# US 5,706,666 A · Refrigeration apparatus

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- Number: US 5,706,666 A
- Document ID: US5706666A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/796,861
- Filed: 1997-02-06
- Granted: 1998-01-13
- Earliest claimed: 1994-04-12
- Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Yasushi Yamanaka; Nobuharu Kakehashi; Hiroshi Kishita; Kenichi Fujiwara
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5706666A

## CPC

- F25B 43/00: Arrangements for separating or purifying gases or liquids (in analysers or rectifiers F25B33/00); Arrangements for vaporising the residuum of liquid refrigerant, e.g. by heat (F25B40/00 takes precedence)
- F25B 41/335: via diaphragms
- F25B 2341/0683: the sensor is disposed in the suction line and influenced by the temperature or the pressure of the suction gas
- F25B 2400/02: Centrifugal separation of gas, liquid or oil
- F25B 2400/23: Separators
- F25B: REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS

## Abstract

A centrifugal type separator is disposed on a downstream side of a temperature-operating type expansion valve. Liquid-phase refrigerant separated herein is again pressure-reduced by an aperture resistance and thereafter inducted to an inlet side of the evaporator by means of a liquid-phase refrigerant discharge passage. Meanwhile, gas-phase refrigerant separated by the separator is returned directly from a gas-phase refrigerant discharge passage to an evaporator outlet side passage, and after being united with superheated gas-phase refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator, is taken into a compressor. A temperature-sensing tube of the expansion valve is disposed further on the downstream side of the foregoing union location so as to enable the temperature of the superheated gas-phase refrigerant evaporated by the evaporator to be sensed accurately.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A temperature-opening type expansion valve comprising;
a body case;
a liquid-phase refrigerant influx passage provided on said body case into which flows liquid-phase refrigerant condensed by a condenser;
a restricting passage provided on a downstream side of said liquid-phase refrigerant influx passage within said body case to reduce pressure of liquid-phase refrigerant;
a valve provided within said body case to regulate a degree of opening of said restricting passage;
a gas-liquid separation means provided within said body case to separate gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant pressure-reduced by said restricting passage into liquid-phase refrigerant and gas-phase refrigerant;
a liquid-phase discharge passage provided in said body case so as to be communicated with an inlet side of an evaporator, to discharge liquid-phase refrigerant separated by the said gas-liquid separation means to an inlet side of the evaporator;
a gas-phase discharge passage provided in said body case to discharge gas-phase refrigerant separated by the said gas-liquid separation means to an evaporator outlet side;
a gas-phase refrigerant passage provided in said body case so as to cause gas-phase refrigerant evaporated by said evaporator to flow in and be united with gas-phase refrigerant from said gas-phase refrigerant discharge passage during a process thereof, and to cause gas-phase refrigerant after said union to flow into an intake side of said compressor;
a temperature-sensing means disposed in a location in said gas-phase refrigerant passage which is upstream of a union location of gas-phase refrigerant evaporated by said evaporator and gas-phase refrigerant from said gas-phase refrigerant discharge passage, to sense temperature of gas-phase refrigerant evaporated by said evaporator; and
a valve operating means to regulate a degree of opening of said valve in correspondence to said gas-phase refrigerant temperature sensed by means of said temperature-sensing means.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

An expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein a passage is defined in said body case such that gas-phase refrigerant from the evaporator may flow thereinto, said passage communicating with said gas-phase discharge passage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Art expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein said gas-liquid separation means comprises a centrifugal type separator.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

Art expansion valve according to claim 3, wherein said gas phase refrigerant passage is defined in said separator.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

An expansion valve according to claim 4, wherein said gas phase refrigerant passage is defined by an introduction pipe.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An expansion valve according to claim 1, wherein said body case is constructed and arranged to be coupled to a condenser and an evaporator.