The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the tank 20, a lower part 24 of the tank is combined to a tank body 22 by welding etc. or the lower part 24 of the tank is integrally formed with the tank body 22 by forging and combined with the upper body 34.
An explosion means 38 with an explosion plate that explodes under a predetermined pressure to rapidly discharge a coolant outside at an abnormal high pressure is provided at the bottom of the lower part 24 of the tank.
In the upper body 34, as shown in
Further, a protrusion 46 with a round side 46a is formed at the bottom of the upper body 34 where an internal pipe of the dual pipe 36 (described below) is connected, in order to easily induce a cyclone by allowing the coolant that flows into the tank through the coolant intake 34a to hit the round side and easily rotate. A gas coolant outlet 36b through which a gas coolant separated from the coolant in the tank is discharged is formed at the center of the protrusion 46.
On the other hand, as shown in
As shown in
The dual pipe 36 is a pipe with an internal pipe 52 that is communicated with the gas coolant outlets 36b, 136b and an external pipe 54 that is connected to a gas coolant inlet 36a. A return cap 56 is combined to the lower end of the dual pipe 36 and the gas coolant flows from the upper portion inside the tank 20 into the gas coolant inlet 36a between the internal pipe 52 and the external pipe 54, turns into the internal pipe 52 at the return cap 56, and continues flowing to an outer pipe through the gas coolant outlets 36b, 136b.
The coolant intakes 34a, 134a are formed above the section plate 32, the gas coolant inlet 36a is formed under the section pipe 32, and a liquid coolant block pipe 58 that surrounds the gas coolant inlet 36a to prevent the liquid coolant from flowing into the coolant outlet pipe (dual pipe) through the gas coolant inlet 36a is combined to the lower surface of the section plate 32.
The liquid coolant block pipe 58 is a cone-shaped pipe with the top cut and the lower end open, or as shown in
It is preferable for the passage area defined by a gap c between the liquid coolant block pipes 58, 158 and the external pipe 54 of the coolant outlet pipe (dual pipe) to be larger than the passage area between the internal pipe 52 and the external pipe 54 of the coolant outlet pipe.
The dual pipe 36 is an extruded dual pipe with the internal pipe 52 and external pipe 54 that are integrally formed, or the internal pipe 52 and the external pipe 54 may be formed by combining a separate internal pipe and external pipe.
On the other hand, as shown in
Further, as shown in
On the other hand, as shown in
Further, as shown in
The explosion means 38 is composed of an explosion plate 38a fixed to the bottom of the tank, a housing 38b of a vertical pipe and a horizontal pipe 38c that are sequentially connected to the explosion plate 38a. The explosion plate 38a is disposed between the machined surface of the lower part 24 of the tank and the housing 38b of vertical pipe.
In the accumulator of an air conditioner having the above configuration according to the embodiment of the invention, as indicated by the arrows in
On the other hand, it is preferable for the accumulator to increase the diameter of the tank to increase capacity; however, it is strongly required to reduce the outer diameter of the tank because it is restricted by space in a small space, such as an engine room of a vehicle, and it is needed to improve liquid-vapor separating performance and pressure resistance in the tank of a accumulator of a small diameter to solve the above-mentioned problems. In general, the tank of an accumulator requires larger capacity than a liquid receiver, so that the diameter of the tank is usually set at 60 mm or more.
As shown in
Further, as shown in
An accumulator of an air conditioner according to a second embodiment of the invention has an integral internal heat exchanger. The accumulator of an air conditioner according to the first embodiment of the invention does not include an internal heat exchanger, but the accumulator of an air conditioner according to this embodiment of the invention includes an additional mechanism that flows a coolant for internal heat exchange into the tank and circulates it therein.
In the second embodiment of the invention, hereafter, in order to distinguish the coolant for internal heat exchange from the coolant that is separated into a liquid and a gas through the coolant outlet pipe, the coolant for internal heat exchange is referred to as a ‘high-pressure coolant’ and the coolant that is separated into a liquid and a gas through the coolant outlet pipe is referred to as a ‘low-pressure coolant’.
As shown in
Further, the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326 longitudinally covers a part of the outside of the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324 for heat exchange with the low-pressure coolant, and a high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328 longitudinally covers the other part of the outside of the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324 for heat exchange with the low-pressure coolant while being communicated with the lower end of the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326.
The tank 320 is composed of a tank body 320a and a lower part 320b of the tank combined to the lower portion of the tank body 320a, or the tank body 320a and the lower part 320b of the tank may be integrally formed by forging and an upper body 321 is combined to the upper end of the tank body 320a. The tank 320 may be composed of the tank body 320a and the lower part 320b of the tank that are integrally formed.
The low-pressure coolant inlet pipe 322 is disposed with the upper portion passing through the upper body 321 and the outside of the lower portion having coolant injection hole 322a to inject a coolant to the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326, the high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328, or the inside of the tank 320 and improve liquid-vapor separating performance while the injected coolant rotates.
The low-pressure outlet pipe 324 is a dual pipe with an internal pipe 324a and an external pipe 324b and a return cap 330 is combined to the lower end of the dual pipe. Accordingly, a gas coolant flows from the upper portion inside the tank 320 through a gas coolant inlet E1 between the internal pipe 324a and the external pipe 324b and turns into the internal pipe 324a at the return cap 330.
The upper and lower portions of the internal pipe 324a extends more than the upper and lower ends of the external pipe 324b and the upper end of the internal pipe 324a is positioned through the upper body 321. The gas coolant inlet E1 is formed under the upper body 321.
The low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324 is an extruded dual pipe with the internal pipe 324a and the external pipe 324b that are integrally formed, or the internal pipe and the external pipe are formed by combining separate internal pipe with external pipe.
The high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326 has an inlet 326a that is positioned through the upper body 321 and a heat exchanging portion 326b through which heat is exchanged with a low-pressure coolant in the tank 320. The high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328 has an outlet 328a that is positioned through the upper body 321 and a heat exchanging portion 328b through which heat is exchanged with the low-pressure coolant in the tank 320.
As shown in
The inlet 326a of the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326 and the outlet 328a of the high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328 are each formed of one coolant passage, and the inlet 326a and the outlet 328a are communicated with corresponding heat exchanging portions 326b, 328b formed of a plurality of coolant passages.
The curved thin tube (heat exchanging portions 326b, 328b) is formed in a curved thin tube shape by extrusion without a post-machining.
The outsides of the high-pressure coolant pipes 326, 328 and the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324 are joined and arranged such that the coolants in the high-pressure coolant pipes 326, 328 exchange heat with the coolant in the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324.
Heat conductive fins 332 are provided on the outside of the curved thin tube (heat exchanging portions 326b, 328b) to increase heat exchange efficiency.
The lower ends of the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326 and the high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328 are communicated by a connection cap 334. The connection cap 334 may be integrally formed with the return cap 330.
An oil return hole 330a is formed through the return cap 330 to allow the oil for the compressor (oil separated from the coolant) to flow into and circulate through the internal pipe 324a of the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324. A filter (not shown) may be provided over the return cap 330 to prevent any foreign substances to flow inside through the oil return hole 330a.
According to the accumulator equipped with an integral internal heat exchanger of an air conditioner having the above configuration of the invention, as shown by arrows in
The liquid-vapor separating performance is increased by injecting the coolant through the coolant injection hole 322a to the high-pressure coolant inlet pipe 326, the high-pressure coolant outlet pipe 328, or the inside of the tank 320.
The separated gas coolant flows inside through the gas coolant inlet E1 between the internal pipe 324a and external pipe 324b of the low-pressure coolant outlet pipe 324, turns up into the internal pipe 324a at the return cap 330, and then continues flowing to the outer pipe toward the compressor 1 (shown in
Further, the high-pressure coolant that flows from the condenser 2 (gas cooler) (shown in
An accumulator of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the invention can be formed of a small tank, so that it can be easily mounted in a small space and is improved in vapor-liquid separating performance with high pressure resistance.
Further, according to an accumulator of an air conditioner according to another embodiment of the invention, an internal heat exchanger is integrally provided in the accumulator, such that system efficiency is increased by increase in heat exchange efficiency inside the body of the accumulator. Further, the internal heat exchanger is integrally provided without providing a specific internal heat exchanger outside, such that the coolant inlet and outlet are formed at the upper portion of the body of the accumulator and piping is easy.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2006-0078186 | Aug 2006 | KR | national |