JP6650754B2 - Expander-integrated compressor and refrigerator - Google Patents

Description

  The present disclosure relates to an expander-integrated compressor that facilitates disassembly and reassembly at the time of inspection and the like, and a refrigerator including the expander-integrated compressor.

High-temperature superconducting cables are expected as next-generation transmission cables because they enable large-capacity, low-loss transmission. In order to put a high-temperature superconducting device into practical use, a refrigerator capable of realizing cooling at an extremely low temperature in order to make a superconducting state is required.
Therefore, Brayton cycle refrigerators using refrigerants such as helium He and neon Ne have been proposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
The Brayton cycle refrigerators disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include an expander-integrated compressor. In the expander-compressor unit, a part of the expansion energy generated when the refrigerant expands in the expander is recovered as rotational energy of a motor rotating shaft for driving the compressor, so that the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator ( COP) can be improved.

JP 2014-219125 A JP-A-2015-94259

The expander that constitutes a part of the expander-compressor unit is housed inside a cold box (vacuum insulated container) in order to maintain extremely low temperature. When the expander-compressor unit is removed from the refrigerator for inspection, repair, or the like, the impeller portion is removed with the housing of the expander remaining, or the cold box is disassembled to remove the entire expander.
If the expander housing is removed leaving the cold box, the confirmation test after reassembly cannot be performed. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare another housing. The clearance between the impeller impeller blades and the housing of the expander must be fine-tuned to 1 mm or less to minimize leakage loss, and using a different housing will reproduce the assembly with the original housing. It is difficult.
On the other hand, when removing the entire expander-integrated compressor, it is necessary to open the cold box after filling dry nitrogen gas in the vacuum chamber of the cold box, remove the housing of the expander, and perform a confirmation test.
When the vacuum chamber is opened to the outside air, impurities including moisture are inevitably mixed into the inside of the vacuum chamber, so that it takes a long time to evacuate after assembling, and it takes time and effort to recover.

  In view of the above problems, at least one embodiment of the present invention eliminates the need for opening the cold box when removing the expander-integrated compressor in which the expander housing is accommodated in the cold box, thereby reducing the expansion machine. An object is to facilitate removal and reassembly of a body compressor.

(1) An expander-integrated compressor according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes:
Motor and
A compressor connected to an output shaft of the motor, the compressor being driven by the motor and configured to compress a fluid;
An expander connected to the output shaft of the motor, configured to expand the fluid and recover power of the output shaft from the fluid;
An inlet pipe connected to a suction port of the expander and protruding along an axial direction of the expander;
An outlet pipe connected to a discharge port of the expander and protruding in a direction along the inlet pipe,
A vacuum chamber arranged to surround the housing of the expander, and for thermally shutting off the expander from the outside;
With
The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are inserted into a cold box, the vacuum tank is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box insulated from the outside, and a housing of the expander is connected to the vacuum tank. You.

According to the above configuration (1), the outer wall of the cold box and the vacuum tank are disconnected from each other, the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are simply pulled out of the cold box, and the expander-integrated compressor is removed from the cold box as it is. Can be.
This eliminates the need to open the cold box when removing the expander-compressor unit, thereby reducing the time and labor required for reassembling the cold box.
In addition, since the impeller and the housing remain unified without disassembling the expander, fine adjustment of the clearance between the impeller blades and the housing after reassembly becomes unnecessary, and a confirmation test becomes possible. .
In addition, by inserting the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe into the inside of the cold box and arranging the vacuum tank so as to surround the housing of the expander, it is possible to suppress heat from entering the expander from the outside.

(2) In some embodiments, in the configuration (1),
The insertion ends of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are each detachably connected to a refrigerant pipe provided inside the cold box, and the other ends of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are respectively connected to the housing of the expander or It is connected to the vacuum chamber.
According to the above configuration (2), the connection between the outer wall of the cold box and the vacuum chamber is released, and only the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are pulled out of the cold box. Can be.
In addition, heat intrusion from the outside into the expander via the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe is conceivable, but the heat intrusion can be suppressed by increasing the length of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe and lengthening the heat intrusion path. .

(3) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) and (2),
The unit in which the motor, the compressor, and the expander are integrally formed, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the vacuum tank are detachably connected to each other.
According to the above configuration (3), since the unit, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the vacuum tank can be disassembled, after removing the expander-integrated compressor from the cold box, the above components are disassembled. By doing so, work such as inspection and repair becomes easy.

(4) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (3),
Each of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe has an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and is constituted by a double pipe in which a vacuum space is formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe,
The inner pipe of the inlet pipe is detachably connected to a suction port of the expander, and the outer pipe of the inlet pipe is detachably connected to the vacuum tank,
The inner pipe of the outlet pipe is detachably connected to a discharge port of the expander, and the outer pipe of the outlet pipe is detachably connected to the vacuum tank.
According to the above configuration (4), the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are formed as a double pipe having a vacuum heat insulating space formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe, so that the pipe walls of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe pass through. Heat transfer can be suppressed.
In addition, by connecting the inner pipes of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe to the suction port or the discharge port of the expander, and connecting the outer pipes of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe to the vacuum tank, the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are integrated with the expander. The mounting strength to the compressor body can be increased.

(5) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (4),
The compressor, the expander, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe and the vacuum tank are arranged sideways,
The vacuum chamber is detachably connected to a side wall of the cold box.
According to the above configuration (5), the expander-integrated compressor including the compressor, the expander, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the vacuum tank is arranged horizontally and connected to the side wall of the cold box. When mounting the compressor unit-integrated compressor on the cold box, it is not necessary to lift the expander-integrated compressor unit high above the cold box, so that no crane is required for mounting the compressor unit on the cold box. This facilitates installation.
Further, since the vacuum chamber is connected to the side wall of the cold box and the expander is connected to the vacuum chamber, the mounting strength of the expander-integrated compressor to the cold box can be increased.

(6) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (5),
The motor, the compressor, the expander, and the vacuum chamber are disposed outside the cold box.
According to the above configuration (6), since the upstream devices are arranged outside the cold box, the expander-integrated compressor can be easily removed from the cold box while being integrated.

(7) In some embodiments, in the configuration (6),
The vacuum chamber is formed in a cylindrical shape, has a first flange and a second flange at both ends in the axial direction,
The vacuum chamber is detachably connected to a side wall of the cold box via the first flange, and is detachably connected to a housing of the expander via the second flange.
A reinforcing bar is provided between the first flange and the second flange.
According to the above configuration (7), the vacuum chamber is connected to the cold box via the first flange, and connected to the housing of the expander via the second flange. The strength of attachment to the box can be increased.
Further, by providing the reinforcing bar, the strength of the vacuum chamber can be increased.

(8) In some embodiments, in the above configuration (6) or (7),
The apparatus may further include a heat insulating material coated on an outer wall of the vacuum chamber.
According to the above configuration (8), heat intrusion into the expander through the outer wall of the vacuum chamber can be suppressed.

(9) In some embodiments, in any one of the configurations (1) to (5),
The expander and the vacuum chamber are inserted into recesses formed on the outer surface of the cold box,
The vacuum chamber is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box via a flange formed at an outer end of the vacuum box.
According to the above configuration (9), since the vacuum chamber and the expander are inserted into the concave portions formed in the cold box, the arrangement space of the expander-integrated compressor outside the cold box can be reduced, and the expander-integrated type can be reduced. When the compressor is arranged horizontally, the load moment of the expander-compressor unit applied to the vacuum chamber can be reduced.
In addition, since the expander and the vacuum chamber are arranged in the cold box, heat intrusion from the outer wall of the vacuum chamber can be suppressed, thereby eliminating the need to cover the outer wall of the vacuum chamber with a heat insulating material.
Further, the heat intrusion path from the outside to the expander through the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe can be lengthened by an amount corresponding to the arrangement of the expander and the vacuum tank in the cold box, so that heat intrusion from this heat intrusion path is suppressed. it can.

(10) In the refrigerator according to at least one embodiment of the present invention,
An expander-integrated compressor according to any one of the configurations (1) to (9);
A cooling unit for cooling an object to be cooled by heat exchange with a refrigerant,
A refrigerant circulation line configured to circulate the refrigerant through the compressor, the expander, and the cooling unit;
Is provided.
According to the above configuration (10), by including the expander-integrated compressor according to any one of the above configurations (1) to (9), the expander-integrated compressor can be easily removed from the cold box while being integrated. Can be.
Therefore, it is not necessary to open the cold box when removing the expander-compressor unit, so that the time and labor required for reassembling the cold box can be reduced.
In addition, since the impeller is not disassembled and the impeller and housing remain integral, fine adjustment of the clearance between the impeller blades and housing after reassembly is not required, and a confirmation test is also possible. become.
In addition, by using a refrigerant such as neon Ne that can achieve extremely low temperatures, high-temperature superconducting equipment can be put to practical use, and a part of the expansion energy generated when the refrigerant expands in the expander is reduced by the compressor. Since it can be used for driving, the COP of the refrigerator can be improved.

(11) In some embodiments, in the configuration (10),
A plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines provided in parallel with the refrigerant circulation line,
A plurality of expander-integrated compressors provided in each of the refrigerant circulation branch lines,
A plurality of on-off valves provided at the inlet of the expander-integrated compressor in each of the refrigerant circulation branch lines,
With
One of the plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines is selectively opened by the opening and closing operation of the plurality of on-off valves.
According to the configuration (11), one of the plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines is selectively opened by the opening / closing operation of the plurality of on / off valves, so that the plurality of expander-compressor units are selectively operated. it can. As a result, it is possible to inspect or repair the inflator-integrated compressor that is at rest while continuing operation of the refrigerator.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, in an expander-integrated compressor in which an expander is arranged in a cold box, when the expander-integrated compressor is checked or repaired, the cold box is opened to the outside air. Therefore, the expansion unit-integrated compressor can be removed, and the removal and reassembly of the expander-integrated compressor can be facilitated.

It is a front view sectional view of the expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. It is a side view which follows the XX line in FIG. It is a front view sectional view at the time of removal of the expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. It is a front view sectional view at the time of removal (vacuum tank removal) of an expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. It is a front view sectional view at the time of removal (outlet pipe removal) of the expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. It is a front view sectional view of an expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. It is a front view sectional view at the time of removal of the expander integrated type compressor concerning one embodiment. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a refrigerator according to one embodiment.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative arrangements, and the like of the components described in the embodiments or shown in the drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto, but are merely illustrative examples.
For example, expressions representing relative or absolute arrangement such as “in a certain direction”, “along a certain direction”, “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “center”, “concentric” or “coaxial” are strictly described. Not only does such an arrangement be shown, but also a state of being relatively displaced by an angle or distance that allows the same function to be obtained.
For example, expressions such as "identical", "equal", and "homogeneous", which indicate that things are in the same state, not only represent exactly the same state, but also have a tolerance or a difference to the extent that the same function is obtained. An existing state shall also be represented.
For example, the expression representing a shape such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape not only represents a shape such as a square shape or a cylindrical shape in a strictly geometrical sense, but also an uneven portion or a chamfer within a range where the same effect can be obtained. A shape including a part and the like is also represented.
On the other hand, the expression “comprising”, “comprising”, “including”, “including”, or “having” one component is not an exclusive expression excluding the existence of another component.

An expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B) according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes a motor 12, a compressor 14, and an expander 16, as shown in FIGS. The compressor 14 is connected to an output shaft 18 of the motor 12, and is configured to be driven by the motor 12 to compress a fluid (refrigerant gas). The expander 16 is connected to the output shaft 18 of the motor 12, and is configured to expand the refrigerant gas and recover the power of the output shaft 18 from the refrigerant gas.
The expander-compressor unit 10 further includes an inlet pipe 20 into which the refrigerant gas flows, an outlet pipe 22 from which the refrigerant gas expanded and cooled by the expander 16 is discharged, and a vacuum tank 24. The inlet pipe 20 is connected to a suction port 26 of the expander 16 and protrudes along the axial direction of the expander 16. The outlet pipe 22 is connected to the discharge port 28 of the expander 16 and protrudes in the axial direction of the expander 16 and in a direction along the inlet pipe 20. The vacuum chamber 24 is arranged so as to surround the housing 17 of the expander 16 and shields the expander 16 from heat from the outside.

  In addition to the expander-compressor unit 10, a cold box 30 that is insulated from the outside is provided. The inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 are inserted inside the cold box 30. The vacuum chamber 24 is detachably attached to the outer wall of the cold box 30, and the housing 17 is connected to the vacuum chamber 24.

  In the exemplary embodiment, the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 are detachably connected to refrigerant pipes 32 and 34 provided inside the cold box 30, respectively. The other ends of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 are respectively connected to the housing 17 of the expander 16.

  In the exemplary embodiment, the unit U in which the motor 12, the compressor 14, and the expander 16 are integrally formed, the inlet pipe 20, the outlet pipe 22, and the vacuum chamber 24 are manufactured separately from each other, and It is detachably connected.

In the exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the inlet pipe 20 has an inner pipe 20a and an outer pipe 20b, and the inside of the vacuum chamber 24 is provided between the inner pipe 20a and the outer pipe 20b. It is composed of a double tube in which a communicating vacuum insulation space is formed. The outlet pipe 22 has an inner pipe 22a and an outer pipe 22b, and is constituted by a double pipe in which a vacuum heat insulating space communicating with the inside of the vacuum chamber 24 is formed between the inner pipe 22a and the outer pipe 22b.
The inner pipe 20a of the inlet pipe 20 is detachably connected to the housing 17 forming the suction port 26 of the expander 16, and the outer pipe 20b is detachably connected to the vacuum chamber 24. The inner tube 22a of the outlet tube 22 is detachably connected to the housing 17 forming the discharge port 28 of the expander 16, and the outer tube 22b is detachably connected to the vacuum chamber 24.

  In the exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the motor 12, the compressor 14, and the expander 16, the inlet pipe 20, the outlet pipe 22, and the vacuum chamber 24 are arranged sideways. The vacuum tank 24 is detachably connected to the side wall 30 a of the cold box 30, and the expander 16 is detachably connected to the vacuum tank 24.

  In the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A) according to the exemplary embodiment, the motor 12, the compressor 14, the expander 16, and the vacuum chamber 24 are arranged outside the cold box 30, as shown in FIG. You.

  In an exemplary configuration of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A), as shown in FIG. 1, the vacuum chamber 24 is formed in a cylindrical shape, and a first flange 36 and a second flange 38 are provided at both ends in the axial direction. Have. The vacuum chamber 24 is detachably connected to the side wall 30 a of the cold box 30 via a first flange 36, and is detachably connected to the housing 17 of the expander 16 via a second flange 38. In addition, a reinforcing bar 40 is provided between the first flange 36 and the second flange 38.

  In an exemplary configuration of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A), as shown in FIG. 1, an outer wall of the vacuum chamber 24 is coated with a heat insulating material 42 to suppress heat from entering from outside.

  In the expander-compressor unit 10 (10B) according to the exemplary embodiment, the expander 16 and the vacuum chamber 24 are inserted into a concave portion 70 formed on the outer surface of the cold box 30, as shown in FIG. The vacuum chamber 24 is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box 30 via a flange 44 formed on an outer end of the cold box 30.

In the illustrated configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the compressor 14 is a centrifugal compressor, and the impeller 50 is mounted on a scroll-shaped housing 52. It is stored. The expander 16 is a centrifugal expander, and the impeller 54 of the expander 16 is housed in a scroll-shaped housing 17. The impellers 50 and 54 are fixed to both ends of the output shaft 18.
As shown in FIG. 2, the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A, 10B) are arranged vertically, and the inlet pipe 20 is arranged below the outlet pipe 22. The outlet pipe 22 through which the refrigerant gas whose volume is increased by expansion by the expander 16 passes has a larger diameter than the inlet pipe 20.
In addition, a vacuum space is formed inside the cold box 30 for heat insulation, and the outer periphery of the vacuum chamber 24 disposed around the expander 16 has a cylindrical shape.

In the illustrated configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B), as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, a flange 56 is integrally provided on a side wall 30a of the cold box 30, and the vacuum chamber 24 is provided with a flange 56. Is attached to the side wall 30a.
In the illustrated configuration of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A), as shown in FIG. 1, the flange 56 and the first flange 36 are connected by means such as bolt connection. An O-ring 58 for sealing is interposed near the outer end between the flange 56 and the first flange 36.
In the illustrated configuration of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10B), as shown in FIG. 6, the flange 56 and the flange 44 are connected by means such as bolt connection. An O-ring 60 for sealing is interposed between these flanges.

In the illustrated configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B), as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, a cylindrical concave portion 62 into which the inlet pipe 20 is inserted is formed in the side wall 30a of the cold box 30. Thus, a cylindrical recess 64 having a larger diameter than the recess 62 into which the outlet pipe 22 is inserted is formed above the recess 62.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the inlet pipe 20 is inserted into the recess 62, communicates with the refrigerant pipe 32 provided inside the cold box 30, and the outlet pipe 22 is inserted into the recess 64, and It communicates with a refrigerant pipe 34 provided inside. An O-ring 66 for sealing is fixed to the outer periphery of the front end portion of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22, and an O-ring 68 for sealing is interposed between the outer periphery of the rear end portion and the flange 56.

  In an exemplary configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10B, as shown in FIG. 7, a large-diameter cylindrical concave portion 70 into which the vacuum chamber 24 is inserted is further formed in the side wall 30a, and the expander 70 is formed in the concave portion 70. 16 and the vacuum chamber 24 are inserted.

In the illustrated configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B), as shown in FIG. 5, the inlet pipe 20 has a flange 20c formed at the tip of the inner pipe 20a, and the inner pipe 20a is connected via the flange 20c. Connected to the housing 17 forming the suction port 26 of the expander 16. The outer pipe 20b of the inlet pipe 20 has a flange 20d formed at the tip, and the flange 20d is arranged on the back side of the flange 36 and is connected to the flange 36 by means such as bolt connection.
The outlet pipe 22 has a flange 22c formed at the tip of the inner pipe 22a, and the inner pipe 22a is connected to the housing 17 forming the discharge port 28 of the expander 16 via the flange 22c. The outer tube 22b of the outlet tube 22 has a flange 22d formed at the tip, and the flange 22d is connected to the flange 36 disposed on the back side of the flange 36 by means such as bolting.
An O-ring 72 for sealing is interposed between the flange 20d or 22d and the flange 36.

  In the illustrated configuration of the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B), a flange 74 is formed on the housing 17 of the expander 16 at a position facing the second flange 38, as shown in FIGS. Then, the second flange 38 and the flange 74 are connected by means such as bolt connection.

In this configuration, a procedure for removing the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B) from the cold box 30 for inspection, repair, or the like will be described.
In the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A), first, as shown in FIG. 3, the connection between the flange 56 and the first flange 36 is released, and the inlet pipe 20, the outlet pipe 22, the vacuum tank 24, and the unit U Is separated from the cold box 30 while being integrated.
If a mechanism for automatically closing the openings of these recesses when the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 are pulled out of the recesses 62 and 64 is provided, it is possible to effectively suppress the intrusion of outside air containing moisture into these recesses. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the connection between the flanges 20d and 22d and the first flange 36 is released, and the connection between the second flange 38 and the flange 74 is released. Pull apart along the axial direction to separate the vacuum chamber 24 from other assemblies.

Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the connection between the flange 22c of the outlet pipe 22 and the housing 17 forming the discharge port 28 is released, and the outlet pipe 22 is separated from the unit U. Thereafter, the connection between the flange 20c of the inlet pipe 20 and the housing 17 forming the suction port 26 is released, and the inlet pipe 20 is separated from the unit U.
The inlet pipe 20 may be separated from the unit U before the outlet pipe 22.

  Also in the case of the expander-compressor unit 10B, as shown in FIG. 7, the connection between the flange 56 and the first furan 44 is released, and the inlet pipe 20, the outlet pipe 22, the vacuum tank 24, and the unit U are integrated. Pull it away from the cold box 30. Thereafter, the vacuum tank 24, the outlet pipe 22, and the inlet pipe 20 are dismantled in the same procedure as that of the expander-compressor unit 10A shown in FIGS.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, a refrigerator 80 according to at least one embodiment of the present invention includes an expander-integrated compressor 10 (10a, 10b) according to some of the above embodiments and an object to be cooled. A cooling unit 82 for cooling by heat exchange with the refrigerant, and a refrigerant circulation line configured to circulate the refrigerant through the compressor 14 (14a, 14b), the expander 16 (16a, 16b), and the cooling unit 82 84.

In the exemplary embodiment, the refrigerant circulation line 84 branches into a plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines 86 (86a, 86b) that are partially provided in parallel. Each refrigerant circulation branch line 86 (86a, 86b) is provided with a plurality of expander-integrated compressors 10 (10a, 10b), and each refrigerant circulation branch line 86 (86a, 86b) is provided with an expander-integrated compressor. A plurality of on-off valves V (V1 and V2) are provided at the entrance of 10 (10a, 10b).
In such a configuration, one of the plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines 86 (86a, 86b) is selectively opened by the opening and closing operation of the plurality of on-off valves V (V1 and V2). Accordingly, the expander-compressor unit 10 operates in the opened refrigerant circulation branch line 86, so that at least one expander-integral compressor unit 10 can be operated.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 8, two refrigerant circulation branch lines 86 (86a, 86b) are provided, and one on-off valve V (V1 and V2) is provided in each refrigerant circulation branch line 86 (86a, 86b). Is provided.
Further, the refrigerator 80 cools the object to be cooled 87 by the cooling unit 82 based on the Brayton cycle. There is for example a superconducting apparatus as the cooling target 87, the circulation path 88, can be cooled medium cooled superconducting apparatus to a very low temperature (for example liquid nitrogen LN _2, etc.) is circulated by a pump 90.
By the switching operation of the switching valves V3 and V4, the refrigerant gas flows into one of the compressors 14 (for example, the compressor 14a) of the expander-compressor unit 10 (10a, 10b). The refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 14a is cooled by the cooling water in the heat exchanger 92, and then cooled by the cold heat recovery heat exchanger 94 by the refrigerant gas returning from the cooling unit 82.
The refrigerant gas cooled by the cold-heat recovery heat exchanger 94 is expanded by the expander 16a and further cooled, and then circulates to the cooling unit 82 to cool the cooling target 87.
The expander 16 (16a, 16b), the cooling unit 82, and the cold-heat recovery heat exchanger 94 are housed inside the cold box 30 having a vacuum insulated space that is insulated from the outside.

According to some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the outer wall of the cold box 30 is disconnected from the vacuum chamber 24, and the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 are simply pulled out of the cold box 30. Thus, the expander-integrated compressor 10 can be removed from the cold box 30 as it is.
Thus, since it is not necessary to open the cold box 30 when removing the expander-compressor unit 10, the time and labor required for reassembling the cold box 30 can be reduced.
Further, when the expander 16 is removed, the impeller 54 and the housing 17 remain integral, so that fine adjustment of the clearance between the blades of the impeller 54 and the housing 17 after reassembly becomes unnecessary, and a confirmation test is performed. Also becomes possible.

In addition, by arranging the vacuum chamber 24 so as to surround the housing 17 of the expander 16, heat intrusion into the expander 16 from the outside can be suppressed.
Further, when the expander-compressor unit 10 is mounted on the cold box 30, the compressor can be automatically connected to the refrigerant pipes 32 and 34 simply by inserting the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 into the recesses 62 and 64.
In addition, it is conceivable that heat enters the expander 16 from the outside via the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22. However, by increasing the length of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 to lengthen the heat intrusion path, Heat penetration can be suppressed.

Further, since the expander-integrated compressor 10 can be disassembled into a unit U, an inlet pipe 20, an outlet pipe 22, and a vacuum tank 24, after removing the expander-integrated compressor from the cold box 30, By disassembling these devices, inspection, repair, and other operations are facilitated.
Moreover, by making the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 a double pipe in which a vacuum heat insulating space is formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe, heat transfer through the pipe walls of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 is performed. Can be suppressed.
In addition, by connecting the inner pipes of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 to the suction port 26 or the discharge port 28 of the expander 16 and connecting the outer pipes of the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 to the vacuum chamber 24, It is possible to increase the attachment strength of the expansion pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 to the expander-compressor unit.

Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the expander-integrated compressor 10 is mounted laterally and connected to the side wall 30 a of the cold box 30, so that the expander-integrated compressor 10 is attached to the cold box 30. In this case, it is not necessary to lift the cold box 30 above the cold box 30, so that a crane is not required for attaching the cold box 30 to the cold box 30. This facilitates installation.
Further, since the vacuum chamber 24 is connected to the side wall 30a of the cold box 30 and the expander 16 is connected to the vacuum chamber 24, the mounting strength of the expander-integrated compressor 10 to the cold box 30 can be increased. .

According to the expander-compressor unit 10 (10A) shown in FIG. 1, the unit U and the vacuum tank 24 are arranged outside the cold box 30. By simply pulling out the compressor, the expander-compressor unit can be easily removed from the cold box 30 as it is.
According to the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A), the vacuum chamber 24 is connected to the cold box 30 via the first flange 36 and to the expander housing 17 via the second flange 38. Therefore, the strength of attachment of the expander-compressor unit to the cold box 30 can be increased.
Further, by providing the reinforcing bar 40, the strength of the vacuum chamber 24 can be increased.
Further, according to the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A), by covering the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 24 with the heat insulating material 42, heat intrusion into the expander 16 through the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 24 can be suppressed.

According to the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10B) shown in FIG. 6, since the expander 16 and the vacuum chamber 24 are inserted into the recess 70 formed in the cold box 30, the expander-integrated compression outside the cold box is performed. Machine space can be reduced.
When the expander-integrated compressor is arranged sideways and attached to the side wall 30a of the cold box 30, the load moment of the expander-integrated compressor applied to the vacuum chamber 24 can be reduced.
Further, since the expander 16 and the vacuum chamber 24 are arranged in the cold box, heat intrusion from the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 24 can be suppressed, thereby eliminating the need to cover the outer wall of the vacuum chamber 24 with a heat insulating material.
In addition, the heat intrusion path from the outside via the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 22 to the expander 16 can be lengthened by an amount corresponding to the arrangement of the expander 16 and the vacuum tank 24 in the cold box. Heat intrusion can be suppressed.

According to the refrigerator 80 shown in FIG. 8, by incorporating the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10a, 10b), the same operation and effect as the expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B) can be obtained. The use of a refrigerant such as neon Ne, which can achieve extremely low temperatures, makes it possible to commercialize high-temperature superconducting equipment and compresses a part of the expansion energy generated when the refrigerant expands in the expander. Since it can be used to drive the refrigerator, the COP of the refrigerator can be improved.
Further, the plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines 86 (86a, 86b) are provided with one expander-integrated compressor 10 (10A, 10B) and one on-off valve V (V1 and V2), respectively. By controlling the opening / closing operation of V2), at least one expander-compressor unit 10 can always be provided. Thereby, the expander-compressor unit 10 that is at rest can be inspected or repaired while the operation of the refrigerator 80 is continued.

  In the above embodiment, the flanges 20d, 22d of the outer tubes 20b, 22b of the inlet pipe 20 or the outlet pipe 22 are connected to the first flange 36 provided in the vacuum chamber 24. 22 d may be connected to the housing 17 of the expander 16.

  According to at least one embodiment of the present invention, in an expander-integrated compressor and a refrigerator including the expander-integrated compressor, when checking or repairing the expander-integrated compressor, the expander-integrated compressor is used. Removal and reassembly of the compressor can be facilitated.

10 (10A, 10B, 10a, 10b) Expander-compressor unit 12 Motor 14 (14a, 14b) Compressor 16 (16a, 16b) Expander 17, 52 Housing 18 Output shaft 20 Inlet pipe 20a Inner pipe 20b Outer pipe 20c, 20d flange 22 outlet pipe 22a inner pipe 22b outer pipe 22c, 22d flange 24 vacuum tank 26 suction port 28 discharge port 30 cold box 30a side wall 32, 34 refrigerant pipe 36 first flange 38 second flange 40 reinforcing bar 42 Insulating material 44, 56, 74 Flange 50, 54 Impeller 58, 60, 66, 68, 72 O-ring 62, 64, 70 Recess 80 Refrigerator 82 Cooling unit 84 Refrigerant circulation line 86 (86a, 86b) Refrigerant circulation branch line 87 Object to be cooled 88 Circulation path 90 Pump 92 Heat exchanger 94 Cool Heat recovery heat exchanger V (V1, V2, V3, V4) On-off valve

Claims (11)

Motor and
A compressor connected to an output shaft of the motor, the compressor being driven by the motor and configured to compress a fluid;
An expander connected to the output shaft of the motor, configured to expand the fluid and recover power of the output shaft from the fluid;
An inlet pipe connected to a suction port of the expander and protruding along an axial direction of the expander;
An outlet pipe connected to a discharge port of the expander and protruding in a direction along the inlet pipe,
A vacuum chamber arranged to surround the housing of the expander, and for thermally shutting off the expander from the outside;
With
The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are inserted into a cold box, the vacuum tank is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box insulated from the outside, and a housing of the expander is connected to the vacuum tank. ,
The vacuum chamber is formed in a cylindrical shape, and has a first flange on one end side in the axial direction for detachably connecting the vacuum chamber to the cold box,
The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are respectively inserted into the cold box from inside the vacuum chamber through the first flange,
The expander-integrated compressor, wherein the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe respectively have an inlet pipe flange and an outlet pipe flange connected to the first flange . Insertion ends of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are each detachably connected to a refrigerant pipe provided inside the cold box,
The expander-integrated compressor according to claim 1, wherein the other ends of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are respectively connected to a housing of the expander or the vacuum tank.   The unit in which the motor, the compressor, and the expander are integrally formed, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the vacuum tank are detachably connected to each other. 3. The expander-integrated compressor according to 2. Each of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe has an inner pipe and an outer pipe, and is constituted by a double pipe in which a vacuum space is formed between the inner pipe and the outer pipe,
The inner pipe of the inlet pipe is detachably connected to a suction port of the expander, and the outer pipe of the inlet pipe is detachably connected to the vacuum tank,
The inner pipe of the outlet pipe is detachably connected to a discharge port of the expander, and the outer pipe of the outlet pipe is detachably connected to the vacuum chamber. 4. The expander-integrated compressor according to any one of 3. The motor, the compressor and the expander, the inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the vacuum chamber are arranged laterally,
The expander-compressor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the vacuum chamber is detachably connected to a side wall of the cold box.   The expander-integrated compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the motor, the compressor, the expander, and the vacuum chamber are arranged outside the cold box. Motor and
A compressor connected to an output shaft of the motor, the compressor being driven by the motor and configured to compress a fluid;
An expander connected to the output shaft of the motor, configured to expand the fluid and recover power of the output shaft from the fluid;
An inlet pipe connected to a suction port of the expander and protruding along an axial direction of the expander;
An outlet pipe connected to a discharge port of the expander and protruding in a direction along the inlet pipe,
A vacuum chamber arranged to surround the housing of the expander, and for thermally shutting off the expander from the outside;
With
The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are inserted into a cold box, the vacuum tank is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box insulated from the outside, and a housing of the expander is connected to the vacuum tank. ,
The motor, the compressor, the expander and the vacuum chamber are arranged outside the cold box,
The vacuum chamber is formed in a cylindrical shape, has a first flange and a second flange at both ends in the axial direction,
The vacuum chamber is detachably connected to a side wall of the cold box via the first flange, and is detachably connected to a housing of the expander via the second flange.
Rise Kiichi Cho integrated compressor you further comprising a bridging has been reinforced bars between the second flange and the first flange.   The expander-integrated compressor according to claim 6, further comprising a heat insulating material coated on an outer wall of the vacuum chamber. Motor and
A compressor connected to an output shaft of the motor, the compressor being driven by the motor and configured to compress a fluid;
An expander connected to the output shaft of the motor, configured to expand the fluid and recover power of the output shaft from the fluid;
An inlet pipe connected to a suction port of the expander and protruding along an axial direction of the expander;
An outlet pipe connected to a discharge port of the expander and protruding in a direction along the inlet pipe,
A vacuum chamber arranged to surround the housing of the expander, and for thermally shutting off the expander from the outside;
With
The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are inserted into a cold box, the vacuum tank is detachably attached to an outer wall of the cold box insulated from the outside, and a housing of the expander is connected to the vacuum tank. ,
The expander and the vacuum chamber are inserted into recesses formed on the outer surface of the cold box,
The vacuum vessel Rise Kiichi Cho integrated compressor you characterized in that it is removably attached to the outer wall of the cold box via a flange formed at an outer end with respect to the cold box. An expander-integrated compressor according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
A cooling unit for cooling an object to be cooled by heat exchange with a refrigerant,
A refrigerant circulation line configured to circulate the refrigerant through the compressor, the expander, and the cooling unit;
A refrigerator comprising: A plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines provided in parallel with the refrigerant circulation line,
A plurality of expander-integrated compressors provided in each of the refrigerant circulation branch lines,
A plurality of on-off valves provided at the inlet of the expander-integrated compressor in each of the refrigerant circulation branch lines,
With
The refrigerator according to claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of refrigerant circulation branch lines is selectively opened by opening and closing the plurality of on-off valves.

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