JP7358833B2 - oil separation equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil separation device, and more particularly, to an oil separation device that is applied to, for example, a refrigerant circuit that circulates refrigerant, and that separates an introduced oil mixed refrigerant into refrigerant and oil, and discharges each separately. It is something.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, oil separation devices have been known that are applied to, for example, a refrigerant circuit that circulates refrigerant, and which separates an introduced oil-mixed refrigerant into refrigerant and oil, and discharges each separately.

Such an oil separation device includes a device main body, an introduction pipe, a refrigerant discharge pipe, and an oil discharge pipe.

The main body of the apparatus has a cylindrical body, and the upper and lower openings of the body are respectively closed by an upper cover and a lower cover. The introduction pipe is for introducing a refrigerant mixed with oil such as lubricating oil (oil mixed refrigerant), and is connected in a manner extending tangentially at a predetermined connection point on the side surface of the body of the device. There is. The refrigerant discharge pipe is connected to the upper lid, and the oil discharge pipe is connected to the lower lid.

In this type of oil separation device, the oil-mixed refrigerant introduced through the inlet pipe is centrifugally separated into gas-phase refrigerant and oil by swirling it around the central axis inside the device body, and the gas-phase refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe. At the same time, oil is discharged from the oil discharge pipe.

In order to improve oil separation efficiency, we adopted a double-tube structure consisting of an inner tube and an outer tube.The inlet of the inner tube is located approximately at the center of the outer tube, and the outlet of the inner tube is located closer to the center of the device body. An oil separation device has been proposed that includes an inlet pipe that is deviated to contact an outer pipe (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-312438

However, in the oil separation device proposed in Patent Document 1 mentioned above, the introduction pipe has a double pipe structure, and the position of the inner pipe is changed between the inlet side and the outlet side, so the introduction The tube structure becomes complicated, and the cost of materials and processing required to manufacture such an introduction tube becomes high, leading to an increase in cost.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide an oil separation device that can improve oil separation efficiency while suppressing increase in cost.

In order to achieve the above object, an oil separator according to the present invention has a cylindrical body, and the upper and lower end openings of the body are respectively closed by an upper cover member and a lower cover member. and is provided at an angle with respect to the cross section of the body in such a manner that at least the distal end thereof is close to an arbitrary point on the inner wall surface of the body while penetrating a predetermined location of the device body, and is attached to the body of the device. an introduction pipe for introducing an oil-mixed refrigerant, and the oil-mixed refrigerant introduced through the introduction pipe is centrifugally separated into refrigerant and oil by swirling the oil-mixed refrigerant introduced through the introduction pipe around its central axis inside the body, and An oil separation device that discharges refrigerant from a connected refrigerant discharge pipe, and discharges oil from an oil discharge pipe connected to the lower lid member, wherein the introduction pipe has the tip with respect to the radial distance of the body. The ratio of the shortest distance between the tip opening of the part and the central axis of the body is 0.75 to 0.8, and the extension of the tip with respect to the straight line connecting the tip opening and the central axis of the body. It is characterized in that the angle formed by the directions is 40 to 50 degrees.

Further, in the oil separation device of the present invention, the refrigerant discharge pipe is connected to the upper lid member on the central axis of the body, and the oil discharge pipe is connected to the lower lid member on the central axis of the body. It is characterized in that it is connected to the lid member.

Further, in the oil separator according to the present invention, the introduction pipe passes through the upper lid member in a manner parallel to the central axis of the body, and the tip portion is attached to an arbitrary location on the inner wall surface of the body. It is characterized by being inclined and provided in a manner close to each other.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the oil separation device, the introduction pipe has an inner diameter of 12 mm to 13 mm.

Further, the present invention is characterized in that, in the oil separation device, the inclination angle of the tip portion of the introduction pipe with respect to the cross section of the body is 20 to 30°.

According to the oil separation device of the present invention, the introduction pipe has a ratio of the shortest distance between the tip opening of the tip portion and the central axis of the body to the radial distance of the body, and Since the angle formed by the extending direction of the tip with respect to the straight line connecting the tip opening and the central axis of the body is 40 to 50 degrees, the oil-mixed refrigerant can be effectively impinged on the inner wall surface of the body, and It can be rotated along the inner wall surface, and the refrigerant and oil can be separated without having to use a double pipe structure as in the conventional case. Therefore, it is possible to improve the oil separation efficiency while suppressing an increase in cost.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerant circuit to which an oil separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the external configuration of the oil separator shown in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a modification of the oil separation device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and partially shown in cross section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of an oil separation device according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerant circuit to which an oil separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The refrigerant circuit 10 illustrated here is one in which carbon dioxide is sealed as a refrigerant, for example, and is constructed by sequentially connecting a compressor 11, a radiator 12, an expansion mechanism 13, and an evaporator 14 through a refrigerant pipe. .

The compressor 11 sucks a refrigerant through a suction port, compresses the sucked refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure state (high-pressure refrigerant), and discharges the refrigerant from a discharge port. The compressor 11 in this embodiment is a two-stage compressor that performs a compression operation in two steps. To explain in more detail, the compressor 11 has a first compression element 111 that performs a first compression operation, and a second compression element 112 that performs a second compression operation, and an intermediate heat exchanger is installed between them. 113 is provided. The intermediate heat exchanger 113 radiates heat from the refrigerant compressed by the first compression operation by the first compression element 111 and sends it to the second compression element 112 .

The radiator 12 radiates heat by exchanging heat with the surrounding air when the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 passes through its own flow path. The expansion mechanism 13 is composed of, for example, a capillary tube or an expansion valve, and is configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant that has radiated heat in the radiator 12 and adiabatically expand the refrigerant. The evaporator 14 evaporates the refrigerant passing therethrough, that is, the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism 13, thereby cooling the surrounding air. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 14 is sucked into the compressor 11.

Such a refrigerant circuit 10 is provided with an internal heat exchanger 15 and an oil separation device 20 in addition to the above configuration. The internal heat exchanger 15 exchanges heat between the high-pressure refrigerant that has passed through the radiator 12 and the refrigerant (low-pressure refrigerant) that has passed through the evaporator 14 .

The oil separation device 20 is what is called an oil separator, and is provided between the second compression element 112 and the radiator 12 that constitute the compressor 11, and as shown in FIG. It includes a refrigerant discharge pipe 22, an oil discharge pipe 23, and an introduction pipe 24.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. The oil separation device 20 will be explained using these FIGS. 2 and 3. The device body 21 includes a cylindrical body 211, an upper lid member 212 that closes the upper opening of the trunk 211, and a lower lid member 213 that closes the lower opening of the trunk 211.

The refrigerant discharge pipe 22 is connected to the upper lid member 212 in such a manner that its inlet side communicates with the inside of the device main body 21, and its outlet side is connected in such a manner that it communicates with a refrigerant pipe line connected to the inlet side of the radiator 12. There is. This refrigerant discharge pipe 22 is connected to the upper lid member 212 on the central axis C of the body portion 211 .

The oil discharge pipe 23 has an inlet side connected to the lower lid member 213 in a manner communicating with the inside of the apparatus main body 21, and an outlet side connected to the second compression element 112. Thereby, the oil separation device 20 returns the separated oil only to the second compression element 112.

The introduction pipe 24 has an inlet side connected to a refrigerant pipe line connected to an outlet side of the second compression element 112 of the compressor 11, and a distal end portion 241 on the outlet side connected to the inside of the device main body 21. It is connected to the device main body 21 in such a manner that it faces the main body 21.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in FIG. 3, that is, a cross-sectional view of the device main body 21 shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the introduction tube 24 passes through the upper lid member 212 in a manner parallel to the central axis C of the body 211, and the tip portion 241 is located on the inner wall surface of the body 211. It is provided in an inclined manner close to the point. The introduction pipe 24 has a uniform wall thickness, and carries the refrigerant discharged from the compressor 11, that is, an oil mixture refrigerant of the refrigerant discharged from the second compression element 112 and lubricating oil (oil). , is for introducing into the device main body 21 by discharging it into the device main body 21 from the distal end opening 242 formed on the end surface of the distal end portion 241.

The introduction tube 24 has a ratio (d2/d1) of the shortest distance d2 between the tip opening 242 of the tip portion 241 and the central axis C of the body 211 to the radial distance d1 of the body 211 from 0.75 to 0. 8, and the angle θ formed by the extending direction of the tip portion 241 with respect to the straight line connecting the tip opening 242 and the central axis C of the body portion 211 is 40 to 50 degrees.

Further, the oil separation device 20 preferably has the following dimensions. That is, it is preferable that the inner diameter of the body portion 211 is 80 mm or more. The introduction tube 24 preferably has an inner diameter of 12 to 13 mm, and the inclination angle α of the tip portion 241 with respect to the cross section of the body portion 211 is preferably 20 to 30°. Further, the length h of the introduction tube 24 inside the device main body 21 is preferably 40% or more of the length of the device main body 21 in the vertical direction.

In the oil separation device 20 having the above configuration, an oil mixed refrigerant that is a mixture of high temperature, high pressure refrigerant compressed and discharged by the compressor 11 and oil discharged together with this high temperature and high pressure refrigerant is introduced. When introduced into the device main body 21 (body 211) through the pipe 24, it rotates around the central axis C of the body 211 along the inner wall surface, causing centrifugal separation between the refrigerant (high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant) and oil. To separate.

The refrigerant (gas-phase refrigerant) separated by this centrifugation is discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe 22 and reaches the radiator 12, where it exchanges heat with the surrounding air and radiates heat. The refrigerant that has radiated heat in the radiator 12 passes through the internal heat exchanger 15, undergoes adiabatic expansion in the expansion mechanism 13, and reaches the evaporator 14 as a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant. The refrigerant that has reached the evaporator 14 exchanges heat with the surrounding air and evaporates, and is then sucked into the compressor 11 (into the first compression element 111) via the internal heat exchanger 15.

The oil adhering to the inner wall surface of the body portion 211 due to the centrifugal separation flows downward and is discharged from the oil discharge pipe 23. The oil discharged from the oil discharge pipe 23 is sucked only into the second compression element 112 along the oil discharge pipe 23.

By the way, in the oil separation device 20, since d2/d1 is 0.75 to 0.8 and the angle θ is 40 to 50 degrees, the oil mixed refrigerant discharged from the tip opening 242 is transferred to the body 211. The refrigerant and oil can be separated by colliding with the inner wall surface of the body 211, and by rotating around the central axis C of the body 211 along the inner wall surface, the refrigerant (high temperature and high pressure refrigerant) and oil can be separated. It can be centrifuged. More specifically, by colliding the oil-mixed refrigerant with the inner wall surface of the body portion 211, the oil can be attached to the inner wall surface and the refrigerant can be separated by scattering in a direction away from the inner wall surface. By swirling the refrigerant that has not been scattered along the inner wall surface along with the oil, the oil adheres to the inner wall surface due to surface tension, forming an oil layer, and can be separated from the oil layer.

On the other hand, if d2/d1 is less than 0.75, the distance between the tip opening 242 and the inner wall surface of the body section 211 will be too large, and even if the oil-mixed refrigerant collides with the inner wall surface of the body section 211, the refrigerant will not be absorbed. Difficult to separate from oil. Furthermore, when d2/d1 exceeds 0.8, the distance between the tip opening 242 and the inner wall surface of the body section 211 becomes too small, making it difficult to swirl the oil-mixed refrigerant along the inner wall surface of the body section 211. .

According to the oil separator 20, the introduction pipe 24 has a ratio of d2/d1 of 0.75 to 0.8 and an angle θ of 40 to 50°, so that the oil mixed refrigerant can be transferred to the body 211. The refrigerant and the oil can be separated from each other without having to use a double pipe structure as in the conventional case. Therefore, it is possible to improve oil separation efficiency while suppressing an increase in cost.

According to the oil separation device 20, since the inner diameter of the introduction pipe 24 is 12 to 13 mm, the flow rate of the oil mixed refrigerant introduced from the introduction pipe 24 is made sufficiently large, and the oil liquid in the oil mixed refrigerant is The droplet diameter can be increased, and the refrigerant and oil can be separated favorably by collision with the inner wall surface and swirling along the inner wall surface, and the oil separation efficiency can be improved.

According to the oil separation device 20, the inclination angle α of the tip portion 241 of the introduction pipe 24 is 20 to 30 degrees, and the length h inside the device main body 21 is 40 degrees of the vertical length of the device main body 21. % or more, it is possible to suppress the oil discharged and separated from the tip opening 242 from entering the refrigerant discharge pipe 22, and it is possible to improve the oil separation efficiency.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various changes can be made.

In the embodiment described above, the introduction tube 24 was provided to penetrate the upper lid member 212 in a manner parallel to the central axis C of the body section 211, but in the present invention, the introduction tube 24 is provided in a manner parallel to the central axis C of the body section 211. It may be provided so as to penetrate through the side surface.

In the embodiment described above, the inlet pipe 24 was connected to the refrigerant pipe line whose inlet side was connected to the outlet side of the second compression element 112 of the compressor 11. As shown in FIG. good. This spiral flow path 25 is configured such that a part of the spiral flow path 25 is spirally wound, and swirls the oil-mixed refrigerant so that the oil-mixed refrigerant is brought to the inner surface of the introduction pipe 24, which has the longest extension distance. It is provided by As a result, the oil of the oil-mixed refrigerant adheres to a part of the inner surface of the introduction pipe 24 to form an oil layer and is discharged to the device main body 21, thereby improving oil separation efficiency.

In the embodiment described above, the introduction tube 24 has a uniform wall thickness, but in the present invention, the thickness of the introduction tube wall does not have to be uniform.

20...Oil separation device, 21...Device body, 211...Body part, 212...Upper cover member, 213...Lower cover member, 22...Refrigerant discharge pipe, 23...Oil discharge pipe, 24...Introduction pipe, 241...Tip portion, 242 ...Tip opening, C...Central axis.

Claims (4)

an apparatus main body having a cylindrical body, and an upper end opening and a lower end opening of the body are respectively closed by an upper cover member and a lower cover member;
The device is provided so as to penetrate through a predetermined location of the device body and be inclined with respect to the cross section of the body portion in such a manner that at least the tip portion is close to an arbitrary location on the inner wall surface of the body portion, and the oil mixture is provided in the device body. Equipped with an introduction pipe for introducing refrigerant,
The oil mixed refrigerant introduced through the introduction pipe is swirled around its central axis inside the body to centrifugally separate the refrigerant and oil, and the refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant discharge pipe connected to the upper lid member. , an oil separation device that discharges oil from an oil discharge pipe connected to the lower lid member,
The introduction tube has a ratio of the shortest distance between the tip opening of the tip portion and the central axis of the body to the radial distance of the body, and the ratio of the shortest distance between the tip opening of the tip portion and the central axis of the body is from 0.75 to 0.8, and The angle between the shortest straight line connecting the central axis of the body when viewed from above in the extending direction of the tip portion is 40 to 50°, and parallel to the central axis of the body. 2. An oil separation device, characterized in that the tip portion extends obliquely downward in such a manner that it passes through the upper lid member and approaches an arbitrary location on an inner wall surface of the body. The refrigerant discharge pipe is connected to the upper lid member on the central axis of the body, and the oil discharge pipe is connected to the lower lid member on the central axis of the body. The oil separation device according to claim 1. The oil separation device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the introduction pipe has an inner diameter of 12 mm to 13 mm. The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the inclination angle of the tip portion of the introduction pipe with respect to the cross section of the body is 20 to 30°.

Images