Heat exchanger assemblies for climate control systems and related methods

Abstract

An embodiment of a heat exchanger assembly of a climate control system for conditioning an airflow provided to an interior space includes an inlet line for receiving a substantially liquid refrigerant. In addition, the heat exchanger assembly includes an expansion device positioned along the inlet line to expand the refrigerant. Further, the heat exchanger assembly includes a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the expansion device that is to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant and discharge the refrigerant in a substantially gaseous state. Still further, the heat exchanger assembly includes a discharge line configured to receive the refrigerant from the heat exchanger. The inlet and discharge line are arranged to define a superheater configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant within the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.BACKGROUND

[0002] A climate control system may operate to heat or cool an indoor space, which may include an interior space of a home, office, store, apartment, etc. For instance, some climate control systems may circulate a refrigerant between a pair of heat exchangers to transfer heat between the interior space and an ambient environment, which may include an outdoor environment. The heat exchangers may be configured to carry out latent heat transfer with the refrigerant so that the refrigerant is selectively changed between the liquid and gaseous phases via the heat exchangers during operations.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0003] Some embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a heat exchanger assembly of a climate control system that is configured to condition an airflow that is provided to an interior space. In some embodiments the heat exchanger assembly includes an inlet line for receiving a refrigerant in a substantially liquid phase, an expansion device positioned along the inlet line, the expansion device configured to expand the refrigerant, and a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the expansion device. The heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant and discharge the refrigerant in a substantially gaseous state. In addition, the heat exchanger assembly includes a discharge line configured to receive the refrigerant from the heat exchanger. The inlet line and the discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant within the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

[0004] Some embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a method of operating a climate control system. In some embodiments, the method includes expanding a substantially liquid refrigerant stream with an expansion device into a mixed phase refrigerant stream. In addition, the method includes boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream with a heat exchanger to produce a substantially gaseous refrigerant stream. Further, the method includes superheating the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream downstream of the heat exchanger by use of heat of the substantially liquid refrigerant stream.

[0005] Some embodiments disclosed herein are directed to a climate control system for conditioning an airflow provided to an interior space. In some embodiments, the climate control system includes a compressor that is configured to compress a refrigerant and a condenser that is arranged to receive the refrigerant from the compressor. In addition, the climate control system includes evaporator assembly including an inlet line configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser and an expansion device positioned along the inlet line that is configured to expand the refrigerant. In addition, the evaporator assembly includes a micro-channel heat exchanger downstream of the expansion device and configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant. Further, the evaporator assembly includes a discharge line arranged to receive the refrigerant from the micro-channel heat exchanger and discharge the refrigerant toward the compressor. The inlet line and discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant in the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

[0006] Embodiments described herein comprise a combination of features and characteristics intended to address various shortcomings associated with certain prior devices, systems, and methods. The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical characteristics of the disclosed embodiments in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. The various characteristics and features described above, as well as others, will be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description, and by referring to the accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that this disclosure may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes as the disclosed embodiments. It should also be realized that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the principles disclosed herein.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] For a detailed description of various embodiments, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0008] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a climate control system that includes a refrigerant superheater according to some embodiments disclosed herein;

[0009] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the climate control system of FIG. 1, including a heat exchanger assembly that defines the superheater according to some embodiments disclosed herein;

[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger assembly of FIG. 2 according to some embodiments disclosed herein;

[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another heat exchanger assembly that may be used in the climate control system of FIG. 2 according to some embodiments disclosed herein; and

[0012] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a method of operating a climate control system according to some embodiments disclosed herein.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] A climate control system may circulate a refrigerant between a pair of heat exchangers to selectively change the phase of the refrigerant to transfer heat between an interior space and an ambient environment. Typically, a climate control system may be designed to ensure that the refrigerant fully changes phase in the heat exchangers during operations to prevent damage and / or to promote operational efficiency of one or more components of the climate control system. For instance, one of the heat exchangers of a climate control system may function as an evaporator that is configured to boil the refrigerant to absorb heat. The evaporator may be configured to fully change the phase of the refrigerant to a gas at a saturation or vaporization temperature, and then may further heat the gaseous refrigerant several degrees (e.g., degrees Fahrenheit, Celsius, Kelvin, etc.) above the saturation temperature prior to expelling the refrigerant. The degrees of heating of the refrigerant above the saturation temperature may be referred to as superheat (SH). The SH may help to ensure that no liquid refrigerant is subsequently passed out of the evaporator to the compressor, which can result in substantial damage.

[0014] While superheating the refrigerant in the evaporator may help to reduce risk to the compressor of the climate control system, it may also reduce a surface area within the evaporator that is facilitating latent heat transfer with the refrigerant. In addition, superheating the refrigerant in the evaporator may cause an uneven distribution of refrigerant within the flow channels or tubes of the evaporator during operations. Thus, the evaporator may be designed to achieve a minimal SH for reducing risk to the compressor without overly reducing heat transfer functionality and efficiency. However, some heat exchanger designs, such as micro-channel heat exchangers, may not tolerate even minimal SH values without significantly reducing heat transfer functionality and efficiency. Nonetheless, use of these micro-channel heat exchangers is often desirable due to their improved heat transfer performance.

[0015] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein include heat exchanger assemblies for use in a climate control system that are configured to superheat the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger so that the heat exchanger may operate with minimal or no superheat without increasing a risk of damage to the compressor of the climate control system during operations. In some embodiments, the heat exchanger assemblies described herein may be configured to superheat a substantially gaseous refrigerant stream discharged from the heat exchanger by use of a warm, substantially liquid stream of refrigerant that is flowing into the heat exchanger assembly. Thus, by use of the embodiments disclosed herein, a climate control system may utilize heat exchanger designs that are less tolerant of a refrigerant SH without increasing a risk of flowing liquid refrigerant to the compressor during operations.

[0016] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic flow diagram of a climate control system 10 according to some embodiments is shown. The climate control system 10 includes a refrigerant circuit 11 that is configured to circulate a refrigerant between a pair of heat exchangers 14, 16 to transfer heat between an interior space 2 and an ambient environment 5. The interior space 2 may be the interior of a home, office, store, shipping container, refrigerator, freezer, or other interior space. The ambient environment 5 may comprise an environment that at least partially surrounds the interior space 2. For instance, in some embodiments, the ambient environment 5 comprises an outdoor environment that surrounds the housing, building, structure, or container that defines the interior space 2. In some embodiments, the climate control system 10 may be configured as an air-conditioning system that is configured to transfer heat from the interior space 2 to the ambient environment 5 so as to cool the interior space 2. In some embodiments, the climate control system 10 may be configured as a heat pump that is configured to change the refrigerant flow direction in the refrigerant circuit 11 to selectively heat or cool the interior space 2.

[0017] Referring still to FIG. 1, the climate control system 10 generally includes a first heat exchanger 16, a compressor 12, a second heat exchanger 14, and an expansion device 18 that are all interconnected along the refrigerant circuit 11. During operations, the compressor 12 may compress the refrigerant in a gaseous state and output a compressed gaseous refrigerant stream 36 to the second heat exchanger 14. The second heat exchanger 14 may facilitate heat transfer from the gaseous refrigerant to the ambient environment 5 so as to condense the gaseous refrigerant stream 36 to a liquid or substantially liquid phase. Specifically, a fan 24 may generate an airflow 26 that flows over, through, and / or across the second heat exchanger 14 to pick up heat from the refrigerant and then carry the heat to the ambient environment 5. Thus, the second heat exchanger 14 may function as a “condenser” for the refrigerant during operations that discharges a warm liquid (or substantially liquid) refrigerant stream 30.

[0018] Downstream of the second heat exchanger 14, the liquid refrigerant stream 30 may flow through a superheater 20 to transfer heat from the liquid refrigerant stream 30 to a gas (or substantially gas) refrigerant stream 34 so as to superheat the gas refrigerant stream 34 to ensure no or substantially no liquid refrigerant remains therein. Thus, the superheater 20 may cool the liquid refrigerant stream 30 during operations. Further details of some embodiments of the superheater 20 are described herein.

[0019] After flowing through the superheater 20, the liquid refrigerant stream 30 may be expanded through the expansion device 18 to transform the liquid refrigerant stream 30 into a mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 that has both liquid and gas phases present therein. In some embodiments, the expansion device 18 may comprise a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or an orifice. The mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 may have a greater percentage of gas-phase refrigerant therein relative to the liquid refrigerant stream 30 and may be at a substantially lower temperature than the liquid refrigerant stream 30. The mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 may then flowed into and through the first heat exchanger 16. A blower 22 may generate an airflow 28 that flows over, through, and / or across the first heat exchanger 16 so that the airflow 28 may transfer heat to the mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 to thereby boil the refrigerant and transform the mixed phase refrigerant stream into the gas refrigerant stream 34. Thus, the first heat exchanger 16 may function as an “evaporator” for the refrigerant during operations that discharges the gas refrigerant stream 34. The cooled airflow 28 may then be directed to the interior space 2 so as to condition the environment therein (including cooling and dehumidifying).

[0020] The gas refrigerant stream 34 may almost entirely comprise gas phase refrigerant therein by mass. For instance, in some embodiments, the gas refrigerant stream 34 may comprise at least about 90 mass % gas phase refrigerant therein.

[0021] The gas refrigerant stream 34 may then be flowed through the superheater 20 to pick up additional heat from the liquid refrigerant stream 30 to thereby superheat the gas refrigerant stream 34 to ensure that no liquid (or substantially no liquid) remains therein (e.g., so that about 100 vol. % of the gas refrigerant stream 34 is gas phase refrigerant). The now superheated gas refrigerant stream 34 is then directed back to the compressor 12 to restart the process described above.

[0022] Thus, the superheater 20 may help ensure that no liquid (or substantially no liquid) refrigerant is flowed through the compressor 12, which may damage the compressor 12 as previously described. In addition, because the superheat of the refrigerant is achieved via the superheater 20 and not within the first heat exchanger 16, the first heat exchanger 16 may be designed to minimize (or eliminate) superheating the refrigerant therein so that a reduction in heat transfer surface area may be avoided. As a result, as is described in more detail herein, the superheater 20 may allow for the use of higher-performance heat exchanger designs as the first heat exchanger 16 that may be less tolerant to superheating of the refrigerant during operations, such as for instance micro-channel heat exchangers.

[0023] In addition, as previously described, the expansion device 18 may comprise a TXV. A TXV may automatically adjust an opening position thereof based on a magnitude of the superheat of the refrigerant exiting the first heat exchanger 16. A TXV may provide a more cost-effective and simple solution for controlling the expansion of refrigerant than other actively controlled expansion devices (e.g., such as an electronic expansion valve or EEV). However, a TXV is a mechanical device that may not be capable of reliably metering refrigerant at relatively low superheat levels. Thus, by utilizing the separate superheater 20, the gas refrigerant stream 34 may be more reliably and substantially superheated so that a TXV (as the expansion device 18) may operate more reliably.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 2, an embodiment of the climate control system 10 of FIG. 1 is shown that includes a heat exchanger assembly 100 to define the first heat exchanger 16 and superheater 20 (FIG. 1) according to some embodiments. Specifically, the heat exchanger assembly 100 includes a heat exchanger 120, an inlet line 110, and a discharge line 102. The heat exchanger 120 may be used as the first heat exchanger 16 in the climate control system 10 shown in FIG. 1 and previously described. Thus, the heat exchanger 120 may function as an “evaporator” for the climate control system 10, and the heat exchanger assembly 100 may be referred to as an “evaporator assembly.” In addition, the inlet line 110 and discharge line 102 are arranged to define the superheater 20 in the climate control system 10 shown in FIG. 1 to superheat the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger 120 during operations as previously described. The blower 22, fan 24, airflows 26, 28, interior space 2, and ambient environment 5 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted in FIG. 2 so as to simplify the drawings.

[0025] The heat exchanger 120 may comprise a micro-channel heat exchanger that includes a plurality of substantially flat plates or tubes 122 that are stacked along a depth D of the heat exchanger 120 shown in FIG. 2. Each of the flat plates 122 has a plurality of small channels 124 defined therein to receive a flow of refrigerant during operations. In addition, fins or other heat transfer surface areas may be connected to the flat plates 122 to enhance heat transfer during operations. For instance, adjacent flat plates 122 may be interconnected with fins or other suitable heat transfer surfaces in some embodiments.

[0026] The discharge line 102 may provide an outlet pathway for refrigerant out of the heat exchanger 120. For instance, the discharge line 102 may include an outlet header 104 that is coupled to the heat exchanger 120 such that the refrigerant that is discharged from the heat exchanger 120 is received in the outlet header 104. The discharge line 102 may also include an outlet tube 106 that extends from the outlet header 104 that is configured to discharge refrigerant from the heat exchanger assembly 100 during operations. When the heat exchanger assembly 100 is connected within the climate control system 10, the outlet tube 106 may be fluidly connected to the compressor 12 so that the refrigerant discharged out of the outlet tube 106 may flow to the compressor 12 during operations.

[0027] Referring still to FIG. 2, the inlet line 110 may provide an inlet pathway for refrigerant into the heat exchanger 120. The inlet line 110 may include an inlet tube 112 and an inlet header 116. In addition, the expansion device 18 of the climate control system 10 (FIG. 1) may be positioned along the inlet tube 112 upstream of the inlet header 116. When the heat exchanger assembly 100 is connected within the climate control system 10, the inlet tube 112 may be fluidly connected to the second heat exchanger 14 (or condenser) so that the refrigerant discharged out of the second heat exchanger 14 may flow to the inlet tube 112 during operations.

[0028] The inlet header 116 may be coupled to the heat exchanger 120 such that the refrigerant is collected in the inlet header 116 and distributed into the plurality of channels of the heat exchanger 120. Specifically, the inlet header 116 may include or be coupled to a distributor 118 that is configured to divide and distribute the refrigerant among the plurality of channels 124 of the heat exchanger 120 via a plurality of ports 119. Thus, the distributor 118 may be coupled between the expansion device 18 and the heat exchanger 120.

[0029] The inlet tube 112 of inlet line 110 may be thermally coupled to the outlet header 104 of the discharge line 102 upstream of the expansion device 18 so that heat is transferred from the relatively warm, substantially liquid refrigerant stream (e.g., stream 30 in FIG. 1) entering the heat exchanger assembly 100 from the condenser 14 to the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream (e.g., stream 34 in FIG. 1) exiting the heat exchanger 120 so as to ensure that the refrigerant exiting the heat exchanger 120 is sufficiently superheated as previously described. Thus, the inlet line 110 and discharge line 102 are arranged to define the superheater 20 (FIG. 1) to superheat the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger 120 during operations as previously described.

[0030] For instance, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the inlet tube 112 of inlet line 110 is passed into the outlet header 104 upstream of the expansion device 18. Specifically, the outlet header 104 may have a first end 104a and a second end 104b that are spaced from one another along the depth D of heat exchanger 120. The inlet tube 112 of inlet line 110 may pass into the first end 104a of the outlet header 104, extend within the outlet header 104 toward the second end 104b, bend or turn substantially 180°, and return back out of the first end 104a of the outlet header 104. During operations, as warm, substantially liquid refrigerant (e.g., stream 30 in FIG. 1) flows along the portion of the inlet tube 112 that passes within the outlet header 104, heat is transferred from the warm, substantially liquid refrigerant in the inlet tube 112 to the substantially gaseous refrigerant (e.g., stream 34) flowing into and through the outlet header 104 so as to superheat the gaseous refrigerant that is ultimately flowed out of the outlet header 104 and into the outlet tube 106 and compressor 12 as previously described.

[0031] Referring now to FIG. 3, a perspective view of an embodiment of the heat exchanger assembly 100 schematically illustrated in FIG. 2 is shown. Common reference numbers are used in FIG. 3 to indicate features of heat exchanger assembly 100 previously described herein. For instance, for the embodiment of heat exchanger assembly 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the flat tubes 122 of heat exchanger 120 of heat exchanger assembly 100 are substantially A (or V) shaped so that the heat exchanger 120 has a first panel 130 and a second panel 132 that converge toward one another. Specifically, the heat exchanger 120 may have a first end 120a and a second end 120b opposite the first end 120a. The panels 130, 132 may converge toward one another when moving from the second end 120b to the first end 120a. Thus, during operations, the refrigerant (e.g., the mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 in FIG. 1) may flow through the heat exchanger 120 by progressing first along the first panel 130 from the second end 120b to the first end 120a and then through the second panel 132 from the first end 120a to the second end 120b. The airflow 28 may be generally directed through the heat exchanger 120 from the second end 120b to the first end 120a.

[0032] In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 120 is oriented vertically so that the first end 120a is a top end of the heat exchanger 120 and the second end 120b is a bottom end of the heat exchanger 120. However, the heat exchanger 120 may be placed in a number of different orientations. For instance, in some embodiments, the heat exchanger 120 may be oriented laterally (or horizontally) so that the first end 120a and the second end 120b are laterally (or horizontally) spaced from one another.

[0033] During operation, as the relatively warm, moist airflow 28 is flowed over and across the panels 130, 132 of heat exchanger 120, heat is transferred from the airflow 28 to the refrigerant flowing in the plurality of channels 124 (not shown in FIG. 3, but see FIG. 2). As a result, water may condense out of the airflow 28 and collect on the panels 130, 132 during operations. A collection pan 134 may be coupled to the heat exchanger 120 at the second end 120b that is configured to collect condensed water off of the panels 130, 132 via the force of gravity.

[0034] Referring now to FIG. 4, an embodiment of the heat exchanger assembly 200 that may be used in the climate control system 10 in place of the heat exchanger assembly 100 is shown. Thus, the heat exchanger assembly 200 may also be referred to herein as an “evaporator assembly.”

[0035] The heat exchanger assembly 200 may be substantially similar to the heat exchanger assembly 100 shown in FIG. 3. Thus, features of the heat exchanger assembly 200 that are shared with the heat exchanger assembly 100 may be identified with the same reference numbers, and the following description may focus on features of the heat exchanger assembly 200 that are different relative to the heat exchanger assembly 100.

[0036] For the heat exchanger assembly 200, the inlet tube 112 of inlet line 110 is not passed within the outlet header 104 to define the superheater 20 as previously described (FIGS. 2 and 3). Rather, for the heat exchanger assembly 200, a length of the inlet tube 112 of inlet line 110 is abutted against and run parallel to a corresponding length of the outlet tube 106 of outlet line 102. Specifically, the inlet tube 112 and outlet tube 106 may be abutted against one another along a point or length of the inlet tube 112 that is upstream of the expansion device 18. The inlet tube 112 and outlet tube 106 may be simply engaged with one another, or may be positively connected to one another. For instance, in some embodiments, the inlet tube 112 and the outlet tube 106 may be abutted or engaged to one another by welding, brazing, clamps, ties, etc. In some embodiments, the abutted portions of the tubes 112, 106 may be integrated into a single body that includes corresponding ports for connecting to the other portions of tubes 112, 106.

[0037] During operations, the heat may transfer from the warm, substantially liquid refrigerant (e.g., stream 30 in FIG. 1) flowing through the inlet tube 112 to the substantially gaseous refrigerant (e.g., stream 34 in FIG. 1) flowing through the outlet tube 106 along the abutted lengths of the tubes 112, 106 so that the refrigerant flowing in the outlet tube 106 is superheated as previously described. As a result, the abutted portions or lengths of the inlet tube 112 and outlet tube 106 may define the superheater 20 (FIG. 1) to superheat the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger 120.

[0038] Referring now to FIG. 5, a method 300 of operating a climate control system is shown according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the method 300 may be performed using embodiments of the climate control system 10 and heat exchanger assemblies 100, 200 described herein. Thus, in describing the features of method 300, continuing reference may be made to FIGS. 1-4. However, it should be appreciated that embodiments of method 300 may be performed by use of climate control systems and heat exchanger assemblies that may be different in at least some respect from those illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 and described herein. Thus, the continuing reference to FIGS. 1-4 in describing the features of method 300 should not be interpreted as limiting other embodiments of method 300, and embodiments of method 300 may be performed using systems that are different from those shown in FIGS. 1-4.

[0039] Initially, method 300 includes expanding a substantially liquid refrigerant stream with an expansion device into a mixed phase refrigerant stream at block 302, and boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream with a heat exchanger to produce a substantially gaseous refrigerant stream at block 304. For instance, as previously described for the climate control system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the substantially liquid refrigerant stream 30 may be expanded through the expansion device 18 to form a mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 that is then flowed through the heat exchanger 16 to boil the mixed phase refrigerant stream 32 and thereby form a substantially gas refrigerant stream 34.

[0040] Further, method 300 includes superheating the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream downstream of the heat exchanger by use of heat of the substantially liquid refrigerant stream at block 306. For instance, as previously described for the climate control system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the relatively warm, substantially liquid refrigerant stream 30 may provide heat to the gas stream 34 via the superheater 20 so that the gas refrigerant stream 32 is superheated to ensure that no (or substantially no) liquid refrigerant is included therein. In some embodiments, the superheater 20 may be integrally formed or defined with the heat exchanger (e.g., heat exchanger 16) as a heat exchanger assembly (e.g., heat exchanger assembly 100, 200, etc.). For instance, as previously described, the superheater 20 may be defined by the inlet line 110 and outlet line 102 of a heat exchanger assembly 100, 200 as shown in FIGS. 2-4 and described herein.

[0041] As explained above and reiterated below, the present disclosure includes, without limitation, the following example implementations.

[0042] Clause 1: A heat exchanger assembly of a climate control system that is configured to condition an airflow that is provided to an interior space, the heat exchanger assembly comprising: an inlet line for receiving a refrigerant in a substantially liquid phase; an expansion device positioned along the inlet line, the expansion device configured to expand the refrigerant; and a heat exchanger positioned downstream of the expansion device, the heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant and discharge the refrigerant in a substantially gaseous state; and a discharge line configured to receive the refrigerant from the heat exchanger, wherein the inlet line and the discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant within the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

[0043] Clause 2: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, wherein a length of the inlet line upstream of the expansion device is abutted along a length of the discharge line to define the superheater.

[0044] Clause 3: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, wherein the discharge line comprises a header, and wherein the inlet line passes within the header to define the superheater.

[0045] Clause 4: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a micro-channel heat exchanger comprising a plurality of channels configured to discharge the refrigerant into the header.

[0046] Clause 5: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, wherein the inlet line passes into a first end of the header, bends substantially 180°, and returns out of the first end of the header.

[0047] Clause 6: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, further comprising a distributor coupled between the expansion device and the heat exchanger, the distributor configured to divide the refrigerant among the plurality of channels.

[0048] Clause 7: The heat exchanger assembly of any of the clauses, wherein the expansion device comprises a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or an orifice.

[0049] Clause 8: A method comprising: (a) expanding a substantially liquid refrigerant stream with an expansion device into a mixed phase refrigerant stream; (b) boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream with a heat exchanger to produce a substantially gaseous refrigerant stream; and (c) superheating the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream downstream of the heat exchanger by use of heat of the substantially liquid refrigerant stream.

[0050] Clause 9: The method of any of the clauses, further comprising: (d) receiving the substantially liquid refrigerant stream in an inlet line; and (e) receiving the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream from the heat exchanger in a discharge line, wherein (c) further comprises transferring heat from the substantially liquid refrigerant stream to the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream via the inlet line and the discharge line.

[0051] Clause 10: The method of any of the clauses, wherein (b) further comprises: (b1) flowing the mixed phase refrigerant stream through a plurality of micro-channels of the heat exchanger; (b2) boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream to produce the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream in the plurality of micro-channels during (b1); and (b3) flowing the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream into a header of the discharge line.

[0052] Clause 11: The method of any of the clauses, wherein (c) further comprises flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream through a portion of the inlet line that passes into the header.

[0053] Clause 12: The method of any of the clauses, wherein (c) further comprises flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream, via the inlet line: (c1) into a first end of the header; and then (c2) out of the first end of the header.

[0054] Clause 13: The method of any of the clauses, wherein (a) further comprises expanding the substantially liquid refrigerant stream after flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream within the header via the inlet line during (c).

[0055] Clause 14: The method of any of the clauses, wherein (b1) comprises distributing the mixed phase refrigerant stream into the plurality of micro-channels with a distributor after (a).

[0056] Clause 15: A climate control system for conditioning an airflow provided to an interior space, the climate control system comprising: a compressor that is configured to compress a refrigerant; a condenser that is arranged to receive the refrigerant from the compressor; and an evaporator assembly comprising: an inlet line configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser; an expansion device positioned along the inlet line that is configured to expand the refrigerant; a micro-channel heat exchanger downstream of the expansion device and configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant; and a discharge line arranged to receive the refrigerant from the micro-channel heat exchanger and discharge the refrigerant toward the compressor, wherein the inlet line and discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant in the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

[0057] Clause 16: The climate control system of any of the clauses, wherein the discharge line comprises a header that is configured to receive the refrigerant from the micro-channel heat exchanger, and wherein the inlet line passes within the header to define the superheater.

[0058] Clause 17: The climate control system of any of the clauses, wherein the expansion device is positioned along the inlet line downstream of the header.

[0059] Clause 18: The climate control system of any of the clauses, wherein the expansion device comprises a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or an orifice.

[0060] Clause 19: The climate control system of any of the clauses, further comprising a distributor coupled between the expansion device and the micro-channel heat exchanger, the distributor configured to divide the refrigerant among a plurality of channels of the micro-channel heat exchanger.

[0061] Clause 20: The climate control system of any of the clauses, wherein a length of the inlet line upstream of the expansion device is abutted along a length of the discharge line to define the superheater.

[0062] The embodiments disclosed herein include heat exchanger assemblies for use in a climate control system that are configured to superheat the refrigerant downstream of the heat exchanger so that the heat exchanger may operate with minimal or no superheat without increasing a risk of damage to the compressor of the climate control system during operations. Thus, by use of the embodiments disclosed herein, a climate control system may utilize heat exchanger designs that are less tolerant of a refrigerant SH without increasing a risk of flowing liquid refrigerant to the compressor during operations.

[0063] The preceding discussion is directed to various exemplary embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the examples disclosed herein have broad application, and that the discussion of any embodiment is meant only to be exemplary of that embodiment, and not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to that embodiment.

[0064] The drawing figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and components herein may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in interest of clarity and conciseness.

[0065] In the discussion herein and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to . . . ” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection of the two devices, or through an indirect connection that is established via other devices, components, nodes, and connections. In addition, as used herein, the terms “axial” and “axially” generally mean along or parallel to a given axis (e.g., central axis of a body or a port), while the terms “radial” and “radially” generally mean perpendicular to the given axis. For instance, an axial distance refers to a distance measured along or parallel to the axis, and a radial distance means a distance measured perpendicular to the axis. Further, when used herein (including in the claims), the words “about,”“generally,”“substantially,”“approximately,” and the like, when used in reference to a stated value mean within a range of plus or minus 10% of the stated value.

[0066] While exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or teachings herein. The embodiments described herein are exemplary only and are not limiting. Many variations and modifications of the systems, apparatus, and processes described herein are possible and are within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of protection is not limited to the embodiments described herein, but is only limited by the claims that follow, the scope of which shall include all equivalents of the subject matter of the claims. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the steps in a method claim may be performed in any order. The recitation of identifiers such as (a), (b), (c) or (1), (2), (3) before steps in a method claim are not intended to and do not specify a particular order to the steps, but rather are used to simplify subsequent reference to such steps.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger assembly of a climate control system that is configured to condition an airflow that is provided to an interior space, the heat exchanger assembly comprising:an inlet line for receiving a refrigerant in a substantially liquid phase;an expansion device positioned along the inlet line, the expansion device configured to expand the refrigerant; anda heat exchanger positioned downstream of the expansion device, the heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant and discharge the refrigerant in a substantially gaseous state; anda discharge line configured to receive the refrigerant from the heat exchanger,wherein the inlet line and the discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant within the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

2. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1, wherein a length of the inlet line upstream of the expansion device is abutted along a length of the discharge line to define the superheater.

3. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1, wherein the discharge line comprises a header, and wherein the inlet line passes within the header to define the superheater.

4. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a micro-channel heat exchanger comprising a plurality of channels configured to discharge the refrigerant into the header.

5. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 4, wherein the inlet line passes into a first end of the header, bends substantially 180°, and returns out of the first end of the header.

6. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 5, further comprising a distributor coupled between the expansion device and the heat exchanger, the distributor configured to divide the refrigerant among the plurality of channels.

7. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 6, wherein the expansion device comprises a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or an orifice.

8. A method comprising:(a) expanding a substantially liquid refrigerant stream with an expansion device into a mixed phase refrigerant stream;(b) boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream with a heat exchanger to produce a substantially gaseous refrigerant stream; and(c) superheating the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream downstream of the heat exchanger by use of heat of the substantially liquid refrigerant stream.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:(d) receiving the substantially liquid refrigerant stream in an inlet line; and(e) receiving the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream from the heat exchanger in a discharge line,wherein (c) further comprises transferring heat from the substantially liquid refrigerant stream to the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream via the inlet line and the discharge line.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein (b) further comprises:(b1) flowing the mixed phase refrigerant stream through a plurality of micro-channels of the heat exchanger;(b2) boiling the mixed phase refrigerant stream to produce the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream in the plurality of micro-channels during (b1); and(b3) flowing the substantially gaseous refrigerant stream into a header of the discharge line.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein (c) further comprises flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream through a portion of the inlet line that passes into the header.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein (c) further comprises flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream, via the inlet line:(c1) into a first end of the header; and then(c2) out of the first end of the header.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein (a) further comprises expanding the substantially liquid refrigerant stream after flowing the substantially liquid refrigerant stream within the header via the inlet line during (c).

14. The method of claim 10, wherein (b1) comprises distributing the mixed phase refrigerant stream into the plurality of micro-channels with a distributor after (a).

15. A climate control system for conditioning an airflow provided to an interior space, the climate control system comprising:a compressor that is configured to compress a refrigerant;a condenser that is arranged to receive the refrigerant from the compressor; andan evaporator assembly comprising:an inlet line configured to receive the refrigerant from the condenser;an expansion device positioned along the inlet line that is configured to expand the refrigerant;a micro-channel heat exchanger downstream of the expansion device and configured to transfer heat from the airflow to the refrigerant; anda discharge line arranged to receive the refrigerant from the micro-channel heat exchanger and discharge the refrigerant toward the compressor, wherein the inlet line and discharge line are arranged to define a superheater that is configured to transfer heat from (i) the refrigerant in the inlet line upstream of the expansion device to (ii) the refrigerant in the discharge line to thereby superheat the refrigerant in the discharge line.

16. The climate control system of claim 15, wherein the discharge line comprises a header that is configured to receive the refrigerant from the micro-channel heat exchanger, and wherein the inlet line passes within the header to define the superheater.

17. The climate control system of claim 16, wherein the expansion device is positioned along the inlet line downstream of the header.

18. The climate control system of claim 17, wherein the expansion device comprises a thermostatic expansion valve (TXV) or an orifice.

19. The climate control system of claim 18, further comprising a distributor coupled between the expansion device and the micro-channel heat exchanger, the distributor configured to divide the refrigerant among a plurality of channels of the micro-channel heat exchanger.

20. The climate control system of claim 15, wherein a length of the inlet line upstream of the expansion device is abutted along a length of the discharge line to define the superheater.

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