Ejectors and methods of manufacture
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Ejector refrigeration systems face inefficiencies in pressure recovery and refrigerant distribution, leading to increased power consumption and evaporator size requirements due to the lack of effective control over the ejector's geometry and operation.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a controllable ejector with a motive nozzle and diffuser, featuring a shiftable control needle and brazed needle guide insert, allowing for adjustable flow modulation and improved refrigerant mixing, which enhances pressure recovery and refrigerant distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed geometry ejector is used, then the structure is simple, but the pressure recovery and refrigerant distribution are inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the ejector geometry adjustable through a movable needle valve that can change the throat area of the motive nozzle. This allows the ejector to adapt its geometry dynamically to optimize pressure recovery and refrigerant distribution under different operating conditions, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by varying the throat area of the motive nozzle through the movable needle valve, which adjusts the flow parameters of the refrigerant. This enables optimization of pressure recovery and refrigerant mixing efficiency without fundamentally changing the ejector structure, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving productivity.
2Productivity
If a controllable ejector with adjustable geometry is implemented, then pressure recovery and refrigerant distribution are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the ejector into modular components: a fixed inlet body, a removable motive nozzle insert, and a separate needle valve assembly. This modular design allows the control mechanism to be implemented as discrete, manageable segments rather than a complex integrated system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining refrigeration efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the control function into a separate needle valve mechanism that can be independently adjusted and removed. The motive nozzle is designed as a removable insert from the inlet body, allowing the control element to be taken out and adjusted separately, thereby simplifying the overall device structure while enabling precise control over refrigerant flow and pressure recovery.
3Ease of manufacture
If the motive nozzle is integrated into the inlet body as a fixed component, then manufacturing is simpler, but adaptability to different operating conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the fixed motive nozzle into a dynamic component by making it removable and replaceable. The motive nozzle insert can be taken out from the inlet body and adjusted or replaced to adapt to different operating conditions, providing operational flexibility while maintaining a relatively simple assembly process through the modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the ejector by separating the motive nozzle from the inlet body, allowing each component to be manufactured independently and then assembled. This modular approach simplifies manufacturing while enabling the motive nozzle to be adjusted or replaced for different operational requirements, thus improving adaptability without significantly complicating the assembly process.
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 reduces power consumption and enhances refrigeration efficiency by optimizing the refrigerant flow and pressure ratio, enabling smaller evaporator sizes while maintaining effective heat transfer performance.
Implementation Method 1
The primary refrigerant flow 103 enters the inlet 40 and then passes into a convergent section 104 of the motive nozzle 100. It then passes through a throat section 106 and an expansion (divergent) section 108 through an outlet (exit) 110 of the motive nozzle 100. The motive nozzle 100 accelerates the flow 103 and decreases the pressure of the flow.
Implementation Method 2
The pressure reduction caused to the primary flow by the motive nozzle helps draw the secondary flow 112 into the outer member.
Implementation Method 3
The resulting combined flow 120 is a liquid/vapor mixture and decelerates and recovers pressure in the diffuser 118 while remaining a mixture.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
An ejector has: a motive flow inlet (40); a secondary flow inlet (42); an outlet (44); a motive nozzle (204); a diffuser (118); and a control needle (132) shiftable between a first position and a second position. The ejector comprises: an inlet body (210; 400) bearing the motive flow inlet and the secondary flow inlet; a diffuser body (212) forming the diffuser and bearing the outlet; a motive nozzle insert (204) forming the motive nozzle in a compartment (240) in the inlet body; and a needle guide insert (270) in the motive nozzle insert. The inlet body has a first end (230), a second end (232) and a lateral perimeter (234) between the ends. The compartment (240) extends inward from the inlet body second end (232) and is in communication with the motive flow inlet (40) and secondary flow inlet (42).