Apparatus for separating and storing liquid refrigerant in refrigerant circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerant accumulators in refrigerant circuits experience sudden boiling and pressure waves due to rapid pressure drops, leading to noise and potential damage, as they lack effective means to prevent boiling retardation outside the J-shaped pipe and fail to actively introduce evaporation processes.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a housing containing a refrigerant outflow line and a boiling element, where the boiling element is connected to the outflow line to facilitate steam bubble formation, reducing boiling retardation by increasing the contact surface area and using a porous material to enhance bubble nucleation, thereby preventing sudden evaporation and noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional accumulator with a J-shaped pipe is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the surface area for bubble formation is insufficient, leading to boiling retardation and sudden evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a porous boiling element (Dampfblasenelement) with pore sizes of 1-100 micrometers that provides a large surface area for bubble nucleation. This porous structure enables controlled boiling by providing numerous nucleation sites, preventing superheating and sudden evaporation while maintaining system reliability without requiring complex external components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional J-shaped pipe structure to a three-dimensional porous boiling element with extensive internal surface area. This dimensional change provides numerous bubble formation sites throughout the liquid refrigerant volume, effectively preventing boiling retardation without significantly increasing overall device complexity
2Productivity
If the compressor drops pressure rapidly when first operated, then the refrigerant circulation starts quickly, but the boiling temperature drops faster than liquid temperature, causing superheated liquid and sudden evaporation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares the system in advance by providing a porous boiling element that is ready to facilitate controlled boiling as soon as pressure drops occur. The element's pre-existing pore structure ensures that bubble nucleation can immediately begin when compression starts, preventing the development of superheated liquid conditions before controlled evaporation can occur
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful rapid pressure drop that causes superheating into a beneficial controlled boiling process. The porous element utilizes the pressure drop to drive refrigerant through its pores, where capillary effects and surface tension promote steady evaporation, transforming the harmful sudden pressure change into a controlled boiling mechanism that prevents pressure waves and noise
3Ease of operation
If a smooth J-shaped pipe is used for refrigerant recirculation, then gas refrigerant flows easily back to the compressor, but liquid refrigerant outside the pipe cannot be actively evaporated, maintaining boiling retardation risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant flow path by directing liquid refrigerant through the porous boiling element's internal pore structure. This segmentation separates the smooth recirculation function (handled by the J-shaped pipe for gas) from the active evaporation function (handled by the porous element for liquid), allowing each to optimize its specific role without compromising the other
Solution Approach 2:
The porous boiling element acts as an intermediary between the liquid refrigerant and the vapor phase. It provides a controlled interface where liquid can be actively evaporated through its pore walls, mediating the phase change process and preventing boiling retardation while allowing the J-shaped pipe to continue its gas recirculation function
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
The apparatus effectively reduces the risk of boiling retardation and noise by promoting steam bubble formation, ensuring a stable pressure environment and extending the lifespan of refrigerant circuit components.
Implementation Method 1
using a porous material to enhance bubble nucleation
Implementation Method 2
using a porous material to enhance bubble nucleation
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for separating and storing liquid refrigerant in a refrigerant circuit including a housing configured as a refrigerant collection container, the housing having a refrigerant outflow line disposed therein. The refrigerant outflow line extending from an inlet opening, which is disposed in a gas refrigerant region and above a level of the liquid refrigerant, via a liquid refrigerant region to the outside, and has a through-opening formed in the liquid refrigerant region. The housing includes a boiling element for liquid refrigerant disposed therein. The boiling element is connected to the refrigerant outflow line in the region of the through-opening, such that a liquid passing through the through-opening from the housing passes through the boiling element by suction of a gas refrigerant.