Economizer and air conditioning system

Abstract

The application provides an economizer and an air conditioning system. The economizer comprises a shell, a refrigerant inlet for connecting a first heat exchanger, a refrigerant outlet for connecting a second heat exchanger, and a suction port for connecting a compressor intermediate stage; a flow resistance part is arranged to extend inwardly from the inner wall of the shell and is arranged close to the suction port, so that the refrigerant flowing to the suction port is at least partially hindered. According to the technical scheme of the application, the refrigerant flowing to the suction port can be at least partially hindered, and when the liquid droplets carried by the refrigerant meet the hindering of the flow resistance part, the liquid droplets are adsorbed on the wall surface to form a liquid film, the movement of the liquid film is blocked by the flow resistance part, and finally larger liquid droplets fall off from the liquid film to the bottom of the economizer and flow into the second heat exchanger through the refrigerant outlet, thereby reducing the number of liquid droplets sucked into the compressor intermediate stage through the suction port, effectively alleviating the problem of liquid suction, and improving the system performance and the economizer capacity.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of air conditioning, and more particularly, to an economizer and an air conditioning system having the same. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, refrigeration systems and associated equipment have been widely used in various temperature control fields including household air conditioning, commercial air conditioning, cold chain transportation, low-temperature preservation, etc. For the application scenarios such as refrigeration and freezing, low-temperature laboratory, etc., which have a lower evaporation temperature and a larger cooling capacity demand, large-scale refrigeration equipment is usually required. The economizer is a commonly used component in large-scale refrigeration systems, which is used to make a part of the refrigerant itself throttle to evaporate and absorb heat, so that another part of the refrigerant is supercooled, that is, the liquid-phase refrigerant and the gas-phase refrigerant flowing through the economizer are fully separated. In many cases, it can be used in refrigeration systems with multi-stage compressor units. Under the condition of a lower evaporation temperature, the ordinary multi-stage compressor unit has many defects such as reduced efficiency, reduced refrigeration capacity, and higher exhaust temperature. If the economizer is used to supplement air between the compression stages of the multi-stage compressor unit, the efficiency of the refrigeration cycle can be improved, the refrigeration capacity can be increased, and the compressor exhaust temperature can be reduced.

[0003] As a component for improving the energy efficiency of an air conditioning system, further improving its reliability or further improving its efficiency from various aspects has become the research direction of the modification of the economizer. Taking large-scale refrigeration equipment as an example, the economizer often faces the problem of liquid carryover under working conditions. If the amount of liquid droplets carried by the gas-phase refrigerant is small, it will not affect the compressor, and even be beneficial to the operation of the compressor, such as absorbing part of the vibration energy to assist in vibration reduction. However, excessive liquid droplets can cause corrosion problems of the internal components of the compressor and absorb too much compression energy to affect the system efficiency, which is not expected. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to provide an economizer and an air conditioning system to at least partially solve or alleviate the problems in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve at least one of the purposes of the present application, according to one aspect of the present application, an economizer is provided, which comprises: a shell, on which a refrigerant inlet for connecting a first heat exchanger, a refrigerant outlet for connecting a second heat exchanger, and a suction port for connecting an intermediate stage of a compressor are arranged; and a flow blocking part, which is arranged to protrude inwardly from an inner wall of the shell and is arranged close to the suction port, so that the refrigerant flowing to the suction port is at least partially hindered.

[0006] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the housing comprises a first cylindrical housing section and a second cylindrical housing section axially staggered and having an intermediate connection port in mutual communication; wherein the refrigerant inlet and the suction port are disposed within the first cylindrical housing section and the refrigerant outlet is disposed within the second cylindrical housing section.

[0007] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the suction port is disposed proximate the intermediate connection port and at least a portion of the flow resistance portion is disposed between the suction port and the intermediate connection port.

[0008] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments the refrigerant inlet is disposed at a first end of the first cylindrical housing section distal from the second cylindrical housing section and an opening of the refrigerant inlet is oriented toward an end wall of the first end of the first cylindrical housing section.

[0009] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments at least a portion of the flow resistance portion is disposed as an annular protrusion extending circumferentially inward from an inner wall of the housing.

[0010] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments at least a portion of the flow resistance portion is disposed perpendicular to an axial direction of the inner wall of the housing.

[0011] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments at least a portion of the flow resistance portion is disposed at an angle within ±45° of an axial direction of the housing.

[0012] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments at least a portion of the flow resistance portion extends inward from an inner wall of the housing a length not greater than 5% of a diameter of the housing.

[0013] In addition to one or more of the features described above, or as an alternative, in further embodiments at least a portion of the flow resistance portion is disposed between the suction port and the refrigerant inlet.

[0014] To achieve at least one of the objects of the present application, according to another aspect of the present application, there is provided an air conditioning system, comprising: a multi-stage compressor having an intermediate stage; a condenser; an evaporator; and an economizer as previously described; wherein the refrigerant inlet of the economizer is connected to the condenser, the refrigerant outlet of the economizer is connected to the evaporator, and the suction port of the economizer is connected to the intermediate stage of the multi-stage compressor.

[0015] According to the economizer of the present application, by arranging the flow resistance portion near the suction port connected to the intermediate stage of the compressor, on the one hand, the refrigerant flowing directly from the refrigerant inlet to the suction port can be at least partially hindered; on the other hand, the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet into the inner wall of the economizer shell and impacting thereon to turn back to the suction port can also be at least partially hindered. When these refrigerants carrying liquid droplets encounter the hindering of the flow resistance portion, the liquid droplets are adsorbed on the wall surface to form a liquid film, the movement of the liquid film is blocked by the flow resistance portion, and finally the larger liquid droplets will fall off from the liquid film to the bottom of the economizer and flow into the second heat exchanger through the refrigerant outlet, thereby reducing the number of liquid droplets sucked into the intermediate stage of the compressor via the suction port, effectively alleviating the suction liquid problem and improving the system performance and the economizer capacity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic view of one embodiment of the economizer of the present application.

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of the economizer of the present application.

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic view of yet another embodiment of the economizer of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the present application can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present application will be more complete and thorough, and will fully convey the concept of the present application to those skilled in the art.

[0020] Furthermore, for any single feature described in or apparently implied by any of the embodiments herein, or any single feature shown or apparently implied in the drawings, the present application still allows for any combination or deletion of these technical features (or their equivalents) to be continued without any technical obstacles, thereby obtaining more other embodiments of the present application that can not be directly mentioned herein.

[0021] For the convenience of describing the embodiments mentioned herein, the axial and radial directions are introduced as the reference coordinate system in this document. The directions are described for the purpose of expressing the structural features of each component and the relative positional relationship between components, rather than for the purpose of limiting the absolute positional relationship. The axial direction is intended to indicate the direction of the axis of the cylindrical shell, or the direction of the length extension of the cylindrical shell, and the radial direction is intended to indicate the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, or the direction of the radius extension of the cylindrical shell. For the purpose of more clearly showing the positional relationship, the axial direction is shown by the X axis in some of the drawings, and the axis of different sections of the cylindrical shell is respectively shown by X1 and X2 in a subdivided manner; in addition, the radial direction is shown by the Y axis. Figure 1 For the convenience of describing the embodiments mentioned herein, the axial and radial directions are introduced as the reference coordinate system in this document. The directions are described for the purpose of expressing the structural features of each component and the relative positional relationship between components, rather than for the purpose of limiting the absolute positional relationship. The axial direction is intended to indicate the direction of the axis of the cylindrical shell, or the direction of the length extension of the cylindrical shell, and the radial direction is intended to indicate the direction perpendicular to the axial direction, or the direction of the radius extension of the cylindrical shell. For the purpose of more clearly showing the positional relationship, the axial direction is shown by the X axis in some of the drawings, and the axis of different sections of the cylindrical shell is respectively shown by X1 and X2 in a subdivided manner; in addition, the radial direction is shown by the Y axis.

[0022] Referring to Figures 1 to 3 , which shows a plurality of embodiments of the economizer according to the present application. Most of the arrangements of the economizers in these embodiments have similarities, and the main difference is the variation of the specific implementation of the flow blocking portion. The common parts of the embodiments of the economizers will be introduced first, and the unique content will be described by referring to different drawings.

[0023] Referring first to Figure 1 , the economizer 100 comprises a shell 110, on which a refrigerant inlet 110a, a refrigerant outlet 110b and a suction port 110c are respectively arranged. The refrigerant inlet 110a is used to connect a first heat exchanger usually serving as a condenser, so as to introduce the two-phase refrigerant flashed from the condenser through a high-side throttling valve into the economizer 100. The introduced two-phase refrigerant undergoes gas-liquid separation in the economizer. Thereafter, the refrigerant mainly in liquid phase will flow into a second heat exchanger usually serving as an evaporator through the refrigerant outlet 110b, so as to perform its evaporative heat absorption function; and the refrigerant mainly in gas phase will flow into the intermediate stage of a multi-stage compressor through the suction port 110c, so as to supplement the gas and increase the enthalpy.

[0024] Further, a flow blocking portion 120 is also provided within the shell 110. The flow blocking portion 120 is configured to protrude inwardly from the inner wall of the shell 110 and is arranged close to the suction port 110c, thereby causing the refrigerant flowing towards the suction port 110c to be at least partially blocked. With such an arrangement, the economizer according to the present application on one hand causes the refrigerant flowing directly from the refrigerant inlet to the suction port to be at least partially blocked; on the other hand, it also causes the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet into the shell and impacting on the inner wall of the shell, and then being turned back to flow towards the suction port, to be at least partially blocked as well. When the liquid droplets carried by these refrigerants encounter the blocking of the flow blocking portion, the liquid droplets are adsorbed on the wall surface to form a liquid film, the movement of the liquid film is blocked by the flow blocking portion, and finally the larger liquid droplets fall off from the liquid film to the bottom of the economizer and flow into the second heat exchanger through the refrigerant outlet, thereby reducing the number of liquid droplets sucked into the intermediate stage of the compressor via the suction port, effectively alleviating the problem of suction gas containing liquid, and improving the system performance and the capacity of the economizer.

[0025] It should be understood that the "close to" mentioned above is intended to express the relative positional relationship between the parts, and the specific position limitation should also be concluded according to the purpose of arranging the feature. For example, in the above, the flow blocking portion 120 is arranged close to the suction port 110c, that is, relative to the refrigerant inlet 110a or the refrigerant outlet 110b, the flow blocking portion 120 is arranged at the inner wall of the shell closer to the suction port 110c, thereby achieving the purpose of affecting the number of liquid droplets carried in the gas phase refrigerant flowing into the suction port 110c.

[0026] Further modifications of the economizer will be described below by way of example in order to further improve its working efficiency, reliability or for other improvements.

[0027] For example, continuing to refer to Figure 1In one embodiment, the housing 110 of the economizer 100 is configured to include a first cylindrical housing section 111 and a second cylindrical housing section 112. The first cylindrical housing section 111 has a first end 111a on the left side of the figure and a second end 111b on the right side of the figure, and the second cylindrical housing section 112 has a first end 112a on the left side of the figure and a second end 112b on the right side of the figure. The first cylindrical housing section 111 and the second cylindrical housing section 112 are staggered along the axial direction X, i.e., the axis X1 of the first cylindrical housing section 111 and the axis X2 of the second cylindrical housing section 112 are parallel to each other and staggered along the axial direction X. The second end 111b of the first cylindrical housing section 111 and the first end 112a of the second cylindrical housing section 112 are adjacent to each other and have an intermediate connection port 110d therebetween, which is generally in the shape of an "eye" and is also referred to as an "eye hole". The refrigerant inlet 110a is arranged at the bottom of the first cylindrical housing section 111, the suction port 110c is arranged at the top of the first cylindrical housing section 111, and the refrigerant outlet 110b is arranged at the bottom of the second cylindrical housing section 112. After the refrigerant flows into the first cylindrical housing section 111 through the refrigerant inlet 110a, a portion of the gaseous refrigerant flows into the compressor through the suction port 110c, and another portion of the liquid refrigerant flows into the second cylindrical housing section 112 through the eye hole 110d and then flows into the evaporator (not shown) through the refrigerant outlet 110b.

[0028] For the configuration of the economizer 100 in the above embodiment, the suction port 110c can be arranged close to the intermediate connection port 110d, and at least a portion of the flow resistance part 120 is arranged between the suction port 110c and the intermediate connection port 110d. This is because, during the flow of the refrigerant from the first cylindrical housing section 111 to the second cylindrical housing section 112 through the intermediate connection port 110d, the flow area is reduced from the large cylindrical cross-section to the small eye hole cross-section, so that the refrigerant is partially blocked and impacted, and then the turbulent flow may

[0029] Based on similar considerations, at least a portion of the flow-blocking section 120 can also be arranged between the suction port 110c and the refrigerant inlet 110a, which can also effectively obstruct the flow of gaseous refrigerant, causing the droplets it carries to form a liquid film and eventually form large droplets that fall off from the liquid film, thereby effectively alleviating the problem of liquid carryover during suction.

[0030] In the configuration of the economizer 100 in the above embodiments, its refrigerant inlet 110a can also be located at the first end 111a of the first cylindrical shell section 111, away from the second cylindrical shell section 112, and the opening of the refrigerant inlet 110a faces the end wall of the first end 111a of the first cylindrical shell section 111. In this arrangement, the liquid refrigerant flowing in through the refrigerant inlet 110a will first impact the end wall at high speed and then form a liquid film that moves from left to right. When this liquid film encounters a flow obstruction, it is easier for large droplets to form and detach from the liquid film, which also helps to alleviate the problem of liquid carryover during suction.

[0031] The following will combine Figures 1 to 3 This section provides a detailed introduction to various design modifications focusing on the flow-restricting section 120.

[0032] For example, taking any of the accompanying drawings as examples, at least a portion of the flow-blocking portion 120 is configured as an annular protrusion extending circumferentially inward from the inner wall of the housing 110. In an integrated configuration, it has fewer solder joints, is less susceptible to corrosion, and has stable performance; in a split configuration, it is easy to manufacture and assemble, and the specific position of the annular protrusion on the housing can be adjusted according to actual needs, making it highly adaptable.

[0033] Taking any of the attached figures as an example, at least a portion of the flow-blocking section 120 extends inward from the inner wall of the housing 110 by a length not exceeding 5% of the diameter of the housing 110. In this case, on the one hand, it can bring a better flow-blocking effect and effectively reduce the number of droplets; on the other hand, it will not cause excessive pressure loss to the refrigerant in the economizer, thus avoiding affecting its cooling performance.

[0034] by Figure 1 For example, at least a portion of the flow-blocking portion 120 can be configured perpendicular to the axial direction X of the inner wall of the housing 110, which is relatively easier to configure. Furthermore... Figure 2 and Figure 3 For example, at least a portion of the flow-blocking portion 120 can be configured to form an angle within ±45° with the axial direction X of the inner wall of the housing 110. This is especially true when tilted towards the refrigerant flow direction (e.g., Figure 3 As shown), it has a larger flow-blocking area; and when tilted towards the side away from the refrigerant flow direction (such as... Figure 2 As shown in the figure, it can bring a stronger flow resistance effect.

[0035] In addition, although not shown in the figures, an embodiment of an air conditioning system according to the present application is also provided herein. The air conditioning system comprises the economizer as mentioned in any of the aforementioned embodiments or combinations thereof, thus also having the corresponding technical effects, which are not repeated herein. In addition, for the air conditioning system, it further comprises a multi-stage compressor having an intermediate stage, a condenser, and an evaporator. In this arrangement, the refrigerant inlet 110a of the economizer 100 is connected to the condenser, the refrigerant outlet 110b of the economizer 100 is connected to the evaporator, and the suction port 110c of the economizer 100 is connected to the intermediate stage of the multi-stage compressor, thereby achieving the suction, separation, and outflow of the refrigerant.

[0036] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the air conditioning system proposed in the present application is not narrowly referred to as an air conditioner in the industry with indoor refrigeration / heating units and outdoor heat exchange units in buildings. Rather, it should be understood as a type of heat system that has the function of air conditioning, which is driven by various power sources (e.g., electricity) to exchange heat with the air at the location to be adjusted through the phase change of the refrigerant in the system. For example, when the air conditioning system is used for building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, it can be a refrigeration system with single cooling function, or a heat pump system with both refrigeration and heating capabilities. For another example, when the air conditioning system is used in the cold chain field, it can be a transport refrigeration system, or a refrigeration / freezing system. However, regardless of the specific form of the air conditioning system, the presence of an economizer is necessary for the application to be applicable.

[0037] As follows, the working process of such a refrigeration system with the aforementioned economizer in any embodiment or combination thereof will be described by taking the refrigeration system as an example. First, when starting to work, the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the multi-stage compressor is compressed into the condenser; flows in the condenser and realizes heat exchange with water or other medium during the flow; the cooled refrigerant flows into the shell 110 from the refrigerant inlet 110a at the bottom of the first end 111a of the economizer 100, sprays and impacts on the end wall of the first end 111a, and forms a liquid film, which flows in the shell from left to right in the longitudinal direction until colliding with the flow blocking part 120 on the upper part of the inner wall of the shell, at this time, a part of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant suspended in the upper part in the shell and the liquid film will be absorbed via the flow blocking part 120, and finally, larger liquid droplets are separated from the liquid film, and the refrigerant gas is sucked into the middle stage of the compressor via the suction port 110c to realize gas supplement and enthalpy increase; on the other hand, a part of the refrigerant that continues to move will form a backflow of gas-phase refrigerant carrying liquid droplets when flowing into the second cylindrical shell section 112 via the intermediate connecting port 110d, and the backflow of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is also absorbed by the flow blocking part 120, and finally, larger liquid droplets are separated from the liquid film, and the refrigerant gas is sucked into the middle stage of the compressor via the suction port 110c to realize gas supplement and enthalpy increase; in addition, the liquid-phase refrigerant flowing into the second cylindrical shell section 112 will enter the evaporator through the refrigerant outlet 110b located below the shell 110 and perform heat exchange therein, and then return to the compressor. Thus, the reciprocating cycle of the present refrigeration system is carried out.

[0038] The above examples mainly illustrate the economizer and air conditioning system of the present application. Although only some embodiments of the present application are described, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the present application can be implemented in many other forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the examples and embodiments shown are considered to be illustrative rather than limiting, and the present application can encompass various modifications and alternatives without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An economizer characterized by, The economizer comprises: a housing having a refrigerant inlet for connecting to a first heat exchanger, a refrigerant outlet for connecting to a second heat exchanger, and a suction port for connecting to an intermediate stage of a compressor; a flow blocking portion extending inwardly from an inner wall of the housing and arranged proximate to the suction port such that refrigerant flowing towards the suction port is at least partially obstructed; wherein at least a portion of the flow blocking portion is arranged as a ring-shaped protrusion extending inwardly from the inner wall of the housing in a circumferential direction.

2. The economizer of claim 1, wherein, The housing comprises a first cylindrical housing section and a second cylindrical housing section arranged axially staggered and having an intermediate connection port in communication with each other; wherein the refrigerant inlet and the suction port are arranged in the first cylindrical housing section, and the refrigerant outlet is arranged in the second cylindrical housing section.

3. The economizer of claim 2, wherein, The suction port is arranged proximate to the intermediate connection port, and at least a portion of the flow blocking portion is arranged between the suction port and the intermediate connection port.

4. The economizer of claim 2, wherein, The refrigerant inlet is arranged at a first end of the first cylindrical housing section distal to the second cylindrical housing section, and an opening of the refrigerant inlet faces an end wall of the first end of the first cylindrical housing section.

5. The economizer of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, At least a portion of the flow blocking portion is arranged perpendicular to an axial direction of the inner wall of the housing.

6. The economizer of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein At least a portion of the flow blocking portion is arranged at an angle within a range of ±45° to the axial direction of the housing.

7. The economizer of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein A length by which at least a portion of the flow blocking portion extends inwardly from the inner wall of the housing is not greater than 5% of a diameter of the housing.

8. The economizer of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, At least a portion of the flow blocking portion is arranged between the suction port and the refrigerant inlet.

9. An air conditioning system characterized by, The multi-stage compressor has an intermediate stage; a condenser; an evaporator; and The economizer of any one of claims 1 to 8; wherein the refrigerant inlet of the economizer is connected to the condenser, the refrigerant outlet of the economizer is connected to the evaporator, and the suction port of the economizer is connected to the intermediate stage of the multi-stage compressor. ​ ​

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