JP7388822B2 - Oil separator and compressor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an oil separation device that separates lubricating oil from refrigerant gas, and a compressor equipped with the oil separation device.

BACKGROUND ART Refrigerant circuits of air conditioners, refrigerators, and the like are generally equipped with an oil separator to separate lubricating oil from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and return it to the inside of the compressor. If lubricating oil is mixed into the refrigerant discharged to the outside of the compressor, heat transfer performance in the heat exchanger may deteriorate, and sliding resistance may increase due to a decrease in the amount of oil inside the compressor. To avoid this, oil separators are used.

An oil separator used in a compressor that compresses refrigerant is equipped with a cylindrical body, as shown in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, for example, and uses centrifugal force to separate lubricating oil from the refrigerant that forms a swirling flow inside the cylindrical body. things are being adopted.
The oil separator of Patent Document 1 includes a refrigerant gas outlet pipe inserted into the cylinder along the axis of the cylinder, and a refrigerant gas outlet pipe provided around the axis of the outlet pipe in a direction opposite to the direction in which the gas swirls. The cylinder is equipped with a guide vane, an oil receiver disposed below the guide vane, and a conduit that leads lubricating oil from the oil receiver to an oil reservoir at the bottom of the cylinder. According to the description in Patent Document 1, oil separation efficiency can be improved by capturing fine oil droplets with guide vanes.

Utility Model Publication No. 1-83412 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-118872

In order to improve the performance of the heat exchanger and air conditioner as a whole, or to improve the lubricity of the sliding parts of the compressor, it is necessary to separate the lubricating oil from the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and return it more fully to the inside of the compressor. sea bream.
An object of the present invention is to provide an oil separation device that can separate lubricating oil from a refrigerant and return it more fully into the compressor, and a compressor equipped with the oil separation device.

According to tests conducted by the inventor of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 12, it was observed that a strong vortex 9V was generated in the lubricating oil accumulated inside the oil separator. The flow velocity of the refrigerant inside the oil separator increases due to an increase in the refrigerant discharge amount due to an increase in the capacity of the compressor, etc. When the swirling force of the refrigerant flow increases, the inertia of the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant flow also increases, causing the lubricating oil to It is estimated that the vortex 9V is generated in the lubricating oil flowing out from the oil outlet 91 due to the rotation of the oil outlet 91. In FIG. 12, the flow in which the refrigerant gas swirls is indicated by F1, and the flow in which the lubricating oil swirls is indicated by F2.
As shown in FIG. 12, when a vortex 9V is generated from the oil surface 92 of the lubricating oil to the oil outlet 91, refrigerant is present at the oil outlet 91. Therefore, the lubricating oil flowing out from the oil outlet 91 toward the inside of the compressor is mixed with refrigerant gas and becomes a two-phase flow, resulting in a decrease in the amount of oil returned to the compressor.

The present invention, which was made based on the new findings described above, is an oil separation device that separates lubricating oil from refrigerant gas, and includes a cylindrical separation chamber in which refrigerant gas introduced through an introduction part swirls, It includes a refrigerant outlet that allows refrigerant gas from which oil has been separated to flow out of the separation chamber, an oil outlet that allows lubricating oil to flow out of the separation chamber, and a partition wall that divides the separation chamber into a refrigerant outlet side and an oil outlet side.
Openings through which lubricating oil can pass from the refrigerant outlet side to the oil outlet side are formed at a plurality of locations on the partition wall in the circumferential direction of the separation chamber.

In the oil separator of the present invention, the opening is preferably located on the outer peripheral side of the partition wall.

In the oil separation device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least a portion of the inner wall of the opening is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction.

In the oil separator of the present invention, the opening preferably has a polygonal shape.

In the oil separation device of the present invention, the partition wall is provided with a plurality of interference walls distributed in the circumferential direction, and the interference walls may intersect with the circumferential direction and protrude in a direction out of the plane of the partition wall. preferable.

In the oil separator of the present invention, it is preferable that the interference wall is a cut-and-raised piece continuous to a part of the periphery of the opening.

In the oil separation device of the present invention, the partition wall may be located closer to the oil outlet than an intermediate position corresponding to 1/2 of the length between the introduction part and the oil outlet in the axial direction of the separation chamber. preferable.

The present invention also provides an oil separation device for separating lubricating oil from refrigerant gas, which includes a cylindrical separation chamber in which the refrigerant gas introduced through the introduction part swirls, and a separation chamber in which the refrigerant gas from which the lubricating oil has been separated is separated. A refrigerant outlet for flowing out the lubricating oil from the separation chamber, an oil outlet for letting the lubricating oil flow out from the separation chamber, and a plurality of interference parts protruding from the inner circumference of the separation chamber toward the axis of the separation chamber. It is characterized by being distributed in the direction.

The compressor of the present invention includes a compression mechanism that compresses refrigerant, the above-mentioned oil separation device into which the refrigerant discharged by the compression mechanism is introduced, and an oil outlet that communicates with the inside of the housing that accommodates the compression mechanism. It is characterized by comprising an oil return path.

According to the oil separation device of the present invention, by providing the partition wall in which the opening is formed or the interference part, it is possible to interfere with the swirling flow of the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant and suppress the swirling of the lubricating oil. Therefore, it is possible to prevent swirls from occurring in the lubricating oil flowing out from the oil outlet. Therefore, the separated lubricating oil can be sufficiently returned to the inside of the compressor. According to the oil separation device of the present invention, it is possible to contribute to the promotion of capacity increase by increasing the capacity of the compressor.

It is a figure showing typically a refrigerant circuit provided with a compressor and an oil separation device. FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an oil separation device according to a first embodiment. (a) is a plan view showing the partition wall from the direction of arrow IIIa in FIG. 2; (b) is a sectional view taken along line IIIb-IIIb in (a). (a) to (c) are diagrams showing modified examples of openings in the partition wall. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing modified examples of openings in the partition wall. It is a schematic diagram of the oil separation device concerning the modification of a 1st embodiment. It is a figure showing typically an oil separation device concerning a 2nd embodiment. (a) is a plan view showing the partition wall from the direction of arrow VIIIa in FIG. 7; (b) is a sectional view taken along line VIIIb-VIIIb of (a). It is a figure which shows the modification of an interference wall. (a) is a schematic diagram showing a part of an oil separation device according to a third embodiment. (b) is a plan view showing the partition wall from the direction of arrow Xb in (a). (a) is a schematic diagram showing a part of an oil separation device according to a modification of the third embodiment. (b) is a plan view showing the partition wall from the direction of arrow XIb in (a). It is a figure showing a conventional oil separator.

Hereinafter, an oil separation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the oil separation device 10 can be installed in a discharge pipe 1A of a compressor 1 that constitutes a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioner, refrigerator, or the like. The oil return path 7 through which lubricating oil flows from the oil separation device 10 can be connected to the suction pipe 1B of the compressor 1.
The refrigerant circuit shown in FIG. 2 includes a compressor 1, an oil separation device 10, a condenser 2, a pressure reducing section 3 such as an expansion valve, an evaporator 4, and an accumulator 5.
Note that the oil separation device 10 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, and may be provided integrally with the compressor 1.

The oil separation device 10 is used in the compressor 1 that compresses refrigerant, and separates lubricating oil from the refrigerant discharged by a compression mechanism provided in the compressor 1. The oil separation device 10 includes a cylindrical separation chamber 100 in which the introduced refrigerant forms a swirling flow, and uses centrifugal force to separate lubricating oil from the refrigerant.

The lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant by the oil separator 10 is returned to the inside of the housing of the compressor 1 through the oil return path 7. The lubricating oil is swirled up by the flow of refrigerant in the housing, and is supplied to sliding parts such as bearings in a state mixed with the refrigerant as fine droplets in the form of mist, and is also sucked into the compression mechanism. Note that lubricating oil may be pumped up from an oil reservoir in the housing by a pump or the like (not shown) and directly supplied to sliding parts such as bearings through an oil supply path.

Hereinafter, various configurations related to the oil separation device of the present invention that can be employed in a compressor that compresses refrigerant will be illustrated.

[First embodiment]
With reference to FIG. 3, the oil separation device 10 according to the first embodiment will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, the oil separator 10 includes a separation chamber 100 that includes a cylindrical space in which refrigerant gas introduced through an introduction part 11 swirls, and one end (upper end) of the separation chamber 100 in the axial direction D1. ), an oil outlet 13 located at the other end (lower end) of the separation chamber 100 in the axial direction D1, and a division that divides the separation chamber 100 into a refrigerant outlet 12 side and an oil outlet 13 side. A wall 20 is provided. The partition wall 20 is formed with an opening 21 through which lubricating oil can pass.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the separation chambers 100 are arranged along the up-down direction (vertical direction). In this case, the axial direction D1 of the separation chamber 100 is the vertical direction. However, the separation chamber 100 may be arranged obliquely with respect to the vertical direction.

In the example shown in FIG. 2, the diameter of the upper end of the separation chamber 100 gradually decreases toward the top, and is connected to the refrigerant outlet 12, which has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the central portion of the separation chamber 100 in the vertical direction. There is. Similarly, the diameter of the lower end portion (bottom portion 102) of the separation chamber 100 gradually decreases as it goes downward, and is connected to the oil outlet 13, which has a smaller diameter than the diameter of the central portion. An oil return path 7 communicating with the inside of the housing of the compressor 1 is connected to the oil outlet 13 .

The introduction part 11 is provided at a position between the partition wall 20 and the refrigerant outlet 12 on the side wall 101 of the separation chamber 100 so as to penetrate the side wall 101 . The introduction section 11 introduces the refrigerant into the separation chamber 100 along the tangential direction of the inner circumference of the separation chamber 100 so that the refrigerant introduced into the separation chamber 100 forms a swirling flow F1. The hole axis of the introduction part 11 is set in accordance with the tangential direction of the inner peripheral part of the separation chamber 100.

The shapes and dimensions of the separation chamber 100, the introduction section 11, the refrigerant outlet 12, and the oil outlet 13 are such that the refrigerant and lubricating oil are separated in the separation chamber 100, and the refrigerant and lubricating oil are respectively flowed out from the separation chamber 100. may be determined as appropriate to the extent possible. For example, the diameter of the separation chamber 100 may be constant from the upper end to the lower end.

Refrigerant discharged from the compression mechanism of the compressor 1 is introduced into the separation chamber 100 from the introduction section 11. The refrigerant introduced in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral part of the separation chamber 100 through the introduction part 11 swirls inside the separation chamber 100 in a spiral shape, and the refrigerant and lubricating oil are separated by the centrifugal force acting on the refrigerant swirl flow F1. It is separated from the lubricating oil based on the density difference. Due to the density difference, within the separation chamber 100, the lubricating oil is located on the outer peripheral side (radially outward) and the refrigerant gas is located on the inner peripheral side (radially inner).

The refrigerant gas, which has a lower density than the lubricating oil, passes through the center of the refrigerant swirl flow F1, reaches the refrigerant outlet 12, and flows out from the refrigerant outlet 12 to a refrigerant pipe (not shown).

The lubricating oil, which has a higher density than the refrigerant gas, moves downward due to its own weight and passes through the opening 21 of the partition wall 20 from the refrigerant outlet 12 side (upper region R1) to the oil outlet 13 side (lower region R2). , accumulates at the bottom 102 of the separation chamber 100. In FIG. 2, the lubricating oil accumulated in the separation chamber 100 is shown in a hatched pattern. The amount of lubricant that collects in the bottom 102 can vary. Note that a certain amount of lubricating oil may accumulate on the partition wall 20 as well.
The length of the separation chamber 100 in the axial direction D1 is determined by taking into account the range in the axial direction D1 in which the refrigerant swirl flow F1 is formed in order to sufficiently separate the refrigerant and lubricating oil, the amount of oil collected in the bottom 102, etc. can be determined appropriately.

The refrigerant and the lubricating oil mixed in the refrigerant are swirling in the separation chamber 100 in a refrigerant swirl flow F1. Therefore, the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant also rotates to some extent due to inertia. FIG. 2 shows an oil swirl flow F2 caused by the lubricating oil accumulated in the lower region R2.

In this embodiment, the dividing wall 20 in which the opening 21 is formed reduces the swirling force of the lubricating oil.
If the partition wall 20 is not placed in the separation chamber 100 and the swirling force acting on the lubricating oil is excessive, a vortex 9V from the oil surface 92 to the oil outlet 91 as shown in FIG. If this occurs, the refrigerant gas will be mixed into the lubricating oil flowing out from the oil outlet 91.
The dividing wall 20 and the inner wall 210 of the opening 21 formed in the dividing wall 20 interfere with the swirling flow of the refrigerant and lubricating oil, weakening the swirling force of the lubricating oil, so that the oil flows out from the oil outlet 13. At the bottom portion 102 where the lubricating oil accumulates, it is possible to prevent swirls from occurring in the lubricating oil.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the partition wall 20 is formed into a circular plate shape and is disposed inside the separation chamber 100. The position of the partition wall 20 in the axial direction D1 can be appropriately set between the introduction part 11 and the oil outlet 13. Although the partition wall 20 is arranged perpendicularly to the axial direction D1, it is not necessarily limited to this.

The partition wall 20 can be joined to the inner peripheral portion of the separation chamber 100 by, for example, brazing, welding, fastening, or other suitable methods. Alternatively, the oil separation device 10 can also be integrally molded by forming the separation chamber 100 and the partition wall 20 by hot-melt additive manufacturing using metal powder.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), openings 21 are formed at a plurality of locations on the partition wall 20 in the circumferential direction D2 of the separation chamber 100. The openings 21 are distributed at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction D2 in the partition wall 20.
Each opening 21 penetrates the partition wall 20 in the thickness direction, as shown in FIG. 3(b). Note that as long as there is an opening 21 through which lubricating oil can pass from the upper region R1 to the lower region R2, one or more openings 21 may not penetrate the partition wall 20.

Because the lubricating oil is unevenly distributed on the outer circumferential side of the upper region R1 due to the density difference with the refrigerant, from the viewpoint of efficiently moving the lubricating oil from the upper region R1 to the lower region R2 through the openings 21, each opening 21 It is preferable that it is located on the outer peripheral side of the partition wall 20.
In addition, since the circumferential speed of the swirling flow is higher on the outer circumferential side than on the inner circumferential side, the opening 21 is located on the outer circumferential side from the viewpoint that the inner wall 210 can effectively interfere with the swirling flow of lubricating oil. It is preferable that you do so.

The inner wall 210 of the opening 21 is formed from the upper surface 20A to the lower surface 20B of the partition wall 20. The inner wall 210 can interfere with the swirling flow of the refrigerant or lubricating oil that comes into contact with it. By colliding the swirling flow with the portion of the inner wall 210 that intersects with the circumferential direction D2, it is possible to efficiently interfere with the swirling flow. Regardless of the shape of the opening 21, a part of the inner wall 210 intersects with the circumferential direction D2 of the separation chamber 100, and the part intersects with the swirling flow of lubricating oil. Particularly, it is preferable that a part of the inner wall 210 is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction D2, since this is highly effective in weakening the force of the lubricating oil colliding with the inner wall 210 .
Moreover, since the area of the inner wall 210 increases as the thickness of the partition wall 20 becomes thicker, the effect of making the swirling flow collide with the inner wall 210 and weakening the swirling force is high.

In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the opening 21 is formed in a rectangular shape in plan view. Therefore, the inner wall 210 in the opening 21 consists of four wall surfaces. A part of the inner wall 210, that is, one of the four wall surfaces intersects with the circumferential direction D2 of the separation chamber 100.
In the example shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the rectangular opening 21 is arranged rotationally symmetrically with respect to the center of the plane of the partition wall 20. In the example shown in FIGS. Therefore, two opposing wall surfaces 210A and 210B among the four wall surfaces of the inner wall 210 are substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction D2. These wall surfaces 210A and 210B are substantially orthogonal to the directions of the refrigerant swirl flow F1 and the oil swirl flow F2 swirling inside the separation chamber 100.
Instead of a rectangular shape, the opening 21 can also be formed in a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape. In that case as well, it is preferable that the opening 21 is oriented such that one or more wall surfaces of the inner wall 210 are perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction D2.

By disposing the partition wall 20 in the separation chamber 100, the partition wall 20 interferes with the swirling flow of the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant in the upper region R1. Specifically, since the lubricating oil is separated from the refrigerant and generates a swirling flow toward the outer circumference due to inertia, the flow passing through the opening 21 arranged on the outer circumference of the partition wall 20 collides with the inner wall 210. The turning force is weakened. Also in the lower region R2, the swirling force of the lubricating oil in contact with the lower surface 20B of the partition wall 20 is weakened by the interference by the partition wall 20.
The lubricating oil received by the partition wall 20 in the upper region R1 eventually passes through the opening 21 and flows into the lower region R2.

When the lubricating oil passes through the openings 21, the inner wall 210 interferes with the swirling component of the lubricating oil in each of the plurality of openings 21 distributed in the circumferential direction D2, thereby weakening the swirling force of the lubricating oil. . The portions of the inner wall 210 (for example, wall surfaces 210A and 210B) that intersect with the rotational component of the lubricating oil can efficiently interfere with the rotational component of the lubricating oil and efficiently weaken the swirling force of the lubricating oil.

By the way, when the dividing wall 20 is located below the oil level 14 due to the rise in the oil level 14 of the lubricating oil accumulated in the bottom part 102, a part of the inner wall 210 of each opening 21 of the dividing wall 20 becomes Continuous interference with the swirling flow of lubricating oil. In other words, the inner wall 210 of each opening 21 acts as a resistance to the swirling flow of lubricating oil. Therefore, even if the entire partition wall 20 is located below the oil level 14 and the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant drips onto the oil level 14, the partition wall 20 in which the openings 21 are formed will provide sufficient lubrication. The swirling force of oil can be sufficiently weakened.
Of course, even if the upper surface 20A side of the partition wall 20 is located above the oil level 14 and the lower surface 20B side is immersed in lubricating oil, the inner wall 210 prevents the lubricating oil from interfering with the lubricating oil while the upper surface 20A interferes with the lubricating oil. By providing resistance to the swirling component, the swirling force of the lubricating oil can be efficiently weakened.

As described above, the dividing wall 20 and the inner wall 210 of the opening 21 interfere with the swirling flow of the lubricating oil, and as a result, the swirling force of the lubricating oil accumulated in the lower region R2 is weakened, and as a result, temporarily Even if the oil surface 14 is depressed due to the presence of the oil swirl flow F2, generation of a vortex from the oil surface 14 to the oil outlet 13 can be prevented. Therefore, since there is no refrigerant gas at the oil outlet 13, the flow flowing out from the oil outlet 13 does not become a two-phase flow of lubricating oil and refrigerant gas, and only the lubricating oil flows out from the oil outlet 13. It is returned to the inside of the housing of the compressor 1 through the return path 7.

According to the oil separator 10 of this embodiment, the amount of oil returned from the oil outlet 13 to the inside of the compressor 1 does not decrease due to the generation of vortices, and the oil is separated from the discharged refrigerant by the oil separator 10. Lubricating oil can be sufficiently returned to the inside of the compressor 1.
In this way, the amount of oil necessary to lubricate the sliding parts is maintained inside the housing, and the amount of lubricating oil flowing out from the compressor 1 together with the refrigerant toward the refrigerant circuit elements such as the heat exchanger is kept within the allowable limit. It can be fastened.
According to the oil separation device 10, it is possible to return an amount of lubricating oil to the inside of the compressor 1 corresponding to an increase in the refrigerant discharge amount due to an increase in the capacity of the compressor 1 or the like. Therefore, while suppressing problems caused by lubricating oil leaking from the compressor 1, such as a decrease in heat transfer coefficient in a heat exchanger, it is possible to promote an increase in the capacity of the compressor 1 and improve the performance of air conditioners, etc. equipped with the compressor 1. can contribute.

[Modified example of opening in partition wall]
With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, other shapes and arrangements of openings that can be formed in the partition wall 20 will be illustrated. The inner wall of any of the openings shown below can interfere with the swirling flow of lubricating oil.
The shape and arrangement of the openings shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 can also be applied to the partition wall 30 of the second embodiment described later.

In the example shown in FIG. 4A, a plurality of rectangular openings 22 are formed radially at a 90° pitch on the radially outer side of the partition wall 20, and a plurality of rectangular openings 22 are also formed on the radially inner side of the partition wall 20. The openings 23 are formed at a pitch of 90°. The plurality of openings 22 and the plurality of openings 23 are arranged with phases shifted by 45 degrees from each other. In order to efficiently move the lubricating oil from the upper region R1 to the lower region R2, the opening 22 located on the radially outer side is larger than the opening 23 located on the radially inner side.

In the example shown in FIG. 4(b), a plurality of openings 24 are appropriately arranged in the partition wall 20. Note that the plurality of openings 24 can also be arranged irregularly on the partition wall 20.
In the example shown in FIG. 4C, a plurality of arc-shaped openings 25 are arranged around the center of the plane of the partition wall 20. In the example shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 5(a), a plurality of elliptical openings 26 are distributed in the circumferential direction D2. The opening 26 may be circular. Here, in order to ensure a large area of the wall surface intersecting the swirling flow on the inner wall of the opening 26, the orientation of the opening 26 is set so that the long axis of the elliptical opening 26 is along the radial direction of the partition wall 20. are doing.

The opening formed in the partition wall 20 may be a cutout 27 as shown in FIG. 5(b). In the example shown in FIG. 5, a rectangular notch 27 is formed from the outer peripheral edge of the partition wall 20 toward the inside in the radial direction. The notch 27 can also be formed in a V-shape in plan view.

[Modification of the first embodiment]
As described above, even if the partition wall 20 is located below the oil level 14, swirling of the lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant can be suppressed and generation of vortices can be prevented.
Therefore, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the dividing wall 28 is arranged below the position of the dividing wall 20 shown in FIG. 2, thereby ensuring a long path for the refrigerant swirl flow F1 in the axial direction D1. Specifically, the partition wall 28 is located closer to the oil outlet 13 than an intermediate position M corresponding to 1/2 of the length in the axial direction D1 between the introduction part 11 and the oil outlet 13.

[Second embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8, an oil separation device 10A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Hereinafter, a description will be given focusing on the differences from the oil separator 10 of the first embodiment. Components similar to those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

The oil separator 10A includes a partition wall 30 provided with an interference wall 31. As shown in FIG. 8(a), a plurality of interference walls 31 are distributed in the circumferential direction D2. Each interference wall 31 intersects with the circumferential direction D2 of the separation chamber 100 and protrudes in a direction out of the plane of the partition wall 30. The interference wall 31 shown in FIG. 8(a) projects upward from the partition wall 30. The interference wall 31 of this embodiment is a cut-and-raised piece continuous to a part of the periphery of the opening 21 . That is, the interference wall 31 is formed integrally with the partition wall 30 by punching out a portion corresponding to the opening 21 from a plate-shaped material used for the partition wall 20 and bending it in an out-of-plane direction.
Note that, as shown in FIG. 9, an interference wall 32 as a triangular cut-and-raised piece may be formed on the partition wall 30.

Now, like the inner wall 210 of the opening 21, the interference wall 31 shown in FIG. 8 is preferably perpendicular to the circumferential direction D2, particularly perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction D2. It is preferable that the interference wall 31 stand perpendicularly to the partition wall 30 in order to enhance the effect of weakening the impact force of the lubricating oil on the interference wall 31 .

The interference wall 31 is not limited to a cut and raised piece. The interference wall 31 may be separate from the partition wall 30 and may be installed at a position different from the opening 21 on the partition wall 30.

According to the partition wall 30 that includes the interference wall 31 in addition to the opening 21, the swirling flow of the lubricating oil collides with the interference wall 31, thereby further reducing the swirling force of the lubricating oil and causing the swirling of the lubricating oil. can be further suppressed.

The interference wall 31 does not necessarily need to protrude upward from the partition wall 30, and may protrude downward from the partition wall 30, or may protrude both upward and downward. good. In any case, the interference wall 31 located near the periphery of the opening 21 can weaken the swirling force of the lubricating oil that attempts to drip through the opening 21.
Further, even when the interference wall 31 is immersed in lubricating oil, since the interference wall 31 provides resistance to the flow of the lubricating oil, the rotational force of the lubricating oil can be weakened and swirling of the lubricating oil can be suppressed.

[Third embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 10, an oil separation device 10B according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The oil separation device 10B of the third embodiment includes a plurality of interference portions 41 that protrude from the inner peripheral portion 103 of the separation chamber 100 toward the axis of the separation chamber 100. The interference portions 41 are distributed at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction D2 of the separation chamber 100.

For example, the plurality of interference parts 41 and the separation chamber 100 can be integrally molded by thermal fusion deposition modeling. Alternatively, the plurality of interference parts 41 can be joined to the inner peripheral part 103 by an appropriate method.
It is preferable that each interference part 41 is orthogonal or substantially orthogonal to the circumferential direction D2, similarly to the interference wall 31 described above.

A swirling flow of lubricating oil separated from the refrigerant collides with the interference portion 41 . In this manner, the interference portion 41 interferes with the swirling flow of the lubricating oil, thereby reducing the swirling force of the lubricating oil and suppressing the swirling of the lubricating oil. Therefore, generation of vortices from the oil surface 14 to the oil outlet 13 can be prevented.
Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, the lubricating oil separated from the discharged refrigerant by the oil separator 10B is prevented from decreasing in the amount of oil returned to the inside of the compressor 1 from the oil outlet 13 due to the generation of vortices. can be sufficiently returned to the inside of the compressor 1.

Instead of the interference part 41, as shown in FIG. It is also possible to adopt The second wall portion 422 can provide the same effect as the partition wall 20 of the first embodiment.

In addition to the above, it is possible to select the configurations mentioned in the above embodiments or to change them to other configurations as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 Compressor 1A Discharge piping 1B Suction piping 2 Condenser 3 Pressure reducing part 4 Evaporator 5 Accumulator 7 Oil return path 9V Vortex 10, 10A, 10B Oil separation device 11 Introduction part 12 Refrigerant outlet 13 Oil outlet 14 Oil level 20, 28, 30 Partition wall 20A Upper surface 20B Lower surface 21 to 26 Opening 27 Notch (opening)
31, 32 Interference walls 41, 42 Interference part 91 Oil outlet 92 Oil surface 100 Separation chamber 101 Side wall 102 Bottom 103 Inner peripheral part 210 Inner wall 210A, 210B Wall surface 421 First wall part 422 Second wall part D1 Axial direction D2 Circumferential direction F1 Refrigerant swirl flow F2 Oil swirl flow M Intermediate position R1 Upper region R2 Lower region

Claims (7)

An oil separation device that separates lubricating oil from refrigerant gas,
a cylindrical separation chamber in which the refrigerant gas introduced through the introduction part swirls;
a refrigerant outlet that causes the refrigerant gas from which the lubricating oil has been separated to flow out from the separation chamber;
an oil outlet that drains the lubricating oil from the separation chamber;
comprising a partition wall that partitions the separation chamber into the refrigerant outlet side and the oil outlet side,
Openings through which the lubricating oil can pass from the refrigerant outlet side to the oil outlet side are formed at a plurality of locations on the partition wall in the circumferential direction of the separation chamber,
The plurality of openings are provided at intervals over the entire area in the circumferential direction, and
arranged only on the outer peripheral side of the partition wall,
The opening is not formed in the outer peripheral edge of the dividing wall joined to the side wall of the separation chamber, and the area dividing the separation chamber into the refrigerant outlet side and the oil outlet side is in the circumferential direction. Continuous to
An oil separation device characterized by:
At least a portion of the inner wall of the opening is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the circumferential direction;
The oil separation device according to claim 1.
the opening has a polygonal shape;
The oil separation device according to claim 1 or 2.
The partition wall is provided with a plurality of interference walls distributed in the circumferential direction,
The interference wall intersects with the circumferential direction and protrudes in an out-of-plane direction of the partition wall.
The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The interference wall is a cut and raised piece that extends to a part of the periphery of the opening.
The oil separation device according to claim 4.
The partition wall is located closer to the oil outlet than an intermediate position corresponding to 1/2 of the length between the introduction part and the oil outlet in the axial direction of the separation chamber.
The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
a compression mechanism that compresses refrigerant;
The oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, into which the refrigerant discharged by the compression mechanism is introduced;
an oil return path communicating from the oil outlet to the inside of the housing housing the compression mechanism;
A compressor characterized by:

Images