JP-2026075962-A - outdoor unit

Abstract

[Problem] This disclosure provides an outdoor unit that can easily suppress non-uniformity between the gas phase and liquid phase of the refrigerant. [Solution] The outdoor unit in this disclosure includes an expansion valve, a branch section that forms a mixing space inside, an inlet pipe extending from the branch section and communicating with the expansion valve, an outlet pipe extending from the branch section in a direction intersecting the inlet pipe, and a closed pipe extending from the branch section in the direction opposite to the inlet pipe, wherein the diameter of the mixing space is larger than the inner diameter of the inlet pipe and the inner diameter of the outlet pipe. [Selection Diagram] Figure 3

Inventors

• 橋本 俊一
• 渡部 岳志
• 佐藤 生希

Assignees

• パナソニックＩＰマネジメント株式会社

Dates

Publication Date

20260511

Application Date

20241023

Claims (6)

1. Expansion valve and, A branch section that forms a mixing space on the inside, An inlet pipe extending from the aforementioned branching section and communicating with the aforementioned expansion valve, An outlet pipe extending from the aforementioned branching point in a direction intersecting the inlet pipe, The system includes a closed piping that extends from the branching section in the direction opposite to the inlet piping, The diameter of the mixing space is larger than the inner diameter of the inlet pipe and the inner diameter of the outlet pipe. outdoor unit.
2. The aforementioned branching section is a T-shaped joint having three connection ports. The inlet pipe, the outlet pipe, and the closing pipe are each inserted inside the connection port and fixed to the branch section. The outdoor unit according to claim 1.
3. The aforementioned outlet piping extends horizontally from the branching section. The outdoor unit according to claim 1.
4. The aforementioned outlet piping is connected to a plate heat exchanger. The outdoor unit according to claim 3.
5. The inlet pipe is bent in the direction in which the outlet pipe extends from the branching point. The outdoor unit according to claim 1.
6. The aforementioned closing pipe extends upward from the branching section. The outdoor unit according to claim 1.

Description

This disclosure pertains to outdoor units. Patent Document 1 discloses an air conditioner that facilitates the uniform distribution of refrigerant to each refrigerant flow path of an outdoor heat exchanger having multiple refrigerant flow paths. This air conditioner has a flow divider horizontally installed in a direction in which refrigerant flows in from below when the outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, and distributes the refrigerant flowing into the flow divider horizontally by causing it to collide with the divider. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-263863 Diagram showing the refrigeration circuit of the outdoor unit according to Embodiment 1.Schematic diagram of the mixing sectionA schematic longitudinal section diagram showing the branching point.A schematic cross-sectional view showing a branching section according to another embodiment. (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) At the time the inventors conceived of this disclosure, the technology of refrigeration cycles involved introducing a refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state into an evaporator and allowing the refrigerant to absorb heat. Therefore, in the industry, it was common practice to install a flow divider at the inlet of the evaporator to address the issue of non-uniformity between the gas and liquid phases of the refrigerant flowing into the evaporator. Under these circumstances, the inventors discovered that when a flow divider was used, if the orientation of the divider during installation was tilted, gravity could cause uneven flow between the gas and liquid phases of the refrigerant. To solve this problem, they arrived at the subject matter of this disclosure. This disclosure provides an outdoor unit that can easily suppress non-uniformity between the gas phase and liquid phase of the refrigerant. The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art. The attached drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand this disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. (Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to the drawings. [1-1. Structure] [1-1-1. Configuration of the Refrigeration Circuit] Figure 1 shows the refrigeration circuit of the outdoor unit 1 according to Embodiment 1. In this embodiment, the outdoor unit 1 is the outdoor unit of a heat pump type hot water heating system. The hot water heating system is a device that heats the room by flowing water heated by the refrigeration cycle of the outdoor unit 1 to the heat exchanger of the indoor unit. The hot water heating system in this embodiment can also perform cooling operation by flowing water cooled by the refrigeration cycle of the outdoor unit 1 to the indoor unit. In Figure 1, the flow of refrigerant and water during the cooling operation of the hot water heating system is shown by arrows. The outdoor unit 1 is equipped with a compressor 2. The compressor 2 is a device that draws in refrigerant, compresses it, and discharges it. In the outdoor unit 1, a flow path switching mechanism 3 is connected to both the discharge and suction sides of the compressor 2. The flow path switching mechanism 3 switches the inflow destination of the refrigerant discharged to the compressor 2 between the air heat exchanger 4 and the water-refrigerant heat exchanger 10, causing the heat exchangers 4 and 10 to function as condensers. Furthermore, the flow path switching mechanism 3 causes the refrigerant that has passed through the evaporator of the heat exchangers 4 and 10 to be drawn into the compressor 2. The flow path switching mechanism 3 is, for example, a four-way valve. The air heat exchanger 4 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the internal refrigerant and the outside air. The air heat exchanger 4 is, for example, a fin-tube type heat exchanger. The outdoor unit 1 is equipped with a blower 5 that circulates outside air to the air heat exchanger 4. In this embodiment, the blower 5 is an axial flow fan. The water-refrigerant heat exchanger 10 is a plate-type heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the water. In this embodiment, the water refrigerant heat exchanger 10 has only two connection ports to the refrigerant piping. When the water refrigerant heat exchanger 10 functions as a refrigerant evaporator, one connection port on the lower side becomes the inlet for the gaseous two-phase refrigerant, and the other connection port on the upper side becomes the outlet for the gaseous refrigerant. The water heate