IP Library Granted Patent US 12662644
Granted Patent B2
US 12662644 · App. 18/692,040 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Refrigeration cycle device using refrigerants containing hydrocarbon and sulfur-based odorant

Inventors: Kengo Hiratsuka (Tokyo, JP); Satoru Toyama (Tokyo, JP); Kenji Kojima (Tokyo, JP); Manami Nakamura (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
C10M107/34C09K5/042F25B31/002C09K2205/12C09K2205/134C10M2209/1075C10N2040/30F25B2500/222
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12662644
App. No.
18/692,040
Granted
Jun 23, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A refrigeration cycle device can include a refrigerant circuit that includes a compressor. A refrigerant can be enclosed in the refrigerant circuit, particularly where the refrigerant can contain a hydrocarbon having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a sulfur-based odorant. The compressor can be filled with a refrigeration oil, where the refrigeration oil can contain a base oil, and where the ratio of the number of oxygen atoms to the number of carbon atoms in the molecular structure of the base oil is less than 0.50.

Claims (48)

1 . A refrigeration cycle device comprising:

a refrigerant circuit comprising a compressor, wherein

a refrigerant is enclosed in the refrigerant circuit,

the refrigerant contains a hydrocarbon having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a sulfur-based odorant,

a refrigeration oil is stored in the compressor of the refrigerant circuit, the refrigeration oil contains a base oil,

the base oil is an oxygen-containing oil (excluding polyalkylene glycol),

a ratio of a number of oxygen atoms to a number of carbon atoms in a molecular structure of the base oil is less than 0.50,

the sulfur-based odorant is intermixed with the refrigeration oil containing the base oil, and

at least one component of another molecular structure of the base oil has a second ratio of a number of oxygen atoms to a number of carbon atoms greater than 0.50.

2 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein the sulfur-based odorant is tetrahydrothiophene, and the refrigerant is propane.

3 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein a concentration of the sulfur-based odorant in the refrigerant is 50 ppm by mass or more and less than 1,100 ppm by mass.

4 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant includes a non-sulfur-based odorant.

5 . A refrigeration cycle device comprising:

a refrigerant circuit comprising a compressor, wherein

a refrigerant is enclosed in the refrigerant circuit,

the refrigerant contains a hydrocarbon having 1 to 4 carbon atoms and a sulfur-based odorant,

a refrigeration oil is stored in the compressor of the refrigerant circuit,

the refrigeration oil contains a base oil,

the base oil contains polyalkylene glycol represented by the following chemical formula 1:

a ratio of a number of oxygen atoms to a number of carbon atoms in a molecular structure of the base oil is less than 0.50,

wherein m and n are each a numerical value of 0 or more and represent an average of the number of ethylene oxide groups and propylene oxide groups, and R 1 and R 2 are a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon chain having one or more carbon atoms,

m and n satisfy the following formula (1) and formula (2):

m

+

n

100

(

1

)

n

/

(

m

+

n

)

0.2

.

(

2

)

the sulfur-based odorant is intermixed with the refrigeration oil containing the base oil, and

at least one component of another molecular structure of the base oil has a second ratio of a number of oxygen atoms to a number of carbon atoms greater than 0.50.

6 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 5 , wherein the sulfur-based odorant is tetrahydrothiophene, and the refrigerant is propane.

7 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 5 , wherein a concentration of the sulfur-based odorant in the refrigerant is 50 ppm by mass or more and less than 1,100 ppm by mass.

8 . The refrigeration cycle device according to claim 5 , wherein the refrigerant includes a non-sulfur-based odorant.