Refrigerant distributors and heat exchangers

Abstract

This refrigerant distributor is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-form members, each of which extends vertically, a plurality of flat-pipe insertion holes into which end parts of flat pipes are to be inserted being formed in the refrigerant distributor in the vertical direction, a refrigerant inlet part also being formed in the refrigerant distributor, and the refrigerant distributor having formed in the interior thereof a flow path through which the refrigerant flowing in through the inlet part is branched and channeled to the plurality of flat pipes. The flow path has: an outward path that extends vertically, the inlet part being connected to a lower end part of the outward path, and the refrigerant flowing upward through the outward path; a return path that extends vertically, the refrigerant flowing downward through the return path; an upper communication path and a lower communication path via which the outward path and the return path cyclically communicate; and a plurality of flat-pipe communication paths via which the plurality of flat-pipe insertion holes communicate individually with the return path. As seen from the direction in which the plurality of plate-form members are stacked, the lateral width of the flat-pipe communication paths is equal to or greater than the lateral width of the return path crossing the stacking direction.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a refrigerant distributor, such as a stacked circulation header, and a heat exchanger having the refrigerant distributor, and more particularly to a downward flow distribution structure for the refrigerant. [Background technology]

[0002] Some refrigerant distributors are made up of a plurality of stacked plate-like members extending in the vertical direction, and are provided with an outward path extending in the vertical direction through which the refrigerant flows upward from a discharge hole provided at the bottom, a return path extending in the vertical direction through which the refrigerant flows downward, upper and lower communication paths connecting the outward path and the return path, and a plurality of flat tube insertion holes into which the ends of flat tubes are inserted (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the refrigerant distributor disclosed in Patent Document 1, second flow paths are provided that are individually and directly connected to each of the flat tube insertion holes, and each second flow path is connected to the return path via a communication port. That is, in the refrigerant distributor of Patent Document 1, the flat tube insertion holes are connected to the return path by the second flow paths and the communication port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-44306 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the refrigerant distributor of Patent Document 1, when the multiple plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the second flow path is larger than the width of the return path, but the width of the communication port is smaller than the width of the return path. Therefore, the refrigerant may experience flow inertia in the stacking direction as it flows through the communication port after flowing out of the return path. As a result, the refrigerant is less likely to diffuse laterally in the second flow path, which is the space between the communication port and the end of the flat tube. This can make it difficult to uniformly flow the refrigerant laterally into the flat tube.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made against the background of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a refrigerant distributor and a heat exchanger that can cause refrigerant to flow more evenly into flat tubes than conventional ones. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The refrigerant distributor according to the present disclosure is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, and has a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which the ends of flat tubes are inserted, and a refrigerant inlet portion formed therein, and has flow paths formed therein that branch the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flow into the plurality of flat tubes, the flow paths having an outward path that extends in the vertical direction and is connected to the inlet portion at its lower end so that the refrigerant flows upward, a return path that extends in the vertical direction so that the refrigerant flows downward, an upper connecting passage and a lower connecting passage that annularly connect the outward path and the return path, and a plurality of flat tube connecting passages that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes to the return path, and when the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube connecting passage is greater than or equal to the width of the return path across the stacking direction.

[0007] Furthermore, a refrigerant distributor according to the present disclosure is a refrigerant distributor formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, the plate-like members including an inlet portion formed with a refrigerant inlet portion and an insertion side plate-like member having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which ends of flat tubes are inserted, and the refrigerant distributor branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flows into the plurality of flat tubes, the plurality of plate-like members having an outward path extending in the vertical direction, and an outward path plate-like member provided adjacent to the inlet portion plate-like member so that the inlet portion is connected to a lower end of the outward path, and a return path extending in the vertical direction, are formed between the inlet portion plate-like member and the insertion side plate-like member, The plate-shaped member has a return path plate-shaped member arranged adjacent to the outgoing path plate-shaped member between the outgoing path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member, and a communication path plate-shaped member arranged adjacent to each of the return path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member between the return path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member, and in which a plurality of flat tube communication paths are formed that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes to the return path, and one or both of the outgoing path plate-shaped member and the return path plate-shaped member have upper and lower communication paths that connect the outgoing path and the return path in a ring shape, and when the plurality of plate-shaped members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube communication path is greater than or equal to the width of the return path across the stacking direction.

[0008] Furthermore, a refrigerant distributor according to the present disclosure is a refrigerant distributor formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, the plate-like members including an inlet portion formed with a refrigerant inlet portion and an insertion side plate-like member having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which ends of flat tubes are inserted, and the refrigerant distributor branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flows into the plurality of flat tubes, the plurality of plate-like members having an outward path extending in the vertical direction and a portion of a return path extending in the vertical direction while meandering in the stacking direction, a first plate-like member provided adjacent to the inlet portion plate-like member between the inlet portion plate-like member and the insertion side plate-like member so that the inlet portion is connected to a lower end of the outward path, and a remaining portion of the return path and a second plate-shaped member provided between the first plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member and adjacent to the first plate-shaped member; and a third plate-shaped member provided between the second plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member and adjacent to each of the second plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member, in which at least a portion of each of a plurality of flat tube connecting passages that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes to the return path are formed, and one or both of the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member have upper connecting passages and lower connecting passages that connect the outward path and the return path in a ring shape, and when the plurality of plate-shaped members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube connecting passages is greater than or equal to the width of the return path across the stacking direction.

[0009] A heat exchanger according to the present disclosure includes the above-described refrigerant distributor and a plurality of flat tubes connected to the refrigerant distributor. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] In the refrigerant distributor and heat exchanger according to the present disclosure, the width of each of the flat tube connecting passages that individually connect the flat tube insertion holes to the return passages is equal to or greater than the width of the return passage in the stacking direction. This eliminates any flow path narrower than the width of the return passage between the refrigerant flowing out of the return passage and the refrigerant flowing into the flat tubes. This reduces flow inertia in the stacking direction and makes it easier for the refrigerant to diffuse laterally in the flat tube connecting passage compared to conventional refrigerant distributors and heat exchangers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration cycle device including a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant distributor and its surroundings in the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate member of the refrigerant distributor according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a view in which the outgoing path, the discharge holes, and the plurality of flat tube communicating passages are projected onto the ingoing path plate-shaped member of FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the AA cross section of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic development view showing a modified example of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate member of the refrigerant distributor according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic development view showing a modified example of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate member of the refrigerant distributor according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a flow path in the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing a first modified example of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 9. [Figure 12] 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a flow path in the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 11. FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing a second modified example of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 9. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a flow path in the refrigerant distributor of FIG. [Figure 15] 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically showing the BB cross section of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 9. [Figure 16] 14 is a schematic development view showing a configuration example in which the back-flow expansion portions provided discretely in the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 13 are integrally provided. FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate member of a refrigerant distributor according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a schematic development view showing a modification of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 10 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate member of a refrigerant distributor according to a fifth embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing a flow path in the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 19. [Figure 21] 20 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section on a horizontal plane passing through a first communication passage portion of the refrigerant distributor of FIG. 19. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The refrigerant distributor 1 and heat exchanger 100 according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. A refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 including the heat exchanger 100 will also be described. In the following drawings, including FIG. 1, the relative dimensional relationships and shapes of the components may differ from those in actuality. In the following drawings, identical reference numerals denote identical or equivalent components, and this rule applies throughout the entire specification. To facilitate understanding, directional terms (e.g., "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," and "rear") are used as appropriate. However, these terms are used merely for the sake of convenience and do not limit the arrangement or orientation of the apparatus or components. In the specification, the relative positions of the components, the extension directions of the components, and the arrangement directions of the components generally refer to the case in which the outdoor heat exchanger 105 is installed and ready for use.

[0013] Embodiment 1 [Refrigeration cycle device 200] Fig. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram showing the configuration of a refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 including a heat exchanger 100 according to embodiment 1. In Fig. 1, dotted arrows indicate the direction of refrigerant flow in the refrigerant circuit 100C during cooling operation, and solid arrows indicate the direction of refrigerant flow during heating operation. First, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 will be described using Fig. 1.

[0014] In this embodiment, an air conditioner is exemplified as the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, but the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 is used for refrigeration or air conditioning purposes, such as a refrigerator or a freezer, a vending machine, an air conditioner, a refrigeration apparatus, a water heater, etc. Note that the refrigerant circuit 100C shown in the figure is an example, and the configuration of the circuit elements and the like are not limited to the contents described in the embodiment, and can be changed as appropriate within the scope of the technology related to the embodiment.

[0015] 1, the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 includes a refrigerant circuit 100C in which a compressor 101, a flow path switching device 102, an indoor heat exchanger 103, a pressure reducing device 104, and an outdoor heat exchanger 105 are connected in a circular arrangement via refrigerant piping. The refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 includes an outdoor unit 106 and an indoor unit 107. The outdoor unit 106 houses the compressor 101, the flow path switching device 102, the outdoor heat exchanger 105, the pressure reducing device 104, and an outdoor fan 108 that supplies outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 105. The indoor unit 107 houses the indoor heat exchanger 103 and an indoor fan 109 that supplies air to the indoor heat exchanger 103. The outdoor unit 106 and the indoor unit 107 are connected via two extension pipes L1 and L2 that are part of the refrigerant piping.

[0016] The compressor 101 compresses and discharges the sucked refrigerant. The flow path switching device 102 is, for example, a four-way valve, and switches the flow path of the refrigerant between cooling operation and heating operation under the control of a control device (not shown).

[0017] The indoor heat exchanger 103 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating inside and the indoor air supplied by the indoor blower 109. The indoor heat exchanger 103 functions as a condenser during heating operation and as an evaporator during cooling operation.

[0018] The pressure reducing device 104 is, for example, an expansion valve, and is a device that reduces the pressure of the refrigerant. As the pressure reducing device 104, an electronic expansion valve whose opening is adjusted by the control of a control device can be used.

[0019] The outdoor heat exchanger 105 is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the refrigerant circulating inside and the air supplied by the outdoor fan 108. The outdoor heat exchanger 105 functions as an evaporator during heating operation and as a condenser during cooling operation.

[0020] At least one of the outdoor heat exchanger 105 and the indoor heat exchanger 103 uses a heat exchanger (heat exchanger 100 in FIG. 2 , which will be described later) that includes a heat exchange unit 4 and a refrigerant distributor 1, which will be described later. The refrigerant distributor 1 is disposed in a position in the heat exchanger where the amount of liquid-phase refrigerant is greater. Specifically, the refrigerant distributor 1 is desirably disposed on the inlet side of the heat exchanger that functions as an evaporator, i.e., on the outlet side of the heat exchanger that functions as a condenser, in the flow of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit 100C. Note that although the refrigerant distributor 1 is provided in both the indoor heat exchanger 103 and the outdoor heat exchanger 105 in FIG. 1, it may be provided in only one of the indoor heat exchanger 103 or the outdoor heat exchanger 105.

[0021] [Operation of the refrigeration cycle device 200] Next, an example of the operation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. During heating operation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, high-pressure, high-temperature gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 101 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 103 via the flow switching device 102, where it condenses by exchanging heat with air supplied by the indoor blower 109. The condensed refrigerant becomes a high-pressure liquid, flows out of the indoor heat exchanger 103, and is reduced to a low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state by the pressure reducing device 104. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 105, where it evaporates by exchanging heat with air supplied by the outdoor blower 108. The evaporated refrigerant becomes a low-pressure gas and is drawn into the compressor 101.

[0022] During cooling operation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant circuit 100C flows in the opposite direction to that during heating operation. That is, during cooling operation of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, the high-pressure, high-temperature gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 101 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 105 via the flow path switching device 102, where it condenses by exchanging heat with air supplied by the outdoor blower 108. The condensed refrigerant becomes a high-pressure liquid, flows out of the outdoor heat exchanger 105, and is reduced to a low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase state by the pressure reducing device 104. The low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 103, where it evaporates by exchanging heat with air supplied by the indoor blower 109. The evaporated refrigerant becomes a low-pressure gas and is drawn into the compressor 101.

[0023] [Heat exchanger 100] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a refrigerant distributor 1 and its surrounding area in a heat exchanger 100 according to the first embodiment. The heat exchanger 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the heat exchange section 4 of the heat exchanger 100 has a plurality of flat tubes 5 through which a refrigerant flows, and performs heat exchange between the refrigerant flowing through the pipes of the flat tubes 5 and the air outside the flat tubes 5. The plurality of flat tubes 5 are arranged at intervals from one another in a first direction (Z-axis direction), and the pipes of each flat tube 5 extend in a second direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to the first direction (Z-axis direction). The second direction (X-axis direction), which is the extension direction of the pipes, is also the direction in which the refrigerant flows in the flat tubes 5. The heat exchanger 100 is installed with the arrangement direction of the plurality of flat tubes 5, which is the first direction (Z-axis direction), as the up-down direction, and the extension direction of the pipes of the plurality of flat tubes 5, which is the second direction (X-axis direction), as the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, the direction perpendicular to both the first direction (Z-axis direction) in which the flat tubes 5 are arranged in the heat exchanger 100 and the second direction (X-axis direction) in which the pipes of the flat tubes 5 extend is referred to as the third direction.

[0024] When the heat exchanger 100 functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant distributor 1 is connected to the end 5a of the flat tubes 5, which serve as the refrigerant inlet side of the heat exchange section 4. That is, when the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 shown in FIG. 1 performs heating operation, the refrigerant distributor 1 is provided on the refrigerant inlet side of the outdoor heat exchanger 105. The heat exchanger 100 also has a refrigerant inlet pipe 2 attached to the lower part of the refrigerant distributor 1.

[0025] The refrigerant distributor 1 is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members 1p, each extending in a first direction (Z-axis direction), i.e., the vertical direction, in a second direction (X-axis direction). At one end of the refrigerant distributor 1 in the direction in which the plate-like members 1p are stacked (hereinafter referred to as the stacking direction), a refrigerant inlet portion 11 connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 2 is formed. At the other end of the refrigerant distributor 1 in the stacking direction, a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51, into which end portions 5a of the flat tubes 5 are inserted, are formed in the vertical direction.

[0026] A gap 4a through which air flows is formed between two adjacent flat tubes 5 among the plurality of flat tubes 5. Air flows through the gap 4a in the third direction of the heat exchanger 100 (the front-to-rear direction on the paper surface of FIG. 2). The heat exchange section 4 may have heat transfer fins 6 as shown in FIG. 2 between two adjacent flat tubes 5. The heat exchanger 100 may also have heat transfer fins 6 as heat transfer promotion members in part, and may have an area in which adjacent flat tubes 5 are not connected by the heat transfer promotion member in part.

[0027] Adjacent flat tubes 5 among the plurality of flat tubes 5 may not have heat transfer fins 6, and the flat tubes 5 may not be connected to each other by a heat transfer promotion member. The heat transfer promotion member is a member that promotes heat transfer, and is, for example, a plate fin like the heat transfer fins 6 or a corrugated fin. Therefore, the outdoor heat exchanger 105 may be configured as a so-called finless heat exchanger.

[0028] When the heat exchanger 100 functions as an evaporator of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, in each of the multiple flat tubes 5, the refrigerant flows through the internal pipes of the flat tubes 5 from one end to the other end in the extension direction. Also, when the heat exchanger 100 functions as a condenser of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200, in each of the multiple flat tubes 5, the refrigerant flows through the internal pipes of the flat tubes 5 from the other end to one end in the extension direction.

[0029] Although not shown, the flat tubes 5 have a cross-sectional shape that is flat in one direction, such as an oval shape, in a cross section perpendicular to their extension direction. More specifically, the cross-sectional shape of the flat tubes 5 is a cross-sectional shape that extends in the third direction, that is, the air flow direction in the heat exchanger 100. The flat tubes 5 are, for example, flat perforated tubes, and are configured such that a plurality of tube flow paths extending in the second direction (X-axis direction) are provided in the flat tube 5 in the third direction (front-to-back direction on the paper surface of FIG. 2), which is the air flow direction. Note that flat tubes 5 with only one tube flow path (pipe line) may also be used.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate-shaped member 1p of the refrigerant distributor 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 shows a state in which a plurality of plate-shaped members 1p stacked in a first direction (Z-axis direction) are developed and arranged in order from the side to which the refrigerant inlet pipe 2 is connected, from right to left in the figure. FIG. 4 is a projection view of the outgoing path Pu, the discharge hole 21, and a plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po on the return path plate-shaped member 30 of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the AA cross section of the refrigerant distributor 1 of FIG. 2. The structure of the refrigerant distributor 1 will be described in detail below based on FIGS. 3 to 5 and with reference to FIG. 2.

[0031] (Refrigerant distributor 1) 3 to 5, the refrigerant distributor 1 has branched flow paths P therein, and when the heat exchanger 100 (see FIG. 2) functions as an evaporator, distributes the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion 11 to multiple flat tubes 5 (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 3, outline arrows F1, F2, and dashed arrow F3 indicate the flow direction of the refrigerant in each flow path portion in the refrigerant distributor 1.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, each of the multiple plate-like members 1p constituting the refrigerant distributor 1 is formed using, for example, a metal flat plate and has a strip-like shape that is long in one direction. The longitudinal direction of the plate-like member 1p is the arrangement direction of the multiple flat tubes 5 (see FIG. 2) connected to the refrigerant distributor 1, i.e., the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). The lateral direction of the plate-like member 1p is a third direction (Y-axis direction) that is perpendicular to the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) that is the arrangement direction of the multiple flat tubes 5 (see FIG. 2) and the second direction (X-axis direction) that is the extension direction of the ducts of the flat tubes 5. The lateral direction (Y-axis direction) of the plate-like member 1p is also the horizontal direction when the refrigerant distributor 1 is viewed from one side of the stacking direction (X-axis direction). In the following, the stacking direction of the multiple plate-like members 1p (i.e., the second direction (X-axis direction)) may be referred to as the plate thickness direction of the plate-like member 1p.

[0033] The flow path P has an outgoing path Pu and a return path Pd that extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), and upper and lower communication paths Pca and Pcb that annularly connect the outgoing path Pu and the return path Pd. An inlet 11 is connected to the lower end of the outgoing path Pu, and refrigerant from the inlet 11 circulates through the outgoing path Pu, the upper communication path Pca, the return path Pd, and the lower communication path Pcb. That is, the refrigerant flows upward in the outgoing path Pu and downward in the return path Pd. The flow path P also has multiple flat tube communication paths Po that individually connect the multiple flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return path Pd.

[0034] The refrigerant distributor 1 of the first embodiment is composed of five plate-shaped members 1p. Adjacent members of the multiple plate-shaped members 1p are joined by brazing. Both side surfaces of the refrigerant distributor 1 in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) are composed of an inlet portion plate-shaped member 10 in which a refrigerant inlet portion 11 is formed, and an insertion side plate-shaped member 50 in which multiple flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed. Between the inlet portion plate-shaped member 10 and the insertion side plate-shaped member 50, in this order from the inlet portion plate-shaped member 10 side in the stacking direction, an outward path plate-shaped member 20 in which an outward path Pu is formed, a return path plate-shaped member 30 in which a return path Pd is formed, and a communication path plate-shaped member 40 in which multiple flat tube communication paths Po are formed are arranged. In addition, an upper communication path Pca and a lower communication path Pcb are formed in the return path plate-shaped member 30.

[0035] The refrigerant inlet portion 11 is, for example, a circular hole that penetrates the inlet portion plate member 10 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction), and the end of the refrigerant inlet pipe 2 is inserted into the inlet portion 11. The inlet portion 11 is provided at the lower end of the inlet portion plate member 10. The outgoing path Pu is, for example, a rectangular hole 22 that penetrates the outgoing path plate member 20 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction). A discharge hole 21 connected to the outgoing path Pu is provided below the outgoing path Pu in the outgoing path plate member 20, facing the inlet portion 11 of the inlet portion plate member 10. The width of the connecting portion between the hole 22 and the discharge hole 21 that constitutes the outgoing path Pu in the outgoing path plate member 20 is smaller than the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu and the width of the discharge hole 21, so that the refrigerant that flows in from the inlet portion 11 is blown out into the outgoing path Pu through the discharge hole 21. Here, the lateral width of each flow path portion refers to the length in the lateral direction of each flow path portion (that is, the short side direction (Y-axis direction) of the plate-like member 1p).

[0036] The return path Pd is, for example, a rectangular hole 31 that penetrates the return path plate-shaped member 30 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction). As shown in Fig. 4, the return path Pd and the outgoing path Pu are arranged approximately parallel to each other so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) and spaced apart in the short direction (Y-axis direction). In the example of Fig. 4, the width Wd of the return path Pd is approximately the same as the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu.

[0037] The upper communication passage Pca is, for example, a rectangular hole 32a that penetrates the return path plate member 30 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) and is a flow path portion that communicates the upper end of the return path Pd with the upper end of the outgoing path Pu in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The upper communication passage Pca extends from the upper end of the return path Pd toward the outgoing path Pu (to the right in the figure) in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction) and is provided so as to overlap with the upper end of the outgoing path Pu. The lower communication passage Pcb is, for example, a rectangular hole 32b that penetrates the return path plate member 30 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) and is a flow path portion that communicates the lower end of the return path Pd with the lower end of the outgoing path Pu in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The lower communication passage Pcb extends from the lower end of the return path Pd toward the outgoing path Pu in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction) and is provided so as to overlap with the lower end of the outgoing path Pu. The lower communication passage Pcb is connected to the inside of the outward passage Pu above the discharge hole 21.

[0038] 3 and 4, the outgoing path Pu is formed to the right of the center in the short side direction (Y-axis direction) of the outgoing path plate member 20, and the returning path Pd is formed to the left of the center in the short side direction (Y-axis direction) of the returning path plate member 30. The discharge hole 21 is formed on the right side of the lower part of the outgoing path plate member 20, and the inflow section 11 is formed on the right side of the lower part of the inflow section plate member 10 so as to face the discharge hole 21. Furthermore, only the returning path Pd, the upper communication passage Pca, and the lower communication passage Pcb are formed in the returning path plate member 30. The plate surface portion 35 of the returning path plate member 30 covers the outgoing path Pu of the outgoing path plate member 20 except for the portions that overlap with the upper communication passage Pca and the lower communication passage Pcb in the stacking direction, as well as all of the discharge hole 21.

[0039] 2, the flat tube insertion holes 51 are spaced apart in the vertical direction to correspond to the flat tubes 5, respectively. As shown in Fig. 3, the flat tube insertion holes 51 are holes that penetrate the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction), and have the same cross-sectional shape as the flat tubes 5 described above. The flat tube connecting passage Po that connects the return path Pd and the flat tube insertion holes 51 is a hole 41 that penetrates the connecting passage plate-shaped member 40 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction), and has, for example, approximately the same shape as the flat tube insertion holes 51.

[0040] 5, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po, which connects the return path Pd and the flat tube insertion hole 51 in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return path Pd. That is, the flat tube communicating passage Po is a flow path portion that diffuses the refrigerant that flows out of the return path Pd in ​​the short side direction (Y-axis direction) and causes it to flow into the flat tubes 5.

[0041] The width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po may be constant or variable in the thickness direction of the communicating passage plate-shaped member 40 (i.e., the stacking direction (X-axis direction) of the multiple plate-shaped members 1p), but is set to be equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return path Pd throughout the thickness direction (X-axis direction). In other words, the flat tube communicating passage Po does not have any flow path portions in the short direction (Y-axis direction) of the communicating passage plate-shaped member 40 that are smaller than the width Wd of the return path Pd. Therefore, compared to a conventional configuration in which the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po is narrower than the width Wd of the return path Pd, the refrigerant is less likely to experience flow inertia in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) between the return path Pd and the flat tube insertion hole 51, and the refrigerant is more likely to diffuse in the lateral direction (Y-axis direction). Note that if the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po varies in the thickness direction (X-axis direction), it is preferable that the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po increases as it approaches the flat tube insertion hole 51.

[0042] 5, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return path Pd, and is preferably equal to or greater than the width Wp of the pipe path of the flat tube 5. When the flat tube 5 is a flat perforated pipe having multiple pipe flow paths, the flat tube communicating passage Po is provided so as to communicate with all of the pipe flow paths.

[0043] 5, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po is smaller than the width of the flat tube insertion hole 51 by the thickness of the tube wall of the flat tube 5. By making the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po slightly smaller than the width of the flat tube insertion hole 51 in this way, a configuration can be achieved in which, when the end 5a of the flat tube 5 is inserted into the flat tube insertion hole 51, the end face of the flat tube 5 comes into contact with the plate surface on the insertion-side plate member 50 side of the communicating passage plate-shaped member 40 and stops. Therefore, the flat tube communicating passage Po, which is the space in which the refrigerant diffuses between the return path Pd and the end face of the flat tube 5, can be easily secured, and a refrigerant distributor 1 with good manufacturability can be provided.

[0044] The refrigerant distributor 1 may have any configuration as long as it has the above-described flow path P, and the number of plate-like members 1p constituting the refrigerant distributor 1 may be, for example, six or more. The upper communication passage Pca and the lower communication passage Pcb may be configured to connect the outgoing passage Pu and the returning passage Pd, and may be provided, for example, in the outgoing plate-like member 20 of the outgoing plate-like member 20 and the returning plate-like member 30. Alternatively, the upper communication passage Pca may be provided in one of the outgoing plate-like member 20 and the returning plate-like member 30, and the lower communication passage Pcb may be provided in the other plate-like member. Alternatively, the upper communication passage Pca and the lower communication passage Pcb may be provided in both the outgoing plate-like member 20 and the returning plate-like member 30, respectively, so as to penetrate these two plate-like members 1p.

[0045] Fig. 6 is a schematic exploded view showing a modified example of the refrigerant distributor 1 of Fig. 3. In the refrigerant distributor 1a shown in Fig. 6, the return path plate member 130 is configured so that only the return path Pd is formed among the outward path Pu, the return path Pd, the upper communicating path Pca, and the lower communicating path Pcb that constitute the circulation path. In this refrigerant distributor 1a, the outward path plate member 120 is formed with the upper communicating path Pca and the lower communicating path Pcb in addition to the outward path Pu.

[0046] Next, the operation of the refrigerant distributor 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 and 5, taking as an example the operation when the heat exchanger 100 (see Figure 2) functions as an evaporator of the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200. As shown in Figure 1, when the refrigeration cycle apparatus 200 is in heating operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 105 functions as an evaporator. The refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant distributor 1 of the outdoor heat exchanger 105 is a gas-liquid two-phase flow.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 3, gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet pipe 2 (see FIG. 2) into the flow path P of the refrigerant distributor 1. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the flow path P is discharged upward into the outgoing path Pu through a discharge hole 21 having a discharge mechanism formed in the lower part of the outgoing path plate-shaped member 20. As indicated by the white arrow F1, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows upward in the extension direction of the outgoing path Pu and reaches the upper end of the outgoing path Pu. When the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant reaches the upper end of the outgoing path Pu, it flows horizontally from the outgoing path Pu toward the upper communication passage Pca formed in the return path plate-shaped member 30 and flows into the upper end of the return path Pd through the upper communication passage Pca. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the upper end of the return path Pd flows downward in the direction of gravity within the return path Pd as indicated by the white arrow F2.

[0048] As the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows downward in the return path Pd, it branches off and flows into multiple flat tube communicating paths Po formed in the return path plate-shaped member 30 and the adjacent communicating path plate-shaped member 40, as indicated by the dashed arrows. As shown in Fig. 5, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into each flat tube communicating path Po from the return path Pd flows into the duct of the flat tube 5 inserted in the flat tube insertion hole 51 that communicates with that flat tube communicating path Po. Here, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating path Po, which is the flow path portion that communicates the return path Pd and the flat tube 5, is set to be equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return path Pd in ​​the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) of the communicating path plate-shaped member 40, as described above. Therefore, in the present disclosure, there is no flow path portion narrower than the width Wd of the return path Pd between the return path Pd and the end faces of the flat tubes 5, so compared to conventional techniques, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows out of the return path Pd is less likely to experience flow inertia in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). As a result, by using the refrigerant distributor 1 of the present disclosure, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant can flow more uniformly in the lateral direction in each flat tube 5 than conventional techniques, and the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 100 can be improved.

[0049] As described above, the refrigerant distributor 1 according to the first embodiment is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members 1p each extending in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), has a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 formed in the vertical direction into which the ends 5a of the flat tubes 5 are inserted, and has a refrigerant inlet section 11 formed therein, and has flow paths P formed therein that branch the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet section 11 and allows it to flow into the plurality of flat tubes 5. The flow path P has an outgoing path Pu that extends in the vertical direction and is connected to the inlet section 11 at its lower end so that the refrigerant flows upward, a return path Pd that extends in the vertical direction so that the refrigerant flows downward, and an upper communication path Pca and a lower communication path Pcb that annularly communicate the outgoing path Pu and the return path Pd. In addition, the flow path P has a plurality of flat tube connecting passages Po that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return path Pd, and when the plurality of plate-shaped members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the width Wo of the flat tube connecting passage Po is greater than or equal to the width Wd of the return path Pd across the stacking direction.

[0050] The refrigerant distributor 1 according to the first embodiment includes an inlet plate member 10 having a refrigerant inlet 11 formed therein, and an insertion-side plate member 50 having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 formed in the vertical direction, into which the ends 5a of the flat tubes 5 are inserted. The refrigerant distributor 1 is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members 1p, each extending in the vertical direction, and branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet 11 into the plurality of flat tubes 5. The plurality of plate members 1p have an outward path Pu extending in the vertical direction, and an outward path plate member 20 is provided between the inlet plate member 10 and the insertion-side plate member 50, adjacent to the inlet plate member 10, so that the inlet 11 is connected to the lower end of the outward path Pu. The plurality of plate members 1p also have a return path Pd extending in the vertical direction, and a return path plate member 30 is provided between the outward path plate member 20 and the insertion-side plate member 50, adjacent to the outward path plate member 20. The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also include a communication passage plate-shaped member 40, which is disposed between the return path plate-shaped member 30 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 and adjacent to each of the return path plate-shaped member 30 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50, and which has a plurality of flat tube communication passages Po formed therein that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return path Pd. One or both of the outward path plate-shaped member 20 and the return path plate-shaped member 30 are formed with upper communication passages Pca and lower communication passages Pcb that annularly connect the outward path Pu and the return path Pd. When the plurality of plate-shaped members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the lateral width Wo of the flat tube communication passages Po is equal to or greater than the lateral width Wd of the return path Pd across the stacking direction.

[0051] Thus, in the refrigerant distributor 1 according to the present disclosure, the width Wo of each of the flat tube connecting passages Po, which individually connect the flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return passages Pd, is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return passages Pd in ​​the stacking direction. As a result, there are no flow path portions narrower than the width Wd of the return passages Pd between the refrigerant flowing out of the return passages Pd and flowing into the flat tubes 5. This makes it less likely for the refrigerant to experience flow inertia in the stacking direction, and makes it easier for the refrigerant to diffuse in the lateral direction (Y-axis direction) in the flat tube connecting passages Po, compared to conventional refrigerant distributors. This makes it possible to provide a refrigerant distributor 1 that allows the refrigerant to flow more uniformly in the lateral direction (Y-axis direction) into the flat tubes 5 than conventional refrigerants.

[0052] The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also include an outgoing path plate-shaped member 20 having an outgoing path Pu formed therein and an incoming path plate-shaped member 30 having an incoming path Pd formed therein. The upper communication passage Pca and the lower communication passage Pcb are formed in one or both of the outgoing path plate-shaped member 20 and the incoming path plate-shaped member 30, respectively. In this case, the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd are provided in separate plate-shaped members. When the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd are provided in the same plate-shaped member 1p, the width of the portion separating the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd (the lateral distance between the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd shown in FIG. 4) is required to be approximately the thickness of each plate-shaped member 1p. On the other hand, when the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd are provided in separate plate-shaped members as in the present disclosure, the lateral distance between the outgoing path Pu and the incoming path Pd can be shortened, improving the degree of freedom in designing the flow path width.

[0053] In addition, the return path plate member 30 is formed with only the return path Pd of the flow path P, or one of the upper communication path Pca and the lower communication path Pcb and only the return path Pd, or both the upper communication path Pca and the lower communication path Pcb and only the return path Pd.

[0054] In some conventional refrigerant distributors, the return path Pd is formed in the return path plate member 30, and multiple small holes that form part of the flow path P are further provided in the return path plate member 30. However, in such refrigerant distributors, the width Wd of the return path Pd is limited in order to ensure an area for providing the multiple small holes in the return path plate member 30. On the other hand, as in the present disclosure, the return path plate member 30 is configured so that only the return path Pd, the upper communicating path Pca, and the lower communicating path Pcb of the flow path P are provided, thereby improving the degree of freedom in designing the width Wd of the return path Pd.

[0055] 6, only the return path Pd of the flow path P is formed in the return path plate member 30, and the return path Pu, the upper communication path Pca, and the lower communication path Pcb are formed in the return path plate member 20. Since only the return path Pd of the flow path P is formed in the return path plate member 30 and neither the upper communication path Pca nor the lower communication path Pcb is provided, the degree of freedom in designing the width Wd of the return path Pd is further improved.

[0056] The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also include an insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 formed therein, and a communication passage plate-shaped member 40 having a plurality of flat tube communication passages Po formed therein that communicate with the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51. The communication passage plate-shaped member 40 is disposed between the return path plate-shaped member 30 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 so as to be adjacent to each of the return path plate-shaped member 30 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50.

[0057] As a result, by arranging one communicating passage plate-shaped member 40 having a plurality of through holes (a plurality of holes 41) with a width greater than or equal to the width Wd of the return passage Pd between the return passage plate-shaped member 30 and the insertion side plate-shaped member 50, it is possible to easily manufacture a refrigerant distributor 1 in which the refrigerant is less likely to experience flow inertia in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) just before flowing into the flat tubes 5.

[0058] Moreover, the heat exchanger 100 according to the first embodiment includes the refrigerant distributor 1 or 1a and a plurality of flat tubes 5 connected to the refrigerant distributor 1 or 1a. Because the heat exchanger 100 includes the refrigerant distributor 1 or 1a, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant can flow more uniformly in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) in each flat tube 5 than in the past, thereby improving heat exchange performance.

[0059] Embodiment 2 7 is an exploded schematic view showing the configuration of each plate-shaped member 1p of a refrigerant distributor 1b according to embodiment 2. Components having the same functions and actions as those in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. In the refrigerant distributor 1b according to embodiment 2, the relationship between the width Wd of the return path Pd and the width Wu of the forward path Pu is different from that in embodiment 1.

[0060] In the refrigerant distributor 1b of the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the outgoing path Pu extends in the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction) of the outgoing path plate member 220, and the returning path Pd extends in the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction) of the returning path plate member 230. The returning path Pd and the outgoing path Pu are arranged substantially parallel to each other so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), and spaced apart in the short direction (Y-axis direction).

[0061] In the refrigerant distributor 1 of the first embodiment, the width Wd of the return path Pd is approximately the same as the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu. However, in the refrigerant distributor 1b of the second embodiment, the width Wd of the return path Pd is different from the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu. Specifically, compared to the first embodiment, the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu is narrower and the width Wd of the return path Pd is wider, so that the width Wd of the return path Pd, where the refrigerant flows downward, is wider than the width Wu of the outgoing path Pu, where the refrigerant flows upward. Therefore, in the refrigerant distributor 1b of the second embodiment, the width of the plate surface portion 235 of the return path plate-shaped member 30 on the right side of the return path Pd in ​​the figure is narrower than the width of the plate surface portion 35 (see FIG. 3) in the refrigerant distributor 1 of the first embodiment.

[0062] As described above, in the refrigerant distributor 1b according to the second embodiment, when the plurality of plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the width Wu of the outgoing channel Pu and the width Wd of the return channel Pd are different sizes. In particular, narrowing the width Wu of the outgoing channel Pu to increase the speed (ascending speed) of the refrigerant ascending in the outgoing channel Pu and widening the width Wd of the return channel Pd to decrease the speed (descending speed) of the refrigerant descending in the return channel Pd facilitates refrigerant circulation, improving the performance of distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of flat tubes 5.

[0063] Fig. 8 is a schematic development view showing a modified example of the refrigerant distributor 1b of Fig. 7. In the refrigerant distributor 1c shown in Fig. 8, as in the refrigerant distributor 1b shown in Fig. 7, the return path Pd and the outgoing path Pu are spaced apart in the short direction (Y-axis direction) so as not to overlap each other when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). In the modified refrigerant distributor 1c, the hole 322 formed in the outgoing path plate-shaped member 320 that constitutes the outgoing path Pu has a constant width Wu in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction).

[0064] However, in the refrigerant distributor 1c of the modified example, the hole 331 formed in the return path plate member 330 that constitutes the return path Pd has a configuration in which the width Wd changes in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). In Fig. 8, the edge of the hole 331 that constitutes the return path Pd on the outgoing path Pu side is inclined so that the width Wd1 of the return path Pd gradually increases from the lower end to the upper end of the return path Pd. Therefore, the distance between the return path Pd and the outgoing path Pu in the short side direction (Y-axis direction) decreases from the lower end to the upper end of the return path Pd.

[0065] 8, when the plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the width Wd1 of the upper end of the return path Pd is larger than the width Wd2 of the lower end of the return path Pd. By configuring the width Wd of the return path Pd to be smaller on the lower side in this way, the resistance to the refrigerant flowing backward through the circulation path from the lower end of the outward path Pu to the lower end of the return path Pd increases, making it possible to suppress the backflow.

[0066] Embodiment 3 FIG. 9 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate-like member 1p of a refrigerant distributor 1d according to the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a flow path P in the refrigerant distributor 1d of FIG. 9. In FIG. 10, the refrigerant flow in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) is indicated by dashed arrows. Note that components having the same functions and actions as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. The refrigerant distributor 1d according to the third embodiment differs from the refrigerant distributor 1 according to the first embodiment in that the flow path P has a return path extension portion 424 that further extends the return path Pd.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 10 , the return path extension portion 424 extends the return path Pd in ​​the stacking direction (X-axis direction). As shown in FIG. 9 , the return path extension portion 424 is formed in an outgoing plate member 420 that is arranged adjacent to the return path plate member 30 in which the return path Pd is formed. The return path extension portion 424 is, for example, a rectangular hole that penetrates the outgoing plate member 420 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction). Note that the return path extension portion 424 may also be a recess formed in the plate surface of the outgoing plate member 420 facing the return path plate member 30. However, by forming the return path extension portion 424 as a through hole, the volume of the return path extension portion 424 can be made constant depending on the plate thickness of the outgoing plate member 420, and can be made the same as the design dimension regardless of insertion variations of the multiple flat tubes 5, etc.

[0068] The outgoing plate member 420 is formed with a plurality of return path extension portions 424, which are arranged in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in the projection area R of the return path Pd when the plurality of plate members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The number of return path extension portions 424 formed on the outgoing plate member 420 may be one. The width of each return path extension portion 424 is approximately the same as the width Wd of the return path Pd.

[0069] In the refrigerant distributor 1d of the third embodiment, an upper communication passage Pca is provided across the outgoing path plate member 420 and the return path plate member 30 in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The outgoing path plate member 420 has, for example, a rectangular hole 423a formed therein, extending from the upper end of the outgoing path Pu to the return path Pd side (left side in the figure) in the short direction (Y-axis direction). When the refrigerant distributor 1d is viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), this hole 423a is provided so as to overlap with the upper end of the return path Pd provided in the return path plate member 30 and the hole 32a extending from the upper end of the return path Pd. The hole 423a in the outgoing path plate member 420 and the hole 32a in the return path plate member 30 form the upper communication passage Pca.

[0070] The multiple return path extension portions 424 are provided in a region below the upper communication passage Pca in the projection region R of the return path Pd. In addition, in Fig. 9, each return path extension portion 424 is formed between two flat tube insertion holes 51 that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction in the projection region R of the return path Pd.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 9, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows into the flow path P of the refrigerant distributor 1d rises in the outbound path Pu, then flows into the return path Pd via the upper communication path Pca and descends. As indicated by the dashed arrow in Fig. 10, while the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant descends toward the bottom end of the return path Pd, some of the liquid refrigerant, particularly the liquid refrigerant flowing along the wall surface, flows into and accumulates in the return path expansion section 424. This reduces the amount of liquid refrigerant that accumulates at the bottom end of the return path Pd and prevents the refrigerant from flowing unevenly into the lowest flat tubes 5. As a result, the refrigerant is more easily distributed evenly to the flat tubes 5 arranged in the vertical direction, improving the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 100.

[0072] The position where the return passage expansion portion 424 is provided in the refrigerant distributor 1d is not limited to the position described above. Two modified examples will be described below.

[0073] Fig. 11 is a schematic development view showing a first modified example of the refrigerant distributor 1d of Fig. 9. Fig. 12 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a flow path P in the refrigerant distributor 1e of Fig. 11. In the refrigerant distributor 1e of the first modified example, a plurality of return path extension portions 424 are provided in the outgoing path plate member 420, and a plurality of return path extension portions 442 are also provided in the communicating path plate member 440 arranged on the opposite side of the return path plate member 30 from the outgoing path plate member 420. The configuration of the outgoing path plate member 420 is the same as in the refrigerant distributor 1d shown in Fig. 9, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0074] 11, the return path extension portions 442 are, for example, rectangular holes that penetrate the communication path plate member 440 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction). In the communication path plate member 440, the multiple return path extension portions 442 are formed in positions facing the multiple return path extension portions 424 of the outgoing path plate member 420. Note that the return path extension portions 442 may also be recesses formed in the plate surface of the communication path plate member 440 on the return path plate member 30 side.

[0075] As described above, in the refrigerant distributor 1e of the first modified example, the outgoing path plate-shaped member 420 is provided with a plurality of return path extension portions 424 in the vertical direction, and the flat tube communicating passage Po is provided with a plurality of return path extension portions 442 in the vertical direction. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 12, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant descending in the return path Pd alternately passes through a first space S1 having the same width in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) as the plate thickness of the return path plate-shaped member 30, and a second space S2 formed by expanding the return path Pd on both sides in the stacking direction by the return path extension portions 442 and 424. In the refrigerant distributor 1e of the first modified example, when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant passes through the second space S2, some of the liquid refrigerant flows into and stagnates in the return path extension portions 424 and 442. Therefore, compared to the configuration of Figure 9 in which the return path Pd is expanded in only one direction in the stacking direction, the refrigerant distributor 1e of the first modified example can further reduce the amount of liquid refrigerant accumulating at the lower end of the return path Pd, thereby improving the refrigerant distribution performance.

[0076] FIG. 13 is a schematic development view showing a second modified example of the refrigerant distributor 1d of FIG. 9. FIG. 14 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing a flow path P in the refrigerant distributor 1f of FIG. 13. In the refrigerant distributor 1d shown in FIG. 9, the multiple return path extension portions 424 are provided between two adjacent flat tube insertion holes 51 in the projected area R of the return path Pd. In the refrigerant distributor 1f of the second modified example shown in FIG. 13, the multiple return path extension portions 524 are provided at positions overlapping with at least a portion of the multiple flat tube insertion holes 51 in the projected area R of the return path Pd when the multiple plate-shaped members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). Furthermore, in the refrigerant distributor 1f of the second modified example, the upper communication passages Pca are provided only in the return path plate-shaped member 30 out of the outward path plate-shaped member 520 and the return path plate-shaped member 30.

[0077] 14, in the refrigerant distributor 1f of the second modified example, while the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant descends in the return path Pd toward the lower end, some of the liquid refrigerant flows into and accumulates in the return path expansion portion 524. The multiple return path expansion portions 524 are formed in positions that overlap with at least some of the flat tube insertion holes 51 in the projected area R of the return path Pd when the multiple plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). This places the accumulated liquid refrigerant and the ends 5a of each flat tube 5 in the same position in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction), making it easier for the liquid refrigerant to flow out of the refrigerant distributor 1 through each flat tube 5. As a result, the amount of liquid refrigerant accumulating at the lower end of the return path Pd can be further reduced.

[0078] FIG. 15 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the BB cross section of the refrigerant distributor 1d of FIG. 9. Hereinafter, the relationship between the flow path cross-sectional area Sc1 of the upper communication passage Pca and the flow path cross-sectional area Sc2 of the lower communication passage Pcb will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 15. To facilitate refrigerant flow from the forward passage Pu to the return passage Pd in ​​the flow path P shown in FIG. 9, the flow path cross-sectional area Sc1 of the upper communication passage Pca is configured to be larger than the flow path cross-sectional area Sc2 of the lower communication passage Pcb in the longitudinal cross-sectional view of FIG. 15. In the example of FIG. 15, the upper communication passage Pca and the lower communication passage Pcb have the same length in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). Because the length of the upper communication passage Pca in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) is longer than the length of the lower communication passage Pcb in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) by the thickness of the forward path plate-shaped member 420, the flow path cross-sectional area Sc1 of the upper communication passage Pca is larger than the flow path cross-sectional area Sc2 of the lower communication passage Pcb.

[0079] In addition, in a configuration in which the upper communicating passage Pca and the lower communicating passage Pcb are provided in the same plate-shaped member 1p (e.g., the return path plate-shaped member 30), such as the refrigerant distributor 1f of the second modified example shown in Figures 13 and 14, the flow path cross-sectional areas Sc1 and Sc2 can be adjusted by the vertical (Z-axis direction) lengths of the upper communicating passage Pca and the lower communicating passage Pcb.

[0080] 13 and 14, a plurality of return path extension portions 524 are provided discretely on the outgoing path plate member 520, but a single return path extension portion 524a, which is an integral unit of these return path extension portions 524, may also be provided on the outgoing path plate member 520. FIG. 16 is a schematic exploded view showing a configuration example in which the return path extension portions 524 provided discretely in the refrigerant distributor 1f of FIG. 13 are provided integrally. In the refrigerant distributor 1fa shown exploded in FIG. 16, the return path extension portion 524a is, for example, a rectangular hole that penetrates the outgoing path plate member 520 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) and extends in the longitudinal direction (Z-axis direction). In the outgoing path plate member 520, the return path extension portion 524a and the outgoing path Pu are provided approximately parallel to each other and spaced apart in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction).

[0081] Furthermore, in the refrigerant distributor 1d shown in Figures 9 and 10, or the refrigerant distributor 1e of the first modified example shown in Figures 11 and 12, the return path expansion sections 424 provided discretely on the outward path plate-shaped member 420 may be integrated into one to provide a single return path expansion section.

[0082] As described above, in the refrigerant distributor 1d of embodiment 3 shown in Figures 9 and 10, the flow path P has one return path extension section 524a extending in the vertical direction, or multiple return path extension sections 424 arranged in the vertical direction, in the projection area R of the return path Pd when multiple plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), which extends the return path Pd in ​​the stacking direction.

[0083] As a result, some liquid refrigerant of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant descending in the return line Pd flows into and stagnates in the return line expansion section 524a or 424, so the refrigerant is less likely to stagnate at the lower end of the return line Pd in ​​the refrigerant distributor 1d compared to the configuration in which the return line Pd is flat as in embodiment 1. This makes it easier to distribute and cool the refrigerant evenly to the multiple flat tubes 5, and applying the refrigerant distributor 1d to the heat exchanger 100 improves heat exchange performance.

[0084] In the refrigerant distributor 1d, the cross-sectional flow area Sc1 of the upper communication passage Pca is larger than the cross-sectional flow area Sc2 of the lower communication passage Pcb. This allows the refrigerant discharged from the discharge hole 21 to the lower end of the return passage Pd to flow upward through the outward passage Pu and then easily flow into the return passage Pd via the upper communication passage Pca, thereby suppressing backflow in the circulation passage. Suppressing backflow in the circulation passage promotes refrigerant circulation and the flow of refrigerant into each flat tube 5.

[0085] Embodiment 4 17 is an exploded schematic view showing the configuration of each plate-shaped member 1p of a refrigerant distributor 1g according to embodiment 4. Note that components having the same functions and actions as those in embodiment 1 are given the same reference numerals and their description will be omitted. The refrigerant distributor 1g according to embodiment 4 differs from the refrigerant distributor 1g according to embodiment 1 in that the flat tube communicating passage Po connecting the return path Pd and the flat tube insertion hole 51 is provided across multiple plate-shaped members 1p.

[0086] In the refrigerant distributor 1g of embodiment 4, as in embodiment 1, the flow path P has a refrigerant circulation path consisting of an outgoing path Pu, a return path Pd, an upper connecting path Pca and a lower connecting path Pcb, and a plurality of flat tube connecting paths Po that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return path Pd.

[0087] The refrigerant distributor 1g of the fourth embodiment is composed of seven plate-shaped members 1p. These seven plate-shaped members 1p are fastened together by fasteners (not shown). For this purpose, mounting holes h1 and h2 for inserting fasteners are formed in two diagonal positions, for example, at the upper end and the lower end of each plate-shaped member 1p. Note that the plurality of plate-shaped members 1p may be integrated by brazing adjacent members together without using fasteners.

[0088] In the refrigerant distributor 1g, both side surfaces in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) are composed of an inlet section plate member 610 in which the refrigerant inlet section 11 is formed, and an insertion side plate member 650 in which a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed. Between the inlet section plate member 610 and the insertion side plate member 650, in this order in the stacking direction from the inlet section plate member 610 side, there are arranged an outward path plate member 620 in which an outward path Pu is formed, a return path plate member 630 in which a return path Pd is formed, and a communication path plate member group 640 in which a plurality of flat tube communication paths Po that communicate with the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed.

[0089] An upper communication passage Pca and a lower communication passage Pcb are formed in the return path plate member 630. The upper communication passage Pca is a hole 632a that penetrates the return path plate member 630 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) and is a flow path portion that connects the upper end of the return path Pd to the upper end of the outgoing path Pu in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The lower communication passage Pcb is a hole 632b that penetrates the return path plate member 630 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction) and is a flow path portion that connects the lower end of the return path Pd to the lower end of the outgoing path Pu in the stacking direction (X-axis direction).

[0090] The lower communication passage Pcb in the first embodiment is configured to extend linearly from the lower end of the return path Pd toward the outgoing path Pu in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction), but the lower communication passage Pcb in the fourth embodiment is shaped to include a crank portion C when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The lower communication passage Pcb in the fourth embodiment is composed of a first extension portion Pcb1 extending in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction) from the return path Pd to approach the outgoing path Pu, a second extension portion Pcb2 extending upward from the end of the first extension portion Pcb1 on the outgoing path Pu side, and a third extension portion Pcb3 extending in the short-side direction (Y-axis direction) from the upper end of the second extension portion Pcb2 to again approach the outgoing path Pu, and has a substantially Z-shape when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction).

[0091] Furthermore, the outgoing plate member 620 is formed with a return path extension portion 624 that extends the return path Pd in ​​the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The return path extension portion 624 is, for example, a rectangular hole that penetrates the outgoing plate member 620 in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction). The outgoing plate member 620 is formed with a plurality of return path extension portions 624. The plurality of return path extension portions 624 are arranged in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in the projection region R of the return path Pd when the plurality of plate members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). Each return path extension portion 624 is provided between two adjacent flat tube insertion holes 51 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0092] In the fourth embodiment, each of the multiple flat tube communicating passages Po is configured such that its width Wo varies in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). Therefore, the flat tube communicating passage Po includes a first communicating passage portion Po1 having a width Wo1 and a second communicating passage portion Po2 having a width Wo2 that is larger than the width Wo1 of the first communicating passage portion Po1. The first communicating passage portion Po1 connects the inward passage Pd to the second communicating passage portion Po2, and the second communicating passage portion Po2 connects the first communicating passage portion Po1 to the flat tube insertion hole 51. The width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po varies in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), but, as in the first embodiment, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the inward passage Pd in ​​the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction).

[0093] 17 includes a first communication passage plate member 640a adjacent to the return path plate member 630, and two second communication passage plate members 640b and 640c arranged between the first communication passage plate member 640a and the insertion-side plate member 650. The first communication passage plate member 640a, the second communication passage plate member 640b, and the second communication passage plate member 640c are arranged in this order from the return path plate member 630 side between the return path plate member 630 and the insertion-side plate member 650. That is, of the two second communication passage plate members 640b and 640c, the second communication passage plate member 640b is adjacent to the first communication passage plate member 640a, and the second communication passage plate member 640c is adjacent to both the second communication passage plate member 640b and the insertion-side plate member 650.

[0094] A first communication passage portion Po1 of the plurality of flat tube communication passages Po is formed in the first communication passage plate member 640a adjacent to the return path plate member 630. Furthermore, a second communication passage portion Po2 of the plurality of flat tube communication passages Po is formed in the two plurality of second communication passage plate members 640b and 640c. The first communication passage portion Po1 is, for example, a rectangular hole 643 that penetrates the first communication passage plate member 640a in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction), and the first communication passage plate member 640a is provided with a plurality of holes 643 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) so as to face the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51. Furthermore, the second communication passage portion Po2 is, for example, holes 641b and 641c that penetrate the two second communication passage plate members 640b and 640c in the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction), and has substantially the same shape as the flat tube insertion holes 51. Each of the second communication passage plate-shaped members 640b and 640c has a plurality of holes 641b or 641c formed in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) so as to face the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51.

[0095] The group of communication passage plate-shaped members 640 that form the flat tube communication passage Po is not limited to the above configuration. For example, one of the two second communication passage plate-shaped members 640c may be omitted, and the flat tube communication passage Po may be formed by the hole 643 in the first communication passage plate-shaped member 640a and the hole 641b in the second communication passage plate-shaped member 640b. The configuration of the lower communication passage Pcb is also not limited to the above configuration. Modified examples are shown below.

[0096] FIG. 18 is a schematic development view showing a modified example of the refrigerant distributor 1g of FIG. 17. In the modified refrigerant distributor 1h shown in FIG. 18, the lower communication passage Pcb is composed of two parts: an outgoing path plate member 720 and a returning path plate member 730. Specifically, the lower communication passage Pcb is formed by connecting a hole 723b formed in the outgoing path plate member 720 with a hole 732b formed in the returning path plate member 730. The hole 723b in the outgoing path plate member 720 extends linearly from the outgoing path Pu to the returning path Pd in ​​the short direction (Y-axis direction). The hole 732b formed in the returning path plate member 730 extends from the returning path Pd to the outgoing path Pu in the short direction (Y-axis direction) and then extends upward to form an inverted L-shape. When viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the upper end of the hole 732b of the return path plate member 730 overlaps the end of the hole 723b of the outgoing path plate member 720 on the return path Pd side, and the hole 732b of the return path plate member 730 and the hole 723b of the outgoing path plate member 720 are connected to each other. In the refrigerant distributor 1h of the modified example, as in the refrigerant distributor 1g, the lower communication passage Pcb has a substantially Z-shape when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). In the refrigerant distributor 1h of the modified example, the crank portion C of the lower communication passage Pcb is formed in the return path plate member 730, and the remaining linear portion of the lower communication passage Pcb is formed in the outgoing path plate member 720. Note that the shape of the lower communication passage Pcb is not limited to the above-described shape. The lower communication passage Pcb may be formed only with the crank portion C and have an inverted L-shape.

[0097] In the refrigerant distributor 1g (or the refrigerant distributor 1h of the modified example shown in FIG. 18), when the multiple plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), the lower communication passage Pcb has a crank portion C composed of a first extension portion Pcb1 extending laterally (Y-axis direction) from the return passage Pd toward the outgoing passage Pu, and a second extension portion Pcb2 extending upward from the end of the first extension portion Pcb1 on the outgoing passage Pu side. By having the lower communication passage Pcb have this bent crank portion C, resistance to refrigerant attempting to flow back through the circulation passage from the lower end of the outgoing passage Pu to the lower end of the return passage Pd is increased, thereby suppressing backflow. Therefore, refrigerant flowing from the discharge hole 21 into the lower end of the outgoing passage Pu is prevented from flowing directly through the lower communication passage Pcb to the lower end of the return passage Pd. This suppresses the outflow of refrigerant biased toward the lowest flat tube 5, improving distribution performance.

[0098] As described above, in the refrigerant distributor 1g (or refrigerant distributor 1h) of embodiment 4, each of the multiple flat tube connecting passages Po is composed of a first connecting passage portion Po1 connected to the return path Pd, and a second connecting passage portion Po2 connected to the flat tube insertion hole 51 and having a width Wo2 larger than the width Wo1 of the first connecting passage portion Po1 when viewed in the stacking direction. The multiple plate-shaped members 1p include an insertion side plate-shaped member 650 in which multiple flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed, a first communication passage plate-shaped member 640a arranged between the return path plate-shaped member 630 and the insertion side plate-shaped member 650 so as to be adjacent to the return path plate-shaped member 630, and in which a first communication passage portion Po1 in the multiple flat tube communication passages Po is formed, and a second communication passage plate-shaped member 640c arranged between the first communication passage plate-shaped member 640a and the insertion side plate-shaped member 650 so as to be adjacent to the insertion side plate-shaped member 650, and in which a second communication passage portion Po2 in the multiple flat tube communication passages Po is formed.

[0099] In this way, by constructing the flat tube connecting passage Po using multiple plate-shaped members (in the example of Figure 17, a first connecting passage plate-shaped member 640a and two second connecting passage plate-shaped members 640b and 640c), the width Wo of the flat tube connecting passage Po can be changed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), thereby improving design freedom.

[0100] Embodiment 5 FIG. 19 is a schematic development view showing the configuration of each plate-shaped member 1p of a refrigerant distributor 1i according to embodiment 5. FIG. 20 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a flow path P in the refrigerant distributor 1i of FIG. 19. FIG. 21 is a transverse cross-sectional view showing a cross section of the refrigerant distributor 1i of FIG. 19 taken along a horizontal plane passing through the first communication passage portion Po1. Components having the same functions and actions as those of embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. The refrigerant distributor 1i according to embodiment 5 differs from the refrigerant distributor 1 according to embodiment 1 in that a part of the return path Pd is formed in the first plate-shaped member 820 in which the outward path Pu is formed.

[0101] 19, in the refrigerant distributor 1i of the fifth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the flow path P has a refrigerant circulation path composed of an outgoing path Pu, a return path Pd, an upper communicating path Pca, and a lower communicating path Pcb, and a plurality of flat tube communicating paths Po that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 to the return path Pd. In the first embodiment, the return path Pd was configured to be flat and extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), but as shown in FIG. 20, the return path Pd of the fifth embodiment is configured to extend in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) while meandering in the stacking direction (X-axis direction).

[0102] 21 , in the fifth embodiment, the width Wo of each of the flat tube communicating passages Po varies in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). Therefore, the flat tube communicating passage Po includes a first communicating passage portion Po1 having a width Wo1 and a second communicating passage portion Po2 having a width Wo2 larger than the width Wo1 of the first communicating passage portion Po1. The first communicating passage portion Po1 connects the inward passage Pd to the second communicating passage portion Po2, and the second communicating passage portion Po2 connects the first communicating passage portion Po1 to the flat tube insertion hole 51. The width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po varies in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), but, as in the first embodiment, the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the inward passage Pd in ​​the plate thickness direction (X-axis direction).

[0103] The refrigerant distributor 1i of the fifth embodiment is made up of five plate-shaped members 1p. Adjacent members of the plurality of plate-shaped members 1p are joined together by brazing.

[0104] 19, in the refrigerant distributor 1i, both side surfaces in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) are composed of an inlet portion plate member 10 in which a refrigerant inlet 11 is formed, and an insertion side plate member 50 in which a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction). Between the inlet portion plate member 10 and the insertion side plate member 50, a first plate member 820, a second plate member 830, and a third plate member 840 are arranged in this order in the stacking direction from the side of the inlet portion plate member 10.

[0105] Most of the circulation paths, such as a portion of the return path Pd, the outgoing path Pu, the upper communication path Pca, and the lower communication path Pcb, are provided in the first plate-shaped member 820. In detail, the first plate-shaped member 820 is formed with a plurality of first return path holes 825 that form a portion of the serpentine return path Pd, holes 22 that form the outgoing path Pu, holes 823a that form the upper communication path Pca, and holes 823b that form the lower communication path Pcb.

[0106] The remaining portion of the return path Pd and a portion of each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po are provided in the second plate-shaped member 830. Specifically, the second plate-shaped member 830 is formed with a plurality of second return path holes 831 that form the remaining portion of the serpentine return path Pd, and a plurality of holes 832 that form first communicating passage portions Po1 in the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po.

[0107] The remaining portions of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po are provided in the third plate-shaped member 840. More specifically, the third plate-shaped member 840 is formed with a plurality of holes 41 that constitute second communicating passage portions Po2 in the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po.

[0108] The second return path holes 831 are spaced apart in the up-down direction of the second plate-shaped member 830, and each of the second return path holes 831 connects two adjacent first return path holes 825 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) of the first plate-shaped member 820. The first return path holes 825 are spaced apart in the up-down direction of the first plate-shaped member 820, and each of the first return path holes 825 connects two adjacent second return path holes 831 in the up-down direction (Z-axis direction) of the second plate-shaped member 830. The refrigerant descending in the return path Pd collides with a portion 826 that separates the two adjacent first return path holes 825 in the first plate-shaped member 820, and this portion 826 functions as a descending suppression plate for the refrigerant.

[0109] The holes 832 that form the first communication passage portion Po1 and the second return passage holes 831 are alternately provided in the up-and-down direction (Z-axis direction) in the second plate-shaped member 830. The second plate-shaped member 830 also has a plate surface portion 835 that covers the outgoing passages Pu, the upper communication passages Pca, and the lower communication passages Pcb in the first plate-shaped member 820.

[0110] The shape of each flow path portion is not limited to the above. For example, the shape of the return path Pd does not have to be serpentine. In addition, in the return path Pd, the descending suppression plate through which the refrigerant descends (the portion 826 that separates two adjacent first return path holes 825 in the first plate-shaped member 820) only needs to be located in at least one position above or below the uppermost flat tube 5.

[0111] As described above, the refrigerant distributor 1i of the fifth embodiment includes an inlet portion plate member 10 in which the refrigerant inlet portion 11 is formed, and an insertion side plate member 50 in which a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 are formed in the vertical direction, into which the ends 5a of the flat tubes 5 are inserted. The refrigerant distributor 1i is formed by stacking a plurality of plate members 1p, each extending in the vertical direction, and branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion 11 so that it flows into the plurality of flat tubes 5. The plurality of plate members 1p form an outward path Pu extending in the vertical direction and a portion of a return path Pd that extends in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) while meandering in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), and includes a first plate member 820 provided adjacent to the inlet portion plate member 10 between the inlet portion plate member 10 and the insertion side plate member 50 so that the inlet portion 11 is connected to the lower end of the outward path Pu. The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also include a second plate-shaped member 830, in which the remaining portion of the return path Pd is formed, provided adjacent to the first plate-shaped member 820 between the first plate-shaped member 820 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50. The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also include a third plate-shaped member 840, in which the second plate-shaped member 830 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 are provided adjacent to each of the second plate-shaped member 830 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50, and in which at least a portion of each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po that individually communicate the plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 with the return path Pd is formed. An upper communicating passage Pca and a lower communicating passage Pcb that annularly communicate the outgoing path Pu and the return path Pd are formed in one or both of the first plate-shaped member 820 and the second plate-shaped member 830. When the plurality of plate-like members 1p are viewed in the stacking direction, the width Wo (each of the widths Wo1 and Wo2) of the flat tube communicating passage Po is equal to or greater than the width Wd of the return passage Pd across the stacking direction.

[0112] In the refrigerant distributor 1i of the fifth embodiment, the return path Pd extends vertically (Z-axis direction) while meandering in the stacking direction (X-axis direction). The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p includes an insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes 51 formed therein, and a first plate-shaped member 820 having a plurality of first return path holes 825 and an outgoing path Pu that constitute a portion of the return path Pd. The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also includes a second plate-shaped member 830 disposed between the first plate-shaped member 820 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 so as to be adjacent to the first plate-shaped member 820. The second plate-shaped member 830 has a plurality of second return path holes 831 formed therein that constitute the remaining portion of the return path Pd. The plurality of plate-shaped members 1p also includes a third plate-shaped member 840 disposed between the second plate-shaped member 830 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50 so as to be adjacent to both the second plate-shaped member 830 and the insertion-side plate-shaped member 50. At least a portion of each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages Po is formed in the third plate-shaped member 840. The upper communicating passages Pca and the lower communicating passages Pcb are formed in the first plate-shaped member 820 or the second plate-shaped member 830. The plurality of second return passage holes 831 are provided in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) of the second plate-shaped member 830, and each second return passage hole 831 connects two adjacent first return passage holes 825 in the vertical direction of the first plate-shaped member 820. The second plate-shaped member 830 also has a plate surface portion 835 that covers the outward passages Pu, the upper communicating passages Pca, and the lower communicating passages Pcb of the first plate-shaped member 820.

[0113] In this way, in the fifth embodiment, the return passage Pd has a curved shape, so the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is agitated in the return passage Pd more than in the configuration in which the return passage Pd is flat as in the first embodiment, thereby making the refrigerant distribution in the vertical direction in the return passage Pd more uniform and improving the distribution performance.

[0114] Each of the multiple flat tube communicating passages Po is made up of a first communicating passage portion Po1 that connects to the return passage Pd, and a second communicating passage portion Po2 that has a width Wo2 that is larger than the width Wo1 of the first communicating passage portion Po1 when viewed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction) and connects to the flat tube insertion hole 51. The first communicating passage portions Po1 of the multiple flat tube communicating passages Po are formed in the second plate-shaped member 830. The second communicating passage portions Po2 of the multiple flat tube communicating passages Po are formed in the third plate-shaped member 840. The first communicating passage portions Po1 and the second return passage holes 831 are arranged alternately in the up-and-down direction in the second plate-shaped member 830.

[0115] In this way, by constructing the flat tube communicating passage Po using multiple plate-shaped members (in the example of Figure 19, the second plate-shaped member 830 and the third plate-shaped member 840), the width Wo of the flat tube communicating passage Po can be changed in the stacking direction (X-axis direction), thereby improving design freedom. [Explanation of symbols]

[0116] 1, 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 1fa, 1g, 1h, 1i refrigerant distributor, 1p plate-shaped member, 2 refrigerant inlet pipe, 4 heat exchange section, 4a gap, 5 flat tube, 5a end, 6 heat transfer fin, 10, 610 inlet section plate-shaped member, 11 inlet section, 20, 120, 220, 320, 420, 520, 620, 720 outward path plate-shaped member, 21 discharge hole, 22 hole, 30, 130, 230, 330, 630, 730 return path plate-shaped member, 31 hole, 32a hole, 32b hole, 35, 235, 835 plate surface portion, 40, 440 communication path plate-shaped member, 41 hole, 50, 650 insertion side plate-shaped member, 51 Flat tube insertion hole, 100 heat exchanger, 100C refrigerant circuit, 101 compressor, 102 flow path switching device, 103 indoor heat exchanger, 104 pressure reducing device, 105 outdoor heat exchanger, 106 outdoor unit, 107 indoor unit, 108 outdoor blower, 109 indoor blower, 200 refrigeration cycle device, 322 hole, 331 hole, 423a hole, 424, 442, 524, 524a, 624 return path extension portion, 632b hole, 640 group of communicating passage plate-shaped members, 640a first communicating passage plate-shaped member, 640b, 640c second communicating passage plate-shaped member, 641b hole, 643 hole, 723b hole, 732b hole, 820 first plate-shaped member, 823a hole, 823b hole, 825 first return hole, 826 portion, 830 second plate-shaped member, 831 second return hole, 832 hole, 840 third plate-shaped member, C crank portion, L1, L2 extension piping, P flow path, Pca upper connecting passage, Pcb lower connecting passage, Pcb1 first extension portion, Pcb2 second extension portion, Pcb3 third extension portion, Pd return path, Po flat tube connecting passage, Po1 first connecting passage portion, Po2 second connecting passage portion, Pu outward path, R projection area, S1 first space portion, S2 second space portion, Sc1 flow path cross-sectional area, Sc2 flow path cross-sectional area, Wd, Wd1, Wd2 horizontal width, Wo, Wo1, Wo2 horizontal width, Wp horizontal width, Wu horizontal width, h1, h2 mounting holes.

Claims

1. A refrigerant distributor is formed by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, and has a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which ends of flat tubes are inserted, and a refrigerant inlet portion formed therein, and has flow paths formed therein that branch the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flow into the plurality of flat tubes, The flow path is an outgoing path extending in the vertical direction and having a lower end connected to the inlet portion through which the refrigerant flows upward; a return path extending in the vertical direction and through which the refrigerant flows downward; an upper communication passage and a lower communication passage that annularly connect the outward path and the return path; a plurality of flat tube communication passages that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes to the return passage, When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube communicating passage is equal to or greater than the width of the return passage across the stacking direction. Refrigerant distributor.

2. The plurality of plate-like members include: an outgoing path plate-shaped member on which the outgoing path is formed; a return path plate-shaped member on which the return path is formed, The upper communication passage and the lower communication passage are formed in one or both of the outgoing plate member and the return plate member, respectively.

2. The refrigerant distributor of claim 1.

3. The return path plate-shaped member is provided with only the return path, one of the upper communication path and the lower communication path and only the return path, or both the upper communication path and the lower communication path and only the return path, among the flow paths.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

4. The return path plate member is formed with only the return path of the flow path, The outgoing path, the upper communication path, and the lower communication path are formed in the outgoing path plate-shaped member.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

5. When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the outgoing path and the width of the returning path are different in size.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

6. The flow path has one return path extension portion extending in the vertical direction or a plurality of return path extension portions arranged in the vertical direction, which extend the return path in a projection area of ​​the return path when the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

7. The one or more return extension portions are formed at positions that overlap with at least a portion of the flat tube insertion holes in the projection area of ​​the return path when the plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction.

7. The refrigerant distributor of claim 6.

8. The plurality of plate-like members include: an insertion side plate-shaped member having the plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed therein; a communication passage plate-shaped member that is disposed between the return path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member so as to be adjacent to each of the return path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member, and in which the plurality of flat tube communication passages that communicate with the plurality of flat tube insertion holes are formed.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

9. Each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages is configured with a first communicating passage portion connected to the return path, and a second communicating passage portion having a width larger than a width of the first communicating passage portion when viewed in the stacking direction and connected to the flat tube insertion hole, The plurality of plate-like members include: an insertion side plate-shaped member having the plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed therein; a first communication passage plate-shaped member that is disposed between the return path plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member so as to be adjacent to the return path plate-shaped member, and in which the first communication passage portions of the plurality of flat tube communication passages are formed; a second communication passage plate-shaped member that is disposed between the first communication passage plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member so as to be adjacent to the insertion-side plate-shaped member, and in which the second communication passage portions of the plurality of flat tube communication passages are formed.

3. The refrigerant distributor of claim 2.

10. The return path extends in the up-down direction while meandering in the stacking direction, The plurality of plate-like members include: an insertion side plate-shaped member having the plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed therein; a first plate-shaped member in which a plurality of first return path holes constituting a part of the return path and the outward path are formed; a second plate-shaped member disposed between the first plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member so as to be adjacent to the first plate-shaped member, the second plate-shaped member having a plurality of second return path holes formed therein that constitute the remaining portion of the return path; a third plate-shaped member that is disposed between the second plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member so as to be adjacent to each of the second plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member, and in which at least a portion of each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages is formed, the upper communication passage and the lower communication passage are formed in the first plate-shaped member or the second plate-shaped member, the plurality of second return holes are provided in the vertical direction of the second plate-shaped member, and each of the second return holes communicates with two of the first return holes that are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction of the first plate-shaped member, The second plate-shaped member has a plate surface portion that covers the outgoing path, the upper communication passage, and the lower communication passage of the first plate-shaped member.

2. The refrigerant distributor of claim 1.

11. Each of the plurality of flat tube communicating passages is configured by a first communicating passage portion connected to the first return path hole of the return path, and a second communicating passage portion having a width larger than a width of the first communicating passage portion when viewed in the stacking direction and connected to the flat tube insertion hole, the second plate-shaped member is formed with the first communication passage portions of the plurality of flat tube communication passages, the third plate-shaped member is formed with the second communication passage portions of the plurality of flat tube communication passages, The first communication passage portions and the second return passage holes are alternately provided in the second plate-like member in the up-down direction. Refrigerant distributor according to claim 10.

12. When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, a width of an upper end portion of the return path is larger than a width of a lower end portion of the return path. A refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. The cross-sectional area of ​​the upper communication passage is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the lower communication passage. A refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

14. When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the lower communication passage has a crank portion made up of a first extension portion that extends laterally from the return path to approach the outward path, and a second extension portion that extends upward from an end portion of the first extension portion on the outward path side. A refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

15. A refrigerant distributor is configured by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, the plate-like members including an inlet portion plate-like member having a refrigerant inlet portion formed therein and an insertion side plate-like member having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which the ends of flat tubes are inserted, and the refrigerant distributor branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flows into the plurality of flat tubes, The plurality of plate-like members include: an outward path plate-shaped member that is formed with an outward path extending in the up-down direction, and that is provided adjacent to the inflow portion plate-shaped member between the inflow portion plate-shaped member and the insertion side plate-shaped member so that the inflow portion is connected to a lower end of the outward path; a return path plate member having a return path extending in the up-down direction and provided adjacent to the return path plate member between the outgoing path plate member and the insertion side plate member; and a communication passage plate member provided adjacent to each of the return path plate member and the insertion side plate member between the return path plate member and the insertion side plate member, the communication passage plate member having a plurality of flat tube communication passages formed therein that individually communicate the plurality of flat tube insertion holes with the return path, an upper communication passage and a lower communication passage that annularly connect the outgoing path and the returning path are formed in one or both of the outgoing path plate-shaped member and the returning path plate-shaped member; When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube communicating passage is equal to or greater than the width of the return passage across the stacking direction. Refrigerant distributor.

16. A refrigerant distributor is configured by stacking a plurality of plate-like members each extending in the vertical direction, the plate-like members including an inlet portion plate-like member having a refrigerant inlet portion formed therein and an insertion side plate-like member having a plurality of flat tube insertion holes formed in the vertical direction into which the ends of flat tubes are inserted, and the refrigerant distributor branches the refrigerant flowing in from the inlet portion and flows into the plurality of flat tubes, The plurality of plate-like members include: a first plate-like member that is provided adjacent to the inlet portion plate-like member, and that has an outward path extending in the vertical direction and a part of a return path that snakes in the stacking direction and extends in the vertical direction, and that is disposed between the inlet portion plate-like member and the insertion side plate-like member so that the inlet portion is connected to a lower end of the outward path; a second plate-shaped member on which the remaining portion of the return path is formed, the second plate-shaped member being disposed adjacent to the first plate-shaped member between the first plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member; a third plate-shaped member provided between the second plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member and adjacent to each of the second plate-shaped member and the insertion-side plate-shaped member, and in which at least a portion of each of a plurality of flat tube communication passages that individually connect the plurality of flat tube insertion holes to the return passage is formed, an upper communication passage and a lower communication passage that annularly connect the outward path and the return path are formed in one or both of the first plate-shaped member and the second plate-shaped member; When the plurality of plate-like members are viewed in the stacking direction, the width of the flat tube communicating passage is equal to or greater than the width of the return passage across the stacking direction. Refrigerant distributor.

17. A refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 11; a plurality of flat tubes connected to the refrigerant distributor; heat exchanger.

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