JPH0460357A - Apparatus for collection, regeneration, and supply of refrigerant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the operation in the aspects of both mechanical control and manual work and promote structural compactness in the operation of an apparatus for collection, regeneration, and supply of refrigerant by a setup in which a regeneration line for liquid refrigerant is built with a difference in elevation and a supply line for refrigerant from a measuring tank to a supply port, provided with a solenoid valve for opening and closing the supply line, is built. CONSTITUTION:A collection intake 10 is connected with a cooling system for collecting refrigerant. By turning on a collection switch a solenoid valve 11 is opened and a compressor 14 is actuated and the refrigerant in the cooling system is drawn into a collection line 2. The refrigerant undergoes removal of moisture by a collection drier 13, separation of oil by an oil separator 15, and liquefaction by release of heat by a condensor 20, and flows into a gas-liquid separator 30. With a regeneration line 3 having a difference H in elevation in the structure provided and with a solenoid valve 37 preliminarily opened, the liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator 30 flows through a regeneration line 3, gets purified by a regeneration drier 36, and falls into a measuring tank 40 below under its own weight.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a refrigerant recovery, regeneration, and supply device that recovers refrigerant from a refrigerator or air conditioning system, regenerates the recovered refrigerant, and supplies it as necessary. It is related to.

[Prior Art] In recent years, fluorocarbon gases used as refrigerants in refrigerators and air conditioning systems have been known to destroy the ozone layer in the stratosphere, increase the amount of ultraviolet radiation harmful to the human body, or cause global warming. It has been internationally recognized that it is prohibited to release used CFCs into the atmosphere. Therefore, there is a need for a means to recover used refrigerant, remove impurities from the recovered refrigerant and regenerate it, and reuse the refrigerant, especially for recovering, regenerating and supplying refrigerant for automotive air conditioners. There is a need for a device that is small and easy to handle.

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1123964 has proposed a system for recovering such a refrigerant and refining it for reuse. This includes a recovery control valve that connects to the refrigeration system that recovers the refrigerant, an operating compressor, a heat exchange oil separation unit that condenses the recovered refrigerant and removes impurities such as water and oil, and a A refrigerant recovery and regeneration device is disclosed, comprising a storage tank for accumulating, a regeneration device comprising a liquid pump and a filtration/drying means for removing water from the refrigerant, and a refrigerant recovery and regeneration device comprising a combination of refrigerant devices. is proposed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, such conventional refrigerant recovery and regeneration devices do not have the function of supplying the recovered refrigerant into the storage tank, and in order to reuse the purified refrigerant, A separate supply device is required, and an accumulation tank must be connected to the supply device, and its handling and workability are unsatisfactory.In addition, the above-mentioned regeneration device does not have a storage tank connected to it. An expensive liquid pump is used, and the configuration is complicated and expensive, which also poses a problem in terms of cost.

The purpose of this invention is to liquefy and recover used refrigerant, remove impurities from the recovered refrigerant liquid and regenerate it, and further regenerate the regenerated refrigerant as needed. The present invention provides a refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device with a new configuration that can be supplied for reuse, and these functions are housed in the main body of the device and manufactured in a small size.
The object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant recovery, regeneration, and supply device that is easy to transport, handle, and has excellent workability.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve these objects, the present invention forms a refrigerant recovery path from a recovery port to a gas-liquid separator, and includes a solenoid valve for opening and closing the recovery path, A recovery dryer that removes moisture from the refrigerant, a compressor, an oil separator that separates the oil in the refrigerant, and a condenser that liquefies the refrigerant are connected in sequence, and the low-pressure system operates to stop recovery operation when the pressure inside the pipe drops to a set pressure. A switch is interposed on the inflow side of the compressor to form a recovery path. Then, a measuring tank equipped with a measuring device is provided below the gas-liquid separator, a refrigerant liquid regeneration path from the gas-liquid separator to the metering tank is formed with a height difference, and the regeneration path is opened and closed. A regeneration path is constructed by interposing a solenoid valve and a regeneration dryer that purifies the refrigerant liquid.

A refrigerant supply path from the metering tank to the supply port is formed, and a solenoid valve for opening and closing the supply path is interposed in the supply path to constitute a refrigerant recovery, regeneration, and supply device.

The regeneration path can be formed from the side of the gas-liquid separator in order to have a large height difference.

Further, it is preferable for safety to interpose the low pressure switch between the recovery port and the solenoid valve.

In addition, it is preferable to communicate the inside of the gas-liquid separator with the inside of the metering tank, so that a bypass path is branched in the middle of the supply path, and the bypass path is communicated with the inside of the gas-liquid separator so that both can communicate with each other. The interior of the can can be communicated with each other, and the bypass path can be configured with a check valve that prohibits backflow of the refrigerant toward the metering tank, or a solenoid valve that opens and closes the bypass path.

[Function] According to the refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device of the present invention, the refrigerant recovered from the recovery path during the recovery operation has its moisture removed by the recovery dryer, its oil separated by the oil separator,
It liquefies in the condenser and flows into the gas-liquid separator. Then, the refrigerant liquid stored in the gas-liquid separator falls and flows into the metering tank from the regeneration path, and is purified by the regeneration dryer. When the refrigerant suction pressure decreases as recovery progresses, the low pressure switch collects the refrigerant. It activates when it detects the end of the process and stops the collection operation.

Then, the supply amount is set in advance and the refrigerant in the metering tank is supplied from the supply path, and when the amount of decrease in the refrigerant in the metering tank reaches the set supply amount by measurement with the meter, the completion of the supply is detected. supply will be stopped.

Then, when the regeneration path is formed from the side of the gas-liquid separator,
The height difference of the regeneration path is set to be large, so that the drop and flow from the gas-liquid separator to the metering tank are performed smoothly.

In addition, by installing a low pressure switch between the recovery port and the solenoid valve, it is possible to directly detect the suction pressure of the refrigerant, and even if the solenoid valve is out of order, the pressure of the refrigerant on the first recovery side can be detected. This is preferable from a safety standpoint.

Moreover, if the inside of the gas-liquid separator and the inside of the metering tank are configured to be in communication with each other, the inside of the metering tank is prevented from becoming higher in pressure than the inside of the gas-liquid separator.

By branching the bypass path in the middle of the supply path and connecting the bypass path to the inside of the gas-liquid separator can, piping can be omitted, and a check valve can be inserted in the bypass path to connect the bypass path to the metering tank side. The reverse flow of refrigerant to the refrigerant is prohibited, or a solenoid valve is provided to open and close the bypass path as necessary.

The configuration and effects of the present invention will be specifically explained below using the drawings.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a specific configuration of the present invention, which is formed by housing and disposing component members and component devices in a main body (1) of the device.

Recovery port (10) connected to the cooling system for recovering refrigerant
A refrigerant recovery path (2) is formed from the refrigerant to the gas-liquid separator (30) housed in the main body (1), and a solenoid valve (11) that is opened during recovery operation is connected to the recovery port (10). A low pressure switch (12) is interposed between the recovery port (10) and the electromagnetic valve (11), which operates to stop the recovery operation when the pressure inside the pipe drops to a set pressure and detects the end of recovery. A recovery dryer (13), a compressor (14), and an oil separator (15) are successively connected downstream of the solenoid valve (11).

The recovery dryer (13) removes moisture in the refrigerant to protect the downstream compressor (14), and the compressor (14) sucks the refrigerant in the cooling system into the recovery path (2). A recovery operation is performed, and the lubricating oil contained in the refrigerant sent out from the compressor (14) is separated by an oil separator (15), and an oil drain path (
16) is connected to the inlet side of the compressor (14) and is configured to reuse the lubricating oil. A condenser (20) for liquefying the refrigerant is disposed downstream of the oil separator (15), and the condenser (20) blows air to the heat exchanger (22) using a fan (21). ) is condensed and liquefied by radiation cooling. A high pressure switch (17) is installed between the oil separator (15) and the condenser (20), which detects the discharge pressure of the compressor (14) and is activated to stop the recovery operation when the pressure inside the pipe rises to a set pressure. Intervention is provided.

Further downstream, a check valve (24) is installed to prevent backflow of the refrigerant liquefied in the condenser (20), and a gas-liquid separator (30) is installed.
A refrigerant recovery path (2) is constructed by connecting the above-mentioned members and equipment.

The gas-liquid separator (30) includes a safety valve (31) that opens when the pressure inside the can rises to a set level, and a safety valve (31) that is set in advance to open at the end of the recovery operation to release air accumulated in the upper part of the can. A solenoid valve (32) for venting is installed from the top surface <30a), and a liquid level switch (33) is installed inside the can to detect the liquid level and stop the recovery operation when the specified liquid level is reached. It is provided.

Further, an on-off valve (34) for discharging impurities that settle and remain in the can is provided from the bottom (30b).

A measuring tank (40) is located below the gas-liquid separator (30).
A refrigerant liquid regeneration path 3) extending from the side surface (30C) of the gas-liquid separator (30) to the top surface (40a) of the metering tank (40) is formed with a height difference H. The regeneration path (3) is provided with a regeneration dryer (36) that adsorbs and removes impurities such as moisture and acid to purify the refrigerant liquid, and a solenoid valve (37) that is opened during regeneration operation. . Also,
The measuring tank (40) is a measuring device (41) such as a load cell type.
It is configured to be able to measure and detect the amount of liquid in the can.

A supply path (4) through which the vaporized refrigerant is discharged is formed from the top surface (40a) of the metering tank (40), and the metering tank (40a)
40) and the regeneration path (3) and supply path (4) are connected using flexible hoses (43) and (44), respectively. The supply path (4) branches into a bypass path (5) in the middle, and the bypass path (5) is connected to the upper surface (30a) of the gas-liquid separator (30) and connects to the can of the gas-liquid separator (30). communicated within.

Therefore, the bypass path (5) allows the gas-liquid separator (3
The inside of the can of 0) and the inside of the measuring tank (40) are communicated,
The pressure inside the metering tank (40) is prevented from becoming higher than that inside the gas-liquid separator (30). Bypass road (5
) is provided with a check valve (46) and the measuring tank (40
It is also possible to prohibit the backflow of the refrigerant to the ) side, provide a solenoid valve instead of the check valve (46), and open and close the bypass path (5) as necessary. The supply path (4) has a moisture indicator (47) and a solenoid valve (4) that opens during supply operation downstream of the branched bypass iN<5>.
8) is interposed, and the solenoid valve (48) is connected to a supply port (50) that is connected to a cooling system that supplies refrigerant or a storage tank that separately accommodates refrigerant. Note that the moisture indicator (41) may be configured to be interposed in the regeneration path (3).

Next, the operation of this refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device will be explained.

Figure 2 is a flowchart showing an example of operation and control procedures.
Based on this, a step-by-step explanation will be given.

First, when the power of the control circuit is turned on, the solenoid valve (31) is opened in advance and the regeneration H (3) is opened, so that recovery and regeneration operation and supply operation can be performed.

■ Recovery and regeneration operation First, the recovery port (10) is connected to the cooling system for recovering the refrigerant.

Next, when the recovery switch is closed, the solenoid valve (11) is opened, the compressor (14) is started, and the refrigerant in the cooling system is sucked into the recovery path (2). The moisture is removed from the refrigerant in a recovery dryer (13), and the water is removed from the refrigerant through an oil separator (15).
The oil is separated and liquefied by dissipating heat in the condenser (20).
It flows into the gas-liquid separator (30). Then, the regeneration path (3
) is formed with a height difference H, and the solenoid valve (37) is opened in advance, so the refrigerant liquid in the gas-liquid separator (30) flows into the regeneration path (3) and the regeneration dryer (36 ), and falls and flows into the lower measuring tank (40) due to its own weight.

The refrigerant liquid in the measuring tank (40) is measured by a measuring device (41), and when the specified amount is reached, full liquid is detected and the solenoid valve (3
7) is opened and the regeneration path (3) is blocked.

When the refrigerant liquid in the gas-liquid separator (30) reaches the specified liquid level, the liquid level switch (33) is activated, the solenoid valve (11) is closed, the compressor (14) is stopped, and recovery operation is started. The tank will stop and notify that the liquid is full by flashing a warning light or issuing an alarm.

When the discharge pressure of the compressor (14) increases abnormally, the high pressure switch (17) is activated, the solenoid valve (11) is closed, the compressor (14) is stopped, and the recovery operation is stopped. Notify abnormalities through display means.

When the recovery progresses and the suction pressure drops to the set pressure, the low pressure switch (12) is activated and the solenoid valve (11) is closed.
The compressor (14) stops and the recovery operation is terminated, the completion of recovery is notified by an appropriate display means, and the solenoid valve (32) is opened for an instant, and the gas inside the can of the gas-liquid separator (30) is discharged. Take care.

■ Supply Operation First, the supply port (50) is connected to a device for supplying refrigerant, such as another cooling system or a storage tank that separately stores refrigerant.

When the supply amount is set in advance, the solenoid valve (37) is closed and the regeneration path (3) is cut off.

When the supply switch is turned on, the solenoid valve (48) is opened, the supply path (4) is opened, and supply is started. Measuring instrument (41)
If the amount of refrigerant in the metering tank (40) is insufficient than the set supply amount by measurement, an appropriate display means will notify the user of the shortage of liquid amount.

When the supply progresses and the amount of decrease in refrigerant in the metering tank (40) reaches the set supply amount as measured by the meter (41), the solenoid valve (48) closes and the supply path (4) is cut off. , the completion of supply is notified by appropriate display means. And the solenoid valve (
37) is opened, recovery of the refrigerant into the metering tank (40) and regeneration operation can be continued.

As described above, the refrigerant supply operation can be performed even during recovery and regeneration operations, so that efficient operation can be achieved.

[Effect The characteristic effects of this invention are as follows.

The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device of the present invention has a recovery port (1
Refrigerant recovery path (2) from 0) to the gas-liquid separator (3o)
from the gas-liquid separator (30) to the metering tank (40).
A refrigerant liquid regeneration path (3) is formed to reach the metering tank (4).
0) to the supply port (50), liquefies and recovers the used refrigerant, refines and regenerates the recovered refrigerant liquid, and regenerates the regenerated refrigerant at any time. It can be supplied as needed. And the recovery path (2),
Solenoid valves (11) and (31) are installed in the regeneration path (3) and the supply path (4).
) and (48), and by switching the opening and closing of these, refrigerant recovery, regeneration, and supply can be performed independently, or can be set to be performed simultaneously. Since the tank (40) is equipped with a measuring device (41), the amount of liquid in the can is measured, and it is possible to set the supply amount in advance and perform a supply operation, resulting in excellent operability and workability. It is.

In addition, the refrigerant liquid regeneration path (3) is formed with a height difference H, and the cold iA liquid is regenerated by its own weight from the metering tank (4).
0), and there is no need for a liquid pump for regeneration circulation or a separate circulation device, so it is manufactured at a low location, and the gas-liquid separator (30) and metering tank (4)
0) are arranged vertically and housed in the device main body (1), allowing the device main body to be made small and thin.

Therefore, this device is convenient to transport and handle, and is particularly suitable for use in factories, service stations, etc. as a device for recovering and supplying refrigerant for automobile air conditioning systems.

In addition, the regeneration path (3) is connected to the side surface (30) of the gas-liquid separator (30).
When formed from c), it is possible to set a large height difference H, and the refrigerant can smoothly fall and flow from the regeneration path (3) into the metering tank (40), and
Impurities remaining at the bottom of the gas-liquid separator (30) are removed from the regeneration path (
3) can be prevented from flowing into.

In addition, as mentioned above, if the low pressure switch (12) is interposed between the recovery port (10) and the solenoid valve (11), even if the solenoid valve (11) is defective, the pressure of the refrigerant on the recovery side will be reduced. can be detected directly, increasing operational reliability and enabling safe operation.

In addition, the inside of the gas-liquid separator (30) and the measuring tank (40)
By forming an oval in communication with the inside of the can, it is possible to prevent the inside of the metering tank (40) from becoming higher pressure than the inside of the gas-liquid separator (30), and the refrigerant liquid can be smoothly routed from the regeneration path (3). fell into
The refrigerant liquid can be regenerated stably. It is also possible to separately form a pipe that communicates from the metering tank (40) to the gas-liquid separator (30) to communicate the insides of both cans, but a bypass R (5 ), the bypass passage (5) is communicated with the can of the gas-liquid separator (30) to form an oval, and the flow of the bypass passage (5) is controlled using a check valve (46) or a solenoid valve. When configured under control, the piping can be simplified, and in particular, the piping connection of the metering tank (4o) can be omitted, resulting in practical effects such as being able to be configured rationally.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of this invention, with Figure 1 being an overall configuration diagram and Figure 2 being an overall configuration diagram.
The figure is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of the operation. Death: Recovery route, 3: Regeneration route, 4: Supply route, 5:
...Bypass path, 10--Recovery port, 11--Solenoid valve, 12--Low pressure switch, 13--Recovery dryer, 14--Compressor, 15--Oil separator, 2
0-... Condenser, 30... Gas-liquid separator, 30cm...
Side, 36... Regeneration dryer, 37... Solenoid valve,
40--Measuring tank, 41--Measuring device, 46...
Check valve, 48. ,. Solenoid valve, 50-... Supply port Patent applicant Izumi Giken Co., Ltd.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A solenoid valve (11) that forms a refrigerant recovery path (2) from the recovery port (10) to the gas-liquid separator (30), opens and closes the recovery path (2), and a recovery valve that removes moisture in the refrigerant. A dryer (13), a compressor (14), an oil separator (15) that separates oil in the refrigerant, and a condenser (15) that liquefies the refrigerant.
20) are connected in sequence, and a low pressure switch (12) that operates to stop the recovery operation when the pressure in the pipe drops to the set pressure is interposed on the inflow side of the compressor (14) to form the recovery path (2). A measuring tank (40) equipped with a measuring device (41) is provided below the gas-liquid separator (30), and a refrigerant liquid regeneration path is provided from the gas-liquid separator (30) to the measuring tank (40). (3) with a height difference H, a solenoid valve (37) for opening and closing the regeneration path (3), and a regeneration dryer (36) for refining the refrigerant liquid.
) to form a regeneration path (3), forming a refrigerant supply path (4) from the metering tank (40) to the supply port (50), and a solenoid valve for opening and closing the supply path (4). A refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device configured by interposing (48) in the supply path (4). 2. The regeneration path (3) is connected to the side (3) of the gas-liquid separator (30).
2. The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply system of claim 1 formed from 0c). 3. The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the low pressure switch (12) is interposed between the recovery port (10) and the solenoid valve (11). 4. Inside the can of the gas-liquid separator (30) and the measuring tank (40)
The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply apparatus communicates with the inside of the can. 5. 5. The refrigerant recovery, regeneration, and supply apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a bypass path (5) is branched in the middle of the supply path (4), and the bypass path (5) is communicated with the can of the gas-liquid separator (30). 6. 6. The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the bypass passage (5) is provided with a check valve (46) for prohibiting the refrigerant from flowing back toward the metering tank (40). 7. The refrigerant recovery, regeneration and supply device according to claim 5, wherein the bypass path (5) is provided with a solenoid valve for opening and closing the bypass path (5).