Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – With lubricant handling means
Utility Patent
1999-04-05
2001-01-02
Doerrler, William (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
With lubricant handling means
C062S084000, C062S193000, C062S469000
Utility Patent
active
06167719
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a compressor used for a refrigeration cycle using an HC-based refrigerants such as propane and isobutane, and using, in the compressor, a lubricant having no or less mutual solubility with the refrigerant.
BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE
HCFC-based refrigerants such as R22, which are stable compounds and composed of hydrogen, chlorine, fluorine and carbon, are currently utilized in an air conditioner.
However, HCFC-based refrigerants rise into the stratosphere and decomposed ozone, leading to the destruction of the ozone layer.
In recent years, HFC-based refrigerants began to be utilized as alternative refrigerants of HCFCs, but these HFC-based refrigerants have the nature for facilitating global warming.
Therefore, a study is started to employ a HC-based refrigerant which does not destroy the ozone layer or largely affect global warming.
However, since this HC-based refrigerant is flammable, it is necessary to prevent explosion or ignition so as to ensure safety.
As one method for ensuring safety, there is a method to reduce the amount of refrigerant to be used. That is, the flammable refrigerant is not ignited or exploded unless its concentration exceeds the marginal level. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ignition or explosion, and to largely reduce the dangerous probability by reducing the amount of refrigerant to be charged. The reduction of the amount of refrigerant to be used also leads to the effective utilization of resources.
In order to reduce the amount of the refrigerant to be charged into the refrigeration cycle, it is effective to use a lubricant having no or less mutual solubility with the refrigerant, thereby reducing the amount of the refrigerant dissolved into the lubricant.
However, when the lubricant having no or less mutual solubility with the refrigerant is used, since the refrigerant and the lubricant separate from each other, there is a possibility that only the liquid refrigerant, including almost no lubricant, is pumped up, depending upon the amount of accumulated lubricant or refrigerant. Especially, unlike HCFC-based refrigerant, CFC-based refrigerant and the like, HC-based refrigerant itself does not have lubricity. Therefore, if the above-described possibility comes true, the lubricating operation is not carried out smoothly, and it is necessary to pay sufficient attention to this problem.
If the refrigerant having no or less mutual solubility with the refrigerant is discharged from a compressor together with the refrigerant, since the lubricant circulates through a refrigeration cycle in a state in which the lubricant separates from the refrigerant, the lubricant stops in the refrigeration cycle, and the lubricant does not easily return to the compressor. If the amount of lubricant returning to the compressor is small, since the amount of lubricant in the compressor is reduced, the above-described problem is prone to be generated.
Thereupon, it is an object of the present invention to make it possible to sufficiently supply a lubricant to a compressor mechanism even when the lubricant has no or less mutual solubility, so that even if the amount of the lubricant is reduced, the lubricant can be sufficiently sucked from an inlet port of a lubricant pumping pipe and supplied to the compressor mechanism.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect, there is provided a compressor of a refrigeration cycle using an HC-based refrigerant and a lubricant having specific gravity greater than that of the HC-based refrigerant and having no or less mutual solubility with the HC-based refrigerant, wherein an oil reservoir is formed on a bottom of the compressor, the oil reservoir is provided with a recess, and a suction port of a lubricant suction pipe for supplying the lubricant to a compressor mechanism is provided in the recess. With this feature, a small amount of the refrigerant can effectively be utilized, and it is possible to reduce the amount of the liquid refrigerant mixed into the lubricant.
According to a second aspect, a lower space of the recess is narrower than an upper space of the recess. With this feature, the liquid level of the lubricant can further be heightened.
According to a third aspect, the recess is provided with a slope. With this feature the lubricant can be collected easily.
According to a fourth aspect, the recess is formed into a conical shape. With this feature, even when the amount of the lubricant is extremely reduced, the small amount of the refrigerant can effectively be utilized.
According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a compressor of a refrigeration cycle using an HC-based refrigerant and a lubricant having specific gravity greater than that of the HC-based refrigerant and having no or less mutual solubility with the HC-based refrigerant, wherein a suction port of a lubricant suction pipe for supplying the lubricant to a compressor mechanism is disposed around a corner of a bottom of the compressor mechanism, the compressor is inclined so that the corner of the bottom forms an oil reservoir. With this feature, if the compressor is inclined, the liquid level in the oil reservoir can be heightened.
According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a compressor of a refrigeration cycle using an HC-based refrigerant and a lubricant having specific gravity greater than that of the HC-based refrigerant and having no or less mutual solubility with the HC-based refrigerant, wherein the compressor includes an oil reservoir for collecting the lubricant, and a lubricant suction pipe for supplying the lubricant in the oil reservoir to a compressor mechanism, the oil reservoir is provided with a float made of material having specific gravity equal to or slightly lighter than that of the lubricant. By providing such a float, the liquid level can be heightened.
According to a seventh aspect, the compressor further comprises a liquid level detecting mechanism for detecting a liquid level in the oil reservoir, and a float locking mechanism for holding the float at a predetermined height, wherein when the liquid level detecting mechanism detects that the amount of the lubricant is reduced, the float locking mechanism is operated to drop the float into the oil reservoir. When the lubricant is reduced, the liquid level of the lubricant can be heightened by dropping the float into the oil reservoir so that the lubricant can reliably be supplied.
According to an eighth aspect, the lubricant suction pipe is provided with a suction port comprising a groove or a plurality of openings at the end thereof, the float is slidably provided around the lubricant suction pipe, and the suction port is opened and closed by the float. With this feature, it is possible to prevent the liquid refrigerant from being sucked.
According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a compressor of a refrigeration cycle using an HC-based refrigerant and a lubricant having specific gravity greater than that of the HC-based refrigerant and having no or less mutual solubility with the HC-based refrigerant, wherein the compressor is provided therein with a cylindrical separator, the separator includes an oil feed pipe for sucking the lubricant in an oil reservoir, a suction port of the lubricant suction pipe is disposed at a lower portion within the separator, and a discharge port of the oil feed pipe is disposed at an upper portion within the separator. By providing such a separator, only the lubricant can be supplied.
In such a compressor, it is preferable that propane or isobutane is used as the HC-based refrigerant, and carbonate compound is used as the lubricant. Further, in the lubricant, it is preferable that the number of carbon forming carbonic acid ester bond occupies 10 atomic % of all the number of carbon forming the carbonate compound.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5103648 (1992-04-01), Barbier
patent: 5345785 (1994-09-01), Sekigami et al.
patent: 5531080 (1996-07-01), Hirahara et al.
patent: 5542266 (1996-08-01), Suzuki et al.
patent: 5580233 (1996-12-01), Wakana et al.
patent: 6026
Fujitaka Akira
Haneda Kanji
Kobayashi Yoshinori
Numoto Hironao
Sato Shigehiro
Armstrong, Westerman Hattori, McLeland & Naughton
Doerrler William
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
Norman Marc
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