Fluid Mixing Unit

Abstract

A fluid agitation unit having a novel configuration is provided. [Solution] A fluid agitation unit (100) can be arranged in the refrigerant circuit of a refrigerant circuit, and includes a fluid agitation device (101) and connecting pipes (160, 170) through which a fluid flows. The fluid agitation device (101) has a housing (110) and an agitation member (130) housed inside the housing, and is configured so that the fluid, including refrigerant and refrigerating machine oil, flowing through the refrigerant circuit impinges on the agitation member (130), thereby mixing the fluid. The connecting pipes (160, 170) have first ends (161, 171) connected to the housing (110) and second ends (162, 172) connected to other adjacent components in the refrigerant circuit, and are provided at the second ends (162, 172) with fittings (163, 173) that can be connected to destination fittings connected to the other components.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fluid agitation unit having a function of agitating a fluid such as a refrigerant. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional air conditioners and cooling systems, if the refrigerant fluid and lubricating oil are not mixed properly, the oil can adhere to the inside of the refrigerant pipes, causing problems such as compressor malfunctions and reduced heating and cooling efficiency. For this reason, devices have been proposed that homogenize the oil components in the refrigerant fluid and improve its fluidity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-112344 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a refrigerant circuit, improving the mixing state of the refrigerant fluid and the lubricating oil can reduce the pressure loss of the entire refrigerant circuit, increase the heat exchange efficiency, and aim for high efficiency. It is desirable to be able to perform such fluid agitation using a device with a configuration different from existing devices.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a fluid agitation unit having a novel configuration. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The fluid agitation unit of the first invention is a fluid agitation unit that can be placed in a refrigerant circuit, and is a fluid agitation device that has a housing and an agitation member housed inside the housing, and is configured so that the fluid is mixed when the flow of fluid containing refrigerant and refrigeration oil flowing through the refrigerant circuit hits the agitation member, and a connecting pipe through which the fluid flows, the connecting pipe having a first end side connected to the fluid agitation device and a second end side connected to another adjacent component in the refrigerant circuit, and the second end side of the connecting pipe is provided with a fitting that can be connected to a destination fitting connected to the other component.

[0007] With this configuration, the device can be easily installed in an existing air conditioning system or the like that uses a refrigerant circuit.

[0008] In addition, the fluid agitation unit of the second invention is a fluid agitation unit in which, compared to the first invention, an uneven portion is formed on the inner surface of the connecting pipe, and the uneven portion is configured to agitate the fluid flowing inside the connecting pipe.

[0009] With this configuration, the fluid agitation effect of the fluid agitation unit can be more reliably obtained.

[0010] Furthermore, the fluid agitation unit of the third invention is a fluid agitation unit in which, compared to the second invention, the uneven portion is a groove portion formed in a spiral shape on the inner surface of the connecting pipe.

[0011] With this configuration, the fluid agitation effect of the fluid agitation unit can be more reliably obtained.

[0012] In addition, the fluid agitation unit of the fourth invention is a fluid agitation unit in which, compared to the first invention, the agitation member is plate-shaped and has a main surface with a mesh-like portion or multiple holes configured to allow fluid to pass through, and the agitation member is positioned in an orientation such that the main surface is approximately parallel to the direction in which the fluid flows into the interior of the housing.

[0013] With this configuration, a fluid agitation unit capable of achieving a fluid agitation effect can be manufactured at low cost.

[0014] Furthermore, the fluid agitation unit of the fifth invention is a fluid agitation unit in which, compared to the fourth invention, the housing is configured to have an elongated internal space extending in the direction in which the fluid flows in the fluid agitation unit, at least a portion of the agitation members are configured to be displaceable relative to the housing, and the agitation members have a longitudinal dimension greater than the width dimension of the internal space of the housing.

[0015] With this configuration, a fluid agitation unit capable of achieving a fluid agitation effect can be manufactured at low cost.

[0016] A fluid agitation unit according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is a fluid agitation unit according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the agitation member has two or more main surfaces that are arranged at an angle to each other.

[0017] With this configuration, the fluid agitation effect of the fluid agitation unit can be more reliably obtained.

[0018] Furthermore, in the fluid agitation unit of the seventh invention, compared to the first invention, the housing is configured to have an elongated internal space in which the direction in which the fluid flows in the fluid agitation unit is the longitudinal direction, and an inlet pipe through which the inflowing fluid passes and an outlet pipe through which the outflowing fluid passes are provided inside the housing, and in the direction in which the fluid flows in the fluid agitation unit, the position of the inlet, which is the outlet of the inlet pipe, is downstream of the position of the outlet, which is the inlet of the outlet pipe.

[0019] With this configuration, the fluid can be stirred within the fluid stirring device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a fluid agitation unit having a novel configuration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cooling system using a fluid agitation unit according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fluid agitation unit according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Side cross-sectional view of a fluid agitation device [Figure 4] Cross section of line AA in Figure 3 [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the first connecting pipe and the second connecting pipe DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, embodiments of a fluid agitation unit and the like will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] In the following description, the shape and positional relationship of each part may be explained by indicating a certain direction, but the specified direction is merely for convenience of explanation and does not limit the orientation or posture of each device according to the present invention when in use. Furthermore, expressions indicating directions and expressions indicating states such as horizontal, vertical, and orthogonal only indicate that they can be roughly understood as such and are not necessarily to be interpreted strictly as such. The terms "upstream" and "downstream" refer to relative positional relationships in the direction in which refrigerant flows in a refrigerant circuit when, for example, cooling is performed.

[0024] (Embodiment)

[0025] The outline of this embodiment is as follows: The fluid agitation unit has a fluid agitation device and a connecting pipe that is connected to other components of the refrigerant circuit via a joint.

[0026] Preferably, the inner surface of the connecting pipe is formed with an uneven portion so that the fluid flowing through the connecting pipe is agitated. The uneven portion may be, for example, a spiral groove.

[0027] The stirring member is preferably a plate member such as a punched metal, etc. The stirring member may have a plurality of plate members combined so as to intersect with each other when viewed from the direction in which the fluid flows into the housing.

[0028] The configuration of the fluid agitation unit thus configured will be described below.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cooling system 1 using a fluid agitation unit 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling system 1 utilizes a refrigerant circuit 1B. In the figure, the configuration of the refrigerant circuit 1B is shown in a simplified form. That is, the cooling system 1 includes refrigerant circuit 1B, in which a fluid such as a refrigerant circulates, and which is configured by connecting known elements such as a compressor 3, a condenser section 4 having a heat exchanger 4B, a pressure reducing section 5, and an evaporator section 6 having a heat exchanger 6B via piping 2. As the refrigerant, various refrigerants such as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) can be used, and can be selected appropriately depending on the size and specifications of the cooling system 1.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the refrigerant circuit 1B is provided with a fluid agitation unit 100. The fluid agitation unit 100 is arranged, for example, between the pressure reduction section 5 and the heat exchanger 6B of the evaporation section 6, but is not limited thereto. For example, it may be arranged between the heat exchanger 6B and the compressor 3. Such a fluid agitation unit 100 is used to mix the refrigerating machine oil and the refrigerant itself that are mixed in the fluid (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the fluid) flowing through the refrigerant circuit 1B, or to mix the gas and liquid uniformly, thereby bringing the flow state of the fluid flowing through the refrigerant circuit 1B closer to an ideal flow state.

[0032] In this embodiment, the fluid agitation unit 100 is configured to be retrofittable to a desired location in an existing refrigerant circuit 1B. This makes it possible to prevent adhesion of refrigeration oil mixed in with the fluid flowing through the existing refrigerant circuit 1B and to improve heat exchange efficiency. As will be described below, the fluid agitation unit 100 is configured so that it can be easily installed simply by being inserted into an existing piping system without requiring major modifications.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a fluid agitation unit 100 according to this embodiment.

[0034] The basic configuration of the fluid agitation unit 100 is as follows. That is, as shown in the figure, the fluid agitation unit 100 mainly comprises a fluid agitation device 101 and connecting pipes 160, 170 (first connecting pipe 160 and second connecting pipe 170). In a refrigerant circuit 1B that performs cooling, fluid flows from an upstream component into the fluid agitation device 101 via the first connecting pipe 160. The fluid also passes through the fluid agitation device 101 and flows via the second connecting pipe 170 to a downstream component.

[0035] Fig. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the fluid agitation device 101. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Fig. 3.

[0036] In this embodiment, fluid agitator 101 has a housing 110, an inlet pipe 111, an outlet pipe 121, and an agitator 130. Each member constituting fluid agitator 101 is made of, for example, metal, but is not limited to this.

[0037] The housing 110 is configured as a whole to have an elongated internal space that extends in the direction in which the fluid flows during cooling in the fluid agitation unit 100. The internal space of the housing 110 has, for example, but not limited to, an inner peripheral surface that is approximately cylindrical. The agitation member 130 is housed in the internal space. In FIG. 3, the upstream side of the fluid in the direction in which the fluid flows during cooling is shown as up and the downstream side as down. Hereinafter, in the description of the fluid agitation device 101, the direction in which the fluid flows may be referred to as the up-down direction. Note that the orientation in which the fluid agitation device 101 is used during actual use is not limited to this.

[0038] The housing 110 is provided with an inlet pipe 111 through which a fluid flows in and an outlet pipe 121 through which the fluid flows out. At least a portion of the inlet pipe 111 and the outlet pipe 121 enter the internal space of the housing 110. The end of the inlet pipe 111 in the internal space of the housing 110 forms an inlet 112 which serves as an outlet for the fluid flowing into the internal space of the housing 110. In addition, the end of the outlet pipe 121 in the internal space of the housing 110 forms an outlet 122 which serves as an inlet for the fluid flowing out of the internal space of the housing 110.

[0039] In this embodiment, inlet 112 of inlet pipe 111 is configured to be located downstream of outlet 122 of outlet pipe 121 in the flow direction. For example, inlet 112 is preferably located near the downstream end of the internal space of casing 110. Furthermore, outlet 122 is preferably located near the upstream end of the internal space of casing 110. This causes the fluid that flows into casing 110 from inlet 112 to take a complex path inside casing 110 before flowing out from outlet 122, making it easier for turbulence to occur and improving the stirring effect.

[0040] The stirring member 130 is housed in the internal space of the housing 110, and is configured so that the fluids are mixed by the flow of the fluid hitting the stirring member 130.

[0041] The agitating member 130 is plate-shaped and has a main surface 131. The "main surface" here refers to a pair of front and back surfaces that face each other across the thickness direction of a plate-shaped portion of the agitating member 130 that has a relatively large area, and is counted as one set. In other words, a set of front and back surfaces that face each other is counted as one main surface 131. The main surfaces 131 are arranged in an orientation that is approximately parallel to the inflow direction of the fluid, i.e., the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the number of main surfaces 131 is two or more, and all of the main surfaces 131 are arranged in an orientation that is approximately parallel to the inflow direction of the fluid, i.e., the vertical direction. The two or more main surfaces are arranged so as to form an angle with each other.

[0042] More specifically, in this embodiment, the agitator 130 is configured by combining three plate-shaped plate members 141 of approximately the same size. The plate members 141 may be, for example, rectangular, with a vertical dimension slightly smaller than the vertical dimension of the internal space of the housing 110 and a width dimension slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the internal space of the housing 110. The agitator 130 is configured by, for example, combining three plate-shaped plate members 141 so that their centers are aligned with each other and they are spaced radially apart, i.e., at intervals of approximately 120 degrees, when viewed from the vertical direction. The center where the three plate-shaped plate members 141 are combined is located near the center of the internal space of the housing 110, and the side edges of each plate member 141 are close to the inner wall surface of the housing 110, creating a relatively narrow gap between the inner wall surface and the plate members 141. The agitator 130 may be said to have a shape in which six main surfaces 131 extending from the center to the periphery of the housing 110 are arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The major surface 131 may be curved or twisted.

[0043] The agitator 130 may be formed by combining two plate members 141 to form a cross shape, by combining four or more plate members 141 to form a radial shape, or by using a single plate member 141. The main surface 131 may be the front and back surfaces of only one plate member 141. Furthermore, it is sufficient that at least one or more main surfaces 131 are arranged substantially parallel to the vertical direction. The plate members 141 do not need to be spaced equally apart, and they do not need to be combined with their centers aligned. One or more plate members 141 may be folded to have multiple main surfaces 131. Two or more folded plate members 141 may be combined to form a radial shape with their centers aligned as a whole when viewed from the vertical direction. When two or more plate members 141 are combined, the plate members 141 may be fixed to each other by, for example, welding, adhesive bonding, or mechanical joining, or they may not be fixed to each other.

[0044] Each main surface 131 is provided with a plurality of holes 143, and the fluid is configured to pass through the holes 143 and thereby pass through the main surface 131. For example, the stirring member 130 is configured using a punched metal as the plate member 141, thereby realizing the stirring member 130 that allows the fluid to pass through each main surface 131. Note that the holes 143 may be provided in other ways. Furthermore, instead of or in addition to the holes 143, a mesh-like portion may be provided on the main surface 131, thereby allowing the fluid to pass through the main surface 131. For example, a member such as an expanded metal or a wire mesh may be used for the stirring member 130.

[0045] Furthermore, in this embodiment, agitation member 130 is configured to be displaceable relative to housing 110. That is, agitation member 130 is slightly smaller than the internal space of housing 110 and is housed inside housing 110. Agitation member 130 is not fixed to housing 110, but is displaceable relative to housing 110 within the range of the gap between housing 110 and agitation member 130. Here, the longitudinal dimension of agitation member 130 (here, the vertical dimension) is larger than the width dimension of the internal space of housing 110, i.e., the inner diameter, and therefore the orientation of agitation member 130 relative to housing 110 can only be changed within the range in which main surface 131 remains approximately parallel in the vertical direction.

[0046] By using such a stirring member 130, the fluid that flows into the housing 110 collides with one or more of the mutually angled main surfaces 131 or passes through the holes 143. As the fluid passes through a complex flow path, turbulence occurs in the fluid flow, and the fluid stirring effect can be efficiently obtained. Furthermore, because the stirring member 130 is not fixed to the housing 110, the stirring member 130 itself can move slightly due to the momentum of the fluid flow or vibrations transmitted from outside, which can further cause turbulence in the fluid flow.

[0047] In addition, when the stirring member 130 is configured with a plurality of members that can be slightly displaced relative to each other, at least some of the members may be configured to be displaceable relative to the housing 110. In this case, too, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0048] The first connecting pipe 160 is, for example, a copper pipe, and has one end, or a first end 161, connected to the fluid agitation device 101 and the other end, or a second end 162, connected to another component. The first end 161 is connected to the inlet pipe 111. The second end 162 is provided with a fitting 163 for connection to a fitting (referred to as a destination fitting 5J) provided on another adjacent component (in this embodiment, for example, the pressure reduction section 5) in the refrigerant circuit 1B. The fitting 163 may be a threaded type or a flange type, and can be set appropriately depending on the specifications of the cooling system 1, such as the type and standard of the destination fitting. The provision of the fitting 163 makes it possible to easily connect the second end 162 to another component.

[0049] In this embodiment, the second connecting pipe 170 is configured in substantially the same manner as the first connecting pipe 160. That is, the second connecting pipe 170 is, for example, a copper pipe or the like, and one end, or a first end 171, is connected to the fluid stirring device 101, and the other end, or a second end 172, is connected to another component. The first end 171 is connected to the outflow pipe 121. The second end 172 is provided with a fitting 173 for connecting to another adjacent component in the refrigerant circuit 1B (for example, a connecting fitting 6J of the evaporation section 6 in this embodiment). The fitting 173 may be of a threaded type or a flange type, and can be set appropriately, similar to the fitting 163. The provision of the fitting 173 makes it possible to easily connect the second end 172 to another component.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first connecting pipe 160 and the second connecting pipe 170. As shown in FIG.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the first connecting pipe 160 and the second connecting pipe 170 have on their inner surfaces uneven portions 165, 175, which are spiral grooves.

[0052] By providing such uneven portions 165, 175, turbulence occurs in the flow of the fluid passing through the connecting pipes 160, 170, and the agitation effect of the fluid agitation unit 100 as a whole can be further improved.

[0053] The uneven portion 165 or the uneven portion 175 may be provided on either the first connecting pipe 160 or the second connecting pipe 170. The uneven portions 165, 175 are not limited to being provided on the entire inner surface of the connecting pipes 160, 170, but may be provided only partially.

[0054] Furthermore, the uneven portions 165, 175 do not have to be spiral grooves. For example, they may be grooves extending along the flow direction, or grooves formed so that unevenness is repeated along the flow direction. Furthermore, without being limited to these, the uneven portions 165, 175 may be formed so as to form unevenness in various ways on the inner surface of the connecting pipe 160, 170.

[0055] It is to be noted that only one of the connecting pipes 160 and 170 may be provided. In this case, for example, the inlet pipe 111 or the outlet pipe 121 on the side where the connecting pipe 160 or 170 is not provided may be connected to the existing pipe 2 of the refrigerant circuit 1B by welding, brazing, or the like.

[0056] As described above, in this embodiment, the fluid agitation unit 100 can be easily installed by simply inserting it into a predetermined position in the existing refrigerant circuit 1B via the first connecting pipe 160 and the second connecting pipe 170. This eliminates the need for large-scale replacement of the piping 2, reducing construction time and costs.

[0057] Within the housing 110, strong turbulence is generated when the fluid flowing in from the inlet pipe 111 collides with and passes through the agitator 130. This allows the oil components within the fluid to be efficiently dispersed and mixed, and reduces the decrease in heat exchange efficiency within the pipe. In particular, in this embodiment, the agitator 130 has multiple main surfaces 131 arranged to intersect with each other, and at least a portion of the agitator 130 is displaceable within the internal space of the housing 110, which further promotes the generation of turbulence.

[0058] By using a punched metal or mesh structure for the stirring member 130, a high stirring effect can be obtained with a simple manufacturing method, and both cost reduction and mass productivity can be achieved.

[0059] Furthermore, the stirred fluid is returned downstream of the refrigerant circuit 1B through the outflow pipe 121. If the inner surfaces of the connecting pipes 160, 170 have the uneven portions 165, 175, the fluid is also turbulent outside the housing 110, thereby increasing the overall stirring effect.

[0060] Furthermore, the housing 110 has a long and narrow internal space, and the position of the inlet 112 is set downstream of the outlet 122. This ensures that the fluid passes through a long path inside the housing 110 and that the time spent in contact with the stirring member 130 is relatively long. This makes it possible to obtain an effective stirring effect, and makes it easier to obtain the stirring effect even at a relatively low flow rate.

[0061] In this way, the fluid agitation unit 100 can be easily retrofitted to the refrigerant circuit 1B, and provides a novel configuration for efficiently mixing the refrigerant and refrigerating machine oil.

[0062] (others)

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible, and these modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention.

[0064] Some of the components and functions of the above-described embodiments and modifications may be omitted.

[0065] For example, the materials, shapes, and dimensions of the stirring members exemplified in this embodiment are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art. The stirring members may be completely mesh-like, or in addition to the stirring members described above, other stirring members different from plate-like members may be combined.

[0066] Although the above describes an example in which the fluid agitation unit is applied to a refrigerant circuit used in a cooling system, the fluid agitation unit may also be used in industrial refrigeration equipment, heat pump systems such as heating heat pumps, etc. In the above description, the terms upstream, downstream, inflow, outflow, etc. are used with reference to cases in which the refrigerant flows in a specific direction in the refrigerant circuit, but the fluid agitation unit will still exhibit a certain level of fluid agitation ability even when the refrigerant flows in the opposite direction. [Industrial Applicability]

[0067] As described above, the fluid agitation unit according to the present invention can be easily attached to an existing system that uses a refrigerant circuit, and is useful as a fluid agitation unit, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1. Cooling system 1B Refrigerant circuit 100 Fluid Mixing Unit 101 Fluid agitator 110 Case 111 Inflow pipe 112 Inlet 121 Outflow pipe 122 Outlet 130 stirring member 131 Main Surface 141 Plate members 143 Hole 160 First connecting pipe 161 First end 162 Second end 163 Joints 165 Uneven part 170 Second connecting pipe 171 First end 172 Second end 173 Joints 175 Uneven part

Claims

1. A fluid agitation unit that can be arranged in a refrigerant circuit, A fluid agitation device that mixes a fluid including a refrigerant and a refrigerating machine oil flowing through the refrigerant circuit, In the fluid agitation unit, a housing having an elongated internal space in which a first direction from the upstream side to the downstream side is a longitudinal direction; a stirring member accommodated in the internal space of the housing; an inlet pipe having a hollow tubular structure with a pipe wall that does not have a portion through which a fluid can pass, the inlet pipe being arranged to extend along the first direction in the internal space of the housing, and through which the fluid flowing into the internal space passes; an outflow pipe having a hollow tubular structure arranged to extend along the first direction in the internal space of the housing, the outflow pipe through which the fluid flowing out of the internal space passes; and a fluid agitation device configured so that the fluids are mixed by the flow of the fluid hitting the agitation member; a connecting pipe through which the fluid flows, the connecting pipe having a first end connected to the fluid stirring device and a second end connected to another adjacent component in the refrigerant circuit, a coupling that can be connected to a destination coupling that is connected to the other component is provided on the second end side of the connecting pipe, In each of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe, the fluid flows in the first direction; a position of an inlet serving as an outlet for the fluid flowing through the inlet pipe is downstream in the first direction from a position of an outlet serving as an inlet for the fluid flowing through the outlet pipe, the inlet of the inlet pipe is located near a downstream end of the internal space, A fluid agitation unit, wherein the outlet of the outlet pipe is located near an upstream end of the internal space.

2. The fluid agitation unit according to claim 1 , wherein the inner surface of the connecting pipe is formed with uneven portions, and the uneven portions are configured to agitate the fluid flowing inside the connecting pipe.

3. The fluid agitation unit according to claim 2 , wherein the uneven portion is a groove portion formed in a spiral shape on the inner surface of the connecting pipe.

4. the stirring member is plate-shaped and has a main surface having a mesh-like portion or a plurality of holes configured to allow the fluid to pass through, The fluid agitation unit according to claim 1 , wherein the agitation member is disposed in such a position that the main surface is substantially parallel to a direction in which the fluid flows into the housing.

5. The housing is configured to have an elongated internal space extending in a direction in which the fluid flows in the fluid agitation unit, At least a portion of the stirring member is configured to be displaceable relative to the housing, The fluid agitation unit according to claim 4 , wherein the agitation member has a longitudinal dimension greater than a width dimension of the internal space of the housing.

6. The fluid agitation unit according to claim 4 , wherein the agitation member has two or more main surfaces disposed at an angle to each other.

7. A fluid stirring unit as described in claim 1, wherein the stirring members are a plurality of plate-shaped members arranged to extend radially from a central axis along the first direction.

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