JPH07332783A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To effectively remove moisture and foreign matter such as a wear powder, etc., without rescattering from a refrigerant and to reduce the pressure loss of the refrigerant in a refrigerator using a hydroflourocarbon(H.F.C) refrigerant containing a large water content. CONSTITUTION:A refrigerant using an H.F.C refrigerant comprises a desiccant vessel 9 having a larger inner diameter than that of refrigerant tubes 17, 18 and a zeolite desiccant 10 partly in the tubes 17, 18, and a unidirectional flow means having four check valves 13, 14, 15, 16 or four solenoid valves before and after the vessel, wherein a refrigerant flow is always unidirectional at the times of both cooling and heating.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigeration system using a hydrofluorocarbon (hereinafter referred to as HFC) refrigerant.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional refrigeration systems for air conditioning use C.I. F. C
(Chlorofluorocarbon) type refrigerant or H. C. FC type refrigerant (CHClF ₂ ) is used for cooling and heating.

FIG. 4 shows the flow of the refrigerant when a desiccant container is used in the refrigeration system. A desiccant container 9 is filled with a filter desiccant 10. During cooling, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipes as indicated by arrows 7 and 8, and during heating, the refrigerant flows in the direction opposite to that during cooling as indicated by arrows 11 and 12. Therefore, in the desiccant container 9, the refrigerant flows as shown by the arrow a during cooling and flows in the opposite direction as shown by the arrow b during heating.

Since the water content in the refrigeration system is usually low, no desiccant other than the filter desiccant is installed in the refrigeration system.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] F. In a refrigerating apparatus using a C-based refrigerant (mixed refrigerant), H.264. F. Due to lack of solubility of the C-based refrigerant in the lubricating oil, it is necessary to use the ester-based lubricating oil instead of the conventional mineral oil-based or alkylbenzene-based lubricating oil. However, H. F. C-based refrigerants are conventional C.I. F. C system and H.I. C. The water content is higher than that of the FC refrigerant, and the ester lubricating oil has a higher water content than the mineral oil-based and alkylbenzene-based lubricating oils.

As described above, when the water content of the refrigerant and the lubricating oil is high, the amount of water carried into the refrigeration system increases, which causes the ester oil to age due to the hydrolysis reaction with the ester oil and the total acid content. When the value is increased and the product is operated for a long time, the corrosion of the metal material occurs due to the increase in the total acid value. In addition, H. F. Due to lack of lubricity in C-based refrigerants, the amount of wear is less than that of conventional C.I. F. C system and H.I. C. FC
It can be seen that the tendency is to increase compared to when using a system refrigerant. Therefore, H. F. When using a C-based refrigerant, it is important to remove water and abrasion powder in the refrigeration system from the viewpoint of improving reliability.

In the conventional cooling / freezing operation (cooling only), since the flow direction of the refrigerant is always one direction, there is no problem even if the filter desiccant shown in FIG. 4 is used. However, in an air conditioner that uses both cooling and heating, the flow of refrigerant through the filter desiccant is opposite during cooling and during heating. Moisture collected by the filter desiccant remains collected even when the flow of the refrigerant is reversed, but foreign matter such as abrasion powder collected by the filter desiccant becomes reverse when the flow of the refrigerant is reversed. It will be dissipated, and reliability will be lost.

The present invention is intended to provide a refrigerating apparatus which can solve the above problems.

[0009]

The present invention has taken the following means. (1) H. F. In a refrigeration apparatus using a C-based refrigerant, a desiccant container having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe and filled with a zeolite-based desiccant is provided in a part of the refrigerant pipe forming the refrigerant circulation path, and the same drying is performed. It is characterized in that a one-way flow means of the refrigerant is attached to the front and rear of the agent container to keep the flow of the refrigerant always constant during the cooling / heating operation. (2) In the refrigerating apparatus of (1), the one-way flow means is provided in the refrigerant pipes in front of and behind the desiccant container, and each of the first and second check valves allows the refrigerant to flow in one direction. Provided in a first branch pipe that branches from the refrigerant pipe at a position opposite to the desiccant container of the second check valve and joins the refrigerant pipe between the first check valve and the desiccant container The third that allows the flow of the refrigerant in the opposite direction to the first and second check valves
Check valve, and a second branch that branches from the refrigerant pipe between the second check valve and the desiccant container and joins the refrigerant pipe at a position on the opposite side of the first check valve from the desiccant container. It is characterized in that it comprises a fourth check valve which is provided in the pipe and allows the flow of the refrigerant in the opposite direction to the first and second check valves. (3) In the refrigerating apparatus of (1), the one-way flow means includes first and second solenoid valves provided in refrigerant pipes before and after the desiccant container, and a first solenoid valve of the refrigerant pipe. And a third solenoid valve provided on each of the two connecting pipes that connect the front and rear portions of the same to the front and rear portions of the second solenoid valve of the refrigerant pipe, respectively. To do.

[0010]

In the present invention (1), since the desiccant container is arranged in the refrigerant pipe constituting the refrigerant circulation path and the one-way flow means of the refrigerant is attached before and after the desiccant container, both in cooling and heating. The flow of the refrigerant in the zeolite desiccant is always in one direction, and the water in the refrigerant and the water in the lubricating oil are adsorbed and removed, and at the same time, foreign matter such as abrasion powder is constantly trapped to prevent scattering.

For example, when the refrigerating apparatus is operated for about 100 to 200 hours, most of the water in the refrigerant circulation system is adsorbed by the zeolite desiccant, and thereafter the operation is performed under a low water concentration.

Further, since the desiccant container filled with the zeolite desiccant has an inner diameter larger than that of the refrigerant pipe as described above, the pressure loss of the refrigerant is reduced to a negligible level,
In addition, foreign matters such as water and abrasion powder are sufficiently collected.

Since the present invention (2) is provided with the above-mentioned means, when the refrigerant flows in the refrigerant circulation path in one direction during cooling or heating, the first and second reverse directions are provided. The stop valve allows the flow of the refrigerant, and the third and fourth check valves block the flow of the refrigerant. Thus, the refrigerant will flow sequentially through the first check valve, the desiccant container and the second check valve. On the other hand, when the refrigerant flows in the opposite direction to the refrigerant circulation path during heating or cooling, the first and second check valves block the flow of the refrigerant, and the third and fourth check valves. The valve allows the flow of refrigerant. Therefore, the refrigerant is introduced into the desiccant container from the first check valve side through the first branch pipe provided with the third check valve, and from the second check valve side of the desiccant container. It is discharged and flows through the second branch pipe provided with the fourth check valve. As described above, the refrigerant can always flow in one direction from the first check valve side to the second check valve side in the desiccant container during both cooling and heating.

Since the present invention (3) is provided with the above-mentioned means, when the refrigerant flows in one direction in the refrigerant circulation path during cooling or heating, the first and second solenoid valves are provided. Close and open the third and fourth solenoid valves. by this,
The refrigerant passes through the connecting pipe provided with the third solenoid valve to the second
From the electromagnetic valve side into the desiccant container, is discharged from the desiccant container on the first electromagnetic valve side, and flows through the connecting pipe provided with the fourth electromagnetic valve. On the other hand, when the refrigerant flows in the opposite direction to the refrigerant circulation path during heating or cooling, the first and second solenoid valves are opened and the third and fourth solenoid valves are closed. This causes the refrigerant to flow sequentially through the first solenoid valve, the desiccant container, and the second solenoid valve. As described above, the refrigerant always flows in one direction in the desiccant container both during cooling and during heating.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is based on H.264. F. With regard to a refrigerating apparatus using a C-based refrigerant, as shown in FIG. 2, a compressor 3 with a built-in motor, a condenser 4, a filter desiccant container 9, an evaporator 6 and an accumulator 2 are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circulation path. It is provided with a refrigerant pipe 1 that constitutes it.

As shown in FIG. 1, the refrigerant pipe 17 connecting the evaporator 6 and the desiccant container 9 allows a unidirectional flow of the refrigerant from the evaporator 6 side to the condenser 4 side while allowing the refrigerant to flow in the opposite direction. A first check valve 13 that blocks the flow of the refrigerant is provided, and the refrigerant pipe 18 that connects the desiccant container 9 and the condenser 4 has a one-way direction from the evaporator 6 side to the condenser 4 side. A second check valve 14 is provided that allows the flow of the refrigerant and blocks the flow of the refrigerant in the opposite direction.

A first branch pipe 19 branches from the position of the second check valve 14 of the refrigerant pipe 18 on the opposite side (condenser side) of the desiccant container 9, and the branch pipe 19 is the first reverse pipe. Stop valve 13
And the desiccant container 9 are joined to the refrigerant pipe 17. In addition, a second branch pipe 20 branches from the refrigerant pipe 18 between the desiccant container 9 and the second check valve 14, and the branch pipe 20 connects the first check valve 13 of the refrigerant pipe 17. It joins the refrigerant pipe 17 at a position on the opposite side (evaporator side) of the desiccant container 9. In the first and second branch pipes 19 and 20, respectively, third and fourth check valves 15 that allow the flow of the refrigerant from the condenser side to the evaporator side and block the flow of the refrigerant in the opposite direction. , 16 are provided.

The desiccant container 9 is formed in an annular shape or a cylindrical shape. The desiccant container 9 is filled with a zeolite-based filter desiccant 10, and the desiccant container 9 is provided with a refrigerant pipe 17. , 18 has a larger inner diameter than the inner diameter. Further, the refrigerant flows in the desiccant container 9 from the inside to the outside as shown by the arrow in FIG.
It is designed to pass 0.

In this embodiment, the refrigerant 7 is used during cooling.
Is the refrigerant pipe 17 from the evaporator side as shown by the arrow in FIG.
After passing through the first check valve 13 and being introduced into the desiccant container 9, the filter desiccant 10 collects moisture and foreign matter such as abrasion powder, and the refrigerant 8 dries as shown by the arrow. It flows from the agent container 9 to the condenser side through the second check valve 14.

On the other hand, during heating, the refrigerant 11 passes through the refrigerant pipe 18, the first branch pipe 19, and the third check valve 15 from the condenser side as shown by the arrow in FIG. Valve 13
Of the filter desiccant 1 introduced into the desiccant container 9 from the side of
In addition to collecting water and foreign matter such as abrasion powder by 0, the refrigerant 12 is discharged from the second check valve 14 side of the desiccant container 9 as shown by the arrow, and the second branch pipe 20, After passing through the check valve 16 of No. 4, it enters the refrigerant pipe 17 and flows to the evaporator side.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the H.V. F. The C-based refrigerant always flows in the desiccant container 9 in one direction. Therefore, H. F. Dispersion of water and foreign matter such as abrasion powder collected from the C-based refrigerant is prevented.

Further, the inner diameter of the desiccant container 9 is equal to that of the refrigerant pipe 1.
Since the inner diameter is larger than the inner diameters of 7 and 18, the pressure loss of the refrigerant in the desiccant container 9 can be reduced, and foreign matters such as water and abrasion powder can be efficiently collected.

The second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is the first embodiment of the first embodiment.
Or, the fourth check valve and the first and second branch pipes are eliminated, and a solenoid valve and a connecting pipe described below are provided.

That is, the first electromagnetic valve 31 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 17 connecting the desiccant container 9 and the evaporator, and the second electromagnetic valve 31 is provided in the refrigerant pipe 18 connecting the desiccant container 9 and the condenser. A solenoid valve 32 is provided.

A portion of the refrigerant pipe 17 on the evaporator side of the first electromagnetic valve 31 and a portion of the refrigerant pipe 18 between the desiccant container 9 and the second electromagnetic valve 32 are connected by a first connecting pipe 41. The first solenoid valve 3 connected to the refrigerant pipe 17
A portion between 1 and the desiccant container 9 and a portion of the refrigerant pipe on the condenser side of the second solenoid valve 32 are connected by a second connecting pipe 42. Third and fourth electromagnetic valves 33 and 34 are provided on the first and second communication pipes 41 and 42, respectively.

In this embodiment, the solenoid valve 31,
32 is closed and solenoid valves 33 and 34 are opened. As a result, the refrigerant is introduced into the desiccant container 9 from the evaporator side through the refrigerant pipe 17, the first communication pipe 41, and the refrigerant pipe 18, as shown by the solid arrow A, and further from the desiccant container 9 to the refrigerant. It flows to the condenser side through the pipe 17, the second connecting pipe 42 and the refrigerant pipe 18.

On the other hand, during heating, the solenoid valves 31 and 32 are opened and the solenoid valves 33 and 34 are closed. As a result, the refrigerant flows from the condenser side to the refrigerant pipe 1 as shown by the dotted arrow B.
8 is introduced into the desiccant container 9 and further flows from the desiccant container 9 through the refrigerant pipe 17 to the evaporator side.

As shown by arrows A and B in FIG. 3, the refrigerant is
Both during cooling and during heating, they flow in the same direction in the desiccant container 9 and, as in the first embodiment, H. F. It is possible to prevent the moisture collected from the C-based refrigerant and foreign matter such as abrasion powder from being dissipated.

Next, the present invention will be described with respect to a field test conducted by using an air conditioner cooling / heating machine.
As the refrigerator, a model having a refrigerating capacity of about 4000 kcal / Hr was used. Using the refrigerating apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant is R-1.
34a (CF ₃ CH ₂ F) is used, and the desiccant container is shown in FIG.
A cylindrical type with a check valve shown in Fig. 3 was filled with about 3 g of filter desiccant.

After filling 0.6 liter of oil and 2 kg of refrigerant, the water concentration of each was measured and the concentration of foreign matter in the oil was measured at each elapsed time. The results are shown in Table 1.

The cooling and heating operations are alternately performed for 100 hours.
It changed every time and operated for a total of 2000 hours.

[0032]

[Table 1]

As shown in Table 1, about 3 g of filter desiccant can remove water in the refrigerant and oil, and
No problems occurred during long-term driving.

By the way, conventionally, during the 2000 Hr durability test, the amount of foreign matter was increased due to the adhesion of abrasion powder to the filter desiccant and the re-dispersion, and the foreign matter was re-dispersed as one of the causes of the trouble. However, in the present invention, there is no re-scattering due to the operation of the check valve, and it is possible to remove water, and no trouble phenomenon was observed.

[0035]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention has the structure described in claims 1 to 3 of the invention, and thereby reduces the pressure loss of the refrigerant to remove water in the refrigerant and collect and re-disperse foreign matter. Can be prevented. Therefore, H. F. C
It is possible to remove water and foreign matter from the system refrigerant at the same time, and it is possible to significantly improve the durability time and significantly reduce the occurrence rate of defects.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a desiccant container and its vicinity according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the whole of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a desiccant container of a conventional refrigeration system and its vicinity.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Refrigerant pipe 2 Accumulator 3 Compressor 4 Condenser 6 Evaporator 7, 8 Refrigerant 9 Desiccant container 10 Filter dryer 11 and 12 Refrigerant 13 First check valve 14 Second check valve 15 Third check valve Valve 16 Fourth check valve 17, 18 Refrigerant piping 19 First branch piping 20 Second branch piping 31 First solenoid valve 32 Second solenoid valve 33 Third solenoid valve 34 Fourth solenoid valve 41 First communication pipe 42 Second communication pipe

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerating apparatus using a hydrofluorocarbon-based refrigerant, comprising a desiccant container having an inner diameter larger than the inner diameter of the refrigerant pipe and a zeolite desiccant filled in a part of the refrigerant pipe constituting the refrigerant circulation path. A refrigerating apparatus characterized in that a refrigerant unidirectional flow means is provided in front of and behind the desiccant container so that the refrigerant flow is always constant during a cooling / heating operation. 2. The one-way flow means is provided in a refrigerant pipe before and after the desiccant container, and allows first and second check valves and a second check valve, respectively, which allow the refrigerant to flow in one direction. The first and second reverse pipes provided on a first branch pipe branching from the refrigerant pipe at a position opposite to the desiccant container and joining the refrigerant pipe between the first check valve and the desiccant container. A third check valve that allows the flow of the refrigerant in the opposite direction to the stop valve, and a desiccant of the first check valve that branches off from the refrigerant pipe between the second check valve and the desiccant container. A fourth check valve provided in a second branch pipe that joins the refrigerant pipe at a position opposite to the container and allows a refrigerant flow in a direction opposite to the first and second check valves. The refrigerating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerating apparatus is a refrigerator. 3. The one-way flow means includes first and second electromagnetic valves provided in the refrigerant pipes in front of and behind the desiccant container, and front and rear portions of the first electromagnetic valve in the refrigerant pipe. The third and fourth electromagnetic valves provided in each of the two connecting pipes connected to the front and rear portions of the second electromagnetic valve of the refrigerant pipe, respectively. Refrigeration equipment.