Patent ID: 7143602

Claim:
An ejector-type depressurizer for a vapor compression refrigeration system, which includes a compressor that compresses refrigerant of a low pressure space of the vapor compression refrigeration system and thereafter discharges the compressed refrigerant to a high pressure space of the vapor compression refrigeration system, wherein the ejector-type depressurizer draws refrigerant from an evaporator of the vapor compression refrigeration system while depressurizing the refrigerant of the high pressure space and thereafter supplying the depressurized refrigerant to the low pressure space, the ejector-type depressurizer comprising: a nozzle arrangement that depressurizes and expands the refrigerant of the high pressure space to convert pressure energy of the refrigerant of the high pressure space into velocity energy of a flow of the refrigerant; a passage forming member that forms a passage, which receives the nozzle arrangement, wherein the passage forming member includes: an introducing passage portion that is formed to extend toward an outlet of the nozzle arrangement, wherein the introducing passage portion introduces the refrigerant supplied from the evaporator to merge the introduced refrigerant with the flow of the refrigerant discharged from the nozzle arrangement; and a pressurizing passage portion, which is formed to extend from the outlet of the nozzle arrangement in a refrigerant discharge direction of the nozzle arrangement, wherein the pressurizing passage portion mixes the refrigerant discharged from the nozzle arrangement with the refrigerant introduced through the introducing passage portion to convert the velocity energy of the refrigerant into pressure energy of the refrigerant; and a variable passage member that shifts a relative position of an effective outer wall of the nozzle arrangement with respect to a wall which defines the pressurizing passage portion, the nozzle arrangement being located radially inward of the wall, to change a passage cross sectional area of the pressurizing passage portion.