JP2016109160A - Four-way switch valve - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a four-way switch valve using a flow channel-switchable valve element suppressed in heat exchange between refrigerants by improving heat insulation performance.SOLUTION: A heat insulating portion 6a is disposed at a refrigerant flow channel 10a side of a swelling portion 10b of a valve element 10 used in a state of being accommodated inside of a valve body of a four-way switch valve. The heat insulating portion 6a is composed of foaming metal as collection of closed cells (independent foam) composed of aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, zinc, iron, lead or copper, or their alloy, and in each closed cell, air or an inert gas as a gas of high heat insulation effect is sealed. The heat insulating portion 6a as metal is not impregnated with a refrigerant, and further as the air or inert gas is sealed in the closed cell, heat insulating effect is improved, thus heat exchange does not occur through the valve element 10, and degradation of heating/cooling efficiency can be suppressed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a four-way switching valve used for refrigeration equipment, air conditioning equipment, and the like, and in particular, a flow path that improves heat insulation of a valve body and suppresses heat exchange between a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant and a low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant. The present invention relates to a four-way switching valve using a switchable valve body.

  Conventionally, a refrigeration cycle system used in an air conditioner or the like is configured such that a refrigerant flow path is switched using a four-way switching valve so that a cooling / heating function switch is possible. At that time, heat exchange between the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path provided inside the valve body and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flowing outside the valve body through the resin valve body used for the four-way switching valve is performed. It occurred, and there was a problem that the cooling and heating efficiency was lowered. In response to this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a valve body in which a hollow heat insulating layer 70 is provided inside a bulging portion as shown in FIG. 4 is used as a valve body of a four-way switching valve. In the figure, reference numeral 10a is a refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows, reference numeral 10b is a bulging portion having a hollow concave shape inside, reference numeral 10c is a flange provided on the outer periphery of the bulging portion, and reference numeral 10d is each described later. An opening for selectively communicating the conduit, reference numeral 10e, indicates a reinforcing pin provided at the center of the opening.

JP 2002-221375 A

However, the valve body disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires the use of a very complicated mold in order to be molded by an injection molding machine or the like as a resin valve body in which a hollow heat insulating layer is formed. In addition to being very high, the bulging portion is not originally so thickly formed, and from there, it is further thinned by the amount of the hollow heat insulating layer, so that the strength may be significantly reduced. In addition, it is very difficult to evacuate the hollow heat insulating layer, and it is technically difficult to enclose a gas having low thermal conductivity, and a certain heat exchange occurs. Further, since the valve body is made of resin, when a nest continuous to the resin or a minute crack occurs due to some influence, the refrigerant leaks from the outside into the hollow heat insulating layer, and the liquid refrigerant accumulates. There is a possibility that the valve body may fail when it is vaporized and expanded in the hollow heat insulating layer due to external influences.
This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is providing the four-way switching valve which comprises the valve body which can suppress the heat exchange between the refrigerant | coolants through a valve body more. is there.

  The four-way switching valve of the present invention is disposed so as to face a valve body having a sealed space, a first conduit and a second conduit communicating with the sealed space of the valve body, and sandwiching the second conduit. A third conduit and a fourth conduit communicating with the space; and a valve seat disposed inside the valve body and having three openings communicating with the second conduit, the third conduit, and the fourth conduit, respectively. Slidably installed on the valve seat, and bulges to the opposite side of the valve seat, and has a bulging portion that forms a refrigerant channel of a hollow recess on the inside thereof, and the second through the refrigerant channel. A resin-made valve body that can switchably communicate with the conduit and either the third conduit or the fourth conduit, and a gas having a low thermal conductivity in the bulging portion of the valve body. A heat insulating part made of encapsulated foam metal is provided.

  In the four-way selector valve according to the present invention, the heat insulating portion is a closed cell foam metal in which each bubble is formed as a sealed space.

  Furthermore, the four-way selector valve of the present invention is characterized in that the foam metal is made of aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, zinc, iron, lead, copper, or an alloy thereof.

  Furthermore, the four-way selector valve of the present invention is characterized in that air or an inert gas is sealed in the foamed metal closed cell.

  Furthermore, the four-way switching valve of the present invention is characterized in that the heat insulating portion is disposed on the refrigerant flow path side of the bulging portion of the valve body.

  Furthermore, the four-way switching valve according to the present invention is characterized in that the heat insulating portion is disposed so as to be included in the bulging portion of the valve body.

According to the four-way switching valve of the present invention, as described above, by providing the heat insulating portion using the foam metal in the bulging portion of the valve body, the manufacture is easy and the refrigerant is interposed via the resin valve body. It is possible to suppress the heat exchange and to prevent the cooling and heating efficiency from decreasing and to improve the energy saving performance.
In addition, because the heat insulation part is made of foamed metal with closed cell structure that has air bubbles that form a sealed space one by one, nests and cracks occur in the resin valve body, and the refrigerant insulates through the nests and cracks. Even if it reaches the part, the refrigerant stays in the crack without the refrigerant entering the bubbles of the heat insulating part. For this reason, compared with the case where the hollow heat insulation layer is provided in the conventional valve body made of resin, there is no possibility that the valve body will break down.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the whole figure of the four-way selector valve by this invention. It is sectional drawing of the valve body of a four-way selector valve which shows the 1st Example by this invention. It is sectional drawing of the valve body of a four-way selector valve which shows the 2nd Example by this invention. It is sectional drawing of the valve body of the four-way switching valve in a prior art example.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, a first embodiment of a four-way switching valve according to the present invention will be described with reference to an explanatory view shown in FIG. 1 and a sectional view shown in FIG.

  A four-way switching valve 100 shown in FIG. 1 is provided with a cylindrical valve body 1 whose inside is a sealed space. An opening 14 is formed in the valve body 1, and the opening 14 is connected to a first conduit 21 that communicates with the sealed space and into which high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant from a compressor (not shown) flows. A second conduit 22 connected to a suction pipe of a compressor (not shown) and into which low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows is connected to the opening 14 at a position facing the first conduit 21. In addition, a third conduit 23 and a fourth conduit 24 connected to a heat exchanger (not shown) at positions facing each other across the second conduit 22 are connected to the valve body 1 so as to communicate with the sealed space of the valve body 1. Has been.

  The valve body 1 is slidable on the valve seat 11 and the valve seat 11 having openings 11a, 11b, and 11c corresponding to the second conduit 22, the third conduit 23, and the fourth conduit 24, respectively. The valve body 10 made of resin is provided. The valve body 10 is formed of a resin such as nylon, and the valve seat 11 is formed of brass or the like. The valve body 10 slides on the valve seat 11 so that the second conduit 22 and any one of the third conduit 23 and the fourth conduit 24 communicate with each other in a switchable manner. A first piston 31 and a second piston 32 are connected to the valve body 10 so as to face each other through an appropriate connecting portion. Each piston forms working chambers 41, 42 between end covers 12, 13 provided at the end of the valve body 1 and the valve body 1.

  The valve body 1 includes a pilot unit 50 for controlling the operation thereof, and a pipe that connects these and flows a fluid such as gas or liquid. The valve main body 1 controls the pressure applied to the working chambers 41 and 42 of the valve main body 1 by the control of the pilot unit 50, and either the first piston 31 or the second piston 32 is controlled by the pressure difference between the respective working chambers. By pushing into one side, the valve body 10 fixed by the respective pistons and the connecting portions 33 and 34 is slid, and either the third conduit 23 or the fourth conduit 24 and the second conduit 22 are connected. Communicate in a switchable manner. At this time, the other conduit that has not communicated with the second conduit 22 communicates with the first conduit 21. In the four-way switching valve 100 having such a configuration, for example, at the time of cooling shown in FIG. 1, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant of the compressor flows along the outside of the valve body 10 from the first passage 21 to the third passage 23. The low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger flows from the fourth passage 24 to the second passage 22 along the refrigerant passage 10a provided inside the valve body 10 to be described later, and the suction pipe of the compressor Flow into. In the state (not shown) where the valve body 10 is slid from the state of FIG. 1 and switched from cooling to heating (not shown), the compressor is moved along the outside of the valve body 10 from the first passage pipe 21 to the fourth passage pipe 24. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows, and the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the heat exchanger flows from the third passage 23 to the second passage 22 along the refrigerant passage 10a provided inside the valve body 10 described later. And flows into the suction pipe of the compressor.

  FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the valve body 10 of the first embodiment which is provided inside the valve body 1. The valve body 10 is formed with a bulging portion 10b, and the inside of the bulging portion 10b has a hollow recess shape to form a refrigerant flow path 10a. Moreover, the outer peripheral part of the bulging part 10b is equipped with the collar part 10c used as a sliding surface with the valve seat 11. FIG. An opening 10d for selectively communicating the second conduit 22 and the third conduit 23 or the fourth conduit 24 is formed on the side facing the bulging portion 10b by the coolant channel 10a. A reinforcing pin 10e for improving the strength is provided at the center.

  Conventionally, between the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant in the refrigerant flow path 10a of the valve element 10 and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant outside the valve element 10 via the resin valve element 10 (that is, in the first conduit 21). Between the refrigerant in the second conduit 22 and the refrigerant in the second conduit 22), the cooling effect by the refrigerant is affected, and the cooling and heating efficiency is reduced.

On the other hand, the valve body 10 in the first embodiment is a foam in which air bubbles are dispersed in a metal matrix made of stainless steel over almost the entire inner side of the bulging portion 10b, and each of the air bubbles serves as a sealed space. It insert-molded so that it might cover with the heat insulation part 6a formed with the foam metal which comprises the formed closed cell structure. There are two types of foam metal: open cell structure in which bubbles inside the metal matrix are connected to each other and closed cell structure in which there is a boundary between the bubbles and they are separated from each other. ing. Since each of the bubbles is independent in the closed cell structure, the heat transfer is blocked in the bubbles, thereby providing high heat insulation performance. For this reason, compared with the past, the amount of heat exchange between the refrigerants via the valve body can be reduced. Any value can be applied to the porosity and bubble size of the foam metal as long as it has the heat insulation performance required for the four-way switching valve. When forming the heat insulating portion, it is desirable to enclose a gas having low thermal conductivity (for example, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, or air) inside the closed cell.
Thus, the low temperature which flows through the refrigerant | coolant flow path 10a formed inside the valve body 10 by forming the heat insulation part 6a which consists of a metal foam provided with the closed cell structure inside the bulging part 10b of the valve body 10 is demonstrated. By significantly suppressing heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant that flows outside the valve body 10, the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant and the life of the valve body 10 are increased. Further, since the heat insulating portion 6a is made of metal, the resin valve body 10 can be reinforced, and consequently, the valve body 10 can be prevented from being deformed.
In addition, as for the heat insulation part 6a, when the thickness of the swelling part 10b of the valve body 10 is set to t, it is desirable that it is about 0.5t-0.8t.

  Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the first embodiment, the heat insulating portion 6a is configured to cover the inner wall of the bulging portion 10b of the valve body 10 on the refrigerant flow path 10a side. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, when the valve body 10 is molded, The heat insulating portion 6b formed of the same foam metal as used in the first embodiment was inserted into the bulged portion 10b and molded, and substantially the entire area inside the bulged portion 10b was covered with the foam metal. . As a result, the foam metal can be accommodated inside the valve body 10, and the valve body 10 in which the foam metal does not detach can be formed. Further, as in the first embodiment, heat exchange between the low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow path 10a formed inside the valve body 10 and the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flowing outside the valve body 10 is remarkably suppressed. By doing so, it is possible to reinforce the cooling efficiency of the refrigerant and prolong the life of the valve body 10 and to reinforce the resin valve body 10 by making the heat insulating portion 6b made of metal. There is an effect that deformation can be prevented.

  Although the four-way selector valve 100 of the present invention has the structure as described above, it is not limited to only the structure, but as long as it has the inventive concept described in the claims of the present invention. Various modifications are possible. For example, although the material of the foam metal used for the heat insulating parts 6a and 6b is stainless steel, it is not limited to this, and a metal suitable for processing and forming that can prevent heat exchange (for example, aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, zinc, iron, lead) Alternatively, copper or an alloy thereof can be appropriately selected and used. The same applies to the gas sealed in the foamed metal closed cell. Moreover, although the heat insulation part 6a was fixed to the inner side of the bulging part 10b by integral molding, it is not limited to this, You may attach and fix to the inner side of the bulging part 10b with an adhesive agent.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Four-way switching valve 1 Valve main body 10 Valve body 10a Refrigerant flow path 10b Expansion part 10c Eaves part 10d Opening part 10e Reinforcement pin 11 Valve seat 11a, 11b, 11c Opening part 12, 13 End cover 14 Opening part 21 First conduit 22 2nd conduit | pipe 23 3rd conduit | pipe 24 4th conduit | pipe 31 1st piston 32 2nd piston 33, 34 Connection part 41 1st working chamber 42 2nd working chamber 50 Pilot part 6a, 6b Thermal insulation part

Claims (6)

A valve body having a sealed space;
A first conduit and a second conduit communicating with the sealed space of the valve body;
A third conduit and a fourth conduit disposed to face each other across the second conduit and communicating with the sealed space;
A valve seat disposed within the valve body and having three openings communicating with each of the second conduit, the third conduit, and the fourth conduit;
The valve seat is slidably installed, and swells to the opposite side of the valve seat, and has a bulging portion for forming a hollow recessed refrigerant flow path on the inside thereof, and the second conduit is provided via the refrigerant flow path. A valve body made of resin that can switchably communicate with either the third conduit or the fourth conduit;
4. A four-way switching valve characterized in that a heat insulating portion made of a foam metal in which a gas having low thermal conductivity is enclosed is provided in the bulging portion of the valve body.   2. The four-way switching valve according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating portion is a closed cell foam metal in which each bubble is formed as a sealed space.   The four-way switching valve according to claim 2, wherein the foam metal is made of aluminum, titanium, magnesium, nickel, zinc, iron, lead, copper, or an alloy thereof.   4. The four-way switching valve according to claim 3, wherein air or an inert gas is sealed in the foamed metal closed cell.   The four-way switching valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat insulating portion is disposed on the refrigerant flow path side of the bulging portion of the valve body.   The four-way switching valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heat insulating portion is disposed so as to be included in the bulging portion of the valve body.

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