Patent ID: 8783057

Claim:
A refrigerant distributor comprising: a source of refrigerant, and wherein the source of refrigerant includes an immiscible contaminant; a tank defining an internal cavity for receiving the source of refrigerant which is both in a liquid, gaseous or liquid and gaseous phase; an inlet conduit for delivering the source of the refrigerant to the internal cavity of the tank, and wherein the inlet conduit has a first intake end, and a second exhaust end which is located within the internal cavity of the tank, and wherein the exhaust end is defined by an upper exhaust aperture and a lower exhaust aperture; a contaminant collection container coupled in fluid receiving relation relative to the internal cavity of the tank, and wherein the second, lower exhaust aperture of the inlet conduit is disposed in fluid delivering relation relative thereto, and wherein the contaminant collection container has a main body having opposite first and second ends, and wherein the main body of the contaminant collector extends through the sidewall which defines the tank, and wherein the second end of the contaminant collection container is positioned outside of the tank, and wherein the lower exhaust aperture is operable to direct under the influence of gravity the liquid phase of the source of refrigerant, which includes the immiscible contaminant, into the contaminant collection container, and wherein the immiscible contaminant separates from the refrigerant and the immiscible contaminant remains under the influence of gravity in the second end of the contaminant collection container, and wherein the liquid portion of the refrigerant which is substantially devoid of contaminant subsequently overflows into the tank from the first end of the contaminant collection container; and a plurality of refrigerant distributor conduits coupled in fluid flowing relation relative to the internal cavity of the tank, and wherein each of the refrigerant distributor conduits has a first intake end and a second exhaust end which is located outside of the tank, and wherein the first intake ends of the respective refrigerant distributor conduits are substantially vertically oriented within the internal cavity of the tank, and wherein a multiplicity of apertures are formed in each of the first ends of the respective refrigerant distributor conduits, and wherein each of the apertures has a cross-sectional dimension which diminishes as that cross-sectional dimension is measured from the first intake end of the respective refrigerant distributor conduits, and in the direction of the second exhaust end thereof.