type of the compressor 2, the end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114, i.e., the oil outlet end 12a, may be connected in different manners. As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the compressor 2 is provided with only the suction port 2b and no oil return port, and accordingly, the oil outlet end 12a of the oil pipe 12 may communicate with the air outlet 113, and be connected to the outside of the shell 11 through the air outlet 113. In this way, the lubricant oil can return to the compressor 2 from the suction port 2b of the compressor 2 through the outlet port 113, and lubricate the moving parts of the compressor 2. The separator 10 provided by the embodiment of the application can realize rapid cooling of high-temperature lubricating oil, so that the temperature of the lubricating oil output from the oil outlet end 12a of the oil pipe 12 is within an allowable range; therefore, on one hand, when the lubricating oil and the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant return to the compressor 2 through the air suction port 2b of the compressor 2, the temperature fluctuation of the air suction port 2b can be reduced, the operation stability and the safety of the compressor 2 are improved, on the other hand, the lubricating oil can lubricate moving parts in the compressor 2 at a lower temperature, and a better lubricating and cooling effect can be achieved.

In other embodiments, as shown in fig. 3, the compressor 2 may be provided with both the suction port 2b and the oil return port 2c, and accordingly, the oil outlet end 12a of the oil pipe 12 may be connected to the oil return port 2c of the compressor 2. In some examples, the oil outlet end 12a of the oil pipe 12 may extend outside the casing 11 to be connected to a line connected to the oil return port 2c of the compressor 2. In other examples, the oil outlet end 12a of the oil pipe 12 may be disposed on the outer surface of the shell 11 and connected to the oil return port 2c of the compressor 2 through a pipeline. The separator 10 provided by the embodiment of the application can realize rapid cooling of high-temperature lubricating oil, so that the temperature of the lubricating oil output from one end of the oil pipe 12, which is far away from the oil inlet 114, is within an allowable range; thus, the lubricating oil can lubricate the moving parts in the compressor 2 at a lower temperature, and can play a better role in lubricating and cooling.

As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the separator 10 further includes an outlet duct 115 disposed in the separation chamber 111, and the outlet 113 is in communication with the separation chamber 111 through the outlet duct 115. Here, an end of the outlet pipe 115 remote from the outlet port 113 may be configured to introduce the gaseous refrigerant in the separation chamber 111 such that the gaseous refrigerant may be discharged through the outlet port 113.

In some examples, the outlet duct 115 may pass through a lower region of the separation chamber 111. In this way, the pipe section of the outlet pipe 115 located in the lower region of the separation chamber 111 can be in direct contact with the liquid refrigerant retained in the lower region of the separation chamber 111, and the liquid refrigerant outside the pipe is heated by the gas refrigerant inside the pipe, thereby further increasing the vaporization rate of the liquid refrigerant due to heating.

Illustratively, a section of the outlet duct 115 located in a lower region of the separation chamber 111 is provided with an oil return hole 115 b. Thus, the oil return hole 115b may directly contact the liquid refrigerant staying in the lower region of the separation chamber 111. The liquid refrigerant staying in the lower region of the separation chamber 111 may be mixed with the lubricant oil, and the lubricant oil may enter the outlet duct 115 through the oil return hole 115b, and return to the suction port 2b of the compressor 2 together with the gaseous refrigerant in the outlet duct 115. Here, the aperture of the oil return hole 115b may be configured within a preset range, so as to avoid that the liquid refrigerant enters the air outlet pipe 115 due to an excessively large aperture, and to avoid that the passing rate of the lubricating oil is limited due to an excessively small aperture, thereby ensuring that the flow rate of the lubricating oil needs to be satisfied. For example, the preset range of the aperture of the oil return hole 115b may be determined according to the flow rate required by the lubricating oil, and the flow rate required by the lubricating oil may be determined according to the oil return amount and the oil return time desired by the refrigeration unit.

Illustratively, the outlet pipe 115 may further include at least one high-position oil return hole 115c, and the at least one high-position oil return hole 115c and the oil return hole 115b are sequentially spaced from top to bottom. That is, each high-level oil return hole 115c is opened at a different height position, and the opening height of each high-level oil return hole 115c is higher than that of the oil return hole 115 b. Therefore, as the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant rises, the high-level oil return holes 115c with different heights can gradually contact the liquid refrigerant to participate in the oil return process of the lubricating oil, so that the oil return cross-sectional area of the lubricating oil is increased, and the oil return requirements of different liquid levels are met. Compared with the mode of only arranging one oil return hole, the mode of arranging the oil return hole 115b and the at least one high-level oil return hole 115c can form a control gradient that the area of the oil return section is gradually increased, reduce the aperture required by the oil return hole 115b and reduce the risk that liquid refrigerant enters the compressor 2 through the oil return hole 115 b. The number of the high-level oil return holes 115c may be determined according to the amount of suction return fluid of the compressor 2, and the number of the high-level oil return holes 115c may be reduced when the amount of suction return fluid of the compressor 2 is small, and the number of the high-level oil return holes 115c may be increased when the amount of suction return fluid of the compressor 2 is large.

For example, the aperture of the high-level oil return hole 115c may be smaller than the aperture of the oil return hole 115b, and under the condition that the total oil return cross-sectional area is not changed, the oil return cross-sectional area of the oil return hole 115b may be relatively large, which can meet the basic oil return requirement at a lower liquid level, ensure the oil return reaction rate and sensitivity, and increase the control accuracy of the control gradient.

As shown in fig. 4, for example, an end of the oil pipe 12 away from the oil inlet 114, i.e., the oil outlet end 12a, may be disposed in the separation chamber 111 and communicate with the separation chamber 111. Thus, the lubricant oil output from the oil pipe 12 can enter the separation chamber 111, enter the air outlet pipe 115 through the oil return hole 115b and/or the high-level oil return hole 115c, and then return to the compressor 2 through the air outlet pipe 115. Here, the aperture of the oil return hole 115b and/or the high-level oil return hole 115c may be increased in proportion to meet the oil return amount requirement of the lubricating oil.

As shown in fig. 1, in some examples, the outlet duct 115 may include an elbow section 115d, the elbow section 115d passing through a lower region of the separation chamber 111, and a lower region of the elbow section 115d provided with an oil return hole 115 b. Here, the elbow segment 115d has a curved structure, which increases the contact area between the outlet duct 115 and the liquid refrigerant outside the tube, and increases the heating vaporization effect on the liquid refrigerant. The structural form of the elbow segment 115d may be determined according to actual needs, and may be in a U shape, a serpentine shape, a spiral shape, and the like, which is not limited in this application. For example, the outlet 113 may be disposed at a top region of the housing 11, and the outlet 115 may be formed in a U-shaped pipe.

In some examples, the separator 10 may further include an inlet pipe 116 disposed in the separation chamber 111, the inlet 112 is communicated with the separation chamber 111 through the inlet pipe 116, and the mixed refrigerant is input into the separation chamber 111 through the inlet pipe 116. Here, the end of the inlet duct 116 remote from the inlet port 112 (i.e., the output end 116a of the inlet duct 116) and the end of the outlet duct 115 remote from the outlet port 113 (i.e., the input end 115a of the outlet duct 115) are maintained offset; therefore, the output end 116a of the inlet pipe 116 and the input end 115a of the outlet pipe 115 are staggered, mixed refrigerant introduced by the inlet pipe 116 is prevented from directly entering the outlet pipe 115, and the risk that liquid refrigerant enters the compressor 2 through the outlet pipe 115 is reduced. For example, the end of inlet tube 116 remote from inlet 112 and the end of outlet tube 115 remote from outlet 113 may be horizontally offset such that output end 116a of inlet tube 116 and input end 115a of outlet tube 115 are offset from each other in a horizontal plane. Further illustratively, an end of the inlet tube 116 away from the inlet 112 and an end of the outlet tube 115 away from the outlet 113 may be vertically offset, such that an output end 116a of the inlet tube 116 is disposed lower than an input end 115a of the outlet tube 115. Further illustratively, one end of the inlet pipe 116, which is far away from the inlet 112, and one end of the outlet pipe 115, which is far away from the outlet 113, may be dislocated in both the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, so that the output end 116a of the inlet pipe 116 and the input end 115a of the outlet pipe 115 are dislocated in the horizontal plane, and the setting position of the output end 116a of the inlet pipe 116 is lower than the input end 115a of the outlet pipe 115.

In some examples, when the end of oil pipe 12 remote from oil inlet 114 is connected to air outlet 115, the end of oil pipe 12 connected to air outlet 115 may form first shock absorbing pipe segment 12 b. Here, the first shock absorbing tube section 12b may have a bent tube configuration to form a planar shock absorbing structure. On one hand, the elbow structure can increase the damping of the fluid flowing in the elbow structure and reduce the kinetic energy of the fluid, thereby achieving the purpose of reducing the dynamic vibration; on the other hand, the bent pipe structure can increase the rigidity and vibration resistance of the oil pipe 12, and reduce vibration caused by fluid impact of the gaseous refrigerant or the like of the outlet pipe 115. Here, the structural form of the bent pipe structure of the first shock absorbing pipe section 12b may be determined according to actual needs, and may be of a type such as U-shape, serpentine shape, spiral shape, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

In some examples, the oil tube 12 may further include a second shock tube section 12c having an elbow configuration, the plane of the second shock tube section 12c being perpendicular to the plane of the first shock tube section 12 b. Here, the second shock absorbing tube segment 12c may have a bent tube configuration to form a planar shock absorbing structure. Similarly, the second shock tube segment 12c may serve a similar damping function as the first shock tube segment 12b and will not be described in detail herein. Here, since the plane of the second shock absorbing pipe section 12c is perpendicular to the plane of the first shock absorbing pipe section 12b, the rigidity of the oil pipe 12 in three directions can be increased, thereby achieving a shock absorbing effect in three directions. Here, the structural form of the elbow configuration of the second shock absorbing pipe section 12c may be determined according to actual needs, and may be of a type such as U-shaped, serpentine, spiral, etc., which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In some embodiments, the oil conduit 12 comprises a coiled tubing section 12d, the coiled tubing section 12d being disposed in a lower region of the separator. The coil pipe section 12d is formed by winding a pipe section along a track and has a winding and coiling structure, so that the contact area between the pipe section and the liquid refrigerant positioned in the lower area of the separator can be increased, and the heating efficiency and the heating and vaporizing rate of the liquid refrigerant are improved. The structural form of the coil pipe section 12d can be determined according to actual needs, and can adopt types such as U-shaped, serpentine, spiral winding, etc., which is not limited by the embodiment of the present application. The number of windings of the coil section 12d can be determined according to the cooling requirement, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto. In some examples, the coiled tubing segment 12d may include a plurality of oval-shaped tube coils that are sequentially connected in a stack along an axial direction thereof.

In some examples, the coiled tubing segment 12d may be secured to the inner wall of the housing 11 by fasteners; in this way, the coil section 12d can be secured and supported, preventing displacement of the coil section 12d due to fluid vibration, and reducing fluid vibration of the coil section 12 d. In other examples, as shown in fig. 1, the coiled tubing segment 12d may be wrapped around the outer circumference of the outlet duct 115 and secured to the outlet duct 115, for example, by welding; thus, the outlet pipe 115 can fix and support the coiled pipe section 12d, prevent the coiled pipe section 12d from being displaced due to fluid vibration, reduce the fluid vibration of the coiled pipe section 12d, and simplify the structure and save the cost without fixing through an additional fixing member. For example, the coiled pipe section 12d may be wound around the straight pipe section of the outlet pipe 115, so that the size of each circle of the coiled pipe section 12d may be equal, and the difficulty of fixing may be reduced. For example, the coil pipe segment 12d may be wound around the air outlet pipe 115 and located between the oil return hole 115b and the high-level oil return hole 115c or between two high-level oil return holes 115c, so as to avoid blocking the oil return of the oil return hole 115b and the high-level oil return hole 115 c.

In some examples, the second shock absorbing tube segment 12c may be disposed at the front end of the coil tube segment 12d, i.e., between the oil inlet 114 and the coil tube segment 12d, which may reduce the risk of vibration of the high temperature lubricant oil when entering the coil tube segment 12d, and increase structural stability. Illustratively, the second shock absorption pipe section 12c is located below the coil pipe section 12d, and can structurally support the coil pipe section 12d, so that the structural stability of the coil pipe section 12d is improved, and the stable heat exchange of high-temperature lubricating oil and liquid refrigerant is ensured.

Illustratively, the section of the oil tube 12 between the second shock absorbing section 12c and the oil inlet 114 may be a straight tube section, and the section between the first shock absorbing section 12b and the coil section 12d may also be a straight tube section. Thus, the flow speed of the lubricating oil can be increased, and the pipe section structure is simplified.

As shown in fig. 2, the embodiment of the present application provides a fluid conditioning device 1 for a refrigeration unit, which includes an oil separator 20 and the separator 10 provided in any of the above embodiments, and can simplify the structure of the refrigeration unit, and reduce the cost and the energy consumption for operation.

The oil separator 20 is provided with an oil inlet 21, an oil outlet 22, and an oil return end 23, and the oil inlet 21 is connected to the exhaust port 2a of the compressor 2 to introduce high-pressure steam discharged from the exhaust port 2a into the oil separator 20. The oil inlet 114 is connected with the oil return end 23, and high-temperature lubricating oil obtained by separating the oil separator 20 from high-pressure steam is conveyed into the oil pipe 12. The inlet port 112 is configured to be connected to a refrigerant outlet of the evaporator, and introduces a mixed-state refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant outlet into the separation chamber 111. The outlet port 113 is connected to the inlet port 2b of the compressor 2, and is configured to output a gaseous refrigerant, which includes a gaseous refrigerant separated from a mixed refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant vaporized from a liquid refrigerant, to the inlet port 2b of the compressor 2. The oil separator 20 may be of a similar structure as in the related art, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

As shown in fig. 5, in some embodiments, the refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device 1 may further comprise an on-off valve 30. The on-off valve 30 is disposed between the oil return end 23 and the oil inlet 114, and is configured to control on and off between the oil return end 23 and the oil inlet 114. Therefore, oil return can be suspended when the compressor 2 does not need oil return, and the risk that liquid refrigerants enter the compressor 2 to cause liquid compression of the compressor 2 is reduced or eliminated. The type of the on-off valve 30 may be determined according to actual needs, and may be a type such as a mechanical valve or a solenoid valve, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 6-8, in some embodiments, the refrigeration unit fluid conditioning device 1 may further include a fuel level sensor 40. The oil level sensor 40 is configured to detect the oil level of the oil separator 20 and/or the compressor 2. The type of fuel level sensor 40 may be determined according to actual needs, and an optoelectronic fuel level sensor or a mechanical fuel level sensor may be used, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. The photoelectric type oil level sensor is a component for detecting the position (height) of oil in the container by using the change in capacitance between the sensor housing 11 and the sensing electrode caused by the oil entering the container and converting the change into a change in current, and may be provided in the oil separator 20 and/or the compressor 2. The mechanical oil level sensor is internally provided with a floating ball in the container, and the floating ball floats upwards or sinks along with the height of the liquid level, so that the quantity of oil in the container can be judged. As shown in fig. 6, in some examples, an oil level sensor 40 may be provided in the oil separator 20 to detect the oil level of the oil separator 20. In other examples, as shown in fig. 7, an oil level of the compressor 2 may be detected by being provided in the oil separator 20 and/or the compressor 2. As shown in fig. 8, in still other examples, oil level sensors 40 may be provided in the oil separator 20 and in the compressor 2 to detect the oil levels of the oil separator 20 and the compressor 2, respectively.

Thus, the opening and closing between the oil return end 23 and the oil inlet 114 can be controlled based on the detection value of the oil level sensor 40. Based on the detection value of the oil level sensor 40, it is possible to determine whether the compressor 2 lacks lubricating oil, thereby controlling the on-off valve 30 to open or close, and turning on or off the oil return port 23 and the oil inlet port 114. In some examples, if it is detected that the oil level of the oil separator 20 is high or the oil level of the compressor 2 is low, it may be determined that the compressor 2 is in an oil shortage state, and the on-off valve 30 may be opened to conduct the oil return end 23 and the oil inlet 114, so that the lubricating oil is quickly returned to the compressor 2. In other examples, if the oil level of the oil separator 20 is detected to be low or the oil level of the compressor 2 is detected to be high, it may be determined that the amount of the lubricating oil in the compressor 2 is sufficient, the on-off valve 30 may be closed to disconnect the oil return end 23 and the oil inlet 114, so as to temporarily stop oil returning, thereby reducing or eliminating the risk of liquid compression of the compressor 2 caused by liquid refrigerant entering the compressor 2.

The above detailed description of the separator and the fluid conditioning device of a refrigeration unit provided in the embodiments of the present application has been presented, and the principles and embodiments of the present application are explained in detail herein using specific examples, which are only used to help understand the method and the core idea of the present application; meanwhile, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. A separator, comprising:

the shell is provided with a gas inlet, a gas outlet and an oil inlet, the gas inlet is configured to introduce mixed-state refrigerant, the gas outlet is configured to output gaseous refrigerant in the separation cavity, and the oil inlet is configured to introduce lubricating oil to be cooled;

the separation cavity is positioned in the shell, and the air inlet and the air outlet are communicated through the separation cavity;

the oil pipe is arranged in the separation cavity, one end of the oil pipe is connected with the oil inlet, and the oil pipe passes through the lower area of the separation cavity, so that the lubricating oil in the oil pipe exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the separation cavity.

2. The separator of claim 1, wherein the oil pipe further comprises another end, the other end of the oil pipe being connected to the outside of the housing through the air outlet; or the other end of the oil pipe penetrates through the side wall of one side of the shell; or the other end of the oil pipe is a free end arranged in the separation cavity.

3. The separator of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an outlet pipe disposed in the separation chamber, the outlet pipe communicating with the separation chamber through the outlet pipe, the outlet pipe passing through a lower region of the separation chamber, an end of the oil pipe remote from the oil inlet being connected to the outlet pipe, an end of the oil pipe connecting to the outlet pipe forming a first shock absorbing pipe section, the first shock absorbing pipe section having a bent pipe configuration.

4. The separator of claim 3, wherein the oil tube further comprises a second shock tube section having an elbow configuration, the plane of the second shock tube section being perpendicular to the plane of the first shock tube section.

5. The separator of claim 4, wherein the first shock tube segment is at least one of U-shaped, serpentine, and helical; and/or the second shock tube section is at least one of U-shaped, serpentine and helical.

6. The separator of claim 4, wherein the oil conduit further comprises a coil pipe section, the second shock absorbing pipe section being disposed between the oil inlet and the coil pipe section.

7. The separator of claim 6, wherein the coiled tubing section is formed by winding the oil tube along a trajectory, the coiled tubing section being disposed in a lower region of the separator, the coiled tubing section being wound around an outer circumference of the outlet tube.

8. The separator according to claim 3, wherein a pipe section of the gas outlet pipe located in the lower region of the separation chamber is provided with an oil return hole, the gas outlet pipe is further provided with at least one high-position oil return hole, the at least one high-position oil return hole and the oil return hole are sequentially arranged at intervals from top to bottom, and the aperture of the high-position oil return hole is smaller than that of the oil return hole; the oil pipe comprises a coil pipe section, and the coil pipe section is located between the high-position oil return hole and the oil return hole.

9. The separator of claim 3, further comprising an air inlet pipe disposed in the separation chamber, wherein the air inlet pipe is communicated with the separation chamber through the air inlet pipe, and one end of the air inlet pipe, which is far away from the air inlet, and one end of the air outlet pipe, which is far away from the air outlet, are maintained in a staggered manner; and/or the outlet duct comprises an elbow section which passes through a lower region of the separation chamber.

10. A fluid conditioning apparatus for a refrigeration unit, comprising:

an oil separator provided with an oil inlet port configured to be connected to an exhaust port of the compressor, an oil outlet port, and an oil return port;

the separator of any one of claims 1-9, the oil inlet coupled to the oil return, the air inlet configured to couple to a refrigerant outlet of an evaporator, and the air outlet configured to couple to a suction inlet of the compressor;

at least one of an on-off valve and a fuel level sensor;

the switch valve is arranged between the oil return end and the oil inlet and is configured to control the connection and disconnection between the oil return end and the oil inlet;

the oil level sensor is configured to detect an oil level of the oil separator and/or the compressor.