Liquid reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9599414-B2
Application number	US-201113814543-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2011
Priority date	Nov 17, 2010
Publication date	Mar 21, 2017
Grant date	Mar 21, 2017

Abstract

A liquid reservoir used in a heat exchanger, for example an automotive air conditioner, and a manufacturing method therefor. The liquid reservoir includes an inlet hole and an outlet hole. The outlet hole is provided with a filter element covering the outlet hole. A flow area at a location of the outlet hole covered by the filter element is greater than the cross-sectional area of other locations of the outlet hole. In this way, in the case that other structures of the inlet hole are not improved, a filtering area of the filter element is increased, thereby increasing a flow area of a refrigerant, reducing a flow resistance effect exerted by the filter element on the refrigerant, and reducing a workload of the heat exchanger.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A receiver for a heat exchanger comprising:
a first receiver body defining a first passageway and a second passageway in condition that one of the first passageway and the second passageway acts as an inlet hole, and the remaining one of the first passageway and the second passageway acts as an outlet hole, the second passageway comprising a main body portion and a buffer space in communication with the main body portion; and
a filter element covering the buffer space so as to filter the second passageway; wherein
the buffer space is empty and comprises a first end opening directly covered by the filter element and a second end opening in communication with the main body portion; and wherein
an area encircled by the first end opening of the buffer space is larger than a horizontal cross-sectional area of the main body portion adjacent to the buffer space, as a result that a relatively large filter interface can be achieved; and
wherein the second passageway comprises a counter bore portion, the counter bore portion comprising the buffer space, an accommodating hole above and in communication with the buffer space and a positioning hole above and in communication with the accommodating hole, the filter element being received in the accommodating hole, the receiver further comprising a retaining plate at least partly received in the positioning hole, the buffer space being provided with a reasonable large thickness so as to perform a buffering function when a refrigerant flows through the second passageway.

2. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer space is tapered with the first end opening larger than the second end opening, the first end opening and the second end opening being positioned at a top side and a bottom side of the buffer space, respectively.

3. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein a separating surface of the buffer space and the main body portion is inclined with respect to a horizontal plane for guiding flowing of a refrigerant.

4. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a gasket residing in the buffer space to upwardly support the filter element, a height of the gasket determining the thickness of the buffer space.

5. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the retaining plate is fixed in an inner cavity of the receiver for restricting the filter element, the retaining plate comprising a bottom wall which has a top platform and a bottom platform arranged in a stepped manner, the top platform comprising a first through hole in communication with the first passageway and a first filter screen filtering the first through hole, the filter element comprising a second filter screen covering the first end opening of the buffer space, the bottom platform defining a plurality of second through holes above the second filter screen.

6. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 5 , wherein the filter element comprises a non-woven fabric filter sandwiched between the second filter screen and the bottom platform, the bottom platform of the retaining plate being received in the positioning hole, the first filter screen protruding upwardly into the inner cavity, the filter element being pressed and/or restricted by the bottom platform of the retaining plate so as to be prevented from dropping out of the receiver.

7. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 5 , wherein the accommodating hole is larger than the buffer space so as to form a first step surface therebetween to stop/position the filter element, and the positioning hole is larger than the accommodating hole so as to form a second step surface therebetween to stop/position the bottom platform of the retaining plate.

8. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 7 , wherein a height of the filter element is smaller than or equal to a depth of the accommodating hole so that the filter element can be prevented from being over-compressed by the bottom platform of the retaining plate.

9. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 5 , further comprising a limiting member protruding upwardly beyond the buffer space to support the bottom platform of the retaining plate, the limiting member being either a plurality of protruding limiting poles discontinuously distributed outside of the buffer space or a semi-annular limiting gasket located outside of the buffer space.

10. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 9 , wherein the limiting member is ultimately integral with the first receiver body either the limiting member and the first receiver body are originally integral with each other, or the limiting member and the first receiver body are separated before assembling while being integral with each other after assembling and processing.

11. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 10 , wherein a top surface of the limiting member is higher than or equal to a top surface of the filter element so that when the retaining plate is assembled in place, the top surface of the limiting member supports the bottom platform of the retaining plate so as to prevent the filter element from being over-compressed by the bottom platform of the retaining plate.

12. A receiver for a heat exchanger comprising:
a first receiver body defining a first passageway and a second passageway in condition that one of the first passageway and the second passageway acts as an inlet hole and the remaining one of the first passageway and the second passageway acts as an outlet hole;
a filter element received in the second passageway and filtering the second passageway;
a retaining plate received and fixed in the first receiver body for restricting the filter element; and
a limiting member residing in the second passageway and located below the retaining plate; wherein
the limiting member upwardly support the retaining plate so that the filter element can be prevented from being compressed or over-compressed by the retaining plate;
wherein the first receiver body comprises an embossment through which the first passageway extends, the second passageway comprising a main body portion and a counter bore portion located at lateral side of the embossment, the limiting member residing in the counter bore portion, the filter element being received in the counter bore portion, the retaining plate comprising a bottom wall which comprises a top platform and a bottom platform arranged in a stepped manner, the top platform being supported and restricted by the embossment, the bottom platform being supported by the limiting member; and
under the cooperation of the embossment and the limiting member, the bottom wall of the retaining plate is horizontally positioned in place without inclination, and thus the filter element can be prevented from being compressed or over-compressed by the bottom platform of the retaining plate; and
wherein the counter bore portion is separated out by the filter element to form a buffer space under the filter element, the buffer space being empty and comprising a first end opening directly covered by the filter element and a second end opening in communication with the main body portion, the buffer space being provided with a reasonable large thickness between the first end opening and the second end opening so as to perform a buffering function when a refrigerant flows through the second passageway.

13. The receiver for the heat exchanger according to claim 12 , wherein the limiting member is a step surface formed on the first receiver body, or a plurality of protruding limiting poles distribute

Assignees

• Yin Bin
• Wang Lixin
• Wang Zhengwei
• Zhejiang Sanhua Automotive Components Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yin Bin
• Wang Lixin
• Wang Zhengwei

Classifications

• Y10T29/4935

  Heat exchanger or boiler making · CPC title

• F25B2339/044

  Condensers with an integrated receiver · CPC title

• F28F9/0253

  with multiple channels, e.g. with combined inflow and outflow channels · CPC title

• F28F19/01 Primary

  by using means for separating solid materials from heat-exchange fluids, e.g. filters · 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