Patent ID: 7347062
Filing Date: 2008-03-25
Classification: B60H,F25B

Abstract:
1. An ejector cycle comprising: a compressor for compressing refrigerant; a condenser for cooling high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor; an evaporator for evaporating low-pressure refrigerant after being decompressed; an ejector including a nozzle for decompressing and expanding refrigerant flowing from the condenser by converting pressure energy of refrigerant to speed energy of the refrigerant, and a pressure-increasing portion that is disposed to increase a pressure of refrigerant by converting the speed energy of refrigerant to the pressure energy of refrigerant while mixing refrigerant jetted from the nozzle and refrigerant sucked from the evaporator; a gas-liquid separator for separating refrigerant from the ejector into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, the gas-liquid separator having a gas refrigerant outlet coupled to a refrigerant suction side of the compressor, and a liquid refrigerant outlet coupled to a refrigerant inlet side of the evaporator; a bypass passage through which hot-gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into a refrigerant inlet of the evaporator while bypassing at least the condenser; a switching valve for opening and closing the bypass passage; a receiver disposed upstream of the nozzle of the ejector at a refrigerant outlet side of the condenser, to store refrigerant therein in a defrosting operation in which the switching valve opens the bypass passage to introduce the hot-gas refrigerant into the evaporator through the by-pass passage; and a variable throttle device disposed at a refrigerant outlet side of the condenser, for decompressing refrigerant before flowing into the nozzle of the ejector, wherein: the variable throttle device chances its throttle open degree in accordance with a super-heating degree of refrigerant at a refrigerant outlet side of the evaporator; when the defrosting operation is set, a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor is introduced into the evaporator to remove frost on a surface of the evaporator; and at least for a first predetermined time after the defrosting operation is finished, a first preparative operation, where the variable throttle device is opened while the compressor is stopped, is performed.