Patent Application
20240159481
The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger including a corrugated fin and to a refrigeration cycle apparatus.
For example, corrugated-fin-tube-type heat exchangers formed by alternately stacking flat heat-transfer tubes and corrugated fins are widespread. In a case in which such a heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the surface temperature of a corrugated fin becomes lower than or equal to a freezing point, so that condensed water on a fin surface may freeze. The freezing of the condensed water on the fin surface mounts resistance to air passing through the heat exchanger, causing a deterioration in heat-transfer performance of the corrugated fin. To address this problem, there is a heat exchanger provided with a drain slit formed by a through hole in a corrugated fin so that condensed water on a fin surface is drained through the drain slit (see, for example, Patent Literature 1). It should be noted that the term “condensed water” refers to water having adhered to a surface of the heat exchanger as a result of condensation of moisture in the air.
Although the heat exchanger of Patent Literature 1 has a drain slit through which condensed water on a fin surface is drained, enlarging an opening of the drain slit for improvement in drainage capacity invites a deterioration in heat-transfer performance due to a reduction in heat-transfer area while bringing about improvement in drainage capacity. The heat exchanger of Patent Literature 1 had room for improvement in terms of improving drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
To solve problems such as those noted above, the present disclosure has as an object to provide a heat exchanger that makes it possible to improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance and a refrigeration cycle apparatus.
A heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes each formed in a flat shape in cross-section, provided with a plurality of flow passages formed by through holes, and placed side by side and spaced from one another in a direction orthogonal to a direction of flow of air; and a corrugated fin placed between the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes. The corrugated fin is formed such that fin sections that are plate-shaped are joined together one after another in a wave shape in a tube axial direction of the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes, the fin sections each have a drain slit formed such that the drain slit extends in a tube side-by-side placement direction of the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes, and a plurality of louvers each having a louver slit extending in the tube side-by-side placement direction and a plate portion inclined to a flat-plate portion that is tabular-shaped in the fin section, the plurality of louvers are divided into a first louver group formed further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slit and a second louver group formed further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slit, the plate portions of the first louver group and the plate portions of the second louver group are inclined to the flat-plate portion and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other, and the drain slit includes a plurality of drain slits provided in a plurality of respective rows between the first louver group and the second louver group.
Further, a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the aforementioned heat exchanger.
By having drain slits in a plurality of rows between the first louver group and the second louver group, the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure makes it possible to improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
Further, since the length of a heat-transfer region is longer than the length of a drain slit in the direction of flow of air, the heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present disclosure makes it possible to improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
In the following, heat exchangers and a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to embodiments are described, for example, with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, constituent elements given identical reference signs in the following drawings are identical or equivalent to each other, and these reference signs are adhered to throughout the full text of the embodiments described below. Moreover, the forms of constituent elements expressed in the full text of the specification are merely examples and are not limited to forms described herein. In particular, a combination of constituent elements is not limited solely to a combination in one embodiment, but constituent elements described in one embodiment can be applied to another embodiment. Further, in the following description, an upper part of a drawing is described as an “upper side”, and a lower part of a drawing is described as a “lower side”. Furthermore, directive terms (such as “right” and “left”) used to promote understanding are intended for descriptive purposes and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Further, how high or low temperatures and humidities are is not determined in relation to particularly absolute values but relatively determined according to states, actions, or other conditions in apparatuses or other devices. Moreover, relationships in size between one constituent element and another in the drawings may be different from actual ones.
The pair of headers 3 are each a tube that is connected by pipes to other devices included in a refrigeration cycle apparatus, into and out of which refrigerant flows, and that causes the refrigerant to be divided or merged. The refrigerant is a fluid that serves as a heat exchange medium. The pair of headers 3 include a header 3A and a header 3B. The header 3A and the header 3B are placed one above the other and spaced from one another. In a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as an evaporator, liquid refrigerant passes through the upper header 3B, and gas refrigerant passes through the lower header 3A. In a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as a condenser, gas refrigerant passes through the upper header 3B, and liquid refrigerant passes through the lower header 3A.
Between the two headers 3, the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 are placed perpendicular to each header 3, and the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 are placed parallel to one another. The plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 are placed side by side and equally spaced from one another in a direction orthogonal to a direction of flow of air. In the following, the direction (right-left direction in
Each of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 has a flat shape in cross-section. Each of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 is a heat-transfer tube of which an outer surface (hereinafter referred to as “flat surface”) of a long side of the flat cross-section has the shape of a planar surface and of which an outer surface of a short side of the flat shape has the shape of a curved surface. Each of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 is a multi-hole heat-transfer tube having a plurality of refrigerant flow passages formed by through holes inside the tube. The flat heat-transfer tubes 1 are disposed to stand in the up-down direction, have their through holes extending in the up-down direction, and communicate with the two headers 3. Each of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 is placed so that a long side of the flat cross-section extends along the direction of flow of air. Each flat heat-transfer tube 1 is joined to the two headers 3 by having both ends inserted in and brazed to insertion holes (not illustrated) opened separately in each of the two headers 3. A usable example of a brazing filler metal is an aluminum-containing brazing filler metal.
Note here that in a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as an evaporator, low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow passages inside the flat heat-transfer tubes 1. In a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as a condenser, high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant flows through the refrigerant flow passages inside the flat heat-transfer tubes 1. The arrows in
Embodiment 1 is intended to describe drainage of condensed water that is produced on fin surfaces in a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as an evaporator. For this reason, the following describes the flow of refrigerant in the heat exchanger 10 in a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as an evaporator. As indicated by the arrows in
Each of the corrugated fins 2 is placed between one of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 and another. The corrugated fins 2 are disposed to expand the area of heat transfer between the refrigerant and the outside air. Each of the corrugated fins 2 is formed in a pleated wave shape by a tabular-shaped fin material being subjected to corrugating and bent into a zigzag pattern with repeated mountain folds and valley folds. Note here that bent portions in undulations formed in a wave shape serve as apices of the wave shape. In Embodiment 1, the apices of each of the corrugated fins 2 are arranged in a height direction. Parts (a) to (e) of
The corrugated fin 2 is joined to flat surfaces 1a of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 except for an upstream protruding portion 2a protruding further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the flat heat-transfer tubes 1. These junctions are brazed and joined by a brazing filler metal. The corrugated fin 2 is formed by a fin material such as an aluminum alloy. Moreover, the fin material by which the corrugated fin 2 is formed has a surface cladded with a brazing filler metal layer. The clad brazing filler metal layer is made mainly of, for example, a brazing filler metal containing aluminum-silicon aluminum. Note here that the thickness of the fin material by which the corrugated fin 2 is formed ranges, for example, from approximately 50 μm to 200 μm.
The corrugated fin 2 is formed such that fin sections 24, which are plate-shaped, are joined together one after another in a wave shape in the tube axial direction. The corrugated fin 2 is shaped such that the fin sections 24 are joined together one after another in the tube axial direction at alternately reversed inclinations when the corrugated fin 2 is seen from an angle parallel with the direction of flow of air. Each of the fin sections 24 includes a flat-plate portion 21, which is tabular-shaped, and apices 20 curved at both respective ends of the flat-plate portion 21 in the tube side-by-side placement direction. The corrugated fin 2 has its apices 20 joined to the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 by making surface contact with the flat surfaces 1a of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1.
Each of the fin sections 24 has a plurality of louvers 22 formed and arranged in the direction of flow of air. Each of the louvers 22 includes a louver slit 22a through which air passes and a plate portion 22b that guides air to the louver slit 22a. The plate portion 22b is inclined to the flat-plate portion 21. The louver slit 22a and the plate portion 22b are each formed in the shape of a rectangle extending in the tube side-by-side placement direction. The louver 22 is formed by the plate portion 22b being cut and raised from the flat-plate portion 21.
The plurality of louvers 22 are divided into a first louver group 22A formed further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the after-mentioned drain slits 23 formed in the fin section 24 and a second louver group 22B formed further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slits 23.
Note here that, in
Each of the fin sections 24 has drain slits 23 through which condensed water produced on the fin section 24 is drained. The drain slits 23 are through holes opened in the corrugated fin 2, Each of the drain slits 23 is formed in the shape of a rectangle that extends in the tube side-by-side placement direction. The drain slits 23 are formed in a central portion of the fin section 24 in the direction of flow of air excluding the upstream protruding portion 2a. Although
In a case in which the heat exchanger 10 is used as an evaporator, the temperatures of surfaces of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 and the corrugated fins 2 are lower than the temperature of air passing through the heat exchanger 10. This causes moisture in the air to condense into condensed water 4 on the surfaces of the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 and the corrugated fins 2. Condensed water 4 produced on a surface of the fin section 24 of a corrugated fin 2 flows down onto a next fin section 24 below through the drain slits 23. At this time, in a region of the surface of the fin section 24 where there is a large amount of condensed water 4, the condensed water 4 easily flows on the surface of the fin section 24 and easily flows down through the drain slits 23. Meanwhile, in a region of the surface of the fin section 24 where there is a small amount of condensed water 4, the condensed water 4 hardly flows on the surface of the fin section 24 and easily builds up by being retained on the surface of the fin section 24. It is known that such building-up occurs, although the fin section 24 is inclined when the fin section 24 is seen from an angle parallel with the direction of flow of air. To address this problem, Embodiment 1 brings about improvement in drainage capacity by locating drain slits 23 in the following positions.
[Positions of Drain Slits 23]
As shown in
Condensed water produced on the surface of the upper fin section 24 flows down onto the lower fin section 24 through the drain slits 23 in the upper fin section 24. Note here that, as mentioned above, drain slits 23 in fin sections 24 adjacent to each other in the tube axial direction are displaced from each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction. For this reason, part of a region directly below the drain slits 23 in the upper fin section 24 is a portion of the lower fin section 24 in which no drain slits 23 are formed and a portion in which condensed water is produced and retained. Therefore, condensed water 4 having fallen onto the lower fin section 24 through the drain slits 23 in the upper fin section 24 merges with condensed water 4 having become stagnant by being retained on the surface of the lower fin section 24. The condensed water 4, which has increased in amount by merging, comes to easily flow down, and is drained through the drain slits 23 in the lower fin section 24. The aforementioned flow of condensed water is repeated in sequence in the up-down direction between two fin sections 24 adjacent to each other in the tube axial direction, and less condensed water 4 is thus retained on the surface of each fin section 24. This leads to efficient drainage.
Incidentally, in each of parts (a) to (c) of
In each of parts (a) to (c) of
In part (d) of
In part (e) of
Since each of the apices 20 is a portion formed by bending a tabular-shaped fin material into the shape of letter V, that apex 20 has a narrow inner space (see
Such a configuration makes it possible to expect improvement in drainage capacity while reducing deterioration of heat-transfer performance without decreasing the area of contact between the flat heat-transfer tubes 1 and the corrugated fin 2.
Although
In
The flow of condensed water in the modification of
Since the fin section 24A and the fin section 24B are placed such that the drain slits 23 do not overlap the apices 20 when the drain slits 23 are seen from an angle parallel with the tube axial direction, the apex 20 between the fin section 24A and the fin section 24B is a non-drain apex 20b. For this reason, the surface tension of the condensed water 4 causes condensed water to easily build up in the inner space of the non-drain apex 20b. In the following, a portion in which condensed water 4 has built up is referred to as “apex built-up portion 30”. The following describes drainage of the condensed water 4 having built up in the apex built-up portion 30.
Condensed water produced and accumulated on the surface of a fin section 24C above the fin section 24A flows down toward the fin section 24A through the drain slit 23 in the fin section 24C. Note here that the drain slit 23 formed in the fin section 24C and the drain slit 23 formed in the fin section 24A are displaced from each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction (right-left direction in
[Relationship Between Row Counts of Drain Slits 23 and Drainage Capacity]
It is found from
Further, in one example of a result of analysis by the inventors, a comparison of drainage capacity between a case in which two drain slits 23 were provided and a case in which one drain slit 23 having the total opening area of the two drain slits 23 was provided showed that higher drainage capacity can be attained in the case in which the two drain slits 23 were provided. According to an analysis by the inventors, it was found that this improvement in drainage capacity is brought about by the following mechanism. Even with an increase in opening area of a drain slit 23, an area in the vicinity of the center of the drain slit 23 does not contribute to drainage, and in actuality, water flows down along an inner peripheral portion of the drain slit 23. Therefore, an increase in opening area of a drain slit 23 is slightly effective in bringing about improvement in drainage capacity and, on the other hand, causes a great deterioration in performance due to a reduction in heat-transfer area. Configuring drain slits 23 in a plurality of rows so that the drain slits 23 have longer inner peripheral lengths is thus effective in bringing about improvement in drainage capacity. This allows the heat exchanger 10 to improve drainage capacity while reducing deterioration of heat-transfer performance.
The foregoing allows the heat exchanger 10 to, by having drain slits 23 in a plurality of rows between the first louver group 22A and the second louver group 22B, improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
[Relationship Between Ratio of Inter-Louver Air Passage Cross-Sectional Area AL to Drain Slit Opening Area as and Drainage Velocity]
The inventors found out through an experiment and an analysis that there is a relationship between the ratio of an inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL to a drain slit opening area As and drainage velocity. This point is explained below.
Drainage velocity is greatly affected by the ratio of the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL to the drain slit opening area As. The inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL is defined as NL×Ls×Lw=NL×((Lp×sin θ−t)×Lw. The drain slit opening area As is defined as Ns×Sw×Ss.
In these formulas,
With AL/As being greater than or equal to 4, a decrease in value of AL/As leads to a rise in drainage velocity and an increase in rate of the rise. Therefore, with the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL being constant, an increase in the drain slit opening area As leads to a greater effect of improvement in drainage velocity. For this reason, increasing the drain slit opening area As by providing drain slits 23 in a plurality of rows makes it possible to increase drainage velocity.
Note, however, that with AL/As lowered to less than 1, the rate of rise in drainage velocity to an increase in the drain slit opening area As decreases, although drainage velocity can be increased. A reason for this is that with AL/As being less than 1, the drain slit opening area As exceeds the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL, so that the amount of water that is drained through the drain slits 23 is large and limits are put on the characteristics of drainage through the louvers 22. Further, with AL/As being less than 1, heat-transfer performance decreases as the drain slit opening area As increases, albeit with high drainage velocity and high drainage capacity. For this reason, in view of a balance between drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance, it is preferable that AL/As≥1.
Meanwhile, with AL/As being greater than 4, drainage velocity does not increase greatly although the drain slit opening area As increases. For this reason, making AL/As greater than 4 is not effective in bringing about improvement in drainage capacity. A possible reason why drainage velocity does not increase greatly although the drain slit opening area As increases is that condensed water guided by the louvers 22 cannot be sufficiently handled by the drain slits 23 because the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL is too great for the drain slit opening area As.
The foregoing makes it possible, with AL/As being greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 4, to effectively improve drainage capacity and ensure heat-transfer performance by providing drain slits 23. The graph of the relationship of
[Relationship Between Length Hs of Heat-Transfer Region 503 in Direction of Flow of Air and Length Ss of One Drain Slit in Direction of Flow of Air]
In a case in which drain slits 23 are formed in a plurality of rows, a heat-transfer region 503 (see
The distance between drain slits 23 adjacent to each other in the direction of flow of air becomes shortened when the length hs of the heat-transfer region 503 in the direction of flow of air is shorter than the length Ss of a drain slit 23 in the direction of flow of air. When the distance between drain slits 23 adjacent to each other in the direction of flow of air becomes shortened, drops of water falling from the drain slits 23 merge into a single great drop of water and fall. That is, the two narrow drain slits 23 serve as one wide slit. Therefore, the effect of improvement in drainage capacity is considered to be greater when the length hs of the heat-transfer region 503 in the direction of flow of air is shorter than the length Ss of a drain slit 23 in the direction of flow of air.
Meanwhile, when the length hs of the heat-transfer region 503 in the direction of flow of air is longer than the length Ss of a drain slit 23 in the direction of flow of air, condensed water tends to remain on the heat-transfer region 503 and drops of water fall separately from each of the drain slits 23, although there is a benefit from the standpoint of strength increase. For this reason, it is considered that the effect of improvement in drainage capacity is low when the length hs of the heat-transfer region 503 in the direction of flow of air becomes longer than the length Ss of a drain slit 23 in the direction of flow of air.
Further, the heat-transfer region 503 and the drain slits 23 are alternately present in the direction of flow of air. When this configuration is looked at differently, this configuration is equivalent to a configuration in which a narrow bridge extending in the tube side-by-side placement direction (right-left direction in
According to the foregoing, a heat exchanger in which the length hs of the heat-transfer region 503 in the direction of flow of air is shorter than the length Ss of a drain slit 23 in the direction of flow of air can improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer capacity.
Incidentally, the heat-transfer region 503 acts as a holder to inhibit warpage deformation of a fin material from occurring during punching of drain slits 23 through the fin material. This point is explained with reference to a corrugated fin of a comparative example including no heat-transfer region 503.
The fin material 500 of the comparative example does not include a heat-transfer region 503 but has one large opening 500a that is to become a drain slit. The opening 500a is disposed in a central part of the fin material 500 in the direction of flow of air excluding the upstream protruding portion 2a. For this reason, the opening 500a deviates to one side of the fin material 500 from a center line 504 in the direction of flow of air. When the opening 500a deviates to one side in this manner, moment is produced on the side (upper side in
On the other hand, a corrugated fin 2 of Embodiment 1 is equivalent to a configuration in which one large opening 500a in the comparative example is divided into a plurality of small openings. In this configuration, a heat-transfer region 503 is formed between small openings. In other words, a fin material portion that is not a hole is formed between small openings. For this reason, this fin material portion acts as a holder to inhibit warpage deformation, and the corrugated fin 2 of Embodiment 1 can improve warpage deformation.
[Angles of Louvers 22]
According to an experiment and an analysis by the inventors, it was found that louver angles greatly affect drainage capacity. This point is explained below.
It is found from
[Processing of Drain Slits 23 in Corrugated Fin 2]
As mentioned above, it is desirable that a corrugated fin 2 be formed such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b. In achieving such a configuration, a fin material yet to be subjected to corrugating needs only be processed so that drain slits 23 are placed in any of the following patterns, Four patterns of placement of drain slits 23 in a fin material are described below with reference to
(Pattern of Placement 1)
In the pattern of placement 1, the width L2 of an opening 23a that is to become a drain slit 23 is longer than the length L1 of a fin section 24 in the tube side-by-side placement direction. The openings 23a of adjacent fin sections 24 are equally spaced from one another. That is, the length L3 of each space is the same in every place in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50. The openings 23a are placed across the border lines I3. A fin material 50 yet to be subjected to corrugating is processed so that openings 23a that are to become drain slits 23 are sized and placed in the foregoing pattern, and a corrugated fin 2 subjected to corrugating thus can be formed such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b.
(Pattern of Placement 2)
In the pattern of placement 2, the width L2 of an opening 23a that is to become a drain slit 23 is shorter than the length L1 of a fin section 24 in the tube side-by-side placement direction. The openings 23a of adjacent fin sections 24 are equally spaced from one another. That is, the length L3 of each space is the same in every place in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50. It should be noted that the length L3 is a value other than a value obtained by subtracting L2 from L1. A reason for this is that if L3 is a value obtained by subtracting L2 from L1, there is a possibility that all apices 20 are either drain apices 20a or non-drain apices 20b instead of being a mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b. A fin material 50 yet to be subjected to corrugating is processed so that openings 23a that are to become drain slits 23 are sized and placed in the foregoing pattern, and a corrugated fin 2 subjected to corrugating thus can be formed such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b.
(Pattern of Placement 3)
In the pattern of placement 3, the width L2 of an opening 23a that is to become a drain slit 23 is shorter than the length L1 of a fin section 24 in the tube side-by-side placement direction. Moreover, the openings 23a of adjacent fin sections 24 are not equally spaced from one another. That is, the length L3 of each space is different in every place in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50. The pattern 3 is formed such that with one cycle being a pattern of placement having five openings 23a in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50, this pattern of placement is periodically repeated in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50.
A fin material 50 yet to be subjected to corrugating is processed so that openings 23a that are to become drain slits 23 are sized and placed in the foregoing pattern, and a corrugated fin 2 subjected to corrugating thus can be formed such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b. In particular, because the proportion of drain apices 20a to non-drain apices 20b in one corrugated fin 2 can be adjusted by adjusting L3, a balance between drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance can be achieved on the basis of design.
(Pattern of Placement 4)
In the pattern of placement 4, the width L2 of an opening 23a that is to become a drain slit 23 is different in every place. Moreover, the openings 23a of adjacent fin sections 24 are equally spaced from one another. That is, the length L3 of each space is the same in every place in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50. The pattern 4 is formed such that with one cycle being a pattern of placement having five openings 23a in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50, this pattern of placement is periodically repeated in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50.
A fin material 50 yet to be subjected to corrugating is processed so that openings 23a that are to become drain slits 23 are sized and placed in the foregoing pattern, and a corrugated fin 2 subjected to corrugating thus can be formed such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b. In particular, because the proportion of drain apices 20a to non-drain apices 20b in one corrugated fin 2 can be adjusted by adjusting L2, a balance between drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance can be achieved on the basis of design.
In any of the foregoing patterns of placement 1 to 4, the fin material 50 is formed such that a particular pattern of placement is periodically repeated in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50. For this reason, a corrugated fin 2 fabricated by subjecting the fin material 50 to corrugating is formed such that fin sections 24 are identical in position of the drain slits 23 to each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction and are periodically and repeatedly located every several fin sections in the tube axial direction. By having this configuration, the heat exchanger 10 can be configured as a result such that there is a well-balanced mixture of drain apices 20a and non-drain apices 20b. This results in making it possible to obtain a heat exchanger 10 with improved drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
[Punching of Drain Slits 23]
In a case, such as the patterns of placement 1 to 4, in which a particular pattern of placement is periodically repeated in a direction parallel with the length of the fin material 50, processing of drain slits 23 can be performed with corrugated cutters, corrugated punching rollers, or other devices.
Two corrugated cutters 501 and 502 are placed opposite each other, and a fin material 50 is placed between the two corrugated cutters 501 and 502. The fin material 50 is fed in the direction of an arrow outlined with a blank inside, and the two corrugated cutters 501 and 502 thus rotate in the directions of solid arrows. While the two corrugated cutters 501 and 502 are rotating, openings 23a that are to become drain slits 23 are punched in the fin material 50.
By thus using corrugated cutters or corrugated punching rollers for processing of drain slits 23, the processing speed at which a corrugated fin 2 is manufactured can be increased. The present disclosure is not limited to a configuration in which a pattern of placement is periodically repeated, although manufacturing cannot be performed with corrugated cutters in a case in which a pattern of placement is not configured to be periodically repeated.
[Effects]
As described above, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 is a heat exchanger including the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 each formed in a flat shape in cross-section, provided with a plurality of flow passages formed by through holes, and placed side by side and spaced from one another in a direction orthogonal to a direction of flow of air; and the corrugated fin 2 placed between the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1. The corrugated fin 2 is formed such that the fin sections 24, which are plate-shaped, are joined together one after another in a wave shape in a tube axial direction of the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1. The fin sections 24 each have a drain slit 23 formed such that the drain slit extends in a tube side-by-side placement direction of the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 and the plurality of louvers 22 each having a louver slit 22a extending in the tube side-by-side placement direction and a plate portion 22b inclined to a flat-plate portion 21, which is tabular-shaped, in the fin section 24. The plurality of louvers 22 are divided into a first louver group 22A formed further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slit 23 and a second louver group 22B formed further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slit 23. The plate portions 22b of the first louver group 22A and the plate portions 22b of the second louver group 22B are inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other. The heat exchanger 10 has a plurality of drain slits 23 in a plurality of respective rows between the first louver group 22A and the second louver group 22B.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer capacity.
Further, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 is formed such that when the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area AL is defined as AL=((Lp×sin θ)−t)×NL×Lw and the drain slit opening area As is defined as As=Ns×Sw×Ss, 1≤AL/As≤4 is satisfied.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer capacity.
The drain slits 23 of the plurality of rows are formed adjacent to each other in a plurality of rows in the direction of flow of air. Therefore, the length hs in the direction of flow of air of a heat-transfer region 503 that is a region of the fin section 24 interposed in the direction of flow of air by the drain slits 23 provided in a plurality of rows is shorter than the length Ss of each of the drain slits 23 in the direction of flow of air.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer capacity.
The angle of the plate portion 22b of each of the plurality of louvers 22 inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 ranges from 15 degrees to 30 degrees.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can achieve compatibility between improvement in drainage capacity and ease of flow of air.
The flat-plate portion 21 has two ends in the tube side-by-side placement direction and the fin section 24 has, at each of the two ends of the flat-plate portion 21, an apex 20 joined to the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1. Some of the plurality of fin sections 24 have the drain slits 23 formed in positions at which the drain slits 23 overlap the apices 20 at one or both of the two ends when the drain slits 23 are seen from an angle parallel with the tube axial direction. Further, some of the plurality of fin sections 24 have the drain slits 23 formed in positions at which the drain slits 23 do not overlap both of the apices 20 at the two ends when the drain slits 23 are seen from an angle parallel with the tube axial direction.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can achieve a balance between drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance on the basis of design.
The drain slits 23 in ones of the fin sections adjacent to each other in the tube axial direction are displaced from each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction.
According to the foregoing configuration, the heat exchanger 10 of Embodiment 1 can improve drainage capacity.
The corrugated fin 2 is formed such that ones of the fin sections 24 identical in position of the drain slits 23 to each other in the direction of flow of air are periodically and repeatedly located in the tube axial direction.
The foregoing configuration makes it possible to obtain a heat exchanger 10 with improved drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance.
Embodiment 2 relates to a configuration including a plurality of the heat exchangers 10 of Embodiment 1 in the direction of flow of air. The following description is focused on points of difference of Embodiment 2 from Embodiment 1, and configurations of Embodiment 2 that are similar to those of Embodiment 1 are not described.
Drain slits 23 located windward are first drain slits 23A formed in a range corresponding to the length in a long direction of a flat cross-section of a flat heat-transfer tube 1A, A plurality of louvers 22 located windward are divided into a first louver group 22A formed further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the first drain slits 23A and a second louver group 22B formed further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the drain slits 23. Although not illustrated, the plate portions 22b of the first louver group 22A and the plate portions 22b of the second louver group 22B are inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other.
Drain slits 23 located leeward are second drain slits 23B formed in a range corresponding to the length in a long direction of a flat cross-section of a flat heat-transfer tube 1B. A plurality of louvers 22 located leeward are divided into a first louver group 22A formed further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the second drain slits 23B and a second louver group 22B formed further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the second drain slits 23B. Although not illustrated, the plate portions 22b of the first louver group 22A and the plate portions 22b of the second louver group 22B are inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other.
Although, in
In the heat exchanger 10A of this modification, the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B are different in position in the tube side-by-side placement direction from each other in the fin section 24.
[Adjustment of Drainage Capacity and Heat-Transfer Capacity]
In the heat exchanger 10A according to Embodiment 2, drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance can be adjusted separately for the windward side and the leeward side by adjusting the positions of the drain slits 23 or the widths of the drain slits 23. Specifically, drainage capacity can be improved by increasing the number of drain apices 20a by adjusting the positions of the drain slits 23, and heat-transfer performance can be improved by reducing the number of drain apices 20a. Further, drainage capacity can be improved by increasing the widths of the drain slits 23, and heat-transfer performance can be improved by reducing the widths of the drain slits 23.
Incidentally, in a case in which the heat exchanger 10A is used as an evaporator, condensed water is easily produced on the windward side, as the windward side is higher in heat-transfer performance than the leeward side. Therefore, drainage capacity is required on the windward side. Meanwhile, heat-transfer performance is more required on the leeward side than drainage capacity, as the leeward side is lower in heat-transfer performance than the windward side and less condensed water is produced on the leeward side. That is, in a case in which the heat exchanger 10A is used as an evaporator, a configuration is required in which drainage is prioritized on the windward side and heat transfer is prioritized on the leeward side.
To achieve this configuration, it is only necessary to adjust the positions of the drain slits 23 in the following manner. That is, the number of drain apices 20a located windward in one corrugated fin 2 is defined as N, and the number of drain apices 20a located leeward is defined as M, In this case, the positions of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B are adjusted so that N>M is satisfied. This makes it possible to configure a heat exchanger such that drainage is prioritized on the windward side and heat transfer is prioritized on the leeward side. Further, a sum of drain slit widths of the plurality of first drain slits 23A located windward in one corrugated fin 2 is defined as SWF, and a sum of drain slit widths of the plurality of second drain slits 233 located windward is defined as SWB. At this time, a configuration is set up in which the relationship SWF>SWB is satisfied. This makes it possible to configure a heat exchanger such that drainage is prioritized on the windward side and heat transfer is prioritized on the leeward side.
Since the heat exchanger 10A can be thus formed such that heat transfer is prioritized on the leeward side, the difference in heat-transfer performance between the windward side and the leeward side can be reduced. Since the difference in heat-transfer performance between the windward side and the leeward side can be reduced, the thickness of frost that forms on surfaces of the fin sections under low-temperature air conditions can be made almost uniform. Since the thickness of frost that forms on the surfaces of the fin sections can be made almost uniform, heat exchange performance under low-temperature air conditions is improved as a result.
As noted above, the heat exchanger 10A of Embodiment 2 brings about the following effects in addition to effects that are similar to those of Embodiment 1. The heat exchanger 10A of Embodiment 2 is formed such that the plurality of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 arranged in the tube side-by-side placement direction are placed in a plurality of rows and are spaced from one another in the direction of flow of air and the corrugated fin 2 is provided commonly for the plurality of rows. This configuration makes it possible to adjust drainage capacity and heat-transfer performance on the windward side and the leeward side by adjusting either or both the positions and drain slit widths of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slit 23B in each row. This allows the heat exchanger 10A of Embodiment 2 to improve heat exchange performance under low-temperature air conditions.
Embodiment 3 relates to a configuration in which the heat exchanger 10A of Embodiment 2 further includes an interrow drain slit. The following description is focused on points of difference of Embodiment 3 from Embodiment 2, and configurations of Embodiment 3 that are similar to those of Embodiment 2 are not described.
The heat exchanger 10B according to Embodiment 3 is formed such that an interrow drain slit 23C is formed in a non-junction region 21a that is not joined to the flat heat-transfer tubes 1. The non-junction region 21a is a portion of the flat-plate portion 21 situated between the flat heat-transfer tubes 1A and the flat heat-transfer tubes 1B. The interrow drain slit 23 is a through hole opened in the corrugated fin 2. Providing the interrow drain slit 23C in the non-junction region 21a makes it possible to improve drain capacity in a region where there is a decrease in heat-transfer performance. Although
In the heat exchanger 10B of this modification, the interrow drain slits 23C of the two rows are displaced from each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction.
The heat exchanger 10B of Embodiment 3 uses the interrow drain slits 23C as main drain slits. For this reason, the interrow drain slits 23C are drain slits that divide the plurality of louvers 22 into the first louver group 22A and the second louver group 22B. That is, the first louver group 22A is a louver group located further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the interrow drain slits 23C, and the second louver group 22B is a louver group located further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the interrow drain slits 230. Moreover, as described in Embodiment 1, the plate portions 22b of the first louver group 22A and the plate portions 22b of the second louver group 22B are inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other. Such a configuration causes condensed water having flowed along the plate portions 22b of the louvers 22 to be guided toward the interrow drain slits 23C of a lower fin section 24, making it possible to improve drainage capacity.
The opening area of each of the interrow drain slits 23C is larger than the opening area of each of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B. In this configuration, condensed water is guided toward the interrow drain slits 230. For this reason, since the opening area of each of the interrow drain slits 23C is larger than the opening area of each of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B, higher drainage capacity can be achieved than in a case in which the opening areas are equal to each other. Although it is preferable that from the point of view of improvement in drainage capacity that the opening area of each of the interrow drain slits 23C be larger than the opening area of each of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B, the opening areas may be equal to each other. Further, although an interrow drain slit 23C may be formed in one row, it is more preferable for a greater effect of improvement in drainage capacity that interrow drain slits 23C be formed in a plurality of rows. The first drain slits 23A, the second drain slits 23B, and the interrow drain slits 23C may be aligned to or displaced from each other in the tube side-by-side placement direction.
Incidentally, a comparison between the configuration of
As described above, the heat exchanger 10B of Embodiment 3 can bring about improvement in drainage capacity in addition to effects that are similar to those of Embodiment 2, as the interrow drain slits 23C are formed in a position corresponding to a space between each adjacent two of the rows of flat heat-transfer tubes 1 in the direction of flow of air. The plate portions 22b of the first louver group 22A located further upstream in the direction of flow of air than the interrow drain slits 23C and the plate portions 22b of the second louver group 22B located further downstream in the direction of flow of air than the interrow drain slits 230 are inclined to the flat-plate portion 21 and inclined in respective directions that are opposite to each other. This causes condensed water to be guided toward the interrow drain slits 230, making it possible to improve drainage capacity. Further, since the opening area of each of the interrow drain slits 230 is larger than the opening area of each of the first drain slits 23A and the second drain slits 23B, which are drain slits other than the interrow drain slits, higher drainage capacity can be achieved than in a case in which the opening areas are equal to each other.
Embodiment 4 is formed such that the upstream protruding portion 2a of a fin section 24 in the heat exchanger 10B of Embodiment 3 is thickened. The following description is focused on points of difference of Embodiment 4 from Embodiment 3, and configurations of Embodiment 4 that are similar to those of Embodiment 3 are not described.
In a case in which the heat exchanger 100 is used as an evaporator, condensed water is easily produced on the upstream protruding portion 2a of the corrugated fin 2, with which air collides first. For this reason, frost easily forms on the upstream protruding portion 2a under low-temperature air conditions, and the upstream protruding portion 2a is required to have the strength to withstand frost formation.
To address this problem, Embodiment 4 is formed such that the upstream protruding portion 2a of the corrugated fin 2 is thicker than a portion of the corrugated fin 2 that is other than the upstream protruding portion 2a. This makes it possible to ensure the strength of the upstream protruding portion 2a and inhibit deformation of the upstream protruding portion 2a in case of frost formation.
As described above, the heat exchanger 10C of Embodiment 4 brings about the following effects in addition to effects that are similar to those of Embodiment 3, as the upstream protruding portion 2a of the corrugated fin 2 is thicker than a portion of the corrugated fin 2 that is other than the upstream protruding portion 2a. That is, the strength of the upstream protruding portion 2a can be improved, and deformation of the upstream protruding portion 2a in a case in which frost forms on the upstream protruding portion 2a can be inhibited. When the upstream protruding portion 2a deforms, the flow passage of air is prevented, with the result that a deterioration in heat exchange capacity is invited. However, in Embodiment 4, heat exchange capacity can be maintained since deformation of the upstream protruding portion 2a can be inhibited.
The upstream protruding portion 2a thickened by folding back a portion of the fin protruding further upstream than the flat heat-transfer tubes 1. This makes it possible to easily form a thick upstream protruding portion 2a. From the point of view of ensuring the strength of the upstream protruding portion 2a, it is conceivable that the thickness of the whole corrugated fin may be increased. However, in this case, the thicknesses of the plate portions 22b of the louvers 22 increase too. This causes a decrease in the inter-louver air passage cross-sectional area and causes a deterioration in the capacity of drainage of condensed water through the space between the louvers. On the other hand, in the heat exchanger 10C of Embodiment 4, only the upstream protruding portion 2a is thickened. This allows the heat exchanger 10C of Embodiment 4 to improve the strength of the upstream protruding portion 2a without inviting a deterioration in drainage capacity.
Although Embodiment 4 is formed such that the upstream protruding portion 2a of the flat-plate portion 21 is thickened in the heat exchanger of Embodiment 3, Embodiment 4 may be formed such that the upstream protruding portion 2a of the flat-plate portion 21 is thickened in the heat exchanger of Embodiment 1 or 2.
Embodiment 5 relates to an air-conditioning apparatus as an example of a refrigeration cycle apparatus including a heat exchanger of any of Embodiments 1 to 4.
The air-conditioning apparatus uses a heat exchanger of any of Embodiments 1 to 4 as an outdoor heat exchanger 230. Note, however, that this is not intended to impose any limitation. A heat exchanger of any of Embodiments 1 to 4 may be used as an indoor heat exchanger 110, or heat exchangers of any of Embodiments 1 to 4 may be used as both the outdoor heat exchanger 230 and the indoor heat exchanger 110.
As shown in
The compressor 210 compresses and discharges sucked refrigerant. Although not limited in particular, the compressor 210 can change the capacity of the compressor 210 by arbitrarily varying the operating frequency, for example, through an inverter circuit or other circuits. The four-way valve 220 is a valve configured to switch the flows of refrigerant between cooling operation and heating operation.
The outdoor heat exchanger 230 exchanges heat between refrigerant and outdoor air. During heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 230 serves as an evaporator to evaporate and gasify the refrigerant. Further, during cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 230 serves as a condenser to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. The outdoor fan 240 sends the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 230 and facilitates heat exchange at the outdoor heat exchanger 230.
Meanwhile, the indoor unit 100 includes the indoor heat exchanger 110, a decompression device 120, and an indoor fan 130. The indoor heat exchanger 110 exchanges heat between air in a room to be air-conditioned and refrigerant. During heating operation, the indoor heat exchanger 110 serves as a condenser to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. Further, during cooling operation, the indoor heat exchanger 110 serves as an evaporator to evaporate and gasify the refrigerant.
The decompression device 120 decompresses and expands the refrigerant. The decompression device 120 is formed, for example, by an electronic expansion valve or other devices. In a case in which the decompression device 120 is formed by an electronic expansion valve, the decompression device 120 adjusts its opening degree in accordance with an instruction from a controller (not illustrated) or other devices. The indoor fan 130 passes the air in the room through the indoor heat exchanger 110 and supplies, into the room, the air passed through the indoor heat exchanger 110.
Next, the actions of the pieces of equipment of the air-conditioning apparatus are described with reference to the flow of refrigerant, First, heating operation is described. During heating operation, the four-way valve 220 is switched to a state illustrated by dotted lines of
Next, cooling operation is described. During cooling operation, the four-way valve 220 is switched to a state illustrated by solid lines of
Since the air-conditioning apparatus of Embodiment 5 includes a heat exchanger of any of Embodiments 1 to 4, it is possible to improve drainage capacity while maintaining heat-transfer performance in the heat exchanger.
Although, in Embodiment 5, the refrigeration cycle apparatus has been described as being an air-conditioning apparatus, this is not intended to impose any limitation. The refrigeration cycle apparatus may be a cooling apparatus configured to cool, for example, a refrigerating-freezing warehouse, a hot water supply apparatus, or other apparatuses.
1: flat heat-transfer tube, 1A: flat heat-transfer tube, 1B: flat heat-transfer tube, 1a: flat surface, 2: corrugated fin, 2a: upstream protruding portion, 3: header, 3A: header, 3B: header, 4: condensed water, 10: heat exchanger, 10A: heat exchanger, 10B: heat exchanger, 100: heat exchanger, 20: apex, 20a: drain apex, 20b: non-drain apex, 21: flat-plate portion, 21a: non-junction region, 22: louver, 22A: first louver group, 22B: second louver group, 22a: louver slit, 22b: plate portion, 23: drain slit, 23A: first drain slit, 23B: second drain slit, 230: interrow drain slit, 23a: opening, 24: fin section, 24A: fin section, 24B: fin section, 240: fin section, 30: apex built-up portion, 50: fin material, 100: indoor unit, 110: indoor heat exchanger, 120: decompression device, 130: indoor fan, 200: outdoor unit, 210: compressor, 220: four-way valve, 230: outdoor heat exchanger, 240: outdoor fan, 300: gas refrigerant pipe, 400: liquid refrigerant pipe, 500: fin material, 500a: opening, 501: corrugated cutter, 502: corrugated cutter, 503: heat-transfer region, 504: center line
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2021/015325 | 4/13/2021 | WO |
