Coolant Collector Helical Separator for Low Pressure Drop
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerant collectors struggle to achieve a high degree of separation between liquid and gaseous phases of refrigerant, leading to reduced vapor fraction and efficiency fluctuations, especially as the liquid refrigerant fill level increases.
Innovation Solution
The refrigerant collector incorporates a liquid separator with helical guide surfaces and an annular gap, creating a swirling flow and bypass flow that effectively separates liquid and gaseous phases, maintaining high vapor quality with minimal pressure drop and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a liquid separator with spiral channel is used to give tangential flow direction to incoming refrigerant, then liquid and gaseous phases are separated, but pressure drop increases and flow turbulence increases
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid separator is divided into multiple functional zones: an impingement surface for initial liquid capture, spiral guide surfaces for centrifugal separation, and a bypass flow path for low-resistance flow. This segmentation allows different separation mechanisms to operate in parallel, achieving high separation efficiency while maintaining low pressure drop through the bypass path.
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass flow acts as an intermediary path that allows a portion of the refrigerant to flow directly from the inlet to the outlet with minimal resistance. This bypass flow mediates between the high-separation-efficiency spiral channel and the low-pressure-drop requirement, enabling the system to achieve both goals simultaneously.
2Reliability
If helical guide surfaces are used to create swirling flow for separation, then liquid particles are pushed outward effectively, but flow turbulence increases leading to unstable vapor content
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path is segmented into a spiral separation zone and a bypass zone. The spiral zone creates controlled turbulence for effective liquid-gas separation, while the bypass zone provides a stable, low-turbulence path. The combination of these segmented flow paths achieves both high separation efficiency and stable vapor content at the outlet.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes flow parameters by creating two distinct flow regimes: high-velocity swirling flow in the spiral channel for separation, and low-velocity laminar flow in the bypass path for stability. This parameter change allows the system to achieve effective separation while maintaining stable vapor content through the bypass flow's calming effect.
3Reliability
If the total passage cross-sectional area is reduced to increase flow velocity for separation, then separation efficiency improves, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The total flow path is segmented into two parallel paths: a spiral channel with smaller cross-sectional area for high-velocity separation, and a bypass path with larger cross-sectional area for low-resistance flow. This segmentation allows the system to achieve effective separation in the spiral channel while the bypass path compensates for pressure drop, maintaining overall low pressure loss.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the entire flow path to provide both separation and low pressure drop, only a portion of the flow (through the spiral channel) performs the separation function at higher velocity. The bypass path handles the remaining flow with minimal resistance, allowing the system to achieve effective separation without excessive overall pressure drop.
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 achieves high vapor content (>90%) with reduced fluctuations and low pressure drop, enhancing the efficiency and stability of the refrigerant system.
Implementation Method 1
The guide surfaces are at least double-threaded, preferably free-threaded - arranged on the lateral surface - in the manner of a motion thread. The refrigerant flow entering the collector, which is in liquid and gaseous phase, first hits the impingement surface of the liquid separator, where the liquid components of the refrigerant adhere and a radially directed outflow takes place up to the edge of the liquid separator. The refrigerant then hits the helical guide surfaces, which forces a swirling flow on the refrigerant, with the result that the liquid particles in the refrigerant are pushed outwards
Implementation Method 2
an annular gap is left between the lateral surface with guide surfaces and the inner wall of the container, i. H. the outer edges of the helically running guide surfaces do not lie against the inner wall of the container; rather, the total passage cross-sectional area is expanded and the flow speed is reduced, as a result of which the flow is calmed
Implementation Method 3
The refrigerant flow entering the collector, which is in liquid and gaseous phase, first hits the impingement surface of the liquid separator, where the liquid components of the refrigerant adhere
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~3a
AI summary
The coolant collector (1) has a liquid separator (7) for a coolant circuit, particularly for a vehicle air conditioner. A container (2) is provided for receiving the coolant, a coolant inlet (4) and a coolant outlet (5). The liquid separator has a deflector surface and a lateral area on which two thread-like guide surfaces (8) are arranged. The guide surfaces are formed as three-start screw surfaces. The container has a cylindrical internal wall with an internal diameter. An annular gap (9) is left between the internal and external diameters.