JP2000356439A - Accumulator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress happening of wet vapor suction to a compressor caused by a foaming phenomenon in an accumulator. SOLUTION: There are provided a refrigerant inflow section 82 for flowing a refrigerant from an evaporator 5 outlet of a refrigerating cycle into a tank body section 81, and a refrigerant suction section 83 opening to an upper portion in the tank body section 81 for sucking a refrigerant in the upper portion. There is disposed oppositely a disk shaped member 84 on a lower side of the opening section of the refrigerant suction section 83. Hereby, a foaming phenomenon happens owing to rapid pressure reduction of a liquid refrigerant in the tank body section 81, whereby even if the liquid refrigerant is whirled upward, the liquid refrigerant is restricted from directly moving to the opening section of the refrigerant suction section 83 by the disk shaped member 84.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an accumulator that is disposed on a compressor suction side in a refrigerating cycle and separates gas-liquid refrigerant and stores liquid refrigerant.
It is suitable for use in a vehicle air conditioner.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional accumulator, as shown in FIG. 9, two vertically extending pipe-shaped members 11, 12 are arranged in a vertically elongated tank body 10 in a double-pipe manner. The gas refrigerant is sucked from the upper opening of the inner pipe member 12 as shown by an arrow a, and the gas refrigerant is turned at the lower end of the outer pipe member 12 as shown by an arrow b to make the inside of the inner pipe member 11 an arrow c. Like to rise.

On the other hand, a cap member 13 for closing and holding the lower end portion of the outer pipe-shaped member 12 is disposed at the bottom of the tank body 10, and a minute oil suction port 14 is provided in the cap member 13. The oil and liquid refrigerant accumulated at the bottom inside are sucked into the lower end of the outer pipe-shaped member 12 from the oil suction port 14, and this oil and liquid refrigerant are mixed with the gas refrigerant and sucked into the compressor.

[0004]

In the refrigerating cycle of a vehicle air conditioner, the operation of the compressor is frequently interrupted in order to turn on / off an air conditioner switch for interrupting the operation of the compressor and to prevent the frost of the evaporator. Controlled. With the intermittent control, when the compressor is restarted from the stopped state, the suction pressure of the compressor drops sharply. As a result, the internal pressure of the tank body 10 of the accumulator also decreases rapidly,
A forming phenomenon of the liquid refrigerant in the tank main body 10, that is, an intense vaporization phenomenon of the liquid refrigerant in the tank due to rapid decompression occurs.

Due to this forming phenomenon, the tank body 1
The liquid refrigerant inside 0 is wound up and rides on the flow of the gas refrigerant indicated by the arrow a, so that the liquid refrigerant is easily sucked into the upper opening of the outer pipe-shaped member 12. As a result, the liquid returns to the compressor, and the liquid is compressed by the compressor, which adversely affects the durability of the compressor and increases the driving power at the time of starting the compressor.

Furthermore, the oil inside the compressor is washed by the return of the liquid, which may result in poor lubrication of the compressor and further deteriorate the durability of the compressor.

[0007] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to suppress the occurrence of liquid return to a compressor due to a forming phenomenon in an accumulator.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a refrigerant flowing from an evaporator (5) outlet of a refrigeration cycle into a tank body (81) is introduced. (82) and a refrigerant suction part (83) that opens in the upper part of the tank body part (81) and sucks the refrigerant in the upper part, and below the opening part of the refrigerant suction part (83), A refrigerant separating member (8) for preventing the liquid refrigerant in the tank body (81) from being caught in the refrigerant suction part (83).
4, 84 ') are opposed to each other.

According to this, the forming phenomenon occurs due to the rapid decompression of the liquid refrigerant in the tank body (81), and even if the liquid refrigerant is wound upward, the refrigerant separating member (84,
84 ') will collide with the liquid refrigerant.

Therefore, the liquid refrigerant can be prevented from directly going to the opening of the refrigerant suction portion (83). Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from returning to the compressor (1) and the liquid compression due to the upward lifting of the liquid refrigerant due to the forming phenomenon.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant separating member is constituted by a plate-like member (84) opposed to the lower side of the opening of the refrigerant suction portion (83), and an outer periphery of the plate-like member (84). On the side, communication paths (85, 86) are formed to communicate the space above and below the plate-like member (84).

According to this, the refrigerant separating member can be simply constituted by the plate-like member (84), and the refrigerant inflow portion (8)
Of the refrigerant flowing in from 2), the liquid refrigerant is converted to a plate-like member (84).
The liquid refrigerant can be dropped downward through the communication passages (85, 86) on the outer peripheral side, and the liquid refrigerant can be stored on the lower side in the tank.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, if the plate-like member (84) is formed in an umbrella shape in which the central portion is high and the outer peripheral side is low, the liquid refrigerant can be more apt to flow along the inclined surface of the umbrella shape. It can be more smoothly dropped down through the communication passages (85, 86), and the gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant can be improved.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant separating member (84 ') is made of a porous material having a large number of holes communicating with each other, and through the holes, the refrigerant separating member (8').
4 ′) is characterized by connecting upper and lower spaces.

According to this, since the space above and below the refrigerant separating member (84 ') can be communicated through the hole of the porous material, the refrigerant separating member (84') is formed over the entire cross section of the tank body (81). Can be arranged.

Accordingly, when the forming phenomenon occurs, the gas-liquid of the refrigerant which is wound upward is separated from the refrigerant separating member (84 ').
Can be separated better.

Further, since the refrigerant separating member (84 ') can be arranged on the entire cross section of the tank body (81), the refrigerant flowing from the evaporator (5) directly collides with the liquid level in the tank even during the steady operation. This can be prevented by the refrigerant separating member (84 '), and a decrease in the gas-liquid separation performance of the refrigerant due to the disturbance of the liquid level in the tank can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant separating member (84 ') includes a perforated plate (840, 841) having a large number of holes (842, 843), and the perforated plates (840, 813).
41), and the pores (842, 8) of the perforated plates (840, 841).
43) and the space above and below the refrigerant separating member (84 ') is communicated through a gap between the granular desiccant (844) and the desiccant (844).

According to this, the refrigerant separating member (8) is provided on the entire cross section of the tank body (81) in the same manner as in the fourth aspect.
4 ′) can be disposed, so that the gas-liquid of the refrigerant that is wound upward when a forming phenomenon occurs can be satisfactorily separated by the refrigerant separating member (84 ′), and the evaporator (5) can be used even during the steady operation. Separating member (84 ') that the refrigerant flowing from the tank directly collides with the liquid level in the tank.
, It is possible to prevent a decrease in refrigerant gas-liquid separation performance due to disturbance of the liquid level in the tank.

In addition, since the refrigerant moving vertically in the tank body (81) always passes through the gap between the desiccants (844), the contact between the refrigerant and the desiccant (844) becomes good, and The water absorbing effect of the agent (844) can be improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the oil suction port (88) opened near the bottom in the tank body (81).
And an oil suction pipe (87) having the other end communicating with the refrigerant suction part (83).
4, 84 '), and the oil suction pipe (87) is arranged in the tank body (81).

According to this, one oil suction pipe (8
The oil near the bottom of the tank body (81) can be sucked by the straw method using the method (7). In addition, the oil suction pipe (87) can be easily arranged and held in the tank body (81) via the refrigerant separating members (84, 84 ').

The reference numerals in parentheses of the above means indicate the correspondence with specific means described in the embodiments described later.

[0024]

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a refrigeration cycle of a vehicle air conditioner to which an accumulator according to a first embodiment is applied. A compressor 1 is driven by a vehicle engine (not shown) via an electromagnetic clutch 2. Driven. The high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 flows into the condenser 3, where it exchanges heat with outside air to be cooled and condensed.

Then, the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser 3 is reduced to a low pressure by the pressure reducing device 4 to be in a mist gas-liquid two-phase state. The decompression device 4 comprises a fixed throttle such as an orifice or a nozzle, or an appropriate variable throttle. The decompressed low-pressure refrigerant absorbs heat from the air blown by the air-conditioning blower 6 and evaporates in the evaporator 5.

The evaporator 5 is disposed in the air-conditioning case 7, and the cool air cooled by the evaporator 5 is blown into the vehicle cabin after its temperature is adjusted by a heater core (not shown) as is well known. The refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 5 is separated into gas and liquid by the accumulator 8, and then is sucked into the compressor 1.

The accumulator 8 separates the gas-liquid of the refrigerant from the outlet of the evaporator 5, stores the liquid refrigerant, and compresses the gas refrigerant into the compressor 1.
And a role of causing the compressor 1 to suck the oil dissolved in the liquid refrigerant accumulated on the tank bottom side.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show a specific structure of the accumulator 8 according to the first embodiment. The tank body 81 is formed of a metal such as aluminum into a vertically long cylindrical shape. A pipe-shaped refrigerant inflow portion 82 is arranged at an upper side portion of the tank body portion 81.

The refrigerant inflow portion 82 is for allowing the refrigerant from the outlet of the evaporator 5 to flow into the tank main body 81.
More specifically, the coolant inflow portion 82 is arranged in the tank body 81 so that the coolant flows in a tangential direction of the cylindrical shape of the tank body 81. Thereby, the tank body 8
A swirling flow is given to the refrigerant flow in the refrigerant gas 1 so that gas-liquid of the refrigerant can be centrifuged.

At the center of the upper surface of the tank body 81, a pipe-shaped refrigerant suction portion 83 is arranged. The upper end side of the refrigerant suction part 83 is connected to the compressor 1 suction side,
The lower end protrudes into the tank body 81 by a predetermined length and is open. The refrigerant suction part 83 sucks the gas refrigerant in the upper part in the tank body part 81 from the lower end opening.

The refrigerant inflow section 82 and the refrigerant suction section 8
3 is formed into a pipe shape from a metal such as aluminum, and is fixed to the hole of the tank body 81 by joining means such as welding.

In the tank main body 81, a plate-like member 84 is opposed to the lower side of the opening of the refrigerant suction part 83 at a predetermined interval. This plate-like member 84 is
And has a disk-like shape having an area sufficiently larger than the opening area of the refrigerant suction member 83, and constitutes a refrigerant separating member that prevents liquid refrigerant accumulated on the lower side in the tank body 81 from being caught in the opening of the refrigerant suction portion 83. I do.

The plate-shaped member 84 is disposed horizontally in the vertical direction in the tank body 81 at a position intermediate between the refrigerant liquid level B and the opening of the refrigerant inflow section 82. Here, the refrigerant liquid level B indicates the liquid level formed when the refrigerant charging amount in the refrigeration cycle is appropriate and the normal cycle operation condition is satisfied.

The plate-like member 84 is made of a metal such as aluminum,
Alternatively, it can be formed of an appropriate resin, and in this example,
Two radially outwardly projecting portions 84a and 84b are formed at two positions that are 180 ° symmetrical on the outer peripheral portion of the plate member 84, and these projecting portions 84a and 84b are pressed into the inner wall surface of the tank body 81 by means such as press fitting. It is fixed. When the plate-shaped member 84 is formed of a metal such as aluminum, the plate-shaped member 84 may be fixed to the inner wall surface of the tank main body 81 using a joining means such as welding.

The outer periphery of the plate member 84 and the tank body 81
Two gaps are formed between the inner wall surface of the plate member 84 and the inner wall surface of the plate member 84. 86 are formed.

The oil suction pipe 87 is disposed so as to extend through the center hole 84c of the plate-like member 84 and extend vertically in the tank body 81. The oil suction pipe 87 can also be formed of metal such as aluminum or an appropriate resin, and is fixed to the central hole 84c of the plate-like member 84 by means such as press fitting.

The lower end of the oil suction pipe 87 hangs down to the vicinity of the bottom of the tank body 81 and is bent laterally. The opening of the side bent portion is formed as an oil suction port 88. The oil suction port 88 is for sucking the oil dissolved in the liquid refrigerant accumulated on the lower side in the tank body 81 into the oil suction pipe 87.

On the other hand, the upper end of the oil suction pipe 87 is inserted into the refrigerant suction part 83 by a predetermined length L1.
3 is connected. In the flow path in the refrigerant suction portion 83, a throttle passage 89 is formed in the portion of the predetermined length L1 by inserting the upper end of the oil suction pipe 87.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment in the above configuration will be described. When the refrigeration cycle of FIG. 1 is operated, the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator 5 flows from the refrigerant inflow portion 82 into the upper side of the plate member 84 in the tank main body 81.
At this time, a swirling flow is given to the refrigerant flow into the tank main body 81 to centrifuge the gas and liquid of the refrigerant, collect the liquid refrigerant on the outer peripheral side of the space inside the tank main body 81, and collect the gas refrigerant on the center side.

The liquid refrigerant on the outer peripheral side of the space inside the tank main body 81 falls downward through communication passages 85 and 86 formed between the outer peripheral part of the plate-shaped member 84 and the inner wall surface of the tank main body 81. As a result, the liquid refrigerant accumulates on the lower side in the tank body 81 and forms a refrigerant liquid surface B on the lower side of the plate member 84.

Then, the gas refrigerant above the central portion in the tank main body 81 is sucked into the lower end opening of the refrigerant suction portion 83 as shown by an arrow d. Here, since a throttle passage 89 having a predetermined length L1 is formed in the lower end side flow path of the refrigerant suction portion 83,
Due to the pressure loss when the suction refrigerant passes through the throttle passage 89, the pressure Pa in the area A downstream of the throttle passage 89 becomes lower than the tank internal pressure Pb (Pa <Pb).

As a result, the upper end of the oil suction pipe 87 (A
A predetermined pressure difference ΔP (Pb−Pa) acts between the oil suction port 88 at the lower end of the tank main body 81
Oil dissolved in the liquid refrigerant near the bottom can be sucked into the oil suction pipe 87 from the oil suction port 88.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to cause a pressure difference ΔP between the upper and lower ends of the oil suction pipe 87 based on the pressure loss of the refrigerant flow in the refrigerant suction section 83. The oil near the bottom of the tank body 81 can be sucked in by a single oil suction pipe 87 by a straw method.

By the way, in the refrigerating cycle of the vehicle air conditioner, the operation of the compressor 1 is intermittently controlled by the electromagnetic clutch 2 in order to control on / off of the air conditioner switch for intermittent operation of the compressor and to prevent frost of the evaporator 5. Then, when the compressor 1 is restarted from the stop state, the suction pressure of the compressor 1 sharply decreases. As a result, the internal pressure of the tank body 81 of the accumulator 8 also drops sharply,
The forming phenomenon of the liquid refrigerant in 1 occurs.

Due to this forming phenomenon, the tank body 1
Although a situation occurs in which the liquid refrigerant in the cylinder 0 is wound upward, according to the first embodiment, the opening area of the refrigerant suction section 83 is smaller than the opening area of the refrigerant suction section 83 in the tank main body 81. Since the disk-shaped plate-like member 84 having a sufficiently large area is arranged to face the liquid-refrigerant, even if the liquid refrigerant is wound up, only the liquid refrigerant collides with the lower surface of the plate-like member 84. Direction toward the opening of the suction part 83 can be suppressed.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent the liquid from returning to the compressor 1 and the liquid from being compressed due to the upward winding of the liquid refrigerant due to the forming phenomenon.

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment, in which a disk-shaped plate-like member 84 is formed in an umbrella shape in which the center is high and the outer circumference is low.

According to this, when the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inflow portion 82 to the upper side of the plate member 84 in the tank main body 81 is centrifuged, the liquid refrigerant gathering on the outer peripheral side is removed by the plate member 84. The umbrella-shaped inclined surface allows smooth guidance to the communication paths 85 and 86. Therefore, this communication passage 8
The liquid refrigerant can be easily dropped downward through 5, 86, and the gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant flowing from the evaporator 5 can be improved.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment, in which a disc-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 'is made of a porous material having a large number of holes communicating with each other, and through this hole. The upper and lower spaces of the plate-like member 84 communicate with each other.

As the porous material, specifically, a sintered metal material or a foamed resin material in which a large number of minute holes are communicated with each other to be dispersed and formed in a bubble shape can be used. The enlarged view of FIG. 6 shows a case where a sintered metal is used as a porous material, and reference numeral 845 denotes powder particles of the sintered metal.
46 is a hole, and 847 is a sintered part of the powder particles 845.

By using such a porous material,
Since the upper and lower spaces of the refrigerant separating member 84 'can be communicated through the minute holes 846, the tank body 81
A disk-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 ′ can be arranged over the entire cross section of.

Accordingly, the gas-liquid of the refrigerant which is wound upward when the forming phenomenon occurs can be more effectively separated by the refrigerant separating member 84 '.

Further, since the disc-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 'is disposed on the entire cross section of the tank body 81, the refrigerant flowing from the evaporator 5 directly collides with the liquid level B even during the steady operation. Is prevented by the refrigerant separating member 84 ′,
It is possible to prevent the gas-liquid separation performance of the refrigerant from being lowered due to the disturbance of the liquid level B.

The fixing of the disk-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 'is performed, for example, as follows. A ring-shaped lower fixing device 90 is fixed to the inner wall surface of the tank body 81 by means of press fitting or the like, and a disk-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 ′ is placed on the lower fixing device 90, and then the ring-shaped cooling member 84 ′ is placed. Is fixed to the inner wall surface of the tank body 81 by press-fitting or the like, whereby the refrigerant separating member 84 'is held and fixed between the upper and lower fixing members 90 and 91.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a fourth embodiment in which a granular desiccant is placed between two upper and lower disc-shaped perforated plates 840 and 841 each having a large number of holes 842 and 843. 84
4, the disc-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 '
Is composed.

Here, the granular desiccant 844 is for absorbing moisture in the refrigerant, and is made of a material having excellent water absorption, for example, silica gel. The upper and lower spaces of the refrigerant separating member 84 'are communicated through the gaps between the holes 842, 843 of the perforated plates 840, 841 and the granular desiccant 844. Two perforated plates 840, 8
41 can also be fixed to the inner wall surface of the tank body 81 by means such as press fitting.

Also in the fourth embodiment, the tank body 8
1, a disk-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 ′ composed of perforated plates 840, 841 and a granular desiccant 844 can be disposed, so that the gas-liquid of the refrigerant that is wound upward when a forming phenomenon occurs can be removed. Refrigerant separation member 84 '
Can be separated better.

Further, since the disk-shaped refrigerant separating member 84 'is disposed on the entire cross section of the tank body 81, the refrigerant flowing from the evaporator 5 directly collides with the liquid level B even during the steady operation. Is prevented by the refrigerant separating member 84 ′,
It is possible to prevent the gas-liquid separation performance of the refrigerant from being lowered due to the disturbance of the liquid level B.

Further, by disposing the granular desiccant 844 over the entire cross section of the tank body 81, the refrigerant moving in the vertical direction in the tank body 81 always passes through the gap between the desiccants 844. , Refrigerant and desiccant 84
4, and the water absorbing effect of the desiccant 844 can be improved. (Other Embodiments) In the first to third embodiments, a desiccant for absorbing moisture is not shown, but the disc-shaped plate member 84 shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 or the refrigerant shown in FIG. Separation member 8
It is needless to say that a desiccant may be arranged in the lower part of 4 '.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle to which an accumulator of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a conventional accumulator.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Compressor, 5 ... Evaporator, 8 ... Accumulator, 81 ...
Tank main body part, 82 ... refrigerant inflow part, 83 ... refrigerant suction part,
84: plate-like member (refrigerant separating member), 84 ′: refrigerant separating member, 85, 86: communication passage, 87: oil suction pipe, 88:
Oil suction port, 840, 841 ... perforated plate, 842, 84
3: Hole, 844: desiccant.

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Koichi Saka 1-1-1, Showa-cho, Kariya-shi, Aichi Pref. Inside DENSO

Claims (6)

[Claims] An accumulator (8) arranged on a suction side of a compressor (1) of a refrigeration cycle for separating gas-liquid of a refrigerant and storing a liquid refrigerant, comprising: a tank body (81); A refrigerant inflow portion (8) for allowing a refrigerant from an evaporator (5) outlet to flow into the tank body (81).
2), a refrigerant suction portion (83) that opens at an upper portion in the tank main body portion (81) and sucks the refrigerant at the upper portion, and is disposed to face the opening lower portion of the refrigerant suction portion (83). ,
A refrigerant separating member (8) for preventing the liquid refrigerant in the tank body (81) from being caught in the refrigerant suction portion (83).
4, 84 ′). 2. The refrigerant separating member is a plate-like member (8) disposed opposite to an opening below the refrigerant suction portion (83).
4), a communication passage (8) communicating the space above and below the plate-shaped member (84) is provided on the outer peripheral side of the plate-shaped member (84).
5. The accumulator according to claim 1, wherein (5, 86) is formed. 3. The accumulator according to claim 2, wherein the plate-like member is formed in an umbrella shape in which a central portion is high and an outer peripheral side is low. 4. The refrigerant separating member (84 ′) is made of a porous material having a large number of holes communicating with each other, and connects upper and lower spaces of the refrigerant separating member (84 ′) through the holes. The accumulator according to claim 1, characterized in that: 5. The perforated plate (840, 84) having a large number of holes (842, 843).
1) and a granular desiccant (844) held by the perforated plates (840, 841), and the holes (842, 84) of the perforated plates (840, 841).
The accumulator according to claim 1, wherein a space between the refrigerant separating member (84 ') and the space above and below the refrigerant separating member (84') is communicated through a gap between 3) and the granular desiccant (844). 6. An oil suction pipe having at one end an oil suction port (88) opening near the bottom in the tank body (81), and the other end communicating with the refrigerant suction part (83). The oil suction pipe (87) is disposed in the tank body (81) through the refrigerant separating member (84, 84 '). An accumulator according to any one of the preceding claims.