An integrated energy management unit includes a housing defining a housing cavity, an accumulator-separator positioned within the housing cavity, an ejector positioned within the housing cavity and in communication with the accumulator-separator, and an internal heat exchanger positioned within the housing cavity and in fluid communication with the accumulator-separator.

An ejector draws a refrigerant on a downstream side of an exterior heat exchanger serving as an evaporator, from a refrigerant suction port by a suction effect of an injection refrigerant injected from a nozzle portion for decompressing a part of the refrigerant discharged from a compressor, and mixes the injection refrigerant with the suction refrigerant to pressurize the mixed refrigerant at a diffuser. The refrigerant flowing out of the diffuser is drawn into the compressor. In this way, the density of the refrigerant drawn into the compressor can be increased, thereby suppressing reduction in flow amount of the refrigerant flowing into an interior condenser serving as a radiator. Thus, even if the temperature of the outside air (heat-absorption target fluid) is decreased, the interior condenser is prevented from degrading its heating capacity for the ventilation air (heating target fluid).

Methods and systems for a MTRS with an ejector system are provided. The system can include a refrigeration circuit that has a compressor, a first heat exchanger downstream of the compressor, first and second heat exchange units downstream of the first heat exchanger, and an ejector system downstream of the first and second heat exchange units and upstream of the compressor. The first heat exchange unit provides independent climate control to a first zone of the transport unit. The second heat exchange unit provides independent climate control to a second zone of the transport unit. The ejector system mixes refrigerant exiting the first heat exchange unit with refrigerant exiting the second heat exchange unit, increases the pressure of the mixed refrigerant, and directs the mixed refrigerant to the compressor.

An ejector-type refrigeration cycle includes a radiator radiating heat of refrigerant discharged from a compressor, an ejector depressurizing the refrigerant cooled in the radiator, a gas-liquid separator separating gas and liquid of the refrigerant flowing out of a diffuser portion of the ejector, an evaporator disposed in a refrigerant passage connecting the gas-liquid separator and a refrigerant suction port of the ejector, and an opening-closing valve switching between a first refrigerant flow path, in which an ejection refrigerant ejected from a nozzle portion of the ejector flows out of the diffuser portion, and a second refrigerant flow path, in which the ejection refrigerant flows out of the refrigerant suction port. When a rotation rate of the compressor is lower than or equal to a standard rotation rate, the first refrigerant flow path is switched to the second refrigerant flow path.

A swirl space forming member that forms a swirl space in which a refrigerant flowing into a nozzle portion of an ejector swirls around an axis of the nozzle portion. In this way, even when the refrigerant flowing out of a first evaporator is a gas-phase refrigerant, pressure of the refrigerant on a swirling center axis side in the swirl space is reduced to be able to start condensation by swirling the refrigerant, and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in which a condensation nucleus is generated can flow into the nozzle portion. Thus, occurrence of a condensation delay in the refrigerant in the nozzle portion can be restricted.

An ejector and a refrigeration cycle apparatus having an ejector are provided. The ejector may include an ejector body having an accommodation space therein, a suction portion through which a high pressure refrigerant and a low pressure refrigerant may be suctioned into the accommodation space, and a mixing portion configured to mix the high pressure refrigerant with the low pressure refrigerant; a nozzle provided in the ejector body, having a nozzle neck and an expansion portion, and configured to inject the high pressure refrigerant into the mixing portion; a first needle moveably provided at the expansion portion, and configured to control a flow sectional area of the expansion portion; a second needle moveably provided at the nozzle neck, and configured to control a flow sectional area of the nozzle neck; a first needle drive configured to drive the first needle; and a second needle drive configured to drive the second needle. With such a configuration, the flow sectional area of the nozzle neck and the flow sectional area of the expansion portion may be independently controlled in correspondence to a drive condition.

In an ejector, a passage formation member is disposed inside a body forming a space therein. Provided between an inner peripheral surface of the body and the passage formation member are a nozzle passage functioning as a nozzle, a mixing passage in which an ejection refrigerant ejected from the nozzle passage and a suction refrigerant drawn through a suction passage are mixed together, and a diffuser passage that converts a kinetic energy of the refrigerant that has flowed out of the mixing passage into a pressure energy. The mixing passage has a shape gradually reducing in cross-sectional area toward a downstream side in the refrigerant flow.

An ejector has a swirling space, a pressure reducing space, a suction passage, a pressure increasing space, a nozzle passage, a diffuser passage, a passage forming member that forms the nozzle passage and the diffuser passage, and a vibration suppressing portion that suppresses a vibration of the passage forming member. The vibration suppressing portion has (i) a first elastic member that applies a load to the passage forming member in a direction in which an area of a cross section perpendicular to the direction of the central axis of the nozzle passage and the diffuser passage decreases and (ii) a second elastic member that applies a load to the passage forming member in a direction opposite from the direction in which the first elastic member applies the load to the passage forming member.

An ejector includes a swirl flow channel that is arranged on an upstream side of a nozzle portion. The swirl flow channel swirls the high pressure refrigerant and allows the refrigerant in a state of a gas-liquid mixed phase to flow into the nozzle portion. The ejector further includes a flow-rate changeable mechanism that is disposed at the upstream side of the swirl flow channel, and is capable of changing a flow rate of the high pressure refrigerant that flows into the swirl flow channel. Accordingly, a nozzle efficiency can be improved, and an operation according to a load of the refrigeration cycle is possible.

An evaporator includes an inlet side space of a leeward side upper tank into which a refrigerant flows from a refrigerant inlet port, and an inlet side turn path that is formed of a group of tubes and connected to the inlet side space. A ratio of a total passage cross-sectional area AT1 of the group of tubes forming the inlet side turn path to an inlet passage cross-sectional area Ain of the refrigerant inlet port is set at 3.5 or less, and a ratio of a longitudinal direction length Lg1 of the inlet side space to an inlet equivalent diameter Din of the refrigerant inlet port is set at 25 or less. Further, a Reynolds number Re of the refrigerant that has flowed into the inlet side turn path is set at 1800 or more.