Patent Application
20240328724
This application is based on and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202320698856.5 filed on Mar. 31, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
The present disclosure relates to a field of heat exchange technologies, and more particularly to a heat exchanger.
A refrigerant vapor in a compression system will become into a gas-liquid two-phase state after passing through a throttling device and then arrives at an inlet of an evaporator. The gas-liquid separation of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant will lead to uneven distribution of the refrigerant entering the heat exchange tube. Some channels have less liquid flow rate and evaporate prematurely, thus resulting in a too large superheat at the channel outlet. However, some channels have too much liquid flow rate, thus resulting in a too little superheat at the channel outlet. Both of the above two make the heat exchange area of the evaporator not fully utilized. Thus, whether the two-phase refrigerant fluid, especially the liquid in it, can be evenly distributed into each channel for heat exchange is the key for the design and structure of the evaporator.
Embodiments of the present disclosure propose a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first tube, a second tube, an inlet tube, and a heat exchange tube. The first tube extends along a length direction of the heat exchanger, and the second tube extends along the length direction of the heat exchanger. The inlet tube is connected to the first tube, and the first heat exchange tube has a plurality of flow channels. Two ends of the first heat exchange tube are correspondingly inserted into a tube cavity of the first tube and a tube cavity of the second tube. A section of the first heat exchange tube inserted into the first tube has a flow inlet, and a first part of the flow inlet has a height difference relative to a second part of the flow inlet in a height direction of the heat exchanger.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing are illustrative. It should be understood that the embodiments described are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.
A heat exchanger 100 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described below with reference to
The heat exchanger 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first tube 1, a second tube 2, an inlet tube 3, and a heat exchange tube 4.
The first tube 1 extends along a length direction of the heat exchanger 100, and the second tube 2 extends along the length direction of the heat exchanger 100 (a left-right direction shown in
In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the height direction of the heat exchanger 100 means that when the heat exchanger 100 is in use, the first tube 1 is arranged in a horizontal direction, that is, a length direction of the first tube 1 is generally parallel to the horizontal direction, and a vertical direction at this time is the height direction of the heat exchanger 100.
The flow inlet is defined as a port through which the liquid or gaseous refrigerant flows into the first heat exchange tube 4. The liquid or gaseous refrigerant may flow into a tube cavity of the first heat exchange tube 4 through this flow inlet, and then flow into the second tube 2.
When the refrigerant enters the first tube from the inlet tube 3, part of the gaseous refrigerant will be mixed into the liquid refrigerant. Therefore, when the liquid refrigerant mixed with the gaseous refrigerant enters the first tube 1 from the inlet tube 3, the cavitation will occur. As a result, the refrigerant in the first tube 1 is stirred and is unable to be evenly and timely distributed into each flow channel of the first heat exchange tube 4. Furthermore, the refrigerant continuously enters part of the flow channels of the first heat exchange tube 4 due to the cavitation, resulting in an excessive flow rate in the part of the flow channels and a corresponding increase in a flow speed of the refrigerant in the tube cavity. Thus, part of the liquid refrigerant that has not evaporated timely may be carried to an outlet of the evaporator, thereby resulting in a liquid hammer phenomenon of a compressor and causing damages on the compressor. The other part of the flow channels enters an overheated state prematurely due to the entry of a small amount of the refrigerant.
In the heat exchanger 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, based on the principle of different densities of the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant, the first part of the flow inlet of the first heat exchange tube 4 has the height difference relative to the second part of the flow inlet in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, and the gaseous refrigerant in the first tube 1 is timely discharged through the higher part of the flow inlet, thus avoiding the problem of cavitation caused by the gaseous refrigerant stirring the liquid refrigerant. As a result, the liquid refrigerant may be evenly distributed in the lower part of the flow inlet. That is, the first part of the flow inlet of the first heat exchange tube 4 has the height difference relative to the second part of the flow inlet in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, which creates a condition for the timely discharge of the gaseous refrigerant in the first tube 1. Thus, the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure optimizes the distribution of the refrigerant and improves the heat exchange efficiency of the first heat exchange tube 4.
Therefore, the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages of optimizing the distribution of the refrigerant and improving the heat exchange efficiency of the first heat exchange tube 4.
Specifically, the first tube 1 is a first header, and the second tube 2 is a second header.
As shown in
In the heat exchanger 100 according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the first heat exchange tube 4 is divided into the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 successively arranged in the width direction of the heat exchanger 4, and the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 is lower than the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42. Thus, a plurality of flow channels may be formed through spacing by wall surfaces of the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 themselves. As a result, this helps to ensure the independence and sealing of the flow channels.
Optionally, the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 may be integrally formed or be formed by welding. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this, and in other embodiments, a partition plate may be arranged in the first heat exchange tube 4 so that the first heat exchange tube 4 is divided into the plurality of flow channels. Therefore, the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages of a simple structure and a high processing convenience.
Specifically, the flow inlets corresponding to the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 are ports that allow the liquid or gaseous refrigerant to flow thereinto accordingly. The first partitioned tube 41 has a first heat exchange cavity, a first flow inlet and a first flow outlet. The second partitioned tube 42 has a second heat exchange cavity, a second flow inlet and a second flow outlet. The first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 is lower than the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100. In the heat exchanger 100, the gaseous refrigerant in the first tube 1 is timely discharged by the higher second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42, thus avoiding the problem of cavitation caused by the gaseous refrigerant stirring the liquid refrigerant. As a result, the liquid refrigerant with a higher cooling efficiency may be evenly distributed in the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41. Therefore, the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages of optimizing the distribution of the refrigerant and improving the heat exchange efficiency of the first heat exchange tube 4.
As shown in
In the heat exchanger 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, the first end portion 411 is higher than the second end portion 412, and the length of the first tube 41 inserted into the tube cavity of the first tube 1 is less than the length of the second partitioned tube 42 inserted into the tube cavity of the first tube 1. The uniform distribution of the refrigerant may be realized only by controlling the positions of the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 and the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 during installation, and compared with the way of installing the distribution tube, the first heat exchange tube in the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure can achieve the distribution of the refrigerant through its own structure. Therefore, the heat exchanger 100 has the advantages of a simple structure and a high installing convenience.
This type of heat exchanger 100 has the following forms, one of which is shown in
Optionally, a plurality of first heat exchange tubes 4 may be provided, and the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 4 are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the heat exchanger 100.
Alternatively, the first part of the flow inlet of each first heat exchange tube 4 has the height difference relative to the second part of the flow inlet in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, as shown in
The heat exchanger 100 may also include a second heat exchange tube 5, and the second heat exchange tube 5 has a flush (i.e. flat) port. That is, a flow inlet of the second heat exchange tube 5 may be arranged without a height difference in the height direction of the heat exchanger, as shown in
In another form, as shown in
Optionally, the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 are arranged in parallel.
The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, as shown in
Specifically, this type of heat exchanger 100 has the following forms.
One of the forms is shown in
Another form is shown in
The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. For example, as shown in
In the width direction of the heat exchanger 100, the first partitioned tube 41, the second partitioned tube 42 and the third partitioned tube 43 are successively arranged, and in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, the third flow inlet 431 of the third partitioned tube 43 is lower than at least one of the first flow inlet and the second flow inlet. Thus, the distribution of the refrigerant may be better optimized and the heat exchange efficiency of the first heat exchange tube 4 may be improved.
Specifically, in
As shown in
In other words, the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 includes the first port 413 of the first partitioned tube 41, or the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 is arranged at the first through hole 414 of the first partitioned tube 41. Or, the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 includes the first port 413 of the first partitioned tube 41 and the first flow hole 414 arranged on the first partitioned tube 41. The second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 includes the second port 421 of the second partitioned tube 42, or the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 is arranged at the second through hole 422 of the second partitioned tube 42. Or, the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 includes the second port 421 of the second partitioned tube 42 and the second flow hole 422 arranged on the second partitioned tube 42.
For example, as shown in
For example, as shown in
For example, as shown in
For example, as shown in
A plurality of the first flow holes 414 are provided. It may be that part of the first flow holes 414 on the first partitioned tube 41 are lower than the second port 421 of the second partitioned tube 42 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, or it also may be that all the first flow holes 414 on the first partitioned tube 41 are lower than the second port 421 of the second partitioned tube 42 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100.
As shown in
Furthermore, a width direction of the first heat exchange tube 4 (such as the front-rear direction shown in
Specifically, as shown in
The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, as shown in
In
In this case, the at least part of the port of the first tube section of the heat exchange tube 4, which is inserted into the first tube 1 by a larger length, serves as the second port 421 in terms of their functions, and the whole port of the first tube section of the heat exchange tube 4, which is inserted into the first tube 1 by a smaller length, serves as the first port 413 in terms of their functions.
In
In this case, the lower part of the port of the first tube section of each heat exchange tube 4 serves as the first port 413, and the upper part of the port of the first tube section of each heat exchange tube 4 serves as the second port 421.
In the heat exchanger 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100, the first part of the flow inlet of the first heat exchange tube 4 has the height difference relative to the second part of the flow inlet of the first heat exchange tube 4 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100. Therefore, the gaseous refrigerant in the first tube 1 may be timely discharged through a higher flow channel, which may avoid the problem of uneven distribution of the refrigerant due to cavitation of the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant. Therefore, the heat exchanger 100 in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages of further optimizing the distribution of the refrigerant and improving the heat exchange efficiency of the first heat exchange tube 4.
For example, the first partitioned tube 41 may be a V-shaped tube, as shown in
The height difference between the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 and the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100 is ΔH, and the hydraulic diameter of the first tube 1 is D, which two satisfy a condition: 1/12D<ΔH<D.
In the heat exchanger 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the height difference ΔH between the first flow inlet of the first partitioned tube 41 and the second flow inlet of the second partitioned tube 42 in the height direction of the heat exchanger 100 and the hydraulic diameter D of the first tube 1 satisfy the condition: 1/12D<ΔH<D, thus avoiding the problem of inability to circulate the refrigerant caused by an end portion of the second partitioned tube 42 abutting against a wall surface of the first tube 1 due to a too large height difference, and also avoiding the inability to achieve the gas-liquid separation due to a too small height difference.
A ratio of a total sectional area of the flow channels in the second partitioned tube 42 to a total sectional area of the flow channels in the first partitioned tube 41 is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 0.5.
In the heat exchanger 100 of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the ratio of the total sectional area of the flow channels in the second partitioned tube 42 to the total sectional area of the flow channels in the first partitioned tube 41 is greater than or equal to 0.05 and less than or equal to 0.5. This may avoid a too large ratio, which otherwise will cause the inability of the liquid refrigerant to enter the part of the first heat exchange tube 4 with the high height and hence cause the problem of the low overall heat exchange efficiency, even though the gaseous refrigerant may be timely exported. Moreover, this may also avoid the problem that the ratio is too small to timely discharge the gaseous refrigerant in the first tube 1, which otherwise will result in poor refrigerant distribution rationality.
As shown in
The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. For example, in other embodiments, as shown in
Specifically, the first partitioned tube 41 may have one of a V shape, a U shape, an S shape, and a serpentine shape, and the second partitioned tube 42 may also have one of a V shape, a S shape and a serpentine shape. Thus, the gaseous refrigerant in the first partitioned tube 41 and the second partitioned tube 42 fully carries out heat exchange with the air.
Optionally, the shape of the first partitioned tube 41 may be consistent with that of the second partitioned tube 42.
In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial” and “circumferential” and the like, is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, and be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.
In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.
In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as “install/mount”, “interconnect”, “connect”, “fix” shall be understood broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical or electrical connections or intercommunication; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening media; may also be inner communications or interactions of two elements, unless otherwise specifically defined. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific situations.
In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, the first feature “below”, “under”, “on bottom of”, “above”, “on”, or “on top of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate media. And, the first feature “above”, “on”, or “on top of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “above”, “on”, or “on top of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height higher than that of the second feature. A first feature “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height lower than that of the second feature.
In the description of the present disclosure, terms such as “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example” or “some examples” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of these terms in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present invention. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art may combine and unite different embodiments or examples or features of the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.
Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described above, it can be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and shall not be understood as limitation to the present disclosure, and changes, modifications, alternatives and variations can be made in the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure by those skilled in the art.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202320698856.5 | Mar 2023 | CN | national |
