JP2006097901A - Flow control valve, refrigeration air conditioner, and method of manufacturing flow control valve - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively reduce refrigerant flow noise in passing a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and to secure reliability of a flow control valve for a long period by using a porous permeation material, in the flow control valve capable of improving temperature and humidity controllability of a refrigeration cycle. <P>SOLUTION: A valve seat 23 having an opening connected with one of two flow channels 21, 22 is fixed in a valve chest 26, and a valve element 24 operated in the valve chest 26 for opening and closing the opening comprises a through-flow channel penetrated in the valve element 24 for allowing the opening to be communicated with the other of two flow channels 21, 22. The porous permeable material 30 having a pore diameter of 100 micrometer or more, is mounted in the valve element 24 to allow the fluid flowing in the through-flow channel to pass therethrough. The fluid flowing between two flow channels 21, 22 is passed through the porous permeable material of the through-flow channel, thus its pressure is reduce, when the opening is closed by the valve element 24. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a flow rate control valve that controls the flow rate of a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle that uses the heat of condensation or evaporation of a circulating refrigerant, and more particularly to reduction of refrigerant flow noise. The present invention also relates to a refrigeration apparatus and an air conditioner using this flow control valve.

  In a conventional air conditioner, a variable capacity compressor such as an inverter is used to cope with fluctuations in the air conditioning load, and the rotational frequency of the compressor is controlled according to the size of the air conditioning load. However, when the compressor rotation is reduced during cooling operation, the evaporation temperature also rises, and the dehumidifying ability in the evaporator decreases, or the evaporation temperature rises above the indoor dew point temperature, which makes it impossible to dehumidify. .

  The following air conditioner has been devised as means for improving the dehumidifying capacity during the cooling and low capacity operation. FIG. 25 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a conventional air conditioner described in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 61-43631. In the figure, 1 is a compressor, 3 is an outdoor heat exchanger, 4 is a first flow control valve, 5 is a first indoor heat exchanger, 6 is a second flow control valve, and 7 is a second indoor heat exchanger. These are sequentially connected by piping to constitute a refrigeration cycle.

  Next, the operation of the conventional air conditioner will be described. In normal cooling operation, the refrigerant leaving the compressor 1 is condensed and liquefied by the outdoor heat exchanger 3, depressurized by the first flow control valve 4, the second indoor heat exchanger 5, the second flow control valve 6, and the second flow control valve 6. 2 Return to the compressor 1 through the indoor heat exchanger 7. At this time, the second flow rate control valve 6 is in a fully opened state, the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 are operated as an evaporator, and a cooling operation is performed using the heat of evaporation.

  On the other hand, during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the first flow rate control valve 4 is fully opened, the refrigerant flow rate is reduced by controlling the refrigerant flow rate with the second flow rate control valve 6, and the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is reconstituted. The heater and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 are operated as an evaporator, and the room air is heated by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and cooled and dehumidified by the second indoor heat exchanger 7, so that the room temperature is lowered. A small dehumidifying operation is possible.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-43631

  In the air conditioner configured as described above, when a flow control valve that constitutes a throttle portion that decompresses the refrigerant only by the orifice is used as the second flow control valve installed in the indoor unit, the refrigerant passes through the orifice. A refrigerant flow noise is generated when This refrigerant flow noise is an audible sensation such as “Jurujuru”, “Bokoboko”, “Sher”, and has been a factor that deteriorates the indoor environment. In particular, during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the refrigerant at the inlet of the second flow control valve is in a gas-liquid two-phase state, and there is a problem that the refrigerant flow noise increases.

  As countermeasures for reducing the refrigerant flow noise in the second flow control valve during the dehumidifying operation, there is a method in which a small hole is provided in the main valve body in the flow control valve disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-91778, or There is one in which a spiral flow path portion is provided downstream of a flow control valve disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-120105. However, all of these measures for reducing the refrigerant flow noise are not effective even if a spiral flow path is added because the throttle portion is composed only of a small hole or an orifice. In the case of the liquid two-phase state, there is a problem in that the refrigerant flow sound with discontinuous hearing becomes loud. In addition, in order to reduce the refrigerant flow noise, additional measures such as providing a sound insulation material and vibration damping material were required on the flow control valve body, but this additional measure increased costs and increased installation space Therefore, there is a problem that the indoor unit becomes large and the recyclability at the time of product recovery deteriorates.

  Furthermore, it is possible to reduce the refrigerant flow noise to some extent by controlling the rotational speed of the compressor during the dehumidifying operation to be small and reducing the refrigerant flow rate, but as a result, the refrigerant flow rate during the dehumidifying operation is limited. Therefore, the dehumidifying ability cannot be freely controlled, and there is a problem that the room temperature and humidity cannot always be kept constant.

  Further, as a prior art for solving the above problem, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 1-152176 and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-141778 have a breathable porous body fitted in the flow path of the electromagnetic valve, and the outflow of fluid. There is a publication that tries to suppress the generation of scratching noise. However, from the description of this electromagnetic valve, it is not clear what is concrete about the structure such as the diameter of the air holes of the air permeable porous body and the mechanism of the air permeable porous body acting in suppressing the scratching sound. Also, in the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner, metal particles such as iron and copper and solid foreign matter such as sludge, which is a deteriorated product of refrigeration oil, circulate together with the refrigerant. In such a case, these solid foreign substances are trapped and deposited on the air-permeable porous body, the flow resistance of the air-permeable porous body increases, the amount of reduced pressure during the dehumidifying operation changes, and the dehumidifying operation performance may deteriorate. Furthermore, as solid foreign matter accumulates in this air-permeable porous body, it is predicted that the flow of refrigerant will be blocked at this part and the operation of the air conditioner will be disabled, impairing long-term reliability. In the above prior art, it is not clear what is concrete, such as a configuration that achieves both suppression of oversqueezing noise by the air-permeable porous body and prevention of clogging by solid foreign matters.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and has high performance, that is, can improve the temperature and humidity controllability of the refrigeration cycle, can reduce refrigerant flow noise, and has long-term reliability. The purpose is to obtain a high flow control valve. In particular, a porous permeable material is provided in the flow path of the flow control valve, and the refrigerant permeable sound is effectively reduced by the porous permeable material, and accumulation of solid foreign matters such as sludge on the porous permeable material is prevented. The purpose is to obtain a flow control valve that can ensure stable flow control over a long period of time. It is another object of the present invention to provide a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus that can improve temperature and humidity controllability during cooling or heating operation by using this flow rate control valve, and can ensure long-term reliability with low noise. Moreover, it aims at obtaining the manufacturing method of the flow control valve which can reduce a refrigerant | coolant flow noise significantly.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a through-flow path that passes through the valve body and allows the other of the opening and the flow path to flow, and is provided in the valve body so that both liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant that flow through the through-flow path pass simultaneously. And a porous permeable material having an average diameter through which the refrigerant passes is larger than a diameter that allows most of the solid foreign matter that is contained in the refrigerant to pass therethrough, and flows between the two flow paths when the opening is closed by the valve body The fluid is depressurized by passing through the porous permeable material in the through channel.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a bypass passage that is disposed outside the valve body or the valve seat in the valve chamber, and that allows the fluid flowing between the two flow paths to bypass the opening and to flow through the bypass passage And a porous permeable material provided in the valve chamber so that the fluid passes, and when the opening is closed by the valve body, the fluid flowing through the bypass channel is reduced in pressure by passing through the porous permeable material.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a through-flow path that passes through the valve body and that can flow through the opening and the other of the two flow paths, and that both liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant that flow through the through-flow path pass simultaneously. The first porous permeable material through which the refrigerant passes, and the average diameter through which the refrigerant passes and the two passages are provided in the valve chamber are larger than the diameter through which most of the solid foreign substances contained in the refrigerant pass. The second porous permeation material.

  In the flow control valve according to claim 4 of the present invention, the diameter of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant flows is substantially uniform or has a plurality of different size diameters.

  The flow control valve according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises an orifice provided in the vicinity of the porous permeable material, and the average diameter through which the refrigerant of the porous permeable material flows is equal to or less than the hole diameter of the orifice of the vapor refrigerant or liquid refrigerant. It is below the diameter divided into.

  In the flow control valve according to claim 6 of the present invention, the area into which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path of the porous permeable material through which the fluid flows in one direction is larger than the area from which the refrigerant on the downstream side flows out. It was made to become.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve having a shape of a surface into which an upstream fluid flows in a flow path of a porous permeable material in which a fluid flows in one direction and a shape of a surface from which a downstream fluid flows out. It has a different shape.

  The flow control valve according to claim 8 of the present invention is such that different diameters through which the refrigerant of the porous permeable material passes are arranged in series with the flow path.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the flow control valve according to the ninth aspect of the present invention has a diameter through which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path of the porous permeable material passes larger than a diameter through which the refrigerant on the downstream side passes.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the flow control valve includes a relief mechanism that reduces the pressure difference when the pressure difference between the first flow path and the second flow path exceeds a predetermined value. .

  In a flow control valve according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, the porous permeable material is made of a foam metal.

  In a flow control valve according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, the porous permeable material has a diameter through which a fluid having an average of 100 micrometers or more passes.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a first flow control valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, a second flow control valve, and a second indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected. A refrigeration cycle is provided, and the second flow control valve is the flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus comprising: a strainer that is disposed in a flow path of a refrigeration cycle and removes solid foreign substances flowing in the flow path; The average diameter of the material is not less than the average diameter through which the strainer refrigerant passes.

  In the refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 15 of the present invention, as the refrigerant for the refrigeration cycle, a refrigerant having a saturation pressure difference of 1.0 MPa or more when the condensation temperature is 40 ° C. and the evaporation temperature is 10 ° C. It is.

  In the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 16 of the present invention, the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle is a combustible refrigerant.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve manufacturing method comprising: a first through hole having a diameter similar to that of the first and second flow paths connected to the valve chamber, which passes between the cylindrical bottom surfaces; A step of forming a diameter seat block having a second through-hole having a smaller diameter than the through-hole, through which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path provided in the valve chamber passes, and the second through-hole except for the first through-hole A step of fixing a porous permeable material to at least one of the bottom portions of the valve seat block so as to cover the through hole, and a step of inserting a valve seat block to which the porous permeable material is fixed in the valve chamber, The fluid that flows in from the first flow path when the first through hole is closed has a configuration that can flow through the second through hole and the porous permeable material to the second flow path.

  In the manufacturing method of the flow rate control valve according to claim 18 of the present invention, the first through hole penetrates the bottom surface portion at substantially the center of the bottom surface portion, and the second through hole is a bottom surface portion around the first through hole. The valve seat block is formed so as to pass through.

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a through-flow path that passes through the valve body and allows the other of the opening and the flow path to flow, and is provided in the valve body so that both liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant that flow through the through-flow path pass simultaneously. And a porous permeable material having an average diameter through which the refrigerant passes is larger than a diameter that allows most of the solid foreign matter that is contained in the refrigerant to pass therethrough, and flows between the two flow paths when the opening is closed by the valve body Since the fluid is reduced in pressure by passing through the porous permeation material in the through channel, a highly reliable device with good performance can be obtained.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a bypass passage that is disposed outside the valve body or the valve seat in the valve chamber, and that allows the fluid flowing between the two flow paths to bypass the opening and to flow through the bypass passage A porous permeable material provided in the valve chamber so that fluid can pass through, and when the opening is closed by the valve body, the fluid flowing through the bypass channel is reduced in pressure by passing through the porous permeable material. A long and high performance device can be obtained.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve having a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; A valve body that opens and closes the valve body, a through-flow path that passes through the valve body and that can flow through the opening and the other of the two flow paths, and that both liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant that flow through the through-flow path pass simultaneously. The first porous permeable material through which the refrigerant passes, and the average diameter through which the refrigerant passes and the two passages are provided in the valve chamber are larger than the diameter through which most of the solid foreign substances contained in the refrigerant pass. Thus, an apparatus capable of stable operation with a long life and good performance can be obtained.

  The flow control valve according to claim 4 of the present invention can be used for any type of material regardless of the size and shape because the diameter of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant flows is substantially uniform or has a plurality of different size diameters. A flexible flow control valve is possible.

  The flow control valve according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises an orifice provided in the vicinity of the porous permeable material, and the average diameter through which the refrigerant of the porous permeable material flows is equal to or less than the hole diameter of the orifice of the vapor refrigerant or liquid refrigerant. Since the diameter is equal to or smaller than the diameter, noise can be reliably reduced.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve having an area in which the upstream refrigerant flows in the flow path of the porous permeable material in which the fluid flows in one direction, and an area larger than an area in which the downstream refrigerant flows out. As a result, a highly reliable device effective in measures against clogging of foreign matters can be obtained.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow control valve having a shape of a surface into which a fluid on the upstream side of a flow path of a porous permeable material through which a fluid flows in one direction and a shape of a surface from which a fluid on the downstream side flows out. Since they have different shapes, it is possible to obtain an easy-to-use device capable of forming a flexible shape with a device effective for countermeasures against clogging of foreign substances.

  Since the flow control valve according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is arranged so that different diameters through which the refrigerant of the porous permeable material passes are arranged in series with the flow path, it can be applied to a wide range of applications and can surely take measures against foreign matters.

  In the flow rate control valve according to claim 9 of the present invention, the diameter through which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path of the porous permeable material passes is larger than the diameter through which the refrigerant on the downstream side passes. can get.

  Since the flow control valve according to the tenth aspect of the present invention includes the relief mechanism for reducing the pressure difference when the pressure difference between the first flow path and the second flow path becomes a predetermined value or more, 1. Even if solid foreign matters such as sludge are accumulated in the valve, a highly reliable flow rate control valve can be obtained without changing the dehumidifying capacity or increasing the electric input required for the dehumidifying operation.

  In the flow control valve according to the eleventh aspect of the present invention, since the porous permeable material is made of foam metal, a low-cost and high-performance apparatus can be obtained.

  In the flow control valve according to the twelfth aspect of the present invention, since the porous permeable material has a diameter through which a fluid having an average of 100 micrometers or more can pass, matching with the refrigeration cycle circuit components and a highly reliable refrigeration cycle can be achieved. A device is made possible.

  According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a first flow control valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, a second flow control valve, and a second indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected. Since the refrigeration cycle is provided and the second flow control valve is the flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 12, a refrigeration air conditioner having high reliability and good performance can be obtained.

  According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus comprising a strainer that is disposed in a flow path of a refrigeration cycle and removes solid foreign substances flowing in the flow path, and through which the refrigerant of the second flow control valve passes. Since the average diameter of the material is about the same as or more than the average diameter through which the strainer refrigerant passes, a refrigeration and air-conditioning apparatus that has a long life and can be stably operated is obtained even if the apparatus generates a large amount of foreign matter.

  In the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 15 of the present invention, a refrigerant having a saturation pressure difference of 1.0 MPa or more when the condensation temperature is 40 ° C. and the evaporation temperature is 10 ° C. is used as the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle. Thus, a refrigeration air conditioner with stable characteristics and good performance can be obtained.

  In the flow control valve according to the sixteenth aspect of the present invention, since the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle is a combustible refrigerant, the reliability is very good.

  According to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flow rate control valve manufacturing method comprising: a first through-hole having a diameter similar to that of the first and second flow paths to which the valve chamber is connected; A step of forming a diameter seat block having a second through-hole having a smaller diameter than the through-hole, through which a refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path provided in the valve chamber passes, and the second through-hole except for the first through-hole A step of fixing the porous permeable material to at least one of the bottom portions of the valve seat block so as to cover the through hole, and a step of inserting the valve seat block to which the porous permeable material is fixed into the valve chamber, Since the fluid flowing in from the first flow path when the first through hole is closed flows through the second through hole and the porous permeable material to the second flow path, the refrigerant flow noise is greatly increased. A flow control valve that can be reduced to a low level can be manufactured relatively inexpensively without increasing the number of steps.

  In the manufacturing method of the flow rate control valve according to claim 18 of the present invention, the first through hole penetrates the bottom surface portion at substantially the center of the bottom surface portion, and the second through hole is a bottom surface portion around the first through hole. Since the valve seat block is formed so as to pass through, the refrigerant flow noise can be reduced, and a highly reliable flow rate control valve against clogging of foreign matters into the porous permeable material can be manufactured at a relatively low cost without increasing the number of steps. .

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing an air conditioner as an example of a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An air conditioner performs indoor cooling or heating using the heat of condensation or evaporation of refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle. In the figure, 1 is a compressor, 2 is a flow path switching means for switching the flow of refrigerant in cooling operation and heating operation, for example, a four-way valve, 3 is an outdoor heat exchanger, 43 is a first strainer, and 4 is a first flow control valve. For example, an electric expansion valve, 44 is a second strainer, 5 is a first indoor heat exchanger, 6 is a second flow control valve, 7 is a second indoor heat exchanger, 45 is a third strainer, and these are pipes Are sequentially connected to form a refrigeration cycle.

  Further, the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the first strainer, the first flow control valve 4, the second strainer and the third strainer constitute the outdoor unit 11, and the first indoor heat exchanger 5, The second indoor heat exchanger 7 and the second flow control valve 6 constitute an indoor unit 12. Next, an example of a general strainer, that is, a strainer that captures foreign matters provided in a refrigeration cycle through which a refrigerant flows will be described. FIG. 16 shows an outline of the second strainer 43. The second strainer 43 is installed in a pipe part of an outdoor heat exchanger by, for example, forming a metal mesh called 150 mesh to 100 mesh into a cage shape, and press-fitting a terminal fixed to a metal ring into the pipe. Yes. This 150 mesh is one in which 150 fine lines are arranged at equal intervals per inch, and the diameter of the fine lines is about 70 micrometers, and the distance between the fine lines is about 100 micrometers. . This is installed for the purpose of preventing foreign matter from flowing into the first flow control valve 4 during cooling operation. The second strainer 44 is a service valve that connects an outdoor unit and an extension pipe, and a wire net called 150 mesh to 100 mesh is molded into a cage shape, and a terminal fixed to a metal ring is installed in the valve. This is installed for the purpose of preventing foreign matter from flowing into the second flow control valve 6 during heating operation. The third strainer 45 is formed by molding a wire net called 150 mesh to 100 mesh into a cage shape into a compressor suction pipe, and press-fitting an object with a terminal fixed to a metal ring into the upper part of the demister in the muffler container. Yes. This is installed for the purpose of preventing foreign matter from flowing into the compressor. For example, R410A, which is a mixed refrigerant of R32 and R125, is used as the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle.

  FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the second flow rate control valve 6 according to this embodiment, and is used as the second flow rate control valve 6 in the refrigeration cycle shown in FIG. 2 (a) and 2 (b) show the operating state. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 21 denotes a first flow path, which is connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 5. Reference numeral 22 denotes a second flow path, which is connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 7. Reference numeral 23 denotes a valve seat provided in an opening connected to the second flow path 22, and here, is configured integrally with the second flow control valve 6 main body. 24 is a valve body that slides up and down along the inner surface of the main body of the flow path control valve 6, 25 is an electromagnetic coil that operates the valve body 24, 26 is two flow paths, and the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22. The valve seat 23 is fixedly installed in the valve chamber 26. Reference numeral 27 denotes a spring.

  Based on a command from a control unit (not shown), the electromagnetic coil 25 is turned on and off to operate the valve body 24 up and down to open and close the opening of the valve seat 23 and open and close the second flow control valve 6. To do. A hollow portion 29 is provided inside the valve body 24, and a communication hole 28 is provided on a side surface of the valve body 24, and a through flow path is formed inside the valve body 24 by the communication hole 28 and the cavity portion 29. Is done. Further, a cylindrical porous permeable material 30 is provided in the hollow portion 29 of the through flow passage inside the valve body 24 so as to close the flow passage, and the refrigerant flowing inside the valve body 24 causes the porous permeable material 30 to flow. It is configured to be depressurized when passing. The porous permeating material 30 has, for example, an average diameter of air holes (pores inside the porous body through which fluid can permeate) of 100 micrometers and a porosity (ratio of the gap volume inside the foam metal to the outer diameter volume). Of 97% foam metal. The foam metal is obtained by, for example, applying metal powder such as Ni (nickel) or alloy powder to urethane foam and then heat-treating the urethane foam to form a three-dimensional lattice. In order to increase the strength, Cr (chromium) plating treatment or the like may be performed. The porous permeation material may be any metal other than foam metal as long as a mesh for passing the refrigerant is present, but chemical stability with respect to the refrigerant is necessary, and brazing is performed in valve manufacturing. Since heat resistance is necessary, use metal.

  In the second flow control valve 6 shown in FIG. 2, by deenergizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the valve body 24 is operated upward by the spring force of the spring 27, and the valve body 24 is pulled away from the valve seat 23. At this time, the opening connected to the second flow path 22 is opened, and the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22 are communicated with almost no pressure loss, as shown in FIG. Further, since the electromagnetic force is larger than the spring force by energizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the valve body 24 is operated downward and the valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the valve seat 23. At this time, the opening is closed, and as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the first flow path 21 and the second flow path pass through the through flow path provided in the valve body 24 and through the vent hole of the foam metal 30. 22 is connected. The refrigerant that has flowed into the valve chamber 26 from the first flow path flows into the through flow path in the valve body 24 through the communication hole 28. Then, when passing through the foam metal 30, the pressure is reduced by the vent of the foam metal 30 and flows out from the opening to the second flow path 22.

  Next, the operation | movement at the time of the cooling operation of the air conditioning apparatus by this embodiment is demonstrated. In FIG. 1, the flow of the refrigerant during cooling is indicated by solid line arrows. The cooling operation is a normal cooling operation that corresponds to the case where the air conditioning sensible heat load and the latent heat load of the room are both large at the time of start-up and summer, and the sensible heat load is small although the air conditioning latent heat load is small as in the intermediate period and the rainy season. It is divided into cooling and dehumidifying operation corresponding to a large case. In the normal cooling operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 of the second flow control valve 6 is in a non-energized state. At this time, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor exiting the compressor 1 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 through the four-way valve 2, and is condensed and liquefied by exchanging heat with the outside air. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the first flow control valve 4 and becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and the sensible heat and latent heat of the indoor air are obtained by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7. Take away and evaporate. In the second flow rate control valve 6, since the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22 are connected with a large opening area as shown in FIG. 2A, the refrigerant pressure loss when passing through this valve is There is almost no decrease in cooling capacity and efficiency due to pressure loss. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has exited the second indoor heat exchanger 7 returns to the compressor 1 again through the four-way valve 2. The opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 during the normal cooling operation is controlled such that the degree of superheat of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 becomes 5 ° C., for example.

  Next, the operation during the cooling and dehumidifying operation will be described. During this dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 of the second flow control valve 6 is energized, and the valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. The outlet of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 that is the first flow path 21 and the inlet of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 that is the second flow path 22 are connected via a path. At this time, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor exiting the compressor 1 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 through the four-way valve 2, and is condensed by exchanging heat with the outside air. This high-pressure liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is slightly depressurized by the first flow control valve 4 and flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 as an intermediate-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The refrigerant flowing into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is further condensed by exchanging heat with room air. The intermediate-pressure liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has exited the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the second flow control valve 6. In the second flow rate control valve 6, as shown in FIG. 2B, the valve body 24 is in close contact with the valve seat 23, so that the refrigerant flowing into the valve chamber 26 communicates with the side surface of the valve body 24. It flows from the hole 28 into the cavity 29 inside the valve body 24. Further, the air flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 through the vent hole of the metal foam 30 provided in the hollow portion 29. The pore diameter of the metal foam 30 is smaller than 1000 micrometers and 100 micrometers or more. Here, for example, the pore diameter is 100 micrometers, which is about the same as the mesh of the strainer, and the void ratio is 97%. Is reduced in pressure by the metal foam 30 which is the throttle means, becomes a low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7. The refrigerant flowing into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 takes away sensible heat and latent heat of the room air and evaporates. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has exited the second indoor heat exchanger 7 returns to the compressor 1 again through the four-way valve 2. The room air is heated by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and cooled and dehumidified by the second indoor heat exchanger 7, so that the room air can be dehumidified while preventing the room temperature from lowering.

  In this cooling and dehumidifying operation, the first indoor heat exchanger is controlled by adjusting the rotational frequency of the compressor 1 and the fan rotational speed of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to control the heat exchange amount of the outdoor heat exchanger 3. By controlling the heating amount of the indoor air by 5, the blowing temperature can be controlled in a wide range. In addition, the amount of heating of the indoor air by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled by controlling the condensation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 by adjusting the opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 and the rotational speed of the indoor fan. It can also be controlled. Further, the opening degree of the second flow rate control valve 6 is controlled such that the degree of superheat of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 becomes 5 ° C., for example.

  In this invention, the second flow rate control valve 6 in which the foam metal 30 is provided inside the valve body 24 is disposed between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the foam metal 30 is cooled and dehumidified. Since it is used as a throttle means during operation, it is possible to significantly reduce refrigerant flow noise when liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the second flow control valve 6. In the case of foam metal, since the pore diameter is easy to align, explanation will be given for foam metal. If it exists, it is the same that a refrigerant | coolant flow noise is reduced significantly. FIGS. 18A and 18B show gas-liquid two-phase flow patterns in the conventional orifice and the foam metal throttle of the present invention, respectively. When the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the orifice-only throttling means 32 shown in (a), a large refrigerant flow noise is generated. In particular, it is known that a large refrigerant flow noise is generated when the flow mode of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is a slag flow. As a generation factor of the refrigerant flow noise, when the slag flow passes through the small hole 31 through which the refrigerant such as the orifice portion in the throttle means flows, the refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubbles larger than the small hole 31 are destroyed. Vibration occurs due to the collapse of the refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubbles, and the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant alternately pass through the small holes 31, so that the pressure loss generated when the refrigerant passes through the small holes 31 is large. It can be fluctuated. Further, a gas-liquid two-phase jet having a high speed and large turbulence is formed at the outlet of the orifice, and pressure fluctuation due to this gas-liquid two-phase jet is also a cause of generation of refrigerant flow noise. On the other hand, in the foam metal throttle of the present invention shown in FIG. 18 (b), even if the steam slag flows into the throttle part, the liquid refrigerant and the vapor refrigerant can pass through simultaneously, so the pressure generated due to the difference in flow resistance Since no fluctuation occurs, no noise is generated. Furthermore, since there are an infinite number of refrigerant outflow portions, large flow turbulence is not generated downstream of the throttle portion, so that the noise level of the refrigerant flow noise can be reduced.

  On the other hand, in the second flow rate control valve 6 according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant or the liquid refrigerant exiting the first indoor heat exchanger 5 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation is At the same time, the pressure is reduced and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7, so that there is almost no noise generation. This is because the vapor refrigerant and liquid refrigerant pass through the vent of the metal foam 30 at the same time, and there is no difference in flow resistance, so there is no significant fluctuation in pressure loss, and the refrigerant flow noise is greatly reduced, resulting in low noise. Environment can be realized. In particular, since the pore diameter of the air holes is 1000 micrometers or less, there are a large number of refrigerant flow paths, and the refrigerant vapor slag, the refrigerant bubbles and the liquid refrigerant are each decompressed. This eliminates the need for noise reduction means such as wrapping a sound insulation material or vibration damping material around the outer periphery of the valve, which can be reduced in cost, and improves the recyclability of the air conditioner.

  Note that the problem of the refrigerant flow noise caused by the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant described above is not limited to the air conditioner and is a general problem of a refrigeration cycle such as a refrigerator. The second flow rate in this embodiment The control valve 6 can be widely applied to a general refrigeration air conditioner using a refrigeration cycle, and the same effect can be obtained. That is, there is no generation of refrigerant flow noise and quiet dehumidification operation is possible, solid foreign matter circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle is not trapped and deposited in the foam metal, and the dehumidification capacity fluctuates, A long-term reliable refrigeration air conditioner can be obtained without increasing the electrical input required for the dehumidifying operation.

  The flow rate characteristics (relationship between the refrigerant flow rate and the pressure loss) of the second flow control valve 6 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation adjust the diameter of the vent hole of the foam metal 30 used for the valve body 24 and the flow path length through which the refrigerant passes. Can be adjusted. That is, the variation in the air holes may be increased or a uniform one may be pumped. In addition, when flowing a certain refrigerant flow rate with a small pressure loss, the vent hole of the foam metal 30 is increased to about 1000 micrometers, the diameter of the entire area through which the coolant of the foam metal 30 passes, or The length of the flow path that passes through the foam metal 30 may be shortened. Conversely, when a certain flow rate of refrigerant is caused to flow with a large pressure loss, the diameter of the vent hole of the metal foam 30 is made small so as to match the strainer in the refrigeration cycle, and most of the solid foreign substances flowing in the refrigeration cycle are allowed to pass through. The size may be increased, the diameter of the foam metal 30 that is the flow path may be reduced, or the length of the flow path that passes through the foam metal 30 may be increased. The diameter and flow path length of the vent hole of the foam metal 30 used for such a valve body 24 are optimally designed at the time of device design.

  In addition, what is necessary is just to form as follows as a method of fixing the metal foam 30 inside the valve body 24. FIG. For example, when the outer shape of the foam metal 30 is made slightly larger than the inner space diameter of the valve body 24 and the foam metal 30 is press-fitted into the valve body 24, the foam metal 30 can be reliably fixed inside the valve body 24. Furthermore, according to this method, the manufacturing cost of the valve can be reduced. Further, the fixing method of the foam metal 30 is not limited to press fitting, but the foam metal 30 may be fixed to the inside of the valve body 24 by brazing, high frequency welding or the like. Obviously, when a press-fitting method or the like is employed, a chemically stable ceramic may be used instead of a metal.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the metal foam 30 provided in the valve body 24 is used as the throttle means of the second flow rate control valve 6 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation. Even in the liquid two-phase state, bubble collapse and pressure fluctuation can be suppressed, generation of refrigerant flow noise can be reduced, and a low-noise indoor environment can be realized. It was confirmed by experiments that the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise by the foam metal 30 is more effective as the pore diameter of the foam metal is smaller. However, in the refrigeration cycle of the air conditioner, solid foreign matters such as metal powder such as iron and copper and sludge that is a deteriorated product of refrigeration oil circulate with the refrigerant. For this reason, if the pore diameter of the foam metal 30 is made too smaller than the strainer that captures these foreign substances, the solid foreign substances are trapped and deposited inside the pores of the foam metal 30 and the flow resistance of the foam metal 30 increases. there is a possibility. When the flow resistance of the metal foam 30 increases, the evaporation temperature of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation decreases, and the dehumidifying capacity changes. At this time, if the evaporation temperature falls to 0 ° C. or lower, the condensed water condensed on the surface of the heat exchanger will freeze. Further, when the air holes in the foam metal 30 are filled with metal powder or sludge, the flow rate of the refrigerant during the cooling and dehumidifying operation is greatly reduced, resulting in a decrease in dehumidifying capacity and an increase in electric input. Therefore, when selecting the specifications of the metal foam 30, the average diameter should be selected so that solid foreign matter such as metal powder or sludge circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle does not accumulate inside the metal foam, or even if it accumulates, the flow resistance change is small. It is necessary to consider.

  In the refrigeration cycle, filtration means commonly called strainers are installed in several places in order to capture solid foreign substances such as metal powder such as iron and copper circulating in the refrigeration cycle with refrigerant and sludge that is a deterioration product of refrigeration oil. Has been. In this strainer, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, fine lines are knitted in a mesh shape, and the average interval between the fine lines is about 100 micrometers. If the foam metal 30 having a pore size coarser than that of the strainer is used as the squeezing means, solid foreign matters larger than the strainer are captured by the strainer. That is, when the refrigeration cycle is provided with a filtering means having an average interval of fine lines of about 100 micrometers, if a foamed metal 30 having a pore diameter of 100 micrometers or more is used, solid foreign matters circulating in the refrigeration cycle can be prevented. It is possible to prevent the metal from flowing into the foam metal 30 and depositing inside the metal. Further, a solid foreign matter having a diameter smaller than that of the filtering means, that is, a solid foreign matter smaller than 100 micrometers passes through the filtering means and flows into the foamed metal 30. The diameter of the solid foreign matter is smaller than the pore diameter of the foamed metal 30. Therefore, it passes through the foam metal 30 without being captured by the foam metal 30. Therefore, by providing the foam metal 30 having a pore diameter of 100 micrometers or more in the throttle means inside the valve body 24, solid foreign matters such as metal powder and sludge circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle are accumulated inside the foam metal. And a highly reliable flow control valve and refrigeration air conditioner can be obtained.

  Moreover, the reliability by the foreign material clogging of a foam metal can be improved by making the porosity of a foam metal 50% or more. Since the strainer has a roughness of about 100 micrometers, only solid foreign substances having a diameter of 100 micrometers or less flow into the foam metal 30. Therefore, by setting the pore diameter of the foam metal 30 to an average of 100 micrometers or more, most of the solid foreign matters smaller than 100 micrometers that have passed through the strainer should pass through the pores of the foam metal 30. However, some of them may collide with the foam metal 30 and be deposited in the foam metal 30. In the case of a porous permeation material, a completely uniform pore diameter and shape are difficult, and because of a three-dimensional structure thick enough to subdivide the bubbles, when some solid foreign matter collides and accumulates in the foam metal 30, the portion The passage area is reduced, and solid foreign substances are further deposited on the area. In the present invention, the void volume in the foam metal 30 is increased by securing the porosity of the foam metal 30 to 50% or more in such a case. If the porosity of the foam metal 30 is ensured to be 50% or more, a large number of micro flow paths can be secured inside the foam metal 30, and in the unlikely event that some of the micro flow paths inside the foam metal 30 are caused by solid foreign matter. Even if closed, the flow resistance of the entire foam metal 30 is hardly changed, and stable flow rate control is possible.

  FIG. 3 is a result of examining the change in flow resistance of the foam metal when solid foreign substances are deposited and deposited inside the foam metal 30 by experiments. In this experiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a foam metal 30 having an outer diameter of 20 millimeters and a thickness of 2 millimeters is installed in a pipe 51 having an inner diameter of 20 millimeters, and JIS powder (two types of I) simulating solid foreign matters is installed. The mixed water is stored in a tank 52, circulated by a water pump 53, and the pressure difference before and after the foam metal 30 after a predetermined time has passed is measured by a differential pressure gauge 54. Note that the vertical axis in FIG. 3 indicates the increase rate (%) of the pressure difference of the foam metal after depositing and depositing solid foreign matter relative to the pressure difference of the foam metal before depositing and depositing solid foreign matter, and the horizontal axis is the porosity. (%). According to this result, when the porosity of the foam metal is 50% or more, the increase rate of the pressure difference due to the adhesion and deposition of solid foreign matters decreases rapidly. For this reason, by using a foam metal having a porosity of 50% or more, it is possible to avoid an increase in the pressure difference due to foreign matter clogging inside the foam metal, and to realize the highly reliable second flow rate control valve 6. Further, as can be seen from the results of FIG. 3, the increase in the pressure difference due to the adhesion and deposition of the solid foreign matter can be greatly reduced by setting the porosity to 70% or more. Therefore, the porosity is preferably 70%. By using the above foam metal, the reliability against foreign matter clogging can be greatly improved. Furthermore, it is best from FIG. 3 that the pressure difference due to the adhesion and deposition of solid foreign matters hardly increases when the porosity is 90% or more. For this reason, the reliability with respect to clogging of foreign substances can be reliably ensured by using a foam metal having a porosity of 90% or more.

  From the above experimental results, in the flow control valve shown in FIG. 2, a through passage is provided in the valve body 24, and the foam metal 30 is fixed in the through passage so as to operate as a throttle means during the dehumidifying operation. As a result, the generation of refrigerant flow noise can be reduced and quiet operation is possible. In particular, by setting the pore diameter of the foam metal 30 to 100 micrometers or more, which is the average interval of the fine lines of the filtering means provided in the refrigeration cycle, a metal such as iron or copper that circulates with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle A highly reliable flow control valve can be realized without trapping and depositing solid foreign matter such as sludge, which is a deteriorated product of powder and refrigerating machine oil, inside the foam metal 30. Furthermore, by setting the foam metal 30 to a porosity of 50% or more, even if solid foreign substances circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle are trapped and deposited inside the foam metal 30, the flow resistance change is reduced. And a flow control valve with high reliability can be obtained even in the long term.

Next, noise characteristics will be described. As shown in FIG. 22, a test flow control valve 67 whose throttle part is composed only of an orifice is installed in an anechoic box 64 with a background noise of 20 dB, and this valve has a saturation temperature of 40 ° C., a refrigerant dryness of 0. A gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant of 1 is supplied from a refrigeration cycle (not shown), and the outlet pressure is adjusted so that the saturation temperature is about 10 ° C., and the sound level meter 66 uses a microphone 65 installed at a position 10 cm from the valve. The refrigerant flow sound was measured using the pore size of the porous body as a parameter. The experimental results are shown in FIG. In FIG. 24, the horizontal axis represents the pore diameter, and the vertical axis represents the noise level. According to the experimental results, if the pore diameter is 1000 micrometers or less, the noise level is moderate and there is no problem. Moreover, if it is 600 micrometers or less, a noise level will become lower. The noise level decreases as the pore size decreases, but considering the adhesion and deposition of solid foreign matter, the pore size of the porous body is from 100 micrometers to 1000 micrometers or less, which is a pore diameter that achieves both noise reduction and high reliability. I can say that.

  Further, since the foam metal 30 is fixed inside the valve body 24, even if the valve body 24 and the valve seat 23 are brought into close contact with each other by electromagnetic force, the foam metal 30 is not deformed and the valve body 24 and the valve seat 23 are surely formed. And the leakage flow rate of the refrigerant from the valve seat 23 can be stably minimized. Furthermore, by using this low-noise and highly reliable flow control valve as the second flow control valve 6, it is possible to realize a refrigeration air conditioner that has high controllability of temperature and humidity, and that can improve reliability with low noise. In addition, it is possible to obtain a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus that can prevent fluctuations in the dehumidifying capacity and prevent an increase in electric input necessary for the dehumidifying operation.

  In the present invention shown in FIG. 2, the configuration example in which one columnar foam metal 30 is fixed inside the valve body 24 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two types of two different pore sizes are provided. Cylindrical metal foams 30a and 30b may be fixed inside the valve body 24 so as to be in series with the flow path, and may be used as a throttle means. In the flow control valve, a foam metal 30a having a pore diameter of 200 micrometers is provided on the upstream side, and a foam metal 30b having a pore diameter of 100 micrometers is provided on the downstream side. In this way, by making the pore diameter of the upstream foam metal 30a larger than the pore diameter of the downstream foam metal 30b, a solid foreign substance having a relatively large diameter is captured by the upstream foam metal 30a and has a relatively large diameter. Small solid foreign matters are captured by the foam metal 30b on the downstream side. As described above, the location where the solid foreign matter accumulates inside the foam metal 30 can be dispersed. Therefore, even if the solid foreign matter accumulates inside the foam metal 30, the flow resistance change of the foam metal 30 can be reduced. it can. In this case, one porous permeation material, for example, a metal wire more closely combined, may be separated upstream and may be denser downstream than the middle stream.

  In addition, the foam metal 30a and 30b can be decompressed without collapsing the bubbles in the same gas phase and liquid phase, whether or not they are in close contact with each other. Moreover, even if there is a space between the metal foams 30a and 30b, the same effect can be obtained. Further, the drawing means is not limited to the two foam metals 30a and 30b, and the squeezing means may be constituted by many different types of porous permeable materials.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the second flow control valve 6 according to the present invention. The shape of the upper part of the foam metal 30 which is a porous permeable material provided in the valve body 24 is conical. Yes. In this configuration, it is possible to increase the passage area on the upstream side of the foam metal through which the refrigerant flows, rather than using the columnar foam metal shown in FIG. For this reason, it is possible to disperse the places where solid foreign substances are deposited on the upstream side of the foam metal 30. Even if solid foreign matter accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal 30, the flow resistance change of the foam metal can be reduced, and a flow control valve with higher reliability against foreign matter clogging can be obtained. This configuration is not limited to making the surface shape of the upstream side of the foam metal conical, as long as the passage area on the upstream side of the foam metal provided in the throttle means can be increased. For example, even if it is composed of one or more corrugated surfaces, an inclined plane, a surface with a plurality of irregularities, or a part of a spherical surface, the passage area is more than a plane perpendicular to the flow path. Can be increased.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another second flow control valve 6 of the present invention, in which the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. To do. In this structure example, a first porous permeable material, for example, a first foam metal 30a having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95%, an orifice plate 32, and a second porous permeable material, for example, a pore diameter of 500 micrometers. A second foamed metal 30b having a thickness of 2 mm and a porosity of 95% is provided in the cavity 29 constituting the through flow passage in the valve body 24. In addition, an orifice portion composed of a small hole 31 having a diameter of about 1 millimeter, for example, is provided at the central portion of the orifice plate 32. The first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31, and the second foam metal 30b are arranged in series in the flow path to form a throttle means, and the fluid flowing through the through flow path in the valve body 24 is decompressed.

  In the normal cooling operation, similarly to FIG. 2, by deenergizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the valve body 24 is operated upward by the spring force of the spring 27, and the valve body 24 is pulled away from the valve seat 23. At this time, the opening of the valve seat 23 is opened, and the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22 are communicated with almost no pressure loss. For this reason, there is no pressure loss between the 1st indoor heat exchanger 5 and the 2nd indoor heat exchanger 7, and it does not fall in terms of cooling capacity or efficiency. By energizing the electromagnetic coil 25 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic force is greater than the spring force, so that the valve body 24 is operated downward and the valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the valve seat 23. At this time, the opening is closed, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant exiting the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the valve chamber 26 from the first flow path 21 and passes through the through hole 28 as shown in FIG. It flows through the through flow passage in the valve body 24, and flows through the vent hole of the first foam metal 30a provided in the valve body 24, the small hole 31 of the orifice plate 32, and the vent hole of the second foam metal 30b in this order. The pressure is reduced, and the gas flows out from the opening of the valve seat 23 to the second flow path 22 and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7.

  FIG. 19 is a diagram for explaining the flow of the refrigerant. FIG. 19A shows the flow mode of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in the case of only the conventional orifice, and FIG. 19B shows the orifice of the present invention. The flow mode of the gas-liquid two-phase flow in the case where a metal foam restriction is provided on the upstream side of FIG. When the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the conventional orifice-only throttling means shown in FIG. 19 (a), a large refrigerant flow noise is generated. In particular, it is known that a large refrigerant flow noise is generated when the flow mode of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is a slag flow. As a generation factor of the refrigerant flow noise, when the slag flow passes through a small hole such as an orifice portion in the throttle means, the refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubbles larger than the small hole are destroyed. Since vibration occurs due to the collapse of the refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubbles, and the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant alternately pass through the small holes, the pressure loss generated when the refrigerant passes through the small holes greatly fluctuates. It is possible. Further, a gas-liquid two-phase jet having a high speed and large turbulence is formed at the outlet of the orifice, and pressure fluctuation due to this gas-liquid two-phase jet is also a cause of generation of refrigerant flow noise.

  Next, the flow of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the throttle part of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 19 (b), when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant separated into the liquid refrigerant and the vapor refrigerant passes through the first metal foam 30a, the vapor refrigerant is divided into small bubbles. Since the vapor refrigerant that has become small bubbles passes through the small holes 31 of the orifice plate 32 together with the liquid refrigerant, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that passes through the small holes 31 is in a state where the gas and liquid are sufficiently mixed, and the pressure loss is reduced. No major fluctuations occur. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the generation of a discontinuous refrigerant flow sound that is audible, such as “jurujuru” and “bumpy”. Further, the gas-liquid two-phase jet flow having a large velocity and turbulence passing through the small hole 31 is decelerated and rectified when passing through the second foam metal 30b. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the continuous refrigerant | coolant flow sound used as an auditory sense, such as "shear", can be suppressed significantly. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of a refrigerant | coolant flow noise can be reduced and a comfortable environment is realizable. Further, the thickness of the foam metal will be described with reference to FIG. When the foam metal thickness is 0.5 millimeters and the orifice inner diameter is 1 millimeter, such as when the orifice inner diameter is smaller than the foam metal thickness, as shown in FIG. Since it cannot be sufficiently divided and long bubbles are formed, a gas-liquid two-phase flow with a large amount of vapor refrigerant is passed through the orifice. As a result, pressure fluctuation increases. On the other hand, when the thickness of the foam metal is larger than the inner diameter of the orifice, such as the thickness of the foam metal is 2 millimeters and the inner diameter of the orifice is 1 millimeter, as shown in FIG. The flow path is three-dimensionally configured and is not bent straight but is bent in a complicated manner, so that it can be sufficiently divided, so that a more homogeneous gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is passed through the orifice. It becomes possible to suppress pressure fluctuation. Thus, by setting the thickness of the porous permeable material near the orifice to be equal to or larger than the orifice diameter, vapor bubbles having an orifice diameter smaller than that can be formed reliably, and the refrigerant flow noise can be reduced.

  In the example of this structure shown in FIG. 6, the example in which two columnar foam metals and the orifice plate 32 are fixed in close contact with each other so as not to generate a gap and inscribed in the valve body 24 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIG. 7, a space 33a of about 1 to 2 millimeters is provided between the first foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 32 and between the orifice plate 32 and the second foam metal 30b. 33b may be provided and fixed. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the diaphragm means composed of the first foam metal 30a, the orifice plate 32, and the second foam metal 30b shown in FIG. 7, and the upper surface of the orifice plate 32 in contact with the foam metal. Space portions 33a and 33b are provided on the lower surface, and a small hole 31 of about 1 millimeter is provided in the central portion of the orifice plate 32.

  In the second flow rate control valve 6 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, since the space portion 33a is provided between the first foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 32, it is divided into small bubbles by the first foam metal 30a. The vapor refrigerant flows into the space portion 33a and is mixed with the liquid refrigerant staying in the space portion 33a. For this reason, the refrigerant passing through the small hole 31 of the orifice plate 32 is more reliably mixed with the gas-liquid refrigerant, and the generation of a discontinuous refrigerant flow sound such as “jurugur” and “bumpy” is surely generated. Can be suppressed. Moreover, since the space 33b is also provided between the orifice plate 32 and the second foam metal 30b, the passage area of the gas-liquid two-phase jet passing through the second foam metal 30b can be increased. For this reason, the gas-liquid two-phase jet can be decelerated and rectified more reliably, and the generation of a continuous refrigerant flow noise such as “shear” can be reliably suppressed. The throttling means shown in FIG. 8 describes an example in which a space of about 1 to 2 millimeters is provided both between the first foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 32 and between the orifice plate 32 and the second foam metal 30b. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a space may be provided only between the first foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 32. Moreover, you may provide a space part only between the orifice board 32 and the 2nd foam metal 30b.

  As described above, in the second flow rate control valve 6 having the configuration shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7, a through passage is provided in the valve body 24, and a pore diameter of 500 μm, a gap is provided as a throttling means in the through passage. A first foam metal 30a having a 95% rate, an orifice plate 32 having a small hole 31 having a diameter of 1 mm, and a second foam metal 30b having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95% are provided in series with the flow. Therefore, generation of refrigerant flow noise is reduced by reliably mixing the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the small holes 31 and by reliably decelerating and rectifying the gas-liquid two-phase jet flowing out from the small holes 31. And quiet dehumidification operation is possible.

  In the structure of FIG. 2, since the refrigerant circulating through the vent hole of the foam metal 30 is decompressed as a throttling means during the dehumidifying operation, the pore diameter of the foam metal 30 can be made so large. There wasn't. On the other hand, as the throttling means in the dehumidifying operation in which the orifice is provided separately from the porous permeable material, the first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31 and the second foam metal 30b are provided. Is set to 0.5 to 1.0 mm, and the pressure loss generated when passing through the small hole 31 is increased to increase the pore diameter of the first foam metal 30a and the second foam metal 30b to about 500 micrometers. it can. Therefore, it is possible to prevent solid foreign matters such as metal powder such as iron and copper circulating in the refrigeration cycle together with the refrigerant and sludge that is a deteriorated product of the refrigeration oil from being trapped and deposited inside the foam metal 30a, 30b, Reliability can be improved in the long term.

  Moreover, although the pore diameter and the porosity of the first foam metal 30a and the second foam metal 30b have been described by using the same specification, the present invention is not limited to this, and foam metals having different pore diameters and porosity are used. May be. For example, the first foam metal 30a has a pore diameter of 500 micrometers, the second foam metal 30b has a pore diameter of 100 micrometers, and the upstream foam metal has a pore diameter larger than that of the downstream foam metal. Solid foreign matters having a large target diameter are captured by the upstream metal foam 30a, and solid foreign materials having a relatively small diameter are captured by the downstream metal foam 30b. In this way, the location where the solid foreign matter accumulates inside the foam metal 30a, 30b can be dispersed. Therefore, even if the solid foreign matter hits the vent and deposits inside the foam metal, the flow of the foam metal 30a, 30b Resistance change can be reduced.

  Moreover, although the foam metal 30a, 30b was provided in the upstream and downstream of the small hole 31 here, the structure provided with the foam metal in either one may be sufficient. In this case, the refrigerant flow noise can be reduced compared to the case where no foam metal is provided. Moreover, although the thing provided with one small hole 31 in the center part of the flow path was shown, you may provide a some small hole in parallel with a flow path. In this case, the orifice plate 32 can be easily manufactured by providing a plurality of small holes.

  Further, in the case of the configuration provided with the foam metal 30a on the upstream side of the small hole 31, when the surface shape on the upstream side of the foam metal 30a is a plane perpendicular to the flow path, like the foam metal 30 shown in FIG. You may comprise so that it may become an area larger than this area. For example, by forming this surface in a conical shape, a corrugated shape, a chevron shape, etc., and increasing the passage area of the fluid, it is possible to disperse the places where solid foreign substances accumulate on the upstream side of the foam metal 30. Even if solid foreign matter accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal 30a, the flow resistance change in the foam metal 30a can be reduced, and a highly reliable flow control valve can be obtained.

  FIG. 9 is a sectional view showing another second flow control valve 6 of the present invention. The same or similar components as those shown in FIG. . In the figure, 34 is a valve seat block that holds the valve seat 23 and the foamed metal 30 that is a porous permeable material, and 35 and 36 are first and second openings that connect the valve chamber 26 and the second flow path 22. is there. 37 is a through hole connecting the first opening 35 and the second opening 36, 38 is a bottom surface portion of the valve seat block 34 where the valve seat 23 is not provided, and the valve chamber 26 where the second opening 36 is provided. It is the space provided between the walls.

  The cylindrical valve seat block 34 is provided with a through hole 37 having a diameter similar to that of the first and second flow paths 21 and 22 through the bottom surface portion. The opening of the through hole 37 on one bottom surface portion is provided. Becomes the first opening 35, and the valve seat 23 is provided in the first opening 35 integrally with the valve seat block 34, for example. Further, the foam metal 30 is fixed in an annular shape around the valve seat 23. The metal foam 30 has, for example, a pore diameter of 100 micrometers and a porosity of 97%. The valve seat blocks 34 on the inner peripheral side and the outer peripheral side of the metal foam 30 are coupled so as not to interrupt the flow of fluid passing through the metal foam 30 at, for example, several radial positions on one bottom surface. It is configured.

  During normal cooling operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 is de-energized by a control mechanism (not shown), so that the valve body 24 is operated upward by the spring force of the spring 27 and the valve body 24 is pulled away from the valve seat 23. As shown in FIG. 9A, at this time, the first opening 35 of the valve seat 23 is opened, and most of the fluid that is liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing from the first flow path 21 is the first. It flows through the opening 35 and the through-hole 37 to the second flow path 22, and the first and second flow paths 21 and 22 are communicated with almost no pressure loss. For this reason, there is no pressure loss between the 1st indoor heat exchanger 5 and the 2nd indoor heat exchanger 7, and it does not fall in terms of cooling capacity or efficiency.

  Also, during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 is energized by a control mechanism (not shown) so that the electromagnetic force is greater than the spring force, so that the valve body 24 is operated downward, and the valve body 24 is moved to the valve seat. 23. At this time, the first opening 35 is closed, and as shown in FIG. 9B, the first opening 35 is bypassed around the first opening 35, passes through the foam metal 30, and the second opening 36. To the second flow path 22 is formed. At this time, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is decompressed and homogenized by passing through the vent hole of the foam metal 30, so that the refrigerant flow noise is reduced. Further, by setting the pore diameter of the foam metal 30 to 100 micrometers or more, which is the size of the filtering means usually provided in the refrigeration cycle, metal powder such as iron and copper circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle A solid foreign substance such as sludge, which is a deteriorated product of refrigerating machine oil, is not trapped and deposited inside the foam metal 30, and a highly reliable flow control valve can be realized in the long term.

  Further, in the configuration of the second flow rate control valve 6, the surface area of the foam metal 30 is larger than that in which the through-flow path is provided in the valve body 24 and the foam metal 30 is provided in the through-flow path. Can be big. For this reason, the effect of reducing refrigerant flow noise is higher. In addition, since the surface area of the metal foam 30 can be increased, even if solid foreign matters such as sludge are trapped and deposited inside the metal foam 30, an increase in pressure loss of the metal foam 30 can be suppressed, and reliability can be improved. It can be improved.

  The downstream bottom surface of the valve seat block 34 is connected to the second opening 36 through a space 38. Since there is a space on the downstream side of the foam metal 30, the fluid flows smoothly from the foam metal 30 to the second opening 36, and further, the fluid acts uniformly in the foam metal 30. Note that the foam metal 30 may protrude from the valve seat block 34 into the space 38. In this case, the refrigerant flows out from the inner peripheral side surface of the annular metal foam 30 to the second opening 36 and the second flow path 22. The gas-liquid two-phase jet that has passed through the foam metal 30 is decelerated and further rectified by passing through the vent hole inside the foam metal 30, but is still in a jet state having a certain flow velocity. When this jet collides with the outer wall of the valve body, the outer wall may vibrate and become a noise source. Therefore, by causing the refrigerant that has passed through the foam metal 30 to flow from the inner peripheral side surface of the annular foam metal 30 to the inside thereof, it is possible to reduce the collision of the fluid with the outer wall of the second valve body, and the refrigerant flow further. Noise generation is suppressed, and low noise dehumidifying operation can be realized.

  In the example shown in FIG. 9, the example in which one annular foam metal 30 is disposed inside the valve seat block 34 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, two cylindrical foam metals 30 a and 30 b having different pore diameters may be arranged in series in the flow path inside the valve seat block 34. In FIG. 10, a foam metal 30a having a pore diameter of 200 micrometers is provided on the upstream side, and a foam metal 30b having a pore diameter of 100 micrometers is provided on the downstream side. Thus, by making the pore diameter of the foam metal 30a on the upstream side larger than that of the foam metal 30b on the downstream side, a solid foreign substance having a relatively large diameter of 100 to 200 micrometers is captured by the foam metal 30b on the downstream side. The solid foreign matter having a relatively small diameter of 100 micrometers or less is captured by the foam metal 30a on the upstream side. As described above, since the places where the solid foreign matters are deposited inside the foamed metals 30a and 30b can be dispersed, even if the solid foreign matters are deposited inside the foamed metals 30a and 30b, the flow resistance of the foamed metals 30a and 30b Change can be reduced.

  FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing another configuration example of the second flow control valve 6 of this example, and the upstream cross-sectional shape of the foam metal 30 provided in the valve chamber 26 is a mountain shape. In this configuration, the passage area on the upstream side of the foam metal 30 through which the refrigerant flows can be made larger than when the foam metal 30 has a planar shape perpendicular to the flow path as shown in FIG. For this reason, the location where a solid foreign material accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal 30 can be dispersed. Even if solid foreign matter accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal 30, the flow resistance change of the foam metal 30 can be reduced, and a more reliable flow control valve can be obtained against foreign matter clogging. .

  In addition, the surface shape of the upstream side of the foam metal 30 is not limited to one mountain shape. Even if it is constituted by a part of the surface, the passage area can be made larger than a horizontal plane. Regardless of the shape, the passage area on the upstream side of the foam metal 30 through which the refrigerant flows can be increased compared to the shape of the foam metal 30 in FIG. Can be distributed. However, it is desirable that the fluid flow smoothly.

  In this example, the valve seat block 34 is provided and the foam metal 30 is provided around the valve seat 23. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and depending on the position of the first flow path 21, the valve chamber 26 may be provided around the valve body 24. An opening that opens and closes by the valve body 24, here, when the first opening 23 is closed, a bypass channel that bypasses the opening from the first channel 21 and flows to the second channel 22 is configured, and this bypass channel What is necessary is just to determine the position of a metal foam so that the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant | coolant which flows through may pass.

  Further, since the valve seat 23 and the foam metal 30 are held by the valve seat block 34, the second flow control valve 6 is easy to manufacture. For example, a valve seat block 34 having a diameter approximately the same as the first and second flow paths 21 and 22 to which the valve chambers are connected and having a through hole 37 with one end serving as the valve seat 23 so as to penetrate between the cylindrical bottom surfaces. Form. Next, an annular foam metal 30 is fixed around the valve seat 23. Next, after the valve seat block 34 to which the foam metal 30 is fixed is inserted into the valve chamber 26, the valve chamber 26 is sealed so as to connect the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22. Thus, the valve seat 23 and the foam metal 30 can be formed simultaneously, and can be easily assembled. As for the method for fixing the metal foam 30 in the valve seat block 34 and the method for fixing the valve seat block 34 in the valve chamber 26, any method can be used as long as it can be fixed securely, such as press-fitting, brazing or high-frequency welding. Various methods may be used.

  FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view showing another second flow rate control valve 6 of the present invention. The same or similar components as those shown in FIG. In FIG. 22, reference numeral 40 denotes a cylindrical porous permeable material positioned in the valve chamber 26, and is made of a foam metal having a pore diameter of 700 micrometers and a porosity of 95%. Similarly to FIG. 7, the first porous permeable material, for example, a first foamed metal 30a having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95%, and the second porous permeable material, for example, a pore diameter of 500 micrometers, and a porosity of 95%. The second foam metal 30b is provided in a hollow portion 29 constituting a through flow passage in the valve body 24. In addition, an orifice portion constituted by a small hole 31 having a diameter of about 1 millimeter, for example, is provided in the central portion of the orifice plate 32. The first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31, and the second foam metal 30b are provided in series with the flow path to form a throttle means, and the refrigerant flowing through the through flow path in the valve body 24 is decompressed.

  By energizing the electromagnetic coil 25 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic force is greater than the spring force, so that the valve body 24 is operated downward and the valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the valve seat 23. At this time, the opening is closed, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant exiting the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the valve chamber 26 from the first flow path 21 and passes through the cylindrical foam metal 40 as shown in FIG. Then, the gas flows through the through hole 28 to the through flow passage in the valve body 24, and the air hole of the first foam metal 30a provided in the valve body 24, the small hole 31 of the orifice plate 32, and the second foam metal 30b. The refrigerant is depressurized by this throttling means, flows out from the opening of the valve seat 23 to the second flow path 22 and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7. In this structure, the vapor of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the valve chamber 26 from the first flow path 21 is first subdivided when passing through the vent of the cylindrical porous permeable material 40, and the gas-liquid is mixed. In this state, the air flows into the vent hole of the first metal foam 30a provided inside the valve body 24. For this reason, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the small hole 31 of the orifice plate 32 is further promoted in the mixing of the gas phase and the liquid phase than the structure of FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent annoying abnormal noise and discontinuous refrigerant flow noise.

  In this structure, since the porosity of the cylindrical porous permeable material 40 provided in the valve chamber 26 is 95%, the solid foreign matter circulating in the refrigeration cycle together with the refrigerant is cylindrical. The flow resistance change can be reduced even if trapped and deposited inside the porous porous permeable material 40, the effect of reducing refrigerant flow noise can be stably exhibited, and a highly reliable flow control valve can be obtained over the long term. It is done. Further, in this structure, the first porous metal which is the first porous permeable material provided in the hollow portion 29 constituting the through passage in the valve body 24 with the pore diameter of the cylindrical porous permeable material 40 being 700 micrometers. Since the pore diameter of 30a is 500 micrometers, relatively large solid foreign matters of about 700 micrometers or more are trapped by the cylindrical metal foam porous permeable material 40 provided in the valve chamber 26, and solids smaller than this are captured. The foreign matter is captured by the first metal foam 30a on the downstream side. In this way, by installing the cylindrical foam metal 40 having a large pore diameter upstream of the foam metal 30a provided in the valve body 24, it is possible to disperse the places where solid foreign substances accumulate inside the foam metal, thereby reducing the refrigerant noise. Can be maintained stably over the long term. In addition, even if solid foreign matter accumulates in the foam metal, the flow resistance change can be reduced, and a long-term reliable flow rate control valve can be obtained, that is, a highly reliable refrigeration. An air conditioner is obtained.

  In this structure, a cylindrical foam metal is used as the porous permeable material 40 provided in the valve chamber 26, and a disk-shaped foam metal is used as the porous permeable materials 30a and 30b provided in the valve body 24. Therefore, the refrigerant passage area of the cylindrical foam metal 40 can be made larger than the refrigerant passage areas of the disk-shaped porous permeators 30a and 30b without enlarging the valve. Solid foreign substances flowing in the refrigerant circuit are likely to accumulate on the cylindrical foam metal 40 upstream in the refrigerant flow direction during the cooling and dehumidifying operation. However, the refrigerant passage area of the cylindrical foam metal 40 is made larger than the downstream side. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the solid foreign matter from accumulating on the downstream disk-shaped porous transmission materials 30a and 30b, and the compatibility between the reduction of the refrigerant sound and the reliability against the solid foreign matter clogging is further improved.

  In this structure, an example in which foam metal is used as the porous permeation material 40 provided in the valve chamber 26 and the porous permeation materials 30a and 30b provided in the hollow portion 29 constituting the through flow passage in the valve chamber 24 is used. Although described, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same effect can be exhibited at a low cost by using a metal mesh or the like in which metal fine wires are three-dimensionally knitted. In the case of this metal mesh, the variation in the internal pore diameter is larger than that of the foam metal, but the average pore diameter is designed to be 100 micrometers or more, preferably about 500 micrometers. By setting the internal porosity to 50% or more, preferably 70% or more, it is possible to achieve both reduction of refrigerant flow noise and ensuring of reliability against clogging of solid foreign matters such as sludge. The same effect can be achieved with a mesh other than a mesh in which metal wires are knitted three-dimensionally, or with a metal wire entangled irregularly in three dimensions.

  In this structure, in normal cooling operation or heating operation, the refrigerant flowing into the valve body 24 and the valve chamber 26 does not pass through the foamed metals 30a and 30b, but the cylindrical foamed metal 40 necessarily passes through. For this reason, the cylindrical metal foam 40 acts as a filtration filter for capturing solid foreign matters circulating in the refrigerant circuit together with the refrigerant in the normal cooling operation or heating operation, and can improve the reliability against the circuit blockage of the refrigeration cycle. I can do it. At this time, the flow direction of the refrigerant passing through the cylindrical metal foam 40 is reversed between the cooling operation and the heating operation. That is, in the normal cooling operation, the refrigerant flows in the order of the first flow path 21, the cylindrical foam metal 40, and the second flow path 22, and in the normal heating operation, the second flow path 22, the cylindrical foam metal 40, and the first flow. The refrigerant flows in the order of the path 21. For this reason, for example, in the normal cooling operation, solid foreign matters are likely to accumulate on the outer peripheral surface side surface of the cylindrical foam metal 40, but the solid deposited on the outer peripheral surface side of the cylindrical foam metal 40 by switching to the normal heating operation. The foreign matter flows out to the first flow path. Similarly, in the normal heating operation, solid foreign matters are likely to be deposited on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical foam metal 40. However, when the operation is switched to the normal cooling operation, the solid foreign matters deposited on the cylindrical foam metal 40 are the first. It flows out to the flow path. In this way, the cylindrical metal foam 40 provided in the valve chamber 26 can act as a filter for capturing solid foreign substances circulating in the refrigerant circuit together with the refrigerant in the normal heating operation and the normal heating operation, and is normally cooled. By switching between operation and normal heating operation, solid foreign substances accumulated on the surface of the cylindrical metal foam 40 are released, so that it is possible to prevent the flow resistance of the cylindrical metal foam 40 from being excessively increased and highly reliable over the long term. Can be made.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing another second flow control valve 6 according to the structure of the present invention. The same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In FIG. 9, the metal foam 30 is provided in the bypass channel and used as the throttle means. is there. In the valve seat block 34, for example, a first foam metal 30a having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95% and a second foam metal 30b having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95% are fitted. Yes. Two small holes 31 having a diameter of about 0.5 millimeters are provided between the first foam metal 30a and the second foam metal 30b.

  During normal cooling operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 is de-energized by a control mechanism (not shown), so that the valve body 24 is operated upward by the spring force of the spring 27 and the valve body 24 is pulled away from the valve seat 23. At this time, the first opening 35 of the valve seat 23 is opened, and most of the fluid that is liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing from the first flow path 21 passes through the first opening 35 and the through hole 37. It flows into the second flow path 22, and the first and second flow paths 21, 22 are communicated with almost no pressure loss. For this reason, there is no pressure loss between the 1st indoor heat exchanger 5 and the 2nd indoor heat exchanger 7, and it does not fall in terms of cooling capacity or efficiency.

  Also, during the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 is energized by a control mechanism (not shown) so that the electromagnetic force is greater than the spring force, so that the valve body 24 is operated downward, and the valve body 24 is moved to the valve seat. 23. At this time, the first opening 35 is closed, and as shown in FIG. 12, the first opening 35 is bypassed around the first opening 35, and the first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31, and the second foam metal are bypassed. A detour channel that flows from the second opening 35 to the second channel through 30b is configured. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has exited the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the second flow rate control valve 6 from the first flow path 21, and the first metal foam 30 a provided in the valve seat block 34, small holes 31, the pressure is reduced by the second foam metal 30 b, and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 through the second flow path 22. When this gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the first metal foam 30a, the vapor refrigerant is divided into small bubbles, and the vapor refrigerant that has become small bubbles passes through the small holes 31 together with the liquid refrigerant. For this reason, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passing through the small hole 31 is in a state where the gas and liquid are sufficiently mixed and does not cause a large fluctuation in pressure loss, and has a discontinuous audible refrigerant such as “Jurujuru” and “Bokoboko”. It is possible to realize a low noise environment by greatly reducing the flow noise. In addition, the gas-liquid two-phase jet flow having a large velocity and turbulence that has passed through the small hole 31 is decelerated and rectified when passing through the second foam metal 30b. Occurrence can be greatly suppressed.

  Further, by setting the pore diameter of the metal foams 30a and 30b to be equal to or larger than the mesh size of the filtering means normally provided in the refrigeration cycle, for example, 100 micrometers or more, iron or copper circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. A solid foreign substance such as metal powder such as sludge that is a deteriorated product of refrigerating machine oil is not trapped and deposited inside the foamed metals 30a and 30b, and a highly reliable flow control valve can be realized in the long term. In particular, in the configuration shown in FIG. 12, since the small hole 31 serving as the orifice portion is provided between the foamed metals 30a and 30b, the fluid can be reliably decompressed by this small hole 31, and the foamed metals 30a and 30b are mainly used. In addition, the pore diameter can be determined in consideration of the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise. In order to prevent foreign matter clogging in the air vent by increasing the pore diameter within the range of the pore diameter that exhibits the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise, the pore diameter of about 500 micrometers is sufficient here to sufficiently obtain the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise. Yes. That is, by providing the orifice portion 31, the pore diameters of the first and second foam metals 30a, 30b can be set larger, and solid foreign substances can be prevented from being trapped and deposited by the foam metals 30a, 30b. Can be improved.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the valve seat block. As shown in the figure, the valve seat block 34 is provided with a space 33a of about 1 to 2 millimeters between the first foam metal 30a and the small hole 31, A space 33b of about 1 to 2 millimeters is provided between the small hole 31 and the second foam metal 30b. For this reason, the vapor refrigerant divided into small bubbles by the first metal foam 30a is mixed with the liquid refrigerant that flows into the space 33a and stays in the space 33a. The gas-liquid refrigerant is surely mixed, and the generation of a discontinuous refrigerant flow noise such as “jurujuru” and “bokoboko” can be reliably suppressed. Further, the space 33b between the small hole 31 and the second foam metal 30b can increase the passage area of the gas-liquid two-phase jet passing through the second foam metal 30b, and the gas-liquid two-phase jet can be decelerated and rectified more reliably. It becomes possible, and generation | occurrence | production of the continuous refrigerant | coolant flow noise sound of an auditory sense, such as "shear", can be suppressed reliably. In the configuration shown in FIG. 12, the example in which a space of about 1 to 2 millimeters is provided between the foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 31 and between the orifice plate 31 and the foam metal 30b has been described. The space portion may be provided only between the foam metal 30a and the orifice plate 31, and the space portion may be provided only between the orifice plate 32 and the foam metal 30b.

  Moreover, in FIG. 14, the shape of the upper part of the 1st foam metal 30a fitted in the valve seat block 34 is made into the mountain shape. In this configuration, it is possible to increase the passage area on the upstream side of the foam metal through which the refrigerant flows, rather than using a foam metal having a flat upstream shape as shown in FIG. For this reason, the location where solid foreign matter accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal can be dispersed, and even if solid foreign matter accumulates on the upstream side of the foam metal, the change in flow resistance of the foam metal can be reduced, and foreign matter can be clogged. On the other hand, a more reliable flow control valve can be obtained.

  Further, in FIG. 14, the refrigerant flows out from the inner side surface of the annular portion of the second foam metal 30 b to the second flow path 22 as indicated by an arrow in the drawing. The gas-liquid two-phase jet that has passed through the second foam metal 30b is decelerated and further rectified by passing through the vent hole inside the foam metal, but is still in a jet state having a certain flow velocity. When this jet collides with the outer wall or the like of the apparatus, the outer wall may vibrate and become a noise generation source. Therefore, the flow control valve 6 shown in FIG. 12 is configured such that the refrigerant that has passed through the second foam metal 30b does not collide with the outer wall of the valve main body and flows out into the second flow path 22. It is possible to obtain a refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus that can further suppress generation of refrigerant flow noise and realize low-noise dehumidifying operation.

  As described above, in the second flow rate control valve 6 having this structure, when the opening connected to the second flow path 22 is closed by the valve body 24, the opening is formed outside the valve body 24 or the valve seat 23 in the valve chamber 26. A detour channel that can be bypassed to flow through the first channel 21 and the second channel 22 is provided, a first foamed metal 30a having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95%, and a small hole are provided in the detour channel. Since the orifice plate 34 provided with 31 and the second foam metal 30b having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95% are provided, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the small holes 31 can be mixed reliably, and the small holes The gas-liquid two-phase jet flowing out of the gas 31 can be surely decelerated and rectified, and the gas-liquid two-phase jet does not collide with the outer wall of the valve body, so that the generation of refrigerant flow noise can be reduced and a quiet dehumidification operation is possible. Further, since the first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31 and the second foam metal 30b are used as the throttling means during the dehumidifying operation, the diameter of the small hole 31 is reduced, and this occurs when passing through the small hole 31. By increasing the pressure loss, the pore diameters of the foam metal 30a and the foam metal 30b can be increased to about 500 micrometers. For this reason, solid foreign substances such as iron and copper circulating in the refrigeration cycle with the refrigerant and solid foreign matters such as sludge, which is a deteriorated product of refrigeration oil, are not trapped and deposited inside the foam metal, providing long-term reliability. A high flow control valve can be realized.

  Note that the flow rate characteristics (relationship between the refrigerant flow rate and the pressure loss) of the second flow rate control valve 6 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation are the vent holes of the first foam metal 30a and the second foam metal 30b disposed in the valve seat block 34. However, the diameter of the vent hole of the foam metal should be 100 micrometers or more, preferably about 500 micrometers, and the diameter of the small hole 31 can be adjusted. By adjusting according to the number of small holes, the flow characteristics can be freely set without trapping and depositing solid foreign matters on the foam metal. That is, when a certain refrigerant flow is caused to flow with a small pressure loss, the diameter of the small holes 31 may be increased or the number of small holes 31 may be increased. Conversely, when a certain refrigerant flow is caused to flow with a large pressure loss, the diameter of the small holes 31 may be reduced or the number of small holes 31 may be reduced. The diameter of the small hole 31 provided in the valve seat block 34 is optimally designed at the time of device design.

  Hereinafter, an example of the manufacturing method of the part of the throttle means of the 2nd flow control valve 6 shown in FIG. 12 is demonstrated. In this manufacturing method, the valve seat 23, the small hole 31 that is the orifice portion, and the valve seat block 34 that holds the foamed metal 30 are provided, and can be easily assembled. First, the valve seat block 34 and the foamed metals 30a and 30b are formed in a shape as shown in FIG. That is, the first through hole 37 having the same diameter as the first and second flow paths 21 and 22 to which the valve chamber is connected and one end serving as the valve seat 23 so as to penetrate between the cylindrical bottom surfaces, and the first through hole 37. A valve seat block 34 having a second through hole that is a small hole 31 having a diameter smaller than that of the first through hole 37 is formed. Next, the metal foams 30a and 30b are fixed to the bottom surface portion of the valve seat block 34 so as to cover the small holes 31 which are the second through holes except at least the first through holes 37. Next, the valve seat block 34 to which the foamed metals 30 a and 30 b are fixed is inserted into the valve chamber 26. In the case of the configuration as shown in FIG. 12, it is preferable to open the valve chamber 26 without attaching the wall of the second flow path 22 and insert the valve seat block 34 from the second flow path 22 side. Next, the valve chamber 26 is sealed so as to connect the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22.

  In the above, the method for fixing the foam metal 30a, 30b in the valve seat block 34 and the method for fixing the valve seat block 34 in the valve chamber 26 are not described, but press fitting, brazing, high frequency welding, etc. Any processing method can be used as long as it can be reliably fixed. By manufacturing the second flow rate control valve 6 in this manner, the fluid that flows in from the first flow path 21 when the first through hole 37 is closed is the second through hole 31 and the foam metal that is a porous permeable material. The flow control valve has a configuration that can flow through the second flow path 22 through 30a and 30b, can reduce the refrigerant flow noise, and the flow resistance hardly changes even if foreign matter clogging occurs. And can be manufactured inexpensively. Here, the first through hole 37 is formed in the center of the cylindrical valve seat block 34, and the second through hole 31 having a smaller diameter is formed in the periphery thereof. The area can be increased, the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise by providing the metal foams 30a and 30b can be increased, and the flow resistance change against the occurrence of clogging can be reduced. The foam metal 30a, 30b is provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the small hole 31 that is the orifice portion, which has a great effect on reducing the refrigerant flow noise, but is not limited to this, if provided on either side, Refrigerant flow noise can be reduced to some extent.

  Even in this structure, clogging is achieved by setting the diameter of the vent holes of the metal foams 30a and 30b to 100 micrometers to 1000 micrometers, preferably about 500 micrometers, larger than the filtering means used in a general refrigerant cycle. And stable operation can be performed.

  FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view showing another flow control valve of the present invention. The same or similar components as those shown in FIG. 12 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted. In this structure, a hollow portion 29 is provided inside the valve body 24, and a communication hole 28 is provided on the side surface of the valve body 24, and the through-flow channel is formed inside the valve body 24 by the communication hole 28 and the hollow portion 29. Is forming. Further, a relief valve 41 that is a spherical body and a relief spring 42 that fixes the relief valve 41 are provided inside the hollow portion 29 of the valve body 24. The relief valve 41 is configured to close the upper space of the cavity 29 by the spring force of the relief spring 42.

  During the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the solenoid 24 is energized so that the valve body 24 comes into close contact with the valve seat 23 and the refrigerant flowing into the valve chamber 26 of the second flow control valve 6 from the first flow path 21 The pressure is reduced through the vent hole of the first foam metal 30a, the small hole 31 and the vent hole of the second foam metal 30b provided in the block 34, and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 from the second flow path 22. To do. When the dehumidifying operation of the air conditioner using the second flow rate control valve 6 is used for a long period of time, solids such as metal powder such as iron and copper circulating in the refrigeration cycle with refrigerant and sludge that is a deteriorated product of refrigeration oil are used. There is a possibility that foreign substances are trapped and deposited in the foamed metals 30a and 30b or in the small holes 31. When solid foreign matter accumulates in the metal foams 30a, 30b and the small holes 31, the pressure loss of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 during the dehumidifying operation increases, and the dehumidifying capacity fluctuates. Problems such as an increase in electrical input required for dehumidifying operation occur. Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 15, there is a predetermined pressure difference between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7, that is, a pressure difference between the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22. A relief mechanism is provided in the valve body 24 to reduce the pressure difference when the value becomes larger than the value of.

  The spring force of the relief spring 42 is set to a predetermined pressure. When the pressure difference between the first flow path 21 connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second flow path 22 connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 7 becomes a predetermined value or more, the valve body 24 The relief valve 41 provided inside is pushed downward and penetrates the inside of the valve body 24 to form a leakage flow path. And the 1st flow path 21 and the 2nd flow path 22 are connected via the communicating hole 28 provided in the valve body side surface, and the valve body internal cavity part 29 so that this pressure difference may be made small. That is, in a normal differential pressure state, the relief valve 41 inside the valve body 24 is configured to close the upper space of the valve body cavity 29 by the spring force of the relief spring 42. For this reason, the refrigerant | coolant flow from the communicating hole 28 of the valve body side surface to the valve body cavity part 29 does not generate | occur | produce. However, the pressure difference between the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22 gradually increases due to the accumulation of solid foreign matters inside the metal foams 30a and 30b and the small holes 31, and the force that pushes down the relief valve 41 downward. However, when the spring force of the relief spring 42 becomes larger, the relief valve 41 moves downward. The valve body internal cavity 29 communicates with the first flow path 21 through the valve body side surface communication hole 28. Therefore, a part of the high-pressure refrigerant flowing from the first flow path 21 does not pass through the valve seat block 34, passes through the valve body side surface communication hole 28 and the valve body internal cavity 29, and enters the second flow path 22. Since it flows out, the pressure difference of the 1st flow path 21 and the 2nd flow path 22 becomes small. By providing the relief mechanism in this manner, normal dehumidification operation is continued, and a highly reliable flow control valve and a refrigeration air conditioner using the same can be obtained. The pressure at which the relief valve 41 operates can be freely set by adjusting the spring force according to the material, wire diameter, shape, etc. of the relief spring 42.

  Thus, in this structure, a relief mechanism that reduces the pressure difference when the pressure difference between the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 22 of the second flow control valve 6 exceeds a predetermined value. A highly reliable flow rate without fluctuations in the dehumidifying capacity or increased electrical input required for dehumidifying operation even if solid foreign matter such as sludge accumulates in the valve. A control valve and a refrigeration air conditioner can be realized.

  In the above description, since the porous permeable material is mainly made of foam metal, a flow rate control valve capable of reducing refrigerant flow noise can be obtained at low cost. However, it is not limited to foam metal. Sintered metal obtained by sintering metal powder, ceramic porous permeation material, wire mesh, or several layers of wire mesh, or several layers of wire mesh are sintered. Sintered wire mesh, laminated wire mesh, and fine metal wire are put into a mold, and stainless steel wool and metal fine wire that has been compression-molded are wound around an arbitrary shape, and the same effect can be obtained with stainless steel wool and metal wire that has been compression-molded. obtain. In the above description, the second flow rate control valve 6 has mainly been described as performing an opening / closing operation by energizing or de-energizing the electromagnetic coil 25. However, the valve body 24 is continuously operated by a stepping motor, You may make it open and close a valve.

  In the air conditioner having the refrigeration cycle shown in FIG. 1, the first flow path 21 of the second flow rate control valve 6 is connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and the second flow path 22 is connected to the second indoor heat. An example of switching to the normal cooling operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation by connecting to the exchanger 7 and controlling the energization / non-energization of the electromagnetic coil 25 during the cooling operation has been described. In addition, the description has been given mainly taking the cooling operation as an example. Here, for example, the connection of FIG. 1 is reversed, the first flow path 21 of the second flow control valve 6 is connected to the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the second flow path 22 is connected to the first indoor heat exchanger 5. It may be configured to switch between normal heating operation and heating dehumidification operation by controlling the energization and non-energization of the electromagnetic coil 25 during the heating operation. Since the heating and dehumidifying operation can increase the indoor air heating amount as compared with the cooling and dehumidifying operation, it is possible to perform the dehumidifying operation that can increase the blowing temperature.

  Reduction of the refrigerant flow noise of the flow control valve 6 using the porous permeable material as described above exhibits a particularly great effect when R410A is used as a refrigerant. Here, R410A refrigerant and R22 refrigerant will be compared and described. In the cooling and dehumidifying operation of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1, the condensation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is generally 40 ° C., and the evaporation temperature of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is generally about 10 ° C. The flow rate control valve 6 needs to depressurize the refrigerant from the condensation temperature of 40 ° C. to the evaporation temperature of about 10 ° C. The saturation pressure of the refrigerant corresponding to the condensation temperature of 40 ° C is 2.41 MPa for R410A and 1.53 MPa for R22, and the saturation pressure of the refrigerant corresponding to the evaporation temperature of 10 ° C is 1.08 MPa for R410A and R22 0.68 MPa. Therefore, the pressure difference before and after the flow control valve 6 is 1.33 MPa for R410A and 0.85 MPa for R22, and this pressure difference is about 60% larger for R410A than for R22. If the refrigerant dryness at the outlet of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is 0.1, the refrigerant dryness at the outlet of the flow control valve 6 is 0.32 for R410A and 0.28 for R22. The degree of dryness is greater for R410A, and the refrigerant vapor flow rate at the valve outlet is also about 14 percent greater for R410A than for R22. As described above, the pressure difference between the front and rear of the flow rate control valve 6 in the cooling and dehumidifying operation is about 60% larger in the R410A than in the R22. Therefore, in the flow rate control valve in which the conventionally used throttle portion is configured only by the orifice, As for the pressure fluctuation generated in the section, R410A having a larger pressure difference before and after the valve becomes larger, and the generated refrigerant flow noise also becomes larger. In addition, since the flow rate of the refrigerant vapor at the outlet of the flow control valve 6 is 14% larger in the case of R410A, in the flow control valve in which the restricting portion is configured only by the orifice, the flow velocity and flow velocity fluctuation of the two-phase jet exiting the orifice are also those of R410A And the refrigerant flow noise generated at the valve outlet is predicted to be much larger in R410A than in R22.

  The measurement result of the refrigerant flow noise generated from the flow control valves of the R410A refrigerant and the R22 refrigerant will be described with reference to the measurement explanatory diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 22, a test flow control valve 67 whose throttle part is composed only of an orifice is installed in an anechoic box 64 with a background noise of 20 dB, and this valve has a saturation temperature of 40 ° C., a refrigerant dryness of 0. 1 with a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant supplied from a refrigeration cycle (not shown) and adjusted so that the outlet pressure reaches a saturation temperature of about 10 ° C. The refrigerant flow noise was measured. As a result of measuring the refrigerant flow noise when the throttle portion is only the orifice, R410A was 46 dBA, R22 was 42 dBA, and R410A was 4 dB larger. This is because, as described above, R410A has a larger pressure difference before and after the orifice, and the refrigerant vapor flow rate at the outlet of the orifice is larger in R410A. The difference in the noise value of 4 dB corresponds to 2.5 times in the acoustic energy. From this result, it is considered that the acoustic energy generated in R410A is 2.5 times larger than R22. In the same test method, when the flow control valve of the present invention is used, that is, when a foam metal having a pore diameter of 500 micrometers and a porosity of 95% is arranged before and after the orifice, R410A and R22 are both about 35 dBA. Thus, the effect of reducing the flow noise of the refrigerant by the foam metal was 11 dBA for R410A and 7 dBA for R22. It was confirmed that the flow noise reduction effect of R410A was much larger than that of R22. FIG. 23 shows a characteristic explanatory diagram summarizing such measurement results. As shown in FIG. 23, it is particularly effective for a refrigerant having a large pressure difference before and after the orifice. Can be reduced to about 1/2.

  Moreover, when combustible refrigerant | coolants, such as R32, propane, butane, and these mixed refrigerants, are used as a refrigerant | coolant of an air conditioner, the safety | security of an air conditioner can be improved further. That is, the flow control valve of the present invention uses the porous permeable material having the shape, size, material and structure as described above, and reduces the refrigerant flow noise during dehumidification operation and the reliability of long-term operation against foreign matter clogging. The sex is secured. However, for example, if the size of the mesh or pores through which the fluid passes is smaller than an average of 100 micrometers, and if a porous permeant having a porosity of less than 50% is used, the flow resistance of the porous permeate increases. And the high pressure of the refrigeration cycle increases. If flammable refrigerant leaks from each part of the refrigeration cycle, such as the brazed part of a heat exchanger, the tightening part of a valve, or the joint of a pipe, due to the increase in the high pressure of the refrigeration cycle, the sparks of the electrical components of the air conditioner Or ignite the refrigerant by the ignition source around the air conditioner, creating a dangerous situation. Therefore, by using the dehumidifying valve of the present invention, the probability of flammable refrigerant leaking from the refrigeration cycle can be greatly reduced, and even in a refrigeration air conditioner using a flammable refrigerant with a small global warming potential, refrigerant leakage can be ensured. Can be prevented and high safety can be maintained.

  As described above, the case where R410A is mainly used as the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle has been described. R410A is an HFC-based refrigerant, is a refrigerant suitable for global environmental conservation that does not destroy the ozone layer, and has a smaller refrigerant pressure loss than R22, which has been used as a conventional refrigerant. This is a refrigerant capable of reducing the diameter of the sintered metal vent used in the throttle part and further reducing the refrigerant flow noise.

  Furthermore, the refrigerant of this refrigeration cycle is not limited to R410A, and may be R407C, R404A, and R507A, which are HFC refrigerants. Further, from the viewpoint of preventing global warming, R32 single R152a or a mixed refrigerant such as R32 / R134a, which is an HFC refrigerant having a small global warming potential, may be used. Further, it may be a hydrocarbon refrigerant such as propane or butane, a natural refrigerant such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, ether, or a mixed refrigerant thereof. As described above, even when the flammable refrigerant is used alone, the safety of the apparatus can be remarkably improved by using the flow control valve of the present invention.

  In the present invention, the lubricating oil for the compressor is not particularly mentioned, but the lubricating oil may be a synthetic oil such as mineral oil or alkylbenzene, and has recently been developed as an HFC-based refrigerant. Naturally, it may be ether oil.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the valve seat fixed in the valve chamber connecting the two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths, and the opening of the valve seat operated in the valve chamber. A valve body that opens and closes, a through-flow path that passes through the valve body and allows the opening and the other of the two flow paths to circulate, and is provided in the valve body so that a fluid that flows through the through-flow path passes through. A porous permeable material of at least meters, and when the opening is closed by the valve body, the fluid flowing between the two flow paths is reduced in pressure by passing through the porous permeable material in the through flow path. Since the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is homogenized by the fine ventilation holes, the generation of refrigerant flow noise can be reduced, and solid foreign substances circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle are trapped and accumulated inside the porous permeable material. Without a long-term reliable flow control valve .

  Further, according to the present invention, a valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths, and a valve operated in the valve chamber to open and close the opening of the valve seat A body, a detour channel disposed outside the valve body or the valve seat in the valve chamber, allowing a fluid flowing between the two channels to bypass the opening, and a fluid flowing through the detour channel A porous permeable material provided in the valve chamber as described above, and when the opening is closed by the valve body, the fluid flowing through the bypass channel is reduced in pressure through the porous permeable material. The surface area can be increased, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is homogenized by the fine ventilation holes of the porous permeation material, so that the generation of refrigerant flow noise can be greatly reduced, and solid foreign matters circulating with the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle are porous. Long term and more reliable without trapping and depositing inside the permeable material High flow control valve of is obtained.

  Further, according to the present invention, since the porous permeation material has a pore diameter of 100 micrometers or more, the pores of the porous permeation material are sufficient to homogenize the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and , Solid foreign substances circulating in the refrigeration cycle together with the refrigerant can be configured without being trapped and deposited inside the porous permeate, greatly reducing the generation of refrigerant flow noise and a long-term reliable flow control valve Is obtained. In other words, when passing through the refrigerant vapor slag and refrigerant bubbles, the pore diameter is larger than this, causing not only the finer slag and bubbles but also the generation of refrigerant noise, as well as the suppression of sludge and other clogging This makes it possible to achieve both countermeasures and lifespan countermeasures. Furthermore, the thickness of the porous permeable material needs a certain thickness for the collapse of slag, bubbles, etc., but it has been confirmed by experiments that this is effective in reducing noise as the thickness increases, for example, 2 mm or more. .

  Further, according to the present invention, an orifice portion provided on the upstream side or the downstream side of the porous permeable material is provided, and the fluid that flows between the two flow paths when the opening is closed by the valve body, Since the pressure is reduced by passing through the orifice part in series, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the orifice part can be reliably mixed by the porous permeable material provided on the upstream side of the orifice part. The porous permeable material provided on the downstream side of the gas can reliably decelerate and rectify the gas-liquid two-phase jet flowing out from the orifice portion, and can greatly reduce the refrigerant flow noise. In addition, since the diameter of the ventilation hole of the porous permeable material can be increased by the orifice portion, solid foreign substances are less likely to be clogged, and a flow control valve with higher reliability can be obtained in the long term.

It is a refrigerant circuit figure which shows the air conditioning apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the 2nd flow control valve which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Graph explanatory drawing which shows pressure difference increase rate (%) before and behind depositing a solid foreign material to a foam metal with respect to the porosity (%) of the metal foam used for a 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the experiment apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention and investigates the pressure difference increase rate with respect to the porosity of a foam metal. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the aperture means which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another structure of the 2nd flow control valve which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows another structure of the 2nd flow control valve which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows another aperture means based on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is strainer attachment explanatory drawing which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is another strainer structure explanatory drawing which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the refrigerant | coolant behavior with respect to the orifice and porous permeable material which concern on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining another refrigerant | coolant behavior with respect to the orifice which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, and a porous permeable material. It is explanatory drawing explaining another refrigerant | coolant behavior with respect to the orifice which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention, and a porous permeable material. It is sectional drawing which shows the other structure of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing explaining the noise measurement of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is characteristic explanatory drawing of the refrigerant flow sound of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is characteristic explanatory drawing of the refrigerant flow sound of the 2nd flow control valve concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a refrigerant circuit figure which shows the conventional air conditioning apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor, 3 Outdoor heat exchanger, 4 1st flow control valve, 5 1st indoor heat exchanger, 6 2nd flow control valve, 7 2nd indoor heat exchanger, 21 1st flow path, 22 2nd flow Road, 23 Valve seat, 24 Valve body, 26 Valve chamber, 28 Communication hole, 29 Cavity, 30 Porous material, 31 Small hole, 32 Orifice plate, 34 Valve seat block, 35 First opening, 36 Second Opening, 37 through-hole, 41 relief valve, 42 relief spring, 43 first strainer, 44 second strainer, 45 third strainer, 61 muffler, 62 vapor refrigerant, 63 liquid refrigerant, 64
Anechoic box, 65 microphones, 66 sound level meter.

Claims (18)

A valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; a valve body that operates in the valve chamber to open and close the opening of the valve seat; and Through the opening and the other of the flow path, and the liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant flowing through the through flow path pass through the valve body at the same time. A porous permeable material having an average diameter that is larger than a diameter that allows most of the solid foreign substances contained in the refrigerant to pass therethrough, and that flows between the two flow paths when the opening is closed by the valve body The flow rate control valve is characterized in that the pressure is reduced by passing the porous permeable material through the through channel. A valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; a valve body operated in the valve chamber to open and close the opening of the valve seat; and And a bypass channel that is disposed outside the valve body or the valve seat and allows the fluid flowing between the two channels bypassing the opening and the fluid flowing through the bypass channel to pass therethrough. A porous permeable material provided in the valve chamber, and when the opening is closed by the valve body, the fluid flowing through the bypass channel is reduced in pressure through the porous permeable material. Flow control valve to do. A valve seat fixed in a valve chamber connecting two flow paths and having an opening connected to one of the flow paths; a valve body that operates in the valve chamber to open and close the opening of the valve seat; and Through the opening and the other of the two flow paths, and the liquid refrigerant and the vapor refrigerant flowing through the through flow path are provided in the valve body at the same time. A first porous permeable material through which the refrigerant passes, and an average diameter through which the two passages provided in the valve chamber pass and through which the refrigerant passes are larger than a diameter through which most of the solid foreign substances contained in the refrigerant pass. And a second porous permeable material. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a diameter of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant flows is substantially uniform or has a plurality of different size diameters. An orifice provided in the vicinity of the porous permeable material, wherein an average diameter through which the refrigerant of the porous permeable material flows is equal to or smaller than a diameter that divides the vapor refrigerant or the liquid refrigerant into the orifice diameter or less. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The area into which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path of the porous permeable material in which the fluid flows in one direction is larger than the area from which the refrigerant on the downstream side flows out. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The shape of a surface into which the fluid on the upstream side of the flow path of the porous permeable material through which the fluid flows in one direction is different from a shape of the surface from which the fluid flows out on the downstream side. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein different diameters of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant passes are arranged in series with the flow path. The flow rate control according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a diameter of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path passes is larger than a diameter of the refrigerant on the downstream side. valve. 10. The relief mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a relief mechanism that reduces the pressure difference when the pressure difference between the first flow path and the second flow path exceeds a predetermined value. The flow control valve according to the above. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the porous permeable material is made of a foam metal. The flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the porous permeable material has a diameter through which the fluid having an average of 100 micrometers or more passes. A compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a first flow control valve, a first indoor heat exchanger, a second flow control valve, and a second indoor heat exchanger are sequentially connected to each other, and the second flow control valve is claimed. A refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus comprising the flow control valve according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A strainer that is disposed in the flow path of the refrigeration cycle and removes solid foreign substances flowing in the flow path, and the average diameter of the porous permeable material through which the refrigerant of the second flow control valve passes is the strainer's The refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the refrigerating and air-conditioning apparatus is equal to or greater than an average diameter through which the refrigerant passes. The refrigeration according to claim 13 or 14, wherein a refrigerant having a saturation pressure difference of 1.0 MPa or more when the condensation temperature is 40 ° C and the evaporation temperature is 10 ° C is used as the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle. Air conditioner. The refrigeration air conditioner according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle is a combustible refrigerant. A first through hole having a diameter similar to that of the first and second flow paths connected to the valve chamber, and a second through hole having a diameter smaller than that of the through hole, which penetrate between the cylindrical bottom surfaces. A step of forming a radial seat block through which the refrigerant on the upstream side of the flow path of the valve provided in the valve chamber passes, and the valve seat block so as to cover the second through hole except for the first through hole A step of fixing a porous permeable material to at least one of the bottom surface portions, and a step of inserting the valve seat block to which the porous permeable material is fixed into the valve chamber. A flow control valve having a configuration in which fluid flowing in from the first flow path when the hole is closed can flow to the second flow path through the second through hole and the porous permeable material. Manufacturing method. The valve seat block is arranged so that the first through hole penetrates the bottom surface portion at the center of the bottom surface portion, and the second through hole penetrates the bottom surface portion around the first through hole. The flow rate control valve manufacturing method according to claim 17, wherein the flow rate control valve is formed.

Images