Snakelike flat tube micro-channel heat exchanger

Abstract

The utility model discloses a snakelike flat tube micro-channel heat exchanger, and relates to the technical field of heat exchange device manufacturing. The problems that an existing snakelike flat pipe micro-channel heat exchanger is poor in structural strength, prone to deformation and poor in drainage performance are solved. The heat exchanger comprises a heat exchange tube group, and a refrigerant inflow piece and a refrigerant outflow piece which are respectively arranged at the head end and the tail end of the heat exchange tube group; the heat exchange tube set comprises a snakelike flat tube and a plurality of vertically-inserted fins which are sequentially arranged in the extending direction of the horizontal section of the snakelike flat tube. Each vertically-inserted fin is a rectangular plate with a plurality of inserting grooves formed in the long side; the depth of the slot is matched with the width of the snakelike flat tube, and the width of the slot is matched with the thickness of the snakelike flat tube; and the horizontal sections of the snakelike flat pipes are inserted into the corresponding slots and are connected through brazing. The performance of the snakelike flat tube micro-channel heat exchanger is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of heat exchange device manufacturing, and in particular to a serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger. Background Art

[0002] Traditional parallel-flow microchannel heat exchangers have been widely used in the heat exchange technology field due to their excellent heat transfer efficiency and small size. However, because the refrigerant in multi-pass microchannel heat exchangers is divided into multiple flow paths, the flow rate in each flow path is low and the heat transfer efficiency is low. This makes traditional parallel-flow heat exchangers unsuitable for units with low heat transfer requirements. Serpentine flat-tube microchannel heat exchangers, by bending a single microchannel flat tube, have fewer flow paths and higher heat transfer efficiency. However, existing serpentine flat-tube microchannel heat exchangers generally use louvered fins for connection, which have disadvantages such as weak structural strength, easy deformation, and poor drainage performance. Utility Model Content

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger, which solves the problems of poor structural strength, easy deformation and poor drainage performance of existing serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchangers.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an embodiment of the present application provides a serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger, comprising a heat exchange tube group and a refrigerant inlet and refrigerant outlet respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the heat exchange tube group; the heat exchange tube group comprises a serpentine flat tube and a plurality of vertical fins arranged in sequence along the extension direction of the horizontal section of the serpentine flat tube; the vertical fin is a rectangular plate with a plurality of slots on one long side; the depth of the slot is adapted to the width of the serpentine flat tube, and the width is adapted to the thickness of the serpentine flat tube; the horizontal section of the serpentine flat tube is inserted into the corresponding slot and connected by brazing.

[0005] Furthermore, the heat exchange tube group is a single group; the serpentine flat tube in the heat exchange tube group is a single one; the refrigerant inlet part is a liquid pipe joint, and the refrigerant outlet part is a gas pipe joint.

[0006] Furthermore, the serpentine flat tubes, vertically inserted fins, refrigerant inlet components and refrigerant outlet components are all made of aluminum.

[0007] Furthermore, the serpentine flat tube has a length of 100 to 600 mm after bending, a height of 100 to 1000 mm, a width of 16 to 32 mm, and a spacing of 6 to 16 mm.

[0008] Furthermore, the distance between two adjacent vertically inserted fins is 1 to 5 mm.

[0009] Furthermore, the serpentine flat tube is formed by bending and coiling a single long flat tube, and the length of the single long flat tube is less than or equal to 6m.

[0010] Furthermore, the heat exchange tube group is a single group; there are multiple serpentine flat tubes in the heat exchange tube group; the multiple serpentine flat tubes are arranged in parallel; the refrigerant inlet part is a liquid pipe joint; and the refrigerant outlet part is a gas collecting pipe.

[0011] Furthermore, the gas collecting pipe is a horizontally or vertically arranged circular tube, square tube or oval tube; a plug hole for inserting the end of the serpentine flat tube is provided on the side wall of the circular tube, square tube or oval tube.

[0012] Furthermore, there are multiple heat exchange tube groups; there are also multiple serpentine flat tubes in each heat exchange tube group; and the multiple serpentine flat tubes can be connected in series, in parallel, or in multiple rows in series and parallel according to load requirements.

[0013] Furthermore, the vertically inserted fins in the heat exchange tube group are arranged in the same direction, in different directions or in a staggered manner.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. The fins in the embodiment of the present application use vertical fins with multiple slots on one long side to replace traditional louver fins. The serpentine flat tubes are fixedly connected to the slots on one side of the vertical fins, which reinforces the structure of the heat exchanger and solves the problems of poor structural strength and variability of the serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger. In addition, the generated liquid can be smoothly discharged along the surface of the other side of the vertical fins, thereby improving the drainage performance of the heat exchanger.

[0016] 2. The spacing between two adjacent vertically inserted fins in the embodiment of the present application is 1 to 5 mm, which can ensure the air volume and heat exchange capacity while improving the structural stability and drainage performance.

[0017] 3. The serpentine flat tubes in the embodiment of the present application can be single or multiple. The corresponding number of serpentine flat tubes can be selected according to different load requirements, and the heat exchanger modularization can be achieved through series connection, parallel connection, and series-parallel connection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Example 1 of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the serpentine flat tube in Example 1 of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the vertically inserted fins in Example 1 of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Example 2 of the present application;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the serpentine flat tube and the gas collecting pipe in Example 2 of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic structural diagram of the gas collecting pipe in Example 2 of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Example 3 of the present application;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the serpentine flat tube and the gas collecting pipe in Example 3 of the present application;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a schematic structural diagram of the gas collecting pipe in Example 3 of the present application;

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic structural diagram of Example 4 of the present application;

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the serpentine flat tube and the gas collecting pipe in Example 4 of the present application;

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic structural diagram of the gas collecting pipe in Example 4 of the present application;

[0031] Figure 13 This is a schematic structural diagram of Example 5 of the present application;

[0032] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the serpentine flat tube and the gas collecting pipe in Example 5 of the present application;

[0033] Figure 15 This is a schematic structural diagram of the gas collecting pipe in Example 5 of the present application;

[0034] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Example 6 of the present application;

[0035] Figure 17 This is a structural diagram of Example 7 of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application.

[0038] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0039] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of the technical features being referred to. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. Throughout this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0040] Example 1:

[0041] Reference Figures 1 to 3 An embodiment of the present application provides a serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger, a heat exchange tube group 1a and a refrigerant inlet member 2a and a refrigerant outlet member 3a respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the heat exchange tube group 1a.

[0042] The heat exchange tube group 1a comprises serpentine flat tubes 101 and multiple vertical fins 102 arranged sequentially along the horizontal sections of the serpentine flat tubes 101. The heat exchange tube group 1a is a single group, with each serpentine flat tube 101 being a single unit. Each vertical fin 102 is a rectangular plate with multiple slots 103 defined along one long side. The depth of the slots 103 matches the width of the serpentine flat tubes 101, and the width matches the thickness of the serpentine flat tubes 101. The horizontal sections of the serpentine flat tubes 101 are inserted into corresponding slots 103 and connected by brazing.

[0043] The refrigerant inlet 2a is a liquid pipe connector, and the refrigerant outlet 3a is a gas pipe connector. The refrigerant inlet 2a is located below the refrigerant outlet 3a. Liquid refrigerant enters the serpentine flat tube 101 through the refrigerant inlet 2a, absorbs heat, evaporates, and becomes gaseous before flowing out of the heat exchanger through the refrigerant outlet 3a.

[0044] Because multiple slots are provided on one long side of the vertical fin 102, while the other side remains plate-shaped, the serpentine flat tubes 101, when fixedly attached to the slots 103 on one side of the vertical fin 102, not only enhance heat exchange but also reinforce each layer of serpentine flat tubes 101 in the heat exchanger, resolving the issues of weak structural strength and variability inherent in serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchangers. Furthermore, the generated liquid can be drained smoothly along the smooth surface on the other side of the vertical fin 102, improving the drainage performance of the heat exchanger. Furthermore, the processing cost of the vertical fin 102 is lower than that of traditional louvered fins.

[0045] The spacing between two adjacent vertically inserted fins 102 is 1 to 5 mm. In this way, the air volume will not be reduced and the heat exchange will not be affected due to the fins being arranged too closely, nor will the structural stability and drainage performance be reduced due to the fins being too sparse.

[0046] The serpentine flat tube 101 in Example 1 has a length of 100-600 mm, a height of 100-1000 mm, and a width of 16-32 mm. It should be noted that the length of the serpentine flat tube mentioned here refers to the length of the bent serpentine flat tube, not its unfolded length. This ensures that the windward side of the heat exchanger has a length of 100-600 mm and a height of 100-1000 mm. This makes it suitable for small devices such as window units, mobile air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and clothes dryers.

[0047] Furthermore, if the spacing between the serpentine flat tubes 101 is too small, the slots 103 of the vertical fins 102 will be too dense, which will affect the strength of the vertical fins 102 and cause excessive wind resistance in the heat exchanger. If the spacing between the serpentine flat tubes 101 is too large, it will affect the heat exchange rate. Therefore, the spacing between the serpentine flat tubes 101 in Example 1 is 6 to 16 mm.

[0048] The serpentine flat tube 101 is processed by bending and coiling. Specifically, the total length of a single long flat tube is less than or equal to 10m, preferably less than or equal to 6m; the width of the flat tube is 10-40mm, preferably 16-32mm; and the thickness is 1.2-3mm.

[0049] In addition, the serpentine flat tubes 101, the vertically inserted fins 102, the refrigerant inlet member 2a and the refrigerant outlet member 3a are all made of aluminum, which is conducive to material recycling.

[0050] Example 2:

[0051] Reference Figures 4 to 6 The only difference between Example 2 and Example 1 is that:

[0052] In Example 2, there are two serpentine flat tubes 101, arranged in parallel and vertically. The refrigerant inlet 2b is a liquid pipe joint, and the refrigerant outlet 3b is a gas header. The gas header is a horizontally extending circular tube with a socket 21b defined in its sidewall for inserting and welding the ends of the serpentine flat tubes.

[0053] Specifically, the inner diameter D of the gas collecting pipe is 3-30 mm, preferably 5-20 mm, and the wall thickness S is 1.0-5.0 mm. The insertion depth H of the serpentine flat tube is in the range of 1 ≤ H ≤ D - 1, preferably in the range of 1 / 3 * D ≤ H ≤ 2 / 3 * D. The inner diameter d of the liquid pipe joint is 2-15 mm, preferably 5-10 mm, and the wall thickness s is 1.0-3.0 mm. The insertion depth h of the serpentine flat tube is in the range of 0.5 ≤ h ≤ d - 0.5, preferably in the range of 1 / 3 * d ≤ H ≤ 2 / 3 * d.

[0054] It should be noted that the refrigerant outflow part 3b can also be a gas pipe joint, and the refrigerant inflow part 2b can also be a liquid collecting pipe. The structure of the liquid collecting pipe is the same as that of the gas collecting pipe. That is to say, the refrigerant inflow part 2b and the refrigerant outflow part 3b can be a combination of a liquid pipe joint and a gas pipe joint, or a combination of a liquid collecting pipe and a gas pipe joint, or a combination of a liquid pipe joint and a gas collecting pipe. It will not be described in detail here.

[0055] Example 3:

[0056] Reference Figures 7 to 9 The only difference between Example 3 and Example 2 is that the refrigerant inlet member 2c in Example 3 is a circular tube extending in the vertical direction, both ends of the circular tube are closed, and a refrigerant inlet 21c is provided on the side.

[0057] Example 4:

[0058] Reference Figures 10 to 12 The only difference between Example 4 and Example 3 is that in Example 4, the refrigerant inlet member 2d is a square tube, and a refrigerant inlet 21d is provided on the side.

[0059] Example 5:

[0060] Reference Figures 13 to 15 The only difference between Example 5 and Example 3 is that in Example 5, the refrigerant inlet 2e is an elliptical tube, and a refrigerant inlet 21e is provided on the side.

[0061] Example 6:

[0062] Reference Figure 16This embodiment of the heat exchanger includes two parallel heat exchange tube groups 1b, and refrigerant inlet and outlet fittings located at the head and tail ends of the two heat exchange tube groups 1. The two refrigerant inlet fittings are liquid pipe joints, designated 2f and 2g, respectively; the two refrigerant outlet fittings are gas pipe joints, designated 3f and 3g, respectively. The two refrigerant inlet fittings are connected to external refrigerant pipelines via a first tee joint 6, and the two refrigerant outlet fittings are also connected to external refrigerant pipelines via a second tee joint 7.

[0063] Each heat exchange tube group 1b comprises two serpentine flat tubes and a plurality of vertically inserted fins 102 arranged sequentially along the horizontal extension of the serpentine flat tubes. For ease of description, the four serpentine flat tubes are designated 101a, 101b, 101c, and 101d. The structures of the serpentine flat tubes and vertically inserted fins 102 are identical to those in Example 1 and will not be described in detail here. Serpentine flat tubes 101a and 101b are connected via a first manifold 4, while serpentine flat tubes 101c and 101d are connected via a second manifold 5.

[0064] When the heat exchanger is operating, the refrigerant enters the first three-way joint 6 and is divided into two paths. One path passes through the refrigerant inlet part 2f, the serpentine flat tube 101a, the first gas collecting pipe 4, the serpentine flat tube 101b, the refrigerant outflow part 3f in sequence, and then flows out of the heat exchanger through the second three-way joint 7; the other path passes through the refrigerant inlet part 2g, the serpentine flat tube 101c, the second gas collecting pipe 5, the serpentine flat tube 101d, the refrigerant outflow part 3g, and flows out of the heat exchanger through the second three-way joint 7.

[0065] The vertical fins 102 on each heat exchange tube group 1b can be arranged in the same direction or in different directions. For example, the slots 103 on the vertical fins 102 on the two heat exchange tube groups 1b can be oriented forward or backward, or one group can be oriented forward and the other group backward.

[0066] Example 7:

[0067] Reference Figure 17 The heat exchanger of this embodiment includes three parallel sets of heat exchange tubes, two refrigerant inlet fittings, and two refrigerant outlet fittings. The heat exchange tubes are identical to those in Example 6. The two refrigerant inlet fittings are liquid pipe joints, designated 2h and 2i, respectively; the two refrigerant outlet fittings are gas pipe joints, designated 3h and 3i, respectively.

[0068] Each heat exchange tube group consists of two serpentine flat tubes and multiple vertically inserted fins 102 arranged sequentially along the horizontal extension of the serpentine flat tubes. For ease of description, the six serpentine flat tubes are designated 101a, 101b, 101c, 101d, 101e, and 101f. Serpentine flat tubes 101a and 101b are connected in parallel and then connect to serpentine flat tube 101c via the third manifold 8. Serpentine flat tubes 101d and 101e are connected in parallel and then connect to serpentine flat tube 101f via the fourth manifold 9.

[0069] When the heat exchanger is working, the refrigerant flows in two ways. One way enters the refrigerant inlet part 2h and is divided into two ways. The two ways flow through the serpentine flat tube 101a and the serpentine flat tube 101b respectively, then merge in the third collecting pipe 8 and flow into the serpentine flat tube 101c, and finally flow out of the heat exchanger through the refrigerant outflow part 3h; the other way enters the refrigerant inlet part 2i and is divided into two ways. The two ways flow through the serpentine flat tube 101d and the serpentine flat tube 101e respectively, then merge in the fourth collecting pipe 9 and flow into the serpentine flat tube 101f, and finally flow out of the heat exchanger through the refrigerant outflow part 3i.

[0070] The vertical fins 102 on each group of heat exchange tube groups 1b can be arranged in the same direction, in different directions, or staggered. For example, the slots 103 on the vertical fins 102 on the three groups of heat exchange tube groups 1b can be oriented forward or backward, or the front and back groups can be forward and the middle group can be backward, or the front and back groups can be backward and the middle group can be forward. The above is only a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited to this. Any changes or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application should be covered by the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger, characterized in that: The heat exchange tube group includes a heat exchange tube group and a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet respectively arranged at the head and tail ends of the heat exchange tube group; the heat exchange tube group includes a serpentine flat tube and a plurality of vertical fins arranged in sequence along the extension direction of the horizontal section of the serpentine flat tube; the vertical fin is a rectangular plate with a plurality of slots on one long side; the depth of the slots is adapted to the width of the serpentine flat tube, and the width is adapted to the thickness of the serpentine flat tube; the horizontal section of the serpentine flat tube is inserted into the corresponding slot and connected by brazing.

2. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange tube group is a single group; the serpentine flat tube in the heat exchange tube group is a single one; the refrigerant inlet part is a liquid pipe joint, and the refrigerant outlet part is a gas pipe joint.

3. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serpentine flat tubes, vertically inserted fins, refrigerant inlet components and refrigerant outlet components are all made of aluminum.

4. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serpentine flat tube has a length of 100-600 mm after being bent, a height of 100-1000 mm, a width of 16-32 mm, and a spacing of 6-16 mm.

5. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance between two adjacent vertically inserted fins is 1 to 5 mm.

6. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The serpentine flat tube is formed by bending and coiling a single long flat tube, and the length of the single long flat tube is less than or equal to 6m.

7. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat exchange tube group is a single group; there are multiple serpentine flat tubes in the heat exchange tube group; the multiple serpentine flat tubes are arranged in parallel; the refrigerant inlet part is a liquid pipe joint; and the refrigerant outlet part is a gas collecting pipe.

8. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 7, characterized in that: The gas collecting pipe is a horizontally or vertically arranged round pipe, square pipe or oval pipe; a plug hole for inserting the end of the serpentine flat pipe is provided on the side wall of the round pipe, square pipe or oval pipe.

9. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple groups of heat exchange tubes; there are also multiple serpentine flat tubes in each group of heat exchange tubes; the multiple serpentine flat tubes can be connected in series, in parallel, or in multiple rows in series and parallel according to load requirements.

10. The serpentine flat tube microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 9, characterized in that: The vertically inserted fins in the heat exchange tube group are arranged in the same direction, in different directions or in a staggered manner.

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