Evaporator using micro-channel tubes

Abstract

An evaporator utilizes micro-channel tubes, and more particularly, has a structure of a heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes, which is applied to an evaporator of a household air conditioner. The evaporator, using micro-channel tubes, includes a plurality of heat exchanging units, each heat exchanging unit including a plurality of the micro-channel tubes installed between a pair of headers, and an integral header to transmit refrigerant between the neighboring heat exchanging units.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2004-73993, filed Sep. 15, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] 1. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes, and more particularly to a structure of a heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes, which is applied to an evaporator of a household air conditioner. [0004] 2. Description of the Related Art [0005] Generally, a heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes is a heat exchanger, in which refrigerant flows along a plurality of tubes having a diameter of less than several mm. Such a heat exchanger is widely used by a condenser of a vehicle air conditioner. [0006] Korean Patent Publication No. 1996-0009342 discloses a structure of a heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes. Hereinafter, with reference...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0022] In another aspect of the present invention, an evaporator of a household air conditioner uses micro-channel tubes, from which condensed water is easily discharged, and into which refrigerant is uniformly distributed.

Problems solved by technology

However, the heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes cannot be used as an evaporator of a household air conditioner due to several problems, as follows.

In the conventional heat exchanger using micro-channel tubes, which comprises the tubes laid in the horizontal direction, the condensed water formed on the surface of the heat exchanger is gathered in hollow portions of the corrugated pins between the tubes, thus decreasing heat exchanging efficiency.

However, since the refrigerant flowing in the evaporator is vaporized from the liquid state to the gaseous state, it is difficult to apply the channel structure of the condenser to the evaporator.

As disclosed by the above Patents, an evaporator, in which the headers are erected horizontally and the micro-channel tubes are laid perpendicularly between the headers, may discharge a sufficient quantity of the condensed water, but has disadvantages, such as a small heat transfer area and a difficulty in achieving uniform flow of the refrigerant.

Since the refrigerant at an inlet of the evaporator is in a two-phase state, the refrigerant, which enters into the header of the evaporator, cannot be uniformly distributed to the respective tubes due to the difference of speeds of flow between the gaseous phase and the liquid phase.

Particularly, the transmission of the refrigerant from one channel group to another channel group is performed in one header, thus accelerating the above problems.

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