JP2006226586A - Steel pipe header and air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steel pipe header capable of being surely blocked at its one end by simple work, and to provide an air conditioner comprising the steel pipe header. <P>SOLUTION: One end of the steel pipe header 40 is reduced in diameter, then the peripheral face of an opening hole 43a after pipe reduction is machined to a smooth surface, then a rivet 45 is inserted until its flange 45a is approximately close to the opening hole 43a, and the rivet 45 is joined to the steel pipe header 40 by brazing. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioner including a steel pipe header whose one end is closed and a heat exchanger to which the steel pipe header is connected.

Conventionally, an air conditioner including a heat exchanger in which a steel pipe header is connected to one end of a heat exchange tube is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
This steel pipe header has a connection port for refrigerant piping at one end, and the other end side is closed by brazing after being contracted, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes are spaced apart from the side of the steel pipe header. There is something connected. The steel pipe header for this type of heat exchanger has a gas refrigerant passing through the inside thereof, so that one end of the header needs to be reliably closed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-120107

  However, when the opening hole after the tube shrinking process is relatively large, etc., when this hole is closed by brazing, there is a possibility that bubbles may be generated inside the brazing material, so that these bubbles are not generated. Brazing requires a high level of worker skill. On the other hand, if bubbles are generated in the brazing material, the bubbles may be overlooked because they cannot be distinguished from the outside. In such a case, the durability of the brazing material is reduced, and the pressure of the internal gas refrigerant, etc. There is a possibility that a gap may be generated by the gas and the gas refrigerant may leak.

  Then, the objective of this invention is providing the air conditioner provided with the steel pipe header which can block | close the one end reliably by simple operation | work, and this steel pipe header.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention has a steel pipe header having a reduced tube processing portion that is subjected to a reduced tube processing at one end. An insert having a flange portion larger than the opening hole is inserted, and the flange portion is joined in a state of being substantially close to the periphery of the opening hole.
According to this configuration, by flowing the brazing material through the gap between the opening hole of the reduced tube processing portion and the insert and joining the insert to the steel pipe header, the steel pipe can be easily formed without generating bubbles in the brazing material. The insert can be joined to the steel pipe header by pouring the brazing material into the inside of the steel header, and one end of the steel pipe header is reliably closed by a simple operation.

  In the above configuration, the opening hole after the contraction processing may be smoothed by shaving the inner peripheral surface of the opening hole at the time of the contraction processing, and the insert is the same quality as the steel pipe header. You may form with the material of. Moreover, you may make it use a rivet for an insert.

  Further, the present invention provides an air conditioner including a heat exchanger in which a steel pipe header is connected to one end of a heat exchange tube, wherein the steel pipe header has a reduced tube processing portion that is reduced in its end. In the reduced tube processing portion, an insert body having a flange portion larger than the opening hole is inserted into the opening hole after the reduced tube processing, and the flange portion is substantially applied around the opening hole. It is characterized by being joined in a contact state.

  According to the present invention, a steel pipe header has a reduced tube processed portion that has been reduced in diameter at one end thereof, and the reduced tube processed portion has a flange portion larger than the opening hole in an opening hole after the reduced tube processing. Since the inserted body is inserted and joined in a state where the flange portion is substantially in contact with the periphery of the opening hole, one end of the steel pipe header is reliably closed by a simple operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a mounting state of a ceiling-embedded air conditioner (hereinafter referred to as an air conditioner) 10 in the present embodiment.
The air conditioner 10 has a sheet metal box-shaped air conditioner main body 1 and is suspended from a ceiling by suspension bolts 2. The air conditioner main body 1 is installed so that the lower side is open and embedded in the ceiling, the opening side faces the room to be conditioned. A motor 5 is fixed inside the air conditioner body 1, and an impeller 7 is attached to the shaft of the motor 5, and these constitute a blower 9. A heat exchanger 11 bent in a polygonal shape is disposed so as to surround the blower 9, a drain pan 13 is disposed below the heat exchanger 11, and a bell mouth 14 is attached to the drain pan 13. Yes.
A decorative panel 21 is attached to the lower surface of the air conditioner main body 1, and a suction port 22 and an air outlet 23 are formed in the decorative panel 21, and a filter 25 is attached to the inside of the suction port 22. Yes.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the air conditioner body 1. The heat exchanger 11 is bent into a substantially pentagonal (polygonal) shape and is disposed inside the air conditioner body 1.
The three sides 11A, 11B, and 11C of the heat exchanger 11 extend substantially parallel to the three sides 1A, 1B, and 1C of the air conditioner body (housing) 1, and the remaining part 11D At a position corresponding to one side 1D, the housing 1 is configured to project in a triangular shape on one side 1D side. As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 11 has two heat exchangers 11X and 11Y that are overlapped with respect to the air flow direction indicated by solid arrows, and each corner A, B, C, D Is bent with the same roller (not shown) having a radius R set in a bending roller jig, and is formed into a pentagon (polygon).
As the heat exchangers 11X and 11Y, a fin tube type heat exchanger in which a plurality of fins are arranged at intervals in a plurality of heat exchange tubes 30 is applied, and one end of each heat exchange tube 30 is one end face. The portions protruding from 11K, the other ends protruding from the other end surface 11L, and the portions protruding from the end surface 11L are connected to each other between the heat exchangers 11X and 11Y.

As shown in FIG. 2, a shunt 35 is connected to the protrusion 30a protruding from the end face K of the heat exchanger 11X of the heat exchanger tube 30, and the protrusion protruding from the end face K of the heat exchanger 11Y. A steel pipe header 40 is connected to 30b.
The shunt 35 and the steel pipe header 40 are arranged in the space S1 outside the heat exchanger 11, and one end thereof extends to the outside of the air conditioner main body 1, and nipples 35a and 40a are provided at the end portions. The refrigerant pipes extending from the heat source side unit (also referred to as an outdoor unit) can be easily connected via these nipples 35a and 40a.
A drain pump 28 is disposed in the space S2 outside the heat exchanger 11. In this configuration, by making the part 11D of the heat exchanger 11 project to the housing 1 side, it is possible to increase the heat transfer area compared to a configuration that does not project a part, Relatively large spaces S1 and S2 on both sides can be provided across one side 11D. Thereby, the flow divider 35, the steel pipe header 40, and the drain pump 28 can be distributed and disposed in the spaces S1 and S2 with a margin, and these devices can be efficiently stored.

  In addition, since the part 11D of the heat exchanger 11 projects in a triangular shape toward the housing 1, the shape of the electrical box 29 is bent into a substantially square shape along the shape of the part 11D. Has been. This type of electrical equipment box 29 is generally linear, and then the electrical equipment box 29 protrudes greatly into the bell mouth 14 and reduces the suction area of the blower 9. In the present embodiment, since the electrical box 29 is bent in a substantially U shape along the shape of the part 11D of the heat exchanger 11, the electrical box 29 does not protrude into the bell mouth 14, and the blower A large suction area of 9 is secured.

Now, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the steel pipe header 40 is fixed to the steel pipe part 41 formed from a copper pipe, and this steel pipe part 41, and the protrusion parts 30b of the plurality of heat exchange tubes 30 are provided. A plurality of connecting tubes 42 to be connected and a temperature sensor mounting holder 50 brazed to the outer surface of the steel pipe portion 41 are schematically configured.
As shown in FIGS. 5 (A) and 5 (B), the steel pipe portion 41 is bent in a U shape so as to have a straight portion 41a having a predetermined length, and one end side of the steel pipe portion 41 is further approximately with respect to the straight portion 41a. It is formed in a shape bent in the vertical direction, and a nipple 40a is fixed to one end thereof.

  As shown in FIG. 6, holes 41b into which the end portions of the connecting tubes 42 can be inserted are provided at intervals on the side surfaces of the straight portions 41a. The connecting tubes 42 are brazed to the holes 41b. Fixed. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the connecting tube 42 is a copper tube having a small diameter on one end side, and an end portion 42a on the large diameter side is connected to the steel pipe portion 41 so that the small diameter side is connected. The portion 42b is formed to have an outer diameter that can be inserted into the protruding portion 30b of the heat exchange tube 30, and the small diameter portion 42b is inserted into the heat exchange tube 30 and subjected to brazing from the outside, thereby producing a steel pipe. The header 40 and the heat exchange tube 30 are configured to be connectable.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the end portion 43 of the straight portion 41a is subjected to spherical drawing (reducing tube processing), and the opening 45a after drawing has a flange 45a larger than the opening 43a. A rivet (insertion body) 45 is inserted, and the rivet 45 is brazed in a state where the flange portion 45a is substantially close to the periphery of the opening hole 43a and is closed to a spherical shape (so-called shaved shape). In FIG. 6, symbol α is a brazing material.
In the present embodiment, the rivet 45 is a thin flat rivet specified in JISB1213, and a rivet made of the same material as the steel pipe header 40 is used, and the diameter D of the steel pipe header 40 is about 12 mm to 19 mm. A thin flat rivet having a diameter (shaft diameter) d of the shaft portion 45b of 2.5 mm is used.

The blockage procedure of the steel pipe header 40 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the end portion 43 of the steel pipe header 40 is first subjected to spherical drawing.
By the way, when this spherical drawing is performed, as shown in FIG. 7B, irregularities due to wrinkles or the like are generated on the inner peripheral surface 43b of the opening hole 43a. It becomes difficult to pour the wax into the steel pipe header 40.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, the diameter D1 of the opening hole 43a after the spherical drawing is set to a target diameter D2 (about (d + 0.2) mm, for example, about 2.7 mm) set according to the shaft diameter d of the rivet 45. On the other hand, spherical drawing is applied so as to obtain a value that takes into account a machining allowance (for example, 1.0 mm) sufficient to remove the unevenness, that is, about 1.7 mm.

After the spherical drawing is performed, the opening 43a of the end 43 is subjected to a cutting process (including a polishing process) so that the diameter thereof becomes the target diameter D2, as shown in FIG. 7C. Then, irregularities such as wrinkles are removed, and the inner peripheral surface 43b is formed on a smooth surface.
Next, the shaft portion 45b of the rivet 45 is inserted into the opening hole 43a after the cutting, and brazing is performed in a state where the flange portion 45a of the rivet 45 is substantially close to the periphery of the opening hole 43a. Is done.
In this case, since the inner peripheral surface 43b of the opening hole 43a is formed into a smooth surface by removing the irregularities during the drawing process, the brazing material can be easily placed in the gap between the inner peripheral surface 43b and the rivet 45. The brazing material can be poured into the steel pipe header 40 easily.
Further, the gap between the shaft portion 45b of the rivet 45 and the opening hole 43a is as narrow as about 0.2 mm ((diameter D2 of the opening hole 43a) − (diameter of the shaft portion 45b)). Bubbles are hardly generated in the poured brazing material, and the durability of the brazing material is improved. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7D, the brazing material α is filled in the gap between the opening hole 43a and the shaft portion 45b of the rivet 45 and easily spread to the inside of the steel pipe header 40. One end of the steel pipe header 40 can be closed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, one end of the steel pipe header 40 is subjected to contraction processing, and the peripheral surface of the opening hole 43a after the contraction processing is processed into a smooth surface. Since the rivet 45 is inserted into the flange portion 45a in a state where the flange portion 45a is substantially close to the flange 43a, and the rivet 45 is joined to the steel pipe header 40 by brazing, it is easily made of steel pipe without causing bubbles in the brazing material. The rivet 45 can be poured to the inside of the header 40 and joined to the steel pipe header 40, and one end of the steel pipe header 40 can be reliably closed by a simple operation.
In the present embodiment, since the rivet 45 is made of the same material as the steel pipe header 40, the thermal expansion coefficients of the rivet 45 and the steel pipe header 40 are substantially the same, and the outside air temperature and the gas in the steel pipe header 40 are the same. Even if thermal expansion or thermal contraction occurs in the rivet 45 or the steel pipe header 40 due to the temperature of the refrigerant, the brazing material between the rivet 45 and the steel pipe header 40 is hardly distorted, and the durability of the joint portion is increased. It can be improved further.
Moreover, since a general-purpose rivet can be used for the rivet 45, the manufacturing cost of the steel pipe header 40 can be easily reduced.

As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this, A various change implementation is possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where a general-purpose rivet is used has been exemplified. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the same material as the steel pipe header 40 is processed to produce a component (insert) having substantially the same shape as the rivet. This manufactured part may be used in place of the rivet.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where this invention was applied to the steel pipe header 40 of the range whose diameter D is 12 mm-19 mm was illustrated, it is not restricted to this but can apply to the steel pipe header of various magnitude | sizes. it can. For example, in the case of a steel pipe header having a diameter D of about 19 mm to 32 mm, a flat rivet having a shaft diameter d of 4.0 mm is used in accordance with the diameter of the steel pipe header, and the aperture hole 43a after the drawing process is used. The diameter D1 may be about 3 mm, which is about (d-1) mm, and the target diameter D2 may be about 4.25 mm including the cutting allowance.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the case where this invention was applied to the obstruction | occlusion structure of the steel pipe header 40 connected to a heat exchanger was described, not only this but the obstruction | occlusion structure of other piping, such as refrigerant | coolant piping, is wide. The material of this type of steel pipe header or the like is not limited to a copper material, and other metal materials such as brass and iron may be applied.

It is a sectional side view which shows the attachment state of the ceiling embedded type air conditioner in this embodiment. It is a top view of an air conditioner main body. It is a perspective view of a heat exchanger. It is a figure which shows the steel pipe header with the periphery structure. A is a top view of a steel pipe header, and B is a front view of the steel pipe header. It is a partial cross section figure which shows the edge part of a steel pipe header. A, B, C, and D are diagrams for explaining a procedure for closing a steel pipe header.

Explanation of symbols

10 Ceiling-embedded air conditioner (air conditioner)
11, 11X, 11Y Heat exchanger 30 Heat exchange tube 35 Current divider 40 Steel pipe header 41 Steel pipe part 42 Connection tube 43a Open hole 45 Rivet (insert)
45a Flange 45b Shaft 50 Temperature sensor holder

Claims (5)

  There is a tube-reduced portion that has been tube-reduced at one end, and in this tube-reduced portion, an insertion body having a flange portion larger than the opening hole is inserted into the opening hole after the tube-restriction processing. A steel pipe header characterized in that the steel pipe header is joined in a state of being substantially close to the periphery of the opening hole.   2. The steel pipe header according to claim 1, wherein the opening hole after the tube contraction is a hole obtained by cutting an inner peripheral surface of the opening hole at the time of tube contraction to make a smooth surface.   3. The steel pipe header according to claim 1, wherein the insert is made of the same material as the steel pipe header.   The steel pipe header according to claim 3, wherein the insert is a rivet. In an air conditioner including a heat exchanger in which a steel pipe header is connected to one end of a heat exchange tube,
The steel pipe header has a reduced tube processed portion that is reduced in diameter at one end, and the reduced tube processed portion has an insertion hole that has a flange portion larger than the opening hole in the opening hole after the reduced tube processing. Is inserted, and the flange portion is joined in a state of substantially contacting the periphery of the opening hole.

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