Air conditioner and evaporator inlet header distributor therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10077926-B2
Application number	US-201615150804-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2016
Priority date	Nov 2, 2012
Publication date	Sep 18, 2018
Grant date	Sep 18, 2018

Abstract

An air conditioner and evaporator inlet header distributor therefor are provided. The air conditioner may include an evaporator inlet header distributor to distribute a refrigerant expanded in an expansion mechanism to a plurality of refrigerant flow paths of an evaporator. The evaporator inlet header distributor may include a distributor body, a refrigerant inlet pipe to guide refrigerant expanded in the expansion mechanism to an inside of the distributor body, a plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes to discharge the refrigerant from the distributor body into the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, and a separating plate to separate the inside of the distributor body into a header flow path connected with the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes and a refrigerant dispersing flow path connected with the refrigerant inlet pipe to guide an upper portion and a lower portion of the header flow path by dispersing the refrigerant. Accordingly, two-phase refrigerant may be uniformly distributed to the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes using a simple structure.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An air conditioner, comprising:
an evaporator comprising a plurality of refrigerant flow paths that evaporates a refrigerant;
a compressor that compresses the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator,
a condenser that condenses the refrigerant compressed in the compressor;
an expansion valve that expands the refrigerant condensed in the condenser; and
an evaporator inlet header distributor that distributes the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve to the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, wherein the evaporator inlet header distributor comprises:
a distributor body having a space defined in an inside thereof;
a refrigerant inlet pipe that guides the refrigerant expanded in the expansion valve to a lower portion of the space; and
a plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes having an inlet stage disposed in an upper portion of the space by which the refrigerant in the space is discharged to the plurality of refrigerant flow paths, wherein each of the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes is connected with one of a plurality of liquid refrigerant suction lines at a position separate from the inlet stage of the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes to guide liquid refrigerant disposed in the lower portion of the space to the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes, respectively.

2. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant inlet pipe has an outlet stage that is inclined toward to a lower portion of an inner peripheral surface of the distributor body or an upper surface of a lower plate of the distributor body.

3. The air conditioner of claim 2 , wherein the refrigerant inlet pipe is obliquely disposed on a circumferential portion of the distributor body.

4. The air conditioner of claim 1 , further comprising:
a partition wall installed in the space to separate liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant.

5. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein a gap is provided between the partition wall and an inner peripheral surface of the distributor body, and the plurality of liquid refrigerant suction lines penetrates the gap.

6. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein a height of the partition wall from a lower plate of the distributor body is higher than an outlet stage of the refrigerant inlet pipe.

7. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein an inlet stage of a refrigerant outlet pipe of the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes located at a lowermost side has a height from a lower plate of the distributor body higher than the partition wall.

8. The air conditioner of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes communicates with the upper portion of the space.

9. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of liquid refrigerant suction lines has an internal cross-sectional area smaller than an internal cross-sectional area of the respective refrigerant outlet pipe.

10. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a bottom of each of the plurality of liquid refrigerant suction lines is separated from a lower plate of the distributor body.

11. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein a top of each of the plurality of liquid refrigerant suction lines is connected to a portion of its respective refrigerant outlet pipe located inside of the distributor body.

12. The air conditioner of claim 1 , wherein the distributor body includes:
a circumferential portion that extends in a substantially vertical direction;
an upper plate connected at a top of the circumferential portion; and
a lower plate connected at a bottom of the circumferential portion.

13. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein the circumferential portion of the distributor body is in a form of a hollow cylindrical shape or a hollow square bucket shape.

14. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein the distributor body includes a refrigerant inlet pipe penetration hole, through which the refrigerant inlet pipe passes.

15. The air conditioner of claim 14 , wherein the refrigerant inlet pipe penetration hole is formed in the circumferential portion of the distributor body.

16. The air conditioner of claim 12 , wherein the distributor body includes a plurality of refrigerant outlet pipe penetration holes, through which the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes passes, respectively.

17. The air conditioner of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipe penetration holes is formed in the circumferential portion of the distributor body.

18. The air conditioner of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipe penetration holes is formed to be vertically spaced away from each other, and wherein the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes passes through the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipe penetration holes substantially parallel to each other.

19. The air conditioner of claim 18 , wherein the position from the inlet stage of each of the plurality of refrigerant outlet pipes at which the respective liquid suction line is connected is different from each other.

20. The air conditioner of claim 19 , wherein each of the plurality of liquid suction lines extends vertically parallel to each other toward the lower plate of the distributor body.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Hongseong
• Lee Sangyeul
• Cheon Inbeom
• Lee Hanchoon
• Kim Juhyok

Classifications

• F25B13/00 Primary

  Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle (defrosting cycles F25B47/02) · CPC title

• F25B39/028

  having distributing means · CPC title

• F28F9/026

  with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits · CPC title

• F28F2250/00

  Arrangements for modifying the flow of the heat exchange media, e.g. flow guiding means; Particular flow patterns · CPC title

• F28D2021/0071

  Evaporators · CPC title