Spherical Filter Drier Structure for Lower Pressure Drop
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cylindrical filter driers in HVACR systems have design flaws that lead to increased material usage, potential leak paths, and inefficiencies in contaminant removal due to unnecessary components and pressure drops, which can compromise system performance and longevity.
Innovation Solution
A spherical filter drier design with a simplified internal core and monolithic or hemispherical shell structure that eliminates the need for springs and reduces material usage, offering improved assembly efficiency, reduced pressure drops, and enhanced contaminant removal capabilities by utilizing compression forces to hold the core in place and minimizing refrigerant bypass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a cylindrical filter drier design is used, then the structure is conventional and易于 manufacturing, but the shell wall thickness must be increased to withstand internal pressure, leading to increased material usage and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spherical geometry to the filter drier shell, which distributes internal pressure uniformly across the surface. This curvature allows the spherical shell to withstand higher internal pressures with thinner walls compared to cylindrical designs, directly resolving the contradiction between strength and material usage.
2Reliability
If conventional cylindrical filter drier with multiple components is used, then assembly is straightforward, but multiple joints create potential leak paths reducing system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the shell components into a single spherical shell structure, eliminating multiple joints and connections that would create leak paths. This consolidation improves reliability by removing potential failure points while the spherical design itself maintains structural integrity.
3Ease of operation
If spring components are used to hold internal components in place, then components are secured, but the spring creates barriers to fluid flow and increases pressure drop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the spring component entirely from the design. Instead of using a spring to hold the internal core in place, the spherical shell's geometry and compression forces provide the necessary positioning, eliminating the flow barrier and associated pressure drop while maintaining component security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical spring system with a geometric constraint system based on spherical compression. The spherical shell's shape and the compression forces it exerts substitute for the spring's function of holding components in place, while avoiding the spring's interference with fluid flow.
4Loss of substance
If spherical filter drier design is used, then material usage is reduced and pressure handling is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical geometry, while efficient for pressure handling and material usage, presents manufacturing challenges. The patent addresses this by employing forming processes suitable for spherical shapes, balancing the manufacturing complexity against the significant material savings and performance improvements achieved through the spherical 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 spherical filter drier achieves reduced material costs, increased contaminant removal efficiency, and improved system performance by minimizing material usage, eliminating leak paths, and optimizing core and shell sizing for enhanced contaminant adsorption and flow rates, while maintaining or exceeding the pressure handling capabilities of conventional designs.
Implementation Method 1
the core (and any other internal components) to be held in place by compression forces imparted on the core by the shell
Implementation Method 2
The function of a filter drier in a HVACR system is to remove harmful contaminants, such as moisture, acid, copper oxides, metal chips, wax-like compounds and the like
Data Source
AI summary
A spherical filter drier for an HVACR system includes a generally spherical shell and a core that is fixed position relative to the shell. The shell has a first opening and a second opening in fluid communication with one another across the core. The core includes a media that removes contaminants from fluid flowing from the first opening through the core to the second opening. The spherical shell may be a monolithic shell, or formed from a pair of generally hemispherical shells.