Compressor and air conditioner
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compressors in air conditioners face inefficiencies in managing refrigerant flow and pressure dynamics, particularly in intermediate pressure stages, leading to suboptimal performance and energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
The compressor incorporates an injection valve with a valve body, valve presser, and valve seat, along with a buffer space, to manage refrigerant flow and prevent reverse flow, allowing for intermediate injection based on pressure conditions, enhancing efficiency and control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a check valve with spring member is used to regulate refrigerant flow, then the refrigerant flow control function is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the spring member from the check valve structure, retaining only the essential valve element and valve seat components. This simplification maintains the refrigerant flow control function while reducing device complexity by removing the elastic component.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a spring member to push the valve element open (conventional approach), the patent inverts the mechanism by allowing the refrigerant pressure differential to directly act on the valve element, opening it when compression chamber pressure exceeds injection passage pressure without mechanical assistance.
2Speed
If the valve body is allowed to move freely, then the refrigerant flow response is fast, but the valve cannot prevent reverse flow effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a pressing member that applies a unidirectional pressing force on the valve body toward the valve seat. This counteracts the refrigerant pressure that would cause reverse flow, ensuring the valve body reliably returns to the closed position while maintaining fast response when forward flow is needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing member acts as an intermediary between the valve body and the valve seat, providing a controlled restoring force that ensures reliable reverse flow prevention. This intermediary component mediates the interaction between refrigerant pressure and valve closure, guaranteeing the valve seals properly without requiring the valve body to move freely in both directions.
3Productivity
If the compressor operates at high compression ratios, then the cooling performance is improved, but the risk of liquid slugging increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by using the injection valve to introduce intermediate pressure refrigerant into the compression chamber before the main compression stroke begins. This pre-charging of the compression chamber with controlled refrigerant reduces the compression ratio and prevents liquid slugging while maintaining cooling performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes the refrigerant pressure parameter in the compression chamber by introducing intermediate pressure refrigerant through the injection valve. This parameter adjustment optimizes the compression process, allowing high cooling performance at reduced compression ratios and eliminating liquid slugging risks.
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 design improves refrigerant management, optimizing energy use and performance by controlling intermediate pressure injection, thereby enhancing the overall efficiency of the air conditioning system.
Implementation Method 1
When the refrigerant in the compression chamber has a high pressure, the check valve regulates outflow of the refrigerant from the compression chamber to the injection passage. When the refrigerant in the compression chamber has a low pressure, the check valve allows inflow of the refrigerant having an intermediate pressure from the injection passage to the compression chamber.
Implementation Method 2
The compressor has a buffer space that communicates with a first space, in which the valve body is accommodated between the valve presser and the valve seat, and into which the refrigerant flowing from the compression chamber into the first space flows.
Data Source
AI summary
A compressor includes a compression mechanism, an injection valve disposed in an injection passage, and an injection pipe to supply refrigerant to the injection passage. The injection valve includes a valve body movable along a first direction, a valve presser disposed closer to the injection pipe than the valve body to restrict movement of the valve body toward the injection pipe, and a valve seat disposed closer to a compression chamber than the valve body to restrict movement of the valve body toward the compression chamber. The valve presser has a first hole. The valve body has a second hole. A buffer space communicates with a first space that accommodates the valve body between the valve presser and the valve seat. An opening of the buffer space facing the valve body does not overlap an annular peripheral edge located around the second hole when viewed in the first direction.