US 5,491,981 A · Refrigeration cycle having an evaporator for evaporating residual liquid refrigerant

Abstract

An air conditioner system includes internal and external heat exchangers and a compressor for refrigerant. During cooling and heating operations, one of the heat exchangers discharges a first flow of gaseous refrigerant which is to be conducted to the compressor inlet. In order to evaporate any residual liquid refrigerant in the first flow, the first flow is passed through an evaporator in heat exchange relationship with a second flow of refrigerant discharged from the other heat exchanger. The evaporator is connected by valved conduits to receive the second flow from either the indoor or outdoor heat exchanger, depending upon whether the system is in a heating mode or a cooling mode. Within the evaporator, an upper chamber which receives the first flow is recessed into a lower chamber which receives the second flow and contains a heat transfer structure for promoting an efficient heat exchange.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims16

Dependent claims

In a heating and cooling air conditioner comprising a refrigeration cycle including indoor and outdoor heat exchangers;

said indoor and outdoor heat exchangers discharging respective flows of refrigerant during operation of the cycle, a first of said flows containing a mixture of gaseous and residual liquid phases of the refrigerant;
and an evaporator for evaporating the residual liquid phase of said first flow by transferring heat from a second of said flows;
said evaporator including a divider chamber for receiving said first flow and separating said gaseous phase from said residual liquid phase, and a receiver chamber for receiving said second flow and conducting said second flow in heat exchange relationship with said divider chamber to transfer heat to said residual liquid phase;
the improvement wherein:
said second flow is discharged from said indoor heat exchanger during a heating operation and from said outdoor heat exchanger during a cooling operation and
said evaporator further comprising:
a first conduit for connecting said receiver chamber with said indoor heat exchanger to conduct said second flow to said receiver chamber during a heating cycle,
a second conduit for connecting said receiver chamber with said outdoor heat exchanger to conduct said second flow to said receiver chamber during a cooling cycle, and
valving means for opening said first conduit and closing said second conduit during the heating cycle, and for opening said second conduit and closing said first inlet during the cooling cycle.

6 more elements

In a heating and cooling air conditioner comprising a refrigeration cycle including indoor and outdoor heat exchangers;

each of said indoor and outdoor heat exchangers discharging respective flows of refrigerant during operation of the cycle, a first of said flows containing a mixture of gaseous and residual liquid phases of the refrigerant;
and an evaporator for evaporating the residual liquid phase of said first flow by transferring heat from a second of said flows, the improvement wherein said evaporator comprises:
a liquid divider forming a divider chamber for receiving said first flow and separating a residual liquid phase from a gaseous phase thereof, said residual liquid phase collecting at a lower end of said divider chamber;
a liquid receiver forming a receiving chamber for receiving said second flow;
a lower end of said divider chamber disposed within said receiving chamber and positioned below an upper end of said receiving chamber to facilitate the exchange of heat between said second flow and the residual liquid phase disposed in said lower end of said divider chamber for evaporating said residual liquid phase;
said evaporator further comprising heat transfer fins disposed in said divider chamber at a lower end thereof and immersed in the residual phase, said fins forming recesses with an inner surface of said divider chamber, and a mesh structure disposed in said recesses for wicking the residual liquid phase.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description4,516 words

Summary764 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates in general to a heating for facilitating the evaporation of remaining liquid phase refrigerant.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

Brief description of the drawings9 figures

#Other objects and aspects of this invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a construction of a heating and cooling air conditioner having a typical combined liquid receiver and divider having heat exchanging means therein;

#FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing a construction of a heating and cooling air conditioner having a combined liquid receiver and divider in accordance with a primary embodiment of the present invention;

Detailed description3,475 words

#Referring first to FIG. 2, there is shown in a diagrammatic view a construction of a heating and cooling air conditioner having a combined liquid receiver and divider in accordance with a primary embodiment of the present invention. In the air conditioner, a compressor 10, a four-way valve or a refrigerant flow direction selecting valve 20, an external heat exchanger 30, a pair of pressure reducing units, that is, a first pressure reducing unit 40 and a second pressure reducing unit 41, an internal heat exchanger 50 and the combined liquid receiver and divider 60 having heat exchanging means therein are connected to each other through conduits P.

#As shown in FIG. 2, the heating and cooling air conditioner carries out either the heating operation or the cooling operation in accordance with refrigerant flow direction selecting operation of the direction selecting valve 20.

#The external heat exchanger 30, which is connected to the direction selecting valve 20 at one end thereof, is connected at the other end thereof to an inlet of a liquid receiver part 62 of the combined liquid receiver and divider 60 through the conduit P2. With the connection of the exchanger 30 to the inlet of the liquid receiver part 62, the refrigerant is introduced into a cooling-side pressure reducing unit or the second pressure reducing unit 41 during a cooling operation of the air conditioner. The other end of the external heat exchanger 30 is also connected to a first outlet 100 of the liquid receiver part 62 by way of a heating-side pressure reducing unit or the first pressure reducing unit 40. With the connection of the exchanger 30 to the first outlet 100 of the liquid receiver part 62, the refrigerant of the internal heat exchanger 50 is introduced into the external heat exchanger 30 during a heating operation of the air conditioner.

Facts

Application

08/304,850Filed 13 Sep 1994

Priority

KR 93-1856715 Sep 1993

Granted

20 Feb 1996

Term ended

13 Sep 2014

Estimated · how

Pre-1995 term; greater of 17 years from grant or 20 years from filing when eligible. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification4 codes

F25B 13/00
Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle
F25B 40/00
Subcoolers, desuperheaters or superheaters
F25B 43/006
Arrangements for separating or purifying gases or liquids ; Arrangements for vaporising the residuum of liquid refrigerant, e.g. by heat: accumulators
F25B
Refrigeration machines, plants or systems

Description4,516 words

Summary764 words

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates in general to a heating for facilitating the evaporation of remaining liquid phase refrigerant.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

Brief description of the drawings9 figures

#Other objects and aspects of this invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a construction of a heating and cooling air conditioner having a typical combined liquid receiver and divider having heat exchanging means therein;

Detailed description3,475 words

Refrigeration cycle having an evaporator for evaporating residual liquid refrigerant

Life of this patent

Refrigeration cycle having an evaporator for evaporating residual liquid refrigerant

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims16

Description4,516 words

Drawings

Classification4 codes

Life of this patent

Description4,516 words