Falling film evaporator and air conditioning

Abstract

The present invention relates to a falling film evaporator and air conditioner, comprising: a housing, provided with a containing cavity; a liquid distributor, arranged in the containing cavity, provided with a liquid distribution cavity and provided with a liquid inlet connected to the liquid distribution cavity; a liquid inlet pipe, connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid distributor; a liquid level detection device, used to detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution cavity; a flow regulating member, installed on the liquid inlet pipe, used to adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device, so that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution cavity is within a preset height range. It can ensure that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution cavity is within a reasonable preset height range, ensure that different areas of the liquid distributor have liquid levels in the same time period, and thus ensure the reasonable use of the evaporation tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to a falling film evaporator and an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] The evaporator is a very important part of the four major refrigeration components. The low-temperature refrigerant passes through the evaporator to exchange heat with the outside air, gasify and absorb heat, and achieve the refrigeration effect. The evaporator mainly includes full liquid evaporator, dry evaporator and falling film evaporator. Among them, the falling film evaporator is widely used due to its advantages such as high heat transfer coefficient and sufficient refrigerant filling amount.

[0003] The falling film evaporator mainly includes an outer shell, a liquid distributor and an evaporating tube. The liquid distributor is installed at the upper position inside the outer shell. At the same time, a refrigerant inlet pipe is connected to the liquid distributor. The evaporating tube is installed in the outer shell and arranged below the liquid distributor according to certain rules. The liquid refrigerant enters the liquid distributor from the top refrigerant inlet pipe. After being distributed through the liquid distributor, it drips evenly onto the evaporating tubes arranged below under the action of gravity. The liquid refrigerant flowing in a film-like manner outside the evaporating tube absorbs heat and evaporates.

[0004] In traditional falling film evaporators, there is a problem that the evaporation tubes are not utilized properly. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a falling film evaporator and air conditioner that can ensure the reasonable utilization of the evaporator in order to solve the problem that the evaporation tubes of the traditional falling film evaporator are not reasonably utilized.

[0006] A falling film evaporator, comprising:

[0007] A housing having a receiving cavity therein;

[0008] A liquid distributor, disposed in the accommodating cavity, the liquid distributor is provided with a liquid distribution cavity and a liquid inlet communicating with the liquid distribution cavity;

[0009] a liquid inlet pipe, connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid distributor;

[0010] A liquid level detection device, used to detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution cavity; and

[0011] A flow regulating member is installed on the liquid inlet pipe and is used to adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device so that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution cavity is within a preset height range.

[0012] In one embodiment, the liquid distributor includes a connecting plate and a liquid distribution plate which are interconnected to form the liquid distribution cavity. The liquid distribution plate is provided with a liquid distribution hole which is connected to the liquid distribution cavity and the accommodating cavity. The lowest position of the preset height range is higher than the highest position of the liquid distribution plate, and the highest position of the preset height range is lower than the height of the liquid inlet.

[0013] In one embodiment, the lowest position of the preset height range is 2 mm higher than the highest point of the liquid distribution plate, and the highest position of the preset height range is 5 mm lower than the liquid inlet.

[0014] In one embodiment, the liquid level detection device includes a floating member, a high-position switch member and a low-position switch member, the floating member can be floatably arranged in the liquid distribution cavity, the high-position switch member and the low-position switch member are arranged in the liquid distribution cavity and are respectively located at the highest position and the lowest position of the preset height range; the high-position switch member generates a first trigger signal when the floating member floats to the highest position of the preset height range, and the flow regulating member reduces the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe according to the first trigger signal, and the low-position switch member generates a second trigger signal when the floating member floats to the lowest position of the preset height range, and the flow regulating member increases the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe according to the second trigger signal.

[0015] In one embodiment, the triggering mode between the floating member and the high-position switch member includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type, and the triggering mode between the floating member and the low-position switch member includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type.

[0016] In one embodiment, the liquid level detection device (50) is a liquid level sensor disposed in the liquid distribution cavity (31), and the flow regulating member (60) is a flow regulating valve.

[0017] In one of the embodiments, the falling film evaporator further includes a buffer container, which is connected to the liquid inlet pipe and is located upstream of the flow regulating member.

[0018] In one of the embodiments, the falling film evaporator further includes an anti-impact member, and the anti-impact member is disposed on the top of the liquid distribution chamber.

[0019] In one embodiment, the anti-collision member is a plate-shaped structure, a plurality of anti-collision holes are formed on the anti-collision member, and the anti-collision member divides the liquid distribution cavity into two parts connected with each other in an upper and lower manner.

[0020] An air conditioner comprises the falling film evaporator as described in any one of the above items.

[0021] In the falling film evaporator and air conditioner provided by the present invention, the liquid level detection device can detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber, and the flow regulating member can adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device, so that the height of the liquid distribution chamber is within a preset height range. In this way, it can be ensured that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber is within a reasonable preset height range, and it is ensured that different areas of the liquid distributor have liquid levels in the same time period, thereby ensuring the reasonable use of the evaporation tube. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a falling film evaporator provided in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more fully below with reference to the relevant drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given in the drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0024] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "left", "right" and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used herein in the specification of the present invention are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0026] As described in the background technology, the liquid distributor using the prior art has the problem that the evaporator tubes are not reasonably utilized. The inventors have found that the fundamental reason for this problem is that in the falling film evaporator, due to the influence of the manufacturing or installation deviation of the liquid distributor, the liquid level heights in different areas of the liquid distributor are different in the same time period, and sometimes there is no liquid level in the more protruding area at the bottom of the liquid distributor, resulting in uneven distribution of the refrigerant dripping onto the evaporator tube below, so that the evaporator tubes are often not reasonably utilized; at the same time, since the refrigerant first enters the liquid distributor from the liquid inlet, there is less refrigerant at a position far away from the liquid inlet, which may cause the evaporator tube at the lower part of the position to have no refrigerant dripping, and the evaporator tubes may not be reasonably utilized.

[0027] See also Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention provides a falling film evaporator 100 , including a shell 10 , a liquid inlet pipe 20 , a liquid distributor 30 , an evaporation tube 40 , a liquid level detection device 50 and a flow regulating member 60 .

[0028] The housing 10 is provided with a receiving chamber 11, and the liquid distributor 30 is arranged in the receiving chamber 11. The liquid distributor 30 has a liquid distribution chamber 31 and a liquid inlet connected to the liquid distribution chamber 31. The liquid inlet pipe 20 is installed on the top of the liquid distributor 30 and is connected to the liquid inlet and passes through the housing 10. A plurality of evaporation tubes 40 are arranged in the receiving chamber 11 and are located below the liquid distributor 30. The liquid refrigerant enters the liquid distributor 30 from the top liquid inlet pipe 20, and after being distributed by the liquid distributor 30, it drips onto the evaporation tubes 40 arranged below under the action of gravity, flows in a film-like manner outside the evaporation tubes 40 and absorbs heat and evaporates.

[0029] The liquid level detection device 50 is used to detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31, and the flow adjustment member 60 is installed on the liquid inlet pipe 20, and is used to adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device 50, so that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within the preset height range H. In this way, it can be ensured that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within a reasonable preset height range H, and it is ensured that different areas of the liquid distributor 30 have liquid levels in the same time period, thereby ensuring the reasonable use of the evaporation tube 40.

[0030] In this specific embodiment, the housing 10 is a hollow sphere with an accommodating cavity 11. It is understandable that in other embodiments, the housing 10 may also be a hollow cuboid with an accommodating cavity 11 or other irregular shapes, which are not limited here.

[0031] In this specific embodiment, the liquid distributor 30 includes a connecting plate 33 and a liquid distribution plate 34 which are interconnected, and a liquid distribution cavity 31 is formed therebetween. The liquid distribution plate 34 is located at the bottom of the liquid distribution cavity 31, and a liquid distribution hole connecting the liquid distribution cavity 31 and the evaporation tube 40 is provided on the liquid distribution plate 34. After the refrigerant entering from the top liquid inlet enters the liquid distribution cavity 31, it is evenly distributed through the liquid distribution plate 34 and then flows out from the liquid distribution hole to the lower evaporation tube 40 for evaporation.

[0032] Furthermore, the liquid distributor 30 also includes a cover plate 32, and the liquid distribution plate 34 is connected to the cover plate 32 through a connecting plate 33, and the above-mentioned liquid distribution cavity 31 is formed between the cover plate 32, the connecting plate 33 and the liquid distribution plate 34, and the cover plate 32 is located at the top of the liquid distribution cavity 31, and the liquid inlet is opened on the cover plate 32.

[0033] In this specific embodiment, the liquid distributor 30 is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the cover plate 32 and the liquid distribution plate 34 are arranged in parallel, and they are correspondingly rectangular parallelepiped plate structures, respectively used to form the top and bottom surfaces of the hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure, and the connecting plate 33 is arranged vertically to surround and form the side surfaces of the above-mentioned hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure, so as to facilitate the processing of the liquid distributor 30. It can be understood that in some other embodiments, the liquid distributor 30 can also choose a hollow cylindrical structure, as long as the liquid distribution plate 34 at the bottom is arranged horizontally.

[0034] In this specific embodiment, the liquid inlet is opened at the exact center of the cover plate 32. It is understandable that in other embodiments, the liquid inlet can also be opened on the cover plate 32 eccentrically.

[0035] In this specific embodiment, the liquid level detection device 50 is a liquid level sensor arranged in the liquid distribution chamber 31. The liquid level sensor can be a contact liquid level sensor or a non-contact liquid sensor. The liquid level height in the liquid distribution chamber 31 is detected by the liquid level sensor. If the liquid level height is not within the preset height range H, the flow regulating member 60 is adjusted to adjust the amount of refrigerant entering the liquid distributor 30 through the liquid inlet pipe 20 to ensure that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within the preset height range H.

[0036] In some other embodiments, the liquid level detection device 50 includes a floating member, a high-position switch member, and a low-position switch member. The floating member can be floatably disposed in the liquid distribution cavity 31. The high-position switch member and the low-position switch member are respectively disposed in the liquid distribution cavity 31, and the high-position switch member and the low-position switch member are respectively disposed at the highest position and the lowest position of the preset height range H. The high-position switch member generates a first trigger signal when the floating member floats to the highest position of the preset height range H, and the flow regulating member 60 reduces the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the first trigger signal. The low-position switch member generates a second trigger signal when the floating member is lower than the lowest position of the preset height range H, and the flow regulating member 60 increases the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the second trigger signal.

[0037] The triggering mode between the floating part and the high-position switch part includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type, and the triggering mode between the floating part and the low-position switch part also includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type.

[0038] Non-contact type: one of the high-position switch component and the floating component is the sensing component, and the other is the sensed component; one of the low-position switch component and the floating component is the sensing component, and the other is the sensed component; when the floating component floats to the highest position of the preset height range H, the sensing component and the sensed component sense and generate a first trigger signal; when the floating component floats to the lowest position of the preset height range H, the sensing component and the sensed component sense and generate a second trigger signal.

[0039] Specifically, the high-position switch and the floating member are constructed to form a magnetic induction switch, that is, one of the floating member and the high-position switch is a magnet, and the other is a magnetic sensor. When the liquid level in the liquid distributing cavity 31 gradually rises, the floating member moves upward under the action of buoyancy. When the magnet moves into the sensing range of the magnetic sensor, the magnetic sensor monitors the magnet and generates a first trigger signal. For the floating member and the low-position switch, the principle is similar to that of the floating member and the high-position switch, and will not be described in detail here.

[0040] More specifically, the floating part is a magnetic part, and the high-position switch part and the low-position switch part are magnetic sensors that generate an induced magnetic field. It is understandable that in some other embodiments, the floating part is a magnetic sensor, and the high-position switch part and the low-position switch part are also magnetic parts, which is not limited here. The non-contact sensor type can also be an ultrasonic sensor or an optical sensor and other sensor-type devices that can achieve signal docking with each other. When it is an ultrasonic sensor, one of the floating part and the high-position switch part is an ultrasonic transmitter, and the other is an ultrasonic receiver, and the same is true for the setting method of the floating part and the low-position switch part. When it is an optical sensor, one of the floating part and the high-position switch part is an optical transmitter, and the other is an optical receiver, and the same is true for the setting method of the floating part and the low-position switch part.

[0041] Contact type: one of the high-position switch component and the floating component is the trigger component, and the other is the triggered component; one of the low-position switch component and the floating component is the trigger component, and the other is the triggered component; when the floating component floats to the highest position of the preset height range H, the trigger component contacts the triggered component and generates a first trigger signal; when the floating component floats to the lowest position of the preset height range H, the trigger component contacts the triggered component and generates a second trigger signal.

[0042] In one embodiment, one of the floating member and the high-position switch member is a trigger, and the other is a trigger switch. When the liquid level in the liquid distributing chamber 31 gradually rises, the floating member moves upward under the action of buoyancy, and when the trigger triggers the trigger switch, a first trigger signal is generated. The principle of the floating member and the low-position switch member is similar to that of the floating member and the high-position switch member, and will not be described in detail here.

[0043] In this specific embodiment, the flow regulating member 60 is a flow regulating valve. When the liquid level is lower than the preset height range H, the external control mechanism controls the opening of the flow regulating valve to increase, so that the amount of refrigerant entering the liquid distribution chamber 31 through the liquid inlet pipe 20 increases. When the liquid level is higher than the preset height range H, the external control mechanism controls the opening of the flow regulating valve to decrease, so that the amount of refrigerant entering the liquid distribution chamber 31 through the liquid inlet pipe 20 decreases, thereby ensuring that the liquid level of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within the preset height range H.

[0044] In this specific embodiment, the falling film evaporator 100 further includes a control mechanism, which controls the flow regulating member 60 to adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device 50 .

[0045] Specifically, the preset height range H is set higher than the height of each part of the liquid distribution plate 34. For example, when the liquid distribution plate 34 is not a flat structure due to manufacturing reasons, there must be a protruding position protruding toward the liquid distribution chamber 31. The protruding position forms the highest point of the liquid distribution plate 34. At this time, the lowest position of the preset height range H is set higher than the height of the protruding position. More specifically, the lowest position of the preset height range H is set 2mm higher than the highest point of the liquid distribution plate 34 to ensure sufficient liquid in various parts of the liquid distribution chamber 31. For example, the lowest position of the preset height range H is set to be 10mm, 30mm, 40mm or 80mm higher than the highest point of the liquid distribution plate 34. It can be understood that the height of the lowest position of the preset height range H above the highest point of the liquid distribution plate 34 will vary depending on the volume or shape of the liquid distribution chamber 31.

[0046] In this specific embodiment, the highest position of the preset height range H is set to be lower than the height of the liquid inlet, that is, the highest position of the preset height range H is lower than the height of the cover plate 32, so as to prevent the liquid from overflowing from other outlets on the cover plate 32 used for other purposes when the liquid level is too high, thereby causing the refrigerant to overflow from the liquid distribution cavity 31. The overflowed refrigerant does not participate in the evaporation of the evaporation tube 40, thereby causing the evaporation capacity of the falling film evaporator 100 to be insufficiently matched with the corresponding refrigerant of the whole machine.

[0047] Specifically, the highest position of the preset height range H is set to be 5 mm lower than the inlet and outlet. For example, the highest position of the preset height range H can be set to be 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm or 60 mm lower than the inlet and outlet. It is understandable that the height of the highest position of the preset height range H below the inlet and outlet will vary depending on the volume or shape of the liquid distribution cavity 31.

[0048] In this specific embodiment, the falling film evaporator 100 also includes a buffer container 70, which is connected to the liquid inlet pipe 20 and is located upstream of the flow regulating element 60. The buffer container 70 serves to temporarily store the refrigerant and can ensure that the liquid inlet pipe 20 is in a full flow state when the flow regulating element 60 is at different opening degrees.

[0049] Specifically, the buffer container 70 may be a buffer tank or a buffer box, which is not limited here.

[0050] In this specific embodiment, the falling film evaporator 100 further includes an anti-collision member 80, which is disposed at the top of the liquid distribution chamber 31. When the flow rate of the refrigerant entering the liquid distribution chamber 31 is too high, the anti-collision member 80 can play a certain anti-collision role to prevent the problem of uneven liquid distribution caused by the excessive flow rate entering the liquid distribution chamber 31. That is, when the flow rate of the refrigerant is too high, since the liquid distribution plate 34 has a certain size, when the refrigerant enters the liquid distribution chamber 31 from the liquid inlet, there is more refrigerant at the position close to the liquid inlet, while there may be no refrigerant at the liquid distribution plate 34 far from the liquid inlet, which will lead to the phenomenon of uneven liquid distribution. The anti-collision member 80 can appropriately reduce the flow rate of the refrigerant to ensure that there is refrigerant at all locations of the liquid distribution plate 34.

[0051] Specifically, the anti-impact member 80 is a plate-like structure with a plurality of anti-impact holes formed thereon. The anti-impact member 80 divides the liquid distribution chamber 31 into two parts connected with each other. The refrigerant entering from the liquid inlet is first buffered by the anti-impact member 80 and then enters the lower part of the liquid distribution chamber 31.

[0052] An embodiment of the present invention further provides an air conditioner, comprising the above-mentioned falling film evaporator 100, since the liquid level detection device 50 can detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31, the flow regulating member 60 can adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device 50, so that the height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within the preset height range H. In this way, it can be ensured that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within the preset height range H, and it is ensured that different areas of the liquid distributor 30 have liquid levels in the same time period, thereby ensuring the reasonable use of the evaporation tube 40.

[0053] The falling film evaporator 100 provided in the embodiment of the present invention detects the liquid level height in the liquid distribution chamber 31 through the liquid level detection device 50, and the flow regulating valve adjusts the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe 20 according to the situation detected by the flow sensor, so that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber 31 is within a reasonable preset height range H, thereby ensuring that different areas of the liquid distributor 30 have liquid levels in the same time period, thereby ensuring the rational use of the evaporation tube 40 of the falling film evaporator 100.

[0054] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0055] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A falling film evaporator (100), characterized in that: include: A housing (10) having a receiving chamber (11) therein; A liquid distributor (30) is arranged in the accommodating chamber (11), the liquid distributor (30) being provided with a liquid distribution chamber (31) and a liquid inlet communicating with the liquid distribution chamber (31); a liquid inlet pipe (20) connected to the liquid inlet of the liquid distributor (30); A liquid level detection device (50) is disposed in the liquid distribution chamber (31) and is used to detect the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber (31); as well as A flow regulating member (60) is installed on the liquid inlet pipe (20) and is used to adjust the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe (20) according to the detection result of the liquid level detection device (50) so that the liquid level height of the liquid distribution chamber (31) is within a preset height range (H).

2. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid distributor (30) comprises a connecting plate (33) and a liquid distribution plate (34) which are connected to each other, and the liquid distribution cavity (31) is formed therebetween; the liquid distribution plate (34) is provided with a liquid distribution hole which is connected to the liquid distribution cavity (31) and the accommodating cavity (11); the lowest position of the preset height range (H) is higher than the highest position of the liquid distribution plate (34), and the highest position of the preset height range (H) is lower than the height of the liquid inlet.

3. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lowest position of the preset height range (H) is 2 mm higher than the highest point of the liquid distribution plate (34), and the highest position of the preset height range (H) is 5 mm lower than the liquid inlet.

4. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid level detection device (50) comprises a floating member, a high-position switch member and a low-position switch member. The floating member can be floatably arranged in the liquid distribution cavity (31). The high-position switch member and the low-position switch member are arranged in the liquid distribution cavity (31) and are respectively located at the highest position and the lowest position of the preset height range (H). The high-position switch member generates a first trigger signal when the floating member floats to the highest position of the preset height range (H), and the flow regulating member (60) reduces the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe (20) according to the first trigger signal. The low-position switch member generates a second trigger signal when the floating member floats to the lowest position of the preset height range (H), and the flow regulating member (60) increases the liquid output of the liquid inlet pipe (20) according to the second trigger signal.

5. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The triggering mode between the floating member and the high-position switch member includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type, and the triggering mode between the floating member and the low-position switch member includes one of a contact type and a non-contact type.

6. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid level detection device (50) is a liquid level sensor arranged in the liquid distribution cavity (31), and the flow regulating member (60) is a flow regulating valve.

7. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The falling film evaporator (100) further comprises a buffer container (70), wherein the buffer container (70) is connected to the liquid inlet pipe (20) and is located upstream of the flow regulating element (60).

8. The falling film evaporator (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The falling film evaporator (100) further comprises an anti-impact member (80), wherein the anti-impact member (80) is arranged on the top of the liquid distribution chamber (31).

9. The falling film evaporator (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that: The anti-collision member (80) is a plate-shaped structure, and a plurality of anti-collision holes are formed on the anti-collision member (80). The anti-collision member (80) divides the liquid distributing chamber (31) into two parts that are connected to each other in an upper and lower manner.

10. An air conditioner, characterized in that: It comprises the falling film evaporator (100) as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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