Coolant Passage Duct Cleaning via Bypass Fluid Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for cleaning passage ducts in air conditioning systems, particularly in electric and hybrid vehicles, fail to completely remove non-specific lubricants, leading to contamination risks and the need for frequent component replacement, as they push lubricants towards the exterior ends of ducts rather than back into the system for separation.
Innovation Solution
A cooling fluid recovery and depuration apparatus with a bypass pathway that recirculates depurated cooling fluid through the passage ducts, using a bypass fitting to ensure complete removal of lubricant residues from both the ducts and fittings, allowing for automatic and effective cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cooling fluid is circulated through the passage ducts to clean them, then the lubricant residues are pushed towards the exterior ends of the ducts, but this prevents the lubricant from entering the apparatus for separation and elimination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bypass pathway that reverses the conventional flow direction. Instead of pushing lubricant toward the exterior ends where it cannot be recovered, the bypass pathway redirects flow to push lubricant toward the interior ends connected to the apparatus, enabling the lubricant to enter the separation system. This inversion of flow direction resolves the contradiction between cleaning effectiveness and lubricant removal capability.
2Reliability
If an outer lubricant separator with electric resistance is used to separate lubricant from coolant, then lubricant can be deposited and removed, but the equipment becomes cumbersome and difficult to operate and clean
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the lubricant separation function directly into the recovery and depuration apparatus by integrating a separator at the interior end of the passage ducts. This eliminates the need for separate external equipment such as outer lubricant separators with electric resistances, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining effective lubricant separation capability.
3Productivity
If the passage ducts are washed by filling and immediately recovering the same amount of cooling fluid, then lubricant is pushed towards exterior ends, but the lubricant remains in the ducts and cannot be eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass pathway acts as an intermediary mechanism that modifies the conventional fill-recover cycle. During these cycles, the bypass pathway actively redirects fluid flow to push lubricant toward the apparatus interior, enabling the lubricant to be captured and separated during each cycle rather than remaining trapped in the ducts. This resolves the contradiction between rapid cleaning and complete contamination elimination.
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 eliminates lubricant residues from passage ducts and fittings, reducing contamination risks and enabling the use of the same system across various vehicle types with different lubricating fluids, ensuring safe operation and extending the life of air conditioning components.
Implementation Method 1
A further aspect of the invention provides a bypass pathway between the collection container and the distal end of the passage duct from a bypass fitting, so that a flow direction of the cooling fluid drawn from the collection container enters the recovery and depuration pathway through the distal end
Implementation Method 2
A known recovery and depuration apparatus causes the coolant liquid to enter an outer lubricant separator that is heated then by an electric resistance
Implementation Method 3
the coolant vapour obtained after heating enters the air conditioning system from the low pressure side
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for recovering and depurating a cooling fluid having at least one passage duct of cooling fluid that extends entering or exiting the apparatus. Each passage duct has a distal end configured to be connected to a high and/or low pressure connection of high and low pressure lines of a refrigeration circuit and a proximal end connected to a coolant inlet/outlet fitting. The apparatus also includes a coolant recovery and depuration pathway, and a collection container of accumulated cooling fluid that receives depurated cooling fluid from the recovery and depuration pathway.