Refrigerator unit
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-08-25
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure JP2025029734_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Refrigerator Unit
[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerator unit.
[0002] The refrigerator cools by the sensible heat of the gas circulating in the gas phase. That is, for example, the refrigerator uses air as a refrigerant, generates high-pressure and high-temperature air by a compressor, cools the high-pressure and high-temperature air in a cooler (heat exchanger), and then generates low-pressure and low-temperature air by an expander, and cools the object to be cooled by the sensible heat of the low-pressure and low-temperature air. As such a refrigerator, for example, there is one described in Patent Document 1.
[0003] International Publication No. 2023 / 120053
[0004] The refrigerator is composed of a compressor unit composed of a compressor and an expander, a heat exchanger, etc. In this case, it is common to arrange a plurality of units such as a compressor unit and a heat exchanger along the vertical direction. However, when a plurality of units are arranged along the vertical direction, the overall height becomes high, and it may not be possible to arrange them in a predetermined space. Also, when a plurality of units are arranged along the vertical direction, maintenance work becomes difficult.
[0005] The present disclosure solves the above-described problems and aims to provide a refrigerator unit that achieves miniaturization of the device.
[0006] The refrigerator unit of the present disclosure for achieving the above object includes a compressor unit having a compressor and an expander drive-connected to the drive shaft of a drive device, a first cooler that cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor and sends it as a low-pressure refrigerant gas to the expander, and a regenerative heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant gas sent from the first cooler to the expander and the used low-pressure refrigerant gas returned to the compressor. The regenerative heat exchanger and the first cooler are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The regenerative heat exchanger has a rectangular shape, the height dimension is smaller than the width dimension, and the depth dimension is smaller than the height dimension.
[0007] According to the refrigerator unit of the present disclosure, miniaturization of the device and improvement of cooling efficiency can be achieved.
[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the refrigeration unit of the first embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit of the first embodiment. Figure 3 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit. Figure 4 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit of the second embodiment. Figure 5 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit of the third embodiment. Figure 6 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit of the fourth embodiment. Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the compressor unit in the refrigeration unit of the fifth embodiment. Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing the refrigeration unit of the sixth embodiment. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the control system of the refrigeration unit of the seventh embodiment.
[0009] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, these embodiments do not limit the present disclosure, and where there are multiple embodiments, they may be combinations of these embodiments. Furthermore, the components in the embodiments include those readily conceivable by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially identical, and those that are equivalent.
[0010] [First Embodiment] <Refrigeration Unit> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the refrigeration unit of the first embodiment.
[0011] As shown in Figure 1, the refrigeration unit 10 comprises a compressor unit 11, a water-cooled heat exchanger (first cooler) 12, a brine heat exchanger (second cooler, brine cooler) 13, and a regenerative heat exchanger 14. The refrigeration unit 10 cools the object to be cooled by flowing a refrigerant gas through the compressor unit 11, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, the brine heat exchanger 13, and the regenerative heat exchanger 14. Here, it is preferable to use a working fluid such as air, nitrogen, argon, helium, or an organic medium as the refrigerant gas, but it is not limited to these working fluids.
[0012] The compressor unit 11 comprises a drive unit 21, a compressor 22, and an expander 23. The compressor unit 11 has a compressor 22 and an expander 23 driven by a drive shaft 24 of the drive unit 21. The drive unit 21 is an electric motor and has a drive shaft 24 that can be driven and rotated. The compressor 22 is connected to one end of the drive shaft 24 in the axial direction, and the expander 23 is connected to the other end in the axial direction. The compressor 22 has a compressor blade (not shown) attached to one end of the drive shaft 24, and the expander 23 has a turbine blade (not shown) attached to the other end of the drive shaft 24.
[0013] The compressor 22 compresses the refrigerant gas to produce high-pressure refrigerant gas. The compressor 22 is connected to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 by piping L1. The water-cooled heat exchanger 12 cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 22. The water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is connected to an external cooler (not shown) and cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 22 with a cooling medium supplied from the cooler.
[0014] The water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is connected to the expander 23 by piping L2. The expander 23 recovers expansion energy from the high-pressure refrigerant gas cooled in the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to generate low-pressure refrigerant gas. The expander 23 is connected to the brine heat exchanger 13 by piping L3. The brine heat exchanger 13 cools the brine (object to be cooled) with the low-pressure refrigerant gas from which the expansion energy was recovered in the expander 23. The brine heat exchanger 13 is connected to, for example, a freezer (not shown) to be cooled, and cools the freezer with the cooled brine. The brine heat exchanger 13 is connected to the compressor 22 by piping L4.
[0015] The regenerative heat exchanger 14 is located in piping L2 and L4. In this case, piping L2 includes piping L21 connecting the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14, and piping L22 connecting the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the expander 23. Piping L4 includes piping L41 connecting the brine heat exchanger 13 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14, and piping L42 connecting the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the compressor 22. The regenerative heat exchanger 14 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant gas sent from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the expander 23 and the refrigerant gas returned from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the compressor 22. That is, the regenerative heat exchanger 14 cools the refrigerant gas sent from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the expander 23 through piping L2 using the low-temperature refrigerant gas returned from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the compressor 22 through piping L4.
[0016] In the refrigeration unit 10, when the drive unit 21 is driven, the drive shaft 24 rotates, and the compressor 22 and expander 23 operate. When the compressor 22 operates, it compresses the refrigerant gas to generate high-pressure refrigerant gas, which is sent to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 through piping L1. The water-cooled heat exchanger 12 cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 22 and sends it to the expander 23 through piping L2. When the expander 23 operates, it recovers expansion energy from the high-pressure refrigerant gas cooled in the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to generate low-pressure refrigerant gas, which is sent to the brine heat exchanger 13 through piping L3. The brine heat exchanger 13 cools the brine with the low-pressure refrigerant gas from which the expansion energy was recovered in the expander 23, and returns it to the compressor 22 through piping L4. The regenerative heat exchanger 14 cools the refrigerant gas sent from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the expander 23 through the pipe L2 using the low-temperature refrigerant gas returned from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the compressor 22 through the pipe L4.
[0017] In this example, the refrigeration unit 10 is a closed-loop type refrigeration unit comprising a compressor unit 11, a water-cooled heat exchanger 12, a brine heat exchanger 13, and a regenerative heat exchanger 14, but it is not limited to this type. For example, the refrigeration unit 10 may be an open-loop type refrigeration unit. In the case of an open-loop type refrigeration unit, the second cooler is not an essential component, and it is sufficient to supply and discharge refrigerant gas directly to and from the freezer chamber (the object to be cooled).
[0018] <Arrangement of Refrigeration Unit> Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit in the first embodiment, and Figure 3 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit.
[0019] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the refrigeration unit 10 comprises at least a compressor unit 11, a water-cooled heat exchanger (first cooler) 12, and a regenerative heat exchanger 14. However, in the following description, the refrigeration unit 10 will be described as comprising a compressor unit 11, a water-cooled heat exchanger 12, a brine heat exchanger (second cooler, brine cooler) 13, and a regenerative heat exchanger 14.
[0020] In the refrigeration unit 10, the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction (in the direction of the width dimension W and the direction of the depth dimension D). The regenerative heat exchanger 14 is rectangular in shape, with a height dimension H smaller than the width dimension W and a depth dimension D smaller than the height dimension H.
[0021] Furthermore, the compressor unit 11 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction (the direction of height dimension H). Specifically, the compressor unit 11 is arranged adjacent to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the vertical direction below. In this case, when we say that the compressor unit 11 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction, it means that a part of the compressor unit 11, for example, one of the drive unit 21, compressor 22, and expander 23, or a part thereof, is arranged facing a part of the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the vertical direction. In addition, the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 are arranged facing each other in the depth direction of the regenerative heat exchanger 14. The regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the brine heat exchanger 13 are arranged facing each other in the depth direction of the regenerative heat exchanger 14. In other words, the regenerative heat exchanger 14, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, and the brine heat exchanger 13 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction.
[0022] The compressor unit 11 is positioned vertically below the regenerative heat exchanger 14, and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is positioned along the axial direction of the drive shaft 24 (see Figure 1) in the compressor unit 11. That is, the longitudinal direction (width direction) of the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the axial direction of the drive shaft 24 in the compressor unit 11 are in the same direction. In addition, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, the brine heat exchanger 13, and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are in the same direction in terms of height, width, and depth.
[0023] The piping L42 that supplies refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the compressor 22 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. The piping L1 that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. The piping L3 that supplies refrigerant gas from the expander 23 to the brine heat exchanger 13 is a bent pipe that bends at a 180-degree angle. The piping L22 that supplies refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the expander 23 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. Also, the piping L41 that supplies refrigerant gas from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is a bent pipe that bends at a 180-degree angle. The piping L21 that supplies refrigerant gas from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle.
[0024] Here, it is preferable that the piping L22 that sends refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the expander 23, the piping L3 that sends low-pressure refrigerant gas from the expander 23 to the brine heat exchanger 13, and the piping L41 that sends refrigerant gas from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 be made of metal. On the other hand, it is preferable that the piping L42 that returns refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the compressor 22, the piping L1 that sends high-pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, and the piping L21 that sends refrigerant gas from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 be made of rubber.
[0025] In the first embodiment of the refrigeration unit 10, the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The regenerative heat exchanger 14 is rectangular in shape, with a height H smaller than a width W and a depth D smaller than a height H. Therefore, the height of the refrigeration unit 10 can be kept low, and the device can be made more compact.
[0026] [Second Embodiment] Figure 4 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit according to the second embodiment. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.
[0027] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, in the refrigeration unit 10A, the compressor unit 11 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction. Specifically, the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is positioned adjacent to the compressor unit 11 in the vertical direction below.
[0028] Furthermore, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 and the brine heat exchanger 13 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. The water-cooled heat exchanger 12 and the brine heat exchanger 13 are arranged adjacent to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the horizontal direction.
[0029] In the second embodiment, the refrigeration unit 10A has a regenerative heat exchanger 14 positioned adjacent to the compressor unit 11 in the vertical direction below. Therefore, by positioning the compressor unit 11 above the regenerative heat exchanger 14, the maintainability of the compressor unit 11 can be improved.
[0030] [Third Embodiment] Figure 5 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit according to the third embodiment. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.
[0031] As shown in Figure 5, in the refrigeration unit 10B, the brine heat exchanger 13 is positioned opposite the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the width direction. The piping L3 that supplies refrigerant gas from the expander 23 to the brine heat exchanger 13 is a straight pipe. Also, the piping L4 that supplies refrigerant gas from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is a straight pipe.
[0032] In the third embodiment of the refrigeration unit 10B, the brine heat exchanger 13 is arranged opposite the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the width direction. This allows the piping L3 that sends refrigerant gas from the expander 23 to the brine heat exchanger 13 and the piping L4 that sends refrigerant gas from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to be in a straight shape, thereby simplifying the structure.
[0033] [Fourth Embodiment] Figure 6 is a front view showing the arrangement of the refrigeration unit according to the fourth embodiment. Components having the same functions as those in the third embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted.
[0034] As shown in Figure 6, in the refrigeration unit 10C, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is positioned above and opposite the compressor unit 11. The piping L1 that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is a straight pipe.
[0035] In the fourth embodiment, the refrigeration unit 10C has a water-cooled heat exchanger 12 positioned above and opposite the compressor unit 11. Therefore, the piping L1 that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 can be made straight, thus simplifying the structure.
[0036] [Fifth Embodiment] Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the compressor unit in the refrigeration unit of the fifth embodiment. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions are omitted.
[0037] As shown in Figure 7, the compressor unit 11 includes a drive unit 21, a compressor 22, and an expander 23, with the compressor 22 and expander 23 connected to the drive shaft 24.
[0038] The drive unit 21 comprises a housing 41, a stator 42, a rotating shaft 43, and a rotor 44. The stator 42 is fixed to the inner circumference of the housing 41. The rotating shaft 43 functions as the drive shaft 24, and the rotor 44 is fixed to the outer circumference. The rotating shaft 43 is rotatably supported by the housing 41 by a pair of journal bearings 45 and 46. The journal bearings 45 and 46 are gas bearings. The journal bearings 45 and 46 support one side (right side in Figure 7) and the other side (left side in Figure 7) of the rotating shaft 43 in the axial direction. The rotating shaft 43 is rotatably supported by the housing 41 by a thrust bearing 47. The thrust bearing 47 is a gas bearing. The thrust bearing 47 is a disc member fixed to one side of the rotating shaft 43 in the axial direction.
[0039] The stator 42 and rotor 44 face each other with a radial gap between their inner and outer surfaces. Therefore, when current flows through the stator coil of the stator 42, the rotor 44 rotates due to the attractive and repulsive forces of the generated magnetic field, outputting rotational force.
[0040] The drive unit 21 has a compressor 22 positioned on one axial side of the rotating shaft 43 and an expander 23 positioned on the other axial side of the rotating shaft 43. The compressor 22 has a compressor wheel 48 connected to one end of the rotating shaft 43. The expander 23 has a turbine wheel 49 connected to the other end of the rotating shaft 43.
[0041] The drive unit 21 has a refrigerant gas passage 50 inside. The refrigerant gas passage 50 has an inlet passage 51, an axial passage 52, and an outlet passage (not shown). The inlet passage 51 is located on the compressor 22 side, with one end opening to the outside of the housing 41 and the other end communicating with the thrust bearing 47 and the journal bearing 46. The axial passage 52 is located in the gap between the stator 42 and the rotor 44, with one end communicating with the journal bearing 45 and the other end communicating with the journal bearing 46. The outlet passage is located on the expander 23 side, with one end opening to the outside of the housing 41 and the other end communicating with the journal bearing 46.
[0042] As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the compressor unit 11 is provided with a gas supply path 55 for supplying a cooling medium to the drive unit 21. The gas supply path 55 extracts refrigerant gas as a cooling medium and supplies it to the refrigerant gas flow path 50 of the drive unit 21. That is, the gas supply path 55 supplies refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 22 or refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by the expander 23 to the inlet flow path 51.
[0043] In the drive device 21, the refrigerant gas supplied from the gas supply path 55 to the refrigerant gas flow path 50 is supplied from the inlet side flow path 51 to the thrust bearing 47 and the journal bearing 46, flows through the gap between the stator 42 and the rotor 44 by the axial flow path 52, is supplied to the journal bearing 45, and is discharged to the outside from the outlet side flow path. Therefore, in the drive device 21, the stator 42 and the rotor 44 are appropriately cooled by the refrigerant gas, and the journal bearings 45 and 46 and the thrust bearing 47 function appropriately. Note that the cooling gas that has cooled the drive device 21 is returned to the compressor 22.
[0044] In the refrigerator unit 10 of the fifth embodiment, gas bearings are applied as the journal bearings 45 and 46 and the thrust bearing 47 that support the rotating shaft 43 (drive shaft 24) in the compressor unit 11. Therefore, refrigerant gas can be used as the fluid that operates the journal bearings 45 and 46 and the thrust bearing 47.
[0045] [Sixth Embodiment] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the refrigerator unit of the sixth embodiment. Note that members having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 8, the housing 60 has a box shape and is, for example, openable and closable by a lid (not shown). The refrigerator unit 10 (compressor unit 11, water-cooled heat exchanger 12, brine heat exchanger 13, regenerative heat exchanger 14) is disposed inside the housing 60.
[0047] In the housing 60, a pedestal 62 is disposed on an internal shelf 61. The housing 60 is provided with rails (not shown) on the shelf 61, and the pedestal 62 is movable along the rails. The refrigerator unit 10 is mounted on the pedestal 62. Therefore, the refrigerator unit 10 can be pulled out from the housing 60 by moving the pedestal 62.
[0048] In the refrigerator unit 10 of the sixth embodiment, at least the compressor unit 11 in the refrigerator unit 10 can be pulled out from the housing 60 by the pedestal 62. Therefore, the maintainability of the compressor unit 11 can be improved.
[0049] [Seventh Embodiment] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the control system of the refrigerator unit of the seventh embodiment. Components having the same functions as those in the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted.
[0050] As shown in Figure 9, the compressor unit 11 includes a drive unit 21, a compressor 22, and an expander 23, with the compressor 22 and expander 23 connected to a drive shaft 24. The drive unit 21 has an electric motor and is connected to an inverter 71. The inverter 71 includes a converter circuit (AC / DC converter) 72 and an inverter circuit 73. The inverter 71 is connected to a control device 74, and the control device 74 is connected to a power supply unit 75.
[0051] The power supply unit 75 supplies power to the control device 74. The control device 74 supplies power to the inverter 71 and the drive unit 21. The converter circuit 72 converts the AC from the power supply unit 75 to DC, and the inverter circuit 73 converts the DC back to AC. The inverter 71 changes the voltage and frequency of the electricity and outputs it to the drive unit 21.
[0052] Furthermore, the brine heat exchanger 13 is connected to pipes L3 and L41 through which low-pressure refrigerant gas flows, as well as to pipe L5 which supplies refrigerant gas to the object to be cooled 81. The brine heat exchanger 13 performs heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant gas flowing through pipes L3 and L41 and the refrigerant gas flowing through pipe L5. Here, the object to be cooled 81 is, for example, semiconductor manufacturing equipment or inspection equipment. Note that a heat exchanger may be placed between the brine heat exchanger 13 and the object to be cooled 81.
[0053] A temperature sensor 82 is provided to measure the temperature of the refrigerant gas flowing through the piping L3 upstream (or downstream piping L41) of the brine heat exchanger 13. The temperature sensor 82 is connected to a control device 74. The control device 74 controls the rotation speed of the drive unit 21 via an inverter 71 based on the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor 82. That is, the control device 74 adjusts the rotation speed of the motor in the drive unit 21 so that the temperature of the refrigerant gas at the inlet (or outlet) of the brine heat exchanger 13 reaches a specified optimal temperature, based on the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor 82. In this case, if the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor 82 is higher than the optimal temperature, the rotation speed of the motor in the drive unit 21 is increased.
[0054] The refrigeration unit 10 of the seventh embodiment is equipped with a temperature sensor 82 that measures the temperature of the refrigerant gas flowing through pipes L3 and L41, and the control device 74 controls the rotation speed of the drive unit 21 based on the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor 82. As a result, the temperature of the refrigerant gas supplied to the object to be cooled 81 can be adjusted to the optimal temperature.
[0055] [Effects of this embodiment] The refrigeration unit according to the first embodiment comprises a compressor unit 11 having a compressor 22 and an expander 23 that are driven and connected to a drive shaft 24 of a drive device 21; a water-cooled heat exchanger (first cooler) 12 that cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 22 and sends it to the expander 23 as low-pressure refrigerant gas; and a regenerative heat exchanger 14 that performs heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant gas sent from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the expander 23 and the used low-pressure refrigerant gas returned to the compressor 22. The regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 has a rectangular shape, with a height dimension H smaller than the width dimension W and a depth dimension D smaller than the height dimension H.
[0056] According to the first embodiment of the refrigeration unit, the height of the refrigeration unit 10 can be kept low, and the device can be made more compact.
[0057] The refrigeration unit according to the second embodiment is the same as the refrigeration unit according to the first embodiment, further arranged such that the regenerative heat exchanger 14 and the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 are opposite each other in the depth direction of the regenerative heat exchanger 14. This makes it possible to keep the height of the refrigeration unit 10 low.
[0058] The refrigeration unit according to the third embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to the first or second embodiment, further wherein the compressor unit 11 and the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction. This makes it possible to miniaturize the device.
[0059] The refrigeration unit according to the fourth embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to third embodiments, and furthermore, the piping L42 that sends refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the compressor 22 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. This makes it possible to reduce pressure loss by reducing the bending angle of the piping L42, and also makes the device more compact.
[0060] The fifth embodiment of the refrigeration unit is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to fourth embodiments, and furthermore, the piping L1 that sends refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. This makes it possible to reduce pressure loss by reducing the bending angle of the piping L1, and also makes the device more compact.
[0061] The refrigeration unit according to the sixth embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to fifth embodiments, and furthermore, the piping L22 that sends refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the expander 23 is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle. This makes it possible to reduce pressure loss by reducing the bending angle of the piping L22, and also makes the device more compact.
[0062] The seventh embodiment of the refrigeration unit is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to sixth embodiments, and furthermore, the brine heat exchanger 13 cools the brine with low-pressure refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by the expander 23, and the regenerative heat exchanger 14, the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, and the brine heat exchanger 13 are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction. This makes it possible to shorten the lengths of the piping L3, L41, and L22, and to miniaturize the device.
[0063] The refrigeration unit according to the eighth embodiment is the same as the refrigeration unit according to the seventh embodiment, wherein the brine heat exchanger 13 is arranged opposite the regenerative heat exchanger 14 in the width direction, the piping L3 that sends refrigerant gas from the expander 23 to the brine heat exchanger 13 is a straight pipe, and the piping L41 that sends refrigerant gas from the brine heat exchanger 13 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 is a straight pipe. By making the piping L3 and L41 straight, pressure loss can be reduced.
[0064] The refrigeration unit according to the ninth embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to the seventh or eighth embodiment, further comprising a water-cooled heat exchanger 12 positioned opposite the compressor unit 11 above it, and a straight pipe L1 that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12. By making the pipe L1 straight, pressure loss can be reduced.
[0065] The refrigeration unit according to the tenth embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to ninth embodiments, and furthermore, the piping L42 that returns refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger 14 to the compressor 22, the piping L1 that sends high-pressure refrigerant gas from the compressor 22 to the water-cooled heat exchanger 12, and the piping L21 that sends refrigerant gas from the water-cooled heat exchanger 12 to the regenerative heat exchanger 14 are made of rubber. By using rubber piping, the assembly of various components can be made easier and assembly efficiency can be improved.
[0066] The refrigeration unit according to the eleventh embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to tenth embodiments, further comprising: a housing 41 having a stator 42 with a cylindrical shape on its inner circumference; a rotating shaft 43 having a rotor 44 disposed inside the housing 41 and facing the stator 42; journal bearings 45, 46 and thrust bearing 47 composed of gas bearings that rotatably support the rotating shaft 43; and a gas supply path 55 that supplies high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by a compressor 22 or low-pressure refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by an expander 23 to the journal bearings 45, 46 and thrust bearing 47. By supplying refrigerant gas to the refrigerant gas flow path 50 of the drive unit 21 via the gas supply path 55, the journal bearings 45, 46 and thrust bearing 47 can be made to function properly with the refrigerant gas.
[0067] The 12th embodiment of the refrigeration unit is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to 11th embodiments, further comprising a compressor unit 11, a water-cooled heat exchanger 12, and a regenerative heat exchanger 14, all of which are arranged inside the housing 60. At least the compressor unit 11 is supported by a movable base 63 and can be pulled out from the housing 60. This improves the maintainability of the refrigeration unit 10 (compressor unit 11).
[0068] The refrigeration unit according to the 13th embodiment is a refrigeration unit according to any one of the first to tenth embodiments, and further includes a temperature sensor 82 provided in the piping (cooling path) L3 that sends the low-pressure refrigerant gas, from which the expansion energy has been recovered by the expander 23, to the object to be cooled for cooling, and measures the temperature of the refrigerant gas, and a control device 74 that controls the rotation speed of the drive device 21 based on the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor 82. This makes it possible to adjust the temperature of the refrigerant gas at the outlet of the brine heat exchanger 13 to an optimal temperature, and to operate the refrigeration unit 10 appropriately.
[0069] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C Refrigeration Unit 11 Compressor Unit 12 Water-cooled Heat Exchanger (First Cooler) 13 Brine Heat Exchanger (Second Cooler, Brine Cooler) 14 Regenerative Heat Exchanger 21 Drive Unit 22 Compressor 23 Expander 24 Drive Shaft 41 Housing 42 Stator 43 Rotating Shaft 44 Rotor 45, 46 Journal Bearings (Gas Bearings) 47 Thrust Bearings (Gas Bearings) 48 Compressor Wheel 49 Turbine Wheel 50 Refrigerant Gas Flow Path 51 Inlet Flow Path 52 Axial Flow Path 55 Gas Supply Path 60 Housing 61 Shelf 62 Base 71 Inverter 72 Converter Circuit 73 Inverter Circuit 74 Control Device 75 Power Supply 81 Cooling Object 82 Temperature Sensor L1, L2, L21, L22, L3, L4, L41, L42, L5 Piping
Claims
1. A refrigeration unit comprising: a compressor unit having a compressor and an expander driven and connected to the drive shaft of a drive device; a first cooler that cools the high-pressure refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor and sends it to the expander as low-pressure refrigerant gas; and a regenerative heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between the low-pressure refrigerant gas sent from the first cooler to the expander and the used low-pressure refrigerant gas returned to the compressor, wherein the regenerative heat exchanger and the first cooler are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the regenerative heat exchanger is rectangular in shape, with a height dimension smaller than the width dimension and a depth dimension smaller than the height dimension.
2. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the regenerative heat exchanger and the first cooler are arranged opposite each other in the depth direction of the regenerative heat exchanger.
3. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the compressor unit and the regenerative heat exchanger are arranged facing each other in the vertical direction.
4. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger to the compressor is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle.
5. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor to the first cooler is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle.
6. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger to the expander is a bent pipe that bends at a 90-degree angle.
7. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, further comprising a second cooler which cools an object to be cooled with low-pressure refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by the expander and returns it to the compressor, wherein the second cooler is a brine cooler which cools brine with low-pressure refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by the expander, and the regenerative heat exchanger, the first cooler and the brine cooler are arranged adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction.
8. The refrigeration unit according to claim 7, wherein the brine cooler is arranged opposite to the width direction of the regenerative heat exchanger, the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the expander to the brine cooler is a straight pipe, and the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the brine cooler to the regenerative heat exchanger is a straight pipe.
9. The refrigeration unit according to claim 7, wherein the first cooler is positioned opposite to the compressor unit above, and the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor to the first cooler is a straight pipe.
10. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the regenerative heat exchanger to the compressor, the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the compressor to the first cooler, and the piping that supplies refrigerant gas from the first cooler to the regenerative heat exchanger are made of rubber.
11. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the drive device comprises a housing having a cylindrical stator on its inner circumference, a rotating shaft having a rotor disposed inside the housing and facing the stator, a journal bearing and a thrust bearing composed of gas bearings that rotatably support the rotating shaft, and a gas supply path that supplies refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor or refrigerant gas from which expansion energy has been recovered by the expander to the journal bearing and the thrust bearing.
12. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, wherein the compressor unit, the first cooler, and the regenerative heat exchanger are arranged inside a housing, and at least the compressor unit is supported on a movable base and can be pulled out from the housing.
13. The refrigeration unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a temperature sensor provided in a cooling path that sends the low-pressure refrigerant gas, from which the expansion energy has been recovered by the expander, to an object to be cooled for cooling, and measuring the temperature of the refrigerant gas; and a control device that controls the rotational speed of the drive unit based on the temperature of the refrigerant gas measured by the temperature sensor.