Valve assembly

Abstract

The utility model provides a valve assembly which comprises a valve body, a valve connecting pipe, an adapter piece and a refrigeration piping, the valve connecting pipe is a steel pipe, the adapter piece is made of aluminum, the refrigeration piping is made of aluminum, one end of the adapter piece is connected with the valve connecting pipe in a welded mode, and the other end of the adapter piece is connected with the refrigeration piping in a welded mode. The other end of the adapter piece is connected with the refrigeration piping in a welded mode, and the end, away from the adapter piece, of the valve connecting pipe is connected with the valve body in a welded mode. The aluminum adapter is arranged at the end of the valve connecting pipe, so that the valve is more convenient to connect with the aluminum cold pipe through the adapter, the welding performance is good, and the welding quality is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular relates to a valve assembly. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, copper pipes are mostly used for piping in refrigeration systems, which are expensive. In order to reduce the cost pressure of air conditioner manufacturers and avoid excessive consumption of copper pipes, aluminum pipes are used instead of copper pipes. The piping in refrigeration systems has complex and diverse directions, and most valve pipes are made of steel. How to conveniently connect steel valve pipes with aluminum pipes with complex and diverse directions is an urgent problem that needs to be solved. Utility Model Content

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a valve assembly to address the above problems. The specific solution is as follows:

[0004] The valve assembly includes a valve body, a valve connecting pipe, an adapter, and a refrigeration pipe. The valve connecting pipe is a steel pipe, the material of the adapter includes aluminum, the material of the refrigeration pipe includes aluminum, one end of the adapter is welded to the valve connecting pipe, the other end of the adapter is welded to the refrigeration pipe, and the end of the valve connecting pipe away from the adapter is welded to the valve body.

[0005] The valve assembly provided in the present application is provided with an adapter made of aluminum at the end of the valve connecting pipe, so that the valve is more conveniently connected to the aluminum refrigeration pipe through the adapter, the welding performance is good, and the welding quality is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a first embodiment of a valve assembly;

[0007] Figure 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a valve assembly;

[0008] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged view of

[0009] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the valve assembly without the refrigeration pipe;

[0010] Figure 5 It is a projection schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the valve assembly without the refrigeration pipe;

[0011] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a valve assembly;

[0012] Figure 7 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a second embodiment of a valve assembly;

[0013] Figure 8 Partial cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the valve assembly;

[0014] Figure 9 is Figure 8 partial enlarged view of;

[0015] Figure 10 Projection schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the valve assembly with the refrigeration piping removed;

[0016] 100, valve assembly; 1, valve body; 2, valve connection pipe; 3, adapter; 4, refrigeration piping; 51, first interface portion; 52, second interface portion; 5, refrigeration device; 41, first refrigeration piping; 42, second refrigeration piping; 26, convex portion; 21, first connection end; 40, second connection end; 31, third connection end; 32, fourth connection end; Detailed implementation mode

[0017] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0018] Refer to the attached Figure 1 - attached Figure 10 , the present application provides a valve assembly 100. The valve assembly 100 is used to constitute a refrigerant circulation system in an air-conditioning device. The valve assembly 100 includes a valve body 1, a valve connection pipe 2, an adapter 3, and a refrigeration piping 4. The valve connection pipe 2 is a steel pipe. The material of the adapter 3 includes aluminum. The material of the refrigeration piping 4 includes aluminum. One end of the adapter 3 is welded to the valve connection pipe 2, and the other end of the adapter 3 is welded to the refrigeration piping 4. The end of the valve connection pipe 2 away from the adapter 3 is welded to the valve body 1. With such a setting, by providing an adapter 3 at the end of the valve connection pipe 2, it is convenient to weld the valve connection pipe 2 and the refrigeration piping 4. For the same material, the welding performance is better and the welding quality is high.

[0019] The following briefly introduces the manufacturing process of the valve assembly to illustrate how the adapter 3 facilitates the welding connection between the valve connection pipe 2 and the refrigeration piping 4. Specifically:

[0020] When the valve assembly 100 is installed in a refrigeration system, it needs to be connected to refrigeration components such as a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger through a refrigeration pipe 4. The valve assembly can be a four-way valve, an expansion valve, a throttle valve, a switch valve, etc. The number of refrigeration pipes 4 is consistent with the number of valve pipes. The valve pipe is a steel pipe, and the refrigeration pipe is an aluminum pipe. Tunnel furnace welding is preferred for welding between different materials, which helps to improve the welding quality; however, plastic parts or nylon parts are generally provided in the valve body 1, such as a reversing slider, a seal, etc. Taking the reversing slider as an example, if the reversing slider is installed first and then placed in a tunnel furnace for brazing, the temperature of the tunnel furnace will cause the reversing slider to melt and deform. Therefore, in the manufacturing process of the valve assembly, the valve body 1, the valve pipe, and the refrigeration pipe 4 are generally placed in a tunnel furnace for welding before installing the reversing slider; however, in order to meet the needs of the host customer, the refrigeration pipe 4 in the refrigeration system has a complex and diverse direction and a large volume, which is very inconvenient to weld in a tunnel furnace, and it is not easy to pre-fix before welding. In addition, the direction of the refrigeration pipe 4 is complex and diverse, which will also affect the installation space, path and installation accuracy during the installation of the reversing slider. Therefore, in order to solve the above technical problems, an adapter 3 is arranged at the end of the valve pipe 2. The adapter 3 is relatively small in size. The valve body 1, the valve pipe 2 and the adapter 3 can be first placed in a tunnel furnace for welding, and then the reversing slider can be installed. Finally, the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 are welded. The adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 are both made of aluminum material and can be welded by manual flame brazing or high-frequency welding. This arrangement not only solves the above problems, but also facilitates the host customers to perform welding.

[0021] See also Figures 1-10 , the adapter 3 has the following implementation modes:

[0022] The number of valve pipes 2 is at least 2, the number of adapters 3 is the same as the number of valve pipes 2, the adapters 3 are welded to the valve pipes 2 one by one, and the adapters 3 connect the valve pipes 2 with the corresponding refrigeration pipes 4. One end of the valve pipe 2 is welded to the valve body 1, and the other end is welded to the adapter 3, and the welding method can be tunnel furnace welding, high temperature box welding, high frequency welding, etc.

[0023] Furthermore, the refrigeration system is provided with a plurality of refrigeration pipes 4. One end of the adapter 3 is welded to the valve connecting pipe 2, and the other end is welded to the refrigeration pipe 4. The valve connecting pipe 2 and the adapter 3 are connected by brazing. The brazing method can be tunnel furnace brazing, flame brazing, or high-frequency welding. Preferably, tunnel furnace welding connection is selected, which helps to improve the welding quality. The welding part between the valve connecting pipe 2 and the adapter 3 is filled with aluminum solder. The adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 are welded and connected by flame brazing or high-frequency welding, and the welding part between the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 is filled with aluminum solder. The melting point of aluminum solder is low. When welding, a relatively low welding temperature is required. Using aluminum solder can not only adhere to aluminum pipe fittings relatively more easily, but also reduce the influence of temperature on the stainless steel pipe fittings and internal plastic parts in the valve assembly, which is beneficial to improving the service life and reliability of the valve assembly. Commonly used aluminum solders include aluminum-silicon, aluminum-magnesium, aluminum-manganese, aluminum-sodium, etc. Generally, a flux needs to be added to the solder. Since the surface oxidation ability of aluminum is very strong, it is easy to form an oxide film in the air, resulting in oxidation and burn-through problems during welding. Therefore, when welding aluminum materials, a flux is required, which can also reduce the melting point of aluminum and facilitate welding.

[0024] Furthermore, in order to improve the welding strength between the adapter 3 and the valve connecting pipe 2, the welding length L between the adapter 3 and the valve connecting pipe 2 needs to be of a suitable length. If the length L is too long, solder is wasted, and if it is too short, the welding strength will be insufficient. Define the outer diameter of the valve connecting pipe 2 as d. The welding length L between the valve connecting pipe 2 and the adapter 3 satisfies: L≥1.2d. Here, it should be noted that the welding length in this article refers to the length filled with solder in the weld or welding joint.

[0025] In order to improve the welding strength between the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4, define the wall thickness of the refrigeration pipe 4 as h, the wall thickness of the adapter 3 as h1, and the welding length L1 between the refrigeration pipe 4 and the adapter 3 satisfies: L1≥1.5h; or, L1≥1.5h1.

[0026] Furthermore, the end of the valve connecting pipe 2 connected to the adapter 3 is the first connecting end 21, the end of the refrigeration pipe 4 connected to the adapter 3 is the second connecting end 40, and the two ends of the adapter 3 are the third connecting end 31 and the fourth connecting end 32 respectively.

[0027] When the valve connecting pipe 2 and the adapter 3 are welded and connected, the following can be selected: at least part of the outer wall of the first connecting end 21 is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the third connecting end 31; or, at least part of the inner wall of the first connecting end 21 is welded to at least part of the outer wall of the third connecting end 31.

[0028] Regarding the nesting method of the adapter 3 and the valve connecting pipe 2, preferably, the first connecting end 21 is inserted into the end of the third connecting end 31. That is to say, at least part of the outer wall of the first connecting end 21 is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the third connecting end 31. With this setting, the third connecting end 31 of the adapter 3 is sleeved outside the first connecting end 21 of the valve connecting pipe 2. At present, the general environment is mostly acidic. In an acidic environment, the acid resistance, that is, the corrosion resistance of the aluminum pipe is better than that of stainless steel. In addition, on the premise of ensuring the same pipeline strength, the thickness of the aluminum pipe is generally thicker than that of the steel pipe. Therefore, such a setting can further improve the corrosion resistance of the welded part.

[0029] When the adapter 3 and the refrigeration piping 4 are welded, the following can be selected: at least part of the outer wall of the second connecting end 40 is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the fourth connecting end 32; or, at least part of the inner wall of the second connecting end 40 is welded to at least part of the outer wall of the fourth connecting end 32. To improve the corrosion resistance of the welded part of the adapter 3 and the refrigeration piping 4, preferably: at least part of the outer wall of the second connecting end 40 is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the fourth connecting end 32. To reduce the influence of the pipe diameter on the fluid pressure, preferably, the inner diameter of the valve connecting pipe 2 is the same as the inner diameter of the refrigeration piping 4.

[0030] Furthermore, to improve the welding strength between the valve connecting pipe 2 and the adapter 3, at least part of the outer wall of the first connecting end 21 is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the second connecting end, and a convex portion 26 is provided on at least part of the outer wall of the first connecting end 21 or at least part of the inner wall of the second connecting end 40; or, at least part of the inner wall of the first connecting end 21 or at least part of the outer wall of the second connecting end 40 is welded, and a convex portion 26 is provided on at least part of the inner wall of the first connecting end 21 or at least part of the outer wall of the second connecting end 40; due to the existence of the convex portion 26, there is a fitting gap between the first connecting end 21 and the second connecting end 40. The melted solder flows into the fitting gap and then solidifies, welding the first connecting end 21 and the second connecting end 40 together. The convex portion 26 improves the connection strength between the two. The convex portion 26 here can be obtained by wire drawing, extrusion, etc. Preferably, the convex portion 26 is evenly distributed on the outer wall of the first connecting end 21; or, evenly distributed on the inner wall of the second connecting end 40; or, evenly distributed on the inner wall of the first connecting end 21; or, evenly distributed on the outer wall of the second connecting end 40; further, the extending direction of the convex portion 26 is the same as the axial direction of the first connecting end 21, or, the same as the axial direction of the second connecting end 40, or, the same as the axial direction of the adapter 3.

[0031] The brazing method between the third connection end 31 of the adapter 3 and the first connection end 21 of the valve connection pipe 2 can be tunnel furnace brazing, flame brazing, or high-frequency welding; preferably: tunnel furnace welding connection, which helps to improve the welding quality, and the welding part is filled with aluminum solder; the fourth connection end 32 of the adapter 3 and the second connection end 40 of the refrigeration pipe 4 are welded by flame brazing or high-frequency welding, and the welding part is filled with aluminum solder. In order to reduce the transfer of welding heat during the welding of the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 to the welding part of the adapter 3 and the valve connection pipe 2 and affect the weld quality, in the axial direction of the adapter 3, the axial distances L2 of the first connection end 21 and the second connection end 40, L2 is greater than 0. That is to say, there is an axial space between the first connection end 21 and the second connection end 40, and the axial space can relatively reduce the influence of the heat generated during the welding of the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 on the welding part of the adapter 3 and the valve connection pipe 2; in addition, when the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 are welded, the melted solder moves along the axial direction of the adapter under the action of the capillary. An axial space is provided between the first connection end 21 and the second connection end 40, which can interrupt the capillary and further block the solder from continuing to flow in the direction of the valve connection pipe 2. In this way, the solder at the welding part of the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 will not be affected by the reduction and affect its welding quality and strength.

[0032] In the above text, high-frequency welding or flame brazing is used between the adapter 3 and the refrigeration pipe 4 because the heating speed of high-frequency welding or flame brazing is extremely fast, and aluminum solder is used at the welding part. Both the adapter and the refrigeration pipe 4 are made of aluminum, and the melting point is relatively low. Therefore, the aluminum can absorb heat and melt quickly in a very short time, and the adapter and the refrigeration pipe 4 are heat-melted and combined through the aluminum solder. Thus, the welding time required can be significantly shortened, and the excessive heat accumulation and conduction to the valve body 1 due to too long welding time can be prevented, so as to avoid the heat-melt deformation of the plastic material components in the valve body 1, such as the sealing element, the commutation slider in the valve body 1, etc., to ensure that the valve assembly after welding can still operate normally.

[0033] Further, the refrigeration system will set some refrigeration devices 5 according to the needs of the system. The refrigeration system may also be equipped with a filtering device, which can filter impurities in the refrigeration cycle system and protect the service life of components. In addition, a silencer can be configured on the piping to eliminate or reduce the noise generated by the flowing refrigerant. Moreover, a multi-way component can be configured to form multi-pipeline connections. The refrigeration devices can be filters, silencers, multi-way components, distributors, etc. The refrigeration device 5 is arranged on the return path of the refrigeration piping. The refrigeration piping 4 includes the refrigeration device 5, and the refrigeration device 5 is arranged between the two ends of the refrigeration piping 4; or, the refrigeration device 5 is arranged at the end of the refrigeration piping 4 relatively far from the valve connection pipe 2. The materials of the filter, silencer, multi-way component, and distributor here can be stainless steel, aluminum, etc. That is, the refrigeration device 5 is an aluminum device or a steel device. Specifically, the refrigeration piping 4 includes a first refrigeration piping 41 and a second refrigeration piping 42. The refrigeration device 5 is arranged between the first refrigeration piping 41 and the second refrigeration piping 42. The two ends of the refrigeration device 5 are provided with a first interface portion 51 and a second interface portion 52. One end of the first refrigeration piping 41 is welded to the adapter 3, and the other end is welded to the first interface portion 51; the second interface portion 52 is welded to the second refrigeration piping 42 in one-to-one correspondence. The welding method of the refrigeration device 5 and the refrigeration piping 4 can be tunnel furnace welding, flame brazing, or high-frequency welding.

[0034] The material of the refrigeration device 5 can be the same as that of the refrigeration piping 4 and is made of aluminum material, such as aluminum or aluminum alloy; or it can be different from the material of the refrigeration piping 4 and is made of steel material, such as stainless steel.

[0035] Further, in order to improve the corrosion resistance of the entire valve assembly 100, the adapter 3 is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration; and / or, the refrigeration piping 4 is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration; and / or, the refrigeration device 5 is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration. With this setting, the corrosion resistance and reliability of the entire valve assembly 100 are improved, and it even helps to improve the corrosion resistance of the refrigeration system. Here, an explanation is given: Zinc-aluminum infiltration is a protective layer formed on the surface of aluminum through a zinc infiltration process. This process is a chemical heat treatment process that improves the corrosion resistance and wear resistance of the workpiece surface by infiltrating zinc elements into the workpiece surface.

[0036] The above embodiments only represent several implementation manners of the present application, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patented application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, several deformations and controls can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A valve assembly for a refrigeration system, the valve assembly (100) comprising a valve body (1), valve nozzles (2), adapter fittings (3), and refrigeration pipes (4). The valve nozzles (2) are steel pipes, the adapter fittings (3) are made of aluminum, and the refrigeration pipes (4) are made of aluminum. One end of the adapter fitting (3) is welded to the valve nozzle (2), the other end of the adapter fitting (3) is welded to the refrigeration pipe (4), and the end of the valve nozzle (2) remote from the adapter fitting (3) is welded to the valve body (1).

2. The valve assembly according to claim 1, wherein The number of valve nozzles (2) is at least two, the number of adapter fittings (3) is the same as the number of valve nozzles (2), the adapter fittings (3) are welded to the valve nozzles (2) one by one, and the adapter fittings (3) connect the valve nozzles (2) to the corresponding refrigeration pipes (4).

3. The valve assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, One end of the adapter fitting (3) is connected to the valve nozzle (2) by brazing; the other end of the adapter fitting (3) and the refrigeration pipe (4) are welded by flame brazing or high-frequency welding.

4. The valve assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Define the wall thickness of the refrigeration pipe (4) as h, the wall thickness of the adapter fitting (3) as h1, and the welding length L1 between the refrigeration pipe (4) and the adapter fitting (3) satisfies: L1 ≥ 1.5h; or, L1 ≥ 1.5h1.

5. The valve assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, Define the outer diameter of the valve nozzle (2) as d, and the welding length L between the valve nozzle (2) and the adapter fitting (3) satisfies: L ≥ 1.2d.

6. The valve assembly according to claim 5, wherein, The end of the valve nozzle (2) connected to the adapter fitting (3) is the first connection end (21), the end of the refrigeration pipe (4) connected to the adapter fitting (3) is the second connection end (40), the two ends of the adapter fitting (3) are the third connection end (31) and the fourth connection end (32) respectively. At least part of the outer wall of the first connection end (21) is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the third connection end (31), and at least part of the outer wall of the second connection end (40) is welded to at least part of the inner wall of the fourth connection end (32).

7. The valve assembly according to claim 6, wherein At least part of the outer wall of the first connection end (21), or at least part of the inner wall of the third connection end (31) is provided with a convex portion (26), and the convex portion (26) extends along the axial direction of the adapter fitting (3).

8. The valve assembly according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, In the axial direction of the adapter fitting (3), the axial distance L2 between the first connection end (21) and the second connection end (40) is greater than 0.

9. The valve assembly according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The valve assembly (100) further includes a refrigeration device (5), and the refrigeration device (5) is arranged at the end of the refrigeration pipe (4) relatively remote from the valve nozzle (2); The refrigeration pipe (4) includes a first refrigeration pipe (41) and a second refrigeration pipe (42). Both ends of the refrigeration device (5) are provided with a first interface portion (51) and a second interface portion (52). One end of the first refrigeration pipe (41) is welded to the adapter (3), and the other end is welded to the first interface portion (51); the second interface portion (52) is welded to the second refrigeration pipe (42) in a one-to-one correspondence.

10. The valve assembly according to claim 9, wherein, The adapter (3) is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration; and / or, the refrigeration pipe (4) is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration; and / or, the refrigeration device (5) is made of zinc-aluminum infiltration.

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