Expansion Valve

Abstract

An expansion valve for reducing a pressure of a fluid flowing through the expansion valve along a fluid flow path has: at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet, a first valve element with at least one first channel structure, a second valve element with at least one second channel structure and a third channel structure, wherein the first and second valve elements are movable relative to each other, wherein, in a first position of the valve elements, the first and second channel structures are aligned with each other and form a first fluid flow path having a first flow resistance between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and wherein in a second position of the valve elements, the first and third channel structures are aligned with each other and form a second fluid flow path having a second flow resistance.

1 . An expansion valve for reducing a pressure of a fluid flowing through the expansion valve along a fluid flow path, the expansion valve comprising:
 at least one fluid inlet and at least one fluid outlet,   a first valve element comprising at least one first channel structure, and   a second valve element comprising at least one second channel structure and one third channel structure,   wherein the first valve element and the second valve element are movable relative to each other,   wherein, in a first position of the valve elements, the first channel structure and the second channel structure are aligned with each other and form a first fluid flow path comprising a first flow resistance between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet,   wherein, in a second position of the valve elements, the first channel structure and the third channel structure are aligned with each other and form a second fluid flow path comprising a second flow resistance differing from the first flow resistance between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and   wherein the second channel structure comprises a first variable or constant flow area, and wherein the third channel structure comprises a second variable or constant flow area differing from the first flow area, wherein the different flow areas oppose different flow resistances to the fluid and throttle the flow rate of the fluid to different extents.   
     
     
         2 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the amount of throttling of the flow rate of the fluid is determined by the flow resistance of the individual channel structures.   
     
     
         3 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first channel structure in the first valve element extends at least in sections in the axial direction, and/or   wherein the second and third channel structures in the second valve element extends at least in sections in the radial direction and/or in the axial direction, and   wherein the radial portions contribute the major proportion to throttling the fluid flowing through the channel structures.   
     
     
         4 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first valve element comprises a surface facing the second valve element and wherein the second valve element is movable relative to the first valve element in a plane parallel to said surface.   
     
     
         5 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second valve element is configured in two parts, wherein a first part of the second valve element comprises at least a portion of the second and third channel structures and the fluid outlet, wherein these portions of the second and third channel structures within the first part of the second valve element are each connected to the fluid outlet, and/or   wherein the first valve element is rotatably arranged on the second valve element, and wherein by means of a rotary positioning of the first channel structure one of the second and third channel structures is released by the first channel structure being aligned in different positions of the valve elements selectively to one of the second and third channel structures formed in the second valve element, and/or   wherein the second and third channel structures each lead into a circumferential channel structure interconnecting the second and third channel structures and forming a common supply to the fluid outlet.   
     
     
         6 . The expansion valve according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein at least one portion of said second and third channel structures is arranged within the second part of the two-part second valve element, and wherein the first part of the two-part second valve element comprises the fluid outlet, and at least one further portion of the second and third channel structures is formed within the first part of the two-part second valve element and is connected to the fluid outlet by means of the circumferential channel structure, or   wherein the first part of the two-part second valve element comprises the fluid outlet, and the second and third channel structures are formed within the second part of the two-part second valve element and each are connected to the fluid outlet by the circumferential channel structure.   
     
     
         7 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the expansion valve comprises a cover, the cover being immovably connected to the first valve element, and the second valve element being movably arranged within the cover relative to the first valve element, and   wherein the first channel structure forms the fluid outlet of the expansion valve, and wherein one of the second and third channel structures is released in each case by means of rotary positioning of the second valve element on the first valve element, by selectively aligning in different positions of the valve elements in each case one of the second and third channel structures of the second valve element with the first channel structure of the first valve element.   
     
     
         8 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein in the first and second positions of the valve elements, in each case exactly one of the second and third channel structures of the second valve element is aligned with the first channel structure of the first valve element to form a single fluid flow path between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.   
     
     
         9 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second channel structure and the third channel structure are interconnected within the second valve element at least in sections, wherein in the second position of the valve elements the second fluid flow path is composed of the second and third channel structures connected thereto, and the second fluid flow path comprises a total flow resistance composed of the flow resistance of the second channel structure and the flow resistance of the third channel structure connected thereto, or   wherein the first valve element comprises at least one fourth channel structure, and wherein in the first position of the valve elements, the third channel structure and the fourth channel structure are additionally aligned with each other and form a third fluid flow path comprising a third flow resistance between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet.   
     
     
         10 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the expansion valve comprises a retention element for retaining a particle located in the fluid, and   wherein the retention element comprises at least two filter channel structures which are each fluidly coupled to at least one throttle channel structure, and   wherein the cross-section of the filter channel structures is smaller than or equal to the cross-section of the throttle channel structure fluidly coupled thereto in each case, and/or   wherein at least one filter channel structure and at least one throttle channel structure each comprise an angular cross-section and at least one side of the angular filter channel structure is smaller than or equal to a shortest side of the angular throttle channel structure, and/or   wherein at least one filter channel structure and at least one throttle channel structure each comprise a circular cross-section, the cross-section of the round filter channel structure being smaller than the cross-section of the circular throttle channel structure.   
     
     
         11 . The expansion valve according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein a collector channel structure is arranged between the filter channel structures and the throttle channel structures which collector channel structure is respectively fluidly coupled to the filter channel structures and at least one throttle channel structure so that a fluid flowing in through at least one filter channel structure is collected in the collector channel structure and is passed on to at least one throttle channel structure.   
     
     
         12 . The expansion valve according to  claim 11 ,
 wherein the throttle channel structure with the largest cross-section of all throttle channel structures is connected and fluidly coupled to the filter channel structures, said throttle channel structure being arranged upstream of the filter channel structures in the fluid flow direction, and/or   wherein the expansion valve can be brought into a plurality of positions, wherein in a free-flow switch position the throttle channel structure with the largest cross-section of all throttle channel structures forms the fluid flow path through the expansion valve, and wherein in a blocking switch position, a fluid flow path is blocked.   
     
     
         13 . The expansion valve according to  claim 12 ,
 wherein the expansion valve is configured to provide a defrost function by the expansion valve first being in the blocking switch position, wherein the pressurized fluid heats, and the expansion valve is subsequently brought into the free-flow switch position, wherein an evaporator fluidly coupled to the expansion valve is flooded with the heated fluid.   
     
     
         14 . The expansion valve according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the expansion valve can be brought into a blocking switch position and into a plurality of flow switch positions by means of the relative movement between the first and the second valve element, wherein the expansion valve in each flow switch position provides a fluid flow path comprising different flow resistance between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, respectively, and wherein in the blocking switch position, a fluid flow path is blocked between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and   wherein the individual flow switch positions, starting from the blocking switch position, are arranged in ascending or descending order relative to their respective flow resistance so that in the event of a relative movement of the two valve elements from one switch position to the respective next switch position, the respective flow resistance increases or decreases, and/or   wherein the individual flow switch positions are arranged, starting from the blocking switch position, in an order with respect to their respective flow resistance, this order depending on how often the respective switch position is used in operation.   
     
     
         15 . A refrigerator and/or freezer comprising an expansion valve according to  claim 1 .