Refrigerant cycle system

• US 20020023448A1
• Filed: 04/20/2001
• Published: 02/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Kurato, Inaba, Atsushi, Yamanaka, Yasushi, Ito, Shigeki, Hotta, Teruyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,427,480 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/222
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/3227 characterised by the arrangement or the type of heat exchanger, e.g. condenser, evaporator condensed liquid drainage means B60H1/3233
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/044 Condensers with an integrated receiver
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/0441 containing a drier or a filter
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/0444 where the flow of refrigerant through the condenser receiver is split into two or more flows, each flow following a different path through the condenser receiver
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2339/0446 characterised by the refrigerant tubes connecting the header of the condenser to the receiver; Inlet or outlet connections to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2341/063 Feed forward expansion valves
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/02 Centrifugal separation of gas, liquid or oil
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/03 Suction accumulators with deflectors
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/0403 for the condenser
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/0415 for the receiver
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/16 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2400/162 characterised by the plug or stop
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2500/12 Sound
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 39/04 Condensers
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 41/20 Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves expansion valves F25B41/31
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 43/003 Filters
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 43/006 Accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 45/00 Arrangements for charging or discharging refrigerant
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 6/04 arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05375 with particular pattern of flow, e.g. change of flow direction F28D1/05391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0084 : Condensers

Abstract

A condenser of a refrigerant cycle system includes a first heat exchange unit into which refrigerant discharged from a compressor flows, a second heat exchange unit disposed at a downstream of the first heat exchange unit in a refrigerant flow direction, and a gas-liquid separator disposed between the first and second heat exchange units in the refrigerant flow direction. In the refrigerant cycle system, at least gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator flows into the second heat exchange unit so that an amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator is changed in accordance with a super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

Claims

1. A refrigerant cycle system comprising:

a compressor which compresses and discharges refrigerant;

a condenser for cooling and condensing refrigerant discharged from the compressor;

a decompression device decompressing refrigerant from an outlet of the condenser; and

an evaporator for evaporating refrigerant from the decompression device, the evaporator being disposed so that refrigerant from the evaporator is sucked into the compressor, wherein;

the condenser includes a first heat exchange unit, a second heat exchange unit at a downstream side of the first heat exchange unit in a refrigerant flow direction, and a gas liquid separator arranged between the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit in the refrigerant flow direction in such a manner that refrigerant discharged from the compressor is cooled in the first heat exchange unit and at least gas refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator flows into the second heat exchange unit; and

in the condenser, a refrigerant state flowing from the first heat exchange unit to the gas-liquid separator is changed in accordance with a super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor to change a liquid refrigerant amount stored in the gas-liquid separator.

2. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication path through which liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator is introduced into an upstream side of the decompression device in the refrigerant flow direction.

3. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 2, further comprising

a restriction unit for restricting an opening degree of the communication path, disposed in the communication path.

4. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the decompression device is a fixed restrictor.

5. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the decompression device is a variable restrictor which adjusts a restriction opening degree in accordance with a state of high-pressure refrigerant.

6. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 5, wherein the variable restrictor has a variable throttle valve which changes an opening degree in accordance with a pressure difference between upstream and downstream sides of the variable throttle valve.

7. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator is disposed inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle, and the decompression device is disposed outside the passenger compartment.

8. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit are integrated to form a single heat exchanger.

9. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 8, wherein the gas-liquid separator is disposed to be integrated with the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit.

10. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein the first heat exchange unit is disposed separately from the second heat exchange unit.

11. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, further comprising

a volume chamber member disposed between the evaporator and the compressor in the refrigerant flow direction, which expands a refrigerant flow passage to reduce a pulsating noise of refrigerant sucked into the compressor.

12. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 11, wherein the volume chamber member has a volume chamber in which refrigerant from the evaporator is separated into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant.

13. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, further comprising

adjustment means for adjusting an amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator in accordance with the super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor,

wherein the adjustment means reduces the amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator when the super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor increases.

14. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 1, wherein:

the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit are disposed integrally to have a plurality of tubes disposed in parallel with each other, through which refrigerant flows;

the condenser further includes a first header tank disposed at one end side of the first and second heat exchange units to communicate with the tubes, and a second header tank disposed at the other end side of the first and second heat exchange units to communicate with the tubes; and

the gas-liquid separator is disposed to be integrated with any one of the first and second header tanks.

15. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 5, wherein the decompression device is a variable restrictor which adjusts a restriction opening degree in accordance with a super-cooling degree of high-pressure refrigerant.

17. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein the adjustment means is disposed to always adjust the amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator when the compressor operates.

18. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a main refrigerant passage through which refrigerant flows through the compressor, the condenser, the decompression device and the evaporator in this order,

wherein the gas-liquid separator is disposed to separate refrigerant branched from the main refrigerant passage at a predetermined position into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, and to return at least one of gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant separated from each other to the main refrigerant passage at a downstream side of the predetermined position in the main refrigerant passage in a refrigerant flow direction.

19. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator is disposed to separate refrigerant from the condenser into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant; and

the adjustment means is a bypass passage through which a part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is directly introduced into the gas-liquid separator while bypassing the condenser.

20. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator is disposed at a downstream side of the decompression device in a refrigerant flow direction to separate refrigerant from the decompression device into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant; and

the adjustment means includes a bypass passage though which a part of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the gas-liquid separator, and an additional decompressing unit disposed in the bypass passage to decompress refrigerant introduced into the gas-liquid separator.

21. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein the adjustment means is heating means for adjusting a heating amount of liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator in accordance with the super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

22. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, further comprising

a main refrigerant passage through which refrigerant flows through the compressor, the condenser, the decompression device and the evaporator in this order,

wherein the adjustment means includes a communication path through which liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator returns to the main refrigerant passage, and a valve disposed in the communication path to increase a valve opening degree in accordance with an increase of the super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor.

23. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 19, wherein the gas-liquid separator is disposed to return both gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant separated from each other in the gas-liquid separator to the main refrigerant passage at a downstream side of the predetermined position in the refrigerant flow direction within the condenser.

24. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, further comprising:

a refrigerant inlet provided in the one of the first and second header tanks, through which refrigerant from the compressor is introduced; and

a bypass passage through which a part of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet is directly introduced into the gas-liquid separator while bypassing the first heat exchange unit.

25. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein the decompression device is a fixed restrictor.

27. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 26, wherein the variable restrictor has a variable throttle valve which changes an opening degree in accordance with a pressure difference between upstream and downstream sides of the variable throttle valve.

28. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 26, wherein the decompression device is a variable restrictor which adjusts a restriction opening degree in accordance with a super-cooling degree of high-pressure refrigerant.

29. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein the evaporator is disposed inside a passenger compartment of a vehicle, and the decompression device is disposed outside the passenger compartment.

30. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, further comprising

a volume chamber member disposed between the evaporator and the compressor in the refrigerant flow direction, which expands a refrigerant flow passage to reduce a pulsating noise of refrigerant sucked into the compressor.

31. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 30, wherein the volume chamber member has a volume chamber in which refrigerant from the evaporator is separated into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant.

16. A refrigerant cycle system comprising:

a compressor which compresses and discharges refrigerant;

a condenser for cooling and condensing refrigerant discharged from the compressor;

a decompression device decompressing refrigerant from an outlet of the condenser;

an evaporator for evaporating refrigerant from the decompression device, the evaporator being disposed so that refrigerant from the evaporator is sucked into the compressor;

a gas liquid separator for separating refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant; and

adjustment means for adjusting an amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator in accordance with a super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor,

wherein the adjustment means reduces the amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator to increase a flow amount of refrigerant circulating in the compressor when the super-heating degree of refrigerant discharged from the compressor increases.

26. The refrigerant cycle system according to claim 16, wherein the decompression device is a variable restrictor which adjusts a restriction opening degree in accordance with a state of high-pressure refrigerant.

32. A refrigerant cycle system comprising:

a compressor which compresses and discharges refrigerant;

a condenser for cooling and condensing refrigerant discharged from the compressor;

a decompression device decompressing refrigerant from an outlet of the condenser;

an evaporator for evaporating refrigerant from the decompression device, the evaporator being disposed so that refrigerant from the evaporator is sucked into the compressor;

a main refrigerant passage in which the compressor, the condenser, the decompression device and the evaporator are disposed in this order;

a gas liquid separator for separating refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant; and

adjustment means for adjusting an amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator in accordance with a super-heating degree of refrigerant circulating in the main refrigerant passage,

wherein the adjustment means reduces the amount of liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator to increase a flow amount of refrigerant circulating in the main refrigerant passage when the super-heating degree of refrigerant circulating in the main refrigerant passage increases.

33. A condenser for a refrigerant cycle system comprising:

a heat-exchanging portion having a plurality of tubes disposed in parallel with each other, through which refrigerant flows, the heat-exchanging portion is composed of a first heat exchange unit and a second heat exchange unit disposed in order in a refrigerant flow direction;

first and second header tanks disposed at both sides of the heat-exchanging portion to communicate with the tubes; and

a gas-liquid separator disposed to separate refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, between the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit in the refrigerant flow direction, wherein;

the first heat exchange unit is for cooling and condensing refrigerant from the compressor;

the gas-liquid separator is disposed to separate refrigerant from the first heat exchange unit into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant;

the second heat exchange unit is disposed to cool and condense gas refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator; and

the gas-liquid separator is disposed to be integrated with one of the first and second header tanks.

34. The condenser according to claim 33, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator is disposed to form a gyrating flow of refrigerant flowing from the first heat exchange portion to generate a centrifugal force; and

the gas-liquid separator separates refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant using the centrifugal force due to the gyrating flow.

35. The condenser according to claim 33, further comprising:

a communication path through which liquid refrigerant stored in the gas-liquid separator is introduced into the one of the first and second header tanks.

36. The condenser according to claim 35, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator has a tank portion and a cap member detachably attached to a lower end of the tank portion to close the lower end of the tank portion; and

the communication path is provided in the cap member.

37. The condenser according to claim 36, further comprising

a filter for filtering liquid refrigerant passing through the communication path, wherein the filter is disposed in the cap member.

38. The condenser according to claim 33, further comprising:

a refrigerant inlet provided in the one of the first and second header tanks, through which refrigerant from the compressor is introduced; and

a bypass passage through which a part of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet is directly introduced into the gas-liquid separator while bypassing the first heat exchange unit.

40. The condenser according to claim 39, wherein the bypass passage is a communication path through which a space within the first header tank communicates with a space within the gas-liquid separator.

41. The condenser according to claim 39, wherein the heat exchanging portion and the first and second header tanks are disposed to define a refrigerant passage, the refrigerant passage being U-turned once in each of the first and second header tanks, the condenser further comprising:

an inlet flow path provided between the first header tank and the gas-liquid separator, through which a part of refrigerant in the refrigerant passage is branched to be introduced into the gas-liquid separator;

a gas return passage through which gas refrigerant within the gas-liquid separator is introduced into the refrigerant passage at a downstream side position from the inlet flow path in a refrigerant flow direction; and

a liquid return passage through which liquid refrigerant within the gas-liquid separator is introduced into the refrigerant passage at a downstream side position from the inlet flow path in the refrigerant flow direction.

42. The condenser according to claim 41, further comprising

restrictor means provided between a branch point at which the inlet flow path is branched from the refrigerant passage, and a join point at which the gas return path and the liquid return path are joined in the refrigerant passage.

43. The condenser according to claim 41, further comprising:

a mixing chamber in which refrigerant from the bypass passage and refrigerant from the inlet flow path are mixed, wherein the mixing chamber is provided in such a manner that refrigerant mixed in the mixing chamber is introduced into the gas-liquid separator.

44. The condenser according to claim 41, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator includes a cylindrical body portion defining a tank space in which refrigerant is received to be separated into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant;

the cylindrical body portion has an auxiliary passage extending in parallel with the tank space; and

the auxiliary passage is provided to define at least one of the gas return path and the liquid return path.

45. The condenser according to claim 43, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator includes a cylindrical body portion defining a tank space in which refrigerant is received to be separated into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant;

the cylindrical body portion has first and second auxiliary passages extending in parallel with the tank space;

the first auxiliary passage is provided to define at least one of the gas return path and the liquid return path; and

the second auxiliary passage is provided to define the mixing chamber.

46. The condenser according to claim 45, wherein the cylindrical body portion and the first header tank are integrally molded.

47. The condenser according to claim 41, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator has a tank portion and a cap member detachably attached to a lower end of the tank portion to close the lower end of the tank portion; and

the liquid return path is provided in the cap member.

48. The condenser according to claim 41, further comprising

a desiccant for a water absorption, disposed within the gas-liquid separator to have a space around the desiccant in the gas-liquid separator, wherein:

the desiccant is disposed opposite to at least one of the inlet flow path and the liquid return path; and

the space around the desiccant within the gas-liquid separator is set to be larger at a position where the at least one of the inlet flow path and the liquid return path is provided.

49. The condenser according to claim 39, wherein:

the gas-liquid separator has a cylindrical body portion defining a tank space; and

the cylindrical body portion is formed integrally with the first header tank.

50. The condenser according to claim 43, further comprising

a plate member disposed between the gas-liquid separator and the first header tank,

wherein the plate member is disposed to define the mixing chamber.

39. A condenser for a refrigerant cycle system having a compressor for compressing refrigerant, the condenser comprising:

a heat-exchanging portion having a plurality of tubes disposed in parallel with each other, through which refrigerant flows;

first and second header tanks disposed at both sides of the heat-exchanging portion to communicate with the tubes, the first header tank having a refrigerant inlet through which refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced;

a gas-liquid separator disposed to separate refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, the gas-liquid separator being integrally connected to the first header tank; and

a bypass passage through which a part of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet from the compressor is directly introduced into the gas-liquid separator while bypassing the heat-exchanging portion.