Refrigerant pipe and refrigeration apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12049966-B2
Application number	US-202217587575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2022
Priority date	Jul 31, 2019
Publication date	Jul 30, 2024
Grant date	Jul 30, 2024

Abstract

A refrigerant pipe that constitutes a refrigerant circuit of a refrigeration apparatus includes: a first pipe; and a second pipe. The first pipe includes: a first pipe body, made of stainless steel; and a first connection, made of a material different from stainless steel, disposed at an end of the first pipe body in a pipe axial direction of the first pipe body. The second pipe includes: a second pipe body, made of stainless steel; and a second connection, made of a material identical to the material of the first connection, disposed at an end of the second pipe body in a pipe axial direction of the second pipe body. The first connection is connected to the second connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerant pipe that constitutes a refrigerant circuit of a refrigeration apparatus, the refrigerant pipe comprising:
a first pipe; and
a second pipe, wherein
the first pipe comprises:
a first pipe body, made of stainless steel; and
a first connection, made of a material different from stainless steel, disposed at an end of the first pipe body in a pipe axial direction of the first pipe body,

the second pipe comprises:
a second pipe body, made of stainless steel; and
a second connection, made of a material identical to the material of the first connection, disposed at an end of the second pipe body in a pipe axial direction of the second pipe body,

the first connection is connected to the second connection,
the second connection is a pipe,
the second connection is connected to the second pipe body by a first brazing material,
the second connection is connected to the first connection by a second brazing material,
the first brazing material has a higher melting point than the second brazing material, and
a portion of each of the first pipe body, the first connection, the second connection, and the second pipe body radially overlap one another.

2. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the first connection and the second connection are made of any of copper, a copper alloy, aluminum, or an aluminum alloy.

3. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the end of the first pipe body overlaps the end of the second pipe body in a pipe radial direction.

4. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the first connection is a plating layer disposed at the end of the first pipe body or is a pipe disposed at the end of the first pipe body.

5. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the second connection is a plating layer disposed at the end of the second pipe body or is a pipe disposed at the end of the second pipe body.

6. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 5 , wherein
the first connection is a plating layer disposed at the end of the first pipe body.

7. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein
the end of the first pipe body comprises a large diameter portion having a larger diameter than any other parts of the first pipe body, and
the first connection is disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion.

8. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein
the end of the first pipe body comprises a small diameter portion having a smaller diameter than any other parts of the first pipe body, and
the first connection is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of the small diameter portion.

9. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the first pipe constitutes a joint that connects the second pipe to another pipe made of stainless steel.

10. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first pipe or the second pipe is part of an element component constituting a refrigerant circuit.

11. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein
a coupling pipe, made of a material that includes a main component same as main components of the material of the first connection and the material of the second connection, is disposed on an outer peripheral surface of at least one of the first pipe body or the second pipe body, and
another pipe, made of a material that includes a main component same as the main component of the material of the coupling pipe, is connected to the coupling pipe.

12. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 , wherein
the refrigeration apparatus comprises a four-way switching valve that switches a refrigerant flow path in the refrigerant circuit, and
the first pipe body or the second pipe body is connected to the four-way switching valve.

13. A refrigeration apparatus comprising:
the refrigerant pipe according to claim 1 ; and
an element component that constitutes a refrigerant circuit and to which the refrigerant pipe is connected.

14. A refrigerant pipe that constitutes a refrigerant circuit of a refrigeration apparatus, the refrigerant pipe comprising:
a first pipe; and
a second pipe, wherein
the first pipe comprises:
a first pipe body, made of stainless steel; and
a first connection, made of a material different from stainless steel, disposed at an end in a pipe axial direction of the first pipe body,

the second pipe comprises:
a second pipe body, made of stainless steel; and
a second connection, made of a material that includes a main component same as a main component of the material of the first connection, disposed at an end in a pipe axial direction of the second pipe body,

the first connection is connected to the second connection,
the second connection is a pipe,
the second connection is connected to the second pipe body by a first brazing material,
the second connection is connected to the first connection by a second brazing material,
the first brazing material has a higher melting point than the second brazing material, and
a portion of each of the first pipe body, the first connection, the second connection, and the second pipe body radially overlap one another.

15. The refrigerant pipe according to claim 14 , wherein
the material of the first connection is different from the material of the second connection, and
a main component of the material of the first connection is a same as a main component of the material of the second connection.

Assignees

• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Hamadate Junichi
• Jindou Masanori
• Teramoto Yoshihiro
• Matsuda Hiroaki
• Okuno Masato

Classifications

• F25B41/40

  Fluid line arrangements · CPC title

• F16L13/0272

  having an external coating · CPC title

• F16L13/0263

  having an internal coating · CPC title

• F16L13/007

  specially adapted for joining pipes of dissimilar materials {(joints between metal and plastic pipes F16L47/24)} · CPC title

• F16L13/0209

  Male-female welded joints (F16L13/0245 and F16L13/0254 take precedence) · CPC title