Oil separator

Abstract

The application discloses an oil separator, which comprises a body, an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe connected with the body, and a baffle arranged in the body. The baffle comprises a cylindrical polygonal baffle plate, and the side of the cylindrical polygonal baffle plate is provided with an opening. The gas flow discharged from the inlet pipe can flow into the polygonal baffle plate. In the oil separator, a part of the gas flow flows into a cavity formed by the inner wall of the body and the outer wall of the baffle, and the gas flow generates a cyclone centrifugal motion along the inner wall of the body, so that the flow rate of the gas flow is reduced, large oil droplets are separated from the gas flow, and the large oil droplets sink downwards along the inner wall of the body and gather in an oil storage area at the bottom of the cavity, so that gas-oil separation is completed. Another part of the gas flow enters the baffle, and the gas flow performs a rapid baffle motion, oil droplets collide and are adsorbed, the oil droplets accumulate and grow, the oil droplets are separated from the gas flow, and the oil droplets sink downwards along the inner wall of the baffle, so that gas-oil separation is also completed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of separator technology, and more specifically to an oil separator. Background Technology

[0002] Oil separators are generally used in medium and large refrigeration systems. They are installed between the compressor and the condenser to separate gaseous refrigerant from oil droplets, allowing the refrigerant to enter the condenser in an "oil-free" state, thus improving the heat transfer effect in the condenser and evaporator.

[0003] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an oil separator. The oil separator includes a body, which comprises a cylindrical body and upper and lower end covers located at both ends of the cylindrical body. It also includes an inlet pipe 13, an outlet pipe 12, and a return oil pipe 14. During assembly, the inlet pipe 13 and return oil pipe 14 of the oil separator are connected to the outlet and return oil pipes of the compressor, respectively, and the outlet pipe 12 of the oil separator is connected to the inlet pipe of the evaporator. The upper end cover, cylindrical body, and lower end cover form a sealed internal cavity with a certain volume, which is required to withstand a certain pressure without leakage or damage.

[0004] The separation principle of this device is based on the different densities of lubricating oil and refrigerant vapor (typically, the gas weight is about 5% of the oil weight; for example, the density of POE refrigeration oil at 15°C is 0.960 g / cm³). 3 The density of R410A liquid is 1.1 g / cm³. 3 The vapor density of R410A is 0.05 g / cm³. 3 When the gas enters the cylinder through the inlet pipe 13, the cross-section of the channel suddenly expands and the airflow velocity drops sharply (the cylinder diameter of the oil separator is 3 to 15 times larger than the diameter of the high-pressure inlet pipe 13, which can reduce the flow velocity of the vapor after entering the oil separator from the original 10 to 25 m / s to 0.8 to 1 m / s). At the same time, the flow direction of the airflow changes, causing the denser lubricating oil to separate out and deposit at the bottom of the oil separator. It then returns to the compressor through the oil return pipe 14 at the bottom of the oil separator, while the gas (refrigerant vapor) is discharged from the outlet pipe.

[0005] The above solution has the following problems:

[0006] The principle behind this separation is that after the gas-oil mixed refrigerant enters the oil separator, the flow rate decreases due to the sudden increase in the fluid channel size, allowing for natural separation through gravity settling. However, since the outlet pipe 12 needs to be positioned below the inlet pipe 13, there is a risk that the separated fine oil droplets may be directly carried away, leading to an increase in the oil content of the refrigerant entering the system and affecting the system's energy efficiency ratio. Therefore, the oil-gas separation in the background scheme is not thorough enough, and the oil separation efficiency remains low. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides an oil separator, including a body and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe communicating with the body. The body is provided with a collider, which includes a cylindrical polygonal baffle plate. The side of the cylindrical polygonal baffle plate has an opening, and the airflow discharged from the inlet pipe can flow into the polygonal baffle plate.

[0008] In this design, the oil separator is equipped with a collisioner, which includes polygonal baffles. When the airflow enters the polygonal baffles, it undergoes rapid deflection. Due to the high inertia of the oil droplets, they collide and adhere to each other during deflection, accumulating and growing larger, thus detaching from the airflow and settling downwards along the inner wall of the collisioner, achieving oil-gas separation. In this way, a portion of the airflow flows into the cavity formed by the inner wall of the separator and the outer wall of the collisioner, generating centrifugal swirling flow along the inner wall of the separator, reducing the flow velocity. Large oil droplets detach from the airflow and settle downwards along the inner wall of the separator, collecting in the oil storage area at the bottom of the container, completing oil-gas separation. Another portion of the airflow enters the collisioner, undergoing rapid deflection. Oil droplets collide and adhere to each other, accumulating and growing larger, detaching from the airflow and settling downwards along the inner wall of the collisioner, also completing oil-gas separation. Attached Figure Description

[0009] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an oil separator;

[0010] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first specific embodiment of the oil separator provided by the present invention;

[0011] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the collider;

[0012] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Top view;

[0013] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the central air guide component;

[0014] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second specific embodiment of the oil separator provided by the present invention.

[0015] Figure 1 The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0016] 11 body;

[0017] 12 Outlet pipe; 13 Inlet pipe; 14 Return oil pipe;

[0018] Figure 2-6 The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0019] 10. Body, 20. Inlet pipe, 20a. Oblique cut, 30. Outlet pipe, 40. Collider, 401. Top plate, 401a. Insertion hole, 402. Polygonal baffle, 403. Spiral guide plate, 50. Air guide component, 501. Baffle, 502. Air guide tube, 503. Oil mist lubricator, 60. Separator plate, 70. Return oil pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 2-4 , Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first specific embodiment of the oil separator provided by the present invention; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the collider; Figure 4 for Figure 2 Top view.

[0022] The oil separator in this embodiment includes a body 10. Figure 2 The middle body 10 is a split structure, including a cylindrical body and upper and lower end caps sealing both ends of the cylindrical body. The bottom of the lower end cap is connected to an oil return pipe 70. The oil separator also includes an inlet pipe 20 and an outlet pipe 30 connected to the body 10. This oil separator can be used in refrigeration systems. In the refrigeration system, the gas-oil mixed refrigerant (hereinafter referred to as gas flow) discharged from the compressor enters the body 10 through the inlet pipe 20 and is then discharged through the outlet pipe 30.

[0023] It is worth noting that, in this embodiment, the oil separator body 10 is provided with a collision device 40, the structure of which can be referred to Figure 3 It is understood that the collider 40 includes a cylindrical polygonal baffle 402, the height direction of which is consistent with the axis of the body 10. When the polygonal baffle 402 is a regular polygonal cylindrical shape, it can be set coaxially with the body 10. This solution only requires that it be set as a polygon, and is not limited to a regular polygonal structure.

[0024] It should be noted that the polygonal baffle 402 is not a complete cylindrical shape; it has openings on its sides, such as... Figure 4 As shown. The portion of the inlet pipe 20 located within the vessel body 10 can be defined as the outlet section, and the port of the outlet section is the outlet of the inlet pipe 20. Figure 2 In the middle, the outlet section extends radially, and the outlet is located in an open position, so that the discharged airflow can flow into the polygonal baffle 402. Figure 4In the middle, the outlet section of the inlet pipe 20 is located in an open position and extends into the polygonal baffle 402. This can ensure the airflow rate entering the polygonal baffle 402. Of course, the outlet section is located outside the polygonal baffle 402, but the port faces the open position, so some airflow can also enter the polygonal baffle 402.

[0025] After the airflow enters the polygonal baffle 402, it will form a rapid baffle motion. Due to the large inertia of the oil droplets, they collide and adhere to each other during the baffle, accumulate and grow larger, thus breaking away from the airflow and settling down along the inner wall of the collider 40, achieving the purpose of oil-gas separation.

[0026] like Figure 3 As shown, the collider 40 in this embodiment also includes a spiral guide plate 403, through which the airflow within the polygonal baffle 402 can flow along the spiral guide plate 403 and exit the polygonal baffle 402. Figure 2 As shown, the outlet of the inlet pipe 20 corresponds to the upper beginning of the spiral guide plate 403. The airflow is spirally introduced into the polygonal baffle 402 and continues to flow spirally along the spiral guide plate 403 within the polygonal baffle 402, while simultaneously undergoing baffle collisions, and finally spirally flows out of the polygonal baffle 402. The addition of the spiral guide plate 403 here can serve as a spiral guide, allowing the airflow to flow out of the polygonal baffle 402 in an orderly manner. It also increases the airflow path, improves the separation efficiency, and the spiral path helps the airflow to bend along the inner wall of the polygonal baffle 402, thereby causing baffle collisions, increasing the probability of collision adsorption, and enhancing the separation effect.

[0027] like Figure 3 As shown, specifically, the bottom edge of the polygonal baffle 402 can be connected to the upper surface of the spiral guide plate 403. This arrangement makes it easier to achieve spiral flow guidance within the polygonal baffle 402. The spiral guide plate 403 is roughly a spiral unit. The polygonal baffle 402 is a cylindrical shape with an open side, so its bottom edge is not annular but has a notch. One end of the notch is located at or near the upper beginning of the spiral guide plate 403, and the other end is located at or near the lower end of the spiral guide plate 403. The spiral guide plate 403 is set as roughly a spiral unit mainly to match the polygonal baffle 402. It can be understood that the size of the open side and the spiral degree of the spiral guide plate 403 can be designed according to actual needs and separation effects, such as through experiments or simulations.

[0028] like Figure 3As shown, the collider 40 also includes a top plate 401, which covers the top of the polygonal baffle 402. The top plate 401 can block the airflow entering the polygonal baffle 402 from flowing upward, ensuring that the incoming airflow flows from top to bottom to achieve the desired separation effect.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the polygonal baffle 402 and the spiral guide plate 403 are arranged around the outlet pipe 30 and are located above the inlet of the outlet pipe 30. Specifically, the outlet pipe 30 passes through the collider 40. Figure 3 The top plate 401 of the collision device 40 is provided with an insertion hole 401a for the outlet pipe 30 to be inserted. With this configuration, the collision device 40 can make full use of the cavity space of the cylinder and improve the separation effect.

[0030] Please continue to refer to this. Figure 2 and combined Figure 5 understand, Figure 5 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the central air guide component 50.

[0031] In this embodiment, the device body 10 is further provided with an air guiding component 50 located at the inlet of the outlet pipe 30. The air guiding component 50 is equipped with an oil mist lubricator 503, which is composed of a multi-layer mesh structure and has the function of adsorbing oil droplets. Before the airflow enters the outlet pipe 30, it can pass through the oil mist lubricator 503. The oil mist lubricator 503 can adsorb oil droplets, so the setting of the oil mist lubricator 503 can prevent the separated oil droplets from flowing out with entrainment.

[0032] Specifically, such as Figure 5 As shown, the air guiding component 50 includes an air guiding cylinder 502, with the inlet section of the outlet pipe 30 inserted into the air guiding cylinder 502, the inlet located inside the air guiding cylinder 502. An oil mist lubricator 503 is disposed on the inner wall of the air guiding cylinder 502, for example, by attaching the oil mist lubricator 503 to the inner wall of the air guiding cylinder 502. Airflow entering from bottom to top contacts the oil mist lubricator 503, and if it carries oil droplets, they can be adsorbed. To increase the adsorption effect, an oil mist lubricator 503 can also be installed at the bottom port of the air guiding cylinder 502, in which case the airflow resistance will increase.

[0033] like Figure 5 As shown, the bottom of the air guide 502 is designed with a slanted cut, which facilitates the smoother fall of the adsorbed oil droplets. Furthermore, the air guide 502 is designed with a square structure, similar to the principle of the polygonal baffle 402 mentioned above. When the airflow surrounds the outside of the air guide 502, it can be deflected, thereby increasing the chance of oil droplet collision and improving the separation effect. Obviously, the air guide 502 is not limited to a square structure; it can also be pentagonal, hexagonal, or other polygonal structures. Therefore, it can be seen that the polygonal baffle 402 is not limited to... Figure 4 The structure shown, Figure 4The polygonal baffle 402 is a hexagonal structure (showing 4 side plates, with the other two corresponding to the open positions). In addition to the open positions, the polygonal baffle 402 should include at least two side plates forming an angle in order to achieve the baffle function.

[0034] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 5 It is understood that the air guiding component 50 also includes a baffle 501 that seals the top of the air guiding cylinder 502. The air guiding component 50 is located below the collider 40. The baffle 501 can separate the collider 40 from the inlet of the outlet pipe 30, thereby reducing the risk of oil droplet entrainment and improving oil separation efficiency.

[0035] like Figure 2 As shown, the oil separator may further include a separation plate 60 disposed within the body 10. The separation plate 60 is located between the inlet of the outlet pipe 30 and the bottom of the body 10, specifically at a certain distance from the aforementioned air guiding component 50. When the airflow reaches the separation plate 60, it will suddenly change direction and flow upward due to the obstruction effect of the separation plate 60. Due to the large inertia of the oil droplets, they will maintain their original direction of movement, detach from the gas, and form separation again. The separation plate 60 is provided with through holes so that the separated oil droplets can flow from the through holes of the separation plate 60 to the bottom of the body 10, and then flow out from the return oil pipe 70.

[0036] The separator 60 can preferably be configured as a funnel-shaped structure, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the through hole is located at the bottom of the separation plate 60. The funnel-shaped structure facilitates the accumulation of separated oil droplets, which are then collected at the bottom of the container 10 through the through hole.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the outlet of the intake pipe can be configured as a beveled cut 20a, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the oblique cut 20a ensures that the outlet of the inlet pipe 20 is at a certain angle to the inner wall of the container 10. When the outflowing airflow impacts the inner wall of the container 10, it forms a centrifugal vortex with the inner wall of the container 10, thereby improving the separation effect.

[0038] Figure 2 The specific oil separator can achieve five separations, as detailed below.

[0039] Primary separation: The gas flow enters the container 10 through the inlet pipe 20. With the oblique cut 20a at the outlet of the inlet pipe 20 and the guide of the collider 40, part of the gas flow flows into the cavity formed by the inner wall of the container 10 and the outer wall of the collider 40. The gas flow is centrifuged along the inner wall of the container 10, the flow velocity decreases, and large oil droplets are separated from the gas flow. They settle down along the inner wall of the container 10 and collect in the oil storage area at the bottom of the container. That is, primary gas-oil separation is formed in the cavity formed by the inner wall of the container 10 and the outer wall of the collider 40.

[0040] Secondary separation: Part of the airflow discharged from the inlet pipe 20 enters the collisioner 40, that is, it enters the polygonal baffle 402, forming a rapid baffle motion. Due to the large inertia of the oil droplets, they collide and adhere to each other during the baffle, accumulate and grow larger, break away from the airflow, and sink down along the inner wall of the collisioner 40. They also gather in the oil storage area of ​​the bottom cavity of the container, that is, secondary gas-oil separation is formed in the collisioner 40.

[0041] Three-stage separation: After the first and second separations, the airflow has separated most of the oil droplets and slows down to enter the cavity below the collider 40. Since there is no collider 40, the flow cross section becomes larger and the airflow velocity decreases. Under slow speed, the oil droplets form gravity sedimentation, thus forming three-stage separation.

[0042] Four-stage separation: When the airflow reaches the separation plate at 60°, it suddenly changes direction and flows upward. Due to the large inertia of the oil droplets, they still maintain their original direction of movement and break away from the gas, thus forming four-stage separation.

[0043] Five-stage separation: The upward-flowing airflow reaches the air guide component 50 and must detour to the oil mist lubricator 503 to prevent the separated oil droplets from being carried out. After being intercepted by the oil mist lubricator 503, the airflow finally flows out from the outlet pipe 30 after five stages of separation.

[0044] It can be seen that this scheme adopts a combination of centrifugal separation, collision separation, gravity sedimentation separation, and oil mist lubricator 503 interception separation. Under different flow rates, all four separation methods can work stably, reducing the fluctuation of separation efficiency caused by flow rate changes, stabilizing oil separation efficiency, and improving system compatibility.

[0045] It can be understood that the collisioner 40 installed here is equivalent to separating the airflow discharged from the inlet pipe 20 into two independent flow channels, one fast and one slow, for oil-gas separation. The fast flow channel is inside the collisioner 40, while the slow flow channel is between the collisioner 40 and the container body 10. The separation of the two flow channels does not interfere with each other, which can improve the stability of oil-gas separation. The fast flow channel inside the collisioner 40 can increase the collision adsorption and separation of small oil droplets, and at the same time increase the contact area of ​​the oil droplets, thereby improving the separation efficiency. In addition, the cavity position for achieving multiple separations is separated from the oil storage area at the bottom of the container body 10 by the separation plate 60, which can avoid the airflow causing turbulence in the oil storage area, thus preventing the risk of oil droplets re-atomizing after settling and preventing the risk of oil droplets being re-entrained. Furthermore, in the cavity below the collisioner 40, the airflow is in a slow state, which can increase the effect of gravity separation and oil mist interception separation by the oil mist collector 503, thereby improving the oil separation efficiency.

[0046] You can also refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a second specific embodiment of the oil separator provided by the present invention.

[0047] Figure 6In this configuration, the outlet section of the intake pipe 20 is axially inserted into the polygonal baffle 402 of the collider 40, and both the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 30 are axially inserted into the body 10. Specifically, the outlet section of the intake pipe 20 passes through the top plate 401 of the collider 40 and enters the polygonal baffle 402. This configuration ensures that a large portion of the airflow flows within the collider 40, increasing the flow rate for rapid separation. Of course, some airflow can still flow out from the opening of the polygonal baffle 402 and undergo oil-gas separation along the inner wall of the body 10, as described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An oil separator, comprising a body (10), and an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe communicating with the body (10), characterized in that, The device body (10) is provided with a collider (40), which includes a cylindrical polygonal baffle (402). The side of the cylindrical polygonal baffle (402) has an opening, and the airflow discharged from the inlet pipe (20) can flow into the polygonal baffle (402). The oil separator includes two independent flow channels, one of which is located inside the collider (40) and the other is located between the collider (40) and the device body (10).

2. The oil separator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The collider (40) also includes a spiral guide plate (403), and the airflow in the polygonal baffle (402) can flow along the spiral guide plate (403) and out of the polygonal baffle (402).

3. The oil separator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The bottom edge of the polygonal baffle (402) is connected to the upper surface of the spiral guide plate (403).

4. The oil separator as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The collider (40) also includes a top plate (401) that covers the top of the polygonal deflector (402).

5. The oil separator as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The polygonal baffle (402) and the spiral guide plate (403) are arranged around the outlet pipe (30) and are located above the inlet of the outlet pipe (30).

6. The oil separator according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, It also includes a separation plate (60), which is located between the inlet of the outlet pipe (30) and the bottom of the vessel body (10). The separation plate (60) has a through hole in the middle and the outer peripheral edge of the separation plate (60) is connected to the inner wall of the vessel body (10).

7. The oil separator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The separation plate (60) has a funnel-shaped structure.

8. The oil separator according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, It also includes an air guiding component (50) located at the inlet section of the outlet pipe (30), the air guiding component (50) is provided with an oil mist lubricator (503), the oil mist lubricator (503) is a multi-layer mesh structure, and the airflow can pass through the oil mist lubricator (503) before entering the outlet pipe (30).

9. The oil separator as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The air guiding component (50) includes an air guiding cylinder (502), the inlet section of the outlet pipe (30) is inserted into the air guiding cylinder (502); the oil mist lubricator (503) is disposed on the inner wall of the air guiding cylinder (502), and the bottom port of the air guiding cylinder (502) is a beveled cut; the air guiding component (50) also includes a baffle (501) that seals the top of the air guiding cylinder (502).

10. The oil separator according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The outlet section of the inlet pipe (20) extends radially and its outlet is a beveled cut (20a); or, the outlet section of the inlet pipe (20) is axially inserted into the polygonal baffle (402).

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