Patent ID: 8733125

Claim:
A refrigerant accumulator comprising: a container having a wall defining a flow chamber therein, the flow chamber having a refrigerant gas disposed therein; a collector disposed in the flow chamber of the container, the collector defining a collector chamber therein and a valve chamber below the collector chamber, wherein the collector chamber collects a liquid therein, the liquid containing at least one of a refrigerant oil and a liquid refrigerant, and wherein the collector chamber includes an intermediate bottom separating the valve chamber from the collector chamber for accepting a flow of the liquid, the collector chamber including a wide upper portion and a narrow lower portion, and wherein an outer diameter of the wide upper portion is larger than an outer diameter of the narrow lower portion; a heat exchanger disposed between the collector and the wall of the container, wherein the heat exchanger spirally surrounds the narrow lower portion of the collector chamber; and a valve disposed between the valve chamber and the flow chamber, wherein the valve is disposed in an opening formed in a bottom of the collector to selectively control the flow of the liquid from the valve chamber to the flow chamber, and wherein the intermediate bottom includes an oil passage opening formed therein, and the oil passage opening is configured to limit a quantity of the liquid supplied to the valve chamber.