JP2018013259A - Refrigerant flow divider and refrigeration system using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flow divider capable of dividing a flow as designed while uniformizing a gas-liquid ratio by eliminating an influence of bending at a refrigerant inlet portion, and a refrigeration system using the same.SOLUTION: A refrigerant flow divider includes: a flow dividing body 11 having a refrigerant collision part 20 on an upstream side of a plurality of flow dividing passages 16; and a refrigerant passage forming member 12 for guiding a refrigerant via a bent part at the refrigerant collision part of the flow dividing body. At the bent part of a refrigerant passage of the refrigerant passage forming member, a refrigerant reversion passage part 15 is provided for changing the direction of the flow of the refrigerant from a refrigerant inflow port 14 for a plurality of times and then for guiding it to the refrigerant collision part of the flow dividing body. Thereby, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant which has flowed in a shell from the refrigerant inflow port changes the collision and direction at the refrigerant reversion passage part and the flow is bent, so that a receiving influence of an inertia force can be eliminated. Therefore, while uniformizing a gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant, the gas-liquid can be dispersed and mixed by colliding it to the collision part of the flow dividing body in the same manner as the conventional one, and it can be divided into each divided flow passage as designed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant flow divider for diverting refrigerant and a refrigeration system such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator using the same.

  In general, in a refrigeration system such as an air conditioner or a refrigerator, the system performance and energy saving are greatly affected by the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

  The heat exchanger used in this refrigeration system has a reduced heat transfer tube diameter in order to improve heat exchange efficiency and downsizing, and the number of refrigerant paths has increased accordingly, and the heat exchange efficiency has increased. However, it depends on how the refrigerant can be divided and supplied uniformly, for example, as designed.

  A refrigerant divider is a component that divides the refrigerant into the heat transfer tube of this heat exchanger. However, the refrigerant diverter, that is, a diverted flow as designed (for example, evenly) without deviation, that is, a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. How much the gas-liquid ratio is made uniform and can be divided as designed (for example, evenly) greatly affects the performance and energy saving of the refrigeration system.

  For this reason, recently, a refrigerant collision part is provided in the refrigerant flow divider, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is collided and diffused in the refrigerant flow divider to equalize the gas-liquid ratio and distribute the refrigerant equally to each refrigerant path. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  11 (a) and 11 (b) show the refrigerant flow divider described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1. This refrigerant flow divider is provided with an internal member 102 in the flow divider main body 101 and faces the refrigerant inlet 103 of the internal member 102. A refrigerant collision part 104 is provided in the part, and a refrigerant passage 105 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the flow divider main body 101. Then, the refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inflow pipe 103 collides with the refrigerant collision portion 104 to mix and diffuse the gas and liquid, and divert to each outflow passage 106 through the refrigerant passage 105 on the outer peripheral surface of the internal member 102. .

JP 2007-192414 A

  The conventional refrigerant flow divider causes the refrigerant to collide with the refrigerant collision unit 104, so that the gas-liquid in the refrigerant is mixed and diffused, and the ratio thereof is made uniform, and can be evenly divided into each flow path as designed, for example. In addition, since the refrigerant is diverted through the narrow refrigerant passage 105, there is an advantage that the flow can be diverted without being influenced even at a small flow rate that is slow to be affected by gravity and easily affected by gravity.

  However, the refrigerant flow divider configured as described above has a problem that if a pipe connected to the refrigerant flow inlet 103 is bent at the inlet portion of the refrigerant flow divider, the flow cannot be divided as designed, and a drift remains.

That is, if the pipe connected to the refrigerant inlet 103 is bent at the inlet portion, an inertial force acts on the refrigerant at the bent portion, and this inertial force acts strongly on the liquid side of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. However, the gas collides with the refrigerant collision part 104 and the gas and liquid are mixed to some extent due to the collision. Therefore, when installing the refrigerant flow divider to the heat exchanger, the pipe connected to the refrigerant inlet 103 is subject to restrictions such as being straight, and the installation flexibility is low, and the pipe can be bent and installed compactly. Inviting results such as inability.

  This uneven flow phenomenon due to the bending of the pipe is likely to occur when the flow of the refrigerant is low speed, that is, when the flow rate is small, but it does not occur unless the pipe connected to the refrigerant inlet 103 is bent. However, it has not been regarded as a problem to prevent the drift caused by the inertial force due to the bending of the refrigerant flow at the refrigerant inlet.

  However, recent refrigeration systems, especially air-conditioning equipment, are strongly demanded to save energy from the viewpoint of miniaturization by high-density design and environmental measures, enabling the equipment to be more compact by increasing the degree of freedom in installing the refrigerant flow divider. At the same time, there is a strong demand to improve the energy efficiency to a higher level by increasing the thermal efficiency when the refrigerant flow is low speed, that is, at a small flow rate, and to prevent drift caused by inertial force due to the bending of the refrigerant flow. Is becoming a new challenge.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and a refrigerant flow distributor capable of diverting as designed while eliminating the influence of bending at the refrigerant inlet portion and making the gas-liquid ratio uniform, and a refrigeration system using the same It is intended to provide.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a fluid separation part provided with a refrigerant collision part on the upstream side of a plurality of flow dividing channels, and a refrigerant passage forming member that guides the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision part of the fluid separation part via a bent part. And a refrigerant reversing passage portion for guiding the refrigerant flow from the refrigerant inlet to the refrigerant collision portion after changing the direction of the refrigerant flow a plurality of times at the bent portion of the refrigerant passage forming member. As a configuration.

  As a result, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inflow port changes its direction to the separation fluid side while repeating collision and mixing diffusion on the passage wall surface in the refrigerant inversion passage portion of the portion that bends to the separation fluid side. It is possible to eliminate the influence of the inertial force received by the bending of the flow and make the gas-liquid ratio uniform. Therefore, it is possible to make the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform and prevent drift, colliding with the refrigerant collision part of the split fluid as before, diffusing and mixing the gas and liquid, and diverting to each branch channel as designed, It is possible to install the heat exchanger in a compact manner without being restricted.

  With the above-described configuration, the present invention eliminates the influence of inertia force generated by bending the flow at the refrigerant inlet portion, and diverts to a plurality of branch channels as designed while maintaining the uniformity of the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant. It is possible to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger and promote energy saving of the refrigeration system, and it can be installed compactly without any restrictions on the heat exchanger etc., and the refrigeration system can be made compact at the same time it can.

Refrigeration cycle diagram of air-conditioning equipment in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the connection state of the refrigerant | coolant shunt to the heat exchanger of the air conditioning equipment Perspective view of the refrigerant flow divider Sectional drawing which cut | disconnects and shows the shell and cylindrical body of the refrigerant | coolant flow divider Exploded perspective view of the refrigerant flow divider Plan view of the refrigerant flow divider AA sectional view of FIG. 6 showing the refrigerant flow divider (A) (b) (c) Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action of the refrigerant | coolant flow divider (A) (b) Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action of the refrigerant | coolant flow divider (A) (b) (c) Sectional drawing which shows the refrigerant | coolant flow divider in Embodiment 2 of this invention. (A) Plan view of conventional refrigerant flow divider, (b) BB cross-sectional view of (a).

  According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerant flow divider comprising: a branch fluid provided with a refrigerant collision portion upstream of a plurality of flow dividing channels; and a refrigerant passage forming member that guides the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision portion of the divided fluid through a bent portion. And a refrigerant reversing passage portion for guiding the refrigerant flow from the refrigerant inlet to the refrigerant collision portion after changing the direction of the refrigerant flow a plurality of times at a bent portion of the refrigerant passage of the refrigerant passage forming member. It is as.

  As a result, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inflow port changes its direction to the separation fluid side while repeating collision and mixing diffusion on the passage wall surface in the refrigerant inversion passage portion of the portion that bends to the separation fluid side. It is possible to eliminate the influence of the inertial force received by the bending of the flow and make the gas-liquid ratio uniform. Therefore, while making the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform and preventing drift, it is possible to collide with the refrigerant colliding part of the separated fluid as in the conventional case to further diffuse and mix the gas and liquid and to divert to each divided flow channel as designed. In addition, the heat exchanger and the like can be installed compactly without being restricted. Thereby, energy saving and compactness of the refrigeration system can be achieved at the same time.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a refrigerant flow divider including a fluid separating portion provided with a refrigerant collision portion upstream of a plurality of flow dividing channels, a cylindrical body that guides the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision portion of the divided fluid, and a refrigerant in the cylindrical body. The bottomed cylindrical shell is provided with a refrigerant inlet in a direction intersecting the axis of the shell, and the cylindrical body is disposed inside the shell facing the refrigerant inlet. Alternatively, a refrigerant reversing passage that positions the variable fluid and guides it to the refrigerant collision portion of the separated fluid after changing the direction of the flow of the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet by the cylindrical body or the variable fluid and the shell a plurality of times. It is the structure which formed the part.

  Thus, as in the first aspect of the invention, the cylindrical body is directed toward the fluid separation side by making a U-turn while repeatedly colliding with the passage wall surface and mixing and diffusing in the refrigerant reversing passage portion that bends toward the fluid separation side. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the inertial force received by bending the flow and to make the gas-liquid ratio uniform. Therefore, while making the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform and preventing uneven flow, it is possible to collide with the refrigerant collision part of the separated fluid as before and to diffuse and mix the gas and liquid and to divert to each branch channel as designed, It is possible to install the heat exchanger in a compact manner without being restricted. This can greatly promote energy saving and compactness of the refrigeration system.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a separation fluid provided with a refrigerant collision portion on the upstream side of a plurality of distribution channels, and a bottomed cylindrical shell attached to the separation fluid, and the bottomed cylindrical shell includes a shell. A refrigerant inlet is provided in a direction crossing the axis of the refrigerant, and an end is opened in the shell from the refrigerant collision portion of the separated fluid to a portion facing the refrigerant inlet, and the refrigerant inlet from the refrigerant inlet. A cylindrical body for guiding the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision part of the separated fluid is provided.

As a result, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the shell from the refrigerant inlet enters the shell through the refrigerant inlet, and at the same time bends and flows to the fluid side. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body, changes the flow direction at the opening of the cylindrical body, passes through the cylindrical body, and the refrigerant flow becomes straight and straight. Therefore, the influence of the inertial force received by bending the conventional refrigerant flow can be eliminated, and the gas-liquid ratio can be made uniform by promoting the gas-liquid mixing and diffusion. That is, it is possible to make the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform and prevent the drift, and collide with the colliding part of the fluid separation as in the conventional case to diffuse and mix the gas and liquid, and to divert to each flow channel as designed. In addition, the heat exchanger can be installed compactly without any restrictions. In addition, the structure that eliminates the influence of the inertial force can be formed with a very simple structure in which a cylindrical body and a shell are combined, and the cylindrical body and the shell are specially used for drilling or drawing. A simple cylindrical shape may be used without processing, and it can be provided at low cost. Thereby, not only can the refrigeration system be energy-saving and compact, but also a refrigeration system that realizes the above-mentioned energy saving and compactness while suppressing an increase in cost can be provided.

  A refrigerant flow divider according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the refrigerant flow divider according to the second or third aspect, wherein the cylindrical body has the smallest flow path cross-sectional area in the path from the refrigerant inlet to the collision portion of the divided fluid. It is set as follows.

  As a result, the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inflow port can have the fastest flow velocity at the time of colliding with the colliding portion of the separated fluid, so that the gas-liquid diffusion mixing effect due to the collision with the colliding portion can be enhanced, It is possible to further improve the homogenization of the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant and divert it to each branch channel as designed.

  The refrigerant flow divider of the fifth invention is the refrigerant flow divider of the second to fourth inventions, wherein the cylindrical outer surface of the cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell faces the refrigerant inlet. Further, the cylindrical end face is opened, and the gap d from the open end to the bottom of the shell is set to 1/4 or more (d> D / 4) of the inner diameter D of the cylindrical body.

  As a result, the refrigerant flowing in from the refrigerant inlet can be bent into the cylindrical body without increasing the pressure loss at the opening end portion that enters the cylindrical body from the shell, and the conventional flow is bent. The influence of the inertial force received can be eliminated without increasing the pressure loss, the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant can be made uniform, and the flow can be diverted to each branch channel as designed.

  The refrigerant flow divider of the sixth invention is the refrigerant flow divider of the second to fifth inventions, wherein the cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell has a cylindrical end surface on the side facing the refrigerant inlet. The gap d between the opening end and the inlet upper end of the refrigerant inlet provided in the shell is 3 mm or more (d> 3 mm).

  As a result, the cylindrical body in the shell is inclined due to manufacturing variation and the gap between the shell bottom surface and the open end is different in the left-right direction, and the refrigerant flowing in a U-turn from the open end of the cylindrical body into the cylindrical body Even if a situation where the flow velocities are different, the difference in the flow velocities can be suppressed to a minute one, and the gas-liquid ratio can be made uniform while diverting the flow due to the difference in flow velocities, so that the flow is divided into each flow path as designed. Can do.

  The refrigerant flow divider of the seventh invention is the refrigerant flow divider of the second to sixth inventions, wherein the cylindrical outer surface of the cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell faces the refrigerant inlet. The cylindrical end face is open, and d2> 0 when the dimension between the open end and the inlet lower end of the refrigerant inlet provided in the shell is d2.

  As a result, all of the refrigerant that has flowed into the shell from the refrigerant inlet collides with the cylindrical body, and after making a U-turn and changing the direction toward the opening end side of the cylindrical body, the refrigerant enters the cylindrical body. Because the refrigerant flows, the mixing and diffusion effect of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant by the cylindrical body located at the part where the refrigerant flow bends works on all the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet, and the inertial force received by bending the conventional flow is The influence can be eliminated more effectively, and the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant can be made uniform, and the flow can be diverted to the respective diversion channels as designed.

  An eighth invention is a refrigeration system, and this refrigeration system is a heat exchanger constituting a refrigeration cycle, in which the refrigerant flow divider according to any one of the first to seventh aspects is incorporated.

  As a result, this refrigeration system improves the heat exchange efficiency by distributing the refrigerant as designed to each heat transfer tube of the heat exchanger while making the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform by the refrigerant flow divider, and is compact. It can be incorporated in the heat exchanger in the form, and energy saving improvement and downsizing of the refrigeration system can be achieved at the same time.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example an air conditioner and a refrigerant flow divider incorporated therein. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of an air conditioner shown as an example of a refrigeration system, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a connection state of a refrigerant flow divider to the heat exchanger.

  1 and 2, the air conditioner according to the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 1 and an outdoor unit 2 connected to each other by a refrigerant circuit. The indoor unit 1 includes an indoor heat exchanger 3 and an indoor fan 4, and the outdoor unit 2 includes a compressor 5, a decompressor 6, an outdoor heat exchanger 7, and an outdoor fan 8. is there.

  Further, the compressor 5, the indoor heat exchanger 3, the decompressor 6, and the outdoor heat exchanger 7 are sequentially connected by a refrigerant circuit to constitute a heat pump refrigeration cycle. As the decompressor 6, an electromagnetic expansion valve or a capillary tube is used. When the former is used, the decompressor 6 may be referred to as an expansion valve.

  As shown by the arrows in FIG. 1, the refrigerant is compressed by the compressor 5 and discharged in a high-pressure and high-temperature vapor state. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 5 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 7, releases heat therein, and changes into a high-pressure medium-temperature liquid. Thereafter, the refrigerant liquid passes through the decompressor 6 and enters a low-pressure and low-temperature gas-liquid two-phase state, and then is divided by the refrigerant flow divider 10 and sent to the indoor heat exchanger 3. The separated refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state takes heat from the surroundings in the indoor heat exchanger 3 to become a low-pressure and low-temperature vapor state, merges at the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 3, and is sucked into the compressor 5 again. Repeat the cycle.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant flow divider 10 is connected so as to supply refrigerant to each of the heat transfer tubes 9 subdivided in the indoor heat exchanger 3, and in this example, the refrigerant flow divider 10 is divided into six lines. is there.

  Next, the configuration of the refrigerant flow divider 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 is a perspective view of the refrigerant flow divider, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerant flow divider cut away from a shell and a cylindrical body, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigerant flow divider, and FIG. 6 is the refrigerant flow divider. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 6 showing the refrigerant flow divider. FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are explanatory views for explaining the operation of the refrigerant flow divider. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect | action of the same refrigerant | coolant flow divider.

  3 to 9, the refrigerant flow divider 10 includes a divided fluid 11 that divides the refrigerant, and a refrigerant passage forming member 12 that guides cold air to the divided fluid 11 through a bent portion. Refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet 14 collides with the bent portion of the refrigerant passage and changes its flow in the opposite direction to the separated fluid 11, then makes a U-turn and further changes its direction to the separated fluid 11. The reverse passage portion 15 is formed.

The diversion fluid 11 is a component located on the most downstream side in the refrigerant flow direction, and a cylindrical portion 19 is provided via a diversion space 18 on the upstream side of the main body portion 17 provided with a plurality of diversion channels 16. The surface facing the cylindrical portion 19 is a refrigerant collision portion 20 that diverts the refrigerant to each of the diversion channels 16. In this example, the refrigerant collision portion 20 has a conical cross section and is configured to evenly distribute the refrigerant to each of the diversion channels 16. However, the diversion ratio can be varied as necessary, as designed. This part has the function of diverting the refrigerant at a rate of.

  It should be noted that changing the diversion ratio of each diversion channel can be easily performed by changing the diameters of the respective diversion channels.

  The refrigerant passage forming member 12 includes a bottomed cylindrical shell 21 attached to the outer periphery of the main body portion 17 of the separation fluid 11, and a cylindrical shape connected to the cylindrical portion 19 of the separation fluid 11 and positioned in the shell 21. The combination of the shell 21 and the cylindrical body 22 forms the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15 at the bent portion of the refrigerant passage from the refrigerant inlet 14 to the separated fluid 11.

  More specifically, the shell 21 is a part provided on the upstream side of the separation fluid 11, is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape, and its opening is fitted to the main body portion 17 of the separation fluid 11. . The shell 21 is formed with a refrigerant inlet 14 in a direction crossing the axis of the shell 21, and a refrigerant inlet pipe 23 is provided.

  Further, the cylindrical body 22 is disposed toward the shell bottom surface in the shell 21 in a state where it is connected to the cylindrical portion 19 of the separation fluid 11, and is opposite to the separation fluid 11 (below, for the sake of simplicity, The cylindrical outer peripheral surface is opposed to the refrigerant inlet 14 and has an opening 24 below the refrigerant inlet 14 so as to protrude downward from the refrigerant inlet 14.

  As a result, a refrigerant reversal passage portion 15 is formed between the lower portion of the cylindrical body 22 and the shell 21 to make a U-turn of the refrigerant and lead it to the separation fluid 11, and the cold air from the refrigerant inlet 14 is transferred to the cylindrical body. The flow bends toward the separation fluid 11 through the opening 24 of the 22, and flows toward the refrigerant collision portion 20 of the separation fluid.

  About the refrigerant | coolant shunt tube comprised as mentioned above, the effect is demonstrated below.

  The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing into the shell 21 from the refrigerant inlet 14 collides with the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the cylindrical body 22 as shown by an arrow a in FIG. While being dispersed between the two surfaces, the flow is changed to the shell bottom surface side as indicated by an arrow b. Then, it collides with the bottom surface of the shell 21, further makes a U-turn as shown by an arrow c, changes the direction to the separation fluid 11 side, and flows from the shell bottom surface side opening 24 of the cylindrical body 22 into the cylindrical body 22. . The refrigerant that has flowed into the cylindrical body 22 flows toward the branch fluid 11 as shown by an arrow e, collides with the coolant collision portion 20, is dispersed and diffused, and is divided into each branch channel 16, and the indoor heat exchanger 3 to each heat transfer tube 9.

  As described above, in the refrigerant distributor 10, the cylindrical body 22 is located at the portion where the flow bends from the refrigerant inlet 14 toward the branch fluid 11, and the refrigerant inversion passage portion 15 is formed. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the shell 21 from the refrigerant inlet 14 in the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15 collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 22, and further makes a U-turn while colliding with the shell bottom surface. Thus, since the refrigerant makes a U-turn and changes its direction while colliding, it is possible to eliminate the influence of the inertial force generated by the flow being bent from the refrigerant inlet 14 toward the separation fluid 11. Moreover, the refrigerant collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 22 and further makes a U-turn while colliding with the bottom of the shell, thereby promoting gas-liquid mixing and diffusion, making the gas-liquid ratio uniform and preventing drift. it can.

  In particular, when configured as shown in this embodiment, the refrigerant that collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 22 and changes its direction diffuses into the shell 21 on the outer periphery of the cylindrical body 22 and expands and decelerates. Since the U-turn is made from the entire circumferential direction of the opening 24 of the 22 into the cylindrical body 22, it is possible to effectively promote the diffusion and mixing of the gas and liquid to make the gas-liquid ratio uniform and prevent the drift.

  In addition, the refrigerant in which the gas-liquid ratio is made uniform by eliminating the influence of the inertial force at the bent portion from the refrigerant inlet 14 to the separation fluid 11 side as described above is converted into the separation fluid 11 in the cylindrical body 22. When flowing in the opposite direction, a rectifying action works in the cylindrical body 22 and further promotes a uniform gas-liquid ratio.

  Then, the refrigerant in the cylindrical body 22 collides with the refrigerant collision portion 20 of the separation fluid 11, further promotes gas-liquid diffusion mixing, and is divided into the respective distribution channels 16.

  As a result, the refrigeration system equipped with the indoor heat exchanger 3 equipped with the refrigerant flow divider 10 equalizes the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant by the refrigerant flow divider 10 to prevent uneven flow, and each transfer of the indoor heat exchanger 3. It is possible to divert to the heat pipe 9 as designed to improve the heat exchange efficiency, and to make the compact indoor heat exchanger 3, thereby improving the energy saving and downsizing of the air conditioner at the same time.

  Here, the cylindrical body 22 provided in the shell 21 has a lower outer peripheral surface facing at least a part of the refrigerant inlet 14 (d1> 0) as shown in FIG. It is sufficient to face 50% or more of the inlet 14, but it is preferable to face all of the refrigerant inlets 14 (d 2> 0) as shown in FIG.

  In this way, all of the refrigerant that has flowed into the shell 21 from the refrigerant inlet 14 collides with the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical body 22 and is directed toward the opening 24 end side of the cylindrical body 22. It makes a U-turn and flows into the cylindrical body 22. Therefore, the mixing / diffusion effect of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant by the cylindrical body 22 located at the portion where the refrigerant flow is bent acts on all of the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet 14, and the inertial force received by the bent flow. The effects of the above can be more effectively eliminated, and the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant can be made uniform, and the flow can be divided into the respective flow paths as designed.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the cylindrical body 22 of the refrigerant flow distributor 10 is set so that the cross-sectional area of the flow path is the smallest in the path from the refrigerant inlet 14 to the refrigerant collision portion 20 of the divided fluid 11.

  By doing in this way, the refrigerant | coolant flow velocity at the time of colliding with the refrigerant | coolant collision part 20 of the separation fluid 11 can be made the fastest in a path | route, and the gas-liquid diffusion mixing effect by the collision to the refrigerant | coolant collision part 20 is achieved. Can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the homogenization of the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant and divert it to each branch flow path 16.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the cylindrical body 22 provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell 21 has an inner diameter D and a gap from the opening 24 end of the cylindrical body 22 to the bottom surface of the shell 21. Assuming d, if the gap d is ¼ or more of the inner diameter D of the cylindrical body 22 (d> D / 4), the refrigerant flow is received by bending the refrigerant flow without increasing the pressure loss in the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15. It is preferable that the influence of the inertia force can be eliminated, the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant can be made uniform, and the refrigerant can be diverted to the respective diversion channels 16.

That is, when configured as described above, the flow path area S2 (Ddπ) of the gap d portion that enters the cylindrical body 22 from the shell 21 is obtained from the cross-sectional area S1 ((D / 2) ² π) of the cylindrical body 22. The flow can be bent and flowed into the cylindrical body 22 without increasing the pressure loss at the end portion of the opening 24 of the cylindrical body 22 forming the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15. Therefore, the refrigerant flow divider 10 can eliminate the influence of the inertial force received by bending the refrigerant flow while suppressing an increase in pressure loss, and can make the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant uniform and divert it to each branch flow path 16.

  In addition, the refrigerant flow divider 10 is configured to cut off a flow path formed between the opening 24 of the cylindrical body 22 and the shell bottom surface when the cylindrical body 22 provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell 21 is inclined with respect to the shell 21. There is a possibility that drift occurs in the cylindrical body 22 because the area is distributed in the circumferential direction.

  Therefore, it is preferable that the gap d from the end of the opening 24 of the cylindrical body 22 provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell 21 to the bottom surface of the shell 21 is 3 mm or more (d> 3 mm).

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 8 (c), the cylindrical body 22 is inclined in the shell 21 due to manufacturing variations or the like, and the gap d between the bottom surface of the shell and the open end becomes dh and dl. Even if a situation in which the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing in the tank 22 is different occurs, the relative difference can be reduced, and the flow rate difference can be suppressed to a minute one. Therefore, it is possible to make the gas-liquid ratio uniform and divert the flow into the respective diversion channels while preventing the drift due to the flow velocity difference caused by the inclination of the cylindrical body 22.

  Table 1 below shows the clearance d between the opening 24 of the cylindrical body 22 and the shell bottom surface and the rated cooling capacity ratio when a straight tube (outer diameter 5/16 inch) of 2/5 is used as the cylindrical body 22 (Ratio when the heat exchanger design capacity is 100%). Since it can be considered that the rated cooling capacity ratio is 95% or more, this is set as a threshold value for determining availability.

  As is apparent from Table 1, if d is set to 3 mm or more, the rated cooling capacity ratio can be 95% or more, and the gas-liquid ratio can be suppressed while suppressing the drift effect due to the flow velocity difference caused by the inclination of the cylindrical body 22. Can be made uniform and divided into the respective diversion channels 16.

  As described above, the refrigerant distributor 10 shown in the first embodiment diverts into a plurality of diversion channels while eliminating the influence of the inertial force generated in the refrigerant bending portion and maintaining the uniformity of the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant. However, the effect can be obtained only by combining the bottomed cylindrical shell 21 and the cylindrical body 22 made of a straight tube, and the shell 21 and the cylindrical body 22 are other examples described later. Thus, it is not necessary to perform special processing such as drilling or drawing, and a simple cylindrical shape may be used, which can provide high productivity and low cost. Therefore, energy saving and compactness of the refrigeration system can be realized with almost no increase in cost, and there are significant economic and industrial effects when mounted on the refrigeration system.

(Embodiment 2)
FIGS. 10A, 10 </ b> B, and 10 </ b> C show another configuration example of the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15 provided at the bent portion of the refrigerant passage of the refrigerant passage forming member 12.

  (A) uses the cylindrical body 22 shown in Embodiment 1 as a bottomed cylindrical straight pipe, and provides a large number of through holes 25 below the refrigerant inlet 14 to separate the fluid 11 from the refrigerant inlet 14. The refrigerant reversing passage 15 is formed at the bent portion of the refrigerant.

  (B) shows the shell 21 connected and fixed to the cylindrical body 22 instead of the separation fluid 11, and the upper portion of the shell 21 is closed by drawing or plate welding and the like so as to penetrate the upper surface 26. The body 22 is provided, and the refrigerant reversing passage portion 15 is configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

  Further, (c) shows that the shell 21 is connected and fixed to the cylindrical body 22, and the refrigerant reversal passage portion 15 is formed by providing a variable fluid 27 having a lower opening at a portion facing the refrigerant inlet 14.

  In any of the above, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent the drift due to the inertial force of the bent portion of the refrigerant, to equalize the gas-liquid ratio, and to divert the refrigerant.

  The refrigerant flow divider and the refrigeration system using the same according to the present invention have been described using the above embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims, not the above description, It is intended that all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the terms of the claims are included.

  As described above, the present invention eliminates the influence of the inertial force generated by the bending of the refrigerant flow at the refrigerant inlet portion and maintains the uniformity of the gas-liquid ratio of the refrigerant as designed to divert to a plurality of branch channels. In addition, the heat exchanger can be installed compactly without any restrictions, and energy saving and compactness of the refrigeration system can be achieved at the same time. Therefore, it can be widely applied to any refrigeration system such as home use and business use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Indoor unit 2 Outdoor unit 3 Indoor heat exchanger 4 Indoor fan 5 Compressor 6 Decompressor 7 Outdoor heat exchanger 8 Outdoor fan 9 Heat transfer pipe 10 Refrigerant flow divider 11 Divided fluid 12 Refrigerant passage formation member 14 Refrigerant inflow port 15 Refrigerant inversion Passage part 16 Dividing flow path 17 Body part 18 Dividing space 19 Tube part 20 Refrigerant collision part 21 Shell 22 Cylindrical body 23 Refrigerant inlet pipe 24 Opening 25 Through hole 26 Upper surface 27 Variable fluid

Claims (8)

And a refrigerant passage forming member that guides the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision portion of the divided fluid through a bent portion, the refrigerant passage of the refrigerant passage forming member. The refrigerant flow divider is provided with a refrigerant reversing passage portion that guides to the refrigerant collision portion of the separated fluid after changing the direction of the refrigerant flow from the refrigerant inlet a plurality of times at the bent portion. A fluid separation part provided with a refrigerant collision part on the upstream side of the plurality of flow dividing channels, a cylindrical body that guides the refrigerant to the refrigerant collision part of the fluid separation, and a bottomed cylindrical shell that guides the refrigerant to the cylindrical body The bottomed cylindrical shell is provided with a refrigerant inlet in a direction intersecting the axis of the shell, and the cylindrical body or the variable fluid is positioned at a portion facing the refrigerant inlet. Alternatively, a refrigerant flow divider in which a refrigerant reversal passage portion is formed that guides to the refrigerant collision portion of the divided fluid after changing the flow direction of the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet by a plurality of times by the variable fluid and the shell. A split fluid provided with a refrigerant collision portion on the upstream side of the plurality of flow dividing channels, and a bottomed cylindrical shell attached to the split fluid, wherein the bottomed cylindrical shell intersects the axis of the shell A refrigerant inlet is provided in the shell, and the end portion of the shell is located from the refrigerant collision portion of the divided fluid to a portion facing the refrigerant inlet, and an end portion is opened, and the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet is separated into the refrigerant. A refrigerant flow divider provided with a cylindrical body that guides to a collision part. The refrigerant distributor according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the cylindrical body is set such that a cross-sectional area of the flow path is the smallest in a path from the refrigerant inlet to the collision portion of the divided fluid. The cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface facing the refrigerant inlet and an opening at the cylindrical end surface. A gap d from the opening end to the bottom of the shell is defined as the cylindrical body. The refrigerant shunt according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the inner diameter D of the cylindrical body is ¼ or more (d> D / 4). The cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell has an open cylindrical end surface facing the refrigerant inlet, and a gap d1 between the opening end and the inlet upper end of the refrigerant inlet provided in the shell is 3 mm. The refrigerant shunt according to any one of claims 2 to 5, which is (d1> 3mm). The cylindrical body provided in the bottomed cylindrical shell has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface facing the cold air flow inlet and an open cylindrical end surface, and the lower end of the inlet of the refrigerant inlet provided in the open end and the shell. The refrigerant shunt according to any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein d2> 0, where d2 is a dimension. A refrigeration system in which the refrigerant shunt according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is incorporated in a heat exchanger constituting a refrigeration cycle.

Images