WO2010090288A1 - Refrigeration cycle container and refrigeration cycle device - Google Patents

Abstract

In order to allow for decreased labor and shortened work time, and to contribute to decreased cost, when joining coolant pipes to a container body, a refrigeration cycle container (R) is constituted so that the coolant pipes (P) are joined to the container body (10) by metal inert gas brazing (Y). A refrigeration cycle device improves reliability by configuring a refrigeration cycle using the coolant pipes (P) to connect a compressor (1), a condenser (2), an expansion valve (3), an evaporator (4), and the aforementioned refrigeration cycle container (R).

Description

Refrigeration cycle container and refrigeration cycle equipment

The present invention relates to a refrigeration cycle container that includes a refrigeration cycle container together with a refrigeration cycle container, such as an accumulator, a refrigerant tank, and an oil separator, and a refrigeration cycle container.

As is well known, brazing is a joining method in which a brazing material melted into a gap (0.05 to 0.1 mm) between a pair of heated joint parts is poured using a capillary phenomenon. As a result, a thin alloy layer is formed by diffusion reaction between the joint metal and the brazing material, and joint parts are joined to each other.

In order to perform more complete brazing, it is necessary to prevent the generation of impurities such as an oxide film on the metal surface, and to block the contact between the metal surface and the atmosphere to improve the flow of the brazing material. Therefore, it is necessary to apply a flux to the joint metal to activate (wet) the metal surface and to set an optimum temperature for improving the flow of the brazing material.

By the way, in the pipe connection structure of the compressor, which includes a compressor that compresses the refrigerant, an accumulator (a refrigeration cycle container) that stores the refrigerant, and a suction pipe that connects the compressor and the accumulator and guides the refrigerant, A technique for connecting parts together by brazing or welding is disclosed (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-360476).

Brazing used in the invention of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-360476 is difficult to mechanize as compared with welding, and relies heavily on the manual work and skill of the operator. Therefore, in the case of a container for a refrigeration cycle with many brazing points, it takes a lot of time and affects the man-hours.

On the other hand, for example, carbon steel plates, galvanized steel plates, or stainless steel plates are used in automobile-related equipment and office equipment-related parts. In many cases, MIG (metal inert gas) brazing is performed to join these steel plates.

In this MIG brazing method, the base material and the wire are heated, and copper, which is the main component of the wire, is melted in an inert gas atmosphere, and this is introduced into the gap between the base materials to be brazed. Is the method. This type of welding method is characterized in that it generates less spatter and is excellent in appearance.

That is, there is almost no melting of the base material, and it is possible to join the base material with little material change or thermal deformation, so that the container body and the refrigerant constituting the container for the refrigeration cycle can be replaced with the usual silver brazing process. It came to the idea of applying to joining with a pipe.

The present invention has been made on the basis of the above circumstances. The purpose of the present invention is to reduce labor and work by adopting an optimum means other than brazing when joining the refrigerant pipe to the container body. An object of the present invention is to provide a container for a refrigeration cycle that shortens the time and contributes to cost reduction.

Furthermore, an object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration cycle apparatus that is provided with the above-described refrigeration cycle container and can be improved in reliability by constituting a refrigeration cycle.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the container for refrigeration cycle and the refrigeration cycle apparatus of the present invention are configured as follows.

¡A refrigerant pipe is joined to the container body by MIG (metal inert gas) brazing. Further, the refrigeration cycle apparatus configures a refrigeration cycle by connecting a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, an evaporator, and the refrigeration cycle container described above via a refrigerant pipe.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigeration cycle container according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a joint structure between the upper end plate of the container body and the refrigerant pipe constituting the container for the refrigeration cycle. FIG. 3A is an explanatory view showing a process of processing the upper end plate. FIG. 3B is an explanatory view showing a process of processing the upper end plate. FIG. 3C is an explanatory diagram showing a process of processing the upper end plate. FIG. 4 is a front view of the refrigeration cycle container according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view showing a joint structure between a container main body and a refrigerant pipe constituting the container for the refrigeration cycle. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing a joint structure between the container body and the refrigerant pipe. FIG. 6A is a front view showing a container for a refrigeration cycle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a side view showing the refrigeration cycle container. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a refrigeration cycle container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view showing a joint structure between a container body and a refrigerant pipe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8B is a plan view showing a joint structure between a container body and a refrigerant pipe according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a plan view showing a joint structure between a container body and a refrigerant pipe according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a joint structure between a container body and a refrigerant pipe according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of the refrigeration cycle of the refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a refrigeration cycle of a refrigeration cycle apparatus, for example, an air conditioner.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a compressor that compresses the sucked refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant and discharges it to the refrigerant pipe P. The condenser 2 is communicated with the refrigerant pipe P to condense the guided gas refrigerant and convert it into a liquid refrigerant.

The expansion valve 3 which is an expansion device is communicated with the condenser 2 through a refrigerant pipe P to adiabatically expand the led liquid refrigerant. Further, an evaporator 4 is communicated with the expansion valve 3 via a refrigerant pipe P to evaporate the refrigerant, and the latent heat of vaporization at this time is taken from the heat exchange air and changed into cold air. That is, a freezing (cooling) action is obtained.

The accumulator 5 communicates with the evaporator 4 via a refrigerant pipe P to separate the introduced evaporated refrigerant into a gas and liquid. Only the separated gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 1 through the refrigerant pipe P, and the above-described refrigeration cycle is repeated again. By providing the accumulator 5, liquid compressor is not sucked by the compressor 1, and liquid compression is prevented.

In this refrigeration cycle, an oil separator, a liquid tank, etc. (not shown) are also used, and together with the accumulator 5 are collectively referred to as a “refrigeration cycle container R”. Hereinafter, a joining structure between the refrigeration cycle container R and the refrigerant pipe P will be described.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigeration cycle container Ra according to a first embodiment.

The refrigeration cycle container Ra includes a container body 10 provided with a separation plate 10a therein, a first refrigerant pipe P1 joined to the upper end of the container body 10, and one end joined to the bottom surface of the container body 10 and the other end. Is formed to rise inside the container body 10, one end is joined to the second refrigerant pipe P <b> 2 via the bottom surface of the container body 10, and the other end is substantially U-shaped outside the container body 10. It comprises a bent third refrigerant pipe P3.

In the refrigeration cycle configuration, the first refrigerant pipe P1 is connected to the evaporator 4, and the refrigerant evaporated here is guided into the container body 10 through the first refrigerant pipe P1. A separation plate 10a is provided inside the container body 10 that faces the opening end of the first refrigerant pipe P1, and the vaporized refrigerant passes through the separator plate 10a to be separated into a gas refrigerant and a liquid refrigerant.

The liquid refrigerant accumulates in the bottom of the container body 10, and the gas refrigerant is sucked from the open end of the second refrigerant pipe P2 and led to the third refrigerant pipe P3, and further sucked into the compressor 1 and compressed. The liquid refrigerant accumulated at the inner bottom of the container body 10 evaporates as time elapses or under the influence of the temperature of the external air, becomes a gas refrigerant, and is sucked from the open end of the second refrigerant pipe P2.

The configuration of the refrigeration cycle container Ra will be described below. The container body 10 includes a cylindrical lens barrel 11 having upper and lower ends opened and a separation plate 10a fitted in the upper end, and an upper end opening of the lens barrel 11. The upper end plate 12 is welded so as to be closed, and the lower end plate 13 is welded so as to close the lower end opening of the barrel 11.

Furthermore, a plurality of support legs 14 are attached to the peripheral surface of the lower end plate 13 with a predetermined interval by welding. All the components of the container body 10 are made of iron, and the entire peripheral surface including the support legs 14 is painted.

A copper pipe is used for the first refrigerant pipe P1. The joining structure of the 1st refrigerant | coolant pipe P1 with respect to the upper end plate 12 which comprises the container main body 10 is as showing in FIG.

A mounting hole H is provided in the central portion of the upper end plate 12, and the lower end portion of the first refrigerant pipe P1 is inserted and temporarily held therein. In this state, the peripheral surface of the first refrigerant pipe P1 and the peripheral portion of the mounting hole H are processed by MIG brazing Y.

Since the brazing material used for MIG brazing Y is mainly composed of copper and the brazing material itself serves as an electrode, it is also called “consumable electrode type arc brazing”. In other words, brazing is performed by arc heat, and there is a relatively low distortion and pinhole generation due to local heating, and the processing speed is high.

The processing sequence as the refrigeration cycle container Ra is such that when the upper end plate 12 is in a single state before the upper end plate 12 is joined to the end tube 11, the first refrigerant pipe P1 is attached to the upper end plate 12 by MIG brazing Y. Join.

The second refrigerant pipe P2 may be an iron pipe, but the third refrigerant pipe P3 is a copper pipe. When the lower end plate 13 is in a single state before the lower end plate 13 is joined to the barrel 11, the second refrigerant pipe P2 and the third refrigerant pipe P3 are joined to the lower end plate 13 by MIG brazing Y.

In other words, first, the second refrigerant pipe P2 and the lower end plate 13 are joined by MIG brazing Y, and then one end of the third refrigerant pipe P3 is connected to the end of the lower end plate 13 and the second refrigerant pipe P2. And is joined by MIG brazing Y.

Furthermore, the upper end plate 12 joined with the first refrigerant pipe P1 is welded to the upper end portion of the lens barrel 11, and the upper end opening of the lens barrel 11 is closed. Next, the lower end plate 13 in which the second refrigerant pipe P2 and the third refrigerant pipe P3 are joined is welded to the lower end portion of the lens barrel 11, and the lower end opening of the lens barrel 11 is closed. Therefore, the container body 10 is assembled.

For example, when connecting the first refrigerant pipe P1 to the upper end plate 12, a case of silver brazing as in the prior art and a case of MIG brazing Y as described in the present invention are compared. .

The processing time required for joining at one location is about 40 seconds for silver brazing and about 10 seconds for MIG brazing Y. The cost of the brazing material is 27 thousand yen for silver brazing per kilogram (at the time of filing), and the copper brazing material used for the MIG brazing Y can be purchased for 5,000 yen (same as above).

Actual work must be done by a worker (manual) in silver brazing, but it is easy to automate in MIG brazing Y. Furthermore, as the front and rear processing, the silver brazing requires a flux + hot water washing process, but the MIG brazing Y does not require the front and rear processing.

In this way, MIG brazing Y has many advantages over silver brazing, and therefore, the labor required for joining the container body 10 and the refrigerant pipes P1 to P3 can be reduced and the processing time can be shortened. Can contribute to cost reduction.

3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3C are diagrams for explaining the manufacturing sequence of the upper end plate 12 constituting the container body 11 and the joining of the first refrigerant pipe P1. Although not particularly illustrated, the same applies to the joining of the lower end plate 13 and the second refrigerant pipe P2.

First, as shown in FIG. 3A, a rectangular plate body D is prepared in plan view, and a mounting hole H is provided at the center. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, a rectangular plate D provided with a mounting hole H at the center is formed into a semicircular cross section by drawing. The peripheral end portion is aligned at the same position to form a substantially bowl-shaped upper end plate 12.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the mounting hole H provided earlier has a cross-sectional taper shape in which the outer surface side diameter of the upper end plate 12 is larger than the inner surface side diameter. This is a cross-sectional shape that is inevitably formed by drawing a rectangular plate D having a predetermined plate thickness, and when the first refrigerant pipe P1 is inserted, a mounting hole on the outer surface side of the upper end plate 12 A certain amount of gap is generated from the H periphery.

That is, even if the mounting hole H having the same diameter as the first refrigerant pipe P1 is provided at the stage of the rectangular plate D, the rectangular plate D is drawn to form the substantially bowl-shaped upper end plate 12. Thus, the mounting hole H has a tapered cross section.

When the first refrigerant pipe P1 is inserted here, a conspicuous gap is formed on the outer surface side of the upper end plate 12 between the refrigerant pipe P1 and the periphery of the mounting hole H. The brazing material of MIG brazing Y can easily enter the gap, so that the bonding strength between the upper end plate 12 and the first refrigerant pipe P1 is increased.

In the above embodiment, it has been described that the iron material is selected for the barrel 11, the upper end plate 12, and the lower end plate 13 constituting the container body 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

By using a highly corrosion-resistant plated steel plate as a constituent member of the container body 10, a high rust prevention effect can be obtained while surface coating is unnecessary. There is no inferiority in strength and it does not affect the cost.

The refrigerant pipes P1 to P3 made of copper pipes are joined to the container body 10 by MIG brazing Y. There is no change in using a copper-based material as the brazing material, and the refrigerant pipes P1 to P3 can be firmly joined to the container body 10.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the refrigeration cycle container Rb in the second embodiment. Although the overall height and diameter of the container main body 10 are different from those described above with reference to FIG.

The refrigerant pipe is joined by two connecting refrigerant pipes P4 and P5 protruding upward from the upper end plate 12 constituting the container body 10 and MIG brazing Y through the connecting refrigerant pipes P4 and P5 and the upper end plate 12. The U-shaped refrigerant pipe P <b> 6 is accommodated in the container body 10.

Here, the connecting refrigerant pipes P4 and P5 are copper pipes, and the U-shaped refrigerant pipe P6 is an iron pipe. That is, the refrigerant pipe connected to the outside from the container main body 10 is a copper material, and the U-shaped refrigerant pipe P6 accommodated in the container main body 10 is the same iron material as the container main body 10.

The iron material is used only for the U-shaped refrigerant pipe P6, but this refrigerant pipe P6 is housed inside the container body 10 and does not come into contact with external air, so that rust is hardly generated. By using inexpensive iron, it contributes to cost reduction. Naturally, there is no functional problem as the refrigeration cycle container Rb.

In order to join the two upper and lower refrigerant pipes P through the container body 10, a joining structure as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 5B is used.

In FIG. 5A, the end portion of the upper refrigerant pipe Pa made of a copper pipe is inserted into the mounting hole H from the upper part of the container body 10. And the upper side refrigerant | coolant pipe Pa and the container main body 10 which consists of iron materials are joined by MIG brazing Y. FIG. Since a brazing material mainly composed of copper is used, strong bonding can be obtained in a short time.

Thereafter, the opening end of the lower refrigerant pipe Pb made of an iron pipe is applied so as to face the mounting hole H from the lower side of the container main body 10, and the lower refrigerant pipe Pb and the container main body 10 are joined by welding U. .

As described above, the joining process is in two stages. However, since the airtightness can be secured by using the MIG brazing Y, the lower side refrigerant pipe Pb, which is an iron pipe, and the container body 10 made of an iron material are usually welded U. That's okay. Since the inside of the completed container body 10 is free of oxygen, rust is unlikely to occur in the lower refrigerant pipe Pb.

FIG. 5B shows another example of the joint structure.

The opening end of the lower refrigerant pipe Pd is inserted into the mounting hole H from the lower part of the container body 10 and protrudes to the upper surface side of the container body 10 to some extent. This state is temporarily held and the opening end of the upper refrigerant pipe Pc is opposed to the opening end of the lower refrigerant pipe Pd from the upper part of the container body 10.

The MIG brazing Y is performed simultaneously on the container body 10 and the upper end side refrigerant pipe Pc end portion and the lower side refrigerant pipe Pd end portion. As a joining process, only one step is required, and MIG brazing Y can ensure airtightness. And it remains unchanged that rust hardly occurs in the lower refrigerant pipe Pd inside the container body 10.

FIG. 6 shows a horizontal refrigeration cycle container Rc as a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the refrigeration cycle container Rc here, a plurality (at least two) of refrigerant pipes P are joined together by MIG brazing Y at intervals L along the axial direction of the horizontally placed container body 10A. The interval L must be set to about 150 mm or more.

That is, as described above, the MIG brazing Y can be automated. Specifically, a torch for holding the brazing material is necessary, and MIG brazing Y is performed while moving the torch along the periphery of the refrigerant pipe P.

Therefore, after the first refrigerant pipe P is MIG brazed Y, the second refrigerant pipe P and the second refrigerant pipe P are close to each other in order to perform the MIG brazing Y. The MIG brazing Y of the second refrigerant pipe P cannot be performed.

As described above, by setting the interval L between the refrigerant pipes P to about 150 mm or more, it is possible to avoid interference with the torch at the MIG brazing Y of the second refrigerant pipe P and to perform processing without any trouble.

FIG. 7 is a front view of a refrigeration cycle container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The fact that the refrigerant pipe P is joined to the container body 10B by the MIG brazing Y is not changed here either.

The container body 10B is formed by joining the upper end plate 12 and the lower end plate 13 directly by welding. That is, the container main body 10B is configured without using the lens barrel 11 shown in FIG. 1, but there is no problem even if the lens barrel 11 is interposed between the upper and lower end plate 12 and 13.

In short, a stainless steel wire (SUS wire) 15 is wound around a joint portion between the upper end plate 12 and the lower end plate 13 constituting the container body 10B, and welding is performed from above the stainless steel wire 15.

In normal welding, it is necessary to paint the container body 10B afterwards, but rust often occurs over a long period of use. For this reason, repair painting is performed so as to thicken the coating of the welded portion, which is troublesome and effectively uneasy.

Therefore, as described above, after the stainless steel wire 15 is wound around the joint, welding is performed. As a result, the joint portion is covered with a stainless material having an anticorrosive effect, and at least the repair coating on the joint portion becomes unnecessary.

8A and 8B are views for explaining a joining means according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8A is a sectional view of the upper end plate 12 and FIG. 8B is a plan view thereof.

When carrying out MIG brazing Y of the refrigerant pipe P on the upper end plate 12, the upper end plate 12 and the refrigerant pipe P are at normal temperature at the start of the operation, and are not heated, so it is difficult to join them. If it ends with incomplete joining, the refrigerant gas tends to leak from this part, and the reliability is lacking.

Therefore, at the start of the operation of MIG brazing Y, the brazing material is applied to a part that is spaced apart from the peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe P and heated. So-called preheating is performed, and the temperature rise of the upper end plate 12 is awaited.

This state is continued for a predetermined time, and the temperature around the mounting hole H of the upper end plate 12 is sufficiently increased, and then the MIG brazing Y is performed on the peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe P. Join.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are views for explaining the joining means according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a plan view of the lower end plate 13 and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view.

The opening end of the refrigerant pipe P is inserted into the mounting hole H provided in the lower end plate 13 and the opening end of the refrigerant pipe P is protruded to the inner surface side of the lower end plate 13 to some extent. Temporarily holding this state, the opening end portion peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe P protruding from the inner surface side of the lower end plate 13 is MIG brazed to the lower end plate 13 to join the lower end plate 13 and the refrigerant pipe P.

The lower end plate 13 is joined to the end tube 11 or the upper end plate 12 to constitute the container body 10 and completed as the container R for the refrigeration cycle. Then, it is subjected to a leak inspection for inspecting whether or not there is a leak from the joint portion.

As a result of the leak test, there is no problem if it can be confirmed that there is no leak from the joint between the lower end plate 13 and the refrigerant pipe P. When it is confirmed that there is a leak in the joint, the peripheral surface of the refrigerant pipe P is repaired by MIG brazing Y from the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13.

That is, as a normal manufacturing process, a case is considered in which a leak is detected in the leak inspection after the refrigerant pipe P and the MIG brazing Y from the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13. At this time, there has already been brazing on the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13, and even if MIG brazing Y for repair is made on this, the effect is weak.

As described above, if the refrigerant pipe P is MIG brazed Y from the inner surface side of the lower end plate 13, no processing is performed on the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13 even if a leak is found in the leak inspection. Therefore, repair is easy and reliable.

Further, in the refrigerant pipe P joined to the lower end plate 13, if the length of the straight portion along this axial direction is sufficiently long and bent from there to a substantially L shape, the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13 Therefore, it is not so difficult to perform MIG brazing Y on the refrigerant pipe P.

However, the length of the straight portion along the axial direction of the refrigerant pipe P joined to the lower end plate 13 is very short, and there is also one that is bent in a substantially L shape without a sufficient distance from the lower end plate 13. is there.

In this case, it is extremely difficult to perform a perfect MIG brazing Y from the outer surface side of the lower end plate 13. Therefore, it is preferable to perform perfect MIG brazing Y from the inner surface side of the lower end plate 13 so that NG is not output in the leak inspection.

As described above, a copper-aluminum-based brazing material is used for MIG brazing between the container body and the refrigerant pipe.

There are copper-silicon-based brazing materials, but when actually used, holes and cracks occurred in the brazing portion, and the airtight structure could not be maintained. As a result of the experiment, when copper-aluminum system (aluminum bronze) was used, it was possible to join without any problem.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments as they are, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above-described embodiments.

According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a container for a refrigeration cycle that contributes to cost reduction by reducing the labor required for joining the container body and the refrigerant pipe and shortening the processing time. Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is obtained a refrigeration cycle apparatus provided with the above refrigeration cycle container and capable of improving reliability.

Claims (5)

1. A container body;
   A refrigerant pipe joined to the container body by metal inert gas brazing,
   A container for a refrigeration cycle comprising:
2. The container body is made of a highly corrosion-resistant plated steel plate,
   A plurality of the refrigerant pipes are joined,
   At least some of them consist of copper pipes,
   2. The refrigeration cycle container according to claim 1, wherein the metal inert gas brazing uses a brazing material containing copper as a main component.
3. A copper pipe is used as a refrigerant pipe protruding outside from the container body,
   The refrigeration cycle container according to claim 2, wherein an iron pipe is used as the refrigerant pipe accommodated in the container main body.
4. The refrigerant pipe made of a copper pipe projecting outward from the container body has an end penetrating the container body and projecting to the inner surface side, and the projecting end part is joined from the inner surface side of the container body by metal inert gas brazing. The container for a refrigeration cycle according to any one of claims 2 and 3, wherein
5. A compressor, a condenser, an expansion device, an evaporator, and the refrigeration cycle container according to any one of claims 1 to 4 are connected via a refrigerant pipe to constitute a refrigeration cycle. A refrigeration cycle apparatus characterized by.

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