JP2013113461A - Refrigerant recovery device and refrigerant recovery method using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerant recovery device and a refrigerant recovery method each of which can safely recover an inflammable refrigerant in a recyclable state.SOLUTION: Industrial air is introduced into a refrigerant recovery device 20 through a regulator 22 and a pressure of the refrigerant recovery device 20 is held higher than an atmospheric pressure. After a mixed refrigerant is sucked by a suction valve 30, an oil separator 32 separates HFO-1234yf from a freezer oil and then recovers them individually. As a result, man-power required for separating the HFO-1234yf from the freezer oil in advance is decreased and even if the HFO-1234yf is partially dissipated to outside air, the HFO-1234yf is not allowed to enter the inside of the refrigerant recovery device 20, thereby preventing the ignition and explosion of the inflammable HFO-1234yf.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant recovery apparatus and a refrigerant recovery method using the refrigerant recovery apparatus.

  Conventionally, a cooling solvent is used for low-temperature equipment, and as this cooling solvent, a chlorofluorocarbon consisting only of carbon, fluorine and chlorine, a fluorocarbon not containing chlorine, a hydrochlorofluorocarbon containing carbon, fluorine, chlorine and hydrogen, and A so-called fluorocarbon gas such as hydrofluorocarbon (hereinafter referred to as “fluorocarbon”) is widely used. Many CFCs are generally colorless and odorless, and are widely used as cooling solvents because they are chemically and thermally extremely stable. However, they cause ozone layer destruction and have a high global warming potential. It has become clear that it has a global impact on the environment, and new cooling solvents have been widely demanded.

  In recent years, 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (hereinafter referred to as “HFO-1234yf”) has attracted attention as a new refrigerant. Although HFO-1234yf is contained in chlorofluorocarbon gas, it has a very low ozone depletion coefficient and a global warming coefficient of 4 and it is expected to be widely used as a cooling solvent in the future. In fact, it has already been introduced in Europe as a refrigerant for car air conditioners and is expected to be widely used in the world including Japan in the future.

  By the way, the combustible refrigerant | coolant processing apparatus for collect | recovering and processing the combustible refrigerant | coolant containing HFO-1234yf is already known. For example, in Patent Literature 1, a refrigerant extracted from a used low-temperature device and air are mixed and diluted, and a mixed gas in which the refrigerant and air are mixed is brought into contact with a heated catalyst to perform oxidation treatment. Describes a combustible refrigerant treatment device for treating a combustible refrigerant.

Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-132586

  However, although this combustible refrigerant treatment apparatus can collect and process the combustible refrigerant, it has a problem that the collected combustible refrigerant cannot be reused because it is mixed with air and diluted. In particular, since HFO-1234yf used as a refrigerant is widely used as a refrigerant and can be reused, decomposing HFO-1234yf after use is compatible with the flow of environmental load reduction and energy reduction. do not do. For this reason, the refrigerant | coolant collection | recovery apparatus which can collect | recover the used HFO-1234yf in the state which can be reused is eagerly desired.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and mainly provides a refrigerant recovery apparatus and a refrigerant recovery method capable of recovering a combustible refrigerant in a safe and reusable state. Objective.

  The present invention adopts the following means in order to achieve the main object described above.

The refrigerant recovery apparatus of the present invention is
A refrigerant recovery device for recovering flammable refrigerant and refrigeration oil from low-temperature equipment,
A suction part for sucking gas into the interior and making the internal pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
A suction part connected to a part of a refrigerant circuit of the low-temperature device, and sucking the refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil;
A separation unit that is connected to the suction valve and separates the refrigerant sucked by the suction valve and the refrigerating machine oil;
A pump unit for sucking the refrigerant separated by the separation unit;
A storage unit for storing the refrigerant sucked by the pump unit;
A cooling unit for cooling the storage unit;
With
Is.

  In this refrigerant recovery device, the refrigerant in the mixed state and the refrigerating machine oil are simultaneously sucked in the suction part, the refrigerant in the mixed state and the refrigerating machine oil are separated in the separation part, and the refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil are recovered respectively. By doing so, it is not necessary to separate the mixed refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil in advance before connecting to the refrigerant recovery device, so that labor during refrigerant recovery can be reduced. At this time, since the gas is sucked into the inside from the suction part and is in a state higher than the pressure around the refrigerant recovery device, flammable gas due to leakage from the low temperature equipment can flow into the refrigerant recovery device There is no sex. For this reason, even if flammable refrigerant leaks from the low-temperature equipment to the surroundings, the flammable refrigerant enters the refrigerant recovery device and is caused by sparks generated in the electronic equipment inside the refrigerant recovery device. Can prevent fire and explosion. In other words, the combustible refrigerant can be easily and safely recovered in a reusable state.

  The refrigerant recovery apparatus of the present invention may include a temperature adjustment unit that heats the separation unit and cools the storage unit. By heating the separator, the refrigerant dissolved in the refrigeration oil can be evaporated, and more refrigerant can be recovered compared to the case where the separator is not heated. Moreover, since the volume of the refrigerant | coolant stored in the storage part reduces by cooling a storage part, compared with the case where the storage part is not cooled, a larger quantity of refrigerant | coolants can be stored. In addition, since the volume of the refrigerant stored in the storage unit is reduced by cooling the storage unit, the refrigerant easily moves from the pump unit toward the storage unit. Thus, the combustible refrigerant can be easily recovered in a reusable state.

  The refrigerant recovery device of the present invention compares an internal pressure detection sensor for detecting an internal pressure with the internal pressure detected by the internal pressure detection sensor and the atmospheric pressure. When the internal pressure is higher than the atmospheric pressure, When the said pump part is operated and the said internal pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure, you may provide the control means which does not operate the said pump part. In this way, since the refrigerant is recovered only when the pressure inside the refrigerant recovery device is higher than the atmospheric pressure, even if the refrigerant leaks outside for some reason, the refrigerant enters the inside of the device. Even if a spark or the like is generated from the electronic components inside the refrigerant recovery device, the possibility of igniting the combustible refrigerant can be prevented. In other words, the combustible refrigerant can be recovered in a safe and reusable state.

  In the refrigerant recovery apparatus of the present invention, the storage unit may be a removable container. If it carries out like this, the quantity of refrigerant | coolants more than the quantity which can be stored in one storage part can be collect | recovered by replacing | exchanging a storage part.

The refrigerant recovery method of the present invention includes
A refrigerant recovery method for recovering a refrigerant using the refrigerant recovery apparatus according to any one of the above,
(A) a pressurizing step of sucking a gas with the suction part and making the internal pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
(B) after the pressurizing step, a suction step for sucking the refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil from the low temperature device through the suction portion;
(C) a separation step of separating the refrigerant sucked in the suction step and the refrigerating machine oil by the separation unit;
(D) a refrigerant recovery step of sucking the refrigerant separated in the separation step with the pump unit and recovering the refrigerant by deriving the refrigerant to the storage unit;
including.

  In this refrigerant recovery method, even if a part of the refrigerant is released to the outside air by performing a pressurizing step for pressurizing the inside of the refrigerant recovery apparatus before the suction step for sucking the refrigerant, the refrigerant recovery apparatus There is no possibility of refrigerant entering inside. For this reason, even if a spark or the like occurs in the electronic component provided in the refrigerant recovery device, it is possible to prevent the possibility that the combustible refrigerant may ignite or explode. In addition, since the refrigerant and the refrigeration oil are sucked in the suction step and then the refrigerant and the refrigeration oil are separated in the separation step and the refrigerant is collected in the refrigerant recovery step, it is necessary to separate the refrigerant and the refrigeration oil to be collected in advance. There is no. By doing so, the combustible refrigerant can be recovered easily and safely. In the refrigerant recovery method of the present invention, a step for realizing the function of any of the refrigerant recovery devices described above may be added.

3 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a refrigerant recovery device 20. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an outline of electrical connection in the refrigerant recovery device 20. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a starting process routine. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a refrigerant | coolant collection process routine.

  Here, based on the above-described drawings, the correspondence between the constituent elements of the present embodiment and the constituent elements of the present invention will be clarified in describing the embodiment for carrying out the present invention. The refrigerant recovery device 20 of the present embodiment corresponds to a refrigerant recovery device, the regulator 22 corresponds to a suction portion, the suction valve 30 corresponds to a suction portion, the oil separator 32 corresponds to a separation portion, and the pump 34 is a pump The recovery container 36 corresponds to the storage unit, the temperature adjustment unit 40 corresponds to the temperature adjustment unit, the control unit 60 corresponds to the control means, and the internal pressure sensor 25 corresponds to the internal pressure detection sensor. To do. The operation of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 and the refrigerant recovery method by the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 will be described to clarify an example of the operation of the refrigerant recovery apparatus of the present invention and the refrigerant recovery method using the refrigerant recovery apparatus. In addition, although the refrigerant | coolant collection | recovery apparatus 20 is demonstrated here by taking as an example HFO-1234yf which is a combustible refrigerant | coolant, the refrigerant | coolant collect | recovered is not limited to HFO-1234yf.

  Next, the outline of the configuration of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 which is an example of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the refrigerant recovery device 20. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 includes a regulator 22 connected to an industrial air cylinder (not shown) and an exhaust port 23 for discharging the air inside the apparatus. When the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used, an industrial air cylinder (not shown) and a regulator 22 are connected in advance, and the high-pressure industrial air discharged from the industrial air cylinder is decompressed by the regulator 22. To supply. This industrial air passes through the inside of the refrigerant recovery device 20, cools the condensing part 44 of the temperature adjustment unit 40 described later, and is discharged from the exhaust port 23. By doing so, the inside of the refrigerant recovery device 20 can be maintained at a pressure higher than that of the surroundings, so that surrounding gas can be prevented from entering the inside of the refrigerant recovery device 20. In other words, even if flammable gas exists in the surrounding area, the flammable gas may enter the refrigerant recovery device 20 and ignite or explode by a spark generated from the electronic component. Can be prevented. Further, four wheels 24 are provided on the bottom surface and can be easily moved.

  The refrigerant recovery device 20 includes a suction valve 30 that connects a hose connected to a service port of a used car air conditioner (not shown), an oil separator 32 that communicates with the suction valve 30, a pump 34 that communicates with the oil separator 32, An oil tank 38 and a collection container 36 communicating with the pump 34 are provided. The HFO-1234yf and the refrigerating machine oil (for example, FVC46D manufactured by IDEMISUSU (registered trademark)) are sucked from the suction valve 30 in a mixed state (hereinafter, also referred to as “mixed refrigerant state”), -1234yf and refrigeration oil are separated, and HFO-1234yf is sucked by the pump 34 and recovered into the recovery container 36, and the refrigeration oil is recovered into the oil tank 38. Specifically, since the oil separator 32 is heated to a heating temperature by a heating unit 46 described later, the HFO-1234yf in the mixed refrigerant is vaporized in the oil separator 32, and the refrigerating machine oil is liquefied. It becomes a state. By separating the gas and liquid in this manner, HFO-1234yf and refrigeration oil can be easily separated. Here, the heating temperature is, for example, 40 ° C to 45 ° C.

  In the refrigerant recovery device 20, an internal pressure sensor 25 that measures the internal pressure of the refrigerant recovery device 20 is provided near the exhaust port 23, and an intake pressure sensor 28 that measures the concentration of HFO-1234yf being recovered is an intake valve 30. And an oil separator 32 (see FIG. 2). The internal pressure sensor 25 and the suction pressure sensor 28 are known pressure sensors, and are electrically connected to a control unit 60 described later, and transmit the detected pressure value to the control unit 60.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the oil separator 32 is a known oil separator having a first float switch 26 (see FIG. 2), and the mixed refrigerant sucked by the suction valve 30 is converted into HFO-1234yf, refrigerating machine oil, and the like. To separate. At this time, since the heating part 46 is provided around the oil separator 32, the oil separator 32 is kept at the heating temperature by the heating part 46. By keeping the oil separator 32 at the heating temperature by the heating unit 46, the HFO-1234yf is sucked by the pump 34 in a gas state, and the refrigerating machine oil is discharged to the oil tank 38 in a liquid state, and the HFO-1234yf. And refrigerating machine oil can be separated. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the refrigeration oil from being mixed into the recovery container 36 or HFO-1234yf to be mixed into the oil tank 38, thereby reducing the respective purity. Available HFO-1234yf can be recovered. The first float switch 26 is electrically connected to a control unit 60 (described later) via a wiring (not shown). When the predetermined refrigerating machine oil is stored in the oil separator 32 and the liquid level of the refrigerating machine oil rises, the switch It becomes OFF and a full signal indicating that it is full is transmitted to the control unit 60 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the recovery container 36 is a known gas cylinder provided with a second float switch 27 (see FIG. 2). The recovery container 36 is accommodated in a cooling unit 49 that is a recess provided on the upper surface of the refrigerant recovery device 20, and is connected to the pump 34 via a valve (not shown). By doing so, when the HFO-1234yf separated by the oil separator 32 is introduced into the collection container 36, the volume is reduced by the cooling unit 49, so that the collection container 36 is not cooled. In comparison, a larger amount of HFO-1234yf can be recovered. In addition, as the temperature decreases, the pressure also decreases, and HFO-1234yf is guided into the recovery container 36. Therefore, the recovery container 36 can be more easily removed from the recovery container 36 than when the recovery container 36 is not cooled. 36 can be led. The second float switch 27 is electrically connected to a control unit 60 described later via a wiring (not shown), and a predetermined HFO-1234yf is recovered in the recovery container 36 and the liquid level of the HFO-1234yf rises. Then, the switch is turned off, and a full liquid signal indicating a full liquid state is transmitted to the control unit 60 described later.

  The oil tank 38 is a known oil tank provided with an oil level gauge (not shown), and is detachably connected via an oil separator 32 and an opening / closing valve 33. For this reason, the level of the oil level gauge is visually confirmed, and when the level of the oil level gauge indicates a certain level or more, the refrigeration oil removed and stored in the oil tank 38 can be recovered.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the temperature adjustment unit 40 is sealed in a state where a compression unit 42, a condensing unit 44, a heating unit 46, an expansion valve 48, and a cooling unit 49 communicate with each other. Condensed refrigerant circulates inside. The condensed refrigerant warms the oil separator 32 in the heating unit 46 and then expands in the expansion valve 48 to reach a cooling unit 49 in a low-temperature liquid state. The recovery container 36 disposed in the cooling unit 49 is cooled by being evaporated in the cooling unit 49 to be in a gaseous state, and then compressed by the compression unit 42. Subsequently, after the condensed refrigerant compressed by the compression unit 42 is cooled to the heating temperature with industrial air introduced into the refrigerant recovery device 20 via the regulator 22 when passing through the condensation unit 44, The heating unit 46 is reached again.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control panel 50 includes two notification lamps including a power switch 51 and an operation start switch 52, an operation lamp 53, an internal pressure error lamp 54, a full oil lamp 55, and a full liquid lamp 56. The two switches and the four notification lamps are electrically connected to the control unit 60, respectively. The power switch 51 and the operation start switch 52 are push-lock switches that are switched on and off each time they are pressed. When the power switch 51 is on, a white LED (not shown) emits light, and the refrigerant recovery device 20 is activated. Can be notified. Further, the operation lamp 53 is a green LED lamp, and can emit a green light to notify that the HFO-1234yf can be collected. The other three notification lamps are red LED lamps, and can emit light in red to easily notify that an error has occurred.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 60 is configured as a microprocessor centered on a CPU 61, and temporarily stores a ROM 62 that stores various programs and various data including a startup processing routine and a recovery processing routine described later. A RAM 63 that stores data and an interface 65 (hereinafter referred to as “I / F 65”) that enables communication with various switches, notification lamps, and the like are connected via a bus 64 in a state where signals can be exchanged with each other. Has been.

  Next, a method for recovering HFO-1234yf using the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 of the present embodiment configured as described above and the operation of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 will be described. When the HFO-1234yf is recovered by the refrigerant recovery device 20, the power is supplied to the refrigerant recovery device 20 by connecting in advance to a power source (not shown), and the industrial air cylinder (not shown) and the regulator 22 are connected. . As a result, the industrial air in the industrial air cylinder is decompressed by the regulator 22 and introduced into the refrigerant recovery device 20.

  First, when collecting HFO-1234yf, a service port of a used car air conditioner (not shown) and the suction valve 30 are connected via a hose (not shown) so that the HFO-1234yf can be collected. At this time, whether or not HFO-1234yf is leaking from the connection portion is confirmed using a gas leak detection spray (for example, Guppoflex manufactured by Yokogawa Corporation). When bubbles are generated when this gas leakage detection spray is sprayed on the connection portion, it means that HFO-1234yf has leaked, so the connection portion is checked again.

  Next, when the operator depresses the power switch 51 to turn on the power, the CPU 61 calls the activation process routine shown in FIG. 3 from the ROM 62, and the CPU 61 executes the activation process routine. When the startup process routine is executed, as shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 61 compares the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 with a threshold value α (for example, 0.1 MPa) read from the ROM 62 (step S110). When the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 is small, the internal pressure error lamp 54 is turned on (step S120), and this routine is terminated. In such a case, since the pressure inside the refrigerant recovery device 20 is lower than the pressure around the refrigerant recovery device 20, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, the air around the refrigerant recovery device 20 is the refrigerant. There is a possibility of entering the inside of the collection device 20. In addition, when flammable HFO-1234yf has leaked into the surrounding air for some reason, HFO-1234yf enters the refrigerant recovery device 20 and from the electronic components inside the refrigerant recovery device 20 In the event of a spark, it may ignite or explode. For this reason, the internal pressure error lamp 54 is lit to notify the operator that there is a danger, and the danger is avoided by ending the activation process routine and not starting the refrigerant recovery device 20. Can do. In such a case, the operator confirms the capacity of the industrial air cylinder and the connection between the industrial air cylinder and the regulator 22 to eliminate the error state, and then presses the power switch 51 again.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 is greater than the threshold value α, it determines whether or not a full oil signal is transmitted from the first float switch 26 (step S130). When it is determined that the oil signal is transmitted, the full oil lamp 55 is turned on (step S140), and this routine is terminated. In such a case, since the refrigeration oil is stored in the oil separator 32, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, not only the mixed refrigerant cannot be absorbed by the oil separator 32 but also the pump 34. Refrigerating machine oil may flow out and cause a failure of the refrigerant recovery device 20. For this reason, the failure of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 can be avoided beforehand by turning on the oil filling lamp 55 and ending this routine and not starting the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20. In such a case, the operator opens the on-off valve 33, discharges the refrigerating machine oil in the oil separator 32 to the oil tank 38, eliminates the error state, and then presses the power switch 51 again. become.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the full signal is not transmitted from the first float switch 26, it determines whether or not the full signal is transmitted from the second float switch 27 (step S150). When it is determined that the liquid signal is transmitted, the full liquid lamp 56 is turned on (step S160), and this routine is terminated. In such a case, since the HFO-1234yf is stored in the recovery container 36, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, not only the HFO-1234yf cannot be recovered in the recovery container 36 but also the HFO-1234yf. -1234yf may leak to the outside. Therefore, the leakage of HFO-1234yf can be prevented in advance by turning on the full liquid lamp 56 and ending this routine and not starting the refrigerant recovery device 20. In such a case, the operator replaces the collection container 36 with an empty collection container 36, cancels the error state, and then presses the power switch 51 again.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the full oil signal is not transmitted from the second float switch 27, the operation lamp 53 is turned on (step S170), and this routine is finished. In such a case, since the refrigerant recovery device 20 is in a state where HFO-1234yf can be recovered, the operator is notified that HFO-1234yf can be recovered.

  When it is confirmed that the refrigerant recovery device 20 is in a state in which the HFO-1234yf can be recovered, the operator presses the operation start switch 52. When the CPU 61 determines that the operation start switch 52 has been pressed, the collection processing routine shown in FIG. 4 is called from the ROM 62, and the CPU 61 executes the collection processing routine.

  When the recovery processing routine is started, as shown in FIG. 4, the pump 34 and the compression unit 42 are started by the start command from the CPU 61 (step S <b> 210), and the recovery of HFO-1234yf from the suction valve 30 starts and the condensed refrigerant Circulates and the operation of the temperature control unit 40 starts.

  Subsequently, the CPU 61 compares the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 with the threshold value α read from the ROM 62 (step S220), and if the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 is small, the internal pressure error lamp 54 is displayed. Is turned on (step S230), the pump 34 and the compressor 42 are stopped (step S290), and this routine is finished. In such a case, since the pressure inside the refrigerant recovery device 20 is lower than the pressure around the refrigerant recovery device 20, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, the air around the refrigerant recovery device 20 is the refrigerant. There is a possibility of entering the inside of the collection device 20. In addition, when flammable HFO-1234yf has leaked into the surrounding air for some reason, HFO-1234yf enters the refrigerant recovery device 20 and from the electronic components inside the refrigerant recovery device 20 In the event of a spark, it may ignite or explode. For this reason, lighting the internal pressure error lamp 54 notifies the operator that there is a danger, and the danger is avoided by terminating the operation of the refrigerant recovery device 20 and ending this routine. Can do. In such a case, the operator confirms the capacity of the industrial air cylinder and the connection between the industrial air cylinder and the regulator 22 to eliminate the error state, and then presses the operation start switch 52 again.

  On the other hand, if the CPU 61 determines that the value transmitted from the internal pressure sensor 25 is greater than the threshold value α, it determines whether or not a full oil signal is transmitted from the first float switch 26 (step S240). When it is determined that the oil signal is transmitted, the full oil lamp 55 is turned on (step S250), the pump 34 and the compression unit 42 are stopped (step S290), and this routine is finished. In such a case, since the refrigeration oil is stored in the oil separator 32, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, not only the mixed refrigerant cannot be absorbed by the oil separator 32 but also the pump 34. Refrigerating machine oil may flow out and cause a failure of the refrigerant recovery device 20. For this reason, the failure of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 can be avoided beforehand by turning on the oil filling lamp 55 and ending the operation of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 to end this routine. In such a case, the operator opens the opening / closing valve 33, discharges the refrigerating machine oil in the oil separator 32 to the oil tank 38, eliminates the error state, and then presses the operation start switch 52 again. It will be.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the full signal is not transmitted from the first float switch 26, it determines whether or not the full signal is transmitted from the second float switch 27 (step S260). When it is determined that the liquid signal is transmitted, the full lamp 56 is turned on (step S270), the pump 34 and the compression unit 42 are stopped (step S290), and this routine is finished. In such a case, since the HFO-1234yf is stored in the recovery container 36, when the refrigerant recovery device 20 is used as it is, not only the HFO-1234yf cannot be recovered in the recovery container 36 but also the HFO-1234yf. -1234yf may leak to the outside. For this reason, leakage of HFO-1234yf can be prevented in advance by turning on the full liquid lamp 56 and ending the operation of the refrigerant recovery device 20 and ending this routine. In such a case, the operator replaces the collection container 36 with the shell collection container 36, cancels the error state, and then presses the operation start switch 52 again.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the full oil signal is not transmitted from the second float switch 27, the value transmitted from the suction pressure sensor 28 and the threshold value β (for example, −0.5 MPa) read from the ROM 62 are obtained. (Step S280), and if the value transmitted from the suction pressure sensor 28 is large, the process returns to step S220 again. This is because in such a case, the HFO-1234yf to be recovered still remains.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 61 determines that the value transmitted from the suction pressure sensor 28 is smaller than the threshold value β, the pump 34 and the compression unit 42 are stopped (step S290), and this routine is terminated. In such a case, since the HFO-1234yf to be recovered has already been recovered, there is no need to continue the operation of the refrigerant recovery device 20. When continuously collecting HFO-1234yf, the operator connects the service port of another used car air conditioner (not shown) to the intake valve 30 via a hose (not shown) and restarts the operation start switch. 52 will be pressed.

  According to the refrigerant recovery device 20 of the present embodiment described in detail above, industrial air is introduced into the refrigerant recovery device 20 via the regulator 22, so that the internal pressure of the refrigerant recovery device 20 is changed from the atmospheric pressure. Since the HFO-1234yf and the refrigerating machine oil are separated and recovered by the oil separator 32 after the mixed refrigerant is sucked by the suction valve 30 and kept in a high state, the HFO-1234yf and the refrigerating machine oil are separated in advance. Labor can be reduced. Even if a part of HFO-1234yf is released to the outside air, the pressure inside the refrigerant recovery device 20 is kept higher than the atmospheric pressure, so that the HFO-1234yf is inside the refrigerant recovery device 20. It is possible to prevent entry. For this reason, even if a spark or the like occurs in the electronic component provided in the refrigerant recovery device 20, it is possible to prevent the possibility that the combustible HFO-1234yf may ignite or explode. In other words, the flammable HFO-1234yf can be easily and safely collected in a reusable state.

  Further, since the HFO-1234yf dissolved in the refrigerating machine oil can be evaporated by heating the oil separator 32 by the heating unit 46 of the temperature control unit 40, compared with the case where the oil separator 32 is not heated. Thus, more HFO-1234yf can be recovered.

  Furthermore, since the volume of the HFO-1234yf can be reduced by cooling the recovery container 36 by the cooling unit 49 of the temperature control unit 40, a larger amount of HFO than when the recovery container 36 is not cooled is used. -1234yf can be recovered. In addition, by cooling the collection container 36, the volume of HFO-1234yf in the collection container 36 is reduced, and the HFO-1234yf easily moves from the pump 34 toward the collection container 36.

  Furthermore, when the internal pressure sensor 25 provided inside the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 determines that the internal pressure of the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 is lower than the atmospheric pressure, the internal pressure error lamp 54 is turned on and the pump 34 is turned on. Even if the operator overlooks the change in the gas leak detection spray, the flammable HFO-1234yf enters the refrigerant recovery device 20 due to an internal electric device or the like. −1234yf can be prevented from igniting or exploding. In other words, combustible HFO-1234yf can be recovered more safely.

  Since the recovery container 36 is removable, a larger amount of HFO-1234yf can be recovered by exchanging the recovery container 36 than when the recovery container 36 cannot be removed.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented in various modes as long as it belongs to the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, whether or not HFO-1234yf is leaking from the connection portion is confirmed using the gas leak detection spray. However, a detection sensor is provided in the vicinity of the intake valve 30 to detect the detection sensor. May detect the HFO-1234yf, the operator may be notified and the operation of the refrigerant recovery device 20 may be stopped. In this way, even if the operator overlooks the change in the gas leak detection spray, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant recovery apparatus 20 from operating in a state where the HFO-1234yf has leaked.

  In the above-described embodiment, when the oil fill lamp 55 is turned on, the operator opens the on-off valve 33 and discharges the refrigeration oil to the oil tank 38. However, the CPU 61 turns on the oil fill lamp 55. Instead, the CPU 61 may open the opening / closing valve 33 and close the opening / closing valve 33 after waiting for a predetermined time. In this way, when the refrigeration oil is stored in the oil separator 32, it is possible to reduce the trouble of the operator discharging the refrigeration oil.

  As shown in the above-described embodiment, the present invention can be used as a combustible gas recovery field, particularly as an HFO-1234yf recovery device.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Refrigerant recovery device, 22 ... Regulator, 23 ... Exhaust port, 24 ... Wheel, 25 ... Internal pressure sensor, 26 ... First float switch, 27 ... Second float switch, 28 ... Suction pressure sensor, 30 ... Suction valve, 32 ... Oil separator, 33 ... Open / close valve, 34 ... Pump, 36 ... Recovery container, 38 ... Oil tank, 40 ... Temperature control unit, 42 ... Compression part, 44 ... Condensing part, 46 ... Heating part, 48 ... Expansion valve , 49 ... Cooling unit, 50 ... Control panel, 51 ... Power switch, 52 ... Operation start switch, 53 ... Operation lamp, 54 ... Internal pressure error lamp, 55 ... Full oil lamp, 56 ... Full liquid lamp, 60 ... Control unit 61 ... CPU, 62 ... ROM, 63 ... RAM, 64 ... bus, 65 ... interface.

Claims (5)

A refrigerant recovery device for recovering flammable refrigerant and refrigeration oil from low-temperature equipment,
A suction part for sucking gas into the interior and making the internal pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
A suction part connected to a part of a refrigerant circuit of the low-temperature device, and sucking the refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil;
A separation unit that is connected to the suction valve and separates the refrigerant sucked by the suction valve and the refrigerating machine oil;
A pump unit for sucking the refrigerant separated by the separation unit;
A storage unit for storing the refrigerant sucked by the pump unit;
A cooling unit for cooling the storage unit;
With
Refrigerant recovery device. The refrigerant recovery device according to claim 1,
A temperature adjusting unit for heating the separation unit and cooling the storage unit;
With
Refrigerant recovery device. The refrigerant recovery apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An internal pressure detection sensor for detecting internal pressure;
The internal pressure detected by the internal pressure detection sensor is compared with the atmospheric pressure, and when the internal pressure is higher than atmospheric pressure, the pump unit is operated, and when the internal pressure is lower than atmospheric pressure Control means for not operating the pump unit;
With
Refrigerant recovery device. The reservoir is a removable container;
The refrigerant | coolant collection | recovery apparatus of any one of Claims 1-3. A refrigerant recovery method for recovering a refrigerant using the refrigerant recovery apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
(A) a pressurizing step of sucking a gas with the suction part and making the internal pressure higher than atmospheric pressure;
(B) after the pressurizing step, a suction step for sucking the refrigerant and the refrigerating machine oil from the low temperature device through the suction portion;
(C) a separation step of separating the refrigerant sucked in the suction step and the refrigerating machine oil by the separation unit;
(D) A refrigerant recovery step of sucking the refrigerant separated in the separation step with the pump unit and storing and recovering the refrigerant by deriving the refrigerant to the storage unit;
including,
Refrigerant recovery method.

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