Evaporator with cool storage function

Abstract

An evaporator with a cool storage function includes flat refrigerant flow tubes and flat cool storage material containers each brazed to one side surface of the corresponding refrigerant flow tube. A plurality of sets each composed of refrigerant flow tubes and a cool storage material container are disposed such that they are spaced from one another. A fin is disposed in an air-passing clearance between adjacent sets, and is joined to the corresponding refrigerant flow tubes and the corresponding cool storage material container. Front portions of the cool storage material containers and the fins project frontward from the refrigerant flow tubes, and an internal-volume-increasing portion, whose container height is greater than that of the container body portion, is provided at the frontward projecting portion of each cool storage material container. Fins are brazed to opposite side surfaces of the internal-volume-increasing portion of each cool storage material container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to an evaporator with a cool storage function for use in a car air conditioner for a vehicle in which an engine serving as a drive source for a compressor is temporarily stopped when the vehicle is stopped.[0002]In recent years, in order to protect the environment and improve fuel consumption of automobiles, there has been proposed an automobile designed to automatically stop the engine when the automobile stops, for example, so as to wait for a traffic light to change.[0003]Incidentally, an ordinary car air conditioner has a problem in that, when an engine of an automobile in which the air conditioner is mounted is stopped, a compressor driven by the engine is stopped, and supply of refrigerant to an evaporator stops, whereby the cooling capacity of the air conditioner sharply drops.[0004]As one measure to solve such a problem, imparting a cool storage function to the evaporator has been considered, to thereby enable co...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019]According to the evaporator with a cool storage function of par. 1) or 2), the internal-volume-increasing portion whose container height (dimension in the thickness direction of the cool storage material container) is greater than that of the remaining portion is provided on the upstream portion or downstream portion of the cool storage material container. Therefore, as compared with the case where the container height of the cool storage material container is uniform over the entirety thereof, the amount of the cool storage material charged into the cool storage material container can be increased without increasing the lengths of the cool storage material container and the refrigerant flow tube sections or increasing the container height of the cool storage material container over the entirety thereof. Accordingly, the size and weight of the evaporator can be reduced as compared with the case of a conventional evaporator with a cool storage function. In addition, in the case where, as in the evaporator with a cool storage function of par. 3), respective upstream or downstream portions of each cool storage material container and each fin project outward, with respect to the air flow direction, from the refrigerant flow tube sections, and the internal-volume-increasing portion is provided at a portion of each cool storage material container which portion projects outward, with respect to the air flow direction, from the refrigerant flow tube sections, a decrease in the area of the air-passing clearances stemming from provision of the internal-volume-increasing portions can be suppressed. Therefore, even when the dimension of the heat exchange core section is not changed, an increase in air passage resistance can be suppressed. Further, in the case where, as in the evaporator with a cool storage function of par. 6), the internal-volume-increasing portion is provided at a portion of the cool storage material container which portion is in contact with the refrigerant flow tube section having a smaller tube section height, a decrease in the area of the air-passing clearances stemming from provision of the internal-volume-increasing portions can be suppressed. Therefore, even when the dimension of the heat exchange core section is not changed, an increase in air passage resistance can be suppressed.

[0020]According to the evaporator with a cool storage function of par. 3), respective upstream or downstream portions of each cool storage material container and each fin project outward, with respect to the air flow direction, from the refrigerant flow tube sections; the internal-volume-increasing portion is provided at a portion of each cool storage material container which portion projects outward, with respect to the air flow direction, from the refrigerant flow tube sections; and the fins are joined to opposite side surfaces of the internal-volume-increasing portion of each cool storage material container. Therefore, as compared with the case where the container height of the cool storage material container is uniform over the entirety thereof, the amount of the cool storage material charged into the cool storage material container can be increased without increasing the lengths of the cool storage material container and the refrigerant flow tube sections or increasing the container height of the cool storage material container over the entirety thereof. Accordingly, the size and weight of the evaporator can be reduced as compared with the case of a conventional evaporator with a cool storage function. In addition, a decrease in the area of the

Problems solved by technology

Incidentally, an ordinary car air conditioner has a problem in that, when an engine of an automobile in which the air conditioner is mounted is stopped, a compressor driven by the engine is stopped, and supply of refrigerant to an evaporator stops, whereby the cooling capacity of the air c

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