KR20220007578A - Gas leak testing method of buried type air conditioner pipe - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for inspecting gas leakage of a buried air conditioner pipe, which is to specify a leak location by checking the airtightness of the pipe embedded in a wall. According to the present invention, the method comprises the steps of: opening indoor and outdoor inspection ports and separating a pipe installed on an outdoor unit including an indoor unit from both ends of the buried pipe; forming a flare using a flare tool with a flare nut inserted into a front end part of the indoor buried pipe, and performing fastening with a sealing cap having a compression piece; welding a pipe line of the pressure gauge to the front end part of the buried pipe on the outdoor side; opening a charging nipple disposed on one side of the pressure gauge and binding the valve of a nitrogen gas cylinder; injecting nitrogen up to a pressure of 40kg/cm^2 into the buried pipe by slowly opening a knob mounted on the nitrogen gas cylinder; and after removing and closing a filling hose of the nitrogen gas cylinder, verifying whether the pressure gauge is leaking. Therefore, the gas leakage in the air conditioner pipe composed of a high pressure pipe and a low pressure pipe can be specified separately, thereby clearly determining whether to repair or replace the buried pipe. The present invention can give confidence to a consumer through a bubbling test for a connection part of the buried pipe and an inspection device, as well as a hearing test during the leakage inspection.

Description

{Gas leak testing method of buried type air conditioner pipe}

The present invention relates to a leak inspection method of an air conditioner buried pipe for checking whether a refrigerant is leaking by checking the airtightness of the air conditioner pipe buried in the wall of a building.

An air conditioner installed in a general apartment or building consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit based on a refrigerant cycle. buried and bound.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1 , the ordinary embedding copper tube 2 installed on the wall 1 is inserted into the protection tube 5 through the insulation 6 around the circumference, and both ends are the inspection box It is common to be exposed through the

The copper tube (2) in the wall (1) may gradually corrode due to aging or cause malfunctions such as gas leakage when used for a long period of time. will be replaced

Regarding the technology for detecting whether the air conditioner pipe is damaged, the example shown in Registered Utility Model No. 0109857 is a state in which the compressor and the heat exchanger are separated from each other by a blocking plate that divides the inside of the main body of the outdoor unit into upper and lower spaces. In this case, the refrigerant pipe connection part is exposed to the outside of the front panel, so it is possible to check whether the refrigerant leaks during operation of the outdoor unit.

In addition, the registered utility model No. 0463807 connects a coupler to the end of the refrigerant pipe separated from the service valve of the outdoor unit to check the amount of refrigerant gas through a gauge. In the case of Patent Registration No. 0822598, since the pressure gauge and the gas filling nipple are formed integrally with the flare nut, respectively, the pressure gauge is always installed and contains the problem that only the pipe pressure can be measured.

Registered Patent No. 0645806 (registered on November 7, 2006) - Dispenser inspection device and method. Registered Patent No. 1182821 (registered on September 7, 2012) - Leakage test apparatus and method. Registration Office No. 0109857 (Registered Sep. 13, 1997) - Refrigerant leak inspection device for outdoor units for air conditioners. Registration Office No. 0463807 (Registered on Nov. 20, 2012) - Pipe leak inspection device for indoor and outdoor units of air conditioners.

The present invention is to solve the above problems in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to easily check the airtightness by injecting high-pressure nitrogen gas into the air conditioner pipe, which is usually buried in the floor concrete of an apartment to a depth of 25 to 30 cm. An object of the present invention is to provide a gas leak inspection method for buried piping of an air conditioner.

The present invention for achieving this object is to open the indoor and outdoor Separating the pipe mounted on the outdoor unit including the indoor unit from both ends of the buried pipe, forming a flare using a flare tool with a flare nut inserted at the tip of the indoor buried pipe, and then using a sealing cap having a crimp piece Fastening, welding the pipe line of the pressure gauge to the front end of the buried pipe on the outdoor side, opening the charging nipple disposed on one side of the pressure gauge to bind the valve of the nitrogen gas cylinder, and mounting on the nitrogen gas cylinder It consists of a step of injecting nitrogen up to a pressure of 40 kg/cm2 into the buried pipe by slowly opening the knob, and a step of verifying whether the pressure gauge is leaking after removing and closing the filling hose of the nitrogen gas cylinder. .

In addition, the indoor unit and After separating the outdoor unit pipe from the buried pipe, the step of removing foreign substances by passing a wire having a cleaner installed on one side into the buried pipe may be further included.

In addition, the method may further include the step of detecting carbonization traces on the leaking part inside the buried pipe by using an endoscope after removing foreign substances inside the buried pipe.

In addition, the step of performing a bubbling test on the connection part of the indoor buried pipe, the welding part of the pressure gauge, and the hose connection part of the charging nipple after burying the leak detection liquid in the sponge in a state in which nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe is further included. can

In addition, the method may further include the step of hearing and determining a gas leakage state using a stethoscope in a state in which nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe.

According to the above-described characteristics, the present invention can distinguish and specify whether or not gas leaks in the air conditioner piping composed of the high-pressure pipe and the low-pressure pipe, so that it is possible to clearly determine whether to repair or replace the buried pipe, and the leakage At the time of inspection, it can give confidence to consumers through a bubbling test for the connection part of the buried pipe and the inspection device, as well as a hearing test.

1 is a view showing an example in which a general air conditioner buried pipe is installed;
2 is a perspective view showing a pipe connector for airtightness test disclosed in Patent Registration No. 1620279;
3 is a perspective view showing a stainless steel pipe to which a pipe connector is coupled;
4 is a perspective view showing a method of forming a stainless steel pipe;
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a stainless steel pipe coupled with a connector;
6 is a view showing a connection configuration for the air tightness test;
7 is a schematic diagram of the binding of a mechanism for explaining a leak inspection method of an air conditioner buried pipe according to the present invention;
8A and 8B are an exploded view and an assembly cross-sectional view for explaining the sealing structure of the indoor buried pipe;
9 is a front view showing the connection relationship of the inspection mechanism;
10 is a view showing a flowchart for a leak detection method.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the specific structures and functions they have are not limited to the embodiments described in this specification since they represent one configuration example.

First, as a preferred example related to the present invention, an example of the known technology disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 1620279 will be described, and the technical contents of the present invention will be described later after deriving the related problems.

2 to 6 , the pipe connection pipe 100 for the airtight test includes a high-pressure pipe 110 for a refrigerant, a low-pressure pipe 120 for a refrigerant, and a connection part 130 .

The high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant have different diameters in the form of tubes, and the connection part 130 includes one end of the high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant. ) in a round gin shape to connect one end of each of the high-pressure tubes 110 for refrigerant and the low-pressure tube 120 for refrigerant, respectively, and are fixedly installed by pressing.

3, the high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant are located inside the buried box 10 along the guide pipe 20 in which the outdoor unit or indoor unit pipe is embedded. do.

As shown in FIG. 4 , in the method for forming a stainless steel integrated pipe, first, a high pressure 210 for a refrigerant and a low pressure pipe 220 for a refrigerant are prepared (S110A) or a high pressure pipe 210 for a refrigerant and for a refrigerant Prepare by expanding the end of the low pressure pipe 220 (S110B).

The high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant are stainless steel pipes buried inside the wall, and are directed to the outside of the buried box 10 along the guide pipe 20 so as to be connected to the pipe of the cooling device. protruding and formed.

Then, the high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant are inserted into the ends of the high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant, respectively. At this time, in the case of the high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant, the ends of the high-pressure pipe for the refrigerant 210 and the low-pressure pipe for the refrigerant 220 are formed in the process of expanding the ends, so the high-pressure pipe for the refrigerant 110 and the low-pressure pipe for the refrigerant 120 can be inserted up to the step.

In addition, in the case of the high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant having the same or larger inner diameter than the high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe for the refrigerant 120, the high-pressure pipe for the refrigerant through the end (110) and a low-pressure tube 120 for the refrigerant can be inserted.

Thereafter, the high-pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant, the high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant, and the low-pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant are welded, respectively.

On the other hand, in the case of performing the airtight test, the main pressure for refrigerant among the other side of the stainless steel pipe is sealed by connecting the pipe connection pipe 100 to both sides of the high pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant and the low pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant. A pressure gauge 102 is coupled to the high-pressure pipe 210 , and a charging nipple 101 connected to a compressor is installed in the low-pressure pipe 220 for refrigerant to provide gas.

At this time, by measuring the pressure transmitted to the pressure gauge 102 through the high pressure pipe 210 for the refrigerant through the low pressure pipe 220 for the refrigerant, through the pipe connection pipe 100, so that airtightness can be checked. do.

However, in the above-described known technology, in the case of testing whether the air-conditioning pipe is airtight, which is previously buried in an invisible location such as a wall, floor, and ceiling, in the construction stage of a building, the pipe connection pipe 100 is configured. The high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 should be connected to the connection part 130, and at this time, both ends of the connection part 130 are connected to the high-pressure pipe 110 for the refrigerant and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant. There is a cumbersome need to be fixed by pressing after each insertion.

In addition, the high-pressure pipe 110 and the low-pressure pipe 120 for the refrigerant bound through the connection unit 130 are connected to each other in a state in which the ends of the high-pressure pipe 210 and the low-pressure pipe 220 are expanded. It contains a decisive problem that must be accompanied by a very cumbersome operation such as welding by heterojunction.

Therefore, since a considerable preparation process is required prior to the airtight test of the buried pipe, the test cannot be carried out quickly, so it is only a technology that cannot be actually employed in the field.

The inventor of the present invention is a technique for accurately and conveniently determining whether gas is leaking to an air conditioner pipe that is already buried in consideration of various problems in the above-described known art, and this is described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 10 . It will be described in detail.

As shown in these drawings, in the leak inspection method of the buried pipe of the air conditioner according to the present invention, first, in a state in which the inspection boxes 50A and 50B installed on the inside and the outside, respectively, are opened. The outdoor unit pipe including the air conditioner pipe is separated from the buried pipe 60 maintained in the bottom surface W1 and the wall W2 (step S51).

In the case of this buried pipe (60), the insulating material (52) is interposed in the protective pipe (51) as in the past.

Here, it is preferable to remove foreign substances by separating the indoor unit and outdoor unit pipes from the buried pipe 60 and then passing a wire equipped with a cleaner on one side into the buried pipe (step S51-1)

In addition, in a state in which foreign substances inside the buried pipe 60 are removed, the operator can directly detect carbonization traces on the leaking part inside the buried pipe 60 using an endoscope (step S51-2) ).

Next, in a state in which the flare nut 62 is inserted into the tip portion 61a of one side of the buried pipe 60 exposed in the indoor inspection box 50A, a flare 63a is formed again using a conventional flare tool, and the The sealing cap 64 is attached to the flare nut 62 (step S52).

At this time, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B , as a hemispherical compression piece 63b is formed at the end of the sealing cap 64 , a predetermined amount is formed on the inner surface of the flare 63a formed in the buried pipe 60 . By being in close contact with pressure, it is possible to prevent leakage when nitrogen gas is injected into the buried pipe 60 .

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 7 , the pipe line 71 of the pressure gauge 70 constituting the inspection tool T is connected to the other end 61b of the buried pipe 60 exposed in the outdoor inspection box 50B. After mounting and welding treatment (step S53), the charging nipple 72 disposed on one side of the pressure gauge 70 is opened and bound to the hose 74 of the nitrogen gas cylinder 73 (step S54).

The inspection tool (T) can be installed by replacing the indoor side or the outdoor side. That is, it is necessary to select where the inspection tool is to be installed in the indoor and outdoor inspection boxes 50A, 50B, and depending on the state of the buried pipe 60, it must be installed in a place with a high possibility of leakage to accurately determine the hearing caused by gas leakage. because it can

9, the pressure gauge 70 is bound to the expansion tube 76 through the first nozzle 75a, and at the same time, the charging nipple ( 72) is bound, and the front end of the pipe line 71 is configured to be welded to the buried pipe 60.

The nozzles usually use a 6 mm pipe, and in the case of the expansion tube 76, a 15 mm pipe is used. It is preferable to inject slowly.

Next, nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe 60 up to a pressure of 40 kg/cm 2 by opening the knob 77 of the nitrogen gas cylinder 73 and appropriately adjusting (step S55), and the internal pressure is 40 kg When /cm2 is reached, the charging hose 74 is removed and closed, and then the leakage of the pressure gauge 70 is verified (step S56).

In general, if the air conditioner is separated from the buried pipe 60 when moving, it will not be used for a few days, and air will enter the pipe, as well as moisture in the air. Although it is not a leak, the needle of the pressure gauge 70 may go down.

In addition, the volume of foreign substances, moisture, etc. accumulated in the buried pipe 60 may be reduced according to a change in temperature or the like. If nitrogen is charged at an ultra-high pressure up to 40 kg/cm2, even ultra-fine leaks can be found.

On the other hand, after burying the leak detection liquid in the sponge in a state in which nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe 60, it is applied to the pipe welding part of the pressure gauge 70 and the valve connection part of the nitrogen gas cylinder 73 to perform a bubbling test or (Step S55-1), after injecting nitrogen into the buried pipe 60 may further include a process of determining whether to repair or replace by applying a stethoscope to the gas leak state (step S55-2).

In the bubbling test, soap bubbles or leak detection liquid are evenly applied to the entire test tool to check for leaks. That is, it is necessary to confirm to the consumer that there is no error in the inspection tool.

If there is no abnormality, tightly lock the lid of the charging nipple 72 and listen with a stethoscope between the insulation 52 and the buried pipe 60 in the inspection box to determine whether there is a leak, and if there is a leak, the buried pipe Since nitrogen leaks between the 60 and the insulating material 52, it is possible to clearly recognize the leakage.

In this process, the louder the hearing sound, the more likely it is the lower part of the inspection box, so the lower part of the inspection box is divided to find the leaking part and the buried pipe 60 can be repaired. Instead of leaking from the middle of the living room, the location cannot be specified, so the buried pipe 60 is replaced.

That is, the leak location can be identified by examining the buried pipe 60 of the high-pressure pipe and the low-pressure pipe separated through the inspection procedure. In this case, it is revealed whether the leak is in the buried part or the exposed part, and if there is no leak in the exposed part, it can only be specified as leaking from the buried part of the floor, so it is desirable to replace the pipe with the consent of the consumer.

In addition, the process of checking the change of the pressure gauge 70 after leaving the buried pipe 60 in which the nitrogen is injected for 24 hours may be further included. The cause of the volume reduction in the general gas equation is one or two scales (about 2-4 kg/cm 2 ) due to the temperature change in the buried pipe 60 or compression and condensation of foreign substances, and the same phenomenon in the pressure gauge 70 . ) can be stopped after descending. If it is maintained in this state for more than 24 hours, it can be determined that there is no leakage.

In addition, if the needle of the pressure gauge 70 goes down, there are cases in which it is wrong to induce a pipe replacement as an unconditional leak.

If the needle goes down a lot, the second close inspection can be performed again. In other words, since the stability of the inspection tool is verified, it can be identified as a leak. Upon re-inspection, the leaking part is already widened due to high pressure, and since the phenomenon that the needle of the pressure gauge 70 goes down more quickly can be easily confirmed with the naked eye, it is possible to confirm the leak of the buried pipe 60, so that replacement work can be carried out. there is only one

As described above, according to the leak inspection method of the buried pipe of the air conditioner according to the present invention, since gas leakage in the air conditioner pipe composed of a high pressure pipe and a low pressure pipe can be distinguished and specified, whether to repair or replace the buried pipe can be clearly determined, and trust can be given to consumers through sound inspection as well as bubbling test for the connection part of buried piping and inspection equipment during leak inspection.

The technical problem of the present invention is achieved by the technical configuration as described above, although it has been described with reference to the limited embodiments and drawings, the technical idea of the present invention is not limited thereto and the technical idea of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs It goes without saying that various modifications and variations are possible within the equivalent scope of the claims.

50A: Indoor inspection box 50B: Outdoor inspection box
51: protective tube 52: insulation material
60: buried pipe 61a, 61b: buried pipe tip
62: flare nut 63a: flare
63b: compression piece 64: sealing cap
70: pressure gauge 71: pipeline
72: charging nipple 73: nitrogen gas cylinder
74: charging hose 75a: first nozzle
75b: second nozzle 76: through-through
77: knob

Claims (5)

Open the indoor and outdoor inspection ports (50A, 50B) Separating the pipe mounted on the outdoor unit including the indoor unit from both ends of the buried pipe (S51);
A step (S52) of forming a flare (63a) using a flare tool in a state where the flare nut (62) is inserted at the tip of the indoor buried pipe (60), and then fastening it with a sealing cap (64) having a compression piece (63b) (S52) )Wow,
A step (S53) of welding the pipe line (71) of the pressure gauge (70) to the front end of the buried pipe (60) on the outdoor side;
Opening the charging nipple 72 disposed on one side of the pressure gauge and binding the valve of the nitrogen gas cylinder 73 (S54);
Injecting nitrogen up to a pressure of 40 kg/cm 2 into the buried pipe by slowly opening the knob 77 mounted on the nitrogen gas cylinder (S55);
The leak inspection method of the buried pipe of the air conditioner, characterized in that it comprises the step (S56) of removing and closing the filling hose (74) of the nitrogen gas cylinder and verifying whether the pressure gauge is leaking. According to claim 1, wherein the indoor unit and After separating the outdoor unit pipe from the buried pipe, the step (S51-1) of removing foreign substances by putting a wire equipped with a cleaner on one side into the buried pipe and passing it through is further included. How to check. [Claim 3] The buried pipe of the air conditioner according to claim 2, further comprising the step of detecting (S51-2) traces of carbonization on the leaking part inside the buried pipe using an endoscope after removing foreign substances inside the buried pipe. How to check for leaks. The hose of claim 1, wherein the leak detection liquid is immersed in the sponge in a state in which nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe (60), and then the connection part of the indoor buried pipe, the welding part of the pressure gauge (70), and the charging nipple (72) The method of inspecting for leaks in the buried pipe of the air conditioner, characterized in that the step (S55-1) of performing a bubbling test on the connection part is further included. [Claim 2] The buried pipe of the air conditioner according to claim 1, further comprising the step (S55-2) of hearing and judging the state of gas leakage using a stethoscope in a state in which nitrogen is injected into the buried pipe (60). How to check for leaks.

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