Apparatus for cooling air-conditioning refrigerant

Abstract

An apparatus for treating refrigerant which passes through a high pressure side and a low pressure side in which the refrigerant has a different temperature circulating in a transcritical air conditioning loop having a heat exchanger with a collecting tube. A longitudinal vessel is connected to the heat exchanger collecting tube and defines a heat exchanger chamber and an accumulator chamber, wherein both of the chambers extend parallel over at least a significant portion of the length of the vessel. The vessel includes at least one longitudinal wall having an opening allowing the refrigerant to flow through the chambers. A flat multi-chamber tube extends through the heat exchanger chamber of the vessel, wherein refrigerant on one side flows through the tube and refrigerant on the other side flows through the vessel to exchange heat between refrigerant in the sides.

1 . An apparatus for treating refrigerant which passes through a high pressure side and a low pressure side in which the refrigerant has a different temperature circulating in a transcritical air conditioning loop, comprising: 
 a heat exchanger in said loop, said heat exchanger having a collecting tube;    a longitudinal vessel connected to said heat exchanger collecting tube and defining a heat exchanger chamber and an accumulator chamber, wherein both of said chambers extend parallel over at least a significant portion of the length of said vessel; and    a flat multi-chamber tube extending through said heat exchanger chamber of said vessel, wherein refrigerant on one side flows through said tube and refrigerant on the other side flows through said vessel.    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an introduction tube for the low pressure side in the accumulator chamber.  
   
   
       3 . The apparatus of  claim 2 , further comprising a dryer associated with the introduction tube.  
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one longitudinal wall in said vessel, wherein one end includes at least one inflow opening for the low pressure side from the vessel accumulator chamber into the vessel heat exchanger chamber.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , further comprising at least one opening on the other end of longitudinal wall for oil contained in the refrigerant.  
   
   
       6 . The apparatus of  claim 4 , wherein said longitudinal wall is spaced from the center plane of said vessel whereby the accumulator chamber is larger than the heat exchanger chamber.  
   
   
       7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger chamber extends over a partial radius of the vessel interior.  
   
   
       8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel and the flat multi-chamber tube are extruded.  
   
   
       9 . The apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the multi-chamber tube extends substantially undeformed through the heat exchanger chamber of the vessel and further comprising heat conducting ribs in the remaining cross-section of the heat exchanger chamber over a majority of the length of the heat exchanger chamber.  
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the vessel is an extruded tube having ends closed by a cover.  
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein said extruded tube includes a longitudinal wall separating said heat exchanger chamber from said accumulator chamber.  
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , further comprising an insulation plate in the tube.  
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising grooves molded on opposite sides of the tube wall, wherein said insulation plate is inserted in said grooves.  
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an insulation plate adjacent said longitudinal wall.  
   
   
       15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising shielding between the vessel and the cooling air stream flowing through the heat exchanger.  
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the heat exchanger is a gas cooler.  
   
   
       17 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the collecting tube of the heat exchanger and the vessel are assembled compactly together.  
   
   
       18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising an air baffle, wherein the vessel is behind said air baffle in the air flow direction.  
   
   
       19 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising insulation at least partially on the outside of said vessel.  
   
   
       20 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more refrigerant treating filters in the vessel.  
   
   
       21 . An apparatus for treating refrigerant which passes through a high pressure side and a low pressure side in which the refrigerant has a different temperature circulating in a transcritical air conditioning loop, comprising: 
 a slim, hollow longitudinal vessel with at least one longitudinal wall and defining a heat exchanger chamber and an accumulator chamber, wherein both of said chambers extend parallel over at least a significant portion of the length of said vessel and said vessel including at least one longitudinal wall having an opening allowing the refrigerant to flow through the chambers; and    a flat multi-chamber tube extending through said heat exchanger chamber of said vessel, wherein refrigerant on one side flows through said tube and refrigerant on the other side flows through said vessel to exchange heat between refrigerant in said sides.    
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said flat multi-chamber tube extends lengthwise through the heat exchanger chamber with heat conducting ribs.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the multi-chamber tube and the heat conducting ribs are extruded.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the inserted longitudinal wall has a lower heat transfer value than the walls of said vessel.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 24 , wherein the inserted longitudinal wall consists of plastic.  
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising heat conducting ribs in the remaining cross-section of the heat exchanger chamber outside of said multi-chamber tube.  
   
   
       27 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said longitudinal wall is spaced from the center plane of said vessel.  
   
   
       28 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a dryer in the accumulator chamber and a filter in said vessel.  
   
   
       29 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein said vessel has a length (L) and a diameter (D), and the ratio of length (L) to diameter (D) is ≧3:1.