JP2001208454A - Absorption refrigerating machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a decrease in operation efficiency by reductively removing hydrogen gas generating in an absorption refrigerating machine without releasing it to the outside. SOLUTION: Hydrogen gas residing in a condenser 9 is brought into contact with a metal oxide in a hydrogen removing equipment 93 provided in the condenser 9. Reduction of the metal oxide is induced by the contact to remove the hydrogen gas, and produce water. Since the reduction part, that is, the hydrogen-removing equipment 93 is provided particularly in the condenser 9, a special sealing structure is not necessary, as compared with a refrigerating machine in which a reduction part provided in the outside of the condenser 9 is connected by a pipe line. Besides, a reduction can be generated sufficiently by utilizing the temperature of the refrigerant vapor introduced from an inlet 94 into the condenser 9.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an absorption refrigeration apparatus, and more particularly to an absorption refrigeration apparatus having a function of reducing and removing non-condensable hydrogen gas generated during operation of an absorption refrigeration cycle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An absorption refrigerator operated by an absorption refrigerator cycle has been known as a cooling device.
Attention has been paid to advantages such as good energy efficiency during operation, and there is an increasing demand for an absorption refrigerator that can perform not only a cooling operation but also a heat pump heating operation using heat pumped from outside air by an evaporator. For example, Tokuho 6
JP-97127A proposes an absorption chiller / heater that can be operated in three modes: cooling operation, heating by heat pump operation, and heating by direct fired (boiler) operation.

In the absorption refrigeration cycle of the above absorption refrigerator, a very small amount of non-condensable gas such as hydrogen gas is generated by a contact reaction between a component in the refrigerant and a metal material and a corrosion inhibitor forming the refrigerant flow path. Occurs. This non-condensable gas reduces the degree of vacuum of the absorber, evaporator, etc., which are components that should maintain a low-pressure environment of several mmHg to several hundred mmHg,
It is known that the operating efficiency of cooling and heating is significantly reduced. For this reason, maintenance for discharging the non-condensable gas to the outside using an extraction means such as a vacuum pump has been required at regular intervals.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-121911 and
Japanese Patent Application Publication No.-9001 discloses an apparatus for discharging non-condensable gas generated in an absorption refrigerator to the outside of the machine. In these devices, the non-condensable gas separated from the refrigerant liquid is guided to a heated palladium tube, and the non-condensable gas is released into the atmosphere by using the selective permeability of palladium.

[0005]

In an absorption refrigeration system using an alcohol-based refrigerant such as fluorinated alcohol for an absorption refrigeration cycle, water is mixed into the refrigerant to form a refrigerant flow path. It is known that the corrosion of metal materials can be suppressed. In this case, the mixed water reacts with the aluminum forming the coolant flow path to generate a small amount of hydrogen gas, which needs to be removed.

[0006] Hydrogen gas is generated by the following anodic and cathodic reactions. Anode reaction: Al → Al3 +3
e-, Al3 + 3OH → AlOOH.H2 O (hydration of aluminum ion (formation of boehmite film)), cathode reaction:
3H + 3e → 3 / 2H2 (hydrogen generation).

The system is not limited to alcohol-based refrigerants, but uses a combination of lithium bromide (LiBr) as an absorbent and water as a refrigerant, or a combination of ammonia (NH3) as a refrigerant and water as an absorbent. Also in a system using, since hydrogen gas is generated from water used, similarly, it is necessary to remove this hydrogen gas.

According to the apparatus for discharging non-condensable gas disclosed in the above publication, the generated hydrogen gas is removed, but there are the following problems. In other words, in this non-condensable gas discharging device, the generated hydrogen gas is discharged outside the device, so that the structure for maintaining the airtightness inside the device is complicated. Further, in a system using an alcohol-based refrigerant, since the water contained in the refrigerant gradually decreases, there is a problem that an appropriate amount of water necessary for suppressing corrosion is not secured.

In view of the above problems, the present invention can remove the generated non-condensable gas without lowering the degree of vacuum in the apparatus and maintaining an appropriate amount of water contained in the refrigerant. An object of the present invention is to provide an absorption refrigeration apparatus.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides an evaporator containing a refrigerant, and an absorber for absorbing refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator with an absorbent solution. A regenerator for heating the absorbent solution to extract the refrigerant vapor in order to recover the absorbent concentration of the solution, and condensing the refrigerant vapor extracted by the regenerator and supplying it to the evaporator In the absorption refrigerator having a condenser for, provided with a reduction unit mainly composed of metal oxide that causes a reduction reaction by acting on hydrogen gas generated with the absorption refrigeration cycle operation, the reduction unit, A first feature is that the temperature is set to be at least near the condensation temperature of the refrigerant.

[0011] In addition, the present invention, in order to set the temperature of the reducing portion to at least a temperature near the condensing temperature of the refrigerant, the reducing portion may be connected to the inside of the condenser or to a common outer wall with the condenser. A second feature lies in that it is provided in a fluidly communicating chamber.

According to these features, the generated hydrogen gas acts on the metal oxide to cause a reduction reaction, whereby water is generated and the hydrogen gas is removed. By removing the hydrogen gas in this way, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the operating efficiency due to a decrease in the degree of vacuum of each part of the refrigerant passage, such as a condenser, an evaporator, and an absorber,
By returning the generated water from the reducing section to the refrigerant passage, the water content in the refrigerant is maintained at an appropriate amount. In particular, since the reducing unit is provided in the condenser, the above-described reduction reaction can be performed using the temperature of the refrigerant vapor.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings referred to in the following description denote the same or equivalent parts. FIG.
1 is a system block diagram showing a main configuration of an absorption refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, an absorption cooling and heating device is assumed as one embodiment of the absorption refrigerator. The evaporator 1 contains a fluorinated alcohol such as trifluoroethanol (TFE) as a refrigerant, and the absorber 2 contains a DMI derivative (dimethylimidazolidinone) as a solution containing an absorbent. The refrigerant is not limited to fluorinated alcohol, and may be any material that can take a wide non-freezing range,
The absorbent solution is not limited to the DMI derivative, but has a wide non-crystalline range, and may be TFE, that is, an absorbent having a higher normal pressure boiling point than the refrigerant and capable of absorbing the refrigerant. In addition, in addition to the combination of the refrigerant and the absorbent solution,
For example, lithium bromide (LiBr) is used as an absorbent,
Combination using water as a refrigerant, or ammonia (NH
3) A combination of a refrigerant and water as an absorbent can be used.

The evaporator 1 and the absorber 2 are fluidly connected to each other via an evaporating (refrigerant) passage. When the evaporator 1 and the absorber 2 are held under a low pressure environment of, for example, about 30 mmHg. The refrigerant in the evaporator 1 evaporates, and the refrigerant vapor enters the absorber 2 through the evaporating passage. In the absorber 2, the absorbent solution absorbs the refrigerant vapor and the absorption refrigeration operation is performed. The evaporating passage is provided with a pre-cooler 18 that functions to heat and vaporize the mist (mist-like refrigerant) remaining in the refrigerant vapor and to lower the temperature of TFE sent from the condenser 9. I have.

When the burner 7 is ignited, the regenerator 3 increases the solution concentration in the absorber 2 (the burner, regenerator and solution concentration will be described later). Absorber 2
When the high-concentration solution inside absorbs the refrigerant vapor, the refrigerant in the evaporator 1 evaporates, and the evaporator 1 is cooled by the latent heat during the evaporation. The evaporator 1 has a pipe 1a through which cold water passes. As the cold water flowing through the pipe 1a, it is preferable to use an ethylene glycol or propylene glycol aqueous solution. One end (outlet end in the figure) of the pipe line 1a is in the # 1 opening of the first four-way valve V1, and the other end (inlet end in the figure) is the second end.
Of the four-way valve V2.

The refrigerant is guided by the pump P1 to the spraying means 1b provided in the evaporator 1, and is sprayed on the pipeline 1a through which the cold water passes. The refrigerant removes the heat of evaporation from the cold water in the pipe 1a to become a refrigerant vapor, and the temperature of the cold water in the pipe 1a whose heat has been removed by the refrigerant decreases. The refrigerant vapor flows into the absorber 2 through the evaporation passage. The refrigerant in the evaporator 1 is guided to the spraying means 1b, and a part of the refrigerant is
Through the rectifier 6. A flow control valve V5 is provided between the evaporator 1 and the filter 4.

When the vapor of the fluorinated alcohol, that is, the refrigerant vapor is absorbed by the solution in the absorber 2, the temperature of the solution rises due to the heat of absorption. The absorption capacity of a solution increases as the temperature of the solution decreases and as the concentration of the solution increases. Therefore, in order to suppress a rise in the temperature of the solution, a pipe 2 a through which cooling water passes is provided inside the absorber 2. One end (outlet end in the figure) of the pipe 2 a passes through the condenser 9 and then the pump P
3, the other end (the inlet end in the figure) of the pipe 2a is connected to the # 2 opening of the second four-way valve V2. As the cooling water passing through the pipe 2a, the same aqueous solution as the cold water is used.

The solution is guided to the spraying means 2b provided in the absorber 2 by the pump P2, and is sprayed on the pipeline 2a. As a result, the solution is cooled by the cooling water passing through the pipe 2a. On the other hand, the temperature of the cooling water rises because it absorbs heat. The solution in the absorber 2 absorbs the refrigerant vapor, and the absorption capacity decreases when the concentration of the absorbent decreases. Therefore,
By separating and generating the refrigerant vapor from the absorbent solution by the regenerator 3 and the rectifier 6, the concentration of the solution is increased and the absorption capacity is restored.

The solution diluted by absorbing the refrigerant vapor in the absorber 2, that is, the dilute solution, is guided to the spraying means 2 b, and is also fed to the rectifier 6 through the pipe 7 b by the pump P 2 to the regenerator 3. Flow down. An on-off valve V3 is provided in a pipe 7b connecting the pump P2 and the regenerator 3. The regenerator 3 is provided with a burner 7 for heating the diluted liquid supplied from the absorber 2. The burner 7 is preferably a gas burner, but may be any other type of heating means.

The solution (concentrated solution) heated by the regenerator 3 to increase the concentration by extracting the refrigerant vapor is returned to the absorber 2 through the pipe 7a. An on-off valve V4 is provided on the pipeline 7a. The concentrated liquid having a relatively high temperature is sprayed on the pipe line 2a by the spraying means 2c.

When the diluted liquid supplied to the regenerator 3 is heated by the burner 7, refrigerant vapor is generated. The absorbent solution mixed into the refrigerant vapor is separated by the rectifier 6, and the refrigerant vapor having a higher purity is fed to the condenser 9. The refrigerant vapor is cooled in the condenser 9 to be condensed and liquefied, and the pre-cooler 1
8. Returned to the evaporator 1 via the pressure reducing valve 11. This refrigerant is sprayed on the pipeline 1a.

Although the purity of the vapor supplied from the condenser 9 to the evaporator 1 is extremely high, a very small amount of the absorbent component contained in the reflux refrigerant accumulates over a long operation cycle, and It is inevitable that the purity of the refrigerant in 1 gradually decreases. A small part of the refrigerant is supplied from the evaporator 1 to the rectifier 6 via the filter 4 and passed through a cycle for increasing the purity again together with the refrigerant vapor generated from the regenerator 3, thereby lowering the purity of the refrigerant. Is suppressed.

The high-temperature concentrated liquid in the pipe 7a discharged from the regenerator 3 is discharged from the absorber 2 by the heat exchanger 12 provided in the middle of the pipe connecting the absorber 2 and the rectifier 6. After being cooled by exchanging heat with the dilute solution, it is sprayed into the absorber 2. on the other hand,
The diluted liquid preliminarily heated by the heat exchanger 12 is supplied to the rectifier 6. Although the thermal efficiency is improved in this way, a heat exchanger (not shown) for transferring the heat of the concentrated liquid to be refluxed to the cooling water in the pipe line 2a coming out of the absorber 2 or the condenser 9 is further provided. The temperature of the concentrated liquid recirculated to the absorber 2 may be further reduced by providing (i), and the cooling water temperature may be further increased.

The sensible heat exchanger 14 for exchanging the cold water or the cooling water with the outside air is provided with a pipe 4a, and the indoor unit 15 is provided with a pipe 3a. One end (the inlet end in the figure) of each of the conduits 3a, 4a is at the opening # 3 and # 4 of the first four-way valve V1, and the other end (the outlet end in the figure) is the # of the second four-way valve V2.
3 and # 4 openings respectively. The indoor unit 15 is provided in a room that performs cooling and heating, and is provided with a cooling air or warm air blowing fan (both are common) 10 and a blowing outlet (not shown). The sensible heat exchanger 14 is placed outdoors, and the fan 19 forcibly exchanges heat with the outside air.

The evaporator 1 is provided with a level sensor L1 for detecting the amount of the refrigerant, a temperature sensor T1 for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant, and a pressure sensor PS1 for detecting the pressure in the evaporator 1. The absorber 2 is provided with a level sensor L2 for sensing the amount of the solution. The condenser 9 is provided with a level sensor L9 for sensing the amount of condensed refrigerant, a temperature sensor T9 for sensing the temperature of the refrigerant, and a pressure sensor PS9 for sensing the pressure in the condenser 9. Sensible heat exchanger 1
4, the regenerator 3, and the indoor unit 15 are provided with temperature sensors T14, T3, and T15, respectively. The temperature sensor T14 of the sensible heat exchanger 14 senses the outside air temperature, and the temperature sensor T15 of the indoor unit 15 senses the temperature of the room to be cooled and heated. Further, the temperature sensor T3 of the regenerator 3 senses the temperature of the solution.

In the above configuration, during the cooling operation, the first
Of the four-way valve V1 and the second four-way valve V2
While the openings # 1 and # 3 are in communication, the openings # 2 and # 4
Switch so that the openings communicate. By this switching,
The cold water, the temperature of which has been lowered by spraying the refrigerant, is guided to the pipeline 3a of the indoor unit 15 to cool the room.

On the other hand, at the time of the heating operation, the first four-way valve V1 and the second four-way valve V1 are switched so that the respective # 1 and # 4 openings are communicated and the # 2 and # 3 openings are communicated. By this switching, the heated cooling water is guided to the pipeline 3a of the indoor unit 15, and the room is heated.

If the outside air temperature becomes extremely low during the heating operation, it becomes difficult to pump heat from the outside air through the sensible heat exchanger 14, and the heating capacity is reduced. For such a case, a recirculation passage 9a and an on-off valve 17 are provided to bypass between the condenser 9 and the regenerator 3 (or the rectifier 6). That is, when it is difficult to pump up heat from the outside air, the absorption refrigeration cycle operation is stopped, the steam generated in the regenerator 3 is circulated to the condenser 9, and the heat generated by the burner 7 is transferred to the condenser 9. Thus, the temperature of the cooling water is increased by a direct fired operation in which the cooling water is efficiently transmitted to the cooling water in the pipe line 2a to improve the heating capacity.

Next, a description will be given of a hydrogen gas removing device provided in the cooling and heating device. In this embodiment,
The hydrogen gas removing device is disposed inside or adjacent to the wall surface of the condenser. In particular, the reducing section, which is a main part of the hydrogen gas removing device, is configured such that its temperature is at least near the condensation temperature of the refrigerant vapor introduced into the condenser. It was set to rise to. The reason for raising the reducing portion to around the condensation temperature is that when the surface of the metal oxide is covered with a film of the refrigerant liquid due to the refrigerant liquid adhering to the metal oxide constituting the reducing portion, the metal oxide and the metal oxide correspond to that amount. This is to prevent a decrease in the hydrogen treatment capacity due to a decrease in the contact area with hydrogen and a decrease in the hydrogen treatment capacity. That is, since the refrigerant vapor does not condense at a temperature higher than the condensation temperature of the refrigerant vapor, a sufficient hydrogen treatment capacity can be obtained. In addition, the reason why the temperature is set near the condensing temperature is that even if the temperature is slightly lower than the condensing temperature (for example, 5 ° C. lower than the condensing temperature), the amount of adhesion due to the condensing of the refrigerant is small, and the above-described reduction in the hydrogen processing capacity is caused. Because there is little.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the temperature distribution in the condenser during the cooling operation. In this figure, the temperature inside the condenser 9 is highest at the inlet 94 for the refrigerant vapor from the rectifier 6, and the temperature decreases as the distance from the inlet 94 increases. However, the temperature is approximately 50 ° C. or more at any position. The temperature of the refrigerant accumulated at the bottom of the condenser 9 is 52 ° C., and the condensation temperature of TFE as the refrigerant is 53 ° C. as an example.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a condenser provided with a hydrogen gas removing device. In the figure, the condenser 9 has a casing 91, a core 92 installed in the casing 91, and a reducing unit, that is, a hydrogen gas removing device 93 provided adjacent to the core 92. At one end surface of the casing 91, a receiving port 94 for the refrigerant vapor supplied from the rectifier 6 is provided. The core 92 is composed of a plurality of plate members (fins) and a pipe 95 penetrating the fins, and the pipe 95 forms a part of a pipe 2a which is a passage of the cooling water.

The hydrogen gas removing device 93 as a reducing portion is screwed into a tube 96 protruding from the upper portion of the casing 9 into the inside of the condenser 9 and a screw portion formed in an opening of a hole into which the tube 96 is inserted. It has a cap 97 inserted. The tube 96 is fixed to the casing 91 by screwing the cap 97, and the upper opening is closed. A mesh, that is, a filter (net) 98 is provided below the tube 96. Powder or granular metal oxide 99 is filled in a tube 96 whose bottom is covered with a filter 98.

As the metal oxide 99, for example, a transition metal oxide alone or a mixture of transition metal oxides can be used. As an example, NiO alone or a mixture containing NiO as a main component and further mixing CuO, MnO2, and Al2 O3 can be used. As another example, a mixture containing at least one of CuO, MnO2, and Al2 O3 as a main component can be used.

The hydrogen gas H 2 generated by the absorption refrigeration cycle and stored in the condenser 9 contacts the metal oxide 99 in the tube 96 through the filter 98, and as a result, a reduction reaction of the metal oxide 99 occurs to generate water. To remove hydrogen gas. That is, a chemical reaction according to the following equation (f1) occurs. MOX + XH2 = M + XH2O (f1). Here, the symbol M is a transition metal, and X is a constant.

In this way, water is generated when the hydrogen gas accumulated in the condenser 9 comes into contact with the metal oxide 99 and is removed, so that the water content in the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage increases the hydrogen gas removing action. It does not decrease with. Therefore, the amount of water mixed into the refrigerant to maintain the corrosion of the metal material forming the refrigerant passage is maintained at an appropriate amount. Also, when lithium bromide is used as the absorbent, water is used as the refrigerant combined therewith, and when ammonia is used as the refrigerant, the absorbent solution combined therewith is water, so that the H2 gas is removed. Of course, the generation of water does not adversely affect the absorption refrigeration cycle.

As shown in the figure, by installing the hydrogen gas removing device 93 in the condenser 9 at a position distant from the refrigerant vapor receiving port 94, the reduction of the reaction efficiency due to the metal oxide 99 getting wet by the refrigerant is reduced. Can be suppressed. This is because condensation of the refrigerant vapor is progressing at a position far from the refrigerant vapor receiving port 94 and adhesion is almost eliminated,
This is because it is possible to suppress the surface of the metal oxide from being covered with the film of the adhered refrigerant liquid.

Next, a modified example of the hydrogen gas removing device and its installation position will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of the condenser 9 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings referred to in the following embodiments, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 indicate the same or equivalent parts. In the second embodiment, the coolant vapor inlet 94
A hydrogen gas removing device 93 was arranged on the side. According to this arrangement, the hydrogen gas removing device 93 is exposed to the introduced relatively high-temperature refrigerant vapor, and has an advantage that the metal oxide 99 is maintained at a temperature sufficiently suitable for its reduction.

FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of the condenser 9 according to the third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the hydrogen gas removing device 1
Numeral 05 is placed on a tray 106 fixed horizontally to the casing 91 of the condenser 9 and is composed of a metal oxide 99 and a mesh surrounding the metal oxide 99, that is, a filter 107. The tray 106 is provided with a coolant vapor receiving port 94 and a core 92.
, As in the example shown in FIG.
Exposed to relatively hot refrigerant vapor.

FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a condenser 9 according to the fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, the same hydrogen gas removing device 105 as that of the third embodiment is installed at the back of the condenser 9, that is, at the position farthest from the refrigerant vapor receiving port 94. 4th
According to the embodiment, similarly to the apparatus of FIG. 1, even if the refrigerant vapor may condense, the hydrogen gas removing apparatus 105 may be used.
Since the refrigerant does not easily reach the interior of the condenser 9 in which the metal oxide 99 is provided, the surface of the metal oxide 99 is less likely to be wet by the refrigerant, and thus a reduction in the efficiency of the reduction reaction can be suppressed.

The entire structure of the hydrogen gas removing device 105 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is housed in the condenser 9 including the receiving tray 106 which is a device for holding metal oxide. do not do. Therefore, the casing 91
It is easy to maintain airtightness.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a condenser 9 according to a fifth embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. 5 and 6, the hydrogen gas removing device 100 is provided on a core 92. The hydrogen gas removing apparatus 100 includes a shell portion 101 fixed to an outermost fin among a plurality of fins constituting a core 92, a filter 102 provided in an open portion below the shell portion 101, and a shell 102. It is made of a metal oxide 99 filled in a space surrounded by the part 101 and the filter 102. In the fifth embodiment, heat is directly transmitted from the core 92 whose temperature is increased by the introduced refrigerant vapor to the shell portion 101 of the hydrogen gas removing device 100 and the metal oxide 99 held by the shell portion 101. As a result, metal oxide 99 can stably receive the reduction promoting temperature from core 92.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a condenser 9 according to a sixth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a view taken along the line BB of FIG. 7 and 8, the hydrogen gas removing device 103 is provided at two places. The hydrogen gas removing device 103 is disposed so that the shell portion 104 surrounds the pipe 95 constituting a part of the pipe of the cooling water, in other words, the pipe 95 penetrates the shell portion 104. In the sixth embodiment, in addition to the temperature of the introduced refrigerant vapor, the shell part 101 and the shell part 101 of the hydrogen gas removal device 100 are held by the heat transmitted from the core 92, the temperature of which is increased by the refrigerant vapor, to the pipe 95. Metal oxide 99 is kept at an appropriate temperature.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a condenser 9 according to the seventh embodiment. In each of the above embodiments, the hydrogen gas removing device is installed inside the condenser 9. In other words, the hydrogen gas removing device is arranged in the space in which the core and the cooling water pipe are housed in close proximity to or close to the core and the cooling water pipe. On the other hand, in the seventh embodiment, the chamber in which the hydrogen gas removing device is installed is provided separately from the space in which the core and the cooling water pipe are installed. As shown in FIG. 9, the hydrogen gas removing device 93 includes a core 92 and a wall 10.
8 are separated. The wall 108 is open at the lower part, and the inside of the condenser 9 and the chamber 109 provided with the hydrogen gas removing device 93 are communicated through the opening. The hydrogen gas accumulated inside the condenser 9 flows into the chamber 109 through the lower opening of the wall 108,
To contact the metal oxide 99 of the hydrogen gas removing device 93.

The following experimental results support that a vigorous reduction reaction can be expected by placing the metal oxide 99 in an atmosphere at least near the condensation temperature of the refrigerant vapor using the vapor temperature of the condenser 9. FIG. 12 is a characteristic diagram showing the result of investigation of the relationship between the heating temperature of metal oxide and the amount of reduced hydrogen. As can be seen in the figure, when the heating temperature of the metal oxide is in the range of about 40 to
mol / g or more of reduced hydrogen is obtained, and the amount is about 80
The peak is shown at ° C. As already mentioned, TFE
Since the example of the condensation temperature is about 53 ° C., it is understood that a sufficient hydrogen removing effect by the reduction reaction can be obtained by maintaining the metal oxide at least at the condensation temperature or higher.

In the above-described embodiment, the tube 96 or the shell portion 101 is filled with the powdery or granular metal oxide 99, or the metal oxide is wrapped in a mesh, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a metal oxide layer may be formed on the outer periphery of the tube 96 or the shell 101 by sintering or the like, and a hydrogen gas may be brought into contact with this layer. In this case, the filter 98 and the filter 102 are unnecessary, and the tube 96 and the shell 101 may be replaced with a solid rod or plate.

The shape of the surface of the rod or plate on which the metal oxide layer is formed may be a surface having corrugations or irregularities in order to increase the surface area. Further, the metal oxide may be a simple substance listed above, or a substance having a catalytic action for accelerating the reaction between the metal oxide and hydrogen gas, for example, palladium or its compound (PdCl2), platinum or its compound, or the like. A small amount of additives may be mixed.

As described above, in the absorption refrigerator of the present embodiment, during operation, the hydrogen gas accumulated in the condenser 9 comes into contact with the metal oxide 99 in the hydrogen gas removing device, and water is generated by the reduction reaction. Is done. As a result, the hydrogen gas is removed. This reduction reaction is promoted by the vapor temperature of the refrigerant vapor flowing from the rectifier.

[0048]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, the reducing section made of metal oxide is heated to a temperature close to or higher than the condensation temperature of the refrigerant. Hydrogen is removed by a sufficient reduction reaction to produce water. Therefore, since the degree of vacuum in the refrigerant passage does not decrease, high operation efficiency can be maintained, and the generated water is not discharged out of the apparatus. For example, the water content of the refrigerant mixed with water is appropriately maintained. be able to.

In particular, according to the second to eighth aspects of the present invention, since the reducing section is provided in the condenser or in close contact with the condenser, the reducing section provided outside the condenser is connected by a pipe. A special sealing structure is not required as compared with the above, and the temperature of the refrigerant vapor introduced into the condenser can be utilized for the reduction reaction to heat the reduction section to a sufficient temperature. In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, care is taken to prevent the wetting of the metal oxide in the reducing portion by the refrigerant vapor. Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the reaction efficiency can be increased by the high-temperature refrigerant vapor.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6,
The reduced portion can be formed by a simple configuration in which the metal oxide is simply wrapped in a mesh.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a condenser according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a condenser according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a condenser according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a condenser according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a condenser according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a main part configuration diagram of a condenser according to a sixth embodiment.

8 is a view taken in the direction of arrows BB in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a main part configuration diagram of a condenser according to a seventh embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a system diagram illustrating a configuration of an absorption-type cooling and heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of the temperature of each part in the condenser.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the relationship between the temperature of the reducing section and the amount of reduced hydrogen.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 evaporator, 2 absorber, 3 regenerator, 6 rectifier, 9 condenser, 14 sensible heat exchanger, 15 indoor unit, 19 fan, 20 housing, 91 casing , 92: core, 93, 100: hydrogen gas removing device, 94: refrigerant receiving port, 95: cooling water pipe, 96:
Tube, 97: Cap, 98, 102: Filter, 99: Metal oxide, 109: Chamber

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] October 20, 2000 (2000.10.
20)

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claim 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An evaporator containing a refrigerant, an absorber for absorbing refrigerant vapor generated in the evaporator with an absorbent solution, and heating the absorbent solution to recover the absorbent concentration of the solution. Absorption refrigeration apparatus having a regenerator for extracting refrigerant vapor by heating and a condenser for condensing refrigerant vapor extracted by the regenerator and supplying the condensed refrigerant vapor to the evaporator. A reducing unit mainly composed of a metal oxide that acts on hydrogen gas to generate a reduction reaction by causing the reducing unit to have a temperature at least equal to or higher than a condensing temperature of the refrigerant. Absorption refrigeration equipment. 2. The absorption apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the reduction unit is provided in a chamber having an outer wall common to the condenser, and the condenser and the chamber are fluidly connected to each other. Type refrigeration equipment. 3. The absorption refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said reduction section is provided in said condenser. A mouth is provided, 4. The casing of the condenser is provided with a receiving port for receiving refrigerant vapor from the regenerator, and the reducing section is provided on a surface of the casing provided with the receiving port in the condenser. 2. The absorption refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigeration apparatus is provided near an opposing surface. 5. A casing of the condenser is provided with a receiving port for receiving refrigerant vapor from the regenerator, and the reducing section is provided in proximity to a surface of the casing provided with the receiving port. 2. The absorption refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: 6. The absorption refrigeration apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the reduction section is made of a mesh and a metal oxide wrapped by the mesh.