Integral evaporator and defrost heater system

Abstract

A heat exchanger system having a fluid passage operable to fluidly communicate a first fluid and a heat transfer surface extending from the fluid passage for transferring heat between the first fluid and a second fluid. The system can further include a heating element operably coupled to and selectively applying thermal energy to at least one of the fluid passage and the heat transfer surface.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 233,156, filed on Aug. 12, 2009. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD[0002]The present disclosure relates to heat exchangers and, more particularly, to an integrally formed evaporator having a defrost heater system.BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY[0003]This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section also provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.[0004]Heat exchangers are used in a wide variety of applications and come in a wide variety of configurations to fit these various applications. A typical heat exchanger uses a fluid transporting unit or tube portion operable to transport a fluid therethrough, such as heat conducting tubing arranged in a sinuous configurat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]In some embodiments, heat exchanger system 20 can be extruded as a single unitary member defining at least fluid passage 22 and heat transfer surface 32. The extrusion can be made from any one of a number of materials or alloys, such as aluminum, that have desired conductivity and extrusion properties. It should be recognized that extruding heat exchanger system 20 provides several advantages over conventional manufacturing techniques, such as improved heat transfer capability per material weight, reduced manufacturing costs by simultaneously forming the fluid passage 22 and heat transfer surface 32, reduced material requirements due to the improved mechanical properties of extrusions, and simplified cross-sectional shaping of the overall structure for improved fluid flow within fluid passage 22 and external to heat exchanger system 20.

[0035]In some embodiments, the heat transfer surface can define a wave-like shape and / or a plurality of spines. The heat transfer surface can be angled in a direction of flow of the second fluid for improved heat transfer.

Problems solved by technology

The sheathing and attachment method often result in added cost that adds no additional value to the final product.

With current technology, complex shapes must often be avoided as they tend to collect frost and are correspondingly difficult to defrost.

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