JPH02287066A - Moisture-separating device for refrigeration cycle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make moisture at all times and assuredly and exclusively separable from the refrigerant in a circulation line by providing a thin membranous material capable of allowing only moisture to permeate and to be separated from refrigerant and by providing also means for accelerating the permeation and separation. CONSTITUTION:Moisture which has entered and has been mixed with circulating refrigerant circulates in the refrigeration cycle with the refrigerant. When this condition of circulating refrigerant occurs under high pressure in a pipe 31, to a horizontal intermediate underside location of which is downwardly attached a moisture-separating device 8, only the moisture in the circulating refrigerant penetrates into the casing 70 of the moisture-separating device 8 through communicating holes in a thin metal film 62, through a moisture-permeable membrane 61, and through communicating holes in a thin metal film 63 and is absorbed by a drying agent 90, whereas the moisture-permeable membrane 61 shuts out the circulating refrigerant in the pipe 31 from permeation. Thus moisture in the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle is separated assuredly so that the cooling function and the life inherent in the refrigeration cycle can be kept unimpaired.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a refrigeration cycle, and more particularly to a moisture separation device suitable for separating only moisture contained in a circulating refrigerant in a refrigerant circulation passage of the refrigeration cycle. .

(Prior art) Conventionally, in this type of water separator, a branch pipe is connected between the evaporator and the compressor of the refrigeration cycle, as shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application No. 56-8.6472. There is a system in which a pipe is provided and a container filled with a desiccant is assembled into the branch pipe so that the desiccant absorbs moisture contained in the refrigerant flowing from the pipe through the branch pipe and into the container.

(Problem to be solved by the invention "U") However, in such a configuration, the desiccant in the container only has a moisture absorption capacity that matches the amount of water it is filled with, so the absorption and separation of the moisture contained in the refrigerant is insufficient. As a result, the metal parts of the refrigeration cycle may suffer internal ILV corrosion due to the moisture content of the refrigerant, or the cooling capacity of the evaporator may deteriorate due to the freezing of the moisture content within the expansion valve. This may lead to a decrease in air pressure and a malfunction of the compressor.

To deal with this, it is possible to increase the amount of desiccant to be filled into the container, or to periodically replace the filled desiccant with new desiccant. However, in the former case,
This results in an unnecessary increase in the amount of desiccant fX and an increase in the volume of the container. In addition, in the latter case, the refrigerant must also be replaced during periodic replacement, which necessitates an increase in the amount of desiccant filled in the same way as described above. Further, in view of the above, it is also desired to realize separation of only the moisture contained in the refrigerant without using a desiccant.

Therefore, in order to deal with the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a moisture separation device that always reliably separates only the moisture contained in the refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation path in the refrigeration cycle. It is something.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the problems, the configuration of the present invention is such that it is assembled into an opening formed in a part of the peripheral wall of a refrigerant circulation passage in a refrigeration cycle so as to close the opening. The present invention includes a thin plate-like permeation separation member that allows only moisture containing refrigerant to permeate and separate outward from the opening, and a permeation separation promoting means that promotes permeation separation of the permeation separation member. .

(Operation and Effect) By configuring the present invention in this way, even if the circulating refrigerant in the refrigerant circulation passage contains moisture, only this contained moisture is absorbed by the permeation separation promoting means. It is easily permeated and separated to the outside by the permeation separation member. This means that such permeation separation is always achieved reliably without unnecessary dependence on desiccants. As a result, the moisture contained in the circulating refrigerant is constantly removed, and the original normal cooling capacity and life of the refrigeration cycle can be sufficiently maintained.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show an overall configuration in which an example of the moisture separation device S according to the present invention is applied to a refrigeration cycle for a vehicle. There is. The refrigeration cycle has a compressor 10, which is selectively driven by the engine of the vehicle, compresses the incoming refrigerant, and discharges it as a high-temperature, high-pressure compressed refrigerant into a pipe 12 through a rubber hose 11. do. The condenser 20 condenses the compressed refrigerant from the pipe 12 and transfers it to the pipe 2.
1 and flows into the receiver 30 as a condensed refrigerant.

The receiver 30 separates the incoming condensed refrigerant into gas and liquid, and causes the liquid phase component to flow into the expansion valve 40 through the pipe 31 as a circulating refrigerant. The expansion valve 40 expands the inflow circulating refrigerant according to its opening degree and causes it to flow into the evaporator 50 through the pipe 41. The evaporator 50 cools the medium to be cooled according to the inflowing refrigerant, and causes the inflowing refrigerant to flow into the compressor 1o through a pipe 51 and a rubber hose 52.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the moisture separator S is attached to the lower side of the outer wall of the horizontal intermediate portion of the pipe 31 in a hanging manner. As shown in FIG. 2, this moisture separator S has a three-layer polymeric thin plate body 6°, and this polymeric thin plate body 6o is formed on the lower side of the outer wall of the pipe 31 so as to protrude downward. The outer circumferential edge portion thereof is fitted into an annular groove portion 32a formed in the inner circumferential wall of an annular opening portion 32, and the opening portion 32 is assembled in such a manner that the groove portion 32a is closed.

The polymerized thin plate body 60 is constructed by superposing thin metal plates 62 and 63 on a water permeable membrane 61 from its upper and lower surfaces (see FIGS. 1 and 3).
It is formed of a polyimide membrane (about 50 (μm) thick) that has good water permeability only to the water contained in the refrigerant. As shown in FIG. 3, the thin metal plate 62 is formed by drilling a plurality of communicating holes 62a to 62a in a discrete manner, while the thin metal plate 63 has a plurality of communicating holes 63a to 63a.
are opposed to the plurality of communication holes 62a to 62a with the same shape, respectively, with the moisture permeable membrane 61 interposed therebetween. In such case,
Both thin metal plates 62 and 63 play the role of reinforcing the moisture permeation [61] so as not to be deformed in the vertical direction regardless of external pressure due to their respective elasticities.

Further, the moisture separation bag Ws has a casing 70 having the cross-sectional shape shown in FIG.
is assembled with its large diameter opening 71 fastened to the opening 32 of the pipe 31 from above and below and from the outside. Further, an O-ring 8o is press-inserted between the stepped portion of the casing 70 and the end face of the opening 32 by fastening to the opening 1-] portion 32 of the casing 70. The desiccant 90 housed in the small diameter portion of the 70 is sealed from the outside.

In this embodiment configured as described above, when the compressor 10 is driven when the engine of the heavy vehicle is started, the compressor 10 compresses the incoming refrigerant and converts it into a high-temperature, high-pressure compressed refrigerant into a rubber port. 11 and is discharged into piping 12. In other words, the compressed refrigerant from this pipe 12 is
The refrigerant is condensed by the condenser 20 and flows into the receiver 30 through the pipe 21, where it is separated into gas and liquid.

Then, only the liquid phase component from the reservoir 30 flows into the expansion valve 40 through the piping 31 as a circulating refrigerant, is expanded, and passes through the piping 41 as a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant into the evaporator 50.
(a). Therefore, the evaporator 50 cools the medium to be cooled according to the inflowing refrigerant, and the refrigerant flows into the compressor 0 through the pipe 51 and the rubber hose 52.

During the refrigerant circulation process in such a refrigeration cycle, moisture may enter into each rubber hose 11.52 from the outside through the peripheral wall,
1.41 and 51 or from the connecting end of each rubber hose 11.52 each piping acid l/) (Moisture may enter into each rubber hose, and this moisture mixes with the circulating refrigerant and circulates in the refrigeration cycle with it. It is assumed that the

In such a state, the refrigerant in the pipe 31 is at high pressure and the moisture separation bag ZS hangs downward from the horizontal middle part of the pipe 31, so the circulating refrigerant in the pipe 31 is not absorbed by the moisture permeable membrane. 61, only the moisture in the circulating refrigerant flows through the communication hole 6 of the thin metal plate 62.
2a, each communication hole 63 of the moisture permeable membrane 61 and the thin metal plate 63
a and enters the casing 70 and is absorbed by the desiccant 90. Therefore, since the moisture contained in the circulating refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle is reliably separated, the original cooling function and service life of the refrigeration cycle can be ensured.

In this case, since the moisture permeable membrane 61 is held between the two thin metal plates 62 and 63 by their elasticity, the moisture permeable membrane 6 does not bend even under the pressure of the circulating refrigerant.

For the desiccant (90), remove the fastening of the opening 32 of the casing 70 and open the gauging 70 while the 21st Reza 1 (-) is stopped. 1-
Release the first part from 32 and gage new desiccant at 70.
-1. Open the casing 70 again with 1-
Part 1'32 states that (1) The ring 80 should be tightened in the same manner as described in 7-1. Any inconvenience will definitely be resolved. Also, when replacing the desiccant,
This can be done with a simple operation as described above, and the amount of desiccant stored in the casing 70 can be kept to a small amount.Moreover, the moisture separator S can be assembled by a person, and the refrigerant in the pipe 31 can be refrigerated as described above. Since the refrigerant is at high temperature and high pressure, the water vapor pressure in the refrigerant is high.Therefore, the separation of 4< minutes as described in 2F can be quickly achieved.In addition, due to the sealing function of the O-ring 80, the water vapor pressure in the refrigerant is high. Moisture does not enter into the casing 70.

Next, a modification of the surface layer embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. 71. In this modification, ζ is the water separator Sa
However, in place of the moisture separator S described in the auxiliary layer embodiment, it is installed in a hanging manner on the lower side of the outer wall of the horizontal intermediate portion of the pipe 12 near the rubber port 1. In this moisture separator Sa, the casing 70 described in the auxiliary layer embodiment
is assembled into the annular opening 1.2a projecting from the side of the outer wall F of the piping 12 and fastened from below and from the outside, and the moisture permeable membrane 61 and Open the metal thin plate 62 to the step part of the casing 70! -1 copy], 2
7 casing 7 via the O ring 80 between the end face of a
0 to the opening 12a, and the piping 51
The intermediate portion of the casing 70 is passed through the small diameter portion of the gauging 70 airtightly in a U-shape as shown in FIG. is configured to do so. Note that the drain pipe 72 is bent to prevent moisture from entering from the outside.

In this modified example configured in this way, the refrigerant in the pipe 51 is at a low temperature, and the saturated vapor pressure in the small diameter portion of the casing 70 is low, so the saturated vapor pressure at the same temperature (for example, 10° Based on the fact that the water vapor pressure is suppressed to 92rnm)-1g) at C, the water vapor pressure is lower in the lower part than in ) and 'ji of the moisture permeable membrane 61. Therefore, due to this water vapor pressure difference, the moisture in the refrigerant in the pipe 12 is efficiently permeated and separated into the small fR portion of the casing 70 via the moisture permeable membrane 6. Therefore, the moisture contained in the circulating refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle can be separated without depending on the desiccant 90.

In addition, in this modification, the passage of the pipe 51 into the casing 70 is omitted, and the suction lower 3 is extended from the small diameter portion of the casing 70 as shown in FIG. Even if negative pressure of the engine is applied to the small diameter portion of the engine to form a water vapor pressure difference as described in L, substantially the same effect can be achieved.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention and is enlarged [! Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a refrigeration cycle to which the present invention is applied; Fig. 3 is an enlarged oblique view of the main part of the present invention in Fig. 1; Fig. 1 is a partial modification of the above embodiment. A cross section showing an example ['21] and FIG. 5 are cross-sectional views showing a modification of the same area.

Explanation of symbols 10...Compressor, 11.52...Rubber port, 12, 21.3], 41.51...Piping, 12a
, 32... opening, 30 - receiver, 40...
Expansion valve, 50... Evaporator, 61... Moisture permeable membrane, 62.63... Metal thin plate, 70... Casing, 72... Drain pipe, 73... Suction port, S, Sa...
・Water separation device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A thin plate that is assembled to close an opening formed in a part of the peripheral wall of a refrigerant circulation passage in a refrigeration cycle and allows only moisture contained in the refrigerant to permeate and separate outward from the opening. A moisture separation device for a refrigeration cycle, comprising a permeation separation member and permeation separation promoting means for promoting permeation separation of the permeation separation member.