Air conditioner gas-liquid separator

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air -liquid separator of air conditioner, including jar body, inlet pipe, outlet pipe, the bottom of jar body is connected with the base, and the base has the central chamber in it, and the piston is equipped in the central chamber, and the central chamber below the piston is filled with gas, the position of jar body in -jar body bottom position is equipped with the pressure -bearing disc, and the pressure -bearing disc bottom is connected with the connecting rod and passes jar body bottom and extends to the central chamber above the piston in the base in, and the connecting rod can slide with jar body bottom, and the lower end fixed connection of connecting rod is in the piston top, and the spring is still connected between the pressure -bearing disc and jar body bottom. The utility model discloses can promote the liquid state refrigerant heat absorption evaporation in the air -liquid separator, and has the advantage that the energy consumption is little.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to gas-liquid separators, specifically air conditioning gas-liquid separators. Background Technology

[0002] Under ideal operating conditions, the gaseous refrigerant output from the compressor is condensed into a liquid state by the condenser. After further cooling by a throttling device, it is sent to the evaporator. In the evaporator, the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat from the air flowing over its surface and condenses back into a gaseous state. This gaseous refrigerant then returns to the compressor for further compression. However, in cases of insufficient heat exchange in the evaporator (such as during frost), the refrigerant output from the evaporator contains both gaseous and liquid refrigerant. Therefore, a gas-liquid separator is needed to separate the mixed refrigerant output from the evaporator. The gaseous refrigerant is directly output to the compressor, while the liquid refrigerant remains in the separator, absorbs heat from the surrounding environment, evaporates back into a gaseous state, and is then output to the compressor via the same separator.

[0003] Existing gas-liquid separator structures such as Figure 1 As shown, the system includes a tank 1, an inlet pipe 2, and an outlet pipe 3. One end of the inlet pipe 2 connects to the air conditioner evaporator, while the other end extends from the top of the tank 1 into the tank 1. The outlet pipe 3 is U-shaped, with most of its body located inside the tank 1. One end of the outlet pipe 3 extends from the top of the tank 1 and connects to the compressor, while the other end remains inside the tank 1. The height of the outlet pipe 3 within the tank 1 is higher than the height of the inlet pipe 2 within the tank 1. The mixed refrigerant output from the evaporator enters the tank 1 through the inlet pipe 2. The gaseous portion returns directly to the compressor through the outlet pipe 3 within the tank 1. The liquid portion remains at the bottom of the tank 1, absorbs heat from the outside, evaporates back into a gaseous state, and then returns to the compressor through the outlet pipe 3 within the tank 1. In this gas-liquid separator structure, the liquid refrigerant relies on heat exchange with the outside to absorb heat and evaporate again, resulting in a slower return speed to the compressor and a reduced amount of refrigerant participating in the cooling process throughout the air conditioning system.

[0004] To address the aforementioned issues, existing technologies involve adding a heater to the outside of the tank 1. This heater actively heats the liquid refrigerant inside the tank 1, causing it to evaporate rapidly. However, the heater consumes electrical energy, leading to increased energy consumption in the air conditioning system. Utility Model Content

[0005] This invention provides an air-liquid separator for air conditioning, which solves the problem of high energy consumption in existing air-liquid separators that use heaters for heating.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this utility model is as follows: An air conditioning gas-liquid separator includes a closed tank, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe. One end of the inlet pipe is connected to the air conditioning evaporator, and the other end of the inlet pipe extends into the tank. One end of the outlet pipe is connected to the compressor, and the other end of the outlet pipe extends into the tank. The outlet pipe is located at a higher height than the inlet pipe. A base is connected to the bottom of the tank. The base has a central chamber. A piston is installed in the central chamber, which divides the central chamber into upper and lower parts. The central chamber below the piston is filled with gas. The tank is equipped with a pressure plate near the bottom, and a connecting rod is connected to the bottom of the pressure plate. The connecting rod extends downward through the bottom of the tank and into the central cavity above the piston in the base. The connecting rod can slide relative to the bottom of the tank, and the lower end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the top of the piston. A spring is also connected between the pressure plate and the bottom of the tank, and the pressure plate is made of the spring.

[0007] Furthermore, the base is made of a thermally conductive material.

[0008] Furthermore, the base is made of heat-insulating material, and the base is also provided with multiple side cavities surrounding the central chamber. One end of each side cavity is connected to the central chamber below the piston, and the other end of each side cavity is located on the top surface of the base and close to the bottom of the tank. A heat-conducting block is fixedly inserted into the other end of each side cavity. The central chamber and each side cavity form a connected chamber, and the gas fills the connected chamber.

[0009] Furthermore, the gas is helium.

[0010] Furthermore, a flow control valve is installed on the inlet pipe.

[0011] In this invention, a pressure plate withstands the hydraulic pressure generated by the gradually increasing liquid refrigerant within the tank. Under pressure, the pressure plate moves downwards, causing a piston to move downwards within the central chamber of the base, compressing the spring. During this downward movement, the piston compresses the gas below, performing work on the gas and raising its temperature, generating heat. This heat is conducted to the tank, causing the liquid refrigerant inside to absorb heat and evaporate again. When the liquid refrigerant evaporates to the point where the liquid level drops, the pressure plate returns to its original position under the spring force. Thus, this invention utilizes the potential energy of the continuously increasing liquid refrigerant within the tank, converting this potential energy into heat and conducting it to the liquid refrigerant, thereby promoting its heat absorption and evaporation.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, this invention has the advantage of low energy consumption when promoting the heat absorption and evaporation of liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1This is a structural diagram of an existing gas-liquid separator.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0016] like Figure 2 As shown, this embodiment discloses an air conditioning gas-liquid separator, including a tank 1, an inlet pipe 2, and an outlet pipe 3. One end of the inlet pipe 2 is connected to the air conditioning evaporator, and the other end of the inlet pipe 2 extends from the top of the tank 1 into the tank 1. The outlet pipe 3 is U-shaped, with most of its body located inside the tank 1. One end of the outlet pipe 3 extends from the top of the tank 1 and connects to the compressor, while the other end of the outlet pipe 3 remains inside the tank 1. The height of the outlet pipe 3 within the tank 1 is higher than the height of the inlet pipe 2 within the tank 1.

[0017] The bottom of the tank 1 is connected to a base 4, which is made of a heat-conducting material such as copper. The base 4 has a central chamber 5, and a piston 6 is installed in the central chamber 5. The piston 6 divides the central chamber 5 into upper and lower parts, and the central chamber 5 below the piston 6 is filled with gas.

[0018] A pressure plate 7 is located near the bottom of the tank body 1. The pressure plate 7 is made of a material with a density less than that of the air conditioning refrigerant. A connecting rod 8 is connected to the bottom of the pressure plate 7. A vertical through hole is opened at the bottom of the tank body 1. The connecting rod 8 extends downward through the vertical through hole at the bottom of the tank body 1 into the central chamber 5 above the piston 6 in the base 4. The vertical through hole allows the connecting rod 8 to slide relative to the bottom of the tank body 1. A sealing ring is provided inside the vertical through hole at the bottom of the tank body 1, which is fitted onto the connecting rod 8 to achieve a seal between the connecting rod 8 and the vertical through hole at the bottom of the tank body 1. The lower end of the connecting rod 8 is fixedly connected to the center of the top of the piston 6.

[0019] A spring 9 is also connected between the pressure plate 7 and the bottom of the tank body 1. The spring 9 is sleeved outside the connecting rod 8 between the pressure plate 7 and the bottom of the tank body 1, and the pressure plate 7 is supported by the spring 9.

[0020] In this embodiment, as the liquid refrigerant continuously accumulates at the bottom of the tank 1, the liquid refrigerant level in the tank 1 continuously rises, increasing the hydraulic pressure on the pressure plate 7, which in turn causes the pressure plate 7 to move downwards. When the pressure plate 7 moves downwards, it drives the piston 6 to move downwards in the central chamber 5 of the base 4 via the connecting rod 8, at which time the spring 9 is compressed.

[0021] As piston 6 moves downward within the central chamber 5, it compresses the gas in the lower central chamber 5, thus doing work on the gas and raising its temperature to generate heat. Part of the heat generated by the gas is conducted to the tank 1 through the base 4, made of thermally conductive material. This allows the liquid refrigerant in the tank 1 to absorb heat and rapidly evaporate into a gaseous state. During this process, the hydraulic potential energy of the liquid refrigerant is used to do work on the gas in the central chamber 5 of the base 4, thereby raising its temperature and generating heat to promote the rapid evaporation of the liquid refrigerant, increasing its evaporation rate.

[0022] When the liquid refrigerant evaporates to the point where the liquid level drops, the hydraulic pressure of the liquid refrigerant in tank 1 decreases. Since spring 9 was previously compressed, the elastic force of spring 9 can be used to reset the pressure plate 7 and piston 6 as a whole.

[0023] Since using thermally conductive materials for the entire base 4 would be too costly, as an improvement to this embodiment, thermal insulation material is used instead of thermally conductive material for the base 4. The base 4 also includes multiple side chambers 10 surrounding the central chamber 5. One end of each side chamber 10 connects to the lower side of the central chamber 5 below the piston 6, while the other end of each side chamber 10 is located on the top surface of the base 4 and is tightly attached to the bottom of the tank 1. A copper thermally conductive block 11 is fixedly inserted into the other end of each side chamber 10, and the periphery of the thermally conductive block 11 is sealed to the opening of the corresponding side chamber 10 via a sealing ring. The central chamber 5 and the various side chambers 10 form a connected chamber, and gas fills the connected chamber 10.

[0024] In this structure, when the piston 6 moves down, it compresses the gas in the entire connected chamber, causing the gas in the connected chamber to heat up and generate heat. The heat is conducted to the bottom of the tank 1 through the heat-conducting blocks 11 in the openings of each side cavity 10 that are close to the bottom of the tank 1, thereby causing the liquid refrigerant contained at the bottom of the tank 1 to absorb heat and evaporate.

[0025] As an improvement to this embodiment, a gas-liquid dual-purpose valve 12 is installed on the inlet pipe 2. This valve acts as a flow control valve, controlling the flow rate of refrigerant output from the evaporator to the tank 1. When a large amount of liquid refrigerant accumulates in the tank 1, the gas-liquid dual-purpose valve 12 reduces the refrigerant flow from the evaporator to the tank 1, or directly shuts off the refrigerant flow. Flow control, on the one hand, reduces the refrigerant flow into the tank 1 (reducing it to 0 when shut off), ensuring that the liquid level in the tank 1 drops during evaporation. This avoids the problem of the evaporation rate of the liquid refrigerant in the tank 1 always being less than the inflow rate due to excessive refrigerant flow from the evaporator, thus preventing the liquid level in the tank 1 from failing to drop. On the other hand, flow control allows the compressor to fully utilize the liquid refrigerant accumulated in the tank 1, preventing the introduction of new liquid refrigerant before all liquid refrigerant has evaporated, thus avoiding the problem of insufficient utilization of the liquid refrigerant in the tank 1.

[0026] In the above embodiments, the gas selected is a gas with a small molar heat capacity at constant volume. Gases with a small molar heat capacity at constant volume are more likely to heat up when external work is done on them. Specifically, helium is used.

[0027] The preferred embodiments of this utility model have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely descriptions of preferred embodiments and are not intended to limit the concept and scope of this utility model. The various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. Such combinations, as long as they do not violate the spirit of this utility model, should also be considered as part of this disclosure. To avoid unnecessary repetition, this utility model will not further describe all possible combinations.

[0028] This utility model is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of this utility model and without departing from the design idea of ​​this utility model, all modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solution of this utility model should fall within the protection scope of this utility model. The technical content for which protection is sought in this utility model has been fully recorded in the claims.

Claims

1. An air conditioning gas-liquid separator, comprising a closed tank, an inlet pipe, and an outlet pipe, wherein one end of the inlet pipe is connected to an air conditioning evaporator, and the other end of the inlet pipe extends into the tank; one end of the outlet pipe is connected to a compressor, and the other end of the outlet pipe extends into the tank, wherein the height of the outlet pipe opening within the tank is higher than the height of the inlet pipe opening within the tank, characterized in that, The tank body is connected to a base at the bottom, and the base has a central chamber. A piston is installed in the central chamber, which divides the central chamber into upper and lower parts. The central chamber below the piston is filled with gas. The tank is equipped with a pressure plate near the bottom, and a connecting rod is connected to the bottom of the pressure plate. The connecting rod extends downward through the bottom of the tank and into the central cavity above the piston in the base. The connecting rod can slide relative to the bottom of the tank, and the lower end of the connecting rod is fixedly connected to the top of the piston. A spring is also connected between the pressure plate and the bottom of the tank, and the pressure plate is made of the spring.

2. The air conditioning gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base is made of thermally conductive material.

3. The air conditioning gas-liquid separator according to claim 1, characterized in that, The base is made of heat-insulating material and has multiple side cavities surrounding the central chamber. One end of each side cavity is connected to the central chamber below the piston, and the other end of each side cavity is located on the top surface of the base and close to the bottom of the tank. A heat-conducting block is fixedly inserted into the other end of each side cavity. The central chamber and each side cavity form a connected chamber, and the gas fills the connected chamber.

4. The air conditioning gas-liquid separator according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The gas is helium.

5. The air conditioning gas-liquid separator according to claim 4, characterized in that, A flow control valve is installed on the inlet pipe.

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