Gas refrigerant separator, gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider, expansion valve, and refrigeration device

Abstract

A gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider includes an inlet chamber having a circular cross section, a speed increasing chamber having a circular cross section, and an outlet chamber having a circular cross section, which are coaxially arranged in series. The outlet chamber introduces refrigerant from a refrigerant inlet port and guides and swirls the refrigerant along an inner wall surface of the outlet chamber. The speed increasing chamber increases the speed of a swirling refrigerant flow sent from the inlet chamber and jets the swirling refrigerant flow into the outlet chamber through a communication port, which is formed at the distal end of the speed increasing chamber. The diameter of the outlet chamber is greater than the diameter of the communication port at the distal end of the speed increasing chamber. The gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider further has a gas refrigerant extracting pipe.

1 . A gas refrigerant separator wherein:
 an inlet chamber that guides refrigerant in a two-phase gas-liquid state along an inner wall surface of a peripheral wall of a chamber having a circular cross section, the refrigerant being caused to swirl along the inner wall surface;   a speed increasing chamber that has a circular cross section and is joined coaxially with the inlet chamber in the axial direction, the speed increasing chamber increasing the speed of a swirling refrigerant flow directed from the inlet chamber into the speed increasing chamber;   an outlet chamber that is joined coaxially with the speed increasing chamber in the axial direction and has a circular cross section, the outlet chamber receiving the swirling refrigerant flow flowing through a communication port formed at a distal end of the speed increasing chamber, the diameter of the outlet chamber being greater than the opening diameter of the communication port;   a refrigerant inlet port formed in the inner wall surface of the peripheral wall of the inlet chamber;   a refrigerant outlet pipe for discharging the refrigerant from the outlet chamber after gas refrigerant has been separated and extracted from the refrigerant; and   a gas refrigerant extracting pipe for extracting the gas refrigerant collected at a center portion of the swirling refrigerant flow.   
     
     
         2 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the speed increasing chamber is configured to increase the speed of the swirling flow by causing the refrigerant that has been directed from the inlet chamber to swirl along an inner wall surface of a peripheral wall shaped like a surface tapered or curved toward the communication port. 
     
     
         3 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the outlet chamber has a cylindrical shape, wherein the diameter of the communication port of the speed increasing chamber and the diameter and the axial dimension of the outlet chamber are selected such that the refrigerant that has been directed from the speed increasing chamber is caused to swirl in the outlet chamber and the center portion of the swirling contains only the gas refrigerant. 
     
     
         4 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the outlet chamber has a conical shape gradually enlarging from the speed increasing chamber toward the distal end, wherein the diameter of the communication port of the speed increasing chamber and the maximum diameter and the axial dimension of the outlet chamber are selected such that the refrigerant that has been directed from the speed increasing chamber is caused to swirl in the outlet chamber and that a middle portion of the swirling contains only the gas refrigerant. 
     
     
         5 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 4 , wherein the peripheral wall of the speed increasing chamber and the peripheral wall of the speed increasing chamber are formed by wall surfaces that form a smoothly curved surface with the communication port located therebetween. 
     
     
         6 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 5 , wherein the speed increasing chamber and the outlet chamber are formed integrally with each other, wherein the inlet chamber is formed independently and joined to the speed increasing chamber. 
     
     
         7 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the communication port of the speed increasing chamber and the diameter and the axial dimension of the outlet chamber are selected such that, in the outlet chamber, the refrigerant directed from the speed increasing chamber is blown toward and caused to strike the peripheral wall through centrifugal force produced by the swirling flow and is thus stirred in the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         8 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the communication port of the speed increasing chamber is selected such that, in the outlet chamber, the refrigerant directed from the speed increasing chamber is subjected to a throttle effect in the communication port and thus sprayed in a homogeneous gas-liquid distribution state. 
     
     
         9 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is configured to extract the gas refrigerant that has been separated and collected at a center of the refrigerant swirling in the inlet chamber. 
     
     
         10 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 3 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is configured to extract the gas refrigerant that has been separated and collected at a center of the refrigerant swirling in the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         11 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 10 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is configured to extract the gas refrigerant that has been separated and collected at the center of the refrigerant swirling in the outlet chamber, wherein the refrigerant outlet pipe is formed as an outlet pipe having a large diameter and is connected to the outlet chamber to direct liquid-rich refrigerant swirling around the gas refrigerant extracting pipe to the exterior, and the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is inserted in the refrigerant outlet pipe to form an inner pipe of a double pipe structure having the refrigerant outlet pipe as an outer pipe. 
     
     
         12 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the inlet chamber has a cylindrical shape. 
     
     
         13 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the inlet chamber substantially has a conical shape having a diameter increasing toward the speed increasing chamber. 
     
     
         14 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the inlet chamber has an inclined cylindrical shape, wherein the inlet chamber is inclined in a direction in which refrigerant flow introduced therein is guided to the speed increasing chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the inlet chamber has a flow adjusting portion that is formed in the refrigerant inlet port to apply a swirling component to a refrigerant flow introduced therein. 
     
     
         16 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a central part of an inner wall surface of a side wall of the inlet chamber at the side opposite to the speed increasing chamber has an outwardly projected partially spherical shape. 
     
     
         17 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a central part of an inner wall surface of a side wall of the inlet chamber at the side opposite to the speed increasing chamber has an inwardly projected partially spherical shape. 
     
     
         18 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a central part of an inner wall surface of a side wall of the outlet chamber that faces the communication port of the speed increasing chamber has an outwardly projected partially spherical shape. 
     
     
         19 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a central part of an inner wall surface of a side wall of the outlet chamber that faces the communication port of the speed increasing chamber has an inwardly projected partially spherical shape. 
     
     
         20 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a step is formed in a joint portion between the inlet chamber and the speed increasing chamber such that the diameter of the inlet chamber is greater than the diameter of the speed increasing chamber. 
     
     
         21 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein an annular groove portion having a diameter greater than both the diameter of the inlet chamber and the diameter of the speed increasing chamber is formed in a joint portion between the inlet chamber and the speed increasing chamber. 
     
     
         22 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a straight communication passage having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the communication port is formed in a joint portion between the speed increasing chamber and the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         23 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a conical portion having a diameter increasing toward the outlet chamber, starting from the diameter of the communication port, is formed in a joint portion between the speed increasing chamber and the outlet chamber, wherein the conical portion is connected directly to the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         24 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein the speed increasing chamber and the outlet chamber are formed separately from each other and joined together at a joint portion between the speed increasing chamber and the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         25 . The gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1 , wherein a filter for removing undesirable matter from the refrigerant is mounted in the gas refrigerant separator. 
     
     
         26 . A gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider wherein,
 the refrigerant outlet pipe of the gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1  is configured as a plurality of flow dividing pipes connected to a plurality of refrigerant passages in an evaporator, and   the flow dividing pipes are spaced apart at equal intervals along a circumference spaced from the axis by a certain distance, the flow dividing pipes being formed such that the radius of an inscribed circle of the flow dividing pipes is greater than the radius of the communication port and that the radius of the outlet chamber is smaller than or equal to the radius of an inscribed circle of the refrigerant inlet port.   
     
     
         27 . The gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider according to  claim 26 , wherein the outlet chamber is formed such that the flow dividing pipes are arranged in the vicinity of the peripheral wall of the outlet chamber. 
     
     
         28 . The gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider according to  claim 26 , wherein the communication port of the speed increasing member is formed such that the communication port has an inclined end surface. 
     
     
         29 . An expansion valve having an inlet pipe, an outlet pipe, and a throttle portion formed in the expansion valve, the expansion valve being wherein the gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1  is connected to the outlet pipe, a refrigerant jet flow through the throttle portion being introduced into the inlet chamber via the outlet pipe. 
     
     
         30 . An expansion valve having an inlet pipe, an outlet pipe, and a throttle portion formed in the expansion valve, the expansion valve being wherein the gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider according to  claim 26  is connected to the outlet pipe, a refrigerant jet flow through the throttle portion being introduced into the inlet chamber via the outlet pipe. 
     
     
         31 . A refrigerating apparatus wherein
 the gas refrigerant separator according to  claim 1  is connected to an outlet side of an expansion valve,   the refrigerant outlet pipe is connected to a plurality of refrigerant pipes of an evaporator through the flow dividing pipes, and   the gas refrigerant extracting pipe bypasses refrigerant passages for directing divided flows of the refrigerant and is connected to an outlet side of the evaporator.   
     
     
         32 . A refrigerating apparatus wherein
 the gas refrigerant separator-cum-refrigerant flow divider according to  claim 26  is connected to an outlet side of an expansion valve,   the flow dividing pipes are connected to a plurality of refrigerant passages in an evaporator, and   the gas refrigerant extracting pipe bypasses the refrigerant passages and is connected to an outlet side of the evaporator.   
     
     
         33 . A refrigerating apparatus using the expansion valve according to  claim 29 , wherein the refrigerant outlet pipe is connected to a plurality of refrigerant passages in an evaporator and that the gas refrigerant extracting pipe bypasses the refrigerant passages and is connected to an outlet side of the evaporator. 
     
     
         34 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected directly to an outlet pipe of the evaporator. 
     
     
         35 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected to an outlet pipe of the evaporator via a gas refrigerant passage formed in the evaporator. 
     
     
         36 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected to an outlet pipe of the evaporator via a supercooling heat exchanger arranged at an inlet side of the expansion valve, the supercooling heat exchanger causing heat exchange with liquid refrigerant at an inlet side of the expansion valve. 
     
     
         37 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein a flow control valve is arranged in a circuit through which the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected to an outlet of the evaporator. 
     
     
         38 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein a refrigerant circuit is configured as a heat pump cycle capable of performing a reversible cycle and that a check valve for preventing a refrigerant flow from an outlet of the evaporator to the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is arranged in a circuit through which the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected to the outlet of the evaporator. 
     
     
         39 . The refrigerating apparatus according to  claim 31 , wherein a refrigerant circuit is configured as a heat pump cycle capable of performing a reversible cycle, that a fully closable flow control valve is arranged in a circuit through which the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is connected to an outlet of the evaporator, and that the flow control valve is fully closed in an operating cycle in which a refrigerant flow from the outlet of the evaporator to the gas refrigerant extracting pipe is produced.