A gas-liquid separator for automobile air-conditioning heat pump system and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses a gas-liquid separator for an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein the gas-liquid separator comprises an upper end cover, a body, an air guide component, a bulk liquid cup and a drying bag. The body is a container with an opening at the top, and the upper end cover is fixed at the opening at the top of the body to form a closed container with the body. An air inlet hole and an air outlet hole are provided on the upper end cover. The air guide component comprises an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe, a fixed bracket and a filter. The air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe are fixed by a fixed bracket to form a coaxial tube. The top end of the air inlet pipe passes through the bulk liquid cup and is fixed to the air outlet hole of the upper end cover. The drying bag is fixed to the outside of the air inlet pipe. The filter is fixed to the bottom end of the air inlet pipe. An oil suction hole is provided at the bottom end of the air inlet pipe to recover the oil medium stored at the bottom of the body. The present invention uses an integrated molding processing method to form a gas-liquid separator in the form of a coaxial tube, which can simplify the processing procedure and reduce costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of automobile air-conditioning accessories, and in particular relates to a gas-liquid separator of an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the thermal management system of new energy vehicles, the gas-liquid separator is an important component, which is set between the evaporator and the compressor. The working principle of the gas-liquid separator is that when the liquid refrigerant enters the gas-liquid separator, the expansion speed decreases, causing the liquid to separate or hit a baffle, thereby separating the liquid. In addition to preventing the liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor and forming a liquid hammer phenomenon in the compressor, thereby causing damage to the compressor, it is also responsible for re-absorb the liquid refrigerant oil condensed in the gas-liquid separator into the compressor, realizing the recycling of the refrigerant oil and preventing the compressor from running under the condition of lack of lubrication and causing damage to the compressor.

[0003] In traditional automobile air conditioning systems, in order to achieve the recycling of refrigerant oil, a gas-liquid separator with a U-tube structure is usually used. With the development of industrial technology, gas-liquid separators with a coaxial tube structure have gradually become mainstream. There are many processing methods for the coaxial tube structure. In the prior art, one-piece extrusion molding is usually used. Although the stability of the structure can be guaranteed, the processing mold is complex, and multiple processing is required after extrusion to remove waste, resulting in low material utilization, difficulty in processing, and complex processes. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention proposes a gas-liquid separator and a manufacturing method for an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system. Through a one-time molding processing method such as stretching, stamping, and injection molding, two straight pipes are used in conjunction with a fixed bracket to form a coaxial pipe structure, thereby solving the problem of complex processing of existing gas-liquid separators.

[0005] A gas-liquid separator of a heat pump system of an automobile air conditioner comprises an upper end cover, a body, an air guide component, a liquid dispersion cup and a drying bag.

[0006] The body is a container with an opening at the top, and the upper end cover is fixed at the opening at the top of the body to form a closed container with the body. The upper end cover is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet.

[0007] The air guide component includes an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe, a fixing bracket and a filter. The air outlet pipe is cylindrical, one end of which is fixed in the air outlet hole of the upper end cover, and the first limiting ring and the second limiting ring are sequentially arranged on the outer wall near the upper end cover. The bulk liquid cup is arranged between the upper end cover and the first limiting ring, and there is a gap between the bulk liquid cup and the air inlet hole of the upper end cover. The air inlet pipe includes an air inlet part and an air guide part from top to bottom, the diameter of the air inlet part is larger than that of the air guide part, and the outer wall of the air guide part is provided with a third limiting ring. The drying bag is fixed to the periphery of the air inlet pipe by a cable tie, and the cable tie is located above the third limiting ring. The bottom end of the air inlet pipe is semi-spherical, and an oil suction hole is arranged at the center, and the diameter of the oil suction hole is 0.5 to 3.0 mm. The filter is arranged between the bottom end of the air inlet pipe and the bottom of the body, the inlet of the filter is connected to the body, and the outlet is connected to the oil suction hole at the bottom end of the air inlet pipe.

[0008] The center of the fixed bracket is provided with a through hole, and the outer edge is evenly provided with multiple support points. The maximum diameter of the fixed bracket is larger than the inner diameter of the air guide part of the intake pipe. The through hole in the center of the fixed bracket is fixed below the second limit ring on the outer wall of the outlet pipe, and the support points on the outer edge are fixed in the air intake part of the intake pipe, so that the outlet pipe and the intake pipe form a coaxial pipe, the pipe mouth of the intake pipe does not contact the surface of the bulk liquid cup, and the outer wall of the outlet pipe and the inner wall of the intake pipe form a gas flow channel. The distance between the end of the outlet pipe close to the oil suction hole and the oil suction hole is 1 to 60 mm, and the distance between the oil suction hole and the bottom of the filter is 1 to 40 mm.

[0009] Preferably, a plurality of strip-shaped protrusions are provided on the surface of the bulk liquid cup on one side close to the upper end cover.

[0010] Preferably, two or more supporting points are evenly arranged on the outer edge of the fixing bracket.

[0011] Preferably, one end of the filter is fitted with the bottom end of the air inlet pipe, and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the device body, and a filter screen is arranged on the side.

[0012] Preferably, the edge of the cup wall of the bulk liquid cup is lower than the opening of the air inlet pipe.

[0013] A method for manufacturing a gas-liquid separator of an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system, comprising the following steps:

[0014] Step 1: Processing of air guide components

[0015] Prepare two round tubes with different diameters. Select the round tube with a smaller diameter, use a mold to perform local upsetting on one end, and process the first limit ring and the second limit ring in turn, and then drill or punch the balance hole to obtain the outlet pipe. For the round tube with a larger diameter, first use a mold to perform local upsetting in the middle to process the third limit ring, and then use the expansion processing method at one end to obtain the air guide part, and use the spinning method to make a semi-spherical structure at the other end. Finally, drill or punch the oil suction hole in the center of the semi-sphere to obtain the air intake pipe. Finally, the fixed bracket is processed by cutting.

[0016] Step 2: Processing of other parts

[0017] The cylinder material is cold extruded to obtain a body with an open top. The bulk liquid cup is obtained by stamping a metal plate. The upper end cover and the filter are obtained by hot forging and injection molding, respectively.

[0018] Step 3: Assembly

[0019] The gas-liquid separator is obtained by fixing the parts processed in steps one and two by welding.

[0020] Preferably, the cylindrical material is extruded to obtain a straight tube with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the air outlet pipe and a semi-spherical bottom, an oil suction hole is processed in the center of the semi-sphere by drilling or punching, an air guide part is obtained at the pipe mouth by expanding the mouth, and then a third limiting ring is processed at the position of the non-air guide part by piercing the head to obtain the air outlet pipe.

[0021] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] 1. The gas guide component of the present application is a coaxial tube structure, based on two straight tubes, which is assembled with a fixed bracket after simple processing, which can not only ensure the stability of the structure, but also simplify the processing procedure and production cost, and obtain a gas-liquid separator with a high oil return rate.

[0023] 2. An air intake part with a larger diameter is set at the air inlet of the air intake pipe to increase the air intake volume and avoid the throttling effect. A limit ring is also set on the outer wall of the air intake pipe to make the desiccant bag more stably fixed on the air intake pipe to avoid sliding down.

[0024] 3. The present application obtains various components through various one-step forming methods and then assembles them, which can reduce the processing difficulty and avoid material waste. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid separator structure in the embodiment;

[0026] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the upper end cover in the embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the air guide component in the embodiment;

[0028] Figure 4 It is a partial enlarged view of the air guide component in the embodiment;

[0029] Figure 5 is a top view of a fixing bracket in the embodiment;

[0030] Figure 6 A top view of the bulk liquid cup in the embodiment;

[0031] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of a filter in an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 8 2 is a cross-sectional view of the bulk liquid cup in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0034] In the description of the present invention, it is necessary to understand that the terms "center", "surface", "surroundings", "top", "bottom", "up", "down", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, a gas-liquid separator of a heat pump system of an automobile air conditioner comprises an upper end cover 1, a body 3, an air guide component 2, a liquid dispersion cup 4 and a drying bag 5. The body 3 is a container with an open top. Figure 2 As shown, the upper end cover 1 is provided with an air inlet 101 and an air outlet 102. In order to reduce the pressure loss between the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102, the cross section of the air inlet 101 is set larger than the cross section of the air outlet 102. Figure 3 As shown, the air guide component includes an air inlet pipe 201 , an air outlet pipe 202 , a fixing bracket 203 and a filter 204 .

[0036] The air outlet pipe 202 is cylindrical, and the outer wall near the upper end cover 1 is provided with a first limiting ring 206 and a second limiting ring 207 in sequence. A balancing hole is also provided near the pipe opening of the air outlet pipe 202. The air inlet pipe 201 includes an air inlet portion 205 and an air guide portion from top to bottom. The inner wall diameter of the air inlet portion 205 is larger than the inner wall diameter of the air guide portion, and the inner wall diameter of the air guide portion is larger than the outer wall diameter of the air outlet pipe 202. The air inlet portion with a larger diameter can increase the air intake and avoid the throttling effect. The outer wall of the air guide portion is provided with a third limiting ring 211. Figure 4 As shown, the bottom end of the air inlet pipe 201 is semi-spherical, and an oil suction hole 208 is provided at the center. Figure 5 As shown, a through hole is provided at the center of the fixing bracket 203, and three supporting points 203-1 are evenly arranged on the outer edge.

[0037] The processing method of the gas guide component is as follows:

[0038] Prepare two round tubes with different diameters. Select the round tube with a smaller diameter, use a mold to perform local upsetting on one end, and process the first limit ring 206 and the second limit ring 207 in turn, and then drill a balance hole to obtain the outlet pipe 202. For the round tube with a larger diameter, first use a mold to perform local upsetting in the middle to process the third limit ring 211, and then use a flaring process to obtain the air guide part at one end, and use a spinning process to make a semi-spherical structure at the other end, and finally drill an oil suction hole 208 in the center of the semi-sphere to obtain the air inlet pipe 201. Finally, the fixed bracket 203 is obtained by cutting.

[0039] The manufacturing method of the upper end cover 1, the body 3, the bulk liquid cup 4 and the filter 204 is as follows:

[0040] The body 3 with the top opening is obtained by cold extrusion of the cylindrical material. The bulk liquid cup 4 is obtained by stamping a metal plate. The hot forging blank is processed by hot forging die, and then the air inlet 101 and the air outlet 102 are processed by lathing to obtain the upper end cover 1. The filter screen 204-2 is welded into a cylindrical shape and then fixed on the core rod of the injection mold to obtain the filter 204 by injection molding.

[0041] The upper end cover 1 is fixed to the opening at the top of the body 3 by welding, forming a closed container with the body 3. One end of the outlet pipe 202 is fixed to the outlet hole 101 of the upper end cover 1 by riveting. The bulk liquid cup 4 is arranged between the upper end cover 1 and the first limiting ring 206, and there is a gap between the upper end cover 1 and the air inlet hole 101. Figure 6As shown, a strip-shaped protrusion 401 is provided on the surface of the bulk cup 4 near the upper end cover 1. The strip-shaped protrusion 401 can make the medium entering the body 3 from the air inlet 101 reflect in a large range, thereby more effectively separating the oil medium and the gas medium in the medium, and at the same time can promote the multi-angle reflection and dispersion of the oil medium to ensure the uniformity of the oil medium.

[0042] The desiccant bag 5 is fixed to the outer periphery of the air inlet pipe 201 by a cable tie, and the cable tie is located above the third limiting ring 211 to prevent the cable tie and the desiccant bag from sliding down. The function of the desiccant bag 5 is to absorb moisture in the medium to ensure the smooth operation of the compressor. Figure 7 As shown, one end of the filter 204 is attached to the bottom end of the air inlet pipe 201, and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the body 3, and four filter screens 204-2 are arranged on the side.

[0043] The through hole at the center of the fixed bracket 203 is fixed below the second limiting ring 207 on the outer wall of the outlet pipe 202, and the support point 203-1 on the outer edge is fixed inside the air inlet portion 205 of the air inlet pipe 201, so that the outlet pipe 202 and the air inlet pipe 201 form a coaxial pipe, and the outer wall of the outlet pipe 202 and the inner wall of the air inlet pipe 201 form a gas flow channel. The smaller the concentricity of the bottom of the air inlet pipe 201 and the outlet pipe 202, the better, so as to ensure the stability of the distance between the fluid flowing from the inlet pipe 201 to the outlet pipe 202. Figure 8 As shown, the mouth of the air inlet pipe 201 does not contact the surface of the bulk liquid cup 4 and is lower than the edge of the cup wall 403 of the bulk liquid cup 4. When the medium enters from the air inlet 101 and hits the surface of the bulk liquid cup 4, the gaseous medium needs to rise a certain distance before entering the air inlet pipe 201, while the liquid medium will fall along the cup wall 403 of the bulk liquid cup 4.

[0044] The distance between the end of the air outlet pipe 202 near the oil suction hole 208 and the oil suction hole 208 is 1 to 60 mm, which will affect the pressure difference near the oil suction hole 208 and further affect the oil return rate. The distance between the oil suction hole 208 and the bottom of the filter 204 is 1 to 40 mm, which is closely related to the oil storage capacity at the bottom of the gas-liquid separator.

[0045] The working principle of the gas-liquid separator is as follows: when the medium in the state of gas and liquid mixture enters the body 3 from the air inlet 101, it will hit the surface of the bulk cup 4. Due to the different physical properties of the liquid and gas, such as density and flow velocity, the two will be separated. The liquid will slowly flow down along the cup wall 403 of the bulk cup 4, accumulate at the bottom of the body 3, and can enter the space 210 between the oil suction hole 208 and the bottom of the filter 204 through the filter net 204-2 at the bottom of the filter 204. The filter net 204-2 can filter out impurities larger than the filter net to ensure that the oil medium will not cause pipeline blockage. The gas separated from the liquid will bypass the bulk cup 4 and flow upward, enter the gas flow channel formed by the air inlet pipe 201 and the air outlet pipe 202 from the air inlet part 205 of the air inlet pipe 201, reach the vicinity of the oil suction hole 208 at the bottom of the air inlet pipe 201, then enter the air outlet pipe 202 upward, and finally be discharged from the outlet hole 102. When the gas reaches the vicinity of the oil suction hole 208, a low-pressure area 209 is formed between the oil suction hole 208 and the bottom of the air outlet pipe 202, so that there is a pressure difference between the spaces 209 and 210, allowing the oil medium in the space 210 to circulate through the oil suction hole 208 and the air outlet pipe 202, together with the gas medium, to achieve the circulation recovery of the oil medium.

[0046] The above embodiments are only partial embodiments of the present invention rather than all embodiments. It is known to those skilled in the art that various changes or equivalent substitutions may be made to these features and embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, under the teachings of the present invention, these features and embodiments may be modified to adapt to specific circumstances and materials without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, and all embodiments falling within the scope of the claims of this application belong to the scope protected by the present invention.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system, comprising an upper end cover (1), a body (3), an air guide component (2), a liquid dispersion cup (4) and a drying bag (5), wherein the body (3) is a container with an opening at the top, the upper end cover (1) is fixed at the opening at the top of the body (3) to form a closed container with the body (3); an air inlet (101) and an air outlet (102) are provided on the upper end cover (1), and the characteristics are as follows: The air guide component (2) comprises an air inlet pipe (201), an air outlet pipe (202), a fixing bracket (203) and a filter (204); The air outlet pipe (202) is cylindrical, one end of which is fixed in the air outlet hole (102) of the upper end cover (1), and a first limiting ring (206) and a second limiting ring (207) are sequentially arranged on the outer wall close to the upper end cover (1); the bulk liquid cup (4) is arranged between the upper end cover (1) and the first limiting ring (206), and there is a gap between the bulk liquid cup (4) and the air inlet hole (101) of the upper end cover (1); the air inlet pipe (201) comprises, from top to bottom, an air inlet portion (205) and an air guide portion, the diameter of the air inlet portion (205) being larger than that of the air guide portion. , a third limiting ring (211) is provided on the outer wall of the air guide portion; the drying bag (5) is fixed to the periphery of the air inlet pipe (201) by a cable tie, and the cable tie is located above the third limiting ring (211); the bottom end of the air inlet pipe (201) is semi-spherical, and an oil suction hole (208) is provided at the center; the filter (204) is arranged between the bottom end of the air inlet pipe (201) and the bottom of the device body (3), the inlet of the filter (204) is connected to the device body (3), and the outlet is connected to the oil suction hole (208) at the bottom end of the air inlet pipe (201); The fixed bracket (203) is provided with a through hole at the center, and a plurality of supporting points are evenly arranged at the outer edge. The maximum diameter of the fixed bracket (203) is larger than the inner diameter of the air guide portion of the air inlet pipe (201). The through hole at the center of the fixed bracket (203) is fixed below the second limiting ring (207) on the outer wall of the air outlet pipe (202), and the supporting points at the outer edge are fixed in the air inlet portion (205) of the air inlet pipe (201), so that the air outlet pipe (202) and the air inlet pipe (201) form a coaxial pipe, the pipe mouth of the air inlet pipe (201) does not contact the surface of the bulk liquid cup (4), and the outer wall of the air outlet pipe (202) and the inner wall of the air inlet pipe (201) form a gas flow channel.

2. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of strip-shaped protrusions are arranged on the surface of the bulk liquid cup (4) on a side close to the upper end cover (1).

3. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The edge of the cup wall of the bulk liquid cup (4) is lower than the pipe opening of the air inlet pipe (201).

4. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The outer edge of the fixed bracket (203) is evenly provided with two or more supporting points.

5. The gas-liquid separator of the automobile air conditioning heat pump system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The diameter of the oil suction hole (208) is 0.5 to 3.0 mm.

6. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: One end of the filter (204) is fitted to the bottom end of the air inlet pipe (201), and the other end is fixed to the bottom of the device body (3), with a filter screen provided on the side.

7. A gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 1 or 6, characterized in that: The distance between one end of the air outlet pipe (202) close to the oil suction hole (208) and the oil suction hole (208) is 1 to 60 mm, and the distance between the oil suction hole (208) and the bottom of the filter (204) is 1 to 40 mm.

8. A method for manufacturing a gas-liquid separator for an automobile air-conditioning heat pump system, the method being used to manufacture the gas-liquid separator as claimed in any one of claims 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, characterized in that: The specific steps include: Step 1: Processing of air guide components Two round tubes with different diameters are prepared; the round tube with a smaller diameter is selected, and a mold is used to perform local upsetting at one end thereof, and a first limiting ring (206) and a second limiting ring (207) are processed in sequence, and then a balancing hole is processed by drilling or punching to obtain an air outlet pipe (202); for the round tube with a larger diameter, a mold is first used to perform local upsetting at the middle portion to process a third limiting ring (211), and then an air guide portion (205) is obtained by expanding at one end, and a semi-spherical structure is made at the other end by spinning, and then an oil suction hole (208) is processed in the center of the semi-spherical structure by drilling or punching to obtain an air inlet pipe (201); finally, a fixed bracket (203) is obtained by blanking; Step 2: Processing of other parts A body (3) with an opening at the top is obtained by cold extruding a cylindrical material; a bulk liquid cup (4) is obtained by stamping a metal plate; and an upper end cover (1) and a filter (204) are obtained by hot forging dies and injection molding dies respectively; Step 3: Assembly The gas-liquid separator is obtained by fixing the parts processed in steps one and two by welding.

9. The method for manufacturing a gas-liquid separator for an automobile air conditioning heat pump system as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that: By extruding the cylindrical material, a straight tube with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the air outlet pipe and a semi-spherical bottom is obtained, an oil suction hole is processed in the center of the semi-sphere by drilling or punching, an air guide part is obtained at the pipe mouth by expanding the mouth, and then a third limit ring is processed at the position of the non-air guide part by piercing to obtain the air outlet pipe.

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