WO2024143586A1 - Refrigerant recovery apparatus of large refrigerant-using device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerant recovery apparatus for efficiently recovering a refrigerant from a large refrigerant-using device in use in chemical plants, etc. The refrigerant recovery apparatus for recovering a refrigerant from a large refrigerant-using device into a refrigerant-collecting container, according to the present invention, comprises: a first refrigerant recovery pipe that connects the large refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant-collecting container to form a transfer path for a liquid refrigerant; a 2a refrigerant recovery pipe that connects the large refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant-collecting container to form a transport path for a gaseous refrigerant; a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe that is branched from the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to form another transport path for transporting the gaseous refrigerant; a first process compressor that is provided in the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to suck the gaseous refrigerant; and a second process compressor that is provided in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe to suck the gaseous refrigerant, wherein the first process compressor and the second process compressor have different suction/discharge capacities. According to the present invention, there is an advantage of reducing the refrigerant recovery process time and power consumption of a refrigerant-using device.

Description

Refrigerant recovery device for large refrigerant-using equipment

The present invention relates to a refrigerant recovery device for efficiently recovering refrigerant from large refrigerant-using equipment used in chemical plants, etc.

In general, when maintaining/repairing or disposing of refrigerant-using equipment, processing technology is required to efficiently recover the refrigerant while preventing its release into the atmosphere.

In particular, in large-scale refrigerant-using devices in which a large amount of refrigerant is circulated, the amount of refrigerant that must be processed is very large, so there is a problem in that it takes a lot of time to recover the refrigerant.

Meanwhile, the refrigerant recovery process can be divided into a liquid refrigerant recovery process and a gaseous refrigerant recovery process. 80 to 95 wt% of the total refrigerant charge is recovered in a liquid state and the rest is recovered in a gaseous state.

However, unlike the above recovery amount, more than 80% of the total refrigerant recovery work during the refrigerant recovery process is spent on recovering gaseous refrigerant.

The reason why it takes a lot of time to recover gaseous refrigerant as described above is that unlike liquid refrigerant, which is recovered using a pump while the refrigerant in the pipe is filled in the entire recovery process that progresses from liquid refrigerant to gaseous refrigerant, gaseous refrigerant After recovering the liquid refrigerant, it is forcibly sucked using a compressor and then filled into a high-pressure refrigerant charging container, so the recovery process takes a lot of time.

Therefore, in order to increase the recovery speed of liquid refrigerant, the application of a high-output pump can be considered. However, when a high-output pump is applied to recover liquid refrigerant, damage to the pump vane due to cavitation or idling in the pipe may occur. It can be.

As a way to solve the above problems, in the prior art, a push-pull method of recovering liquid refrigerant using a compressor is applied during the liquid refrigerant recovery process.

For example, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2020-0031306A “Refrigerant recovery device” uses a push-pull method to increase the recovery speed of liquid refrigerant, and when recovery of liquid refrigerant is completed, the push-pull method is used. After completion, the refrigerant is recovered by switching to a vapor phase recovery method.

However, in the prior art as described above, recovery of liquid refrigerant and recovery of gaseous refrigerant are performed using a single compressor and condenser.

Therefore, when the compressor suction/discharge capacity is small compared to the amount of recovered refrigerant, there is a problem that it still takes a long time to recover the gaseous refrigerant after recovering the liquid refrigerant.

In addition, when the suction/discharge capacity of the compressor is increased to improve the recovery speed of gaseous refrigerant, the gas suction/discharge flow rate of the refrigerant charging container also increases during the push-pull liquid refrigerant recovery process, thereby increasing the suction/discharge capacity. The problem occurs that the liquid refrigerant recovery speed is relatively lower than that of this small compressor and that power consumption increases when the liquid refrigerant recovery speed is the same.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant recovery device in which the liquid refrigerant transfer process and the gas refrigerant transfer process are separately performed through different compressors.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant that can shorten the time required for refrigerant recovery by increasing the suction/discharge flow rate of the compressor applied to the transfer process of gaseous refrigerant more than the suction/discharge flow rate of the compressor applied to the transfer process of liquid refrigerant. Providing a recovery device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a refrigerant recovery device that can be mounted and operated in a vehicle through modularization.

The present invention relates to a refrigerant recovery device for recovering refrigerant from a large-scale refrigerant-using device to a refrigerant charging container, comprising: a first refrigerant recovery pipe connecting the large-scale refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant charging container to form a transfer path for liquid refrigerant; A 2a refrigerant recovery pipe connecting the large refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant charging container to form a transfer path for gaseous refrigerant, and a second a refrigerant recovery pipe branching from the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to form another transfer path for transfer of gaseous refrigerant. It includes a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe, a first process compressor provided in the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to suck in gaseous refrigerant, and a second process compressor provided in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe to suck in gaseous refrigerant, The first process compressor and the second process compressor are characterized by having different suction/discharge capacities.

The first process compressor is characterized in that it has a lower suction/discharge capacity than the second process compressor.

The refrigerant recovery device is characterized in that it is mounted and operated in a vehicle together with the refrigerant charging container.

The vehicle is characterized in that it is further provided with a power supply module for power supply.

The first process compressor and the second process compressor are each equipped with a condensing unit (CDU) including an air-cooled condenser.

The first air-cooled condenser, which constitutes the first CDU together with the first process compressor, controls the condensation pressure by adjusting the heat exchange area according to the cooling fan rotation speed and air flow control, so that the refrigerant operating at a different pressure from the refrigerant charging container It is characterized by making it easier to transfer liquid refrigerant to the device being used.

The present invention has the advantage of reducing refrigerant recovery time and reducing power consumption by separately operating a compressor for transferring liquid refrigerant and a compressor for transferring gaseous refrigerant while recovering refrigerant in connection with a large-scale refrigerant-using device.

That is, in the present invention, the refrigerant is transferred by the pressure difference generated while the gaseous refrigerant inside the refrigerant charging container is sucked and the refrigerant-using device is pressurized through the push-pull method.

In addition, since the safety valve applied to the refrigerant charging container is damaged at a temperature of approximately 50℃, the larger the discharge flow rate, the larger the capacity of the condenser at the rear of the compressor, which creates difficulties in temperature control. However, the volume is relatively smaller than that of large refrigerant-using devices. Since liquid refrigerant can be transferred by only generating a pressure difference by sucking gaseous refrigerant from a volumetric refrigerant charging container, it has the advantage of reducing power consumption and making temperature control easier by applying a compressor of relatively small capacity.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage of enabling stable recovery of gaseous refrigerant at a faster rate by using a compressor with a relatively large suction/discharge capacity and a corresponding condenser and heat exchanger for recovering gaseous refrigerant. .

Figure 1 is a process piping diagram for explaining an example of a refrigerant recovery device for a large refrigerant-using device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a process in which liquid refrigerant contained in a large refrigerant-using device is recovered in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a process in which gaseous refrigerant contained in a large refrigerant-using device is recovered in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the refrigerant recovery device of a large refrigerant-using device according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle together with a refrigerant charging container.

Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a process in which liquid refrigerant is recovered using a refrigerant recovery device of a large refrigerant-using device mounted on a vehicle.

Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a process in which gaseous refrigerant is recovered using a refrigerant recovery device of a large refrigerant-using device mounted on a vehicle.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through illustrative drawings.

In adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

In addition, in the description of the embodiment, if it is judged that a specific description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the description is simplified or omitted, and some components are “equipped” with other components. ” or “connected” is described, the component may be directly provided or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that another component may be “provided” or “connected” between each component. .

The refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention configures the compressor capacity for the liquid refrigerant recovery process and the gas refrigerant recovery process of the refrigerant-using device differently, and forms a different refrigerant transfer path accordingly, so that the refrigerant recovery path is separated.

FIG. 1 is a process piping diagram for explaining an embodiment of the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the process of recovering the liquid refrigerant contained in the refrigerator in the embodiment of FIG. 1. 3 is a diagram to explain the process of recovering the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerator in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring to these drawings, the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention connects the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 with pipes, but the recovery path for the liquid refrigerant and the recovery path for the gaseous refrigerant are separated and each is transported by a different compressor. The process is controlled so that it can be carried out.

In detail, the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention is provided with a first refrigerant recovery pipe (210), one end of which is connected to the refrigerator (20) and the other end of which is connected to the refrigerant container (40).

The first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 forms a path for transferring liquid refrigerant, and uses the pressure difference between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 in a push-pull method to liquid refrigerant. Allows refrigerant to be transported.

In addition, a 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 is further provided between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 to form a closed loop with the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 to generate a pressure difference.

For this purpose, the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 is equipped with a first process compressor 240 and a first oil separator 230, and first to third control valves 222 for controlling the flow of refrigerant, 224, 226) and a first sensing means 221 and a second sensing means 223 for detecting pipe pressure and temperature.

In detail, a first control valve 222 is provided in the path connecting the refrigerant container 40 and the first process compressor 240 to control the transport of gaseous refrigerant flowing into or being discharged from the first process compressor 240. do.

In addition, a first oil separator 230 is provided on one side of the first process compressor 240 to separate oil contained in the gas refrigerant, and between the first oil separator 230 and the refrigerator 20, the first oil separator 230 is provided. 1A second control valve 224 is provided adjacent to the oil separator 230, and a third control valve 226 is provided adjacent to the refrigerator 20 to control the transfer of gaseous refrigerant.

The first sensing means 221 is configured to include a pressure gauge (PG), a thermocouple (temperature element, TE), a pressure transmitter (PT), and a temperature gauge (TG), and is configured to detect the refrigerant container. It is configured to measure the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant flowing into (40) or discharged from the refrigerant container (40) and transmit the measurement information.

The second sensing means 223 has the same configuration as the first sensing means 221 and is provided between the refrigerator 20 and the first oil separator 230 to measure the temperature and pressure of the transferred refrigerant. and transmits the measurement information.

In addition, the recovery process of the liquid refrigerant in the closed circulation path of the refrigerant configured as above is performed when the refrigerator 20 is pressurized by sucking in the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant container 40 by the first process compressor 240. It is achieved by the pressure difference generated.

That is, in the liquid refrigerant recovery process, when the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant container 40 is sucked in by the first process compressor 240, the pressure of the refrigerant container 40 is lowered, and the sucked gaseous refrigerant is transferred to the refrigerator 20. ), the pressure of the refrigerator 20 increases and the liquid refrigerant is transferred from the refrigerator 20 to the refrigerant container 40 through the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210.

In contrast, when the liquid refrigerant contained in the refrigerant container 40 is supplied to the refrigerator 20, the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerator 20 is sucked to pressurize the refrigerant container 40. The small-volume refrigerant container 40 is pressurized.

Therefore, in the present invention, the first process compressor 240 forms a pressure difference between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 to prevent the pressure of the refrigerant container 40 from rapidly increasing during the transfer process of the liquid refrigerant. The capacity is determined at a level that can be achieved, so it has relatively small required power and suction/discharge flow rates, so it can be operated with low power consumption.

Meanwhile, the refrigerant transfer device according to the present invention further includes a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 centered on the second process compressor 430 to be separated from the liquid refrigerant transfer path formed around the first process compressor 240. It is provided.

The 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 branches off from the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 connecting the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40, and sucks in gaseous refrigerant, pressurizes it, condenses it, and then refrigerant container 40. Allow charging to occur.

To this end, the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 includes the second process compressor 430, fourth to seventh control valves (412, 414, 416, 418), and a third sensing means for detecting pipe pressure and temperature ( 411) and the fourth detection means 421, a condenser 450, a heat exchanger 460, a scroll compressor 470, an accumulator 420, and a second oil separator 440 for pressurized condensation and cooling of the gas refrigerant. More included.

In detail, the path connecting the accumulator 420 from the refrigerator 20 is provided with the fourth control valve 412 and the third detection means 411 so that the flow into the accumulator 420 or from the accumulator 420 is provided. The transport of the discharged gaseous refrigerant is controlled.

That is, the fourth control valve 412 is shielded when the third control valve 226 is opened and refrigerant recovery in a push-pull method is performed, and after the liquid refrigerant recovery process is completed, the gaseous refrigerant is It will be opened in case of recovery.

In addition, the third sensing means 410 is for detecting the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant transported from one side of the fourth control valve 412, and includes a pressure gauge (PG) and a temperature gauge (TG). Including, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant flowing into or discharged from the accumulator 420 may be measured.

The accumulator 420 prevents liquid refrigerant from flowing into the second process compressor 430, thereby preventing a decrease in the efficiency of the second process compressor 430.

In addition, the fifth control valve 414 is provided between the accumulator 420 and the second process compressor 430 to control the flow rate of the transferred gaseous refrigerant.

As described above, the second process compressor 430 has a higher suction/discharge flow rate based on a greater required power than the first process compressor 240 in order to perform a faster recovery process of gaseous refrigerant.

That is, in the refrigerant transfer device according to the present invention, a first process path through which liquid refrigerant is transferred and a second process path through which gaseous refrigerant is transferred are divided, and a first process path having a relatively small suction/discharge flow rate is provided on the first process path. The recovery speed of gaseous refrigerant can be improved by applying the compressor 240 and the second process compressor 430 with a relatively large suction/discharge flow rate on the second process path.

And, to correspond to the suction/discharge flow rate of the second process compressor 430, the second process path, that is, the 2b refrigerant return pipe 410, is provided with a condenser 450 and a heat exchanger 460 of corresponding capacity. The cooling temperature of the heat exchanger 460 can be adjusted through a refrigeration cycle by the scroll compressor 470.

In addition, the condenser 450 ensures that an appropriate pressure is maintained between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 when refrigerant is charged through inverter control.

The seventh control valve 418 is provided between the heat exchanger 460 and the refrigerant container 40 so that the gaseous refrigerant introduced through the second process path passes through the condenser 450 and the heat exchanger 460. while allowing the flow rate of the converted liquid refrigerant to be controlled.

That is, the seventh control valve 418 is a gas for transferring liquid refrigerant in a push-pull method between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 when the first control valve 222 is opened. It is shielded when the refrigerant is transferred, and opened when the gaseous refrigerant is recovered after the liquid refrigerant recovery process is completed.

Hereinafter, a method of recovering refrigerant using a refrigerant recovery device composed of the above system will be described.

The method of recovering refrigerant using the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention is largely divided into a piping connection step, a liquid refrigerant recovery step, and a gaseous refrigerant recovery step.

In the piping connection step, the refrigerant recovery device, the refrigerator 20, and the refrigerant container 40 are connected to the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 and the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220. And, as described above, the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 further includes a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 as a branched path for transporting gaseous refrigerant.

Therefore, when the piping connection step is completed, the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 form a closed circulation path for transferring the refrigerant, and the closed circulation path is branched by the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410. Additional routes are included.

Meanwhile, after the piping connection step is completed, power is supplied to the refrigerant recovery device and the liquid refrigerant recovery step is performed first.

In the liquid refrigerant recovery step, first, the fourth control valve 412 and the seventh control valve 478 are shielded, and the first control valve 222 and the second control valve 224 are opened to release the first refrigerant. A transport path for the liquid refrigerant is formed through the recovery pipe 210, and a transport path for the gaseous refrigerant is formed through the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220.

As described above, the formation of a separate transfer path for the refrigerant can be achieved by a push-pull switch, and when the push-pull switch is turned on, a control valve for forming the transfer path for the liquid refrigerant is activated. When opened and turned off, the control valve for forming the transfer path of the liquid refrigerant is shielded.

Meanwhile, after turning on the push-pull switch, an air purge is performed to remove the air contained in the transfer path, and after the air purge is performed, the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container The connection point valve of the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 connecting (40) is opened.

When the first process compressor 240 is driven in the above state, the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant container 40 is sucked, and when the suction pressure reaches 2 BagG or more, the first process compressor 240 is switched to operation. As the gaseous refrigerant sucked in is supplied to the refrigerator 20, the liquid refrigerant is recovered through the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210.

Meanwhile, when the liquid refrigerant is recovered from the refrigerator 20 to the refrigerant container 40, a change in the weight of the load cell provided on the lower side of the refrigerant container 40 is detected, or a confirmation window provided on the refrigerant container 40 ( The recovery status of liquid refrigerant above a certain level can be confirmed through a sight glass.

Then, when the recovery of the liquid refrigerant in the set weight range is completed, the operation of the first process compressor 240 is terminated and the push-pull switch is switched to off.

Accordingly, the refrigerant can be transferred to the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 through the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410.

Meanwhile, when the above state is completed, the gas refrigerant recovery step is performed.

In the gaseous refrigerant recovery step, the gaseous refrigerant remaining in the refrigerator 20 after recovering the liquid refrigerant is sucked into the second process compressor 430, and the sucked gaseous refrigerant is pressurized, condensed, and cooled in the refrigerant container 40. Charging takes place.

In detail, in the gas refrigerant recovery step, the recovery switch is turned on to open the control valve so that the transfer path of the refrigerant through the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 can be formed.

That is, in the liquid refrigerant recovery step, when the push-pull switch is turned off and the first control valve 222 and the third control valve 226 are shielded, when the recovery switch is turned on, the fourth The control valve 412 and the seventh control valve 418 are opened to open the recovery path for the gaseous refrigerant.

In the above condition, when the air contained in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 is removed through an air purge and the second process compressor 430 is operated, the remaining air in the refrigerator 20 is removed. Gas refrigerant recovery begins as the gas refrigerant is sucked in.

When the gaseous refrigerant is sucked through the second process compressor 430, the gaseous refrigerant is compressed, and the compressed gaseous refrigerant is condensed and cooled while passing through the condenser 450 and the heat exchanger 460 to form a liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant container. Recovered in (40).

At this time, the condenser 450 can maintain an appropriate pressure between the refrigerator 20 and the refrigerant container 40 through inverter control.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail through illustrative drawings.

In adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, identical components are given the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings.

In addition, in the description of the embodiment, if it is judged that a specific description of a related known configuration or function interferes with the understanding of the embodiment of the present invention, the description is simplified or omitted, and some components are “equipped” with other components. ” or “connected” is described, the component may be directly provided or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that another component may be “provided” or “connected” between each component. .

The refrigerant recovery device for large-scale refrigerant-using equipment (hereinafter referred to as “refrigerant recovery device”) according to the present invention has different compressor capacities for the liquid refrigerant recovery process and the gaseous refrigerant recovery process for large-scale refrigerant-using equipment, and the resulting refrigerant By forming a different transfer path, the refrigerant recovery path is separated.

Figure 1 shows a process piping diagram for illustrating an example of a refrigerant recovery device for a large-scale refrigerant-using device according to the present invention, and Figure 2 shows a process piping diagram for recovering the liquid refrigerant contained in the large-scale refrigerant-using device in the embodiment of FIG. 1. A drawing is shown to explain the process, and FIG. 3 shows a drawing to explain the process of recovering the gaseous refrigerant contained in the large refrigerant-using device in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Referring to these drawings, the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention connects the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40 by piping, but the recovery path for the liquid refrigerant and the recovery path for the gaseous refrigerant are separated, so that each compressor is used separately. The transfer process is controlled by .

In detail, the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention is provided with a first refrigerant recovery pipe (210), one end of which is connected to the refrigerant using device (20) and the other end of which is connected to the liquid side valve of the refrigerant charging container (40).

The first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 forms a path for transferring liquid refrigerant, and maintains a pressure difference between the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40 in a push-pull manner. It is used to allow liquid refrigerant to be transported.

In addition, between the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40, there is a second refrigerant recovery pipe 220 for forming a closed loop with the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 to generate a pressure difference. It is provided.

For this purpose, the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 is equipped with a first process compressor 240, a first oil separator 230, and a first air-cooled condenser 450a, and a first process compressor 240 for controlling the flow of refrigerant. to third control valves (222, 224, 226) and a first sensing means (221) and a second sensing means (223) for detecting pipe pressure and temperature.

In detail, a first control valve 222 is provided in the path connecting the refrigerant charging container 40 and the first process compressor 240 to transfer the gaseous refrigerant flowing into or being discharged from the first process compressor 240. It is controlled.

In addition, a first oil separator 230 is provided on one side of the first process compressor 240 to separate the oil contained in the gaseous refrigerant, and the first air-cooled condenser 450a is configured to measure the number of rotations of the cooling fan and the heat exchange area. Control the condensing pressure through regulation.

To this end, the first air-cooled condenser 450a is configured as a forced convection type including a cooling fan, and is formed in a structure including a plurality of stacked cooling fins, so that the amount of air flowing into the cooling fins can be controlled.

In addition, a second control valve 224 is provided between the first oil separator 230 and the first air-cooled condenser 450a adjacent to the first oil separator 230, and the refrigerant using device 20 and A third control valve 226 is provided at an adjacent location to control the transport of gaseous refrigerant.

The first sensing means 221 is configured to include a pressure gauge (PG), a thermocouple (temperature element, TE), a pressure transmitter (PT), and a temperature gauge (TG) to detect the use of the refrigerant. It is configured to measure the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the device 40 or discharged from the refrigerant charging container 40 and transmit the measurement information.

The second sensing means 223 has the same configuration as the first sensing means 221, and is provided between the refrigerant using device 20 and the first oil separator 230 to determine the temperature and pressure of the transported refrigerant. Measures and transmits measurement information.

In addition, the recovery process of the liquid refrigerant in the closed circulation path of the refrigerant configured as above is performed by sucking in the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant charging container 40 by the first process compressor 240 and the refrigerant using device 20. It consists of a pressure difference that occurs when pressurized.

That is, in the liquid refrigerant recovery process, when the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant charging container 40 is sucked in by the first process compressor 240, the pressure of the refrigerant charging container 40 is lowered, and the sucked gaseous refrigerant is transferred to the refrigerant. When supplied to the using device (20) and pressurized, the liquid refrigerant is transferred from the refrigerant using device (20) to the refrigerant charging container (40).

In contrast, when the liquid refrigerant contained in the refrigerant charging container 40 is supplied to the refrigerant using device 20, the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant using device 20 is sucked to fill the refrigerant charging container 40. In this case, the refrigerant charging container 40, which has a relatively small volume, is pressurized.

Therefore, in the present invention, in order to prevent the pressure of the refrigerant charging container 40 from rapidly increasing during the transfer of the liquid refrigerant as described above, the capacity of the first process compressor 240 is adjusted to the capacity of the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40. ) is determined at a level that can form a pressure difference, so it has relatively small required power and suction/discharge flow rates, which allows it to be operated with low power consumption.

Meanwhile, the refrigerant transfer device according to the present invention further includes a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 centered on the second process compressor 430 to be separated from the liquid refrigerant transfer path formed around the first process compressor 240. and one or more second process compressors 430 may be installed in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410.

The 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 branches off from the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 connecting the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40, and sucks the gaseous refrigerant of the refrigerant using device 20. This ensures that the refrigerant charging container (40) can be charged after pressurization and condensation.

To this end, the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 includes the second process compressor 430, fourth to seventh control valves (412, 414, 416, 418), and a third sensing means (411) for detecting pipe pressure and temperature. ) and a fourth detection means 421 are provided, and a second air-cooled condenser (450b), a heat exchanger 460, and an attached refrigerator 470 for pressurized condensation and cooling of the gaseous refrigerant, and a second air-cooled condenser 450b for pressurized condensation and cooling of the gaseous refrigerant. An accumulator 420 and a second oil separator 440 are further included.

In detail, the path connecting the accumulator 420 from the refrigerant using device 20 is provided with the fourth control valve 412 and the third detection means 411 so that the refrigerant flows into the accumulator 420 or flows into the accumulator 420. ) The transport of the gaseous refrigerant discharged from ) is controlled.

That is, the fourth control valve 412 is shielded when the third control valve 226 is opened and refrigerant recovery in a push-pull method is performed, and after the liquid refrigerant recovery process is completed, the gaseous refrigerant is It will be opened in case of recovery.

In addition, the third sensing means 410 is for detecting the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant transported from one side of the fourth control valve 412, and includes a pressure gauge (PG) and a temperature gauge (TG). Including, the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant flowing into or discharged from the accumulator 420 may be measured.

The accumulator 420 prevents liquid refrigerant from flowing into the second process compressor 430, thereby preventing a decrease in efficiency and damage to the second process compressor 430.

In addition, the fifth control valve 414 is provided between the accumulator 420 and the second process compressor 430 to control the flow rate of the transferred gaseous refrigerant.

As described above, the second process compressor 430 has a higher suction/discharge flow rate based on a greater required power than the first process compressor 240 in order to perform a faster recovery process of gaseous refrigerant.

That is, in the refrigerant transfer device according to the present invention, a first process path through which liquid refrigerant is transferred and a second process path through which gaseous refrigerant is transferred are divided, and a first process path having a relatively small suction/discharge flow rate is provided on the first process path. The recovery speed of gaseous refrigerant can be improved by applying the compressor 240 and the second process compressor 430 with a relatively large suction/discharge flow rate on the second process path.

In addition, a second air-cooled condenser 450 and a heat exchanger 460 of corresponding capacity are installed in the second process path, that is, the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410, to correspond to the suction/discharge flow rate of the second process compressor 430. ) is provided, and the cooling temperature of the heat exchanger 460 can be adjusted through a refrigeration cycle by the attached refrigerator 470.

The seventh control valve 418 is provided between the heat exchanger 460 and the refrigerant using device 40 so that the gaseous refrigerant introduced through the second process path flows through the condenser 450 and the heat exchanger 460. The flow rate of the converted liquid refrigerant can be controlled as it passes through.

That is, the seventh control valve 418 transfers liquid refrigerant in a push-pull manner between the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40 when the first control valve 222 is opened. It is shielded when the gaseous refrigerant is transferred for, and is opened when the gaseous refrigerant is recovered after the liquid refrigerant recovery process is completed.

Hereinafter, a method of recovering refrigerant using a refrigerant recovery device composed of the above system will be described.

The method of recovering refrigerant using the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention is largely divided into a piping connection step, a liquid refrigerant recovery step, and a gaseous refrigerant recovery step.

In the piping connection step, the refrigerant recovery device, the refrigerant using device 20, and the refrigerant charging container 40 are connected to the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 and the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220. And, as described above, the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220 further includes a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 as a branched path for transporting gaseous refrigerant.

Therefore, when the piping connection step is completed, the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40 form a closed circulation path for transferring the refrigerant, and the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 is in the closed circulation path. Paths branched by are further included.

Meanwhile, after the piping connection step is completed, power is supplied to the refrigerant recovery device and the liquid refrigerant recovery step is performed first.

In the liquid refrigerant recovery step, first, the fourth control valve 412 and the seventh control valve 478 are shielded, the first control valve 222 and the third control valve 226 are opened, and the first control valve 222 and the third control valve 226 are opened. A transport path for the liquid refrigerant is formed by the refrigerant recovery pipe 210, and a transport path for the gaseous refrigerant is formed by the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe 220.

As described above, the formation of a separate transfer path for the refrigerant can be achieved by a push-pull switch, and when the push-pull switch is turned on, a control valve for forming the transfer path for the liquid refrigerant is activated. When opened and turned off, the control valve for forming the transfer path of the liquid refrigerant is shielded.

On the other hand, after turning on the push-pull switch, air contained in the transfer path can be removed by performing an air purge, and after the air purge is performed, the refrigerant using device (20) ) and the connection point valve of the first refrigerant recovery pipe 210 connecting the refrigerant charging container 40 is opened.

When the first process compressor 240 is driven in the above state, the gaseous refrigerant contained in the refrigerant charging container 40 is sucked, and when the suction pressure reaches 0 BarG or higher, the first process compressor 240 is driven. As the gaseous refrigerant sucked in through the conversion is supplied to the refrigerant-using device (20), the liquid refrigerant is recovered through the first refrigerant recovery pipe (210).

On the other hand, when the liquid refrigerant is recovered from the refrigerant using device 20 to the refrigerant charging container 40, the liquid refrigerant recovery state above a certain level is detected by detecting a change in the weight of the load cell provided on the lower side of the refrigerant charging container 40. It can be confirmed.

Then, when the recovery of the liquid refrigerant in the set weight range is completed, the operation of the first process compressor 240 is terminated and the push-pull switch is switched to Off to allow the liquid refrigerant to be recovered through the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410. Transfer of refrigerant can be achieved.

Meanwhile, when the above process is completed, the gas refrigerant recovery step is performed.

In the gaseous refrigerant recovery step, the gaseous refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant-using device 20 after recovering the liquid refrigerant is sucked into the second process compressor 430, and the sucked gaseous refrigerant is pressurized, condensed, and cooled to form the refrigerant charging container ( Charging takes place at 40).

In detail, in the gaseous refrigerant recovery step, the recovery switch is turned on to open the control valve to form a transfer path for the refrigerant through the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410.

That is, in the liquid refrigerant recovery step, when the push-pull switch is turned off and the first control valve 222 and the third control valve 226 are shielded, when the recovery switch is turned on, the fourth The control valve 412 and the seventh control valve 418 are opened to open the recovery path for the gaseous refrigerant.

In the above condition, the air contained in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe 410 can be removed through an air purge, and when the second process compressor 430 is operated, the refrigerant using device 20 ), the remaining gaseous refrigerant is sucked in, and gaseous refrigerant recovery begins.

When gaseous refrigerant is sucked through the second process compressor 430, the gaseous refrigerant is compressed, and the compressed gaseous refrigerant is condensed and cooled while passing through the second air-cooled condenser 450b and the heat exchanger 460 to form a liquid refrigerant. It is recovered from the refrigerant charging container (40).

In addition, in the gaseous refrigerant recovery step, when the refrigerant charging container 40 is charged to 80% or more of the internal volume, the refrigerant charging container 40 is replaced and the remaining refrigerant is recovered, thereby completing the gaseous refrigerant recovery step.

Hereinafter, the recovery speed, recovery time, and power consumption using the first process compressor 240 and the second process compressor 430 will be described through an example.

For the experiment, the bottom of the refrigerant-using device where the liquid refrigerant is stored and the refrigerant charging container were connected with a liquid refrigerant pipe, and the gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant charging container was sucked into compressor A and compressor B, respectively, and discharged to the refrigerant-using device. Liquid refrigerant was transferred by creating a differential pressure between the charging containers, and the liquid refrigerant recovery speed for each compressor was measured.

(Here, the specifications of the liquid refrigerant pipe are 15.88mm in inner diameter and 20mm in length, the liquid refrigerant flow rate is 2,500 kg/hr, and the gas density of R-22 refrigerant is 2.8885 lb/ft ³ (46.269043 kg/m ³ , @ 25℃) And when the total refrigerant charge for refrigerant-using devices is 3,000 kg, the liquid refrigerant is 2,700 kg and the gas refrigerant is 300 kg))

As a result of the measurement, the specifications and corresponding performance of the compressor were shown in [Table 1] below.

item	unit	Compressor A (large)	Compressor B (small)	note
Discharge amount	m3/hr	43	11
average flow rate	m3/hr	20	4.8	Saturation pressure → 0 BarG
motor	HP	10	3
Gas refrigerant intake amount	kg/hr	925	222
Liquid refrigerant recovery speed	kg/hr	1,575	2,278

Among the compressors with the above performance, compressor A (large size) compressor alone compares the time required to recover the refrigerant and the measurement results using different compressors by applying the refrigerant charging device according to the present invention to separate gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. The results were shown in [Table 2] below.

division	Compressor A (large) used alone			Use separate compressor
	liquid recovery	gas recovery	entire	liquid recovery	gas recovery	entire
collect time taken (hr)	1.71	0.32	2.04	1.19	0.32	1.51
Upon recovery Power usage (kWh) (When recovering the same amount of refrigerant)	12.86	2.43	15.29	2.67	2.43	5.01

Looking at the above measurement results, since the temperature at which the refrigerant-using device is pressurized is the same regardless of the compressor capacity, a saturation pressure of the corresponding temperature is formed in the refrigerant-using device, and since the volume of the refrigerant-using device is very large, the compressor discharge gas It is confirmed that the pressurization effect is minimal, and the volume of the refrigerant charging container is very small compared to the compressor capacity, so a similar pressure is maintained regardless of compressor capacity, so when refrigerant is transferred in a push-pull method, the larger the compressor capacity, the more refrigerant It was found that the recovery speed decreased.

Therefore, rather than using a compressor with a large capacity, the transfer path of the liquid refrigerant and the transfer path of the gaseous refrigerant are separated, and the refrigerant transfer process is performed by providing a different compressor for each divided route, and the liquid refrigerant transfer process is performed. By applying a compressor with a smaller capacity than the gaseous refrigerant transfer compressor and applying a compressor with a relatively larger compressor capacity to the gaseous refrigerant transfer process, the time required for refrigerant recovery and power usage can be reduced.

Meanwhile, a refrigerant transfer device having the above characteristics may be operated mounted on a vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the refrigerant recovery device for a large refrigerant-using device according to the present invention mounted on a vehicle together with a refrigerant charging container, and FIG. 5 shows the refrigerant of a large-scale refrigerant-using device mounted on the vehicle. A drawing is shown to explain the process in which liquid refrigerant is recovered using a recovery device, and Figure 7 is a drawing to explain the process in which gaseous refrigerant is recovered using a refrigerant recovery device in a large refrigerant-using device mounted on a vehicle. It is shown.

Referring to these drawings, the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention includes a power supply module 110, an integrated control module 140, a refrigerant recovery module 100, a refrigerant charging container 40, and a load cell 41. It can be configured and operated as mounted on a vehicle.

The refrigerant recovery module 100 is equipped with a first CDU 260 for recovering liquid refrigerant in the push-pull method described above, and a second CDU 480 for recovering the remaining refrigerant after recovery of the liquid refrigerant. is included.

That is, in the above-described embodiment, the first process compressor 240 and the second process compressor 430 are formed into a condensing unit (CDU) together with the first air-cooled condenser 450a and the second air-cooled condenser 450b, respectively. It can be configured and mounted on a vehicle.

Additionally, the second CDU (480) has a larger suction/discharge capacity than the first CDU (260).

In addition, in the structure of this embodiment, the second CDU (480) is provided in plural numbers as a second process first CDU (482) and a second process second CDU (484), so that the gaseous refrigerant can be recovered at a faster rate when recovering the gaseous refrigerant. Let it happen.

In addition, in the structure of this embodiment, a transfer module 150 may be further provided for faster transfer of the liquid refrigerant in the process of recovering the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant using device 20, and the transfer module 150 may be a transfer pump. can be applied.

Additionally, in the structure of this embodiment, a pretreatment module 800 may be further provided to separate oil and moisture contained in the refrigerant.

Meanwhile, in the process of recovering liquid refrigerant using the refrigerant recovery module 100 configured as described above, the liquid connection fitting 24 of the refrigerant using device 20 and the refrigerant charging container 40 are connected while mounted on the vehicle. A liquid connection fitting (44) is connected through the return pipe.

In addition, the gas connection fitting 22 of the refrigerant using device 20 and the gas connection fitting 42 of the refrigerant charging container 40 connect the recovery pipe passing through the second CDU (480) and the second CDU (480). It branches off into recovery pipes that do not pass through, and recovery of the refrigerant takes place through different routes.

That is, when the liquid refrigerant is recovered by the push-pull method using the first CDU (260), the gaseous refrigerant is sucked from the refrigerant charging container 40 by the first CDU (260), and the sucked gaseous refrigerant is transferred to a refrigerant-using device. The transfer of the liquid refrigerant begins by supplying it to (20) to generate a pressure difference, and the transfer module 150 can be driven together to increase the transfer speed.

Here, when the transfer module 150 is not driven, the liquid connection fitting 24 of the refrigerant using device 20 and the liquid connection fitting 44 of the refrigerant charging container 40 are connected through a bypass pipe. Accordingly, the liquid refrigerant can be transported by pressure difference.

Meanwhile, when the transfer of the liquid refrigerant is completed as described above, the refrigerant remaining in the refrigerant using device 20 is sucked into the second CDU 480 through the pretreatment module 800 and is pressurized, condensed, and cooled into liquid refrigerant. It is charged into the refrigerant charging container (40).

At this time, in the second CDU (480), the second process first CDU (482) and the second process second CDU (484) are operated together so that gaseous refrigerant can be recovered at a faster rate.

What has been described above is only one embodiment for carrying out the refrigerant recovery device according to the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the following patent claims. Anyone skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will say that the technical spirit of the present invention exists to the extent that it can be implemented with various modifications.

The refrigerant recovery device for a large-scale refrigerant-using device according to the present invention uses different compressors for the recovery process of liquid refrigerant and the recovery process of gaseous refrigerant. In addition, the time required for refrigerant recovery can be shortened by increasing the suction/discharge flow rate of the compressor applied to the gas refrigerant transfer process more than the suction/discharge flow rate of the compressor applied to the liquid refrigerant transfer process.

Therefore, refrigerant can be recovered more quickly and economically from large refrigerant-using devices, and this can be applied to maintaining and repairing refrigerant-using devices in various industrial fields, as well as expanding the business area into the field of regeneration and recycling of recovered refrigerant. You can.

In addition, the field of use of refrigerant-using equipment, such as heating, cooling and air conditioning equipment and large plants, is increasing, and the field related to waste refrigerant destruction and recovery is expected to increase in global demand due to changes in the international community's awareness of atmospheric environment protection and strengthening of systems, so the present invention The industrial availability of is expected to increase.

Claims (6)

1. In the refrigerant recovery device for recovering refrigerant from large refrigerant-using devices into a refrigerant charging container,

   a first refrigerant recovery pipe connecting the large refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant charging container to form a transfer path for liquid refrigerant;

   a 2a refrigerant recovery pipe connecting the large refrigerant-using device and the refrigerant charging container to form a transport path for gaseous refrigerant;

   a 2b refrigerant recovery pipe branched from the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to form another transport path for transporting gaseous refrigerant;

   A first process compressor provided in the 2a refrigerant recovery pipe to suck gaseous refrigerant;

   It includes a second process compressor provided in the 2b refrigerant recovery pipe to suck in gaseous refrigerant,

   A refrigerant recovery device for a large-scale refrigerant-using device, wherein the first process compressor and the second process compressor have different suction/discharge capacities.
2. According to claim 1,

   A refrigerant recovery device for a large-scale refrigerant-using device, wherein the first process compressor has a lower suction/discharge capacity than the second process compressor.
3. The refrigerant recovery device of paragraph 1 or 2,

   A refrigerant recovery device for a large refrigerant-using device, characterized in that it is mounted and operated in a vehicle together with the refrigerant charging container.
4. According to clause 3,

   A refrigerant recovery device for a large refrigerant-using device, characterized in that the vehicle is further equipped with a power supply module for power supply.
5. According to clause 3,

   A refrigerant recovery device for a large-scale refrigerant-using device, wherein the first process compressor and the second process compressor are each equipped with a condensing unit (CDU) including an air-cooled condenser.
6. According to clause 5,

   The first air-cooled condenser, which constitutes the first CDU together with the first process compressor,

   By controlling the condensation pressure by adjusting the heat exchange area according to the cooling fan rotation speed and air flow control, the liquid refrigerant can be more easily transferred to the refrigerant charging container and the refrigerant-using device operating at different pressures. Refrigerant recovery device for large refrigerant-using equipment.

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