Cooling machine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940184-B2
Application number	US-202117148977-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2021
Priority date	Jan 15, 2020
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an absorption cooling machine including an absorber, a first regenerator, a second regenerator, a condenser, an expansion device, and an evaporator, and relates to a cooling machine that prevents the refrigerant from flowing backward to the first regenerator under a low pressure condition by installing a gas-liquid separator that separates the refrigerant discharged from the first and second regenerators and flows into the condenser into a gas state and a liquid state, in order to heat the absorption solution supplied from the absorber to separate into a refrigerant and an absorbent, and to smoothly discharge the refrigerant from the first regenerator and the second regenerator for discharging the separated refrigerant to the condenser.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooling machine comprising:
an absorber to generate an absorption solution by mixing a refrigerant and an absorbent;
a first regenerator to separate the absorption solution discharged from the absorber into the refrigerant and the absorbent;
a second regenerator to separate the absorption solution discharged from the absorber into the refrigerant and the absorbent;
a condenser to heat-exchange the refrigerant discharged from the first regenerator and the second regenerator;
an expansion device to expand the refrigerant discharged from the condenser; an evaporator to heat-exchange the refrigerant discharged from the expansion device and to discharge the refrigerant to the absorber;
a first drain pipe through which the refrigerant discharged from the first regenerator flows;
a second drain pipe through which the refrigerant discharged from the second regenerator flows; and
a gas-liquid separator to separate the refrigerant introduced through the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe into a gas state and a liquid state.

2. The cooling machine of claim 1 , wherein a confluence point where the refrigerants flowing in the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe are converged is formed, and the refrigerant converged at the confluence point flows into the gas-liquid separator.

3. The cooling machine of claim 2 , further comprising a decompression device for lowering a pressure of the refrigerant flowing in the second drain pipe,
wherein the refrigerant whose pressure is lowered by the decompression device and the refrigerant flowing through the first drain pipe are converged at the confluence point, and the refrigerant passing through the confluence point flows into the gas-liquid separator while liquid state and gas state of the refrigerant are mixed.

4. The cooling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a gas pipe connected to the condenser, wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from the first regenerator and the second regenerator flows through the gas pipe, and
wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from the gas-liquid separator is joined to the gas pipe.

5. The cooling machine of claim 4 , wherein the gas pipe comprises:
a second gas pipe connecting the first regenerator and the second regenerator; and
a first gas pipe connecting the first regenerator and the condenser,
wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from the gas-liquid separator is joined to the first gas pipe.

6. The cooling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a gas pipe connected to the condenser, wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from the first regenerator and the second regenerator flows through the gas pipe,
wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from the gas-liquid separator is joined to the gas pipe, and
wherein the refrigerant of liquid state discharged from the gas-liquid separator is introduced into the condenser.

7. The cooling machine of claim 6 , wherein the refrigerant of gas state separated from the gas-liquid separator is discharged to an upper portion of the gas-liquid separator, and the refrigerant of liquid state is discharged to a lower portion of the gas-liquid separator.

8. The cooling machine of claim 6 , wherein the refrigerant of gas state flows into an upper portion of the condenser through the gas pipe, and the refrigerant of liquid state discharged from the gas-liquid separator is introduced into a lower portion of the condenser.

9. The cooling machine of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant of liquid state discharged from the gas-liquid separator flows into the condenser while a pressure of the refrigerant is lowered by a liquid state decompression device that lowers the pressure of the refrigerant flowing into the condenser.

10. The cooling machine of claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant flows into an upper portion of the gas-liquid separator, and
the refrigerant of gas state separated by an operation of the gas-liquid separator is discharged to the upper portion of the gas-liquid separator, and the refrigerant of liquid state is discharged to a lower portion of the gas-liquid separator.

11. The cooling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a gas pipe connected to an upper portion of the condenser, wherein the refrigerant of gas state discharged from an upper portion of the first regenerator and an upper portion of the second regenerator flows through the gas pipe,
wherein the first drain pipe is connected to a lower portion of the first regenerator,
wherein the second drain pipe is connected to a lower portion of the second regenerator,
wherein the gas-liquid separator is disposed in a position lower than the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe, and
wherein the refrigerant of liquid state separated by the gas-liquid separator flows into a lower portion of the condenser.

12. The cooling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit to heat-exchange the refrigerant of liquid state separated by the gas-liquid separator.

13. The cooling machine of claim 12 , wherein the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit flows into the condenser.

14. The cooling machine of claim 12 , wherein the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit flows into the condenser, while a pressure of the refrigerant is lowered by a liquid state decompression device that lowers the pressure of the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the refrigerant condensation heat exchange unit.

15. The cooling machine of claim 1 , wherein a backflow prevention device to prevent the refrigerant from flowing into the first regenerator is connected to the first drain pipe.

16. The cooling machine of claim 15 , further comprising a water level sensor to measure a water level of the first regenerator,
wherein the backflow prevention device includes a valve device whose opening degree is adjusted according to a measured value of the water level sensor.

17. The cooling machine of claim 15 , wherein a confluence point where the refrigerants flowing in the first drain pipe and the second drain pipe are converged is formed,
further comprising a dryness meter to measure a dryness of the refrigerant passing through the confluence point,
wherein the backflow prevention device includes a valve device whose opening degree is adjusted according to a measured value of the dryness meter.

18. The cooling machine of claim 1 , further comprising a third regenerator to separate the absorption solution discharged from the absorber into the refrigerant and the absorbent,
wherein the third regenerator separates the refrigerant and the absorbent under a higher temperature and higher pressure than the first regenerator and the second regenerator.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lee Heungju
• Cho Yongsun
• Lee Jaeseo

Classifications

• F25B15/02 Primary

  without inert gas ({F25B15/004, F25B15/006, F25B15/008}, F25B15/12, F25B15/14, F25B15/16 take precedence) · CPC title

• F25B41/20 Primary

  Disposition of valves, e.g. of on-off valves or flow control valves (expansion valves F25B41/31) · CPC title

• F25B15/008 Primary

  with multi-stage operation (F25B15/006 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B43/00

  Arrangements for separating or purifying gases or liquids (in analysers or rectifiers F25B33/00); Arrangements for vaporising the residuum of liquid refrigerant, e.g. by heat (F25B40/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F25B49/04

  for sorption type machines, plants or systems · CPC title