JP7148798B2 - Chamber air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an indoor air conditioner.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, warehouses for freezing and refrigerating foodstuffs and storage such as containers for transportation are provided with refrigeration equipment equipped with a refrigerant circuit that performs a refrigeration cycle by circulating a refrigerant in order to cool the inside of the warehouse. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

A freezer/refrigerator storage provided with the above-described refrigerating device has a highly airtight structure in order to prevent outside air from entering. Therefore, when the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit leaks into the storage, the leaked refrigerant is difficult to be discharged outside the storage and stays in the storage. If the leaked refrigerant stays inside the refrigerator without being discharged outside, it may cause various problems. By operating the internal fan of the device and discharging the leaked refrigerant to the outside together with the internal air, the leaked refrigerant is prevented from remaining in the refrigerator.

JP 2015-072103 A

However, in the method of discharging the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the refrigerator by ventilation as described above, although the leaked refrigerant can be discharged to the outside of the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator, the outside air flows into the refrigerator, causing the temperature inside the refrigerator to rise. It was likely to rise.

An object of the present disclosure is to discharge refrigerant that has leaked into the interior of a storage for freezing and refrigerating to the outside of the storage without increasing the temperature inside the storage.

A first aspect of the present disclosure is provided in a storage (1) provided with a refrigerating device (10) that has a refrigerant circuit (20) and adjusts the temperature of air in the storage, an air pump (31), A first passageway (44) connecting the discharge side of the air pump (31) and the interior of the storage (1), and a regulating gas having a predetermined composition is supplied to the first passageway (44) by the pressurization force of the air pump (31). 44), and a control unit (90) for supplying gas to the interior of the storage (1), and adjusts the composition of the air in the storage to a desired composition. and a second passageway (93) connecting the inside of the storage (1) and the suction side of the air pump (31), and the control section (90) controls the flow of air from the refrigerant circuit (20) to the storage. When the refrigerant leaks into the chamber (1), the air pump (31) is operated to push the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the chamber through the second passage (93) together with the chamber air. It performs a refrigerant discharge operation to discharge the refrigerant to the outside of the refrigerator.

In the first aspect, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the storage (1), the leaked refrigerant is discharged outside the storage (1) by the suction force of the air pump (31). At that time, since the outside air does not flow into the refrigerator unlike the conventional case, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise in the refrigerator.

In a second aspect, in the first aspect, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (20) has a higher specific gravity than air, and the end of the second passage (93) is connected to the storage (1). It is open at the bottom of the inside of the chamber.

In the second aspect, when the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (20) has a higher specific gravity than air, by opening the end of the second passageway (93) at the bottom of the storage (1), , the leakage refrigerant is more likely to be sucked into the air pump (31) in the refrigerant discharging operation. Therefore, the leaked refrigerant can be rapidly discharged to the outside of the refrigerator.

A third aspect is, in the first or second aspect, a third passage (71, 77, 80), a first on-off valve (73) provided downstream of a connecting portion of the first passage (44) with the third passage (71, 77, 80), the second passage ( a second on-off valve (94) provided in the third passage (71, 77, 80) and a third on-off valve (72, 78, 81) provided in the third passage (71, 77, 80); ), when performing the gas supply operation, opens the first on-off valve (73), closes the second on-off valve (94) and the third on-off valve (72, 78, 81), and When performing the refrigerant discharging operation, the first on-off valve (73) is closed, and the second on-off valve (94) and the third on-off valve (72, 78, 81) are opened.

In the third aspect, a conventional indoor air conditioning device that performs a gas supply operation includes a second passageway (93), a third passageway (71, 77, 80), a first on-off valve (73), a second on-off valve By simply adding (94) and the third on-off valve (72, 78, 81), it is possible to easily configure an indoor air conditioning device capable of discharging the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the refrigerator by the suction force of the air pump (31). .

According to a fourth aspect, in the third aspect, an adsorption cylinder (34, 35) containing an adsorbent that adsorbs a predetermined first component in the air is provided, and the air pump (31) is provided with the adsorption a first pump mechanism (31a) for performing an adsorption operation of supplying pressurized air to the cylinders (34, 35) to adsorb the first component in the pressurized air to the adsorbent; a second pump mechanism (31b) for performing a desorption operation of sucking air from the cylinder (34, 35) and desorbing the first component from the adsorbent into the air to generate the adjustment gas; A fourth passageway (41) for guiding outside air to the first pump mechanism (31a) is connected to the suction side of the first pump mechanism (31a), and the fourth passageway (41) is provided with a fourth opening/closing valve. A valve (95) is provided, the first passageway (44) is connected to the discharge side of the second pump mechanism (31b), and the second passageway (93) is connected to the fourth passageway (41). The adsorbent is connected closer to the first pump mechanism (31a) than the fourth on-off valve (95). The control section (90) opens the fourth on-off valve (95) when performing the gas supply operation, and opens the fourth on-off valve (95) when performing the refrigerant discharging operation. It closes the on-off valve (95).

In the fourth aspect, an air pump (31) and an adsorption cylinder (34, 35) are provided, and pressurized outside air is supplied to the adsorption cylinder (34, 35), and the first component in the pressurized outside air is supplied to the adsorbent. After adsorption, air is sucked from the adsorption cylinders (34, 35) to desorb the first component into the air, and the adjustment gas generated is supplied to the inside of the storage (1) for gas supply operation. The internal air conditioning device (60) is improved to perform the refrigerant discharging operation. According to the indoor air conditioner (60) having the adsorption cylinders (34, 35) in this way, the refrigerant discharge operation can be easily performed with a slight improvement.

A fifth aspect is that in the third or fourth aspect, the other end of the third passageway (71, 80) is open to the outside of the storage (1).

In the fifth aspect, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the storage (1) is gradually discharged from the storage (1) by the suction force of the air pump (31) due to the refrigerant discharge operation. It is discharged and released outside the warehouse. By gradually releasing the leaked refrigerant to the outside in this manner, the leaked refrigerant can be safely discharged from the interior of the storage (1).

According to a sixth aspect, in the third or fourth aspect, the other end of the third passageway (77) is connected to a collection container (79) for collecting refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20). ing.

In the sixth aspect, the refrigerant that has leaked from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the storage (1) is gradually discharged from the storage (1) by the suction force of the air pump (31) due to the refrigerant discharge operation. It is discharged and collected in a collection container (79) together with the conditioned gas. By collecting the leaked refrigerant in the collection container (79) outside the storage in this manner, the leaked refrigerant can be safely discharged from the inside of the storage (1). Further, when the refrigerant is a combustible refrigerant, collecting the leaked refrigerant in the collection container (79) can reduce the risk of the leaked refrigerant burning.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the container refrigeration system of Embodiment 1 as seen from the outside of the warehouse. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the container refrigeration system of Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the refrigerant circuit of the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, showing the flow of air during the first gas supply operation. FIG. 5 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, showing the flow of air during the operation of supplying the second gas. FIG. 6 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, showing the flow of air during the pressure equalization operation. FIG. 7 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, showing the flow of air during the first gas discharge operation. FIG. 8 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, and shows the flow of air during the operation of discharging the second gas. FIG. 9 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, and shows the flow of air during the operation of discharging the first refrigerant. FIG. 10 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 1, showing the flow of air during the operation of discharging the second refrigerant. FIG. 11 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 2, and shows the flow of air during the operation of discharging the first refrigerant. FIG. 12 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 2, and shows the flow of air during the operation of discharging the second refrigerant. FIG. 13 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 3, showing the flow of air during the operation of discharging the first refrigerant. FIG. 14 is a piping system diagram showing the configuration of the CA device of Embodiment 3, and shows the flow of air during the operation of discharging the second refrigerant.

<<Embodiment 1>>
Embodiment 1 will be described based on the drawings. In Embodiment 1, a CA device (controlled atmosphere system) (60) is provided in a refrigerated container (storage) (1) used for transporting plants such as fruits, vegetables, and fresh flowers. there is A refrigerated container (1) is a reefer container that includes a container body (11) and a container refrigerating device (refrigerating device) (10) and is capable of controlling the temperature inside.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the container body (11) is shaped like an elongated box with one end open. On the other hand, the container refrigeration system (10) has a casing (12), which will be described later, and is attached to the container body (11) so as to close the opening end face of the container body (11).

In the first embodiment, the plant (15) is boxed on the floor plate (19) inside the refrigerated container (1) having the container body (11) and the container refrigeration device (10). stored in condition. Air inside the container body (11) (air inside the refrigerated container (1)) is cooled to a desired temperature by the container refrigeration device (10) and adjusted to a desired composition by the CA device (60). be done.

-Construction of refrigeration equipment for containers-
A container refrigeration system (10) includes a support frame (16), a refrigerant circuit (20) in which refrigerant circulates to perform a refrigeration cycle, an outside fan (25), an inside fan (26), and a temperature controller. and a controller (100).

<Support frame>
As shown in FIG. 2, the support frame (16) includes a casing (12) that closes the opening of the container body (11) and a partition plate (13) made of a plate member parallel to the opening of the container body (11). and a partition wall (14) attached to the upper end of the partition plate (13) and extending in the horizontal direction.

The casing (12) includes an outer wall (12a) located outside the container body (11) and an inner wall (12b) located inside the container body (11). The outer wall (12a) and the inner wall (12b) are made of, for example, an aluminum alloy.

The outer wall (12a) is attached to the periphery of the opening of the container body (11) so as to block the open end of the container body (11). The outer wall (12a) of the container is formed such that its lower part protrudes toward the inside of the container body (11).

The inner wall (12b) is arranged to face the outer wall (12a). The inner wall (12b) bulges toward the inner side of the chamber corresponding to the lower portion of the outer wall (12a). A heat insulating material (12c) is provided in the space between the inner wall (12b) and the outer wall (12a).

Thus, the lower portion of the casing (12) is formed to protrude toward the inside of the container body (11). As a result, an outside storage space (S1) is formed outside the container body (11) at the bottom of the casing (12), and an inside storage space (S1) is formed inside the container body (11) at the top of the casing (12). A storage space (S2) is formed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the casing (12) is formed with two service openings for maintenance side by side in the width direction. The two service openings are closed by openable and closable service doors (18). Each of the two service doors (18) is composed of an outer wall, an inner wall, and a heat insulating material, like the casing (12).

As shown in FIG. 2, the partition plate (13) is provided inside the container body (11). The partition plate (13) is configured as a substantially rectangular plate member and erected in a posture parallel to the opening surface of the container body (11). The partition plate (13) separates the interior of the container body (11) from the interior storage space (S2). Between the upper end of the partition plate (13) and the ceiling surface in the container body (11), there is a suction port (13a) for taking in the air inside the container body (11) into the storage space (S2). formed. On the other hand, a gap is provided between the lower end of the partition plate (13) and the bottom surface in the container body (11), and the underfloor channel (19a) between the bottom surface of the container body (11) and the floor plate (19) communicates with The floor plate (19) is provided so as to form a gap with the side wall of the container body (11) on the far side (right side in FIG. 2) of the container body (11). The air cooled by the container refrigeration system (10) serves as an air outlet (19b) for blowing air into the container body (11).

The partition wall (14) extends horizontally in the internal storage space (S2). The partition wall (14) is attached to the upper end of the partition plate (13) and has an opening in which the internal fan (26) is installed. The partition wall (14) divides the internal storage space (S2) into a primary space (S21) on the suction side of the internal fan (26) and a secondary space (S22) on the outlet side of the internal fan (26). and In Embodiment 1, the internal storage space (S2) is vertically partitioned by the partition wall (14), with the suction-side primary space (S21) on the upper side and the blow-out-side secondary space (S22) on the lower side. is formed in

<Refrigerant circuit>
As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerant circuit (20) includes a compressor (21), a condenser (22), an expansion valve (23), and an evaporator (24) connected in sequence by refrigerant piping (20a). It is a closed circuit constructed by connecting. In the refrigerant circuit (20), refrigerant circulates to perform a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. In the present embodiment, the refrigerant circuit (20) is filled with slightly flammable R32 (HFC32) refrigerant having a higher specific gravity than air. Note that the refrigerant with which the refrigerant circuit (20) is filled is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 1, the compressor (21) and the condenser (22) are housed in the outside storage space (S1). The condenser (22) divides the external storage space (S1) into a lower first space (S11) and an upper second space (S12) in the vertical central portion of the external storage space (S1). It is provided so that it may be partitioned into. The first space (S11) is provided with the compressor (21) and an inverter box (29) housing a drive circuit for driving the compressor (21) at a variable speed. On the other hand, an electrical component box (17) is provided in the second space (S12). The first space (S11) is open to the outside space of the container body (11), while the second space (S12) opens to the outside space only through the outlet of the outside fan (25). A plate-shaped member closes the space with the outside space.

With this configuration, in the external storage space (S1), the refrigerant that is pressurized by the compressor (21) and flows through the inside of the condenser (22) is sent to the condenser (22) by the external fan (25). Heat exchange takes place with the outside air.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the evaporator (24) is accommodated in the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2). An internal fan (26) is provided above the evaporator (24). In the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant depressurized by the expansion valve (23) flowing through the evaporator (24) and the internal air sent to the evaporator (24) by the internal fan (26) heat exchange takes place between

<Outside fan>
The outside fan (25) is provided near the condenser (22). In Embodiment 1, the outside-compartment fan (25) is provided in the second space (S12) of the outside-compartment storage space (S1). The outside fan (25) is rotationally driven by an outside fan motor (25a), and draws air (outside air) in the outside space of the container body (11) into the outside storage space (S1) to operate the condenser ( 22). The outside fan (25) is composed of a propeller fan.

<Inside fan>
The internal fan (26) is provided near the evaporator (24). In Embodiment 1, the internal fan (26) is provided above the evaporator (24) in the internal storage space (S2). Two internal fans (26) are provided side by side in the width direction of the casing (12). The internal fan (26) is rotationally driven by an internal fan motor (26a) to draw the internal air of the container body (11) through the suction port (13a) and send it to the evaporator (24).

<Temperature controller>
The temperature control controller (100) is configured to perform a cooling operation for adjusting the temperature of the inside air of the container body (11) (the inside air of the refrigerated container (1)) to a desired temperature. Specifically, the temperature control controller (100) adjusts the temperature of the air inside the container body (11) to a desired temperature (for example, 5° C.) based on the measurement result of the inside temperature sensor (not shown). Second, it controls the operation of each component of the container refrigeration system (10). Details of the cooling operation will be described later.

In this embodiment, the temperature control controller (100) comprises a microcomputer that controls each element of the container refrigeration system (10) as disclosed in the present application, and a memory, hard disk, or the like that stores an executable control program. contains. Note that the temperature control controller (100) is an example of a control section of the container refrigeration system (10), and the detailed structure and algorithm of the temperature control controller (100) are how to execute the functions according to the present disclosure. It may be a combination of hardware and software.

-Configuration of CA device-
As shown in FIG. 4, the CA device (60) adjusts the oxygen concentration and the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside air of the container body (11) (the inside air of the refrigerated container (1)). Note that "concentration" used in the following description all refers to "volume concentration".

The CA device (60) includes a body unit (30), an air filter unit (40), a sensor unit (50), a refrigerant sensor (91), a refrigerant discharge section (92), and an exhaust unit (46). , and a CA controller (90). The air filter unit (40) and the body unit (30) are installed in the outside storage space (S1), and the sensor unit (50) is installed in the inside storage space (S2). In addition, the refrigerant discharge part (92) and the exhaust unit (46) are installed across the storage space outside the storage space (S1) and the storage space inside the storage space (S2). The CA controller (90) is provided in a later-described unit case (32) of the body unit (30), and controls components of the CA device (60).

<Main unit>
The main unit (30) generates nitrogen-enriched air (adjusted gas) from the outside air, which has a higher nitrogen concentration than the outside air and a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air and a carbon dioxide concentration equivalent to that of the outside air. It is a device that supplies to In this embodiment, a VPSA (Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption) system device is used as the main body unit (30). The body unit (30) is arranged in the lower left corner of the external storage space (S1), as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the body unit (30) includes an air pump (31), two directional control valves (32, 33), two adsorption cylinders (34, 35), and two cooling fans (49). and a unit case (36).

[air pump]
The air pump (31) is provided in the unit case (36) and has a first pump mechanism (31a) and a second pump mechanism (31b) for sucking, pressurizing, and discharging air. The first pump mechanism (31a) and the second pump mechanism (31b) are connected to the drive shaft of the motor (31c) and are rotationally driven by the motor (31c) to suck, pressurize and discharge air. do. The first pump mechanism (31a) and the second pump mechanism (31b) are oilless pumps that do not use oil for lubrication.

One end of the outside air passage (fourth passage) (41) is connected to the suction port of the first pump mechanism (31a). In Embodiment 1, the external air passageway (41) is formed of a flexible tube, and the other end thereof is connected to an air filter unit (40), which will be described later. Although the details of the air filter unit (40) will be described later, the first pump mechanism (31a) is a filter casing (40a) in which dust, salt, moisture, and the like are removed when passing through the air filter (40b). Inhale fresh air and pressurize it.

On the other hand, one end of the discharge passageway (42) is connected to the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a). The other end of the discharge passageway (42) is branched into two on the downstream side and connected to first and second directional control valves (32, 33), respectively. A portion of the discharge passageway (42) on the upstream side of the branched portion is configured as a heat radiating portion (42a) that is exposed to the outside of the unit case (36) and radiates heat to the outside air. In the first embodiment, the discharge passage (42) is formed by connecting a copper tube to the middle portion of a resin tube, and the copper tube portion is exposed to the outside of the unit case (36) to form a heat radiating section ( 42a). The pressurized air pressurized by the first pump mechanism (31a) and discharged into the discharge passageway (42) is cooled by radiating heat to the outside air when passing through the heat radiation portion (42a) made of a copper pipe.

One end of the suction passageway (43) is connected to the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). The other end of the suction passageway (43) is divided into two on the upstream side and connected to the first and second directional control valves (32, 33), respectively.

On the other hand, one end of an air supply passage (first passage) (44) is connected to the discharge port of the second pump mechanism (31b). The other end of the air supply passageway (44) opens in the secondary space (S22) on the blowing side of the internal fan (26) in the internal storage space (S2) of the container body (11). A check valve (65) is provided in the middle of the air supply passageway (44) to allow air to flow only from one end to the other end and prevent backflow of air. Further, an air supply passage opening/closing valve (first opening/closing valve) (73), which is an electromagnetic valve, is provided in the middle of the air supply passage (44) downstream of the check valve (65). . The opening/closing of the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) is controlled by the CA controller (90).

[Direction control valve]
First and second directional control valves (32, 33) are provided between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) to The state of connection with the cylinders (34, 35) is switched between three connection states (first to third connection states) to be described later. This switching operation is controlled by a CA controller (control section) (90).

Specifically, the first directional control valve (32) has a discharge passage (42) connected to the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a) and a suction passage (42) connected to the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). The passageway (43) is connected to one end of the first adsorption column (34) (the inlet during pressurization and the outlet during depressurization). The first directional control valve (32) is in a first state ( 4), and a second state (shown in FIG. 5) in which the first adsorption cylinder (34) communicates with the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b) and is blocked from the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a). state shown).

The second directional control valve (33) includes a discharge passage (42) connected to the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a) and a suction passage (43) connected to the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). and one end of the second adsorption column (35) (the inlet during pressurization and the outlet during depressurization). The second directional control valve (33) is in a first state ( 4), and a second state (shown in FIG. 5) in which the second adsorption cylinder (35) communicates with the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a) and is blocked from the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). state shown).

When both the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) are set to the first state, the state of connection between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) changes to the first pump mechanism ( 31a) and the first adsorption cylinder (34) are connected, and the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b) and the second adsorption cylinder (35) are connected to the first connection state (Fig. 4). In this state, the first adsorption cylinder (34) performs an adsorption operation for adsorbing the nitrogen component in the outside air to the adsorbent, and the second adsorption cylinder (35) performs a desorption operation for desorbing the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent. is done.

When both the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) are set to the second state, the state of connection between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) changes to the first pump mechanism ( 31a) and the second adsorption cylinder (35) are connected, and the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b) and the first adsorption cylinder (34) are connected to the second connection state (Fig. 5). In this state, the adsorption operation is performed in the second adsorption cylinder (35), and the desorption operation is performed in the first adsorption cylinder (34).

When the first directional control valve (32) is set to the first state and the second directional control valve (33) is set to the second state, the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) is connected between the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a) and the first adsorption cylinder (34), and the discharge port of the first pump mechanism (31a) and the second adsorption cylinder (35) are connected. (See FIG. 6). In this state, both the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) are connected to the outlet of the first pump mechanism (31a), and the first pump mechanism (31a) causes the first and second adsorption columns (34, 34) to be pumped. , 35) are supplied with pressurized outside air.

[Adsorption cylinder]
The first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) are composed of cylindrical members filled with an adsorbent. The adsorbents filled in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) have the property of adsorbing nitrogen components under pressure and desorbing the adsorbed nitrogen components under reduced pressure.

The adsorbents filled in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) are, for example, smaller than the molecular diameter of nitrogen molecules (3.0 angstroms) and larger than the molecular diameter of oxygen molecules (2.8 angstroms). It is composed of porous zeolite having pores with large pore diameters. If the adsorbent is composed of zeolite having such a pore size, nitrogen components in the air can be adsorbed. In addition, such an adsorbent can also adsorb refrigerant in the air inside the refrigerator, including refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20).

In addition, since positive ions are present in the pores of zeolite, an electric field is present and polarity is generated, so that zeolite has the property of adsorbing polar molecules such as water molecules. Therefore, the zeolite adsorbent filled in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) adsorbs not only nitrogen in the air but also moisture (water vapor) in the air. Then, the moisture adsorbed by the adsorbent is desorbed from the adsorbent together with the nitrogen component by the desorption operation. Therefore, nitrogen-enriched air containing moisture is supplied to the interior of the container body (11), and the humidity in the interior can be increased. Furthermore, since the adsorbent is regenerated, the lifetime of the adsorbent can be extended.

With such a configuration, when the inside of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) is pressurized by being supplied with pressurized outside air from the air pump (31), nitrogen in the outside air is added to the adsorbent. components are adsorbed. As a result, oxygen-enriched air having a lower nitrogen concentration and a higher oxygen concentration than the outside air is generated because the nitrogen component is less than that of the outside air. On the other hand, in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35), when the internal air is sucked by the air pump (31) and the pressure is reduced, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent is desorbed. As a result, nitrogen-enriched air having a higher nitrogen concentration and a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air is generated by containing more nitrogen components than the outside air.

An oxygen discharge passageway (45) is connected to the other ends of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) (the outflow port during pressurization and the inflow port during depressurization). The oxygen discharge passageway (45) is composed of two upstream passageways on the upstream side, and these two upstream passageways merge to form one downstream passageway. The two upstream passages are connected to the other ends of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35), respectively. The other end (downstream end) of the oxygen discharge passageway (45) opens outside the unit case (36). In Embodiment 1, the other end of the oxygen discharge passageway (45) opens in the second space (S12) of the external storage space (S1).

Two upstream passages of the oxygen discharge passage (45) are connected by a communication passage (74). The communicating path (74) is provided with a communicating path opening/closing valve (66) comprising an electromagnetic valve, and two orifices (67) are provided on both sides of the communicating path opening/closing valve (66). The communication passage opening/closing valve (66) is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90). When the communication path opening/closing valve (66) is controlled to open, the communication path (74) allows communication between the interior of the first adsorption cylinder (34) and the interior of the second adsorption cylinder (35). Air flow from the oxygen discharge passage (45) to the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) is provided downstream of the communication passage (74) of the two upstream passages of the oxygen discharge passage (45). A check valve (61) is provided to prevent backflow of the liquid.

On the other hand, an orifice (63) and a check valve (62) are provided in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side in the downstream side passage of the oxygen discharge passage (45). The check valve (62) prevents backflow of nitrogen-enriched air from a later-described discharge passage (71) to the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35). The orifice (63) is decompressed before the oxygen-enriched air flowing out of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) is discharged out of the chamber.

With such a configuration, the oxygen discharge passageway (45) is connected to the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) with concentrated oxygen generated by the supply of outside air pressurized by the first pump mechanism (31a). Air is guided outside the container body (11).

The other end of a discharge passage (third passage) (71), one end of which is connected to the air supply passage (44), is connected to the downstream passage of the oxygen discharge passage (45). One end of the discharge passageway (71) on the inflow side is connected upstream of the check valve (65) of the air supply passageway (44), and the other end of the discharge passageway (71) on the outflow side is connected to the oxygen discharge passageway ( 45) downstream of the check valve (62) in the downstream passage. The discharge passageway (71) is formed of a pipe member such as a resin tube, and guides the air flowing through the air supply passageway (44) to the downstream passageway of the oxygen discharge passageway (45). The discharge passage (71) is provided with a discharge passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing valve) (72) which is an electromagnetic valve. The discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90). When the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) is controlled to open, the nitrogen-enriched air flowing through the air supply passage (44) is guided to the downstream side passage of the oxygen discharge passage (45) through the discharge passage (71). , together with the oxygen-enriched air, is discharged outside the chamber.

One end of the measurement passageway (75) is connected to the downstream side of the check valve (65) of the air supply passageway (44). The other end of the measurement passage (75) is connected to a sensor unit (50), which will be described later. The measurement passageway (75) is formed of a pipe member such as a resin tube, and guides the air flowing through the air supply passageway (44) to the sensor unit (50). One end of the measurement passageway (75) is provided in the unit case (36) of the main unit (30), and the other end of the measurement passageway (75) is provided in the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2). ). The measurement passageway (75) is provided with a measurement passageway opening/closing valve (76) comprising an electromagnetic valve. The measurement passage opening/closing valve (76) is housed in the unit case (36) of the body unit (30).

The discharge passageway (42) and the measurement passageway (75) are connected by a bypass passageway (47). In order to calibrate the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) with outside air, the bypass passageway (47) passes the outside air taken into the air pump (31) to the sensor unit (50) by the pressure of the air pump (31). lead. The bypass passageway (47) receives outside air taken into the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31) when calibrating the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52). Bypassing the adsorption cylinders (34, 35) and the second pump mechanism (31b) leads to the measurement passageway (75). The bypass passage (47) is provided with a bypass passage opening/closing valve (48) that is an electromagnetic valve. The bypass passage opening/closing valve (48) is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90), is opened only when the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) are to be calibrated with outside air, and is otherwise closed.

The two cooling fans (49) are housed in the unit case (36) of the body unit (30). Specifically, the two cooling fans (49) are provided near the air pump (31) so as to blow air toward the air pump (31).

<Air filter unit>
The air filter unit (40) has a filter casing (40a) and an air filter (40b). The filter casing (40a) is box-shaped and has an air filter (40b) attached to one side surface. The filter casing (40a) is connected to the other end of the outside air passageway (41), one end of which is connected to the suction port of the first pump mechanism (31a).

Although not shown, the air filter unit (40) is provided in the second space (S12) above the condenser (22) in the storage space (S1) outside the refrigerator. The air filter (40b) is a membrane filter for trapping dust, salt, moisture, etc. contained in outside air. In the air filter unit (40), the air pump (31) operates to take in clean outside air from which dust, salt, moisture, etc. have been removed by the air filter (40b), into the filter casing (40a). to the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31).

<Sensor unit>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the sensor unit (50) is provided in the secondary space (S22) on the blowout side of the internal fan (26) in the internal storage space (S2). The sensor unit (50) includes an oxygen sensor (51), a carbon dioxide sensor (52), a fixing member (53), a membrane filter (54), a communication pipe (56) and an exhaust pipe (57). have.

The oxygen sensor (51) is composed of a galvanic cell type sensor and a case, and is configured to measure the oxygen concentration in the gas within the case by measuring the current value flowing through the electrolytic solution of the galvanic cell type sensor. ing. The case of the oxygen sensor (51) is fixed to the fixing member (53). An opening is formed in the outer surface of the case of the oxygen sensor (51), and a breathable and waterproof membrane filter (54) is attached to the opening. One end of a connecting pipe (56) is connected to the case of the oxygen sensor (51). Furthermore, the case of the oxygen sensor (51) is connected to the other end of the measurement passage (75) described above.

The carbon dioxide sensor (52) is a non-dispersive infrared method (NDIR : non-dispersive infrared) sensor. The other end of the communication pipe (56) is connected to the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52). One end of an exhaust pipe (57) is connected to the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52).

The fixing member (53) is fixed to the casing (12) with the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) attached.

The connecting pipe (56) is a tubular member that connects the case of the oxygen sensor (51) and the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52), as described above.

As described above, the exhaust pipe (57) has one end connected to the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52) and the other end opened near the suction port of the internal fan (26). That is, the exhaust pipe (57) communicates the internal space of the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52) with the primary space (S21) of the internal storage space (S2).

With the above configuration, in the sensor unit (50), the membrane filter (54), the case of the oxygen sensor (51), the connecting pipe (56), the case of the carbon dioxide sensor (52), and the exhaust pipe (57) The sequential connection forms an air passage (55) that allows air to flow from the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2) to the primary space (S21).

In the internal storage space (S2), the pressure in the primary space (S21) is lower than the pressure in the secondary space (S22) during operation of the internal fan (26). Due to the pressure difference between one end and the other end, the air in the chamber flows from one end (membrane filter (54)) on the secondary space (S22) side to the other end (the other end of the exhaust pipe (57) on the primary space (S21) side. flows. In this way, in the sensor unit (50), while the internal fan (26) is in operation, internal air flows through the air passageway (55), causing the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) to operate. By passing in order, the oxygen sensor (51) measures the oxygen concentration of the inside air, and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) measures the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside air.

On the other hand, a measuring passageway (75) is connected to the case of the oxygen sensor (51) in the air passageway (55). Therefore, when the internal fan (26) is stopped and the air pump (31) of the CA device (60) is in operation, the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76) is open, the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) and the discharge passage opening/closing. When the valve (72) is controlled to the closed state, the nitrogen-enriched air generated in the main unit (30) is forced through the air supply passageway (44) and the measurement passageway (75) by the pressurization force of the air pump (31) into the air passageway (75). It is pushed into the case of the oxygen sensor (51) of (55), and the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air is measured at the oxygen sensor (51). By measuring the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air in this manner, it is possible to determine whether or not the CA device (60) is generating nitrogen-enriched air of a desired composition, and its performance.

<Refrigerant sensor>
The refrigerant sensor (91) is provided to detect refrigerant leaking into the refrigerator from the refrigerant circuit (20). In the first embodiment, oxygen ions adsorbed on the surface of the metal oxide semiconductor of the refrigerant sensor (91) react with the refrigerant and leave the surface, thereby increasing free electrons inside the sensor and reducing the resistance value. Refrigerant concentration is determined by measuring the change in the The refrigerant concentration detected by the refrigerant sensor (91) is transmitted to the CA controller (90). In the first embodiment, one refrigerant sensor (91) is provided below each of the left and right ends of the evaporator (24) and one below the internal storage space (S2) in the interior of the container body (11). A total of three are provided. Based on the refrigerant concentration transmitted from the three refrigerant sensors (91) to the CA controller (90), the CA controller (90) determines the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit (20). Note that the number of refrigerant sensors (91) is not limited to three. One, two, or four or more refrigerant sensors (91) may be provided.

<Refrigerant discharge part>
In the first embodiment, the refrigerant discharge part (92) includes the above-described air supply passage opening/closing valve (first opening/closing valve) (73), the outside air passage (fourth passage) (41), and the discharge passage (third passage). (71) and a discharge passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing valve) (72). In addition, the refrigerant discharge part (92) includes a refrigerant discharge passage (second passage) (93), a refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (second opening/closing valve) (94), an outside air passage opening/closing valve (fourth on-off valve) (95).

The refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is a passageway that connects the inside and outside of the container body (11). Specifically, one end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) on the inflow side opens at the bottom of the container body (11) (the bottom of the refrigerated container (1)), and the other end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) on the outflow side opens. is connected to the outside air passageway (41) connected to the suction port of the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31).

The refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) is an electromagnetic valve provided in the refrigerant discharge passage (93). The refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) is controlled to open and close by the CA controller (90), and discharges the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the container when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the container body (11). It is opened only when performing a refrigerant discharging operation, and otherwise closed.

The outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) is an electromagnetic valve and is provided in the outside air passage (41). The outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) is open/closed controlled by the CA controller (90), and when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the container body (11), the refrigerant discharges the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the container. It is closed only when performing an ejection operation, otherwise it is open.

With this configuration, in the refrigerant discharge section (92), when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the interior of the container body (11), the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve ( 72) is controlled to open, the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95), the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) and the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76) are controlled to be closed to operate the air pump (31).

As a result, the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31) cannot suck outside air. At this time, instead of outside air, the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31) sucks the refrigerant that has leaked into the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator, pressurizes it, and pressurizes it into the first or second adsorption cylinder (34, 35). ) to cause the adsorbent of the first or second adsorption column (34, 35) to adsorb the refrigerant together with nitrogen. The nitrogen and refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first or second adsorption column (34, 35) are desorbed into the air when the air is sucked by the second pump mechanism (31b). The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) is discharged into the air supply passageway (44), and flows through the discharge passageway (71) and the oxygen discharge passageway (45) together with the oxygen-enriched air. released to the outside.

<Exhaust unit>
As shown in FIG. 2, the exhaust unit (46) has an exhaust passage (46a), an exhaust passage opening/closing valve (46b), and a membrane filter (46c). The exhaust passageway (46a) is provided so as to penetrate the casing (12) and connects the internal storage space (S2) and the external space. The exhaust passage opening/closing valve (46b) is composed of an electromagnetic valve and is connected to the exhaust passage (46a). The exhaust passage opening/closing valve (46b) is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90). The membrane filters (46c) are provided at both ends of the exhaust passage (46a).

<CA controller>
Based on the measurement results of the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52), the CA controller (90) adjusts the composition of the air inside the container body (11) to a desired composition (for example, oxygen concentration 5%, carbon dioxide It is configured to perform a concentration adjustment operation for controlling the operation of the components of the CA device (60) so that the carbon concentration becomes 5%). In addition to the concentration adjustment operation, the CA controller (90) also operates to measure the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air generated by the CA device (60) and to measure the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air generated by the CA device (60). It is configured to perform a refrigerant discharging operation for discharging the refrigerant to the outside of the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator when the refrigerant leaks.

The CA controller (90) includes a microcomputer that controls each element of the CA device (60) as disclosed in the present application, and a memory, hard disk, etc., in which an executable control program is stored. Also, the CA controller (90) is an example of a control unit of the CA device (60), and the detailed structure and algorithms of the CA controller (90) can be any hardware and software that performs the functions according to the present disclosure. It may be a combination of

－Operating operation of container refrigeration system－
In the container refrigeration system (10), the temperature control controller (100) shown in FIG. 3 performs a cooling operation for cooling the air inside the container body (11).

In the cooling operation, the operation of the compressor (21), the expansion valve (23), the outside fan (25), and the inside fan (26) is controlled by the temperature control controller (100) based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor (not shown). is controlled so that the temperature of the air in the refrigerator reaches the desired target temperature.

At this time, the refrigerant circulates in the refrigerant circuit (20) to perform a vapor compression refrigeration cycle. Air in the container main body (11) guided to the internal storage space (S2) by the internal fan (26) passes through the evaporator (24) and flows through the inside of the evaporator (24). Cooled by flowing coolant. The inside air cooled in the evaporator (24) passes through the underfloor channel (19a) and is blown out again from the outlet (13b) into the inside of the container body (11). This cools the air inside the container body (11).

-Operation of CA device-
In the CA device (60), the operation of various components is controlled by the CA controller (90) shown in FIG. 4 to execute the concentration adjusting operation. In the first embodiment, the CA controller (90) executes a concentration adjustment operation for adjusting the composition of the air inside the container body (11) to a desired composition (for example, oxygen concentration of 5%, carbon dioxide concentration of 5%). do. Further, the CA controller (90) performs the operation of measuring the supplied air and the operation of discharging the refrigerant in addition to the concentration adjusting operation. The air supply measurement operation is an operation to measure the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air generated by the CA device (60), and the refrigerant discharge operation is to detect refrigerant leakage from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator. This operation is for discharging the refrigerant to the outside together with the internal air. Each will be described in detail below.

<Concentration control operation>
In the concentration adjustment operation, the oxygen concentration reduction mode reduces the oxygen concentration of the air inside the container body (11), and the oxygen concentration and carbon dioxide concentration of the air inside the container body (11) are adjusted to the predetermined set concentration range. and an air composition adjustment mode are executed.

Specifically, the CA controller (90) starts the concentration adjusting operation in the oxygen concentration decreasing mode. Then, the CA controller (90) switches the operation mode of the concentration adjusting operation to the air composition adjusting mode when the oxygen concentration of the air inside the container body (11) becomes equal to or lower than the target oxygen concentration _SPO2 during the oxygen concentration decreasing mode. . Further, the CA controller (90) adds a predetermined concentration V (1.0% in this embodiment) to the target oxygen concentration _SPO2 to increase the oxygen concentration of the air inside the container body (11) during the air composition adjustment mode. When the concentration reaches or exceeds the specified concentration, the operation mode of the concentration adjustment operation is switched to the oxygen concentration decrease mode. Each operation in the oxygen concentration lowering mode and the air composition adjusting mode will be described in detail below.

In any operation mode of the concentration control operation, the CA controller (90) closes the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76) and communicates with the temperature control controller (100) to operate the internal fan (26). to circulate the internal air between the internal storage space (S2) and the internal storage space (S2). Thereby, the inside air is supplied to the oxygen sensor (51) and the carbon dioxide sensor (52) provided in the inside storage space (S2), and the oxygen concentration and the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside air are measured.

[Low oxygen concentration mode]
In the low oxygen concentration mode, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to generate oxygen-enriched air having a nitrogen concentration lower than that of the outside air and an oxygen concentration higher than that of the outside air. The operation of supplying air and the operation of exhausting the air inside the container body (11) to the outside are performed.

(air supply operation)
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the CA controller (90) keeps the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) open at all times, the bypass passage opening/closing valve (48), the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76), and the refrigerant discharge valve (76). The passage opening/closing valve (94) is always controlled to be closed. In this state, the CA controller (90) activates the air pump (31) to open the first and second directional control valves (32, 33), the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73), and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72). By switching, the CA device (60) is caused to perform a first gas supply operation, a second gas supply operation, a pressure equalization operation, a first gas discharge operation and a second gas discharge operation.

In addition, the first and second gas supply operations are performed by pressurizing one of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) and decompressing the other by the air pump (31). ) is the operation of supplying into the chamber (see FIGS. 4 and 5). The pressure equalizing operation is an operation to equalize the internal pressures of the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) by pressurizing both the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) with the air pump (31) ( See Figure 6). In the first and second gas discharge operations, one of the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) is pressurized and the other is decompressed by the air pump (31), and the nitrogen-enriched air generated by the air pump (31) is discharged into the container body (11). This is the operation of discharging outside the refrigerator without supplying it into the refrigerator (see FIGS. 7 and 8).

Specifically, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to alternately and repeatedly perform the first and second gas supply operations for a predetermined period of time (for example, 13.5 seconds) to supply the first and second gases. The pressure equalizing operation is performed for a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds) between each supply operation, and after the pressure equalizing operation, before performing the first and second gas supply operations, the first and second gas discharge operations are performed. This is performed for a predetermined time (eg, 3 to 10 seconds). That is, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to perform the pressure equalizing operation, the first gas discharging operation, the first gas supplying operation, the pressure equalizing operation, the second gas discharging operation, and the second gas supplying operation in this order. Have them perform the action and repeat this series of actions. As a result, nitrogen-enriched air having a desired composition is generated in the CA device (60) and supplied to the interior of the container body (11).

In addition, the CA controller (90) controls the opening/closing valve ( 66) By opening the first and second gas supply operations, a predetermined amount of oxygen-enriched air is introduced from the pressurization-side adsorption column to the decompression-side adsorption column, and the decompression-side adsorption column is closed. It assists in the release of nitrogen from the adsorbent and facilitates pressure equalization during pressure equalization operations. Each operation of the air supply operation will be described in detail below.

<<First gas supply operation>>
As shown in FIG. 4, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the first state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the first connection state. The CA controller (90) also controls the supply passage opening/closing valve (73) to open and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) to close.

In the first gas supply operation, first, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies pressurized outside air to the first adsorption column (34). The nitrogen component contained in the air that has flowed into the first adsorption column (34) is adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption column (34). Thus, during the first gas supply operation, the first adsorption column (34) is supplied with pressurized outside air from the first pump mechanism (31a), and the nitrogen component in the outside air is adsorbed by the adsorbent. As a result, oxygen-enriched air is generated in which the nitrogen concentration is lower than that of the outside air and the oxygen concentration is higher than that of the outside air. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the first adsorption cylinder (34) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the second adsorption column (35). At this time, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent in the second adsorption cylinder (35) is sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent. In this way, during the first gas supply operation, in the second adsorption cylinder (35), the air inside is sucked by the second pump mechanism (31b), and the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent is desorbed. Nitrogen-enriched air containing nitrogen components desorbed from the agent and having a higher nitrogen concentration and a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b), pressurized, discharged into the air supply passageway (44), and supplied into the container body (11).

<<Second gas supply operation>>
As shown in FIG. 5, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the second connection state. The CA controller (90) also controls the supply passage opening/closing valve (73) to open and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) to close.

In the second gas supply operation, first, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies pressurized outside air to the second adsorption column (35). The nitrogen component contained in the air that has flowed into the second adsorption column (35) is adsorbed by the adsorbent in the second adsorption column (35). Thus, during the second gas supply operation, the second adsorption column (35) is supplied with pressurized outside air from the first pump mechanism (31a), and the nitrogen component in the outside air is adsorbed by the adsorbent. As a result, oxygen-enriched air is generated in which the nitrogen concentration is lower than that of the outside air and the oxygen concentration is higher than that of the outside air. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the second adsorption cylinder (35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the first adsorption column (34). At this time, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption cylinder (34) is sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent. In this way, during the second gas supply operation, the air inside the first adsorption column (34) is sucked by the second pump mechanism (31b), and the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent is desorbed. Nitrogen-enriched air containing nitrogen components desorbed from the agent and having a higher nitrogen concentration and a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b), pressurized, discharged into the air supply passageway (44), and supplied into the container body (11).

《Pressure equalization operation》
As shown in FIG. 6, the CA controller (90) switches the first directional control valve (32) to the first state and switches the second directional control valve (33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the third connection state. The CA controller (90) also opens the supply passage opening/closing valve (73) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72).

In the pressure equalization operation, first, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies pressurized outside air to both the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35). Nitrogen components contained in the air flowing into the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) are adsorbed by the adsorbents of the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) to generate oxygen-enriched air. The oxygen-enriched air flows out from the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the chamber.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) is disconnected from the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35). Therefore, during the pressure equalization operation, no new nitrogen-enriched air is generated in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35), and the second pump mechanism (31b) moves to the suction passageway (43). After the remaining nitrogen-enriched air is sucked and pressurized, it is discharged into the air supply passageway (44).

By the way, if the first gas supply operation is switched to the second gas supply operation or the second gas supply operation is switched to the first gas supply operation without intervening the pressure equalizing operation, immediately after switching, the desorption operation is performed before switching. Since the pressure in the adsorption column where the adsorption is being performed is extremely low, it takes time for the pressure in the adsorption column to rise, and the adsorption operation is not performed immediately.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, when switching from the first gas supply operation to the second gas supply operation and when switching from the second gas supply operation to the first gas supply operation, the air pump (31) and the first and second By switching the state of connection with the adsorption cylinders (34, 35) to the third connection state, the first adsorption cylinder (34) and the second adsorption cylinder (35) are brought into communication with each other and their internal pressures are quickly equalized. A pressure equalization operation is to be performed. Due to this pressure equalization operation, the pressure in the adsorption cylinder, which had been depressurized by the second pump mechanism (31b) before switching and was performing the desorption operation, quickly rises. , the suction operation is quickly performed.

<<First gas discharge operation>>
As shown in FIG. 7, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the first connection state similar to the first gas supply operation. The CA controller (90) also controls the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) to open and the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) to close.

In the first gas discharge operation, oxygen-enriched air and nitrogen-enriched air are generated in the same manner as in the first gas supply operation. The generated oxygen-enriched air flows from the first adsorption cylinder (34) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage. Further, in the first gas supply operation, the nitrogen-enriched air supplied to the interior of the container body (11) flows into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) through the discharge passageway (71) in the first gas discharge operation. and is discharged outside the storage together with the oxygen-enriched air.

By the way, if the CA device (60) is caused to perform the first gas supply operation immediately after the end of the pressure equalization operation, outside air may enter the adsorption cylinder, piping, etc. connected to the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). As a result, nitrogen-enriched air with an oxygen concentration higher than the desired oxygen concentration is produced.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to wait a predetermined time (for example, 3 to 10 seconds) before performing the first gas supply operation after the pressure equalization operation is finished. second), oxygen-enriched air and nitrogen-enriched air are generated in the same manner as in the first gas supply operation, and the generated nitrogen-enriched air is discharged outside the chamber together with the oxygen-enriched air. there is As described above, in the CA device (60), by performing the first gas discharging operation before the first gas supplying operation, the outside air remaining in the adsorption cylinder, piping, etc. is discharged to the outside of the chamber. The first gas supply operation to be performed supplies nitrogen-enriched air having a low oxygen concentration and containing almost no outside air remaining in the adsorption column, pipes, etc., to the interior of the container body (11).

<<Second gas discharge operation>>
As shown in FIG. 8, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the second connection state similar to the second gas supply operation. The CA controller (90) also controls the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) to open and the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) to close.

In the second gas discharge operation, oxygen-enriched air and nitrogen-enriched air are generated in the same manner as in the second gas supply operation. The generated oxygen-enriched air flows from the second adsorption cylinder (35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage. Further, in the second gas supply operation, the nitrogen-enriched air supplied to the inside of the container body (11) flows into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) through the discharge passageway (71) in the second gas discharge operation. and is discharged outside the storage together with the oxygen-enriched air.

By the way, if the CA device (60) is caused to perform the second gas supply operation immediately after the pressure equalization operation is finished, the outside air will be introduced into the adsorption cylinder, piping, etc. connected to the suction port of the second pump mechanism (31b). As a result, nitrogen-enriched air with an oxygen concentration higher than the desired oxygen concentration is produced.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to wait a predetermined time (for example, 3 to 10 seconds) before performing the second gas supply operation after the pressure equalization operation is completed. second), oxygen-enriched air and nitrogen-enriched air are generated in the same manner as in the second gas supply operation, and the second gas discharge operation is performed to discharge the generated nitrogen-enriched air together with the oxygen-enriched air to the outside of the refrigerator. there is As described above, in the CA device (60), by performing the second gas discharge operation before the second gas supply operation, the outside air remaining in the adsorption cylinder, piping, etc. is discharged to the outside of the chamber. The second gas supply operation to be performed supplies nitrogen-enriched air having a low oxygen concentration and containing almost no outside air remaining in the adsorption column, piping, etc., to the interior of the container body (11).

(exhaust operation)
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, the CA controller (90) keeps the exhaust passage opening/closing valve (46b) open at all times. As a result, the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2) communicates with the external storage space (S1) through the exhaust passage (46a), and the internal air flows through the exhaust passage (46a). It is discharged out of the warehouse.

The exhaust operation is performed together with the air supply operation for supplying nitrogen-enriched air into the interior of the container body (11). In the air supply operation, the pressurizing force of the air pump (31) pushes the nitrogen-enriched air into the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2). Therefore, the air in the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2) connected to the inside of the refrigerator (air in the refrigerator) is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator through the exhaust passage (46a) by the amount of the pushed nitrogen-enriched air. be done.

In addition, the exhaust operation is performed by the pressure difference generated between both ends of the exhaust passage (46a) (outside storage space (S1) and inside storage space) during rotation of the inside fan (26) and the outside fan (25). It is also facilitated by increasing the pressure difference between the space (S2) and the secondary space (S22).

As described above, in the oxygen concentration lowering mode, the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to perform the air supply operation and the air exhaust operation, thereby achieving the desired composition (average nitrogen concentration of 95 in the first embodiment). %, average oxygen concentration of 5%) is supplied into the refrigerator, and the air inside the refrigerator is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator by the amount supplied, thereby lowering the oxygen concentration of the air in the refrigerator. Then, when the oxygen concentration of the inside air drops to the target oxygen concentration SPO ₂ (5%), the CA controller (90) stops the air pump (31) to stop the air supply operation, and closes the exhaust passage opening/closing valve (46b). is closed to stop the exhaust operation and end the oxygen concentration reduction mode.

[Air composition adjustment mode]
《Adjustment of oxygen concentration》
In the air composition adjustment mode, the CA controller (90) controls the _lower limit value (4.5 %), causes the CA device (60) to perform an air supply operation and an air exhaust operation. As a result, the inside air is replaced with nitrogen-enriched air (for example, an average oxygen concentration of 5%), and the oxygen concentration of the inside air of the container body (11) increases.

On the other hand, the CA controller (90) sets the oxygen concentration of the inside air to a value (5.5%) higher than the target oxygen concentration _SPO2 (5%) by a predetermined concentration X (for example, 0.5%). , causing the CA device (60) to stop the air supply and exhaust operations.

《Adjustment of carbon dioxide concentration》
Further, in the air composition adjustment mode, the CA controller (90) sets the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside air to an upper limit value higher than the target carbon dioxide concentration SPCO ₂ (5%) by a predetermined concentration Y (for example, 0.5%). (5.5%) or more, the CA device (60) is caused to perform an air supply operation and an air exhaust operation. As a result, the air inside the container is replaced with nitrogen-enriched air (having a carbon dioxide concentration of 0.03%), and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air inside the container body (11) decreases.

The CA controller (90) reduces the carbon dioxide concentration of the inside air to a value (4.5%) lower than the target carbon dioxide concentration SPCO ₂ (5%) by a predetermined concentration Y (for example, 0.5%). Then, the CA device (60) stops the air supply operation and the air exhaust operation.

<Air supply measurement operation>
The CA controller (90) causes a supply air measuring operation to measure the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air produced by the CA device (60), either by user instruction or periodically (for example, every 10 days). The air supply measurement operation is performed when the internal fan (26) is stopped.

The CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to perform the same operation as the air supply operation. to control. As a result, the nitrogen-enriched air flowing through the air supply passageway (44) flows into the measurement passageway (75) and is led to the oxygen sensor (51), where the oxygen concentration is measured.

By measuring the oxygen concentration of the nitrogen-enriched air generated in the CA device (60) in this way, the composition (oxygen concentration, nitrogen concentration) of the nitrogen-enriched air generated in the CA device (60) is in a desired state. You can check if it is

<Refrigerant discharge operation>
When the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the container body (11), the CA controller (90) carries out a refrigerant discharge operation of discharging the leaked refrigerant into the inside of the refrigerator together with the inside air to the outside of the refrigerator. Let the device (60) do.

The CA controller (90) causes the three refrigerant sensors (91) to detect the concentration of the refrigerant, and determines the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage by comparing the detected refrigerant concentration with a predetermined first concentration. Specifically, the CA controller (90) determines that "refrigerant is leaking" when at least one of the refrigerant concentrations transmitted from the three refrigerant sensors (91) exceeds the first concentration, The CA device (60) is caused to perform a refrigerant discharge operation. On the other hand, the CA controller (90) determines that "refrigerant is not leaking" when all of the refrigerant concentrations transmitted from the three refrigerant sensors (91) are equal to or lower than the first concentration.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the CA controller (90) keeps the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) open during the refrigerant discharge operation. (95), the bypass passage opening/closing valve (48), the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76), and the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) are controlled so that they are always closed. In this state, the CA controller (90) operates the air pump (31) and switches the states of the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to provide the CA device (60) with the first and second 2) Refrigerant discharge operation is performed to discharge the refrigerant leaked inside the refrigerator to the outside of the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator. Each refrigerant discharge operation will be described in detail below.

<<First refrigerant discharge operation>>
As shown in FIG. 9, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the first state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the first connection state.

In the first refrigerant discharge operation, the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) is controlled to be closed and the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) is controlled to be open. (40), it communicates with the inside of the container body (11) through the refrigerant discharge passage (93). As a result, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the first adsorption cylinder (34).

In the first adsorption column (34), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the first adsorption column (34) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the first adsorption cylinder (34) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the second adsorption column (35). At this time, the nitrogen component and the refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent in the second adsorption column (35) are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, thereby causing the nitrogen containing the leaking refrigerant to Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized. is released to

Thus, in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is sucked together with the air in the refrigerator by the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31), and the second pump mechanism By the pressurizing force of (31b), it is discharged out of the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator.

<<Second refrigerant discharging operation>>
As shown in FIG. 10, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the second connection state.

In the second refrigerant discharging operation, as in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) is controlled to be closed and the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) is controlled to be open. ) does not communicate with the air filter unit (40), but communicates with the interior of the container body (11) through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93). As a result, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the second adsorption cylinder (35).

In the second adsorption column (35), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the second adsorption column (35) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the second adsorption cylinder (35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the first adsorption column (34). At this time, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption column (34) and the refrigerant are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, resulting in nitrogen containing the leaked refrigerant. Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized. is released to

In this manner, in the second refrigerant discharging operation, as in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is released together with the air in the refrigerator into the first pump mechanism (31) of the air pump (31). 31a), and is discharged out of the refrigerator together with the air inside the refrigerator by the pressurizing force of the second pump mechanism (31b).

-Effect of Embodiment 1-
The CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 is provided in a refrigerating container (1) provided with a container refrigerating device (10) that has a refrigerant circuit (20) and adjusts the temperature of air in the refrigerator. (31), an air supply passage (44) connecting the interior of the refrigerated container (1) and the discharge side of the air pump (31), and the pressurization force of the air pump (31) to supply nitrogen-enriched air having a predetermined composition. and a CA controller (90) for supplying gas to the inside of the refrigerating container (1), and adjusts the composition of the inside air to a desired composition. The CA device (60) includes a refrigerant discharge passage (93) connecting the interior of the refrigerated container (1) and the suction side of the air pump (31). When the refrigerant leaks from the circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerating container (1), the air pump (31) is operated to remove the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerator together with the inside air. It performs a refrigerant discharging operation to discharge the refrigerant to the outside through the refrigerant discharging passageway (93).

In the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the interior of the refrigerated container (1), the CA controller (90) executes a refrigerant discharge operation. As a result, the refrigerant that has leaked into the refrigerator container (1) is discharged outside the refrigerator through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) together with the air inside the refrigerator by the suction force of the air pump (31). That is, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator container (1), the leaked refrigerant is removed from the refrigerator container (1) by the suction force of the air pump (31). 1) can be discharged outside the chamber. In addition, at that time, unlike the conventional case, outside air does not flow into the refrigerator, so it is possible to suppress the temperature rise in the refrigerator. Further, according to the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, the air pump (31) of the CA device (60) is also used for discharging the leaked refrigerant without providing an additional air pump, whereby the refrigerated container (1) is It is possible to reduce the number of equipment installed in the

Further, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (20) has a higher specific gravity than air, and the end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is connected to the refrigerating container ( 1) is open at the bottom of the chamber.

As described above, according to the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, when the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (20) has a higher specific gravity than air, the end portion of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is By opening the inside bottom portion of (1), leaked refrigerant is more likely to be sucked into the air pump (31) during the refrigerant discharging operation. Therefore, the leaked refrigerant can be rapidly discharged to the outside of the refrigerator.

Further, the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 includes a discharge passageway (71) provided outside the refrigerated container (1) and having one end connected to an intermediate portion of the air supply passageway (44); An air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) provided downstream of a connecting portion of the air supply passage (44) with the discharge passage (71), and a refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve provided in the refrigerant discharge passage (93). A valve (94) and a discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) provided in the discharge passage (71). While the valve (73) is opened, the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72) are closed. On the other hand, when performing the refrigerant discharging operation, the CA controller (90) closes the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73), and the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72, 78).

In the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the interior of the refrigerated container (1), the CA controller (90) executes a refrigerant discharging operation. As a result, the refrigerant that has leaked into the refrigerator container (1) is sucked into the air pump (31) through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) together with the air inside the refrigerator container, and is discharged into the air supply passageway (44). , flows into the discharge passage (71) provided outside the refrigerated container (1). That is, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, when refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator container (1), the leakage refrigerant is removed by the suction force of the air pump (31). 1) can be discharged outside the chamber. Further, according to the first embodiment, the conventional CA device that performs the gas supply operation includes a refrigerant discharge passage (93), a discharge passage (71), an air supply passage opening/closing valve (73), a refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94). ) and the discharge passage opening/closing valves (72, 78), the CA device (60) capable of discharging the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the refrigerator by the suction force of the air pump (31) can be easily configured.

The CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 also includes first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) in which adsorbents that adsorb nitrogen components in the air are accommodated. The air pump (31) supplies pressurized air to the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) for adsorbing nitrogen components in the pressurized air to the adsorbent. and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) to desorb the nitrogen component from the adsorbent into the air to generate nitrogen-enriched air. and a second pump mechanism (31b) for performing the attachment/detachment operation. An outside air passageway (41) for guiding outside air to the first pump mechanism (31a) is connected to the suction side of the first pump mechanism (31a). (95) is provided. The air supply passageway (44) is connected to the discharge side of the second pump mechanism (31b), and the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is connected to the outside air passageway opening/closing valve (95) of the outside air passageway (41). is connected to the first pump mechanism (31a) side. The adsorbent adsorbs the refrigerant together with the nitrogen component by the adsorption operation, and desorbs the refrigerant together with the nitrogen component by the desorption operation. The CA controller (90) opens the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) when performing the gas supply operation, and closes the outside air passage opening/closing valve (95) when performing the refrigerant discharging operation. is.

Thus, the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 includes the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35), and the first and second adsorption columns (34, 35) After pressurized outside air is supplied to cause the adsorbent to adsorb the nitrogen component in the pressurized outside air, the air is sucked from the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) to desorb the nitrogen component into the air. The CA device (60), which performs the gas supply operation for supplying the nitrogen-enriched air generated by the above-mentioned process to the interior of the refrigerating container (1), is improved to perform the refrigerant discharging operation. Thus, according to the CA device (60) having the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35), the refrigerant discharge operation can be easily performed with a slight improvement.

Further, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1, the other end of the discharge passageway (71) is open to the outside of the refrigerated container (1).

In the CA device (60), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerating container (1) is gradually discharged into the refrigerating container (1) by the suction force of the air pump (31) due to the refrigerant discharge operation. is discharged from the inside of the refrigerator and discharged to the outside of the refrigerator. By gradually releasing the leaked refrigerant to the outside in this way, the leaked refrigerant can be safely discharged from the interior of the refrigerating container (1).

<<Embodiment 2>>
Embodiment 2 will be described based on the drawings. The CA device (compartment air conditioning device) (60) of Embodiment 2 is the same as the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 except that the configuration of the refrigerant discharge section (92) and the refrigerant discharge operation are partially changed. be. Here, the differences of the CA device (60) of the present embodiment from the CA device (60) of the first embodiment will be described.

<Refrigerant discharge part>
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, also in the second embodiment, the refrigerant discharge part (92) includes, as in the first embodiment, an air supply passage opening/closing valve (first opening/closing valve) (73) and an outside air passage ( fourth passage) (41), refrigerant discharge passage (second passage) (93), refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (second opening/closing valve) (94), outside air passage opening/closing valve (fourth opening/closing valve) (95) ).

On the other hand, the discharge passageway (71) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72), which constitute the refrigerant discharge portion (92) in the first embodiment, do not constitute a part of the refrigerant discharge portion (92) in the second embodiment. In Embodiment 2, instead of the discharge passage (71) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72), the refrigerant discharge portion (92) includes a recovery passage (third passage) (77) and a recovery passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing). It has a valve) (78) and a recovery tank (recovery container) (79), and is configured to recover the leaked refrigerant that has been released outside the chamber in the first embodiment into the recovery tank (79).

One end of the inflow side of the recovery passageway (77) is connected upstream of the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) of the air supply passageway (44), and the other end of the outflow side is connected to the recovery tank (79). there is The recovery passageway (77) is formed of a pipe member such as a resin tube, and guides the air flowing through the air supply passageway (44) to the recovery tank (79).

The recovery passage opening/closing valve (78) is composed of an electromagnetic valve, and is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90). When the recovery passage on/off valve (78) is controlled to open, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant flowing through the air supply passage (44) is guided to the recovery tank (79) through the recovery passage on/off valve (78). It is stored in the recovery tank (79).

The recovery tank (79) is a sealed container to which the recovery passageway (77) is connected, and is configured to store nitrogen-enriched air containing refrigerant having a higher specific gravity than the air leaked from the refrigerant circuit (20). there is Note that the collection tank (79) does not have to be a closed container, and may be any container capable of storing the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant.

<Refrigerant discharge operation>
In the second embodiment, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the container body (11), the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to perform a refrigerant discharging operation different from that of the first embodiment. Let The determination of the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage by the CA controller (90) is the same as in the first embodiment. Causes the refrigerant discharge operation to be performed.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the CA controller (90) keeps the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the recovery passage opening/closing valve (78) open during the refrigerant discharge operation. (95), the bypass passage opening/closing valve (48), the exhaust passage opening/closing valve (72), the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76), and the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) are always controlled to be closed. In this state, the CA controller (90) operates the air pump (31) and switches the states of the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to provide the CA device (60) with the first and second 2) A refrigerant discharge operation is performed to discharge the refrigerant leaked inside the chamber together with the air inside the chamber to the outside of the chamber and collect it in the collection tank (79). Each refrigerant discharge operation will be described in detail below.

<<First refrigerant discharge operation>>
As shown in FIG. 11, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the first state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the first connection state.

In the first refrigerant discharge operation, as in the first embodiment, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in the indoor air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the first adsorption cylinder (34).

In the first adsorption column (34), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the first adsorption column (34) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the first adsorption cylinder (34) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the second adsorption column (35) as in the first embodiment. At this time, the nitrogen component and the refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent in the second adsorption column (35) are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, thereby causing the nitrogen containing the leaking refrigerant to Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized, flows through the recovery passageway (77) into the recovery tank (79), and is stored in the recovery tank (79). be done.

Thus, in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is sucked together with the air in the refrigerator by the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31), and the second pump mechanism Due to the pressurizing force of (31b), it is discharged outside the storage together with the air inside the storage, and is recovered in the recovery tank (79).

<<Second refrigerant discharging operation>>
As shown in FIG. 12, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the second connection state.

In the second refrigerant discharge operation, as in the first embodiment, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in the indoor air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the second adsorption cylinder (35).

In the second adsorption column (35), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the second adsorption column (35) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the second adsorption cylinder (35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the first adsorption column (34) as in the first embodiment. At this time, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption column (34) and the refrigerant are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, resulting in nitrogen containing the leaked refrigerant. Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized, flows through the recovery passageway (77) into the recovery tank (79), and is stored in the recovery tank (79). be done.

In this manner, in the second refrigerant discharging operation, as in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is released together with the air in the refrigerator into the first pump mechanism (31) of the air pump (31). 31a), is discharged out of the chamber together with the air inside the chamber by the pressurizing force of the second pump mechanism (31b), and is collected in the collection tank (79).

As described above, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 2, one end of the inflow side of the recovery passageway (77) is connected to the air supply passageway (44), and the other end of the outflow side of the recovery passageway (77) is connected to the refrigerant circuit (20). It is connected to a recovery tank (79) for recovering refrigerant leaking from.

Therefore, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 2, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerating container (1) is gradually discharged into the refrigerating container by the suction force of the air pump (31) due to the refrigerant discharge operation. It is discharged from the inside of the storage (1) and collected in the collection tank (79) together with the adjusted gas. By collecting the leaked refrigerant in the collection tank (79) outside the storage in this manner, the leaked refrigerant can be safely discharged from the inside of the storage (1). Further, when the refrigerant is a combustible refrigerant, collecting the leaked refrigerant in the collection tank (79) can reduce the risk of the leaked refrigerant burning.

<<Embodiment 3>>
Embodiment 3 will be described based on the drawings. The CA device (compartment air conditioning device) (60) of Embodiment 3 is the same as the CA device (60) of Embodiment 1 except that the configuration of the refrigerant discharge section (92) and the refrigerant discharge operation are partially changed. be. Here, the differences of the CA device (60) of the present embodiment from the CA device (60) of the first embodiment will be described.

<Refrigerant discharge part>
As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, also in the third embodiment, the refrigerant discharge part (92) includes, as in the first embodiment, an air supply passage opening/closing valve (first opening/closing valve) (73) and an outside air passage ( fourth passage) (41), refrigerant discharge passage (second passage) (93), refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (second opening/closing valve) (94), outside air passage opening/closing valve (fourth opening/closing valve) (95) ).

On the other hand, the discharge passageway (71) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72), which constitute the refrigerant discharge portion (92) in the first embodiment, do not constitute a part of the refrigerant discharge portion (92) in the third embodiment. In Embodiment 3, the refrigerant discharge part (92) includes an exhaust gas passage (third passage) (80) and an exhaust gas passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing) instead of the discharge passage (71) and the discharge passage opening/closing valve (72). valve) (81). Then, in Embodiment 1, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant generated in the adsorption cylinders (34, 35) that perform the desorption operation flows from the discharge passageway (71) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45), whereupon the oxygen-enriched air In the third embodiment, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant joins the oxygen-enriched air through the exhaust gas passageway (80). The refrigerant discharge part (92) is configured so that the refrigerant is discharged to the outside of the refrigerator.

One end on the inflow side of the exhaust gas passageway (80) is connected upstream of the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) of the air supply passageway (44), and the other end on the outflow side is connected outside the unit case (36). It's open. The exhaust gas passageway (80) is formed of a pipe member such as a resin tube, and guides the air flowing through the air supply passageway (44) to the outside of the unit case (36).

The exhaust gas passage opening/closing valve (81) is composed of an electromagnetic valve, and is controlled to open/close by the CA controller (90). When the exhaust gas passage opening/closing valve (81) is controlled to open, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant flowing through the air supply passage (44) is guided out of the unit case (36) through the exhaust gas passage (80). be killed. That is, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is discharged out of the compartment through the exhaust gas passageway (80).

<Refrigerant discharge operation>
In the third embodiment, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the container body (11), the CA controller (90) causes the CA device (60) to perform a refrigerant discharging operation different from that of the first embodiment. Let The determination of the presence or absence of refrigerant leakage by the CA controller (90) is the same as in the first embodiment. Causes the refrigerant discharge operation to be performed.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the CA controller (90) controls the refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (94) and the exhaust gas passage opening/closing valve (81) to always be open during the refrigerant discharging operation. (95), the bypass passage opening/closing valve (48), the exhaust passage opening/closing valve (72), the measurement passage opening/closing valve (76), and the air supply passage opening/closing valve (73) are always controlled to be closed. In this state, the CA controller (90) operates the air pump (31) and switches the states of the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to provide the CA device (60) with the first and second 2) Refrigerant discharge operation is performed to discharge the refrigerant leaked inside the chamber to the outside of the chamber together with the nitrogen-enriched air. Each refrigerant discharge operation will be described in detail below.

<<First refrigerant discharge operation>>
As shown in FIG. 13, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the first state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the first connection state.

In the first refrigerant discharge operation, as in the first embodiment, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in the indoor air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the first adsorption cylinder (34).

In the first adsorption column (34), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the first adsorption column (34) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the first adsorption cylinder (34) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the second adsorption column (35) as in the first embodiment. At this time, the nitrogen component and the refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent in the second adsorption column (35) are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, thereby causing the nitrogen containing the leaking refrigerant to Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized, and then discharged into the air supply passageway (44) and through the exhaust gas passageway (80) into the unit case (36). It is discharged to the outside, that is, out of the warehouse.

In this manner, in the first refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerator is sucked together with the inside air into the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31). is adsorbed by the adsorbent of the first adsorption column (34) together with the nitrogen component of On the other hand, the nitrogen component and the refrigerant adsorbed on the adsorbent of the second adsorption cylinder (35) by the second refrigerant discharge operation are sucked together with the air into the second pump mechanism (31b) of the air pump (31). It is discharged out of the storage by the pressurizing force of the pump mechanism (31b). That is, in the first refrigerant discharge operation, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the chamber is adsorbed by the adsorbent of the first adsorption cylinder (34), and in the second refrigerant discharge operation, the refrigerant is discharged into the second adsorption cylinder (35). The leaking refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent is discharged out of the storage together with the nitrogen-enriched air.

<<Second refrigerant discharging operation>>
As shown in FIG. 14, the CA controller (90) switches the first and second directional control valves (32, 33) to the second state. As a result, the connection state between the air pump (31) and the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) becomes the second connection state.

In the second refrigerant discharge operation, as in the first embodiment, the first pump mechanism (31a) draws in the indoor air through the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) and pressurizes it.

At this time, since the inflow end of the refrigerant discharge passageway (93) is open at the lower part of the secondary space (S22) of the internal storage space (S2), the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the refrigerator is also discharged. It is sucked into the first pump mechanism (31a) together with the inside air and pressurized. Then, the first pump mechanism (31a) supplies the pressurized indoor air containing the leaked refrigerant to the second adsorption cylinder (35).

In the second adsorption column (35), nitrogen components contained in the inflowing air and the refrigerant are adsorbed by the adsorbent of the second adsorption column (35) to generate oxygen-enriched air from which the refrigerant is removed. The oxygen-enriched air flows from the second adsorption cylinder (35) into the oxygen discharge passageway (45) and is discharged outside the storage.

On the other hand, the second pump mechanism (31b) sucks air from the first adsorption column (34) as in the first embodiment. At this time, the nitrogen component adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption column (34) and the refrigerant are sucked together with air into the second pump mechanism (31b) and desorbed from the adsorbent, resulting in nitrogen containing the leaked refrigerant. Condensed air is produced. The nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is sucked into the second pump mechanism (31b) and pressurized, and then discharged into the air supply passageway (44) and through the exhaust gas passageway (80) into the unit case (36). It is discharged to the outside, that is, out of the warehouse.

In this manner, in the second refrigerant discharging operation, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerator is sucked together with the inside air by the first pump mechanism (31a) of the air pump (31). is adsorbed by the adsorbent of the second adsorption cylinder (35) together with the nitrogen component of On the other hand, the nitrogen component and the refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent in the first adsorption cylinder (34) by the first refrigerant discharge operation are sucked together with the air into the second pump mechanism (31b) of the air pump (31). It is discharged out of the storage by the pressurizing force of the pump mechanism (31b). That is, in the second refrigerant discharge operation, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the chamber is adsorbed by the adsorbent of the second adsorption cylinder (35), and in the first refrigerant discharge operation, the refrigerant is discharged into the first adsorption cylinder (34). The leaking refrigerant adsorbed by the adsorbent is discharged out of the storage together with the nitrogen-enriched air.

As described above, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 3, the other end of the exhaust gas passageway (80) connected to the air supply passageway (44) on the inflow side connects to the refrigerated container (1). It is open outside the warehouse.

Therefore, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 3 as well, the refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the inside of the refrigerating container (1) is gradually cooled by the suction force of the air pump (31) due to the refrigerant discharging operation. It is discharged from the inside of the container (1) and discharged outside. By gradually releasing the leaked refrigerant to the outside in this way, the leaked refrigerant can be safely discharged from the interior of the refrigerating container (1).

Further, in the CA device (60) of Embodiment 3, unlike Embodiment 1, the nitrogen-enriched air containing the leaked refrigerant is combined with the oxygen-enriched air and discharged out of the cabinet. is discharged outside the chamber along with nitrogen-enriched air, which has a lower oxygen concentration than the outside air. Therefore, according to the CA device (60) of the third embodiment, it is possible to reduce the risk of leakage refrigerant burning when the refrigerant is a combustible refrigerant.

<<Other embodiments>>
Each of the above embodiments may be configured as follows.

In Embodiments 1 to 3 above, an example in which the CA device (60) as the indoor air conditioning device is provided in the refrigerated container (1) for transportation has been described, but the application of the CA device (60) is limited to this. do not have. The CA device (60) can be used not only for refrigerated containers for transportation, but also for any storage that has a refrigerant circuit and is cooled inside, such as refrigerated containers for land transportation, simple refrigerated warehouses, and the like.

In the above-described Embodiments 1 to 3, as the indoor air conditioning device, nitrogen-enriched air is supplied as a regulating gas having a predetermined composition into the refrigerator container (1) with the pressurization force of the air pump (31) to adjust the indoor air. Although the CA device (60) for adjusting the composition to the desired composition has been described, the indoor air conditioning device may supply a regulated gas other than nitrogen-enriched air to the interior of the refrigerator.

In Embodiments 1 to 3 above, the adsorbent filled in the first and second adsorption cylinders (34, 35) is composed of zeolite, but the adsorbent is not limited to zeolite. Any material can be used as long as it can adsorb the nitrogen component in the air and the refrigerant.

Although embodiments and variations have been described above, it will be appreciated that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims. Also, the embodiments and modifications described above may be appropriately combined or replaced as long as the functions of the object of the present disclosure are not impaired.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY As described above, the present disclosure is useful for indoor air conditioners.

1 refrigerated container (storage)
10 Container refrigeration equipment (refrigeration equipment)
20 refrigerant circuit
31 air pump
31a first pump mechanism
31b second pump mechanism
34 first adsorption cylinder
35 second adsorption cylinder
41 outside air passage (4th passage)
44 air supply passage (first passage)
60 CA device
71 discharge passage (third passage)
72 discharge passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing valve)
73 Air supply passage opening/closing valve (first opening/closing valve)
77 Recovery Passage (Third Passage)
78 Recovery passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing valve)
79 collection tank (collection container)
80 Exhaust gas passage (third passage)
81 Exhaust gas passage opening/closing valve (third opening/closing valve)
90 CA controller (control unit)
93 refrigerant discharge passage (second passage)
94 Refrigerant discharge passage opening/closing valve (second opening/closing valve)
95 Outside air passage opening/closing valve (fourth opening/closing valve)

Claims (6)

An air pump (31) and a discharge side of the air pump (31) are provided in a storage (1) provided with a refrigerating device (10) that has a refrigerant circuit (20) and adjusts the temperature of the air in the storage. A first passageway (44) connecting the interior of the storage (1) with the storage (1), and the storage (1) through the first passageway (44) by pressure of the air pump (31). 1), a control unit (90) for supplying gas to the inside of the refrigerator, and adjusting the composition of the air in the refrigerator to a desired composition,
a second passageway (93) connecting the interior of the storage (1) and the suction side of the air pump (31),
When refrigerant leaks from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the interior of the storage (1), the control unit (90) operates the air pump (31) to release the refrigerant from the refrigerant circuit (20) into the interior of the storage (1). an in-chamber air conditioning device, characterized by performing a refrigerant discharging operation for discharging the leaked refrigerant to the outside of the chamber through the second passageway (93) together with the in-chamber air. In claim 1,
The refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit (20) has a higher specific gravity than air,
An in-compartment air conditioning device, wherein the end of the second passageway (93) is open at the interior bottom of the storage (1). In claim 1 or 2,
a third passage (71, 77, 80) provided outside the storage (1) and having one end connected to an intermediate portion of the first passage (44);
a first on-off valve (73) provided downstream of a connecting portion of the first passageway (44) with the third passageway (71, 77, 80);
a second on-off valve (94) provided in the second passageway (93);
a third on-off valve (72, 78, 81) provided in the third passage (71, 77, 80);
The control section (90) is
When performing the gas supply operation, the first on-off valve (73) is opened while the second on-off valve (94) and the third on-off valve (72, 78, 81) are closed,
When performing the refrigerant discharge operation, the first on-off valve (73) is closed, and the second on-off valve (94) and the third on-off valve (72, 78, 81) are opened. Indoor air conditioner. In claim 3,
Equipped with an adsorption cylinder (34, 35) containing an adsorbent that adsorbs a predetermined first component in the air,
The air pump (31) is
a first pump mechanism (31a) for supplying pressurized air to the adsorption column (34, 35) to perform an adsorption operation of adsorbing the first component in the pressurized air to the adsorbent;
a second pump mechanism (31b) for performing a desorption operation of sucking air from the adsorption column (34, 35) and desorbing the first component from the adsorbent into the air to generate the adjustment gas; have
A fourth passageway (41) for guiding outside air to the first pump mechanism (31a) is connected to the suction side of the first pump mechanism (31a),
A fourth on-off valve (95) is provided in the fourth passageway (41),
The first passageway (44) is connected to the discharge side of the second pump mechanism (31b),
The second passageway (93) is connected closer to the first pump mechanism (31a) than the fourth on-off valve (95) of the fourth passageway (41),
The adsorbent adsorbs the refrigerant together with the first component by the adsorption operation, and desorbs the refrigerant together with the first component by the desorption operation,
The control section (90) opens the fourth on-off valve (95) when performing the gas supply operation, and closes the fourth on-off valve (95) when performing the refrigerant discharging operation. Air conditioning device in the refrigerator. In claim 3 or 4,
The indoor air conditioner, wherein the other end of the third passage (71, 80) is open to the outside of the storage (1). In claim 3 or 4,
The indoor air conditioning apparatus, wherein the other end of the third passageway (77) is connected to a recovery container (79) for recovering refrigerant leaking from the refrigerant circuit (20).

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