Accumulator for refrigeration cycle system

Abstract

An accumulator including a liquid accumulating chamber for accumulating refrigerant, a refrigerant inlet port leading the refrigerant, a refrigerant outlet pipe, an oil return opening, a refrigerant flow generating structure and a refrigerant flow mixing structure. The refrigerant outlet pipe includes an upstream open end exposed to an upper part of the liquid accumulating chamber to discharge the refrigerant from the chamber to outside the chamber. The oil return opening is in the refrigerant outlet pipe to return oil contained in the lower part of the liquid accumulating chamber to a compressor of the refrigeration cycle system. The refrigerant flow generating structure provides refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet port with a given flow, the given flow being produced by a drive force possessed by the refrigerant. The refrigerant flow mixing structure provides the given flow with an upward-and-downward movement to mix the refrigerant.

1 . An accumulator for use in a refrigeration cycle system, comprising:
 a liquid accumulating chamber in which refrigerant is accumulated;   a refrigerant inlet port through which the refrigerant is led into the liquid accumulating chamber;   a refrigerant outlet pipe that has an upstream open end exposed to an upper part of the liquid accumulating chamber to discharge the refrigerant from the liquid accumulating chamber to the outside of the chamber;   an oil return opening provided in a given part of the refrigerant outlet pipe to return oil, which is contained in the refrigerant in the lower part of the liquid accumulating chamber, to a compressor of the refrigeration cycle system;   a refrigerant flow generating structure that provides the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet port with a given flow, the given flow being produced by a drive force possessed by the refrigerant; and   a refrigerant flow mixing structure that provides the given flow of refrigerant from the refrigerant flow generating structure with an upward-and-downward movement thereby to mix the refrigerant.   
     
     
         2 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the refrigerant flow generating structure comprises a whirling device which provides the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet port with a whirling flow. 
     
     
         3 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the liquid accumulating chamber is defined by a cylindrical inner surface of a case. 
     
     
         4 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the refrigerant flow mixing structure is an interference ridge portion that is raised from a bottom portion of the liquid accumulating chamber. 
     
     
         5 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 4 , in which the oil return opening is located in the vicinity of a top portion of the interference ridge portion. 
     
     
         6 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the refrigerant flow generating structure comprises partition walls that are arranged in the refrigerant accumulating chamber to form a zigzag flow passage that has an upstream end to which the refrigerant inlet port is exposed and a downstream end to which the upstream open end of the refrigerant outlet pipe is exposed. 
     
     
         7 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 6 , in which the refrigerant flow mixing structure comprises a plurality of mutually spaced flow guide members which are alternately arranged with respect to a direction in which the refrigerant flows. 
     
     
         8 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 7 , in which the mutually spaced flow guide members comprise:
 first flow guide members that are arranged on one side wall of the downstream part of the zigzag flow passage; and   second flow guide members that are arranged on the other side wall of the downstream part of the zigzag flow passage,   wherein the first and second flow guide members are arranged alternately with respect to the direction in which the refrigerant flows.   
     
     
         9 . An accumulator for use in a refrigeration cycle system, comprising:
 a case having a liquid accumulating chamber defined therein, the liquid accumulating chamber forming a gaseous part in an upper portion thereof and a liquid part in a lower portion thereof when the refrigeration cycle system is in operation;   a refrigerant inlet pipe through which refrigerant is led into the liquid accumulating chamber;   a refrigerant outlet pipe having an upstream open end to exposed to the gaseous part of the liquid accumulating chamber, a middle part placed in the liquid part of the liquid accumulating chamber and a downstream open end exposed to the outside of the case;   a first flow guide device installed in the liquid accumulating chamber at a position near the refrigerant inlet pipe to provide the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet pipe with a predetermined flow, the predetermined flow being produced by a kinetic energy possessed by the refrigerant;   a second flow guide device installed in the liquid accumulating chamber at a position remote from the refrigerant inlet pipe to provide the flow of refrigerant from the first flow guide device with an upward and downward movement; and   an opening formed in the middle part of the refrigerant outlet pipe at a position near the second flow guide device to discharge a certain small amount of refrigerant in the liquid part to the outside through the refrigerant outlet pipe.   
     
     
         10 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 9 , in which the first flow guide device is constructed and arranged to provide the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet pipe with a whirling flow. 
     
     
         11 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 10 , in which the liquid accumulating chamber is defined by a cylindrical inner surface of the case, and in which the first flow guide device is cylindrical and concentrically disposed in the gaseous part of the liquid accumulating chamber. 
     
     
         12 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 11 , in which the refrigerant outlet pipe is a straight pipe which extends coaxially in the cylindrical liquid accumulating chamber with its inlet end connected to an outlet end of the refrigerant inlet pipe and its outlet end exposed to the outside of the case. 
     
     
         13 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 12 , in which the first flow guide device comprises:
 a cylindrical side wall concentrically disposed in the gaseous part of the cylindrical liquid accumulating chamber leaving an annular clearance between the cylindrical side wall and the cylindrical inner wall of the case, the annular clearance “d” being connected to the liquid part of the liquid accumulating chamber; and   a circular upper head connected to an upper portion of the case and formed with a recessed flow guide portion by which the whirling flow of refrigerant is produced.   
     
     
         14 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 13 , in which the recessed flow guide portion of the circular upper head comprises:
 a circular center recess that faces the outlet end of the refrigerant inlet pipe; and   a plurality of mutually spaced curved grooves that extends radially outward from the circular center recess to the annular clearance.   
     
     
         15 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 14 , in which the mutually spaced curved grooves are equally spaced three curved grooves. 
     
     
         16 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 10 , in which the second flow guide device comprises an interference ridge portion integrally formed on a bottom member of the case at a position near the opening of the middle part of the refrigerant outlet pipe. 
     
     
         17 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 16 , in which the interference ridge portion has a generally trapezoidal cross section. 
     
     
         18 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 9 , in which the first guide device are constructed to provide the refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet pipe with a zigzag flow. 
     
     
         19 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 18 , in which the liquid accumulating chamber is rectangular in shape, and in which the first flow guide device comprises first and second partition walls that are alternately arranged in the chamber to define therein first, second and third flow passages which are connected in series, the refrigerant inlet pipe being connected to an upstream part of the first flow passage, and the refrigerant outlet pipe being connected to a downstream part of the third flow passage. 
     
     
         20 . An accumulator as claimed in  claim 19 , in which the second flow guide device comprises:
 first flow guide members that are secured to one side wall of the third flow passage; and   second flow guide members that are secured to the other side wall of the third flow passage,   wherein the first and second guide members are alternately arranged with respect to a direction in which the refrigerant flows, and   wherein each of the first and second guide members is inclined in such a manner that a height of the member relative to a bottom wall of the case increases as a distance to the refrigerant outlet pipe reduces.