Protective Member for Flammable Refrigerant Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigeration cycle apparatuses do not adequately address the safety and handling of flammable refrigerants during installation and operation, particularly at the connection points between the refrigerant container and the refrigerant circuit.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a protective member to safeguard the connection part between the refrigerant container and the refrigerant circuit, which includes a connection valve, and additional features such as a cushioning material and a base for stability and impact absorption, ensuring robust protection against damage and facilitating easy maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective member is added to protect the connection part, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member is designed as a separate, modular component that can be independently installed on the connection part. This segmentation allows the protection function to be added without redesigning the entire system, thus improving safety while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective member is installed beforehand on the connection part to prevent damage before it occurs. This prior protection approach ensures that the connection part is safeguarded against potential impacts or damages during installation and operation, improving safety without requiring complex real-time monitoring or response systems.
2Productivity
If the connection part is provided below the refrigerant container, then refrigerant discharge performance is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The connection part is positioned below the refrigerant container in the vertical dimension to utilize gravity for improved refrigerant discharge performance. However, the protective member extends laterally to provide access from the side, allowing maintenance operations to be performed from a different dimension (horizontal access) rather than requiring access from below, thus resolving the contradiction between discharge performance and ease of operation.
3Ease of repair
If the protective member includes an opening for maintenance access, then ease of repair is improved, but protective capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The protective member acts as an intermediary structure that provides both protection and controlled access. The opening is designed to allow maintenance personnel to access the connection part for repairs while the surrounding protective structure continues to provide impact protection and environmental shielding, thus maintaining protective capability while enabling ease of repair.
Data Source
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AI summary
A heat source unit (2) includes a refrigerant circuit (20), a refrigerant container (44), a connection part (43), a communication pipe (42), and a protective member (46). The refrigerant circuit (20) includes a compressor (21) and a heat exchanger (23). The refrigerant container (44) is connected to the refrigerant circuit (20). The refrigerant container (44) is filled with a flammable refrigerant. The connection part (43) is connected to the refrigerant container (44). The communication pipe (42) connects the connection part (43) to the refrigerant circuit (20). The protective member (46) protects the connection part (43).