Refrigerator

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a refrigerator in which the capacity of an oil tank can be made smaller than in the prior art while a foaming phenomenon is addressed. The refrigerator is provided with: a refrigeration cycle which includes a condenser, an evaporator, and an electric compressor having a compression mechanism to be driven by a motor and in which a refrigerant circulates; an oil tank in which a lubricating oil is stored; a heater which is set in the oil tank and which heats the lubricating oil; a lubricating oil supply line which is connected to the oil tank and which supplies the lubricating oil from the oil tank into a housing having the motor housed therein; a lubricating oil discharge line which returns the lubricating oil from the housing back to the oil tank; a pressure equalizing pipe which has one end connected to the oil tank and the other end connected to the refrigeration cycle; and a buffer tank which is set to the pressure equalizing pipe, which receives the refrigerant and the lubricating oil flowing out from the oil tank, and in which the lubricating oil is stored.

1 . A chiller comprising:
 a refrigerating cycle that includes an electric compressor having a compression mechanism driven by a motor, a condenser, and an evaporator, and in which a refrigerant is circulated;   an oil tank that stores a lubricant;   a heater that is installed inside the oil tank so as to heat the lubricant;   an oil circulation pipe that is connected to the oil tank so as to supply the lubricant from the oil tank into a housing for accommodating the motor and to return the lubricant from the housing to the oil tank;   a pressure equalizing pipe, one end of which is connected to the oil tank, separately from the oil circulation pipe, and the other end of which is connected to the refrigerating cycle; and   a buffer tank that is installed in the pressure equalizing pipe, and that receives the refrigerant and the lubricant which flow out of the oil tank so as to store the lubricant.   
     
     
         2 . The chiller according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a return pipe, one end of which is connected to the buffer tank, and the other end of which is connected to the oil tank, separately from the pressure equalizing pipe, and that returns the lubricant stored in the buffer tank to the oil tank.   
     
     
         3 . The chiller according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein a position where the return pipe is connected to the oil tank is in the vicinity of a position where the oil circulation pipe is connected to the oil tank.   
     
     
         4 . The chiller according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the oil tank is partitioned by a partition plate, and is divided into a separation region into which the lubricant returned from the housing flows, and a discharge region through which the lubricant is supplied to the housing.   
     
     
         5 . The chiller according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein a flow forming plate for guiding a flow of the lubricant stored in the oil tank from an upper portion toward a lower portion or from the lower portion toward the upper portion is installed in the separation region.   
     
     
         6 . The chiller according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the partition plate is installed away from a bottom surface of the oil tank.   
     
     
         7 . The chiller according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the oil tank is partitioned by a partition plate, and is divided into a separation region into which the lubricant returned from the housing flows, and a discharge region through which the lubricant is supplied to the housing.   
     
     
         8 . The chiller according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein a flow forming plate for guiding a flow of the lubricant stored in the oil tank from an upper portion toward a lower portion or from the lower portion toward the upper portion is installed in the separation region.   
     
     
         9 . The chiller according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein the partition plate is installed away from a bottom surface of the oil tank.   
     
     
         10 . The chiller according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the oil tank is partitioned by a partition plate, and is divided into a separation region into which the lubricant returned from the housing flows, and a discharge region through which the lubricant is supplied to the housing.   
     
     
         11 . The chiller according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein a flow forming plate for guiding a flow of the lubricant stored in the oil tank from an upper portion toward a lower portion or from the lower portion toward the upper portion is installed in the separation region.   
     
     
         12 . The chiller according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the partition plate is installed away from a bottom surface of the oil tank.