Refrigeration cycle apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
In refrigeration cycle apparatuses, excessive refrigerant during heating modes leads to liquid back when switching from cooling to heating, due to insufficient collection in the refrigerant tank, causing inefficiencies and potential compressor failure.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration cycle apparatus with a refrigerant tank circuit connected in parallel to both heat exchangers and a degassing pipe to evacuate gas refrigerant, allowing for efficient collection and reduction of liquid back by separating gas and liquid phases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If refrigerant is collected to the refrigerant tank during cooling mode, then the refrigerant tank stores refrigerant, but gas refrigerant blocks inflow of liquid refrigerant causing insufficient collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the refrigerant tank into two distinct functional zones: an upper gas storage chamber and a lower liquid collection chamber. The gas-liquid separation plate physically divides these zones, allowing gas refrigerant to occupy the upper portion while liquid refrigerant collects in the lower portion. This segmentation prevents gas from blocking liquid inflow while maintaining refrigerant storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas-liquid separation plate acts as an intermediary element between the gas phase and liquid phase in the refrigerant tank. This plate facilitates proper phase separation by providing a physical barrier that directs gas flow away from the liquid inlet, ensuring that liquid refrigerant can flow into the tank without being blocked by accumulated gas.
2Quantity of substance
If refrigerant excessive in heating remains in the refrigerant circuit, then the refrigerant circuit maintains full refrigerant, but liquid back occurs when switching from cooling to heating
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary refrigerant collection action during cooling mode before the heating mode is activated. By collecting excessive refrigerant into the tank during cooling operation, the system prepares the refrigerant distribution in advance, ensuring that when heating mode begins, there is sufficient liquid refrigerant available in the circuit and the compressor is protected from liquid back.
3Productivity
If the refrigerant tank circuit is connected in parallel with the decompressing apparatus, then refrigerant collection efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the refrigerant tank circuit with the existing decompressing apparatus by connecting them in parallel. This integration allows the refrigerant tank to be incorporated into the existing refrigeration cycle without requiring a completely separate system, thereby improving refrigerant collection efficiency while minimizing the increase in overall system complexity.
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 reduces the amount of refrigerant flowing through the circuit, prevents liquid back, and enhances the defrosting capability by ensuring sufficient refrigerant collection, thereby improving operational efficiency and reducing compressor failure risks.
Implementation Method 1
the refrigerant is collected to the refrigerant tank in a gas-liquid two-phase state. Therefore, gas refrigerant in the refrigerant tank blocks inflow of liquid refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
an optimal amount of refrigerant at which a coefficient of performance (COP) is maximized is greater in cooling than in heating, an amount of refrigerant is greater in cooling than in heating
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
A refrigeration cycle apparatus (1) is provided with a refrigerant circuit (RC), a refrigerant tank circuit (12), and a degassing pipe (30). The refrigerant circuit (RC) is configured by connecting a compressor (2), a flow path switching apparatus (3), a first heat exchanger (4), a decompressing apparatus (5), and a second heat exchanger (6). The refrigerant tank circuit (12) is connected to the first and second heat exchangers (4, 6) in parallel with the decompressing apparatus (5). The degassing pipe (30) has a first end (30a) and a second end (30b). The flow path switching apparatus (3) is configured to switch a flow of refrigerant discharged from the compressor (2) to any of the first and second heat exchangers (4, 6). The refrigerant tank circuit (12) contains a refrigerant tank (14). The degassing pipe (30) has the first end (30a) connected to the refrigerant tank (14) and has the second end (30b) connected to at least any of the refrigerant circuit (RC) and the refrigerant tank circuit (12).