Oil separation device, condenser, and refrigeration system using oil separation device or condenser

Abstract

To provide an oil separation device, a condenser, and a refrigeration system using an oil separation device or condenser.SOLUTION: The oil separation device or the condenser (430) comprises: a shell comprising an oil separation cavity, a first refrigerant inlet, a second refrigerant inlet, a first flow guide channel (445), and a second flow guide channel (446), where a refrigerant gas flowing through the two flow guide channels can be mixed. When the refrigeration system comprises two compressors with different displacements.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Background This application relates to an oil separation device, a condenser, and a cooling system using the oil separation device or the condenser, and more particularly to a cooling system including two compressors.

Background Art

[0002] In existing cooling systems, a lubricant (e.g., lubricating oil) for lubricating a compressor is discharged from the compressor along with the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor. The gaseous refrigerant and the lubricating oil generally complete a complete oil-gas separation through an oil separation device or a condenser with an oil separation function, and the separated lubricating oil is returned to the compressor, and the separated gaseous refrigerant is subsequently condensed into a liquid refrigerant. Specifically, the oil separation device or the condenser with an oil separation function each includes an oil separation cavity in which a filter screen is disposed. In the oil separation cavity, the gaseous refrigerant and the lubricating oil pass through the filter screen, and the lubricating oil is separated from the gaseous refrigerant.

[0003] Generally, the size of the oil separation cavity affects the size of the oil separation device or the condenser with an oil separation function, and the size of the oil separation cavity is also related to the displacement of the compressor. The larger the displacement of the compressor, the greater the flow rate of the mixture of the lubricating oil and the gaseous refrigerant discharged into the oil separation cavity per unit time, and the oil separation cavity needs to have a sufficiently large size to obtain a reasonable flow rate and ensure the separation effect of the lubricating oil and the gaseous refrigerant.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] In a first aspect, this application provides an oil separation device. The oil separation device includes a shell containing an oil separation cavity, a first refrigerant inlet and a second refrigerant inlet disposed on the shell, and a first flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity. The first flow guide channel has an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet of the first flow guide channel is in fluid communication with the first refrigerant inlet such that at least a portion of the refrigerant gas entering the first refrigerant inlet is guided from the inlet of the first flow guide channel to the outlet of the first flow guide channel. The oil separation device also includes a second flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity. The second flow guide channel has an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet of the second flow guide channel is in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet such that at least a portion of the refrigerant gas entering the second refrigerant inlet is guided from the inlet of the second flow guide channel to the outlet of the second flow guide channel. The first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are configured such that the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the second flow guide channel can be mixed.

[0005] According to the foregoing first aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are close to each other.

[0006] According to the foregoing first aspect, the oil separation device further includes at least one communication port for fluid communication with a condensation device, and at least one filter screen disposed in the oil separation cavity transverse to the longitudinal direction of the shell. The at least one filter screen is disposed between the at least one communication port and the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel that are close to each other such that the mixed refrigerant gas can flow through the at least one filter screen to the at least one communication port.

[0007] According to the foregoing first aspect, at least one communication port includes two communication ports respectively arranged at two opposite ends in the longitudinal direction of the shell. At least one filter screen includes a first filter screen and a second filter screen. The first filter screen is arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and one of the two communication ports. The second filter screen is arranged between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the other of the two communication ports.

[0008] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend from the two opposite ends in the longitudinal direction of the shell along the longitudinal direction of the shell towards the center of the shell. The outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are configured to be separated by a certain distance in the longitudinal direction of the shell or offset by a certain distance in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the shell.

[0009] According to the foregoing first aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel is arranged between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the inlet of the first flow guide channel, and the outlet of the second flow guide channel is arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the inlet of the second flow guide channel.

[0010] According to the foregoing first aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel is arranged between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the inlet of the second flow guide channel, and the outlet of the second flow guide channel is arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the inlet of the first flow guide channel.

[0011] According to the foregoing first aspect, the oil separation device further includes a block member arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel.

[0012] According to the foregoing first aspect, the block member is a block plate or a filter screen.

[0013] According to the foregoing first aspect, the position and size of the block member are configured such that the block member can at least partially block the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel in the longitudinal direction of the shell.

[0014] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by the first flow guide baffle and the shell, and the second flow guide channel is formed by the second flow guide baffle and the shell.

[0015] According to the foregoing first aspect, the center of the first flow guide baffle and / or the second flow guide baffle is bent at a certain included angle to form the upper plate and the lower plate.

[0016] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by the first flow guide pipe, and the second flow guide channel is formed by the second flow guide pipe.

[0017] According to the foregoing first aspect, the second flow guide channel has an additional outlet disposed away from the outlet of the first flow guide channel. At least one communication port includes a communication port positioned between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the additional outlet. At least one filter screen includes a filter screen disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the communication port. The oil separation device further includes an additional filter screen disposed between the additional outlet of the second flow guide channel and the communication port.

[0018] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel extends longitudinally into the oil separation cavity of the shell from one end in the longitudinal direction of the shell, and the second flow guide channel extends from the other end in the longitudinal direction of the shell toward the first flow guide channel.

[0019] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by a straight flow guide pipe, and the second flow guide channel is formed by a flow guide baffle and the shell.

[0020] According to the foregoing first aspect, the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend longitudinally side by side into the oil separation cavity of the shell from the center of the shell, and both the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are formed by a straight flow guide pipe. The first flow guide channel is disposed near the second flow guide channel.

[0021] According to the foregoing first aspect, at least one communication port is disposed on the shell for fluid communication with the condensation device in the condenser.

[0022] In a first aspect, at least one object of this application is to provide a condenser. The condenser includes a shell having an accommodation cavity therein, an oil separation baffle disposed in the shell and extending along the length direction of the shell, the oil separation baffle partitioning the accommodation cavity into an oil separation cavity and a condensation cavity, the oil separation baffle including at least one communication port that communicates the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity, an oil separation baffle, a first refrigerant inlet and a second refrigerant inlet disposed on the shell, and a first flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the first flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the first flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the first refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the first refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the first flow guide channel to the outlet of the first flow guide channel, a first flow guide channel, and a second flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the second flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the second flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the second refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the second flow guide channel to the outlet of the second flow guide channel, a second flow guide channel. The first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are configured to enable the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the second flow guide channel to be mixed.

[0023] According to the foregoing second aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are close to each other.

[0024] According to the foregoing second aspect, the condenser further includes at least one communication port for fluid communication with the condensing device, and at least one filter screen disposed in the oil separation cavity across the length direction of the shell. The at least one filter screen is disposed between the at least one communication port and the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel that are close to each other so that the mixed refrigerant gas can flow through the at least one filter screen to the at least one communication port.

[0025] According to the foregoing second aspect, the at least one communication port includes two communication ports respectively disposed at the two opposite ends in the length direction of the shell. The at least one filter screen includes a first filter screen and a second filter screen. The first filter screen is disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and one of the two communication ports. The second filter screen is disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the other of the two communication ports.

[0026] According to the foregoing second aspect, the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend from the two opposite ends in the length direction of the shell toward the center of the shell along the length direction of the shell. The outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are configured to be separated by a certain distance in the length direction of the shell or offset by a certain distance in the direction orthogonal to the length direction of the shell.

[0027] According to the foregoing second aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel is disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the inlet of the first flow guide channel, and the outlet of the second flow guide channel is disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the inlet of the second flow guide channel.

[0028] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the outlet of the first flow guide channel is disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the inlet of the second flow guide channel, and the outlet of the second flow guide channel is disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the inlet of the first flow guide channel.

[0029] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the condenser further includes a block member disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel.

[0030] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the block member is a block plate or a filter screen.

[0031] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the position and size of the block member are configured such that the block member can at least partially block the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel in the longitudinal direction of the shell.

[0032] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by the first flow guide baffle and the shell, and the second flow guide channel is formed by the second flow guide baffle and the shell.

[0033] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by the first flow guide pipe, and the second flow guide channel is formed by the second flow guide pipe.

[0034] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the second flow guide channel has an additional outlet disposed away from the outlet of the first flow guide channel. The at least one communication port includes a communication port positioned between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the additional outlet. The at least one filter screen includes a filter screen disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the communication port. The condenser further includes an additional filter screen disposed between the additional outlet of the second flow guide channel and the communication port.

[0035] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the first flow guide channel extends longitudinally into the oil separation cavity of the shell from one end in the longitudinal direction of the shell, and the second flow guide channel extends from the other end in the longitudinal direction of the shell towards the first flow guide channel.

[0036] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the first flow guide channel is formed by a straight flow guide tube, and the second flow guide channel is formed by a flow guide baffle and the shell.

[0037] According to the aforementioned second aspect, the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend longitudinally side by side into the oil separation cavity of the shell from the center of the shell, and both the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are formed by straight flow guide tubes. The first flow guide channel is disposed near the second flow guide channel.

[0038] In a third aspect, at least one objective of this application is to provide a cooling system. The cooling system includes a compressor unit, an oil separation device which is the oil separation device according to the aforementioned first aspect, a condenser, a throttle device, and an evaporator. The compressor unit, the oil separation device, the condenser, the throttle device, and the evaporator are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circulation loop. The compressor unit includes a first compressor and a second compressor connected in parallel between the oil separation device and the evaporator. The suction port of the first compressor and the suction port of the second compressor are connected to the evaporator. The discharge port of the first compressor is connected to the first refrigerant inlet of the oil separation device, and the discharge port of the second compressor is connected to the second refrigerant inlet of the oil separation device.

[0039] According to the aforementioned third aspect, the displacement of the first compressor is smaller than the displacement of the second compressor.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, at least one objective of this application is to provide a cooling system. The cooling system includes a compressor unit, a condenser which is the condenser according to the aforementioned second aspect, a condenser, a throttle device, and an evaporator. The compressor unit, the condenser, the throttle device, and the evaporator are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circulation loop. The compressor unit includes a first compressor and a second compressor connected in parallel between the condenser and the evaporator. The suction port of the first compressor and the suction port of the second compressor are connected to the evaporator. The discharge port of the first compressor is connected to the first refrigerant inlet of the condenser, and the discharge port of the second compressor is connected to the second refrigerant inlet of the condenser.

[0041] According to the aforementioned fourth aspect, the displacement of the first compressor is smaller than the displacement of the second compressor.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4A

Figure 4B

Figure 4C

Figure 4D

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

[0043] Various embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings that form a part of this specification. It should be understood that directional terms such as "front," "rear," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "top," or "bottom" are used in this application to describe various exemplary structural components and elements of this application. However, these terms used in this specification are for convenience of description only and are determined based on the exemplary directions in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments disclosed in this application can be arranged in different directions. Therefore, these directional terms are used only for description and should not be construed in a limiting sense.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a structural block diagram of one embodiment for the cooling system 100 of this application for illustrating the connection relationship between components in a cooling system including two compressors in parallel. In one embodiment of this application, the condenser 130 has an oil separation function, and the specific structure for achieving the function is described in detail below.

[0045] 1, the cooling system 100 includes a compressor unit, a condenser 130, a throttling device 140, and an evaporator 110, which are connected in series through a pipeline to form a refrigerant circulation circuit. The compressor unit includes a first compressor 108 and a second compressor 109. The displacement (i.e., refrigerant gas flow) of the first compressor 108 is smaller than the displacement of the second compressor 109. The first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109 are connected in parallel between the condenser 130 and the evaporator 110.

[0046] Specifically, the first compressor 108 is provided with a suction port 141, an exhaust port 151, and an oil return port 161. The second compressor 109 is provided with a suction port 142, an exhaust port 152, and an oil return port 162. The condenser 130 is provided with a first refrigerant inlet 121, a second refrigerant inlet 122, a refrigerant outlet 124, and an oil outlet 123. The suction port 141 of the first compressor 108 and the suction port 142 of the second compressor 109 are both connected to the outlet of the evaporator 110. The exhaust port 151 of the first compressor 108 is connected to the first refrigerant inlet 121 of the condenser 130. The oil return port 161 of the first compressor 108 is connected to the oil outlet 123 of the condenser 130. The exhaust port 152 of the second compressor 109 is connected to the second refrigerant inlet 122 of the condenser 130. The oil return port 162 of the second compressor 109 is also connected to the oil outlet 123 of the condenser 130. The refrigerant outlet 124 of the condenser 130 is connected to the throttling device 140.

[0047] The cooling system 100 is filled with a refrigerant and a lubricant (e.g., lubricating oil). The operating process of the cooling system 100 is briefly described below.

[0048] In the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109, the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant flows into the condenser 130 through the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122 on the condenser 130, respectively. In the condenser 130, the high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant first passes through an oil separation cavity 315 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, see FIG. 3), and then is exothermically condensed into a high-pressure liquid refrigerant (which may contain a part of the gaseous refrigerant in some cases) in a condensation cavity 316 (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, see FIG. 3) in the condenser 130. The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant outlet 124 of the condenser 130, flows through the throttle device 140, and is depressurized into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant by the throttle device 140. Subsequently, the low-pressure liquid refrigerant is endothermically evaporated into a low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant in the evaporator 110, and then returned to the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109. The operation is repeated to complete the continuous cooling cycle.

[0049] In the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109, lubricating oil is used to lubricate the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109, and then the lubricating oil is discharged from the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109 together with the gaseous refrigerant. A mixture of the discharged high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and the lubricating oil (hereinafter referred to as the "mixture") enters the condenser 130. In the oil separation cavity 315 of the condenser 130, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is separated from the lubricating oil. The separated high-pressure gaseous refrigerant enters the condensation cavity 316 in the condenser 130 as described above, while the separated lubricating oil is refluxed to the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109 through the oil outlet 123 of the condenser 130.

[0050] For ease of description, the condenser 130 in this application is described as a shell-and-tube condenser. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the condenser 130 can be not only a shell-and-tube condenser, but also a different type of condenser in accordance with the spirit of this application. For example, the condenser 130 can also be a tube-in-tube condenser or the like.

[0051] Figure 2 is a structural perspective view of some embodiments for the condenser 130 in FIG. 1 to illustrate the external structure of the condenser 130 in these embodiments. As shown in FIG. 2, the condenser 130 includes a shell 201. The shell 201 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the left and right ends in the length direction are closed by an end plate 202 and an end plate 204. The shell 201 is provided with a first refrigerant inlet 121, a second refrigerant inlet 122, an oil outlet 123, and a refrigerant outlet 124. The first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122 are positioned at the upper part of the shell 201, and are respectively arranged near the left and right ends of the shell 201. The oil outlet 123 and the refrigerant outlet 124 are positioned at the center of the lower part of the shell 201. The condenser 130 further includes a water supply pipe 206 and a water return pipe 207. The water supply pipe 206 and the water return pipe 207 are arranged on the end plate 202 and can be in fluid communication with a condensation device 313 (for details, refer to FIG. 3) in the condenser 130 so that a cooling medium (for example, water) can flow into and out of the condenser 130.

[0052] The condenser 130 further includes a pipeline 181, a pipeline 182, a pipeline 183, and a pipeline 184. The pipeline 181 is in communication with the first refrigerant inlet 121 such that the first refrigerant inlet 121 is connected to the exhaust port 151 of the first compressor 108. The pipeline 182 is in communication with the second refrigerant inlet 122 such that the second refrigerant inlet 122 is connected to the exhaust port 152 of the second compressor 109. Since the exhaust volume of the first compressor 108 is smaller than that of the second compressor 109, the size of the first refrigerant inlet 121 is smaller than the size of the second refrigerant inlet 122. Therefore, the pipeline 181 has a smaller pipe diameter than the pipeline 182. The pipeline 183 is in communication with the oil outlet 123 such that the oil outlet 123 is connected to an oil return port 161 and an oil return port 162. The pipeline 184 is in communication with the refrigerant outlet 124 such that the refrigerant outlet 124 is connected to a throttle device 140.

[0053] Note that the first refrigerant inlet 121, the second refrigerant inlet 122, the oil outlet 123, and the refrigerant outlet 124 of the condenser can be arranged at different positions depending on specific settings of different condensers. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122 are arranged at the center of the shell 201.

[0054] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity in some embodiments of the condenser 130, which is a general cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 2 with some components omitted and only the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity shown. As shown in FIG. 3, the condenser 130 has a housing cavity 311 in the shell 201. The condenser 130 includes an oil separation baffle 337. The oil separation baffle 337 is disposed obliquely in the shell 201 and extends along the length direction of the shell 201 to be connected to the inner wall of the shell 201. The oil separation baffle 337 partitions the housing cavity 311 into an oil separation cavity 315 and a condensation cavity 316. The components (not shown) accommodated in the oil separation cavity 315 enable the lubricating oil to be separated from the gaseous refrigerant. The condensation device 313 accommodated in the condensation cavity 316 enables the gaseous refrigerant to be condensed into a liquid refrigerant. The upper part of the oil separation baffle 337 is provided with at least one communication port 341, and the at least one communication port 341 is used to communicate the oil separation cavity 315 and the condensation cavity 316 so that the gaseous refrigerant separated from the lubricating oil flows from the oil separation cavity 315 into the condensation cavity 316.

[0055] 2 , the first refrigerant inlet 121, the second refrigerant inlet 122, and the oil outlet 123 are in fluid communication with the oil separation cavity 315. The water supply pipe 206, the water return pipe 207, and the refrigerant outlet 124 are in fluid communication with the condensation cavity 316. The condensing device 313 is disposed in the condensation cavity 316. As an example, the condensing device 313 in this application is a heat exchange tube bundle. The heat exchange tube bundle extends along the length of the shell 201 and is in fluid communication with the water supply pipe 206 and the water return pipe 207.

[0056] 4A to 4D show a first embodiment of a condenser according to the present application, the external structure of which is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the internal condensation cavity is shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view along the axial direction of the shell of the first embodiment of a condenser according to the present application (i.e., along line CC in FIG. 2) to illustrate various components in the oil separation cavity 315, with the water supply pipe 206 and the water return pipe 207 omitted. FIG. 4B is a structural three-dimensional view, seen from the front, of the oil separation baffle 337, the pipelines 181 and 182, and various components in the oil separation cavity 315 of the condenser 430 shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a structural three-dimensional view, seen from the rear, of the various components shown in FIG. 4B. FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view along the radial direction of the shell of the condenser 430 shown in FIG. 4A (i.e., along line BB in FIG. 2), with the end plate 202 omitted.

[0057] 4A to 4D, the condenser 430 includes a left seal plate 471 and a right seal plate 472. The left seal plate 471 and the right seal plate 472 are symmetrically disposed at the left and right ends of the oil separation cavity 315 and are sealingly connected to the shell 201 and the oil separation baffle 337.

[0058] The condenser 430 further includes a first flow guide baffle 431. The left end of the first flow guide baffle 431 is connected to the left seal plate 471, and the first flow guide baffle 431 extends along the length direction (i.e., the left - right direction) of the condenser 430 from the left seal plate 471 to the center of the shell 201. The first flow guide baffle 431 is obliquely disposed above the oil separation cavity 315 and is connected to the inner wall of the shell 201. The center of the first flow guide baffle 431 is bent toward the condensation cavity 316 in the radial cross - section of the shell 201. A first flow guide channel 445 is formed between the first flow guide baffle 431, the left seal plate 471, and the shell 201. The radial cross - section of the first flow guide channel 445 formed by the first flow guide baffle 431 and the shell 201 is generally arched. The first flow guide channel 445 has an inlet 445a and an outlet 445b. The inlet 445a is positioned at the left end of the first flow guide channel 445 and is in fluid communication with the first refrigerant inlet 121. The outlet 445b is positioned at the right end of the first flow guide channel 445. The accommodation cavity positioned below the first flow guide channel 445 in the oil separation cavity 315 is designed to be large enough to sufficiently separate the lubricating oil from the gaseous refrigerant.

[0059] As shown in FIG. 4D, in the radial cross - section of the shell 201, the center of the first flow guide baffle 431 is bent into the shell 201 to form an upper plate 426 and a lower plate 427 that are connected to each other and form an included angle of a certain size. When the first flow guide baffle 431 and the shell 201 are connected at a certain position, the first flow guide baffle 431 is configured in a shape where the center is bent toward the condensation cavity 316 so that the radial cross - sectional area of the first flow guide channel 445 can be increased.

[0060] Similarly, the condenser 430 further includes a second flow guide baffle 432. The right end of the second flow guide baffle 432 is connected to the right seal plate 472, and the second flow guide baffle 432 extends along the length direction (i.e., the left-right direction) of the condenser 430 from the right seal plate 472 to the center of the shell 201. The second flow guide baffle 432 is obliquely disposed above the oil separation cavity 315 and is connected to the inner wall of the shell 201. The center of the second flow guide baffle 432 is also bent toward the condensation cavity 316 in the radial cross-section of the shell 201, and the second flow guide baffle 432 has the same shape as the first flow guide baffle 431. A second flow guide channel 446 is formed between the second flow guide baffle 432, the right seal plate 472, and the shell 201. The radial cross-section of the second flow guide channel 446 formed by the second flow guide baffle 432 and the shell 201 is generally arched. The second flow guide channel 446 has an inlet 446a and an outlet 446b. The inlet 446a is positioned at the right end of the second flow guide channel 446 and is in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet 122. The outlet 446b is positioned at the left end of the second flow guide channel 446. The accommodation cavity positioned below the second flow guide channel 446 in the oil separation cavity 315 is designed to be large enough to sufficiently separate the lubricating oil from the gaseous refrigerant.

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the condenser 430 further includes a block member 434. The block member 434 is disposed between the outlet 445b of the first flow guide channel 445 and the outlet 446b of the second flow guide channel 446 in order to separate the outlet 445b from the outlet 446b. Specifically, the block member 434 is a block plate and is substantially fan-shaped, and the arc shape at the top of the block member coincides with the arc shape of the shell 201 so that the block member 434 can be connected to the shell 201. The radial cross-sectional area of the block member 434 is set to be substantially the same as the radial cross-sections of the outlets 445b and 446b so that the outlets 445b and 446b can be at least partially blocked in the longitudinal direction of the shell 201. This arrangement prevents the outlets 445b and 446b from being directly in front, thereby preventing the mixture flowing out from one of the flow guide channels from entering the other flow guide channel due to high speed.

[0062] After the mixture flows into the condenser 430 through the first flow guide channel 445 and the second flow guide channel 446 respectively, the mixture flowing in from the first flow guide channel 445 does not immediately contact the mixture flowing in from the second flow guide channel 446, but after being blocked by the block member 434, the flow direction is changed and they are substantially mixed in the mixing region 450 (shown as a dot shadow in FIG. 4A).

[0063] It should be noted that the outlet 445b of the first flow guide channel 445, the outlet 446b of the second flow guide channel 446, and the block member 434 are arranged together so that the mixtures flowing out from the outlets 445b and 446b can be substantially mixed in the vicinity of the mixing region 450.

[0064] The aforementioned mixing region 450 generally represents only an approximate gas mixing portion and does not represent a physical division. In different embodiments, the position and size of the mixing region 450 may vary, but the mixing region 450, the outlet 445b of the first flow guide channel 445, and the outlet 446b of the second flow guide channel 446 should be close to each other due to the characteristic that the mixture diffuses immediately after flowing out of the outlet.

[0065] The outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel may be configured not to be completely frontal and to be rotated and offset by a certain angle along the circumferential direction of the shell, or to be separated by a certain distance in the front-rear and up-down directions. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that it is only necessary to ensure that the two outlets are close to each other so that the refrigerant flowing out of the outlets can be mixed. In some embodiments, since the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are not frontal, the block member 434 can be of any shape as shown in the embodiments in FIGS. 8 to 11, or the block member may not exist.

[0066] As shown in FIGS. 4B to 4C, at least one communication port 341 is respectively arranged at the upper parts of the left end and the right end of the oil separation baffle 337, and includes a left communication port 441 and a right communication port 442 that communicate the oil separation cavities 315 and the condensation cavities 316 on both sides of the oil separation baffle 337. Both the left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 are square openings and have the same size.

[0067] The condenser 430 further includes a first filter screen 475 and a second filter screen 476 disposed in the oil separation cavity 315. Specifically, the first filter screen 475 is disposed under a first flow guide baffle 431 positioned between the left communication port 441 and the outlet 445b and is disposed near the left communication port 441. The second filter screen 476 is disposed under a second flow guide baffle 432 positioned between the right communication port 442 and the outlet 446b and is disposed near the right communication port 442. Both the first filter screen 475 and the second filter screen 476 extend radially along the condenser 430 within the oil separation cavity 315 such that the mixture passes through the first filter screen 475 or the second filter screen 476 before flowing from the outlet 445b or the outlet 446b to the left communication port 441 or the right communication port 442 and filters the lubricating oil therein (i.e., the filter screen needs to be connected to the flow guide baffle, the oil separation baffle, and the shell). In this way, the lubricating oil in the mixture cannot be discharged from the left communication port 441 or the right communication port 442 into the condensation cavity 316.

[0068] The operating principles of various components in the oil separation cavity 315 are described in detail below in conjunction with FIG. 4A. The arrows in FIG. 4A indicate the flow paths of the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0069] Specifically, the mixture of high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the first compressor 108 (hereinafter referred to as the "first mixture") enters the oil separation cavity 315 through the first refrigerant inlet 121. The first mixture flows substantially horizontally along the first flow guide channel 445 defined by the first flow guide baffle 431 toward the outlet 445b. The mixture of high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the second compressor 109 (hereinafter referred to as the "second mixture") enters the oil separation cavity 315 through the second refrigerant inlet 122. The second mixture flows substantially horizontally along the second flow guide channel 446 defined by the second flow guide baffle 432 toward the outlet 446b. After the first mixture and the second mixture hit the block member 434 from the left side and the right side respectively, the flow direction changes to a downward flow. Without being blocked by the block member 434, the first mixture and the second mixture are substantially mixed with each other in the mixing region 450 while flowing downward.

[0070] On the other hand, in the condenser 430, the pressure in the condensation cavity 316 is lower than the pressure in the oil separation cavity 315 so that the mixture in the oil separation cavity 315 flows toward the condensation cavity 316. On the other hand, since both the left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 communicate with the condensation cavity 316, the pressures at the left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 are substantially the same, and the sizes of the left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 are also substantially the same. Therefore, when the first mixture and the second mixture are substantially mixed with each other in the mixing region 450, the two mixtures that are divided into substantially the same flow under pressure flow toward the left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 respectively.

[0071] Since the components in the condenser 430 are generally arranged symmetrically about the left and right, the flow directions of the two mixtures are also similar. To simplify the description, this application takes, as an example, the mixture that flows leftward after being mixed, to illustrate the flow of the mixture. Specifically, the mixture flows leftward through the first filter screen 475. The first filter screen 475 has pores, and the lubricating oil in the mixture is attached to the first filter screen 475, thereby separating the lubricating oil from the gaseous refrigerant. On the other hand, since the pressure in the condensation cavity 316 is lower than the pressure in the oil separation cavity 315, the gaseous refrigerant continues to flow into the left communication port 441. On the other hand, the lubricating oil attached to the first filter screen 475 is deposited on the bottom of the oil separation cavity 315 by gravity, and is discharged from the oil separation cavity 315 through the oil outlet 123 at the bottom of the oil separation cavity 315.

[0072] It should be noted that in order to prevent the mixture from directly impacting the first flow guide baffle 431 and the second flow guide baffle 432 when the mixture enters the oil separation cavity 315 at an excessive flow rate, the impact prevention member 438 and the impact prevention member 439 can be respectively disposed on the first flow guide baffle 431 and the second flow guide baffle 432. Specifically, the impact prevention member 438 and the impact prevention member 439 can be respectively disposed at the respective positions of the first flow guide baffle 431 and the second flow guide baffle 432 that are directly in front of the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122. As an example, the impact prevention member can be a filter screen.

[0073] It should also be noted that a baffle (not shown) may be disposed in the oil separation cavity 315 to prevent an excessive flow of the mixture in the oil separation cavity 315 from disturbing the liquid level of the lubricating oil deposited in the oil separation cavity 315. The baffle is connected to the oil separation baffle 337 and the shell 201 between the first filter screen 475 and the second filter screen 476, and is configured to be disposed substantially horizontally relative to the liquid level of the lubricating oil so that the lubricating oil can flow down along the filter screen and be deposited at the bottom of the oil separation cavity 315 while the flow of the mixture does not impact the liquid level of the lubricating oil.

[0074] In a conventional condenser having an oil separation function, in the case of a cooling system including a plurality of compressors, when various compressors are used in parallel in the same cooling system and a common oil separation device or a condenser having an oil separation function is used, air usually enters from both ends in the longitudinal direction (or axial direction) of the oil separation device or the condenser, is filtered by the filter screens respectively, and then is discharged through an exhaust port located at the center in the longitudinal direction (or axial direction) of the oil separation device or the condenser. According to the above-described arrangement, when the exhaust volumes of various compressors are different, the size (or the cross-sectional area in the radial direction) of the oil separation cavity needs to be designed by the compressor with the maximum exhaust volume. However, for a small-exhaust-volume compressor in the cooling system, a large oil separation cavity is not required, and the corresponding oil cross-sectional area is passively enlarged and overdesigned, thereby generating waste.

[0075] In this application, when the displacement of the first compressor 108 is smaller than the displacement of the second compressor 109, the condenser 430 enables the mixture of gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the first compressor 108 and the second compressor 109 to be mixed in the oil separation cavity 315 and then split into two uniform parts for filtration. Therefore, the requirement to completely filter and separate the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil can be satisfied without the need to design the size of the oil separation cavity 315 of the condenser 430 according to the displacement of the large-displacement compressor (i.e., the second compressor 109). Since the size of the oil separation cavity 315 can be reduced, the overall size of the condenser 430 is small.

[0076] As an example, the size of the oil separation cavity 315 can be designed according to the average displacement of the large-displacement compressor (i.e., the second compressor 109) and the small-displacement compressor (i.e., the first compressor 108).

[0077] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the condenser according to this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the second embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 5 indicate the flow path of the mixture of gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0078] Specifically, the structure of the condenser 530 is substantially the same as the structure of the condenser 430 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C. The condenser 530 is different from the condenser 430 in that, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the block member is a filter screen 534 instead of a block plate. The filter screen 534 has pores but still prevents the second mixture discharged from the second compressor 109 from entering the second flow guide channel 446. In addition, the first mixture and the second mixture can still be mixed in the mixing region 550 near the filter screen 534 and then be evenly divided into two parts. The lubricating oil is separated by the first filter screen 475 and the second filter screen 476 respectively and then flows into the condensation cavity 316 for condensation. In this embodiment, the filter screen 534 also serves to adsorb and separate the lubricating oil in the mixture.

[0079] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the third embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 6 indicate the flow paths of the gaseous refrigerant and the lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0080] Specifically, the structure of the condenser 630 is substantially the same as that of the condenser 430 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, and the condenser 630 differs from the condenser 430 in that the specific structures of the first flow guide baffle 631 and the second flow guide baffle 632 at the inlet are different. As shown in FIG. 6, in the condenser 630, the first flow guide baffle 631 near the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second flow guide baffle 632 near the second refrigerant inlet 122 are designed in the shape of a box with an open top. The first flow guide channel 645 is formed by the first flow guide baffle 631 and the shell 201, and the second flow guide channel 646 is formed by the second flow guide baffle 632 and the shell 201. In this way, the flow guide channel can be formed only by the flow guide baffle and the shell, and the left and right seal plates do not need to respectively define the first flow guide channel 645 and the second flow guide channel 646, and the assembly steps of the condenser 630 can be simplified.

[0081] Specifically, the left end of the first flow guide baffle 631 is in the shape of a box with an open top. The right side of the box extends toward the center of the shell 201 in the longitudinal direction of the shell 201 to form the first flow guide channel 645. The bottom of the first flow guide baffle 631 at the left end of the box extends downward to a position lower than the bottom of the first flow guide baffle 631 at other positions so that the flow guide channel radial region of the first flow guide channel in the box is larger than the flow guide channel radial regions at other positions. The right end of the second flow guide baffle 632 is in the shape of a box with an open top. The left side of the box extends toward the center of the shell 201 in the longitudinal direction of the shell 201 to form the second flow guide channel 646. The bottom of the second flow guide baffle 632 at the right end of the box extends downward to a position lower than the bottom of the second flow guide baffle 632 at other positions so that the flow guide channel radial region of the second flow guide channel in the box is larger than the flow guide channel radial regions at other positions.

[0082] The left end of the first flow guide baffle 631 and the right end of the second flow guide baffle 632 are designed in the shape of a box with an open top to increase the flow guide channel radial region near the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122, thereby reducing the velocity of the mixture after entering the condenser 630 and reducing the influence of the mixture on the flow guide baffle. Thus, in this embodiment, an impact prevention member may be provided.

[0083] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 7 indicate the flow paths of the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0084] Specifically, the structure of the condenser 730 is substantially the same as that of the condenser 430 shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the condenser 730 differs from the condenser 430 in that the first flow guide channel 745 and the second flow guide channel 746 are each formed by a pipeline. As shown in FIG. 7, the first flow guide channel 745 is formed by the first flow guide pipe 735, and the second flow guide channel 746 is formed by the second flow guide pipe 736. As an example, the first flow guide pipe 735 extends upward through the first refrigerant inlet 121 disposed on the shell 201 in order to be connected to the exhaust port 151 of the first compressor 108. The second flow guide pipe 736 extends upward through the second refrigerant inlet 122 disposed on the shell 201 in order to be connected to the exhaust port 152 of the second compressor 109.

[0085] In this embodiment, the flow path of the mixture after entering the flow guide channel is limited by directly forming the flow guide channel with the flow guide pipe without additionally providing the left seal plate 471 and / or the right seal plate 472 as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C.

[0086] It should be noted that since the flow guide channel is formed by the flow guide pipe, the first filter screen 775 and the second filter screen 776 need to be connected to the flow guide pipe, the oil separation baffle, and the shell so that the mixture flows into the condensation cavity 316 after passing through the first filter screen 775 or the second filter screen 776.

[0087] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the fifth embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 8 indicate the flow paths of the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315. As shown in FIG. 8, the first flow guide channel 845 and the second flow guide channel 846 in the condenser 830 are each formed by a pipeline.

[0088] Specifically, the first flow guide channel 845 is formed by a straight flow guide pipe 864 that extends upward through the first refrigerant inlet 121 disposed on the shell 201 in order to be connected to the exhaust port 151 of the first compressor 108. The outlet 845b of the first flow guide channel 845 is disposed at the lower end of the first flow guide channel 845.

[0089] The second flow guide channel 846 is formed by the flow guide baffle 863 and the shell 201. The flow guide baffle 863 is spaced a certain distance from the top of the shell 201 and extends horizontally along the length direction of the shell 201. The second flow guide channel 846 is in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet 122. The second flow guide channel 846 has an outlet 846b at its left end and an additional outlet 843 at its right end. The outlet 846b is disposed near the outlet 845b of the first flow guide channel 845. The additional outlet 843 is disposed away from the outlet 845b of the first flow guide channel 845. After the mixture flows into the second flow guide channel 846 from the second refrigerant inlet 122, a part of the mixture flows out from the additional outlet 843, and another part of the mixture flows from right to left and exits from the outlet 846b. The mixture flowing out from the outlet 845b of the first flow guide channel 845 is mixed with the mixture flowing out from the outlet 846b near the mixing region 850.

[0090] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the condenser 830 includes only one communication port 841 disposed at the center of the oil separation baffle 337. The condenser 830 further includes a first filter screen 875 and an additional filter screen 877. The first filter screen 875 is disposed between the outlet 846b of the second flow guide channel 846 and the communication port 841, and the additional filter screen 877 is disposed between the additional outlet 843 of the second flow guide channel 846 and the communication port 841.

[0091] The mixture mixed in the mixing region 850 flows from left to right through the first filter screen 875. After passing through the first filter screen 875, the gaseous refrigerant is separated from the lubricating oil. The gaseous refrigerant separated from the lubricating oil enters the condensation cavity from the communication port 841. The lubricating oil is deposited at the bottom of the oil separation cavity 315 by gravity. The mixture flowing out from the additional outlet 843 hits the right end plate 204 on the right side of the shell 201, and then flows from right to left through the additional filter screen 877. After passing through the additional filter screen 877, the gaseous refrigerant is separated from the lubricating oil. The gaseous refrigerant separated from the lubricating oil enters the condensation cavity from the communication port 841. The lubricating oil is deposited at the bottom of the oil separation cavity 315 by gravity.

[0092] In this embodiment, the mixture discharged from the large displacement compressor (i.e., the second compressor 109) is divided into two parts, one flowing directly through the additional filter screen 877, and the other flowing through the first filter screen 875 after being mixed with the gaseous refrigerant discharged from the small displacement compressor (i.e., the first compressor 108). By designing the size of the additional outlet 843, the flow of the mixture flowing through the additional filter screen 877 and the first filter screen 875 can be made substantially equal, thereby enabling the flow of the mixture to be automatically distributed into two uniform parts for filtration. The size of the oil separation cavity 315 can also be reduced, so the overall size of the condenser 430 is small.

[0093] In this embodiment, since the outlets of the first flow guide channel 845 and the second flow guide channel 846 are not directly facing forward, it should be noted that without providing a block member, it is possible to prevent the mixture flowing out from one of the flow guide channels from entering the other flow guide channel at high speed.

[0094] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the sixth embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 9 indicate the flow paths of the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0095] Specifically, the structure of the condenser 930 is substantially the same as the structure of the condenser 730 shown in FIG. 7, and the condenser 930 is different from the condenser 730 in that the specific settings of the first flow guide channel 945 and the second flow guide channel 946 in the height direction are different. As shown in FIG. 9, the outlet 945b of the first flow guide channel 945 and the outlet 946b of the second flow guide channel 946 of the condenser 930 are arranged on opposite sides and are offset by a certain distance in the height direction such that the outlet 946b is below the outlet 945b in the height direction. Therefore, in this embodiment, without providing a block member, it is possible to prevent the mixture flowing out from one of the flow guide channels from entering the other flow guide channel at high speed.

[0096] In other embodiments, as long as the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are offset by a certain distance in another direction perpendicular to the length direction of the shell, the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel do not have to be tubular, whereby it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the mixture flowing out of one of the flow guide channels is prevented from entering the other flow guide channel at high speed.

[0097] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the seventh embodiment is shown in FIG. 2, and the positional relationship between the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity therein is shown in FIG. 3. The arrows in FIG. 10 indicate the flow path of the mixture of gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0098] Specifically, the structure of the condenser 1030 is substantially the same as that of the condenser 930 shown in FIG. 9, and the condenser 1030 is different from the condenser 930 in that the outlet 1045b of the first flow guide channel 1045 and the outlet 1046b of the second flow guide channel 1046 are arranged at different positions. As shown in FIG. 10, the first flow guide channel 1045 and the second flow guide channel 1046 of the condenser 1030 extend from both ends of the shell 201 toward the center so as to intersect each other, that is, the outlet 1045b of the first flow guide channel 1045 is positioned on the right side of the outlet 1046b of the second flow guide channel 1046. In other words, the outlet 1045b of the first flow guide channel 1045 is positioned between the outlet 1046b of the second flow guide channel 1046 and the inlet 1046a of the second flow guide channel 1046, while the outlet 1046b of the second flow guide channel 1046 is positioned between the outlet 1045b of the first flow guide channel 1045 and the inlet 1045a of the first flow guide channel 1045. At present, without providing a block member, it is possible to prevent the mixture flowing out from one of the flow guide channels from entering the other flow guide channel at a high speed.

[0099] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an eighth embodiment of the condenser of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line C-C in FIG. 2) for illustrating various components in the oil separation cavity 315. The external structure of the condenser according to the eighth embodiment is slightly different from that shown in FIG. 2, and the first refrigerant inlet 121 and the second refrigerant inlet 122 are close to the center in the axial direction of the shell. The positional relationship between the oil separation cavity according to the eighth embodiment and the condensation cavity inside the condenser is shown in FIG. 3. The arrow in FIG. 11 indicates the flow path of the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil mixture in the oil separation cavity 315.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 11, the first flow guide channel 1145 and the second flow guide channel 1146 in the condenser 1130 are formed by a straight flow guide pipe 1164 and a straight flow guide pipe 1169, respectively. The straight flow guide pipe 1164 and the straight flow guide pipe 1169 are arranged side by side at the center of the shell 201. The straight flow guide pipe 1164 extends upward through a first refrigerant inlet 121 arranged on the shell 201 in order to be connected to the exhaust port 151 of the first compressor 108. The straight flow guide pipe 1169 extends upward through a second refrigerant inlet 122 arranged on the shell 201 in order to be connected to the exhaust port 152 of the second compressor 109. The outlet 1145b of the first flow guide channel 1145 is arranged at the lower end of the first flow guide channel 1145. The outlet 1146b of the second flow guide channel 1146 is arranged at the lower end of the second flow guide channel 1146. As an example, the outlet of the first flow guide channel 1145 and the outlet of the second flow guide channel 1146 are arranged back to back. In this way, the mixture flows into the first flow guide channel 1145 and the second flow guide channel 1146 from the first refrigerant inlet 1121 and the second refrigerant inlet 1122, respectively, and flows downward into the oil separation cavity 315 where it is mixed in the mixing region 1150 below the respective outlets.

[0101] Similar to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 4A-4C, the condenser 1130 further includes a first filter screen 1175, a second filter screen 1176, a left communication port 441, and a right communication port 442. The left communication port 441 and the right communication port 442 are disposed at the left end and the right end of the oil separation baffle 337. The mixed mixture is evenly divided into two parts. One part flows through the first filter screen 1175 to separate the lubricating oil. Then, the gaseous refrigerant separated from the lubricating oil flows into the condensation cavity from the left communication port 441. The other part flows through the second filter screen 1176 to separate the lubricating oil. Then, the gaseous refrigerant separated from the lubricating oil flows into the condensation cavity from the right communication port 442.

[0102] Since the outlets of the first flow guide channel 1145 and the second flow guide channel 1146 are arranged back-to-back (not face-on), there is no need to provide a block member.

[0103] Flow guide channels having different structures are designed in each of the foregoing embodiments. However, at least a portion of the mixture from the large displacement compressor can be mixed with the mixture from the small displacement compressor and evenly dispersed before being filtered by controlling the flow path of the mixture. Therefore, the size of the oil separation cavity does not need to be designed according to the displacement of the large displacement compressor, and the requirement of completely filtering and separating the lubricating oil can be satisfied. The condenser of this application can reduce the size requirement of the oil separation cavity and thus the condenser.

[0104] FIG. 12 is a structural block diagram of another embodiment for the cooling system of this application for illustrating the connection relationship between various components in a cooling system including an independent oil separation device. In this embodiment, the condenser does not have an oil separation function. As shown in FIG. 12, the cooling system 1200 includes a compressor unit, a condenser 1230, a throttle device 140, and an evaporator 110, which are sequentially connected through pipelines to form a refrigerant circulation circuit. The oil separation device 1283 is further disposed between the compressor unit and the condenser 1230. The compressor unit includes a first compressor 1208 and a second compressor 1209. In this embodiment, the first compressor 1208 has a smaller displacement (i.e., refrigerant gas flow) than the second compressor 1209, and the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209 are connected in parallel between the oil separation device 1283 and the evaporator 110.

[0105] Specifically, the first compressor 1208 is provided with a suction port 1291, a discharge port 1251, and an oil return port 1261. The second compressor 1209 is provided with a suction port 1242, a discharge port 1252, and an oil return port 1262. The oil separation device 1283 is provided with a first refrigerant inlet 1221, a second refrigerant inlet 1222, an oil outlet 1223, and at least one communication port (i.e., the oil separation device refrigerant gas outlet). As an example, the at least one communication port includes two communication ports (i.e., the oil separation device refrigerant gas outlets) 1241 and 1242. The suction port 1291 of the first compressor 1208 and the suction port 1242 of the second compressor 1209 are both connected to the outlet of the evaporator 110. The discharge port 151 of the first compressor 108 is connected to the first refrigerant inlet 121 of the condenser 130. The oil return port 1261 of the first compressor 1208 is connected to the oil outlet 1223 of the oil separation device 1283. The discharge port 1252 of the second compressor 1209 is connected to the second refrigerant inlet 1222 of the oil separation device 1283. The oil return port 1262 of the second compressor 1209 is also connected to the oil outlet 1223 of the oil separation device 1283. The inlet of the condenser 1230 is connected to the communication ports 1241 and 1242, and the refrigerant outlet 124 of the condenser 1230 is connected to the throttle device 140.

[0106] The cooling system 100 is filled with a refrigerant and a lubricant (e.g., lubricating oil). The operation process of the cooling system 1200 is briefly described below.

[0107] In the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209, the low-temperature and low-pressure gaseous refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant. The high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous refrigerant passes through the first refrigerant inlet 1221 and the second refrigerant inlet 1222 on the oil separation device 1283 respectively, first passes through the oil separation device 1283, and then flows into the condenser 1230 to be condensated by heat dissipation into a high-pressure liquid refrigerant (which may contain a part of the gaseous refrigerant in some cases). The high-pressure liquid refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant outlet 124 of the condenser 1230, flows through the throttle device 140, and is depressurized into a low-pressure liquid refrigerant by the throttle device 140. Subsequently, the low-pressure liquid refrigerant is vaporized by heat absorption into a low-pressure gaseous refrigerant in the evaporator 110 and then returned to the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209. The operation is repeated to complete the continuous cooling cycle.

[0108] In the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209, lubricating oil is used to lubricate the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209, and then the lubricating oil is discharged from the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209 together with the gaseous refrigerant. The mixture of the discharged high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and the lubricating oil (hereinafter referred to as the "mixture") enters the oil separation device 1283. In the oil separation cavity 1315 (not shown, see Fig. 13) of the oil separation device 1283, the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant is separated from the lubricating oil. The separated high-pressure gaseous refrigerant enters the condenser 1230 as described above, while the separated lubricating oil is refluxed to the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209 through the oil outlet 1223 on the oil separation device 1283.

[0109] FIG. 13 is a structural three-dimensional view of some embodiments for the oil separation device 1283 shown in FIG. 12. As shown in FIG. 13, the oil separation device 1283 includes a shell 1301, and the shell 1301 includes an oil separation cavity 1315 therein. The shell 1301 is provided with a first refrigerant inlet 1221, a second refrigerant inlet 1222, an oil outlet 1223, and communication ports 1241 and 1242. As a specific example, the first refrigerant inlet 1221 and the second refrigerant inlet 1222 are positioned at the upper part of the shell 1301, and are respectively arranged near the left end and the right end of the shell 1301. The oil outlet 1223 is arranged at the lower part of the shell 1301. The communication ports 1241 and 1242 are respectively arranged at the left end and the right end of the shell 1301.

[0110] The oil separation device 1283 further includes a pipeline 1281, a pipeline 1282, a pipeline 1284, a pipeline 1285, and a pipeline 1286. The pipeline 1281 is communicated with the first refrigerant inlet 1221 such that the first refrigerant inlet 1221 is connected to the exhaust port 1251 of the first compressor 1208. The pipeline 1282 is communicated with the second refrigerant inlet 1222 such that the second refrigerant inlet 1222 is connected to the exhaust port 1252 of the second compressor 109. The pipeline 1284 is communicated with the oil outlet 1223 such that the oil outlet 1223 is connected to the oil return ports 1261 and 1262. The pipelines 1285 and 1286 are respectively communicated with the communication ports 1241 and 1242 such that the communication ports 1241 and 1242 are connected to the condenser 1230.

[0111] Note that the first refrigerant inlet 1221, the second refrigerant inlet 1222, the oil outlet 1223, and the communication ports 1241 and 1242 of the oil separation device can be arranged at different positions depending on the specific settings of different oil separation devices. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the first refrigerant inlet 1221 and the second refrigerant inlet 1222 are arranged at the center of the shell 201. Also, at least one communication port may not include two communication ports. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, only one communication port may be included.

[0112] The first flow guide baffle 1331, the second flow guide baffle 1332, the block member 1334, the first filter screen 1375, and the second filter screen 1376 are further arranged in the oil separation cavity 1315 of the oil separation device 1283. The first flow guide channel 1345 is formed by the first flow guide baffle 1331 and the shell 1301, and the second flow guide channel 1346 is formed by the second flow guide baffle 1332 and the shell 1301.

[0113] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of the oil separation device 1283 of FIG. 13 along the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13) for illustrating a specific structure in the oil separation cavity 1315. As shown in FIG. 14, the internal structure of the oil separation cavity 1315 is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity 315 of the condenser 430 in FIGS. 4A - 4C, except that the oil separation device 1283 does not include an oil separation baffle and the communication ports originally arranged on the oil separation baffle are directly arranged on the shell 1301. At present, the communication ports are used for fluid communication with the condensation device in the condenser 1230 so that the gaseous refrigerant flowing out from the communication ports can be condensed by the condensation device.

[0114] Specifically, the mixture of high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the first compressor 1208 (hereinafter referred to as the "first mixture") enters the oil separation cavity 1315 and then flows substantially horizontally along the first flow guide channel 1345 to the outlet 1345b. The mixture of high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the second compressor 1209 (hereinafter referred to as the "second mixture") enters the oil separation cavity 1315 and then flows substantially horizontally along the second flow guide channel 1346 to the outlet 1346b. After the first mixture and the second mixture hit the block member 1334 from the left side and the right side respectively, the flow direction is changed to a downward flow, and they are substantially mixed in the mixing region 1450, and on average are divided into two parts and filtered by the first filter screen 1375 and the second filter screen 1376 respectively to separate the lubricating oil. Then the lubricating oil flows into the condenser through the communication ports 1241 and 1242 for condensation.

[0115] Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment for the oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in Figure 13). As shown in Figure 15, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment shown in Figure 13. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in Figure 5. In the embodiment shown in Figure 15, except that the block member is the filter screen 1534 instead of the block plate and the mixing region 1550 of the gaseous refrigerant is generally in the vicinity of the filter screen 1534, it is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in Figure 14.

[0116] FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment for the oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 16, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the third embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the third embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 6, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 except that the left end of the first flow guide baffle 1631 and the right end of the second flow guide baffle 1632 are designed in the shape of a box with an open top.

[0117] FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment for the oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 17, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the fourth embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 7, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 except that the first flow guide channel 1745 and the second flow guide channel 1746 are respectively formed by flow guide pipes.

[0118] FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment for an oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., in the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 18, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the fifth embodiment includes only one communication port 1841, and is slightly different from the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 in that the communication port 1841 is arranged at the rear side of the center of the shell of the oil separation device. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the fifth embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 8. The first flow guide channel 1845 is formed by the straight flow guide tube 1864, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14 except that the outlet 1845b of the first flow guide channel 1845 is arranged at the lower end of the first flow guide channel 1845. The second flow guide channel 1846 is formed by the flow guide baffle 1863 and the shell 1301. The second flow guide channel 1846 has an outlet 1846b at its left end and an additional outlet 1843 at its right end. The outlet 1846b of the second flow guide channel 1846 is close to the outlet 1845b of the first flow guide channel 1845, and the additional outlet 1843 of the second flow guide channel 1846 is away from the outlet 1845b of the first flow guide channel 1845. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the first filter screen 1875 is arranged between the outlet 1846b of the second flow guide channel 1846 and the communication port 1841, and the additional filter screen 1877 is arranged between the additional outlet 1843 of the second flow guide channel 1846 and the communication port 1841.

[0119] FIG. 19 is a cross-sectional view of a sixth embodiment for an oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 19, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the sixth embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the sixth embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 9, except that the outlet of the first flow guide channel 1945 and the outlet of the second flow guide channel 1946 are arranged on opposite sides and are offset by a certain distance in the height direction, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14.

[0120] FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of a seventh embodiment for an oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 20, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the seventh embodiment is the same as that of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the seventh embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 10, except that the first flow guide channel 2045 and the second flow guide channel 2046 extend from both ends of the shell of the oil separation device toward the center respectively and intersect with each other, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14.

[0121] FIG. 21 is a cross-sectional view of an eighth embodiment for an oil separation device of this application in the axial direction of the shell (i.e., in the direction of line D-D in FIG. 13). As shown in FIG. 21, the external structure of the oil separation device according to the eighth embodiment is slightly different from the external structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, and the first refrigerant inlet and the second refrigerant inlet are close to the center in the axial direction of the shell. The internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the oil separation device according to the eighth embodiment is substantially the same as the internal structure of the oil separation cavity of the condenser shown in FIG. 11, except that the first flow guide channel 2145 and the second flow guide channel 2146 are vertical channels respectively formed by the straight flow guide pipe 2164 and the straight flow guide pipe 2169 that extend longitudinally side by side from the center of the shell of the oil separation device to the oil separation cavity 1315, and is substantially the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 14.

[0122] Similar to the aforementioned condenser, in various embodiments of the oil separation device, when the exhaust volume of the first compressor 1208 is smaller than the exhaust volume of the second compressor 1209, the oil separation device 1283 enables the mixture of gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil discharged from the first compressor 1208 and the second compressor 1209 to be mixed in the oil separation cavity 1315 and then split into two uniform parts for filtration. Therefore, the requirement to completely filter and separate the gaseous refrigerant and lubricating oil can be met without the need to design the size of the oil separation cavity 1315 of the oil separation device 1283 according to the exhaust volume of the large exhaust volume compressor (i.e., the second compressor 1209). Since the size of the oil separation cavity 1315 can be reduced, the overall size of the oil separation device 1283 is small.

[0123] From this, it can be seen that, particularly in the case of a cooling system including two compressors with unequal exhaust volumes, the condenser of this application can be provided in a smaller size compared to an existing condenser incorporating an oil separation component. Furthermore, the oil separation device of this application can also be provided in a smaller size compared to an existing oil separation device.

[0124] This application has been described with reference to specific embodiments shown in the drawings, but it should be understood that many variations of the condensers and oil separation devices of this application are possible without departing from the spirit, scope, and background of the teachings of this application. Those skilled in the art will further recognize that there are different ways of changing the structural details of the embodiments disclosed herein, and all of them are included within the spirit and scope of this application and the claims.

Claims

1. An oil separation device, comprising: a shell containing an oil separation cavity therein; a first refrigerant inlet and a second refrigerant inlet disposed on the shell; a first flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the first flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the first flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the first refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the first refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the first flow guide channel to the outlet of the first flow guide channel; a second flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the second flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, the inlet of the second flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the second refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the second flow guide channel to the outlet of the second flow guide channel; The oil separation device, wherein the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel are configured such that the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the second flow guide channel can be mixed.

2. The oil separation device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are close to each other.

3. at least one communication port for fluid communication with a condensation device; at least one filter screen disposed in the oil separation cavity across the longitudinal direction of the shell; The oil separation device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one filter screen is disposed between the at least one communication port and the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel that are close to each other so that the mixed refrigerant gas can flow through the at least one filter screen to the at least one communication port.

4. The at least one communication port includes two communication ports respectively arranged at two opposite ends in the longitudinal direction of the shell. The at least one filter screen includes a first filter screen and a second filter screen. The first filter screen is arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and one of the two communication ports. The oil separation device according to claim 3, wherein the second filter screen is arranged between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the other of the two communication ports.

5. The first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend from the ends at two opposite sides in the longitudinal direction of the shell towards the center of the shell along the longitudinal direction of the shell. The oil separation device according to claim 1, wherein the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are configured to be separated by a distance in the longitudinal direction of the shell or offset by a distance in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the shell.

6. The oil separation device further comprises a block member arranged between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel. The oil separation device according to claim 5, wherein the position and size of the block member are configured such that the block member can at least partially block the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel in the longitudinal direction of the shell.

7. The oil separation device according to claim 6, wherein the block member is a block plate or a filter screen.

8. The oil separation device according to claim 5, wherein the first flow guide channel is formed by a first flow guide baffle and the shell, and the second flow guide channel is formed by a second flow guide baffle and the shell.

9. A condenser, a shell having an accommodation cavity therein, An oil separation baffle disposed in the shell and extending along the length direction of the shell, wherein the oil separation baffle partitions the accommodation cavity into an oil separation cavity and a condensation cavity, and the oil separation baffle is provided with at least one communication port for communicating the oil separation cavity and the condensation cavity. A first refrigerant inlet and a second refrigerant inlet disposed on the shell. A first flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the first flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet of the first flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the first refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the first refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the first flow guide channel to the outlet of the first flow guide channel. A second flow guide channel disposed in the oil separation cavity, the second flow guide channel having an inlet and an outlet, and the inlet of the second flow guide channel being in fluid communication with the second refrigerant inlet so as to guide at least a part of the refrigerant gas entering the second refrigerant inlet from the inlet of the second flow guide channel to the outlet of the second flow guide channel. A condenser configured such that the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the refrigerant gas flowing out from the outlet of the second flow guide channel are mixed. [

10. ] The condenser according to claim 9, wherein the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are close to each other. [

11. ] At least one communication port for fluid communication with a condensation device. The condenser further includes at least one filter screen disposed in the oil separation cavity transverse to the length direction of the shell. The condenser according to claim 10, wherein the at least one filter screen is disposed between the at least one communication port and the outlets of the first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel that are close to each other, such that the mixed refrigerant gas can flow through the at least one filter screen to the at least one communication port.

12. The at least one communication port includes two communication ports respectively disposed at opposite ends in the length direction of the shell, The at least one filter screen includes a first filter screen and a second filter screen, The first filter screen is disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and one of the two communication ports, The condenser according to claim 11, wherein the second filter screen is disposed between the outlet of the second flow guide channel and the other of the two communication ports.

13. The first flow guide channel and the second flow guide channel extend from opposite ends in the length direction of the shell toward the center of the shell along the length direction of the shell, The condenser according to claim 9, wherein the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel are configured to be separated by a distance in the length direction of the shell or offset by a distance in a direction orthogonal to the length direction of the shell.

14. The condenser further includes a block member disposed between the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel, The condenser according to claim 13, wherein the position and size of the block member are configured such that the block member can at least partially block the outlet of the first flow guide channel and the outlet of the second flow guide channel in the length direction of the shell.

15. The condenser according to claim 14, wherein the block member is a block plate or a filter screen.

16. The first flow guide channel is formed by the first flow guide baffle and the shell, and the second flow guide channel is formed by the second flow guide baffle and the shell. The condenser according to claim 13.

17. A cooling system, A compressor unit, An oil separation device, wherein the oil separation device is the oil separation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, A condenser, A throttle device, An evaporator, and is provided with, The compressor unit, the oil separation device, the condenser, the throttle device, and the evaporator are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circulation loop, The compressor unit includes a first compressor and a second compressor connected in parallel between the oil separation device and the evaporator, The suction port of the first compressor and the suction port of the second compressor are connected to the evaporator, The discharge port of the first compressor is connected to the first refrigerant inlet of the oil separation device, and the discharge port of the second compressor is connected to the second refrigerant inlet of the oil separation device. Cooling system.

18. The exhaust volume of the first compressor is smaller than the exhaust volume of the second compressor. The cooling system according to claim 17.

19. A cooling system, A compressor unit, A condenser, wherein the condenser is the condenser according to any one of claims 9 to 16, A throttle device, An evaporator, and is provided with, The compressor unit, the condenser, the throttle device, and the evaporator are sequentially connected to form a refrigerant circulation loop, The compressor unit includes a first compressor and a second compressor connected in parallel between the condenser and the evaporator, The suction port of the first compressor and the suction port of the second compressor are connected to the evaporator, The discharge port of the first compressor is connected to the first refrigerant inlet of the condenser, and the discharge port of the second compressor is connected to the second refrigerant inlet of the condenser. Cooling system.

20. The exhaust volume of the first compressor is smaller than the exhaust volume of the second compressor. The cooling system according to claim 19.

Images