Patent ID: 6026655
Filing Date: 2000-02-22
Classification: B01D,F25B

Abstract:
An accumulator for a refrigeration system wherein refrigerant can be circulated, said accumulator comprising:a housing having a cylindrical sidewall defining a longitudinal axis of the housing, and upper and lower end walls at either end of the sidewall, which together with the sidewall, define an internal chamber,inlet and outlet fittings on said housing for providing inlet and outlet passages to the internal chamber to direct the refrigerant into and out of the accumulator, said inlet fitting being associated with the upper end wall of the housing,an outlet tube disposed in the internal chamber having a first end fluidly connected to said outlet fitting, and a second end for receiving refrigerant from the internal chamber, the outlet tube including an oil return metering device,an inlet tube also disposed- in the internal chamber having a first end fluidly connected to said inlet fitting, and a second end spaced proximate to the lower end wall of the housing, said inlet tube extending through the internal chamber adjacent to an inside surface of the sidewall of the housing, said inlet tube having a longitudinal fluid opening along an extent of the inlet tube from the first end toward the second end of the inlet tube, the inlet tube being oriented such that the fluid opening directs refrigerant received in said inlet tube around the inside surface of the sidewall substantially in a direction tangential to the sidewall.