Heat exchanger and air conditioner equipped with the same

Abstract

To enhance the degree of freedom in the design of an air flow passage in a header-less heat exchanger.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger includes a plurality of flat tubes arrayed in a first direction, and each extending in a second direction crossing the first direction. The flat tube has a tube wall in which a heat transfer flow passage where a fluid circulates in an internal space is provided. The tube wall has tabular tube side wall parts opposing in the first direction, and a trough-hole is formed on the tube side wall part. The flat tubes adjacent to each other have a connection part for connecting the tube walls with each other and communicating the heat transfer flow passages with each other in the tube wall. The connection part is constituted by a connection protrusion part formed at least at one of the tube side wall parts opposing to each other of the adjacent flat tubes, and protruding in the first direction from a peripheral edge part of the through-hole. The through-hole and the connection part are formed further inside than opening ends on both sides in a longer direction of the flat tube.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a headerless heat exchanger and an air conditioner including the same.

Background Art

[0002] In a heat exchanger, there is a heat exchanger formed by laminating a plurality of heat exchange members and performing heat exchange between a first fluid such as a refrigerant and a second fluid such as air. Among such heat exchangers, there is one that discloses a headerless heat exchanger (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The heat exchanger of Patent Document 1 has, as flow paths for the first fluid, a plurality of heat transfer flow paths provided in the stacking direction of substantially rectangular heat exchange members, each extending in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange members, and a header flow path extending in the stacking direction of the heat exchange members and communicating the plurality of heat transfer flow paths. In the heat exchanger of Patent Document 1, the heat exchange members are plates, and due to the unevenness provided on the plates, a heat transfer flow path for the refrigerant is formed between the plate and the adjacent plate on one side in the stacking direction, and a flow path for air is formed between the plate and the adjacent plate on the other side in the stacking direction. Further, by providing through holes at the portions where the plate and the adjacent plate on the other side in the stacking direction are joined, the heat transfer flow paths for the refrigerant communicate with each other.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the heat exchanger of Patent Document 1 is configured by laminating plates. The unevenness provided on the plates forms a heat transfer flow path for the refrigerant and an air flow path, and a header flow path for the refrigerant is formed by through holes provided at the joint portions of the plates. Therefore, depending on the size of the unevenness of the plates (i.e., the depth of the grooves or the height of the protrusions), the pitch of the plates and the total width of the heat transfer flow path for the refrigerant and the air flow path in the plate lamination direction are determined. Although the width of the air flow path in the plate lamination direction can be changed depending on the size of the unevenness, since the unevenness is directly processed on the plates, there are limitations in changing the size of the unevenness. Also, if the width of the air flow path is to be widened, the width of the heat transfer flow path for the refrigerant will become narrow. Thus, the heat exchanger of Patent Document 1 has a low degree of freedom in designing the air flow path.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to increase the degree of freedom in designing an air flow path in a headerless heat exchanger.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The heat exchanger according to the present disclosure is arranged in a first direction Leave a gap to form an air flow path and includes a plurality of flat tubes each extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction through which the compressed refrigerant flows The flat tube has a tube wall provided with a heat transfer flow path through which along with the first pipe sealing portion and the second pipe sealing portion flows, the tube wall has flat tube side wall portions facing each other in the first direction, and through holes are formed in the tube side wall portions. to effect heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant Adjacent flat tubes have a connecting portion that connects the tube walls to each other and communicates the heat transfer flow paths inside the tube walls. The connecting portion is constituted by a connecting protrusion that protrudes in the first direction from the peripheral edge of the through hole formed in at least one of the opposing tube side wall portions of the adjacent flat tubes. The through hole and the connecting portion are formed inside the open ends on both sides in the the refrigerant longitudinal direction of the flat tube. is formed to have a pipe structure by the open ends on both sides in the second direction which is the longitudinal direction of the flat pipe the open ends on both sides of the flat pipe in the second direction are respectively sealed by the first pipe sealing portion and the second pipe sealing portion the the

[0007] In addition, the air conditioner according to the present disclosure includes a compressor, the heat exchanger described above, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger, which are connected via a refrigerant pipe, the refrigerant and has a refrigerant circuit through which the refrigerant circulates.

Advantages of the Invention

[0008] In the heat exchanger according to the present disclosure and the air conditioner including the same, a heat transfer flow path for a fluid is provided inside the tube wall of the flat tube, and adjacent flat tubes have a connecting portion that connects the tube walls to each other and communicates the heat transfer flow paths with each other. The connecting portion protrudes in a first direction from the peripheral edge of the through hole in the tube side wall portion, and the through hole and the connecting portion are formed inside the opening ends on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the flat tube. Therefore, by changing the length of the connecting portion, the width of the air flow path in the first direction outside the connecting portion can be changed, so that the width of the air flow path in the first direction can be increased without narrowing the width of the heat transfer flow path of the fluid in the first direction. Thus, the degree of freedom in designing the air flow path in the headerless heat exchanger can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the heat exchanger according to Embodiment 1 will be described with reference to the drawings and the like. In the following drawings including FIG. 1, the relative dimensional relationships and shapes of the respective constituent members may be different from the actual ones. Also, in the following drawings, those denoted by the same reference numerals are the same or corresponding ones, and this shall be common throughout the entire specification. In addition, for the sake of easy understanding, terms indicating directions (for example, "upper", "lower", "right", "left", "front", "rear", etc.) are used as appropriate, but their notations are only described as such for the convenience of explanation and do not limit the arrangement and orientation of the device or parts. In the specification, the positional relationship between the respective constituent members, the extending direction of each constituent member, and the arrangement direction of each constituent member are, in principle, those when the heat exchanger is installed in a usable state.

[0011] Embodiment 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger according to Embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 101 has a plurality of flat tubes 10 arranged in the first direction D1 and connected to each other. The flat tube 10 extends in the direction in which the tube axis Ax extends (hereinafter, also referred to as the tube axis direction), and has a flat shape that is long in one direction in a cross section perpendicular to the tube axis Ax. Hereinafter, the first direction D1 in which the plurality of flat tubes 10 are arranged is referred to as the stacking direction, the tube axis direction of the flat tube 10 is referred to as the second direction D2 or the longitudinal direction of the flat tube 10, and the longitudinal direction of the cross section of the flat tube 10 may be referred to as the third direction D3 or the short side direction of the flat tube 10. Further, hereinafter, as shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 101 is defined as being installed such that the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the flat tubes 10 is the left-right direction. And each flat tube 10 is defined as being arranged such that its tube axis Ax is in the vertical direction perpendicular to the stacking direction (first direction D1), and its short side direction (third direction D3) is in the front-rear direction perpendicular to the tube axis direction and the stacking direction.

[0012] Note that the arrangement of the heat exchanger 101 or the angle between the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the flat tubes 10 in the heat exchanger 101 and the tube axis direction (second direction D2) of each flat tube 10 is not limited to the above case. For example, the heat exchanger 101 may be arranged obliquely such that the tube axis direction of each flat tube 10 is in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction. Alternatively, the heat exchanger 101 may be configured such that the tube axis direction of each flat tube 10 is in a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction when the heat exchanger 101 is installed such that the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the flat tubes 10 is the left-right direction.

[0013] A gap, which is an air flow path P2, is formed between the tube walls 11 of the adjacent flat tubes 10 in the stacking direction (first direction D1), and in the heat exchanger 101, air flows along the short side direction (third direction D3) of the flat tubes 10 in each gap.

[0014] Among the plurality of flat tubes 10, the first pipe a and the second pipe b, which are the inlets and outlets of the fluid (such as refrigerant, etc.) in the heat exchanger 101, are provided in the flat tube 10 arranged at one end in the stacking direction. Here, the fluid flowing in the flat tube 10 may be a refrigerant, or may be water, brine, or the like. In the heat exchanger 101, a fluid flow path is provided between the first pipe a and the second pipe b. The fluid flow path is provided in the plurality of flat tubes 10. The heat exchanger 101 performs heat exchange between air and the fluid. Hereinafter, it will be described by defining that the fluid flowing in the plurality of flat tubes 10 is a refrigerant.

[0015] Adjacent flat tubes 10 have a connecting portion 19 for connecting their tube walls 11. Each flat tube 10 has a tube wall 11 and connecting protrusions 19a, 19b (see FIG. 3 described later) that extend from the tube wall 11 in the first direction D1 on the outside and constitute the connecting portion 19. The flat tube 10 has a tube structure in which an internal space through which the refrigerant flows is maintained over its longitudinal direction (second direction D2), that is, from the upper end to the lower end of the tube wall 11. The detailed structure of the flat tube 10 will be described later.

[0016] Both ends of the flat tube 10 in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2) are sealed. Specifically, the heat exchanger 101 includes a tube sealing portion 20 that closes each open end 1e on both sides of the flat tube 10 in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2). In the example of FIG. 1, the tube sealing portion 20 is provided at two locations on the upper side and the lower side of the flat tube, for each flat tube 10. The tube sealing portion 20 is joined to the open end 1e of the flat tube 10 by joining means such as brazing or an adhesive.

[0017] FIG. 2 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of the air conditioner 100 equipped with the heat exchanger 101 of FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchanger 101 constitutes a part of the refrigerant circuit 100c in which the refrigerant circulates in the air conditioner 100.

[0018] The air conditioner 100 has a compressor 102, a heat exchanger 101, an expansion valve 105, an indoor heat exchanger 104, and a four-way valve 103. In FIG. 2, the compressor 102, the heat exchanger 101, the expansion valve 105, and the four-way valve 103 are provided in the outdoor unit 100A, and the indoor heat exchanger 104 is provided in the indoor unit 100B. The first pipe a and the second pipe b (see FIG. 1), which are the refrigerant inlet and outlet of the heat exchanger 101, are connected to the four-way valve 103 and the expansion valve 105 of the refrigerant circuit 100c.

[0019] The compressor 102, the heat exchanger 101, the expansion valve 105, the indoor heat exchanger 104, and the four-way valve 103 are connected to each other via refrigerant pipes, thereby forming a refrigerant circuit 100c in which the refrigerant can circulate. In the air conditioner 100, when the compressor 102 operates, a refrigeration cycle is performed in which the refrigerant circulates through the compressor 102, the heat exchanger 101, the expansion valve 105, and the indoor heat exchanger 104 while undergoing a phase change.

[0020] The outdoor unit 100A is provided with an outdoor fan 107 that forces outdoor air to pass through the heat exchanger 101. The heat exchanger 101 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air flow of the outdoor air generated by the operation of the outdoor fan 107. The indoor unit 100B is provided with an indoor fan 106 that forces indoor air to pass through the indoor heat exchanger 104. The indoor heat exchanger 104 performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air flow of the indoor air generated by the operation of the indoor fan 106.

[0021] The operation of the air conditioner 100 can be switched between a cooling operation and a heating operation. In FIG. 2, the direction of the refrigerant flow during the cooling operation is indicated by a dashed arrow, and the direction of the refrigerant flow during the heating operation is indicated by a solid arrow. The four-way valve 103 is an electromagnetic valve that switches the refrigerant flow path according to the switching between the cooling operation and the heating operation of the air conditioner 100. During the cooling operation, the four-way valve 103 guides the refrigerant from the compressor 102 to the heat exchanger 101 and guides the refrigerant from the indoor heat exchanger 104 to the compressor 102. During the heating operation, the four-way valve 103 guides the refrigerant from the compressor 102 to the indoor heat exchanger 104 and guides the refrigerant from the heat exchanger 101 to the compressor 102.

[0022] During the cooling operation of the air conditioner 100, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 102 is sent to the heat exchanger 101. In the heat exchanger 101, the refrigerant releases heat to the outdoor air and is condensed. After that, the refrigerant is sent to the expansion valve 105, and after being depressurized by the expansion valve 105, it is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 104. After that, the refrigerant takes in heat from the indoor air in the indoor heat exchanger 104 and evaporates, and then returns to the compressor 102. Therefore, during the cooling operation of the air conditioner 100, the heat exchanger 101 functions as a condenser, and the indoor heat exchanger 104 functions as an evaporator.

[0023] During the heating operation of the air conditioner 100, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 102 is sent to the indoor heat exchanger 104. In the indoor heat exchanger 104, the refrigerant releases heat to the indoor air and is condensed. After that, the refrigerant is sent to the expansion valve 105, and after being depressurized by the expansion valve 105, it is sent to the heat exchanger 101. After that, the refrigerant takes in heat from the outdoor air in the heat exchanger 101 and evaporates, and then returns to the compressor 102. Therefore, during the heating operation of the air conditioner 100, the heat exchanger 101 functions as an evaporator, and the indoor heat exchanger 104 functions as a condenser.

[0024] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the flat tube 10 of the heat exchanger 101 in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heat exchanger 101 in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view showing the A-A section of the portion surrounded by the ellipse in FIG. 4. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the refrigerant flow path of the heat exchanger 101 and the structure of the flat tube 10 will be described in detail. In FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the direction of the refrigerant flow when the heat exchanger 101 is used as a condenser is indicated by a solid white arrow. Also, in FIG. 5, the direction of the air flow is indicated by a dashed white arrow.

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the pipe wall 11 includes substantially flat plate-shaped pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b facing each other in the first direction D1, and curved connection wall portions 10c and 10d that connect the pipe side wall portion 10a and the pipe side wall portion 10b at each end on both sides of the pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b in the third direction D3. The pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b each have a rectangular shape in which the long sides extend in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2) of the flat pipe 10 and the short sides extend in the short side direction (third direction D3) of the flat pipe 10. Although the pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b are each plate-shaped, the "plate-shaped" as referred to in the present application does not have to be a completely flat surface, and it may be a structure that appears to spread out flat as a whole. For example, depressions, protrusions, or waveforms may be formed in a part of the region that spreads out flat. In FIG. 4, the wall portion on the left side of the pipe wall 11 is the pipe side wall portion 10a, and the wall portion on the right side of the pipe wall 11 is the pipe side wall portion 10b. As shown in FIG. 4, a through hole h1a penetrating in the first direction D1 is formed in the left pipe side wall portion 10a, and a through hole h1b penetrating in the first direction D1 is formed in the right pipe side wall portion 10b.

[0026] The connecting portion 19 of adjacent flat pipes 10 has a cylindrical shape with a hollow portion Sg penetrating in the first direction D1. The connecting portion 19 extends from the peripheral edge of the through hole h1a or h1b in at least one of the pipe side wall portions 10a or 10b of the pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b facing each other in adjacent flat pipes 10 to the side of the opposing pipe side wall portion 10b or 10a Connection and is composed of a protruding portion 19a or 19b. In FIG. 4, the connecting portion 19 is composed of cylindrical Connection protruding portions 19a and 19b formed on both pipe side wall portions of the pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b facing each other in adjacent flat pipes 10. Such through holes h1a, h1b and connecting protruding portions 19a, 19b can be formed, for example, by drilling holes in the flat plate portion of the flat pipe 10 and deforming the peripheral flat plate portion to stand up in a cylindrical shape by a burring process.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 4, the connecting portion 19 connects the through holes h1a and h1b provided in the pipe side wall portions 10a and 10b by the hollow portion Sg to communicate the internal spaces of the adjacent pipe walls 11 with each other. Further, the connecting portion 19 has a function of partitioning the inner hollow portion Sg and the air flow path P2 which is the space outside the connecting portion 19.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 4, the through hole h1a, the through hole h1b, and the connecting portion 19 are formed inside the opening ends 1e on both sides in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2) of the flat tube 10. Specifically, in the heat exchanger 101 arranged as shown in Fig. 1, the through hole h1a, the through hole h1b, Connection The protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b are formed below the upper opening end 1e of the flat tube 10 and above the lower opening end 1e of the flat tube 10.

[0029] Such a flat tube 10 can be manufactured, for example, by previously forming the through holes h1a and h1b and the connecting protrusions 19a and 19b in the member that is the source of the flat tube 10 and then forming the member by roll forming. Further, the connecting protrusions 19a and 19b may be formed by raising the hole peripheral portion when forming the through holes h1a and h1b in the member that is the source of the flat tube 10. For the flat tube 10, a metal material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, copper, or brass is used, for example.

[0030] The refrigerant flow path in the heat exchanger 101 is provided inside the pipe wall 11 of each flat tube 10 and has a heat transfer flow path P1a extending in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2) of the flat tube 10 and a header flow path P1b extending in the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the plurality of flat tubes 10 and communicating the heat transfer flow paths P1a of the plurality of flat tubes 10. One end of the header flow path P1b extending in the first direction D1 is connected to the first pipe a (see Fig. 1).

[0031] The above-mentioned through holes h1a, h1b, and the hollow portion Sg of the connecting portion 19, etc. constitute the header flow path P1b, and the refrigerant flows through the hollow portion Sg. In the heat exchanger 101, the connecting portion 19 is constituted by a part of the flat tube 10, and the portion of the header flow path P1b disposed between the tube walls 11 of the flat tube 10 is the hollow portion Sg inside the connecting portion 19. Therefore, in the heat exchanger 101, since the header flow path P1b is formed in the flat tube 10 which is a heat exchange member, there is no need to provide a header tube in addition to the plurality of flat tubes 10, and it has a headerless configuration.

[0032] In the example of FIG. 5, inside each flat tube 10, a first partition 30 is provided which extends in the longitudinal direction (second direction D2, vertical direction) of the flat tube 10 and divides the internal space of the tube wall 11 of the flat tube 10 in the short-side direction (third direction D3, front-rear direction) of the flat tube 10. And the upper end 30e of the first partition 30 is provided below the upper opening end 10e of the flat tube 10. Thereby, a return flow path P1at through which the refrigerant can flow in the front-rear direction (third direction D3) is formed in the upper part of the internal space of the tube wall 11. That is, in the example of FIG. 5, the heat transfer flow path P1a of the refrigerant has an inverted U shape including the return flow path P1at.

[0033] In the examples of FIGS. 1, 3 to 5, as shown in FIG. 4, the refrigerant flow path of the heat exchanger 101 is constituted by a plurality of heat transfer flow paths P1a, and the header flow paths P1b and P1c (see FIG. 3) provided in parallel in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the heat exchanger 101. The header flow path P1b is constituted by the hollow portions Sg etc. of a plurality of connecting portions 19 provided at the front side in the lower part of the heat exchanger 101. Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the header flow path P1c is constituted by the hollow portions (not shown) etc. of a plurality of connecting portions 18 provided at the rear side in the lower part of the heat exchanger 101. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the right end of the front header flow path P1b is connected to the first pipe a, and the right end of the rear header flow path P1c is connected to the second pipe b.

[0034] Note that the heat exchanger 101 shown in FIGS. 1, 3 to 5 is an example of the heat exchanger 101 of the present disclosure, and the shape of the heat transfer flow path P1a, the presence, number, and arrangement of the first partitions 30 in the flat tube 10, and the arrangement of the first pipe a and the second pipe b in the heat exchanger 101 can be appropriately changed.

[0035] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 2 and FIGS. 4 to 5, an example of the operation of the heat exchanger 101 when the heat exchanger 101 is used as a condenser will be described. As shown by the white arrows in FIG. 1, a refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state flows into the heat exchanger 101 from the first pipe a. As shown in FIG. 4, in the heat exchanger 101, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state first flows into a header flow path P1b that penetrates the lower front side of the plurality of flat tubes 10 in the left-right direction, and flows through the header flow path P1b from right to left. In this process, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state is distributed and flows into the heat transfer flow paths P1a provided in the respective tube walls 11 of the plurality of flat tubes 10. The refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state that has flowed into each heat transfer flow path P1a flows upward along the front side of the internal space of the tube wall 11, flows backward through a folded-back flow path P1at (see FIG. 5) at the upper part of the internal space of the tube wall 11, and then flows downward along the rear side of the internal space of the tube wall 11. At this time, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state dissipates heat to the air by exchanging heat with the air flowing through the gap between the tube walls 11 of the flat tube 10 (that is, the air flow path P2) and condenses through the tube wall 11, becoming a refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state. The refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state from the plurality of heat transfer flow paths P1a flows into a header flow path P1c (see FIG. 3) that penetrates the lower rear side of the plurality of flat tubes 10 and merges in the header flow path P1c. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state that has merged in the header flow path P1c flows out of the heat exchanger 101 from the second pipe b connected to the header flow path P1c to the outside of the heat exchanger 101 (for example, the expansion valve 105 of the refrigerant circuit 100c shown in FIG. 2).

[0036] As shown in Fig. 4, the connecting portion 19 that connects the tube walls 11 of adjacent flat tubes 10 communicates the heat transfer channels P1a with each other, and partitions the refrigerant flow channel (particularly, the header flow channel P1b) and the outer air flow channel P2 in the gap between the tube walls 11. The connecting portion 19 is composed of connecting protrusions 19a and 19b that are part of the flat tube 10.

[0037] Therefore, in the heat exchanger 101 of the present disclosure, the length of the connecting portion 19 may be set according to the desired tube pitch Lp, and the tube pitch Lp and the width of the air flow channel P2 in the first direction D1 can be changed without narrowing the width of the refrigerant heat transfer channel P1a in the first direction D1. Thus, a heat exchanger 101 with a higher degree of freedom in designing the air flow channel can be provided compared to a conventional heat exchanger formed by laminating plates.

[0038] Also, in a configuration where a refrigerant heat transfer channel and an air flow channel are provided between plates laminated as in the prior art, compared to the configuration of the present disclosure, the area of the joint portion between the heat exchange members (plates in the prior art configuration) becomes larger, resulting in problems such as an increase in ventilation resistance, deterioration of the drainage of condensed water, or blockage of the air flow channel P2 by frost. Further, the heat exchange performance deteriorates due to an increase in ventilation resistance, deterioration of the drainage of condensed water, or blockage of the air flow channel P2 by frost.

[0039] On the other hand, in the heat exchanger 101 of the present disclosure, the area of the joint portion between the heat exchange members (i.e., between the flat tubes 10) can be minimized, and even when the width of the air flow channel P2 in the first direction D1 is widened, only the length of the connecting portion 19 needs to be changed, so fewer parts need to be changed.

[0040] The connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b that constitute the connecting portion 19 are, for example, configured to fit together. A specific example of such a configuration will be described. On the right tube side wall portion 10b of the left flat tube 10 among the flat tubes 10 adjacent in the first direction D1, a cylindrical connecting protrusion 19b protruding to the right is formed, and on the left tube side wall portion 10a of the right flat tube 10, a cylindrical connecting protrusion 19a protruding to the left is formed. The inner diameter Dia of the connecting protrusion 19a is substantially the same as the outer diameter Dob of the connecting protrusion 19b. When the flat tubes 10 are stacked, the flat tubes 10 are connected by inserting the right tip of the connecting protrusion 19b into the connecting protrusion 19a. In this case, the insertion depth and the length of each connecting protrusion 19a and 19b in the first direction D1 may be appropriately determined so that the tips of the connecting protrusions 19a and 19b do not protrude into the heat transfer flow path P1a of the opposing flat tube 10 when the tube pitch L is set to a desired length.

[0041] Note that the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b do not necessarily have to be configured to fit together. For example, the outer diameter Dob of the connecting protrusion 19b is made slightly smaller than the inner diameter Dia of the connecting protrusion 19a, and after inserting the right tip of the connecting protrusion 19b into the connecting protrusion 19a so that the tube pitch Lp becomes a desired length, a configuration in which the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b are joined by joining means such as brazing or an adhesive may also be used.

[0042] Note that the shapes of the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b that constitute the connecting portion 19 are not limited to the above shapes, and it is sufficient if the refrigerant header flow path P1b and the air flow path P2 can be partitioned by the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b. Further, the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b may be formed so that a part thereof overlaps in the first direction D1 (see FIG. 4), or the tips may be joined without overlapping in the first direction D1. In a configuration where the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b partially overlap in the first direction D1, a part of the connecting portion 19 in the first direction D1 has a double-wall structure, so the strength of the connecting portion 19 can be increased compared to a configuration where the tips are joined.

[0043] As described above, the heat exchanger 101 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is a heat exchanger 101 including a plurality of flat tubes 10 arranged in the first direction D1 and each extending in the second direction D2 intersecting the first direction D1. The flat tube 10 has a tube wall 11 provided with a heat transfer flow path P1a through which a fluid flows in an internal space. The tube wall 11 has flat tube side wall portions 10a and 10b facing each other in the first direction D1, and through holes h1a and h1b are formed in the tube side wall portions 10a and 10b. Further, adjacent flat tubes 10 have a connecting portion 19 that connects the tube walls 11 to each other and communicates the heat transfer flow paths P1a inside the tube walls 11. The connecting portion 19 is constituted by connecting protrusion portions 19a and 19b that protrude in the first direction D1 from the peripheral portions of the through holes h1a and h1b formed in at least one of the opposing tube side wall portions 10a and 10b of the adjacent flat tubes 10.

[0044] In the heat exchanger 101, a heat transfer flow path P1a is provided in the tube wall 11 of the flat tube 10, adjacent flat tubes 10 have a connecting portion 19 that connects the tube walls 11 to each other and communicates the heat transfer flow paths P1a, and the connecting portion 19 is constituted by connecting protrusion portions 19a and 19b that protrude in the first direction D1 from the peripheral portions of the through holes h1a and h1b in the tube side wall portions 10a and 10b. In a conventional heat exchanger, concavo-convex processing is directly performed on a plate to form a heat transfer flow path for a refrigerant and a flow path for air, and the heat transfer flow paths communicate with each other through through holes provided at the joint portions between the plates. Therefore, when trying to widen the width of the air flow path, the width of the heat transfer flow path for the refrigerant becomes narrow. On the other hand, in the heat exchanger 101 of the present disclosure, a heat transfer flow path P1a for a fluid is provided in the flat tube 10, and the connecting portion 19 that communicates the heat transfer flow paths P1a is configured to protrude in the first direction D1 from the tube side wall portions 10a and 10b. Therefore, by changing the length of the connecting portion 19, the width of the air flow path P2 (that is, the gap between the tube walls 11) in the first direction D1 can be changed, so that the width of the air flow path P2 in the first direction D1 can be widened without narrowing the width of the heat transfer flow path P1a of the fluid in the first direction D1. Thus, the degree of freedom in designing the air flow path in the headerless heat exchanger 101 can be increased.

[0045] Further, the connecting portion 19 is constituted by connecting protrusions 19a and 19b formed on both of the opposing tube side wall portions 10a and 10b of adjacent flat tubes 10. Thereby, it is difficult for the connecting protrusions 19a or 19b to penetrate into the tube wall 11 compared to the case where the connecting portion 19 is constituted by one of the connecting protrusions 19a or 19b.

[0046] Further, the connecting protrusions 19a and 19b formed on both of the opposing tube side wall portions 10a and 10b of adjacent flat tubes 10 overlap at least partially in the first direction D1. Thereby, a part of the connecting portion 19 can be formed into a double-wall structure, and the strength of the connecting portion 19 can be increased.

[0047] Further, the flat tube 10 is disposed in the internal space of the tube wall 11, extends in the second direction D2, and has a first partition 30 that divides the internal space in a third direction D3 that is orthogonal to the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 respectively. And at least one end (for example, the upper end 30e) of the first partition 30 in the second direction D2 is located inside the ends (both open ends 10e) on both sides of the flat tube 10 in the second direction D2.

[0048] Thereby, the flow path of the fluid can be freely changed. For example, when the heat transfer flow path Pa1 is formed into a shape that folds up and down according to the position of the fluid inlet and outlet, it is not necessary to arrange two rows of flat tubes 10 and provide a cross-header.

[0049] Embodiment 2. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger 101b according to Embodiment 2. FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heat exchanger 101b of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a view showing a configuration example of the connecting portion 19 surrounded by a square in FIG. 7. In FIGS. 6 and 8, when the heat exchanger 101b is used as a condenser, the direction of the refrigerant flow is indicated by a solid white arrow. Based on FIGS. 6 to 8, the heat exchanger 101b according to Embodiment 2 will be described. The heat exchanger 101b of Embodiment 2 is obtained by changing the configuration of the tube sealing portion 20 in the heat exchanger 101 of Embodiment 1. Note that components having the same functions and actions as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0050] In the heat exchanger 101 of Embodiment 1, the tube sealing portion 20 was provided at two locations, i.e., the upper side and the lower side of the flat tube 10, for each flat tube 10. However, in the heat exchanger 101b of Embodiment 2, a common tube sealing portion 120 for a plurality of flat tubes 10 is provided at two locations, i.e., the upper side and the lower side of the plurality of flat tubes 10.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 6, the tube sealing portion 120 is composed of a substantially rectangular plate-like member that covers the open ends 1e of the plurality of flat tubes 10. The open ends 1e of the plurality of flat tubes 10 are fixed to the tube sealing portion 120 at a constant pitch. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the tube sealing portion 120 has a plurality of groove portions 120r and flat portions 120p between the groove portions 120r. In the tube sealing portion 120, the groove portions 120r are formed at a constant pitch Lr in the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the flat tubes 10 and extend in the short-side direction (third direction D3) of the flat tubes 10 along the open ends 1e of the flat tubes 10. The pitch Lr of the groove portions 120r in the tube sealing portion 120 is the same as the tube pitch Lp of the flat tubes 10. An end portion including the open end 10e of the flat tube 10 is disposed in each groove portion 120r of the tube sealing portion 120. The width of the groove portion 120r in the first direction D1 is substantially the same as the thickness of the flat tube 10 in the first direction D1 and is the same or slightly wider.

[0052] In the lower tube sealing portion 120, drain holes 120h for draining water such as dew condensation water or thawed water of frost generated in the flat tubes 10 or the like are formed in the flat portion 120p other than the portion (i.e., the groove portion 120r) that closes the lower open end 10e of the flat tube 10.

[0053] When the flat tubes 10 are stacked during the manufacture of the heat exchanger 101b, with the opposing connecting protrusions 19a and 19b of adjacent flat tubes 10 engaged with each other, the longitudinal ends of each flat tube 10 are inserted into the respective groove portions 120r of the tube sealing portion 120. Thereby, the plurality of flat tubes 10 are arranged at a constant tube pitch Lp in the first direction D1. Thereafter, each groove portion 120r of the tube sealing portion 120 and the longitudinal ends of each flat tube 10, and also the connecting protrusion 19a and the connecting protrusion 19b of adjacent flat tubes 10, are joined by joining means such as brazing or an adhesive. Then, by fixing the open ends 1e of the plurality of flat tubes 10 to the tube sealing portion 20 by the joining means, the strength of closing the open ends 1e at the longitudinal ends of the flat tubes 10 can be increased.

[0054] In a configuration where the positions of the plurality of flat tubes 10 in the stacking direction (first direction D1) are determined by the tube sealing portion 120 as shown in FIG. 7, when stacking the flat tubes 10, it is preferable to adopt a configuration in which they are lightly engaged rather than a configuration in which the connecting protrusion 19b is inserted into the connecting protrusion 19a so that the distance between the tube walls 11 of adjacent flat tubes 10 can be easily adjusted.

[0055] An example of such a configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In FIG. 8, the connecting protrusions 19b and 19a constituting the connecting portion 19 in adjacent flat tubes 10 are each formed in a cylindrical shape that curves so that the opening diameter is larger at the tip than at the base end. The connecting protrusion 19b is formed at the peripheral edge of the through-hole h1b of the tube side wall portion 10b, and the connecting protrusion 19a is formed at the peripheral edge of the through-hole h1a of the tube side wall portion 10a. The through-hole h1b is smaller than the through-hole h1a. When the flat tubes 10 are stacked, when the connecting protrusion 19b is inserted into the connecting protrusion 19a, the tip of the connecting protrusion 19b is configured to be caught by the inner surface of the connecting protrusion 19a.

[0056] Thus, compared with the configuration in which the connecting protrusion portions 19b constituting the connecting portion 19 are fitted to each other, in the configuration in which they lightly engage with each other, the contact area between the connecting protrusion portion 19b and the connecting protrusion portion 19b can be reduced to reduce the frictional force. Therefore, when installing the plurality of flat tubes 10 in the tube sealing portion 120, it becomes easy to adjust the distance between the tube walls 11 of the adjacent flat tubes 10.

[0057] The connecting protrusion portions 19a and 19b in FIG. 8 can also be formed, similar to the connecting protrusion portions 19a and 19b shown in FIG. 4, for example, by raising the hole peripheral portion when forming the through holes h1a and h1b in the member that is the source of the flat tube 10.

[0058] As described above, in addition to the configuration of the heat exchanger 101 in Embodiment 1, the heat exchanger 101b in Embodiment 2 includes a plate-shaped tube sealing portion 120 that is disposed at at least one end (open end 10e) of the plurality of flat tubes 10 in the second direction D2 and covers one end of the heat transfer flow path Pa1 of the plurality of flat tubes 10. And one end (open end 1e) of the flat tube 10 is fixed to the groove portion 120r formed in the tube sealing portion 120 at a constant pitch Lr. In the above description, since the end portion of the flat tube 10 is inserted into the groove portion 120r, it is excellent in terms of strength. Instead of the groove portion 120r, a convex portion (not shown) may be formed as the concavo-convex structure on the tube sealing portion 120 side that is coupled to the end portion of the flat tube 10. Using the tube sealing portion 120 in which the convex portions are formed at a constant pitch Lr, each convex portion may be inserted into the inside of the end portion of the flat tube 10.

[0059] Thereby, while securing the heat exchange area, the flat tubes 10 can be arranged at a constant tube pitch Lp by the tube sealing portion 120.

[0060] Embodiment 3. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the heat exchanger 101c according to Embodiment 3. In FIG. 9, when the heat exchanger 101c is used as a condenser, the direction of the refrigerant flow is indicated by a solid white arrow or a dashed white arrow. Based on FIG. 9, the heat exchanger 101c according to Embodiment 3 will be described. The heat exchanger 101c of Embodiment 3 is obtained by adding heat transfer fins 50 to the heat exchanger 101b of Embodiment 2. Note that components having the same functions and operations as those in Embodiment 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0061] The heat exchanger 101c of Embodiment 3 includes, as the heat transfer fins 50, for example, corrugated fins that connect the opposing tube side wall portions 10a and 10b of adjacent flat tubes 10 in each gap between the plurality of flat tubes 10, that is, in the air flow path P2. In this case, the opposing tube side wall portions 10a and 10b of adjacent flat tubes 10 and the heat transfer fins 50 are brazed and joined to each other. Thereby, heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air is promoted, and the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 101c is improved.

[0062] Also, similar to the heat exchanger 101 of Embodiment 1, the heat exchanger 101c of Embodiment 3 has a high degree of freedom in designing the air flow path P2, so it is easy to add the heat transfer fins 50. Here, the pitch Lr of the groove portion 120r of the tube sealing portion 120 may be set according to the desired tube pitch Lp.

[0063] As described above, by adding the heat transfer fins 50, the heat transfer area of the heat exchanger 101c of Embodiment 3 increases, and the heat exchange performance can be achieved.

[0064] Embodiment 4. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the heat exchanger 101d according to Embodiment 4. FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heat exchanger 101d in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 101d in FIG. 10 taken from above in plane B. FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 101d in FIG. 10 taken from above in plane C. In FIGS. 10 to 12, when the heat exchanger 101d is used as a condenser, the direction of the refrigerant flow is indicated by a solid white arrow. Also, in FIGS. 12 to 13, the direction of the air flow is indicated by a dashed white arrow. Based on FIGS. 10 to 13, the heat exchanger 101d according to Embodiment 4 will be described. The heat exchanger 101d of Embodiment 4 is obtained by changing the positions of the first pipe a and the second pipe b in the heat exchanger 101b of Embodiment 2, and the refrigerant flow path is also changed accordingly. Note that components having the same functions and operations as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their descriptions are omitted.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 10, in the heat exchanger 101d of Embodiment 4, the second pipe b is provided in the flat pipe 110 disposed at one end in the stacking direction among the plurality of flat pipes 110, and the first pipe a is provided in the flat pipe 110 disposed at the other end in the stacking direction. Specifically, the first pipe a is provided at the lower part and the center in the front-rear direction of the leftmost flat pipe 110, and the second pipe b is provided at the lower part and the center in the front-rear direction of the rightmost flat pipe 110.

[0066] In the heat exchanger 101d, the first partition 30 (see FIG. 6 of Embodiment 2) is not provided in the pipe wall 111 of the flat pipe 110. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the heat exchanger 101d includes a second partition 40 that divides the header flow path P1b in the stacking direction (first direction D1) of the flat pipes 110. The second partition 40 blocks the progress of the refrigerant in the first direction D1 between adjacent heat transfer flow paths P1a. Specifically, it is provided at the connecting portion 119, the through hole h1a of the pipe side wall portion 110a, or the through hole h1b of the pipe side wall portion 110b, etc.

[0067] In the example of FIG. 11, one second partition 40 is provided in the header flow path P1b connected to the first pipe a, and the header flow path P1b is divided into a left header flow path portion P1b1 connected to the first pipe a and a right header flow path portion P1b2. The second partition 40 is provided so as to be visible from the outside between the connecting protrusion 119b of the left flat tube 110 and the connecting protrusion 119a of the right flat tube 110. That is, at the position where the second partition 40 is provided, the tips of the connecting protrusion 119a and the connecting protrusion 119b are joined to the second partition 40.

[0068] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the refrigerant flow path of the heat exchanger 101d is composed of a plurality of heat transfer flow paths P1a, and header flow paths P1b and P1d provided in parallel at the lower and upper parts in the center in the front-rear direction of the heat exchanger 101d. The header flow path P1b is composed of the hollow parts Sg etc. of a plurality of connecting parts 119 provided at the lower part of the heat exchanger 101d, and the header flow path P1d is composed of the hollow parts (not shown) etc. of a plurality of connecting parts 117 provided at the upper part of the heat exchanger 101d. The left end of the lower header flow path P1b is connected to the first pipe a, and the right end of the lower header flow path P1b is connected to the second pipe b.

[0069] Similar to the lower connecting part 119, the upper connecting part 117 also extends from the peripheral part of the through hole h2a or h2b in at least one of the pipe side wall parts 110a and 110b facing each other in the adjacent flat tubes 110 to the side of the opposing pipe side wall part 110b or 110a Connection and is composed of the protrusions 117a or 117b.

[0070] In the heat exchanger 101d, since the first partition 30 (see FIG. 6 of Embodiment 2) is not provided in the pipe wall 111 of the flat tube 110, the internal space of the pipe wall 111 is one I-shaped heat transfer flow path P1a.

[0071] Note that the second partition 40 is provided between the tube walls 111 of at least one pair of adjacent flat tubes 110 among the plurality of flat tubes 110 in the lower header flow path P1b. That is, a plurality of second partitions 40 may be provided in the lower header flow path P1b. In this case, by providing one or more second partitions 40 also in the upper header flow path P1d, a meandering refrigerant flow path can be formed.

[0072] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2, 10 to 13, an example of the operation of the heat exchanger 101d when the heat exchanger 101d is used as a condenser will be described. As shown in FIG. 10, a refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state flows into the heat exchanger 101d from the first pipe a. As shown in FIG. 11, in the heat exchanger 101d, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state first flows into the left header flow path portion P1b1 in the header flow path P1b that penetrates the lower portions of the plurality of flat pipes 110, and flows through this header flow path portion P1b1 from left to right. In this process, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state is distributed and flows into the heat transfer flow paths P1a provided in the respective pipe walls 111 of some of the left flat pipes 110 among the plurality of flat pipes 110. The refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state that has flowed into each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the left flat pipes 110 flows upward through the internal space of the pipe wall 111, and then, after merging in the header flow path P1d (see FIG. 12) that penetrates the upper portions of the plurality of flat pipes 110, in the process of flowing to the right through the header flow path P1d, it is distributed and flows into each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat pipes 110 among the plurality of flat pipes 110 and flows downward. As shown in FIG. 13, when flowing upward through each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the left flat pipes 110 and when flowing downward through each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat pipes 110, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state dissipates heat to the air by exchanging heat with the air flowing through the gap between the pipe walls 111 of the flat pipes 110 (that is, the air flow path P2) via the pipe wall 111 and condenses, becoming a refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state. As shown in FIG. 11, thereafter, the refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state from each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat pipes 110 flows into the right header flow path portion P1b2 in the header flow path P1b, merges in this header flow path portion P1b2, and flows out of the heat exchanger 101d from the second pipe b to the outside (for example, the expansion valve 105 of the refrigerant circuit 100c shown in FIG. 2).

[0073] As described above, the heat exchanger 101d according to Embodiment 4 is provided between the pipe walls 111 of at least one set of adjacent flat pipes 110 among the plurality of flat pipes 110, and includes a second partition 40 that blocks the flow of the fluid between the heat transfer flow paths via the connecting portion 119.

[0074] This enables the header flow path P1b to be partitioned in a simple manner, and by providing the second partition 40 at the connecting portion 119, it is possible to configure the structure such that the sealing performance etc. of the second partition 40 can be confirmed from the outside.

[0075] Embodiment 5. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the heat exchanger 101e according to Embodiment 5. In FIG. 14, when the heat exchanger 101e is used as a condenser, the flow direction of the refrigerant is indicated by a solid white arrow or a dashed white arrow. Based on FIG. 14, the heat exchanger 101e according to Embodiment 5 will be described. Embodiment 5 is an embodiment in which the first partition 30 of Embodiment 1 is added to the heat exchanger 101d of Embodiment 4 provided with the second partition 40. Note that components having the same functions and operations as those in Embodiment 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description is omitted.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 14, in the heat exchanger 101e of Embodiment 5, the second pipe b is provided in the flat pipe 210 disposed at one end in the stacking direction among the plurality of flat pipes 210, and the first pipe a is provided in the flat pipe 210 disposed at the other end in the stacking direction. Specifically, the first pipe a is provided at the lower part and the front side of the leftmost flat pipe 210, and the second pipe b is provided at the lower part and the front side of the rightmost flat pipe 210.

[0077] In the example of FIG. 14, the refrigerant flow path of the heat exchanger 101e is constituted by a plurality of heat transfer flow paths P1a, and header flow paths P1b and P1c provided in parallel in the front-rear direction at the lower part of the heat exchanger 101e. The header flow path P1b is constituted by the hollow portions Sg (see FIG. 4) etc. of the plurality of connecting portions 219 provided at the front side in the lower part of the heat exchanger 101e. The header flow path P1c is constituted by the hollow portions (not shown) etc. of the plurality of connecting portions 18 (see FIG. 3) provided at the rear side in the lower part of the heat exchanger 101e. The left end of the front header flow path P1b is connected to the first pipe a, and the right end is connected to the second pipe b.

[0078] In the heat exchanger 101e, a first partition 30 is provided in the tube wall 211 of each flat tube 210, as in the case of the first embodiment. A return flow path P1at through which the refrigerant flows in the front-rear direction is formed in the upper part of the internal space of the tube wall 211. That is, the heat transfer flow path P1a of the refrigerant has an inverted U shape including the return flow path P1at.

[0079] Further, the front header flow path P1b is divided by a second partition 40 into a left header flow path portion P1b1 connected to the first pipe a and a right header flow path portion P1b2 connected to the second pipe b.

[0080] Next, with reference to FIG. 14, an example of the operation of the heat exchanger 101e when the heat exchanger 101e is used as a condenser will be described. A refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state flows into the heat exchanger 101e from the first pipe a. In the heat exchanger 101e, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state first flows into the left header flow path portion P1b1 in the front header flow path P1b, and in the process of flowing from left to right through this header flow path portion P1b1, it is distributed and flows into each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the left flat tubes 210 among the plurality of flat tubes 210. The refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state that has flowed into each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the left flat tubes 210 flows through the internal space of the tube wall 211 in the order of upward, rearward, and downward, and then, after merging in the rear header flow path P1d, in the process of flowing to the right through this header flow path P1d, it is distributed and flows into each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat tubes 210 among the plurality of flat tubes 210, and flows in the order of upward, forward, and downward. When flowing through each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the left flat tubes 210 and when flowing through each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat tubes 210, the refrigerant in a high-temperature and high-pressure gaseous state dissipates heat to the air and condenses by exchanging heat with the air flowing through the gap between the tube walls 211 of the flat tubes 210 (that is, the air flow path P2), and becomes a refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state. Then, the refrigerant in a high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state from each heat transfer flow path P1a of some of the right flat tubes 210 flows into the right header flow path portion P1b2 in the front header flow path P1b, merges in this header flow path portion P1b2, and flows out from the heat exchanger 101e to the outside (for example, the expansion valve 105 of the refrigerant circuit 100c shown in FIG. 2) through the second pipe b.

[0081] Embodiment 6. FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of the position restricting portion 315 of the flat tube 310 of the heat exchanger 101f according to Embodiment 6. Based on FIG. 15, the heat exchanger 101f according to Embodiment 6 will be described. The heat exchanger 101f is obtained by changing the shape of the flat tube 10 of the heat exchanger 101 according to Embodiment 1. The heat exchanger 101f of Embodiment 6 is different from the case of Embodiment 1 in that it has a position restricting portion 315 that restricts the distance between the tube walls 311 of adjacent flat tubes 310. Note that components having the same functions and operations as those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions are omitted.

[0082] Adjacent flat tubes 310 have a position restricting portion 315 for making the distance between their tube walls 311 constant. Each flat tube 310 has, as in the case of Embodiment 1, a tube wall 311 and connecting protrusions 319a and 319b that constitute a connecting portion 319 and extend in the first direction D1 outward from the tube wall 311. Further, in Embodiment 6, each flat tube 310 has position restricting protrusions 315a and 315b that extend in the first direction D1 outward from the tube wall 311 and constitute the position restricting portion 315.

[0083] Specifically, among the substantially flat plate-shaped tube side wall portions 310a and 310b facing each other in the first direction D1 on the tube wall 311, the position restricting protrusion 315a is provided on the tube side wall portion 310a, and the position restricting protrusion 315b is provided on the tube side wall portion 310b. Then, by the contact of the position restricting protrusions 315a and 315b provided on each of the adjacent flat tubes 310 with each other, the distance between their tube walls 311 is restricted. That is, the position restricting portion 315 is a spacer provided on the tube wall 311 of the flat tube 310.

[0084] When viewed from the front, the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b, for example, have a rectangular frame shape. Note that the shape of each of the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b is not limited to the above shape, and may be, for example, a trapezoidal or triangular frame shape. By providing the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b, the heat transfer area in the heat exchanger 101f is enlarged and the heat exchange performance is improved. Here, the reason for forming each of the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b in a frame shape is to reduce the ventilation resistance.

[0085] In the example of FIG. 15, the position regulating portion 315 is composed of the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b provided on each of the adjacent flat tubes 310, but is not particularly limited to this configuration. The position regulating portion 315 may be composed of one position regulating protrusion provided on one of the opposing tube side wall portions 310a and 310b (tube side wall portion 310a or 310b) of the adjacent flat tubes 310. In this case, the position regulating protrusion provided on the flat tube 310 contacts the tube wall 311 of the adjacent flat tube 310.

[0086] As shown in FIG. 15, the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b can be provided integrally with the flat tube 310. Specifically, it is formed as a part of the member constituting the flat tube 310. For example, when the flat tube 310 is made of a plate-like member, the flat tube 310 is formed of a member including a margin portion in addition to the portion that becomes the tube wall 311 while forming through holes h1a, etc., a cut is made in a part of the margin portion, and the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b may be formed by bending or the like.

[0087] Note that the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b may be formed of a member different from the flat tube 310.

[0088] As described above, in the heat exchanger 101f of the sixth embodiment, at least one of the opposing tube side wall portions 310a and 310b of the adjacent flat tubes 310 is provided with the position regulating protrusions 315a and 315b that regulate the distance between the tube walls 311. Thereby, while enlarging the heat transfer area, the distance between the tube walls 311 of the adjacent flat tubes 310 can be defined.

[0089] Although the embodiments have been described, the present disclosure is not limited to only the above-described embodiments. For example, they may be configured by combining the respective embodiments. In Embodiment 3, the case where the heat transfer fins 50 are applied to the heat exchanger 101b of Embodiment 2 has been described, but the heat transfer fins 50 of Embodiment 3 may be applied to the heat exchanger 101 of Embodiment 1, 4, 5, or 6. When providing the heat transfer fins 50 to the heat exchanger 101f of Embodiment 6, the heat transfer fins 50 are arranged in portions other than those where the connecting portion 319 and the position restricting portion 315 are provided in the air flow path P2.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0090] 1e open end, 10 flat tube, 10a tube side wall portion, 10b tube side wall portion, 10c connecting wall portion, 10d connecting wall portion, 10e open end, 11 tube wall, 18 connecting portion, 19 connecting portion, 19a connecting protrusion, 19b connecting protrusion, 20 tube sealing portion, 30 first partition, 30e upper end, 40 second partition, 50 heat transfer fin, 100 air conditioner, 100A outdoor unit, 100B indoor unit, 100c refrigerant circuit, 101 heat exchanger, 101b heat exchanger, 101c heat exchanger, 101d heat exchanger, 101e heat exchanger, 101f heat exchanger, 102 compressor, 103 four-way valve, 104 indoor heat exchanger, 105 expansion valve, 106 indoor fan, 107 outdoor fan, 110 flat tube, 110a tube side wall portion, 110b tube side wall portion, 111 tube wall, 117 connecting portion, 117a connecting protrusion, 117b connecting protrusion, 119 connecting portion, 119a connecting protrusion, 119b connecting protrusion, 120 tube sealing portion, 120h drain hole, 120p flat portion, 120r groove portion, 210 flat tube, 211 tube wall, 219 connecting portion, 310 flat tube, 310a tube side wall portion, 310b tube side wall portion, 311 tube wall, 315 position regulating portion, 315a position regulating protrusion, 315b position regulating protrusion, 319 connecting portion, 319a connecting protrusion, 319b connecting protrusion, Ax tube axis, B plane, C plane, D1 first direction, D2 second direction, D3 third direction, Dia inner diameter, Dob outer diameter, L tube pitch, Lp tube pitch, Lr pitch, P1a heat transfer flow path, P1at return flow path, P1b header flow path, P1b1 header flow path portion, P1b2 header flow path portion, P1c header flow path, P1d header flow path, P2 flow path, Pa1 heat transfer flow path, Sg hollow portion, a first pipe, b second pipe, h1a through hole, h1b through hole, h2a through hole.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger including a plurality of flat tubes arranged in a first direction with gaps therebetween that serve as air flow paths, each of which extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction, through which a compressed refrigerant flows, a first tube sealing portion, and a second tube sealing portion, and which exchanges heat between the air and the refrigerant, The flat tube is formed to have a tube structure including a tube wall having a heat transfer flow path through which the refrigerant flows in an internal space and open ends on both sides in the second direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the flat tube, The tube wall has flat tube side wall portions facing each other in the first direction, and a through hole is formed in the tube side wall portions, The open ends on both sides of the flat tube in the second direction are sealed by the first pipe sealing portion and the second pipe sealing portion, Adjacent flat tubes have connecting portions that connect the tube walls and communicate the heat transfer flow paths inside the tube walls, The connecting portion is formed on at least one of the opposing tube side wall portions of the adjacent flat tubes and is configured by a connecting protrusion portion protruding from a peripheral portion of the through hole in the first direction, The through hole and the connecting portion are formed on the inside of the opening ends on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the flat tube. heat exchanger.

2. The tube side wall portion has a rectangular shape with a long side extending in the second direction and a short side extending in a third direction which is the short side direction of the flat tube, The flat tube has an opening end on the short side of the rectangular shape, and the opening ends on both sides in the second direction are sealed by the first pipe sealing portion and the second pipe sealing portion, respectively.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

3. At least one of the first pipe sealing portion and the second pipe sealing portion is composed of a plate-like member covering the open end, which is one end of the heat transfer flow path of the plurality of flat tubes, and the open ends of the plurality of flat tubes are fixed at a constant pitch.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

4. The connecting portion is configured by the connecting protrusion portion formed on both of the opposing tube side wall portions of the adjacent flat tubes.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

5. The connecting protrusions formed on both of the opposing tube side wall portions of the adjacent flat tubes at least partially overlap in the first direction.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 4.

6. The flat tube has a first partition disposed in the internal space of the tube wall, extending in the second direction, and dividing the internal space in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction, At least one end of the first partition in the second direction is located inside the opening ends on both sides in the second direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the flat tube.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

7. a second partition provided between the tube walls of at least one pair of adjacent flat tubes among the plurality of flat tubes and configured to block the flow of the refrigerant between the heat transfer flow paths via the connecting portion; 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

8. At least one of the opposing tube side wall portions of the adjacent flat tubes is provided with a position restricting protrusion portion that restricts the distance between the tube walls.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1.

9. A compressor, a heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 8, an expansion valve, and an indoor heat exchanger are connected via refrigerant piping, and the refrigerant is circulated through a refrigerant circuit. Air conditioning units.

Images