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US 6,604,371 B2Granted
Oil amount detector, refrigeration apparatus and air conditioner
AssigneeToshiba Carrier Corporation
InventorKiyotaka Ueno
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An oil holding tank (40) is communicated to the case (10c) of the compressor (10). Part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (10) is introduced into the oil holding tank (40) so that the lubrication oil (L) is allowed to flow out from the oil holding tank (40) and the lubrication oil (L) which flows out is allowed to return to the case (10c). The presence of the lubrication oil (L) is detected from a comparison between the temperature (TK1) of the refrigerant introduced from the compressor (10) to the oil holding tank (40) and the temperature (TK2) of the lubrication oil (4) flowing out from the oil holding tank (40). On the basis of the result of the detection, it is judged whether or not the amount of the lubrication oil (L) in the case (10c) is appropriate.
Claims28
An oil amount detector of a compressor having a case filled with a lubrication oil, sucking and compressing refrigerant to discharge the refrigerant from the case;
- the detector comprising:
- an oil holding tank communicated to the case;
- a pressuring pipe for introducing part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to the oil holding tank for use in pressurization for allowing oil to flow from the oil holding tank;
- a return pipe for allowing oil flowing out of the oil holding tank to return to the case of the compressor;
- a first temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of a refrigerant which is introduced to the oil holding tank;
- a second temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of oil flowing out from the oil holding tank;
- and
- detection means for detecting an oil amount in the case from a contrast between the detected temperature of the first temperature sensor and the detected temperature of the second temperature sensor.
5 more elements
A refrigeration apparatus comprising:
- a plurality of compressors having a case filled with lubrication oil, the compressors sucking and compressing refrigerant to discharge the refrigerant from the case;
- oil holding tanks respectively communicated to the cases of the compressors;
- pressuring pipes for introducing part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor into the oil holding tanks for use in pressurization for allowing oil to flow out from the oil holding tank;
- return pipes for allowing oil flowing out from the oil holding tank to return to the case of the compressors;
- first temperature sensors for detecting respectively the temperature of the refrigerant which is introduced to the oil holding tank;
- second temperature sensors for detecting respectively the temperature of the refrigerant which flows out from the oil holding tank;
- detection means for detecting respectively an oil amount in the case of the compressors from a contrast between the detected temperature of the first temperature sensors and the detected temperature of the second temperature sensors;
- oil recycling pipes connected between oil holding tanks and pipings on the side of sucking the refrigerant, the pipings allowing the refrigerant to be sucked to the compressors to pass therethrough;
- an oil balance pipe mutually connected to the oil recycling pipes;
- and
- control means for refueling oil in the oil holding tank to the compressors by conducting and controlling the oil recycling pipes.
8 more elements
An air conditioner comprising:
- a plurality of compressors having a case filled with lubrication oil, sucking and compressing refrigerant to discharge the refrigerant from the cases;
- a plurality of outdoor units provided with the compressors;
- a plurality of indoor units;
- a refrigerating cycle constituted of the piping connection of the outdoor units and the indoor units;
- oil holding tanks respectively connected to the case of the compressors;
- pressuring pipes for respectively introducing a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressors for use in pressurization for allowing the oil to flow out from the oil holding tanks;
- oil recycling pipes respectively connected between the oil outflow port of the oil holding tanks and the piping on the side of sucking the refrigerant, the piping allowing the refrigerant sucked in the compressor to pass therethrough;
- and
- oil balance pipes mutually connected between the oil recycling pipes.
6 more elements
An air conditioner comprising:
- a plurality of outdoor units having a compressor having a case filled with lubrication oil, sucking and compressing refrigerant to discharge the refrigerant from the case, a change-over valve changing over a refrigerant flow in the cooling mode and a refrigerant flow in the heating mode, and an outdoor heat exchanger;
- a plurality of indoor units having an indoor heat exchanger;
- a heat pump type refrigerating cycles constituted of the piping connection of the compressors, the change-over valves, the outdoor heat exchangers, and the indoor heat exchangers, the pipes on the liquid side are shared by one pipe and the pipes on the gas side are shared by one pipe;
- oil traveling pipes respectively connected to the case of the compressors;
- oil recycling pipes connected from the oil traveling pipes to pipings on the side of sucking the refrigerant, the pipings allowing the refrigerant to be sucked to the compressors to pass therethrough;
- an oil balance pipe mutually connected between the oil recycling pipes;
- and
- control means for setting at least one of the outdoor units to a heating mode while setting the remaining outdoor units to a cooling mode, and at the same time, operating the outdoor units set to the heating mode while suspending the outdoor units set to the cooling mode.
5 more elements
An air conditioner comprising:
- a plurality of outdoor units having a compressor having a case filled with lubrication oil, sucking and compressing refrigerant to discharge the refrigerant from the case, a change-over valve changing over a refrigerant flow in the cooling mode, a refrigerant flow in the heating mode and a refrigerant flow in the defrosting mode and an outdoor heat exchanger;
- a plurality of indoor units having an indoor heat exchanger;
- a heat pump type refrigerating cycles constituted of the piping connection of the compressors, the change-over valves, the outdoor heat exchangers, and the indoor heat exchangers, the pipes on the liquid side are shared by one pipe and the pipes on the gas side are shared by one pipe;
- oil traveling pipes respectively connected to the case of the compressors;
- oil recycling pipes connected from the oil traveling pipes to pipings on the side of sucking the refrigerant, the pipings allowing the refrigerant to be sucked to the compressors to pass therethrough;
- an oil balance pipe mutually connected between the oil recycling pipes;
- control means for changing over the outdoor units to the defrosting mode on a regular basis or when needed in the case where the outdoor units are set to the heating mode to conduct a defrosting operation with respect to the outdoor heat exchanger;
- and
- control means for delaying the defrosting mode from the heating mode in at least one of the outdoor units at the time of the start of the defrosting operation, and operating the outdoor unit which is to be delayed while suspending the operation of the remaining outdoor units in the defrosting mode.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.