JP2998359B2 - Oil separator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil separator for separating oil contained in a refrigerant and returning the oil to a refrigerant compressor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a conventional technology of an oil separator, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 102913/102 is known. In this technique, a refrigerant is guided into a separation chamber by an introduction pipe, oil is separated in the separation chamber, and the refrigerant from which oil has been removed is guided to the outside by a discharge pipe. And it has an oil storage chamber which stores the separated oil below the separation chamber. The embodiment of the above publication discloses a technique in which an oil return pipe for returning stored oil to a pipe on the suction side of the compressor is provided below the oil storage chamber.

[0003]

However, since the conventional oil separator is provided separately from the functional components of the refrigeration cycle, it has the following problems. Since an oil return pipe for returning oil is required, the cost of a refrigeration cycle provided with an oil separator increases. A connecting means is required for each of the refrigerant inflow section, the refrigerant outflow section, and the oil return pipe of the oil separator, which also increases the cost of the refrigeration cycle provided with the oil separator. Space is required for attaching and detaching the oil separator and space for passing the oil return piping.
It was difficult to install in a narrow space.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator which requires a small installation space and can keep the cost of a refrigeration cycle low.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems The oil separator of the present invention employs the following technical means. The oil separator includes a refrigerant compressor body that receives, rotates, sucks, compresses, and discharges a refrigerant, and an inflow joint that introduces the refrigerant sucked by the refrigerant compressor body. And a connection joint provided with an outflow joint for discharging the refrigerant flowing therethrough. The oil separator is a suction refrigerant passage that guides the suction refrigerant guided to the connection joint to the refrigerant compressor main body, and a gas-liquid separation that guides the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor main body and separates the refrigerant into gas refrigerant and oil. A discharge refrigerant passage for guiding the gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber to the connection joint; and an oil passage for reducing the pressure of the oil separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber and guiding the oil to the suction refrigerant passage.

[0006]

The refrigerant compressor body receives rotational power,
The refrigerant sucked from the inflow joint is sucked through the suction refrigerant passage, compressed and discharged. The discharged refrigerant flows into the gas-liquid separation chamber of the oil separator, and is separated into gas refrigerant and oil by gas-liquid separation. Then, the gas refrigerant is guided to the connection joint through the discharge refrigerant passage, and is discharged from the outflow joint. On the other hand, the oil separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber is guided to the suction refrigerant passage through the oil passage, and is again drawn into the refrigerant compressor body together with the refrigerant drawn from the inflow joint.

[0007]

As described above, the oil separator does not require an oil return pipe, so that the cost of the refrigeration cycle can be reduced as compared with the conventional case. Also, the oil separator is mounted between the refrigerant compressor main body and the connection joint when the refrigerant compressor is mounted, so that the mounting cost can be reduced as compared with the related art. That is, the refrigeration cycle using the oil separator of the present invention can reduce the cost as compared with the refrigeration cycle using the conventional oil separator. Further, since the oil separator is mounted so as to be sandwiched between the refrigerant compressor main body and the connection joint, there is no need for connection piping or the like, and as a result, the mounting space for the oil separator is extremely small.

[0008]

Next, an oil separator of the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIG. 2 shows an example of the refrigeration cycle 1 for a vehicle. The refrigeration cycle 1 for a vehicle according to the present embodiment includes a refrigerant compressor 2 that suctions, compresses, and discharges a refrigerant, a refrigerant condenser 3 that exchanges heat between the air outside the vehicle compartment and the refrigerant, a receiver 4, a pressure reducing device 5, a vehicle interior. And a refrigerant evaporator 6 for exchanging heat between the air blown out to the refrigerant and the refrigerant.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant compressor 2 includes a refrigerant compressor main body 8 and a connection joint 9, and an oil separator 10 is sandwiched between the refrigerant compressor main body 8 and the connection joint 9. It is attached in the state where it was set. The connection joint 9 and the oil separator 10 are fixed to the refrigerant compressor main body 8 by a plurality of common bolts (not shown). The refrigerant compressor body 8 is, for example, a swash plate type multi-cylinder compressor. When the drive shaft 11 receives the rotational power of an engine (not shown), for example, the suction chamber 1 in a connection frame 12 provided on the upper surface.
After the refrigerant is sucked from 3 and compressed inside, it is discharged from the discharge chamber 14 in the connection frame 12 (see FIG. 3). In addition, the connection frame 12 is joined to the oil separator 10, and the periphery of the suction chamber 13 and the discharge chamber 14 is sealed by a sealing material 15 as shown in FIG. The discharge chamber 14 is provided in consideration of a bulge forming a gas-liquid separation chamber 17 of the oil separator 10 described later, which is arranged inside.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the oil separator 10 includes a suction refrigerant passage 16, a gas-liquid separation chamber 17, a discharge refrigerant passage 18, and an oil passage 19, and one surface thereof has a refrigerant compressor main body. 8 connection frame 12. Then, on the other surface of the oil separator 10, as shown in FIGS.
A second connection frame 20 connected to the connection joint 9 is provided. The second connection frame 20 has a suction refrigerant passage 1 therein.
6 and a second discharge chamber 22 which is a part of the discharge refrigerant passage 18 are provided.
The periphery of the first and second discharge chambers 22 is sealed by a sealing material 23. The suction refrigerant passage 16 is connected to the connection joint 9.
Is a refrigerant passage for guiding the refrigerant supplied from the suction port 13 to the suction chamber 13 of the refrigerant compressor main body 8.
4. The gas-liquid separation chamber 17 is provided so that gas refrigerant and oil are separated into gas and liquid by centrifugation. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 includes a cylindrical chamber. A pipe 25 having a gap through which the refrigerant flows between the inside of the cylindrical chamber and the inner wall is provided. Around the pipe 25, there is provided an inlet 26 for guiding the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor main body 8, and the energy of the refrigerant flowing into the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 from the inlet 26 allows the inflow refrigerant to surround the pipe 25. Is provided to rotate. Then, the oil contained in the inflow refrigerant is centrifuged, and the gas refrigerant is guided to the discharge refrigerant passage 18 through the inside of the pipe 25. The gas-liquid separation chamber 1
Separated oil accumulates at the end of 7 and is guided into the second suction chamber 21 of the suction refrigerant passage 16 via the mesh filter 27 and the oil passage 19. The discharge refrigerant passage 18 is a passage that guides the gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 to the connection joint 9 and includes the above-described second discharge chamber 22 and a discharge hole 28. The oil passage 19 is a throttle (for example, having an inner diameter of about 0.3 mm) communicating the oil reservoir of the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 with the second suction chamber 21.
The pressure of the oil separated in step (1) is reduced and the oil is guided to the suction refrigerant passage 16.

The connection joint 9 is connected to the inflow joint 29 connected to the refrigerant pipe 7 for guiding the refrigerant having passed through the refrigerant evaporator 6 to the refrigerant compressor 2, and to the refrigerant pipe 7 for supplying the refrigerant to the refrigerant condenser 3. Outflow joint 30. The connection joint 9 is connected to the second part of the oil separator 10.
The second suction chamber 21 of the oil separator 10 is connected to the connection frame 20.
And the inflow joint 29, and the second discharge chamber 22 of the oil separator 10 and the outflow joint 30. The opening communicating with the second suction chamber 21 and the opening communicating with the second discharge chamber 22 may be connected to the connection frame 12 of the refrigerant compressor main body 8 without the oil separator 10 interposed therebetween. It is provided at a position communicating with the chamber 13 and the discharge chamber 14.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be briefly described. When the refrigeration cycle 1 is operated, the drive shaft 11 of the refrigerant compressor main body 8 is driven by the engine, and the refrigerant compressor main body 8 sucks the refrigerant from the refrigerant evaporator 6 side through the inflow joint 29 and the suction refrigerant passage 16. . The sucked refrigerant is compressed in the refrigerant compressor main body 8 and flows into the oil separator 10 from the discharge chamber 14 of the refrigerant compressor main body 8. The refrigerant flowing into the oil separator 10 flows into the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 from the inlet 26 and turns around the pipe 25 to be separated into gas refrigerant and oil. The separated gas refrigerant is guided to the discharge refrigerant passage 18 through the pipe 25, flows into the connection joint 9, and flows out of the outflow joint 3.
0 is supplied to the refrigerant condenser 3 through the refrigerant pipe 7.
On the other hand, the oil separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber 17 passes through the filter 27, accumulates in a corner of the gas-liquid separation chamber 17, passes through the oil passage 19, and is guided into the second suction chamber 21 of the suction refrigerant passage 16. I will Then, the oil guided into the second suction chamber 21 is sucked again into the refrigerant compressor main body 8 together with the refrigerant passing through the suction refrigerant passage 16, and lubricates the inside of the refrigerant compressor main body 8.

[Effects of the Embodiment] The oil separator 10 of the present embodiment.
When the oil separator is mounted on the refrigeration cycle 1 where the reliability and cooling performance of the refrigerant compressor 2 are particularly required, the oil separator 10 may be mounted between the refrigerant compressor body 8 and the connection joint 9. Since there are no parts to be changed, the mountability is very excellent, and the cost of the refrigeration cycle 1 including the oil separator 10 can be suppressed lower than in the past. In addition, since the oil separator 10 is mounted between the refrigerant compressor main body 8 and the connection joint 9, the mounting space for the oil separator 10 can be extremely small as compared with the related art.

[Modification] In the above embodiment, a swash plate type multi-cylinder type compressor is shown as an example of a type of a refrigerant compressor. However, the present invention is applicable to other types of refrigerant compressors such as a line type compressor and a through vane type compressor. It is something.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a refrigerant compressor provided with an oil separator.

FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a refrigeration cycle.

FIG. 3 is a view as viewed from A in FIG. 1, that is, a plan view of a connection frame.

4 is a plan view of FIG. 1, that is, a plan view of a second connection frame.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an oil separator.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the oil separator taken along the line CC of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the oil separator taken along line DD of FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 8 Refrigerant compressor body 9 Connection joint 10 Oil separator 16 Suction refrigerant passage 17 Gas-liquid separation chamber 18 Discharge refrigerant passage 19 Oil passage 29 Inflow joint 30 Outflow joint

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A refrigerant compressor for receiving, rotating, sucking, compressing, and discharging the refrigerant; and an inflow joint for introducing the refrigerant sucked by the refrigerant compressor.
A suction refrigerant passage attached between the refrigerant compressor main body and a connection joint having an outflow joint for discharging the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant compressor main body, and guiding the suction refrigerant guided to the connection joint to the refrigerant compressor main body; A gas-liquid separation chamber that guides the refrigerant discharged from the machine body and separates the refrigerant into gas refrigerant and oil; a discharge refrigerant passage that guides the gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separation chamber to the connection joint; An oil passage having an oil passage for reducing the pressure of the oil and leading the oil to the suction refrigerant passage.