JP2006349331A - Regenerator, manufacturing method therefor, sterling engine, and sterling refrigerator/freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a regenerator of high efficiency, a manufacturing method therefor, a sterling engine and a sterling refrigerator/freezer. <P>SOLUTION: This regenerator provided in this sterling engine includes a regenerator film 31 wound with a clearance. The regenerator film 31 has multilayered structure layered with the first film 31A and the second film 31B. A protruded part is formed in the regenerator film 31, by pressing a surface thereof along a DR3 direction or DR4 direction to be deformed plastically. The first film 31A has regenerativeness higher than that of the second film 31B, and the second film 31B has a Young's modulus higher than that of the first film 31A. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a regenerator, a manufacturing method thereof, a Stirling engine and a Stirling refrigerator / freezer, and more particularly to a highly efficient regenerator and a manufacturing method thereof, and a Stirling engine and a Stirling cooler having the regenerator.

A regenerator used in a Stirling engine is conventionally known.
For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-65620, a regenerator for a cylindrical Stirling engine formed by winding a belt-shaped resin film, which overlaps by regularly providing a plurality of fine protrusions on one side of the resin film. A regenerator in which a gap is formed between resin films is disclosed. Here, as a method for forming the protrusion, a method by embossing or the like is disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-101119 discloses a regenerator formed by winding a resin film having a plurality of convex portions on one side in a spiral shape. Here, the convex part on the resin film is formed by the printing layer.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-232574 discloses a regenerator having a film formed with a plurality of convex portions which are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined interval and each have a predetermined height.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-222422 discloses a regenerator in which a resin film itself is plastically deformed to form a protrusion, and a gap between the laminated resin members is formed by the protrusion.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-132696 discloses a regenerator in which a plurality of ribs are formed by screen printing using a photocurable ink on the surface of a resin film.

In JP-A-5-288416, a foam metal or fibrous metal that is molded into a predetermined shape and allows gas to flow inside is used as a matrix, and the surface is impregnated with a resin. A regenerator is disclosed in which the surface of the matrix is hermetically sealed to form a casing portion.
JP 2003-65620 A JP 2004-101119 A JP 2003-232574 A JP 2003-222422 A JP 2004-132696 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-288416

  When the gap between the films (the flow path of the medium passing through the regenerator) is defined by the height of the protrusion formed on the surface of the resin film, the shape of the protrusion affects the heat transfer coefficient and pressure loss in the regenerator. . Therefore, it is important to maintain the stability and uniformity of the shape of the protrusion.

  From the viewpoint of improving the regenerator efficiency, it is preferable to use a material having high heat storage as the film constituting the regenerator. In general, materials having higher specific gravity and specific heat tend to have higher heat storage properties. On the other hand, the Young's modulus of such materials tends to be relatively low. Therefore, when the regenerator is formed by winding a film, the shape of the protrusion may not be maintained.

  Furthermore, as a result of investigations by the inventor of the present application, it has been found that it is preferable to use a thinner film as the film constituting the regenerator from the viewpoint of improving the regenerator efficiency. However, by using a thin film, the strength of the protrusions is reduced, and when the regenerator is formed by winding the film, the shape of the protrusions may not be maintained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient regenerator, a manufacturing method thereof, a Stirling engine, and a Stirling cooler.

  The regenerator according to the present invention includes a film wound while providing a gap, and the film has a multilayer structure in which a first layer and a second layer are stacked, and the surface of the film is deformed. Thus, a protrusion is formed, the first layer has a higher heat storage property than the second layer, and the second layer has a Young's modulus higher than that of the first layer.

  According to the above configuration, the efficiency of the regenerator can be improved by the first layer having a relatively high heat storage property, and the shape of the protrusion can be held by the second layer having a relatively high Young's modulus. As a result, a highly efficient regenerator is provided.

  In the above regenerator, the Young's modulus of the first layer is preferably 1 GPa or more and 2.5 GPa or less, and the Young's modulus of the second layer is 4 GPa or more. Thereby, the 1st and 2nd layer which fully satisfies the said function is obtained.

  In the regenerator, preferably, the protrusion is formed so as to protrude toward the second layer with respect to the first layer. In this way, by disposing the second layer having a high Young's modulus on the outside, the strength of the protrusions is further ensured, and the gap between the wound films can be maintained constant. As a result, a more efficient regenerator is provided.

  In one aspect, in the regenerator, each of the first and second layers includes a resin film.

  Here, the first and second layers are formed by combining resin films containing different materials.

  In another aspect, in the regenerator, the first layer includes a resin film, and the second layer includes a vapor deposition film.

  Here, a vapor deposition film having high hardness is formed on the resin film. Therefore, it is possible to use a thinner film while ensuring the strength of the protrusions. As a result, the regenerator efficiency is improved.

  The method for manufacturing a regenerator according to the present invention includes a step of forming a film having a multilayer structure by laminating first and second layers, one of which has a relatively high heat storage property and the other has a relatively high Young's modulus. And a step of deforming the surface of the film to form a protrusion, and a step of winding the film on which the protrusion is formed.

  According to the said structure, a highly efficient regenerator can be obtained by laminating | stacking the 1st and 2nd film containing a predetermined raw material and comprising a regenerator. Therefore, the efficiency of the regenerator can be improved by a simple process.

  A Stirling engine according to the present invention includes an outer shell, a cylinder assembled in an outer shell enclosing a working medium, a piston that reciprocates within the cylinder, a displacer that reciprocates with a phase difference with respect to the piston, and a piston A compression space formed between the displacer and the displacer, an expansion space formed on the opposite side of the piston side with respect to the displacer, and a communication passage communicating the compression space and the expansion space. And a regenerator.

  According to the above configuration, a Stirling engine with high operating efficiency is provided by providing a highly efficient regenerator.

  The Stirling refrigerator according to the present invention includes the above-mentioned Stirling engine. This provides a Stirling cooler with high operating efficiency.

  According to the present invention, the efficiency of the regenerator can be increased.

  Below, the regenerator based on this invention, its manufacturing method, Stirling engine, and the embodiment of a Stirling cooler are described. Note that the same or corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may not be repeated.

  In the present specification, the “cooling box” is a concept including all of “refrigerator”, “freezer”, and “freezer refrigerator”.

  Further, here, a Stirling refrigerator as a Stirling engine and a Stirling refrigerator as a Stirling engine-equipped device equipped with the Stirling refrigerator will be described. However, the Stirling engine is not originally limited to a Stirling refrigerator. For example, it is used also as a generator.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a piping system diagram of a Stirling cooler according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the Stirling refrigerator 1 includes a Stirling refrigerator 4 (Stirling engine) having a high temperature part 2 and a low temperature part 3, a high temperature side evaporator 5 attached to the high temperature part 2, and a high temperature side condenser. 7 and the first high temperature side circulation circuit (first circulation circuit) including the pipes 2A and 2B, and the second high temperature side circulation circuit including the high temperature side evaporator 5, the circulation pump 6, the dew prevention pipe 9 and the pipes 2C to 2E ( 2nd circulation circuit) and the low temperature side circulation circuit containing the low temperature side condenser 10 attached to the low temperature part 3, the low temperature side evaporator 11, and the pipes 3A and 3B. The first high temperature side circulation circuit cools the high temperature part 2 of the Stirling refrigerator 4, and the second high temperature side circulation circuit supplies heat to the dew condensation prevention pipe 9. The low temperature side circulation circuit performs heat exchange between the air in the refrigerator and the low temperature part 3 of the Stirling refrigerator 4.

Water (H ₂ O) or the like is sealed as a refrigerant in the first and second high temperature side circulation circuits. The refrigerant evaporated in the high temperature side evaporator 5 reaches the high temperature side condenser 7 via the pipe 2A (high temperature side conduit) (broken line arrow in FIG. 1). The refrigerant is condensed by heat exchange with the outside air in the high temperature side condenser 7. In order to promote this heat exchange, a fan 8 that generates an air flow in the vicinity of the high-temperature side condenser 7 is provided. The condensed refrigerant returns to the high temperature side evaporator 5 through the pipe 2B (high temperature side return pipe). In the first high temperature side circulation circuit, the heat generated in the high temperature part 2 can be transferred to the high temperature side condenser 7 by utilizing the natural circulation caused by the evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant. The side condenser 7 is disposed above the high temperature side evaporator 5. Further, in order to adjust the boiling point of the refrigerant, the pressure in the circulation circuit system is adjusted (reduced pressure from atmospheric pressure).

  On the other hand, a pipe 2 </ b> C is connected to the lower part of the high temperature side evaporator 5. Liquid phase refrigerant flows from the high temperature side evaporator 5 into the pipe 2C. The refrigerant flowing into the pipe 2 </ b> C reaches the circulation pump 6 provided below the Stirling refrigerator 4. The refrigerant discharged from the circulation pump 6 is sent to the dew prevention pipe 9 via the pipe 2D. Here, the refrigerant flowing in the dew condensation prevention pipe 9 is kept at a relatively high temperature by the heat given from the high temperature part 2 of the Stirling refrigerator 4. Therefore, the dew condensation prevention pipe 9 can be arranged in the front opening of the refrigerator to suppress the dew condensation at the door portion or the like. The refrigerant that has flowed through the dew condensation prevention pipe 9 returns to the high temperature side evaporator 5 through the pipe 2E. Thus, forced circulation by the circulation pump 6 is performed in the second high temperature side circulation circuit.

  Carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, and the like are sealed as refrigerant in the low temperature side circulation circuit. The refrigerant condensed in the low temperature side condenser 10 reaches the low temperature side evaporator 11 through the pipe 3A (low temperature side conduit). Heat exchange is performed by evaporating the refrigerant in the low temperature side evaporator 11. In order to promote this heat exchange, a fan 12 that generates an air flow in the vicinity of the low-temperature evaporator 11 is provided. After the heat exchange, the gasified refrigerant returns to the low temperature side condenser 10 through the pipe 3B (low temperature side return pipe). In the low-temperature side circulation circuit, the low-temperature side evaporation is performed so that the cold heat generated in the low-temperature part 3 can be transmitted to the low-temperature side evaporator 11 by utilizing natural circulation caused by the evaporation and condensation of the refrigerant. The vessel 11 is disposed below the low temperature side condenser 10. Further, the pressure in the circulation circuit system is adjusted in order to adjust the boiling point of the refrigerant.

  When the Stirling refrigerator 4 is operated, heat generated in the high temperature part 2 of the refrigerator 4 is exchanged with air through the high temperature side condenser 7. On the other hand, the cold generated in the low temperature part 3 of the Stirling refrigerator 4 is heat exchanged with the air in the refrigerator through the low temperature side evaporator 11. The warmed airflow from the inside of the refrigerator is sent again to the vicinity of the low-temperature side evaporator 11 and repeatedly cooled.

  With the implementation of the cooling cycle described above, frost forms on the low temperature side evaporator 11. Since a well-known technique can be used for the defrosting method for this frost formation, detailed description will not be given.

  By performing the defrosting described above, defrosted water is generated. The defrost water is guided to the drain pan 12B (evaporating dish) installed at the lower part of the bottom surface of the refrigerator main body through the drain pipe 12A. A fan 12C is provided on the top of the drain pan 12B, and an air flow is formed in the vicinity of the surface of the defrost water accumulated in the drain pan 12B by the fan 12C, and relatively dry air is supplied onto the defrost water. Evaporation of defrost water is promoted.

  Next, an example of the structure of the Stirling refrigerator 4 and its operation will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the Stirling refrigerator 4 of the present embodiment is a free piston type Stirling engine, and includes a casing 30, a cylinder 13 assembled to the casing 30, and a reciprocating motion in the cylinder 13. Piston 14 and displacer 15, regenerator 16, working space 17 including a compression space 17 </ b> A and an expansion space 17 </ b> B, a high temperature portion 2, a low temperature portion 3, a linear motor 23 as a piston driving means, and a piston spring 24, a displacer spring 25, a displacer rod 26, and a back pressure space 27.

  In the example of FIG. 2, the outer shell (outer wall) of the Stirling refrigerator 4 is not constituted by a single container, but is positioned on the back pressure space 27 side and the casing 30 (vessel portion) and on the working space 17 side. The high-temperature part 2, the tube 18A, and the low-temperature part 3 are mainly configured. The casing 30 defines a back pressure space 27. Various parts including the cylinder 13, the linear motor 23, the piston spring 24, and the displacer spring 25 are assembled to the casing 30. The outer shell is filled with a working medium such as helium gas, hydrogen gas, or nitrogen gas.

  The cylinder 13 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and receives therein a piston 14 and a displacer 15 as a free piston so as to be capable of reciprocating. In the cylinder 13, the piston 14 and the displacer 15 are coaxially spaced apart, and the piston 14 and the displacer 15 divide the working space 17 in the cylinder 13 into a compression space 17 </ b> A and an expansion space 17 </ b> B. More specifically, the working space 17 is a space located closer to the displacer 15 than the end face of the piston 14 on the displacer 15 side, and a compression space 17A is formed between the piston 14 and the displacer 15, and the displacer 15 and the low temperature portion 3, an expansion space 17 </ b> B is formed. The compression space 17A is mainly surrounded by the high temperature part 2, and the expansion space 17B is mainly surrounded by the low temperature part 3.

  Between the compression space 17 </ b> A and the expansion space 17 </ b> B, a regenerator 16 in which a film is wound on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder 13 with a predetermined gap is disposed. Thus, the compression space 17A and the expansion space 17B communicate with each other. Thereby, a closed circuit is formed in the Stirling refrigerator 4. The working medium sealed in the closed circuit flows in accordance with the operations of the piston 14 and the displacer 15, thereby realizing a reverse Stirling cycle described later.

  A linear motor 23 is disposed in the back pressure space 27 located outside the cylinder 13. The linear motor 23 includes an inner yoke 20, a movable magnet portion 21, an outer yoke 22 and a coil, and the piston 14 is driven in the axial direction of the cylinder 13 by the linear motor 23.

  One end of the piston 14 is connected to a piston spring 24 constituted by a leaf spring or the like. The piston spring 24 functions as an elastic force applying means for applying an elastic force to the piston 14. By applying an elastic force by the piston spring 24, the piston 14 can be reciprocated in the cylinder 13 more stably and periodically. One end of the displacer 15 is connected to a displacer spring 25 via a displacer rod 26. The displacer rod 26 is disposed through the piston 14, and the displacer spring 25 is constituted by a leaf spring or the like. The peripheral edge of the displacer spring 25 and the peripheral edge of the piston spring 24 are supported by a support member that extends from the linear motor 23 toward the back pressure space 27 of the piston 14 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the rear).

A back pressure space 27 surrounded by a casing 30 is disposed on the opposite side of the piston 14 from the displacer 15. The back pressure space 27 includes an outer peripheral region located around the piston 14 in the casing 30 and a rear region located closer to the piston spring 24 (rear side) than the piston 14 in the casing 30. There is also a working medium in the back pressure space 27.

  The high temperature part 2 is attached to the casing 30 via the base member 30A. The high temperature part 2 and the low temperature part 3 are connected via the tube 18A. On the inner peripheral surfaces of the high temperature part 2 and the low temperature part 3, an internal heat exchanger 18 and an internal heat exchanger 19 are provided, respectively. The internal heat exchangers 18 and 19 perform heat exchange between the compression space 17A and the expansion space 17B and the high temperature part 2 and the low temperature part 3, respectively.

  A balance mass 29 is attached to the rear side of the casing 30 via a leaf spring 28. The balance mass 29 is a mass member that absorbs vibration of the casing 30 that is generated when the piston 14 and the displacer 15 vibrate. Specifically, when the vibration is generated in the casing 30 due to the vibration of the piston 14 or the displacer 15, the balance mass 29 is vibrated so as to follow the vibration of the casing 30, whereby the Stirling refrigerator 4. Vibration is reduced.

Next, the operation of the Stirling refrigerator 4 will be described.
First, the linear motor 23 is actuated to drive the piston 14. The piston 14 driven by the linear motor 23 approaches the displacer 15 and compresses the working medium (working gas) in the compression space 17A.

  When the piston 14 approaches the displacer 15, the temperature of the working medium in the compression space 17 </ b> A rises, but heat generated in the compression space 17 </ b> A by the high temperature portion 2 is released to the outside. Therefore, the temperature of the working medium in the compression space 17A is maintained almost isothermal. That is, this process corresponds to an isothermal compression process in a reverse Stirling cycle.

  After the piston 14 approaches the displacer 15, the displacer 15 moves to the low temperature part 3 side. On the other hand, the working medium compressed in the compression space 17A by the piston 14 flows into the regenerator 16, and further flows into the expansion space 17B. At that time, the heat of the working medium is stored in the regenerator 16. That is, this process corresponds to an isovolumetric cooling process in a reverse Stirling cycle.

  The high-pressure working medium that has flowed into the expansion space 17B expands when the displacer 15 moves to the piston 14 side (rear side). As the displacer 15 moves rearward in this way, the center portion of the displacer spring 25 is also deformed so as to protrude rearward.

  When the working medium expands in the expansion space 17B as described above, the temperature of the working medium in the expansion space 17B decreases, but external heat is transferred into the expansion space 17B by the low temperature portion 3, The inside of the expansion space 17B is kept almost isothermal. That is, this process corresponds to an isothermal expansion process of a reverse Stirling cycle.

  Thereafter, the displacer 15 starts to move away from the piston 14 (front side). Thereby, the working medium in the expansion space 17B passes through the regenerator 16 and returns to the compression space 17A side again. At this time, since the heat stored in the regenerator 16 is applied to the working medium, the working medium is heated. That is, this process corresponds to a constant volume heating process of a reverse Stirling cycle.

  By repeating this series of processes (isothermal compression process-isovolume cooling process-isothermal expansion process-isovolume heating process), an inverse Stirling cycle is configured. As a result, the low temperature part 3 is gradually lowered in temperature and has an extremely low temperature (for example, about −50 ° C.). On the other hand, the high temperature part 2 becomes gradually high temperature (for example, about 60 ° C.). As described above, the cold heat in the low temperature section 3 is supplied into the refrigerator through the low temperature side circulation circuit, and the heat in the high temperature section 2 is released to the outside of the refrigerator through the first and second high temperature side circulation circuits. Is done.

  As described above, since the regenerator 16 is an important member related to the cooling performance of the Stirling refrigerator 4, the heat transfer coefficient of the regenerator 16 is improved or the pressure loss in the regenerator 16 is reduced. Is important from the viewpoint of improving the operating efficiency of the Stirling refrigerator 4. Therefore, it is important to stabilize the gap between the films that serve as the flow path of the refrigerant passing through the regenerator 16. It is also important to improve the heat storage property of the regenerator film constituting the regenerator 16.

  The gap between the wound films is defined by a protrusion formed on the surface of the film. Therefore, it is important to suppress the deformation of the protrusion when the film is wound to form the regenerator.

  From the viewpoint of improving the heat storage property of the regenerator film, it is preferable to use a material having a high specific gravity and specific heat as the film constituting the regenerator. However, the Young's modulus of such a material tends to be relatively low (for example, ETFE (Ethylene-Tetra Fluoro Ethylene): 1.57 GPa, nylon 66: 2.3 GPa, nylon 6: 1.8 GPa). Therefore, when a film made of a material having high heat storage properties is used, the shape of the protrusion formed on the surface may not be maintained when the film is wound. Thus, by using a film with high heat storage properties, the gap between the films may not be stable. Conversely, the heat storage property of the film may be reduced by using a film having a high Young's modulus in order to stabilize the gap between the wound films.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, by using a film having a high heat storage property and a film having a high Young's modulus in combination, the heat storage property of the film constituting the regenerator is improved and the wound film It balances the stability of the gap between them. Specifically, a multilayer film is formed by laminating a first film having a relatively high heat storage property and a second film having a relatively high Young's modulus, and the surface of the multilayer film is deformed to form a protrusion. After that, the film is wound.

  As a 1st film with high heat storage property, raw materials, such as nylon 6, nylon 66, ETFE, vinylidene fluoride (Vinylidene Fluoride), can be used, for example. Moreover, as a 2nd film with a high Young's modulus, raw materials, such as PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) and PI (PolyImide), can be used, for example.

  The first and second films may be laminated by pressure bonding or may be laminated via an adhesive layer. As one example, the Young's modulus of the first film is about 1 GPa or more and 2.5 GPa or less, and the Young's modulus of the second film is about 4 GPa or more.

  According to the said structure, the efficiency of a regenerator can be improved with the 1st film with relatively high heat storage property, and the shape of a projection part can be hold | maintained with the 2nd film with a relatively high Young's modulus. As a result, a highly efficient regenerator is provided. The inventors of the present application have improved the strength of the protrusions by about 2 to 3 times with respect to the regenerator composed of only the first film, and at least the following types 1 to 3, and the second film It has been confirmed that the heat storage performance is improved to about 1.2 to 3 times that of the regenerator constituted only by the above.

(Type 1)
A nylon 66 film (thickness: 38 μm) is used as the first film having a high heat storage property, and a PET film (thickness: 12 μm) is used as the second film having a high Young's modulus. First, the first and second films are pressure-bonded to form a two-layer film (thickness: 50 μm). Thereafter, dimples (projections) are formed using a needle having a taper angle of 8 ° and a driving depth of 750 μm. As a result, a dimple having a strength about twice that of a dimple formed on a single layer film using a nylon 66 film (thickness: 50 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outside diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 100 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property of about 1.5 times that of the same size regenerator using only the PET film was obtained.

(Type 2)
An ETFE film (thickness: 12 μm) is used as the first film having a high heat storage property, and a PET film (thickness: 25 μm) is used as the second film having a high Young's modulus. First, a first film, a second film and a first film are laminated in this order to form a three-layer film (thickness: 50 μm). That is, in this type, the second film is sandwiched between the first films. An adhesive layer (thickness: 0.5 μm) is provided between the films. Thereafter, dimples (protrusions) are formed with a driving depth of 650 μm using a needle having a taper angle of 10 °. As a result, a dimple having a strength about three times that of a dimple formed on a single-layer film using an ETFE film (thickness: 50 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outside diameter: 100 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 80 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property of about 1.2 times that of a regenerator of the same size using only a PET film was obtained.

(Type 3)
A vinylidene fluoride film (thickness: 38 μm) is used as the first film having a high heat storage property, and a PI film (thickness: 12 μm) is used as the second film having a high Young's modulus. First, the first and second films are pressure-bonded to form a two-layer film (thickness: 50 μm). Thereafter, dimples (projections) are formed using a needle having a taper angle of 5 ° and a driving depth of 900 μm. As a result, a dimple having a strength about twice that of a dimple formed on a single-layer film using a vinylidene fluoride film (thickness: 50 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outside diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 100 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having about three times the heat storage performance was obtained as compared with a regenerator of the same size using only the PI film.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a regenerator film manufacturing apparatus in the case where the first and second films are laminated via an adhesive layer (in the case of “type 2” described above). Referring to FIG. 3, first film 31 </ b> A is unwound by first unwinding device 35 as a mount (adhered body) on which glue is applied. The unwrapped mount reaches the coater head 36. The coater head 36 is a part for applying glue and is a main part as a coating machine. The thickness of the glue (adhesive layer) is adjusted in the coater head 36.

  The first film 31 </ b> A to which the paste is applied is sent to the drying furnace 37. The drying furnace 37 blows off the volatile component (solvent) of the paste and dries it. Thereafter, the first film 31 </ b> A is sent to the nip 38. The second film 31B is fed from the second unwinding device 39 to the nip 38, and the first and second films 31A and 31B are bonded together at the nip 38 to form the regenerator film 31 having a multilayer structure. . The formed regenerator film 31 is wound up by a winder 40. As described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the regenerator film 31 which is a multilayer film in which the first and second films 31A and 31B are laminated via the adhesive layer 31C is formed. In addition, from the state shown in FIG. 4, by using the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 again, the regenerator film 31 and the first film 31A are bonded together to obtain a three-layer structure such as “Type 2” described above. You can also.

  When the first and second films 31A and 31B are laminated by pressure bonding, a regenerator film 31 having a structure as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an apparatus for forming protrusions on the surface of the regenerator film. Referring to FIG. 6, the press machine 41 is provided adjacent to a film feeder 45 as a delivery unit that feeds the regenerator film 31. The press machine 41 is located on the downstream side of the film feeder 45 and includes a pressing die 42, a pressing portion 43, and a stage 44. The pressing die 42 and the stage 44 are spaced apart from each other with the regenerator film 31 sent out in one direction (arrow A direction) by the film feeder 45. Further, the pressing die 42 and the pressing portion 43 are movable in the vertical direction (arrow B direction). Further, the pressing die 42 can move in the vertical direction relative to the pressing portion 43. The pressing die 42 is housed in the pressing portion 43 in one aspect and protrudes from the pressing portion 43 in another aspect. FIG. 6 shows a state where the pressing die 42 protrudes from the pressing portion 43. A recess (not shown) is provided at a position corresponding to the pressing die 42 of the stage 44 so that the pressing die 42 escapes during pressing.

  Next, a method for forming the protrusion 310 on the surface of the regenerator film 31 using the press 41 will be described. The regenerator film 31 sent out in one direction by the film feeder 45 passes through the drive roller 46 and is sent to the press machine 41. The press machine 41 presses the regenerator film 31 at a predetermined timing. Thereby, the protrusion 310 is continuously formed on the surface of the regenerator film 31.

  Specifically, first, the regenerator film 31 is sent out by the film feeder 45 so that the projected portion formation scheduled area of the regenerator film 31 is positioned below the pressing die 42 of the press machine 41. Next, the pressing portion 43 moves downward. At this time, the pressing die 42 is accommodated in the pressing portion 43. As a result of the pressing portion 43 moving downward, the regenerator film 31 is pressed against the stage 44 by the pressing portion 43. From that state, the pressing die 42 moves downward and protrudes from the pressing portion 43. Thereby, the projected part formation scheduled area of the regenerator film 31 is pressed downward. Then, plastic deformation occurs on the surface of the regenerator film 31, and a convex protrusion 310 is formed below. Thereafter, the pressing die 42 and the pressing portion 43 move upward and return to the reference position. Then, the regenerator film 31 is sent again in the direction of arrow A. Then, the regenerator film 31 on the downstream side of the press machine 41 passes through the drive roller 47 and is sent to a protrusion height adjusting unit (not shown). By repeating the steps described above, the protrusions 310 are continuously formed on the surface of the regenerator film 31.

  Here, the protruding direction of the protrusion 310 may be any of the directions indicated by the arrows DR3 and DR4 in FIGS. 4 and 5 and can be changed as appropriate. However, by arranging the second film 31B having a relatively high Young's modulus on the outside of the protrusion, the strength of the protrusion 310 is further secured, so that the protrusion 310 has a second film relative to the first film 31A. It is preferably formed so as to protrude to the 31B side. That is, it is preferable to press the pressing die 42 (see FIG. 6) in the direction of the arrow DR4 in FIGS.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process of forming a regenerator by winding a regenerator film. As shown in FIG. 7, the regenerator film 31 on which the protrusions 310 are formed is wound so as to overlap several times to form the regenerator 16. At this time, the gap between the regenerator films 31 is defined by the protrusions 310.

  The above contents are summarized as follows. That is, the Stirling refrigerator 4 in the Stirling refrigerator 1 according to the present embodiment includes an outer shell including a casing 30, a cylinder 13 assembled in an outer shell enclosing a working medium, and a reciprocating motion within the cylinder 13. A piston 14 that reciprocates with respect to the piston 14, a compression space 17 </ b> A formed between the piston 14 and the displacer 15, and a piston 14 side opposite to the displacer 15. And a regenerator 16 disposed in a communication path that connects the compression space 17A and the expansion space 17B.

  Here, the regenerator 16 includes a regenerator film 31 that is wound while providing a gap. The regenerator film 31 has a multilayer structure in which a first film 31A as a “first layer” and a second film 31B as a “second layer” are stacked. And the protrusion part 310 is formed in the regenerator film 31 by carrying out the plastic deformation of the surface. The first film 31A has a higher heat storage property than the second film 31B, and the second film 31B has a higher Young's modulus than the first film 31A.

  The method of manufacturing a regenerator according to the present embodiment is obtained by laminating a first film 31A that is a resin film having a relatively high heat storage property and a second film 31B that is a resin film having a relatively high Young's modulus. A step of forming a regenerator film 31 having a multilayer structure (FIGS. 3 to 4 or 5), a step of deforming the surface of the regenerator film 31 to form a protrusion 310 (FIG. 6), and a protrusion A step of winding the regenerator film 31 on which the portion 310 is formed (FIG. 7).

  According to the present embodiment, the efficiency of the regenerator 16 can be increased. As a result, the Stirling refrigerator 1 and the Stirling refrigerator 4 having high operating efficiency are provided.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, a regenerator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. The regenerator according to the present embodiment is a modification of the regenerator according to the first embodiment, in which a “first layer” having a relatively high heat storage property is formed of a resin film, and a relative Young's modulus is formed. It is characterized in that a “second layer” having a high thickness is formed by a vapor deposition film.

As the vapor deposition film, for example, a SiO ₂ film, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film, a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) film, an Al ₂ O ₃ film, a WO ₂ film, a TiO ₂ film, a Ta ₂ O ₅ film, etc. can be used. is there. Note that the vapor deposition film may be formed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method or a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) method (for example, a vacuum vapor deposition method, an ion plating method, a sputter vapor deposition method, etc.). Good.

  According to the above configuration, similar to the first embodiment, the efficiency of the regenerator is improved by the resin film having a relatively high heat storage property, and the strength of the protrusion is improved by the vapor deposition film having a relatively high Young's modulus. Can do. Moreover, since the vapor deposition film containing a metal etc. can ensure sufficient intensity | strength with a film thickness smaller than a resin film, the film which comprises a regenerator is used by using a vapor deposition film as a "second layer". It can be made thinner. As a result, a highly efficient regenerator is provided. The inventors of the present application have confirmed that the above effects can be obtained at least for the following types 4 to 7.

(Type 4)
A PET film (thickness: 12 μm) is used as the “first layer” having a high heat storage property, and an SiO ₂ film (thickness: 3 μm) is used as the “second layer” having a high Young's modulus. First, a SiO ₂ film is deposited on a PET film by using a CVD method. Thereby, a film having a two-layer structure (thickness: 15 μm) is formed. Thereafter, dimples (projections) are formed using a needle having a taper angle of 8 ° and a driving depth of 900 μm. As a result, a dimple having a strength about twice that of a dimple formed on a single-layer film using a PET film (thickness: 12 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outer diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 60 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property of about 1.8 times that of a regenerator using only a resin film and having the same pressure loss was obtained.

(Type 5)
An ETFE film (thickness: 38 μm) is used as the “first layer” having a high heat storage property, and an ITO film (thickness: 1 μm) is used as the “second layer” having a high Young's modulus. First, an ITO film is deposited on the ETFE film by sputtering. Thereby, a film having a two-layer structure (thickness: 39 μm) is formed. Thereafter, dimples (protrusions) are formed at a driving depth of 850 μm using a needle having a taper angle of 8 °. As a result, a dimple having a strength about 1.5 times that of a dimple formed on a single-layer film using a PET film (thickness: 15 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outer diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 80 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property of about 1.5 times that of a regenerator using only a resin film and having the same pressure loss was obtained.

(Type 6)
A PS (Poly-Styrene) film (thickness: 12 μm) is used as the “first layer” with high heat storage, and a SiO ₂ film (thickness: 3 μm) is used as the “second layer” with high Young's modulus. First, an SiO ₂ film is deposited on the PS film by using an ion plating method. Thereby, a film having a two-layer structure (thickness: 15 μm) is formed. Thereafter, dimples (projections) are formed using a needle having a taper angle of 8 ° and a driving depth of 900 μm. As a result, a dimple having a strength about twice that of a dimple formed on a single-layer film using a PET film (thickness: 12 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outside diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 100 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property of about 1.5 times that of a regenerator using only a resin film and having the same pressure loss was obtained.

(Type 7)
A nylon film (thickness: 25 μm) is used as the “first layer” with high heat storage, and a DLC film (thickness: 1 μm) is used as the “second layer” with high Young's modulus. First, a DLC film is deposited on a nylon film by using an ECR (Electron Cyclotron Resonance) plasma CVD method. Thereby, a film having a two-layer structure (thickness: 26 μm) is formed. Thereafter, dimples (projections) are formed using a needle having a taper angle of 8 ° and a driving depth of 900 μm. As a result, a dimple having a strength about three times that of a dimple formed on a single layer film using a PET film (thickness: 12 μm) was obtained. And the regenerator (outer diameter: 50 mm) which has a film space | interval of about 75 micrometers is formed by winding this film. As a result, a regenerator having a heat storage property about twice that of the regenerator using only the resin film and having the same pressure loss was obtained.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is planned from the beginning to appropriately combine the characteristic portions of the respective embodiments described above. The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a piping system diagram of the Stirling cooler according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the Stirling refrigerator in the Stirling refrigerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed an example of the manufacturing apparatus of the regenerator film which comprises the regenerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed an example of the regenerator film which comprises the regenerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the other example of the regenerator film which comprises the regenerator which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is the figure which showed typically the structure of the apparatus for forming a projection part on the surface of a regenerator film. It is the figure which showed the process of winding a regenerator film and forming a regenerator.

Explanation of symbols

  1 Stirling cooler, 2 high temperature section, 2A-2E pipe (high temperature side circulation circuit), 3 low temperature section, 3A, 3B pipe (low temperature side circulation circuit), 4 Stirling refrigerator, 5 high temperature side evaporator, 6 circulation pump, 7 High-temperature side condenser, 8 fans, 9 Condensation prevention pipe, 10 Low-temperature side condenser, 11 Low-temperature side evaporator, 12 Fan, 12A Drain pipe, 12B Drain pan, 12C Fan, 13 Cylinder, 14 Piston, 15 Displacer, 16 Regeneration , 17 working space, 17A compression space, 17B expansion space, 18, 19 internal heat exchanger, 20 inner yoke, 21 movable magnet, 22 outer yoke, 23 linear motor, 24 piston spring, 25 displacer spring, 26 displacer rod, 27 Back pressure space, 28 Board bar 29 balance mass, 30 casing, 30A base member, 31 regenerator film, 31A first film, 31B second film, 31C adhesive layer, 35 first unwinding device, 36 coater head, 37 drying furnace, 38 nip, 39 Second unwinding device, 40 winder, 41 press machine, 42 pressing die, 43 pressing part, 44 stage, 45 film feeder, 46, 47 drive roller, 310 protrusion.

Claims (7)

With a film that is wound while providing a gap,
The film has a multi-layer structure in which the first and second layers are stacked, and the film has protrusions formed by deforming the surface thereof.
The first layer has higher heat storage than the second layer,
The regenerator, wherein the second layer has a higher Young's modulus than the first layer.   The regenerator according to claim 1, wherein the protrusion is formed so as to protrude toward the second layer with respect to the first layer.   The regenerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the first and second layers includes a resin film. The first layer includes a resin film,
The regenerator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second layer includes a vapor deposition film. A step of forming a film having a multilayer structure by laminating first and second layers, one of which is relatively high in heat storage and the other is relatively high in Young's modulus;
Forming a protrusion by deforming the surface of the film;
And a step of winding the film on which the protrusions are formed. The outer shell,
A cylinder assembled in the outer shell enclosing the working medium;
A piston that reciprocates within the cylinder;
A displacer that reciprocates with a phase difference with respect to the piston;
A compression space formed between the piston and the displacer;
An expansion space formed on the opposite side of the piston to the displacer;
A Stirling engine comprising: a regenerator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is disposed in a communication path that connects the compression space and the expansion space.   A Stirling cooler comprising the Stirling engine according to claim 6.

Images