Vapor injection module and vapor injection system including same

Abstract

A vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise: an expansion unit provided with an expansion unit inlet line through which refrigerant flows in, an expansion unit outlet line through which the refrigerant is discharged, and a bypass line, and controlling the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to air-conditioning mode; a gas-liquid separator, coupled to one side of the expansion unit and connected to the expansion unit outlet line, for separating the in-flowing refrigerant into liquid and gas; a check unit that allows passage of the liquid refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator or blocks the refrigerant bypassing the gas-liquid separator from flowing into the gas-liquid separator side; and a merging unit for discharging to the outside the in-flowing refrigerant that has bypassed the expansion unit or has been separated in the gas-liquid separator.

Description

Vapor injection module and vapor injection system including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a vapor injection module and a vapor injection system including the same, and more particularly, to a vapor injection module capable of expansion, bypass, and vapor-liquid separation of refrigerant according to an air conditioning mode, and a vapor injection system including the same.

[0002] With the trend toward environmentally friendly industrial development and the development of energy sources that replace fossil fuels, electric and hybrid vehicles are currently attracting the most attention in the automotive industry. Electric and hybrid vehicles are equipped with batteries to provide propulsion, and these batteries are used not only for driving but also for heating and cooling.

[0003] In vehicles that use batteries to provide driving power, the use of the batteries as a heat source for heating and cooling means that the driving range is reduced. To overcome the above problem, a method of applying a thermal management system, which has been widely used in household heating and cooling devices, to automobiles has been proposed.

[0004] For reference, a thermal management system refers to a system that absorbs low-temperature heat and transfers it to a higher temperature. As an example, a thermal management system involves a cycle in which a liquid evaporates in an evaporator, absorbing heat from the surroundings and becoming a gas, then liquefies by releasing heat to the surroundings through a condenser. Applying this to electric or hybrid vehicles offers the advantage of securing a heat source that conventional air conditioning systems lack.

[0005] These thermal management systems utilize vapor injection systems to enhance heating and cooling performance. A vapor injection system utilizes a vapor-liquid separator in a refrigerant circulation system for heating and cooling. This system recirculates vapor refrigerant back into the compressor, while supplying liquid refrigerant to the evaporator or chiller.

[0006] However, when the vapor injection system branches into multiple chillers or evaporators, there was a problem in that it was difficult to control the flow rate of each with each expansion valve.

[0007] The present invention provides a vapor injection module and a vapor injection system including the same, in which the merging section is configured such that the refrigerant flowing out from the expansion section and the check section is introduced and the refrigerant flows out along the merging line regardless of which side it flows from, so that the refrigerant flows out not separately but from one merging section, and thus the refrigerant line is simplified and the vapor injection module can be configured compactly.

[0008] In addition, the present invention provides a vapor injection module and a vapor injection system including the same, in which the flow rate of each heat exchanger can be individually controlled by an expansion valve when branching into a plurality of heat exchangers because the check portion does not have the function of an orifice.

[0009] The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a vapor injection module may include an expansion unit having an expansion unit inlet line through which refrigerant is introduced, an expansion unit outlet line through which refrigerant is discharged, and a bypass line, and controlling the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to an air conditioning mode; a vapor-liquid separator coupled to one side of the expansion unit and connected to the expansion unit outlet line to separate the introduced refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant; a check unit for passing the liquid refrigerant separated from the vapor-liquid separator or blocking the refrigerant bypassing the vapor-liquid separator from flowing toward the vapor-liquid separator; and a merging unit through which the refrigerant bypassed from the expansion unit is introduced or the liquid refrigerant separated from the vapor-liquid separator is introduced and then discharged to the outside.

[0011] A connecting member is arranged and connected between the expansion member and the gas-liquid separator, thereby allowing the gas flowing out of the expansion member to flow into the gas-liquid separator.

[0012] The above-mentioned connecting portion has a connecting portion inlet line through which refrigerant flows in and a connecting portion outlet line through which refrigerant flows out, and the connecting portion inlet line is arranged in a vertical direction and the connecting portion outlet line is arranged in a horizontal direction, and the connecting portion inlet line can be arranged on the same line as the expansion portion outlet line.

[0013] The above expansion portion, the connection portion, the gas-liquid separator, and the check portion can be formed into a block-shaped housing and combined.

[0014] The above expansion unit may include a ball valve that rotates and is positioned at the center where the expansion unit inlet line, the expansion unit outlet line, and the bypass line are connected.

[0015] The above check member may be arranged and coupled to the lower portion of the gas-liquid separator and may include a check member that controls whether the introduced refrigerant flows.

[0016] The above-mentioned merging part may be arranged on one side of the expansion part and the check part and may be combined with the expansion part and the check part.

[0017] The above-mentioned merging part has a first merging part inflow line connected to the expansion part and a second merging part inflow line connected to the check part, and the first merging part inflow line and the second merging part inflow line can be arranged parallel to each other.

[0018] The end of the first merge section inlet line is bent toward the end of the second merge section inlet line so as to meet and communicate with each other, and the refrigerant can flow out through a joining line extending in one direction from the connected portion.

[0019] The above-mentioned merging unit may include an inlet block coupled to the expansion unit and the check unit through which refrigerant is introduced; and an outlet block extending from the upper portion of the inlet block through which bypassed refrigerant or liquid refrigerant is discharged.

[0020] The above inflow block may be provided with the first merge section inflow line and the second merge section inflow line.

[0021] The above inflow block may be provided to extend upward from one side of the upper surface of the above outflow block.

[0022] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a vapor injection module comprises an expansion unit having an expansion unit inlet line through which refrigerant is introduced, an expansion unit outlet line through which refrigerant is discharged, and a bypass line, and controls the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to an air conditioning mode; a vapor-liquid separator coupled to a side of the expansion unit and connected to the expansion unit outlet line to separate the introduced refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant; a check unit coupled to a side of the expansion unit and a lower portion of the vapor-liquid separator and passing the separated liquid refrigerant in the vapor-liquid separator or blocking the refrigerant bypassing the vapor-liquid separator from flowing toward the vapor-liquid separator; and

[0023] It may include a merging unit that is coupled to cover the side of the expansion unit and the check unit, and through which the refrigerant bypassed from the expansion unit is introduced or the liquid refrigerant separated from the gas-liquid separator is introduced and then discharged to the outside.

[0024] It may further include a connecting part that is connected to the upper part of the expansion part and the side of the gas-liquid separator and allows the gas flowing out of the expansion part to flow into the gas-liquid separator.

[0025] The above-mentioned merging part can be combined so that the expansion part and the check part and the refrigerant passage are in communication with each other.

[0026] The above-mentioned merging part may include a first merging part inflow line connected to the expansion part, a second merging part inflow line connected to the check part, and a joining line extending from a portion where the first merging part inflow line and the second merging part inflow line meet and communicate.

[0027] The first merge section inflow line, the second merge section inflow line, and the joining line can be arranged orthogonally to each other.

[0028] A vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a compressor that compresses and discharges a refrigerant; a condenser that condenses the compressed refrigerant during heating; an internal heat exchanger that heat-exchanges the refrigerant condensed in the condenser with the refrigerant heat-exchanged in a heat exchanger; a vapor injection module into which the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the internal heat exchanger is introduced; an expansion valve that expands the refrigerant discharged from the vapor injection module; and the heat exchanger that heat-exchanges with the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve.

[0029] The system further includes a flow section in which the refrigerant flowing out of the vapor injection module flows, wherein the flow section can be arranged and coupled between the vapor injection module, the expansion valve, and the heat exchanger.

[0030] The above heat exchangers are arranged in multiples, and the expansion valve can control the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat exchangers.

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the merging section is a section into which refrigerant flowing out from the expansion section and the check section flows in, and is configured so that the refrigerant flows out along the merging line regardless of which side it flows in from. Since the refrigerant flows out not separately but from one merging section, the refrigerant line is simplified and the vapor injection module can be configured compactly.

[0032] In addition, according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the check portion does not have the function of an orifice, when branching into a plurality of heat exchangers, the flow rate of each can be individually controlled by the expansion valve.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vapor injection module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a vapor injection module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a drawing illustrating the flow of refrigerant in a vapor injection module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams illustrating the flow of refrigerant bypassed in a vapor injection module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a drawing illustrating a flow of refrigerant separated into gas and liquid in a vapor injection module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating a refrigerant line of a vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] The present invention is susceptible to various modifications and embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in detail in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, but rather to encompass all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related known technologies will be omitted if they are deemed to obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0041] Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0042] The terminology used in this application is only used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0043] Additionally, throughout the specification, when we say "connected," this does not only mean that two or more components are directly connected, but also that two or more components are indirectly connected through other components, that they are electrically connected as well as physically connected, or that they are referred to by different names depending on location or function but are one.

[0044] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vapor injection module according to the present invention and a vapor injection system including the same will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the description with reference to the attached drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same drawing numbers, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0045] FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view illustrating the flow of refrigerant in a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 are views illustrating the flow of refrigerant bypassed in a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the flow of refrigerant separated into gas and liquid and flowing out in a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] As illustrated herein, a vapor injection module according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an expansion unit (10), a vapor-liquid separator (20), a connection unit (30), a check unit (40), and a merging unit (50). In this embodiment, the expansion unit (10), the vapor-liquid separator (20), the connection unit (30), the check unit (40), and the merging unit (50) may be formed as a block-shaped housing as illustrated in FIG. 1, and may have a form in which they are arranged in a space having an approximately rectangular parallelepiped shape and are coupled to each other. That is, the vapor injection module may be arranged such that the above components are integrated so that the flow of the refrigerant forms an optimal path while being performed within a minimal space.

[0047] The expansion unit (10) is provided with an expansion unit inlet line (11) through which refrigerant is introduced, an expansion unit outlet line (12) through which refrigerant is discharged, and a bypass line (13, see FIG. 3). A ball valve (14) is provided at the connection between the expansion unit inlet line (11) and the expansion unit outlet line (12) to control the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to the air conditioning mode.

[0048] The expansion unit inlet line (11) and the expansion unit outlet line (12) are passages through which the incoming refrigerant branches off. The expansion unit outlet line (12) is connected to the gas-liquid separator (20), and the bypass line (13) is connected to the merging unit (50) so that the refrigerant can flow toward the expansion valve (90) without passing through the gas-liquid separator (20) depending on the air conditioning mode.

[0049] In one embodiment, the expansion unit inlet line (11) may be formed in one direction of the expansion unit (10), the expansion unit outlet line (12) may be formed to extend upward, and the bypass line (13) may be formed to extend downward. That is, the expansion unit outlet line (12) and the bypass line (13) may be arranged on the same vertical line with the ball valve (14) as the center, and the expansion unit inlet line (11) may be connected to the expansion unit outlet line (12) and the bypass line (13) at an angle of 90°.

[0050] The ball valve (14) is placed inside the expansion unit (10) and is placed in the area where the expansion unit inlet line (11), the window unit outlet line (12) and the bypass line (13) are connected, so as to control the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant.

[0051] The ball valve (14) may have an inlet hole (15) formed on one side to the center, and the refrigerant introduced into the inlet hole (15) may be discharged through an outlet hole (not shown). Although not specifically shown in the drawing, an expansion groove (not shown) may be formed on one or both sides of the outlet hole to expand the flowing refrigerant. The ball valve (14) may be rotated within the expansion unit (10) by an actuator (16). In one embodiment, the actuator (16) may be an electric actuator or an electric operating member, but is not limited thereto, and various device structures for rotating the ball valve (14) may be used. The ball valve (14) may be a 3-way type valve, but is not necessarily limited thereto. For example, a 2-way type valve may be implemented by changing the internal structure of the expansion unit (10).

[0052] The expansion unit (10) can bypass the refrigerant through the bypass line (13) in the cooling mode or non-vapor injection heating mode, and can expand the refrigerant and deliver it to the gas-liquid separator (20) in the vapor injection heating mode.

[0053] The gas-liquid separator (20) separates the incoming refrigerant into gas and liquid. A housing (22) is formed inside the gas-liquid separator (20), which provides an internal space in which the refrigerant flows. The housing (22) is formed in a cylindrical structure, and its inner wall may have a slope. This sloped structure can have the effect of compensating for flow rate by decreasing in diameter toward the bottom.

[0054] A vapor discharge port (24) through which vapor-phase refrigerant flows out is arranged at the upper portion of the housing (22). A baffle portion (26) is provided at the lower portion of the housing (22). The baffle portion (26) can prevent the refrigerant flowing downward from scattering and flowing into the vapor discharge port (24). In one embodiment, the baffle portion (26) may have a circular plate structure.

[0055] The connecting portion (30) is arranged between the expansion portion (10) and the vapor-liquid separator (20) to allow the refrigerant flowing out of the expansion portion (10) to flow to the vapor-liquid separator (20). The connecting portion (30) is arranged on the upper portion of the expansion portion (10) and at the same time, on one side of the vapor-liquid separator (20) so as to be coupled to the expansion portion (10) and the vapor-liquid separator (20). When the connecting portion (30) is arranged in this manner, the refrigerant flowing out of the expansion portion (10) can pass through the connecting portion (30) and flow into the vapor-liquid separator (20).

[0056] The connection part (30) is provided with a connection part inlet line (32) through which refrigerant flows in and a connection part outlet line (34) through which refrigerant flows out. The connection part inlet line (32) can be arranged vertically, and the connection part outlet line (34) can be arranged horizontally. That is, the connection part inlet line (32) can be arranged on the same line as the expansion part outlet line (12), and the refrigerant flowing in through the connection part inlet line (32) can flow out along the connection part outlet line (34) after being bent 90° horizontally from the top. The refrigerant flowing out along the connection part outlet line (34) flows into the housing (22) of the gas-liquid separator (20).

[0057] The check unit (40) can be positioned and connected to the lower portion of the gas-liquid separator (20). The check unit (40) serves to pass the liquid refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator (20) or to block the refrigerant bypassing the gas-liquid separator (20) from flowing toward the gas-liquid separator (20).

[0058] A check unit inlet line (42) is provided at the upper part of the check unit (40) to which the liquid refrigerant flowing out from the gas-liquid separator (20) flows, and a check valve (46) is provided on the check unit inlet line (42). The check valve (46) opens when the liquid refrigerant flows in, allowing the refrigerant to flow toward the merging unit (50). In addition, a check unit outlet line (44) may be provided at the lower part of the check unit inlet line (42) to extend horizontally. The check unit outlet line (44) may be connected to the first merging unit inlet line (53) of the merging unit (50).

[0059] In this embodiment, the check valve (46) is not provided with a separate orifice. This configuration is because, when the refrigerant flowing out of the check section (40) flows into the heat exchanger (100) described later, it is necessary to control the flow rate of each through the expansion valve (90) disposed therein.

[0060] The merging section (50) is a section where the refrigerant bypassed from the expansion section (10) flows in or the liquid refrigerant separated from the gas-liquid separator (20) flows in and out. The merging section (50) may be arranged on one side of the expansion section (10) and the check section (40) to perform the above-described function and may be combined with the expansion section (10) and the check section (40).

[0061] Looking at the overall arrangement again, the expansion unit (10), the gas-liquid separator (20), the connection unit (30), and the check unit (40) are all made of block-shaped housings, so that the four can be integrated and combined to form a compact space. In addition, the vapor injection module can be configured compactly by arranging and combining the merging unit (50) on one side of the expansion unit (10) and the check unit (40).

[0062] In one embodiment, the merging unit (50) may be combined with the expansion unit (10) and the check unit (40) to include an inlet block (51) into which refrigerant is introduced, and an outlet block (52) that extends above the inlet block (51) and through which bypassed refrigerant or liquid refrigerant is discharged. The outlet block (52) may have a shape that extends upward from one side of the upper portion of the inlet block (51), as illustrated in FIG. 2. Overall, the inlet block (51) and the outlet block (52) may be formed in an L-shape.

[0063] The inflow block (51) is provided with a first merging section inflow line (53) connected to the expansion section (10) and a second merging section inflow line (54) connected to the check section (40). The first merging section inflow line (53) and the second merging section inflow line (54) can be arranged parallel to each other, and can be arranged spaced apart from each other in the left and right directions on one side of the inflow block (51).

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, in one embodiment, the first merger inflow line (53) may be bent vertically from one end toward the second merger inflow line (54), and the first merger inflow line (53) bent in this way may meet and be connected to the end of the second merger inflow line (54). Of course, the end of the first merger inflow line (53) may not be bent, and the end of the second merger inflow line (54) may be bent vertically toward the first merger inflow line (53).

[0065] In this way, a joining line (56) can be extended upward from the part where the end is connected. The joining line (56) is a part where the refrigerant actually flows out, and extends to the top of the discharge block (52) to allow the refrigerant to flow out.

[0066] As described above, the merging section (50) is a section into which the refrigerant flowing out from the expansion section (10) and the check section (40) flows in, and is configured so that the refrigerant can flow out along the merging line (56) regardless of which side it flows in from. Since the refrigerant flows out not separately but from one merging section (50), the refrigerant line is simplified and the vapor injection module can be configured compactly.

[0067] Hereinafter, the flow of refrigerant bypassed in the vapor injection module will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0068] First, the refrigerant flows into the expansion unit (10) through the expansion unit inlet line (11), as shown in FIG. 4. When the refrigerant flows into the ball valve (14) of the expansion unit (10), the ball valve (14) is rotated by the actuator (16) as shown in FIG. 5, and the refrigerant flows along the bypass line (13). At this time, since the ball valve (14) is opened toward the bypass line (13), the expansion unit outlet line (12) is closed, so that the refrigerant does not flow. In other words, the refrigerant line flowing from the expansion unit (10) toward the vapor-liquid separator (20) is closed, and the refrigerant flows to the bypass line (13).

[0069] The refrigerant flowing along the bypass line (13) can be introduced into the first merging section inlet line (53) of the merging section (50). The refrigerant flowing along the first merging section inlet line (53) flows upward at the point where it meets the end of the first merging section inlet line (54), and can flow along the confluence line (56) and then flow out to the upper end of the merging section (50).

[0070] Hereinafter, the flow of refrigerant separating into gas and liquid in the vapor injection module will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0071] First, the refrigerant is introduced into the expansion unit (10) through the expansion unit inlet line (11). At this time, the ball valve (14) of the expansion unit (10) is rotated so that the refrigerant flows toward the gas-liquid separator (20), and the refrigerant is introduced into the gas-liquid separator (20) through the connection (30).

[0072] The refrigerant introduced into the gas-liquid separator (20) is discharged toward the side wall of the housing (22), and the discharged refrigerant rotates and descends. The gaseous refrigerant separated in the gas-liquid separator (20) flows out through the gaseous outlet (24). Then, the liquid refrigerant descends and flows into the check unit (40). At this time, the baffle unit (26) can prevent the refrigerant from moving to the gaseous outlet (24) when flying.

[0073] When the refrigerant flows into the check section (40), the check valve (46) opens, and the refrigerant can flow into the second merging section inlet line (54) of the merging section (50). The refrigerant thus introduced is bent upward at the end of the second merging section inlet line (54), rises along the merging line (56), and flows out of the merging section (50).

[0074] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a drawing illustrating a refrigerant line of the vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0075] As shown therein, a vapor injection system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a compressor (60) that compresses and discharges a refrigerant, a condenser (70) that condenses the compressed refrigerant during heating, an internal heat exchanger (80) that heat-exchanges the refrigerant condensed in the condenser (70) with the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger (100), a vapor injection module into which the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the internal heat exchanger (80) is introduced, an expansion valve (90) that expands the refrigerant discharged from the vapor injection module, and the heat exchanger (100) that heat-exchanges with the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve (90).

[0076] The condenser (70) serves to condense the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor (60) into a high-pressure liquid by exchanging heat with an external heat source. For example, a water-cooled condenser can be used as the condenser (70).

[0077] The receiver dryer (72) serves to store excess refrigerant that may be generated in the vapor injection system. The refrigerant discharged from the receiver dryer (72) is reintroduced into the condenser (70), and the condenser (70) may be provided with a sub-cooling unit (74) to increase the degree of subcooling of the liquid refrigerant discharged from the receiver dryer (72). In this way, if the degree of subcooling of the refrigerant in the sub-cooling unit (74) is increased, the performance of the vapor injection system may be improved. The refrigerant discharged from the sub-cooling unit may be introduced into the internal heat exchanger (80) to secure additional degree of subcooling.

[0078] The internal heat exchanger (80) is a heat exchanger that generates heat exchange between refrigerants and is a heat exchanger provided for vapor injection mode. That is, the internal heat exchanger (80) is a device in which the refrigerant flowing in from the condenser (70) and the refrigerant flowing in from the heat exchanger (100) exchange heat with each other.

[0079] Meanwhile, the refrigerant flowing out of the vapor injection module may flow into a plurality of expansion valves (90) through the branch portion (92). The refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve (90) may flow into a heat exchanger (100) and exchange heat with cooling water. In the present embodiment, the heat exchanger (100) may be a chiller or an evaporator, and is a device that exchanges heat with cooling water moving in a cooling water circulation path (not shown). For example, when a chiller is used as the heat exchanger (100), the heat-exchanged cold cooling water may circulate in the cooling water circulation path and exchange heat with the battery. The refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger (100) may flow into the internal heat exchanger (80) through the junction portion (102) as described above and exchange heat with the refrigerant.

[0080] In this embodiment, the vapor injection system can be manufactured in the form of a single combined module as illustrated in FIG. 7. That is, the refrigerant flowing out of the vapor injection module can flow toward the expansion valve (90) through the flow portion (110) formed as a block-shaped housing. The flow portion (110) can include a plurality of housings as illustrated in the drawing, and its shape and arrangement can vary depending on the arrangement and shape of the vapor injection module.

[0081] A plurality of heat exchangers (100) can be arranged, and in this case, the expansion valve (90) can control the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into each heat exchanger (100). In the present embodiment, since the check unit (40) does not have the function of an orifice, there is an advantage in that, when branching into a plurality of heat exchangers (100), the flow rate of each can be individually controlled by the expansion valve (90).

[0082] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below.

[0083] [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 10: Expansion section 11: Expansion section inlet line

[0085] 12: Expansion section drain line 13: Bypass line

[0086] 14: Ball valve 15: Inlet hole

[0087] 16: Actuator 20: Gas-liquid separator

[0088] 22: Housing 24: Weather outlet

[0089] 26: Bulkhead 30: Connection

[0090] 32: Connection inlet line 34: Connection outlet line

[0091] 40: Check section 42: Check section inlet line

[0092] 44: Check section discharge line 46: Check valve

[0093] 50: Merge section 51: Inflow block

[0094] 52: Outflow block 53: First merger inflow line

[0095] 54: Second merge inflow line 56: Confluence line

[0096] 60: Compressor 70: Condenser

[0097] 72: Receiver dryer 74: Sub cooling unit

[0098] 80: Internal heat exchanger 90: Expansion valve

[0099] 92: Branch 100: Heat exchanger

[0100] 102: Confluence 110: Flow

Claims

1. An expansion unit having an expansion unit inlet line through which refrigerant flows in, an expansion unit outlet line through which refrigerant flows out, and a bypass line, and controlling the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to the air conditioning mode; A gas-liquid separator coupled to one side of the expansion unit and connected to the expansion unit outlet line to separate the incoming refrigerant into liquid refrigerant and gas-phase refrigerant; A check unit that blocks the liquid refrigerant separated from the above-mentioned gas-liquid separator from passing through or the refrigerant bypassing the above-mentioned gas-liquid separator from flowing into the above-mentioned gas-liquid separator; and A vapor injection module including a merging section through which refrigerant bypassed from the expansion section is introduced or liquid refrigerant separated from the vapor-liquid separator is introduced and then discharged to the outside.

2. In paragraph 1, A vapor injection module in which a connecting part is arranged and connected between the expansion part and the gas-liquid separator, thereby allowing the vapor flowing from the expansion part to flow into the gas-liquid separator.

3. In paragraph 2, The above connection part has a connection part inlet line through which refrigerant flows in and a connection part outlet line through which refrigerant flows out, A vapor injection module in which the connection inlet line is arranged in a vertical direction and the connection outlet line is arranged in a horizontal direction, and the connection inlet line is arranged on the same line as the expansion outlet line.

4. In paragraph 2, A vapor injection module in which the expansion portion, the connection portion, the gas-liquid separator, and the check portion are formed into a block-shaped housing and combined.

5. In paragraph 1, A vapor injection module in which the expansion unit includes a ball valve that rotates and is positioned at the center where the expansion unit inlet line, the expansion unit outlet line, and the bypass line are connected.

6. In paragraph 1, A vapor injection module including a check member that is arranged and combined at the lower portion of the gas-liquid separator and controls whether the introduced refrigerant flows.

7. In paragraph 1, A vapor injection module in which the above-mentioned merging part is arranged on one side of the above-mentioned expansion part and the above-mentioned check part and is combined with the above-mentioned expansion part and the above-mentioned check part.

8. In paragraph 7, A vapor injection module in which the above-mentioned merging unit has a first merging unit inflow line connected to the expansion unit and a second merging unit inflow line connected to the check unit, and the first merging unit inflow line and the second merging unit inflow line are arranged parallel to each other.

9. In paragraph 8, A vapor injection module in which the end of the first merger inlet line is bent toward the end of the second merger inlet line and connected to each other, and refrigerant flows out through a joining line extending in one direction from the connected portion.

10. In paragraph 8, The above merger part, An inlet block coupled to the expansion unit and the check unit through which refrigerant is introduced; and A vapor injection module including an outlet block extending from the upper portion of the inlet block and through which bypassed refrigerant or liquid refrigerant flows out.

11. In paragraph 10, A vapor injection module in which the above inflow block is provided with the first merge section inflow line and the second merge section inflow line.

12. In paragraph 10, The above inlet block is a vapor injection module provided to extend upward from one side of the upper surface of the above outlet block.

13. An expansion unit having an expansion unit inlet line through which refrigerant flows in, an expansion unit outlet line through which refrigerant flows out, and a bypass line, and controlling the flow direction and expansion of the refrigerant according to the air conditioning mode; A vapor-liquid separator coupled to the side of the expansion unit and connected to the expansion unit outlet line to separate the incoming refrigerant into liquid refrigerant and vapor refrigerant; A check unit coupled to the side of the expansion unit and the lower part of the gas-liquid separator, and blocking the liquid refrigerant separated from the gas-liquid separator from passing through or the refrigerant bypassing the gas-liquid separator from flowing into the gas-liquid separator; and A vapor injection module comprising a merging section that is coupled to cover the side of the expansion section and the check section, and through which refrigerant bypassed from the expansion section is introduced or liquid refrigerant separated from the vapor-liquid separator is introduced and then discharged to the outside.

14. In paragraph 13, A vapor injection module further comprising a connecting portion coupled to the upper portion of the expansion portion and the side of the gas-liquid separator, and allowing the gas flowing from the expansion portion to flow into the gas-liquid separator.

15. In paragraph 13, A vapor injection module in which the above-mentioned merging unit is connected to the expansion unit and the check unit so that the refrigerant passage is in communication with each other.

16. In paragraph 13, A vapor injection module including a first merger inlet line connected to the expansion unit, a second merger inlet line connected to the check unit, and a joining line extending from a portion where the first merger inlet line and the second merger inlet line meet and communicate.

17. In paragraph 16, A vapor injection module in which the first merger inflow line, the second merger inflow line, and the confluence line are arranged orthogonally to each other.

18. A compressor that compresses and discharges refrigerant; A condenser that condenses the compressed refrigerant during heating; An internal heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant condensed in the condenser and the refrigerant heat-exchanged in the heat exchanger; A vapor injection module according to any one of claims 1 to 17 into which refrigerant heat-exchanged in the internal heat exchanger is introduced; An expansion valve that expands the refrigerant leaked from the vapor injection module; and A vapor injection system including the heat exchanger that exchanges heat with the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve.

19. In paragraph 18, Further comprising a flow section through which the refrigerant flowing out of the vapor injection module flows, A vapor injection system in which the fluid section is positioned and connected between the vapor injection module, the expansion valve, and the heat exchanger.

20. In paragraph 18, A vapor injection system in which the above heat exchangers are arranged in multiple numbers, and the expansion valve controls the flow rate of refrigerant flowing into the heat exchangers.

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