Patent Application
20240318918
This application is based on and claims priority from Korean Application No. 10-2023-0037321, filed on Mar. 22, 2023, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger that easily discharges defrost water and has improved heat exchange performance.
Referring to these figures, a microchannel heat exchanger of the related art includes a top header 2 positioned to correspond to the top of a bottom header 1, a plurality of tubes 3 positioned between the top header 2 and the bottom header 1, and fins 6 positioned between the tubes 3. The bottom header 1 is formed in a hollow cylindrical shape and a plurality of header holes 4 is formed with regular intervals on a side of the outer surface forming the external shape thereof in the longitudinal direction of the bottom header 1 so that the tubes 3 are inserted and fixed therein.
In this configuration, the top header 2 positioned over the bottom header 1 to correspond to the bottom header 1 has the same shape as the bottom header 1. The tubes 3 are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the headers 1 and 2 with both longitudinal ends thereof fixed in the header holes 4, respectively.
Meanwhile, flowing air flows at a predetermined angle toward a surface connecting the longitudinal axes of the two headers 1 and 2, thereby passing through between the tubes 3 and the two headers 1 and 2. The tubes 3 have a length that is the distance between both ends fixed to the two headers 1 and 2, a thickness that is the distance perpendicular to the direction of flowing air, and a width that is the distance parallel with the flow direction of flowing air. The tubes 3 each have a rectangular plate shape having a width and a thickness such that they can be accommodated in the two headers 1 and 2, and each have a plurality of hollow channels 5 therein.
The fins 6 each have a thin plate shape and are installed between the tubes 3 while bending several times in a zigzag pattern. The fins 6 may be fixed while having various shapes, but, generally, it is preferable to form spaces so that the flow resistance of flowing air is minimized.
When a microchannel heat exchanger is used in an evaporator flow path of a refrigerator, the flow direction of air is unavoidably formed in the up-down direction in
Further, as another related art, in Patent Document 2, there is a problem in that although an existing fin-tube (round tube) heat exchanger is easy to manufacture, it is difficult to improve the heat exchange performance and a high pressure loss of air is generated by the structure.
An objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger that reduces airflow resistance and improves heat exchange efficiency when a microchannel heat exchanger having high heat exchange efficiency is applied to a refrigerator.
Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger that reduces flow resistance of a refrigerant and easily discharges defrost water when a microchannel heat exchanger having high heat exchange efficiency is applied to a refrigerator.
Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger that can reduce flow resistance of a refrigerant and can remove ice that is intensively produced on the lower ends of fins when a microchannel heat exchanger having high heat exchange efficiency is applied to a refrigerator.
The objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above and other objectives not stated above may be made apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description.
A heat exchanger is characterized in that headers extend in a direction parallel with a flow direction of air.
Further, a heat exchanger is characterized in that a width of refrigerant tubes in an up-down direction is larger than a width of the refrigerant tubes in a left-right direction.
Further, a heat exchanger is characterized in that an area of fins seen from above is smaller than an area of the fins seen from the front and smaller than an area of the fins seen from the side.
In detail, the present disclosure includes a plurality of front refrigerant tubes through which a refrigerant flows and that extends in a first direction, a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes through which a refrigerant flows and that extends in the first direction and is spaced apart from the plurality of front refrigerant tubes in a second direction crossing the first direction, fins that are disposed between the plurality of front refrigerant tubes and the plurality of rear refrigerant tubes to conduct heat and that extend in a third direction crossing the first direction and the second direction, a pair of front headers that is connected with both ends of the plurality of front refrigerant tubes and supplies a refrigerant, and a pair of rear headers that is connected with both ends of the plurality of rear refrigerant tubes and supplies a refrigerant, wherein the front headers and the rear headers extend in a direction parallel with the third direction.
A width of the front refrigerant tubes in the third direction may be larger than a width of the front refrigerant tubes in the second direction.
A width of the rear refrigerant tubes in the third direction may be larger than a width of the rear refrigerant tubes in the second direction.
The front refrigerant tubes may overlap the rear refrigerant tubes in the second direction.
The front refrigerant tubes and the rear refrigerant tubes may include a plurality of microchannels therein through which a refrigerant flows.
The plurality of front refrigerant tubes may be spaced apart from each other in the third direction.
The plurality of front refrigerant tubes may be disposed to overlap each other when seen in the third direction.
The front headers and the rear headers may be disposed to overlap when seen in the second direction.
The flow direction of air may be parallel with the second direction.
A pitch of the plurality of front refrigerant tubes may be larger than a width of the front refrigerant tubes in the third direction.
An area of the fins seen in the first direction may be larger than an area of the fins seen in the third direction.
The fins may be in contact with one surface of the plurality of front refrigerant tubes and one surface of the plurality of rear refrigerant tubes.
The fins may be in contact with the widest surface among surfaces of the plurality of front refrigerant tubes and may be in contact with the widest surface among surfaces of the plurality of rear refrigerant tubes.
Air may flow in the third direction and the density of the fins may decrease toward an inflow side of the air.
Further, a heat exchanger of the present disclosure includes a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which a refrigerant flows and that extends in a left-right direction, fins that are connected with the plurality of refrigerant tubes to conduct heat, and a pair of headers that is connected with both ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes and supplies a refrigerant, wherein a width of the refrigerant tubes in an up-down direction may be larger than a width of the refrigerant tubes in a front-rear direction.
Further, the present disclosure may further include an air intake port that is positioned lower than the fins and through which air is suctioned, and an air discharge port that is positioned higher than the fins and through which suctioned air is discharged.
Density of the fins may decrease toward the air intake port.
The fins may be divided into a lower region and an upper region positioned higher than the lower region, and the density of the fins in the lower region may be lower than the density of the fins in the upper region.
The fins may be divided into a left region adjacent to a left end of the fins, a right region adjacent to a right end of the fins, and a central region between the left region and the right region, and the density of the fins in the central region may be lower than the density of the fins in the left region and density of the fins in the right region.
Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving those of the present invention will become apparent upon referring to embodiments described later in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, embodiments are not limited to the embodiments disclosed hereinafter and may be embodied in different ways. The embodiments are provided for perfection of disclosure and for informing persons skilled in this field of art of the scope of the present invention. The same reference numerals may refer to the same elements throughout the specification.
Spatially-relative terms such as “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”, or “upper” may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the Figures. It will be understood that spatially-relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the Figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements would then be oriented “above” the other elements. The exemplary terms “below” or “beneath” can, therefore, encompass both an orientation of above and below. Since the device may be oriented in another direction, the spatially-relative terms may be interpreted in accordance with the orientation of the device.
The terminology used in the present disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. As used in the disclosure and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
In the drawings, the thickness or size of each layer is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience of description and clarity. Also, the size or area of each constituent element does not entirely reflect the actual size thereof.
Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
The cooling system of the refrigerator according to the embodiment may include a compressor 20 that compresses a refrigerant, a condenser 20 in which a refrigerant condenses by exchanging heat with exterior air, an expansion device 12 in which a refrigerant expands, and an evaporator 40 in which a refrigerant evaporates by exchanging heat with air in the refrigerator.
The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 10 can condense by exchanging heat with exterior air while passing through the condenser 20. The condenser 20 is positioned in a machine room S provided in the body 1.
The refrigerant that has condensed in the condenser 20 can flow to the expansion device 12 and expand therein. The refrigerant expanded by the expansion device 12 can evaporate by exchanging heat with interior air while passing through the evaporator 40. The evaporator 40 is disposed to exchange heat with air in the storing chamber 2.
The refrigerant that has evaporated in the evaporator 40 can return to the compressor 10.
A refrigerant operates in a refrigerant cycle while circulating through the compressor 10, the condenser 20, the expansion device 12, and the evaporator 40.
A compressor intake flow path that guides the refrigerator, which has passed through the evaporator 40, to the compressor 10 may be connected to the compressor 10. An accumulator 14 in which a liquid refrigerant is accumulated may be installed in the compressor intake flow path.
The machine room S may be positioned at the rear lower portion in the body 1. The machine room S may be formed in a shape extending to both sides along the rear surface of the body 1.
The machine room S may include a rear surface cover 30. The rear surface cover 30 may be provided to be able to open and close the rear surface of the machine room S. The rear surface cover 30 may have an air intake port 31 through which air is suctioned into the machine room S and an air discharge port 32 through which air in the machine room S is discharged. A plurality of air intake ports 31 and a plurality of air discharge ports 32 may be provided. The air intake port 31 and the air discharge port 32 may be disposed at different positions or positions facing each other on the rear surface cover 30.
A condenser fan 15 that blows exterior air to the condenser 20 may be installed in the machine room S. An evaporator fan 16 that blows interior air to the evaporator 40 may be installed.
A refrigerator was described as an example of air conditioners, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and includes a common air conditioning system that cools and heats the interior.
A condenser and an evaporator may be heat exchangers. Hereafter, an evaporator is mainly described for heat exchangers.
Referring to
The heat exchangers 100 may be arranged in a plurality of rows or the traveling direction of a refrigerant may be alternately changed in one row.
The heat exchanger 100 may be installed in a refrigerator. In detail, the heat exchanger 100 may be installed in an evaporator flow path. The evaporator flow path may be defined as a space between an air intake port 16 positioned under the heat exchanger 100 and an air discharge port 17 positioned over the heat exchanger 100.
Air in a refrigerator compartment may be suctioned through the air intake port 16, may exchange heat with the heat exchanger 100, and then may be supplied to a freezer compartment through the air discharge port 17. Accordingly, air flows upward from the lower portion.
For example, the heat exchanger 100 includes a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 through which a refrigerant flows, fins 60 connected with the refrigerant tubes 50 and conducting heat, and headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 coupled to ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 and supplying a refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50.
A refrigerant tube 50 has a small inner diameter and maximizes a contact area with air while a refrigerant flows therein. A plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 is connected to the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82. The refrigerant tubes 50 extend in a direction crossing the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82.
A refrigerant tube 50 may extend in a first direction and a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 may be stacked in a third direction crossing the first direction.
In detail, a refrigerant tube 50 may be elongated in a horizontal (left-right) direction LeRi and a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 may be stacked vertically (in a longitudinal direction) UD. The plurality of vertically stacked refrigerant tubes 50 defines a heat exchange surface with the fins 60 to be described below. That is, the first direction may be a left-right direction, the second direction may be a front-rear direction, and the third direction may be an up-down direction.
The refrigerant tube 50 may include a plurality of microchannels 50a therein. The plurality of microchannels 50a provides spaces through which a refrigerant passes. The plurality of microchannels 50a may extend parallel with the refrigerant tubes 50.
In detail, as shown in
Further, the third-directional widths W1 and W3 of the refrigerant tubes 50 may be larger than the second-directional widths W2 and W4 of the refrigerant tubes 50. That is, the up-down width of the refrigerant tubes 50 is larger than the front-rear width of the refrigerant tubes 50 and smaller than the left-fight length of the refrigerant tubes 50.
Accordingly, when the cross-sectional shape of the refrigerant tubes 50 is a rectangular shape of which the up-down side is longer than the front-rear side, there is the advantage that it is possible to reduce flow resistance against air flowing in the up-down direction.
The microchannels 50a are usually stacked in one row in a direction (up-down direction) crossing the length direction of the refrigerant tubes 50. The microchannels 50a are stacked in one row in the up-down direction, whereby it is possible to reduce flow resistance against air flowing in the up-down direction.
The pitch P1 of the refrigerant tubes 50 may be larger than the third-directional widths W1 and W3 of the refrigerant tubes 50.
The refrigerant tubes 50 may include a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 through which a refrigerant flows and that extends in the first direction and a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52 through which a refrigerant flows and that extends in the first direction and is spaced apart from the plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 in the second direction crossing the first direction.
The front refrigerant tubes 51 and the rear refrigerant tubes 52 extend in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction.
The third-directional width W1 of the front refrigerant tubes 51 may be larger than the second-directional width W2 of the front refrigerant tubes 51. The third-directional width W3 of the rear refrigerant tubes 52 may be larger than the second-directional width W4 of the rear refrigerant tubes 52.
The front refrigerant tubes 51 may or may not overlap the rear refrigerant tubes 52 in the second direction, but, in consideration of adhesion with the fins 60, the front refrigerant tubes 51 may overlap the rear refrigerant tubes 52 in the second direction (front-rear direction).
The plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 may be spaced apart from each other in the third direction (up-down direction) and the plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 may be disposed to overlap each other when seen in the third direction.
The plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52 may be spaced apart from each other in the third direction (up-down direction) and the plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52 may be disposed to overlap each other when seen in the third direction.
The distance between the front refrigerant tubes 51 and the rear refrigerant tubes 52 may be larger than the up-down width of the refrigerant tubes 50.
The uppermost front refrigerant tube 51 may be defined as a first front refrigerant tube 51a, the front refrigerant tube 51 positioned under the first front refrigerant tube 51a may be defined as a second front refrigerant tube 51b, and the lowermost front refrigerant tube 51 may be defined as an n-th front refrigerant tube 51n.
The uppermost rear refrigerant tube 52 may be defined as a first rear refrigerant tube 52a, the rear refrigerant tube 52 positioned under the first rear refrigerant tube 52a may be defined as a second rear refrigerant tube 52b, and the lowermost rear refrigerant tube 52 may be defined as an n-th rear refrigerant tube 52n.
The fins 60 transmit heat of the refrigerant tubes 50. The fins 60 improve heat dissipation performance by increasing the contact area with air.
The fins 60 may be connected with the refrigerant tubes 50. As another example, the fins 60 may be disposed between refrigerant tubes 50 adjacent to each other. The fins 60 may be disposed between a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 and a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52.
The fins 60 may have various shapes but may be formed by bending a plate having a width larger than the up-down width of the refrigerant tubes 50. The fins 60 may be coated with a clad (not shown).
The fins 60 can conduct heat while connecting two refrigerant tubes 50 stacked in the front-rear direction. The fins 60 may be in direct contact with the refrigerant tubes 50 or may be connected with the refrigerant tubes 50 through a sacrifice sheet (not shown).
The fins 60 may extend in the up-down direction to easily discharge defrost water without increasing flow resistance of air flowing in the up-down direction.
In detail, the area of the fins 60 seen in the first direction may be larger than the areas of the fins 60 seen in the second direction and the third direction. The area of the fins 60 seen from above may be smaller than the area of the fins 60 seen from the front and the area of the fins 60 seen from the side.
The fins 60 define a surface crossing the front-rear direction and define a surface crossing the left-right direction. The fins 60 define air flow paths 60a through which air passes in a direction parallel with the up-down direction.
The fins 60 may be in contact with one surface of a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 and one surface of a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52. The fins 60 may be in contact with the rear surface of a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 and the fins 60 may be in contact with the front surface of a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52.
The fins 60 may be in contact with the widest surface of surfaces of a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51 and may be in contact with the widest surface of surfaces of a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52. The fins 60 may be coupled to the refrigerant tubes 50 by brazing.
The density of the fins 60 is not limited, but it is preferable that the density of the fins 60 decreases toward the inflow side of air. It is preferable that the closer the fins 60 to the air intake port 16, the smaller the density of the fins 60.
Since the inflow side of air is the lower portion, the density of the fins 60 may decrease toward the lower portion.
In this case, the density of the fins 60 may mean the number of fins 60 per unit area or unit length when a plurality of fins 60 is disposed separately from each other. Further, when fins 60 are formed by bending one plate, it is possible to define that the density of the fins 60 is low when the bending gap is small.
Since the density of the fins 60 decreases toward the flow side of air, it is possible to reduce ice that is intensively produced on the lower ends of the fins 60, and, as a result, it is possible to improve heat exchange efficiency.
The headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 may be coupled to ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 and may supply a refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. Further, the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 may be coupled to ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 and may collect and supply a refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant tubes 50 to another device.
The headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 may have a diameter, an inner diameter, or a size larger than that of the refrigerant tubes 50. In detail, the diameter of the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 may be larger than the up-down width of the refrigerant tubes 50.
The headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 extend in the up-down direction. When the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 extend in the up-down direction, there is an advantage that it is possible to reduce flow resistance of air flowing in the up-down direction and there is another advantage that defrost water produced at the headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 is discharged downward.
The headers 71, 72, 81, and 82 may include a pair of front headers 71 and 72 and a pair of rear headers 81 and 82. The pair of front headers 71 and 72 is connected to both ends of a plurality of front refrigerant tubes 51. The front headers 71 and 72 are connected to the left end and the right end of the front refrigerant tubes 51, respectively, and supply a refrigerant to the front refrigerant tubes 51 or collect a refrigerant discharged from the front refrigerant tubes 51.
The pair of rear headers 81 and 82 is connected to both ends of a plurality of rear refrigerant tubes 52. The rear headers 81 and 82 are connected to the left end and the right end of the rear refrigerant tubes 52, respectively, and supply a refrigerant to the rear refrigerant tubes 52 or collect a refrigerant discharged from the rear refrigerant tubes 52.
The front headers 71 and 72 and the rear headers 81 and 82 extend in a direction parallel with the up-down direction, thereby being able to reduce flow resistance of air flowing in the up-down direction.
The positions of the front headers 71 and 72 and the rear headers 81 and 82 are not limited, but it is preferable that the front headers 71 and 72 and the rear headers 81 and 82 are disposed to overlap when seen in the front-rear direction.
Referring to
The air that has exchanged heat through the heat exchanger 100 is discharged through the air discharge port 17 and the discharged air is supplied to a freezer compartment.
Referring to
Fins 60-1 of the second embodiment may be arranged as a structure in which the fins 60 are omitted in some regions or a structure that has a region in which the density of the tins 60 is low.
Hereafter, the difference from the first embodiment is mainly described and configurations that are not specifically described are considered as being the same as those of the first embodiment.
The fins 60-1 are divided into a lower region and an upper region positioned higher than the lower region, and the density of the fins 60-1 in the lower region may be lower than the density of the fins 60-1 in the upper region.
In this case, the meaning that the density of the fins 60-1 is relatively low includes the case in which there is no fin 60-1.
The fins 60-1 may be divided into a left region adjacent to the left end of the fins 60-1, a right region adjacent to the right end of the fins 60-1, and a central region between the left region and the right region, and the density of the fins 60-1 in the central region may be lower than the density of the fins 60-1 in the left region and the density of the fins 60-1 in the right region.
Accordingly, since the regions in which ice is intensively produced in the heat exchanger are the lower portion and the middle portion of the fins 60-1, it is possible to reduce production of ice by omitting the fins 60-1 or decreasing the density of the fins 60-1 at the lower portion and the middle portion.
Referring to
Hereafter, the difference from the first embodiment is mainly described and configurations that are not specifically described are considered as being the same as those of the first embodiment.
Fins 60 of the third embodiment may include first-row fins 61 and second-row fins 62. The first-row fins 61 and the second-row fins 62 have the same structure as the fins 60 of the first embodiment.
The first-row fins 61 may be disposed between front refrigerant tubes 51 and rear refrigerant tubes 52. The second-row fins 62 may be disposed behind the rear refrigerant tubes 52 and connected with the rear refrigerant tubes 52.
As another example, the second-row fins 62 may be disposed ahead of the front refrigerant tubes 51 and connected with the front refrigerant tubes 51.
Accordingly, it is possible to adjust the heat exchange efficiency to fit the space in a refrigerator by increasing the number of rows of the fins 60 and it is possible to not greatly increase flow resistance of air when adjusting the number of rows of the fins 60.
Referring to
Hereafter, the difference from the first embodiment is mainly described and configurations that are not specifically described are considered as being the same as those of the first embodiment.
Fins 60 of the fourth embodiment may include first-row fins 61, second-row fins 62, and third-row fins 63. The first-row fins 61, the second-row fins 62, and the third-row fins 63 have the same structure as the fins 60 of the first embodiment.
The first-row fins 61 may be disposed between front refrigerant tubes 51 and rear refrigerant tubes 52. The second-row fins 62 may be disposed behind the rear refrigerant tubes 52 and connected with the rear refrigerant tubes 52. The third-row fins 63 may be disposed ahead of the front refrigerant tubes 51 and connected with the front refrigerant tubes 51.
Accordingly, it is possible to adjust the heat exchange efficiency to fit the space in a refrigerator by increasing the number of rows of the fins 60 and it is possible to not greatly increase flow resistance of air when adjusting the number of rows of the fins 60.
A heat exchanger of the present disclosure has one or more effects as follows.
First, according to the present disclosure, since headers that supply a refrigerant to refrigerant tubes are installed parallel with the flow direction of air and the widths of the refrigerant tubes are large in the flow direction of the refrigerant and small in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the refrigerant, there is the advantage that the heat exchange efficiency is improved while the refrigerant tubes and the headers do not greatly increase flow resistance of air flowing through an evaporator flow path.
Second, according to the present disclosure, since fins connected with refrigerant tubes extend in a direction parallel with the flow direction of air and are bent in a zigzag pattern in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of air, there is the advantage that defrost water and dew produced on the outer surface of the fins are easily discharged downward along the fins while flow resistance of air flowing through an evaporator flow path is not greatly increased.
Third, according to the present disclosure, there is the advantage that it is possible to remove ice that is intensively produced on the lower end of fins by making the density of fins at a central lower end lower than the density of other regions of the fins or omitting fins at the central lower end.
Further, the present disclosure has the advantage of improving heat exchange efficiency and reducing airflow resistance while applying a microchannel heat exchanger having high heat exchange efficiency to a refrigerator.
The above described features, configurations, effects, and the like are included in at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, and should not be limited to only one embodiment. In addition, the features, configurations, effects, and the like as illustrated in each embodiment may be implemented with regard to other embodiments as they are combined with one another or modified by those skilled in the art. Thus, content related to these combinations and modifications should be construed as including in the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0037321 | Mar 2023 | KR | national |
