Laser refrigeration system capable of self-adapting to refrigerant, control method thereof and optical fiber laser

Abstract

The invention provides a laser refrigerating system self-adaptive to refrigerants and a control method thereof and an optical fiber laser, the refrigerating system comprises a cooling loop used for allowing the refrigerants to circularly flow, the cooling loop comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttling device which are communicated in sequence, and the throttling device comprises at least two throttling elements which are connected in parallel in sequence; the throttling elements are respectively matched with different refrigerants; the control method of the refrigerating system comprises the following steps that before a compressor is started, the initial temperature and the initial pressure of a refrigerant in a cooling loop are collected; according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure, the type of a refrigerant in the cooling loop is judged; according to the type of the refrigerant in the cooling loop, the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant is opened, and meanwhile the other throttling elements are closed; and according to the type of the refrigerant in the cooling loop, the flow of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted. According to the technical scheme, the problem that the system stability and reliability are poor when different refrigerants are filled can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of fiber lasers, and in particular to a laser refrigeration system with an adaptive refrigerant and a control method thereof, and a fiber laser. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, as the industrial field continues to accelerate towards high-end and intelligent development, the advantages of fiber lasers have gradually become apparent, and the market penetration rate has continued to rise. Laser equipment is indispensable in the manufacturing of intelligent equipment, and it is also one of the key roles in the manufacturing industry's move towards high-end and intelligent development. With the widespread application of fiber lasers, there is an increasing demand for high-power lasers, but in the development and production process of lasers, the main components generate heat when they are working. The higher the power, the greater the heat generated, resulting in low or abnormal working efficiency of the components.

[0003] If the temperature of the laser changes, the length of the laser light emission will also change accordingly. Therefore, according to the above data, the increase in the temperature of the components and the resulting increase in the temperature of the laser will cause the laser to not have good working performance, so the research on the heat dissipation performance of the laser is urgent and is also the key to the normal operation of the laser. In the existing technology, the laser refrigeration equipment cannot match the flow rate for various types of refrigerants, which seriously affects the stability and reliability of the laser. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to overcome the above-mentioned defects of the prior art and to provide a laser refrigeration system with an adaptive refrigerant and a control method thereof, as well as a fiber laser, so as to avoid the problems of poor system stability and reliability caused by filling with different refrigerants.

[0005] This application solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0006] The present application provides a method for controlling a refrigeration system of an adaptive refrigerant, wherein the refrigeration system comprises a cooling circuit for circulating a refrigerant, wherein the cooling circuit comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttling device connected in sequence, wherein the throttling device comprises at least two throttling elements connected in parallel, and each of the throttling elements matches a different refrigerant;

[0007] The control method comprises:

[0008] S10, before starting the compressor, collecting the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit;

[0009] S20, determining the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure;

[0010] S30, according to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, opening the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant, and closing the remaining throttling elements;

[0011] S40, adjusting the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant according to the type of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit.

[0012] As a preferred solution, judging the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure includes:

[0013] The initial temperature and the initial pressure are matched with saturated temperature and pressure tables of different refrigerants to obtain the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit.

[0014] As a preferred solution, adjusting the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant according to the type of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit includes:

[0015] Starting the compressor, collecting the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant at the suction end of the compressor in real time, and calculating the superheat of the cooling circuit according to the saturated temperature and pressure table of the selected refrigerant;

[0016] According to the superheat, the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted.

[0017] As another aspect of the present application, a laser refrigeration system is also provided, comprising a cooling circuit and a control module;

[0018] The cooling circuit comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttling device which are connected in sequence, and the refrigerant circulates in the evaporator, the compressor, the condenser and the throttling device, and the throttling device comprises at least two throttling elements which are connected in parallel in sequence, and each of the throttling elements is matched with a different refrigerant;

[0019] The control module includes a controller, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor. The controller is electrically connected to each of the throttling elements, respectively. The temperature sensor is used to collect the temperature of the refrigerant, and the pressure sensor is used to collect the pressure of the refrigerant. The controller adjusts the opening of each of the throttling elements according to the temperature of the refrigerant collected by the temperature sensor and the pressure of the refrigerant collected by the pressure sensor.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment, it also includes a cooling branch, which includes a branch solenoid valve and a branch throttling element connected in sequence, the end of the branch throttling element facing away from the branch solenoid valve is connected to the pipeline between the compressor and the evaporator, and the end of the branch solenoid valve facing away from the branch throttling element is connected to the pipeline between the compressor and the condenser.

[0021] As a preferred solution, the cooling circuit further comprises a liquid storage tank, and the liquid storage tank is arranged on the pipeline between the condenser and the throttling device.

[0022] As a preferred solution, the condenser includes a heat exchanger and a fan for dissipating heat for the heat exchanger.

[0023] As a preferred solution, the heat exchanger is a fin-tube heat exchanger or a microchannel heat exchanger.

[0024] As a preferred solution, the number of the evaporator is at least one. When the number of the evaporators is more than two, the evaporators are connected in series in sequence.

[0025] As another aspect of the present application, a fiber laser is also proposed, comprising a refrigeration system as described in any of the above solutions.

[0026] The positive effects of this application are:

[0027] The present application sets at least two throttling elements in parallel, each throttling element matches a different refrigerant, and determines the type of refrigerant before starting the compressor, and selects a throttling element that matches the refrigerant, so that the refrigeration system can run more reliably and stably after the compressor is started. The refrigeration system of the present application can automatically select a throttling element that matches the charged refrigerant to control the system operation, which can solve the problem of throttling mismatch that occurs randomly in an instant during laser debugging or use, which leads to unit shutdown and failure to dissipate heat. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of a method for controlling a refrigeration system with an adaptive refrigerant in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the laser cooling system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the control module and the throttling device of the laser cooling system of an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Description of reference numerals:

[0032] 10. Evaporator; 11. First evaporator; 12. Second evaporator;

[0033] 20. Compressor;

[0034] 30. Condenser; 31. Radiator; 32. Fan;

[0035] 40. throttling device; 41. throttling element;

[0036] 50. Liquid storage tank;

[0037] 60. Cooling branch; 61. Branch solenoid valve; 62. Branch throttling element;

[0038] 71. First stop valve; 72. Second stop valve;

[0039] 80. Controller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 : is a flow chart of a method for controlling a refrigeration system using an adaptive refrigerant in an embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the structure of the laser refrigeration system of the embodiment of the present application. The present application first proposes a method for controlling a refrigeration system of an adaptive refrigerant. The refrigeration system includes a cooling circuit for circulating the refrigerant. The cooling circuit includes an evaporator 10, a compressor 20, a condenser 30 and a throttling device 40 connected in sequence. The throttling device 40 includes at least two throttling elements 41 connected in parallel, and each throttling element matches a different refrigerant. The refrigerant circulates in the evaporator 10, the compressor 20, the condenser 30 and the throttling device 40.

[0042] The control method of the present application specifically includes:

[0043] S10, before the compressor is started, collecting the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit;

[0044] S20, judging the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure;

[0045] S30, according to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, opening the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant, and closing the remaining throttling elements;

[0046] S40. According to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted.

[0047] In the above technical solution, at least two throttling elements 41 are arranged in parallel, and each throttling element 41 is matched with a different refrigerant, so that when filling different refrigerants, the corresponding throttling element 41 can be matched in time to provide stability in the operation of the refrigeration system. Different refrigerants have different flow rates, and need to match the throttling element 41 that meets its flow range, so that the flow of the throttling element 41 can be accurately controlled to improve the stability of the operation of the refrigeration system.

[0048] In the above technical scheme, the compressor 20 compresses the refrigerant to turn the refrigerant into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. The high-temperature and high-pressure gas enters the condenser 30 to exchange heat with the environment, is cooled and condensed into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid, and the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid is throttled by the throttling device 40 to be transformed into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid mixed state. The low-temperature and low-pressure gas-liquid mixed state enters the evaporator 10 to absorb the heat of the heat source in the laser and is evaporated into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas. The low-temperature and low-pressure gas enters the compressor 20 and is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas. This process is repeated to cool the heat source in the laser.

[0049] In some embodiments, the number of throttling elements can be configured according to the actual demand of the refrigerant, which can be 3, 4 or even more, and each throttling element is connected in parallel. In this way, by opening and closing different throttling elements according to different refrigerants, the refrigerant flow in the cooling circuit can be accurately controlled, and there will be no throttling mismatch that affects the laser stability and reliability.

[0050] In a specific embodiment, the throttling element 41 may be an electronic expansion valve or a valve with adjustable opening, so as to facilitate automatic control of its opening.

[0051] refer to Figure 2 In a specific embodiment, the throttling device 40 includes two throttling elements 41 connected in parallel, specifically, they are electronic expansion valves.

[0052] In a specific embodiment, the condenser 30 includes a heat exchanger 31 and a fan 32, and the fan 32 performs heat exchange for the heat exchanger 31. Preferably, in the laser, the heat exchanger 31 can be a fin-tube heat exchanger 31 or a microchannel heat exchanger 31, which has high heat dissipation efficiency and small size.

[0053] In a specific embodiment, the evaporator 10 may be a direct cooling plate with a refrigerant channel therein, which has high heat dissipation efficiency and a small size.

[0054] In a specific embodiment, the number of the evaporator 10 is at least one, and the number of the evaporators 10 may be one, two, or more than two. When the number of the evaporators 10 is more than two, the evaporators 10 are connected in series in sequence.

[0055] Please continue to refer to Figure 2In a specific embodiment, the evaporator 10 includes a first evaporator 11 and a second evaporator 12. The first evaporator 11 is a first heat source optical module of the laser for heat dissipation. For example, the optical module includes a pump source and / or an optical fiber, etc. The second evaporator 12 is a second heat source electrical module of the laser for heat dissipation. For example, the electrical module includes a control chip and / or a power supply, etc. In this specific embodiment, the first evaporator 11 and the second evaporator 12 are preferably both direct cooling plates with a refrigerant channel therein, which have high heat dissipation efficiency and small size.

[0056] Optionally, the cooling circuit further includes a liquid storage tank 50. Figure 2 As shown, the liquid storage tank 50 is arranged on the pipeline between the condenser 30 and the throttling device 40. The liquid storage tank 50 is used to buffer the liquid refrigerant or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant coming out of the condenser 30 to balance the pressure fluctuation of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 2 In a specific embodiment, the refrigeration system also includes a cooling branch 60, and the cooling branch 60 includes a branch solenoid valve 61 and a branch throttling element 62 that are connected in sequence. The end of the branch throttling element 62 that is away from the branch solenoid valve 61 is connected to the pipeline between the compressor 20 and the evaporator 10, and the end of the branch solenoid valve 61 that is away from the branch throttling element 62 is connected to the pipeline between the compressor 20 and the condenser 30. The cooling branch 60 is mainly used in the standby mode, that is, the state when the laser does not emit light after the compressor 20 is started, to maintain the heat absorption and heat release balance at the front and rear ends of the compressor 20, so that the compressor 20 does not need to be shut down in the standby mode.

[0058] In a specific embodiment, the branch throttling element 62 is a capillary tube, which converts the high-temperature and high-pressure gas at the outlet of the compressor 20 into low-temperature and low-pressure gas. In other embodiments, the branch throttling element 62 can also be a throttling device such as an electronic expansion valve that can automatically control the opening and closing degree.

[0059] refer to Figure 1 The cooling circuit also includes a first stop valve 71 and a second stop valve 72. The first stop valve 71 is arranged before the inlet of the evaporator 10, and the second stop valve 72 is arranged after the outlet of the evaporator 10. The first stop valve 71 and the second stop valve 72 are used to cut off the refrigerant in the cooling circuit to facilitate maintenance and recovery of the refrigerant.

[0060] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The present invention also provides a laser refrigeration system, including a cooling circuit and a control module.

[0061] The cooling circuit includes an evaporator 10, a compressor 20, a condenser 30 and a throttling device 40 which are connected in sequence. The refrigerant circulates in the evaporator 10, the compressor 20, the condenser 30 and the throttling device 40. The throttling device 40 includes at least two throttling elements 41 which are connected in parallel in sequence. Each throttling element 41 matches a different refrigerant.

[0062] The control module includes a controller 80, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor. The controller 80 is electrically connected to each throttling element 41, respectively. The temperature sensor is used to collect the temperature of the refrigerant, and the pressure sensor is used to collect the pressure of the refrigerant. The controller 80 adjusts the opening, closing, and flow of each throttling element 41 according to the temperature of the refrigerant collected by the temperature sensor and the pressure of the refrigerant collected by the pressure sensor.

[0063] Preferably, the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor are both disposed at the suction end of the compressor 20 to detect the temperature and pressure of the suction end of the compressor 20 in real time.

[0064] When the laser is in use, before the compressor 20 is started, the controller 80 is first powered on. The controller 80 controls the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor to respectively collect the real-time temperature and real-time pressure of the suction end of the compressor 20 in real time. Then, the controller 80 compares the collected initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant with the saturated temperature and pressure tables of various refrigerants pre-stored in the controller 80 to determine the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit. After that, the controller 80 opens the throttling element 41 corresponding to the refrigerant according to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, and closes the remaining throttling elements 41 at the same time. After that, the controller 80 controls all energized elements on the refrigeration system to start. After the compressor 20 is started, the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor respectively collect the temperature and pressure of the suction end of the compressor 20 in real time. The controller 80 calculates the superheat of the refrigeration system based on the real-time collected temperature and pressure and the saturated temperature and pressure table of the refrigerant pre-stored in the controller 80, and controls the opening of the throttling element 41 according to the superheat.

[0065] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 , for the adaptive refrigerant refrigeration system control method disclosed in the present invention, specifically:

[0066] S10, before the compressor 20 is started, the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit are collected.

[0067] In this step, the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant are collected before the compressor 20 is started, so as to prevent a large fluctuation in the power of the compressor 20.

[0068] S20: Determine the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure.

[0069] Specifically, the determination method of this step includes the following process: matching the initial temperature and initial pressure with the saturated temperature and pressure tables of different refrigerants to obtain the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit.

[0070] S30. According to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, the throttling element 41 corresponding to the refrigerant is opened, and the remaining throttling elements 41 are closed at the same time. In this way, the throttling element 41 that matches the refrigerant is selected before the compressor 20 is started, thereby avoiding the problem of unstable operation of the refrigeration system caused by the mismatch between the flow control range of the throttling element 41 and the refrigerant.

[0071] S40. According to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, the flow rate of the throttling element 41 corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted.

[0072] Specifically, an implementation method of this step includes: starting the compressor 20, collecting the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant at the suction end of the compressor 20 in real time, and calculating the superheat of the cooling circuit according to the saturated temperature pressure table of the selected refrigerant;

[0073] According to the degree of superheat, the flow rate of the throttling element 41 corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted.

[0074] Preferably, the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant in step S10 are achieved by collecting the temperature and pressure of the suction end of the compressor 20. Optionally, a set of temperature sensors and pressure sensors can be provided at the suction end of the compressor 20.

[0075] As another aspect of the present application, a fiber laser is also proposed, comprising a laser cooling system as in any of the above solutions.

[0076] The implementation of the embodiment of the present application will have the following beneficial effects: the present application sets at least two throttling elements in parallel, each throttling element matches a different refrigerant, and by first judging the type of refrigerant before starting the compressor, selecting a throttling element that matches the refrigerant, the refrigeration system can run more reliably and stably after the compressor starts. The refrigeration system of the present application can automatically select a throttling element that matches the charged refrigerant to control the system operation, which can solve the problem of throttling mismatch that occurs randomly when the laser is debugged or used, which leads to the shutdown of the unit and the inability to dissipate heat, and is conducive to improving the stability and reliability of the fiber laser.

[0077] Although the specific implementation methods of the present application are described above, those skilled in the art should understand that this is only an example, and the protection scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these implementation methods without departing from the principles and essence of the present application, but these changes and modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a refrigeration system with an adaptive refrigerant, characterized in that: The refrigeration system comprises a cooling circuit for circulating a refrigerant, the cooling circuit comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttling device which are connected in sequence, the throttling device comprises at least two throttling elements connected in parallel, and each of the throttling elements is matched with a different refrigerant; The control method comprises: S10, before starting the compressor, collecting the initial temperature and initial pressure of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit; S20, determining the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure; S30, according to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, opening the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant, and closing the remaining throttling elements; S40. According to the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit, adjust the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant.

2. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The determining the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit according to the initial temperature and the initial pressure includes: The initial temperature and the initial pressure are matched with saturated temperature and pressure tables of different refrigerants to obtain the type of refrigerant in the cooling circuit.

3. The control method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of adjusting the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant according to the type of the refrigerant in the cooling circuit includes: Starting the compressor, collecting the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant at the suction end of the compressor in real time, and calculating the superheat of the cooling circuit according to the saturated temperature and pressure table of the selected refrigerant; According to the superheat, the flow rate of the throttling element corresponding to the refrigerant is adjusted.

4. A laser cooling system, characterized in that: Includes cooling circuit and control module; The cooling circuit comprises an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser and a throttling device which are connected in sequence, and the refrigerant circulates in the evaporator, the compressor, the condenser and the throttling device, and the throttling device comprises at least two throttling elements which are connected in parallel in sequence, and each of the throttling elements is matched with a different refrigerant; The control module includes a controller, a temperature sensor, and a pressure sensor. The controller is electrically connected to each of the throttling elements, respectively. The temperature sensor is used to collect the temperature of the refrigerant, and the pressure sensor is used to collect the pressure of the refrigerant. The controller adjusts the opening of each of the throttling elements according to the temperature of the refrigerant collected by the temperature sensor and the pressure of the refrigerant collected by the pressure sensor.

5. The laser cooling system according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a cooling branch, which includes a branch solenoid valve and a branch throttling element that are connected in sequence, the end of the branch throttling element that faces away from the branch solenoid valve is connected to the pipeline between the compressor and the evaporator, and the end of the branch solenoid valve that faces away from the branch throttling element is connected to the pipeline between the compressor and the condenser.

6. The laser cooling system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cooling circuit further comprises a liquid storage tank, which is arranged on a pipeline between the condenser and the throttling device.

7. The laser cooling system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The condenser includes a heat exchanger and a fan for dissipating heat for the heat exchanger.

8. The laser cooling system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The heat exchanger is a fin-tube heat exchanger or a microchannel heat exchanger.

9. The laser cooling system according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that: The number of the evaporators is at least one. When the number of the evaporators is more than two, the evaporators are connected in series in sequence.

10. A fiber laser, characterized in that: Comprising a refrigeration system as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 9.

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