JPH064558U - Liquid tank - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] In a "liquid tank", even if foreign matter or the like is accumulated in the liquid tank, it suppresses an increase in pressure loss and prevents a decrease in cooling capacity. [Configuration] Refrigerant An auxiliary strainer plate 30 is provided between the inlet portion 5 and the desiccant filling portion 9 to remove dust and foreign matter in the refrigerant flowing into the tank body portion 2. The auxiliary strainer plate 30 has a central hole 3 through which the refrigerant take-out pipe 7 is inserted.
A plate portion 32 which is formed on the inner surface of the tank body portion 2 and has a protruding wall portion 33 which rises upward from the central hole 31 and forms a predetermined gap C between the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe 7; Have. Many small holes 35 are formed in the plate portion 32. The clearance C forms a bypass passage 34 through which the refrigerant flows even when the auxiliary strainer plate 30 is clogged.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to a liquid tank incorporated in an automobile air conditioner or the like.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Generally, an air conditioner for an automobile has a liquid tank for storing excess refrigerant, separating gas and liquid or removing water and dust during a cooling cycle. As shown in FIG. 4, a general liquid tank 1 has a bottomed cylindrical tank main body 2 and a head 4 for closing an upper opening 3 of the tank main body 2.

A refrigerant inlet portion 5 and a refrigerant outlet portion 6 are formed in the head portion 4. The refrigerant inlet portion 5 has one end connected to an inlet conduit 16 communicating with a condenser and the other end connected to a tank. It is a passage that communicates with the internal space of the main body 2. Further, the refrigerant outlet portion 6 is an L-shaped passage to which an outlet conduit 17 connected to an expansion valve (not shown) is connected to one end and a refrigerant outlet pipe 7 is attached to the other end. The refrigerant discharge pipe 7 hangs down to the vicinity of the bottom 2c of the tank body 2 in order to take out only the liquid refrigerant stored in the bottom 2c of the tank body 2. Further, a sight glass 8 for visually observing the flow state of the refrigerant in the refrigerant outlet portion 6 is provided above the refrigerant outlet pipe 7, and a drying medium in which the refrigerant flows is provided in the middle portion of the refrigerant outlet pipe 7. An agent filling section 9 is provided.

The desiccant filling section 9 has an upper support plate 11 and a lower support plate 12 each having a large number of small holes 10, and between these support plates 11 and 12, a mesh-like mesh tray is provided. A filter 13, which includes a filter 13, a desiccant 14, and glass wool, is housed so as to be surrounded by the lower support plate 12.

The refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet portion 5 of the head portion 4 into the tank main body portion 2 and being in a gas-liquid mixed state, the moisture in the refrigerant is adsorbed by the desiccant 14 while flowing through the desiccant filling portion 9. To be done. Further, the mesh strainer 13 and the filter 15 remove dust and foreign matter contained in the refrigerant circulating in the cooling cycle. At the same time, the refrigerant in a gas-liquid mixed state that has flowed into the tank main body 2 is separated into gas and liquid before or after flowing into the desiccant filling section 9, and the liquid refrigerant becomes It is stored in the bottom 2c of the part 2. The liquid refrigerant stored in the lower portion of the tank body 2 passes through the refrigerant outlet pipe 7 provided through the desiccant filling portion 9, expands from the refrigerant outlet 6 of the head portion 4 through the outlet conduit 17. Guided by a valve.

[0006]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 As described above, the liquid tank has a function (strainer function) that removes dust and foreign substances contained in the refrigerant and prevents them from flowing out to the expansion valve, and prevents cooling failure due to malfunction of the expansion valve. is there.

As described above, when the size of the foreign matter removed in the liquid tank is smaller than the diameter of the small hole 10 formed in the upper support plate 11, the foreign matter and the like should be deposited on the upper support plate 11. However, on the contrary, when the hole diameter is larger than that of the small hole 10, foreign matters and the like are deposited on the upper support plate 11. Since the small holes 10 of the upper support plate 11 are clogged by this deposit, the pressure loss in the liquid tank increases, and along with this, the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator increases and the cooling capacity decreases. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and suppresses an increase in pressure loss in the liquid tank as much as possible even when a foreign substance or the like is accumulated in the liquid tank, and the cooling is performed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid tank capable of preventing a decrease in capacity.

[0009]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is directed to a tank body, a head portion that closes an upper opening of the tank body, and a refrigerant introduced from a refrigerant inlet portion of the head portion through the inner portion. A desiccant filling section, and a refrigerant take-out pipe provided through the desiccant filling section so that the liquid refrigerant stored in the lower portion of the tank main body flows out from the refrigerant taking-out port of the head section. In a liquid tank having a plate, a plate portion having a central hole inserted into the refrigerant discharge pipe and attached to an inner surface of the tank main body portion, and an outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant discharge pipe rising upward from the central hole. An auxiliary strainer plate having a projecting wall portion that forms a predetermined gap between and is provided between the refrigerant inlet portion and the desiccant filling portion, and a large number of small holes are formed at least in the plate portion. A liquid tank according to claim.

[0010]

[Action]

 By doing so, even if foreign matter or the like is accumulated on the plate portion of the auxiliary strainer plate and the small holes are clogged, the refrigerant is formed between the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant discharge pipe and the protruding wall portion. It is guided to the desiccant filling section through the created gap, and is stored as a liquid refrigerant at the bottom of the tank body. Therefore, the increase in pressure loss in the liquid tank can be suppressed, the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant does not increase, and the cooling capacity does not decrease.

Further, since the bypass passage through which the refrigerant flows when the auxiliary strainer plate is clogged is formed around the refrigerant outlet pipe, it does not exist immediately below the refrigerant inlet portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to take precautions such as installing an auxiliary strainer plate so that the bypass passage is not located directly below the refrigerant inlet.

[0012]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the auxiliary strainer plate shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid tank 20 according to the present embodiment has a bottomed cylindrical tank body portion 2 and a head portion 4 that closes an upper opening 3 of the tank body portion 2. The gas-liquid mixed refrigerant is made to flow down from the refrigerant inlet portion 5 provided in the head portion 4 into the tank body portion 2, and the liquid refrigerant stored in the bottom portion 2c of the tank body portion 2 is passed through the refrigerant discharge pipe 7 to the head portion. 4 is configured to flow out from the refrigerant outlet portion 6.

The tank main body 2 is formed of a material such as aluminum which is lightweight and relatively easy to form, and presses the concave and convex portion 22 formed on the outer periphery of the head portion 4 by crimping means such as caulking. As a result, the head unit 4 is connected. The tank body 2 has an upper portion formed in a large diameter portion 2a and a lower portion formed in a small diameter portion 2b having a smaller diameter than the large diameter portion 2a. The small-diameter portion 2b is formed by tapering the lower half of the small-diameter portion 2b to reduce the volume around the refrigerant outlet pipe 7. In this way, the amount of refrigerant used is suppressed, and even if the amount of refrigerant decreases due to the tapered shape of the small diameter portion 2b, the height of the stable liquid level in the tank main body 2 increases, and the bottom 2c It is possible to reliably suck up the liquid refrigerant from the refrigerant take-out pipe 7 that is hung down.

The head portion 4 attached to the large-diameter portion 2 a has a refrigerant inlet portion 5 having one end connected to an inlet conduit 16 communicating with the condenser and the other end communicating with the internal space of the tank body 2. Are formed. Adjacent to the refrigerant inlet portion 5, a refrigerant outlet portion 6 having an L-shaped cross section is formed, one end of which is connected to an outlet conduit 17 communicating with the expansion valve and the other end of which is connected to the refrigerant outlet pipe 7. There is.

In addition, “8” is a sight glass for visually observing the state of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant outlet portion 6, “27” is a pressure switch for detecting the pressure of the refrigerant in the liquid tank 20, and “29”. Is an O-ring for enhancing the airtightness between the tank body 2 and the head 4.

A desiccant filling section 9 is fixed to the refrigerant take-out pipe 7 hanging from the head section 4 at an intermediate portion of the tank body section 2. The desiccant filling portion 9 has an upper support plate 11 and a lower support plate 12 each having a large number of small holes 10 formed therein. In the desiccant filling section 9, a mesh-like strainer 13 is arranged above, a desiccant 14 is enclosed below the mesh strainer 13, and a filter 15 is arranged below the desiccant 14. The mesh strainer 13 functions to remove relatively fine dust and foreign matter in the refrigerant passing through it, and for example, a net of 100 mesh is used. The desiccant 14 functions to adsorb moisture in the refrigerant, and silica gel, synthetic zeolite or the like is used, for example. The filter 15 also functions as a cushioning material that prevents the desiccant 14 from crushing due to vibration when mounted on a vehicle, and glass wool or the like is used, for example.

Particularly, in the liquid tank 20 of the present embodiment, an auxiliary member for removing dust and foreign matter in the refrigerant flowing into the tank main body 2 between the refrigerant inlet portion 5 and the desiccant filling portion 9. A strainer plate 30 is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the auxiliary strainer plate 30 has a central hole 31 through which the refrigerant take-out pipe 7 is inserted and a plate portion 32 attached to the inner peripheral surface of the tank body 2, and the central hole 31. And a protruding wall portion 33 that rises upward from the above and forms a predetermined gap C between the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe 7 and the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe 7. The clearance C forms a bypass passage 34 through which the refrigerant flows. The cross-sectional area of the bypass passage 34 may be set to be approximately the same as the cross-sectional area of the passage of the refrigerant outlet pipe 7. Further, the plate portion 32 has a large number of small holes 35 through which the refrigerant passes. The auxiliary strainer plate 30 having such a shape can be easily formed by drawing using a press or the like, and does not cause a cost increase. The small holes 35 of the auxiliary strainer plate 30 may be formed at least in the plate portion 32, but the small holes 35 may be formed in the protruding wall portion 33.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described.

When the compressor operates, as shown in FIG. 3 (A), the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant condensed in the condenser enters the tank main body 2 through the inlet conduit 16 and the refrigerant inlet 5 of the head 4. Flow into. This refrigerant collides with the plate portion 32 of the auxiliary strainer plate 30, flows through the small hole 35 and the bypass passage 34 formed therein, and flows into the desiccant filling portion 9. While the refrigerant flows down in the desiccant filling section 9, dust and foreign matters in the refrigerant are removed by the mesh strainer 13 and the filter 15, and the moisture in the refrigerant is adsorbed by the desiccant 14. The liquid refrigerant, from which water and foreign substances have been removed and which is stored in the bottom 2c, is taken out by the refrigerant take-out pipe 7 and guided from the refrigerant outlet 6 to the expansion valve via the outlet conduit 17.

When the operation is continued, powder such as aluminum, which is a forming material of the tank main body 2, a product associated with corrosion, abrasion powder in equipment such as a compressor that constitutes a cooling cycle, and the like are accumulated in the liquid tank 20. To do. These foreign substances S are first deposited on the upper surface of the auxiliary strainer plate 30, as shown in FIG. At this time, due to the dynamic pressure of the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet portion 5, the foreign matter S is deposited from the inner peripheral surface of the tank main body 2.

As shown in FIG. 3B, when the operation is further continued and a large amount of deposit S is deposited on the auxiliary strainer plate 30, the small holes 35 of the auxiliary strainer plate 30 are completely clogged. Sometimes. However, even in such a state, since the bypass passage 34 is secured between the projecting wall portion 33 of the auxiliary strainer plate 30 and the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant take-out pipe 7, the refrigerant flows through the bypass passage 34. It will be guided through the desiccant filling section 9 without resistance. As a result, an increase in pressure loss in the liquid tank 20 can be suppressed, so that the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator does not increase and the cooling capacity does not decrease.

Further, since the bypass passage 34 through which the refrigerant flows when the auxiliary strainer plate 30 is clogged is formed around the refrigerant outlet pipe 7, it does not exist immediately below the refrigerant inlet portion 5. Therefore, it is not necessary to take precautions such as mounting the auxiliary strainer plate 30 so that the bypass passage 34 is not located immediately below the refrigerant inlet portion 5, and the work for mounting the auxiliary strainer plate 30 becomes easy.

[0024]

[Effect of device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, even when foreign matter or the like is accumulated on the plate portion of the auxiliary strainer plate and the small holes are clogged, the refrigerant is cooled to the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant discharge pipe and the protruding wall. It is guided to the desiccant filling section through a gap formed between the section and the section, and is stored as a liquid refrigerant at the bottom of the liquid body section. For this reason, an increase in pressure loss in the liquid tank can be suppressed, so that the evaporation pressure of the refrigerant in the evaporator does not rise and the cooling capacity can be prevented from lowering. Further, since the bypass passage through which the refrigerant flows when the auxiliary strainer plate is clogged is formed around the refrigerant outlet pipe, it does not exist immediately below the refrigerant inlet portion. Therefore, it is not necessary to pay attention such as mounting the auxiliary strainer plate so that the bypass passage is not located directly below the refrigerant inlet portion, and the work for mounting the auxiliary strainer plate is facilitated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an auxiliary strainer plate shown in FIG.

3 (A) and 3 (B) are cross-sectional views of a main part for explaining the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view showing a general liquid tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... Tank main body 3 ... Upper opening 4
… Head part 5… Refrigerant inlet part 6… Refrigerant outlet part 7
... Refrigerant take-out pipe 9 ... Desiccant filling section 30 ... Auxiliary strainer plate 31
... central hole 32 ... plate part 33 ... protruding wall part 3
4 ... Bypass passage 35 ... Small hole C ... Gap
S ... sediment

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A tank body (2) and this tank body
The head part (4) that closes the upper opening (3) of (2) and the desiccant filling part (9) that allows the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet part (5) of this head part (4) to pass through the inside. ) And the liquid refrigerant stored in the lower part of the tank body (2) penetrates through the desiccant filling section (9) so as to flow out from the refrigerant outlet (6) of the head section (4). In a liquid tank having a refrigerant take-out pipe (7) provided as a plate, a central hole (31) to be inserted into the refrigerant take-out pipe (7) is formed, and a plate part attached to the inner surface of the tank main body part (2). (32) and a projecting wall portion (33) that rises upward from the central hole (31) and forms a predetermined gap (C) between the outer peripheral surface of the refrigerant outlet pipe (7) Strainer plate (30)
Is provided between the refrigerant inlet part (5) and the desiccant filling part (9), and a large number of small holes (35) are formed in at least the plate part (32).