JP2006022984A - Gas leak detecting method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a person to regularly stably recognize leak of refrigerant in a gas leak detection method for detecting leak of refrigerant in an air conditioner. <P>SOLUTION: The air conditioner is adapted to mutually connect a compressor 10, a radiator 20, an expansion valve 30, an evaporator 40, an accumulator 50 and the like through various pipes 60 such as tubes or pipes to carry the refrigerant in the pipes 60. In the leak detection method for detecting the leak of refrigerant in this air conditioner, an odorous gas selected from, for example, mercaptan and ammonia is added to the refrigerant, whereby the leak is detected by the odor of the odorous gas. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a gas leakage detection method for detecting leakage of refrigerant in an air conditioner.

  In recent years, in order to prevent global warming, it has been proposed to use carbon dioxide having a small global warming potential as a refrigerant of an air conditioner (air conditioner, air conditioner).

  For example, it has been proposed to use carbon dioxide gas as a refrigerant in a so-called car air conditioner for automobiles. However, it is known that if carbon dioxide leaks into the passenger compartment and has a high concentration, the human body undergoes a perceptual change. Therefore, it is desired to detect leaked carbon dioxide.

For this reason, Patent Document 1 proposes a gas sensor as a detection sensor for detecting carbon dioxide.
JP 2001-281213 A

  However, in the detection method using the gas sensor as described above, a power source for driving the sensor is necessary to perform detection.

  Therefore, for example, if the engine is started and power is supplied to the sensor when it is in a sealed space such as a vehicle interior for a long time, power is supplied to the sensor when the engine is stopped. Since it is not supplied, even if a gas leak occurs, it cannot be detected by the passenger.

  Further, in the sensor as described in Patent Document 1, since a chemical reaction of a solid electrolyte is used for gas detection, when the sensor is used for a long time, an offset change of the sensor output is caused by deterioration of the solid electrolyte. There is a concern that it may malfunction due to usage environment conditions. That is, in the gas leak detection method using the conventional sensor, the gas leak detection is always stably performed, and it is difficult for a human to recognize the gas leak.

  Such a problem is not limited to the case where carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant for an air conditioner, but is common in the case where gas leak detection is performed by a gas sensor even when a conventional general refrigerant such as Freon is used. It can be considered as a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a gas leak detection method for detecting a refrigerant leak in an air conditioner so that a human can recognize the refrigerant leak stably at all times. .

  As a result of intensive investigations to achieve the above-mentioned object, it is noted that the refrigerant of the air conditioner is tasteless and odorless, and if this tasteless and odorless refrigerant is smelled, when this refrigerant leaks, humans have it I thought that leaks could be recognized by smell. The present invention has been made based on such knowledge.

  That is, the invention according to claim 1 is a leak detection method for detecting a refrigerant leak of an air conditioner, and when the refrigerant leaks by adding the odor gas to the refrigerant, It is characterized by detecting leaks by smell.

  According to this, since odor is added to the refrigerant by adding odor gas to the refrigerant, when the refrigerant leaks, a human can recognize the leak. Therefore, a human can recognize a gas leak regardless of whether or not power is supplied as in the past.

  Therefore, according to the present invention, in the gas leak detection method for detecting the refrigerant leak of the air conditioner, a human can always recognize the refrigerant leak stably.

  Here, as in the invention described in claim 2, in the gas leak detection method described in claim 1, a gas selected from mercaptans and ammonia can be used as the odor gas.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the gas leak detection method according to the first or second aspect, the air conditioner is an air conditioner for an automobile.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, for example, the gas leak detection method of the present invention will be described as being applied to a gas leak detection method for detecting refrigerant leak in an automobile air conditioner.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a so-called car air conditioner for automobiles according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a compressor 10 sucks, compresses, and discharges a refrigerant such as carbon dioxide and chlorofluorocarbon in a refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner.

  Here, the refrigeration cycle of the present embodiment will be described. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase refrigerant discharged from the compressor 10 flows into the radiator 20, where it radiates heat to the outside air, that is, is cooled by the outside air.

  The refrigerant radiated by the radiator 20 is depressurized to a low pressure by the expansion valve 30 (decompression unit), enters a gas-liquid two-phase state, and then flows into the evaporator 40, where it absorbs heat from the conditioned air into the passenger compartment. Evaporate.

  The evaporated refrigerant flows into the accumulator 50 where it is separated into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant. The liquid-phase refrigerant is stored in the accumulator 50 as surplus refrigerant, and the gas-phase refrigerant is supplied to the suction side of the compressor 10.

  With such a refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant absorbs heat (cools the conditioned air) from the conditioned air into the passenger compartment by the evaporator 40. A heater (not shown) for heating the conditioned air is disposed on the downstream side of the conditioned air flow of the evaporator 40, and the temperature of the conditioned air is adjusted together with the evaporator 40.

  In such an air conditioner, the compressor 10, the radiator 20, the expansion valve 30, the evaporator 40, and the accumulator 50 are connected to each other by various pipes 60 such as tubes and pipes. Refrigerant flows.

  In an automotive air conditioner that uses carbon dioxide gas or the like as a refrigerant, when a minute leak location occurs in the piping system, the refrigerant gas leaks into the passenger compartment, and when the passenger is in the passenger compartment, It affects perceptual changes. For example, the refrigerant leaks due to the damage of the pipe 60 or the looseness of the connection part of the pipe 60.

  Here, in this embodiment, odor gas is added to the refrigerant. As this odor gas, it is preferable to apply a gas that is easily volatilized, can be detected by a small amount of olfaction, and has little influence on the human body.

  Specifically, for example, mercaptans and ammonia are used as the odor gas. The amount of addition is not particularly limited. For example, several ppm of odor gas is added to the refrigerant gas.

  The addition of the odor gas to the refrigerant can be easily performed by a method of mixing the refrigerant and the odor gas using a gas cylinder and filling the mixed gas into the air conditioner.

  According to the present embodiment, the refrigerant gas leaks into the vehicle compartment when the engine is stopped, such as during parking, and the odor gas leaks into the vehicle compartment simultaneously with the refrigerant gas. Therefore, when there is an occupant in the passenger compartment, or when there is no occupant and the passenger enters the passenger compartment, the smell of the odor gas is recognized by the olfactory sense of the occupant without starting the engine. Can be detected.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, there is provided a leakage detection method for detecting leakage of refrigerant in an air conditioner, and when the refrigerant leaks by adding odor gas to the refrigerant, There is provided a gas leakage detection method characterized by detecting leakage by smell.

  According to this, as described above, by adding an odor gas to the refrigerant, the refrigerant is smelled, so that when the refrigerant leaks, a human can recognize the leak by its olfaction. Therefore, a human can recognize a gas leak regardless of whether or not power is supplied as in the past.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, in the gas leak detection method for detecting the refrigerant leak of the air conditioner, a human can always recognize the refrigerant leak stably.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the gas leak detection method of the present invention has been described as being applied to a gas leak detection method for detecting refrigerant leak in an automotive air conditioner. However, the present detection method is limited to this. However, it is apparent that the present invention can be applied to any air conditioner using a refrigerant, such as a consumer air conditioner.

It is a figure showing the typical composition of the air-conditioner for vehicles concerning the embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Compressor, 20 ... Radiator, 30 ... Expansion valve, 40 ... Evaporator,
50 ... Accumulator, 60 ... Piping.

Claims (3)

A leakage detection method for detecting leakage of refrigerant in an air conditioner,
A gas leak detection method, comprising: adding an odor gas to the refrigerant to detect the leak by the odor of the odor gas when the refrigerant leaks. The gas leak detection method according to claim 1, wherein a gas selected from mercaptans and ammonia is used as the odor gas. The gas leak detection method according to claim 1, wherein the air conditioner is an air conditioner for an automobile.

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