Refrigerant compressor including a polymerization inhibitor contained therein

• US 9,347,446 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Maeyama, Hideaki, Sato, Koichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trieu, Theresa
• Application Number:
  US14/221,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20140314606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 418/63, 418/243, 418/248, 418/84, 624/68, 621/14, 570/178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 18/3564 the surfaces of the inner and outer member, forming the working space, being surfaces of revolution
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2210/14 Lubricant
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2210/26 Refrigerants with particular properties, e.g. HFC-134a
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2210/263 HFO1234YF
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2240/809 Lubricant sump
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 23/008 Hermetic pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 29/04 Heating; Cooling of machines or engines in general F01P; Heat insulation heat insulation in general F16L59/00

Abstract

A refrigerant compressor configured to compress ethylene fluorohydrocarbon or a mixture containing the ethylene fluorohydrocarbon as a refrigerant, the refrigerant compressor including: a compression element configured to compress the refrigerant and including a sliding component that constitutes a sliding portion; and refrigerator oil configured to be supplied to the sliding component so as to lubricate the sliding portion, wherein a polymerization inhibitor configured to suppress polymerization of the refrigerant is contained in the refrigerator oil.

Claims

1. A refrigerant compressor configured to compress ethylene fluorohydrocarbon or a mixture containing the ethylene fluorohydrocarbon as a refrigerant, the refrigerant compressor comprising:

a compression element configured to compress the refrigerant and including a sliding component that constitutes a sliding portion;

refrigerator oil configured to be supplied to the sliding component so as to lubricate the sliding portion; and

a polymerization inhibitor configured to suppress polymerization of the refrigerant contained in the refrigerator oil.

2. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the ethylene fluorohydrocarbon includes at least one of fluoroethylene (R1141), trans-1, 2 difluoroethylene (R1132 (E)), cis-1, 2 difluoroethylene (R1132 (Z)), 1, 1 difluoroethylene (R1132a), and 1, 1, 2 trifluoroethylene (R1123).

3. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the polymerization inhibitor is a terpin compound.

4. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 3,

wherein the terpin compound is at least one of limonene, pinene, camphene, cymene, terpinen, citronellol, terpineol and bornelol.

5. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the compression element includes,

a ring-shaped rolling piston configured to eccentrically rotate within a cylinder chamber of a cylinder, and

a vane accommodated in a vane groove of the cylinder and configured to slide within the vane groove while being pressed against the rolling piston, and

wherein the sliding portion is constituted of a leading end of the vane and an outer periphery of the rolling piston.

6. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the compression element includes,

a cylinder including a vane groove, and

a vane accommodated in the vane groove of the cylinder and configured to slide within the vane groove, and

wherein the sliding portion is constituted of the vane groove and the vane.

7. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the compression element includes,

a ring-shaped rolling piston configured to eccentrically rotate within a cylinder chamber of a cylinder, and

a crank shaft having an eccentric shaft portion eccentric to a main shaft portion, and

wherein the sliding portion is constituted of an inner periphery of the rolling piston and the eccentric shaft portion of the crank shaft.

8. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 1,

wherein the compression element includes,

a crank shaft having a main shaft portion and an auxiliary shaft portion,

a main bearing configured to slidably engage with the main shaft portion of the crank shaft, and

an auxiliary bearing configured to slidably engage with the auxiliary shaft portion of the crank shaft, and

wherein the sliding portion is constituted of the main bearing, the auxiliary bearing and the crank shaft.

9. A refrigerant compressor configured to compress ethylene fluorohydrocarbon or a mixture containing the ethylene fluorohydrocarbon as a refrigerant, the refrigerant compressor comprising:

a compression element configured to compress the refrigerant and including a sliding component that constitutes a sliding portion,

wherein the sliding component is a sintered component impregnated with a polymerization inhibitor configured to suppress polymerization of the refrigerant.

10. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 9, wherein the sliding component, which is impregnated with the polymerization inhibitor, is configured to release the polymerization inhibitor.

11. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 10, wherein

the sliding component is configured to release the polymerization inhibitor when the temperature of the sliding component increases.

12. The refrigerant compressor according to claim 9, wherein

the sliding component is a porous, sintered component including pores impregnated with the polymerization inhibitor.

13. A refrigerant compressor configured to compress ethylene fluorohydrocarbon or a mixture containing the ethylene fluorohydrocarbon as a refrigerant, the refrigerant compressor comprising:

a compression element configured to compress the refrigerant;

an electric element configured to drive the compression element and including windings; and

a polymerization inhibitor configured to suppress polymerization of the refrigerant contained in a gap between the windings.