Three-way pipe and air conditioning system using this three-way pipe

Abstract

A three-way pipe (100) including a three-way pipe body (10) and a connecting member (20), the three-way pipe body being connected to an external pipeline via the connecting member, the three-way pipe body being a stainless steel three-way pipe, and the connecting member being a copper pipe or an aluminum pipe, and an air conditioning system (200) using the three-way pipe. Since the three-way pipe uses a stainless steel three-way pipe body, it is possible to increase the strength of the three-way pipe, reduce the manufacturing cost, and extend the service life of the three-way pipe.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed on July 7, 2021, bearing application number 202121540428.7 and entitled "Three-way pipe and air conditioning system using the same," the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of air conditioning, and in particular to a three-way pipe and an air conditioning system using the three-way pipe. [Background technology]

[0003] Three-way pipes are widely used in the air conditioning industry. Copper three-way pipes are often used as heat exchanger pipes in ordinary air conditioners, but copper three-way pipes have low strength and limitations in their processing, so stress concentrates at the corners where the cross-sectional shape changes suddenly, resulting in thin wall thickness in these areas, making them susceptible to damage from fluid impacts.

[0004] Three-way piping in some large air conditioning units involves connecting pipe fittings made of two different materials, but welding different types of metal is usually complicated, which increases manufacturing costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] According to various embodiments of the present application, a three-way pipe and an air conditioning system using the three-way pipe are provided.

[0006] The three-way pipe includes a three-way pipe body and a connecting member. The three-way pipe body is connected to an external pipeline via the connecting member. The three-way pipe body is a stainless steel three-way pipe, and the connecting member is a copper pipe or an aluminum pipe.

[0007] In one embodiment, one end of the connecting member that is connected to the three-way pipe body is provided with a positioning portion that radially matches the three-way pipe body, and the other end is connected to an external pipeline, and the positioning portion is used to limit the connection length between the connecting member and the three-way pipe body.

[0008] In one embodiment, the connecting member is inserted into the three-way pipe body, and the positioning portion is a reduced-diameter segment formed by radially contracting the connecting member, or the connecting member is fitted into the three-way pipe body, and the positioning portion is an enlarged-diameter segment formed by radially expanding the connecting member.

[0009] In one embodiment, the three-way pipe body includes a first connection port, a second connection port, and a third connection port. The second connection port and the third connection port are provided on the same axis. The connecting member includes a first connecting member, a second connecting member, and a third connecting member. The first connection port, the second connection port, and the third connection port are respectively connected to the first connecting member, the second connecting member, and the third connecting member.

[0010] In one embodiment, the wall thickness t1 of the first connection port, the wall thickness t2 of the second connection port, and the wall thickness t3 of the third connection port satisfy the relational expression: t1 < t2 and t2 = t3.

[0011] In one embodiment, the inner diameter D1 of the first connection port, the inner diameter D2 of the second connection port, and the inner diameter D3 of the third connection port satisfy the relational expression: D1 ≤ D2 and D2 = D3.

[0012] In one embodiment, a connecting portion is provided at the connection location between the first connection port and the second connection port, and / or at the connection location between the first connection port and the third connection port. The connecting portion is a connecting portion with a fillet transition.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first connection port is connected to the first connecting member by welding, and / or the second connection port is connected to the second connecting member by welding, and / or the third connection port is connected to the third connecting member by welding.

[0014] In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the first connecting member is not less than the inner diameter of the first connection port, and / or the inner diameter of the second connecting member is not less than the inner diameter of the second connection port, and / or the inner diameter of the third connecting member is not less than the inner diameter of the third connection port.

[0015] The present application further provides an air conditioning system including the three-way pipe described in any one of the above.

[0016] The details of one or more embodiments of the application are set forth in the drawings and description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the application will become apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] To better describe and explain the embodiments and / or examples of the inventions disclosed herein, reference may be made to one or more drawings. Any additional details or examples used to illustrate the drawings should not be considered as limiting the scope of any of the disclosed inventions, the embodiments and / or examples described herein, and the best mode of these inventions as understood herein.

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a three-way pipe configuration in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present application. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a three-way pipe body in the three-way pipe shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a three-way pipe configuration according to one or more embodiments. [Figure 4] 4 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the three-way pipe at A shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 1 is a schematic diagram of a three-way pipe and an air conditioning system including the three-way pipe according to one or more embodiments.

[0019] Explanation of symbols 100 Three-way pipe, 10 Three-way pipe body, 11 First connection port, 12 Second connection port, 13 Third connection port, 14 Connection portion, 20 Connection member, 21 First connection member, 22 Second connection member, 23 Third connection member, 24 Positioning portion, 20a Connection member, 21a First connection member, 22a Second connection member, 23a Third connection member, 24a Positioning portion, 200 Air conditioning system.

[0020] The present application will be described in more detail in combination with the above explanation of the main symbols, drawings, and specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] In order to make the objectives, technical aspects and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for interpreting the present application and do not limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0022] It should be understood that when an assembly is referred to as being "attached" to another assembly, it may be directly attached to the other assembly, or there may be an intervening assembly. When an assembly is referred to as being "mounted" to another assembly, it may be directly mounted to the other assembly, or there may also be an intervening assembly. When an assembly is referred to as being "secured" to another assembly, it may be directly secured to the other assembly, or there may also be an intervening assembly. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "left," "right," and similar terms used herein are for descriptive purposes only and do not represent the only embodiments.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. The term "or / and" used herein includes one or more of any and all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0024] 1 and 2, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a three-way pipe 100 provided by the present application, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of the three-way pipe body 10 shown in FIG.

[0025] The present application provides a three-way pipe 100, which is mainly used for connecting with an external pipeline, and is an extremely important component widely applied in the field of cooling. It is understood that the three-way pipe 100 can also be used in other pipelines.

[0026] The three-way pipe 100 includes a three-way pipe body 10 and a connecting member 20. The three-way pipe body 10 is connected to an external pipeline via the connecting member 20. The three-way pipe body 10 is used to communicate with an external pipeline, for example, a heat exchange pipeline in an air conditioning system. The connecting member 20 is used to connect the connection port of the three-way pipe body 10 to the external pipeline.

[0027] Three-way pipes are widely used in the air conditioning industry. Copper three-way pipes are often used as heat exchanger pipes in ordinary air conditioners, but copper three-way pipes have low strength and limitations in their processing, so stress concentrates at the corners where the cross-sectional shape changes suddenly, resulting in thin wall thickness in these areas, making them susceptible to damage from fluid impacts.

[0028] Three-way piping in some large air conditioning units involves connecting pipe fittings made of two different materials, but welding different types of metal is usually complicated, which increases manufacturing costs.

[0029] The three-way pipe body 10 is a stainless steel three-way pipe, which is strong and less expensive than a copper three-way pipe. At the same time, the connecting member 20 is a copper or aluminum pipe, which can be easily connected to external pipelines, particularly copper pipes, aluminum pipes, or other pipelines in air conditioning systems, reducing the difficulty of directly connecting the stainless steel three-way pipe to external pipelines and, in particular, reducing the difficulty of repairing the three-way pipe inside the air conditioning system after it is damaged.

[0030] In one embodiment, the cross section of the three-way pipe body 10 is substantially "T" shaped. The three-way pipe body 10 is mainly used to connect an external pipeline and change the direction of a fluid. The three-way pipe body 10 includes a first connection port 11, a second connection port 12, and a third connection port 13 for connecting to a connecting member 20. The first connection port 11, the second connection port 12, and the third connection port 13 3 is Both have a hollow structure, and the second connection port 12 and the third connection port 13 are provided on the same axis.

[0031] It is understood that in other embodiments, the three-way pipe body 10 may have other structures, such as a three-way pipe body 10 with a "Y"-shaped cross section, as long as the three connection ports can communicate with each other. Furthermore, the second connection port 12 and the third connection port 13 do not need to be arranged coaxially, as long as they meet the requirements of the processing process and facilitate the flow of fluid.

[0032] Furthermore, the first connection port 11 is provided on the pipe segment between the second connection port 12 and the third connection port 13. Then, the pipe segment between the second connection port 12 and the third connection port 13 is extended along the radial direction by a flanging process to form the first connection port 11. To avoid the material thickness of the first connection port 11 becoming too thin and the occurrence of hidden cracks, the outward protruding length of the first connection port 11 needs to be controlled within a certain range based on the deformation characteristics of the flanging process so as to easily connect to the first connection member 21.

[0033] In one embodiment, considering the overall mechanical performance of the three-way pipe body 10, when a situation where a thin-wall portion is damaged early due to the impact of the fluid and the three-way pipe 100 needs to be replaced early does not occur, the wall thickness of the three-way pipe body 10 is equal. Specifically, the wall thickness t1 of the first connection port 11, the wall thickness t2 of the second connection port 12, and the wall thickness t3 of the third connection port 13 need to satisfy the relational expression: t1 < t2 and t2 = t3. At the same time, due to the restrictions on the installation position, structure, and flanging process of the first connection port 11, the inner diameter of the first connection port 11 must not be too large. Specifically, the inner diameter D1 of the first connection port 11, the inner diameter D2 of the second connection port 12, and the inner diameter D3 of the third connection port 13 need to satisfy the relational expression: D1 ≦ D2 and D2 = D3. By providing it in this way, it is possible to effectively avoid the phenomenon that the wall thickness is too thin or even cracked when processing the first connection port 11, not only improving the product quality of the three-way pipe body 10, but also effectively avoiding the flow restriction phenomenon during the use of the three-way pipe 100.

[0034] In one embodiment, the three-way pipe body 10 further includes a connection portion 14 provided between the first connection port 11 and the second connection port 12, and / or a connection portion 14 provided between the first connection port 11 and the third connection port 13. The connection portion 14 transitions using a large fillet and has a uniform wall thickness. It is used to smoothly transition the first connection port 11 and the second connection port 12, and / or is used to smoothly transition the first connection port 11 and the third connection port 13. By providing it in this way, there is no place where the shape changes abruptly in the overall structure of the three-way pipe 100, and the stress concentration on the connection portion 14 is effectively reduced. Therefore, when the three-way pipe 100 changes the direction of the fluid, the connection portion 14 is not easily damaged by the impact of the fluid, so there is no need to replace the three-way pipe 100 early, and at the same time, the processing of the three-way pipe 100 becomes easier.

[0035] The connecting member 20 includes a first connecting member 21, a second connecting member 22, and a third connecting member 23 for connecting the three-way pipe body 10 to an external pipeline. The first connecting member 21, the second connecting member 22, and the third connecting member 23 all have a hollow structure, with the first connecting member 21 being connected to the first connecting port 11, the second connecting member 22 being connected to the second connecting port 12, and the third connecting member 23 being connected to the third connecting port 13. Furthermore, in order to reduce the difficulty of connecting the first connecting port 11 to the first connecting member 21, the second connecting port 12 to the second connecting member 22, and the third connecting port 13 to the third connecting member 23, the cross-sectional shape of the connecting member 20 needs to be approximately the same as the cross-sectional shape of the connecting port of the three-way pipe body 10.

[0036] In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the first connecting member 21 is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the first connection port 11 in the three-way pipe body 10, and / or the inner diameter of the second connecting member 22 is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the second connection port 12 in the three-way pipe body 10, and / or the inner diameter of the third connecting member 23 is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the third connection port 13 in the three-way pipe body 10. By providing them in this manner, the flow of liquid flowing through the three-way pipe 100 is not restricted.

[0037] 3 and 4, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a three-way pipe in another embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of A of the three-way pipe shown in FIG.

[0038] Another embodiment of the three-way pipe 100 has almost the same structure as the three-way pipe 100 in the above embodiment, but is improved in that one end of the connecting member 20a, which is connected to the three-way pipe body 10, is provided with a positioning portion 24a that radially matches the three-way pipe body 10, and the other end is connected to an external pipeline, for example, the other end of the positioning portion 24a is connected to a copper pipe, aluminum pipe or other pipeline that is originally in the air conditioning system.

[0039] Furthermore, the connecting member 20a is inserted into the three-way pipe main body 10, and the positioning portion 24a is a reduced-diameter segment formed by shrinking the connecting member 20a along the radial direction, and the outer end surfaces of the first connecting port 11, the second connecting port 12, and the third connecting port 13 contact the stepped surfaces on the reduced-diameter segments of the first connecting member 21a, the second connecting member 22a, and the third connecting member 23a, respectively; alternatively, the connecting member 20a is fitted into the three-way pipe main body 10, and the positioning portion 24a is an expanded-diameter segment formed by expanding the connecting member 20a along the radial direction, and the outer end surfaces of the first connecting port 11, the second connecting port 12, and the third connecting port 13 contact the stepped surfaces on the expanded-diameter segments of the first connecting member 21a, the second connecting member 22a, and the third connecting member 23a, respectively. The main role of the positioning portion 24a is to position the connection member 20a and the three-way pipe body 10 so that they can be easily connected, and to limit the connection length between the connection member 20a and the three-way pipe body 10. If this length is too short, it will not be possible to effectively ensure airtightness between the three-way pipe body 10 and the connection member 20a after connection. If this length is too long, the material of the connection member 20a will be wasted, which is disadvantageous in reducing manufacturing costs. length By rationally controlling the above, the connection strength and sealing performance between the connection member 20a and the connection port of the three-way pipe body 10 can be better ensured, and the manufacturing cost of the three-way pipe 100 can be reduced.

[0040] In this embodiment, the positioning portion 24a is a reduced diameter segment or an expanded diameter segment of the connecting member 20a, but in other embodiments, the positioning portion 24a may be a concave ring or a convex ring arranged along the radial direction of the connecting member 20a, and it can be understood that it is sufficient as long as it can achieve positioning and limit the connection length between the connecting member 20a and the three-way pipe main body 10.

[0041] In one embodiment, to ensure the robustness and airtightness of the connection between the connection members and the connection ports of the three-way pipe body 10, the first connection port 11 is connected to the first connection member 21a by welding, the second connection port 12 is connected to the second connection member 22a by welding, and the third connection port 13 is connected to the third connection member 23a by welding. Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure the welding quality by rationally setting the gap between the positioning portion 24a and each connection port of the three-way pipe body 10 so that it can better meet the welding requirements.

[0042] In other embodiments, the connection member 20a may be connected to the connection port of the three-way pipe body 10 via a flange, a screw, or the like, as long as the connection is robust and airtight. In the present application, the connection between the first connection member 21a and the first connection port 11, the connection between the second connection member 22a and the second connection port 12, and the connection between the third connection member 23a and the third connection port 13 may use different connection methods, which are mainly determined according to the working environment and usage requirements.

[0043] The three-way pipe provided in one embodiment of the present application uses a stainless steel three-way pipe body instead of a copper three-way pipe, which increases the strength of the three-way pipe, reduces manufacturing costs, and extends the service life of the three-way pipe. Furthermore, the present application uses a connecting member to connect the three-way pipe body to an external pipeline, and the connecting member is a copper or aluminum pipe, which not only makes it easy to connect to the external pipeline but also further reduces manufacturing costs.

[0044] The present application further provides an air conditioning system 200 (see FIG. 5) using the above three-way pipe 100, which has better overall usage performance, lower manufacturing costs, and wider applicability.

[0045] The technical features of the above-described embodiments can be combined in any desired manner. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments have been described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, any combination should be considered within the scope described in this specification.

[0046] The above examples merely illustrate some embodiments of the present application, and although the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be understood as limiting the scope of the utility model claims. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make some modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, and all of them will fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent of the present application shall be determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A three-way pipe including a three-way pipe body and a connecting member, wherein the three-way pipe body is connected to an external pipeline via the connecting member, the three-way pipe body being a stainless steel three-way pipe, and the connecting member being a copper pipe or an aluminum pipe; the three-way pipe body includes a first connection port, a second connection port, and a third connection port, the second connection port and the third connection port being coaxially arranged, the connection member includes a first connection member, a second connection member, and a third connection member, the first connection port, the second connection port, and the third connection port being connected to the first connection member, the second connection member, and the third connection member, respectively; A three-way pipe, wherein a wall thickness t1 of the first connection port, a wall thickness t2 of the second connection port, and a wall thickness t3 of the third connection port satisfy the relationship: t1<t2 and t2=t3.

2. 2. The three-way pipe according to claim 1, wherein one end of the connecting member connected to the three-way pipe body is provided with a positioning portion that radially matches the three-way pipe body, and the other end of the connecting member is connected to an external pipeline, and the positioning portion (24) is used to limit the connection length between the connecting member and the three-way pipe body.

3. The three-way pipe according to claim 2, wherein the connecting member is inserted into the three-way pipe body, and the positioning portion is a reduced-diameter segment formed by contracting the connecting member along the radial direction, or the connecting member is fitted into the three-way pipe body, and the positioning portion is an expanded-diameter segment formed by expanding the connecting member along the radial direction.

4. The three-way pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the three-way pipe body has a T-shaped cross section.

5. The three-way pipe according to claim 2 , wherein the positioning portion is formed of a concave ring or a convex ring provided along the radial direction of the connecting member.

6. 2. The three-way pipe according to claim 1, wherein an inner diameter D1 of the first connection port, an inner diameter D2 of the second connection port, and an inner diameter D3 of the third connection port satisfy the relationship: D1≦D2 and D2=D3.

7. The three-way pipe according to claim 1, wherein a connection portion is provided at the connection point between the first connection port and the second connection port and / or at the connection point between the first connection port and the third connection port, and the connection portion is a fillet transition connection portion.

8. the first connection port is connected to the first connection member by welding; and / or the second connection port is connected to the second connection member by welding; and / or The three-way pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the third connection port is connected to the third connection member by welding.

9. The inner diameter of the first connection member is equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the first connection port, and / or The inner diameter of the second connection member is equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the second connection port, and / or The three-way pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the inner diameter of the third connecting member is equal to or greater than the inner diameter of the third connecting port.

10. An air conditioning system comprising a three-way pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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