JP2000234825A - Degassing diverter and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a degassing diverter wherein gas components are separated from a refrigerant flowing through a refrigerant passage, and liquid components are diverted. SOLUTION: A gas piping 2 is penetrated in the vicinity of the top of a casing 1, and a gas refrigerant flow outlet 23 is opened. Two inflow tubes 5, 6 are penetrated through the side surface of the casing 1, and two refrigerant flow inlets 21 are opened. Through side surfaces of the casing 1 located on the more upper side of the casing two liquid pipings 3, 4 are penetrated, and two liquid refrigerant flow outlets 22 are opened. Between the liquid refrigerant flow outlets 22 and the gas refrigerant flow outlets 23 a liquid shielding plate 7 is provided for vertically shielding the casing 1. The liquid shielding plate 7 includes a gas passage hole 8 at a position other than the vicinity just under the gas refrigerant flow outlet 23.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a degassing / shunting device suitable for being installed at an evaporator inlet of an air conditioner, or in the middle of an evaporator, etc. It relates to a harmonic machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, an air conditioner is operated under a wide range of outdoor and indoor temperature conditions. Therefore, in order to achieve energy saving, a compressor whose compression capacity is variably controlled by an inverter is used so that a compression capacity corresponding to a heat load can be operated under each temperature condition.
In such an air conditioner, a primary port of a four-way switching valve is connected between the discharge side and the suction side of the compressor, and a first gas pipe is provided between the secondary ports of the four-way switching valve. , An outdoor heat exchanger, a first liquid pipe, an electric expansion valve, a second liquid pipe, an indoor heat exchanger, and a second gas pipe are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circuit. By connecting the four-way switching valve in a predetermined direction, the outdoor heat exchanger can function as a condenser and the indoor heat exchanger can function as an evaporator, thereby performing a cooling operation. On the other hand, by switching the four-way switching valve, the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator and the indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser,
Heating operation can be performed. By controlling the compression capacity of the inverter, the amount of circulating refrigerant is changed, and an energy-saving operation for performing appropriate air conditioning corresponding to the outside air temperature or the like is possible.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an outdoor heat exchanger 40 provided in the air conditioner and functioning as an evaporator during a heating operation. A branch pipe 43 is provided at an end of the liquid pipe 41 extending from the electric expansion valve, and two refrigerant paths of a first refrigerant path 45 and a second refrigerant path 46 extend from the branch pipe 43. The ends of the first refrigerant passage 45 and the second refrigerant passage 46 extending inside the outdoor heat exchanger 40 are connected to a merging device 44.
And a gas pipe 42 extending from the merger 44 to the compressor extends. During the heating operation, the two-phase refrigerant flows through the liquid pipe 41 from the direction of arrow E. Then, the refrigerant evaporates while passing through the two refrigerant paths 45 and 46, is joined by the merger 44, and is returned to the compressor.

In the heat exchanger 40 as described above, if the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passages 45 and 46 is too high, the pressure loss increases, the temperature difference between the air and the refrigerant decreases, and the heat exchange capacity increases. descend. On the other hand, if the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant paths 45 and 46 is low, the heat transfer coefficient decreases, and the heat exchange ability also decreases. Therefore, in the outdoor heat exchanger 40, the liquid pipe 41 is branched and the two refrigerant paths 45 and 46 are provided so as to have a suitable flow resistance and exhibit a high heat exchange capability.

[0005]

However, in the outdoor heat exchanger 40, the number of the refrigerant paths at which the heat exchange capacity reaches a peak differs between a cooling operation functioning as a condenser and a heating operation functioning as an evaporator. When the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the capacity factor (exhibition capacity / maximum capacity) peaks with a smaller number of refrigerant paths than when the heat exchanger functions as an evaporator. This is because the pressure loss of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passages 45 and 46 is larger when functioning as an evaporator. Therefore, in the air conditioner, the outdoor heat exchanger 4
The number of refrigerant paths of 0 is set to an eclectic one in which both capacity factors are to some extent. In other words, performance loss always occurs in the outdoor heat exchanger 40 as described above, and there is a problem that it is not possible to achieve reliable energy saving.

When the amount of circulating refrigerant is changed by controlling the inverter, the pressure of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant paths 45 and 46 also changes. Therefore, even if the compressor is operated with a high compression capacity, there is a problem that a pressure loss occurs in the refrigerant passages 45 and 46, resulting in an energy loss. Such a problem occurs because pressure loss occurs in the refrigerant paths 45 and 46 in the outdoor heat exchanger 40 as described above. So the inventors repeated the test,
A new finding has been obtained that if the gas components are separated from the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passages 45 and 46, the pressure loss can be suppressed and performance loss can be avoided. However, for that purpose, there is required a flow divider that can divide the liquid component into a plurality of refrigerant paths while separating the gas component from the refrigerant that has become the two-phase flow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to separate a gas component from a refrigerant flowing through an inlet of an evaporator or a refrigerant path in the middle of the evaporator. It is an object of the present invention to provide a gas vent splitter capable of splitting a liquid component, and to provide an air conditioner provided with such a gas vent splitter.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a degassing / distributing device, wherein a casing has a refrigerant inlet 21, a plurality of liquid refrigerant outlets 22, and a gas refrigerant outlet 23, respectively. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the casing 1 from the inlet 21 is separated into gas and liquid in the casing 1, and the refrigerant having a high gas density is supplied to the gas refrigerant outlet 23.
The refrigerant having a high liquid density flows out of the plurality of liquid refrigerant outlets 22 and flows out.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant having a high gas density in the casing 1 out of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inlet 21 flows out from the gas refrigerant outlet 23 to reduce the liquid density. High refrigerant can be diverted from the plurality of liquid refrigerant outlets 22.

Further, in the gas venting / diverting device of the present invention, the gas refrigerant outlet 23 is opened near the top of the casing 1, and at a position below the gas refrigerant outlet 23,
The refrigerant inlet 21 and the liquid refrigerant outlets 22 are opened.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the gas refrigerant outlet 23 is provided near the top of the casing 1, the flow of the liquid refrigerant in the direction of the gas refrigerant outlet 23 can be suppressed. The components can be reliably separated.

Further, the gas vent splitter according to the third aspect of the present invention prevents the flow of the liquid refrigerant and the flow of the gas refrigerant between the refrigerant inlet 21 and the liquid refrigerant outlet 22 and the gas refrigerant outlet 23. It is characterized in that an allowable liquid blocking plate 7 is provided.

In the gas venting and diverting device according to the third aspect, since the liquid blocking plate 7 is provided, the liquid refrigerant flows through the gas refrigerant outlet 23.
It is possible to suppress the flow in the direction.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, the liquid blocking plate 7 is formed by forming a gas passage hole 8 while vertically blocking a portion immediately below the gas refrigerant outlet 23. .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reliably restrict the liquid refrigerant from flowing toward the gas refrigerant outlet 23.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a spiral groove 9 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the casing 1.

In the gas venting and diverting device according to the fifth aspect, the circulation of the liquid refrigerant along the inner peripheral surface of the casing 1 can be promoted.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat exchanger 1 provided with the degassing / shunting device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects.
An air conditioner is constructed by using 0, 53, and the heat exchanger 10,
If 53 is made to function as an evaporator, its practical value is great.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, a specific embodiment of a gas vent / shunt according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an outdoor heat exchanger 10 of an air conditioner provided with the gas venting / shunting device 11, and FIG. 8 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner using the outdoor heat exchanger 10. is there. First, the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioner will be described.
As shown in FIG. 8, the compressor 51, the four-way switching valve 5
2. Indoor heat exchanger 53, electric expansion valve 5 as pressure reducing mechanism
4, and the outdoor heat exchanger 10 is connected in order by a refrigerant pipe 55, and the indoor heat exchanger 53 is a condenser,
The heating operation is performed by making the outdoor heat exchanger 10 function as an evaporator, while the cooling operation is performed by making the indoor heat exchanger 53 function as an evaporator and the outdoor heat exchanger 10 functions as a condenser. .

In the above outdoor heat exchanger 10,
As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid pipe 12 extending from the electric expansion valve 54
A branch pipe 19 is provided at the end of the first pipe, and a first refrigerant path 14 and a second refrigerant path 15 extend from the branch pipe 19.
The degassing / shunting device 11 is provided at an end of the first refrigerant path 14 and the second refrigerant path 15 extending to a lower portion of the outdoor heat exchanger 10. A third refrigerant path 16, a fourth refrigerant path 17,
And the gas path 18 extends. The third refrigerant path 16 and the fourth refrigerant path
The refrigerant path 17 extends to the upper part of the outdoor heat exchanger 10 and is connected to the merger 20 together with the gas path 18 bypassing the outdoor heat exchanger 10. And this merging device 20
, A gas pipe 13 extending to the compressor extends. During the heating operation, the two-phase refrigerant flows from the direction of arrow E through the liquid pipe 12. The refrigerant evaporates while passing through the two refrigerant paths 14 and 15 and flows into the degassing / shunting device 11. Then, the liquid refrigerant separated by the degassing / diverting device 11 evaporates again while passing through the third refrigerant path 16 and the fourth refrigerant path 17, and joins with the gas refrigerant flowing through the gas path 18 at the merger 20. . The refrigerant which has almost become a gas component is passed through the gas pipe 13 to the compressor 51.
Returned to That is, the liquid refrigerant from which the gas component has been separated flows through the refrigerant passages 16 and 17. Thus, the occurrence of pressure loss when functioning as an evaporator can be suppressed.

Next, the structure of the degassing / shunting device will be described. FIG. 1 is a transparent perspective view of the degassing flow divider. This degassing / distributing device includes a cylindrical casing 1 whose upper surface bulges in a hemispherical shape, and a first inflow pipe 5 and a second inflow pipe 6 are laterally provided at a lower portion of a side surface thereof. A first liquid pipe 3 and a second liquid pipe 4 extend laterally through the upper side surface. At the top of the casing 1, a gas pipe 2 extends vertically. The ends of the first inflow pipe 5 and the second inflow pipe 6 opened in the casing 1 serve as refrigerant inlets 21 and 21, and the ends of the first liquid pipe 3 and the second liquid pipe 4 serve as liquid refrigerant outlets. 22, 22. The gas pipe 2 opening in the casing 1
Is an end 23 of the gas refrigerant. Further, a liquid shut-off plate 7 is provided at an intermediate position between the gas refrigerant outlet 23 and the liquid refrigerant outlets 22 so as to vertically shut off the inside of the casing 1. In this gas vent splitter, the first inflow pipe 5 and the second inflow pipe 6 are connected to the outlets of the first refrigerant path 14 and the second refrigerant path 15 in FIG.
Since the first liquid pipe 3 and the second liquid pipe 4 are connected to the respective inlets of the third refrigerant path 16 and the fourth refrigerant path 17 in FIG. 7, and the gas pipe 2 is connected to the gas path 18 in FIG. is there.

FIG. 2 is a transmission plan view of the degassing / shunting device. As shown in the drawing, four gas passage holes 8 having a circular shape are formed in the liquid blocking plate 7, and these gas passage holes 8 are opened just below the gas refrigerant outlet 23. It is provided not to be. Therefore, the vicinity immediately below the gas refrigerant outlet 23 is vertically blocked by the liquid blocking plate 7. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, and shows the liquid pipes 3 and 4 and the inlet pipes 5 and 6.
Is shown. As shown in the figure, the ends of the second liquid pipe 4 and the first inflow pipe 5 open toward the inner wall direction of the casing 1, respectively, and the ends of the first liquid pipe 3 and the second inflow pipe 6 are mutually connected. It faces the inside of the casing 1 so as to face each other. Further, on the inner wall of the casing 1, a number of spiral grooves 9 having a sectional shape as shown in FIG. 4 are formed in parallel.

In the degassing flow divider, the two-phase refrigerant flows from the two inflow pipes 5 and 6 in a substantially horizontal direction and temporarily mixes. Since the gas component of the mixed refrigerant rises in the casing 1, it passes through the gas passage hole 8 of the liquid blocking plate 7 as shown by the arrow G in FIG. . On the other hand, the liquid component of the refrigerant does not rise sharply as in the case of the gas component, but flows in the casing 1 so as to rotate in the lateral direction. Therefore, the liquid component flows out of the casing 1 by being diverted not to the gas pipe 2 but to the two liquid pipes 3 and 4. For this reason, in this gas vent splitter, the gas component can be reliably separated from the refrigerant that has become the two-phase flow, and the two-phase flows from the two inflow pipes 5 and 6 merge.
The current drift can be temporarily eliminated, and performance degradation due to the drift can be prevented.

In the degassing / distributing device, the liquid blocking plate 7 is provided between the liquid refrigerant outlet 22 and the gas refrigerant outlet 23. Although the liquid blocking plate 8 is provided with a gas passage hole 8, the gas passage hole 8 is not formed at a position immediately below the gas outlet 23, and the inside of the casing 1 is vertically shut. ing. Therefore, the flow of the liquid refrigerant from the gas outlet 23 through the gas passage hole 8 is restricted, and only the gas component can be reliably separated. A spiral groove 9 is formed on the inner wall of the casing 1. Therefore, circulation of the liquid refrigerant in the casing 1 is promoted, and the liquid refrigerant can flow out smoothly from the liquid refrigerant outlet 22. In addition, the end of the first inflow pipe 5 and the end of the second liquid pipe 4 are inclined and open toward the inner wall of the casing 1. Therefore, the liquid component of the refrigerant flowing from the first inflow pipe 5 reliably circulates along the inner wall of the casing 1 and flows out from the second liquid pipe 4 more smoothly. The end of the second inflow pipe 6 and the end of the first liquid pipe 3 are inclined and open to face each other. Therefore the second
The liquid component of the refrigerant flowing from the inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3 is
It can be circulated inside the circulation flowing from the first inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the two flows heading in opposite directions from colliding with each other to cause a mixed flow, and to smoothly flow the liquid component of the refrigerant from the second inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of the modified example of the degassing / distributing device. In this gas vent splitter, the end of the first inflow pipe 5 and the end of the second liquid pipe 4 are bent so as to be directed toward the inner wall of the casing 1, and the end of the second inflow pipe 6 and the first The ends of the liquid pipe 3 are bent so as to face each other. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of another modified example of the degassing / distributing device. In this gas vent splitter, the first inflow pipe 5 and the second liquid pipe 4 are penetrated so as to face the inner wall direction of the casing 1, and the second inflow pipe 6 and the first liquid pipe 3 are opposed to each other. It is penetrating. Also in these modified examples, the liquid component of the refrigerant flowing from the first inflow pipe 5
Circulates reliably along the inner wall of the second liquid pipe and flows out of the second liquid pipe 4 smoothly. Then, the liquid component of the refrigerant flowing from the second inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3 can be circulated inside the circulation flowing from the first inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3. Therefore, similarly to the above, it is possible to reliably prevent the two flows heading in opposite directions from colliding with each other to cause a mixed flow, and to smoothly flow the liquid component of the refrigerant from the second inflow pipe 6 to the first liquid pipe 3. be able to.

Although the specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the present invention. In the above, the two-phase flows flowing from the two inflow pipes 5 and 6 are merged in the casing 1, and the liquid refrigerant is divided into the two liquid pipes 3 and 4. However, the inflow pipe 5,
The number of the liquid pipes 6 and the liquid pipes 3 and 4 may be three or more, or may be divided from one inflow pipe 5 to a plurality of liquid pipes 3 and 4. When a plurality of inflow pipes 5 are provided, there is an advantage that the current drift can be eliminated. In FIG. 1, the inflow pipes 5 and 6 are provided on the bottom side of the casing 1 and the liquid pipes 3 and 4 are provided above the inflow pipes. However, the liquid pipes 3 and 4 are provided on the bottom side of the casing 1. The inflow pipes 5 and 6 may be provided at a position higher than the above or at the same height. Although not shown, a structure in which the inflow pipes 5, 6, the liquid pipes 3, 4, and the gas pipe 2 are radially connected in the horizontal direction from the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical casing 1 as shown in FIG. . In the above description, the heating operation in which the outdoor heat exchanger 10 of the air conditioner functions as an evaporator is taken as an example. However, a structure in which the same degassing / distributing device is provided for the indoor heat exchanger 53 is adopted. Then, the indoor heat exchanger 53 may function as an evaporator during the cooling operation.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant having a high gas density out of the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet flows out from the gas refrigerant outlet, and the refrigerant having a high liquid density flows into the plurality of liquid refrigerant flows. It can be diverted from the outlet. Therefore 2
It is possible to separate the gas component from the refrigerant that has become the phase flow, and to obtain a gas venting shunt that functions as a shunt for the liquid component.

In the gas venting and diverting device of the second aspect, the gas refrigerant outlet is provided near the top of the casing.
Liquid refrigerant can be suppressed from flowing in the gas refrigerant outlet direction,
Therefore, reliable separation of gas components becomes possible.

Further, in the gas venting and diverting device according to the third aspect, since the liquid blocking plate is provided, it is possible to suppress the liquid refrigerant from flowing in the gas refrigerant outlet direction. Therefore, reliable separation of gas components becomes possible.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reliably restrict the liquid refrigerant from flowing toward the gas refrigerant outlet. Therefore, only gas components can be reliably separated.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the circulation of the liquid refrigerant along the inner peripheral surface of the casing is promoted, so that the liquid refrigerant can be smoothly circulated.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an air conditioner is constituted by using a heat exchanger provided with the gas venting / shunting device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. If it works, its practical value is great.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a transparent perspective view of a degassing flow divider according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transmission plan view of the degassing / shunting device.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the degassing flow divider.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view showing an inner wall of the degassing / shunting device.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the degassing / distributing device.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another modification of the degassing / distributing device.

FIG. 7 is a view showing an outdoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner provided with the above-mentioned degassing flow divider.

FIG. 8 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner using the outdoor heat exchanger.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an outdoor heat exchanger of a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 casing 7 liquid blocking plate 9 spiral groove 10 outdoor heat exchanger 21 refrigerant inlet 22 liquid refrigerant outlet 23 gas refrigerant outlet 53 indoor heat exchanger

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Hirara 1000 Oya, Okamotocho, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga 2 Daiga Industries Co., Ltd.Shiga Works (72) Inventor Junichiro Tanaka 1000 Oya, Okamotocho, Kusatsu-shi, Shiga No.2 Daikin Industries, Ltd. Shiga Works (72) Inventor Takayuki Hyodo 1304, Kanaokacho, Sakai City, Osaka Daikin Industries, Ltd. Inside Kanaoka Factory, Sakai Works (72) Inventor Tatsumi Takase 1304, Kanaokacho, Sakai City, Osaka Daikin Industries Sakai Plant Kanaoka Factory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerant inlet (21) in a casing (1).
And a plurality of liquid refrigerant outlets (22) and a gas refrigerant outlet (23), respectively, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the casing (1) from the refrigerant inlet (21) is supplied to the casing (1). In 1), a refrigerant having a high gas density is separated from a gas and a liquid, and the refrigerant having a high gas density flows out from the gas refrigerant outlet (23).
A gas diverting device that is configured to be diverted and discharged from a gas outlet. 2. The gas refrigerant outlet (23) is opened near the top of the casing (1), and the refrigerant inlet (2) is located below the gas refrigerant outlet (23).
2. The ventilator according to claim 1, wherein each of the liquid refrigerant outlets is opened. 3. A liquid that prevents the flow of the liquid refrigerant while allowing the flow of the gas refrigerant between the refrigerant inlet (21) and the liquid refrigerant outlet (22) and the gas refrigerant outlet (23). 3. The ventilator according to claim 2, further comprising a blocking plate. 4. The liquid shut-off plate (7) is provided with a gas passage hole (8) while vertically blocking the vicinity immediately below the gas refrigerant outlet (23). 3. Gas vent splitter. 5. The gas venting / distributing device according to claim 1, wherein a spiral groove (9) is provided on an inner peripheral surface of the casing (1). 6. An air conditioner characterized in that the heat exchanger (10) (53) provided with the degassing / shunting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 functions as an evaporator.