A gas-liquid separator and fluid control assembly

Abstract

A gas-liquid separator comprises an outer shell, the outer shell comprising a first cavity, characterized in that the gas-liquid separator comprises an inner shell, the inner shell being arranged in the first cavity, the inner shell being made of heat insulation material; the inner shell has a second cavity, the gas-liquid separator comprises an inlet channel, a first outlet channel and a second outlet channel, the inlet channel, the first outlet channel and the second outlet channel all communicating with the second cavity; the gas-liquid separator further comprises a baffle, the baffle being located in the second cavity, the baffle being located between the first outlet channel and the second outlet channel, the baffle being integrally arranged or fixedly connected with the inner shell. The inner shell is made of heat insulation material, which can reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator and the outside.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of fluid control technology, in particular to a gas-liquid separator and a fluid control assembly. BACKGROUND

[0002] The gas-liquid separator has the function of separating gas phase and liquid phase, and can be arranged before an evaporator and distribute as much liquid refrigerant as possible to the evaporator. The gas-liquid separator can be used in a battery cooling system or a car refrigeration system. When the external environment temperature is high, the heat exchange between the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator and the external environment is easy to occur, so that the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator absorbs heat and evaporates, which produces harmful overheating. SUMMARY

[0003] The purpose of the present application is to provide a gas-liquid separator which can reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator and the external environment.

[0004] The present application discloses a gas-liquid separator, comprising an outer shell, the outer shell comprising a first cavity, characterized in that the gas-liquid separator comprises an inner shell, the inner shell being arranged in the first cavity, the inner shell being made of heat insulation material; the inner shell has a second cavity, the gas-liquid separator comprising an inlet channel, a first outlet channel and a second outlet channel, the inlet channel, the first outlet channel and the second outlet channel all communicating with the second cavity; the gas-liquid separator further comprises a baffle, the baffle being located in the second cavity, the baffle being located between the first outlet channel and the second outlet channel, the baffle being integrally arranged or fixedly connected with the inner shell.

[0005] In the present application, the inner shell is made of heat insulation material, which can reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator and the external environment.

[0006] The present application further discloses a fluid control assembly, which comprises the gas-liquid separator provided by the embodiments of the present application, the fluid control assembly comprising a flow regulating valve and a check valve, the outer shell of the gas-liquid separator abutting and fixedly connected with the barrel of the flow regulating valve, and the outer shell of the gas-liquid separator abutting and fixedly connected with the barrel of the check valve; the inlet channel of the gas-liquid separator communicating with the flow regulating valve, and the first outlet channel of the gas-liquid separator communicating with the check valve. In the present application, the inner shell is made of heat insulation material, which can reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator and the external environment and the heat exchange between the gas-liquid separator and other parts of the fluid control assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the gas-liquid separator in the present application;

[0008] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of an embodiment of the gas-liquid separator in the present application; Figure 1A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure;

[0009] Figure 3 A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure; Figure 1 An exploded view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure;

[0010] Figure 4 A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure; Figure 2 A sectional view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure along line A-A;

[0011] Figure 5 A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure; Figure 2 A sectional view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure along line B-B;

[0012] Figure 6 A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure; Figure 3 An enlarged sectional view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure at D;

[0013] Figure 7 A front view of the gas-liquid separator shown in the figure; Figure 4 A sectional view of the inner shell and the baffle shown in the figure;

[0014] Figure 8 A sectional view of the inner shell and the baffle shown in the figure; Figure 7 A sectional view of the inner shell and the baffle shown in the figure;

[0015] Figure 9 A sectional view of the inner shell and the baffle shown in the figure;

[0016] Figure 10 A sectional view of the fluid control assembly shown in the figure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0018] As Figures 1 to 4As shown, the gas-liquid separator 100 comprises an outer shell 10, which comprises a cylinder 1 and a cover 2, the cylinder 1 and the cover 2 are fixedly connected by screws, of course, they can also be fixedly connected by other ways, such as welding, threaded connection or bonding, etc. A first cavity 11 is formed in the outer shell 10. The cylinder 1 and the cover 2 are sealed by a sealing ring 5. The gas-liquid separator further comprises an inner shell 4, which is arranged in the first cavity 11, at least a part of the inner shell 4 is interference-fitted with the wall forming the first cavity 11. The inner shell 4 has a second cavity 48, and the gas-liquid separator further comprises an inlet channel 12, a first outlet channel 13 and a second outlet channel 22, all of which communicate with the second cavity 48. The gas-liquid separator further comprises a pipe 3 located at least partially in the second cavity 48, the pipe 3 is a straight pipe or substantially a straight pipe, and the pipe 3 is fixedly connected with the cover 2, wherein a part of the second outlet channel is located in the pipe, and another part of the second outlet channel is located in the cover 2.

[0019] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , when the gas-liquid separator is connected to the refrigeration system, the refrigerant in gas-liquid mixed state enters the second cavity 48 through the inlet channel 12. After entering the second cavity 48, the refrigerant in gas-liquid mixed state is centrifugally rotated, and the liquid refrigerant with higher density is separated by centrifugal force. This part of the liquid refrigerant is collected and flows out of the gas-liquid separator through the first outlet channel 13. The gaseous refrigerant with lower density enters the second outlet channel 22 and then flows out of the gas-liquid separator. The first cavity 11 is columnar or substantially columnar. When the gas-liquid separator is in working state, the gas-liquid separator is in vertical state, that is, the axial direction of the first cavity 11 coincides with the vertical direction and the second outlet channel 22 is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separator.

[0020] As shown in Figures 3 to 5 , the inner shell 4 comprises a side wall part 46, which is in the shape of a cylinder, the first cavity 11 is columnar or substantially columnar, the axial direction of the side wall part 46 is the same as or substantially the same as the axial direction of the first cavity 11, and the inner shell 4 is made of heat insulation material. It should be noted that the "heat insulation material" refers to a material with lower thermal conductivity relative to the material of the outer shell 10. The inner shell 4 can be made of plastic, resin or rubber material with heat insulation and corrosion prevention functions. In the case that the external environment is higher than the temperature of the refrigerant, the inner shell 4 can reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant entering the first cavity 11 and the outside through the outer shell 10, reduce the evaporation of the refrigerant in the first cavity 11, and further reduce harmful overheating and increase the efficiency of the refrigeration system. In addition, it can reduce the condensate water generated on the outside of the outer shell 10, and further reduce the circuit hidden danger caused by the falling of condensate water. It should be noted that the "axial direction" in this specification refers to the axial direction of the side wall part 46 unless otherwise specified.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4As shown, the gas-liquid separator 100 further comprises a baffle 41 located in the second cavity 48 between the first outlet passage 13 and the second outlet passage 22. The baffle 41 is plate-shaped and extends along the radial direction of the sidewall portion 46, and has an area greater than the cross-sectional area of the first outlet passage 13. The baffle 41 can separate the first outlet passage 13 and the second outlet passage 22 in the straight line direction, and can reduce the risk of liquid droplets entering the second outlet passage 22.

[0022] As shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8 , the baffle 41 is integrally provided with the inner housing 4, for example, by integral injection molding, which can reduce the number of parts and thus reduce the installation steps and manufacturing costs. In addition, it can reduce the risk of the baffle 41 being detached by the impact of the gas flow or other factors, and improve the reliability. In the present embodiment, the inner housing 4 comprises a connecting portion 42, and the baffle 41 is connected to the inner housing 4 through the connecting portion 42. The inner housing 4 has a plurality of connecting portions 42, which are distributed around the interval, and have a fluid passage between adjacent connecting portions, through which the liquid fluid can enter the second outlet passage. This can further increase the stability of the connection between the baffle 41 and the inner housing 4. The connecting portion 42 is strip-shaped, and has small fluid resistance, which reduces the obstruction to the fluid flowing to the first outlet passage 13. In other embodiments, the baffle 41 can be fixedly connected to the inner housing 4, for example, by clamping or interference fit.

[0023] In other embodiments of the inner housing 4, as shown in Figure 9 , the connecting portion 42 extends along the radial direction of the sidewall portion 46, and the baffle 41 is directly connected to the sidewall portion 46 through the connecting portion 42. This structure simplifies the structure of the inner housing 4 and facilitates the manufacture of the inner housing 4. The simple connecting portion 42 is beneficial to the demolding step in the injection molding process.

[0024] As shown in Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the inner housing 4 includes a first protrusion 47 that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion 46 along the radial direction of the side wall portion. The first protrusion 47 is interference-fitted with the wall 14 forming the first cavity 11, and the side wall portion 46 is clearance-fitted with the wall 14. The first protrusion 47 can fix the inner housing 4. The cover 2 is located at one end in the axial direction of the first cavity 11, and the first protrusion 47 is located at the end near the cover 2. When installing the gas-liquid separator, the friction between the side wall portion 46 and the cylinder 1 is small when the inner housing 4 is inserted into the cylinder 1, which is beneficial for the installation of the inner housing 4. In addition, the gap between the side wall portion 46 and the inner surface 14 can further reduce the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the outer casing 10, thereby improving the heat insulation effect. The first protrusion 47 surrounds the side wall portion 46 along the axial direction of the side wall portion 46. The inner housing 4 includes a through hole 43 penetrating the side wall portion 46, and the through hole 43 is part of the inlet channel 12. The first protrusion 47 surrounds the through hole 43. The first protrusion 47 can seal the joint between the through hole 43 and the inlet channel 12, which can reduce the risk of refrigerant entering the gap between the side wall 46 and the wall 14 through the inlet channel 12.

[0025] like Figure 4 As shown, a portion of tube 3 is located in the second cavity 48, the second outlet channel 22 passes through tube 3, and a baffle 41 is located between tube 3 and the first outlet channel 13. Tube 3 is a straight tube or approximately a straight tube. The axial direction of tube 3 is the same as or approximately the same as the axial direction of the side wall portion 46. A portion of tube 3 is inserted into cover 2, and tube 3 and cover 2 are interference-fitted, so that tube 3 and cover 2 are fixedly connected. When installing tube 3, it can be fixed by inserting tube 3 into the third through hole 23. The installation steps are simple and do not require welding. In this embodiment, tube 3 is made of metal, such as aluminum alloy. In other embodiments of tube 3, tube 3 can be made of plastic or rubber material, which can reduce the overall weight of the gas-liquid separator and is beneficial to the lightweight design of the gas-liquid separator.

[0026] The gas-liquid separator in this solution can be part of the fluid control assembly, and can be connected to the rest of the fluid control assembly by screws or bolts. For example... Figure 10 As shown, in one embodiment of the fluid control assembly, the fluid control assembly includes a flow regulating valve 6 and a check valve 7. The inlet channel 12 of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the flow regulating valve 6, and the first outlet channel 13 of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the check valve 7. The outer shell 10 of the gas-liquid separator abuts against and is fixedly connected to the cylinder of the flow regulating valve 6, and the outer shell 10 of the gas-liquid separator abuts against and is fixedly connected to the cylinder of the check valve 7. This fluid control assembly has a high degree of integration, which can reduce the number of connecting pipelines, thereby reducing the risk of external leakage and improving reliability.

[0027] It should be noted that the above examples are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application and not to limit the technical solutions described in the present application. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above examples, those skilled in the art should understand that the skilled in the art can still modify or equivalently replace the present application, and all technical solutions and improvements that do not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present application should be covered in the scope of claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separator (100), comprising a housing (10), the housing (10) including a first cavity (11), characterized in that, The gas-liquid separator includes an inner shell (4), which is disposed in the first cavity (11). The inner shell (4) is made of heat-insulating material, which is a material with a lower thermal conductivity than the material of the outer shell (10). The inner shell (4) has a second cavity (48), and the gas-liquid separator includes an inlet channel (12), a first outlet channel (13), and a second outlet channel (22), all of which are connected to the second cavity (48). The gas-liquid separator also includes a baffle (41), which is located in the second cavity (48) and between the first outlet channel (13) and the second outlet channel (22). The baffle (41) is integrally formed or fixedly connected to the inner shell (4).

2. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Both the baffle (41) and the inner shell (4) are made of plastic, resin or rubber materials, and the baffle (41) and the inner shell (4) are an integral structure.

3. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first cavity (11) is columnar or substantially columnar; the inner shell (4) includes a side wall portion (46), which is cylindrical, and the axial direction of the side wall portion (46) is the same as or substantially the same as the axial direction of the first cavity (11).

4. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The inner housing (4) includes a first protrusion (47) that protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the side wall portion (46) along the radial direction of the side wall portion; The first protrusion (47) is interference-fitted with the wall (14) forming the first cavity (11), and the side wall portion (46) is clearance-fitted with the wall (14).

5. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The inner housing (4) includes a through hole (43) through the side wall portion (46), the through hole (43) being part of the inlet channel (12); the first protrusion (47) surrounds the through hole (43).

6. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The baffle (41) is plate-shaped and extends radially along the side wall portion. The area of ​​the baffle (41) is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first outlet channel. The inner shell includes a connecting part (42), which is strip-shaped, and the baffle (41) is connected to the inner shell (4) through the connecting part (42).

7. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The outer shell includes a cylindrical body (1) and a cover (2), the cover (2) being located at one end of the first cavity (11) in the axial direction; the first protrusion (47) is located at one end near the cover (2), and the first protrusion (47) surrounds the side wall portion (46) in the axial direction.

8. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The gas-liquid separator also includes a tube (3), a portion of which is located in the second cavity (48), the second outlet channel (22) passing through the tube (3), and the baffle (41) located between the tube (3) and the first outlet channel (13).

9. The gas-liquid separator as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The tube (3) is a straight tube or approximately a straight tube; the axial direction of the tube (3) is the same as or approximately the same as the axial direction of the side wall portion (46); the tube (3) is fixedly connected to the cover (2), the tube (3) and the cover (2) are press-fitted, a part of the second outlet channel (22) is located in the tube (3), and the other part of the second outlet channel (22) is located in the cover (2).

10. A fluid control component, characterized in that, The fluid control assembly includes a gas-liquid separator as described in any one of claims 1-9; the fluid control assembly includes a flow regulating valve (6) and a check valve (7); the outer shell (10) of the gas-liquid separator abuts against and is fixedly connected to the cylinder of the flow regulating valve (6); the outer shell (10) of the gas-liquid separator abuts against and is fixedly connected to the cylinder of the check valve (7); the inlet channel (12) of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the flow regulating valve (6); and the first outlet channel (13) of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the check valve (7).

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