Air Conditioner Gas-Liquid Separator Design for Compressor Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioners face issues with insufficient separation of gas and liquid refrigerants in gas-liquid separators, leading to potential damage to compressors when liquid refrigerant is injected into them.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a gas-liquid separation pipe structure with specific configurations, including multiple parts and connections, to enhance the separation efficiency and prevent liquid refrigerant from entering the compressor, such as a first part extending lengthwise and a second part crossing it, with check valves and solenoid valves to manage refrigerant flow effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional gas-liquid separator is used, then the structure is simple, but the separation rate of gas and liquid refrigerants is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The gas-liquid separator is divided into multiple functional sections: a separation chamber for initial gas-liquid separation, a storage chamber for accumulating liquid refrigerant, and a discharge mechanism with check valve and solenoid valve. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently, achieving high separation rates while maintaining reasonable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary storage chamber between the separation chamber and the discharge mechanism. This storage chamber acts as a buffer that collects separated liquid refrigerant before controlled discharge, preventing liquid from directly entering the compressor. The intermediary structure enhances separation reliability without requiring overly complex real-time control mechanisms
2Reliability
If the gas-liquid separator is designed with high separation efficiency, then compressor reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separator performs preliminary separation of gas and liquid refrigerants in the separation chamber before the refrigerant reaches the compressor. By conducting this separation action in advance, the system ensures that only gas refrigerant enters the compressor, protecting it from liquid damage while using a relatively simple gravitational separation mechanism rather than complex real-time monitoring and control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve and solenoid valve work together to enable the separator to automatically control liquid refrigerant discharge based on system conditions. The check valve prevents backflow automatically, and the solenoid valve opens/closes based on pressure differential, allowing the system to self-regulate without external control signals, thereby improving compressor protection while minimizing control system complexity
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 configuration increases the separation rate of gas and liquid refrigerants, ensuring compressor reliability and improving air conditioner performance by preventing liquid refrigerant discharge into the gas-liquid separator, thus enhancing overall efficiency and management of refrigerant levels.
Implementation Method 1
a gas-liquid separator (6), into which the refrigerant passed through the gas-liquid separation pipe is introduced, to separate and discharge the refrigerant introduced into the gas-liquid separator into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner may include a compressor that compresses a refrigerant; a condenser that condenses the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; at least one expansion valve that expands the refrigerant passed through the condenser; at least one gas-liquid separation pipe through which the refrigerant passed through the at least one expansion valve flows; a gas-liquid separator, into which the refrigerant passed through the at least one gas-liquid separation pipe is introduced, that separates and discharges the refrigerant introduced into the gas-liquid separator into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant; and an evaporator that evaporates the liquid refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator. The gas refrigerant discharged from the gas-liquid separator and the refrigerant passed through the evaporator may be provided to the compressor.