JP3428516B2 - Aperture device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a throttle device which reduces refrigerant flow noise and improves comfort against noise.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional air conditioner, a variable capacity compressor such as an inverter is used to cope with a change in air conditioning load, and the rotation frequency of the compressor is controlled according to the size of the air conditioning load. . However, when the rotation of the compressor is reduced during cooling operation, the evaporation temperature also rises and the dehumidifying capacity of the evaporator decreases, or the evaporation temperature rises above the dew point temperature in the room, making dehumidification impossible. It was

The following air conditioner has been devised as a means for improving the dehumidifying ability during the cooling low capacity operation. FIG. 21 shows a refrigerant circuit configuration of a conventional air conditioner disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 61-43631. In the figure, 1 is a compressor, 3 is an outdoor heat exchanger, 4 is a first flow rate control valve, 5 is a first indoor heat exchanger, 6 is a second flow rate control valve,
Reference numeral 7 denotes a second indoor heat exchanger, which are sequentially connected by pipes to form a refrigeration cycle. Next, the operation of the conventional air conditioner will be described. First, in a normal cooling operation, the refrigerant exiting the compressor 1 is condensed and liquefied by the outdoor heat exchanger 3, decompressed by the first flow control valve 4, and the second indoor heat exchanger 5, the second flow control valve 6 and Return to the compressor 1 through the second indoor heat exchanger 7. At this time, the second flow rate control valve is fully open, and the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 operate as evaporators to perform cooling operation.

On the other hand, during the dehumidifying operation, the first flow control valve 4
Is fully opened and the flow rate of the refrigerant is controlled by the second flow rate control valve 6, whereby the first indoor heat exchanger 5 operates as a condenser, that is, a reheater, and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 operates as an evaporator. Since the air is heated by the first indoor heat exchanger 5, it is possible to perform the dehumidifying operation in which the decrease in room temperature is small.

[0005]

In the conventional air conditioner as described above, since a flow rate control valve having an orifice is usually used as the second flow rate control valve installed in the indoor unit, this orifice is used. The refrigerant flow noise generated when the refrigerant passed through was a factor that deteriorated the indoor environment. In particular, during the dehumidifying operation, the inlet refrigerant of the second flow control valve is in a gas-liquid two-phase state, and there is a problem that the refrigerant flow noise becomes loud.

As a measure for reducing the refrigerant flow noise of the second flow rate control valve during the dehumidifying operation, there is provided a small valve hole in the main valve body in the flow rate control valve disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-91778, and a special feature. For example, a flow path control valve shown in Kaihei 10-89803 is provided with a spiral flow path portion downstream thereof. However, since all of these measures to reduce the flow noise of the refrigerant are composed of small holes and orifices in the throttle, adding a spiral flow path is not effective. In the case of the state, there is a problem that the refrigerant flow noise becomes loud. In addition, in order to reduce this refrigerant flow noise, additional measures such as providing sound insulating materials and damping materials were required in the flow control valve body, but these additional measures increase cost and increase installation space. Therefore, there is a problem that the indoor unit becomes large and the recyclability at the time of product recovery deteriorates.

Further, it is possible to control the operating capacity of the compressor during the dehumidifying operation to a small amount and reduce the refrigerant flow rate to reduce the refrigerant flow noise, but as a result, the refrigerant flow rate during the dehumidifying operation is restricted. Therefore, there is a problem that the dehumidifying ability cannot be freely controlled, and the temperature and humidity of the room cannot be kept constant.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a throttling device capable of significantly reducing refrigerant flowing noise.

[0009]

A throttling device according to the present invention comprises a squeezing portion made of a porous permeable material which communicates in the direction of refrigerant flow, and is provided with adjusting means for adjusting the permeation area of the porous permeable material. It is a thing.

A first flow path provided with an electromagnetic opening / closing valve, and a second flow path provided in parallel with the first flow path,
The throttle unit is provided in the second flow path, and is provided with a throttle unit made of a porous permeable material that communicates in the refrigerant flow direction, and an adjusting unit that adjusts the permeation area of the porous permeable material.

Further, the refrigerant passage is covered with the porous permeable material.

Further, there are provided a valve body having a first flow passage opening on a side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening on a bottom surface of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber. A narrowed portion is formed by using a porous permeable material that has the main valve element and communicates with the main valve element in the refrigerant flow direction.

Further, the porous permeable material has a columnar shape with one end open, and when the main valve seat is closed, the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side of the columnar shape are separated into a flow channel inlet side and an outlet side. Is.

Further, a valve main body having a first flow passage opening on a side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening on a bottom surface of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber are provided. A flow rate control valve is configured by using a porous permeable material that has the main valve seat and communicates with the main valve seat in the refrigerant flow direction.

Further, the main surface of the main valve body is in contact with the side surface of the main valve seat, and the contact area between the peripheral surface and the side surface is changed by movement in the opening / closing direction. A control means for controlling the movement, and the main valve body, the main valve seat and the control means constitute an adjusting means for adjusting the permeation area of the porous permeable material.

The ventilation holes of the porous permeable material are in the range of 200 to 0.5 μm.

The porous permeable material is a sintered metal.

[0018]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and the same parts as those of a conventional device are designated by the same reference numerals. In the figure, 1 is a compressor, 2 is a flow path switching means for switching the flow of refrigerant in cooling operation and heating operation, for example, a four-way valve, 3 is an outdoor heat exchanger, and 4 is an electric expansion valve that is a first flow control valve. 5 is a first indoor heat exchanger, 7 is a second indoor heat exchanger, and a second flow rate control valve 6 is provided between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7. These are sequentially connected by piping to form a refrigeration cycle. Further, the compressor 1, the four-way valve 2, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the first flow rate control valve 4 constitute the outdoor unit 11, and the first indoor heat exchanger 5, the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and the second flow rate control valve. The indoor unit 12 is constituted by 6. R410A, which is a mixed refrigerant of R32 and R125, is used as the refrigerant of this refrigeration cycle.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the structure of the second flow rate control valve 6 of the air conditioner shown in FIG. 1, in which 21 is the first flow path, the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is connected, and 22 Is a second flow path, to which the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is connected. Reference numeral 23 is a main valve seat in which the second flow path is open, and is formed integrally with the valve body in this figure. Reference numeral 24 is a main valve body that slides up and down along the inner surface of the main body of the second flow path control valve 6.
And the main valve body 24 constitute a throttle portion. Reference numeral 25 is an electromagnetic coil for driving the main valve body 24. The electromagnetic coil 25 is electrically disconnected and turned on the basis of a command from a control unit (not shown),
Open and close. The main valve body 24 is formed of a porous permeable material, and specifically, a sintered metal (metal powder or alloy powder is used as a mold) having a ventilation hole (a pore inside the porous body through which a fluid can permeate) of 10 micrometers. And press molding,
Next, it is manufactured by performing sintering at a temperature below the melting point). Further, this second flow control valve 6
Deenergizes the electromagnetic coil 25, so that the main valve body 2
4 is pulled up and the main valve body 24 is separated from the main valve seat 23, so that the first flow passage 21 and the second flow passage 22 are connected with almost no pressure loss (FIG. 2 (a)). Further, by energizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the main valve body 24 is lowered to the lower side, and the main valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the main valve seat 23, so that the first flow path 21 and the second flow path 21 The flow path 22 is connected (FIG. 2 (b)).

Next, the operation of the air conditioner according to this embodiment during cooling will be described. In FIG. 1, the flow of the refrigerant during cooling is indicated by a solid arrow. Cooling operation corresponds to normal cooling operation when the air conditioning sensible heat load and latent heat load of the room are both large at start-up or summer, and the air conditioning latent heat load is small, such as in the intermediate period and the rainy season, but the sensible heat load is It can be divided into dehumidification operation corresponding to a large case. Normal cooling operation is the second
The electromagnetic coil 25 of the flow control valve 6 is turned off. At this time, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor leaving the compressor 1 is transferred to the four-way valve 2
To flow into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to exchange heat with the outside air, condense and liquefy. This high-pressure liquid refrigerant is supplied to the first flow control valve 4
Is decompressed to a low pressure by becoming a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and the sensible heat and latent heat of the indoor air are taken by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 to be evaporated. In the second flow control valve 6, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (a), since the first flow path 21 and the second flow path are connected with a large opening area, there is almost no refrigerant pressure loss when passing through this valve, and the cooling capacity and efficiency in terms of efficiency due to the pressure loss. There is no decline in. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has left the second indoor heat exchanger 7 passes through the four-way valve 2 and returns to the compressor 1 again.
The opening degree of the first flow rate control valve 4 during the normal cooling operation is controlled so that the superheat degree of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger is 5 ° C., for example.

Next, the operation during the dehumidifying operation will be described with reference to the pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in FIG. The English characters shown in FIG. 3 correspond to the English characters shown in FIG. During this dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic coil 2 of the second flow control valve
5 is energized, the main valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the main valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. 2 (b), and the first flow path 21 is the first indoor heat exchanger through the vent hole of the main valve body 24. 5 outlet and second flow path 22
Is connected to the inlet of the second indoor heat exchanger 7. At this time,
The high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant vapor (point A) exiting the compressor 1 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 through the four-way valve 2, exchanges heat with the outside air, and condenses (point B). This high-pressure liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is slightly decompressed by the first flow rate control valve 4 (point C) and becomes intermediate-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant and flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 5. The refrigerant flowing into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 exchanges heat with the indoor air and is further condensed (point D). The intermediate-pressure liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has left the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the second flow control valve 6. In the second flow rate control valve 6, the main valve body 24 is in close contact with the main valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. 2B, so that the refrigerant flowing into this valve is mainly composed of sintered metal. It flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 through the vent hole in the valve body 24. The ventilation hole of this main valve body 24 is 1
The refrigerant passing through the vent hole is decompressed, becomes a low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 (point E). The refrigerant flowing into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 deprives the sensible heat and latent heat of the indoor air and evaporates. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has left the second indoor heat exchanger 7 passes through the four-way valve 2 and returns to the compressor 1 again. Since the indoor air is heated by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and cooled and dehumidified by the second indoor heat exchanger 7, it is possible to perform dehumidification while preventing the room temperature from decreasing in the room.

In this dehumidifying operation, the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 and the fan rotation speed of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 are adjusted to control the heat exchange amount of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to control the first indoor heat exchanger. 5
The blowout temperature can be controlled in a wide range by controlling the amount of heating of the indoor air by. Further, the opening degree of the first flow rate control valve 7 and the indoor fan rotation speed are adjusted to control the condensation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and the heating amount of the indoor air by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled. You can also The opening degree of the second flow rate control valve 4 is set such that the superheat degree of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger is 5 ° C., for example.
Is controlled so that

In this embodiment, the main valve body 2 is made of sintered metal.
The second flow rate control valve 6 used in No. 4 is disposed between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and is used as a throttle device during the cooling / dehumidifying operation. The refrigerant flowing noise when the liquid refrigerant or the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through 6 can be significantly reduced. When the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the ordinary orifice type expansion device, a large refrigerant flow noise is generated. It is known that a large refrigerant flow noise is generated particularly when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flow mode is a slag flow. The cause of this refrigerant flow noise is that when a slag flow passes through a small hole such as an orifice in the expansion device, a refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubble larger than the small hole is destroyed, and this refrigerant vapor slag or refrigerant bubble It is conceivable that vibration may occur due to the collapse of the refrigerant, and that the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant alternately pass through the small holes, so that the pressure loss generated when the refrigerant passes through the small holes may fluctuate significantly.
In the second flow rate control valve shown in FIG. 2, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant or the liquid refrigerant that has exited the first indoor heat exchanger 5 during the cooling / dehumidifying operation is stored in the main valve body 24 made of sintered metal. Since it passes through the fine ventilation holes and is depressurized at this time and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7, collapse of the refrigerant vapor slag and refrigerant bubbles does not occur, and the vapor refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant are simultaneously discharged into the main valve body 24. Since it passes through the ventilation holes of, no large fluctuation in pressure loss occurs. For this reason, noise reduction means such as wrapping around the outer periphery of the valve with a sound insulating material and a vibration damping material, which are required in the conventional device, is not required, the cost can be reduced, and the recyclability of the air conditioner is improved. Incidentally, with respect to the problem of the refrigerant flow noise caused by the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant described above, the problem is not limited to the air conditioner, it is a problem for refrigeration cycles in general such as a refrigerator, the throttling device of the present embodiment, By widely applying it to such a refrigeration cycle in general, the same effect can be obtained.

The flow rate characteristics (relationship between the refrigerant flow rate and the pressure loss) of the second flow rate control valve 6 during the cooling and dehumidifying operation are as follows: It can be adjusted by adjusting the height. That is, when a certain flow rate of the refrigerant is caused to flow with a small pressure loss, the vent holes of the sintered metal may be enlarged or the diameter of the valve body may be increased. In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a cavity 2 is provided inside the valve body.
6 may be provided to reduce the length of the flow path through the sintered metal. On the contrary, when a certain flow rate of the refrigerant is caused to flow with a large pressure loss, the ventilation holes of the sintered metal may be made smaller or the diameter of the valve body may be made smaller. The diameter of the vent hole of the sintered metal used for the main valve body 24 and the shape of the valve body are optimally designed when the device is designed. Instead of the hollow portion 26 having an open end of the main valve body 24, a hollow portion surrounded by a sintered metal may be used. Further, when the main valve body 24 is closed, the columnar main valve body 24 is closed.
If the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side are divided into the flow path inlet side and the outlet side, the pressure loss and the like can be adjusted independently on the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side. It was confirmed by experiments that the diameter of the vent holes of the sintered metal is 200 to 0.5 μm, and a sufficient effect of reducing the flow noise of the refrigerant and reducing the manuscript can be obtained. As a suitable example, the refrigerant is R410A,
When the pressure difference before and after the sintered metal is about 1 MPa (megapascal), the diameter of the vent hole is preferably about 10 μm. If the pressure difference is large, the vent hole diameter is made smaller, and if the pressure difference is small, the vent hole diameter is made larger to cope with the problem. The sintered metal vents are
The smaller the diameter, the smaller the sintered metal, resulting in a second
The flow control valve 6 also becomes compact. In addition, when a sintered metal having a small vent hole is used for the valve body, in order to prevent clogging of the vent hole by foreign matter and sludge in the refrigeration cycle, a metal mesh or the like is provided on the upstream side of the second flow control valve 6. You may install a filter.

In the present embodiment, the second flow control valve has been described as an opening / closing operation by energizing or de-energizing the electromagnetic coil 25. However, the main valve body 24 is continuously driven by a stepping motor. The flow rate characteristic of the second flow rate control valve may be continuously changed. By continuously controlling the flow rate characteristics in this manner, the temperature and humidity controllability during the cooling / dehumidifying operation is further improved, and a comfortable indoor space can be realized.

Next, the operation control method of the air conditioner of this embodiment will be described. In the air conditioner, for example, a set temperature and a set humidity are set when the air conditioner is operating in order to set a temperature / humidity environment preferred by a resident in the room. Note that the set temperature and set humidity may be entered directly by the resident by the remote control of the indoor unit, or for indoor units such as those who are hot, those who are cold, children and the elderly. The remote controller may store an optimum value table of temperature and humidity determined for each target resident, and directly input only the target resident. In addition, the indoor unit 12 is provided with sensors for detecting the temperature and humidity of the indoor unit, respectively, in order to detect the temperature and humidity inside the room.

When the air conditioner is activated, the difference between the set temperature and the current indoor intake air temperature is calculated as a temperature deviation, and the difference between the set humidity and the current indoor intake air humidity is calculated as a humidity deviation, and finally the difference is calculated. The rotation frequency of the compressor 1 of the air conditioner so that these deviations are zero or within a predetermined value,
The outdoor fan speed, the indoor fan speed, the throttle opening of the first flow rate control valve 4, and the opening / closing of the second flow rate control valve 6 are controlled. At this time, when controlling the temperature and humidity deviations to be zero or within a predetermined value, the temperature deviation is prioritized over the humidity deviations to control the air conditioner. That is, when both the temperature deviation and the humidity deviation are large at the time of starting the air conditioner, the second flow rate control valve 7 is opened, and first, in the normal cooling operation, the temperature deviation in the room is preferentially zero or within a predetermined value. To drive. Humidity deviation is detected when the cooling capacity of the air conditioner matches the heat load of the room and the temperature deviation is within zero or within a specified value.At this time, the humidity deviation is within zero or within a specified value. If
Continue current operation.

When the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value, and the humidity deviation at this time is still a large value, the second flow control valve 6 is throttled to switch to the cooling / dehumidifying operation. In this cooling / dehumidifying operation, the heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is controlled so that the temperature deviation in the room can be maintained within zero or within a predetermined value, and the humidity deviation is controlled within zero or within a predetermined value. Then, the cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled. The heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is controlled by adjusting the fan speed of the outdoor heat exchanger 3, the opening of the first flow control valve 4, and the like. The cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled by the rotation frequency of the compressor 1, the fan rotation speed of the indoor unit 12, and the like.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the refrigerant circuit is switched between the normal cooling operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation according to the load of the room during the cooling operation, so that the temperature and humidity environment in the room can be changed by the occupants. It can be controlled to an optimum state according to.

Embodiment 2. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a second flow control valve of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. The overlapping description will be omitted. In this embodiment, an ordinary metal valve is used for the main valve body 24 and a sintered metal is used for the main valve seat 23. As in the case of FIG. 2, by deenergizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the main valve body 24 is separated from the main valve seat 23, and the first flow passage 21 and the second flow passage 22 are connected with almost no pressure loss (FIG. 5). (A)). Further, by energizing the electromagnetic coil 25, the main valve body 24 is brought into close contact with the main valve seat 23, and the first flow passage 21 and the second flow passage 22 are connected via the ventilation hole of the main valve seat 23 (see FIG. b)). During the cooling / dehumidifying operation, by energizing the electromagnetic coil as shown in FIG. 5B, the refrigerant exiting the first indoor heat exchanger 5 passes through the vent hole of the main valve seat 23 in the second flow control valve 6. Since it is depressurized there and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7, there is no refrigerant flow noise,
A comfortable indoor space can be realized. Further, during normal cooling, by deenergizing the electromagnetic coil, the main valve body 24 is pulled away from the main valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. 5A, and the first flow passage 21 and the second flow passage 22 are almost completely removed. Since there is no pressure loss, there is no pressure loss between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and there is no reduction in cooling capacity or efficiency.

As in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the main valve body 2
It is relatively easy to form the main valve seat 23 from the sintered metal as shown in the present embodiment because it has a simpler shape than is formed from the sintered metal. Moreover, it is possible to obtain a flow rate control valve in which no refrigerant flow noise is generated. Further, the flow characteristic of this flow control valve is also easy to design because the shape is simple. The flow rate characteristic of this flow rate control valve can be adjusted by adjusting the diameter of the vent hole of the sintered metal used for the main valve seat 23 and the flow path length through which the refrigerant passes, as in the embodiment of FIG. You can That is, when a certain refrigerant flow rate is caused to flow with a small pressure loss, the ventilation holes of the sintered metal may be made large, or the flow path length of the main valve seat through which the refrigerant passes may be made small. On the contrary, when a certain refrigerant flow rate is caused to flow with a large pressure loss, the vent hole of the sintered metal is made small, or the passage length of the main valve seat through which the refrigerant passes is made large as shown in FIG. Is also good.

In the first and second embodiments,
The example in which the on-off valve whose valve body is made of sintered metal and the on-off valve whose main valve seat is made of sintered metal are used as the second flow control valve has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the sintered metal is
The valve main body and the main valve seat may both be formed of sintered metal, as long as the pressure reducing action occurs in the valve.
Further, as the material of the sintered metal, iron as a main component and carbon,
Low alloy steel with copper, nickel, etc., stainless steel,
Alternatively, bronze may be used.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, an example in which a sintered metal is used for the valve body or the main valve seat has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant can be a liquid and a gas. It is sufficient that the pressure is reduced without being separated, and the same effect can be obtained even with a porous material such as a resin foam material.

In Embodiments 1 and 2, an example in which a second flow rate control valve made of sintered metal is used between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and by using a valve made of sintered metal for the first flow rate control valve 4, it is possible to prevent the generation of refrigerant flowing noise at the first flow rate control valve. Further, the use of the sintered metal can be applied not only to the flow control valve but also to all the places where the refrigerant flowing noise is generated in the refrigeration cycle, and the generation of the refrigerant flowing noise can be suppressed. For example, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant flow noise from being generated from the refrigerant distributor by using a sintered metal inside the refrigerant distributor used for the heat exchanger divided into a plurality of flow paths. Further, in a device such as a home refrigerator that uses a capillary tube as a conventional expansion device, the use of sintered metal as the expansion device instead of the capillary tube can prevent refrigerant flow noise.

Embodiment 3. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a second flow control valve of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals. The overlapping description will be omitted. In this embodiment, the main valve body 24 is made of a metal valve such as copper or brass, and the main valve seat 23 is made of a porous permeable material, for example, a sintered metal having a ventilation hole of 10 μm. Further, reference numeral 25 denotes a drive unit for continuously driving the main valve body 24, which is constituted by, for example, a stepping motor, and controls the main valve body 24 to move in the opening / closing direction by a control means not shown.

In the second flow rate control valve 6 according to this embodiment, when the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 are connected without pressure loss in the circuit configuration of FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the stepping motor 25 pulls up the main valve body 24 so that the refrigerant flows through the gap between the main valve body 24 and the main valve seat 23. On the other hand, when a pressure difference is generated between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 such as during the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the main valve body 24 is pulled down by the stepping motor 25 as shown in FIG. 7B. The gap between the main valve body 24 and the main valve seat 23 is eliminated so that the refrigerant flows through the vent holes in the main valve seat 23, which is a sintered metal. At this time, by adjusting the amount of lowering of the main valve body 24 by the stepping motor 25, the passing area of the sintered metal through which the refrigerant passes can be changed, and the pressure loss of the refrigerant when passing through this sintered metal can be changed. Can be controlled. That is, the main valve body 24 by the stepping motor 25
The pressure loss of the refrigerant passing through the second flow rate control valve 6 can be freely changed by controlling the movement amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 5 and the pressure difference between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7. Can be controlled.

During the cooling and dehumidifying operation, the first indoor heat exchanger 5
The temperature difference between the refrigerant temperature approximately in the middle and the refrigerant temperature approximately in the middle of the second indoor heat exchanger 7,
By indirectly detecting the pressure difference between the two and controlling the moving amount of the main valve body 24 of the second flow rate control valve 6 so that the pressure difference becomes a predetermined value, the indoor temperature and humidity environment can be made more comfortable. Can be controlled.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a part of the main valve body 24 is made of a metal valve 24a, the other part is made of a sintered metal 24b, and the main valve seat 23 is made of a metal. The movement amount of the seat 24 may be continuously controlled by the stepping motor 25 so that the pressure difference across the second flow rate control valve 6 can be freely adjusted. Further, not only when the main valve body continuously moves up and down, but also provided with a mechanism for varying the passing area of the sintered metal through which the refrigerant passes by rotational movement,
The pressure loss of the refrigerant passing through the sintered metal may be freely controlled.

Fourth Embodiment Hereinafter, an air conditioner according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. The present embodiment relates to heating operation, the refrigerant circuit constituting the air conditioner is the same as, for example, FIG. 1 in the first embodiment, and the structure of the second flow control valve 6 is the same as that in FIG. is there. The operation of the air-conditioning apparatus according to this embodiment during heating will be described. In FIG. 1, the flow of the refrigerant during heating is indicated by a dashed arrow. In the normal heating operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 of the second flow rate control valve 6 is de-energized.
At this time, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor that has exited the compressor 1 flows through the four-way valve 2 into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and exchanges heat with the indoor air to condense and liquefy. To do. In the second flow control valve 6, the first flow passage 21 and the second flow passage are connected with a large opening area as shown in FIG. 2 (a), so that the refrigerant pressure loss when passing through this valve is small. There is almost no loss of heating capacity or efficiency due to pressure loss.
The high-pressure liquid refrigerant discharged from the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is decompressed to a low pressure by the first flow control valve 4, becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and exchanges heat with the outdoor air in the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to evaporate. To do. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has exited the outdoor heat exchanger 3 passes through the four-way valve 2 and returns to the compressor 1 again. The first flow control valve 4 during the normal cooling operation
The opening degree of is controlled such that the superheat degree of the outlet refrigerant of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 is 5 ° C., for example.

Next, the operation during the heating and dehumidifying operation will be described with reference to FIG.
It will be explained using the pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in FIG. The English characters shown in FIG. 9 correspond to the English characters shown in FIG. During this heating / dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic coil 25 of the second flow control valve is energized to bring the main valve body 24 into close contact with the main valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. 2 (b), and through the vent hole of the valve body. The outlet of the second indoor heat exchanger 7, which is the second flow path 22, is connected to the inlet of the first indoor heat exchanger 5, which is the first flow path 21.
At this time, high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant vapor (point F) exiting the compressor 1
Enters the second indoor heat exchanger 7 through the four-way valve 2 and exchanges heat with indoor air to condense (point E). This high-pressure liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the second flow rate control valve 6. In the second flow rate control valve 6, the main valve body 24 is in close contact with the main valve seat 23 as shown in FIG. 2B, so that the refrigerant flowing into this valve is mainly composed of sintered metal. It flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 through the vent hole in the valve body 24. The vent hole of the main valve body 24 has a diameter of about 10 μm, and the refrigerant passing through the vent hole is decompressed to become an intermediate pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant and flows into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 ( D
point). The saturation temperature of the refrigerant flowing into the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is equal to or lower than the dew point temperature of the indoor air, and the sensible heat and latent heat of the indoor air are taken to evaporate (point C). The intermediate-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has left the first indoor heat exchanger 5 flows into the first flow rate control valve 4, is decompressed to a low pressure, and further flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 to exchange heat with the outdoor air. Then evaporate. The low-pressure vapor refrigerant that has exited the indoor / outdoor heat exchanger 4 returns to the compressor 1 through the four-way valve 2.

In this heating / dehumidifying operation, the room air is
Since the indoor heat exchanger 7 is heated and the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is cooled and dehumidified, it is possible to perform dehumidification while heating the room. In the heating dehumidifying operation, the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 and the fan rotation speed of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 are adjusted to control the heat exchange amount of the outdoor heat exchanger 3, and the indoor air by the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled. The blowout temperature can be controlled in a wide range by controlling the heating amount. Also, the opening temperature of the first flow control valve 7 and the indoor fan rotation speed are adjusted to control the evaporation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and to control the dehumidification amount of the indoor air by the first indoor heat exchanger 5. You can also Further, the opening degree of the second flow rate control valve 4 is controlled so that the degree of supercooling of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is 10 ° C., for example.

As described above, in this embodiment, since the second flow control valve using the sintered metal as the valve body is used,
The dehumidifying operation during heating can be performed, the generation of refrigerant flowing noise during the heating dehumidifying operation can be prevented, and a comfortable space in terms of temperature and humidity environment and noise can be realized.

Further, by energizing the electromagnetic coil 25 of the second flow rate control valve at the time of starting the heating, it is possible to raise the heating blowout temperature. That is, when the heating is started, the heating dehumidifying cycle is formed, and the second flow rate control valve controls the evaporation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 to be substantially equal to the intake air temperature in the room. Since the evaporation temperature of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is almost equal to the indoor intake air temperature, cooling and dehumidification are hardly performed in the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and as a result, the heat transfer area of the condenser during heating is usually The heating temperature is about half that of the normal heating operation, and the condensing temperature is higher than in the normal heating operation, and the blowout temperature can be increased. Further, even during this heating high temperature blowing operation, the second flow control valve 6
There is no refrigerant flow noise generated in the above, and there is no problem in terms of noise.

Next, an example of a specific heating operation control method for the air-conditioning apparatus of this embodiment will be described. As described in the first embodiment, the set temperature and the set humidity and the intake air temperature and the humidity are input to the air conditioner. This air conditioner performs a high-temperature blowout operation operation for a predetermined time, for example, 5 minutes when the heating is started, and then shifts to the normal heating operation. After that, the normal heating operation and the heating dehumidifying operation are switched and controlled according to the temperature deviation and the humidity deviation of the room.

When the heating operation is started, the second flow control valve 6 is closed and the compressor 1 is started. At this time, the fan rotation speed of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the valve opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 are adjusted so that the cooling / dehumidifying capacity of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 becomes zero, and The evaporation temperature of the indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled to be equal to the intake air temperature. After a lapse of a predetermined time of 5 minutes from the start-up of the compressor, the second flow control valve 6 is opened and the normal heating operation is started. At this time, the rotation frequency of the compressor 1, the rotation speed of the indoor fan, and the rotation speed of the outdoor fan are adjusted so that the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value. If the temperature deviation is within zero or within a predetermined value due to this heating normal operation, the humidity deviation is detected, and if this humidity deviation is within zero or within a predetermined value,
Even if the humidity deviation is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the normal heating operation is continued when humidification is required. On the other hand, when the humidity deviation is zero or more than a predetermined value and dehumidification is required, the second flow rate control valve 6 is closed and the heating dehumidification operation is performed. In this heating / dehumidifying operation, the heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is controlled so that the temperature deviation in the room can be maintained at zero or within a predetermined value, and the humidity deviation is kept within zero or a predetermined value. Then, the cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled. The heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is controlled by the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 and the fan rotation speed of the indoor unit 12. The outdoor heat exchanger 3 is used to control the cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5.
The fan rotation speed and the opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 are adjusted.

As described above, in this embodiment, the temperature of the room is changed by switching the refrigerant circuit to the heating high temperature blowing operation, the normal heating operation, or the heating dehumidifying operation according to the operating time during the heating operation and the load on the room. The humidity environment can be controlled to an optimum condition according to the occupants' preference.

Embodiment 5. FIG. 10 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, in which the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In this embodiment, the two
The upper part of the indoor heat exchanger in the row is the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and the lower part is the second indoor heat exchanger 7. During the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the upper first indoor heat exchanger 5 is used to draw in the intake air of the indoor unit. Is heated, and the intake air is cooled by the second indoor heat exchanger 7 at the bottom,
Dehumidify and suck these intake air into an indoor fan (not shown)
Mix and blow out indoors. During the heating dehumidifying operation, the lower second indoor heat exchanger 7 heats the intake air of the indoor unit, and the upper first indoor heat exchanger 5 cools and dehumidifies the intake air. It is mixed by a fan (not shown) and blown out into the room. Further, also in this embodiment, the second flow control valve 6 is
Since the main valve body 24 formed of the sintered metal shown in FIG. 2 is used, it is possible to realize a low-noise indoor unit that does not generate refrigerant flow noise during the cooling and dehumidifying operations.

Further, the cooling medium flow path during cooling of the indoor heat exchanger is
The inlet is set to one flow path, and on the way, it is branched into two flow paths by the three-way tube 8a to form the first indoor heat exchanger 5, and these two flow paths are merged into one flow path by the three-way tube 8b. 2 is connected to the flow rate control valve 6. Further, the outlet pipe of the second flow rate control valve 6 is branched into two flow paths again by the three-way pipe 8c to form the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the three-way pipe 8d is provided at the outlet of the second indoor heat exchanger 7. Due to
These two flow paths are merged into one flow path. In this way, the inlet refrigerant flow path during cooling of the indoor heat exchanger is defined as one flow path, and by branching into two flow paths in the middle, refrigerant pressure loss during cooling can be reduced, and during normal cooling operation or cooling dehumidification operation. Performance is improved. Further, during heating, the number of inlet refrigerant channels is two, and the number of outlet channels is one, so that the refrigerant flow velocity near the outlet of the condenser, which has a low refrigerant heat transfer coefficient, is increased, and the heat exchanger performance is improved.
Furthermore, since the flow path between the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is one flow path by the three-way pipe, only one second flow rate control valve 6 is required, and the indoor unit is inexpensive. Become.

In this embodiment, the structure in which the upper part of the two rows of heat exchangers is the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the lower part is the second indoor heat exchanger has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. The first row of the second row heat exchanger may be the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the second row may be the first indoor heat exchanger 5, which may be arranged in series in front and rear. Further, it may be a three-row heat exchanger or a mixed type of two-row and three-row heat exchangers.

In this embodiment, the receiver 30 for storing the liquid refrigerant is provided in the outdoor unit 11 in the pipe between the first flow control valve 4 and the first indoor heat exchanger 5. This receiver stores excess refrigerant generated during normal heating operation or heating dehumidifying operation, and prevents performance deterioration due to excessive refrigerant during these operations. That is, in the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 3 and the first indoor heat exchanger 5 operate as a condenser, and the condenser internal volume becomes the largest, so that the required refrigerant amount becomes the largest. Therefore, the amount of refrigerant charged in the air conditioner is determined from the amount of refrigerant required during this cooling / dehumidifying operation. During the heating operation, the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 having a smaller internal volume than the outdoor heat exchanger 3 serve as condensers, and during the heating dehumidifying operation, the second indoor heat exchanger 7 Since only the condenser serves as the condenser, the required amount of refrigerant during these operations is smaller than that during the cooling / dehumidifying operation. If the heating operation or the heating dehumidifying operation is performed without providing the receiver 30,
Since the operation is performed in a state where the amount of refrigerant is excessive, the amount of liquid back to the compressor 1 increases, and the reliability of the compressor is reduced and the performance of the cycle is reduced. So, in this embodiment,
Excess liquid refrigerant during heating operation or heating dehumidifying operation is stored in the receiver 30, and the amount of refrigerant during all operations is optimally controlled to improve the reliability and performance of the compressor. The internal volume of the receiver 30 can be determined as an internal volume in which the difference between the maximum refrigerant amount and the minimum refrigerant amount can be stored by previously obtaining the optimum refrigerant amount during each operation by a test or the like. Further, since the receiver 30 is installed in the outdoor unit 11, the indoor unit 12 does not become large.

Sixth Embodiment FIG. 11 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, in which the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In this embodiment, the first indoor heat exchanger 5
A throttle device 31 made of sintered metal and an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 are connected in parallel to a pipe between the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and a second flow control valve. As shown in FIG. 12, the squeezing device 31 using this sintered metal has a cylindrical shape in which one end inside the container is closed and the other end is open, and the cylindrical inside and outside communicate with each other via the peripheral surface and the bottom surface. The sintered metal 32 is inserted to form a narrowed portion, and both ends of the sintered metal 32 are fixed in the container by fixing plates 33 and 34 and springs 35 and 36. The fixed plate 34 is formed in a disk shape with a circumferential portion partially cut off.

The operations of the present embodiment during the normal cooling operation, the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the normal heating operation, the heating dehumidifying operation, and the heating high temperature blowing operation are similar to those of the embodiment shown in FIG. The operation of the expansion device 31 and the solenoid on-off valve 37 using sintered metal during each operation will be described below. During the normal cooling operation and the normal heating operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is opened to configure the refrigeration cycle. At this time, since the throttle device 31 using the sintered metal has a larger flow resistance than the electromagnetic on-off valve 37 in the open state, most of the refrigerant does not flow through the throttle device 31 but flows through the electromagnetic on-off valve 37. On the other hand, during the cooling dehumidifying operation, the heating dehumidifying operation, and the heating high temperature blowing operation, the electromagnetic on-off valve 37 is closed, and the refrigerant is caused to flow through the expansion device 31 made of sintered metal to perform the depressurizing action. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant or liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the expansion device 31 passes through the ventilation holes in the cylindrical sintered metal 32.
The ventilation holes of the sintered metal 32 are about 200 to 0.5 μm, and the refrigerant passing through the minute ventilation holes is decompressed, so that the refrigerant vapor slag and the refrigerant bubbles do not collapse, and the vapor refrigerant is used. Since both the liquid refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant pass through the ventilation holes of the sintered metal 32, a large fluctuation in pressure loss does not occur.
The generation of refrigerant flow noise can be prevented. Therefore, it is possible to realize a low noise indoor environment during cooling dehumidification operation, heating dehumidification operation, and heating high-temperature blowout operation, and to reduce noise such as wrapping around the outer circumference of the valve with the sound insulating material and damping material required by the conventional device. As a result, the cost reduction can be achieved and the recyclability of the air conditioner can be improved. Further, compared to the second flow rate control valve using the sintered metal for the main valve body 24 shown in FIG. 2, complicated processing of the sintered metal is not required, and the solenoid opening / closing valve does not require the use of a normal solenoid valve. Since it is possible, the second flow rate control valve can be obtained at low cost.

In this embodiment, the diaphragm device 31
I would like to explain an example in which the sintered metal 32 provided inside has a cylindrical shape with one end closed, but it is not limited to this and any shape such as a disk shape, a column shape or a rectangular parallelepiped can be used. It suffices that a predetermined pressure reducing action be obtained when the refrigerant flows through the sintered metal portion.

Embodiment 7. FIG. 13 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, and the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In this embodiment, the first indoor heat exchanger 5
The capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic on-off valve 37 are connected in parallel to the pipe between the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and the second flow control valve. The capillary tube 38 uses a copper pipe having an inner diameter of 1 mm or more, for example, an inner diameter of 2 mm.

The operations of the present embodiment during the normal cooling operation, the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the normal heating operation, the heating dehumidifying operation, and the heating high-temperature blowout operation are the same as those of the embodiment shown in FIG. The operation of the capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 during each operation will be described below. During the normal cooling operation and the normal heating operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is opened to configure the refrigeration cycle. At this time, since the capillary tube 38 has a larger flow resistance than the electromagnetic on-off valve 37 in the open state, most of the refrigerant does not flow through the capillary tube 38, but flows through the electromagnetic on-off valve 37. On the other hand, during the cooling dehumidifying operation, the heating dehumidifying operation, and the heating high temperature blowing operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is closed, and the refrigerant is flown through the capillary 38 to perform the depressurizing action.

The refrigerant flow noise when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows in the capillary tube largely depends on the refrigerant flow velocity in the capillary tube.
FIG. 14 shows the measurement results of the refrigerant flowing sound when the inner diameter of the capillary is changed under the condition that the refrigerant flow rate is constant at 30 kg / h, the horizontal axis of the figure is the inner diameter of the capillary, and the vertical axis is the refrigerant flowing sound of the capillary. .
The refrigerant flow noise when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows in the capillary tube becomes louder as the inner diameter of the capillary tube becomes smaller, that is, as the refrigerant flow velocity in the capillary tube becomes faster. It is considered that this is because the faster the refrigerant flow velocity inside the capillary tube, the greater the pressure fluctuation inside the capillary tube, the faster the refrigerant outflow rate at the capillary tube outlet, and the greater the refrigerant energy at the capillary tube outlet. To be According to the refrigerant flow noise measurement result shown in FIG. 14, when the inner diameter of the capillary is 1 mm or more, the refrigerant flow noise generated from the capillary becomes less than the allowable value and is low during the cooling dehumidifying operation, the heating dehumidifying operation, and the heating high temperature blowing operation. In addition to realizing a noisy indoor environment, noise reduction means such as wrapping around the outer circumference of the valve with sound insulating materials and damping materials, which were required in conventional devices, are not required, and costs can be reduced. Recyclability is also improved.
Further, as compared with the second flow rate control valve shown in FIG. 2 in which the valve body is made of sintered metal, an inexpensive throttle device can be obtained. The measurement results of the refrigerant flow sound when the inner diameter of the capillary tube is changed shown in FIG. 14 are the results under a constant refrigerant flow rate of 30 kg / h, and when the refrigerant flow rate is higher than 30 kg / h, On the contrary, when the flow rate of the refrigerant is smaller than 30 kg / h, the flow noise becomes smaller as a whole, but the flow noise becomes smaller by using a capillary tube having an inner diameter of 1 mm or more. It can be reduced to the allowable value or less.

Embodiment 8. FIG. 15 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, in which the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In this embodiment, the first indoor heat exchanger 5
The capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic on-off valve 37 are connected in parallel to the pipe between the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the capillary tube 38 inlet pipe during cooling and dehumidifying operation and the low-pressure pipe at the outlet of the second indoor heat exchanger. A heat exchanger 40 for exchanging heat is provided. This heat exchanger is composed of a double pipe heat exchanger, a contact heat exchanger, a plate heat exchanger, or the like.

The operations of the normal cooling operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation of this embodiment are the same as those of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the following, the capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic opening / closing during each operation will be omitted. The operation of the valve 37 and the heat exchanger 40 will be described with reference to the pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in FIG. 16 during the cooling / dehumidifying operation. The English characters shown in FIG. 16 correspond to the English characters shown in FIG. In the normal cooling operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is opened to form a refrigeration cycle. At this time, since the capillary tube 38 has a larger flow resistance than the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 in the open state, most of the refrigerant does not flow through the capillary tube 38, flows through the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37, and the heat exchanger 40 does not operate. On the other hand, in the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is closed, and the refrigerant is flown through the capillary tube 38 to perform the depressurizing action. The intermediate-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant exiting the first indoor heat exchanger 5 (point D) flows into the heat exchanger 40, where it is cooled by the low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant exiting the second indoor heat exchanger 7. Then, it becomes an intermediate pressure liquid refrigerant and flows into the capillary tube 38 (point E). This liquid refrigerant is decompressed from an intermediate pressure to a low pressure by a capillary tube, becomes a low pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 (point F).

The refrigerant flow noise flowing in the capillary tube becomes smaller when the refrigerant at the capillary inlet is in the liquid state than in the gas-liquid two-phase state.
This is because when the capillary inlet refrigerant is in a liquid state rather than in a gas-liquid two-phase state, the amount of vapor refrigerant generated by decompression in the capillary is smaller, and therefore the average flow rate of the refrigerant in the capillary is smaller. In this embodiment, the second operation during the cooling and dehumidifying operation is performed.
The inlet refrigerant of the capillary tube 38, which is a flow control valve, is transferred to the heat exchanger 4
Since it is cooled and liquefied by the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 in 0, the capillary inlet refrigerant is in a liquid state, and the generation of refrigerant flowing noise can be reduced. The capillary tube 38
The refrigerant state is not necessarily required to be cooled to the liquid state, and the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise can be obtained by only reducing the ratio (dryness) of the vapor refrigerant of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. Further, since the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is heated by the heat exchanger 40, the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 becomes a wet refrigerant, which is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. Second
The heat transfer performance of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger is improved, and the efficiency during cooling and dehumidifying operation is also improved.

In this embodiment, an example in which the inlet refrigerant of the capillaries 38 is cooled by the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the inlet refrigerant of the capillaries 38 can be replaced with room air. Even if it is configured to cool by, the same effect is exhibited.

Ninth Embodiment FIG. 17 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention. The same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. In this embodiment, the first indoor heat exchanger 5
The capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 are connected in parallel to the pipe between the second indoor heat exchanger 7 and the capillary tube 38 and the low-pressure pipe at the outlet of the second indoor heat exchanger during the cooling / dehumidifying operation. A heat exchanger 40 is provided. This heat exchanger is composed of a double tube heat exchanger, a contact heat exchanger, and the like.

The operations of the normal cooling operation and the cooling / dehumidifying operation of this embodiment are the same as those of the embodiment of FIG. 1, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the following, the capillary tube 38 and the electromagnetic opening / closing during each operation will be omitted. The operation of the valve 37 and the heat exchanger 40 will be described with reference to the pressure-enthalpy diagram shown in FIG. 18 during the cooling / dehumidifying operation. Note that the English characters shown in FIG. 18 correspond to the English characters shown in FIG. In the normal cooling operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is opened to form a refrigeration cycle. At this time, since the capillary tube 38 has a larger flow resistance than the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 in the open state, most of the refrigerant does not flow through the capillary tube 38, flows through the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37, and the heat exchanger 40 does not operate. On the other hand, in the cooling / dehumidifying operation, the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 37 is closed, and the refrigerant is flown through the capillary tube 38 to perform the depressurizing action. The intermediate-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that exits the first indoor heat exchanger 5 (point D) flows into the capillary tube 38, and the heat exchanger 40
While being cooled by the low-temperature low-pressure refrigerant that has left the second indoor heat exchanger 7, the pressure is reduced from the intermediate pressure to the low pressure, and becomes a low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 (F
point).

In general, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in the capillaries is decompressed as it flows, so that refrigerant vapor is generated from the liquid refrigerant and the dryness increases in the flow direction. The refrigerant flow noise of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in the capillary tube is that the speed of the refrigerant increases due to the refrigerant vapor generated in the capillary tube, the fluctuation of the pressure loss in the capillary tube becomes large, and the refrigerant speed at the capillary outlet part Is due to the increase. In this embodiment, the capillary tube 38 that is the second flow rate control valve during the cooling and dehumidifying operation is used.
Is cooled by the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 in the heat exchanger 40, so that the vapor refrigerant is hardly generated in the capillary tube, and therefore the fluctuation of the pressure loss inside the capillary tube is small, and the capillary tube is small. It is possible to suppress an increase in the refrigerant velocity at the outlet. Therefore, the refrigerant flow noise generated in the capillaries can be reduced, and the noise environment in the room can be improved. Further, since the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is heated by the heat exchanger 40, the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 becomes a wet refrigerant, which is different from the embodiment shown in FIG. The heat transfer performance of the refrigerant in the second indoor heat exchanger is improved, and the efficiency during the cooling and dehumidifying operation is also improved.

In this embodiment, the example in which the capillary tube 38 is cooled by the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the capillary tube 38 is cooled by indoor air. However, the same effect is exhibited.

Embodiment 10. FIG. 19 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner showing another example of the embodiment of the present invention, in which the same or similar components as those shown in FIG. Is omitted. This embodiment relates to an improvement of the cooling and dehumidifying operation and the heating high temperature blowout operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and includes a pipe between the first flow control valve 4 and the first indoor heat exchanger 5. A bypass flow path that bypasses between the second flow rate control valve 6 and the pipe between the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is connected, and an electromagnetic valve 41 that is an opening / closing means is provided in this bypass flow path. The first flow rate control valve 4, the second flow rate control valve, and the solenoid valve 41 open and close in association with each other according to an instruction from a control unit (not shown).

First, the operation of this embodiment during the cooling and dehumidifying operation will be described. Solenoid valve 41 during normal cooling operation
Is closed and the second flow control valve 6 is opened, and the same operation as that of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is performed. When the cooling sensible heat load becomes small, the dehumidifying operation is performed by dividing the heat exchanger with the solenoid valve 41 opened and the second flow rate control valve 6 closed. In the dehumidifying operation by dividing the heat exchanger, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor that has exited the compressor 1 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3 through the four-way valve 2,
It exchanges heat with the outside air to condense and liquefy. This high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed to a low pressure by the first flow control valve 4, becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, passes through the electromagnetic valve 41, flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the sensible heat of the indoor air is generated. And it takes latent heat and evaporates. The opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 at this time is controlled so that the superheat degree of the outlet refrigerant of the second indoor heat exchanger is 5 ° C., for example. In the dehumidifying operation by the heat exchanger division, the normal cooling operation uses the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second indoor heat exchanger 7 as evaporators, whereas only the second indoor heat exchanger 7 evaporates. Since it is a cooling device, the cooling capacity is small, and even when the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 is small, the evaporation temperature can be made lower than in the normal cooling operation, and a sufficient amount of dehumidification can be secured.

Further, when the cooling sensible heat capacity of the room is lowered and the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 is lowered in the dehumidification operation by dividing the heat exchanger, the evaporation temperature rises and the dehumidification amount cannot be sufficiently secured, When the sensible heat of cooling is zero, that is, when the dehumidifying operation is performed without lowering the room temperature of the room, the dehumidifying operation is performed by reheating the refrigerant. In the dehumidifying operation by reheating the refrigerant, the solenoid valve 41 is opened and the second flow control valve 6 is closed, and as described in the first embodiment, the first indoor heat exchanger is the condenser and the second indoor heat exchange is the same. Dehumidifying operation is performed using the device 7 as an evaporator. At this time, since the second flow rate control valve 6 uses a sintered metal or a capillary tube in the throttle portion, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant flow noise from being generated.

Next, a specific operation control method during cooling of the air conditioner of this embodiment will be described. In the air conditioner, for example, a set temperature and a set humidity are set when the air conditioner is operating in order to set a favorable temperature and humidity environment for the occupants in the room. Note that the set temperature and set humidity may be entered directly by the resident by the remote control of the indoor unit, or for indoor units such as those who are hot, those who are cold, children and the elderly. The remote controller may store an optimum temperature and humidity value table determined for each occupant, and directly select only the occupant. In addition, the indoor unit 12 is provided with sensors for detecting the temperature and humidity of the indoor unit, respectively, in order to detect the temperature and humidity inside the room.

When the air conditioner is activated, the difference between the set temperature and the current indoor intake air temperature is calculated as a temperature deviation, and the difference between the set humidity and the current indoor intake air humidity is calculated as a humidity deviation, and finally the difference is calculated. The rotation frequency of the compressor 1 of the air conditioner so that these deviations are zero or within a predetermined value,
The outdoor fan speed, the indoor fan speed, the throttle opening of the first flow control valve 4, the opening and closing of the second flow control valve 7, and the solenoid valve 41 are controlled. At this time, when controlling the temperature and humidity deviations to be zero or within a predetermined value, the temperature deviation is prioritized over the humidity deviations to control the air conditioner. That is, when both the temperature deviation and the humidity deviation are large at the time of starting the air conditioner, the second flow rate control valve 7 is opened and the solenoid valve 41 is closed. Priority is given to the operation within zero or within a specified value. By adjusting the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 and the rotation speed of the indoor fan, if the cooling capacity of the air conditioner matches the heat load of the room and the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value, the humidity deviation is detected. At this time, if the humidity deviation is zero or within a predetermined value, the current operation is continued.

When the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value and the humidity deviation at this time is still a large value, the cooling / dehumidifying operation by the heat exchanger division is performed according to the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 at that time. Select the cooling and dehumidifying operation by reheating the refrigerant and switch the refrigerant circuit. In other words, the cooling sensible heat capacity is larger in the cooling dehumidification operation by dividing the heat exchanger than in the cooling dehumidification operation by the refrigerant reheating, so that the cooling sensible heat required to maintain the temperature deviation within zero or within a predetermined value. The capacity is indirectly detected by the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 during the normal cooling operation, and the refrigerant circuit is selected. That is, when the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 in which the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value is a predetermined value, for example, 30 Hz or more, the second flow control valve 6 is throttled and the solenoid valve 41 is opened. Switch to cooling / dehumidifying operation by dividing the heat exchanger. In the cooling / dehumidifying operation by dividing the heat exchanger, the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 and the rotation speed of the indoor fan are adjusted so that the temperature deviation and the humidity deviation are both zero or within a predetermined value.

On the other hand, in the normal cooling operation, the temperature deviation is zero or within a predetermined value, the humidity deviation at this time is still a large value, and the rotation frequency of the compressor 1 is a predetermined value, for example, 30 Hz or less. Or, after shifting from the normal cooling operation to the cooling / dehumidifying operation by dividing the heat exchanger as described above, the air conditioning load of the room becomes small, and the air in the room is kept to maintain the temperature deviation within zero or a predetermined value. If it is determined that heating is necessary, the second flow rate control valve 6 is throttled, the electromagnetic valve 41 is closed, and the cooling / dehumidifying operation by reheating the refrigerant is performed. In the cooling / dehumidifying operation by reheating the refrigerant, the heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is controlled so that the temperature deviation in the room can be maintained at zero or within a predetermined value, and the humidity deviation is zero or at a predetermined value. The cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled so as to be within the range. To control the heating amount of the second indoor heat exchanger 7, the outdoor heat exchanger 3
The fan rotation speed and the opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 are adjusted. The cooling / dehumidifying amount of the first indoor heat exchanger 5 is controlled by the rotation frequency of the compressor 1, the fan rotation speed of the indoor unit 12, and the like.

As described above, in this embodiment, during cooling,
Depending on the sensible heat and latent heat load in the room, it is possible to switch between three operation modes: normal cooling operation, dehumidifying operation by dividing the heat exchanger, and dehumidifying operation by reheating the refrigerant. It is possible to control the environment optimally. Further, since the second flow rate control valve 6 uses a sintered metal or a capillary tube in the throttle portion, it is possible to prevent the generation of refrigerant flowing noise and realize a quiet indoor environment.

Next, the operation of the heating high temperature blowing operation of this embodiment will be described. Solenoid valve 4 during normal heating operation
1 is closed and the second flow control valve 6 is opened, and the same operation as in the third embodiment of FIG. 1 is performed. When a high blowout temperature is required at the time of startup, the solenoid valve 41 is opened and the second flow rate control valve 6 is closed to perform the heating operation by dividing the heat exchanger. In the heating operation by the heat exchanger division, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant vapor that has exited the compressor 1 flows into the second indoor heat exchanger 7 through the four-way valve 2 and exchanges heat with the indoor air to condense and liquefy. To do. This high pressure liquid refrigerant passes through the solenoid valve 41. First
It flows into the flow rate control valve 4, is decompressed to a low pressure, flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 3, exchanges heat with the outdoor air to evaporate, and returns to the compressor 1 through the four-way valve 2 again. At this time, the opening degree of the first flow control valve 4 is controlled so that the superheat degree of the outlet refrigerant of the outdoor heat exchanger 3 is 5 ° C., for example. In the heating operation by the heat exchanger division, the normal heating operation uses the first indoor heat exchanger 5, the second indoor heat exchanger 7, and the condenser, whereas only the second indoor heat exchanger 7 is used as the condenser. Because,
The condensing temperature can be raised as compared with the normal cooling operation, and the temperature of the air heated by this condenser and blown into the room can be raised. Further, when the indoor dehumidifying operation is performed during the heating operation, the heating dehumidifying operation described in the third embodiment can be performed by closing the electromagnetic valve 41 and closing the second flow rate control valve 6. Further, since the second flow control valve 6 uses a sintered metal or a capillary tube in the throttle portion, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant flow noise from being generated.

Thus, in this embodiment, during heating,
Since it is possible to switch between three operation modes: normal heating operation, heating high-temperature blowout operation by splitting heat exchangers, and heating dehumidification operation, it is possible to optimally control the temperature and humidity environment in the room according to the user's preference. it can. Further, since the second flow rate control valve 6 uses a sintered metal or a capillary tube in the throttle portion, it is possible to prevent the generation of refrigerant flowing noise and realize a quiet indoor environment.

In the present embodiment, an example in which the solenoid valve 41 is installed in parallel with the first indoor heat exchanger 5 and the second flow control valve 6 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and FIG.
As shown in, a three-way valve 42 in which the solenoid valve 41 and the second flow control valve 6 are integrated may be used. In this way, the solenoid valve 41
By using the three-way valve 42 in which the second flow rate control valve 6 and the second flow control valve 6 are integrated, the indoor unit can be downsized.

In the first to ninth embodiments, the case where R410A is used as the refrigerant of the air conditioner has been described. R410A is an HFC-based refrigerant that is suitable for global environment protection that does not destroy the ozone layer, and has a smaller refrigerant pressure loss than R22 that has been used as a conventional refrigerant, so the second flow control valve 6 This is a refrigerant in which the diameter of the vent hole of the sintered metal used for the throttle portion can be reduced and the effect of reducing the refrigerant flow noise can be further obtained.

Further, as the refrigerant of this air conditioner,
Not limited to R410A, R4 that is an HFC refrigerant
It may be 07C, R404A, or R507A. From the perspective of preventing global warming, H with a small global warming potential
FC refrigerant R32 alone R152a alone or R
A mixed refrigerant such as 32 / R134a may be used. It may also be a hydrocarbon refrigerant such as propane or butane, a natural refrigerant such as ammonia, carbon dioxide or ether, or a mixed refrigerant thereof.

Further, although the lubricating oil for the compressor is not particularly mentioned in the first to ninth embodiments, the lubricating oil may be a mineral oil or a synthetic oil such as an alkylbenzene, and in recent years, the HFC type has been used. It may be an ester oil or an ether oil developed for a refrigerant.

[0079]

As described above, according to the throttling device of the present invention, the throttling portion is made of a porous permeable material that communicates in the flow direction of the refrigerant, and is provided with adjusting means for adjusting the permeation area of the porous permeable material. Therefore, since the throttle part is composed of a porous permeable material that communicates in the refrigerant flow direction, it is possible to prevent the generation of refrigerant flow noise and reduce noise, and to properly adjust the pressure difference due to passing through the porous permeable material. The effect that can be obtained is obtained.

A first flow path provided with an electromagnetic opening / closing valve, and a second flow path provided in parallel with the first flow path,
The porous permeable material is provided with a throttle portion provided in the second flow path and formed of a porous permeable material that communicates with the refrigerant flow direction, and an adjusting unit that adjusts the permeation area of the porous permeable material. It is possible to obtain an effect that the generation of the refrigerant flow noise can be prevented, the noise can be reduced, and the pressure difference due to passing through the porous permeable material can be appropriately adjusted without requiring complicated processing.

Further, since the refrigerant flow path is covered with the porous permeable material, it is possible to suppress fluctuations in pressure loss and to prevent noise from flowing in the refrigerant to reduce noise.

Further, a valve body having a first flow passage opening in the side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening in the bottom of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber are provided. Since the throttle portion is formed by using a porous permeable material that communicates with the main valve body in the refrigerant flow direction, it is possible to prevent the generation of refrigerant flow noise and reduce noise, and also the pressure loss during normal valve opening. The effect of preventing performance deterioration due to

Further, the porous permeable material has a columnar shape with one end open, and when the main valve seat is closed, the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side of the columnar shape are separated into the flow path inlet side and the outlet side. It is possible to obtain the effect of appropriately selecting the size of the through holes of the porous permeable material and the pressure loss on each of the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side.

Further, a valve body having a first flow passage opening in the side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening in the bottom of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber are provided. Since the flow rate control valve is configured by using the porous permeable material that communicates with the main valve seat in the refrigerant flow direction, it is possible to prevent the refrigerant flow noise from being generated and reduce the noise, and also the design of the throttle portion is facilitated. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect that it is cheap and low in noise.

The main surface of the main valve body whose peripheral surface is in contact with the side surface of the main valve seat, and the contact area between the peripheral surface and the side surface is changed by movement in the opening and closing direction, and the main valve body in the opening and closing direction. The main valve body, the main valve seat, and the control means constitute the adjusting means for adjusting the permeation area of the porous permeable material, so that the main valve body opens and closes in the same direction as the opening and closing operation. Thus, the effect of appropriately adjusting the pressure difference using the porous permeable material can be obtained.

Further, since the ventilation holes of the porous permeable material are in the range of 200 to 0.5 μm, it is possible to obtain the effect of preventing the generation of the refrigerant flowing noise when the liquid refrigerant or the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes. To be

Further, since the porous permeable material is made of sintered metal, it is possible to obtain an effect that a diaphragm device having excellent durability can be obtained.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram relating to the first embodiment and showing a configuration of a second flow rate control valve.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing an operating state of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 during a cooling / dehumidifying operation.

FIG. 4 is a diagram relating to the first embodiment and showing another configuration example of the second flow rate control valve.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second flow rate control valve according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the second flow rate control valve according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration of a second flow rate control valve according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating another configuration example of the second flow rate control valve according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a characteristic diagram related to the fourth embodiment of the present invention and showing an operating state during a heating dehumidifying operation.

FIG. 10 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air conditioner according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a second flow rate control valve according to the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 7 of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a measurement result of a refrigerant flowing sound of a capillary tube according to the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 8 of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a characteristic diagram showing an operating state of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 8 during a cooling / dehumidifying operation.

FIG. 17 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 9 of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a characteristic diagram showing an operating state of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 9 during a cooling / dehumidifying operation.

FIG. 19 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of an air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 10 of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing another example of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 10.

FIG. 21 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a conventional air conditioner.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 compressor, 3 outdoor heat exchanger, 4 1st flow control valve, 5 1st indoor heat exchanger, 6 2nd flow control valve,
7 2nd indoor heat exchanger, 21 1st flow path, 22 2nd flow path, 23 main valve seat, 24 main valve body, 30 receiver, 31 sintered metal, 38 capillary tube, 40
Heat exchanger.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shigeki Onishi 2-3-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (56) Reference JP-A-57-65557 (JP, A) JP-A-6 -207764 (JP, A) JP 10-185363 (JP, A) JP 7-146032 (JP, A) JP 5-141813 (JP, A) Actual development Sho 53-104469 (JP, U) ) Actual publication 51-11740 (JP, Y1) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25B 41/06 G05D 7/06

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A throttle portion is made of a porous permeable material that communicates with a refrigerant flow direction, and a permeation area of the porous permeable material is adjusted.
Throttle apparatus characterized by comprising adjusting means that. 2. A first flow path provided with an electromagnetic opening / closing valve,
A second flow path provided in parallel with the first flow path, a throttle portion which is constituted by a porous permeable member communicating with the refrigerant flow direction provided in the second flow path, the porous permeable Transparent surface of material
A diaphragm device comprising: an adjusting unit that adjusts a product . 3. The throttle device according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant passage is covered with the porous permeable material. 4. A valve body having a first flow passage opening on a side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening on a bottom surface of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber. Has a cold in the main valve body
A diaphragm device comprising a diaphragm part made of a porous permeable material that communicates in a medium flow direction . 5. The porous permeable material has a columnar shape with one end open, and when the main valve seat is closed, the peripheral surface side and the bottom surface side of the columnar shape are separated into a flow path inlet side and an outlet side. The diaphragm device according to claim 4, wherein 6. A valve body having a first flow passage opening in a side wall of the valve chamber, a main valve seat having a second flow passage opening in a bottom surface of the valve chamber, and a main valve body capable of closing the main valve seat in the valve chamber. Has a cold on the main valve seat
A throttle device characterized in that a flow control valve is constituted by using a porous permeable material that communicates with a medium flow direction . 7. A main valve body having a peripheral surface in contact with a side surface of a main valve seat, the contact area between the peripheral surface and the side surface being varied by movement in the opening / closing direction, and a main valve body in the opening / closing direction. and control means for controlling the movement, said main valve body, according to claim 4 or claim 6 further characterized in that the transmission area of the porous permeable member to constitute a means for adjusting the main valve seat and control means Diaphragm device. 8. A porous permeable material having ventilation holes of 200 to 0.
The aperture device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the aperture device has a range of 5 micrometers. 9. The diaphragm device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sintered metal the porous permeable member.