Brochure

Parker Hannifin Corporation
Climate & Industrial Controls Group
Cleveland, OH
Catalog CIC-2003-1/US
Accumulators, Receivers, Tanks and Mufflers
60
New Refrigerants
The introduction of new refrigerants and oils has
created new problems in the design of all system com-
ponents and suction accumulators are no exception.
As mentioned earlier, the accumulator is the coldest
component in the system. The new refrigerants and the
oils they are used with may not be fully miscible in the
temperature range the accumulator normally operates.
The oil and refrigerant can separate into oil rich and
refrigerant rich layers in the accumulator, with the
refrigerant rich layer at the bottom. The oil return orifice
is located in the now refrigerant rich layer.
Parker’s solution to this problem is to provide active
mixing of the layers in the accumulator. This is
accomplished by the shape and positions of the inlet
deflector and outlet U-tube. The inlet flow stream is
directed tangentially into the liquid layers in the bottom
of the accumulator. The resulting circulation of the liquid
past the off center U-tube forces a mixing of the oil and
refrigerant layers.
Field Replacement
Parker recommends that the accumulator should be
changed when a compressor is replaced. The old
accumulator may contain contaminants from the problem
that caused the compressor failure. There may also be
considerable oil remaining from the first compressor if a
gradual loss of charge caused the failure. This amount
coupled with the oil in the replacement compressor
may create an oil over charge condition.
Introduction to Accumulators Accumulators