U.S. patent application number 14/103735 was filed with the patent office on 2014-07-03 for rectification unit for stirling refrigerator.
This patent application is currently assigned to Hyundai Motor Company. The applicant listed for this patent is Hyundai Motor Company. Invention is credited to Kwangweon Ahn, Taewan Kim.
Application Number | 20140182311 14/103735 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50893705 |
Filed Date | 2014-07-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140182311 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Taewan ; et
al. |
July 3, 2014 |
RECTIFICATION UNIT FOR STIRLING REFRIGERATOR
Abstract
A stirling refrigerator may include a compressing portion
compressing operating fluid filling a housing by reciprocal motion
of a piston, an expanding portion expanding the operating fluid
compressed at the compressing portion by reciprocal motion of a
piston, and a regenerating portion fluidly communicating the
compressing portion with the expanding portion, and may provide
heat at the compressing portion and may absorb heat at the
expanding portion through repeating isothermal compression,
constant-volume process and isothermal expansion of the operating
fluid. The rectification unit may be adapted to uniformalize flow
of the operating fluid flowing between the compressing portion and
the expanding portion.
Inventors: |
Kim; Taewan; (Suwon-si,
KR) ; Ahn; Kwangweon; (Hwaseong-si, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hyundai Motor Company |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Hyundai Motor Company
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
50893705 |
Appl. No.: |
14/103735 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
62/6 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F25B 9/14 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
62/6 |
International
Class: |
F25B 9/14 20060101
F25B009/14 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 28, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0157477 |
Claims
1. A rectification unit for a stirling refrigerator which includes
a compressing portion compressing operating fluid filling a housing
by reciprocal motion of a piston, an expanding portion expanding
the operating fluid compressed at the compressing portion by
reciprocal motion of a piston, and a regenerating portion fluidly
communicating the compressing portion with the expanding portion,
and provides heat at the compressing portion and absorbs heat at
the expanding portion through repeating isothermal compression,
constant-volume process and isothermal expansion of the operating
fluid, wherein the rectification unit comprises: a rectifier
disposed at an end portion of a heat exchanger provided at the
compressing portion or the expanding portion in the housing and
rectifying the operating fluid flowing out from the compressing
portion or the expanding portion and passing through the heat
exchanger, and a fixing plate adapted to fix the rectifier at the
end portion of the heat exchanger. wherein the rectification unit
is adapted to uniformalize flow of the operating fluid flowing
between the compressing portion and the expanding portion, and
2. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein the rectifier is
formed by agglomerating a wire irregularly.
3. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein the fixing plate is
provided with an insertion recess in which the rectifier is
inserted.
4. The rectification unit of claim 3, wherein the fixing plate is
provided with a plurality of penetration holes penetrating the
insertion recess, and wherein through the penetration holes, the
operating fluid flows.
5. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein a sealing member is
interposed between an exterior circumference of the fixing plate
and an interior circumference of the housing.
6. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein a sealing member is
interposed between a surface of the heat exchanger contacting with
the fixing plate and the fixing plate.
7. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein the housing is
provided with a slanted surface slanted toward the heat exchanger
with respect to a flow hole through which the operating fluid flows
in or out such that exhaust pressure is uniformalized when the
operating fluid passing through the rectifier is exhausted.
8. The rectification unit of claim 7, wherein the slanted surface
is so slanted that a diameter of the slanted surface with respect
to the flow hole becomes larger from the flow hole to the
rectifier.
9. The rectification unit of claim 1, wherein the fixing plate is
fixed to the end portion of the heat exchanger by a snap ring
mounted in an annular groove formed in the housing.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The present application claims priority to Korean Patent
Application No. 10-2012-0157477 filed on Dec. 28, 2012, the entire
contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this
reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a rectification unit for a
stirling refrigerator. More particularly, the present invention
relates to a rectification unit for a stirling refrigerator which
smoothes flow of operating fluid undergoing isothermal compression
or isothermal expansion by reciprocal motion of pistons used at a
compressing portion and an expanding portion in the stirling
refrigerator.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Generally, an air conditioning system of a vehicle maintains
a temperature in the vehicle to be a suitable temperature
regardless of change in ambient temperature so as to maintain
comfortable indoor environment.
[0006] Such an air conditioning system includes a compressor
compressing coolant, a condenser condensing the coolant compressed
at the compressor, an expansion valve quickly expanding the coolant
condensed and liquefied at the condenser, and an evaporator
evaporating the coolant expanded at the expansion valve and cooling
air by using evaporative latent heat of the coolant. The air cooled
by the evaporator is blown into a cabin in which the air
conditioning system is mounted.
[0007] However, a conventional air conditioning system uses
CFC/HCFC family compound as the coolant that is operating fluid.
Since the CFC/HCFC family compound is chemically stable compound,
it reaches the stratosphere in an undecomposed state when leaking
into the atmosphere. In addition, it reacts with ultraviolet rays
of the sunlight at the stratosphere such that chlorine atom is
decomposed, and the chlorine atom reacts with ozone to generate
chlorine monoxide. The chlorine oxide may destruct the ozone
layer.
[0008] Recently, helium gas or nitrogen gas instead of the CFC/HCFC
family compound is used as the operating fluid to prevent
environmental pollution. In addition, stirling refrigerator using
the helium gas or the nitrogen gas as the operating fluid is
developing. According to the stirling refrigerator, the operating
fluid is cooled to ultralow temperature through endothermic
reaction occurring at isothermal expansion and the cooled operating
fluid is used for cooling the vehicle by repeating isothermal
compression, constant-volume process, isothermal expansion and
constant-volume process of the operating fluid.
[0009] When the operating fluid flowing between a compressing
portion and an expanding portion passes through a regenerating
portion between the compressing portion and the expanding portion
at the isothermal compression and the isothermal expansion of the
operating fluid in the stirling refrigerator, however, the
operating fluid may not flow smoothly by pressure imbalance in flow
path of the operating fluid. Therefore, efficiency of the stirling
refrigerator may be deteriorated.
[0010] The information disclosed in this Background of the
Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the
general background of the invention and should not be taken as an
acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information
forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the
art.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0011] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to
providing a rectification unit for a stirling refrigerator having
advantages of achieving pressure balance when operating fluid flows
and improving efficiency of the stirling refrigerator by
smoothening flow of the operating fluid having undergone isothermal
compression or isothermal expansion according to reciprocal motion
of pistons applied to a compressing portion and an expanding
portion of the stirling refrigerator.
[0012] In an aspect of the present invention, a rectification unit
for a stirling refrigerator which may include a compressing portion
compressing operating fluid filling a housing by reciprocal motion
of a piston, an expanding portion expanding the operating fluid
compressed at the compressing portion by reciprocal motion of a
piston, and a regenerating portion fluidly communicating the
compressing portion with the expanding portion, and provides heat
at the compressing portion and absorbs heat at the expanding
portion through repeating isothermal compression, constant-volume
process and isothermal expansion of the operating fluid, may
include a rectifier disposed at an end portion of a heat exchanger
provided at the compressing portion or the expanding portion in the
housing and rectifying the operating fluid flowing out from the
compressing portion or the expanding portion and passing through
the heat exchanger, and a fixing plate adapted to fix the rectifier
at the end portion of the heat exchanger. wherein the rectification
unit is adapted to uniformalize flow of the operating fluid flowing
between the compressing portion and the expanding portion, and
[0013] The rectifier is formed by agglomerating a wire
irregularly.
[0014] The fixing plate is provided with an insertion recess in
which the rectifier is inserted.
[0015] The fixing plate is provided with a plurality of penetration
holes penetrating the insertion recess, and wherein through the
penetration holes, the operating fluid flows.
[0016] A sealing member is interposed between an exterior
circumference of the fixing plate and an interior circumference of
the housing.
[0017] A sealing member is interposed between a surface of the heat
exchanger contacting with the fixing plate and the fixing
plate.
[0018] The housing is provided with a slanted surface slanted
toward the heat exchanger with respect to a flow hole through which
the operating fluid flows in or out such that exhaust pressure is
uniformalized when the operating fluid passing through the
rectifier is exhausted.
[0019] The slanted surface is so slanted that a diameter of the
slanted surface with respect to the flow hole becomes larger from
the flow hole to the rectifier.
[0020] The fixing plate is fixed to the end portion of the heat
exchanger by a snap ring mounted in an annular groove formed in the
housing.
[0021] The methods and apparatuses of the present invention have
other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are
set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are
incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which
together serve to explain certain principles of the present
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stirling refrigerator
using a rectification unit for the stirling refrigerator according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a
stirling refrigerator using a rectification unit for the stirling
refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the stirling
refrigerator using a rectification unit for the stirling
refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a rectification
unit for a stirling refrigerator and a heat exchanger according to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] It should be understood that the appended drawings are not
necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified
representation of various features illustrative of the basic
principles of the invention. The specific design features of the
present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example,
specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be
determined in part by the particular intended application and use
environment.
[0027] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or
equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several
figures of the drawing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments
of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings and described below. While the
invention(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary
embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is
not intended to limit the invention(s) to those exemplary
embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is/are intended to
cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various
alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments,
which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention
as defined by the appended claims.
[0029] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will
hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings.
[0030] It is to be understood that exemplary embodiments described
in this specification and the drawings are just some exemplary
embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the
exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and thus various
modifications and equivalent arrangements may exist in the filing
date of the present invention.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a stirling refrigerator
using a rectification unit for the stirling refrigerator according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a
partially cut-away perspective view of a stirling refrigerator
using a rectification unit for the stirling refrigerator according
to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a
partial cross-sectional view of the stirling refrigerator using a
rectification unit for the stirling refrigerator according to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an
exploded perspective view of a rectification unit for a stirling
refrigerator and a heat exchanger according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1, the stirling refrigerator using a
rectification unit 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention is operated by a rotating shaft 103. The rotating
shaft 103 receives driving torque from an engine of a vehicle
through a pulley 101, and thereby is rotated. The stirling
refrigerator includes a compressing portion 110 compressing
operating fluid filling a housing 109 by reciprocal motion of a
piston 107, an expanding portion 120 expanding the operating fluid
compressed at the compressing portion 110 by reciprocal motion of a
piston 107, and a regenerating portion 130 fluidly communicating
the compressing portion 110 with the expanding portion 120.
[0033] The stirling refrigerator provides heat at the compressing
portion 110 and temperature of the operating fluid rises. The
heated operating fluid is regenerated at the regenerating portion
130 connected to the compressing portion 110 through a connecting
pipe 140. After that, the expanding portion 120 absorbs heat from
the operating fluid and cools the operating fluid to ultralow
temperature. Providing heat, regeneration, and absorbing heat are
achieved through isothermal compression, constant-volume process
and isothermal expansion of the operating fluid.
[0034] Herein, the operating fluid which is cooled at the expanding
portion 120 exchanges heat with another operating fluid circulating
through a heat exchanger provided in a vehicle. Another operating
fluid cooled through heat-exchange with the operating fluid cools
the air discharging into a cabin of the vehicle. Thereby,
air-conditioning of the vehicle may be achieved.
[0035] The pistons 107 are mounted at the rotating shaft 103
penetrating through the compressing portion 110 and the expanding
portion 120. Therefore, if the operating fluid is compressed at the
compressing portion 110, the operating fluid is expanded at the
expanding portion 120. A predetermined angle is formed by the
pistons 107, and the pistons 107 are mounted at the rotating shaft
103 through a pair of swash plates 105 provided respectively in the
compressing portion 110 and the expanding portion 120.
[0036] In addition, the compressing chamber 111 and the expansion
chamber 121 for compressing or expanding the operating fluid
through reciprocal motion of the pistons 107 are formed in the
compressing portion 110 and the expanding portion 120,
respectively.
[0037] In addition, heat exchangers 150 provided at the housing 109
are included respectively in the compressing portion 110 and the
expanding portion 120.
[0038] A rectification unit 10 for the stirling refrigerator
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
adapted to smoothen flow of the operating fluid having undergone
the isothermal compression or the isothermal expansion by
reciprocal motion of the pistons 107 provided in the compressing
portion 110 and the expanding portion 120. Thereby, pressure
balance is achieved when the operating fluid flows and efficiency
of the stirling refrigerator is improved.
[0039] For these purposes, the rectification unit 10 for the
stirling refrigerator according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, includes a
rectifier 11 and a fixing plate 13.
[0040] The rectifiers 11 are disposed at both end portions of the
heat exchanger 150 and rectify the operating fluid exhausted from
the compressing portion 110 or the expanding portion 120 and
passing through the heat exchanger 150.
[0041] Herein, the rectifier 11 is formed by agglomerating a wire
irregularly so as to uniformalize flow pressure of the operating
fluid when the operating fluid flowing in the compressing portion
110 or the expanding portion 120 is exhausted from the compressing
portion 110 or the expanding portion 120.
[0042] In addition, the fixing plates 13 fix the rectifiers 11 at
both ends of the heat exchanger 150.
[0043] An insertion recess 15 for receiving the rectifier 11
disposed at the end of the heat exchanger 150 and a plurality of
penetration holes 17 corresponding to the insertion recess 15 and
flowing the operating fluid are formed at a surface of the fixing
plate 13. The heat exchanger 150 is fluidly communicated with the
compressing portion 110 or the expanding portion 120 through the
penetration hole 17.
[0044] Therefore, the fixing plate 13 flows the operating fluid
into the rectifier 11 and the heat exchanger 150 through the
penetration hole 17. At this time, the flow pressure of the
operating fluid is uniformalized when the operating fluid passes
the rectifier 11. Therefore, the rectifier 11 smoothens the flow of
the operating fluid.
[0045] A sealing member 19 may be interposed between an exterior
circumference of the fixing plate 13 and an interior circumference
of the housing 109.
[0046] In addition, a sealing member 19 may be interposed between a
surface of the heat exchanger 150 contacting with the fixing plate
13 and the fixing plate 13.
[0047] The sealing members 19 prevent leakage of the operating
fluid between the exterior circumference of the fixing plate 13 and
the interior circumference of the housing 109 and between the
fixing plate 13 and the surface of the heat exchanger 150.
[0048] The fixing plates 13 are mounted at both end portions of the
heat exchanger 150 by snap rings 23 mounted at annular grooves 21
formed in the housing 109. Thereby, the fixing plates 13 are fixed
in the housing 109.
[0049] In the present exemplary embodiment, the snap ring 23 fixes
the rectifier 11 and the fixing plate 13 to the end portion of the
heat exchanger 150 and also fixes the heat exchanger 150 in the
compressing portion 110 or the expanding portion 120.
[0050] Meanwhile, a surface of the housing 109 is provided with a
slanted surface 27 slanted toward the heat exchanger 150 with
respect to the flow hole 25 through which the operating fluid flows
in or out such that exhaust pressure is uniformalized when the
operating fluid passing through the rectifier 11 is exhausted, in
the present exemplary embodiment.
[0051] Herein, the slanted surface 27 is so slanted that a diameter
of the slanted surface 27 with respect to the flow hole 25 becomes
larger from the flow hole 25 to the rectifier 11.
[0052] Therefore, pressure of the operating fluid having passed
through the heat exchanger 150 is uniformalized when passing
through the rectifier 11 and then the operating fluid is exhausted
from the rectifier 11. When the operating fluid is exhausted
through the flow hole 25, the operating fluid is led along the
slanted surface 27 such that uniform pressure is generated at the
flow hole 25.
[0053] That is, when the operating fluid having passed through the
rectifier 11 passes through the narrowing connecting pipe 140, the
slanted surface 27 leads the operating fluid to pass the connecting
pipe 140 with uniform pressure. Therefore, the slanted surface 27
as well as the rectifier 11 uniformalizes the pressure of the
operating fluid to smoothen flow of the operating fluid.
[0054] If the rectification unit 10 for the stirling refrigerator
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is
applied, the pressure of the operating fluid having undergone the
isothermal compression or the isothermal expansion according to the
reciprocal motion of the pistons 107 provided in the compressing
portion 110 and the expanding portion 120 is uniformlized when the
operating fluid passes through the heat exchanger 150. Therefore,
flow of the operating fluid between the compressing portion 110,
the expanding portion 120 and the regenerating portion 130 may be
smoothened.
[0055] In addition, since smooth flow of the operating fluid is
pressure-balanced when passing the connecting pipe 140 with a small
diameter, compression ratio and expansion ratio of the operating
fluid in the compressing portion 110 and the expanding portion 120
may be further improved. Therefore, efficiency of the stirling
refrigerator may be improved.
[0056] For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in
the appended claims, the terms "upper", "lower", "inner" and
"outer" are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments
with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in
the figures.
[0057] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments
of the present invention have been presented for purposes of
illustration and description. They are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teachings. They are not intended to
be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms
disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are
possible in light of the above teachings as well as various
alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the
scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and
their equivalents.
* * * * *