Refrigerant circuit
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigerant circuits with multiple evaporators connected in parallel, the heat loads become non-uniform, leading to a drop in heat exchanging performance due to the inability to supply refrigerant with a gas-liquid mixture ratio corresponding to each evaporator's heat load.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant circuit with a branch circuit that distributes refrigerant of varying quality to each evaporator, ensuring more liquid-phase refrigerant with latent heat flows into evaporators with higher heat loads, thereby improving heat exchanging performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple evaporators are connected in parallel to a single expansion device, then the system can serve multiple zones or applications, but the heat loads on each evaporator become non-uniform, causing a drop in heat exchanging performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the refrigerant distribution system into multiple independent flow channels, each equipped with its own expansion device. This segmentation allows each evaporator to receive refrigerant independently, enabling uniform heat exchange performance across all evaporators despite different heat loads, while maintaining the ability to serve multiple zones simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides each evaporator with a dedicated expansion device that can independently adjust refrigerant flow according to the specific heat load requirements of that particular evaporator. This local quality approach ensures that each zone receives the appropriate refrigerant quantity, optimizing heat exchanging performance for each individual evaporator
2Device complexity
If a single expansion device supplies refrigerant to multiple evaporators, then the device complexity is reduced, but refrigerant with the appropriate gas-liquid mixture ratio cannot be supplied to each evaporator according to its heat load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant distribution system by providing each evaporator with its own expansion device, thereby achieving precise refrigerant distribution according to each evaporator's specific heat load requirements, though this increases the overall number of components in the system
3Ease of operation
If refrigerant is distributed uniformly to multiple evaporators with different heat loads, then the distribution system is simple, but the heat exchanging performance drops due to mismatched gas-liquid mixture ratios
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality control by equipping each evaporator with an independent expansion device that can adjust refrigerant flow based on the specific heat load of that evaporator, thereby optimizing heat exchanging performance for each zone while maintaining overall system simplicity through modular design
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 solution effectively enhances the heat exchanging performance of evaporators by ensuring the appropriate refrigerant distribution based on heat loads, improving the overall system performance of the air conditioning device.
Implementation Method 1
refrigerant of lower quality than quality of refrigerant supplied to the second evaporator... more liquid-phase refrigerant having a large amount of latent heat to flow into an evaporator having a large heat load
Data Source
AI summary
In a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioning device, an upper heat source side heat exchanger having a large heat load and a lower heat source side heat exchanger having a small heat load are connected in parallel between an expansion device and a suction side of a compressor. Additionally, the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning device is provided with a branch circuit configured to distribute refrigerant to each of the upper heat source side heat exchanger and the lower heat source side heat exchanger, and the branch circuit is configured to supply the upper heat source side heat exchanger with refrigerant of lower quality than that of the refrigerant supplied to the lower heat source side heat exchanger.