Refrigerant recovery/loading manifold
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerant recovery and loading manifolds face issues with residual liquid refrigerant and compressor oil remaining in high-pressure systems, leading to ineffective air conditioning and safety risks due to potential valve misconnections, especially when using refrigerants like R1234yf, which require secure valve operation to prevent air purging.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant recovery/loading manifold design featuring a high-pressure connection mechanism with a valve-core-equipped valve that allows connection with a high-pressure-side quick joint, enabling operation without opening the high-pressure-side valve, and a low-pressure connection means with a purging passage for air purging, ensuring safe and efficient refrigerant loading and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a three-way joint is connected with a gauge manifold to recover high-pressure liquid refrigerant and compressor oil, then the residual liquid refrigerant and compressor oil can be recovered, but the high-pressure side and low-pressure side could be mistakenly connected during air conditioning operation
Solution Approach 1:
A check valve is introduced as an intermediary component between the high-pressure side quick joint and the manifold body. This check valve automatically prevents reverse flow and erroneous connection between high-pressure and low-pressure sides, eliminating the safety risk while maintaining the ability to recover residual refrigerant and oil through the low-pressure side passage
Solution Approach 2:
The check valve operates automatically based on pressure differential without requiring manual intervention or complex control systems. When high-pressure refrigerant flows toward the low-pressure side, the check valve self-closes to prevent erroneous connection, while allowing normal refrigerant flow during recovery operations
2Object-affected harmful factors
If quick joints with safety structures are used for R1234yf refrigerant to prevent valve opening without insertion, then the safety is improved, but the air in the quick joints and pipes cannot be purged in advance
Solution Approach 1:
The purging function is separated from the quick joint structure itself and implemented through a dedicated purging passage in the manifold. This allows air to be purged through a separate pathway that does not require opening the safety-protected valve, maintaining both safety and purging capability
Solution Approach 2:
The purging passage enables air to be removed from the system before refrigerant charging begins. By providing a dedicated purging pathway, air can be evacuated in advance without compromising the safety mechanism that prevents premature valve opening
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerant recovery/loading manifold for air-conditioning equipment has a manifold body and valves for opening and closing a passage inside the manifold body, the passages including a high-pressure-side passage, a low-pressure-side passage, a recovery-side passage, a vacuum-suction-side passage, a purging passage, and a common passage via which these passages communicate, at least a high-pressure-side valve being provided to the high-pressure-side valve being provided to the high-pressure-side passage, and at least a low-pressure-side valve being provided to the low-pressure-side passage; wherein a high-pressure connection means is provided to the low-pressure-side passage, the high-pressure connection means having a valve mechanism and being able to connect with a high-pressure-side quick joint.