Patent ID: 8104303

Claim:
A branching refrigerant relay unit in which a refrigerant pipe has a branching portion that couples to a plurality of branching refrigerant pipes, the branching refrigerant relay unit comprising: an insulation material configured to enclose the branching portion; a partition member disposed between the insulation material and the branching portion, the partition member separating the insulation material from the branching portion while assuring space between the partition member and the branching portion; and a casing for covering the external periphery of at least a portion of said insulation material, said partition member having a first partition portion and a second partition portion configured as a pair including respective mating portions for mating with one another, said casing having a first casing portion and a second casing portion configured as a pair including respective mating portions for mating with one another, and said insulation material having a first insulation material configured to be integral with said first casing portion and said first partition portion, and a second insulation material configured to be integral with said second casing portion and said second partition portion.