Air conditioner

Abstract

The utility model discloses an air conditioner, and belongs to the technical field of air treatment. The air conditioner comprises a heat exchanger; the heat exchanger comprises a plurality of heat exchange pipes arranged in the first direction. The distributor is used for distributing the refrigerant to the heat exchange tubes; the distributor includes: an inflow plate on which a first flow path is provided; a uniform mixing cavity communicated with the first flow path is formed in the uniform mixing plate; the splitter plate is provided with a plurality of second flow paths communicating with the uniform mixing cavity, and the second flow paths communicate with the heat exchange pipes; the inner top surface of the uniform mixing plate is an arc-shaped flow guide surface; the rectifying flow path extends in the first direction, the inflow end of the rectifying flow path communicates with the first flow path, and the outflow end of the rectifying flow path faces the flow guide face and is spaced from the flow guide face; the circulation areas are located on the two sides of the rectification flow path; the distributors enable refrigerants to be jetted to the flow guide faces along the rectification flow paths, then flow to the circulation areas on the two sides, and flow to the second flow paths after circulating in the circulation areas. The air conditioner can avoid uneven distribution of refrigerants.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of refrigeration equipment, and particularly to an air conditioner. Background Art

[0002] The heat exchanger is an important component of an air conditioner. Both ends of some heat exchangers have multiple heat exchange tubes as the refrigerant inlets of the heat exchanger; in the circulation system of the air conditioner, whether the refrigerant can be evenly distributed into these heat exchange tubes on the heat exchanger is a key factor affecting the performance of the heat exchanger. This is because when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the refrigerant has to pass through a throttling device to be throttled into a gas-liquid two-phase fluid with a certain dryness before entering the heat exchange tubes. Before these two-phase fluids are distributed from the capillary tube of the circulation system to the heat exchange tubes, gas-liquid phase separation will occur when the flow rate slows down, resulting in the refrigerant flowing into several heat exchange tubes in the middle and lower parts being pure liquid, while the refrigerant flowing into several heat exchange tubes in the upper part being gas. This uneven distribution will cause a sharp decline in the performance of the heat exchanger. Summary of the Utility Model

[0003] This application provides an air conditioner that can avoid uneven distribution caused by gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant.

[0004] On one hand of this application, an air conditioner includes: a heat exchanger, which serves as one of an evaporator or a condenser; the heat exchanger includes: a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged along a first direction for the circulation of the refrigerant; and a distributor for distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of heat exchange tubes; the distributor includes: an inflow plate provided with a first flow path for the refrigerant to flow in; a mixing plate provided with a mixing chamber communicating with the first flow path for evenly mixing the refrigerant; and a flow splitting plate provided with a plurality of second flow paths communicating with the mixing chamber, and the second flow paths communicate with the heat exchange tubes.

[0005] Wherein, the inner top surface of the mixing plate is an arc-shaped guiding surface;

[0006] The mixing chamber is provided with: a rectifying flow path extending along the first direction, the inflow end of the rectifying flow path communicates with the first flow path, and the outflow end of the rectifying flow path faces the guiding surface and has a gap with the guiding surface; and a circulation area located on both sides of the rectifying flow path.

[0007] The distributor makes the refrigerant spray onto the guiding surface along the rectifying flow path, then flow to the circulation areas on both sides, and flow to the second flow paths after circulating in the circulation areas.

[0008] In this application, by providing a mixing chamber, the refrigerant can be sprayed along the rectifying flow path in the mixing chamber onto the arc-shaped deflector surface of the mixing chamber. After the direction is changed by the arc-shaped deflector surface, the refrigerant flows to the circulation areas on both sides respectively, and with the cooperation of the side walls of the circulation areas, the refrigerant undergoes multiple circulations and then is branched to multiple heat exchange tubes through multiple second flow paths. Thus, two-phase separation of the refrigerant caused by gravity can be avoided, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the refrigerant.

[0009] In some embodiments, the distributor further includes: an outflow plate provided with a plurality of third flow paths that connect the second flow paths and the heat exchange tubes. In the projection on the plate surface of the outflow plate, the heat exchange tubes are located within the third flow paths; an insertion plate provided with a plurality of heat exchange tube insertion portions for the heat exchange tubes to be inserted.

[0010] In this application, in the projection of the outflow plate, the heat exchange tubes are located within the third flow paths. Since the flow path cross-section of the third flow paths completely covers the heat exchange tubes, the refrigerant passing through the third flow paths can flow into all the holes of the heat exchange tubes, avoiding the problem that when the refrigerant flows directly from the second flow paths to the heat exchange tubes, due to the relatively small size of the second flow paths, the refrigerant can only flow into some of the holes of the heat exchange tubes.

[0011] In some embodiments, the mixing plate is provided with two isolation portions located in the mixing chamber, and the space between the isolation portions forms a rectifying flow path.

[0012] In this application, through the arrangement of the two isolation portions, a rectifying flow path is formed between the two isolation portions, and a circulation area is formed outside the two isolation portions. The structure is relatively simple and easy to process and form.

[0013] In some embodiments, the bottom end of the isolation portion is closed, and the inflow end of the rectifying flow path is located at the bottom end of the rectifying flow path.

[0014] In this application, the inflow end of the rectifying flow path is located at the bottom end, which can ensure that all the refrigerant rises within the rectifying flow path.

[0015] In some embodiments, any two heat exchange tubes form a group of research objects; in at least one group of research objects, the areas of the second flow paths corresponding to the two heat exchange tubes are different.

[0016] In this application, the areas of the second flow paths can be different, and by setting the areas of the second flow paths, the flow rate entering the heat exchange tubes can be changed.

[0017] In some embodiments, the circulation area includes a first circulation area and a second circulation area located on both sides of the rectifying flow path; the diversion plate is provided with a conducting portion, a part of the conducting portion is communicated with the first circulation area, and another part of the conducting portion is communicated with the second circulation area.

[0018] In this application, the conduction part connects the first circulation area and the second circulation area, and the refrigerant in the two circulation areas can flow through the conduction part to ensure the flow balance between the two circulation areas.

[0019] In some embodiments, the conduction part includes: a first conduction part that connects the rectifying flow path and the first circulation area; a second conduction part that is spaced apart from the first conduction part and connects the rectifying flow path and the second circulation area.

[0020] In some embodiments, there are multiple groups of conduction parts, and two of them respectively correspond to the upstream side and the downstream side of the rectifying flow path.

[0021] In this application, setting multiple groups of conduction parts can ensure the flow balance of each part of the circulation area.

[0022] In some embodiments, the second flow paths connecting the same heat exchange tubes form a group; there are at least two second flow paths in each group, and the two second flow paths respectively correspond to the circulation areas on both sides of the rectifying flow path.

[0023] In this application, the refrigerant in the two circulation areas respectively flows to the same heat exchange tube through at least one second flow path, which can ensure that the refrigerant in the two circulation areas can flow to the heat exchange tube.

[0024] In some embodiments, it further includes: a fan located above the heat exchanger and used to drive air to flow through the heat exchanger; in the heat exchanger, there are multiple distributors distributed from top to bottom.

[0025] On the other hand of this application, an air conditioner includes a heat exchanger, which serves as one of an evaporator or a condenser; the heat exchanger includes: multiple heat exchange tubes arranged along a first direction and used for the heat exchange and circulation of the refrigerant; and a distributor used to distribute the refrigerant flowing in from the first flow path to multiple second flow paths, and the second flow paths are connected to the heat exchange tubes;

[0026] Among them, the distributor has a mixing cavity, and the top end of the mixing cavity is an arc-shaped guiding surface; the mixing cavity includes: a rectifying flow path extending along the first direction, the inflow end of the rectifying flow path is connected to the first flow path, and the outflow end of the rectifying flow path faces the guiding surface and is located in the middle of the mixing cavity; a circulation area located on both sides of the rectifying flow path;

[0027] The distributor makes the refrigerant spray along the rectifying flow path to the guiding surface, then flow to the circulation areas on both sides, and after circulating in the circulation areas, flow to the refrigerant outflow part.

[0028] In this application, by providing a mixing chamber, the refrigerant can be sprayed onto the arc-shaped diversion surface in the mixing chamber along the rectifying flow path in the mixing chamber. After the direction is changed by the arc-shaped diversion surface, the refrigerant flows to the circulation areas on both sides respectively, and with the cooperation of the side walls of the circulation areas, the refrigerant undergoes multiple circulations and then is divided into multiple heat exchange tubes through multiple second flow paths. Thus, two-phase separation of the refrigerant caused by gravity can be avoided, ensuring the uniformity of the refrigerant. Description of the Drawings

[0029] Figure 1 Shows a view of the appearance of an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0030] Figure 2 Shows a view of the refrigerant system in an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0031] Figure 3 Shows a cross-sectional view of an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0032] Figure 4 Shows a schematic structural view of a heat exchanger in an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 5 Shows a side view of a heat exchanger in an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0034] Figure 6 Shows a partial schematic view of a microchannel heat exchanger in an air conditioner according to some embodiments;

[0035] Figure 7 Shows a cross-sectional view of a gas header in a heat exchanger according to some embodiments;

[0036] Figure 8 Shows a perspective view of a distributor in a disassembled state according to some embodiments;

[0037] Figure 9 Shows a view of a distributor in a disassembled and flattened state according to some embodiments;

[0038] Figure 10 Is a schematic view of a mixing plate in a distributor according to some embodiments;

[0039] Figure 11 Shows a schematic diagram of the refrigerant flow path of a mixing plate in a distributor according to some embodiments;

[0040] Figure 12 Shows a flow field simulation diagram of a mixing plate in a distributor according to some embodiments;

[0041] Figure 13 Is a schematic view of a flow splitting plate in a distributor according to some embodiments;

[0042] Figure 14 The top view of a dispenser according to some other embodiments is shown.

[0043] In the above figures, 100 is the outdoor unit; 111 is the compressor; 112 is the outdoor heat exchanger; 113 is the four-way valve; 114 is the outdoor throttling device; 115 is the accumulator; 116 is the outdoor fan; 200 is the indoor unit; 211 is the indoor heat exchanger; 212 is the indoor throttling device; 213 is the indoor fan; 300 is the heat exchanger; 310 is the heat exchange tube; 320 is the fin; 330 is the gas header; 331 is the confluent flow path; 400 is the dispenser; 410 is the inflow plate; 410A is the first flow path; 420 is the mixing plate; 421 is the isolation part; 421 is the mixing cavity; 4211 is the guiding surface; 422 is the isolation part; 423 is the rectifying flow path; 425 is the circulation area; 426 is the first circulation area; 427 is the second circulation area; 430 is the shunt plate; 430A is the second flow path; 431 is the conducting part; 432 is the first conducting part; 433 is the second conducting part; 440 is the outflow plate; 440A is the third flow path; 450 is the plug-in plate; 451 is the heat exchange tube insertion part; 510 is the fan. Detailed implementation manners

[0044] To make the objectives and implementation manners of this application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the exemplary implementation manners of this application with reference to the accompanying drawings in the exemplary embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described exemplary embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, rather than all of the embodiments.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0046] The terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0047] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection", and "coupling" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific situations.

[0048] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present application, and examples of the embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0049] <Structure of Air Conditioner>

[0050] Reference Figure 1 , an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present application includes: an outdoor unit 100 located in an outdoor space and configured to perform heat exchange between a refrigerant and outdoor air; and an indoor unit 200 located in an indoor space and configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air.

[0051] Figure 1 The display is made by taking a multi-connected unit as an example. In this embodiment, there are multiple indoor units 200. However, the air conditioner of the present application is also applicable to the case of one indoor unit 200.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 , the outdoor unit 100 includes: a compressor 111 configured to compress a refrigerant; an outdoor heat exchanger 112 configured to perform heat exchange between outdoor air and the refrigerant; a four-way valve 113 configured to selectively direct the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 111 to the outdoor heat exchanger 112 or the indoor unit 200 according to a heating mode or a cooling mode; an outdoor throttling device 114 configured to decompress the refrigerant directed to the outdoor heat exchanger 112 in the heating mode; and a liquid receiver 115 configured to prevent unevaporated liquid refrigerant from flowing to the compressor 111.

[0053] When the compressor 111 is powered on, it compresses the low-pressure gaseous refrigerant to a high pressure by using the rotational force of a compressor motor (not shown).

[0054] The four-way valve 113 directs the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 111 to the outdoor heat exchanger 112 in the cooling mode, and directs the refrigerant compressed in the compressor 111 to the indoor unit 200 in the heating mode.

[0055] The outdoor heat exchanger 112 condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 111 in the cooling mode, and evaporates the refrigerant decompressed by the indoor unit 200 in the heating mode.

[0056] The outdoor fan 116 blows outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 112.

[0057] The outdoor throttling device 114 reduces the pressure of the refrigerant by throttling the refrigerant. When the refrigerant passes through a narrow passage, the pressure of the refrigerant decreases without heat exchange with the outside. The outdoor throttling device 114 can specifically be an expansion valve or a capillary tube, etc.

[0058] The indoor unit 200 includes: an indoor heat exchanger 211 that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air; and an indoor throttling device 212 that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant supplied to the indoor heat exchanger 211 in the cooling mode.

[0059] The indoor heat exchanger 211 evaporates the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the cooling mode and condenses the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant in the heating mode.

[0060] Hereinafter, the flow of the refrigerant in the cooling mode or the heating mode of the air conditioner will be described.

[0061] When the air conditioner operates in the cooling mode, the compressor 111 of the outdoor unit 100 compresses the refrigerant to a high pressure. As the refrigerant is compressed, the pressure and temperature of the refrigerant increase.

[0062] The compressed refrigerant is guided to the outdoor heat exchanger 112 through the four-way valve 113. The refrigerant is condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 112, and heat exchange between the refrigerant and outdoor air is performed while the refrigerant is being condensed. Specifically, the state of the refrigerant changes from gaseous to liquid.

[0063] After passing through the outdoor throttling device 124, the condensed refrigerant is supplied to the indoor unit 200.

[0064] The refrigerant supplied to the indoor unit 200 is throttled by the indoor throttling device 212, and at the same time the refrigerant becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure, two-phase refrigerant.

[0065] The throttled refrigerant is evaporated by the indoor heat exchanger 222, and heat exchange between the refrigerant and indoor air is performed while the refrigerant is evaporating. Specifically, the state of the refrigerant changes to gaseous.

[0066] After passing through the indoor heat exchanger 222, the evaporated gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor unit 100, and the evaporated gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the accumulator 115 via the four-way valve 113. In the accumulator 115, the refrigerant is separated into unevaporated liquid refrigerant and evaporated gaseous refrigerant, and the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 111 again to complete one cycle of the refrigerant.

[0067] As described above, in the cooling mode, the air conditioner can use the heat exchange between the refrigerant generated in the indoor heat exchanger 211 and the indoor air to cool the indoor air.

[0068] When the air conditioner operates in the heating mode, the refrigerant is compressed to a high pressure by the compressor 111 of the outdoor unit 100, and the temperature of the refrigerant increases as the pressure of the refrigerant rises.

[0069] After passing through the four-way valve 113, the compressed refrigerant is guided to the indoor unit 200.

[0070] The refrigerant is condensed by the indoor heat exchanger 211, and heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant and the indoor air while the refrigerant is being condensed. Specifically, the state of the refrigerant changes from gaseous to liquid.

[0071] After passing through the indoor heat exchanger 211, the condensed refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor unit 100 again.

[0072] The refrigerant supplied to the outdoor unit 100 is decompressed by the outdoor throttling device 114, and at the same time, the refrigerant becomes a low-temperature, low-pressure, two-phase state.

[0073] The decompressed refrigerant is evaporated by the outdoor heat exchanger 112, and heat exchange occurs between the refrigerant and the outdoor air while the refrigerant is evaporating. Specifically, the state of the refrigerant changes to gaseous.

[0074] The gaseous refrigerant evaporated by the outdoor heat exchanger 112 is supplied to the accumulator 115 via the four-way valve 113. In the accumulator 115, the refrigerant is separated into unevaporated liquid refrigerant and evaporated gaseous refrigerant, and the gaseous refrigerant is supplied to the compressor 111 again, completing one cycle of the refrigerant.

[0075] As described above, in the heating mode, the air conditioner can use the heat exchange between the refrigerant generated in the indoor heat exchanger 211 and the indoor air to heat the indoor air.

[0076] In this application, the outdoor heat exchanger 112 and the indoor heat exchanger 211 are collectively referred to as the heat exchanger 300. The outdoor fan 116 and the indoor fan 213 are collectively referred to as the fan 510. The outdoor throttling device 114 and the indoor throttling device 212 are collectively referred to as the throttling device.

[0077] Figure 3 A top-blowing outdoor unit is taken as an example for display, that is, the fan 510 is located above the heat exchanger 300. Figure 3 The arrows in it indicate the air flow direction. When the fan 510 operates, air enters the outdoor unit from the lower side, exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 300, and then flows out from the top of the outdoor unit.

[0078] The ends of the heat exchanger 300 extend multiple heat exchange tubes 310 arranged from top to bottom (to be introduced later), which are used as the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet.

[0079] When the heat exchanger 300 is used as an evaporator, the two-phase refrigerant after throttling by the throttling device enters the evaporator. When the two-phase refrigerant is in a large space or the flow rate decreases, there will be a phase separation phenomenon, which will lead to uneven distribution. Especially for Figure 3 the outdoor unit shown, Figure 3 in which the heat exchanger 300 is very large and has a high height, and the number of heat exchange tubes 310 in the vertical direction is very large. Therefore, such air conditioners are more likely to have problems of uneven distribution.

[0080] In the following text, the present application will be introduced in detail in combination with the structure of the heat exchanger 300.

[0081] <Structure of the heat exchanger 300>

[0082] Referring to Figures 4 to 7 , the heat exchanger 300 includes a heat exchanger body 340. The heat exchanger body 340 has a plurality of heat exchange tubes 310 and fins 320.

[0083] Heat exchange tubes 310, through which the refrigerant flows; fins 320, connected to the heat exchange tubes 310, to improve the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the air by increasing the surface area of the heat exchange tubes 310.

[0084] The heat exchange tubes 310 can be flat tubes or round tubes.

[0085] When the heat exchange tubes 310 are round tubes, the heat exchanger 300 is a finned tube heat exchanger with tubes passing through. Viewed from the side of the heat exchanger 300, the heat exchange tubes 300 extend in an "S" shape from top to bottom. The heat exchange tubes 310 pass through the fins 320.

[0086] When the heat exchange tubes 310 are flat tubes, the heat exchanger 300 is a microchannel heat exchanger. A plurality of flat tubes are arranged at intervals in the first direction (the up and down direction Z). Fins 320 are connected between the flat tubes.

[0087] The following takes the microchannel heat exchanger as an example for illustration: The heat exchange tubes 310 can be made of aluminum, and the fins 320 can be made of aluminum. The heat exchange tubes 310 and the fins 320 are connected by welding.

[0088] The heat exchange tubes 310 are porous tubes having a plurality of holes 310a, and these holes 310a form refrigerant flow paths. The refrigerant exchanges heat with the air when flowing through each hole 310a of the heat exchange tubes 310. The plurality of holes 310a are arranged in the heat exchange tubes 310 along the flow direction of the air relative to the heat exchanger body 340.

[0089] At the two lateral ends of the heat exchanger body 340, multiple heat exchange tubes 310 extend out relative to the fins 320 for connection to the refrigerant system.

[0090] The heat exchanger 300 includes a pair of headers connected to the two ends of the heat exchanger body 340, and the headers are respectively connected to the extended heat exchange tubes 310.

[0091] One header is the distributor 400 through which the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows. The other header is the gas header 330 through which the gaseous refrigerant flows. A diverter 600 having multiple capillaries 610 is connected to the distributor 400.

[0092] The refrigerant needs to be diverted into the multiple heat exchange tubes 310 of the heat exchanger 300. If the distribution of the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchange tubes 310 is uneven, it will affect the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 300.

[0093] The distributor 400 is connected to the heat exchange tubes 310 to ensure that the refrigerant flowing into each heat exchange tube 310 of the heat exchanger 300 is basically the same, so as to exert the maximum effectiveness of the heat exchanger 300.

[0094] When the heat exchanger 300 is used as a condenser, since the refrigerant entering the condenser is the superheated gas compressed by the compressor 111, generally, the refrigerant can be evenly distributed at the inlet of the condenser. That is to say, when one end of the heat exchanger 300 connected to the four-way valve 113 is used as the inflow end, there is usually no uneven distribution phenomenon. Therefore, a conventional gas header 330 can be provided at this end of the heat exchanger 300, and the distributor 400 is only provided at the end of the heat exchanger 300 connected to the throttling device. In other embodiments, the gas header 330 can also adopt the structural form of a distributor.

[0095] The distributor 400 is provided with a refrigerant inflow portion as the refrigerant inlet and multiple refrigerant outflow portions as the refrigerant outlets.

[0096] Referring to FIG. Figure 7 , the gas header 330 can be in the shape of a closed cylinder or a rectangular cylinder. The cavity inside the gas header 330 forms a confluent flow path 331. Multiple heat exchange tubes 310 are connected to the inflow side of the confluent flow path 331. A refrigerant pipe is connected to the outflow side of the confluent flow path 331.

[0097] Multiple refrigerant inflow portions and one or more refrigerant outflow portions are provided on the gas header 330. Capillaries 610 are connected to the refrigerant inflow portion of the distributor 400, and a refrigerant pipe of the refrigerant system is connected to the refrigerant outflow portion of the gas header 330. Heat exchange tubes 310 are connected to the refrigerant outflow portion of the distributor 400 and the refrigerant inflow portion of the gas header 330.

[0098] When the heat exchanger 300 functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant flows into the distributor 400 through the refrigerant inlet portion, is split, and flows out to the plurality of heat exchange tubes 310 through the plurality of refrigerant outlet portions. The refrigerant exchanges heat with the air driven by the blower 510 in the plurality of heat exchange tubes 310. The refrigerant flowing in the plurality of heat exchange tubes 310 flows into the gas header 330 through the plurality of refrigerant inlet portions, merges, and flows out to the refrigerant pipe through the refrigerant outlet portion.

[0099] In addition, when the heat exchanger 300 functions as a condenser, the refrigerant flows in the opposite direction to the above flow.

[0100] <Structure of the distributor 400>

[0101] Hereinafter, the structure of the distributor 400 will be described in detail.

[0102] First, the distributor 400 is taken as an example of a laminated distributor for illustration.

[0103] Figure 8 A perspective view of the distributor in a disassembled state according to some embodiments is shown. Figure 9 A view of the distributor in a disassembled and flattened state according to some embodiments is shown. Figure 10 It is a schematic diagram of a mixing plate in the distributor according to some embodiments.

[0104] Refer to Figures 8 to 10 , the distributor 400 is formed by laminating multiple layers of plate bodies. In the present application, the length direction of the plate body is set as the first direction Z, the direction in which the plate bodies are laminated orthogonal to the first direction (which is also the direction in which the refrigerant flows into the heat exchange tubes 310) is set as the second direction X, and the direction orthogonal to the first direction Z and the second direction X is set as the third direction Y. The distributor 400 of the present embodiment is arranged in the up and down direction of the first direction Z, in the front and back direction of the second direction X, and in the left and right direction of the third direction Y. Therefore, in the following description, the first direction Z can be converted into the up and down direction, the second direction X can be converted into the front and back direction, and the third direction Y can be converted into the left and right direction.

[0105] Hereinafter, taking the flow direction of the refrigerant at the distributor 400 when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator as an example for description.

[0106] The multi-layer plate body includes an inflow plate 410. A through hole penetrating in the front and back direction X is provided at the central position in the left and right direction Y of the inflow plate 410 to form a first flow path 410A. The first flow path 410A corresponds to the refrigerant inlet portion of the distributor 400.

[0107] The inflow plate 410 may include one or a plurality of laminated ones.

[0108] The flow path cross-section of the first flow path 410A is circular and can be connected to a capillary tube (or refrigerant pipe). The first flow path 410A can be directly connected to the capillary tube (or refrigerant pipe) by welding. Alternatively, a pipe joint can be connected to the first flow path 410A and connected to the capillary tube (or refrigerant pipe) through the pipe joint.

[0109] The flow path cross-section refers to the cross-section obtained by cutting the flow path orthogonally to the flow direction of the refrigerant. The flow direction of the refrigerant refers to the direction in which the refrigerant flows within the first flow path 410A.

[0110] The multi-layer plate body includes a mixing plate 420. A mixing cavity 421 penetrating in the front-rear direction X is provided on the mixing plate 420, and the mixing cavity 421 functions as a mixing channel for the refrigerant.

[0111] The two inner side surfaces of the mixing plate 420 opposite in the up-down direction Z are respectively an inflow side inner wall surface and a guiding surface 4211, and the two inner wall surfaces of the mixing plate 420 opposite in the left-right direction Y are respectively a third inner wall surface and a fourth inner wall surface.

[0112] Two spaced-apart isolation portions 422 are provided on the mixing plate 420. The isolation portions 422 extend from the inflow side inner wall surface toward the guiding surface 4211. The space between the two isolation portions 422 forms a rectifying flow path 423.

[0113] The end of the rectifying flow path 423 close to the inflow side inner wall surface is a rectifying inflow end 423A. It is formed at a position facing the first flow path 410A of the inflow plate 410, that is, the rectifying flow path end 423A of the rectifying flow path 423 communicates with the outflow side of the first flow path 410A.

[0114] After the refrigerant flows into the rectifying flow path end 423A of the rectifying flow path 423, it will flow along the rectifying flow path 423 toward the direction close to the guiding surface 4211.

[0115] The regions on the left and right sides of the rectifying flow path 423 in the mixing cavity 421 are circulation regions 425. The circulation regions 425 communicate with the second flow path 430A of the outflow plate 440 described later.

[0116] The guiding surface 4211 of the mixing plate 420 is arc-shaped, and the center of the arc is located within the mixing cavity 421. The guiding surface 4211 is used to guide the refrigerant to flow and rotate toward both sides.

[0117] The inner wall of the rectifying flow path 423 far from the guiding surface 4211 is arc-shaped and has the same shape as the lower part of the first flow path 410A.

[0118] When the dispenser 300 is actually installed, the first flow path 410A is close to the bottom of the inflow plate 410. The rectifying inflow end 423A of the rectifying flow path 423 is located at the bottom end of the rectifying flow path 423. After the refrigerant flows into the rectifying flow path 423 from the first flow path 410, it flows upward along the rectifying flow path 423. The rectifying flow path 423 can be used for rectifying the deceleration of the refrigerant.

[0119] According to an embodiment of the present application, there is a space between the end of the isolation part 421 away from the inner wall surface of the inflow side and the guiding surface 4211.

[0120] The end of the isolation part 421 away from the inner wall surface of the inflow side is generally located in the middle of the mixing cavity 421. On the one hand, the height of the isolation part 422 is not too short, that is to say, the rectifying flow path 423 has enough length to guide the refrigerant to spray upward; on the other hand, the height of the isolation part 422 is not too high, so that there is enough space between the isolation part 422 and the guiding surface 4211 to allow a relatively large area of the refrigerant to be sprayed onto the guiding surface 4211, which is beneficial to the continuous flow of the refrigerant to both sides.

[0121] Figure 11 The schematic diagram of the refrigerant flow path of the mixing plate in the dispenser according to some embodiments is shown. Figure 11 The arrows in it indicate the refrigerant flow path schematically. Figure 12 The flow field simulation diagram of the mixing plate in the dispenser according to some embodiments is shown.

[0122] Refer to Figure 11 and Figure 12 and in combination with Figure 10 The refrigerant flows along the rectifying flow path 423, then sprays onto the middle of the guiding surface 4211, and after the flow direction is changed, it flows to the circulation areas 425 on both sides and rotates respectively. With the cooperation of the blocking of the other walls of the circulation areas 425, multiple circulations are formed, and the refrigerant realizes full mixing of the gas-liquid two phases in the mixing cavity 421, thus avoiding the phenomenon of gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant affected by gravity.

[0123] Continue to refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9 The multilayer plate body includes a flow splitting plate 430. A plurality of through holes are provided on the flow splitting plate 430 to form a plurality of second flow paths 430A. The plurality of second flow paths 430A communicate with the circulation areas 425 in opposite directions. The second flow paths 430A communicate with the third flow paths 440A of the outflow plate 440 described later in opposite directions. The second flow paths 430A connect the circulation areas 425 with the third flow paths 440A.

[0124] The flow path cross-section of the second flow path 430A can be circular. Multiple second flow paths 430A can be grouped and arranged. Each group has two second flow paths 430A. The two second flow paths 430A in each group are respectively close to the left and right ends of the flow splitting plate 430. At the same time, the two second flow paths 430A respectively correspond to the circulation areas 425 on both sides of the rectifying flow path 423, so that the refrigerant can be split from the circulation areas 425 and flow into each second flow path 430A.

[0125] The multi-layer plate body includes an outflow plate 440. A plurality of through grooves are provided on the outflow plate 440 to form a plurality of third flow paths 440A.

[0126] The flow path cross-section of the third flow path 440A can be oblate or rectangular. In the projection on the plate surface of the outflow plate 440, the heat exchange tube 310 is located inside the third flow path 440A. If there is no third flow path 440A and the second flow path 430A is directly connected to the heat exchange tube 310, then since the second flow path 430A cannot completely cover the heat exchange tube 310 in the projection, the refrigerant in the second flow path 430A can only flow into some of the holes of the heat exchange tube 310. After the third flow path 440A is provided between the second flow path 430A and the heat exchange tube 310, since the third flow path 440A completely covers the heat exchange tube 310 in the projection, it can be ensured that the refrigerant in the third flow path 440A can flow into all the holes of the heat exchange tube 310.

[0127] Both ends of the third flow path 440A are connected to each group of second flow paths 430A in a facing manner.

[0128] The multi-layer plate body can include a plug-in plate 450. A plurality of through grooves are provided on the plug-in plate 450 to form a heat exchange tube insertion part 451. The heat exchange tube insertion part 451 is correspondingly arranged with the third flow path 440A of the outflow plate 440.

[0129] The heat exchange tube 310 can be inserted into the plug-in plate 450 from the heat exchange tube insertion part 451 and then connected to the third flow path 440A.

[0130] The heat exchange tube 310 can be connected to the plug-in plate 450 by welding.

[0131] In the distributor 400, the inflow plate 410, the mixing plate 420, the flow splitting plate 430, the outflow plate 440, and the plug-in plate 450 are stacked. The first flow path 410A, the mixing cavity 421, the second flow path 430A, and the third flow path 440A form the distribution flow path of the refrigerant in the distributor 400.

[0132] When the heat exchanger 300 is used as an evaporator, the refrigerant in the gas-liquid two-phase state flows into the distributor 400 from the first flow path 410A of the inflow plate 410. The refrigerant flowing into the distributor 400 is rectified and mixed through the mixing cavity 421 of the mixing plate 420 and then flows into the multiple second flow paths 430A of the flow splitting plate 430 for splitting. The split refrigerant flows into the heat exchange tubes 310 through the third flow path 440A.

[0133] As described above, in the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present application, the distributor 400 has an inflow plate 410 which has a first flow path 410A; a mixing plate 420 which has a mixing cavity 421, the mixing cavity 421 has a rectifying flow path 423 communicating with the first flow path 410A, a guiding surface 4211 and a circulation area 425; a flow splitting plate 430 on which a plurality of second flow paths 430A communicating with the mixing cavity 421 are provided, and the second flow paths 430A communicate with the heat exchange tubes 310. In this way, through the mixing cavity 421 formed in the mixing plate 420, the refrigerant can be sprayed onto the guiding surface 4211 of the mixing cavity 421 along the rectifying flow path 423, and after being deflected by the guiding surface 4211, it flows to the circulation areas 425 on both sides respectively, and with the cooperation of the side walls of the circulation areas 425, the refrigerant undergoes multiple circulations and then is split into the multiple heat exchange tubes 310 through the multiple second flow paths 430A. Thus, the two-phase separation of the refrigerant caused by the action of gravity can be avoided, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the refrigerant.

[0134] In addition, compared with the situation in the related art where multi-layer plates are required for flow splitting, in the present application, only the rectification and mixing are performed through the mixing plate 420 and the flow splitting is performed through the flow splitting plate 430, reducing the number of plates and enabling the thickness of the distributor 400 to be thinned. Therefore, the distributor 400 can be miniaturized. In air conditioners of the same size, by miniaturizing the distributor 400, the area of the heat exchanger 300 can be increased, so the performance of the heat exchanger 300 can be improved.

[0135] In addition, since the number of the second flow paths 430A can be flexibly set, the number of flow splitting paths of the distributor can be even or odd, increasing the flexibility of use of the distributor.

[0136] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , the circulation area 425 includes a first circulation area 426 and a second circulation area 427 respectively located on both sides of the rectifying flow path 423.

[0137] The flow splitting plate 430 is provided with a through groove for forming a conduction portion 431. The conduction portion 431 corresponds to the middle position of the isolation portion 422 in the up-down direction Z. The conduction portion 431 communicates with the first circulation area 426 and the second circulation area 427 respectively.

[0138] The refrigerant in the first circulation area 426 and the second circulation area 427 can flow through the conduction part 431, so that the refrigerant flow rates in the first circulation area 426 and the second circulation area 427 are relatively balanced.

[0139] The conduction part 431 may include a first conduction part 432 and a second conduction part 433. The first conduction part 432 is correspondingly arranged close to the isolation part 422 of the first circulation area 426. The first circulation area 426 and the rectifying flow path 423 are connected through the first conduction part 432. The second conduction part 433 is correspondingly arranged close to the isolation part 422 of the second circulation area 427. The second circulation area 427 and the rectifying flow path 423 are connected through the second conduction part 433.

[0140] On the projection of the diversion plate surface, the middle part of the first conduction part 432 coincides with the isolation part 422 close to the first circulation area 426, and the two end parts of the first conduction part 432 are respectively located in the first circulation area 426 and the rectifying flow path 423. On the projection of the diversion plate surface, the middle part of the second conduction part 433 coincides with the isolation part 422 close to the second circulation area 427, and the two end parts of the second conduction part 433 are respectively located in the second circulation area 427 and the rectifying flow path 423.

[0141] The first conduction part 432 and the second conduction part 433 are separated from each other on the diversion plate 430.

[0142] On the projection of the diversion plate surface, with the left - right direction as a reference, the distance that the first conduction part 432 extends into the rectifying flow path 423 is less than half of the width of the rectifying flow path 423. The distance that the second conduction part 433 extends into the rectifying flow path 423 is less than half of the width of the rectifying flow path 423. In this way, the areas where the first conduction part 432 and the second conduction part 433 are respectively connected to the rectifying flow path 423 are relatively small, which can reduce the refrigerant in the rectifying flow path 423 from directly flowing to the circulation area 425 through the conduction part 431.

[0143] When the number of heat exchange tubes 310 connected to the distributor 400 is relatively large, the height of the distributor 400 is relatively large. Correspondingly, the mixing cavity 421 and the rectifying flow path 423 are relatively high. The conduction part 431 of the diversion plate 430 can have multiple groups distributed at intervals to make the flow rates on both sides of the mixing cavity 421 uniform.

[0144] See Figure 13 As shown, for the distributor 400 with eight outlets, the conduction part 431 has two groups arranged up and down. On the projection of the diversion plate surface, one group of the conduction part 431 is close to the upper part (downstream side) of the rectifying flow path 423, and the other group of the conduction part 431 is close to the lower part (upstream side) of the rectifying flow path 423.

[0145] In some embodiments, according to the refrigerant flow rate data in different heat exchange tubes 310, the area of the corresponding second flow path 430A is adjusted so that the refrigerant is evenly distributed in the heat exchange tubes 310.

[0146] Therefore, the areas of the second flow paths 430A corresponding to different heat exchange tubes 310 in this application may be different.

[0147] When the heat exchanger 300 is used as an evaporator, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the distributor 400 from the first flow path 410A of the inflow plate 410. The refrigerant flowing into the distributor 400 is rectified and mixed through the mixing cavity 421 of the mixing plate 420 and then evenly divided into a plurality of second flow paths 430A of different sizes on the flow dividing plate 430. The evenly divided refrigerant flows into the heat exchange tubes 310 through the third flow paths 440A respectively.

[0148] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 13 , the second flow paths 430A are grouped according to the corresponding heat exchange tubes 310, and the second flow paths 430A corresponding to the same heat exchange tube 310 are in one group. Among them, any two groups are the first group of second flow paths 430A_1 and the second group of second flow paths 430A_2 respectively. Then the area of the first group of second flow paths 430A_1 is different from that of the second group of second flow paths 430A_2. Thus, the refrigerant flow rate into the corresponding heat exchange tubes 310 can be controlled by the size of the area of the second flow paths 430A.

[0149] Exemplarily, for a top-outlet air conditioner, since the upper part of the heat exchanger 300 is closer to the blower 510 than its lower part, the wind speed at the upper part of the heat exchanger 300 is relatively large. Matching the refrigerant flow rate with the wind speed distribution can make the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 300 optimal.

[0150] By setting the area of the first group of second flow paths 430A_1 above to be larger than the area of the second group of second flow paths 430A_2 below, the refrigerant flow rate above the heat exchanger 300 can be made larger than the refrigerant flow rate below it.

[0151] In some embodiments, the second flow paths 430A are grouped according to the corresponding heat exchange tubes 310, and the second flow paths 430A corresponding to the same heat exchange tube 310 are in one group. Among them, within the same group, there are at least two second flow paths 430A, and the areas of the two second flow paths 430A are different. Thus, the more biased position of the refrigerant in the heat exchange tubes 310 can be controlled by the size of the area of the second flow paths 430A within the same group.

[0152] Exemplarily, for the heat exchanger 300 with the heat exchange tubes 310 being flat tubes, the width dimension of the flat tubes is relatively larger than that of the circular tubes, and the temperature of the air gradually decreases when flowing along the width direction of the flat tubes.

[0153] In this application, in the second flow path 430A within the same group, the area of the second flow path 430A closer to the windward side can be set to be larger. In this way, the refrigerant flow can be made to deviate more towards the windward side within the heat exchanger 310, and the refrigerant flow within the flat tubes can better adapt to the energy of the air in the windward direction. Thus, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 300 can be improved.

[0154] In the above embodiments, the distributor 400 is in the shape of a cuboid. However, in other embodiments, referring to Figure 14 , the outer shape of the distributor 400 can also be made cylindrical. The outer side surface of each plate in the plate body is an arc surface forming a cylindrical shape.

[0155] Therefore, this application does not limit the outer shape of the distributor.

[0156] Next, the distributor 400 being an integral structure will be taken as an example for illustration.

[0157] In this embodiment, the distributor 400 is made by using a mold. The first mold with the same shape as the distribution flow path is placed into the second mold corresponding to the outer shape of the distributor 400, and then aluminum liquid is injected into the second mold; after the aluminum solidifies, the first mold is melted and flows out.

[0158] In this embodiment, the distributor 400 is an integral structure, which is the same as the above embodiments except that the distributor 400 in the above embodiments is formed by laminating multiple plate bodies.

[0159] When the heat exchanger 300 is used as an evaporator, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the distributor 400 from the first flow path 410A. The refrigerant flowing into the distributor 400 is rectified and mixed in the mixing cavity 421 and then flows into multiple second flow paths 430A for splitting. The split refrigerant flows into the heat exchange tubes 310 through the third flow path 440A.

[0160] As described above, in the air conditioner according to the embodiment of this application, the distributor 400 has a first flow path 410A; a mixing cavity 421, the mixing cavity 421 has a rectifying flow path 423 communicating with the first flow path 410A, a guiding surface 4211, and a circulation area 425; multiple second flow paths 430A communicate with the mixing cavity 421, and the multiple second flow paths 430A are in one-to-one correspondence and communicate with multiple heat exchange tubes 310. In this way, through the mixing cavity 421, the refrigerant can be made to be sprayed onto the guiding surface 4211 of the mixing cavity 421 along the rectifying flow path 423, and after the direction is changed by the guiding surface 4211, it flows to the circulation areas 425 on both sides respectively, and with the cooperation of the side walls of the circulation areas 425, the refrigerant undergoes multiple circulations and then splits through multiple second flow paths 430A to multiple heat exchange tubes 310. Thus, the two-phase separation of the refrigerant caused by the action of gravity can be avoided, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the refrigerant.

[0161] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present application.

[0162] For the sake of explanation, the above description has been made in connection with specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the specific forms disclosed above. According to the above teachings, various modifications and variations can be obtained. The selection and description of the above embodiments are for the purpose of better explaining the principles and practical applications, so that those skilled in the art can better use the embodiments and various different variations of the embodiments suitable for specific use considerations.

Claims

1. An air conditioner, characterized in that, Comprising: A heat exchanger, serving as one of an evaporator or a condenser; The heat exchanger includes: A plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged along a first direction for heat exchange and circulation of refrigerant; and A distributor for distributing refrigerant to the plurality of heat exchange tubes; The distributor includes: An inflow plate provided with a first flow path for refrigerant to flow in; A mixing plate provided with a mixing chamber communicating with the first flow path for uniformly mixing refrigerant; A flow splitting plate provided with a plurality of second flow paths communicating with the mixing chamber, the second flow paths communicating with the heat exchange tubes; Wherein, the inner top surface of the mixing plate is an arc-shaped guiding surface; The mixing chamber is provided with: A rectifying flow path extending along the first direction, an inflow end of the rectifying flow path communicating with the first flow path, and an outflow end of the rectifying flow path facing the guiding surface and having a gap therebetween; and Circulation areas located on both sides of the rectifying flow path; The distributor causes the refrigerant to be ejected along the rectifying flow path onto the guiding surface, then flow to the circulation areas on both sides, and after circulating in the circulation areas, flow to the second flow paths.

2. The air conditioner according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distributor further includes: An outflow plate provided with a plurality of third flow paths for communicating the second flow paths and the heat exchange tubes, and in a projection on the plate surface of the outflow plate, the heat exchange tubes are located within the third flow paths; A plug-in plate provided with a plurality of heat exchange tube insertion portions communicating with the third flow paths in an opposite manner for the heat exchange tubes to be inserted.

3. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that Two isolation portions are provided on the mixing plate within the mixing chamber, and a space between the isolation portions forms the rectifying flow path.

4. The air conditioner according to claim 3, wherein, The bottom end of the isolation portion is closed, and the inflow end of the rectifying flow path is located at the bottom end of the rectifying flow path.

5. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, Any two of the heat exchange tubes form a group of research objects; in at least one group of research objects, the areas of the second flow paths communicated with the two heat exchange tubes are different.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The circulation areas include a first circulation area and a second circulation area located on both sides of the rectifying flow path; The flow splitting plate is provided with a conducting portion, a part of the conducting portion communicating with the first circulation area, and another part of the conducting portion communicating with the second circulation area.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, wherein, The conducting portion includes: A first conducting portion communicating the rectifying flow path and the first circulation area; A second conducting portion spaced apart from the first conducting portion, the second conducting portion communicating the rectifying flow path and the second circulation area.

8. The air conditioner according to claim 6, characterized in that, There are multiple groups of the conducting portions, and two of them respectively correspond to the upstream side and the downstream side of the rectifying flow path.

9. The air conditioner according to claim 1, wherein The second flow paths communicating with the same heat exchange tubes are in a group; there are at least two second flow paths in each group, and the two second flow paths respectively communicate with the circulation areas on both sides of the rectifying flow path.

10. An air conditioner, characterized in that, Comprising: A heat exchanger, serving as one of an evaporator or a condenser; The heat exchanger includes: A plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged along a first direction for heat exchange and circulation of refrigerant; and A distributor for distributing refrigerant flowing in from a first flow path to a plurality of second flow paths communicating with the heat exchange tubes; Wherein, the distributor has a mixing chamber, and the top end of the mixing chamber is an arc-shaped guiding surface; the mixing chamber includes: The rectifying flow path extends along the first direction. The inflow end of the rectifying flow path is communicated with the first flow path, and the outflow end of the rectifying flow path faces the guiding surface and is located in the middle of the mixing cavity; The circulation areas are located on both sides of the rectifying flow path; The distributor enables the refrigerant to be sprayed onto the guiding surface along the rectifying flow path, then flow to the circulation areas on both sides, and flow to the second flow path after circulating in the circulation areas.

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