JP2013170808A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase cooling capability of an intermediate cooler, in a refrigerator using a low pressure refrigerant.SOLUTION: A refrigerator 100 includes a first intermediate cooler 40, and a second intermediate cooler 50 arranged downstream from the first intermediate cooler 40. The first intermediate cooler 40 among them is the intermediate cooler of an indirect contact type for indirectly cooling a gas refrigerant inside an intermediate path 30 using cooling water 44 supplied from a cooling device 43. Meanwhile, the second intermediate cooler 50 is the intermediate cooler of a direct contact type for cooling a gas refrigerant inside the intermediate path 30 by evaporating a liquid refrigerant liquefied by a condenser 60 in the intermediate path 30.

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and particularly to a refrigerator using a low-pressure refrigerant that needs to be operated at a negative pressure.

  In large buildings such as buildings, a chilled water circulation type cooling system that circulates cold water (about 5 to 7 ° C) through the entire building is used. The cold water used in this system is cooled by a refrigerator installed in the basement of the building. Refrigerators use a refrigerant to cool, and conventionally, chlorofluorocarbon gas has been used for this refrigerant. However, since chlorofluorocarbons adversely affect the global environment, refrigerators that use substances other than chlorofluorocarbon as a refrigerant have been studied, and refrigerators using water, which is a familiar substance, have also been proposed. Even if the refrigerant is different, the basic configuration of the refrigerator does not change. However, when a low-pressure refrigerant that requires a negative pressure operation such as water is used as the refrigerant, it is necessary to use a compressor having a high compression rate. Moreover, since the temperature of the refrigerant | coolant discharged | emitted from a compressor also becomes high, it is necessary to employ | adopt the material and structure which can endure high temperature around the part used as the maximum temperature.

  A multistage compressor including a plurality of compressors may be employed as the refrigerator. In the case of a refrigerator using a low-pressure refrigerant, this multi-stage compressor is adopted in order to realize a high compression ratio, but it is also an advantage of the multi-stage compressor that an intercooler can be installed between each compressor. For this reason, a multi-stage compressor may be adopted even for a refrigerator that uses chlorofluorocarbon gas as a refrigerant. By installing the intercooler, the temperature of the refrigerant at the inlet of the latter compressor is lowered, and the load on the latter compressor is reduced, so that the efficiency of the refrigerator can be improved. Moreover, it becomes possible to lower the refrigerant temperature at the compressor outlet, which is the highest temperature in the refrigerator.

  In patent document 1, the intermediate cooler (intermediate cooling system) used for the refrigerator using water as a refrigerant | coolant is disclosed. The intercooling system (60) described in Patent Document 1 is a so-called direct contact intercooler, and is configured such that water is vaporized in the interstage duct (45). As a result, the working fluid (5) flowing through the interstage duct (45), that is, the water vapor is cooled.

JP 2009-221966 A

  However, in the direct contact type intercooler, the vaporized refrigerant is directly taken into the subsequent compressor, so that if the amount of the vaporized refrigerant increases, the load on the subsequent compressor increases, resulting in the efficiency of the refrigerator. Will fall. As described above, in the direct contact type intercooler, there is a limit in cooling capacity because there is a trade-off relationship between the power reduction of the subsequent compressor due to the intermediate cooling and the power increase due to the increase in the flow rate. In particular, in a refrigerator using a low-pressure refrigerant, there is a need to lower the maximum temperature, and therefore further improvement of the cooling capacity of the intermediate cooler is desired.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above subjects, and aims at raising the cooling capability of an intercooler in the refrigerator using a low voltage | pressure refrigerant | coolant.

  A refrigerator according to the present invention is a refrigerator using a low-pressure refrigerant that needs to be operated at a negative pressure, and includes a first stage compressor that compresses a gaseous refrigerant in a gaseous state, and the first stage compressor. A second stage compressor for further compressing the compressed gaseous refrigerant, an intermediate passage for guiding the gaseous refrigerant from the first stage compressor to the second stage compressor, and a first intermediate cooling disposed in the intermediate passage. A second intermediate cooler disposed in the intermediate passage and downstream of the first intermediate cooler, and the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor A condenser that cools and liquefies with cooling water supplied from the apparatus; and an evaporator that vaporizes the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser and cools the object to be cooled with the heat of vaporization generated at that time, In the stage compressor, the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant at the outlet is higher than the temperature of the cooling water. The first intermediate cooler is an indirect contact type intermediate cooler that indirectly cools the gaseous refrigerant in the intermediate passage using the cooling water supplied from the cooling device. The second intermediate cooler is a direct contact type intermediate cooler that cools the gaseous refrigerant in the intermediate passage by vaporizing the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser in the intermediate passage.

  In such a configuration, paying attention to the fact that the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the first stage compressor becomes higher than the temperature of the cooling water when a low-pressure refrigerant is used, first the cooling water supplied from a cooling device such as a cooling tower is used. By utilizing the indirect contact type intercooler that does not increase the amount of gaseous refrigerant flowing into the second stage compressor without exchanging the mass between the cooling water and the refrigerant, the temperature of the cooling water is about After the cooling is performed, the gaseous refrigerant is further cooled by a direct contact type intercooler having a higher cooling capacity. Therefore, the gas refrigerant can be efficiently cooled while suppressing the amount of the gas refrigerant flowing into the second stage compressor as a whole.

  In the above refrigerator, the first-stage compressor and the second-stage compressor are coaxially arranged in a horizontal direction and arranged such that their inlets are located outside in the axial direction. The intermediate passage is located on the radially outer side of the second stage compressor and the first passage portion for guiding the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor to the radially outer side. A second passage portion that guides the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the passage portion in the axial direction, and a third passage portion that guides the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion to the inlet of the second stage compressor located radially inward. The condenser is disposed radially outside the second stage compressor, and the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are disposed in the second passage portion of the intermediate passage. May be.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to effectively use the space and to prevent the liquid refrigerant accumulated at the bottom of the condenser from being heated by the gas refrigerant before being intermediate-cooled flowing through the intermediate passage.

  Further, in the above refrigerator, the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor are centrifugal compressors arranged side by side on the same axis, and the intermediate passage extends from the first stage compressor. A first passage portion that guides the discharged gas refrigerant radially outward, a second passage portion that guides the gas refrigerant that has passed through the first passage portion in the axial direction, and a radius of gas refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion. A third passage portion that leads to an inlet of the second stage compressor that is located on the inner side in the direction, wherein the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are the third passage portion of the intermediate passage. May be arranged. The first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler may be disposed in the second passage portion of the intermediate passage.

  When the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are arranged in the third passage, the axial distance between the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor can be reduced. Shortening the axial distance of a rotary machine such as a centrifugal compressor brings great advantages to the design of the shaft system of the rotary shaft, not to mention miniaturization of equipment. In addition, when the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are arranged in the second passage portion, the flow passage areas in the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler can be increased. Thus, the pressure loss of the refrigerant in the intermediate passage can be suppressed.

  Further, in the refrigerator in which the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are disposed in the second passage, a flow passage section of the second passage may be formed in a linear shape or a linear frame shape. . According to such a configuration, the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler can be formed in a simple linear shape, and manufacturing is facilitated.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in the refrigerator using the low-pressure refrigerant, the cooling capacity of the intermediate cooler can be increased.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a refrigerator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view around the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a view showing a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view around the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view around the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along arrow VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a view showing a modification of the third embodiment of the present invention, and corresponds to FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference symbols throughout the drawings, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
First, the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Here, FIG. 1 is a system diagram of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerator 100 according to this embodiment includes a first stage compressor 10, a second stage compressor 20, an intermediate passage 30, a first intermediate cooler 40, and a second intermediate cooling. The apparatus 50, the condenser 60, the 1st pressure reduction part 70, the 2nd pressure reduction part 80, and the evaporator 90 are provided. In FIG. 1, the refrigerant circulates clockwise. Hereinafter, each component will be described in order. In addition, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant shown below are only a guide and are not limited thereto.

  In addition, the refrigerant of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment is a low-pressure refrigerant, and more specifically water. The term “low-pressure refrigerant” here refers to a refrigerant that needs to be operated at a negative pressure. For example, when chlorofluorocarbon, which is not a low-pressure refrigerant, is used as a refrigerant, the refrigerant operates in a positive pressure range of about 3 atm (about 304 kPa) to 10 atm (about 1013 kPa) in the refrigerator, whereas the refrigerant is a low-pressure refrigerant. When certain water is used, it is necessary to operate in a negative pressure range of about 0.01 atm (about 1 kPa) to 0.1 atm (about 10 kPa) in the refrigerator.

  The first stage compressor 10 is a compressor located upstream of the second stage compressor 20. The first stage compressor 10 is a centrifugal compressor, and takes in a refrigerant (gas refrigerant) in a gaseous state from the evaporator 90 and compresses it. The first stage compressor 10 may be an axial compressor. The refrigerant in the first stage compressor 10 is 0.9 kPa at the inlet and 2.4 kPa at the outlet. As a result, the refrigerant that was about 7 ° C. at the inlet rises to about 100 ° C. at the outlet. Thus, the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant at the outlet of the first stage compressor 10 becomes higher than the outside air temperature (for example, 32 ° C.). In the case where chlorofluorocarbon is used as the refrigerant, the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the first stage compressor is about 30 ° C. and does not always become higher than the outside air temperature.

  The second stage compressor 20 is a compressor located on the downstream side of the first stage compressor 10. The second stage compressor 20 is a centrifugal compressor (may be an axial flow compressor) similarly to the first stage compressor 10, and further compresses the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first stage compressor 10. Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view around the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20. In FIG. 2, the vertical direction of the paper surface corresponds to the vertical direction of the refrigerator 100, and the horizontal direction of the paper surface corresponds to the horizontal direction of the refrigerator 100. Further, the left side of FIG. 2 is referred to as the front side, and the right side of the paper is referred to as the rear side. As shown in FIG. 2, the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20 are connected back to back via the rotating shaft 11. That is, the first-stage compressor 10 and the second-stage compressor 20 are arranged so that they are coaxially aligned in the horizontal direction and the inlets are positioned on the outside in the axial direction.

  The intermediate passage 30 is a passage that guides the gaseous refrigerant from the first stage compressor 10 to the second stage compressor 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate passage 30 of the present embodiment is mainly configured by a first passage portion 31, a second passage portion 32, and a third passage portion 33. The first passage portion 31 extends radially outward from the outlet of the first stage compressor 10 and is configured to guide the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor 10 outward in the radial direction. The 2nd channel | path part 32 is located in the radial direction outer side of the 2nd stage compressor 20, and is comprised so that the gaseous refrigerant which passed the 1st channel | path part 31 may be guide | induced to the axial direction back side. The 3rd channel | path part 33 is formed toward the radial inside from the axial direction back side edge part of the 2nd channel | path part 32, and the 2nd gas refrigerant which passed the 2nd channel | path part 32 is located in a radial inside. It is configured to lead to the inlet of the stage compressor 20.

  Here, FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of arrows III-III in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the second passage portion 32 has a channel cross-section formed in a rectangular frame shape (straight frame shape). However, the shape of the channel cross-section is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the second passage portion 32 is divided into upper and lower portions, and each passage section may be formed to extend in the horizontal direction, and is formed in an annular shape (not shown). It may be. However, by forming the second passage portion 32 so that the cross section of the flow path is linear (the shape shown in FIG. 4) or a linear frame (the shape shown in FIG. 3), The second intermediate cooler 50 does not need to be formed in a curved shape, and can have a simple linear structure.

  The first intermediate cooler 40 is a cooler disposed in the intermediate passage 30 and upstream of the second intermediate cooler 50. The first intermediate cooler 40 is disposed in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30 as shown in FIG. The first intermediate cooler 40 has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape (rectangular frame shape) of the second passage portion 32. Specifically, the first intermediate cooler 40 has a prismatic shape, and is fitted into each of the upper, lower, left, and right frame sides that form a rectangular frame that is a cross-sectional shape of the second passage portion 32. In addition, when the flow path cross section of the 2nd channel | path part 32 is formed like FIG. 4, the 1st intermediate cooler 40 is each fitted in the path divided | segmented up and down. The first intermediate cooler 40 includes a metal pipe 41 and a plurality of metal fins 42. The metal pipe 41 is arranged so as to cross the middle passage 30 along the upper, lower, left and right frame sides. On the other hand, the fins 42 are disposed along the metal pipe 41 and parallel to the flow direction of the gaseous refrigerant. That is, the fins 42 are disposed perpendicular to the metal pipe 41. The first intermediate cooler 40 has the above-described configuration, and the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor 10 passes between the metal pipe 41 and the fins 42 of the first intermediate cooler 40. Then, it flows to the second intermediate cooler 50 side.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, cooling water 44 is supplied from the cooling tower 43 to the metal pipe 41 of the first intermediate cooler 40. The cooling water 44 is also supplied to the condenser 60. Since the cooling tower 43 is installed outdoors, the temperatures of the cooling water 44, the metal pipe 41, and the fins 42 are ideally outside air temperatures (for example, 32 ° C.). And as above-mentioned, since the temperature (about 100 degreeC) of the gaseous refrigerant in the exit of the 1st stage compressor 10 is always higher than external temperature (for example, 32 degreeC), a gaseous refrigerant is the metal piping 41 and Sufficient cooling is achieved by contacting the surface of the fin 42. Specifically, the gaseous refrigerant that has been about 100 ° C. is cooled to about 40 ° C. by passing through the first intermediate cooler 40. As described above, if the refrigerant is chlorofluorocarbon gas, the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant at the outlet of the first stage compressor 10 is about 30 ° C. Therefore, the cooling water 44 (32 ° C.) supplied from the cooling tower 43 is used. It is impossible to cool by. That is, the gaseous refrigerant can be cooled using the cooling water 44 supplied from the cooling tower 43 only when the refrigerant is a low-pressure refrigerant. Furthermore, since the first intermediate cooler 40 of the present embodiment is an indirect contact type intermediate cooler in which the cooling water 44 and the gaseous refrigerant do not directly contact each other, when passing through the first intermediate cooler 40, the gas The amount of refrigerant does not increase.

  The second intermediate cooler 50 is a cooler disposed in the intermediate passage 30 on the downstream side of the first intermediate cooler 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the second intermediate cooler 50 is disposed in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30, and the external shape thereof is substantially the same as that of the first intermediate cooler 40. However, the second intermediate cooler 50 has a liquid holding body 51 therein. The liquid holding body 51 is a member that holds the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 60 while being exposed to the gaseous refrigerant in the intermediate passage 30 and can be formed of a filler such as Raschig ring or a nonwoven fabric. The liquid refrigerant held by the liquid holding body 51 is vaporized in the intermediate passage 30, whereby the gaseous refrigerant passing through the intermediate passage 30 can be cooled. As another means, cooling may be performed by a method such as an economizer used in a chlorofluorocarbon machine. As will be described later, the second intermediate cooler 50 is supplied with a liquid refrigerant of about 20 ° C. And the gaseous refrigerant whose temperature which passed the 1st intermediate cooler 40 is about 40 degreeC falls to about 25 degreeC by passing the 2nd intermediate cooler 50 further. Thus, by setting the temperature of the gas refrigerant at the inlet of the second stage compressor 20 to about 25 ° C., the temperature of the gas refrigerant at the outlet of the second stage compressor 20 (that is, the maximum temperature of the refrigerator 100). Can be suppressed.

  As described above, the second intermediate cooler 50 of the present embodiment is a direct contact type intermediate cooler in which the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant are in direct contact, but the gas refrigerant has already been cooled by the first intermediate cooler 40. Therefore, the amount of increase in the gaseous refrigerant when passing through the second intermediate cooler 50 can be suppressed. Further, the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 may cause the pressure of the gas refrigerant to decrease (pressure loss), but in the present embodiment, the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler are used. The pressure loss is suppressed by arranging 50 in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30. That is, the pressure loss is caused by the fact that the flow passage area is reduced and the passage flow velocity is increased. However, the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30 is located at the outer peripheral portion, so the flow passage area is increased. The pressure loss in the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 is suppressed larger than the other passage portions.

  The condenser 60 is a device that liquefies the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20. The condenser 60 has a heat exchange tube 61, and the cooling water 44 is supplied from the cooling tower 43 into the heat exchange tube 61. On the flow path of the cooling water 44, both may be arranged in series so that the cooling water 44 flows in order from the condenser 60 to the first intermediate cooler 40. However, as shown in FIG. It is desirable that both the intermediate coolers 40 are arranged in parallel so that the cooling water 44 having the lowest temperature is supplied to both of the intermediate coolers 40. The surface of the heat exchange tube 61 is cooled only to the temperature of the cooling water 44 (for example, 32 ° C.), but the refrigerant is compressed to 6.3 kPa by the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20. Therefore, the gaseous refrigerant touching the heat exchange tube 61 is sufficiently cooled and condensed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the condenser 60 of the present embodiment is arranged so as to be surrounded by the intermediate passage 30. The liquefied refrigerant (liquid refrigerant) accumulates at the bottom of the condenser 60, and the accumulated liquid refrigerant flows to the evaporator 90 side through the drain pipe 62 penetrating the intermediate passage. Thus, the condenser 60 is disposed inside the intermediate passage 30 for the following reason. That is, when the second-stage compressor 20 is disposed inside the intermediate passage 30 as in the present embodiment, the compressed refrigerant needs to be sent to the outside of the intermediate passage 30 across the intermediate passage 30. This is because the volume is reduced by making the refrigerant a liquid instead of a gas at this time, and the refrigerant can be sent out of the intermediate passage 30 by a pipe having a small diameter (the drain pipe 62 described above). If the refrigerant is sent out to the outside of the intermediate passage 30 in the form of gas, an exhaust pipe having a very large diameter must be installed in the intermediate passage 30, and the exhaust pipe adversely affects the flow of the gaseous refrigerant. It is clear to give.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom portion of the condenser 60 in which the liquefied liquid refrigerant is accumulated is located in the vicinity of the second passage portion 32. Therefore, if the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the third passage portion 33, the temperature of the second passage portion 32 located near the liquid refrigerant that has been cooled and accumulated is increased. A high gaseous refrigerant will flow. That is, the liquid catalyst cooled to about 32 ° C. by the condenser 60 will be warmed to a gas refrigerant of about 100 ° C., reducing the condenser performance and deteriorating the efficiency of the refrigeration effect. . On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are arranged in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30, the gas flowing in the second passage portion 32. The temperature of the refrigerant is lowered. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid refrigerant cooled by the condenser 60 from being warmed by the gas refrigerant passing through the intermediate passage 30.

  The first decompression unit 70 is a part for reducing the pressure of the liquid refrigerant. In the present embodiment, a pressure reducing valve is employed as the first pressure reducing unit 70, but other configurations such as a structure using a height difference of the piping position may be employed. As shown in FIG. 1, the first decompression unit 70 is provided in the main pipe 71 that guides the liquid refrigerant from the condenser 60 to the evaporator 90. The first decompression unit 70 is located on the upstream side of the second decompression unit 80 so that the liquid refrigerant has the same pressure as the pressure of the gas refrigerant (about 2.4 kPa) compressed by the first stage compressor 10. Depressurize to. If the pressure of the liquid refrigerant at 6.3 kPa and the temperature of 37 ° C. is reduced to 2.4 kPa, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant will be 20 ° C. The liquid refrigerant decompressed by the first decompression unit 70 is supplied to the second intermediate cooler 50 via the branch pipe 72.

  Similar to the first decompression unit 70, the second decompression unit 80 is a part for reducing the pressure of the liquid refrigerant. In the present embodiment, a pressure reducing valve is also used for the second pressure reducing unit 80. As shown in FIG. 1, the second decompression unit 80 is downstream of the branch point of the first decompression unit 70 and the branch pipe 72 in the main pipe 71 that guides the liquid refrigerant from the condenser 60 to the evaporator 90. That is, it is disposed immediately upstream of the evaporator 90. The second decompression unit 80 decompresses the liquid refrigerant until it reaches a temperature required by the evaporator 90. Note that the evaporator 90 requires liquid refrigerant having a temperature of 7 ° C. If the pressure of the liquid refrigerant at 2.4 kPa and the temperature of 20 ° C. is reduced to 0.9 kPa, the temperature of the liquid refrigerant will be 7 ° C.

  The evaporator 90 is a device that vaporizes the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser 60 and cools the cooling target 101 with the heat of vaporization generated at that time. The cooling object 101 cooled by the evaporator 90 is cold water used for cooling the building in this embodiment. Similarly to the condenser 60, the evaporator 90 has a heat exchange tube 91. A cooling object 101 (cold water used for cooling) flows in the heat exchange tube 91. Then, when the liquid refrigerant is jetted onto the surface of the heat exchange tube 91, the liquid refrigerant that has touched the surface of the heat exchange tube 91 is vaporized, thereby cooling the cooling target 101 in the heat exchange tube 91. For example, the cooling object 101 (cold water) that was 12 ° C. when entering the evaporator 90 is cooled to 7 ° C. when leaving the evaporator 90. Then, the gas refrigerant evaporated (vaporized) by the evaporator 90 is supplied to the first stage compressor 10 again. As described above, in the present embodiment, the cycle of compression, solidification, and evaporation is repeated in a range where the water, which is a refrigerant, has a negative pressure.

  The above is the description of the refrigerator 100 according to the present embodiment. As described above, when a low-pressure refrigerant is used as the refrigerant, the refrigerant temperature (eg, 100 ° C.) at the outlet of the first stage compressor 10 is much higher than the atmospheric temperature (eg, 32 ° C.). In the first intermediate cooler 40, the gaseous refrigerant can be cooled by the cooling water 44 of the cooling tower 43. Further, since the first intermediate cooler 40 is an indirect contact type intermediate cooler, the amount of gaseous refrigerant does not increase when passing through the first intermediate cooler 40. In the second intermediate cooler 50, the gaseous refrigerant cooled by the first intermediate cooler 40 is further cooled, so that the efficiency of the second stage compressor 20 is improved and the maximum temperature in the refrigerator 100 (second The outlet temperature of the stage compressor 20) can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIG. 5, the refrigerator 200 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Here, FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view around the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20 of the present embodiment. The refrigerator 200 according to the present embodiment is basically the same as the refrigerator 100 according to the first embodiment except that the arrangement of the second stage compressor 20 and the condenser 60 is different from that of the first embodiment. It is a configuration. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20 are arranged on the same axis so that the inlets are located on the front side, and the condenser 60 is an intermediate passage. It is arranged at an arbitrary position outside the 30. Thus, even if the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20 are not arranged back to back, the first intercooler 40 and the second intercooler 50 described above are provided, so that the intercooler Can improve the cooling capacity.

  In the present embodiment, the intermediate passage 30 includes the first passage portion 31 that guides the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor 10 to the outside in the radial direction and the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the first passage portion 31 in the axial direction. And a third passage portion 33 that guides the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion 32 to the inlet of the second-stage compressor 20 located radially inward. The first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30. Thus, since the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the second passage portion 32 of the intermediate passage 30, compared to the case where the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the third passage 33. The pressure loss of the gaseous refrigerant due to the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 can be suppressed.

(Third embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIGS. 6-8, the refrigerator 300 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Here, FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view around the first stage compressor 10 and the second stage compressor 20 of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the refrigerator 300 according to this embodiment is different from the second embodiment in the arrangement of the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50, but otherwise the second embodiment. This is basically the same configuration as the refrigerator 200 according to the above. More specifically, the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the third passage portion 33 of the intermediate passage 30. According to such a configuration, it is possible to reduce the axial length of the second passage portion 32 as compared with the case where the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are disposed in the second passage portion 32, and thus The axial length of the refrigerator 300 can be reduced.

  Here, FIG. 7 is a view taken along arrow VII-VII in FIG. The first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 of the present embodiment are formed in a prismatic shape as in the case of the first embodiment. The first intermediate cooler 40 is disposed around the vicinity of the inlet of the second stage compressor 20, and the second intermediate cooler 50 is disposed radially inward thereof. The first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 are combined to form a rectangular frame as a whole. As shown in FIG. 4 of the first embodiment, the second passage portion 32 is divided into upper and lower portions, and each channel section is formed to extend in the horizontal direction, as shown in FIG. The first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 may be arranged. That is, the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 may be disposed so as to extend in the horizontal direction at two locations above and below the third passage portion 33. As in the case of the first embodiment, the first intermediate cooler 40 and the second intermediate cooler 50 of the present embodiment are formed in a straight line (a prismatic shape) and can be easily manufactured. .

  As mentioned above, although the refrigerator according to the embodiments of the present invention has been described, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. Included in the invention. For example, the refrigerators 100, 200, and 300 described above include only the first-stage compressor 10 and the second-stage compressor 20, but the present invention even if the refrigerator includes more compressors. include.

  The refrigerating machine according to the present invention is useful in the technical field of refrigerating machines because it can increase the cooling capacity of the intermediate cooler in a refrigerating machine using a low-pressure refrigerant.

10 first stage compressor 20 second stage compressor 30 intermediate passage 31 first passage portion 32 second passage portion 33 third passage portion 40 first intermediate cooler 41 metal pipe 43 cooling tower (cooling device)
44 Cooling water 50 Second intermediate cooler 51 Liquid holder 60 Condenser 70 First decompression unit 90 Evaporating units 100, 200, 300 Refrigerator

Claims (5)

A refrigerator using a low-pressure refrigerant that needs to be operated at a negative pressure,
A first stage compressor for compressing a gaseous refrigerant in a gaseous state;
A second stage compressor for further compressing the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first stage compressor;
An intermediate passage for guiding a gaseous refrigerant from the first stage compressor to the second stage compressor;
A first intermediate cooler disposed in the intermediate passage;
A second intermediate cooler disposed in the intermediate passage and downstream of the first intermediate cooler;
A condenser for cooling and liquefying the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first stage compressor and the second stage compressor with cooling water supplied from a cooling device;
An evaporator that vaporizes the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser and cools the object to be cooled by the heat of vaporization generated at that time,
The first stage compressor has a compression ratio characteristic such that the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant at the outlet is higher than the temperature of the cooling water,
The first intermediate cooler is an indirect contact type intermediate cooler that indirectly cools the gaseous refrigerant in the intermediate passage using the cooling water supplied from the cooling device,
The second intermediate cooler is a refrigerator that is a direct contact type intermediate cooler that cools the gaseous refrigerant in the intermediate passage by vaporizing the liquid refrigerant liquefied by the condenser in the intermediate passage. The first-stage compressor and the second-stage compressor are coaxial compressors arranged in a horizontal direction on the same axis, and arranged such that inlets thereof are located outside in the axial direction.
The intermediate passage passes through the first passage portion, which is located on the radially outer side of the second stage compressor, and a first passage portion that guides the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor to the outside in the radial direction. A second passage portion for guiding the gaseous refrigerant in the axial direction, and a third passage portion for guiding the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion to the inlet of the second stage compressor located radially inward. ,
The condenser is disposed radially outward of the second stage compressor;
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are arranged in the second passage portion of the intermediate passage. The first stage compressor and the second stage compressor are centrifugal compressors arranged side by side on the same axis,
The intermediate passage includes a first passage portion that guides the gas refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor radially outward, a second passage portion that guides the gas refrigerant that has passed through the first passage portion in the axial direction, and A third passage portion that guides the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion to an inlet of the second-stage compressor located radially inward,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are arranged in the third passage portion of the intermediate passage. The first stage compressor and the second stage compressor are centrifugal compressors arranged side by side on the same axis,
The intermediate passage includes a first passage portion that guides the gas refrigerant discharged from the first stage compressor radially outward, a second passage portion that guides the gas refrigerant that has passed through the first passage portion in the axial direction, and A third passage portion that guides the gaseous refrigerant that has passed through the second passage portion to an inlet of the second-stage compressor located radially inward,
The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein the first intermediate cooler and the second intermediate cooler are arranged in the second passage portion of the intermediate passage.   5. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein a flow path cross section of the second passage is formed in a linear shape or a linear frame shape.

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