JP2000314571A - Piping structure of compressor in air conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve refrigerating cycle efficiency by varying a refrigerant piping structure around a compressor, without varying parts structuring a refrigerating cycle used in an air conditioner. SOLUTION: A refrigerating cycle comprises connecting a compressor 1, a condenser 2, a capillary 3, an evaporator 4, and an accumulator 5 provided on the suction side of the compressor 1 by refrigerant piping 6. A delivery piping 6a for delivering the refrigerant toward the condenser 2 from the compressor 1 and a return piping 6b for feeding the refrigerant to the accumulator 5 from the evaporator 4 are provided, and heat exchange means 7 are disposed between the delivery piping 6a located near the compressor 1 and the return piping 6b. A heat quantity of the refrigerant flowing from the compressor 1 to the condenser 2 is transferred to the refrigerant flowing into the accumulator 5 via the heat exchange means 7. Lowering a cold air temperature by decreasing the inlet temperature of the evaporator 4 improves refrigerating cycle efficiency.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention improves the efficiency of a refrigeration cycle by reviewing the refrigerant piping structure around a compressor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A compressor sends gaseous refrigerant, which has become high temperature and high pressure, to a condenser, and the condenser releases the heat energy of the refrigerant. The liquefied refrigerant is sent to an evaporator via a capillary to evaporate the refrigerant. The refrigeration cycle that cools the air passing through the evaporator at the time of the cooling, and then returns the gasified refrigerant to the compressor, and sends it to the condenser again as a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, is known as a cool air, a hot air, Used in air conditioners that dehumidify moisture in the air.

In an air conditioner equipped with such a refrigeration cycle, the temperature of the refrigerant on the suction side of the compressor is important.
When this temperature was high, the compressor was overloaded, causing trouble. For this reason, the balance between the amount of refrigerant and the performance of the evaporator is important.If an evaporator with a higher performance than necessary is used, heat absorption is performed well and the refrigerant evaporates completely, so that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the evaporator is reduced. It rises to a temperature. Further, if the refrigerant is completely vaporized, no liquid refrigerant remains in the gas / liquid separating accumulator attached to the suction side so that the liquid refrigerant does not enter the compressor.

[0004]

On the other hand, a condenser is a type in which a gaseous refrigerant pressurized by a compressor is sent to dissipate the heat energy of the refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant is liquefied. In order to increase the efficiency, not only the refrigerant is liquefied, but also the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle is improved if the temperature of the refrigerant can be further lowered in the liquefied state. However, for this purpose, measures must be taken to increase the heat exchange area of the capacitor, and the shape of the capacitor cannot be easily changed, so in order to improve the performance of the air conditioner, it is necessary to select parts including the capacitor. However, it was not possible to easily implement it because the entire design had to be changed.

[0005] In addition, the high temperature of the refrigerant liquefied by the condenser means that the temperature of the refrigerant passing through the capillary and sent to the evaporator is high, which is disadvantageous for heat exchange with air in the evaporator and lowers the capacity of the air conditioner. As a result, the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle is reduced.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is to improve the efficiency of a refrigeration cycle by simply changing parts, and a compressor 1 for compressing a refrigerant gas into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant; A condenser 2 that radiates the heat of the refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant, an evaporator 4 through which the liquid refrigerant is sent through a capillary 3, and an accumulator 5 on the suction side of the compressor 1. In an air conditioner provided with a refrigerant pipe 6 for returning and circulating a refrigerant in the form of a refrigerant to the accumulator 5 of the compressor 1, a discharge pipe 6a for sending the refrigerant from the compressor 1 to the condenser 2 or the evaporator 4, and a condenser 2 or the evaporator 4
A return pipe 6b for returning the refrigerant to the accumulator 5 of the compressor 1 is provided, and a heat exchange means 7 is interposed between the discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b.

As a specific structure, the heat exchange means 7
Is formed by connecting the refrigerant pipe 6 directly or via a good heat conductive member 7a, and the refrigerant pipe 6 is formed with a bypass pipe 8 which short-circuits the heat exchange means 7, and Since the switching means 9 for sending the refrigerant is provided in the exchange means 7, when the temperature of the air passing through the evaporator 4 is high, if the heat exchange is sufficiently performed by the evaporator 4, the temperature of the suction side of the compressor 1 may increase. However, at this time, the function of the heat exchange means 7 can be stopped by the on-off valve 9, so that the refrigeration cycle can operate stably.

Further, a four-way valve 10 is attached to the refrigerant pipe 6 on the discharge side of the compressor 1, and the pressurized refrigerant is switched by the four-way valve 10 to two heat exchangers constituting the condenser 3 and the evaporator 4. The two refrigerant pipes 6, which supply the compressor and communicate the compressor 1 and the four-way valve 10 serving as the inlet pipe of the four-way valve 10, are arranged side by side. The heat exchange means 7 is constituted by being connected with the good heat conductive member 7a, and the switching valve 9 is attached to the two inlet pipes arranged in parallel, and the inlet pipe not connected with the good heat conductive member 7a is connected. The bypass pipe 8 is constituted by the refrigerant, and the refrigerant is supplied from the bypass pipe to the four-way valve 10 during the heating operation, so that there is no reduction in efficiency during the heating operation, and the on-off valve 8 and the heat exchange means 7 are all located near the four-way valve 10. Can be arranged, virtually a four-way valve 0 and was assumed to be easily implemented by exchanging the refrigerant pipe 6 near its.

[0009]

The function of the condenser 2 is to cool and liquefy the gaseous refrigerant which has become high temperature and high pressure in the compressor 1. In the present invention, the discharge pipe 6a directed to the condenser 2 and the evaporator 4 The heat exchange means 7 is provided between the return pipe 6b toward the accumulator 5 for heat exchange. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 is a condenser 2
The temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser 2 is lowered because the heat is exchanged before entering the chamber, so that the temperature of the refrigerant discharged from the condenser 2 is lowered, so that not only the gaseous refrigerant is liquefied but also the liquefied refrigerant lowers the temperature. It is.

On the other hand, an accumulator 5 is mounted on the suction side of the compressor 1, and this accumulator 5 is used when the air to be heat-exchanged by the evaporator 4 is at a low temperature or when the evaporator 4
When the refrigerant pipe 6 from the compressor to the compressor 1 is short and the refrigerant does not evaporate in the pipe, even if the refrigerant returning from the evaporator 4 mixes with the liquid refrigerant, the refrigerant is vaporized by the accumulator 5 and becomes the liquid refrigerant. Is prevented from being sucked into the compressor 1. Since the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant in the accumulator 5 is released without being used, if the heat exchange means 7 lowers the refrigerant temperature on the discharge side of the compressor 1 by the heat of vaporization of the refrigerant before entering the accumulator 5. This will increase the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The construction will be described below with reference to the drawings showing the embodiments. 1 is a compressor for pressurizing a gaseous refrigerant, 2 is a condenser for exchanging heat between compressed high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas and outdoor air, The gaseous refrigerant is radiated and cooled to become a liquid refrigerant. Reference numeral 3 denotes a capillary formed by a thin tube through which a liquid refrigerant passes, and 4 denotes an evaporator formed by a heat exchanger to which the liquid refrigerant passing through the capillary 3 is sent. The liquid refrigerant is vaporized in the evaporator 4, and the evaporator 4 Cooling the passing air becomes a gaseous refrigerant. Numeral 5 denotes an accumulator provided on the suction side of the compressor 1, and when liquid refrigerant is mixed with refrigerant returned from the evaporator 4, only gaseous refrigerant is returned to the compressor 1, and the refrigerant is pressurized again to high temperature and high pressure. To the capacitor 2.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a refrigerant pipe for returning the refrigerant through the compressor 1, the condenser 2, the capillary 3, and the evaporator 4 to the compressor 1 again. Is composed. The embodiment shown in the figure relates to a separate type air conditioner, wherein A is an indoor unit, B is an outdoor unit, and the evaporator 4 is arranged in the indoor unit A.

11 is a cross flow fan installed in the indoor unit A,
Reference numeral 12 denotes an air inlet of the indoor unit A, and 13 denotes an air outlet provided below the air inlet 11. Air entering from the air inlet 12 is cooled by the evaporator 4, and cool air flows from the air outlet 13 of the indoor unit A. And returned to the room.

Reference numeral 14 denotes an outdoor blower fan mounted in the outdoor unit B. The compressor 1, condenser 2 and capillary 3 are installed in the outdoor unit B. When the outdoor blower fan 14 is operated, the outdoor air passes through the condenser 2. The refrigerant that has passed and is compressed at this time to a high temperature and a high pressure is cooled and liquefied by the outdoor air, while the outdoor air is discharged at a high temperature.

In order to improve the efficiency of the air conditioner, it is necessary to increase the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle. However, in the refrigeration cycle, the overall balance of the compressor 1, the condenser 2, the capillary 3, the evaporator 4, and the like is important. Even if the performance of some parts is improved, the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle cannot be expected to improve, and the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle can be improved only by making overall design changes and using parts with all the performance improvements It becomes something.

The present invention is not intended to improve the performance of the components used, but to improve the efficiency by eliminating the loss when the current refrigeration cycle is operated. That is, an accumulator 5 is attached to the suction side of the compressor 1, and a part of the refrigerant sent from the evaporator 4 to the compressor 1 is mixed with a liquid refrigerant, and this refrigerant is mixed with gas and liquid in the accumulator 5. And only the gaseous refrigerant is sent to the compressor 1. This means that the liquid refrigerant is vaporized in the accumulator 5, and the heat of vaporization is lost in the refrigeration cycle.

Also, as the performance of the suction side of the compressor 1, the temperature of the refrigerant sent from the outlet of the evaporator 4 is usually 30 ° C.
Although it is specified to be as follows, the refrigerant temperature is usually 25 ° C. or less even during overload when there is a margin, and if the heat exchange by the evaporator 4 can be promoted, the refrigerant vaporizes in the accumulator 5 You don't have to. Further, the inlet temperature of the evaporator 4 is the refrigerant temperature on the discharge side of the condenser 2 before passing through the capillary 3, and
As the discharge temperature of the condenser 2 decreases, the efficiency improves.

In the present invention, 6a is a discharge pipe for sending refrigerant from the compressor, 6b is a return pipe for returning the refrigerant to the accumulator 5 of the compressor 1, and 7 is a discharge pipe 6
a heat exchange means interposed between the return pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b. The heat exchange means 7 is configured by closely connecting the discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b.

Since the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 1 is provided with the heat exchange means 7 in the discharge pipe 6a, it is cooled by the low-temperature return pipe 6b, so that the inlet temperature of the condenser 2 can be lowered. . Therefore, capacitor 2
When heat exchange is performed as usual, the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet side decreases, and this low-temperature refrigerant becomes the inlet temperature of the evaporator 4 via the capillary 3. Therefore, the temperature of the inlet side of the evaporator 4 decreases. The temperature of the air passing through the evaporator 4 and exchanging heat becomes lower than before.
For this reason, when the air conditioner is applied to a cooling device that constitutes the evaporator 4 in the indoor unit A of the air conditioner, air at a lower temperature than before can be obtained.

Further, even if the refrigerant discharged from the evaporator 4 passes through the return pipe 6b and absorbs the heat of the discharge pipe 6a by the heat exchange means 7, only the liquid refrigerant exchanged with the refrigerant is vaporized. No big change,
Naturally, the vaporization of the refrigerant is performed in the accumulator 5, so that the total amount of heat that should eventually be lost in the accumulator 5 improves the overall efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

7a is a good heat conductive member connecting the discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b to constitute the heat exchange means 7,
Reference numeral b denotes a fixing screw for winding the good heat conductive member 7a around the refrigerant pipe 6 and fixing the same, and as the heat exchange means 7, the discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b are welded directly or through the good heat conductive member 7a. If integrated, the small heat exchange means 7 can obtain excellent heat exchange performance. However, fixing the refrigerant pipes 6 on the inlet side and the outlet side of the compressor 1 becomes very difficult to perform the assembling work. Therefore, if the good heat conductive member 7a is fixed as a separate member with the fixing screw 7b, the refrigerant pipe After assembling, the good heat conductive member 7a can be attached, and workability is improved.

Such an improvement in the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle is effective when the temperature of the space in which the indoor unit A is installed is the room temperature at which the normal cooling operation is performed. When the refrigerant is completely vaporized in the refrigerant 4, the refrigerant returning to the compressor 1 may reach around 30 ° C. because the vaporization is completed, and the compressor 1 is in overload operation. When the efficiency is improved by the heat exchanging means 7 in a state of being used under such special conditions, the temperature of the refrigerant may further increase, which may cause a trouble of the compressor 1.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the air conditioner is used without any trouble in consideration of such special use conditions. Reference numeral 8 denotes a bypass pipe which short-circuits a pipe having the heat exchange means 7, and reference numeral 9 denotes a bypass pipe. This is a switching valve for switching the flow of the refrigerant between the heat exchanger 8 and the heat exchange means 7, and there is a possibility that the overload operation of the compressor 1 may be performed based on the power consumption of the compressor 1, the temperature of the air passing through the evaporator 4, and the like. At one time, the switching valve 9 sends refrigerant to the bypass pipe 8 to perform normal operation.

On the other hand, recent air conditioners generally use both cooling and warming. However, the improvement of the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle of the present invention is achieved by lowering the temperature of the condenser 2 and reducing the temperature of the evaporator 4. Because it has the function of lowering the temperature,
Suitable when operating an air conditioner as a cooling machine. However, it is disadvantageous for the heating operation in which the condenser 2 is disposed in the indoor unit A, and it is preferable that the heat exchange means 7 does not operate during the heating operation in the cooling / heating unit.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a four-way valve 10 is mounted on the refrigerant pipe 6 on the discharge side of the compressor 1 so as to cope with such a heating operation. The four-way valve 10
Are provided with a discharge pipe 6a from the compressor 1 toward the inlet of the four-way valve 10 and a return pipe 6b from the four-way valve 10 to the compressor 1, and a discharge pipe 6a toward the four-way valve 10.
Are provided in parallel, a heat exchange means 7 is provided between the one discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b by a good heat conducting member 7a, and a bypass pipe is provided by the refrigerant pipe 6 without the other good heat conducting member 7a. 8.

A switching valve 9 is attached to the two branched discharge pipes 6a which are the inlet pipes of the four-way valve 10, and the switching valve 9 directs the flow of the refrigerant between the good heat conducting member 7a and the bypass pipe 8. It can be switched. During the heating operation, the refrigerant sent from the compressor 1 flows from the bypass pipe 8 to the condenser 2 of the indoor unit A by the operation of the switching valve 9, so that high-temperature warm air can be extracted from the indoor unit A. .

[0027]

As described above, in order to increase the efficiency of a refrigeration cycle used in an air conditioner, it is necessary to change each component of the refrigeration cycle to a high-performance one in a well-balanced manner. Although the efficiency could not be easily increased, in the present invention, the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle especially during the cooling operation could be increased by a simple configuration in which the heat exchange means 7 was additionally installed in the refrigerant pipe 6. Yes, when a minor change was made to the air conditioner, it was possible for the first time to improve not only the appearance but also the performance.

More specifically, a heat exchange means 7 is provided between the discharge pipe 6a and the return pipe 6b of the compressor 1, and the amount of heat of the high temperature and high pressure refrigerant in the compressor 1 is transferred to the heat exchange means 7 The heat is transferred to the refrigerant returning to the compressor 1 and the heat energy of the refrigerant discharged and discarded in the accumulator 5 is recovered. The heat exchange means 7 is provided at a specified location of the refrigerant pipe 6 to perform the cooling operation. This improves the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle.

There is no problem when the air conditioner is used as a cooling device for a room of a preset size. However, when the air conditioner is installed ignoring a suitable room, the compressor 1 may be overloaded. In the conventional air conditioner, the amount of heat discarded by the accumulator 5 is for preventing this overload operation. Therefore, in the present invention, the efficiency is increased by using the discarded heat amount in normal times, and the use under bad conditions is performed. Sometimes the refrigerant flows through the bypass pipe 8 and heat exchange means 7
By not using, the same state as that of the conventional air conditioner was created, and the accumulator 5 could be returned to normal use.

Further, most of the recent air conditioners are provided with a four-way valve 10 to constitute a cooling / warming air conditioner. However, the present invention realizes an improvement in the efficiency of a refrigeration cycle during cooling. As such, operating during heating is a problem. In another embodiment of the present invention, a bypass pipe 8, a heat exchange means 7 and a switching valve 9 are provided around the four-way valve 10, and the operation of the switching valve 9 allows the refrigerant to be sent to the heat exchange means 7 only during the cooling operation. Therefore, the heating efficiency did not decrease during the heating operation.

Further, since all the components to be added according to the present invention can be configured around the four-way valve 10, the four-way valve 10 can be handled as one integrated component as in the conventional case, and the assembling process can be simplified. As a result, workability has been greatly improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an air conditioner system having an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a component used in the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2 Condenser 3 Capillary 4 Evaporator 5 Accumulator 6 Refrigerant pipe 6a Discharge pipe 6b Return pipe 7 Heat exchange means 7a Good heat conductive member 8 Bypass pipe 9 Switching valve 10 Four-way valve

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A compressor 1 that compresses a refrigerant gas into a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, a condenser 2 that radiates heat of the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant gas into a liquid refrigerant, and the liquid refrigerant passes through a capillary 3. The compressor 1 is provided with an evaporator 4 to be sent by the evaporator 4 and an accumulator 5 on the suction side of the compressor 1.
And a discharge pipe 6a for sending refrigerant from the compressor 1 to the condenser 2 or the evaporator 4;
Alternatively, a return pipe 6b for returning the refrigerant from the evaporator 4 to the accumulator 5 of the compressor 1 is provided.
a piping structure of a compressor of an air conditioner in which a heat exchange means 7 is interposed between a and a return pipe 6b. 2. The heat exchange means 7 is constituted by connecting the refrigerant pipe 6 directly or via a good heat conductive member 7a.
The compression of the air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein a bypass pipe (8) for short-circuiting the heat exchange means (7) is formed in the refrigerant pipe (6), and a switching valve (9) for sending the refrigerant to the bypass pipe (8) or the heat exchange means (7) is provided. Machine piping structure. 3. A four-way valve 10 is attached to the refrigerant pipe 6 on the discharge side of the compressor 1, and the pressurized refrigerant is switched by the four-way valve 10 to two heat exchangers constituting the condenser 3 and the evaporator 4. The two refrigerant pipes 6, which supply the compressor and communicate the compressor 1 and the four-way valve 10 serving as the inlet pipe of the four-way valve 10, are arranged side by side. The heat exchange means 7 is constituted by being connected with the good heat conductive member 7a, and the switching valve 9 is attached to the two inlet pipes arranged in parallel, and the inlet pipe not connected with the good heat conductive member 7a is connected. The piping structure of a compressor of an air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the bypass pipe (8) is configured by the refrigerant, and the refrigerant is supplied from the bypass pipe to the four-way valve (10) during the heating operation.