Condenser

Abstract

A condenser includes first and second header tanks provided at one end thereof such that the latter is located on the outer side of the former. First heat exchange tubes forming a first heat exchange path provided in a condensation part are connected to the first header tank. Second heat exchange tubes forming a second heat exchange path provided in a super-cooling part are connected to the second header tank. The first header tank has one communication section which communicates with the second header tank through a communication part and to which all the heat exchange tubes forming the first heat exchange path are connected. The communication part is provided at a height below the uppermost heat exchange tube among all the heat exchange tubes connected to the communication section. The upper end of the first header tank is located above the lower end of the second header tank.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a condenser suitable for use in, for example, a car air conditioner mounted on an automobile.[0002]Herein and in the appended claims, the upper side, lower side, left-hand side, and right-hand side of FIGS. 1 and 2 will be referred to as “upper,”“lower,”“left,” and “right,” respectively.[0003]A condenser for a car air conditioner is known (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2001-33121). The known condenser has a condensation part and a super-cooling part provided such that the former is located above the latter. The condenser includes a plurality of heat exchange tubes disposed in parallel such that their length direction coincides with the left-right direction and they are spaced apart from one another in the vertical direction; fins each disposed between adjacent heat exchange tubes; and header tanks which are disposed such that their length direction coincides with the vertical direction and to w...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]In view of the above-described circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a condenser which can increase the width of the stable range while securing its performance to the greatest degree.

[0014]According to a condenser according to pars. 1) to 3), a first header tank to which all the heat exchange tubes of the condensation part are connected and a second header tank to which all the heat exchange tubes of the super-cooling part are connected are provided at one of left and right ends of the condenser; the first header tank has one communication section which communicates with the second header tank through a communication part and to which all the heat exchange tubes forming one heat exchange path are connected; the communication part is provided at a height below the uppermost heat exchange tube among all the heat exchange tubes connected to the communication section; the second header tank is disposed on the outer side of the first header tank with respect to the left-right direction; an upper end of the second header tank is located above a lower end of the first header tank; the second header tank has a function of separating gas and liquid from each other and storing the separated liquid; and all the refrigerant having passed through the heat exchange tubes of the condensation part flows into the communication section of the first header tank and flows into the second header tank through the communication part. Thus, when refrigerant within the communication section of the first header tank reaches the communication part during charging thereof, the refrigerant flows into the second header tank through the communication part and then flows into the heat exchange tubes of the refrigerant super-cooling path. Therefore, as compared with the case where the refrigerant within the communication section flows into the second header tank after reaching the uppermost heat exchange tube among all the heat exchange tubes connected to the communication section, the interiors of the heat exchange tubes forming the refrigerant super-cooling path can be filled with liquid-phase refrigerant at an early stage. Therefore, the width of a stable range within which a constant degree of super cooling is attained; i.e., the width of a range regarding the refrigerant charge amount within which a constant degree of super cooling is attained, increases. As a result, a super-cooling characteristic which is more stable against load fluctuation and / or leakage of refrigerant can be attained, and the performance of a car air conditioner using this condenser can be maintained for a long period of time.

[0015]Also, since the length of the heat exchange tubes of all the heat exchange paths of the super-cooling part becomes greater than the length of the heat exchange tubes of all the heat exchange paths of the condensation part, as compared with the condenser disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, the area of the heat exchange section increases, and the refrigerant super-cooling efficiency increases.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, in the case where the dimensions of the condenser, including the liquid receiver, as measured in the vertical direction and the left-right direction are fixed to certain dimensions, the areas of the heat exchange portions of the condensation part and the super-cooling part become insufficient, and further improvement of the refrigerant condensation efficiency and the refrigerant super-cooling efficiency cannot be attained.

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