Integration valve and heat pump cycle
In an integration valve, a body, in which a vapor-liquid separating space is provided, includes a fixed throttle decompressing liquid-phase refrigerant, a liquid-phase refrigerant side valve body member opening or closing a liquid-phase refrigerant passage, and a vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member opening or closing a vapor-phase refrigerant passage. Further, the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member is configured by a differential pressure regulating valve operated based on a pressure difference between a refrigerant pressure at a side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage and a refrigerant pressure at a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant passage. The vapor-phase refrigerant side valve body member is movable when the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve body member is moved by a solenoid. Therefore, a cycle configuration of a heat pump cycle configuring a gas injection cycle can be simplified.
1. An integration valve for a heat pump cycle having a compressor compressing and discharging refrigerant, the integration valve comprising:
a body provided with (i) a refrigerant inlet port to which refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows, (ii) a vapor-liquid separating space separating refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet port into vapor-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant, (iii) a vapor-phase refrigerant outlet port through which vapor-phase refrigerant separated in the vapor-liquid separating space flows, and (iv) a liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port through which liquid-phase refrigerant separated in the vapor-liquid separating space flows;
a liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member opening or closing a liquid-phase refrigerant passage extending from the vapor-liquid separating space to the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port;
a fixed throttle decompressing liquid-phase refrigerant and passing the decompressed liquid-phase refrigerant to a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port, when the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member closes the liquid-phase refrigerant passage; and
a vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member opening or closing a vapor-phase refrigerant passage extending from the vapor-liquid separating space to the vapor-phase refrigerant outlet port, wherein
the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member is located downstream of the vapor-liquid separating space,
the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member, the fixed throttle, and the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member are housed in the body, and
the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member is configured by a differential pressure regulating valve movable based on a pressure difference between a refrigerant pressure at a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port and a refrigerant pressure at a side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage.
2. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member is configured by the differential pressure regulating valve in which the vapor-phase refrigerant passage is open when a refrigerant pressure at the side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port is lower than a refrigerant pressure at the side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage.
3. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the body has therein a pressure introducing passage through which a pressure of refrigerant at the side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port is applied to the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member.
4. The integration valve according to claim 1 , further comprising
an electromagnetic mechanism operating a moving of the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member due to electric force supplied thereto.
5. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the liquid-phase refrigerant passage and the fixed throttle are arranged downward of a separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole through which vapor-phase refrigerant flows from the vapor-liquid separating space to the side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage.
6. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the vapor-phase refrigerant passage is arranged upward of a separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole through which vapor-phase refrigerant flows from the vapor-liquid separating space to the side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage.
7. The integration valve according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a regulating member regulating a movement of the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member by abutting to the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member when the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member opens the vapor-phase refrigerant passage; and
a sealing member which restricts refrigerant from leaking through a contact part at which the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member and the regulating member abut to each other, the sealing member being disposed on at least one side of the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member or the regulating member.
8. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the body is provided with a separated liquid-phase refrigerant outlet hole through which liquid-phase refrigerant flows from the vapor-liquid separating space to a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant passage, and
a flow direction of liquid-phase refrigerant flowing out of the separated liquid-phase refrigerant outlet hole is different from a flow direction of refrigerant flowing in the liquid-phase refrigerant passage.
9. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
the vapor-liquid separating space is formed in a cylindrical shape, and
the vapor-liquid separating space is configured to separate vapor-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant from each other by using a centrifugal force in the vapor-liquid separating space.
10. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
at least a part of the body providing a refrigerant passage extending from the fixed throttle at the liquid-phase refrigerant passage to the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port or a part of the body providing the fixed throttle is made of a material having higher thermal resistance than other parts.
11. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
a flow direction of refrigerant flowing out of the fixed throttle is the same as a flow direction of refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant passage extending from the fixed throttle at the liquid-phase refrigerant passage to the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port.
12. The integration valve according to claim 1 , wherein
at least (i) a part of the body providing a refrigerant passage extending from the vapor-liquid separating space to the fixed throttle and (ii) the part of the body providing the refrigerant passage extending from the fixed throttle to the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port has a cross-sectional area smaller than other part of the body so as to be higher in thermal resistance.
13. An integration valve for a heat pump cycle having a compressor compressing and discharging refrigerant, the integration valve comprising:
a body provided with (i) a refrigerant inlet port to which refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows, (ii) a vapor-liquid separating space separating refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet port into vapor-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant, (iii) a vapor-phase refrigerant outlet port through which vapor-phase refrigerant separated in the vapor-liquid separating space flows, and (iv) a liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port through which liquid-phase refrigerant separated in the vapor-liquid separating space flows;
a liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member opening or closing a liquid-phase refrigerant passage extending from the vapor-liquid separating space to the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port;
a fixed throttle decompressing liquid-phase refrigerant and passing the decompressed liquid-phase refrigerant to a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port, when the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member closes the liquid-phase refrigerant passage; and
a vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member opening or closing a vapor-phase refrigerant passage extending from the vapor-liquid separating space to the vapor-phase refrigerant outlet port, wherein
the liquid-phase refrigerant side valve member, the fixed throttle, and the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member are housed in the body,
the vapor-phase refrigerant side valve member is configured by a differential pressure regulating valve movable based on a pressure difference between a refrigerant pressure at a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant outlet port and a refrigerant pressure at a side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage,
the vapor-liquid separating space is formed in a cylindrical shape,
the vapor-liquid separating space is configured to separate vapor-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant from each other by using a centrifugal force in the vapor-liquid separating space,
the vapor-liquid separating space is provided with a separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe arranged coaxially with the vapor-liquid separating space and providing the vapor-phase refrigerant passage therein, and
the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe is provided with a separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole through which vapor-phase refrigerant flows from the vapor-liquid separating space to a side of the vapor-phase refrigerant passage, and which is arranged at one end part of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe in a longitudinal direction.
14. The integration valve according to claim 13 , further comprising
a shutter member formed in a discoid shape and restricting liquid-phase refrigerant separated in the vapor-liquid separating space from scattering toward a side of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole, wherein
the shutter member is arranged between the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole and a separated liquid-phase refrigerant outlet hole through which liquid-phase refrigerant flows from the vapor-liquid separating space to a side of the liquid-phase refrigerant passage.
15. The integration valve according to claim 14 , wherein
a diameter Ds of the shutter member, a diameter Dp of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe, a diameter Dr of the vapor-liquid separating space, and a diameter Do of the separated liquid-phase refrigerant outlet hole are determined to satisfy following formulas of Dp≦Ds≦(Dx+Dr)/2 and Dx=(Dr 2 −Do 2 ) 1/2 .
16. The integration valve according to claim 14 , wherein
a diameter of an outer periphery of the shutter member at the side of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole decreases continuously from a side of the separated liquid-phase refrigerant outlet hole to the side of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet hole.
17. The integration valve according to claim 13 , wherein
the vapor-liquid separating space communicates with a refrigerant introducing passage introducing refrigerant from the refrigerant inlet port to the vapor-liquid separating space via a refrigerant introducing hole provided on a radial-outer wall surface of the vapor-liquid separating space, and
the refrigerant introducing hole is an oblong hole extending in an axial direction of the vapor-liquid separating space and opens at a location further from the one end part of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe than the other end part of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe in the longitudinal direction.
18. The integration valve according to claim 17 , wherein
(i) a distance Lv from an end part of the refrigerant introducing hole on a side of the one end part of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe in the longitudinal direction to the one end part of the separated vapor-phase refrigerant outlet pipe and (ii) a vertical dimension Dv of the refrigerant introducing hole extending in the axial direction of the vapor-liquid separating space are determined to satisfy a formula of Lv≧(½)×Dv.