JP2012220067A - Refrigerant circuit device and vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerant circuit device that prevents cooling efficiency from being reduced by suppressing inflow of a liquid-phase refrigerant into a gas-phase refrigerant channel even if quality of a refrigerant flowing in a gas-liquid separator changes, and to provide a vending machine.SOLUTION: The refrigerant circuit device includes a refrigerant circuit 10 including: a vaporizer 21; a compressor 22 which compresses a refrigerant vaporized by the vaporizer 21; a condenser 23 which condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22; an expansion mechanism 24 which adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser 23; and a gas-liquid separator 25 which separates the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and sends out the gas-phase refrigerant to the compressor 22 through a gas-phase refrigerant channel 32 while sending out the liquid-phase refrigerant to the vaporizer 21 through a liquid-phase refrigerant channel 31. The refrigerant circuit device further includes flow rate control valve 33 which constitutes the liquid-phase refrigerant channel 32, and controls the flow rate of the refrigerant in the liquid-phase refrigerant channel 32 in such a manner that the temperature of downstream refrigerant on the downstream side of the control valve 33 is higher than the temperature of upstream refrigerant on the upstream side of the control valve 33.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant circuit device and a vending machine.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a refrigerant circuit device applied to, for example, a vending machine, an apparatus having a refrigerant circuit configured by sequentially connecting an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion mechanism through a refrigerant pipe is known. The evaporator is disposed inside the commodity storage of the vending machine. This evaporator cools the internal air (internal atmosphere) of the product storage box by evaporating the supplied refrigerant. The compressor is disposed inside the vending machine main body and outside the product storage, for example, in the machine room. The compressor sucks the refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator, compresses the sucked refrigerant, In this state, the liquid is discharged. Like the compressor, the condenser is disposed in a place (machine room or the like) in the vending machine main body and outside the commodity storage. This condenser heats the ambient air by condensing the refrigerant discharged from the compressor. Like the compressor and the condenser, the expansion mechanism is disposed in a place (machine room or the like) inside the vending machine main body and outside the commodity storage. This expansion mechanism is for adiabatically expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser by reducing the pressure.

  In such a refrigerant circuit, the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism is separated into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and the liquid-phase refrigerant is sent to the evaporator through the liquid-phase refrigerant pipe. One provided with a gas-liquid separator that sends a gas-phase refrigerant to a compressor through a pipe line is known.

  In a refrigerant circuit device having such a refrigerant circuit, the gas-liquid separator adiabatically expands by the expansion mechanism to separate the refrigerant into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant, and sends the liquid phase refrigerant to the evaporator, while the gas phase refrigerant is By sending it to the compressor, it is possible to avoid a situation in which most of the gas-phase refrigerant generated by adiabatic expansion passes through the evaporator and then is sucked into the compressor, and from the expansion mechanism to the compressor via the evaporator. The pressure loss of the flowing refrigerant is reduced (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2010-249455 A

  By the way, in the refrigerant circuit device described above, the fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe is set as follows. That is, the ratio of the refrigerant flow rate flowing out to the gas-phase refrigerant pipe with respect to the total inflow refrigerant flow rate in the gas-liquid separator (hereinafter also referred to as the refrigerant flow rate ratio) is the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator that is assumed in design. It is uniquely set to be equivalent to (mass flow rate ratio of gas phase refrigerant). Therefore, when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator is equal to the refrigerant flow rate ratio, the gas-liquid separation can be performed at a desired ratio.

  However, the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator may vary depending on various conditions such as the installation environment of the refrigerant circuit device. Therefore, if the fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe is uniquely set as described above, the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator is lowered, and the flow of the gas-phase refrigerant follows the gas-phase refrigerant pipe. There is a problem that fine droplets (liquid phase refrigerant) that are easy to flow in flow in, resulting in a decrease in cooling efficiency.

  In the refrigerant circuit device proposed in Patent Document 1, a flow rate adjusting means for adjusting the flow rate of the refrigerant passing through the gas phase refrigerant pipe is provided in the gas phase refrigerant pipe. The means adjusts the flow rate according to the number of driving evaporators in the refrigerant circuit, and cannot adjust the flow rate according to the change in the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention suppresses the inflow of liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant line even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator changes, thereby preventing a decrease in cooling efficiency. An object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant circuit device and a vending machine that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, a refrigerant circuit device according to claim 1 of the present invention is an evaporator that is disposed inside a target chamber and that evaporates the supplied refrigerant to cool the internal atmosphere of the target chamber. A compressor that sucks and compresses the refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator, a condenser that introduces and condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, and an expansion mechanism that adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed by the condenser And the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism is separated into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and the liquid-phase refrigerant is sent to the evaporator through a liquid-phase refrigerant pipe, while the gas-phase refrigerant is sent through the gas-phase refrigerant pipe In the refrigerant circuit device having a refrigerant circuit including a gas-liquid separator that delivers the gas to the compressor, the gas phase refrigerant pipe is configured, and the downstream refrigerant temperature on the downstream side of the refrigerant circuit device is on the upstream side of the refrigerant circuit device. The gas-phase refrigerant pipe in a manner that becomes higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature. Characterized by comprising a flow control means for controlling the flow rate of the definitive refrigerant.

  The refrigerant circuit device according to claim 2 of the present invention is the refrigerant circuit device according to claim 1, wherein the flow rate control means is configured such that, when the downstream refrigerant temperature is equal to or lower than the upstream refrigerant temperature, the gas phase refrigerant. While increasing the fluid resistance in the pipeline to reduce the refrigerant flow rate, if the downstream refrigerant temperature is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature, maintain the fluid resistance in the gas phase refrigerant pipeline to reduce the refrigerant flow rate. It is characterized by holding.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a vending machine includes the refrigerant circuit device according to the first or second aspect described above.

  According to the present invention, the flow rate control means constituting the gas-phase refrigerant pipe is arranged in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe in such a manner that the downstream-side refrigerant temperature on the downstream side is higher than the upstream-side refrigerant temperature on the upstream side. Since the flow rate of the refrigerant is controlled, even when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator changes and decreases, the inflow of the liquid phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant line can be suppressed, and thus the liquid to the evaporator can be suppressed. A decrease in the flow rate of the phase refrigerant can be prevented. Therefore, even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator changes, it is possible to suppress the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe and prevent the cooling efficiency from being lowered.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where an internal structure of a vending machine (a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention) to which the refrigerant circuit device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied is viewed from the front. is there. FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional side view of the right commodity storage. FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing the refrigerant circuit device applied to the vending machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 4 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing a refrigerant flow when the CCC operation is performed in the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing a refrigerant flow when the HCC operation is performed in the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the flow rate control process performed by the flow rate control unit shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing the refrigerant circuit device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a block diagram schematically showing a characteristic control system of the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing a refrigerant flow when the CCC operation is performed in the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing a refrigerant flow when the HCC operation is performed in the refrigerant circuit device shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing contents of the flow rate control process performed by the flow rate control unit shown in FIG.

  Exemplary embodiments of a refrigerant circuit device and a vending machine according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a case where an internal structure of a vending machine (a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention) to which the refrigerant circuit device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied is viewed from the front. is there. The vending machine illustrated here includes a main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 has a rectangular shape with an open front surface. The main body cabinet 1 is provided with three independent commodity containers 3 partitioned by, for example, two heat insulating partition plates 2 in a side-by-side manner. This product storage 3 is for storing products such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles while maintaining them at a desired temperature, and has a heat insulating structure.

  FIG. 2 shows the internal structure of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1 and is a cross-sectional side view of the right product storage case 3. Here, the internal structure of the right product storage 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the right storage 3a) is shown, but the central product storage 3 (hereinafter also referred to as the intermediate storage 3b) and the left product storage 3 are shown. The internal structure (hereinafter also referred to as the left warehouse 3c as appropriate) has substantially the same configuration as the right warehouse 3a. In the present specification, the right side indicates the right side when the vending machine is viewed from the front, and the left side indicates the left side when the vending machine is viewed from the front.

  As shown in FIG. 2, an outer door 4 and an inner door 5 are provided on the front surface of the main body cabinet 1. The outer door 4 is for opening and closing the front opening of the main body cabinet 1, and the inner door 5 is for opening and closing the front surface of the commodity storage 3. The inner door 5 is divided into upper and lower parts, and the upper door 5a opens and closes when a product is replenished.

  The product storage 3 is provided with a product storage rack 6, a carry-out mechanism 7 and a carry-out shooter 8. The commodity storage rack 6 is for storing commodities in a manner arranged in the vertical direction. The carry-out mechanism 7 is provided at the lower part of the product storage rack 6 and is used to carry out the products at the bottom of the product group stored in the product storage rack 6 one by one. The carry-out shooter 8 is for guiding the product carried out from the carry-out mechanism 7 to the product take-out port 4 a provided in the outer door 4.

  FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing the refrigerant circuit device applied to the vending machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The refrigerant circuit device illustrated here has a refrigerant circuit 10 in which a refrigerant (for example, R134a) is sealed. The refrigerant circuit 10 includes a main path 20 and a heating path 40.

  The main path 20 is configured by sequentially connecting an evaporator 21, a compressor 22, a condenser 23, an expansion mechanism 24, and a gas-liquid separator 25 through a refrigerant pipe 26.

  A plurality of evaporators 21 (three in the example shown in the figure) are provided, and each of them is disposed in the interior low region of each commodity storage 3 and on the front side of the rear duct D (see FIG. 2). Inside the evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the right evaporator 21a) disposed in the right warehouse 3a, the evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the middle evaporator 21b) disposed in the middle warehouse 3b, and the left warehouse 3c. The arranged evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the left evaporator 21c) is connected to each inlet in such a manner that a refrigerant pipe 26 branched into three by a distributor 27 communicates with each inlet. These evaporators 21 evaporate the refrigerant passing therethrough and cool the internal air of the target product storage 3 (right warehouse 3a, middle warehouse 3b, left warehouse 3c).

  Low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are provided in the middle of the refrigerant pipes 26 connected in a manner communicating with the inlets of the respective evaporators 21. The low-pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are valve bodies that can be opened and closed. When an opening command is given from a control unit (not shown), the low-pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are opened to allow passage of the refrigerant, while being given a closing command. In such a case, it is closed to restrict the passage of the refrigerant.

  In addition, a refrigerant pipe 26 is connected to each evaporator 21 in such a manner as to communicate with each outlet, and these refrigerant pipes 26 merge at the first junction P1 and communicate with the suction port of the compressor 22. In this manner, the compressor 22 is connected.

  The compressor 22 is disposed in the machine room 9 as shown in FIG. The machine room 9 is a room inside the main body cabinet 1, partitioned from the product storage 3 and below the product storage 3. The compressor 22 sucks the refrigerant through the suction port, compresses the sucked refrigerant, puts it in a high temperature and high pressure state, and discharges it from the discharge port.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the condenser 23 is disposed in the machine room 9 similarly to the compressor 22. The condenser 23 condenses the refrigerant that passes therethrough. More specifically, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 and discharged from the discharge port and sent through the refrigerant pipe 26 is condensed by exchanging heat with the ambient air. A three-way valve 29 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 26 connecting the condenser 23 and the compressor 22. The three-way valve 29 will be described later.

  The expansion mechanism 24 is composed of, for example, an expansion valve or a capillary tube, and decompresses and adiabatically expands the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant line 26 connected in a manner communicating with its own inlet. The refrigerant conduits 26 connected in a manner communicating with the inlet of the expansion mechanism 24 pass through the refrigerant conduits 26 between the refrigerant conduits 26 connected in a manner communicating with the suction port of the compressor 22. An internal heat exchanger 30 that can exchange heat between the refrigerants is configured.

  The gas-liquid separator 25 is connected to the expansion mechanism 24 in such a manner that a refrigerant pipe 26 connected in a manner communicating with its own inlet 251 communicates with an outlet of the expansion mechanism 24. The gas-liquid separator 25 separates the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant pipe 26, that is, the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant.

  The gas-liquid separator 25 has an inlet 251, a liquid phase refrigerant outlet 252 that discharges the separated liquid phase refrigerant, and a gas phase refrigerant outlet 253 that discharges the separated gas phase refrigerant. The liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31 is connected in a mode communicating with the refrigerant outlet 252, and the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32 is communicated in a mode communicating with the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 253.

  The liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 25 in such a manner that one end communicates with the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 252, while the other end is connected to the distributor 27 and discharged through the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 252. The phase refrigerant is passed toward the distributor 27.

  The gas-phase refrigerant line 32 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 25 in such a manner that one end communicates with the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 253, while the other end of the refrigerant line 26 is connected to the compressor 22. The refrigerant is connected to the refrigerant pipe 26 at a second junction P2 between P1 and the internal heat exchanger 30, and the gas-phase refrigerant discharged through the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 253 passes toward the compressor 22. It is something to be made.

  That is, the gas-liquid separator 25 separates the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and sends the liquid-phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21 through the liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31. The gas-phase refrigerant is sent to the compressor 22 through the phase refrigerant line 32.

  Such a gas phase refrigerant pipe 32 is provided with a flow rate control valve 33 which is, for example, a pulse-driven valve in the middle thereof. The flow rate control valve 33 is an element constituting the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32, and its opening degree is adjusted by the flow rate control unit 34 shown in FIG. 4 to control the refrigerant flow rate passing through the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32. It is a valve body to do.

  In the gas phase refrigerant pipe 32, an upstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S 1 is provided upstream of the flow rate control valve 33, and a downstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S 2 is provided downstream of the flow rate control valve 33. The upstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S1 is a detection means for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the gas phase refrigerant outlet 253 of the gas-liquid separator 25, that is, the upstream side refrigerant temperature T1, and the flow rate control unit 34 detects the detection result. It is given as a signal. The downstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S2 is a detecting means for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the flow rate control valve 33, that is, the downstream side refrigerant temperature T2, and provides the detection result to the flow rate control unit 34 as a detection signal.

  The heating path 40 is configured by sequentially connecting an internal heat exchanger 41 and an external heat exchanger 42 with a refrigerant pipe 43. The internal heat exchanger 41 is disposed in a manner adjacent to the left evaporator 21c inside the left warehouse 3c. A refrigerant pipe 43 connected to the three-way valve 29 is connected to the inlet side of the internal heat exchanger 41.

  Here, the three-way valve 29 includes a first sending state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 is sent to the condenser 23, and a second sending state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 is sent to the internal heat exchanger 41. The valve means can be switched alternatively between. The switching operation of the three-way valve 29 is performed according to a command given from the control unit.

  When the refrigerant | coolant compressed with the compressor 22 is supplied through the refrigerant | coolant piping 43, such an internal heat exchanger 41 heats the internal air of the left store | warehouse | chamber 3c by condensing this refrigerant | coolant.

  The external heat exchanger 42 is disposed in the machine room 9 so as to be adjacent to the condenser 23. A refrigerant pipe 43 connected to the outlet side of the internal heat exchanger 41 is connected to the inlet side of the external heat exchanger 42. That is, the refrigerant condensed in the internal heat exchanger 41 is supplied through the refrigerant pipe 43. The external heat exchanger 42 is configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant supplied from the internal heat exchanger 41 and the ambient air, and to dissipate the refrigerant.

  In addition, a refrigerant pipe 43 connected in a manner to join the refrigerant pipe 26 connected to the outlet side of the condenser 23 in the main path 20 is connected to the outlet side of the external heat exchanger 42.

  The flow rate control unit 34 adjusts the opening degree of the flow rate control valve 33 according to the program and data stored in the memory 35. As shown in FIG. 4, the input processing unit 341, the comparison unit 342, and the valve drive processing unit 343 are provided. It is configured with. The flow rate control unit 34 may be configured integrally with a control unit that controls driving of the low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, 283 and the three-way valve 29, or independently of the control unit. It may be configured.

  The input processing unit 341 inputs detection signals given from the upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1 and the downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S2. Whether the comparison unit 342 has a detected temperature (downstream refrigerant temperature T2) of the downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S2 input through the input processing unit 341 is higher than a detection temperature (upstream refrigerant temperature T1) of the upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1. It is to compare whether or not. The valve drive processing unit 343 gives a command to the flow control valve 33 to maintain or decrease the opening degree.

  In addition, the code | symbol H, F1, and F2 in a figure are a heater, an internal fan, and an external fan, respectively. The heater H is a heating means that is disposed in the inner cabinet 3b and that heats the internal air of the inner cabinet 3b by being driven and energized. The internal blower fan F <b> 1 is disposed in each commodity storage 3, and circulates the air that has passed around the evaporator 21 and the like inside the commodity storage 3 by being driven. The external blower fan F2 is disposed in the vicinity of the condenser 23, and drives the outside air around the condenser 23 (or the external heat exchanger 42) by driving.

  The refrigerant circuit device having the above-described configuration cools or heats the product stored in the product storage 3 as follows.

  First, the case where CCC operation (operation which cools the internal air of all the goods storage 3) is performed is explained. In this case, the control unit puts the three-way valve 29 into the first delivery state and gives an open command to the low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, 283. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 circulates as shown in FIG.

  That is, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 passes through the three-way valve 29 in the first delivery state and reaches the condenser 23. The refrigerant that reaches the condenser 23 dissipates heat to the surrounding air (outside air) and condenses while passing through the condenser 23. The refrigerant condensed in the condenser 23 is adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 and reaches the gas-liquid separator 25.

  In the gas-liquid separator 25, the refrigerant is separated into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant passes through the liquid phase refrigerant pipe 31 and then reaches the right evaporator 21a, the middle evaporator 21b and the left evaporator 21c via the distributor 27, while the separated gas phase refrigerant is It passes through the gas-phase refrigerant line 32.

  The refrigerant that has reached each evaporator 21 evaporates in each evaporator 21, takes heat from the internal air of the commodity storage 3, and cools the internal air. The cooled internal air circulates in the interior by driving each internal blower fan F1, whereby the products stored in each product storage 3 are cooled to the circulating internal air. The refrigerant evaporated in each evaporator 21 merges at the first merge point P1, then merges with the gas phase refrigerant that has passed through the gas phase refrigerant line 32 at the second merge point P2, and is sucked into the compressor 22 for compression. It is compressed by the machine 22 and repeats the circulation described above.

  Next, a case where the HCC operation (operation for heating the internal air of the left warehouse 3c and cooling the internal air of the right warehouse 3a and the middle warehouse 3b) is described. In this case, the control unit causes the three-way valve 29 to be in the second delivery state, gives a close command to the low pressure solenoid valve 283, and gives an open command to the low pressure solenoid valves 281 and 282. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 circulates as shown in FIG.

  That is, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 passes through the three-way valve 29 that is in the second delivery state and reaches the internal heat exchanger 41. While passing through the internal heat exchanger 41, the refrigerant that has reached the internal heat exchanger 41 exchanges heat with the internal air of the left chamber 3c, and dissipates heat to the internal air to condense. Thereby, the internal air of the left warehouse 3c is heated. The heated internal air circulates inside the left warehouse 3c by driving the internal blower fan F1, whereby the product stored in the left warehouse 3c is heated to the circulating internal air.

  The refrigerant condensed in the internal heat exchanger 41 reaches the external heat exchanger 42, dissipates heat to the ambient air in the external heat exchanger 42, passes through the refrigerant pipe 43, and returns to the main path 20. The refrigerant returned to the main path 20 is adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 and reaches the gas-liquid separator 25.

  In the gas-liquid separator 25, the refrigerant is separated into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant passes through the liquid phase refrigerant pipe 31 and then reaches the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b via the distributor 27. On the other hand, the separated gas phase refrigerant is separated from the gas phase refrigerant pipe. Pass through 32.

  The refrigerant that has reached the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b evaporates at the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b, takes heat from the internal air of the right warehouse 3a and the middle warehouse 3b, and cools the internal air. The cooled internal air circulates in the interior by driving each internal blower fan F1, whereby the products accommodated in the right warehouse 3a and the central warehouse 3b are cooled to the circulating internal air. The refrigerant evaporated in the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b merges at the first junction P1, and then merges with the gas-phase refrigerant that has passed through the gas-phase refrigerant pipeline 32 at the second junction P2. And is compressed by the compressor 22 to repeat the circulation described above.

  When performing the above-described CCC operation or HCC operation, the flow rate control unit 34 constituting the refrigerant circuit device performs the following flow rate control processing according to a predetermined time schedule. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the contents of the flow rate control process performed by the flow rate control unit 34.

  In this flow rate control process, the flow rate control unit 34 receives the detection signals given from the upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1 and the downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S2 through the input processing unit 341, that is, the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 and the downstream refrigerant. When the temperature T2 is detected (step S101: Yes), the comparison unit 342 compares whether or not the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S102).

  When the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S102: Yes), the flow rate control unit 34 gives an opening degree maintenance command to the flow rate control valve 33 through the valve drive processing unit 343 to maintain the opening degree. (Step S103), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process.

  According to this, by maintaining the opening degree of the flow rate control valve 33, the fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant line 32 can be maintained, and the refrigerant flow rate in the gas-phase refrigerant line 32 can be maintained.

  On the other hand, when the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 becomes equal to or lower than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S102: No), the flow control unit 34 gives an opening reduction command to the flow control valve 33 through the valve drive processing unit 343 to open the opening. (Step S104), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process.

  According to this, when the opening degree of the flow control valve 33 decreases, the fluid resistance in the gas phase refrigerant pipe 32 can be increased and the refrigerant flow rate can be decreased.

  In such a flow rate control process, the flow rate control unit 34 controls the flow rate of the refrigerant in the gas-phase refrigerant line 32 so that the downstream side refrigerant temperature T2 is higher than the upstream side refrigerant temperature T1.

  According to the refrigerant circuit device according to the first embodiment as described above, in the flow rate control process performed in a predetermined time schedule, the flow rate control unit 34 has the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1. Since the flow rate of the refrigerant in the gas-phase refrigerant line 32 is controlled in a higher manner, even when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes and decreases, the liquid flowing into the gas-phase refrigerant line 32 The inflow of the phase refrigerant can be suppressed, thereby preventing a decrease in the flow rate of the liquid phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21. Therefore, even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes, the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32 can be suppressed and the cooling efficiency can be prevented from being lowered.

  Further, even in the vending machine including the refrigerant circuit device, even when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes and decreases, the inflow of the liquid phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32 can be suppressed. Thus, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the flow rate of the liquid-phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21. Therefore, even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes, the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 32 can be suppressed and the cooling efficiency can be prevented from being lowered.

<Embodiment 2>
FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram conceptually showing the refrigerant circuit device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The refrigerant circuit device exemplified here is applied to the vending machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 similarly to the refrigerant circuit device according to the first embodiment described above, and has a refrigerant (for example, R134a) inside. Has a refrigerant circuit 11 in which is enclosed. In the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same reference numerals.

  The refrigerant circuit 11 constituting the refrigerant circuit device includes the main path 200 and the heating path 40.

  The main path 200 is configured by sequentially connecting an evaporator 21, a compressor 22, a condenser 23, an expansion mechanism 24, and a gas-liquid separator 25 through a refrigerant pipe 26.

  A plurality of evaporators 21 (three in the example shown in the figure) are provided, and each of them is disposed in the interior low region of each commodity storage 3 and on the front side of the rear duct D (see FIG. 2). Inside the evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the right evaporator 21a) disposed in the right warehouse 3a, the evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the middle evaporator 21b) disposed in the middle warehouse 3b, and the left warehouse 3c. The arranged evaporator 21 (hereinafter also referred to as the left evaporator 21c) is connected to each inlet in such a manner that a refrigerant pipe 26 branched into three by a distributor 27 communicates with each inlet. These evaporators 21 evaporate the refrigerant passing therethrough and cool the internal air of the target product storage 3 (right warehouse 3a, middle warehouse 3b, left warehouse 3c).

  Low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are provided in the middle of the refrigerant pipes 26 connected in a manner communicating with the inlets of the respective evaporators 21. The low-pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are valve bodies that can be opened and closed. When an opening command is given from a control unit (not shown), the low-pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, and 283 are opened to allow passage of the refrigerant, while being given a closing command. In such a case, it is closed to restrict the passage of the refrigerant.

  In addition, a refrigerant pipe 26 is connected to each evaporator 21 in such a manner as to communicate with each outlet, and these refrigerant pipes 26 merge at the first junction P1 and communicate with the suction port of the compressor 22. In this manner, the compressor 22 is connected.

  The compressor 22 is disposed in the machine room 9. The machine room 9 is a room inside the main body cabinet 1, partitioned from the product storage 3 and below the product storage 3. The compressor 22 sucks the refrigerant through the suction port, compresses the sucked refrigerant, puts it in a high temperature and high pressure state, and discharges it from the discharge port.

  The condenser 23 is disposed in the machine room 9 similarly to the compressor 22. The condenser 23 condenses the refrigerant that passes therethrough. More specifically, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 and discharged from the discharge port and sent through the refrigerant pipe 26 is condensed by exchanging heat with the ambient air. A three-way valve 29 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 26 connecting the condenser 23 and the compressor 22. The three-way valve 29 will be described later.

  The expansion mechanism 24 is composed of, for example, an expansion valve or a capillary tube, and decompresses and adiabatically expands the refrigerant supplied from the refrigerant line 26 connected in a manner communicating with its own inlet. The refrigerant conduits 26 connected in a manner communicating with the inlet of the expansion mechanism 24 pass through the refrigerant conduits 26 between the refrigerant conduits 26 connected in a manner communicating with the suction port of the compressor 22. An internal heat exchanger 30 that can exchange heat between the refrigerants is configured.

  The gas-liquid separator 25 is connected to the expansion mechanism 24 in such a manner that a refrigerant pipe 26 connected in a manner communicating with its own inlet 251 communicates with an outlet of the expansion mechanism 24. The gas-liquid separator 25 separates the refrigerant supplied through the refrigerant pipe 26, that is, the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant.

  The gas-liquid separator 25 has an inlet 251, a liquid phase refrigerant outlet 252 that discharges the separated liquid phase refrigerant, and a gas phase refrigerant outlet 253 that discharges the separated gas phase refrigerant. The liquid phase refrigerant pipe 31 is connected in a mode communicating with the refrigerant outlet 252 and the gas phase refrigerant pipe 320 is communicated in a mode communicating with the gas phase refrigerant outlet 253.

  The liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 25 in such a manner that one end communicates with the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 252, while the other end is connected to the distributor 27 and discharged through the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet 252. The phase refrigerant is passed toward the distributor 27.

  The gas-phase refrigerant line 320 has a gas-phase inflow pipe 321 connected to the gas-liquid separator 25 in such a manner that one end communicates with the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 253 and the other end of the gas-phase inflow pipe 321 is in parallel with each other. A plurality of (three in the illustrated example) gas-phase pipes 322, 323, and 324 connected in such a manner. These gas-phase pipes 322, 323, and 324 are made of, for example, capillary tubes, and have different fluid resistances. In the following, the gas phase piping having the smallest fluid resistance is the first gas phase piping 322, the gas phase piping having the largest fluid resistance is the third gas phase piping 324, and the fluid resistance is larger than the first gas phase piping 322, and the third A gas phase pipe smaller than the gas phase pipe 324 is referred to as a second gas phase pipe 323.

  The first gas phase piping 322 has one end connected to the other end of the gas phase inflow piping 321 and the other end connected to the internal heat exchanger 30 from the first junction P1 of the refrigerant pipe 26 connected to the compressor 22. It connects in the aspect which merges with this refrigerant | coolant pipeline 26 at the 2nd junction P2 between. The first gas phase piping 322 is provided with a first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 in the middle thereof. The first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 is a valve body that can be opened and closed. When an open command is given from the flow rate control unit 36 shown in FIG. 9, the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 opens and allows passage of the refrigerant, while a close command is given. If it is, it closes and restricts the passage of the refrigerant.

  The second gas-phase pipe 323 has one end connected to the other end of the gas-phase inflow pipe 321 and the other end connected to the internal heat exchanger 30 from the first junction P1 of the refrigerant pipe 26 connected to the compressor 22. It connects in the aspect which merges with this refrigerant | coolant pipeline 26 at the 3rd merge point P3 between. The second gas phase piping 323 is provided with a second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 in the middle thereof. The second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 is a valve body that can be opened and closed. When the open command is given from the flow rate control unit 36 shown in FIG. 9, the second flow rate solenoid valve 332 opens and allows the refrigerant to pass, while the close command is given. If it is, it closes and restricts the passage of the refrigerant.

  The third gas phase pipe 324 has one end connected to the other end of the gas phase inflow pipe 321 and the other end connected to the internal heat exchanger 30 from the first junction P1 of the refrigerant pipe 26 connected to the compressor 22. It connects in the aspect which merges with this refrigerant | coolant pipeline 26 at the 4th merge point P4 between. The third gas phase pipe 324 is provided with a third flow rate electromagnetic valve 333 in the middle thereof. The third flow rate electromagnetic valve 333 is a valve body that can be opened and closed. When the open command is given from the flow rate control unit 36 shown in FIG. 9, the third flow rate solenoid valve 333 opens and allows the refrigerant to pass, while the close command is given. If it is, it closes and restricts the passage of the refrigerant.

  Such a gas-liquid separator 25 separates the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and sends the liquid-phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21 through the liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31. The gas phase refrigerant is sent to the compressor 22 through the gas phase refrigerant pipe 320.

  Further, in the gas phase refrigerant pipe line 320, an upstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S 1 is provided in the gas phase inlet pipe 321, and the first downstream side refrigerant is provided downstream of the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 of the first gas phase pipe 322. The temperature sensor S 3, the second downstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S 4 on the downstream side of the second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 of the second gas phase piping 323, and the third side of the third gas phase piping 324 downstream of the third flow rate electromagnetic valve 333. A downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S5 is provided.

  The upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1 is a detection means for detecting the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the gas-phase refrigerant outlet 253 of the gas-liquid separator 25, that is, the upstream refrigerant temperature T1, and the detection result is detected by the flow control unit 36. It is given as a signal.

  The first downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S3 is a detection unit that detects the temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the first gas-phase pipe 322, that is, the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2, and uses the detection result as a detection signal to the flow rate control unit 36. Give.

  The second downstream-side refrigerant temperature sensor S4 is a detection unit that detects the temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the second gas-phase pipe 323, that is, the second downstream-side refrigerant temperature t3, and uses the detection result as a detection signal to the flow rate controller 36. Give.

  The third downstream-side refrigerant temperature sensor S5 is a detection unit that detects the temperature of the refrigerant that has passed through the third gas-phase pipe 324, that is, the third downstream-side refrigerant temperature t4, and the detection result is sent to the flow rate control unit 36 as a detection signal. Give.

  The heating path 40 is configured by sequentially connecting an internal heat exchanger 41 and an external heat exchanger 42 with a refrigerant pipe 43. The internal heat exchanger 41 is disposed in a manner adjacent to the left evaporator 21c inside the left warehouse 3c. A refrigerant pipe 43 connected to the three-way valve 29 is connected to the inlet side of the internal heat exchanger 41. Here, the three-way valve 29 includes a first sending state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 is sent to the condenser 23, and a second sending state in which the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 is sent to the internal heat exchanger 41. The valve means can be switched alternatively between. The switching operation of the three-way valve 29 is performed according to a command given from the control unit.

  When the refrigerant | coolant compressed with the compressor 22 is supplied through the refrigerant | coolant piping 43, such an internal heat exchanger 41 heats the internal air of the left store | warehouse | chamber 3c by condensing this refrigerant | coolant.

  The external heat exchanger 42 is disposed in the machine room 9 so as to be adjacent to the condenser 23. A refrigerant pipe 43 connected to the outlet side of the internal heat exchanger 41 is connected to the inlet side of the external heat exchanger 42. That is, the refrigerant condensed in the internal heat exchanger 41 is supplied through the refrigerant pipe 43. The external heat exchanger 42 is configured to exchange heat between the refrigerant supplied from the internal heat exchanger 41 and the ambient air, and to dissipate the refrigerant.

  Further, a refrigerant pipe 43 connected to the refrigerant pipe 26 connected to the outlet side of the condenser 23 in the main path 200 is connected to the outlet side of the external heat exchanger 42.

  The flow controller 36 controls the opening and closing of the first flow electromagnetic valve 331, the second flow electromagnetic valve 332, and the third flow electromagnetic valve 333 according to the program and data stored in the memory 37, as shown in FIG. The input processing unit 361, the comparison unit 362, and the valve drive processing unit 363 are provided. The flow rate control unit 36 may be configured integrally with a control unit that controls the driving of the low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, 283 and the three-way valve 29, or independently of the control unit. It may be configured.

  The input processing unit 361 inputs detection signals given from the upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1, the first downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S3, the second downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S4, and the third downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S5. . The comparison unit 362 uses the detected temperatures of the downstream refrigerant temperature sensors S3 and S4 (downstream refrigerant temperatures t2 and t3) of the inputs inputted through the input processing unit 361 as the detection temperatures (upstream) of the upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S1. It is compared whether the refrigerant temperature is higher than the side refrigerant temperature T1). The valve drive processing unit 363 gives an open command to one of the flow rate electromagnetic valves 331, 332, 333, and gives a close command to the other flow rate electromagnetic valves 331, 332, 333.

  In addition, the code | symbol H, F1, and F2 in a figure are a heater, an internal fan, and an external fan, respectively. The heater H is a heating means that is disposed in the inner cabinet 3b and that heats the internal air of the inner cabinet 3b by being driven and energized. The internal blower fan F <b> 1 is disposed in each commodity storage 3, and circulates the air that has passed around the evaporator 21 and the like inside the commodity storage 3 by being driven. The external blower fan F2 is disposed in the vicinity of the condenser 23, and drives the outside air around the condenser 23 (or the external heat exchanger 42) by driving.

  The refrigerant circuit device having the above-described configuration cools or heats the product stored in the product storage 3 as follows.

  First, the case where CCC operation (operation which cools the internal air of all the goods storage 3) is performed is explained. In this case, the control unit puts the three-way valve 29 into the first delivery state and gives an open command to the low pressure solenoid valves 281, 282, 283. Here, it is assumed that the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 is opened and the second flow rate solenoid valve 332 and the third flow rate solenoid valve 333 are closed. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 circulates as shown in FIG.

  That is, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 passes through the three-way valve 29 in the first delivery state and reaches the condenser 23. The refrigerant that has reached the condenser 23 dissipates heat to the surrounding air (outside air) while passing through the condenser 23 and condenses. The refrigerant condensed in the condenser 23 is adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 and reaches the gas-liquid separator 25.

  In the gas-liquid separator 25, the refrigerant is separated into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant passes through the liquid phase refrigerant pipe 31 and then reaches the right evaporator 21a, the middle evaporator 21b and the left evaporator 21c via the distributor 27, while the separated gas phase refrigerant is It passes through the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 (the gas-phase inflow pipe 321 and the first gas-phase pipe 322).

  The refrigerant that has reached each evaporator 21 evaporates in each evaporator 21, takes heat from the internal air of the commodity storage 3, and cools the internal air. The cooled internal air circulates in the interior by driving each internal blower fan F1, whereby the products stored in each product storage 3 are cooled to the circulating internal air. The refrigerant evaporated in each evaporator 21 merges at the first merge point P1, and then merges with the gas phase refrigerant that has passed through the gas phase refrigerant pipe 320 at the second merge point P2, and is sucked into the compressor 22 to be compressed. It is compressed by the machine 22 and repeats the circulation described above.

  Next, a case where the HCC operation (operation for heating the internal air of the left warehouse 3c and cooling the internal air of the right warehouse 3a and the middle warehouse 3b) is described. In this case, the control unit causes the three-way valve 29 to be in the second delivery state, gives a close command to the low pressure solenoid valve 283, and gives an open command to the low pressure solenoid valves 281 and 282. Even in this case, it is assumed that the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 is opened and the second flow rate solenoid valve 332 and the third flow rate solenoid valve 333 are closed. Thus, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 circulates as shown in FIG.

  That is, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 22 passes through the three-way valve 29 that is in the second delivery state and reaches the internal heat exchanger 41. The refrigerant reaching the internal heat exchanger 41 exchanges heat with the internal air of the left storage 3c while passing through the internal heat exchanger 41, and dissipates heat to the internal air to condense. Thereby, the internal air of the left warehouse 3c is heated. The heated internal air circulates inside the left warehouse 3c by driving the internal blower fan F1, whereby the product stored in the left warehouse 3c is heated to the circulating internal air.

  The refrigerant condensed in the internal heat exchanger 41 reaches the external heat exchanger 42, dissipates heat to the ambient air in the external heat exchanger 42, passes through the refrigerant pipe 43, and returns to the main path 200. The refrigerant returned to the main path 200 is adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 24 and reaches the gas-liquid separator 25.

  In the gas-liquid separator 25, the refrigerant is separated into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant passes through the liquid phase refrigerant pipe 31 and then reaches the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b via the distributor 27. On the other hand, the separated gas phase refrigerant is separated from the gas phase refrigerant pipe. 320 (gas phase inflow piping 321 and first gas phase piping 322).

  The refrigerant that has reached the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b evaporates at the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b, takes heat from the internal air of the right warehouse 3a and the middle warehouse 3b, and cools the internal air. The cooled internal air circulates in the interior by driving each internal blower fan F1, whereby the products accommodated in the right warehouse 3a and the central warehouse 3b are cooled to the circulating internal air. The refrigerant evaporated in the right evaporator 21a and the middle evaporator 21b merges at the first junction P1, and then merges with the gas-phase refrigerant that has passed through the gas-phase refrigerant pipeline 320 at the second junction P2. And is compressed by the compressor 22 to repeat the circulation described above.

  In the case of performing the above-described CCC operation or HCC operation, the flow control unit 36 constituting the refrigerant circuit device performs the following flow control process according to a predetermined time schedule. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the contents of the flow rate control process performed by the flow rate control unit 36.

  In this flow rate control process, the flow rate control unit 36, when only the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 is opened (step S201: Yes), the upstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S1 and the first downstream side refrigerant temperature through the input processing unit 361. When the detection signal given from the sensor S3 is input, that is, when the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 and the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2 are detected (step S202: Yes), the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2 through the comparison unit 362 is detected. Is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S203).

  When the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2 is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S203: Yes), the flow rate control unit 36 maintains the opening of the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 through the valve drive processing unit 363 (step S204). ) And then return the procedure to end the current process.

  According to this, the gas-phase refrigerant passing through the gas-phase inflow piping 321 continues to pass through the first gas-phase piping 322 by maintaining the opening of the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331, and in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 The fluid resistance can be maintained, and the refrigerant flow rate in the gas-phase refrigerant line 320 can be maintained.

  When the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2 becomes equal to or lower than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 in step S203 (step S203: No), the flow rate control unit 36 issues a close command to the first flow rate electromagnetic valve 331 through the valve drive processing unit 363. The second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 is given an opening command to be opened (steps S205 and S206), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process.

  According to this, the gas-phase refrigerant passing through the gas-phase inflow piping 321 passes through the second gas-phase piping 323 having a higher fluid resistance than the first gas-phase piping 322, and the fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 Can be increased to decrease the refrigerant flow rate.

  On the other hand, in the flow rate control process, when only the second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 is opened (step S201: No, step S207: Yes), the flow rate control unit 36 is connected to the upstream side refrigerant temperature sensor S1 and the input processing unit 361. When the detection signal given from the second downstream refrigerant temperature sensor S4 is input, that is, when the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 and the second downstream refrigerant temperature t3 are detected (step S208: Yes), the first through the comparison unit 362. 2 It is compared whether the downstream refrigerant temperature t3 is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S209).

  When the second downstream refrigerant temperature t3 is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 (step S209: Yes), the flow rate control unit 36 maintains the opening of the second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 through the valve drive processing unit 363 (step S210). ) And then return the procedure to end the current process.

  According to this, the gas-phase refrigerant passing through the gas-phase inflow piping 321 continues to pass through the second gas-phase piping 323 by maintaining the opening of the second flow rate electromagnetic valve 332, and in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 The fluid resistance can be maintained, and the refrigerant flow rate in the gas-phase refrigerant line 320 can be maintained.

  When the second downstream refrigerant temperature t3 becomes equal to or lower than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1 in step S209 (step S209: No), the flow control unit 36 issues a close command to the second flow electromagnetic valve 332 through the valve drive processing unit 363. In addition, the third flow rate electromagnetic valve 333 is given an opening command to be opened (steps S211 and S212), and then the procedure is returned to end the current process.

  According to this, the gas-phase refrigerant passing through the gas-phase inflow piping 321 passes through the third gas-phase piping 324 having a higher fluid resistance than the second gas-phase piping 323, and the fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 Can be increased to decrease the refrigerant flow rate.

  By the way, when only the third flow rate electromagnetic valve 333 is opened in the flow rate control process (step S201: No, step S207: No), the flow rate control unit 36 returns the procedure without performing the above process, and this time Terminate the process.

  In such a flow rate control process, the flow rate control unit 36 performs the gas phase in such a manner that the downstream refrigerant temperature (the first downstream refrigerant temperature t2 or the second downstream refrigerant temperature t3) is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1. The flow rate of the refrigerant in the refrigerant line 320 is controlled.

  According to the refrigerant circuit device according to the second embodiment as described above, in the flow rate control process performed in a predetermined time schedule, the flow rate control unit 36 determines that the downstream side refrigerant temperatures t2 and t3 are the upstream side refrigerant temperature T1. Since the flow rate of the refrigerant in the gas-phase refrigerant line 320 is controlled to be higher than that, even when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes and decreases, the gas-phase refrigerant line 320 goes to Inflow of the liquid phase refrigerant can be suppressed, and thereby a decrease in the flow rate of the liquid phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21 can be prevented. Therefore, even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes, the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 can be suppressed, and the cooling efficiency can be prevented from decreasing.

  Further, even in the vending machine including the refrigerant circuit device, even when the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes and decreases, the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 can be suppressed. Thus, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the flow rate of the liquid-phase refrigerant to the evaporator 21. Therefore, even if the quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes, the inflow of the liquid-phase refrigerant into the gas-phase refrigerant pipe 320 can be suppressed, and the cooling efficiency can be prevented from decreasing.

  The preferred embodiment 1 and embodiment 2 of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these, and various modifications can be made.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, the case where the CCC operation and the HCC operation are performed has been described. However, in the present invention, the flow rate control process may be performed even when the HHC operation is performed.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment described above, in the flow control process, when the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 (or t2, t3) is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature T1, the opening degree of the flow control valve 33 is increased. In the present invention, the downstream refrigerant temperature T2 (or t2, t3) is set to the upstream refrigerant in the flow control process. When the temperature is higher than the temperature T1, the flow rate electromagnetic valve disposed in the gas-phase pipe 322 having a lower fluid resistance by closing the flow rate electromagnetic valve 332 during the opening process of the flow rate control valve 33 or opening. You may make it combine the process which opens the valve 331 as needed. According to this, when the refrigerant quality of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separator 25 changes and rises, the gas-phase refrigerant flows into the liquid-phase refrigerant pipe 31 and the pressure in the evaporator 21 on the downstream side thereof. An increase in loss can be avoided.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body cabinet 3 Goods storage 3a Right warehouse 3b Middle warehouse 3c Left warehouse 10 Refrigerant circuit 20 Main path 40 Heating path 21 Evaporator 22 Compressor 23 Condenser 24 Expansion mechanism 25 Gas-liquid separator 26 Refrigerant pipe line 27 Distributor 29 Three-way valve 31 Liquid phase refrigerant pipe 32 Gas phase refrigerant pipe 33 Flow control valve 34 Flow control section 341 Input processing section 342 Comparison section 343 Valve drive processing section 35 Memory S1 Upstream refrigerant temperature sensor S2 Downstream refrigerant temperature sensor

Claims (3)

An evaporator disposed inside the target chamber and evaporating the supplied refrigerant to cool the internal atmosphere of the target chamber;
A compressor that sucks and compresses the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator;
A condenser for introducing and condensing the refrigerant compressed by the compressor;
An expansion mechanism for adiabatically expanding the refrigerant condensed in the condenser;
The refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism is separated into a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant, and the liquid-phase refrigerant is sent to the evaporator through a liquid-phase refrigerant pipe, while the gas-phase refrigerant is sent through the gas-phase refrigerant pipe. In a refrigerant circuit device having a refrigerant circuit comprising a gas-liquid separator that is sent to a compressor,
A flow rate that controls the flow rate of the refrigerant in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe in a manner that constitutes the gas-phase refrigerant pipe and the downstream-side refrigerant temperature on the downstream side is higher than the upstream-side refrigerant temperature on the upstream side. A refrigerant circuit device comprising a control means.   When the downstream refrigerant temperature is equal to or lower than the upstream refrigerant temperature, the flow rate control means increases the fluid resistance in the gas phase refrigerant pipe to decrease the refrigerant flow rate, while the downstream refrigerant temperature is 2. The refrigerant circuit device according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature is higher than the upstream refrigerant temperature, the refrigerant flow rate is maintained by maintaining fluid resistance in the gas-phase refrigerant pipe.   A vending machine comprising the refrigerant circuit device according to claim 1.

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