Oil separator and air conditioning system
By designing an eccentric inlet and outlet pipe structure in the oil separator, combined with flanges and oil return holes, the problem of insufficient separation effect of existing oil separators is solved, achieving more efficient separation of lubricating oil and refrigerant, and reducing processing difficulty and cost.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- ZHEJIANG DUNAN HETIAN METAL CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing oil separators cannot effectively utilize centrifugal force to separate refrigerant and lubricating oil, resulting in insufficient separation efficiency.
The design incorporates an eccentric arrangement between the air inlet pipe and the cylinder axis, with the outer diameter of the air inlet pipe being D1 ≥ D1/2. Combined with the design of the flange and the air outlet pipe, this enhances the centrifugal separation effect and ensures the return flow of lubricating oil through the oil return hole and oil return pipe.
It improves the separation effect of refrigerant and lubricating oil, enhances the separation capacity of oil separator, and reduces processing difficulty and cost.
Smart Images
Figure CN224517085U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of refrigeration technology, and in particular to an oil separator and an air conditioning system. Background Technology
[0002] Air conditioning compressors require lubricating oil for operation. However, when the compressor discharges refrigerant, some lubricating oil is carried out with the refrigerant. To solve this problem, air conditioning systems are often equipped with oil separators to separate the lubricating oil mixed in with the refrigerant and ensure that the lubricating oil can flow back into the compressor.
[0003] In related technologies, oil separators include a cylinder and an inlet pipe, with the inlet pipe passing through the side wall of the cylinder. In some oil separators, the inlet pipe and cylinder are eccentrically designed, allowing the mixed gas introduced through the inlet pipe to circulate along the inner wall of the cylinder, thereby using centrifugal force to separate lubricating oil and refrigerant. However, existing solutions cannot guarantee the centrifugal speed well, thus limiting the separation effect of the oil separator. Utility Model Content
[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an oil separator and air conditioning system to solve the problem that existing oil separators are not effective enough in separating refrigerant and lubricating oil.
[0005] This application provides an oil separator, which includes a cylinder and an air inlet pipe. An air inlet hole is provided on the side wall of the cylinder, and one end of the air inlet pipe is inserted into the air inlet hole and connected to the cylinder. The axis of the portion of the air inlet pipe inserted into the air inlet hole is eccentrically set relative to the axis of the cylinder, and the eccentricity is defined as L. The outer diameter of the air inlet pipe is D1, and L≥D1 / 2.
[0006] In one embodiment, the oil separator further includes an exhaust pipe, and an exhaust hole is provided at one end of the cylinder along its own axial direction. One end of the exhaust pipe is inserted into the exhaust hole and connected to the cylinder; wherein, the projection of the intake pipe along the axial direction of the intake port at least partially coincides with the exhaust pipe.
[0007] In one embodiment, the inlet of the air inlet pipe is inclined relative to the axis of the air inlet at one end of the cylinder.
[0008] In one embodiment, the oil separator further includes an exhaust pipe. An exhaust hole is provided at one end of the cylinder along its own axial direction. One end of the exhaust pipe is inserted into the exhaust hole and connected to the cylinder. The shortest distance between the inlet of the exhaust pipe inserted into one end of the cylinder and the outer wall of the exhaust pipe is defined as h. The inner diameter of the cylinder is D, and the outer diameter of the exhaust pipe is D2. 1mm≤h<(D-D2) / 2.
[0009] In one embodiment, the oil separator further includes an exhaust pipe, wherein the outer diameter D1 of the intake pipe is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the exhaust pipe.
[0010] In one embodiment, D1 / 2≤L≤D2+D1 / 2.
[0011] In one embodiment, D1 / 2≤L≤D2+D1 / 2.
[0012] In one embodiment, the air inlet is provided with a flange extending toward the outside of the cylinder, and the flange is fitted to the outer periphery of the air inlet pipe.
[0013] In one embodiment, the cylinder is further provided with an oil return hole, and the oil separator further includes an oil return pipe, one end of which is inserted into the cylinder through the oil return hole and connected to the cylinder.
[0014] This application also provides an air conditioning system that includes the oil separator described in any of the above embodiments.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the oil separator and air conditioning system provided in this application, by setting L≥D1 / 2, allows the mixed gas to have a higher centrifugal speed after entering the cylinder through the inlet pipe. This allows the mixed gas to be subjected to a greater centrifugal force, which helps to better separate the refrigerant and lubricating oil in the mixed gas, and greatly improves the separation effect of the oil separator. Attached Figure Description
[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the conventional technology, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the conventional technology will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the oil separator provided in this application;
[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Sectional view at point AA;
[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Sectional view at point BB;
[0020] Figure 4 A graph showing the separation rate of the oil separator provided in this application as a function of h.
[0021] The symbols in the diagram represent the following meanings:
[0022] 100. Oil separator; 10. Cylinder; 101. Air inlet; 102. Air outlet; 103. Oil return hole; 11. Flanged edge; 20. Air inlet pipe; 30. Air outlet pipe; 40. Oil return pipe. Detailed Implementation
[0023] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0024] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or there may be an intermediate component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intermediate component present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this application's specification are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.
[0025] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.
[0026] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature and the second feature are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.
[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[0028] Air conditioning compressors require lubricating oil for operation. However, when the compressor discharges refrigerant, some lubricating oil is carried out with the refrigerant. To solve this problem, air conditioning systems are often equipped with oil separators to separate the lubricating oil mixed in with the refrigerant and ensure that the lubricating oil can flow back into the compressor.
[0029] In related technologies, oil separators include a cylinder and an inlet pipe, with the inlet pipe passing through the side wall of the cylinder. In some oil separators, the inlet pipe and cylinder are eccentrically designed, allowing the mixed gas introduced through the inlet pipe to circulate along the inner wall of the cylinder, thereby using centrifugal force to separate lubricating oil and refrigerant. However, existing solutions cannot guarantee the centrifugal speed well, thus limiting the separation effect of the oil separator.
[0030] Please see Figures 1-4 To address the insufficient separation effect of existing oil separators in separating refrigerant and lubricating oil, this application provides an oil separator 100. The oil separator 100 includes a cylindrical body 10 and an inlet pipe 20. An inlet hole 101 is formed on the side wall of the cylindrical body 10. One end of the inlet pipe 20 is inserted into the inlet hole 101 and connected to the cylindrical body 10. The axis of the portion of the inlet pipe 20 inserted into the inlet hole 101 is eccentrically positioned relative to the axis of the cylindrical body 10, with the eccentricity defined as L. The outer diameter of the inlet pipe 20 is D1, and L ≥ D1 / 2. By setting L ≥ D1 / 2, the mixed gas entering the cylindrical body 10 through the inlet pipe 20 can achieve a higher centrifugal velocity. This allows the mixed gas to be subjected to a greater centrifugal force, thereby facilitating better separation of refrigerant and lubricating oil in the mixed gas and significantly improving the separation effect of the oil separator 100.
[0031] It should be noted that the eccentricity L here refers to: defining a plane perpendicular to the axis of the air inlet 101 as the projection plane, the shortest distance between the orthographic projection of the axis of the air inlet pipe 20 inserted in the air inlet 101 and the axis of the cylinder 10 on this projection plane is the eccentricity between the two.
[0032] Furthermore, in one embodiment, as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, an inlet 101 is provided with a flange 11 extending outward toward the cylinder 10, and the flange 11 is fitted to the outer periphery of the inlet pipe 20. By providing the flange 11, the orientation of the inlet pipe 20 can be better defined, and the strength and stability of the connection between the inlet pipe 20 and the cylinder 10 can be improved. The inlet pipe 20 and the flange 11 can be an interference fit to further enhance the stability of the connection between the inlet pipe 20 and the cylinder 10.
[0033] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the oil separator 100 also includes an outlet pipe 30. An outlet hole 102 is provided at one end of the cylinder 10 along its own axial direction. One end of the outlet pipe 30 is inserted into the outlet hole 102 and connected to the cylinder 10 for discharging the separated refrigerant. The outlet hole 102 and the outlet pipe 30 are both coaxially arranged with the cylinder 10.
[0034] Furthermore, to facilitate the discharge of the separated lubricating oil, in one embodiment, the cylinder 10 is also provided with an oil return hole 103, which is located at the end of the cylinder 10 away from the vent hole 102. The oil separator 100 also includes an oil return pipe 40, one end of which is inserted into and connected to the cylinder 10 through the oil return hole 103. The oil return hole 103 and the oil return pipe 40 are also coaxially arranged with the cylinder 10.
[0035] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the projection of the intake pipe 20 along the axial direction of the intake port 101 at least partially coincides with the exhaust pipe 30. That is, the orthographic projections of the intake pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 30 on the projection plane at least partially overlap. This allows a portion of the mixed gas entering through the intake pipe 20 to collide with the outer wall of the exhaust pipe 30 and accelerate along the outer wall, thereby further increasing the centrifugal velocity of the mixed gas and improving the separation effect. Of course, in other embodiments, the projection of the intake pipe 20 along the axial direction of the intake port 101 may not coincide with the exhaust pipe 30.
[0036] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the inlet of the intake pipe 20 is inclined relative to the axis of the intake hole 101 at one end inserted into the cylinder 10. This increases the area of the intake pipe 20 opening, thereby increasing the output area of the mixed gas. This results in more collisions between the mixed gas and the inner wall of the cylinder 10 per unit time, significantly enhancing the centrifugal motion of the gas. Consequently, the lubricating oil in the mixed gas can be separated more effectively, further improving the separation efficiency between the lubricating oil and the refrigerant.
[0037] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the shortest distance between the inlet of the intake pipe 20 inserted into the cylinder 10 and the outer wall of the outlet pipe 30 is defined as h. The inner diameter of the cylinder 10 is D, and the outer diameter of the outlet pipe 30 is D2, where 1mm ≤ h < (D-D2) / 2. It should be noted that the shortest distance h here refers to the shortest distance between the projection of the end of the intake pipe 20 along the axis of the cylinder 10 and the tangent of the projection of the outer wall of the outlet pipe 30 along the axis of the cylinder 10.
[0038] Understandably, this design prevents the air-fuel mixture from being directly bounced back into the intake pipe 20 after impacting the exhaust pipe 30 due to an excessively small distance between the intake pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 30. Meanwhile, according to... Figure 4 The test results shown clearly indicate that after the distance between the inlet pipe 20 and the outlet pipe 30 reaches (D-D2) / 2, the separation rate will not continue to increase, but the processing difficulty and cost will increase significantly. Therefore, by setting h < (D-D2) / 2, this application can reduce the processing difficulty and processing cost of the oil separator 100 while ensuring the separation rate.
[0039] For example, the distance h between the intake pipe 20 and the exhaust pipe 30 can be set to 1mm, 2mm, 3mm or 4mm, etc., without much limitation, as long as it is less than (D-D2) / 2.
[0040] To reduce pressure loss during refrigerant flow, in this embodiment, the outer diameter D1 of the inlet pipe 20 is set smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the outlet pipe 30. Since the wall thickness of the inlet pipe 20 and the wall thickness of the outlet pipe 30 are basically the same, the inner diameter of the inlet pipe 20 will be smaller than the inner diameter of the outlet pipe 30, thereby facilitating the flow of refrigerant in the oil separator 100.
[0041] Furthermore, the range of L is: D1 / 2 ≤ L ≤ D2 + D1 / 2. This further ensures the centrifugal velocity of the mixed gas entering from the intake pipe 20. In this case, the outer diameter D1 of the intake pipe 20 can be smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the outlet pipe 30, or it can be no smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the outlet pipe 30.
[0042] This application also provides an air conditioning system, which includes the oil separator 100 of any of the above embodiments.
[0043] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0044] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these all fall within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the patent protection scope of this application should be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An oil separator, characterized in that, It includes a cylinder (10) and an air inlet pipe (20). An air inlet hole (101) is provided on the side wall of the cylinder (10). One end of the air inlet pipe (20) is inserted into the air inlet hole (101) and connected to the cylinder (10). The axis of the air inlet pipe (20) inserted into the air inlet hole (101) is eccentrically set relative to the axis of the cylinder (10), and the eccentricity is defined as L. The outer diameter of the air inlet pipe (20) is D1, and L≥D1 / 2.
2. The oil separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The oil separator also includes an air outlet pipe (30). The cylinder (10) has an air outlet hole (102) at one end along its own axial direction. One end of the air outlet pipe (30) is inserted into the air outlet hole (102) and connected to the cylinder (10). The projection of the air inlet pipe (20) along the axial direction of the air inlet hole (101) at least partially coincides with the air outlet pipe (30).
3. The oil separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet of the air inlet pipe (20) is inclined relative to the axis of the air inlet hole (101) at one end of the cylinder (10).
4. The oil separator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The oil separator also includes an air outlet pipe (30). The cylinder (10) has an air outlet hole (102) at one end along its own axial direction. One end of the air outlet pipe (30) is inserted into the air outlet hole (102) and connected to the cylinder (10). The shortest distance between the inlet of the air inlet pipe (20) inserted into one end of the cylinder (10) and the outer wall of the outlet pipe (30) is defined as h, the inner diameter of the cylinder (10) is D, and the outer diameter of the outlet pipe (30) is D2, where 1mm≤h<(D-D2) / 2.
5. The oil separator according to claim 4, characterized in that, The outer diameter D1 of the air inlet pipe (20) is smaller than the outer diameter D2 of the air outlet pipe (30).
6. The oil separator according to claim 5, characterized in that, D1 / 2≤L≤D2+D1 / 2.
7. The oil separator according to claim 4, characterized in that, D1 / 2≤L≤D2+D1 / 2.
8. The oil separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air inlet (101) is provided with a flange (11) extending toward the outside of the cylinder (10), and the flange (11) is fitted to the outer periphery of the air inlet pipe (20).
9. The oil separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cylinder (10) is also provided with an oil return hole (103), and the oil separator also includes an oil return pipe (40). One end of the oil return pipe (40) is inserted into the cylinder (10) through the oil return hole (103) and connected to the cylinder (10).
10. An air conditioning system, characterized in that, Includes the oil separator as described in any one of claims 1-9.