JP3327242B2 - Oil separator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of an oil separator used for an air conditioner or a refrigerator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional oil separator of this type is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 60-130379 shown in the sectional view of FIG. FIG.
In the figure, 60 is an oil separator main body, 61 is an oil separator main body 60
The inlet pipe connected to the side, 62 is the oil separator body 60
The outlet pipe connected to the upper part, 63 is the oil separator body 60
64, a separation plate made of a porous material provided on the inner side wall of
Is an oil return pipe connected to the lower part of the oil separator main body 60.

FIG. 8 shows an example of the configuration of a refrigeration cycle using an oil separator. Reference numeral 50 denotes a compressor, 51 denotes an oil separator, and 5 denotes an oil separator.
2 is an oil return pipe, 53 is a condenser, 54 is an expansion valve, and 55 is an evaporator, which are connected by refrigerant piping.

Next, the operation will be described. The refrigerant gas containing oil discharged from the compressor flows into the oil separator from the inlet pipe 61. Oil is a separator 63 made of a porous material.
The refrigerant gas and the oil are separated by the oil being adsorbed on the separation plate, and the separated oil is collected from the oil return pipe 64 to the compressor suction side.

[0005]

In the oil separator having the above-described structure, the oil flowing from the inlet pipe collides with the separation plate at a high flow rate. There is a problem that the mist is formed into mist and flows out together with the refrigerant gas from the outlet pipe, so that the oil separation efficiency is reduced.

Further, in an oil separator having a structure as shown in FIG.
Since the inlet pipe is provided on the side of the oil separator, the oil and the refrigerant gas flow in from the side of the container body and collide only with a part of the separation plate, so that there is a problem that the entire separation plate cannot be effectively used.

[0007] In addition, there is another problem that the porous material is expensive and the production cost is relatively high. The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an oil separator having high oil separation efficiency by improving the performance of separating oil and refrigerant gas.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The oil separator according to the present invention, refrigerant gas mixed with oil inflows diffused into the main container
An inlet pipe connected to the top of the
Outlet pipe connected to the main container so that medium gas flows out
And an oil return pipe connected to the main container to collect oil
And, installed on the side inner wall of the main body container, the diffused
And a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing oil .

Further, a mesh having a large number of folds is used on the inner side wall of the main body container.

[0010] The refrigerant gas mixed with the oil is supplied into the main body container.
Connected to the upper part of the main body so that the
Mouth pipe and the top of the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flows out
Connected outlet pipe and main body container to collect oil
Connected oil return pipe and installed on the side inner wall of the main body container
And a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing the diffused oil.
It is provided .

Further, a mesh having a large number of folds is used on the side inner wall of the main body container.

Further, the refrigerant gas mixed with the oil is supplied into the main body container.
Connected to the upper part of the main body so that the
Outlet pipe and connected to the main container so that the refrigerant gas flows out.
Outlet pipe connected to the main container to collect oil.
Oil return pipe, provided above the inside of the main body container,
The flow of the diffused refrigerant gas is transferred to the side inner wall of the main body container.
A baffle plate for guiding in the direction of
And a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing the diffused oil.
It is a thing.

Further, the air guide plate is formed in a duct shape or a shape in which the flow of the fluid is forcibly guided in the outer peripheral direction.

Further, a mesh having a large number of folds is used on the inner side wall of the main body container.

[0015] The refrigerant gas mixed with the oil is supplied into the main body container.
Inlet pipe connected to the upper part of the main body so as to flow into
And connected to the upper part of the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flows out
Outlet pipe and connected to the main container to collect oil
Oil return pipe, and a bag-shaped pipe provided at the tip of the inlet pipe.
Shaped mesh, installed on the side inner wall of the main container,
When the refrigerant gas that has passed through the bag-shaped mesh rises
And a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing oil .

Further, the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the end of the inlet pipe is a structure in which several steps of gradually increasing bag-shaped mesh are incorporated.

Further, a mesh having a large number of folds is used on the side inner wall of the main body container.

Further, the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the end of the inlet pipe has a structure in which several steps of a gradually increasing bag-shaped mesh are built in, and the roughness of the bag-shaped mesh becomes gradually finer toward the outer periphery. Is what you do.

[0019]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an oil separator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an oil separator shell, which corresponds to a main container of the oil separator. 2 is an inlet pipe connected to the upper part of the oil separator shell 1, 3 is an outlet pipe connected to the upper part of the oil separator shell 1, 4 is installed on a side inner wall of the oil separator shell 1 and has a cylindrical shape. 5 is an oil recovery pipe connected to the lower part of the oil separator shell 1. The configuration of the refrigeration cycle to which this oil separator is connected is the same as that of FIG. 8, and a description thereof will be omitted.

The operation of the oil separator configured as described above will be described below. The refrigerant gas mixed with the oil flowing from the inlet pipe 2 flows into the oil separator shell 1 having a large cross-sectional area and diffuses by rapidly expanding, and the oil having a high density is guided toward the pipe wall. The oil guided to the inner wall of the oil separator shell 1 is adsorbed by the mesh 4 and the separated oil is sequentially sent downward by the capillary action of the mesh 4 and drops from the lower end of the mesh 4 to the lower portion of the oil separator shell 1. I do. At this time, since the oil is adsorbed by the mesh 4,
Mist oil that has collided with the inner wall of the shell is prevented from becoming mist, and mist oil that is difficult to catch is prevented from being mixed into the discharged refrigerant gas. The oil collected at the lower part of the shell is recovered from the oil recovery pipe 5 to the suction side of the compressor.
More outflow.

In the oil separator according to the first embodiment, since the flow directions of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are opposite to each other, it is difficult for the oil having a high density to flow out of the discharge gas by the action of the inertia force and the gravity. , Which contributes to improved oil separation performance.
The simple structure is achieved by the synergistic effect of the oil separation method using inertia and gravity by reversing the flow of the refrigerant gas in the oil separator and the oil adsorption effect by the mesh installed on the inner wall of the oil separator shell. , High oil separation performance can be realized.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show examples of the shape of the mesh 4 installed on the inner wall of the oil separator according to the first embodiment. The mesh in FIG. 2 has a cylindrical shape, and the oil separation efficiency can be increased by increasing the number of meshes. FIG. 3 shows the mesh of FIG. 2 having a large number of folds, and by increasing the area for adsorbing oil, the oil separation efficiency can be improved. In any case, since the refrigerant gas flowing from the inlet pipe 2 is radially diffused in the oil separator shell 1, the oil separator shell 1 is always inconsistent with the conventional structure in which the refrigerant gas is constantly blown toward a specific portion of the inner wall. Side wall can be effectively utilized, and the oil separation performance can be improved.

FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view showing the specification of the embodiment of FIG. 1 in which the position of the outlet pipe is different. By attaching the outlet pipe 3 to the lower part of the oil separator shell 1 in this way, the installation space of the oil separator is limited, and even when the piping shape is restricted in the vertical direction, the mesh 4 installed on the inner wall is restricted. It becomes possible to install an oil separator utilizing oil separation by adsorption. In this case, the effect of improving the oil separation efficiency due to the reversal of the flow direction of the refrigerant gas cannot be used, but since the oil having a high density is uniformly diffused due to the rapid expansion when flowing into the oil separator shell from the inlet pipe, the Most of the mesh 4 flows toward the inner wall of the oil separator shell
Therefore, high oil separation performance can be realized even in the method of FIG. 4 without reversing the flow direction of the refrigerant gas.

Embodiment 2 FIG. A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a side sectional view of the oil separator of FIG. In FIG. 5, 1 is an oil separator shell, 2 is an inlet pipe, 3 is an outlet pipe, 4 is a mesh, and 5 is an oil recovery pipe, which correspond to the same reference numerals in the first embodiment. Reference numeral 12 denotes an air guide plate provided in the upper portion of the inside of the cylinder of the oil separator shell 1, and has a duct-shaped guide portion for guiding the refrigerant gas from the upper side to the lower side toward the inner side wall of the oil separator shell 1.

The operation of the oil separator constructed as described above will be described below. The refrigerant gas mixed with the oil flows into the interior of the oil separator shell 1 from the inlet pipe 2, the flow direction is changed by the baffle plate 12, and is guided to the mesh 4 installed on the inner wall of the oil separator shell 1. . The oil thus guided to the shell wall is adsorbed by the mesh 4, and the separated oil is sequentially sent downward by the capillary action of the mesh 4 and drops from the lower end of the mesh 4 to the lower portion of the shell 1.

At this time, since the oil and the refrigerant gas flow along the inner wall of the shell by the baffle plate 12, the section in contact with the mesh 4 becomes larger, and the oil absorbing effect of the mesh 4 can be enhanced. Further, even when the length of the oil separator in the vertical direction is restricted, high oil separation performance can be realized, and the oil separator can be downsized.

The air guide plate 12 used here has a duct-shaped guide portion as shown in FIG. 6, and is different from a plate having a large number of holes used in a usual oil separator, and is actively used. The flow of the fluid can be guided toward the inner wall of the oil separator shell 1, and higher oil separation efficiency can be obtained. Note that the air guide plate 12 having the duct-shaped guide portion can obtain the same effect even when the plate is cut and bent in a part of the plate.

Embodiment 3 A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a side sectional view of the oil separator of FIG. In FIG. 7, 1 is an oil separator shell, 2 is an inlet pipe, 3 is an outlet pipe, 4 is a mesh, and 5 is an oil recovery pipe, each corresponding to the same reference numeral in the first embodiment. Reference numeral 13 denotes a bag-shaped mesh in which a bag-shaped opening is attached to the tip of the outlet pipe 2 serving as an outflow portion.

The operation of the oil separator constructed as described above will be described below. The refrigerant gas mixed with the oil flows into the bag-shaped mesh 13 from the inlet pipe 2.
The liquid and highly viscous oil is captured by the bag-shaped mesh 13, sequentially sent downward by capillary action of the mesh, and then dropped from the lower end to perform first oil separation. Further, the oil that cannot be completely caught by the bag-shaped mesh 13 is ejected from the lower side of the bag-shaped mesh 13 as oil droplets having a relatively large diameter due to the effect of gravity, and the oil drops onto the mesh 4 installed on the shell wall. collide.

The oil is adsorbed by the mesh 4 and the separated oil is sequentially sent downward by the capillary action of the mesh 4 and drops from the lower end of the mesh 4 to the lower portion of the oil separator shell 1 to perform the second oil separation. Done. Thereafter, since the separated refrigerant gas rises along the mesh 4, the oil is adsorbed on the mesh 4 while being decelerated by the frictional resistance with the mesh 4, and the third oil separation is performed. The oil collected at the lower part of the shell is recovered from the oil recovery pipe 5 to the suction side of the compressor.

In this embodiment, the internal structure of the bag-shaped mesh 13 has a structure in which several meshes are built in, and the size of the mesh gradually increases in both diameter and length. With such a structure, the oil mixed with the refrigerant gas is captured by the mesh while being gradually decelerated, so that it is possible to improve the oil separation efficiency as compared with a specification in which several meshes are simply stacked. Become. Further, the structure of the bag-shaped mesh 13 can be simply replaced with a specification in which several meshes are stacked in consideration of cost and target oil separation efficiency.

Further, by gradually reducing the roughness of the bag-shaped mesh toward the outside, it is possible to further enhance the effect of capturing the mist-formed oil.

In the first to third embodiments, the mesh is used as the oil separating means. However, in addition to the above, a fine metal wire braid, a porous metal, a particle bonded, a glass wool, etc. The same effect can be obtained even with the fibers of the present invention, and the mesh of the present invention is a generic term including these.

Although the types of the fluid and the oil are not particularly limited in the first to third embodiments, the fluid may be any gas fluid such as R22, R407C, R410A, HC-based refrigerant used as a refrigerant, The oil is effective for oils having high compatibility with fluids and low oils such as alkylbenzene, ester and mineral oil.

[0035]

As described above, according to the oil separator of the present invention, the inlet pipe is provided on the upper part of the main body container, and the mesh is installed on the side inner wall of the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flowing from the inlet pipe can be diffused. By the oil separation method using oil and gravity and the oil absorption effect of the mesh installed on the side inner wall of the main body container, an effect that high oil separation performance can be realized with a simple structure is obtained.

Further, by employing a structure in which the mesh provided on the inner wall is provided with a large number of folded portions, the area for adsorbing oil is enlarged, and the effect of further improving the oil separation efficiency is obtained.

Further, by providing an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe on the upper part of the main body container and installing a mesh on the inner side wall of the main body container, an oil separation system utilizing inertia force and gravity due to reversal of the flow of the refrigerant gas. And the mesh installed on the side inner wall of the main body container has an effect of realizing high oil separation performance with a simple structure.

Further, the mesh installed on the inner wall has a structure provided with a large number of folds, so that the oil separation method using inertia and gravity due to the reversal of the flow of the refrigerant gas and the inner wall on the side of the main container are provided. In any operation of the oil absorption effect by the mesh, the area to adsorb the oil is expanded,
The effect that the oil separation efficiency can be further improved is obtained.

Further, an air guide plate and a mesh are provided inside the main body of the oil separator, and the flow of the refrigerant gas is forcibly guided in the direction of the mesh provided on the inner wall of the side part, thereby enhancing the oil absorbing action. In addition, even when the length of the oil separator in the vertical direction is restricted, high oil separation performance can be realized, so that the effect that the oil separator can be downsized can be obtained.

Further, since the air guide plate is formed in a duct shape or a shape in which the flow of the fluid is forcibly guided in the outer peripheral direction, the refrigerant gas flowing from the inlet pipe is smoothly guided in the mesh direction. The effect of promoting is obtained.

In addition, since the mesh installed on the inner wall has a structure in which a large number of turns are provided, the refrigerant gas positively guided in the outer mesh direction by the baffle plate comes into contact with the mesh and adsorbs oil. The effect that the area is enlarged and the oil separation efficiency can be further improved is obtained.

Further, the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are connected to the main body.
Provided in the upper part of the vessel, while installing a mesh on the side inner wall of the main container of the oil separator, and providing a bag-shaped mesh on the inlet pipe, the oil capturing effect by the bag-shaped mesh and the mesh installed on the inner wall, After the two oil separations, the frictional resistance of the refrigerant gas flowing along the mesh provided on the inner wall causes the oil to be adsorbed to the mesh while being decelerated. These synergistic effects provide an effect that the oil separation performance can be improved.

Further, by making the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the end of the inlet pipe into a structure in which several gradually increasing bag-shaped meshes are built in, the refrigerant gas is gradually decelerated so that the oil can be removed by the mesh. Supplementary, the effect of improving the oil separation efficiency can be obtained.

Further, by using a mesh having a large number of folds on the side inner wall of the main body container, the area of the mesh for performing the secondary separation of the refrigerant gas from which the oil has been primarily separated by the bag-shaped mesh is increased. The effect of improving oil separation performance is obtained.

Further, the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the end of the inlet pipe has a structure in which several steps of a gradually increasing bag-shaped mesh are built in, and the roughness of the bag-shaped mesh gradually becomes finer toward the outer peripheral side. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the effect of supplementing the mist oil.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an oil separator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of mesh specification 1.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of mesh specification 2.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing an example of a difference in specifications of the oil separator according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing an oil separator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view showing a baffle plate used in an oil separator according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side sectional view showing an oil separator according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a circuit configuration diagram showing a refrigeration cycle having an oil separator.

FIG. 9 is a side sectional view showing a conventional oil separator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 oil separator shell, 2 inlet pipe, 3 outlet pipe, 4 mesh, 5 oil recovery pipe, 10
Mesh specification 1, 11 Mesh specification 2, 12 Baffle plate, 13 Bag shape mesh, 50 Compressor, 51
Oil separator, 52 oil recovery pipe, 53 condenser,
54 expansion valve, 55 evaporator, 60 oil separator top lid,
61 inlet pipe, 62 outlet pipe, 63 separator, 64 oil recovery pipe.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-51-47642 (JP, A) JP-A-7-332779 (JP, A) JP-A 8-94215 (JP, A) JP-A 9-92 243209 (JP, A) JP-A-7-243317 (JP, A) JP-A 64-70120 (JP, A) JP-A 57-123605 (JP, U) JP-A 62-198466 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 4-74269 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Sho 60-130379 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Utility Model 61-194168 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 4-78481 (JP, U) (58) (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) F25B 43/02

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A refrigerant gas mixed with oil spreads in a main body container.
An inlet port connected to the upper part of the main container so that
And connected to the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flows out
Outlet pipe and connected to main body container to collect oil
An oil return pipe, installed on a side inner wall of the main body container,
An oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator, comprising: a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing diffused oil. 2. The oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a mesh having a large number of turns is used on an inner wall of a side portion of the main body container. 3. The refrigerant gas mixed with oil spreads in the main body container.
An inlet port connected to the upper part of the main container so that
And connected to the top of the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flows out
Outlet pipe and connected to the main container to collect oil
Oil return pipe, which is installed on the side inner wall of the main body container.
And a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing the diffused oil.
Oil separator of an air conditioner or a refrigerator, characterized in that there was e. 4. The oil separator according to claim 3, wherein a mesh having a large number of turns is used on a side inner wall of the main body container. 5. A refrigerant gas mixed with oil spreads in the main body container.
An inlet port connected to the upper part of the main container so that
And connected to the main body container so that the refrigerant gas flows out
Outlet pipe and connected to main body container to collect oil
An oil return pipe, provided above the inside of the main body container,
The flow of the diffused refrigerant gas is directed toward the side inner wall of the main body container.
A wind guide plate that guides to, installed on the side inner wall of the main container,
An oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator, comprising: a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing the diffused oil. 6. The oil separator according to claim 5, wherein the baffle plate has a duct shape or a shape in which a fluid flow is forcibly guided in an outer peripheral direction. vessel 7. The oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator according to claim 5, wherein a mesh having a large number of turns is used on a side inner wall of the main body container. 8. A refrigerant gas mixed with oil flows into the main body container.
An inlet pipe connected to the top of the main container to enter
An outlet connected to the top of the main container so that refrigerant gas flows out
Mouth pipe and oil connected to body container to collect oil
A return pipe, and a bag-shaped
Mesh, installed on the side inner wall of the main container, the
When the refrigerant gas that has passed through the bag-shaped mesh rises,
An oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator comprising a cylindrical mesh for adsorbing water. 9. The air conditioner according to claim 8, wherein the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the tip of the inlet pipe has a structure in which several gradually increasing bag-shaped meshes are incorporated. Oil separator in a refrigerator or refrigerator. 10. The oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator according to claim 8, wherein a mesh having a large number of turns is used on a side inner wall of the main body container. 11. The oil separator according to claim 8, wherein the structure of the bag-shaped mesh at the end of the inlet pipe is a structure in which several gradually increasing bag-shaped meshes are incorporated, and the roughness of the bag-shaped mesh is reduced. An oil separator for an air conditioner or a refrigerator, wherein the oil separator is gradually made finer toward an outer peripheral side.