Patent Application
20120080173
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger assembly having multiple heat exchangers.
In at least one embodiment a heat exchanger assembly is provided. The heat exchanger assembly includes first and second heat exchangers having a tube-fin construction. The first heat exchanger is configured to cool a first fluid. The second heat exchanger is disposed adjacent to the first heat exchanger and has a first portion for cooling the first fluid and a second portion for cooling a second fluid. Cooling air passes through the first heat exchanger before passing through the second heat exchanger.
In at least one embodiment, a heat exchanger assembly is provided. The heat exchanger assembly includes first and second heat exchangers. The first heat exchanger has a first core having a tube-fin construction for cooling a refrigerant. The second heat exchanger has a second core having a tube-fin construction that is spaced apart from the first core. The second core has a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is fluidly coupled to the first core. The second portion is disposed below the first portion and is configured to cool a second fluid. Cooling air passes through the first core before passing through the second core. Refrigerant is cooled by the second heat exchanger before being cooled by the first heat exchanger.
In at least one embodiment, a heat exchanger assembly is provided. The heat exchanger assembly includes first and second heat exchangers disposed substantially parallel to each other. The first heat exchanger has a first core having a tube-fin construction for cooling a refrigerant. The second heat exchanger has a second core having a tube-fin construction that is spaced apart from the first core. The first and second heat exchangers are fluidly coupled such that the first heat exchanger receives refrigerant that has been cooled by the second heat exchanger. The first heat exchanger is disposed upstream of the second heat exchanger such that cooling air passes through the first core before passing through the second core. In addition, the first heat exchanger has more refrigerant cooling passes than the second heat exchanger.
Detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. In addition, any or all features from one embodiment may be combined with any other embodiment. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.
Referring to
The heat exchanger assembly 10 may include a first heat exchanger 20 and a second heat exchanger 22. In at least one embodiment, the first heat exchanger 20 may be positioned upstream from the second heat exchanger 22 such that cooling air 24 located outside the heat exchanger assembly 10 passes through openings in the first heat exchanger 20 before passing through openings in the second heat exchanger 22.
Referring to
The first heat exchanger 20 may have a first core 30 that may have a tube-fin construction. As such, the first core 30 may include a plurality of tubes 32 and a plurality of fins 34. The tubes 32 may be spaced apart from each other and disposed in a substantially parallel relationship. Each tube 32 may define at least one passage 36 through which fluid may pass. A fin 34 may be disposed between and may be attached to adjacent tubes 32. The fin 34 may be a louvered fin having a generally serpentine construction that may extend the length of an associated tube 32. The fin 34 may be configured to route cooling air 24 through openings in the fin 34 to facilitate heat transfer from the core 30 to the cooling air 24 and the surrounding environment.
First and second headers 40, 42 may be disposed at opposite ends of the first core 30. The first and second headers 40, 42 may include a plurality of openings that each receive a tube 32. As such, the first and second headers 40, 42 may receive and/or direct the first fluid through the tubes 32 of the first core 30. In at least one embodiment, the first and second headers 40, 42 may include one or more baffles 44 for directing the first fluid on multiple passes through the core 30.
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The first pass 50 may be disposed at the top of the first heat exchanger 20. The first fluid may enter the second header 42 through an inlet 56 and may be distributed by the second header 42 to a plurality of tubes 32 associated with the first pass 50. The first fluid may flow through the tubes 32 of the first pass 50 in a first direction from the second header 42 to the first header 40. A baffle 44 in the second header 42 may prevent the first fluid from flowing through the second header 42 to tubes 32 associated with the second pass 52. In at least one embodiment, the number of tubes 32 and fins 34 or height of the first pass 50 may be less than that of a portion of the second heat exchanger 22 that may be upstream from or supply the first fluid to the first pass 50.
The second pass 52 may be disposed directly below and adjacent to the first pass 50. The first fluid may flow downwardly through the first header 40 from the first pass 50 and may be distributed by the first header 40 to a plurality of tubes 32 associated with the second pass 52. The first fluid may flow through the tubes 32 of the second pass 52 in a second direction from the first header 40 to the second header 42. A baffle 44 in the first header 40 may prevent the first fluid from flowing through the first header 40 to tubes 32 associated with the third pass 54. In at least one embodiment, the number of tubes 32 and fins 34 or height of the second pass 52 may be less than that of the first pass 50.
The third pass 54 may be disposed directly below and adjacent to the second pass 52. The first fluid may flow downwardly through the second header 42 from the second pass 52 and may be distributed by the second header 42 to a plurality of tubes 32 associated with the third pass 54. The first fluid may flow through the tubes 32 of the third pass 54 from the second header 42 to the first header 40 in the same direction as the first pass 50. The first fluid may then exit the first header 40 through an outlet 58. In at least one embodiment, the number of tubes 32 and fins 34 or height of the third pass 54 may be less than that of the second pass 52.
A receiver-dryer 60 may be provided with the first heat exchanger 20. The receiver-dryer 60 may store fluid and may include a desiccant that absorbs small amounts of water moisture from the fluid. The receiver-dryer 60 may be disposed in a header, such as the second header 42 proximate the second and/or third passes 52, 54. Alternatively, the receiver-dryer 60 may be provided outside of a header 40, 42 and may be fluidly connected to the first heat exchanger 20 via additional tubes.
Referring to
The second heat exchanger 22 may have a second core 30′ that may have a tube-fin construction similar to the first core 30 of the first heat exchanger 20. As such, the second core 30′ may include a plurality of tubes 32 and a plurality of fins 34 having similar characteristics as the first core 30. The second heat exchanger 22 may also include first and second headers 40′, 42′ similar to the first and second headers 40, 42 of the first heat exchanger 20. The second core 30′ may be spaced apart from the first core 30 by a gap 62 (as best shown in
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In at least one embodiment, the first portion 70 may be configured as a single pass. The first fluid may enter the first header 42′ through an inlet 56′ and may be distributed by the first header 42′ to a plurality of tubes 32. The first fluid may flow through the tubes 32 from the first header 40′ to the second header 42′ and then exit the second header 42′ via an outlet 58′. The outlet 58′ may be fluidly connected to the first heat exchanger 20 as will be described in more detail below. Baffles 44 in the first and second headers 40′, 42′ may prevent the first fluid from flowing through the first and second headers 40′, 42′ to tubes 32 associated with the second portion 72.
The second portion 72 may have a single pass or a multiple pass configuration. In the embodiment shown, the second portion 72 is shown with first and second passes 80, 82. In one or more embodiments, the tubes of the second portion 72 may have a larger hydraulic diameter than tubes of the first portion 70.
The first pass 80 may be disposed at the top of the second portion 72 adjacent to the first portion 70. The first fluid may enter the second header 42′ through a second portion inlet 84 and may be distributed by the second header 42′ to a plurality of tubes 32 associated with the first pass 80. The first fluid may flow through the tubes 32 of the first pass 80 in a first direction from the second header 42′ to the first header 40′. A baffle 44 in the second header 42′ may prevent the second fluid from flowing through the second header 42′ to one or more tubes 32 associated with the second pass 80.
The second pass 82 may be disposed directly below and adjacent to the first pass 80. The second fluid may flow downwardly through the first header 40′ from the first pass 80 and may be distributed by the first header 80 to one or more tubes associated with the second pass 82. The second fluid may flow in a second direction from the first header 40′ to the second header 42′ through one or more enlarged tubes 86 that may have a larger hydraulic diameter than individual tubes associated with the first pass 80. In at least one embodiment, the number of tubes 32 and fins 34 or height of the second pass 82 may be less than that of the first pass 80. The second fluid may then exit the second header 42′ through an outlet 88.
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While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
