Air conditioner

• US 6,044,649 A
• Filed: 12/22/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yukio, Numoto, Hironao
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHULMAN, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US09/218,466
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 62/474, 62/512, 62/112, 62/509, 62/114
• US Class Current: 62/114
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 5/047 for absorption-type refrigeration systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 43/003 Filters

Abstract

An air conditioner comprises a refrigeration cycle consisting of a compressor, a heat exchanger, a throttling device, a dryer provided with an adsorbent, a connection piping and a refrigerant. The refrigerant contains a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant, the adsorbent contains a plurality of bulk particles, and the dryer includes a container, wherein the adsorbent is located within the container, having a pressing means for holding the adsorbent by pressing it. The load of the pressing means is within a range of about 0.5 kg/cm² to about 3 kg/cm². The container is of a cylindrical shape having a sectional area of "A", the refrigerant is at a circulation rate of "B", and the value of B/A is within a range of about 100 g/min cm² to about 400 g/min cm². The pressing means has a punching baffle formed with a plurality of through-holes, each one of the plurality of bulk particles has a mean diameter of "D", each one of the plurality of through-holes has a diameter of "C", and the value of D/C is at least about 2. The dryer removes water in the refrigeration cycle by allowing the adsorbent to adsorb water contained in the refrigerant.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, comprising:

a compressor,

a heat exchanger,

a throttling device,

a dryer having a container in which is located an adsorbent having a plurality of bulk particles, and,

a refrigerant,

said dryer further includes pressing means having a load of about 0.5 kg/cm² to about 3 kg/cm² for holding said adsorbent, and

wherein the adsorbent adsorbs water contained in the refrigerant.

2. An air conditioner of claim 1, wherein said refrigerant includes at least one of difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane.

3. An air conditioner of claim 1, wherein said pressing means includes a spring.

4. An air conditioner of claim 1, wherein said pressing means includes a spring having a spring constant within a range of about 0.3 kg/cm to about 1 kg/cm.

5. An air conditioner of claim 1, wherein each one of the plurality of bulk particles is generally of a spherical shape having a diameter within a range of about 0.5 mm to about 5 mm.

13. An air conditioner of claim 1, wherein said refrigerant is a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant.

6. An air conditioner, comprising:

a compressor,

a heat exchanger,

a throttling device,

a dryer having a container which is located an adsorbent having a plurality of bulk particles, and;

a refrigerant,

said dryer further includes pressing means for holding said adsorbent,

said container is of a cylindrical shape having a sectional area of "A",

said refrigerant is at a circulation rate of "B",

the value of B/A is a range of about 100 g/min cm² to about 400 g/min cm², and

wherein the adsorbent adsorbs water contained in the refrigerant.

7. An air conditioner of claim 6, wherein said refrigerant includes at least one of difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane.

8. An air conditioner of claim 6, wherein said pressing means has a load of about 0.5 kg/cm² to about 3 kg/cm².

14. An air conditioner of claim 6, wherein said refrigerant is a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant.

9. An air conditioner, comprising:

a compressor,

a heat exchanger,

a throttling device,

a dryer having a container in which is located an adsorbent having a plurality of bulk particles, and;

a refrigerant,

said dryer further includes pressing means having a load for holding the adsorbent,

said pressing means has a punching baffle formed with a plurality of through-holes,

each one of the plurality of bulk particles has a mean diameter of "D",

each one of the plurality of through-holes has a diameter of "C",

the value of D/C is at least about 2, and

the adsorbent adsorbs water contained in the refrigerant.

10. An air conditioner of claim 9, wherein said refrigerant includes at least one of difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane.

11. An air conditioner of claim 9, wherein the load of the pressing means is from about 0.5 kg/cm² to about 3 kg/cm².

15. An air conditioner of claim 9, wherein said refrigerant is a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant.

12. An air conditioner, comprising:

a compressor,

a heat exchanger,

a throttling device,

a dryer provided having a container in which is located an adsorbent having a plurality of bulk particles and,

a refrigerant including,

a hydrofluorocarbon refrigerant comprising difluoro-methane and pentafluoroethane,

said dryer further includes pressing means for holding the adsorbent,

said pressing means having a punching baffle formed with a plurality of through-holes,

said adsorbent includes a synthetic zeolite,

the capacity of the synthetic zeolite in adsorbing the difluoromethane in a condition of 25°

C. and a pressure of the difluoromethane of 500 mmHg is at about 1.0% or less,

wherein the adsorbent adsorbs water contained in the refrigerant.