KR20180095768A - Fluid stirring device in heat pump system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention comprises: a case closed by a hemispherical lower portion hard plate (11b2) at a lower end side of a cylindrical body portion (11a) having a center shaft of a vertical direction while an upper end side of the cylindrical body portion (11a) is closed by a hemispherical upper portion hard plate (11b1); an upper portion pipe body (12) connectable to one of pipes at one end thereof while the other end thereof is opened near an upper end of the body portion (11a) by penetrating an upper portion hard plate in the vertical direction at a location apart from the center shaft so as to introduce or discharge fluid; a lower portion pipe body (13) connectable to another one of pipes at one end thereof while the other end thereof is upwardly opened by being extended to a vicinity of the upper end of the body portion by penetrating the lower portion hard plate in the vertical direction in the center shaft; and a coil spring (14) installed in an inner surface of the body portion about the center shaft and having each winding vertically movable.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a fluid stirring device for a heat pump system,

The present invention relates to a fluid agitating device installed on a path of a pipe for stirring a fluid in a heat pump system.

Heat pump systems using heat pump cycles such as commercial refrigeration cycle systems and air conditioning systems have a long piping length and various installation conditions. The heat pump cycle includes a compressor, a condenser, an expander and an evaporator as main mechanisms, and the refrigerant circulates through a pipe connecting these mechanisms. The refrigerant is mixed with refrigerating machine oil as lubricating oil for the compressor, and the compressor is provided with a freezing machine oil sump. The refrigeration oil is discharged from the compressor in a state of being dissolved in the refrigerant, and the heat pump cycle is circulated together with the refrigerant and returned to the compressor.

The refrigerant by the specific CFC gas containing chlorine in the past was excellent in compatibility with the refrigerator oil. However, there is a problem that the compatibility with the refrigerator oil is lower than that of the specific freon gas in the refrigerant by the substitute freon gas converted by the ozone layer destruction problem. As a result, the refrigerating machine oil discharged together with the refrigerant from the compressor is separated from the refrigerant, and stays in the equipment such as the condenser of the heat pump cycle or the piping, and the lubricant shortage of the compressor is liable to occur. Lack of lubricant leads to overheating of the compressor.

In addition, the refrigerant having poor compatibility with the refrigerating machine oil lowers the fluidity of the refrigerating machine itself, and the refrigerating machine oil remaining in the piping or the mechanism such as the condenser inhibits the smooth flow of the refrigerant and the heat exchange in the condenser and the evaporator do. As a result, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pump system is lowered. In order to promote the compatibility of the refrigerant with the refrigerating machine oil, various kinds of chemical formula are added to the refrigerant, but not sufficient. Various stirring means for dissolving the refrigerating machine oil in the refrigerant are proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a stirring device for stirring a refrigerant and a refrigerator oil in a compressor is installed to prevent separation of refrigerant and refrigerant oil discharged from the compressor.

Another problem of the refrigerant in the heat pump cycle is that the gaseous refrigerant remains when the refrigerant is liquefied in the condenser. The remaining gaseous refrigerant still remains after passing through the expander, and the refrigerant at the inlet side of the evaporator becomes a gas-liquid anomaly state. The remaining gas refrigerant does not contribute to the heat exchange in the evaporator, which causes the heat exchange to be lowered. Patent Documents 2 and 3 disclose a gas-liquid separator provided next to an inflator. This gas-liquid separator separates the liquid refrigerant in a gas-liquid or more liquid-phase state, sends only the liquid refrigerant to the evaporator, and returns the gas refrigerant to the compressor.

As another technique, Patent Document 4 discloses a bubble removing device that removes bubbles remaining in a radial state when the refrigerant is liquefied in the condenser, thereby completely liquefying the refrigerant. This device is provided with a cylindrical container, and is installed at the outlet side of the condenser (outdoor unit) at the time of cooling. A swirling flow is formed in a spiral shape in a cylindrical container to stir the refrigerant to remove air bubbles.

Publication No. 2008-163782 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-109345 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-75894 International Publication No. 2013/099972

Regarding the above-mentioned first problem, that is, the problem of the commercial failure of the refrigerant and the freezer oil, only the agitating means provided in the compressor as in Patent Document 1 is effective to prevent the long pipe in the heat pump cycle, It is impossible to solve the problem. Particularly, when the temperature is lowered in the condenser, oil droplets of the refrigerator oil are fused to each other to increase the oil shape, and the liquid refrigerant tends to be trapped in the refrigerator oil. The liquid refrigerant captured in such refrigeration oil also can not contribute to heat exchange. This tendency becomes strong when the outside air temperature is lowered.

With respect to the above-mentioned second problem, that is, the problem that gaseous refrigerant remains in the refrigerant liquefied in the condenser, the gas-liquid separator as in Patent Documents 2 and 3 shows some effect at the time of cooling, The effect can not be obtained. Further, a known gas-liquid separator is built in the system, and there is no general versatility that can be added to an existing installed system. In order to increase the heat exchange efficiency of the existing heat pump system to save energy, there is a need for an agitating means that can be easily attached to a previously installed heat pump system. Various types of refrigerators, air conditioners, and the like, which are specific types of heat pump systems, exist. There is a need for a fluid agitator with versatility that can be attached to any of these existing heat pump systems.

Further, the agitation device using a spiral-shaped swirling flow as in Patent Document 4 has insufficient stirring function. Originally, the bubble to be removed in Patent Document 4 is a special bubble remaining in a radical state. On the other hand, most of the air bubbles remaining in the refrigerant liquefied in the condenser are part of the refrigerant that passes through the condenser and maintains the gaseous state without lowering to below the condensation temperature. According to the experiments conducted by the inventors of the present invention, it has been found that, in the case of stirring in a substantially horizontal in-plane swirling flow generated in the apparatus of Patent Document 4, the temperature of the gas refrigerant equal to or higher than the gasification temperature is lowered, .

Further, in the heat pump system, since it is necessary to save energy consumption as much as possible, it is needless to say that a stirring means which does not require driving energy is preferable.

In light of the above-described phenomenon, the present invention is intended to promote the dissolution of refrigerator oil and the liquefaction of gas refrigerant with respect to the refrigerant by efficiently stirring the fluid in the heat pump system, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat pump system And to reduce the amount of electric power consumption.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a fluid agitating device having general versatility that can be easily attached to an existing heat pump system.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fluid stirring apparatus which does not require drive energy.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following configuration.

An aspect of the present invention is a fluid agitating device arranged on a path of a pipe for stirring a fluid including a refrigerant and a freezer oil in a heat pump cycle, the fluid agitating device comprising: a cylindrical body portion 11a having a central axis in the up- A case in which the upper end side of the pipe is closed by the hemispherical upper end plate 11b1 and the lower end side is closed by the hemispherical lower end plate 11b2 and a case in which one end is connected to one of the pipes An upper tubular body 12 which is connectable and vertically penetrates the upper end plate 11b1 at a position away from the central axis and extends to the vicinity of the upper end of the body 11a and whose other end opens downward; (11b2) in the vertical direction on the central axis, one end of which is connectable to the other one of the pipes for outflow or inflow, And a coil spring which is installed on the inner surface of the body portion 11a with the center axis as an axis and whose windings can be moved up and down .

In the above aspect, the coil spring may be a unequally pitch coil spring. Also, the pitch of the uneven-pitch coil spring may gradually increase from one end to the other end.

In this embodiment, the opening edge of the other end of the upper tubular body may be inclined so that the center side is lower and the peripheral side is higher.

In this embodiment, a plurality of projections and depressions may alternately be formed on the outer surface of the lower tube.

In this embodiment, when the room is cooled, fluid flows out from the upper tubular body 12 and is discharged so as to flow out from the lower tubular body 13, and the upper tubular body 12 is connected to the pitch pump To the fluid outlet side of the condensation section of the cycle.

In this embodiment, when the indoor is heated, fluid flows from the lower tubular body 12 and is discharged so as to flow out of the upper tubular body 12. The upper tubular body 12 is connected to the heat pump And connected to the fluid inlet side of the evaporation portion of the cycle.

The fluid stirring device in the heat pump system according to the present invention exhibits the following effects.

The case of the fluid agitating device is closed by the hemispherical upper end plate and the lower end plate respectively at the upper end side and the lower end side of the cylindrical body portion.

When the fluid flows from above through the upper tubular body installed away from the center axis of the case, the following effect is produced. The lowering fluid is turned upward (U-turn) by the hemispherical lower end plate. Further, the ascending fluid is turned downward (U-turn) by the hemispherical upper end plate. As a result, a strong tumble in the longitudinal direction is formed. As a result, the fluid is widely spread and agitated greatly.

Further, in the longitudinal direction, the tumble flows into the lower tubular body located on the central axis when the direction is switched in the lower portion of the case, thereby branching into two to generate so-called Karman vortices. A plurality of Karman vortices are sequentially formed around the lower tube. As a result, a complicated motion is imparted to the fluid and the stirring effect is improved.

Further, the coil springs, which are provided so that the respective windings are vertically movable by the friction between the coil springs and the tumble provided on the inner surface of the body and the collision between the coil springs and the Karman spirals, are resonated in the place subjected to friction or collision , And the vertical vibration is locally generated. The fluid oscillates locally up and down with the coil spring. In addition to this local up-and-down vibration, a plurality of concave-convex shapes of the coil spring exert a shearing force against the fluid. As a result, the fluid is made fine and uniform.

By the synergistic effect of the tumble, the Karman vortex and the up-and-down vibration, highly effective stirring of the fluid is realized. After the fluid is sufficiently stirred, it flows out downward through the lower tubular body.

When the fluid flows from below via the lower tube provided on the central axis of the case, the following effect is produced. The fluid emerging from the upper opening of the lower tube is turned downward (U-turn) by the hemispherical upper end plate. As a result, a strong tumble in the longitudinal direction is formed. As a result, the fluid is widely spread and agitated greatly.

In the longitudinal direction, the tumble flows into the upper tubular body located at a position apart from the central axis and the lower tubular body located on the central axis when the direction is switched on the upper portion of the case, thereby branching into two to generate the Karman vortices. A plurality of Karman vortices are formed in turn around the upper tube body and the lower tube body.

Further, due to the friction between the coil spring and the tumble provided on the inner surface of the body and the collision between the coil spring and the Karman vortex, the coil spring having the vertically movable winding resonates at the locus where friction or collision occurs, . The fluid oscillates locally up and down with the coil spring. In addition to the vertical vibration, a plurality of concave-convex shapes of the coil spring also exert a shearing force against the fluid. As a result, the fluid is made fine and uniform.

By the synergistic effect of the tumble, the Karman vortex and the up-and-down vibration, highly effective stirring of the fluid is realized. The fluid is sufficiently stirred and then flows upward through the upper tubular body.

In the case where the coil spring provided in the case is a unequally pitch coil spring, resonance with a high-speed fluid at a winding interval (pitch) having a high resonance frequency and low speed resonance at a low speed It becomes easier to resonate with the fluid. Therefore, by using the unequally pitch coil spring, the fluid having locally different flow velocity can be efficiently stirred. If the pitch is gradually increased from the upper side toward the lower side, it is particularly effective when the fluid flows from above and flows downward.

The edge of the opening of the upper case located away from the center axis of the case is inclined so that the central axis side is lower and the peripheral side is higher so that longitudinal tumble can be smoothly generated.

By forming a plurality of projections and depressions on the outer surface of the lower tubular body located on the central axis alternately, bubbles in the fluid tend to adhere. Accordingly, the residual gas that has not been liquefied even by the present disposal is separated from the fluid so as not to flow out together with the fluid.

By the agitating action of the fluid agitating device of the present invention, refrigerator oil can be sufficiently dissolved in the liquid refrigerant, and separation and stay of the refrigerating machine oil and capture of the refrigerant by the refrigerating machine oil can be prevented. As a result, it is possible to prevent the compressor from overheating and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

Further, by the agitating action of the fluid agitating device of the present invention, the gaseous refrigerant above the condensation temperature remaining in the liquid refrigerant is liquefied by lowering the temperature to the temperature of the surrounding liquid refrigerant. As a result, since the gas refrigerant remaining in the liquid refrigerant can be removed, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

According to the test results, the heat pump system equipped with the fluid agitator of the present invention was able to reduce the power consumption as compared with the case without the heat pump system. When the fluid stirring device according to the present invention is further attached to a heat pump system having a known gas-liquid separator, the power consumption can be further reduced. The result of this test, that is, the reduction of the power consumption, means the improvement of the heat exchange efficiency. Therefore, the effect of promoting the dissolution of refrigerant and freezer oil by the fluid agitating device of the present invention and the acceleration of liquefaction of gas refrigerant is supported.

Further, the fluid agitating device according to the present invention has general versatility because it can be easily attached to a piping route irrespective of the type of a conventional heat pump system installed.

Further, since the fluid agitating device according to the present invention functions only by the kinetic energy of the fluid, the device itself does not require any power, and contributes to energy saving in that respect.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a heat pump cycle during cooling in which the present invention is applied when the heat pump system is an air conditioner as an example.
Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a heat pump cycle during heating in which the present invention is applied when the heat pump system is an air conditioner as an example.
Fig. 3 is a view showing an example of the configuration of the fluid agitating device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, wherein (a) is a schematic vertical sectional view, (b) is an AA visual axis view of (a) (D) is a CC gaze diagram of (a).
Fig. 4 is a left side view of the fluid stirring apparatus shown in Fig. 3; Fig.
Fig. 5 (a) is an enlarged plan view of the coil spring shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 (b) is a DD sectional view of Fig.
Fig. 6 (a) is an external perspective view of the lower tubular body shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 (b) is an external perspective view showing another example of the lower tubular body.
Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the main flow of fluid generated inside the fluid agitating device during cooling shown in Fig. 1, that is, the motion of the fluid. Fig. 7A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view, a) is an EE sectional view.
Fig. 8 is a view schematically showing a main flow and fluid movement of fluid generated in the fluid agitating device during heating shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 8 (a) is a schematic longitudinal sectional view, Fig. 8 Fig.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings showing an example of the configuration of the present invention.

The present invention provides a liquid stirring apparatus for stirring a fluid flowing through a heat pump system using a heat pump cycle. The heat pump system includes various types such as an air conditioner, a freezer, a refrigerator, a hot water heater, a refrigerator, and a chiller. The fluid agitating device of the present invention is applicable to any heat pump system. Further, the fluid agitating device of the present invention is not limited to the new system, but can be equally applied to existing installation systems.

Means a device for absorbing heat from a low temperature object such as water or air and applying the heat to an object such as hot water, air, or the like. &Quot; Heat pump system " Therefore, the present invention includes a case in which the object is used for either the purpose of further cooling a low-temperature object or the object for further warming a high-temperature object, and the case of being used for both purposes by switching. For example, in the case of an air conditioner, an apparatus that performs only cooling and a system that performs both cooling and heating by switching are also included in the heat pump system of the present invention. In the present specification, the term " fluid " means a fluid circulating in a heat pump cycle, and includes at least a refrigerant and a refrigerant oil. Further, the " fluid " can take any of a gas state, a liquid state, or a mixed state of gas and liquid, depending on which step in the heat pump cycle is present.

Figs. 1 and 2 are diagrams schematically showing a heat pump cycle to which the present invention is applied when the heat pump system is an air conditioner as an example. Fig. In the air conditioner, the fluid including the refrigerant circulates between the outdoor unit installed outdoors and the indoor unit installed in the room. Fig. 1 shows a cycle at the time of indoor cooling, and Fig. 2 shows a cycle at the time of indoor heating.

The heat pump cycle is basically provided with four components, i.e., the compression section 2, the condensation section 3, the expansion section 4, and the evaporation section 5. The fluid circulates through the closed piping connecting these components. The arrows on the piping paths in Figs. 1 and 2 indicate the directions of the flow of the fluid by arrows. The white arrows show the flow of air in the room and outdoors.

The uppercase letters in Figs. 1 and 2 are used in the following meaning. However, in the case of a mixture of a gas and a liquid, the gas is referred to as a " gas state " and a " liquid state " on the basis of any one of the liquids. Further, the meaning of "high" and "low" in the "high temperature", "low temperature", "high pressure" and "low pressure" with respect to the fluid is not absolute, And the relative difference between the temperature of the fluid and the pressure of the fluid. For example, "GS (HT, HP)" means "gas state at high temperature and high pressure" and "LG (LT, LP)" means "low temperature and low pressure liquid state".

GS: Gaseous refrigerant

LQ: liquid refrigerant

HT: High temperature

LT: low temperature

HP: High Pressure

LP: Low pressure

In the indoor cooling cycle of Fig. 1, the compression section (2) is provided with a compressor for compressing the low-pressure gas refrigerant in the hermetically sealed container. In the hermetically sealed container housing the compressor, an oil sump 11a for storing the refrigerating machine oil is usually provided. The gaseous refrigerant is compressed and becomes a high-pressure, yet high-temperature gas. This gas refrigerant is mixed with the refrigeration oil and then discharged from the compression section 2 to the condensing section 3 (outdoor unit). The condensing section 3 is provided with a condenser. At the time of cooling, the outdoor unit performs heat exchange as the condensing portion (3). The high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous fluid introduced into the condensing section 3 condenses by releasing heat to the outside and becomes a low-temperature liquid fluid. This liquid fluid is ideally a liquid refrigerant in which the refrigerant oil is dissolved.

However, when the refrigerant in the condensing section 3 becomes liquid from the gas, a part of the refrigerating machine oil may be separated without being dissolved in the refrigerant. Further, there is a case where the oil phase of the combined refrigerator oil confines the liquid refrigerant. In addition, there is a case where the refrigerant almost passing through the condensing portion 3 remains in a state of a hot gas. Due to such a phenomenon, the liquid fluid flowing out of the condensing section 3 may contain separated refrigerant oil, liquid refrigerant captured on the oil phase of the refrigerating machine oil and / or gas refrigerant.

In the indoor cooling mode, the liquid stirring apparatus 1 of the present invention is inserted between the condensing section 3 and the expansion section 4. The inlet of the fluid agitator 1 is connected to the outlet side of the condenser 3 which is an outdoor unit and the outlet of the fluid agitator 1 is connected to the inlet side of the expander 4. The fluid discharged from the condenser 3 is sufficiently agitated in the fluid agitator 1, whereby the separated refrigerator oil is dissolved in the liquid refrigerant, and the liquid refrigerant captured on the oil phase of the refrigerator oil is released And the remaining gas refrigerant is lowered in temperature to become a liquid refrigerant. Thereafter, the fluid flowing out of the fluid agitating device 1 is sent to the expanding portion 4.

The expanding section 4 is provided with an expansion valve or a capillary tube (capillary tube) or the like. The liquid fluid at a low temperature and high pressure passes through a narrow hole or a pipe, thereby becoming a low-pressure and low-temperature liquid. Thereafter, this fluid is sent to the evaporator 5 (indoor unit). The evaporator 5 has an evaporator. When indoor cooling is performed, the indoor unit performs heat exchange as the evaporator (3). The low-temperature, low-pressure liquid fluid introduced into the evaporator 5 evaporates by absorbing heat from the outside, and becomes a high-temperature gas fluid. As a result, the indoor air is cooled. The gas fluid is then returned to the compression section (2).

In the indoor heating cycle of Fig. 2, the circulation direction of the fluid is opposite to that of cooling in Fig. Valves for switching the circulation direction of the fluid in the heat pump system are well known and therefore, the illustration or description thereof is omitted. At the time of heating, the gas fluid of high temperature and high pressure discharged from the compression section (2) is sent to the indoor unit for performing heat exchange as the condensation section (3). The actual fluid of high temperature and high pressure introduced into the condensing section 3 (indoor unit) condenses by releasing heat to the outside and becomes a low-temperature liquid fluid. As a result, the indoor air is heated.

Here, when the refrigerant in the condensing section 3 becomes a liquid from the gas, the liquid fluid flowing out of the condensing section 3, like the cycle for cooling in Fig. 1, flows into the separated refrigerating machine oil, The captured liquid fluid is likely to contain gas refrigerant and / or gas. At the time of heating, the liquid fluid flowing out from the condenser 3 is sent again to the expanding section 4, and becomes a low-pressure and low-temperature liquid. There is a possibility that the separated refrigerant oil, the captured liquid refrigerant and / or the gaseous refrigerant remain after the expansion portion 4 passes.

In the indoor heating, the fluid stirring apparatus 1 of the present invention is inserted between the expansion unit 4 and the evaporator unit 5 (outdoor unit). The inlet of the fluid agitator 1 is connected to the outlet of the expansion unit 4 and the outlet of the fluid agitator 1 is connected to the inlet of the evaporator 5 which is an outdoor unit. The fluid flowing out of the expanding section (4) is sufficiently stirred in the fluid agitation apparatus (1). The separated refrigerant oil is dissolved in the liquid refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant captured on the oil phase of the refrigerating machine oil is released, and the remaining gas refrigerant is lowered in temperature to become the liquid refrigerant. Thereafter, the fluid flowing out of the liquid stirring apparatus 1 is sent to the evaporator 5.

At the time of indoor heating, the outdoor unit performs heat exchange as the evaporation unit (3). The low-temperature, low-pressure liquid fluid introduced into the evaporator 5 evaporates by absorbing heat from the outside, and becomes a high-temperature gas fluid. Thereafter, the gas fluid is returned to the compression section (2).

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the fluid agitating device of the present invention is inserted in the path of a pipe constituting the heat pump system. Since the actual piping is formed by connecting a plurality of pipe members, for example, one pipe member is removed and replaced with the fluid stirring device of the present invention, so that the fluid stirring device can be easily attached. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, it can be arranged, for example, in an outdoor pipe near the outdoor unit.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the fluid stirring apparatus of the present invention is applied to the basic configuration of the heat pump system. There are many applications in actual heat pump systems. The fluid agitating device of the present invention is also applicable to a heat pump system in which various components are added to the basic shape. For example, the fluid stirring apparatus of the present invention can also be used in a system equipped with a gas-liquid separator for separating refrigerant in abnormal gas-liquid state disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3. The fluid agitating device of the present invention can also be used in a system in which, for example, an ejector and a gas-liquid separator are provided instead of the expanding portion.

3 is a view showing a specific example of the fluid agitation apparatus 1 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 3 (a) is a schematic vertical sectional view, and Fig. 3 (b) is a C-C gaze diagram of Fig. (c) is a B-B cross-sectional view of (a), and (d) is a C-C gaze view of (a). 4 is a left side view of the fluid stirring apparatus 1 shown in Fig.

The fluid stirring apparatus 1 has a case 11. The case 11 includes a cylindrical body portion 11a having a central axis in the vertical direction, a hemispherical upper end plate 11b1 for closing the upper end of the body portion, and a hemispherical lower portion And a hard plate 11b2. Here, the term " rigid plate " means a lid member that closes the upper and lower ends of a generally cylindrical pressure vessel. Since the fluid in the present invention is also a pressure fluid discharged from the compressor at a predetermined pressure, the case 11 can also be regarded as a kind of pressure vessel. The cross section of the upper end plate 11b1 and the lower end plate 11b2 shown in Fig. 3 (a) is a half circle having a central angle of 180 degrees, and its radius is equal to the radius of the cylindrical body portion 11a.

Two cases 12 and 13 are provided for inflow or outflow of fluids to the case 11 (in Fig. 3 (a), not only the end faces but also the side faces are shown). When the fluid agitating device 1 is inserted into the piping route of the heat pump system, one case is connected to one piping end and the other case is connected to the other piping end at the insertion place. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the circulation direction of the fluid is reversed during cooling and heating. Therefore, the inlet of the fluid agitating apparatus 1 at the time of cooling is an outlet at the time of heating, and the outlet at the time of cooling becomes the inlet at the time of heating. The effect of the fluid agitating device is demonstrated even in heating where the circulation direction is reversed, although it is shown in the following embodiments. Therefore, even if the cooling and heating of the air conditioner are switched, the attachment state of the fluid agitating device of the present invention does not need to be changed.

The upper case 12 serves as an inlet when cooling and serves as an outlet when heated. Although the upper portion of the upper case 12 is not shown in Fig. 3, it can be connected to an appropriate pipe of the heat pump system. In addition, the attachment state of the fluid agitating device 1 is not changed during cooling and heating, but the circulation direction of the fluid is reversed, so that the upper case 12, when cooled as shown in Fig. 1, (Outdoor unit), and is connected to the inlet side of the evaporator (outdoor unit) at the time of heating shown in Fig.

The upper case 12 penetrates the upper end plate 11b1 in the vertical direction at a position apart from the central axis. The upper case 12 extends downward to the vicinity of the upper end of the body portion 11a in the case 11 and the lower end 12a thereof opens downward. As shown in Fig. 3 (a), it is preferable that the edge of the opening of the lower end 12a of the upper case 12 is inclined so that the central axis side is lower and the peripheral side is higher. This inclination is intended to facilitate formation of a good flow of the fluid to be described later.

The lower tube 13 becomes an outlet when cooling and an inlet when heating. Although not shown in the lower portion of the lower tube 13 in Fig. 3, it is connectable to a seamless piping of the heat pump system.

The lower tubular body 13 penetrates the lower end plate 11b2 in the vertical direction on the central axis. The lower tube 13 extends upward in the case 11 along the central axis up to the vicinity of the upper end of the body 11a and the upper end 13a thereof opens upward.

A coil spring 14 is provided on the inner surface of the body portion 11a. The shaft of the coil spring 14 coincides with the central axis of the body portion 11a. Each winding of the coil spring 14 is not fixed to the inner surface of the body portion 11a but is movable up and down. 5, it is preferable that the coil spring 14 be a unequally pitch coil spring.

The material of each component of the fluid agitating device of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is a material usable for piping of the heat pump system. For example, steel.

5 (a) is an enlarged plan view of the coil spring 14 shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 (b) is a D-D cross-sectional view of Fig.

The coil spring 14 is very suitably aequilateral pitch coil spring, and the pitch gradually increases from one end to the other end. The phrase " the pitch gradually becomes longer " includes two meanings as schematically shown by the two dotted lines in Fig. 5 (b). One is a case where the pitches in each of the three regions p1, p2 and p3 are constant and the pitches of the respective regions are in a relationship of p1 < p2 < p3. Is a case in which the pitch px continuously becomes longer over the entire length of the coil spring. Incidentally, the case of combining these two cases is also included.

Further, it is arranged such that the pitch is long in the region where the flow of the fluid in the longitudinal direction is fast and the pitch is short in the region where the flow is slow. A region with a long pitch (high resonance frequency) is easy to resonate with a fast fluid, while a region with a short pitch (low resonance frequency) tends to resonate with a slow fluid. As the coil spring locally resonates with the fluid, a shear force acts on the fluid. Further, a shearing force acts on the fluid even by the concave and convex portions of the coil spring itself. As a result, the effect of making the fluid finer and homogeneous is exerted.

In the case where the fluid agitation at the time of cooling shown in FIG. 1 is the main purpose, it is preferable that the pitch of the uneven pitch coil spring gradually becomes longer from the upper side to the lower side.

Fig. 6 (a) is an external perspective view of the lower tubular body 13 shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 (b) is an external perspective view showing another example of the lower tubular body.

It is very suitable to alternately form a plurality of irregularities on the outer surface of the lower tubular body 13. For example, as shown in Fig. 6 (a), the lower tubular body 13 is formed of a parallel-threaded steel pipe, so that a spiral-shaped thread on the outer surface and a shape . It is not necessary to form the helical shape, but the circumferential mountain and groove may alternately be formed repeatedly. Further, the outer surface may be rolled. These fine irregularities on the outer surface of the lower tube 13 serve to capture bubbles in the fluid. The liquid refrigerant can be separated from the liquid refrigerant, that is, the liquid fluid, by capturing the gas refrigerant which is not finally dissolved (liquefied) even when the stirring is performed by the fluid agitator. Further, the fine irregularities on the outer surface of the lower tube 13 have a function of finely smoothing the fluid impinging on the irregularities to a certain degree, and also contribute to stirring. Further, as shown in Fig. 6 (b), the outer surface of the lower tubular body 13 may be free of irregularities. It has been confirmed that the use of the lower tube 13 of Fig. 6 (b) does not significantly affect the effect of reducing power consumption, which will be described later.

7 is a view schematically showing the main flow of fluid generated inside the fluid agitating device 1 at the time of cooling shown in Fig. 1, that is, the motion of the fluid. Fig. 7A is a schematic vertical cross- ) Is an EE sectional view of (a).

As shown in Fig. 7 (a), when a fluid flows from above through the upper tubular body 12 which is opened at a position away from the center axis of the case 11, the following fluid flow is generated. The inflowing fluid goes straight downward, and then is turned (U-turned) upward by the lower end plate 11b2. This is realized because the lower end plate 11b2 has a hemispherical shape. The turned fluid goes straight upward and then is echoed downward (U-turned) by the upper end plate 11b1. This is realized because the upper end plate 11b1 has a hemispherical shape. In this manner, strong tumble T in the longitudinal direction is formed. As a result, the fluid is agitated greatly throughout the entire inner space of the case 11.

7 (b), the longitudinal tumble T collides with the lower tube 13 located on the central axis when the direction is changed in the lower portion of the case 11, So that the so-called Karman vortex C is generated. A plurality of Karman vortexes C are formed in turn around the lower tube 13. As a result, a complicated motion is imparted to the fluid and the stirring effect is improved.

The friction between the coil spring 14 and the tumble T provided on the inner surface of the body portion 11 and the collision between the coil spring 14 and the Karman spiral C cause the coil The spring 14 resonates at the locus where they are subjected to friction or collision, causing vertical vibration. Resonates with the coil spring 14, and the fluid also locally generates the vertical vibration V. Shear force acts on the fluid by the up-and-down vibration (V). In addition to the up-and-down vibration, a plurality of concave-convex shapes of the coil spring 14 also exert a shearing force against the fluid. As a result, the fluid is refined and homogenized.

The edge of the opening of the upper tubular body 12 located away from the center axis of the case 11 is inclined so that the central axis side is lower and the peripheral side is higher. As a result, the tumble T in the longitudinal direction can be smoothly generated.

By the synergetic effect of the tumble (T), the Karman vortex (C), and the vertical vibration (V), highly effective stirring of the fluid is realized. After the fluid is sufficiently stirred, the fluid flows downward through the lower tube 13.

8 is a view schematically showing the main flow of fluid generated inside the fluid agitating device 1 at the time of heating shown in Fig. 2, that is, the motion of the fluid. Fig. 8A is a schematic longitudinal sectional view, ) Is a FF sectional view of (a).

As shown in Fig. 8 (a), when fluid flows in from the lower side through the lower tubular body 13 located on the central axis of the case 11, a fluid flow is generated as follows. The fluid discharged from the upper end opening of the lower tubular body 13 goes straight upward and then is turned (U-turned) downward by the upper end plate 11b1. This is realized because the upper end plate 11b1 has a hemispherical shape. In addition, the fluid that has gone straight downward is turned (U-turned) upward by the lower end plate 11b2. This is realized because the lower end plate 11b2 has a hemispherical shape. As a result, a strong tumble T in the longitudinal direction is formed. As a result, the fluid is agitated greatly throughout the entire inner space of the case 11.

As shown in Fig. 8 (b), the longitudinal tumble T is located at a position apart from the central axis when the direction is switched on the upper side of the case 11, Collides with the lower tube 13 located on the upper portion of the lower tube 13, and branches into two to generate the Karman vortex C, respectively. A plurality of Karman vortices C are sequentially formed around the upper tube body 12 and the lower tube body 13.

The friction between the coil spring 14 and the tumble T provided on the inner surface of the trunk portion 11a and the collision between the coil spring 14 and the Karman spiral C cause the coil The spring 14 resonates at a locus where friction or collision occurs, and vertical vibration is generated. The fluid also resonates with the coil spring 14 to generate a vertical vibration V locally. In addition to the up-and-down vibration, a shearing force is applied to the fluid by the plurality of concave-convex shapes of the coil spring 14. As a result, the fluid is refined and homogenized.

By the synergistic effect of the tumble T, the Karman vortex C and the up-and-down vibration V, very effective fluid agitation can be realized. After the fluid is sufficiently stirred, the fluid flows upward through the upper tubular body 12.

In Figs. 7 and 8, the arrows representing the respective flows are model-like, but their flow is actually confirmed by the test. In the test, a device having a transparent case observable from the outside was manufactured, and a fluid containing the ink was flowed at a pressure of 0.2 to 5 MPa to observe the shape of the flow. As a result, the large tumble in the longitudinal direction ), The Karman vortex (C), and the vertical vibration (V).

The fluid agitating device of the present invention can exhibit the effect irrespective of the types of refrigerant and freezer oil used in the heat pump cycle. In particular, the present invention can be applied to an alternative CFC gas having poor compatibility with a refrigerator oil as compared with a specific CFC gas, thereby significantly improving the heat exchange efficiency of the alternative CFC gas.

The fluid stirring apparatus shown in Figs. 3 to 6 was attached to an air conditioner of a conventional installation, and a test for measuring the power consumption was performed.

<Test Methods>

The comparative example is the data before the fluid stirring device of the present invention is attached to the air conditioner of the existing installation, and the embodiment is the data after the attachment. (R), T phase (Ampare), and power consumption (Wh) were measured at predetermined time intervals. After the measurement, the entire operation period (Cumulative power amount W) of the power consumption of each of the first and second power sources is calculated, and the extinction ratio is calculated.

Power dissipation rate (%) = ((B-A) / B)

B: Power consumption before attachment

A: Power consumption after attachment

· Since the test was carried out on the air conditioner of the existing installation (see FIG. 3) in a testable condition, the type of the apparatus becomes various. For example, a machine having an inverter control device and a machine having a known gas-liquid separator.

· The measurement period of each test is 30 minutes to several days, but the measurement period is the same for pre-attachment and post-attachment measurement.

Since the measurement is made before and after the attachment to one air conditioner, there is a slight error in measurement time before and after attachment. It was conducted as close as possible to the condition of temperature. However, since it is difficult to carry out the measurement before attachment and the measurement after attachment in completely the same conditions, differences in humidity and other conditions are included as deviations in measured values in addition to temperature.

• In the same air conditioner, the measurement before attachment may be performed only once, and the measurement after attachment may be performed a plurality of times. Conversely, in the same air conditioner, the measurement before the attachment may be performed a plurality of times, and the measurement after the attachment may be performed once.

<Test Result 1>

Tables 1 to 3 are tables summarizing the results of tests 1 to 23 conducted from time to time in the period from May 2013 to April 2014.

Table 1 shows test results at the time of cooling.

Table 2 shows the test results at the time of heating.

(In Table 1 and Table 2, some data in the column of "Average Outside Temperature" indicate the temperature width instead of the average.)

Table 3 is a correspondence table of numbers indicating the types of air conditioners in Tables 1 and 2.

<Test Result 2>

Tables 4 to 6 are graphs showing the results of tests conducted separately from the tests of Tables 1 to 3. "" Indicates data before attachment, and "A" indicates data after attachment.

Table 4 is a graph comparing power consumption (Wh) in one test (cooling operation time 30 minutes).

Table 5 is a graph comparing the currents (R phase, T phase) (Ampare) in one test (cooling operation time 30 minutes).

Table 6 is a graph comparing the suction temperature (占 폚) and the spraying temperature (占 폚) of the indoor unit in one test (cooling operation time 30 minutes).

Other data on the measurement date before and after the attachment in the tests of Tables 4 to 6 are as follows.

Before attachment: average outside temperature 31.2 ℃, average power consumption 3370Wh

After attachment: average outside temperature 22.1 ℃, average power consumption 2730Wh

Air conditioner 1: Daikin RZYP224BA
Air conditioner 2: Daikin RXYP850C
Air conditioner 3: Hitachi room air conditioner RAS-S56A2
Air conditioner 4: Hitachi non-inverter air conditioner 5 hp
Air conditioner 5: Hitachi non inverter air conditioner 4 hp
Air Conditioner 6: Hitachi RAS-140H6S 6 hp

1 stirring device
11 cases
11a body portion
11b1 First hard board
11b2 Second hard board
12 upper tube
13 Lower tube
14 coil spring
2 compression section
3 Condensation part (when cooling: outdoor unit, when heating: indoor unit)
4 expanding part
5 Evaporation part (when cooling: indoor machine, when heating: outdoor machine)

Claims (7)

A fluid agitating device arranged on a path of a pipe for stirring a fluid including a refrigerant and a refrigerant oil in a heat pump cycle,
The upper end of the cylindrical body portion 11a having the central axis in the up and down direction is closed by the hemispherical upper end plate 11b1 and the lower end side is closed by the hemispherical lower end plate 11b2, ,
The upper end plate 11b1 is vertically extended from the central axis so that one end thereof can be connected to one of the pipes for the inflow or outflow of the fluid and extends to the vicinity of the upper end of the body 11a An upper tubular body 12 whose other end opens downward,
(11b2) in the vertical direction on the central axis so as to be connected to the other one of the pipes for the outflow or inflow of the fluid, and extends to the vicinity of the upper end of the body portion (11a) A lower tube 13 that opens upward,
And a coil spring (14) mounted on the inner surface of the body (11a) with the central axis as an axis and each winding being movable up and down. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the coil spring (14) is a unequally pitch coil spring. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the pitch of the differential pitch coil spring is gradually increased from one end to the other end. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the opening edge (12a) at the other end of the upper tubular body (12) is inclined such that the central side shaft is lower and the peripheral side is higher. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Characterized in that a plurality of irregularities are alternately formed on the outer surface of the lower tube (13) 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
In the indoor cooling, a fluid flows from the upper tube body 12 and is discharged so that the fluid flows out from the lower tube body 13. The upper tube body 12 is connected to a condenser Is connected to the fluid outlet side of the first fluid inlet port. 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A fluid is introduced from the lower tubular body 12 and discharged to flow out from the upper tubular body 12 when the room is heated, and the upper tubular body 12 is evaporated as an outdoor unit in the heat pump cycle Is connected to the fluid inlet side of the fluid inlet portion.

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