This disclosure relates generally to a heat exchanger or evaporator. More specifically, this disclosure relates to two-circuit evaporators.
The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In recent years, significant research and development has focused on the efficient operation of the heat exchangers used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. In order to increase the efficiency of an HVAC system, a recent trend has been to use a two-circuit system in which both circuits run on a single compressor when the cooling demand is low. This system operates by constantly adjusting the compressor load and switching on a second compressor only when necessary. Thus, this system saves energy by supplying the minimum amount of cooling required at any given time. However, this type of system also gives rise to a variety of issues, such as the evaporator set-up.
One way to set up a two-circuit evaporator is to stack the circuits so that the air goes through both of them. While this set-up is compact, it is not efficient due to the presence of the double the air pressure drop, which results in a much lower efficiency for the second evaporator circuit caused by a low temperature difference between the air and the second coil.
A second way to set up a two-circuit evaporator is to put both circuits next to each other. The main issue with this type of set-up lies in that one-half of the air will by-pass the active evaporator circuit and not adequately mix with the cool air, thereby, leading to the creation of an unpredictable outlet temperature. The solution to this issue would be to block the air that flows to one-half of the evaporator set-up and to mix the air together after it passes the circuits. However, this solution will also lead to a two-circuit evaporator that is not compact in size because it requires double the width of the section in the HVAC system that houses the circuits.
Yet, another way to set up a two-circuit evaporator is to place both circuits in one core face. In this case, the heat exchanger includes two separate manifolds that lead into a plurality of separate microchannel tubes. These tubes extend parallel to each other along a first direction through one dimension of a heat exchange area. The tubes are also interspersed along a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction. However, this type of evaporator design is complex and extremely difficult to manufacture.
Conventional ways to form a two-circuit evaporator leads to a design that is inefficient, a design that is complex and difficult to manufacture, and/or a design that is not compact in that it occupies too much space either in the HVAC system or in the associated ducting. Thus, two-circuit evaporator designs that overcome one or more of the existing deficiencies are desirable.
The present disclosure generally provides a heat exchanger comprising two or more thermal circuits configured to exchange heat. The two or more thermal circuits are located relative to one another in a configuration defined by one of the following:
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
In order that the disclosure may be well understood, there will now be described various forms thereof, given by way of example, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. It should be understood that throughout the description, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features.
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present disclosure or its application or uses. For example, the two-circuit evaporators made and used according to the teachings contained herein are described throughout the present disclosure in conjunction with a thermal circuit used in a coolant or refrigerant application in order to more fully illustrate the construction and the use thereof. The incorporation and use of such two-circuit evaporators in other applications wherein a single heat exchanger face would be desirable is contemplated not to exceed the scope of the present disclosure.
The present disclosure generally provides heat exchangers that incorporate two or more thermal circuits configured to exchange heat through a single heat exchanger face. These heat exchanger designs are compact in size, exhibit high efficiency, and are capable of providing substantial mixing of the outlet air. These heat exchanger designs lower the energy required to keep spaces at a desired temperature. The at least two thermal circuits are located relative to one another and to the single face in the heat exchanger in a configuration defined by one of the geometries shown in
Referring to
Still referring to
When necessary or desirable, the first or base plate in the stack may be brazed to the tubes. The second plate 20 may be machined and/or stamped into a shape configured to make connection with the inlet/outlet 30, as well as to maintain separate thermal circuits 5, 10. Alternatively, the second plate 20 may also be formed as two or more partial plates, e.g., split into second and third plates, in order to simplify production thereof. Prior to use, the two or more partial plates would be fastened together in order to form the second plate.
According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a second single face heat exchanger 1 as shown in
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When necessary or desirable different manifold types may be utilized, including without limitation, the formation of a co-joined manifold from the separate manifolds. The tube is made of an uniform material or consists of a uniform material, which material preferably is a metal. The angle of the tubes may be modified to optimize performance, efficiency or compactness without exceeding the scope of the present disclosure.
Referring now to
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For the purpose of this disclosure the terms “about” and/or “substantial” are used herein with respect to measurable values and ranges due to expected variations known to those skilled in the art (e.g., limitations and variability in measurements).
For the purpose of this disclosure, the terms “at least one” and “one or more of’ an element are used interchangeably and may have the same meaning. These terms, which refer to the inclusion of a single element or a plurality of the elements, may also be represented by the suffix “(s)” at the end of the element. For example, “at least one manifold”, “one or more manifolds”, and “manifold(s)” may be used interchangeably and are intended to have the same meaning.
Within this specification, embodiments have been described in a way which enables a clear and concise specification to be written, but it is intended and will be appreciated that embodiments may be variously combined or separated without parting from the invention. For example, it will be appreciated that all preferred features described herein are applicable to all aspects of the invention described herein.
The foregoing description of various forms of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The forms discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various forms and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20230280102 A1 | Sep 2023 | US |