Patent · US Expired

Refrigerant cycle system

US5996360A · kind A · utility

31Cited by
9References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 5, 1998
Grant dateDec 7, 1999
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 5, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02B30/52
  • WIPO fieldTransport
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A refrigerant cycle system includes a gas-liquid separator for separating gas-liquid refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. The gas-liquid separator has a liquid-suction pipe for introducing liquid refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator to a decompressing unit, and a gas-suction pipe for introducing gas refrigerant from the gas-liquid separator to a compressor. The gas-suction pipe has a suction hole for sucking liquid refrigerant therein, and the suction hole is provided at a position lower than an open end of the liquid-suction pipe. Because a height of a surface of liquid refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator is constantly equal to or higher than the open end of the liquid-suction pipe regardless of change in a heating load of the refrigerant cycle, liquid refrigerant is constantly sucked into the gas-suction pipe from the suction hole. Thus, liquid refrigerant in which lubricating oil is dissolved can be constantly introduced into the compressor, thereby preventing shortage of lubricating oil in the compressor. On the other hand, in the refrigerant cycle, an oil-discharging mode is selectively set at a starting time of a heating mode so that lubricating o…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.