Outdoor Unit Refrigerant Branching for Uniform Oil Circulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-type air conditioners with multiple outdoor units, the uneven supply of refrigerant oil through refrigerant pipes can lead to insufficient lubrication of compressors, particularly in outdoor units connected further downstream, due to the complexity and cost of installing oil averaging circuits.
Innovation Solution
The air conditioner configuration involves branching refrigerant pipes in a manner that ensures a consistent oil circulation to all outdoor units, using a branching method where one gas pipe branches into multiple secondary and tertiary pipes, reducing the number of branch points and simplifying the installation process, thereby ensuring adequate lubrication without increasing manufacturing or installation costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If one gas pipe is connected to four outdoor units through multiple branch portions, then the air conditioner can achieve large capacity through intensive installation, but the supply of refrigerant oil to outdoor units becomes uneven
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the refrigerant pipes, specifically making the pipe diameter variable along the branch portions. The pipe diameter is larger near the indoor unit and smaller near the outdoor units, which compensates for the pressure drop and ensures uniform refrigerant oil supply to all outdoor units despite the multi-branch configuration.
2Reliability
If additional oil averaging pipes are provided to evenly supply refrigerant oil, then oil supply uniformity is improved, but installation time and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the refrigerant pipes serve multiple functions: they simultaneously transport refrigerant and refrigerant oil, and their variable diameter design inherently performs the oil averaging function that would otherwise require separate dedicated pipes. This eliminates the need for additional oil averaging circuits and reduces installation complexity.
3Reliability
If additional oil averaging pipes are provided to evenly supply refrigerant oil, then oil supply uniformity is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant pipes are designed with variable diameter to simultaneously perform refrigerant transport and oil distribution functions, eliminating the need for separate oil averaging pipes and their associated manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the oil averaging function into the existing refrigerant pipe structure by varying the pipe diameter along its length, rather than adding separate oil averaging components. This integration reduces both manufacturing cost and system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an air conditioner which comprises multiple outdoor units, the air conditioner being configured so that, with the use of a low cost configuration, required refrigeration machine oil is supplied to all the outdoor units through refrigerant piping and so that the air conditioner has increased reliability. An air conditioner is provided with multiple indoor units and with four outdoor units which are connected to the multiple indoor units through refrigerant piping. A line of first refrigerant piping leading from the multiple indoor units is branched into two lines of second refrigerant piping, each of the two lines of second refrigerant piping is branched into two lines of third refrigerant piping, and the four lines of third refrigerant piping are respectively connected to the four outdoor units.