JP5020298B2 - Refrigerant distributor and heat pump device using the refrigerant distributor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigerant distributor that is attached to a heat exchanger used in a heat pump device such as an air conditioner and distributes refrigerant.

  Conventionally, a refrigerant distributor that distributes refrigerant to a plurality of refrigerant paths of a heat exchanger via a branch pipe is known. Further, in such a structure, the header is configured with a loop-shaped flow path, and in order to forcibly circulate the refrigerant, the inflowing refrigerant is depressurized at the throttle portion at the entrance of the loop-shaped flow path, and the loop-shaped flow path It has an ejector that sucks a part of the refrigerant into the throttle portion (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. WO2007 / 094422 Pamphlet (Figure 2)

  However, as described above, the inside of the header is configured with a loop-shaped flow path, and in order to forcibly circulate the refrigerant, the inflowing refrigerant is decompressed at the throttle portion at the entrance of the loop-shaped flow path, and a part of the loop-shaped flow path is formed. In the case of having an ejector that sucks the refrigerant into the throttle portion, the following problem occurs when the two-phase refrigerant is introduced and distributed to the respective branch pipes. That is, in order to forcibly circulate the refrigerant inside the loop-shaped flow path, the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant distributor is accelerated by reducing the pressure by passing through the throttle part of the ejector, and a part of the refrigerant in the loop-shaped flow path is reduced. Must be aspirated. However, for example, in a configuration in which a heat exchanger divided into two parts is connected in series like an indoor heat exchanger of a room air conditioner having a reheat dehumidification function, a forced circulation system using a conventional ejector is connected to a downstream heat exchanger. When a refrigerant distributor is used, both of the two-phase refrigerant that flows out of the upstream heat exchanger flows into the downstream heat exchanger in the cooling operation that is used in the evaporator. However, there is a problem that the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger is deteriorated.

  The technical problem of the present invention is that it is possible to form a circulation flow in the loop-shaped flow path without reducing the pressure of the two-phase refrigerant flowing into the loop-shaped flow path inside the header, and it is good without impairing the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger It is to be able to realize distribution of two-phase refrigerant.

  A refrigerant distributor according to the present invention includes a header having a loop-shaped flow passage formed therein, a plurality of refrigerant distribution pipes connected to at least a part of the loop-shaped flow passage of the header, and a header branched through a joint. And a plurality of header inflow pipes that are inserted and joined into the loop-shaped flow path, and generate a circulation flow in the same direction in the loop-shaped flow path by the respective jet flows.

  According to the refrigerant distributor of the present invention, the plurality of header inflow pipes are inserted and joined into the header loop-shaped flow path so that the circulated flow in the same direction can be generated in the loop-shaped flow path by the jet flow. Therefore, for example, in a configuration in which two divided heat exchangers such as an indoor heat exchanger of a room air conditioner having a reheat dehumidifying function are connected in series, the refrigerant distributor of the present invention is connected to the downstream heat exchanger. When the two-phase refrigerant that has flowed out of the heat exchanger on the upstream side flows into the heat exchanger on the downstream side even in the cooling operation that is used in the evaporator, the gas-liquid is not decompressed. A circulating flow can be formed inside the separator to achieve uniform distribution. For this reason, it becomes possible to prevent the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger from deteriorating due to pressure loss, and a highly efficient operation can be realized without reducing the efficiency of the heat pump device.

It is front sectional drawing and AA arrow directional cross-sectional view which show the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the heat exchanger using the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a refrigerant circuit diagram which shows the heat pump apparatus which has a heat exchanger using the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is front sectional drawing which shows the refrigerant distributor which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.
1 is a front cross-sectional view and a cross-sectional view taken along line AA showing a refrigerant distributor according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows a heat exchanger using the refrigerant distributor according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing a heat pump apparatus having a heat exchanger using the refrigerant distributor according to the present embodiment, and has a reheat dehumidification function generally used in room air conditioners. It is.

  The refrigerant distributor 1 according to the present embodiment, that is, the refrigerant distributor 1 that distributes the two-phase refrigerant, branches at the refrigerant inlet 11, the header 15, the two-branch branch joint 12, and the branch joint 12 as shown in FIG. Header inflow pipe (hereinafter referred to as “upper header inflow pipe”) 13 for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the upper portion of the header 15 and header inflow pipe (hereinafter referred to as “lower header inflow” for inflowing the refrigerant branched by the branch joint 12 into the lower portion of the header 15 14) 14, a partition 16 that forms a long loop-shaped flow path 19 inside the header 15, and a refrigerant distribution pipe 17 that branches the refrigerant into each path.

  More specifically, the header 15 has a folded portion of the loop-shaped flow path 19 at both upper and lower ends thereof. Of the two header inflow pipes branched by the branch joint 12, the upper header inflow pipe 13 is inserted and joined to the upper end turning portion 19a of the loop-shaped flow path 19 of the header 15, and the lower header inflow pipe 14 is Inserted and joined to the lower end folded portion 19b of the loop-shaped flow path 19 of the header 15, and the jet flow of these header inflow pipes 13 and 14 causes the same direction in the loop-shaped flow path 19 (see the front sectional view of FIG. 1). (Clockwise direction) refrigerant circulation flow can be generated.

  The total area of the two outlets of the branch joint 12 is equal to or larger than the area of the refrigerant inlet 11. The total pipe area of the upper header inlet pipe 13 and the lower header inlet pipe 14 is equal to or greater than the pipe inner area of the refrigerant inlet 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger 3 includes a refrigerant distributor 1 that distributes the two-phase refrigerant that flows in, a gas merging pipe 2 through which the gas refrigerant merges and flows out, and a heat transfer pipe that serves as a heat exchange section, that is, a refrigerant distribution pipe 17 And aluminum fins 20. An arrow 4 in FIG. 2 indicates the direction of the airflow flowing into the heat exchanger 3.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat pump device includes a compressor 5, a condenser 6, an expansion valve 7, an upstream heat exchanger 8, a reheat dehumidifying valve 9, a bypass valve 10, and a downstream heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 3 is provided.

  Next, the operation will be described. First, the reheat dehumidifying operation of the heat pump apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows through the condenser 6, exchanges heat with the air passing through the condenser 6, and flows out in a high-pressure two-phase state. The high-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed out of the condenser 6 passes through the substantially fully opened expansion valve 7 and then flows into the upstream heat exchanger 8. The high-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upstream heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat with room air that passes through the upstream heat exchanger 8, and becomes high-pressure liquid refrigerant that flows into the reheat dehumidification valve 9. At this time, the bypass valve 10 is in a closed state. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the reheat dehumidification valve 9 is decompressed to become a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the heat exchanger 3. The low-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the heat exchanger 3 exchanges heat with the indoor air that passes through the heat exchanger 3, becomes low-pressure gas refrigerant, and is sucked into the compressor 5.

  Next, the operation of the cooling operation will be described with reference to FIG. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows through the condenser 6, exchanges heat with the air passing through the condenser 6, and flows out as a high-pressure liquid state. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant that has flowed out of the condenser 6 is decompressed by the expansion valve 7 to become a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the upstream heat exchanger 8. The low-pressure two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upstream heat exchanger 8 exchanges heat with the indoor air that passes through the upstream heat exchanger 8, becomes a low-pressure two-phase refrigerant with high dryness, and heats through the fully-open bypass valve 10. It flows into the exchanger 3. The low-pressure two-phase refrigerant having a high dryness flowing into the heat exchanger 3 exchanges heat with the indoor air passing through the heat exchanger 3, becomes a low-pressure gas refrigerant, and is sucked into the compressor 5.

  Next, operations of the heat exchanger and the refrigerant distributor during the cooling operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. As described above, the two-phase refrigerant having a high dryness flows into the heat exchanger 3 from the refrigerant inlet 11. The two-phase refrigerant that flows in from the refrigerant inlet 11 is distributed by the branch joint 12, and one flows to the upper header inflow pipe 13 and the other flows to the lower header inflow pipe 14. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upper header inflow pipe 13 flows from the upper end turning portion 19a of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16 inside the header 15, and also flows into the lower header inflow pipe 14. The two-phase refrigerant flows in from the lower end folded portion 19b of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16 inside the header 15, thereby generating a refrigerant circulation flow in the loop-shaped flow path 19. As a result, the two-phase refrigerant flows in the loop-shaped flow path 19 in a state where the gas refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant are in a homogeneous state, and from the refrigerant distribution pipes 17 arranged in the height direction, the same void rate regardless of the position. The two-phase refrigerant is divided and is evenly distributed to the heat transfer tubes constituting the respective paths of the heat exchanger 3, that is, the refrigerant distribution tubes 17. The two-phase refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant distribution pipe 17 exchanges heat with the air 4 passing through the heat exchanger 3 via the aluminum fins 20 integrated with the refrigerant distribution pipe 17 and becomes a gas refrigerant from each path outlet. The gas flows out into the gas merge pipe 2, merges, and flows out from the refrigerant outlet 21.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the two-phase refrigerant that has flowed in is circulated inside the header 15 to be homogenized without flowing out from the plurality of refrigerant distribution pipes 17 without having a throttle portion inside the header 15. The two-phase refrigerant can be uniformly distributed. For this reason, in a configuration in which the heat exchangers 8 and 3 divided in two, such as an indoor heat exchanger of a room air conditioner having a reheat dehumidifying function, are connected in series, the heat exchanger 3 is applied to the downstream heat exchanger 3 and both are evaporated. Even in the case of the cooling operation used in the cooler, when the two-phase refrigerant that has flowed out of the upstream heat exchanger 8 flows into the downstream heat exchanger 3, uniform distribution can be realized without being reduced in pressure. . And it becomes possible to prevent the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger from deteriorating due to pressure loss, and high efficiency operation can be realized without reducing the efficiency of the heat pump device.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a front sectional view showing a refrigerant distributor according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in Embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals. In the description, reference is made to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 described above.

  In the refrigerant distributor 1A according to the embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the lower header inflow pipe 14A inserted and joined to the lower end folded portion 19b of the loop-shaped flow path 19 of the header 15 is set to the loop-shaped flow path 19 of the header 15. The upper header inflow pipe 13A is inserted into and joined to the upper end folded portion 19a so as to be smaller than the pipe diameter. The total pipe area of the upper header inlet pipe 13A and the lower header inlet pipe 14A is equal to or greater than the pipe inner area of the refrigerant inlet 11. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the refrigerant distributor during the cooling operation of the refrigerant distributor according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 based on FIG. The two-phase refrigerant having a high degree of dryness flows from the refrigerant inlet 11. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet 11 is distributed by the branch joint 12, and one flows to the upper header inlet pipe 13A and the other flows to the lower header inlet pipe 14A. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upper header inflow pipe 13A flows from the upper end turning portion 19a of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16 inside the header 15, and also flows into the lower header inflow pipe 14A. The two-phase refrigerant flows in from the lower end folded portion 19b of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16 inside the header 15, thereby generating a refrigerant circulation flow in the loop-shaped flow path 19.

  In the present embodiment, since the pipe diameter of the lower header inflow pipe 14A is configured to be smaller than the pipe diameter of the upper header inflow pipe 13A, the lower header inflow pipe 14A enters the loop-shaped flow path 19 from the lower header inflow pipe 14A. The flow rate of the inflowing two-phase refrigerant 101 is faster than the flow rate of the two-phase refrigerant 102 flowing into the loop-shaped flow path 19 from the upper header inflow pipe 13A, and the static pressure at the inflow portion of the lower header inflow pipe 14A decreases. The effect of sucking a part of the refrigerant 103 in one (right side) flow channel sandwiching the partition wall 16 into the other (left side) flow channel via the lower end folding portion 19b is promoted. Thereby, the circulation in the loop-shaped flow path 19 is promoted, the two-phase refrigerant in the loop-shaped flow path 19 is more homogenized, and a plurality of refrigerant distribution pipes 17 arranged in the height direction are independent of the position. The two-phase refrigerant having the same void ratio is divided and can be evenly distributed to the heat transfer tubes (refrigerant distribution tubes 17) constituting each path of the heat exchanger 3. As a result, the efficiency of the heat exchanger 3 is improved, and as a result, a highly efficient operation of the heat pump device can be realized.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a front sectional view showing a refrigerant distributor according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those of Embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals. In the description, reference is made to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 described above.

  In the refrigerant distributor 1B according to the embodiment of the present invention, the upper part of the partition wall 16A inside the header 15 is bent to the downstream side of the upper folded part 19a, and the channel area after the upper part of the loop-shaped channel 19 is gradually turned up. By constituting as the area expanding portion 19c that expands, the refrigerant circulation is promoted, and the two-phase refrigerant can be uniformly distributed to the heat transfer pipes (refrigerant distribution pipes 17) constituting each path. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the refrigerant distributor during the cooling operation of the refrigerant distributor according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 based on FIG. The two-phase refrigerant having a high degree of dryness flows from the refrigerant inlet 11. The two-phase refrigerant that flows in from the refrigerant inlet 11 is distributed by the branch joint 12, and one flows to the upper header inflow pipe 13 and the other flows to the lower header inflow pipe 14. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upper header inflow pipe 13 flows from the upper end folded portion 19a of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16A inside the header 15, and also flows into the lower header inflow pipe 14 The two-phase refrigerant flows in from the lower end folded portion 19b of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition wall 16 inside the header 15, thereby generating a refrigerant circulation flow in the loop-shaped flow path 19.

  In the present embodiment, the upper portion of the partition wall 16A inside the header 15 is bent to the downstream side of the upper folded portion 19a so that the flow passage area after the upper turn of the loop-shaped flow passage 19 gradually increases. Therefore, the two-phase refrigerant 102 that flows into the loop-shaped flow path 19 from the upper header inflow pipe 13 merges with the two-phase refrigerant 104 that flows in from the lower header inflow pipe 14 and rises in the loop-shaped flow path 19 and descends. However, the flow rate of the two-phase refrigerant is reduced by passing through the area enlarged portion 19c of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the bent shape of the partition wall 16A. When the flow velocity is reduced, the static pressure increases, so that the differential pressure with the inflow portion of the lower header inflow pipe 14 increases, and the circulation of the two-phase refrigerant is promoted.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the flow rate of the two-phase refrigerant after the upper part of the loop-shaped flow path 19 is reduced by the area enlargement portion 19c of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the bent shape of the partition wall 16a. In addition, since the static pressure can be increased, the differential pressure with the inflow portion of the lower header inflow pipe 14 is increased, and the circulation of the two-phase refrigerant can be promoted. For this reason, the two-phase refrigerant in the loop-shaped flow path 19 is more homogenized, and the two-phase refrigerant having the same void ratio is diverted from the refrigerant distribution pipes 17 arranged in the height direction regardless of the position. Evenly distributed to the heat transfer tubes constituting each path of the heat exchanger 3. As a result, the efficiency of the heat exchanger 3 is improved, and as a result, a highly efficient operation of the heat pump device can be realized.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a front sectional view showing a refrigerant distributor according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in Embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals. In the description, reference is made to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 described above.

  The refrigerant distributor 1C according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the jet outlet at the tip of the upper header inflow pipe 13B is configured as a diffuser 18 that expands in a divergent shape inside the loop-shaped channel 19. Circulation is promoted so that the two-phase refrigerant can be uniformly distributed to the heat transfer tubes (refrigerant distribution tubes 17) constituting each path. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  Next, the operation of the refrigerant distributor during the cooling operation of the refrigerant distributor according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 based on FIG. The two-phase refrigerant having a high degree of dryness flows from the refrigerant inlet 11. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed from the refrigerant inlet 11 is distributed by the branch joint 12, and one flows to the upper header inlet pipe 13 </ b> B and the other flows to the lower header inlet pipe 14. The two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upper header inflow pipe 13B flows from the upper part of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition 16 inside the header 15, and the two-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the lower header inflow pipe 14 Flows from the lower part of the loop-shaped flow path 19 formed by the header 15 and the partition 16 inside the header 15, thereby generating a circulating flow in the loop-shaped flow path 19.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, the diffuser 18 formed at the tip of the upper header inflow pipe 13B can reduce the flow rate of the two-phase refrigerant and increase the static pressure. The differential pressure with the inflow portion of the header inflow pipe 14 is increased, and the circulation of the two-phase refrigerant can be promoted. For this reason, the two-phase refrigerant in the loop-shaped flow path 19 is more homogenized, and the two-phase refrigerant having the same void ratio is diverted from the refrigerant distribution pipes 17 arranged in the height direction regardless of the position. Evenly distributed to the heat transfer tubes constituting each path of the heat exchanger 3. As a result, the efficiency of the heat exchanger 3 is improved, and as a result, a highly efficient operation of the heat pump device can be realized.

  1, 1A, 1B, 1C Refrigerant distributor, 3 Heat exchanger, 12 Branch joint, 13, 13A, 13B Upper header inlet pipe, 14, 14A Lower header inlet pipe, 15 header, 17 Refrigerant branch pipe, 18 Diffuser (jet Outlet), 19 loop-shaped channel, 19a upper end folded portion, 19b lower end folded portion, 19c area enlarged portion of loop-shaped channel.

Claims (6)

A header with a loop-shaped channel formed inside,
A plurality of refrigerant distribution pipes connected to at least a part of the loop-shaped flow path of the header;
A plurality of header inflows that are branched into a plurality of branches via a branch joint and inserted and joined into the loop-shaped flow path of the header, respectively, and generate a refrigerant circulation flow in the same direction in the loop-shaped flow path by each jet flow Tube,
A refrigerant distributor comprising: The header is formed in a vertically long shape having folded portions of the loop-shaped flow path at both upper and lower ends inside the header,
The branch joint is a two-branch branch joint, and one of the two header inflow pipes branched by the two-branch joint is connected to an upper end turning portion of the loop-shaped flow path of the header. The refrigerant distributor according to claim 1, wherein the other one is inserted and joined to a lower end folded portion of the loop-shaped flow path of the header.   The pipe diameter of the header inflow pipe inserted and joined to the lower end folded portion of the loop flow path of the header is larger than the pipe diameter of the header inflow pipe inserted and joined to the upper end folded section of the loop flow path of the header. The refrigerant distributor according to claim 2, wherein the refrigerant distributor is small.   The header inflow pipe inserted and joined to the upper-end folded portion of the loop-shaped flow path of the header is characterized in that the jet outlet is formed to expand in a divergent shape inside the loop-shaped flow path. The refrigerant distributor according to claim 2 or 3.   The refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the loop-shaped flow path is configured so that the flow path area is expanded after being folded at an upper end folding portion.   A heat pump device using the refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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