Jet Powered By Circuit Fluid Patents (Class 62/500)
  • Publication number: 20040123624
    Abstract: A vapor-compression refrigerant cycle system includes a first evaporator in which refrigerant is evaporated, a second evaporator in which refrigerant is evaporated at a pressure lower than that in the first evaporator, and a switching device for switching between a first circulation where the refrigerant is circulated to the first evaporator and a second circulation where the refrigerant is circulated to the second evaporator. When the switching device switches to the second circulation from the first circulation, a refrigerant circulation into the second evaporator is stopped until the refrigerant pressure in the second evaporator becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined pressure. Therefore, the pressure in the second evaporator can be rapidly reduced. Further, when carbon dioxide is used as the refrigerant, the pressure in the second evaporator can be further rapidly reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Publication date: July 1, 2004
    Inventors: Hiromi Ohta, Motohiro Yamaguchi, Keiichi Kitamura
  • Publication number: 20040107718
    Abstract: A turbomachinery system for cooling a high power density device includes a turbomachine configured to deliver a high flux cooling medium and a high power density device arranged in fluid communication with the turbomachine, the turbomachine having a motor and a compressor driven by the motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2002
    Publication date: June 10, 2004
    Inventors: Michael Bowman, Mehmet Arik, Chellappa Balan, Warren Bessler, Ronald Bunker, Charles Byrd, William Gerstler, Nirm Nirmalan, Daniel Smith, Todd Wetzel
  • Publication number: 20040103685
    Abstract: In a hot gas heating mode of an ejector cycle system, hot gas refrigerant discharged from a compressor is introduced to an interior heat exchanger while bypassing an exterior heat exchanger. The refrigerant discharged from the interior heat exchanger can flow into an ejector from at least an inlet of a nozzle of the ejector, and flows into the gas-liquid separator, in the heating mode. Alternatively, refrigerant discharged from the compressor can be supplied to the interior heat exchanger through a clearance between an outer wall of the nozzle and an inner wall of a nozzle housing portion, while bypassing the exterior heat exchanger in the heating mode. Here, the nozzle is disposed in the nozzle housing portion, and a part of pressurizing portion is defined by the nozzle housing portion. Thus, the heating mode can be readily performed in the ejector cycle system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2003
    Publication date: June 3, 2004
    Inventors: Motohiro Yamaguchi, Hiromi Ohta, Yukimasa Sato
  • Patent number: 6742356
    Abstract: In a gas-liquid separator for an ejector cycle, a tank body is constructed such that a refrigerant sprayed from a refrigerant inlet forms a spiral stream in the tank body. The tank body has a horizontal longitudinal axis greater than a vertical axis. The refrigerant inlet is located at a distance from the horizontal longitudinal axis of the tank body such that the refrigerant sprayed from the refrigerant inlet generates a turning force and spirally flows. With this, a gas-liquid separation distance of the refrigerant increases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Mika Saito, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20040089019
    Abstract: An ejector includes a nozzle and a needle valve formed in a tapered shape. The needle valve controls a throttle opening degree of the nozzle from a minimum degree to a maximum degree while an end section of the needle valve is positioned on a downstream side with respect to a throat section of the nozzle. Besides, a cross-sectional area of a nozzle diffuser is formed to be substantially constant, downstream of the throat section. Thus, a cross-sectional area of a substantial refrigerant passage defined by an inner surface of the nozzle and the needle valve is gradually widened in accordance with the tapered shape of the needle valve. Therefore, pressure loss accompanied with a rapid expanding can be suppressed. As a result, the throttle opening degree of the nozzle can be controlled while improving nozzle efficiency and ejector efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Publication date: May 13, 2004
    Inventors: Susumu Kawamura, Takeshi Sakai
  • Patent number: 6729158
    Abstract: An ejector for a refrigerant cycle includes a nozzle having therein a refrigerant passage, and a needle valve provided in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle upstream from a throat portion of the nozzle. The needle valve is disposed in the nozzle to define therebetween a throttle portion that is positioned upstream from the throat portion. A top end portion of the needle valve and an inner wall of the nozzle are formed, so that refrigerant is decompressed to a gas-liquid two-phase state at upstream of the throat portion. Accordingly, a throttle degree of the nozzle can be variably controlled while ejector efficiency is not deteriorated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Takeshi Sakai, Satoshi Nomura, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6729157
    Abstract: An air conditioner with an ejector includes first and second interior heat exchangers for performing heat-exchange between refrigerant and air to be blown into a compartment. The second interior heat exchanger is disposed at a downstream air side of the first interior heat exchanger, and a decompression valve for decompressing refrigerant in a dehumidifying-heating operation is disposed in a refrigerant passage connecting the first and second interior heat exchangers. In a cooling operation, the first and second interior heat exchanger are used as evaporators. On the other hand, in the dehumidifying-heating operation, refrigerant decompressed in the decompression valve is evaporated in the first interior heat exchanger while bypassing a nozzle of the ejector, and refrigerant is radiated in the second interior heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oshitani, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6729149
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system, a variable throttle is disposed at an upstream side of an ejector. When high-pressure side refrigerant pressure in the ejector cycle system is approximately equal to or higher than critical pressure of the refrigerant, the variable throttle is fully opened. When the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure is approximately lower than the critical pressure of the refrigerant, a throttle open degree of the variable throttle is reduced from the fully open degree so that high-pressure side refrigerant is decompressed in two steps of the variable throttle and the ejector. Accordingly, in both cases of a high heat load and a low heat load of the ejector cycle system, COP of the ejector cycle system can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20040079102
    Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner includes a casing having an air passage from which air blows out to a passenger compartment of a vehicle, a carbon-dioxide-gas compression refrigerator including a compressor, a radiator and a evaporator, an air heater for heating air that blows out from the air passage by heat generated by the vehicle and a control unit for circulating compressed carbon-dioxide-gas through the radiator if heat energy of the air heater is less than a prescribed capacity but is sufficient to heat the air blowing out to the passenger compartment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Makoto Umebayashi, Tomohiro Inada
  • Publication number: 20040069012
    Abstract: A cooling system for a vehicle has a refrigeration system with an ejector pump for ejecting fluid heated by a first heating element. The fluid is ejected at high speed to circulate the refrigerant and induce an entrainment effect. A radiator cools the refrigerant ejected from said ejector pump and an evaporator evaporates the refrigerant to generate refrigerating capacity. A first refrigerant circuit has a heat recovery circuit for exchanging heat between the first heating element and the refrigerant, ejecting the refrigerant and taking heat from the first heating element into the radiator via the heat recovery circuit with the use of the ejector pump, making the radiator dissipate the heat of the refrigerant, separating the refrigerant into gas-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant by a gas-liquid separator, and making the gas-phase refrigerant return to the heat recovery circuit. A second refrigerant circuit decompresses the liquid-phase refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventor: Yoshimitsu Inoue
  • Publication number: 20040069011
    Abstract: An air-conditioner includes a compressor, a radiator, an evaporator, an ejector, and a separator. The compressor compresses refrigerant and variably controls an amount of the refrigerant. The radiator cools high-pressure refrigerant. The evaporator cools air blowing into a passenger compartment of a vehicle. The ejector having a nozzle jets the refrigerant at high speed. The separator separates the refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant. An opening degree of a throttle of the nozzle in the ejector becomes larger so as to increase a cooling performance of the air-conditioner when the amount of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is smaller than a maximum amount of the refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 4, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Inventors: Shin Nishida, Yoshitaka Tomatsu
  • Publication number: 20040065112
    Abstract: An ejector cycle device includes a gas-liquid separator for separating a refrigerant flowing out of an ejector into gas-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant. The gas-liquid separator further separates refrigeration oil from the refrigerant. The refrigeration oil used by the ejector cycle device is less compatible to the refrigerant on the low-pressure side than the compatibility of the refrigeration oil with the refrigerant on a high-pressure side.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2003
    Publication date: April 8, 2004
    Inventors: Takeshi Sakai, Susumu Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20040060316
    Abstract: A heater for an air conditioner includes plural water tubes and plural refrigerant tubes which are arranged in parallel in an air flow direction. Therefore, the heater can heat air by using at least one of the heating sources while a pressure loss in the heater can be effectively reduced. For example, in a quick-heating mode, high-temperature refrigerant from a refrigerant cycle flows into the heater to heat the blown air, and low-temperature engine-cooling water from an engine bypasses the heater. In this case, thermal leakage from the refrigerant to the engine-cooling water is avoided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2003
    Publication date: April 1, 2004
    Inventors: Koji Ito, Tomohide Shindo, Yoshihiko Okumura, Takahiro Tokunaga, Yoshiyuki i Yamauchi
  • Publication number: 20040055326
    Abstract: When an air conditioning heat load is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the degree of throttle opening of a nozzle arrangement of an ejector is controlled in such a manner that a coefficient of performance coincides with a target value. When the air conditioning heat load is less than the predetermined value, the degree of throttle opening of the nozzle arrangement is controlled in such a manner that a flow rate of refrigerant, which passes through the nozzle arrangement, coincides with a target value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Inventors: Makoto Ikegami, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20040055327
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle having an ejector, a throttle is provided inside a passenger compartment adjacent to an evaporator so that a length of a refrigerant passage between the throttle and the evaporator is shortened. Therefore, it can restrict a part of liquid refrigerant after being decompressed in the throttle from being evaporated in the refrigerant passage, before being introduced into the evaporator. In addition, a refrigerant inlet is provided at a lower header tank of an evaporator. Therefore, a gas-liquid refrigerant distribution difference due to the density difference between gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant can be effectively restricted. Thus, refrigerant distributed into the plural tubes from the lower header tank can be made uniform, even if the refrigerant flow speed is low in the ejector cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 19, 2003
    Publication date: March 25, 2004
    Inventors: Hiromi Ohta, Masayuki Takeuchi, Motohiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6705094
    Abstract: A refrigeration process comprising, compressing low pressure vapor refrigerant to a higher temperature and pressure vapor, condensing the higher pressure vapor refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant at the higher pressure, thermally-isolating the higher pressure liquid, cooling the thermally-isolated liquid refrigerant while remaining thermally-isolated and then allowing thermal contact of the remaining low temperature and pressure liquid and a cooled substance causing the low temperature and pressure liquid to further reversibly boil to a vapor at the low pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Altech Controls Corporation
    Inventor: Richard H. Alsenz
  • Patent number: 6702545
    Abstract: The invention is comprised of a venturi tube with a very narrow throat, a compressor fan at the intake end of said venturi tube, a blower fan at the output end, a plurality of turbinate fins on the interior of the intake end, and a means of heat dissipation on the exterior of the intake end of said venturi tube. Instead of a circular cross-section profile, the venturi tube has a cross-section of a polygon with no parallel sides, so that considerably less aerodynamic noise is generated than if the venturi tube's cross-section was circular. In addition, this cross-section results in variances in flow velocity along the cross-section, assuring continuous flow through the unit should a sonic choke occur at any point in the unit. The fans may be of any type and driven by any means appropriate to the respective model of the invention's application, i.e. by internally or externally mounted motor(s), power takeoff, belt drive from an external source of torque, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Inventor: Sanford Davis Scholten
  • Publication number: 20040040340
    Abstract: A refrigerant cycle includes an ejector having a throttle changeable nozzle. In the refrigerant cycle, a control valve having a needle valve controls a pressure of a middle-pressure refrigerant in a bypass passage, and a pilot valve controls a throttle opening degree of the nozzle in accordance with a pressure difference between the pressure of the middle-pressure refrigerant in the bypass passage and the refrigerant pressure in a high-pressure refrigerant inlet port of the ejector. When an opening degree of the needle valve is changed in accordance with a load variation or a load state, the pressure of the middle-pressure refrigerant in the bypass passage is changed. Accordingly, the moving position of the pilot valve is controlled, and the throttle opening degree of the nozzle is controlled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2003
    Publication date: March 4, 2004
    Inventors: Masayuki Takeuchi, Yoshitaka Tomatsu, Yasushi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 6698221
    Abstract: Disclosed is a refrigerating system which retrieves energy lost when the pressure necessary to make refrigerant flowing is changed from high pressure to low pressure and reuses the energy as a power source for increasing the pressure again, thereby reducing the amount of energy used in the refrigerating system and improving the performance of the system. The refrigerating system including a condenser, an expansion valve, an evaporator and a compressor is provided with a plurality of magnet valves connected to the output part of the compressor and the output part of the condenser for measuring the temperature and pressure of a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor and condenser; a plurality of by-pass pipes for by-passing the part of the refrigerant to the compressor; and an ejector connected to the by-pass pipes for ejecting the part of the refrigerant fed from evaporator back to the compressor based on the venturi principle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2004
    Inventor: Kyung Kon You
  • Publication number: 20040011065
    Abstract: In a refrigerant cycle with an ejector, there is provided with a bypass passage through which a part of high-pressure refrigerant from a radiator flows into a low-pressure refrigerant passage between an evaporator and a suction port of the ejector while bypassing a nozzle of the ejector. Further, a control valve is disposed to open the bypass passage so that refrigerant flows through the bypass passage when the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant becomes in a predetermined condition. Accordingly, it can prevent the pressure of the high-pressure refrigerant from being excessively increased due to increase of a refrigerant flow amount. Therefore, the refrigerant cycle operates stably.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 15, 2003
    Publication date: January 22, 2004
    Inventors: Masayuki Takeuchi, Yoshitaka Tomatsu
  • Patent number: 6679066
    Abstract: A part of a refrigerant in the low-temperature state is circulated by a cryogenic cooling system for superconductive electric machines comprising a refrigerant transfer system and circulation means for internal circulation within the cryogenic area, thereby enabling improvement in the cooling efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shin Funayama, Kazuhiro Nomi
  • Publication number: 20040007013
    Abstract: An ejector includes a nozzle having therein a throat portion, and a needle valve that extends at least from the throat portion to the outlet of the nozzle. The needle valve is displaced in an axial direction of the nozzle to adjust an opening degree of the throat portion and an opening degree of an outlet of the nozzle. Therefore, even when a flow amount of refrigerant flowing into the nozzle is changed, it can prevent a vertical shock wave from being generated by suitably adjusting both the opening degrees of the throat portion and the opening degree of the outlet of the nozzle. Accordingly, nozzle efficiency can be improved regardless of a change of the flow amount of the refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20040007014
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle with an ejector including a nozzle for decompressing refrigerant, a variable throttle is disposed upstream from the nozzle of the ejector to decompress and expand high-pressure refrigerant flowing from a radiator. For example, the variable throttle decompresses and expands the high-pressure refrigerant in a gas-liquid two-phase state at an upstream position from the nozzle of the ejector. The variable throttle controls a throttle opening degree so that a refrigerant super-heating degree at a refrigerant outlet side of an evaporator or at a refrigerant suction side of a compressor becomes in a predetermined range. Accordingly, the ejector cycle has an improved nozzle efficiency and an improved ejector efficiency in a wide load variation range of the ejector cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Publication date: January 15, 2004
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Haruyuki Nishijima, Syuichi Mizuno
  • Patent number: 6675609
    Abstract: In a refrigerant cycle system with an ejector pump, refrigerant to be introduced into a nozzle of the ejector pump is heated in a heat exchanger using waste heat from a vehicle engine as a heating source, and any one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode can be selectively set based on a thermal load of an evaporator. In the first mode, refrigerant circulates from the evaporator toward a radiator only by the ejector pump. In the second mode, refrigerant circulate from the evaporator toward the radiator only by a compressor. Further, in the third mode, refrigerant circulates from the evaporator toward the radiator by using both the ejector pump and the compressor. Accordingly, the waste heat can be effectively recovered while a flow resistance of the refrigerant can be restricted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 13, 2004
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Yasushi Yamanaka, Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20040003608
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle having an ejector for decompressing refrigerant, a check valve is disposed in an oil return passage through which refrigerant including a lubrication oil is introduced from a refrigerant outlet side of an evaporator to a refrigerant suction side of a compressor while bypassing the ejector. When the lubrication oil amount staying in the evaporator reduces, the check valve is automatically closed, and a normal operation mode of the ejector cycle is automatically set. On the contrary, when a large amount of lubrication oil stays in the evaporator, the check valve is automatically opened, and an oil return mode is automatically set. Therefore, the lubrication oil staying in the evaporator can be controlled equal to or lower than a predetermined amount, thereby effectively returning the lubrication oil to the compressor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 7, 2003
    Publication date: January 8, 2004
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Hiroshi Oshitani, Mika Saito
  • Publication number: 20040003615
    Abstract: In a vapor compression refrigerant cycle for an air conditioner, as a refrigerant pressure at an operation starting time of a compressor increases, a starting target rotational speed of the compressor is reduced, and the operation of the compressor is started by the reduced starting target rotational speed. Accordingly, when the operation of the compressor is started, it can prevent the pressure of high-pressure side refrigerant from exceeding an allowable pressure of the compressor, thereby preventing a safety device of the compressor from operating. Therefore, even when the operation of the compressor is started in a high load state, a pressure abnormality is not generated in the refrigerant cycle, and operation of the air conditioner can be prevented from being stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2003
    Publication date: January 8, 2004
    Inventor: Motohiro Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 6670067
    Abstract: A fuel supply device is provided capable of supplying a necessary amount of fuel while ensuring predetermined stoichiometric characteristics over a wide range of flow rates. The body unit of the fuel supply device includes the first ejector, the second ejector, and a switching valve. The switching valve has a function to select either one of a first passage or a second passage for communicating with the valve chamber and to block the other passage. The first passage is communicated with a nozzle of the first ejector, and the second passage is communicated with a nozzle of the second ejector. The first ejector has a diffuser passage communicated with the reflux chamber, the second ejector has a diffuser passage communicated with the reflux chamber, and the diffuser passage 43 and the diffuser passage are connected with a hydrogen outlet through a merging passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katumi Sato, Kazuya Aoki, Kazunori Fukuma, Tatsuya Sugawara
  • Publication number: 20030213264
    Abstract: In an ejector-type depressurizer, a nozzle arrangement converts pressure energy of refrigerant supplied from a radiator into velocity energy to depressurize and expand the refrigerant, and a pressurizer arrangement mixes the refrigerant discharged from the nozzle arrangement with the refrigerant drawn from an evaporator and converts the velocity energy of the refrigerant discharged from the nozzle arrangement into pressure energy to increase the pressure of the mixed refrigerant discharged from the pressurizer arrangement. The pressurizer arrangement includes a refrigerant passage that conducts the refrigerant supplied from the nozzle arrangement and the refrigerant supplied from the evaporator, and the refrigerant passage includes a refrigerant passing zone, through which the refrigerant from the nozzle arrangement and the refrigerant from the evaporator mainly pass during operation of the ejector-type depressurizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2003
    Publication date: November 20, 2003
    Inventors: Gota Ogata, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030209032
    Abstract: In a vapor compression refrigerant cycle using refrigerant having a critical temperature equal to or less than sixty degrees Celsius, when refrigerant temperature detected by a sensor as a parameter of a low-pressure side refrigerant pressure is higher than a saturation temperature corresponding to a predetermined pressure that is equal to or less than a critical pressure, a volume of air passing through an evaporator is controlled smaller than a predetermined volume by controlling operation of a blower unit. Because heat exchange rate (heat absorbing rate) in the evaporator is controlled, the pressure of the low-pressure side refrigerant is maintained below the critical pressure. Alternatively, the heat exchange rate is controlled by reducing a flow rate of the refrigerant in the evaporator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 12, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventor: Hiromi Ohta
  • Publication number: 20030209031
    Abstract: Piping, which connects between a radiator and an ejector, is covered with a thermal insulator to thermally insulate a refrigerant passage defined in the piping. Thus, it is possible to limit a reduction in enthalpy of refrigerant, which could be induced by cooling of high temperature refrigerant by low temperature atmosphere to lose the enthalpy before depressurization of the high temperature refrigerant through the ejector. As a result, it is possible to limit a reduction in a theoretical value of recoverable energy at the time of depressurization and expansion of the refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventors: Mika Saito, Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Hiroshi Oshitani
  • Publication number: 20030209030
    Abstract: In an ejector refrigerant cycle, even if refrigerant is super-heated in an evaporator, super-heated gas refrigerant does not directly flow into a gas-liquid separator, so that boiling of refrigerant does not occur in the gas-liquid separator due to evaporation of refrigerant in the gas-liquid separator. When an equivalent inner diameter (D) of a tank body of the gas-liquid separator is set in a range of 2 cm-6 cm, and when a ratio of a vertical dimension (H) of the tank body to the equivalent inner diameter (D) thereof is larger than 1, a wall thickness of the tank body can be reduced while gas-liquid separation performance in the gas-liquid separator can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2003
    Publication date: November 13, 2003
    Inventors: Shin Nishida, Yoshitaka Tomatsu, Keiichi Kitamura
  • Publication number: 20030200764
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a compressor for compressing refrigerant, an exterior heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between refrigerant and outside air, an interior heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and air to be blown into the compartment, an ejector for decompressing high-pressure refrigerant, a heater core for heating air using a high-temperature fluid as a heating source, and a fluid-refrigerant heat exchanger that heats the fluid flowing to the heater core using high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heating source. In a dehumidifying and heating operation, refrigerant in the interior heat exchanger absorbs heat from air so that the air is cooled and dehumidified, and the dehumidified and cooled air can be further heated in the heater core by indirectly using the heating source from the high-temperature refrigerant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Shin Nisida
  • Publication number: 20030200763
    Abstract: An air conditioner includes a compressor for compressing refrigerant, an exterior heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between refrigerant and outside air, an interior heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between the refrigerant and air to be blown into the compartment, a decompression unit for decompressing high-pressure refrigerant, and a heater that heats air using high-temperature refrigerant discharged from the compressor as a heating source. In a dehumidifying and heating operation, refrigerant in the interior heat exchanger absorbs heat from air so that the air is cooled and dehumidified, and the heater heats air having been dehumidified and cooled by using the heating source, so that low-humidity and high-temperature air is supplied into the compartment. The heater can be disposed to indirectly heat air by heating a fluid flowing through a heater core for heating air, or to directly heat air to be blown into the compartment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2003
    Publication date: October 30, 2003
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6622495
    Abstract: An ejector that does not inhibit a flow of fluid and a refrigerating system provided with the ejector. The ejector includes a hollow passage, i.e. a negative pressure generating passage, through which fluid flows, a member having a hole disposed in the hollow passage, a negative pressure chamber disposed downstream of the member having a hole, and a hollow passage, i.e. an inlet passage, open to the negative pressure chamber. A filter, such as a mesh, is disposed in the inlet passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventor: Kenichiro Nishii
  • Publication number: 20030167793
    Abstract: An oil repellent film 31a is formed on an inner wall of the tube 31. By the formation of the oil repellent film 31a, it becomes possible to prevent refrigerating machine oil remaining in the evaporator 30. Therefore, a sufficiently large quantity of refrigerating machine oil can be returned to the compressor, and the occurrence of seizing of the compressor can be prevented. As it is possible to prevent refrigerating machine oil remaining in the evaporator 30, while a reduction in the coefficient of heat transfer between refrigerant and the tube is being prevented, it is possible to prevent a substantial sectional area of the refrigerant path of the tube 31 from decreasing. Therefore, an increase in the pressure loss in the evaporator 30 can be prevented. Accordingly, the heat absorbing property of the evaporator 30 can be enhanced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2003
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Inventors: Tomoo Honda, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030167792
    Abstract: A refrigeration system including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator connected in a closed circuit through which a refrigerant is circulated. Liquid refrigerant is injected between an outlet of the compressor and an inlet of the condenser using a vacuum generator in which the vacuum is created by the geometry of the device and the dynamic properties of fluid flow therein, thereby allowing the refrigerant to be cooled at a temperature close to its saturation temperature when it enters the condenser without the need for a costly pump having moving parts. The vacuum may be produced by vortex flow of the superheated vapor output of the compressor, by flow of the superheated vapor through the throat of a venturi device, or in any other comparable manner. The refrigeration system may employ a single refrigerant or a mixture of refrigerants such as R-134a, R-32 and R-125.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2002
    Publication date: September 11, 2003
    Applicant: VIA HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Young I. Cho, Cheolho Bai
  • Patent number: 6606873
    Abstract: A first check valve 620 for allowing refrigerant to flow only from a compressor 100 to an evaporator 300 (a refrigerant passage 510) is provided in a hot-gas passage 600 that conducts refrigerant discharged from the compressor 100 into the evaporator 300 without passing through a radiator 200 and an ejector 400. Therefore, the refrigerant can be prevented from flowing into the hot-gas passage 600 during normal operation. In normal operation, the refrigerant in the hot gas passage 600 from the low pressure side (on the side of the evaporator 300) can be prevented from being retained in the hot-gas passage 600, so that the required amount of refrigerant can be reduced and the cost of producing the ejector circuit can be also reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2003
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6604379
    Abstract: In an ejector used for an ejector cycle system, a nozzle has a first refrigerant passage, a second refrigerant passage, and a third refrigerant passage in this order in a refrigerant flow direction from a refrigerant inlet toward a refrigerant outlet of the nozzle. The first refrigerant passage, the second refrigerant passage and the third refrigerant passage are formed into cylindrical shapes, respectively, each having a constant passage diameter. Further, a pressure increasing portion of the ejector is also formed into a cylindrical shape having a constant passage diameter. Accordingly, the ejector can be readily manufactured in low cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Tadashi Hotta, Yukikatsu Ozaki, Hiroshi Ishikawa, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030145613
    Abstract: An ejector for a refrigerant cycle includes a nozzle having therein a refrigerant passage, and a needle valve provided in the refrigerant passage of the nozzle upstream from a throat portion of the nozzle. The needle valve is disposed in the nozzle to define therebetween a throttle portion that is positioned upstream from the throat portion. A top end portion of the needle valve and an inner wall of the nozzle are formed, so that refrigerant is decompressed to a gas-liquid two-phase state at upstream of the throat portion. Accordingly, a throttle degree of the nozzle can be variably controlled while ejector efficiency is not deteriorated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 6, 2003
    Publication date: August 7, 2003
    Inventors: Takeshi Sakai, Satoshi Nomura, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030140651
    Abstract: In a refrigerant cycle system with an ejector pump, refrigerant to be introduced into a nozzle of the ejector pump is heated in a heat exchanger using waste heat from a vehicle engine as a heating source, and any one of a first mode, a second mode and a third mode can be selectively set based on a thermal load of an evaporator. In the first mode, refrigerant circulates from the evaporator toward a radiator only by the ejector pump. In the second mode, refrigerant circulate from the evaporator toward the radiator only by a compressor. Further, in the third mode, refrigerant circulates from the evaporator toward the radiator by using both the ejector pump and the compressor. Accordingly, the waste heat can be effectively recovered while a flow resistance of the refrigerant can be restricted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Publication date: July 31, 2003
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Yasushi Yamanaka, Atsushi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20030131611
    Abstract: An air conditioner with an ejector includes first and second interior heat exchangers for performing heat-exchange between refrigerant and air to be blown into a compartment. The second interior heat exchanger is disposed at a downstream air side of the first interior heat exchanger, and a decompression valve for decompressing refrigerant in a dehumidifying-heating operation is disposed in a refrigerant passage connecting the first and second interior heat exchangers. In a cooling operation, the first and second interior heat exchanger are used as evaporators. On the other hand, in the dehumidifying-heating operation, refrigerant decompressed in the decompression valve is evaporated in the first interior heat exchanger while bypassing a nozzle of the ejector, and refrigerant is radiated in the second interior heat exchanger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 31, 2002
    Publication date: July 17, 2003
    Inventors: Hiroshi Oshitani, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030126883
    Abstract: In a gas-liquid separator for an ejector cycle, a tank body is constructed such that a refrigerant sprayed from a refrigerant inlet forms a spiral stream in the tank body. The tank body has a horizontal longitudinal axis greater than a vertical axis. The refrigerant inlet is located at a distance from the horizontal longitudinal axis of the tank body such that the refrigerant sprayed from the refrigerant inlet generates a turning force and spirally flows. With this, a gas-liquid separation distance of the refrigerant increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2003
    Publication date: July 10, 2003
    Inventors: Mika Saito, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6584794
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system, hot gas refrigerant discharged from a compressor is introduced into an evaporator through a bypass passage while bypassing an ejector and a gas-liquid separator in a defrosting operation for defrosting frost generated on the evaporator. In addition, a throttle or a check valve is provided in a refrigerant passage from the gas-liquid separator to a refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator. Accordingly, in the defrosting operation, the hot gas refrigerant from the compressor can be accurately introduced into the evaporator through the bypass passage without flowing toward the gas-liquid separator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Makoto Ikegami
  • Patent number: 6574987
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system using carbon dioxide as refrigerant, an ejector decompresses and expands refrigerant from a radiator to suck gas refrigerant evaporated in an evaporator, and converts an expansion energy to a pressure energy to increase a refrigerant pressure to be sucked into a compressor. Because refrigerant is decompressed and expanded in a super-critical area, a pressure difference during the decompression operation becomes larger, and a specific enthalpy difference becomes larger. Accordingly, energy converting efficiency in the ejector becomes higher, and efficiency of the ejector cycle system is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Hiroshi Ishikawa, Kunio Iritani
  • Publication number: 20030079495
    Abstract: In an ejector used for an ejector cycle system, a nozzle has a first refrigerant passage, a second refrigerant passage, and a third refrigerant passage in this order in a refrigerant flow direction from a refrigerant inlet toward a refrigerant outlet of the nozzle. The first refrigerant passage, the second refrigerant passage and the third refrigerant passage are formed into cylindrical shapes, respectively, each having a constant passage diameter. Further, a pressure increasing portion of the ejector is also formed into a cylindrical shape having a constant passage diameter. Accordingly, the ejector can be readily manufactured in low cost.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2002
    Publication date: May 1, 2003
    Inventors: Tadashi Hotta, Yukikatsu Ozaki, Hiroshi Ishikawa, Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6550265
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system, high-pressure side refrigerant is decompressed by an ejector in cooling operation for cooling a compartment, and is decompressed by a fixed restrictor in heating operation for heating the compartment. Therefore, in the heating operation, the pressure of refrigerant to be sucked into a compressor can be made lower, and the temperature of refrigerant discharged from the compressor is increased. Alternatively, in the cooling operation, a flow direction of refrigerant flowing through at least one of an exterior heat exchanger and an interior heat exchanger is identical to that in the heating operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2003
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Yasushi Yamanaka, Hiroshi Oshitani
  • Publication number: 20030066300
    Abstract: A first check valve 620 for allowing refrigerant to flow only from a compressor 100 to an evaporator 300 (a refrigerant passage 510) is provided in a hot-gas passage 600 that conducts refrigerant discharged from the compressor 100 into the evaporator 300 without passing through a radiator 200 and an ejector 400. Therefore, the refrigerant can be prevented from flowing into the hot-gas passage 600 during normal operation. In normal operation, the refrigerant in the hot gas passage 600 from the low pressure side (on the side of the evaporator 300) can be prevented from being retained in the hot-gas passage 600, so that the required amount of refrigerant can be reduced and the cost of producing the ejector circuit can be also reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Publication number: 20030066301
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system, a variable throttle is disposed at an upstream side of an ejector. When high-pressure side refrigerant pressure in the ejector cycle system is approximately equal to or higher than critical pressure of the refrigerant, the variable throttle is fully opened. When the high-pressure side refrigerant pressure is approximately lower than the critical pressure of the refrigerant, a throttle open degree of the variable throttle is reduced from the fully open degree so that high-pressure side refrigerant is decompressed in two steps of the variable throttle and the ejector. Accordingly, in both cases of a high heat load and a low heat load of the ejector cycle system, COP of the ejector cycle system can be improved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2002
    Publication date: April 10, 2003
    Inventor: Hirotsugu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 6513345
    Abstract: A nozzle of converging-diverging shape for creating mist flow at supersonic velocity comprising: a throat having a characteristic diameter D*; an inlet having a characteristic diameter D1, positioned a distance L1 upstream of the nozzle throat; and an outlet having a characteristic diameter D2, positioned a distance L2 downstream of the nozzle throat, wherein the ratio of L2/(D2−D*) is larger than 4, but smaller than 250; an inertia separator based thereon, and a method for supersonic separation of one or more components of a predominantly gaseous stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Shell Oil Company
    Inventors: Marco Betting, Theodoor Van Holten, Cornelis Antonie Tjeenk Willink, Johannes Miguel Henri Maria Van Veen
  • Publication number: 20030005717
    Abstract: In an ejector cycle system, hot gas refrigerant discharged from a compressor is introduced into an evaporator through a bypass passage while bypassing an ejector and a gas-liquid separator in a defrosting operation for defrosting frost generated on the evaporator. In addition, a throttle or a check valve is provided in a refrigerant passage from the gas-liquid separator to a refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator. Accordingly, in the defrosting operation, the hot gas refrigerant from the compressor can be accurately introduced into the evaporator through the bypass passage without flowing toward the gas-liquid separator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2002
    Publication date: January 9, 2003
    Inventors: Hirotsugu Takeuchi, Makoto Ikegami