Refrigeration apparatus

Abstract

To provide a refrigeration apparatus capable of directly releasing heat generated inside an electrical equipment box to the outside.MEANS FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM: The refrigeration apparatus includes: a refrigerant circuit having a compressor, a gas cooler, an expansion valve and an evaporator; an electrical equipment box disposed in the rear of a machine chamber and housing electronic equipment for electrically controlling the devices that circulate a refrigerant within the refrigerant circuit; and a duct connecting the electrical equipment box and the front surface of the machine chamber, the duct discharging heat generated from the electronic equipment to the outside of the machine chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to refrigeration devices. [Background technology]

[0002] The refrigeration system described in Patent Document 1 has a refrigeration circuit including a compressor, a gas cooler, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor dissipates heat in the gas cooler. The refrigerant that has dissipated heat in the gas cooler is decompressed by the expansion valve and evaporates in the evaporator. The evaporation of the refrigerant at this time cools the surrounding air.

[0003] For example, the expansion valve is an electric expansion valve or a solenoid valve, and the opening and closing of the expansion valve is electrically controlled. For this reason, the refrigeration device has an electrical box that houses a control device and electronic devices (such as an inverter and a control board) for electrically controlling the devices that make up the refrigeration circuit.

[0004] The control device and electronic devices housed in the electrical box generate heat during operation of the refrigeration unit, which can cause the temperature inside the electrical box to rise and reduce the operating efficiency of the refrigeration unit. As a countermeasure to this, the refrigeration unit described in Patent Document 1 exhausts the heat generated inside the electrical box into the machine room.

[0005] In recent years, from the viewpoint of improving the operational efficiency and reliability of refrigeration devices, there has been a need to suppress an increase in temperature inside the refrigeration device, including the machine room. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-174402 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, the refrigeration device described in Patent Document 1 exhausts heat generated in the electrical box to the machine room, which prevents the temperature inside the electrical box from rising, but causes the temperature in the machine room to rise, resulting in the problem that the temperature rise of the entire refrigeration device cannot be prevented.

[0008] Non-limiting examples of the present disclosure contribute to providing a refrigeration device that can directly release heat generated inside an electrical box to the outside. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] A refrigeration device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure comprises a machine room that houses a refrigerant circuit, an electrical box that is located adjacent to the machine room and houses electronic devices that control the refrigerant circuit, and a tubular duct that discharges heat generated by the electronic devices to the outside of the electrical box, and the exhaust portion of the duct is located on a side of the machine room. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a refrigeration device capable of directly dissipating heat generated inside an electrical equipment box to the outside can be provided.

[0011] Further advantages and benefits of an embodiment of the present disclosure will become apparent from the specification and drawings. Such advantages and / or benefits may be provided by some of the embodiments and features described in the specification and drawings, respectively, but not necessarily all of them may be provided to obtain one or more identical features. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a machine room of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a refrigerant circuit of a refrigeration device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a duct according to an embodiment; [Figure 5]Schematic diagram of a cross section of a duct according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exhaust port according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. However, more detailed explanation than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed explanation of already well-known matters or redundant explanation of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following explanation and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0014] The accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0015] A refrigeration device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the refrigeration device 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view of a machine room 2 of the refrigeration device 1 according to the embodiment. Figures 1 and 2 show the refrigeration device 1 with a cover covering the side of the machine room 2 removed. Below, the up / down, left / right, and front / rear directions of the refrigeration device 1 are defined by arrows shown in each drawing. The refrigeration device 1 has a machine room 2 and an electrical box 3.

[0016] The machine room 2 is located on the left side of the refrigeration device 1. The machine room 2 accommodates a refrigerant circuit 10.

[0017] The electrical equipment box 3 is provided adjacent to the machine room 2 and is arranged on the right side of the machine room 2. The electrical equipment box 3 houses electronic devices that control the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0018] In the machine room 2, a compressor 11, a duct 20, an exhaust section 30, piping 40, etc. are provided.

[0019] The compressor 11 sucks in and compresses a refrigerant (for example, a CO2 refrigerant). The compressor 11 circulates the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0020] The duct 20 has a tubular structure, extends in the left-right direction of the refrigeration device 1, connects the electrical box 3 to the left side of the machine room 2, and discharges heat generated by the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 to the outside of the electrical box 3.

[0021] The exhaust section 30 is provided at the opening of the duct 20, and as described above, releases heat generated inside the electrical box 3 to the outside of the machine room 2. The exhaust section 30 also has a dustproof function that prevents moisture, dust, and the like from entering the inside of the machine room 2.

[0022] The piping 40 is a piping that is connected to the oil separator 12. For example, the piping 40 is welded to the oil separator 12. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the devices housed in the machine room 2 are each connected by piping. An appropriate piping is used depending on the temperature and pressure of the refrigerant passing through. The piping 40 forms a flow path through which the refrigerant flows, and is sometimes called a refrigerant piping.

[0023] The refrigerant circuit 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the refrigerant circuit 10 of the refrigeration device 1 according to the embodiment. The refrigerant circuit 10 has a compressor 11, an oil separator 12, a gas cooler 13, an expansion valve 14, a receiver tank 15, a cold energy recovery device 16, inlet expansion valves 17 (17a, 17b), and evaporators 18 (18a, 18b).

[0024] The compressor 11 draws in and compresses the refrigerant that has flowed out from the evaporators 18a and 18b. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 flows into the oil separator 12.

[0025] The oil separator 12 separates oil contained in the refrigerant that flows out from the compressor 11. The oil separated from the refrigerant is returned from the oil separator 12 to the compressor 11. The refrigerant circuit 10 may be configured without the oil separator 12. In this case, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 flows out to the gas cooler 13.

[0026] The gas cooler 13 is a cooling means that cools the refrigerant that flows out of the compressor 11 by dissipating heat. A gas cooler blower that air-cools the gas cooler 13 is disposed near the gas cooler 13. The refrigerant cooled by the gas cooler 13 flows out to the expansion valve 14.

[0027] The expansion valve 14 expands the high-pressure refrigerant that has flowed out from the gas cooler 13. The expansion valve 14 is an expansion means formed of an electric expansion valve, and the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 14 flows into the receiver tank 15. The opening and closing of the expansion valve 14 is controlled, for example, by a control device provided in the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0028] The receiver tank 15 is a tank that temporarily stores excess refrigerant for adjusting the amount of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10. In other words, the receiver tank 15 is a buffer device that stores excess refrigerant for adjusting the amount of refrigerant inside the refrigerant circuit 10. The receiver tank 15 separates the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 14 into saturated liquid refrigerant and gas refrigerant and stores them.

[0029] For example, when an increase in the outside air temperature causes an excess of refrigerant inside the refrigerant circuit 10, the refrigerant circuit 10 recovers the excess refrigerant and stores it in the receiver tank 15.

[0030] Furthermore, for example, when the refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 10 becomes insufficient due to a drop in the outside air temperature, the receiver tank 15 releases the insufficient refrigerant into the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0031] The flow of the refrigerant in the receiver tank 15 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0032] The recovery pipe 151 is a pipe through which the refrigerant expanded by the expansion valve 14 passes when flowing into the receiver tank 15. The receiver tank 15 receives the liquid refrigerant or a mixed refrigerant (liquid / gas mixed refrigerant).

[0033] The liquid discharge pipe 152 is a pipe through which the liquid refrigerant stored in the receiver tank 15 passes when flowing out of the receiver tank 15. The liquid refrigerant that has flowed out of the receiver tank 15 flows into the cold heat recovery device 16.

[0034] The gas release pipe 153 is a pipe through which the gas refrigerant stored in the receiver tank 15 passes when flowing out of the receiver tank 15. The gas refrigerant that has flowed out of the receiver tank 15 passes through the gas release pipe 153 and flows into the gas return valve 154 or the pressure relief valve 155.

[0035] The gas return valve 154 is a valve through which the gas refrigerant that has flowed out of the receiver tank 15 passes before flowing into the compressor 11. For example, when the refrigerant circuit 10 is short of refrigerant, the refrigerant is supplied from the receiver tank 15 to the compressor 11. The opening and closing of the gas return valve 154 is controlled by an electronic device (for example, an electrical valve coil) housed in the electrical box 3.

[0036] The pressure relief valve 155 is a valve through which the gas refrigerant that has flowed out of the receiver tank 15 passes before flowing out of the refrigeration device 1. For example, when the pressure inside the receiver tank 15 exceeds a threshold value, the pressure relief valve 155 opens, and the gas refrigerant is released from the receiver tank 15.

[0037] The cold energy recovery device 16 has a liquid refrigerant flow path and a gas refrigerant flow path, and exchanges heat between the refrigerants flowing through both paths. The cold energy recovery device 16 adjusts the temperature of the refrigerant or increases the energy efficiency of the refrigerant circuit 10.

[0038] The inlet expansion valves 17a and 17b expand the refrigerant that flows in from the cold energy recovery unit 16. The refrigerant in the liquid phase or gas-liquid mixed state that flows into the inlet expansion valves 17a and 17b is expanded by the inlet expansion valves 17a and 17b, which are, for example, electrically operated expansion valves. The refrigerant that flows out of the inlet expansion valves 17a and 17b flows into the evaporators 18a and 18b, respectively, via pipes.

[0039] The evaporators 18a and 18b evaporate the refrigerant that flows in through the inlet expansion valves 17a and 17b. The evaporators 18a and 18b absorb the latent heat required for evaporating the refrigerant from the inside of a showcase (not shown) installed in, for example, a supermarket, and cool or freeze the inside of the showcase.

[0040] The structure of the duct 20 will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the duct 20 according to the embodiment. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the duct 20 according to the embodiment.

[0041] The duct 20 extends in the left-right direction of the refrigeration device 1, has a hollow tubular structure made of metal, and has one end opening 21, one end 22, a middle portion 23, the other end 24, the other end opening 25, and a drain portion 26.

[0042] One end opening 21 opens toward electrical box 3. Heat A generated from the electronic devices housed in electrical box 3 flows into duct 20 from one end opening 21.

[0043] One end 22 is fixed with screws to the electrical box 3. An upper surface 22a of one end 22 extends in the left-right direction, and a bottom surface 22b of one end 22 is inclined downward toward the right of the machine room 2. Therefore, one end opening 21 of duct 20 is large, and duct 20 has a structure that allows heat A to easily flow in.

[0044] The intermediate portion 23 extends in the left-right direction, is formed in a rectangular shape, and has a hollow tubular structure. The intermediate portion 23 has a linear structure so that the duct 20 does not compress the space in the machine room 2.

[0045] The other end 24 is fixed with screws to the left side of the machine room 2. The shape of the other end 24 is inclined downward toward the left. Here, the angle formed between the top surface 23a of the middle portion 23 and the top surface 24a of the other end 24 is defined as angle P, and the angle formed between the bottom surface 23b of the middle portion 23 and the bottom surface 24b of the other end 24 is defined as angle Q.

[0046] When angle P is 0 degrees, high-temperature air has a lower density than room-temperature air and tends to collect upward, so heat A flows out more efficiently from duct 20 (other-end opening 25). However, in this case, other-end opening 25 becomes larger, which can cause a problem in that moisture and foreign matter B can easily enter duct 20.

[0047] Furthermore, there is a possibility that moisture or foreign matter B that has entered the duct 20 will bounce upward from the bottom surface 24b and become more likely to adhere to the upper surface 24a. In particular, moisture that has adhered to the upper surface 24a is likely to be retained and remain within the other end 24.

[0048] 5, in order to prevent moisture or foreign matter B from entering duct 20, it is preferable to set angle P to be greater than 0 degrees. If angle P is large, moisture or foreign matter B that has entered other end 24 flows out of duct 20 along upper surface 24a.

[0049] Like angle P, angle Q is also preferably set to be greater than 0 degrees. If angle Q is large, moisture and foreign matter B that has entered other end 24 falls along bottom surface 24b and flows out of duct 20. This makes it possible to prevent moisture and foreign matter B that has entered duct 20 from reaching electrical box 3 connected to one end 22.

[0050] If the efficiency of the outflow of heat A from the other end opening 25 is more important than preventing moisture and foreign matter B from entering through the other end opening 25, it is preferable that angle Q be larger than angle P.

[0051] The other end opening 25 opens toward the front of the machine room 2. Heat A that flows in from the one end opening 21 flows out of the duct 20 from the other end opening 25. The other end opening 25 is provided with an exhaust section 30 (see FIG. 6 ) that is exposed to the outside from the left side of the machine room 2, and the heat A that flows into the duct 20 is discharged from the exhaust section 30 to the outside of the machine room 2.

[0052] Water drain section 26 is a through hole that discharges moisture (mainly rainwater) that has entered duct 20 from other end opening 25 to the outside of duct 20. The moisture that has entered from other end opening 25 is discharged downward from duct 20 by water drain section 26 before reaching electrical box 3. Water drain section 26 serves to protect electrical box 3 from moisture and humidity.

[0053] The drain portion 26 is a gap formed between the bottom surface 22b of the one end portion 22 that extends into the middle portion 23 and the bottom surface 23b of the middle portion 23. Moisture that has entered the duct 20 is discharged to the outside through this gap.

[0054] Next, the exhaust unit 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the exhaust unit 30 according to the embodiment.

[0055] The exhaust section 30 is provided on the side of the machine room 2 opposite to the side on which the electrical box 3 is provided. Specifically, the exhaust section 30 is provided at the other end opening 25 of the duct 20, and is exposed to the outside from the left side of the machine room 2. Heat A generated by the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 is discharged from the exhaust section 30 to the outside of the machine room 2.

[0056] The exhaust section 30 is a louver-like part having a plurality of blades 31 provided at the other end opening 25, and adjusts the flow of air. Each blade 31 is inclined downward and to the left of the machine room 2.

[0057] To explain the inclination angle of the blade 31, the left direction in Fig. 6 is defined as the +X direction. The downward inclination direction of the blade 31 is defined as the +Y direction, and the angle formed by the direction X and the direction Y is defined as angle θ. The angle θ is the downward inclination angle of the blade 31.

[0058] The angle θ is preferably 45 degrees when considering the balance between the efficiency of exhaust from the exhaust section 30 and the prevention of the intrusion of moisture and foreign matter from the exhaust section 30. For example, when emphasis is placed on the prevention of the intrusion of moisture and foreign matter, it is preferable that the inclination angle of the blades 31 be adjusted so that the angle θ is in the range of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees.

[0059] 6, there is a step of width D between the exhaust section 30 and the other end opening 25 of the duct 20. The blades 31 of the exhaust section 30 are positioned closer to the interior of the machine room 2 than the side surface of the machine room 2 so as not to protrude from the duct 20. Even if the inclination angle of the blades 31 is 0 degrees, the blades 31 do not protrude further forward than the other end opening 25 of the duct 20. In other words, the exhaust section 30 is structured not to protrude from the left side of the machine room 2 (refrigeration device 1).

[0060] <Summary of the embodiment> As described above, the refrigeration device of this embodiment comprises a machine room that houses a refrigerant circuit, an electrical box that is located adjacent to the machine room and houses electronic devices that control the refrigerant circuit, and a tubular duct that discharges heat generated by the electronic devices to the outside of the electrical box, and the exhaust portion of the duct is located on the side of the machine room.

[0061] With this configuration, the refrigeration device 1 can exhaust heat generated by the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 directly to the outside of the machine room 2 from the exhaust section 30 provided on the side of the machine room 2, rather than through the machine room 2. This prevents the electronic devices from overheating and maintains the performance of the refrigeration device 1. It also improves the lifespan of the refrigeration device 1.

[0062] Moreover, since the exhaust section 30 is provided on the side opposite the electrical box 3, it is possible to reduce the impact that heat generated from the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 has on the refrigerant circuit 10 housed in the machine chamber 2. Furthermore, since the air is exhausted from the side opposite the electrical box 3, maintenance of the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 is easy.

[0063] Furthermore, since the exhaust section 30 has the blades 31 with a downward inclination angle of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees, the refrigeration device 1 has a structure that is less susceptible to the effects of rainwater. Therefore, the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 and the refrigerant circuit 10 housed in the machine room 2 can be protected from rainwater.

[0064] Furthermore, by positioning the blades 31 on the inner side of the side surface of the machine chamber 2, there is no need to change the size of the machine chamber 2. Furthermore, since the blades 31 do not protrude from the machine chamber 2, handling of the refrigeration device 1 becomes easy.

[0065] In addition, by making the exhaust section 30 a louver having multiple blades 31 with a downward inclination angle of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees, better ventilation is ensured and the effectiveness of dissipating heat generated by the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 is improved.

[0066] In addition, the duct 20 has a drain portion 26 that discharges water that has entered downward, making it possible to prevent rainwater and the like from accumulating inside the duct 20.

[0067] Although the embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can conceive of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims. It is understood that such modifications or alterations also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments may be combined in any manner without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0068] For example, the exhaust section 30 may be provided on the front or rear surface of the machine chamber 2. In this case, heat generated from the electronic devices housed in the electrical box 3 can be exhausted directly from the front or rear surface of the machine chamber 2 to the outside of the machine chamber 2. Therefore, the same effects as those of the refrigeration device 1 of this embodiment can be obtained.

[0069] In the above-described embodiments, the notation "... part" used for each component may be replaced with other notations such as "... circuitry," "... assembly," "... device," "... unit," or "... module." [Industrial Applicability]

[0070] The present disclosure is useful as a refrigeration device. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1 Refrigeration equipment 2 Machine room 3 Electrical box 10 Refrigerant circuit 11 Compressor 12 Oil separator 13 Gas Cooler 14 Expansion valve 15 Receiver Tank 16 Cold and heat recovery unit 17 Inlet expansion valve 18 Evaporator 20 Duct 21 One end opening 22 One end 23 Middle section 24 Other end 25 Other end opening 26 Water drain 30 Exhaust section 31 Feather panel 40 Piping

Claims

1. a machine room that houses a refrigerant circuit; an electrical equipment box provided adjacent to the machine room and accommodating electronic devices that control the refrigerant circuit; a tubular duct that discharges heat generated from the electronic device to the outside of the electrical box; Equipped with The exhaust portion of the duct is provided on a side surface of the machine room. Refrigeration equipment.

2. The exhaust portion of the duct is provided on a side surface of the machine room opposite to a side surface on which the electrical equipment box is provided. The refrigeration system of claim 1.

3. The exhaust section has blades with a downward inclination angle of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees. The refrigeration system of claim 1.

4. The blades are positioned closer to the interior of the machine chamber than the side surfaces of the machine chamber so as not to protrude from the side surfaces of the machine chamber.

4. The refrigeration system of claim 3.

5. The exhaust section is a louver having a plurality of blades with a downward inclination angle of 45 degrees or more and less than 90 degrees. The refrigeration system of claim 1.

6. The duct has a hole in a bottom surface thereof for discharging water that has entered the duct downward. The refrigeration system of claim 1.

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