Accumulator Oil Return Shutoff for Air-Conditioner Pipeline Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air-conditioning systems face challenges in preventing foreign material, such as used refrigerating machine oil, from returning to the compressor during pipeline cleaning, and in efficiently collecting this material due to limitations in existing technologies, including the use of accumulators and electromagnetic valves, which can be costly and prone to vibration issues, and result in slow collection times, especially at low temperatures.
Innovation Solution
The system incorporates an accumulator with an oil return pipeline and a flowing amount adjusting device, which is closed during cleaning operations to prevent foreign material from returning to the compressor and utilizes a degassing pipe connected to the accumulator to enhance suction force for efficient collection into a collecting container, leveraging pressure differences and Bernoulli's theorem to increase collection speed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an electromagnetic valve is provided in the outlet pipeline of the accumulator to prevent foreign material from returning to the compressor, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the foreign material (used refrigerating machine oil) from the system by providing a dedicated collection container connected to the accumulator through a collection pipeline. This allows the foreign material to be separated and collected outside the main refrigerant circuit, eliminating the need for complex electromagnetic valves in the outlet pipeline while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If a large bore diameter valve is provided in the pipeline connected to the compressor, then the reliability is improved, but the pipeline may break due to vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the need for large bore diameter valves in the compressor pipeline by extracting foreign material collection into a separate system. The collection container is connected via a dedicated collection pipeline that does not require large bore diameter, thereby eliminating the vibration-induced breaking risk while maintaining the ability to prevent foreign material return.
3Productivity
If only head difference is utilized for collecting foreign material into the collecting container, then the device complexity is reduced, but the collection speed is slow especially at low temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies pneumatic principles by utilizing the suction force generated by the refrigerant flow through the degassing pipe to accelerate the collection of foreign material into the collecting container. This goes beyond simple head difference utilization by incorporating fluid dynamic effects to enhance collection speed, particularly effective at low temperatures where viscosity effects are more pronounced.
4Ease of manufacture
If the U-shaped pipe with oil return hole is used in the accumulator, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but foreign material may return to the compressor during start-up
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the foreign material (used refrigerating machine oil) from the accumulator before it can return to the compressor through the U-shaped pipe's oil return hole. By providing a collection container connected to the accumulator, the foreign material is diverted into the collection system, maintaining the simple U-shaped pipe structure while eliminating the reliability issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs preliminary action by collecting foreign material in the collecting container before it can enter the compressor. The collection system is designed to intercept and store used refrigerating machine oil in advance, preventing it from returning to the compressor during start-up or normal operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution ensures that foreign material is not returned to the compressor during pipeline cleaning and allows for rapid and efficient collection, improving construction efficiency and preventing material overflow, even at low temperatures, thus enhancing the overall performance and safety of the air-conditioning system.
Implementation Method 1
leveraging pressure differences and Bernoulli's theorem to increase collection speed
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerating air-conditioning apparatus, at least provided with no possibility that a foreign material returns to a compressor from an accumulator at a time of the pipeline-cleaning operation firstly, and provided with a possibility to perform a collecting operation for the foreign material in a short time secondary, is provided.The heat-source side unit includes an accumulator provided with a function to separate and collect the foreign material in an existing pipeline, a collecting container for collecting the foreign material separated by the accumulator, and an oil return pipeline for returning refrigerating machine oil to the compressor via a flow amount adjusting device, installed at a lower portion of the accumulator, and at a time of ordinary cooling or heating operation, the refrigerating machine oil is caused to flow into the oil return pipeline, and at a time of pipeline cleaning and foreign material-collecting operations, the flow amount adjusting device is fully closed.