Expansion valve assembly and air conditioner

Abstract

The present application provides an expansion valve assembly and an air conditioner. The expansion valve assembly includes a diverter which includes a plurality of uniformly distributed outlets, and the conduction distance within the diverter between each of the outlets and the inlet of the diverter is equal; a plurality of expansion valves are provided and are arranged at the same height; each of the expansion valves is communicated with one of the outlets. Connecting a plurality of expansion valves to the same diverter in an equal-height manner, and at the same time the diverter can evenly distribute the refrigerant to each expansion valve, so that the refrigerant flows evenly to the indoor unit, can play an effective heat exchange role, reduce the waste of the heat exchange area, and thus improve the energy efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the technical field of air conditioners, and particularly relates to an expansion valve assembly and an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] For the multi-connected free distribution system structure of the air-conditioning system, one outdoor unit corresponds to multiple indoor units, and the electronic expansion valve corresponding to each indoor unit is located on the outdoor unit. Due to the space limitation of the outdoor unit, when designing the electronic expansion valve components for each air-conditioning free distribution product, each electronic expansion valve is designed to be placed vertically or placed at different heights more casually according to the actual space. However, this flow splitting method is likely to cause uneven flow splitting when all indoor units or multiple indoor units are fully opened in the free distribution system, resulting in uneven refrigerant flow rates to each indoor unit, causing uneven heat exchange in the heat exchangers of each indoor unit, such as overheating or overcooling, and thus the capacity of the indoor unit cannot be fully utilized.

[0003] Currently, there is no verification for the design of the electronic expansion valve components in the multi-connected free distribution system. Although there are technical reports that a liquid distributor and a gas-liquid separator are also provided in the refrigeration pipeline between the capillary tube and the evaporator. The gas-liquid separator is used to separate the refrigerant in the low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase saturated state, so that the liquid refrigerant passes through the liquid distributor to achieve an ideal liquid distribution effect, which can effectively solve the problem of unstable heat exchange capacity of each flow path caused by uneven distribution of the evaporator flow path, and improve the heat exchange effect of the evaporator. However, this structure can only solve the problem of uneven heat exchange in the flow path of a single evaporator component in a one-to-one split air conditioner, and for the multi-connected free distribution one-to-many system, it cannot solve the problem of uneven flow splitting of each indoor unit. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the technical problem to be solved by this application is to provide an expansion valve assembly and an air conditioner that can achieve uniform refrigerant flow splitting to the indoor units.

[0005] To solve the above problems, this application provides an expansion valve assembly, including:

[0006] A flow splitter, including a plurality of uniformly distributed outlets, and the conduction distance between each outlet and the inlet of the flow splitter in the flow splitter is equal;

[0007] A plurality of expansion valves, which are arranged at the same height; each expansion valve is connected to one of the outlets.

[0008] Preferably, the plurality of outlets are circularly distributed, and the inlet is arranged at the center of the circle.

[0009] Preferably, the expansion valve assembly further includes a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is connected between the outlet and the expansion valve.

[0010] Preferably, the expansion valve assembly further includes a fixing seat, and the plurality of connecting pipes are fixed on the fixing seat.

[0011] Preferably, a plurality of uniformly distributed limiting grooves are provided on the fixing seat, and the connecting pipe is arranged in the limiting grooves.

[0012] Preferably, the expansion valve includes an electronic expansion valve.

[0013] Preferably, the expansion valve assembly further includes a plurality of filters, and each electronic expansion valve outlet end is connected to one of the filters.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, an air conditioner is provided, including the expansion valve assembly as described above.

[0015] Preferably, the air conditioner includes a plurality of indoor units, and the heat exchanger of each indoor unit is connected to the outlet of the expansion valve assembly.

[0016] An expansion valve assembly provided by the present application includes: a diverter including a plurality of uniformly distributed outlets, and the conduction distance between each outlet and the inlet of the diverter within the diverter is equal; a plurality of expansion valves are provided and are arranged at the same height; each expansion valve is communicated with one of the outlets. Connecting a plurality of expansion valves to the same diverter in an equal-height manner, and at the same time, the diverter can evenly distribute the refrigerant to each expansion valve, so that the refrigerant flows evenly to the indoor unit, can play an effective heat exchange role, reduce the waste of the heat exchange area, and thus improve the energy efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the expansion valve assembly according to the embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 is a flow velocity simulation diagram in the traditional expansion valve structure;

[0019] Figure 3 is a flow velocity simulation diagram of the expansion valve assembly according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0020] The reference numerals are shown as:

[0021] 1, electronic expansion valve; 2, fixing seat; 3, connecting pipe one; 4, filter; 5, connecting pipe two; 6, connecting main pipe; 7, diverter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Referring to Figures 1 to 3 as shown, according to an embodiment of the present application, an expansion valve assembly includes:

[0023] A diverter 7, including a plurality of uniformly distributed outlets, and the conduction distance between each outlet and the inlet of the diverter 7 within the diverter 7 is equal;

[0024] The expansion valves are provided in multiple numbers and are arranged at the same height; each of the expansion valves communicates with one of the outlets.

[0025] In this application, the outlets of the flow divider 7 are defined. The conduction distances between each outlet and the inlet within the flow divider 7 are equal, which will not cause differences in outlet pressure and speed, enabling the expansion valves communicating with the outlets to receive similar pressures and speeds. Coupled with the fact that all the expansion valves are set at the same height, it can ensure a uniform flow splitting effect, thus ensuring that the refrigerant amounts flowing to each indoor unit are uniform and giving full play to the capabilities of the indoor units.

[0026] In some embodiments, the multiple outlets are circularly distributed, and the inlet is arranged at the center of the circle.

[0027] Adopting the circular distribution method is convenient for layout, has good dispersion uniformity, and a simple structure.

[0028] In some embodiments, the expansion valve assembly further includes a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is connected between the outlet and the expansion valve.

[0029] Using a connecting pipe to conduct the outlet of the flow divider and the expansion valve facilitates the assembly of the connection between the flow divider and the expansion valve and is also convenient for adjusting the installation height of the expansion valve.

[0030] In some embodiments, the expansion valve assembly further includes a fixing seat 2, and the multiple connecting pipes are fixed on the fixing seat 2.

[0031] By fixing the multiple connecting pipes on the fixing seat 2, the stability of the overall structure is improved, preventing the position of the expansion valve from changing due to long-term operation and affecting the stability of the product.

[0032] In some embodiments, the fixing seat 2 is provided with a plurality of uniformly distributed limiting grooves, and the connecting pipes are arranged in the limiting grooves.

[0033] Setting the limiting grooves on the fixing seat 2 facilitates the arrangement of the connecting pipes, and then the connecting pipes are restricted on the fixing seat 2 by tying.

[0034] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned expansion valve includes an electronic expansion valve 1. Adopting the electronic expansion valve 1 is convenient for regulation, with simple operation.

[0035] In some embodiments, the expansion valve assembly further includes a plurality of filters 4, and each outlet end of the electronic expansion valve 1 is connected to one of the filters 4.

[0036] Connecting a filter 4 to each outlet end of the expansion valve facilitates the filtration of the split refrigerant, improves the cleanliness of the refrigerant, and is beneficial to the subsequent heat exchange efficiency.

[0037] According to another embodiment of the present application, an air conditioner is provided, which includes the expansion valve assembly as described above.

[0038] The air conditioner adopting the above expansion valve assembly can ensure the uniformity of flow distribution, improve the heat exchange efficiency and energy efficiency of the indoor unit.

[0039] In some embodiments, the air conditioner includes a plurality of indoor units, and the heat exchanger of each indoor unit is connected to the outlet of the expansion valve assembly.

[0040] In the present application, the expansion valve assembly is preferably applicable to a "one - to - many" air - conditioning system, that is, a structure in which one outdoor unit is connected to a plurality of indoor units. In such a structure, since the installation heights of the expansion valves are the same, each indoor unit can give full play to its heat exchange function, reducing the waste of heat exchange area and improving the energy efficiency of the air - conditioning system.

[0041] By comparing Figure 2 and 3 of the simulation diagrams, it can be seen that the structure of the present application can provide the same flow rate and pressure to each expansion valve. Under the same setting conditions, when flowing to indoor units of the same size, the structural design of the electronic expansion valve 1 of the traditional structure will cause uneven refrigerant flow to different indoor units, while the structural design of the electronic expansion valve 1 component of the present application optimizes the flow distribution from the hardware, making the refrigerant flow to the indoor units more uniform, enabling each indoor unit to give full play to its heat exchange function, reducing the waste of heat exchange area, and thus improving the energy efficiency of the entire air - conditioning system.

[0042] The present application adopts a "lotus - shaped" electronic expansion valve 1 assembly, which can be used for one - to - many models, and the design is not limited to the number of indoor units. Here, a one - to - five example is used for illustration.

[0043] The refrigerant flows through the main connecting pipe, and flows to the flow divider 7. The flow divider 7 is a straight - pipe structure, with one end as the inlet and the other end provided with five circularly distributed outlets. The aperture sizes of the five outlets are the same. Through the same connecting pipe 3, it flows to the electronic expansion valve 1. Since the electronic expansion valves 1 are respectively connected to the outlets of the flow divider 7, the overall configuration is a "lotus - shaped" configuration, arranged in the same shape as the flow divider 7, and it is necessary to ensure that the installation height of each electronic expansion valve 1 is uniformly horizontal, and then flows to the indoor unit through the same filter 4 and connecting pipe 5.

[0044] During manufacturing, the electronic expansion valve 1, connecting pipe 3, filter 4, connecting pipe 5, main connecting pipe and flow divider 7 can be welded together by soldering. After welding, the fixing seat 2 is inserted into the middle gaps of all the connecting pipes 3, and the connecting pipes 3 are tied to the fixing seat 2 by wire ties, thereby fixing the electronic expansion valve 1 to prevent the deformation of the entire electronic expansion valve 1 component.

[0045] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that, on the premise of no conflict, the above - mentioned various embodiments can be freely combined and superimposed.

[0046] The foregoing are only the preferred embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included within the protection scope of the present application. The foregoing is only the preferred implementation manner of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art in this technical field, several improvements and variations can be made without departing from the technical principle of the present application, and these improvements and variations should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An expansion valve assembly, characterized in that, comprising: A diverter (7), including a plurality of uniformly distributed outlets, and the conduction distance within the diverter (7) between each of the outlets and the inlet of the diverter (7) is equal; the plurality of outlets are circularly distributed, and the inlet is provided at the center of the circle; A plurality of expansion valves, which are arranged at the same height; each of the expansion valves is communicated with one of the outlets; The expansion valve assembly further includes a connecting pipe, and the connecting pipe is connected between the outlet and the expansion valve; The expansion valve assembly further includes a fixing seat (2), and the plurality of connecting pipes are fixed on the fixing seat (2); The fixing seat (2) is provided with a plurality of uniformly distributed limiting grooves, and the connecting pipes are arranged in the limiting grooves; The number of the connecting pipes is equal to that of the expansion valves, the fixing seat (2) is inserted into the middle gap surrounded by the plurality of connecting pipes, and then the connecting pipes are all restricted on the fixing seat (2) by a binding method.

2. The expansion valve assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, the expansion valve includes an electronic expansion valve (1).

3. The expansion valve assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, the expansion valve assembly further includes a plurality of filters (4), and each electronic expansion valve (1) is connected to one of the filters (4) at the outlet end.

4. An air conditioner, characterized in that, comprising the expansion valve assembly according to any one of claims 1-3.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 4, characterized in that, the air conditioner includes a plurality of indoor units, and the heat exchanger of each indoor unit is connected to the outlet of the expansion valve assembly.

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