Header assembly, heat exchanger and air conditioning system

Abstract

A header assembly includes a first tube, a first plate, a second tube and a first port, wherein the first tube includes a first wall and a first cavity, the first plate is at least partially located in the first cavity, the first plate separates the first cavity, the first cavity includes a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity, the second tube is at least partially located in the first cavity, the second tube includes a second wall and a second cavity, the second tube further comprises a first communicating portion and a second communicating portion, the first communicating portion is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second cavity, the second communicating portion is in communication with the second sub-cavity and the second cavity, the first port is located at the first wall, and the first port is in communication with the first sub-cavity.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present disclosure claims priorities to and benefits of Chinese Patent Application No. 202310648449.8, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202310650733.9, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202321391981.8, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated into the present disclosure herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of heat exchange technologies, and more particularly to a header assembly, a heat exchanger, and an air conditioning system.BACKGROUND

[0003] In a related art, when a heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, particularly a heat exchanger with a header arranged vertically (and a flat tube arranged horizontally), a method to achieve relatively uniform distribution of an effective heat exchange area of the entire heat exchanger mainly relies on providing a plurality of circuits. However, in each independent circuit, due to different densities between gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, the flat tube closer to a lower part of the header along the gravity direction tends to have more liquid refrigerant and less gaseous refrigerant, while the flat tube closer to an upper part of the header tends to have more gaseous refrigerant and less liquid refrigerant. That is, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant cannot be distributed evenly among the upper and lower flat tubes in the entire circuit. A small flow rate of liquid-phase refrigerant in the flat tubes may lead to a significant reduction in the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger in these corresponding areas.SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a header assembly to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a heat exchanger to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air conditioning system to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0007] A header assembly according to the present disclosure includes a first tube, a first plate, a second tube and a first port; the first tube includes a first wall and has a first cavity; the first plate is at least partially located in the first cavity, and the first plate partitions the first cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity; the second tube is at least partially located in the first cavity, and the second tube includes a second wall and has a second cavity; the second tube further includes a first communication portion and a second communication portion, the first communication portion is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second cavity, the second communication portion is in communication with the second sub-cavity and the second cavity, and at least part of the first communication portion is located at the second wall; and the first port is located at the first wall and in communication with the first sub-cavity.

[0008] Therefore, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first communication portion includes at least one first hole and at least one second hole, at least part of the at least one first hole is located at the second wall, at least a part of the at least one second hole is located at the second wall, and a shortest distance from the at least one first hole to the first port is greater than a shortest distance from the at least one second hole to the first port.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first port is arranged opposite to the at least part of the at least one second hole.

[0011] In some embodiments, a tube segment of the second tube located in the first sub-cavity is defined as a first tube segment, the first tube segment has a first end and a second end in a length direction of the first tube segment, and the first end is closed relative to the first sub-cavity.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second communication portion includes at least one third hole located at the second wall.

[0013] In some embodiments, a tube segment of the second tube located in the second sub-cavity is defined as a second tube segment, the second tube segment has a third end in a length direction of the second tube segment, and the third end is far from the first plate in the length direction of the second tube segment; and the second communication portion includes at least one through hole located at the third end.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second tube segment further includes a reduced-diameter portion having a length, and an inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion gradually decreases along a direction from the first plate to the third end.

[0015] In some embodiments, a shortest distance from the first end to the second end is defined as L, a maximum distance from the at least one first hole to the first end is defined as L1, and a maximum distance from the at least one second hole to the second end is defined as L2; wherein L1<½L, and L2<½L.

[0016] In some embodiments, a shortest distance between the at least one first hole and the at least one second hole is defined as L3, wherein ⅕L≤L3≤⅗L.

[0017] In some embodiments, an internal volume of the first sub-cavity is defined as V1, and an internal volume of the second sub-cavity is defined as V2, wherein V1≥V2.

[0018] In some embodiments, a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one first hole is defined as Q1, a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one second hole is defined as Q2, and a flow cross-sectional area of the second communication portion is defined as Q3, wherein Q1+Q2≥Q3.

[0019] In some embodiments, a flow cross-sectional area of the first port is defined as Q4, wherein 2Q2≤Q4≤6Q2.

[0020] In some embodiments, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a third tube, wherein a tube cavity of the third tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity, the third tube includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is located in the first sub-cavity, the second opening is located in the second sub-cavity, and a distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is greater than a distance from the first opening to the first plate.

[0021] In some embodiments, at least one of the second tube and the third tube is located in the first cavity, and at least part of the second tube located in the first cavity and / or at least part of the third tube located in the first cavity extend along the length direction of the first tube.

[0022] In some embodiments, the third tube is located in the first cavity, the first opening includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube, and / or the second opening includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube.

[0023] In some embodiments, the third tube includes a through hole located at the first plate, and the through hole penetrates through the first plate along a thickness direction of the first plate.

[0024] In some embodiments, at least part of the second tube is located outside the first cavity, and / or at least part of the third tube is located outside the first cavity.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first wall includes a first wall portion and a second wall portion, a wall surrounding the first sub-cavity includes at least part of the first wall portion, and a wall surrounding the second sub-cavity includes at least part of the second wall portion; and

[0026] a length of the first wall portion is defined as L4, a length of the second wall portion is defined as L5, a shortest distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is defined as L6, and a shortest distance from the first opening to the first plate is defined as L7, wherein L6≥½L4, and L7≤½L4.

[0027] In some embodiments, a shortest distance from the second communication portion to the first plate is defined as L8, and a shortest distance from the second opening to the first plate is defined as L9, wherein L8≥½L5, and L9≤½L5.

[0028] In some embodiments, the length of the first wall portion and the length of the second wall portion satisfy: 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9.

[0029] In some embodiments, a hydraulic diameter of the first tube is defined as D1, and a hydraulic diameter of the second tube is defined as D2, wherein 0.1≤D2 / D1≤0.6.

[0030] In some embodiments, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a fourth tube, the fourth tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity; or the fourth tube is in communication with different portions of the first sub-cavity or of the second sub-cavity.

[0031] In some embodiments, the fourth tube includes a third opening and a fourth opening, the third opening is located in the first sub-cavity, and the fourth opening is located in the second sub-cavity.

[0032] In some embodiments, the fourth tube includes a third opening and a fourth opening, both the third opening and the fourth opening are located in the first sub-cavity or the second sub-cavity, and the third opening and the fourth opening are spaced apart from each other . . .

[0033] A heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first header, a second header and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes, the first header and the second header are spaced apart from each other, the first header includes a first sub-header, the first sub-header includes at least one header assembly according to any one of the above embodiments, and the first sub-header is arranged along a length direction of the first header; and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes in communication with the first tube and the second header.

[0034] Therefore, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first header further includes at least one second sub-header, the at least one second sub-header is in communication with at least part of the first sub-header; and in a first direction, the first sub-header is located above the at least one second sub-header.

[0036] In some embodiments, the second header includes a plurality of third sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the second header; and the plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the first sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers, and / or the plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the at least one second sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers.

[0037] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes includes a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, the first inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the at least one second sub-header, the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header, and

[0038] the liquid distributor includes a plurality of ports, and at least part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the plurality of third sub-headers.

[0039] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes includes a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, and the liquid distributor includes a plurality of ports, wherein a part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the first inlet-and-outlet ports, another part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the at least one second sub-header, and the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header.

[0040] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes includes a first segment, a second segment, and a bent segment, and a length of the first segment is greater than a length of the second segment; and an end of the bent segment is in communication with the first segment, and another end of the bent segment is in communication with the second segment.

[0041] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes fins, wherein the fins are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes, and the fins are at least partially located on the first segment and / or the second segment; and an end of the first segment is in communication with the bent segment, another end of the first segment is in communication with the first header, an end of the second segment is in communication with the bent segment, and another end of the second segment is in communication with the second header.

[0042] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a third header and a fourth header, wherein the third header and the fourth header are spaced apart from each other, and the second header is in direct or indirect communication with the third header; and a plurality of second heat exchange tubes in communication with the third header and the fourth header.

[0043] In some embodiments, the third header includes a plurality of fourth sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the third header, and at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers are provided with the first plate; and each of the plurality of fourth sub-headers includes a third sub-cavity and a fourth sub-cavity, and the first plate located in the at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers is configured to be in communication with the third sub-cavity and the fourth sub-cavity.

[0044] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a second connecting tube including a third inlet-and-outlet port and a fourth inlet-and-outlet port, wherein the third inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the second header, and the fourth inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the plurality of fourth sub-headers; and

[0045] fins at least partially located at the plurality of first heat exchange tubes and / or the plurality of second heat exchange tubes.

[0046] An air conditioning system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling device, and an evaporator; the evaporator and / or the condenser is the heat exchanger according to any one of the above embodiments, and when the heat exchanger operates, a length direction of the first header is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane.

[0047] Therefore, the air conditioning system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a second tube provided by the present disclosure.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic installation view of a second tube provided by the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a second specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a third specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a fourth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a fifth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a sixth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a seventh specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0057] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an eighth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a ninth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0059] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a tenth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0060] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0061] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a second specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0062] FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a third specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0063] FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a fourth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0064] FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a fifth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0065] FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a sixth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0066] FIG. 19 is a schematic view of a seventh specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0067] FIG. 20 is a schematic view of an eighth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0068] FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a ninth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing are illustrative. It should be understood that the embodiments described are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0070] A first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. Technical solutions and technical effects are described herein by taking an example of applying this header assembly to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a parallel flow heat exchanger or a parallel flow microchannel heat exchanger. However, the specific type of heat exchanger is not limited to the description herein and may also be other heat exchangers that need to distribute heat exchange media, which are not listed one by one here.

[0071] In an air conditioning system, after passing through a throttling device, refrigerant becomes a gas-liquid two-phase state and then reaches an inlet of the heat exchanger. Whether the two-phase refrigerant, particularly the liquid thereof, may be uniformly distributed into each channel for heat exchange is a key to the design and structure of the heat exchanger.

[0072] In actual operation, when uneven distribution to various channels occurs due to changes in operating conditions or unreasonable design of a liquid distributor, it will lead to uneven distribution of refrigerant flow rate in tubes. The refrigerant flow rate in some tubes is small, causing early dry-out and an excessive superheat at a tube outlet; while the refrigerant flow rate in other tubes is too large, resulting in a low superheat at the tube outlet, or even the presence of some liquid. Both situations prevent full utilization of a heat exchange area of an evaporator, thus affecting heat exchange efficiency.

[0073] To improve the distribution effect, a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. As shown in FIG. 1, the header assembly includes a first tube 1, a first plate 2, a second tube 3, and a first port 4. The first tube 1 includes a first wall 11. The first tube 1 has a first cavity 12. A wall enclosing the first cavity 12 includes at least part of the first wall 11. Specifically, the first cavity 12 is enclosed by at least part of the first wall 11. Furthermore, a cross-sectional shape of the first cavity 12 may be circular, rectangular, etc. Similarly, a cross-sectional shape of the first wall 11 may also be circular, rectangular, etc. In this embodiment, the first tube 1 is a hollow cylindrical structure, that is, both the first wall 11 and the first cavity 12 are cylindrical in shape.

[0074] At least part of the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12. The term “at least part of” mentioned here means that the first plate 2 may be entirely located in the first cavity 12, or only a part of the first plate 2 may be located in the first cavity 12 while another part of the first plate 2 extends out of the first cavity 12 (i.e., beyond the first wall 11). For example, when the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12 by means of insertion or the like, an area of the first plate 2 may be slightly larger than a cross-sectional area of the first cavity 12. That is, part of the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12. The function of the first plate 2 is to physically partition the first cavity 12, so that the first cavity 12 includes a first sub-cavity 121 and a second sub-cavity 122. In the absence of the second tube 3 in communication with the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122, there is no communication between the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122.

[0075] At least part of the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12. The second tube 3 includes a second wall 31 and a second cavity 32. As mentioned above, the second wall 31 and the second cavity 32 may also be in varied shapes, but for ease of description, the second tube 3 herein is also a hollow circular tube structure. The second tube 3 may also be only partially located in the first cavity 12 or entirely located in the first cavity 12. As shown in FIG. 1, when a length of the second tube 3 is less than or equal to a length of the first tube 1 and is completely arranged in the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1, the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12.

[0076] Furthermore, the second tube 3 further includes a first communication portion 33 and a second communication portion 34. The first communication portion 33 is in communication with the first sub-cavity 121 and the second cavity 32, that is, the first sub-cavity 121 and the second cavity 32 are in communication with each other through the first communication portion 33. The second communication portion 34 is in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 and the second cavity 32, that is, the second sub-cavity 122 and the second cavity 32 are in communication with each other through the second communication portion 34. At least part of the first communication portion 33 is located at the second wall 31. Specifically, the second tube 3 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 via a hollow tube body, the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34. The first port 4 is located at the first wall 11 and is in communication with the first sub-cavity 121. In actual use, an inlet pipe is usually connected to a position of the first port 4 to introduce refrigerant.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second tube 3 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 through the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34. After the two-phase refrigerant enters the first sub-cavity 121 from the first port 4, a part of the refrigerant is directly distributed in the first sub-cavity 121, and another part of the refrigerant enters the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33. When the amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 is small, a part of the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33 flows upward and then flows back into the first sub-cavity 121 for distribution through the first communication portion 33 at a higher position and another part of the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 flows downward and then flows to the second sub-cavity 122 through the second communication portion 34 for distribution.

[0078] When the amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 is large, the refrigerant spontaneously flows from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area, i.e., the refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 will enter the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33, and then flows to the second sub-cavity 122 through the second communication portion 34 for distribution. During the above distribution process, since a deadweight of gaseous refrigerant is different from a deadweight of liquid refrigerant, the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 closer to the first plate 2 contains more liquid refrigerant, while the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 farther from the first plate 2 contains more gaseous refrigerant. The continuous flow of refrigerant drives a thorough mixing of the two-phase refrigerant, and this mixing process is dynamic. That is, the two-phase refrigerant in the header assembly is in a state of mixing and distributing simultaneously, thereby improving a distribution effect of the two-phase refrigerant.

[0079] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in a specific embodiment, the first communication portion 33 includes at least one first hole 331 and at least one second hole 332. At least part of the at least one first hole 331 is located at the second wall 31, and at least part of the at least one second hole 332 is located at the second wall 31. In this embodiment, since the first communication portion 33 includes the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, and in order to allow the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 to play a greater role and enable more gaseous refrigerant to enter the second tube 3 from the first hole 331 and more liquid refrigerant to enter the second tube 3 from the second hole 332 when the header assembly is operating, a shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first port 4 is greater than a shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first port 4. Since the second hole 332 is closer to the first port 4 compared to the first hole 331, after the refrigerant enters the first tube 1 from the first port 4, the refrigerant entering from the second hole 332 contains more liquid refrigerant; and correspondingly, the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 contains more gaseous refrigerant. Generally, within a certain range, the farther a distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, the more obvious the gas-liquid separation entry effect becomes.

[0080] In this embodiment, both the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 are through holes defined at the second wall 31, and a shape of the through hole is circular. However, in some other embodiments, the through holes may also be in other shapes, such as square or polygonal, which are not listed here one by one. Additionally, in some other embodiments, the first communication portion 33 may also include a through hole and a tube located at the through-hole and having a certain length. However, since the functions of both the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 are only to achieve communication, other embodiments will not be described in detail herein.

[0081] In a more specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a tube segment of the second tube 3 located in the first sub-cavity 121 is defined as a first tube segment 35. The first tube segment 35 has a first end 351 and a second end 352 in a length direction of the first tube segment 35. The first end 351 is closed relative to the first sub-cavity 121. As shown in the drawings, the first end 351 is an end of the second tube 3 away from the first plate 2, and the second end 352 is a bottom of the first tube segment 35 in contact with the first plate 2. Since the first end 351 may be close to a top of the first tube 1, the first end 351 may be closed. However, in some other embodiments, the first end 351 may also have an opening, depending on the actual distribution requirements and design, which will not be explained in detail here.

[0082] A shortest distance from the first end 351 to the second end 352 is defined as L, a maximum distance from the first hole 331 to the first end 351 is defined as L1, and a maximum distance from the second hole 332 to the second end 352 is defined as L2, in which: L1<½L, and L2<½L. As shown in FIG. 3, taking an example where the number of either of the first holes 331 and the second holes 332 is three, and defining a direction from bottom to top in the drawings as a first direction, in the first direction, the third second hole 332 from bottom to top is the farthest from the second end 352, so a distance between the third second hole 332 and the second end 352 is L2, which is the maximum distance from the second hole 332 to the second end 352. Similarly, the first hole 331 from bottom to top is the farthest from the first end 351, so a maximum distance from the first hole 331 to the first end 351 is L1. In some other embodiments, if the number of the first holes 331 is different the number of the second holes 332, L1 and L2 may also be deduced based on the above method.

[0083] Based on the above embodiment, since L1<½L and L2<½L, it indicates that the first holes 331 are concentrated in an upper half of the second tube 3, while the second holes 332 are concentrated in a lower half of the second tube 3. When the header assembly is applied to a heat exchanger for operation and a flow rate of refrigerant entering from the first port 4 is relatively small, a flow rate of refrigerant directly flowing into the first sub-cavity 121 is small, and the entire first sub-cavity 121 may not be fully filled with refrigerant. More gaseous refrigerant will gather in an upper part of the first sub-cavity 121. At this time, more supplementary refrigerant will enter from the first port 4, enter the second holes 332, and then quickly enter into the second tube 3 from the second hole 332 and flow up along the second tube 3 to a position of the first hole 331 and be sprayed out, thereby compensating for the insufficient gaseous refrigerant in the upper part of the first sub-cavity 121, and overall achieving uniform distribution of the refrigerant flow rate.

[0084] After the refrigerant in the first tube 1 is fully supplemented, the entire first sub-cavity 121 will be filled with refrigerant. The refrigerant in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 contains more liquid refrigerant, and the refrigerant in the upper part of the sub-cavity 121 contains more gaseous refrigerant. Since refrigerant continuously flows into the first sub-cavity 121, the refrigerant will spontaneously flow from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area, that is, excess refrigerant will enter the second tube 3 from the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, and flow towards a low-pressure direction (i.e., the second sub-cavity 122). In the refrigerant entering the second tube 3, more liquid refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from the second hole 332, and more gaseous refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from the first hole 331. During the gaseous refrigerant enters the second sub-cavity 122 and flows upward, it will drive the flow of the liquid refrigerant, thereby promoting uniform distribution of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122, and overall achieving uniform distribution of the refrigerant flow rate.

[0085] Furthermore, as mentioned above, during gaseous refrigerant flows upward and enters the first hole 331, it will also drive a part of the liquid refrigerant to flow upward for distribution, thereby improving the distribution uniformity of the entire header assembly.

[0086] In a specific embodiment, the first port 4 is arranged opposite to at least part of the second holes 332. As shown in FIG. 3, since there are a plurality of the second holes 332, in order to better distribute the refrigerant through the second tube 3, at least part of the second holes 332 may be arranged directly opposite to the first port 4, which may allow a part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 to be distributed, while another part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 directly enters at least part of the second holes 332, and then flows upward and / or downward through the second tube 3 for distribution. Arranging the first port 4 opposite to the at least part of the second holes 332 may allow more refrigerant to directly enter the second holes 332. Similarly, the amount of refrigerant directly entering the second tube 3 may also be adjusted by adjusting the number of second holes 332 opposite to the first port 4.

[0087] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second communication portion 34 includes at least one third hole 341, and the at least one third hole 341 is located at the second wall 31. Based on the full description of the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 above, it may be understood that forming the communication portions as through holes defined in the second tube 3 is a direct, effective and low-cost implementation. The function of the second communication portion 34 is to make the second sub-cavity 122 in communication with the second tube 3. Therefore, the second communication portion 34 may also be a through hole, i.e., the third hole 341. Additionally, the position, shape, number, etc., of the third hole 341 may be adjusted according to actual distribution requirements and processes, and will not be described in detail here.

[0088] Furthermore, in some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, a tube segment of the second tube 3 located in the second sub-cavity 122 is defined as a second tube segment 36. The second tube segment 36 has a third end 361 in a length direction of the second tube segment 36. The third end 361 is far from the first plate 2 in the length direction of the second tube segment 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the third end 361 is a bottom end of the second tube 3. The second communication portion 34 may include at least one through hole located at the third end 361. More specifically, the second tube segment 36 further includes a reduced-diameter portion 362. The reduced-diameter portion 362 has a length, and an inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion 362 gradually decreases along a direction from the first plate 2 to the third end 361. Since the inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion 362 gradually decreases along the direction from the first plate 2 to the third end 361, the refrigerant distributed to the second tube segment 36 will accelerate when passing through the reduced-diameter portion362, which makes a disturbance caused by the gaseous refrigerant more obvious, thereby making gas-liquid mixing more uniform and improving the refrigerant distribution effect.

[0089] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a shortest distance from a first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not greater than a shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first plate 2, and / or a shortest distance from a first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not less than a shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first plate 2. As can be seen from the content above, the refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 contains both liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant. Due to their different deadweight, more liquid refrigerant accumulates in a lower-middle position, and more gaseous refrigerant accumulates in an upper-middle position. Therefore, when the shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not greater than the shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first plate 2, the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51 contains a higher proportion of liquid refrigerant. When the shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not less than the shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first plate 2, the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51 contains a higher proportion of gaseous refrigerant. Thus, refrigerants with different gas / liquid ratios may be introduced into the second sub-cavity 122 respectively.

[0090] In some other embodiments, the number of the first openings 51 may be two (not shown in drawings). That is, the two first openings 51 are connected to two different positions of the first sub-cavity 121, thereby supplying and supplementing refrigerant to the second sub-cavity 122 from different positions. For example, the third tube 5 may be a three-way pipe with two inlets and one outlet, the two inlets are connected to different positions of the first sub-cavity 121, and the one outlet is connected to the second sub-cavity 122.

[0091] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a shortest distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 is defined as L3, and L3 satisfies: ⅕L≤L3≤⅗L. To ensure that the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 play their corresponding roles and effects, maintaining a certain distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 may ensure that the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 contains more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant entering from the second hole 332 contains more liquid refrigerant, thereby better achieving an expected distribution effect.

[0092] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an internal volume of the first sub-cavity 121 is defined as V1, and an internal volume of the second sub-cavity 122 is defined as V2, then: V1≥V2. Since the source of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 relies on introduction from the first sub-cavity 121, the amount of refrigerant introduced into the second sub-cavity 122 is unstable. If the internal volume of the second sub-cavity 122 is greater than the internal volume of the first sub-cavity 121, it may lead to a low refrigerant content in the second sub-cavity 122, thus resulting in uneven distribution of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122. Therefore, the internal volume V1 of the first sub-cavity 121 is not less than the internal volume V2 of the second sub-cavity 122.

[0093] In a specific embodiment, a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 is defined as Q1, a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is defined as Q2, and a flow cross-sectional area of the second communication portion 34 (i.e., the third hole 341) is defined as Q3, in which Q1+Q2≥Q3. As mentioned above, the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 ultimately flows out through the third hole 341 for distribution. Therefore, it is easy to understand that only when a sum of the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 and the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is greater than a sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the third holes 341, it may ensure that the incoming refrigerant flows out smoothly from the third holes 341.

[0094] It should be noted that, taking the first hole 331 as an example, when the number of the first holes 331 is one, the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 is a flow cross-sectional area of the one first hole 331. When the number of the first holes 331 is two or more, the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 refers to a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the two or more first holes 331.

[0095] In a more specific embodiment, a flow cross-sectional area of the first port 4 is defined as Q4, in which 2Q2≤Q4≤6Q2. Based on the above content, it is not difficult to understand that when a ratio of the flow cross-sectional area of the first port 4 to the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is maintained within a certain range, it may allow a part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 to be distributed directly, while another part enters the second tube 3 through the second holes 332, so that the refrigerant flowing in the first tube 1 and the second tube 3 achieves a better dynamic balance effect, thereby ensuring distribution uniformity.

[0096] The header assembly of the present disclosure further includes a third tube 5. A tube cavity of the third tube 5 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122. The third tube 5 includes a first opening 51 and a second opening 52. The first opening 51 is located in the first sub-cavity 121, and the second opening 52 is located in the second sub-cavity 122. A distance from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 is greater than a distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2.

[0097] Similarly, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the third tube 5 is also a hollow circular tubular structure. To match the shape of the first tube 1 or facilitate installation, both the shape of the third tube 5 and the shape of its corresponding tube cavity may also be configured to square, polygonal, etc.

[0098] When there is a large amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 and a continuous inflow of refrigerant from the first port 4, introducing refrigerant from the first sub-cavity 121 to the second sub-cavity 122 solely through the second tube 3 may result in insufficient flow capacity, and there is still a large amount of refrigerant accumulated in the first sub-cavity 121. Therefore, providing the third tube 5 in communication with both the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122 may effectively solve this problem. The refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 enters the third tube 5 from the first opening 51, and then flows out of the third tube 5 through the second opening 52 into the second sub-cavity 122 for distribution, thereby reducing a distribution pressure on the second tube 3.

[0099] It should be noted that the function of the third tube 5 is similar to the function of the second tube 3, but there are slight differences. For example, the second tube 3 has the first hole 331 and the second hole to play different roles depending on different accumulation level of the refrigerant, but the third tube 5 only needs to play the role of communicating the first sub-cavity 121 with the second sub-cavity 122, so that excess refrigerant may enter the second sub-cavity 122 through the third tube 5. Additionally, the specific position of the third tube 5 is not specifically limited herein. The third tube 5 may be partially or entirely located in the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1, like the second tube 3 in the above embodiments, or the third tube 5 may be connected to the first wall 11 and located outside the first cavity 12.

[0100] For example, in a case that a space of the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1 is large enough to accommodate both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 with surplus distribution space, the third tube 5 may also be arranged in the first cavity 12. This built-in method may effectively prevent the third tube 5 from being damaged by external factors such as collision. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be through holes located at two ends or on a side wall of the third tube 5. In a case that the space of the first cavity 12 is insufficient to accommodate the third tube 5, two ends of the third tube 5 may be inserted into the first wall 11 of the first tube 1 and the third tube 5 may be arranged externally, i.e., at outside of the first wall 11. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be two openings located at the two ends of the third tube 5. It should be noted that the two ends of the third tube 5 may be merely inserted into the first wall 11 and in communication with the corresponding cavity, or the two ends of the third tube 5 may extend a certain distance into the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122.

[0101] When the header assembly is installed in a heat exchanger for practical use, after the two-phase refrigerant enters the first sub-cavity 121 from the first port 4, a part of the refrigerant is directly distributed through the first sub-cavity 121, i.e., flows into a heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger for heat exchange; and another part of the refrigerant will flow upward carried by the gaseous refrigerant. This flow process causes the refrigerant in the upper part of the first sub-cavity 121 to contain more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 to contain more liquid refrigerant. Since a position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than a position of the first opening 51, a proportion of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 is higher than a proportion of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51. That is, the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 from the first communication portion 33 contains more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant entering the third tube 5 from the first opening 51 contains more liquid refrigerant.

[0102] After the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 enters the second sub-cavity 122, the refrigerant entering from the second tube 3 (which contains more gaseous refrigerant) may stir and mix the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 under the action of the gaseous refrigerant (which flows upward). The refrigerant entering from the third tube 5 (which contains more liquid refrigerant) may supplement the liquid refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122. The mixed refrigerant of these two parts of refrigerant is then distributed through the second sub-cavity 122. The header assembly may reduce the gaseous refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 and introduce it into the second sub-cavity 122 through the second tube 3, and also supplement the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 with liquid refrigerant through the third tube 5, thereby improving the distribution uniformity of the entire first tube 1.

[0103] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in a specific embodiment, at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 is located in the first cavity 12. At least part of the second tube 3 located in the first cavity 12 and / or at least part of the third tube 5 located in the first cavity 12 extend along a length direction of the first tube 1. As mentioned above, the header assembly of the present disclosure includes the first tube 1, the second tube 3, and the third tube 5. Since a diameter of the first tube 1 is the largest, arranging at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first cavity 12 may save installation space. Meanwhile, the first tube 1 may also protect the components located in its first cavity 12 from potential damage when subjected to external forces. Additionally, arranging at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first tube 1 may also provide a certain flow-blocking effect on the refrigerant entering the first tube 1, that is, it may, to some extent, prevent the refrigerant from directly flowing into the heat exchange tube at corresponding positions after entering from the first port 4, thereby providing more favorable preconditions for subsequent uniform distribution.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 6, in a more specific embodiment, among the second tube 3 and the third tube 5, at least the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12. In this case, the first communication portion 33 of the second tube 3 includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the second tube 3, and / or the second communication portion 34 of the second tube 3 includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the second tube 3. Specifically, in a case that the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12, in order to allow the refrigerant at the corresponding position to better enter the second tube 3 from the first communication portion 33, at least one through hole may be defined at the side wall of the second tube 3 to achieve the corresponding purpose. The more through holes are provided, the more refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from these positions. As mentioned in the above embodiments, the position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than the position of the first opening 51, and the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 is greater than the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering from the first opening 51. Therefore, based on factors such as a length of the entire first tube 1 and a flow area of the entire first tube 1, the number, aperture, etc., of the through holes may be preset to roughly adjust the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering the second tube 3.

[0105] Similarly, in a specific embodiment, the third tube 5 may also be located in the first cavity 12. The first opening 51 includes at least one through hole located at the side wall of the third tube 5, and / or the second opening 52 includes at least one through hole located at the side wall of the third tube 5. Similarly, in order to allow the refrigerant entering the second sub-cavity 122 to contain a higher / lower proportion of liquid refrigerant, the number, aperture, etc., of the through holes on the side wall of the third tube 5 may also be preset and adjusted to achieve the purpose of uniform distribution.

[0106] It should be additionally noted that when the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12, the third tube 5 may be or may not be located in the first cavity 12. When the third tube 5 is located in the first cavity 12, the second tube 3 may be or may not be located in the first cavity 12. Since these embodiments are not contradictory and do not affect each other, no specific explanation will be given. However, when both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 are located in the first cavity 12, the structure of the entire header assembly is more compact and is convenient for installation.

[0107] Additionally, a diameter of the first tube 1, a diameter of the second tube 3, and a diameter of the third tube 5 may be adjusted according to actual distribution and installation conditions. For example, when the length of the first tube 1 is short and the distribution requirement is low, both the diameter of the second tube 3 and the diameter of the third tube 5 may be set smaller, or both an aperture of the first opening 51 and an aperture of the second opening 52 may be set smaller, so that less refrigerant enters the second tube 3 and the third tube 5. Conversely, when the length of the first tube 1 is long, gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant will be more obvious, and the distribution requirement to ensure heat exchange efficiency will be greater, and in this case, the diameter of the second tube 3 and the diameter of the third tube 5 may be set slightly larger, or the apertures of the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be set slightly larger, so that more refrigerant enters the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 from the first tube 1, guiding away part of the gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant from the first tube 1 while also promoting the flow of refrigerant in the first tube 1, thereby increasing the distribution effect.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 4, in a specific embodiment, the third tube 5 includes a through hole 201 located at the first plate 2. The through hole 201 penetrates the first plate 2 along a thickness direction of the first plate 2. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 are two openings located at an upper end face and a lower end face of the first plate 2 respectively. Since the function of the third tube 5 is to communicate the first sub-cavity 121 with the second sub-cavity 122 and to allow the inflowing refrigerant to contain more liquid refrigerant, in this embodiment, the third tube 5 may be just a through hole 201 defined at the first plate 2. In this case, after the refrigerant enters from the first port 4, the liquid refrigerant will enter the second sub-cavity 122 through the through hole 201 due to gravity, thereby supplementing the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 7, in a specific embodiment, at least part of the second tube 3 is located outside the first cavity 12, and / or at least part of the third tube 5 is located outside the first cavity 12. The function of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 is to make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122. On the basis of satisfying this function, the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located inside the first cavity 12 or outside the first cavity 12. In this embodiment, only one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located outside the first cavity 12, or both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located outside the first cavity 12.

[0110] Specifically, in a case that the second tube 3 is located outside the first cavity 12, the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 may be merely two through holes located at ends of the second tube 3, or through holes defined at the side wall of the second tube 3 and located in the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122, or through holes defined at both the ends of the second tube 3 and the side wall of the second tube 3. Similarly, in a case that the third tube 5 is located outside the first cavity 12, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be merely two through holes located at ends of the third tube 5, or through holes defined at the side wall of the third tube 5 and located in the first cavity 12 or the second sub-cavity 122, or through holes defined at both the ends of the third tube 5 and the side wall of the third tube 5. In a case that the diameter of the first tube 1 is small, and arranging the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first tube 1 will affect the amount of refrigerant introduced, the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be arranged outside of the first tube 1 to achieve the desired distribution effect.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 6, in a specific embodiment, the first wall 11 includes a first wall portion 111 and a second wall portion 112. A wall surrounding the first sub-cavity 121 includes at least part of the first wall portion 111, and a wall surrounding the second sub-cavity 122 includes at least part of the second wall portion 112. It should be noted that in this embodiment, since the first tube 1 is a single whole circular tube, the first wall portion 111 and the second wall portion 112 merely represent two portions formed under the partitioning effect of the first plate 2. That is, the first wall portion 111 and the second wall portion 112 are integrated, not independent or formed separately.

[0112] A length of the first wall portion 111 is defined as L4, a length of the second wall portion 112 is defined as L5, a shortest distance from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 is defined as L6, and a shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is defined as L7, in which: L6≥½L4, L7≤½L4. As shown in FIG. 8, taking the length direction of the first tube 1 as an up-down direction, the length L4 of the first wall portion 111 represents a distance from a top of the first tube 1 to a top of the first plate 2; the length L5 of the second wall portion 112 represents a distance from a bottom of the first plate 2 to a bottom of the first tube 1; the shortest distance L6 from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the first communication portion 33 closest to the first plate 2 to the top of the first plate 2; similarly, the shortest distance L7 from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the first opening 51 closest to the first plate 2 to the top of the first plate 2.

[0113] On the basis that a position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than a position of the first opening 51, L6≥½L4 and L7≤½L4 mean that the distance from the first opening 51 to the top of the first plate 2 is not less than half of the length L4 of the first wall portion 111, and the distance from the third opening 61 to the top of the first plate 2 is not greater than half of the length L4 of the first wall portion 111. That is, in the up-down direction in drawings, the position of the first opening 51 is not lower than half of a height of the first wall portion 111, while the position of the third opening 61 is not higher than half of a height of the first wall portion 111. This allows the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 after gas-liquid separation to contain more gaseous content, and the refrigerant entering the third tube 5 to contain more liquid refrigerant content. Therefore, a gas-liquid ratio of the incoming refrigerant may be better preset as needed, thereby improving the distribution effect.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 8, in a specific embodiment, a shortest distance from the second communication portion 34 to the first plate 2 is defined as L8, and a shortest distance from the second opening 52 to the first plate 2 is defined as L9, then: L8≥½L5, L9≤½L5. As shown in FIG. 8, in the up-down direction in drawings, the shortest distance L8 from the second communication portion 34 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the second communication portion 34 closest to the first plate 2 to the bottom of the first plate 2; the shortest distance L9 from the second opening 52 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the second opening 52 closest to the first plate 2 to the bottom of the first plate 2; similarly, L8≥½L5 means that the second communication portion 34 is located at a middle-lower position of the second wall portion 112, and L9≤½L5 means that the second opening 52 is located at a middle-upper position of the second wall portion 112.

[0115] As mentioned above, liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant will spontaneously flow downward due to gravity, and gaseous refrigerant will spontaneously flow upward. Therefore, arranging the second communication portion 34 of the second tube 3 at a lower position may allow the gaseous refrigerant in the second tube 3 to flow upward from a lower position in the second sub-cavity 122. Meanwhile, arranging the second opening 52 of the third tube 5 at the middle-upper position of the third tube 5 may allow the liquid refrigerant to flow downward after entering the second sub-cavity 122. The gaseous refrigerant flowing upward from a low position drives the liquid refrigerant to flow upward. During this process, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is mixed and distributed, thereby making the refrigerant distribution in the second sub-cavity 122 more uniform.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 8, in a specific embodiment, the length L4 of the first wall portion 111 and the length L5 of the second wall portion 112 satisfy: 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9. When the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is applied to a heat exchanger and the heat exchanger serves as an evaporator, a dryness of the refrigerant at an inlet of the evaporator is generally below 0.5. When the above ratio of L4 / (L4+L5) is less than 0.5, a size of the first sub-cavity 121 is small, a large amount of two-phase refrigerant will be introduced into the second sub-cavity 122, and the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 will have obvious gas-liquid stratification along a gravity direction (i.e., the up-down direction shown in the drawings). When the ratio of L4 / (L4+L5) is greater than 0.9, the size of the second sub-cavity 122 is too small, the second sub-cavity 122 is easily filled by the refrigerant introduced from the distribution tubes, but a large amount of gas cannot be introduced, thus causing uneven liquid distribution in the first cavity 12. Therefore, only when 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9, the refrigerant may flow better according to a planned process.

[0117] In a specific embodiment, a hydraulic diameter of the first tube 1 is defined as D1, and a hydraulic diameter of the second tube 3 is defined as D2, in which 0.1≤D2 / D1≤0.6. When the ratio of D2 / D1 is less than 0.1, an inner cavity of a first distribution tube is too small, the resistance is too large, so that the refrigerant entering it is significantly reduced, and the drainage target cannot be achieved. When the ratio of D2 / D1 is greater than 0.6, the inner cavity of the distribution tube is too large, and occupies too much space in a cavity of a header tube, thus affecting the refrigerant distribution effect in the first cavity 12. Simultaneously, a flow velocity of the two-phase refrigerant flowing into the second cavity is too low, which will lead to uneven mixing of gas and liquid refrigerant and stratification along the gravity direction. Therefore, D2 / D1 within the above specified ratio range is more conducive to distribution uniformity.

[0118] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, in a specific embodiment, the header assembly further includes a fourth tube 6. Similarly, the function of the fourth tube 6 is also to communicate the cavities of the header assembly. When a flow rate of the refrigerant entering the first sub-cavity 121 is high, relying solely on the first tube 1 and / or the second tube 3 may be insufficient to timely introduce excess gaseous refrigerant and / or liquid refrigerant to the second sub-cavity 122. Therefore, the fourth tube 6 may be provided to serve as an auxiliary pipeline to achieve the corresponding purpose. Specifically, according to actual communication needs, the fourth tube 6 may make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122, or the fourth tube 6 may be in communication different positions of the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 10, when the fourth tube 6 make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122, the fourth tube 6 includes a third opening 61 and a fourth opening 62. The third opening 61 is located in the first sub-cavity 121, and the fourth opening 62 is located in the second sub-cavity 122. Specifically, the fourth tube 6 may be located inside or outside the first cavity 12. A position of the third opening 61 and a position of the fourth opening 62 may be determined based on specific communication needs. For example, in a case that the fourth tube 6 is intended to introduce more gaseous refrigerant into the second sub-cavity 122, the third opening 61 may be arranged closer to the first communication portion 33, and the fourth opening 62 can be arranged closer to the second opening 52. In a case that the fourth tube 6 is intended to introduce more liquid refrigerant into the second sub-cavity 122, the third opening 61 may be arranged closer to the first opening 51, and the fourth opening 62 may be arranged closer to the second communication portion 34. When a flow rate of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 is small, a large amount of gas accumulates in an upper area but cannot carry more liquid to flow upward. In this case, different positions of the first sub-cavity 121 may be communicated with the fourth tube 6, for example, an upper area and a lower area of the first sub-cavity 121 is communicated with the fourth tube 6, the excess gaseous refrigerant is reintroduced into a liquid refrigerant accumulation area in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 through the fourth tube 6, so that more liquid refrigerant may be carried to the upper area by the gaseous refrigerant. Similarly, when a flow velocity of the two-phase refrigerant flowing into the second cavity is insufficient, the gas in the upper part may also be reintroduced into the lower part through the fourth tube 6 to increase the disturbance effect. Furthermore, in a case that the fourth tube 6 is merely intended to guide refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 to the second sub-cavity 122, the position of the third opening 61 and the position of the fourth opening 62 may be arranged more arbitrarily.

[0120] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in some other embodiments, both the third opening 61 and the fourth opening 62 are located in the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122, and the third opening 61 and the fourth opening 62 are spaced apart from each other. That is, the fourth tube 6 is in communication with one of the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122. In this embodiment, the function of the fourth tube 6 is to be in communication with different positions in the first sub-cavity 121 or different positions in the second sub-cavity 122, thereby increasing the circulation of refrigerant in the same cavity and promoting thorough mixing of gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant.

[0121] Embodiments of the present disclosure provides a heat exchanger. The technical solution and effects are described herein by taking the heat exchanger used in an air conditioning system as an example. The application field of the heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the description herein and may also be used in other systems, such as water heaters, automobiles, etc.

[0122] Taking a household air conditioner as an example, when the air conditioning system is a cooling and heating system, this air conditioning system includes components such as a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a throttling device, and a reversing valve. When the air conditioning system is in a cooling mode, an outdoor unit of the air conditioning system serves as the condenser, and an indoor unit of the air conditioning system serves as the evaporator. The working process of the cooling mode mainly includes the following. The compressor compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which electrical energy is consumed during compression); the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the compressor enters the condenser, where the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid releases heat and liquefies into a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which heat is released to the outside during liquefaction); the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the condenser enters the throttling device, where the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid throttles and reduces pressure into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid; the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid from the throttling device enters the evaporator, where the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid absorbs heat and vaporizes into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas, and heat from the indoor is absorbed during the heat absorption process, thereby cooling the indoor; and the low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator enters the compressor again to start the next cooling cycle.

[0123] When the air conditioning system switches from the cooling mode to a heating mode, the reversing valve switches a flow direction of a heat exchange medium in the system, so that the outdoor unit serves as the evaporator, and the indoor unit serves as the condenser. The working process of the heating mode mainly includes the following. the compressor compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which electrical energy is consumed during compression); the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the compressor enters the condenser, where the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid releases heat and liquefies into a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid, and heat is released to the indoor where the condenser is located during liquefaction, thereby heating the indoor; the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the condenser enters the throttling device, where the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid throttles and reduces pressure into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid; the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid from the throttling device enters the evaporator, where the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid absorbs heat and vaporizes into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas (in which heat from the outdoor where the evaporator is located is absorbed during the heat absorption process); and the low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator enters the compressor again to start the next heating cycle.

[0124] In the aforementioned air conditioning system, the condenser and the evaporator may adopt the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the heat exchanger includes a first header 7, a second header 8, and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9. The first header 7 and the second header 8 are spaced apart from each other. The first header 7 includes a first sub-header 71. The first sub-header 71 is at least one of the header assemblies according to any one of the above embodiments. The first sub-header 71 is arranged along a length direction of the first header 7. The plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 is in communication with the first tube 1 and the second header 8.

[0125] The first sub-header 71 may be formed by partitioning one first header 7 through a partition plate or other means. Correspondingly, the first header 7 may also be formed by combining a plurality of independent first sub-headers 71 by means of such as welding or splicing. Furthermore, a shape, a cross-sectional flow area shape, and other structures of the first sub-header 71 and of the first header 7 may also be changed according to actual installation or structural requirements. For example, to facilitate installation or adapt to high refrigerant pressure, the shape of the first sub-header 71 may be configured as a square tube or a polygonal tube, etc., which is not specifically limited herein. For ease of explanation and understanding, the first header 7, the second header 8, the second tube 3, and other components in the embodiments of the present disclosure are all described as circular tubes.

[0126] The second header 8 is spaced apart from the first header 7, that is, there is an interval between the second header 8 and the first header 7. The interval between the second header 8 and the first header 7 may be configured for installing the first heat exchange tubes 9. An end of each of the first heat exchange tubes 9 is connected to the first header 7, and another end of each of the first heat exchange tubes 9 is connected to the second header 8, and the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 makes the first header 7 in communication with the second header 8. When the heat exchanger is operating, refrigerant enters from one of the first header 7 and the second header 8, passes through the first heat exchange tubes 9, and enters the other of the first header 7 and the second header 8. Additionally, the first heat exchange tubes 9 may be a plurality of microchannel flat tubes with a plurality of channels, and the plurality of flat tubes may be arranged parallel to each other.

[0127] It should be noted that one of the first header 7 and the second header 8 is an inlet header, and the other of the first header 7 and the second header 8 is an outlet header. Specifically, when the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, the first header 7 is the inlet header, and the second header 8 is the outlet header. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, the second header 8 is the inlet header, and the first header 7 is the outlet header. Furthermore, the first header 7 and the second header 8 are approximately parallel in the drawings. Under general usage environments and conditions, the first header 7 is also approximately parallel to the second header 8. However, in some other embodiments, the first header 7 and the second header 8 may also be arranged at an angle. For example, the first header 7 may be arranged vertically along a first direction in the drawings, and the second header 8 may be arranged obliquely to the first direction, etc., which is not exemplified one by one here.

[0128] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in a specific embodiment, the first header 7 further includes at least one second sub-header 72. The second sub-header 72 is in communication with at least part of the first sub-header 71. In a first direction, the first sub-header 71 is located above the second sub-header 72. Specifically, a main difference between the second sub-header 72 and the first sub-header 71 is that the second sub-header 72 is not provided with the first plate 2 and the second tube 3, that is, the second sub-header 72 does not have the function of redistribution of refrigerant. It should be noted that the number of the second sub-headers 72 may be one or more, which may be specifically determined according to actual operating conditions and requirements. The purpose of providing the second sub-header 72 is to use a circulation path where the second sub-header 72 and the first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the second sub-header 72 are located as a subcooling section of the heat exchanger when the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency.

[0129] In a specific embodiment, the second header 8 includes a plurality of third sub-headers 81 arranged along a length direction of the second header 8. The plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 make the first sub-header 71 in communication with the third sub-headers 81, and / or the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 make the second sub-header 72 in communication with the third sub-headers 81. Generally, in a parallel-flow heat exchanger, if the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the same first sub-header 71 or the same second sub-header 72 are defined as a group of first heat exchange tubes 9, lengths of two sub-headers communicated through the same group of first heat exchange tubes 9 are approximately equal. For example, if one first sub-header 71 is in communication with one third sub-header 81 through one group of first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of this one first sub-header 71 is approximately equal to a length of this one third sub-header 81; and if one second sub-header 72 is in communication with one third sub-header 81 through one group of first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of this one second sub-header 72 is approximately equal to a length of this one third sub-header 81.

[0130] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger includes a first connecting tube 10 and a liquid distributor 16. The first connecting tube 10 includes a first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 and a second inlet-and-outlet port 1002. The first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 is connected to the second sub-header 72, the second inlet-and-outlet port 1002 is connected to the first sub-header 71, and a plurality of first connecting tubes 10 are provided. The liquid distributor 16 includes a plurality of ports, and at least part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the third sub-header 81. As mentioned above, the purpose of arranging the second sub-header 72 below the first sub-header 71 is to configure the subcooling section when the heat exchanger operates as a condenser. The number of the second sub-headers 72 may be one or more. Therefore, when a plurality of second sub-headers 72 are provided, one of the second sub-headers 72 may be in corresponding communication with one of the first sub-headers 71. Correspondingly, the liquid distributor 16 is provided at the third sub-header 81 in the same circulation path as the second sub-header 72 for liquid distribution, that is, the liquid distributor 16 is provided at several third sub-headers 81 in a lower part of the drawings to distribute the incoming refrigerant.

[0131] When the heat exchanger of this embodiment operates as an evaporator, refrigerant enters the third sub-header 81 through the liquid distributor 16, then enters the second sub-header 72 through the first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the third sub-header 81. Since the second sub-headers 72 are connected one-to-one with the first sub-headers 71 via the first connecting tube 10, the refrigerant in one second sub-header 72 enters one corresponding first sub-header 71 and then flows into the first heat exchange tubes 9 for heat exchange. During this process, because the second sub-header 72 does not undergo distribution via the second tube 3, the heat exchange effect is poorer. Therefore, the second sub-header 72 may be configured to be shorter, that is, a length of the second sub-header 72 is less than a length of the first sub-header 71. In this way, even if gas-liquid separation occurs in the refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant may still enter the first heat exchange tubes 9 at different positions for heat exchange when the second sub-header 72 is short, so as to avoid dry-out and other phenomena. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, a flow direction of the refrigerant is opposite to that in the evaporator. In this case, the second sub-header 72 and the corresponding circulation path serve as the subcooling section, thus improving heat exchange efficiency in a condensation mode.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 15, in another specific embodiment, the heat exchanger includes a first connecting tube 10 and a liquid distributor 16. A plurality of the first connecting tubes 10 are provided. Each of the first connecting tubes 10 includes a first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 and a second inlet-and-outlet port 1002. The liquid distributor 16 includes a plurality of ports. A part of the ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the first inlet-and-outlet ports 1001, another part of the ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the second sub-header 72, and the second inlet-and-outlet ports 1002 are connected to the first sub-headers 71. In this embodiment, structures of the first connecting tubes 10 and the liquid distributor 16 are the same as those in the previous embodiments, but the connection positions are different. As shown in the drawings, when the number of the second sub-header 72 is one, this one second sub-header 72 may be in communication with the plurality of first sub-headers 71 via the liquid distributor 16 and the first connecting tubes 10, so that the refrigerant in the second sub-header 72 may be uniformly distributed to each of the first sub-headers 71 through the liquid distributor 16 for heat exchange.

[0133] When the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, refrigerant first enters one of the third sub-headers 81 at a lower part of the heat exchanger, then enters the second sub-header 72 through the first heat exchange tubes 9. The refrigerant in the second sub-header 72 is then approximately uniformly distributed to each of the first sub-headers 71 through the liquid distributor 16, and then enters the communicated first heat exchange tubes 9 for heat exchange. In this embodiment, since the second sub-header 72 is communicated with the plurality of first sub-headers 71 simultaneously, and to prevent the refrigerant entering the first sub-headers 71 from being too little, the length of the second sub-header 72 may be configured to be relatively long. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, the flow direction of the refrigerant is opposite to that in the evaporator, so it will not be described again here.

[0134] As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in a specific embodiment, the first heat exchange tube 9 includes a first segment 91, a second segment 92, and a bent segment 93. A length of the first segment 91 is greater than a length of the second segment 92. An end of the bent segment 93 is in communication with the first segment 91, and another end of the bent segment 93 is in communication with the second segment 92. It should be noted that the first segment 91, the second segment 92, and the bent segment 93 are integrally formed. Specifically, to increase the heat exchange effect of the first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of the first heat exchange tubes 9 may be configured to be longer, which also increases the installation space required by the heat exchanger. Therefore, bending the first heat exchange tubes 9 effectively prevents this disadvantage of increased installation space.

[0135] Furthermore, in a more specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes fins. The fins are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the heat exchange tubes. The fins are at least partially located on the first segment 91 and / or the second segment 92. An end of the first segment 91 is in communication with the bent segment 93, and another end of the first segment 91 is in communication with the first header 7. An end of the second segment 92 is in communication with the bent segment 93, and another end of the second segment 92 is in communication with the second header 8. It should be noted that to facilitate the drainage of condensate water, the fins in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be horizontally inserted fins, that is, the fins are approximately parallel to a length direction of the first header 7 or the second header 8.

[0136] As shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes: a third header 17, a fourth header 13 and a plurality of second heat exchange tubes 14. The third header 17 and the fourth header 13 are spaced apart from each other. The second header 8 is in direct or indirect communication with the third header 17. The plurality of second heat exchange tubes 14 make the third header 17 in communication with the fourth header 13. In this embodiment, the shapes of the third header 17 and the fourth header 13 are both hollow circular tube structures. As mentioned above, the headers may also be other shapes, so it is not exemplified one by one here. Additionally, the function of the second heat exchange tubes 14 is also to make the third header 17 communication with the fourth header 13 and perform heat exchange of the refrigerant. The second heat exchange tubes 14 may also be microchannel flat tubes with a plurality of channels extending along a length direction of the second heat exchange tubes.

[0137] In a specific embodiment, the third header 17 includes a plurality of fourth sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the third header 17. At least part of the fourth sub-headers are provided with the second tube 3. The fourth sub-header includes a third sub-cavity and a fourth sub-cavity. The second tube 3 located in the fourth sub-header may be in communication with the third sub-cavity and the fourth sub-cavity. The shape and structure of the fourth sub-header are similar to those of the first sub-header 71. The fourth sub-header may be partitioned into two cavities by components such as a partition plate, and then the two cavities are communicated through the second tube 3.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 18, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes a second connecting tube 15 and fins. The second connecting tube 15 includes a third inlet-and-outlet port 1501 and a fourth inlet-and-outlet port 1502. The third inlet-and-outlet port 1501 is connected to the second header 8, and the fourth inlet-and-outlet port 1502 is connected to the fourth sub-header. The fins are at least partially located on the first heat exchange tube 9 and / or the second heat exchange tube 14.

[0139] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an air conditioning system. The air conditioning system includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling device, and an evaporator. The evaporator and / or the condenser is / are the heat exchanger according to the first aspect of the embodiments. When the heat exchanger is operating, a length direction of the first header 7 is approximately perpendicular to a horizontal plane direction. Since the evaporator and / or the condenser of the air conditioning system is / are the heat exchanger according to the first aspect of the embodiments, and the heat exchanger has better heat exchange performance, the air conditioning system also has higher energy efficiency.

[0140] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial” and “circumferential” and the like, is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, and be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0141] In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0142] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as “install / mount”, “interconnect”, “connect”, “fix” shall be understood broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical or electrical connections or intercommunication; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening media; may also be inner communications or interactions of two elements, unless otherwise specifically defined. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific situations.

[0143] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, the first feature “below”, “under”, “on bottom of”, “above”, “on”, or “on top of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate media. And, the first feature “above”, “on”, or “on top of” the second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “above”, “on”, or “on top of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height higher than that of the second feature. The first feature “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” the second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height lower than that of the second feature.

[0144] In the description of the present disclosure, terms such as “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example” or “some examples” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of these terms in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments or examples in any suitable manner. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art may combine and unite different embodiments or examples or features of the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0145] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it can be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and shall not be understood as limitation to the present disclosure, and changes, modifications, alternatives and variations can be made in the above embodiments by those skilled in the art all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0069]Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing are illustrative. It should be understood that the embodiments described are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0070]A first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. Technical solutions and technical effects are described herein by taking an example of applying this header assembly to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a parallel flow heat exchanger or a parallel flow microchannel heat exchanger. However, the specific type of heat exchanger is not limited to the description herein and may also be other heat exchangers that need to distribute heat exchange media, which are not listed one by one here.

[0071]In an air conditioning system,...

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present disclosure claims priorities to and benefits of Chinese Patent Application No. 202310648449.8, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, Chinese Patent Application No. 202310650733.9, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202321391981.8, filed on Jun. 2, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated into the present disclosure herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of heat exchange technologies, and more particularly to a header assembly, a heat exchanger, and an air conditioning system.BACKGROUND

[0003] In a related art, when a heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, particularly a heat exchanger with a header arranged vertically (and a flat tube arranged horizontally), a method to achieve relatively uniform distribution of an effective heat exchange area of the entire heat exchanger mainly relies on providing a plurality of circuits. However, in each independent circuit, due to different densities between gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant, the flat tube closer to a lower part of the header along the gravity direction tends to have more liquid refrigerant and less gaseous refrigerant, while the flat tube closer to an upper part of the header tends to have more gaseous refrigerant and less liquid refrigerant. That is, the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant cannot be distributed evenly among the upper and lower flat tubes in the entire circuit. A small flow rate of liquid-phase refrigerant in the flat tubes may lead to a significant reduction in the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger in these corresponding areas.SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a header assembly to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0005] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a heat exchanger to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an air conditioning system to improve the distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0007] A header assembly according to the present disclosure includes a first tube, a first plate, a second tube and a first port; the first tube includes a first wall and has a first cavity; the first plate is at least partially located in the first cavity, and the first plate partitions the first cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity; the second tube is at least partially located in the first cavity, and the second tube includes a second wall and has a second cavity; the second tube further includes a first communication portion and a second communication portion, the first communication portion is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second cavity, the second communication portion is in communication with the second sub-cavity and the second cavity, and at least part of the first communication portion is located at the second wall; and the first port is located at the first wall and in communication with the first sub-cavity.

[0008] Therefore, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first communication portion includes at least one first hole and at least one second hole, at least part of the at least one first hole is located at the second wall, at least a part of the at least one second hole is located at the second wall, and a shortest distance from the at least one first hole to the first port is greater than a shortest distance from the at least one second hole to the first port.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first port is arranged opposite to the at least part of the at least one second hole.

[0011] In some embodiments, a tube segment of the second tube located in the first sub-cavity is defined as a first tube segment, the first tube segment has a first end and a second end in a length direction of the first tube segment, and the first end is closed relative to the first sub-cavity.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second communication portion includes at least one third hole located at the second wall.

[0013] In some embodiments, a tube segment of the second tube located in the second sub-cavity is defined as a second tube segment, the second tube segment has a third end in a length direction of the second tube segment, and the third end is far from the first plate in the length direction of the second tube segment; and the second communication portion includes at least one through hole located at the third end.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second tube segment further includes a reduced-diameter portion having a length, and an inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion gradually decreases along a direction from the first plate to the third end.

[0015] In some embodiments, a shortest distance from the first end to the second end is defined as L, a maximum distance from the at least one first hole to the first end is defined as L1, and a maximum distance from the at least one second hole to the second end is defined as L2; wherein L1<½L, and L2<½L.

[0016] In some embodiments, a shortest distance between the at least one first hole and the at least one second hole is defined as L3, wherein ⅕L≤L3≤⅗L.

[0017] In some embodiments, an internal volume of the first sub-cavity is defined as V1, and an internal volume of the second sub-cavity is defined as V2, wherein V1≥V2.

[0018] In some embodiments, a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one first hole is defined as Q1, a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one second hole is defined as Q2, and a flow cross-sectional area of the second communication portion is defined as Q3, wherein Q1+Q2≥Q3.

[0019] In some embodiments, a flow cross-sectional area of the first port is defined as Q4, wherein 2Q2≤Q4≤6Q2.

[0020] In some embodiments, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a third tube, wherein a tube cavity of the third tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity, the third tube includes a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is located in the first sub-cavity, the second opening is located in the second sub-cavity, and a distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is greater than a distance from the first opening to the first plate.

[0021] In some embodiments, at least one of the second tube and the third tube is located in the first cavity, and at least part of the second tube located in the first cavity and / or at least part of the third tube located in the first cavity extend along the length direction of the first tube.

[0022] In some embodiments, the third tube is located in the first cavity, the first opening includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube, and / or the second opening includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube.

[0023] In some embodiments, the third tube includes a through hole located at the first plate, and the through hole penetrates through the first plate along a thickness direction of the first plate.

[0024] In some embodiments, at least part of the second tube is located outside the first cavity, and / or at least part of the third tube is located outside the first cavity.

[0025] In some embodiments, the first wall includes a first wall portion and a second wall portion, a wall surrounding the first sub-cavity includes at least part of the first wall portion, and a wall surrounding the second sub-cavity includes at least part of the second wall portion; and

[0026] a length of the first wall portion is defined as L4, a length of the second wall portion is defined as L5, a shortest distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is defined as L6, and a shortest distance from the first opening to the first plate is defined as L7, wherein L6≥½L4, and L7≤½L4.

[0027] In some embodiments, a shortest distance from the second communication portion to the first plate is defined as L8, and a shortest distance from the second opening to the first plate is defined as L9, wherein L8≥½L5, and L9≤½L5.

[0028] In some embodiments, the length of the first wall portion and the length of the second wall portion satisfy: 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9.

[0029] In some embodiments, a hydraulic diameter of the first tube is defined as D1, and a hydraulic diameter of the second tube is defined as D2, wherein 0.1≤D2 / D1≤0.6.

[0030] In some embodiments, the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a fourth tube, the fourth tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity; or the fourth tube is in communication with different portions of the first sub-cavity or of the second sub-cavity.

[0031] In some embodiments, the fourth tube includes a third opening and a fourth opening, the third opening is located in the first sub-cavity, and the fourth opening is located in the second sub-cavity.

[0032] In some embodiments, the fourth tube includes a third opening and a fourth opening, both the third opening and the fourth opening are located in the first sub-cavity or the second sub-cavity, and the third opening and the fourth opening are spaced apart from each other . . .

[0033] A heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a first header, a second header and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes, the first header and the second header are spaced apart from each other, the first header includes a first sub-header, the first sub-header includes at least one header assembly according to any one of the above embodiments, and the first sub-header is arranged along a length direction of the first header; and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes in communication with the first tube and the second header.

[0034] Therefore, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0035] In some embodiments, the first header further includes at least one second sub-header, the at least one second sub-header is in communication with at least part of the first sub-header; and in a first direction, the first sub-header is located above the at least one second sub-header.

[0036] In some embodiments, the second header includes a plurality of third sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the second header; and the plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the first sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers, and / or the plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the at least one second sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers.

[0037] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes includes a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, the first inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the at least one second sub-header, the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header, and

[0038] the liquid distributor includes a plurality of ports, and at least part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the plurality of third sub-headers.

[0039] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes includes a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, and the liquid distributor includes a plurality of ports, wherein a part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the first inlet-and-outlet ports, another part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the at least one second sub-header, and the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header.

[0040] In some embodiments, each of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes includes a first segment, a second segment, and a bent segment, and a length of the first segment is greater than a length of the second segment; and an end of the bent segment is in communication with the first segment, and another end of the bent segment is in communication with the second segment.

[0041] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes fins, wherein the fins are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes, and the fins are at least partially located on the first segment and / or the second segment; and an end of the first segment is in communication with the bent segment, another end of the first segment is in communication with the first header, an end of the second segment is in communication with the bent segment, and another end of the second segment is in communication with the second header.

[0042] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a third header and a fourth header, wherein the third header and the fourth header are spaced apart from each other, and the second header is in direct or indirect communication with the third header; and a plurality of second heat exchange tubes in communication with the third header and the fourth header.

[0043] In some embodiments, the third header includes a plurality of fourth sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the third header, and at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers are provided with the first plate; and each of the plurality of fourth sub-headers includes a third sub-cavity and a fourth sub-cavity, and the first plate located in the at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers is configured to be in communication with the third sub-cavity and the fourth sub-cavity.

[0044] In some embodiments, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure further includes a second connecting tube including a third inlet-and-outlet port and a fourth inlet-and-outlet port, wherein the third inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the second header, and the fourth inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the plurality of fourth sub-headers; and

[0045] fins at least partially located at the plurality of first heat exchange tubes and / or the plurality of second heat exchange tubes.

[0046] An air conditioning system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling device, and an evaporator; the evaporator and / or the condenser is the heat exchanger according to any one of the above embodiments, and when the heat exchanger operates, a length direction of the first header is substantially perpendicular to a horizontal plane.

[0047] Therefore, the air conditioning system according to the embodiments of the present disclosure has the advantages such as distribution uniformity of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0049] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a second tube provided by the present disclosure.

[0050] FIG. 3 is a schematic installation view of a second tube provided by the present disclosure.

[0051] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a second specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0052] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a third specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a fourth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a fifth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a sixth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0056] FIG. 9 is a schematic view of a seventh specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0057] FIG. 10 is a schematic view of an eighth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0058] FIG. 11 is a schematic view of a ninth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0059] FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a tenth specific embodiment of a header assembly provided by the present disclosure.

[0060] FIG. 13 is a schematic view of a specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0061] FIG. 14 is a schematic view of a second specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0062] FIG. 15 is a schematic view of a third specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0063] FIG. 16 is a schematic view of a fourth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0064] FIG. 17 is a schematic view of a fifth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0065] FIG. 18 is a schematic view of a sixth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0066] FIG. 19 is a schematic view of a seventh specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0067] FIG. 20 is a schematic view of an eighth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.

[0068] FIG. 21 is a schematic view of a ninth specific embodiment of a heat exchanger provided by the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0069] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing are illustrative. It should be understood that the embodiments described are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0070] A first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. Technical solutions and technical effects are described herein by taking an example of applying this header assembly to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a parallel flow heat exchanger or a parallel flow microchannel heat exchanger. However, the specific type of heat exchanger is not limited to the description herein and may also be other heat exchangers that need to distribute heat exchange media, which are not listed one by one here.

[0071] In an air conditioning system, after passing through a throttling device, refrigerant becomes a gas-liquid two-phase state and then reaches an inlet of the heat exchanger. Whether the two-phase refrigerant, particularly the liquid thereof, may be uniformly distributed into each channel for heat exchange is a key to the design and structure of the heat exchanger.

[0072] In actual operation, when uneven distribution to various channels occurs due to changes in operating conditions or unreasonable design of a liquid distributor, it will lead to uneven distribution of refrigerant flow rate in tubes. The refrigerant flow rate in some tubes is small, causing early dry-out and an excessive superheat at a tube outlet; while the refrigerant flow rate in other tubes is too large, resulting in a low superheat at the tube outlet, or even the presence of some liquid. Both situations prevent full utilization of a heat exchange area of an evaporator, thus affecting heat exchange efficiency.

[0073] To improve the distribution effect, a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. As shown in FIG. 1, the header assembly includes a first tube 1, a first plate 2, a second tube 3, and a first port 4. The first tube 1 includes a first wall 11. The first tube 1 has a first cavity 12. A wall enclosing the first cavity 12 includes at least part of the first wall 11. Specifically, the first cavity 12 is enclosed by at least part of the first wall 11. Furthermore, a cross-sectional shape of the first cavity 12 may be circular, rectangular, etc. Similarly, a cross-sectional shape of the first wall 11 may also be circular, rectangular, etc. In this embodiment, the first tube 1 is a hollow cylindrical structure, that is, both the first wall 11 and the first cavity 12 are cylindrical in shape.

[0074] At least part of the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12. The term “at least part of” mentioned here means that the first plate 2 may be entirely located in the first cavity 12, or only a part of the first plate 2 may be located in the first cavity 12 while another part of the first plate 2 extends out of the first cavity 12 (i.e., beyond the first wall 11). For example, when the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12 by means of insertion or the like, an area of the first plate 2 may be slightly larger than a cross-sectional area of the first cavity 12. That is, part of the first plate 2 is located in the first cavity 12. The function of the first plate 2 is to physically partition the first cavity 12, so that the first cavity 12 includes a first sub-cavity 121 and a second sub-cavity 122. In the absence of the second tube 3 in communication with the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122, there is no communication between the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122.

[0075] At least part of the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12. The second tube 3 includes a second wall 31 and a second cavity 32. As mentioned above, the second wall 31 and the second cavity 32 may also be in varied shapes, but for ease of description, the second tube 3 herein is also a hollow circular tube structure. The second tube 3 may also be only partially located in the first cavity 12 or entirely located in the first cavity 12. As shown in FIG. 1, when a length of the second tube 3 is less than or equal to a length of the first tube 1 and is completely arranged in the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1, the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12.

[0076] Furthermore, the second tube 3 further includes a first communication portion 33 and a second communication portion 34. The first communication portion 33 is in communication with the first sub-cavity 121 and the second cavity 32, that is, the first sub-cavity 121 and the second cavity 32 are in communication with each other through the first communication portion 33. The second communication portion 34 is in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 and the second cavity 32, that is, the second sub-cavity 122 and the second cavity 32 are in communication with each other through the second communication portion 34. At least part of the first communication portion 33 is located at the second wall 31. Specifically, the second tube 3 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 via a hollow tube body, the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34. The first port 4 is located at the first wall 11 and is in communication with the first sub-cavity 121. In actual use, an inlet pipe is usually connected to a position of the first port 4 to introduce refrigerant.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the second tube 3 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122 through the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34. After the two-phase refrigerant enters the first sub-cavity 121 from the first port 4, a part of the refrigerant is directly distributed in the first sub-cavity 121, and another part of the refrigerant enters the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33. When the amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 is small, a part of the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33 flows upward and then flows back into the first sub-cavity 121 for distribution through the first communication portion 33 at a higher position and another part of the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 flows downward and then flows to the second sub-cavity 122 through the second communication portion 34 for distribution.

[0078] When the amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 is large, the refrigerant spontaneously flows from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area, i.e., the refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 will enter the second tube 3 through the first communication portion 33, and then flows to the second sub-cavity 122 through the second communication portion 34 for distribution. During the above distribution process, since a deadweight of gaseous refrigerant is different from a deadweight of liquid refrigerant, the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 closer to the first plate 2 contains more liquid refrigerant, while the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 farther from the first plate 2 contains more gaseous refrigerant. The continuous flow of refrigerant drives a thorough mixing of the two-phase refrigerant, and this mixing process is dynamic. That is, the two-phase refrigerant in the header assembly is in a state of mixing and distributing simultaneously, thereby improving a distribution effect of the two-phase refrigerant.

[0079] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in a specific embodiment, the first communication portion 33 includes at least one first hole 331 and at least one second hole 332. At least part of the at least one first hole 331 is located at the second wall 31, and at least part of the at least one second hole 332 is located at the second wall 31. In this embodiment, since the first communication portion 33 includes the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, and in order to allow the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 to play a greater role and enable more gaseous refrigerant to enter the second tube 3 from the first hole 331 and more liquid refrigerant to enter the second tube 3 from the second hole 332 when the header assembly is operating, a shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first port 4 is greater than a shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first port 4. Since the second hole 332 is closer to the first port 4 compared to the first hole 331, after the refrigerant enters the first tube 1 from the first port 4, the refrigerant entering from the second hole 332 contains more liquid refrigerant; and correspondingly, the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 contains more gaseous refrigerant. Generally, within a certain range, the farther a distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, the more obvious the gas-liquid separation entry effect becomes.

[0080] In this embodiment, both the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 are through holes defined at the second wall 31, and a shape of the through hole is circular. However, in some other embodiments, the through holes may also be in other shapes, such as square or polygonal, which are not listed here one by one. Additionally, in some other embodiments, the first communication portion 33 may also include a through hole and a tube located at the through-hole and having a certain length. However, since the functions of both the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 are only to achieve communication, other embodiments will not be described in detail herein.

[0081] In a more specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a tube segment of the second tube 3 located in the first sub-cavity 121 is defined as a first tube segment 35. The first tube segment 35 has a first end 351 and a second end 352 in a length direction of the first tube segment 35. The first end 351 is closed relative to the first sub-cavity 121. As shown in the drawings, the first end 351 is an end of the second tube 3 away from the first plate 2, and the second end 352 is a bottom of the first tube segment 35 in contact with the first plate 2. Since the first end 351 may be close to a top of the first tube 1, the first end 351 may be closed. However, in some other embodiments, the first end 351 may also have an opening, depending on the actual distribution requirements and design, which will not be explained in detail here.

[0082] A shortest distance from the first end 351 to the second end 352 is defined as L, a maximum distance from the first hole 331 to the first end 351 is defined as L1, and a maximum distance from the second hole 332 to the second end 352 is defined as L2, in which: L1<½L, and L2<½L. As shown in FIG. 3, taking an example where the number of either of the first holes 331 and the second holes 332 is three, and defining a direction from bottom to top in the drawings as a first direction, in the first direction, the third second hole 332 from bottom to top is the farthest from the second end 352, so a distance between the third second hole 332 and the second end 352 is L2, which is the maximum distance from the second hole 332 to the second end 352. Similarly, the first hole 331 from bottom to top is the farthest from the first end 351, so a maximum distance from the first hole 331 to the first end 351 is L1. In some other embodiments, if the number of the first holes 331 is different the number of the second holes 332, L1 and L2 may also be deduced based on the above method.

[0083] Based on the above embodiment, since L1<½L and L2<½L, it indicates that the first holes 331 are concentrated in an upper half of the second tube 3, while the second holes 332 are concentrated in a lower half of the second tube 3. When the header assembly is applied to a heat exchanger for operation and a flow rate of refrigerant entering from the first port 4 is relatively small, a flow rate of refrigerant directly flowing into the first sub-cavity 121 is small, and the entire first sub-cavity 121 may not be fully filled with refrigerant. More gaseous refrigerant will gather in an upper part of the first sub-cavity 121. At this time, more supplementary refrigerant will enter from the first port 4, enter the second holes 332, and then quickly enter into the second tube 3 from the second hole 332 and flow up along the second tube 3 to a position of the first hole 331 and be sprayed out, thereby compensating for the insufficient gaseous refrigerant in the upper part of the first sub-cavity 121, and overall achieving uniform distribution of the refrigerant flow rate.

[0084] After the refrigerant in the first tube 1 is fully supplemented, the entire first sub-cavity 121 will be filled with refrigerant. The refrigerant in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 contains more liquid refrigerant, and the refrigerant in the upper part of the sub-cavity 121 contains more gaseous refrigerant. Since refrigerant continuously flows into the first sub-cavity 121, the refrigerant will spontaneously flow from a high-pressure area to a low-pressure area, that is, excess refrigerant will enter the second tube 3 from the first hole 331 and the second hole 332, and flow towards a low-pressure direction (i.e., the second sub-cavity 122). In the refrigerant entering the second tube 3, more liquid refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from the second hole 332, and more gaseous refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from the first hole 331. During the gaseous refrigerant enters the second sub-cavity 122 and flows upward, it will drive the flow of the liquid refrigerant, thereby promoting uniform distribution of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122, and overall achieving uniform distribution of the refrigerant flow rate.

[0085] Furthermore, as mentioned above, during gaseous refrigerant flows upward and enters the first hole 331, it will also drive a part of the liquid refrigerant to flow upward for distribution, thereby improving the distribution uniformity of the entire header assembly.

[0086] In a specific embodiment, the first port 4 is arranged opposite to at least part of the second holes 332. As shown in FIG. 3, since there are a plurality of the second holes 332, in order to better distribute the refrigerant through the second tube 3, at least part of the second holes 332 may be arranged directly opposite to the first port 4, which may allow a part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 to be distributed, while another part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 directly enters at least part of the second holes 332, and then flows upward and / or downward through the second tube 3 for distribution. Arranging the first port 4 opposite to the at least part of the second holes 332 may allow more refrigerant to directly enter the second holes 332. Similarly, the amount of refrigerant directly entering the second tube 3 may also be adjusted by adjusting the number of second holes 332 opposite to the first port 4.

[0087] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second communication portion 34 includes at least one third hole 341, and the at least one third hole 341 is located at the second wall 31. Based on the full description of the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 above, it may be understood that forming the communication portions as through holes defined in the second tube 3 is a direct, effective and low-cost implementation. The function of the second communication portion 34 is to make the second sub-cavity 122 in communication with the second tube 3. Therefore, the second communication portion 34 may also be a through hole, i.e., the third hole 341. Additionally, the position, shape, number, etc., of the third hole 341 may be adjusted according to actual distribution requirements and processes, and will not be described in detail here.

[0088] Furthermore, in some other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, a tube segment of the second tube 3 located in the second sub-cavity 122 is defined as a second tube segment 36. The second tube segment 36 has a third end 361 in a length direction of the second tube segment 36. The third end 361 is far from the first plate 2 in the length direction of the second tube segment 36. As shown in FIG. 4, the third end 361 is a bottom end of the second tube 3. The second communication portion 34 may include at least one through hole located at the third end 361. More specifically, the second tube segment 36 further includes a reduced-diameter portion 362. The reduced-diameter portion 362 has a length, and an inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion 362 gradually decreases along a direction from the first plate 2 to the third end 361. Since the inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion 362 gradually decreases along the direction from the first plate 2 to the third end 361, the refrigerant distributed to the second tube segment 36 will accelerate when passing through the reduced-diameter portion362, which makes a disturbance caused by the gaseous refrigerant more obvious, thereby making gas-liquid mixing more uniform and improving the refrigerant distribution effect.

[0089] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a shortest distance from a first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not greater than a shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first plate 2, and / or a shortest distance from a first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not less than a shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first plate 2. As can be seen from the content above, the refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 contains both liquid refrigerant and gaseous refrigerant. Due to their different deadweight, more liquid refrigerant accumulates in a lower-middle position, and more gaseous refrigerant accumulates in an upper-middle position. Therefore, when the shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not greater than the shortest distance from the second hole 332 to the first plate 2, the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51 contains a higher proportion of liquid refrigerant. When the shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is not less than the shortest distance from the first hole 331 to the first plate 2, the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51 contains a higher proportion of gaseous refrigerant. Thus, refrigerants with different gas / liquid ratios may be introduced into the second sub-cavity 122 respectively.

[0090] In some other embodiments, the number of the first openings 51 may be two (not shown in drawings). That is, the two first openings 51 are connected to two different positions of the first sub-cavity 121, thereby supplying and supplementing refrigerant to the second sub-cavity 122 from different positions. For example, the third tube 5 may be a three-way pipe with two inlets and one outlet, the two inlets are connected to different positions of the first sub-cavity 121, and the one outlet is connected to the second sub-cavity 122.

[0091] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, a shortest distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 is defined as L3, and L3 satisfies: ⅕L≤L3≤⅗L. To ensure that the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 play their corresponding roles and effects, maintaining a certain distance between the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 may ensure that the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 contains more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant entering from the second hole 332 contains more liquid refrigerant, thereby better achieving an expected distribution effect.

[0092] In a specific embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an internal volume of the first sub-cavity 121 is defined as V1, and an internal volume of the second sub-cavity 122 is defined as V2, then: V1≥V2. Since the source of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 relies on introduction from the first sub-cavity 121, the amount of refrigerant introduced into the second sub-cavity 122 is unstable. If the internal volume of the second sub-cavity 122 is greater than the internal volume of the first sub-cavity 121, it may lead to a low refrigerant content in the second sub-cavity 122, thus resulting in uneven distribution of refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122. Therefore, the internal volume V1 of the first sub-cavity 121 is not less than the internal volume V2 of the second sub-cavity 122.

[0093] In a specific embodiment, a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 is defined as Q1, a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is defined as Q2, and a flow cross-sectional area of the second communication portion 34 (i.e., the third hole 341) is defined as Q3, in which Q1+Q2≥Q3. As mentioned above, the refrigerant entering from the first hole 331 and the second hole 332 ultimately flows out through the third hole 341 for distribution. Therefore, it is easy to understand that only when a sum of the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 and the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is greater than a sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the third holes 341, it may ensure that the incoming refrigerant flows out smoothly from the third holes 341.

[0094] It should be noted that, taking the first hole 331 as an example, when the number of the first holes 331 is one, the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 is a flow cross-sectional area of the one first hole 331. When the number of the first holes 331 is two or more, the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the first holes 331 refers to a sum of flow cross-sectional areas of the two or more first holes 331.

[0095] In a more specific embodiment, a flow cross-sectional area of the first port 4 is defined as Q4, in which 2Q2≤Q4≤6Q2. Based on the above content, it is not difficult to understand that when a ratio of the flow cross-sectional area of the first port 4 to the sum of the flow cross-sectional areas of the second holes 332 is maintained within a certain range, it may allow a part of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 to be distributed directly, while another part enters the second tube 3 through the second holes 332, so that the refrigerant flowing in the first tube 1 and the second tube 3 achieves a better dynamic balance effect, thereby ensuring distribution uniformity.

[0096] The header assembly of the present disclosure further includes a third tube 5. A tube cavity of the third tube 5 makes the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122. The third tube 5 includes a first opening 51 and a second opening 52. The first opening 51 is located in the first sub-cavity 121, and the second opening 52 is located in the second sub-cavity 122. A distance from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 is greater than a distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2.

[0097] Similarly, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the third tube 5 is also a hollow circular tubular structure. To match the shape of the first tube 1 or facilitate installation, both the shape of the third tube 5 and the shape of its corresponding tube cavity may also be configured to square, polygonal, etc.

[0098] When there is a large amount of refrigerant stored in the first sub-cavity 121 and a continuous inflow of refrigerant from the first port 4, introducing refrigerant from the first sub-cavity 121 to the second sub-cavity 122 solely through the second tube 3 may result in insufficient flow capacity, and there is still a large amount of refrigerant accumulated in the first sub-cavity 121. Therefore, providing the third tube 5 in communication with both the first sub-cavity 121 and the second sub-cavity 122 may effectively solve this problem. The refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 enters the third tube 5 from the first opening 51, and then flows out of the third tube 5 through the second opening 52 into the second sub-cavity 122 for distribution, thereby reducing a distribution pressure on the second tube 3.

[0099] It should be noted that the function of the third tube 5 is similar to the function of the second tube 3, but there are slight differences. For example, the second tube 3 has the first hole 331 and the second hole to play different roles depending on different accumulation level of the refrigerant, but the third tube 5 only needs to play the role of communicating the first sub-cavity 121 with the second sub-cavity 122, so that excess refrigerant may enter the second sub-cavity 122 through the third tube 5. Additionally, the specific position of the third tube 5 is not specifically limited herein. The third tube 5 may be partially or entirely located in the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1, like the second tube 3 in the above embodiments, or the third tube 5 may be connected to the first wall 11 and located outside the first cavity 12.

[0100] For example, in a case that a space of the first cavity 12 of the first tube 1 is large enough to accommodate both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 with surplus distribution space, the third tube 5 may also be arranged in the first cavity 12. This built-in method may effectively prevent the third tube 5 from being damaged by external factors such as collision. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be through holes located at two ends or on a side wall of the third tube 5. In a case that the space of the first cavity 12 is insufficient to accommodate the third tube 5, two ends of the third tube 5 may be inserted into the first wall 11 of the first tube 1 and the third tube 5 may be arranged externally, i.e., at outside of the first wall 11. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be two openings located at the two ends of the third tube 5. It should be noted that the two ends of the third tube 5 may be merely inserted into the first wall 11 and in communication with the corresponding cavity, or the two ends of the third tube 5 may extend a certain distance into the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122.

[0101] When the header assembly is installed in a heat exchanger for practical use, after the two-phase refrigerant enters the first sub-cavity 121 from the first port 4, a part of the refrigerant is directly distributed through the first sub-cavity 121, i.e., flows into a heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger for heat exchange; and another part of the refrigerant will flow upward carried by the gaseous refrigerant. This flow process causes the refrigerant in the upper part of the first sub-cavity 121 to contain more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 to contain more liquid refrigerant. Since a position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than a position of the first opening 51, a proportion of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 is higher than a proportion of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant entering from the first opening 51. That is, the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 from the first communication portion 33 contains more gaseous refrigerant, and the refrigerant entering the third tube 5 from the first opening 51 contains more liquid refrigerant.

[0102] After the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 enters the second sub-cavity 122, the refrigerant entering from the second tube 3 (which contains more gaseous refrigerant) may stir and mix the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 under the action of the gaseous refrigerant (which flows upward). The refrigerant entering from the third tube 5 (which contains more liquid refrigerant) may supplement the liquid refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122. The mixed refrigerant of these two parts of refrigerant is then distributed through the second sub-cavity 122. The header assembly may reduce the gaseous refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 and introduce it into the second sub-cavity 122 through the second tube 3, and also supplement the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 with liquid refrigerant through the third tube 5, thereby improving the distribution uniformity of the entire first tube 1.

[0103] As shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, in a specific embodiment, at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 is located in the first cavity 12. At least part of the second tube 3 located in the first cavity 12 and / or at least part of the third tube 5 located in the first cavity 12 extend along a length direction of the first tube 1. As mentioned above, the header assembly of the present disclosure includes the first tube 1, the second tube 3, and the third tube 5. Since a diameter of the first tube 1 is the largest, arranging at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first cavity 12 may save installation space. Meanwhile, the first tube 1 may also protect the components located in its first cavity 12 from potential damage when subjected to external forces. Additionally, arranging at least one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first tube 1 may also provide a certain flow-blocking effect on the refrigerant entering the first tube 1, that is, it may, to some extent, prevent the refrigerant from directly flowing into the heat exchange tube at corresponding positions after entering from the first port 4, thereby providing more favorable preconditions for subsequent uniform distribution.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 6, in a more specific embodiment, among the second tube 3 and the third tube 5, at least the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12. In this case, the first communication portion 33 of the second tube 3 includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the second tube 3, and / or the second communication portion 34 of the second tube 3 includes at least one through hole located at a side wall of the second tube 3. Specifically, in a case that the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12, in order to allow the refrigerant at the corresponding position to better enter the second tube 3 from the first communication portion 33, at least one through hole may be defined at the side wall of the second tube 3 to achieve the corresponding purpose. The more through holes are provided, the more refrigerant enters the second tube 3 from these positions. As mentioned in the above embodiments, the position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than the position of the first opening 51, and the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering from the first communication portion 33 is greater than the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering from the first opening 51. Therefore, based on factors such as a length of the entire first tube 1 and a flow area of the entire first tube 1, the number, aperture, etc., of the through holes may be preset to roughly adjust the amount of gaseous refrigerant entering the second tube 3.

[0105] Similarly, in a specific embodiment, the third tube 5 may also be located in the first cavity 12. The first opening 51 includes at least one through hole located at the side wall of the third tube 5, and / or the second opening 52 includes at least one through hole located at the side wall of the third tube 5. Similarly, in order to allow the refrigerant entering the second sub-cavity 122 to contain a higher / lower proportion of liquid refrigerant, the number, aperture, etc., of the through holes on the side wall of the third tube 5 may also be preset and adjusted to achieve the purpose of uniform distribution.

[0106] It should be additionally noted that when the second tube 3 is located in the first cavity 12, the third tube 5 may be or may not be located in the first cavity 12. When the third tube 5 is located in the first cavity 12, the second tube 3 may be or may not be located in the first cavity 12. Since these embodiments are not contradictory and do not affect each other, no specific explanation will be given. However, when both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 are located in the first cavity 12, the structure of the entire header assembly is more compact and is convenient for installation.

[0107] Additionally, a diameter of the first tube 1, a diameter of the second tube 3, and a diameter of the third tube 5 may be adjusted according to actual distribution and installation conditions. For example, when the length of the first tube 1 is short and the distribution requirement is low, both the diameter of the second tube 3 and the diameter of the third tube 5 may be set smaller, or both an aperture of the first opening 51 and an aperture of the second opening 52 may be set smaller, so that less refrigerant enters the second tube 3 and the third tube 5. Conversely, when the length of the first tube 1 is long, gas-liquid separation of the refrigerant will be more obvious, and the distribution requirement to ensure heat exchange efficiency will be greater, and in this case, the diameter of the second tube 3 and the diameter of the third tube 5 may be set slightly larger, or the apertures of the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be set slightly larger, so that more refrigerant enters the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 from the first tube 1, guiding away part of the gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant from the first tube 1 while also promoting the flow of refrigerant in the first tube 1, thereby increasing the distribution effect.

[0108] As shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 4, in a specific embodiment, the third tube 5 includes a through hole 201 located at the first plate 2. The through hole 201 penetrates the first plate 2 along a thickness direction of the first plate 2. In this case, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 are two openings located at an upper end face and a lower end face of the first plate 2 respectively. Since the function of the third tube 5 is to communicate the first sub-cavity 121 with the second sub-cavity 122 and to allow the inflowing refrigerant to contain more liquid refrigerant, in this embodiment, the third tube 5 may be just a through hole 201 defined at the first plate 2. In this case, after the refrigerant enters from the first port 4, the liquid refrigerant will enter the second sub-cavity 122 through the through hole 201 due to gravity, thereby supplementing the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 7, in a specific embodiment, at least part of the second tube 3 is located outside the first cavity 12, and / or at least part of the third tube 5 is located outside the first cavity 12. The function of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 is to make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122. On the basis of satisfying this function, the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located inside the first cavity 12 or outside the first cavity 12. In this embodiment, only one of the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located outside the first cavity 12, or both the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be located outside the first cavity 12.

[0110] Specifically, in a case that the second tube 3 is located outside the first cavity 12, the first communication portion 33 and the second communication portion 34 may be merely two through holes located at ends of the second tube 3, or through holes defined at the side wall of the second tube 3 and located in the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122, or through holes defined at both the ends of the second tube 3 and the side wall of the second tube 3. Similarly, in a case that the third tube 5 is located outside the first cavity 12, the first opening 51 and the second opening 52 may be merely two through holes located at ends of the third tube 5, or through holes defined at the side wall of the third tube 5 and located in the first cavity 12 or the second sub-cavity 122, or through holes defined at both the ends of the third tube 5 and the side wall of the third tube 5. In a case that the diameter of the first tube 1 is small, and arranging the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 in the first tube 1 will affect the amount of refrigerant introduced, the second tube 3 and the third tube 5 may be arranged outside of the first tube 1 to achieve the desired distribution effect.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 6, in a specific embodiment, the first wall 11 includes a first wall portion 111 and a second wall portion 112. A wall surrounding the first sub-cavity 121 includes at least part of the first wall portion 111, and a wall surrounding the second sub-cavity 122 includes at least part of the second wall portion 112. It should be noted that in this embodiment, since the first tube 1 is a single whole circular tube, the first wall portion 111 and the second wall portion 112 merely represent two portions formed under the partitioning effect of the first plate 2. That is, the first wall portion 111 and the second wall portion 112 are integrated, not independent or formed separately.

[0112] A length of the first wall portion 111 is defined as L4, a length of the second wall portion 112 is defined as L5, a shortest distance from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 is defined as L6, and a shortest distance from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 is defined as L7, in which: L6≥½L4, L7≤½L4. As shown in FIG. 8, taking the length direction of the first tube 1 as an up-down direction, the length L4 of the first wall portion 111 represents a distance from a top of the first tube 1 to a top of the first plate 2; the length L5 of the second wall portion 112 represents a distance from a bottom of the first plate 2 to a bottom of the first tube 1; the shortest distance L6 from the first communication portion 33 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the first communication portion 33 closest to the first plate 2 to the top of the first plate 2; similarly, the shortest distance L7 from the first opening 51 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the first opening 51 closest to the first plate 2 to the top of the first plate 2.

[0113] On the basis that a position of the first communication portion 33 is higher than a position of the first opening 51, L6≥½L4 and L7≤½L4 mean that the distance from the first opening 51 to the top of the first plate 2 is not less than half of the length L4 of the first wall portion 111, and the distance from the third opening 61 to the top of the first plate 2 is not greater than half of the length L4 of the first wall portion 111. That is, in the up-down direction in drawings, the position of the first opening 51 is not lower than half of a height of the first wall portion 111, while the position of the third opening 61 is not higher than half of a height of the first wall portion 111. This allows the refrigerant entering the second tube 3 after gas-liquid separation to contain more gaseous content, and the refrigerant entering the third tube 5 to contain more liquid refrigerant content. Therefore, a gas-liquid ratio of the incoming refrigerant may be better preset as needed, thereby improving the distribution effect.

[0114] As shown in FIG. 8, in a specific embodiment, a shortest distance from the second communication portion 34 to the first plate 2 is defined as L8, and a shortest distance from the second opening 52 to the first plate 2 is defined as L9, then: L8≥½L5, L9≤½L5. As shown in FIG. 8, in the up-down direction in drawings, the shortest distance L8 from the second communication portion 34 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the second communication portion 34 closest to the first plate 2 to the bottom of the first plate 2; the shortest distance L9 from the second opening 52 to the first plate 2 represents a distance from the second opening 52 closest to the first plate 2 to the bottom of the first plate 2; similarly, L8≥½L5 means that the second communication portion 34 is located at a middle-lower position of the second wall portion 112, and L9≤½L5 means that the second opening 52 is located at a middle-upper position of the second wall portion 112.

[0115] As mentioned above, liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant will spontaneously flow downward due to gravity, and gaseous refrigerant will spontaneously flow upward. Therefore, arranging the second communication portion 34 of the second tube 3 at a lower position may allow the gaseous refrigerant in the second tube 3 to flow upward from a lower position in the second sub-cavity 122. Meanwhile, arranging the second opening 52 of the third tube 5 at the middle-upper position of the third tube 5 may allow the liquid refrigerant to flow downward after entering the second sub-cavity 122. The gaseous refrigerant flowing upward from a low position drives the liquid refrigerant to flow upward. During this process, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is mixed and distributed, thereby making the refrigerant distribution in the second sub-cavity 122 more uniform.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 8, in a specific embodiment, the length L4 of the first wall portion 111 and the length L5 of the second wall portion 112 satisfy: 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9. When the header assembly according to the embodiments of the present disclosure is applied to a heat exchanger and the heat exchanger serves as an evaporator, a dryness of the refrigerant at an inlet of the evaporator is generally below 0.5. When the above ratio of L4 / (L4+L5) is less than 0.5, a size of the first sub-cavity 121 is small, a large amount of two-phase refrigerant will be introduced into the second sub-cavity 122, and the refrigerant in the second sub-cavity 122 will have obvious gas-liquid stratification along a gravity direction (i.e., the up-down direction shown in the drawings). When the ratio of L4 / (L4+L5) is greater than 0.9, the size of the second sub-cavity 122 is too small, the second sub-cavity 122 is easily filled by the refrigerant introduced from the distribution tubes, but a large amount of gas cannot be introduced, thus causing uneven liquid distribution in the first cavity 12. Therefore, only when 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9, the refrigerant may flow better according to a planned process.

[0117] In a specific embodiment, a hydraulic diameter of the first tube 1 is defined as D1, and a hydraulic diameter of the second tube 3 is defined as D2, in which 0.1≤D2 / D1≤0.6. When the ratio of D2 / D1 is less than 0.1, an inner cavity of a first distribution tube is too small, the resistance is too large, so that the refrigerant entering it is significantly reduced, and the drainage target cannot be achieved. When the ratio of D2 / D1 is greater than 0.6, the inner cavity of the distribution tube is too large, and occupies too much space in a cavity of a header tube, thus affecting the refrigerant distribution effect in the first cavity 12. Simultaneously, a flow velocity of the two-phase refrigerant flowing into the second cavity is too low, which will lead to uneven mixing of gas and liquid refrigerant and stratification along the gravity direction. Therefore, D2 / D1 within the above specified ratio range is more conducive to distribution uniformity.

[0118] As shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, in a specific embodiment, the header assembly further includes a fourth tube 6. Similarly, the function of the fourth tube 6 is also to communicate the cavities of the header assembly. When a flow rate of the refrigerant entering the first sub-cavity 121 is high, relying solely on the first tube 1 and / or the second tube 3 may be insufficient to timely introduce excess gaseous refrigerant and / or liquid refrigerant to the second sub-cavity 122. Therefore, the fourth tube 6 may be provided to serve as an auxiliary pipeline to achieve the corresponding purpose. Specifically, according to actual communication needs, the fourth tube 6 may make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122, or the fourth tube 6 may be in communication different positions of the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 10, when the fourth tube 6 make the first sub-cavity 121 in communication with the second sub-cavity 122, the fourth tube 6 includes a third opening 61 and a fourth opening 62. The third opening 61 is located in the first sub-cavity 121, and the fourth opening 62 is located in the second sub-cavity 122. Specifically, the fourth tube 6 may be located inside or outside the first cavity 12. A position of the third opening 61 and a position of the fourth opening 62 may be determined based on specific communication needs. For example, in a case that the fourth tube 6 is intended to introduce more gaseous refrigerant into the second sub-cavity 122, the third opening 61 may be arranged closer to the first communication portion 33, and the fourth opening 62 can be arranged closer to the second opening 52. In a case that the fourth tube 6 is intended to introduce more liquid refrigerant into the second sub-cavity 122, the third opening 61 may be arranged closer to the first opening 51, and the fourth opening 62 may be arranged closer to the second communication portion 34. When a flow rate of the refrigerant entering from the first port 4 is small, a large amount of gas accumulates in an upper area but cannot carry more liquid to flow upward. In this case, different positions of the first sub-cavity 121 may be communicated with the fourth tube 6, for example, an upper area and a lower area of the first sub-cavity 121 is communicated with the fourth tube 6, the excess gaseous refrigerant is reintroduced into a liquid refrigerant accumulation area in the lower part of the first sub-cavity 121 through the fourth tube 6, so that more liquid refrigerant may be carried to the upper area by the gaseous refrigerant. Similarly, when a flow velocity of the two-phase refrigerant flowing into the second cavity is insufficient, the gas in the upper part may also be reintroduced into the lower part through the fourth tube 6 to increase the disturbance effect. Furthermore, in a case that the fourth tube 6 is merely intended to guide refrigerant in the first sub-cavity 121 to the second sub-cavity 122, the position of the third opening 61 and the position of the fourth opening 62 may be arranged more arbitrarily.

[0120] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, in some other embodiments, both the third opening 61 and the fourth opening 62 are located in the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122, and the third opening 61 and the fourth opening 62 are spaced apart from each other. That is, the fourth tube 6 is in communication with one of the first sub-cavity 121 or the second sub-cavity 122. In this embodiment, the function of the fourth tube 6 is to be in communication with different positions in the first sub-cavity 121 or different positions in the second sub-cavity 122, thereby increasing the circulation of refrigerant in the same cavity and promoting thorough mixing of gaseous refrigerant and liquid refrigerant.

[0121] Embodiments of the present disclosure provides a heat exchanger. The technical solution and effects are described herein by taking the heat exchanger used in an air conditioning system as an example. The application field of the heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to the description herein and may also be used in other systems, such as water heaters, automobiles, etc.

[0122] Taking a household air conditioner as an example, when the air conditioning system is a cooling and heating system, this air conditioning system includes components such as a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator, a throttling device, and a reversing valve. When the air conditioning system is in a cooling mode, an outdoor unit of the air conditioning system serves as the condenser, and an indoor unit of the air conditioning system serves as the evaporator. The working process of the cooling mode mainly includes the following. The compressor compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which electrical energy is consumed during compression); the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the compressor enters the condenser, where the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid releases heat and liquefies into a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which heat is released to the outside during liquefaction); the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the condenser enters the throttling device, where the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid throttles and reduces pressure into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid; the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid from the throttling device enters the evaporator, where the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid absorbs heat and vaporizes into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas, and heat from the indoor is absorbed during the heat absorption process, thereby cooling the indoor; and the low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator enters the compressor again to start the next cooling cycle.

[0123] When the air conditioning system switches from the cooling mode to a heating mode, the reversing valve switches a flow direction of a heat exchange medium in the system, so that the outdoor unit serves as the evaporator, and the indoor unit serves as the condenser. The working process of the heating mode mainly includes the following. the compressor compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator into a high-temperature and high-pressure liquid (in which electrical energy is consumed during compression); the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the compressor enters the condenser, where the high-temperature and high-pressure liquid releases heat and liquefies into a medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid, and heat is released to the indoor where the condenser is located during liquefaction, thereby heating the indoor; the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid from the condenser enters the throttling device, where the medium-temperature and high-pressure liquid throttles and reduces pressure into a low-temperature and low-pressure liquid; the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid from the throttling device enters the evaporator, where the low-temperature and low-pressure liquid absorbs heat and vaporizes into a low-temperature and low-pressure gas (in which heat from the outdoor where the evaporator is located is absorbed during the heat absorption process); and the low-temperature and low-pressure gas from the evaporator enters the compressor again to start the next heating cycle.

[0124] In the aforementioned air conditioning system, the condenser and the evaporator may adopt the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the heat exchanger includes a first header 7, a second header 8, and a plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9. The first header 7 and the second header 8 are spaced apart from each other. The first header 7 includes a first sub-header 71. The first sub-header 71 is at least one of the header assemblies according to any one of the above embodiments. The first sub-header 71 is arranged along a length direction of the first header 7. The plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 is in communication with the first tube 1 and the second header 8.

[0125] The first sub-header 71 may be formed by partitioning one first header 7 through a partition plate or other means. Correspondingly, the first header 7 may also be formed by combining a plurality of independent first sub-headers 71 by means of such as welding or splicing. Furthermore, a shape, a cross-sectional flow area shape, and other structures of the first sub-header 71 and of the first header 7 may also be changed according to actual installation or structural requirements. For example, to facilitate installation or adapt to high refrigerant pressure, the shape of the first sub-header 71 may be configured as a square tube or a polygonal tube, etc., which is not specifically limited herein. For ease of explanation and understanding, the first header 7, the second header 8, the second tube 3, and other components in the embodiments of the present disclosure are all described as circular tubes.

[0126] The second header 8 is spaced apart from the first header 7, that is, there is an interval between the second header 8 and the first header 7. The interval between the second header 8 and the first header 7 may be configured for installing the first heat exchange tubes 9. An end of each of the first heat exchange tubes 9 is connected to the first header 7, and another end of each of the first heat exchange tubes 9 is connected to the second header 8, and the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 makes the first header 7 in communication with the second header 8. When the heat exchanger is operating, refrigerant enters from one of the first header 7 and the second header 8, passes through the first heat exchange tubes 9, and enters the other of the first header 7 and the second header 8. Additionally, the first heat exchange tubes 9 may be a plurality of microchannel flat tubes with a plurality of channels, and the plurality of flat tubes may be arranged parallel to each other.

[0127] It should be noted that one of the first header 7 and the second header 8 is an inlet header, and the other of the first header 7 and the second header 8 is an outlet header. Specifically, when the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, the first header 7 is the inlet header, and the second header 8 is the outlet header. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, the second header 8 is the inlet header, and the first header 7 is the outlet header. Furthermore, the first header 7 and the second header 8 are approximately parallel in the drawings. Under general usage environments and conditions, the first header 7 is also approximately parallel to the second header 8. However, in some other embodiments, the first header 7 and the second header 8 may also be arranged at an angle. For example, the first header 7 may be arranged vertically along a first direction in the drawings, and the second header 8 may be arranged obliquely to the first direction, etc., which is not exemplified one by one here.

[0128] As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in a specific embodiment, the first header 7 further includes at least one second sub-header 72. The second sub-header 72 is in communication with at least part of the first sub-header 71. In a first direction, the first sub-header 71 is located above the second sub-header 72. Specifically, a main difference between the second sub-header 72 and the first sub-header 71 is that the second sub-header 72 is not provided with the first plate 2 and the second tube 3, that is, the second sub-header 72 does not have the function of redistribution of refrigerant. It should be noted that the number of the second sub-headers 72 may be one or more, which may be specifically determined according to actual operating conditions and requirements. The purpose of providing the second sub-header 72 is to use a circulation path where the second sub-header 72 and the first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the second sub-header 72 are located as a subcooling section of the heat exchanger when the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency.

[0129] In a specific embodiment, the second header 8 includes a plurality of third sub-headers 81 arranged along a length direction of the second header 8. The plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 make the first sub-header 71 in communication with the third sub-headers 81, and / or the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 make the second sub-header 72 in communication with the third sub-headers 81. Generally, in a parallel-flow heat exchanger, if the plurality of first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the same first sub-header 71 or the same second sub-header 72 are defined as a group of first heat exchange tubes 9, lengths of two sub-headers communicated through the same group of first heat exchange tubes 9 are approximately equal. For example, if one first sub-header 71 is in communication with one third sub-header 81 through one group of first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of this one first sub-header 71 is approximately equal to a length of this one third sub-header 81; and if one second sub-header 72 is in communication with one third sub-header 81 through one group of first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of this one second sub-header 72 is approximately equal to a length of this one third sub-header 81.

[0130] As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger includes a first connecting tube 10 and a liquid distributor 16. The first connecting tube 10 includes a first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 and a second inlet-and-outlet port 1002. The first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 is connected to the second sub-header 72, the second inlet-and-outlet port 1002 is connected to the first sub-header 71, and a plurality of first connecting tubes 10 are provided. The liquid distributor 16 includes a plurality of ports, and at least part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the third sub-header 81. As mentioned above, the purpose of arranging the second sub-header 72 below the first sub-header 71 is to configure the subcooling section when the heat exchanger operates as a condenser. The number of the second sub-headers 72 may be one or more. Therefore, when a plurality of second sub-headers 72 are provided, one of the second sub-headers 72 may be in corresponding communication with one of the first sub-headers 71. Correspondingly, the liquid distributor 16 is provided at the third sub-header 81 in the same circulation path as the second sub-header 72 for liquid distribution, that is, the liquid distributor 16 is provided at several third sub-headers 81 in a lower part of the drawings to distribute the incoming refrigerant.

[0131] When the heat exchanger of this embodiment operates as an evaporator, refrigerant enters the third sub-header 81 through the liquid distributor 16, then enters the second sub-header 72 through the first heat exchange tubes 9 in communication with the third sub-header 81. Since the second sub-headers 72 are connected one-to-one with the first sub-headers 71 via the first connecting tube 10, the refrigerant in one second sub-header 72 enters one corresponding first sub-header 71 and then flows into the first heat exchange tubes 9 for heat exchange. During this process, because the second sub-header 72 does not undergo distribution via the second tube 3, the heat exchange effect is poorer. Therefore, the second sub-header 72 may be configured to be shorter, that is, a length of the second sub-header 72 is less than a length of the first sub-header 71. In this way, even if gas-liquid separation occurs in the refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant may still enter the first heat exchange tubes 9 at different positions for heat exchange when the second sub-header 72 is short, so as to avoid dry-out and other phenomena. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, a flow direction of the refrigerant is opposite to that in the evaporator. In this case, the second sub-header 72 and the corresponding circulation path serve as the subcooling section, thus improving heat exchange efficiency in a condensation mode.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 15, in another specific embodiment, the heat exchanger includes a first connecting tube 10 and a liquid distributor 16. A plurality of the first connecting tubes 10 are provided. Each of the first connecting tubes 10 includes a first inlet-and-outlet port 1001 and a second inlet-and-outlet port 1002. The liquid distributor 16 includes a plurality of ports. A part of the ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the first inlet-and-outlet ports 1001, another part of the ports of the liquid distributor 16 are connected to the second sub-header 72, and the second inlet-and-outlet ports 1002 are connected to the first sub-headers 71. In this embodiment, structures of the first connecting tubes 10 and the liquid distributor 16 are the same as those in the previous embodiments, but the connection positions are different. As shown in the drawings, when the number of the second sub-header 72 is one, this one second sub-header 72 may be in communication with the plurality of first sub-headers 71 via the liquid distributor 16 and the first connecting tubes 10, so that the refrigerant in the second sub-header 72 may be uniformly distributed to each of the first sub-headers 71 through the liquid distributor 16 for heat exchange.

[0133] When the heat exchanger operates as an evaporator, refrigerant first enters one of the third sub-headers 81 at a lower part of the heat exchanger, then enters the second sub-header 72 through the first heat exchange tubes 9. The refrigerant in the second sub-header 72 is then approximately uniformly distributed to each of the first sub-headers 71 through the liquid distributor 16, and then enters the communicated first heat exchange tubes 9 for heat exchange. In this embodiment, since the second sub-header 72 is communicated with the plurality of first sub-headers 71 simultaneously, and to prevent the refrigerant entering the first sub-headers 71 from being too little, the length of the second sub-header 72 may be configured to be relatively long. When the heat exchanger operates as a condenser, the flow direction of the refrigerant is opposite to that in the evaporator, so it will not be described again here.

[0134] As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, in a specific embodiment, the first heat exchange tube 9 includes a first segment 91, a second segment 92, and a bent segment 93. A length of the first segment 91 is greater than a length of the second segment 92. An end of the bent segment 93 is in communication with the first segment 91, and another end of the bent segment 93 is in communication with the second segment 92. It should be noted that the first segment 91, the second segment 92, and the bent segment 93 are integrally formed. Specifically, to increase the heat exchange effect of the first heat exchange tubes 9, a length of the first heat exchange tubes 9 may be configured to be longer, which also increases the installation space required by the heat exchanger. Therefore, bending the first heat exchange tubes 9 effectively prevents this disadvantage of increased installation space.

[0135] Furthermore, in a more specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes fins. The fins are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the heat exchange tubes. The fins are at least partially located on the first segment 91 and / or the second segment 92. An end of the first segment 91 is in communication with the bent segment 93, and another end of the first segment 91 is in communication with the first header 7. An end of the second segment 92 is in communication with the bent segment 93, and another end of the second segment 92 is in communication with the second header 8. It should be noted that to facilitate the drainage of condensate water, the fins in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be horizontally inserted fins, that is, the fins are approximately parallel to a length direction of the first header 7 or the second header 8.

[0136] As shown in FIGS. 18 to 21, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes: a third header 17, a fourth header 13 and a plurality of second heat exchange tubes 14. The third header 17 and the fourth header 13 are spaced apart from each other. The second header 8 is in direct or indirect communication with the third header 17. The plurality of second heat exchange tubes 14 make the third header 17 in communication with the fourth header 13. In this embodiment, the shapes of the third header 17 and the fourth header 13 are both hollow circular tube structures. As mentioned above, the headers may also be other shapes, so it is not exemplified one by one here. Additionally, the function of the second heat exchange tubes 14 is also to make the third header 17 communication with the fourth header 13 and perform heat exchange of the refrigerant. The second heat exchange tubes 14 may also be microchannel flat tubes with a plurality of channels extending along a length direction of the second heat exchange tubes.

[0137] In a specific embodiment, the third header 17 includes a plurality of fourth sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the third header 17. At least part of the fourth sub-headers are provided with the second tube 3. The fourth sub-header includes a third sub-cavity and a fourth sub-cavity. The second tube 3 located in the fourth sub-header may be in communication with the third sub-cavity and the fourth sub-cavity. The shape and structure of the fourth sub-header are similar to those of the first sub-header 71. The fourth sub-header may be partitioned into two cavities by components such as a partition plate, and then the two cavities are communicated through the second tube 3.

[0138] As shown in FIG. 18, in a specific embodiment, the heat exchanger further includes a second connecting tube 15 and fins. The second connecting tube 15 includes a third inlet-and-outlet port 1501 and a fourth inlet-and-outlet port 1502. The third inlet-and-outlet port 1501 is connected to the second header 8, and the fourth inlet-and-outlet port 1502 is connected to the fourth sub-header. The fins are at least partially located on the first heat exchange tube 9 and / or the second heat exchange tube 14.

[0139] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an air conditioning system. The air conditioning system includes a compressor, a condenser, a throttling device, and an evaporator. The evaporator and / or the condenser is / are the heat exchanger according to the first aspect of the embodiments. When the heat exchanger is operating, a length direction of the first header 7 is approximately perpendicular to a horizontal plane direction. Since the evaporator and / or the condenser of the air conditioning system is / are the heat exchanger according to the first aspect of the embodiments, and the heat exchanger has better heat exchange performance, the air conditioning system also has higher energy efficiency.

[0140] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “transverse”, “length”, “width”, “thickness”, “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, “clockwise”, “counterclockwise”, “axial”, “radial” and “circumferential” and the like, is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, and be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0141] In addition, the terms “first” and “second” are only used for purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the feature defined as “first” or “second” may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present disclosure, “a plurality of” means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0142] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, terms such as “install / mount”, “interconnect”, “connect”, “fix” shall be understood broadly, and may be, for example, fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; may also be mechanical or electrical connections or intercommunication; may also be direct connections or indirect connections via intervening media; may also be inner communications or interactions of two elements, unless otherwise specifically defined. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to the specific situations.

[0143] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise expressly defined, the first feature “below”, “under”, “on bottom of”, “above”, “on”, or “on top of” a second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate media. And, the first feature “above”, “on”, or “on top of” the second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “above”, “on”, or “on top of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height higher than that of the second feature. The first feature “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” the second feature may include an embodiment in which the first feature is right or obliquely “below”, “under”, or “on bottom of” the second feature, or just means that the first feature is at a height lower than that of the second feature.

[0144] In the description of the present disclosure, terms such as “an embodiment”, “some embodiments”, “an example”, “a specific example” or “some examples” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Thus, the appearances of these terms in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments or examples in any suitable manner. In addition, without contradiction, those skilled in the art may combine and unite different embodiments or examples or features of the different embodiments or examples described in this specification.

[0145] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it can be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and shall not be understood as limitation to the present disclosure, and changes, modifications, alternatives and variations can be made in the above embodiments by those skilled in the art all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Examples

Embodiment Construction

[0069]Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawing are illustrative. It should be understood that the embodiments described are intended to explain the present disclosure, but not to limit the present disclosure.

[0070]A first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides a header assembly. Technical solutions and technical effects are described herein by taking an example of applying this header assembly to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be a parallel flow heat exchanger or a parallel flow microchannel heat exchanger. However, the specific type of heat exchanger is not limited to the description herein and may also be other heat exchangers that need to distribute heat exchange media, which are not listed one by one here.

[0071]In an air conditioning system,...

Claims

1. A header assembly, comprising:a first tube comprising a first wall and having a first cavity;a first plate at least partially located in the first cavity, wherein the first plate partitions the first cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity;a second tube at least partially located in the first cavity, wherein the second tube comprises a second wall and has a second cavity, wherein the second tube further comprises a first communication portion and a second communication portion, the first communication portion is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second cavity, the second communication portion is in communication with the second sub-cavity and the second cavity, and at least part of the first communication portion is located at the second wall; anda first port located at the first wall and in communication with the first sub-cavity.

2. The header assembly according to claim 1, wherein the first communication portion comprises at least one first hole and at least one second hole, at least part of the at least one first hole is located at the second wall, at least a part of the at least one second hole is located at the second wall, and a shortest distance from the at least one first hole to the first port is greater than a shortest distance from the at least one second hole to the first port.

3. The header assembly according to claim 2, wherein the first port is arranged opposite to the at least part of the at least one second hole.

4. The header assembly according to claim 2, wherein a tube segment of the second tube located in the first sub-cavity is defined as a first tube segment, the first tube segment has a first end and a second end in a length direction of the first tube segment, and the first end is closed relative to the first sub-cavity.

5. The header assembly according to claim 4, wherein the second communication portion comprises at least one third hole located at the second wall.

6. The header assembly according to claim 4, wherein a tube segment of the second tube located in the second sub-cavity is defined as a second tube segment, the second tube segment has a third end in a length direction of the second tube segment, and the third end is far from the first plate in the length direction of the second tube segment; andthe second communication portion comprises at least one through hole located at the third end;wherein the second tube segment further comprises a reduced-diameter portion having a length, and an inner diameter of the reduced-diameter portion gradually decreases along a direction from the first plate to the third end.

7. (canceled)8. The header assembly according to claim 4, wherein a shortest distance from the first end to the second end is defined as L, a maximum distance from the at least one first hole to the first end is defined as L1, and a maximum distance from the at least one second hole to the second end is defined as L2;wherein L1<½L, and L2<½L; andwherein a shortest distance between the at least one first hole and the at least one second hole is defined as L3, wherein ⅕L≤L3≤⅗L;wherein an internal volume of the first sub-cavity is defined as V1, and an internal volume of the second sub-cavity is defined as V2, wherein V1≥V2.

9. (canceled)10. (canceled)11. The header assembly according to claim 8, wherein a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one first hole is defined as Q1, a sum of a flow cross-sectional area of the at least one second hole is defined as Q2, and a flow cross-sectional area of the second communication portion is defined as Q3, wherein Q1+Q2≥Q3;wherein a flow cross-sectional area of the first port is defined as Q4, wherein 2Q2≤Q4≤6Q2.

12. (canceled)13. The header assembly according to claim 4, further comprising a third tube, wherein a tube cavity of the third tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity, the third tube comprises a first opening and a second opening, the first opening is located in the first sub-cavity, the second opening is located in the second sub-cavity, and a distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is greater than a distance from the first opening to the first plate;wherein at least one of the second tube and the third tube is located in the first cavity, and at least part of the second tube located in the first cavity and / or at least part of the third tube located in the first cavity extend along the length direction of the first tube;wherein at least part of the second tube is located outside the first cavity, and / or at least part of the third tube is located outside the first cavity.

14. (canceled)15. The header assembly according to claim 13, wherein the third tube is located in the first cavity, the first opening comprises at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube, and the second opening comprises at least one through hole located at a side wall of the third tube.

16. The header assembly according to claim 13, wherein the third tube comprises a through hole located at the first plate, and the through hole penetrates through the first plate along a thickness direction of the first plate.

17. (canceled)18. The header assembly according to claim 13, wherein the first wall comprises a first wall portion and a second wall portion, a wall surrounding the first sub-cavity comprises at least part of the first wall portion, and a wall surrounding the second sub-cavity comprises at least part of the second wall portion; anda length of the first wall portion is defined as L4, a length of the second wall portion is defined as L5, a shortest distance from the first communication portion to the first plate is defined as L6, and a shortest distance from the first opening to the first plate is defined as L7, wherein L6≥½L4, and L7≤½L4.

19. The header assembly according to claim 18, wherein a shortest distance from the second communication portion to the first plate is defined as L8, and a shortest distance from the second opening to the first plate is defined as L9, wherein L8≥½L5, and L9≤½L5;wherein the length of the first wall portion and the length of the second wall portion satisfy: 0.5≤L4 / (L4+L5)≤0.9; andwherein a hydraulic diameter of the first tube is defined as D1, and a hydraulic diameter of the second tube is defined as D2, wherein 0.1≤D2 / D1≤0.6.

20. (canceled)21. (canceled)22. The header assembly according to claim 13, further comprising a fourth tube, wherein the fourth tube is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second sub-cavity; or the fourth tube is in communication with different portions of the first sub-cavity or of the second sub-cavity; andthe fourth tube satisfies one of the following conditions:the fourth tube comprises a third opening and a fourth opening, the third opening is located in the first sub-cavity, and the fourth opening is located in the second sub-cavity, orthe fourth tube comprises a third opening and a fourth opening, both the third opening and the fourth opening are located in the first sub-cavity or the second sub-cavity, and the third opening and the fourth opening are spaced apart from each other.

23. (canceled)24. (canceled)25. A heat exchanger, comprising:a first header and a second header, wherein the first header and the second header are spaced apart from each other, the first header comprises a first sub-header, the first sub-header comprises at least one header assembly; wherein each of the at least one header assembly comprising: a first tube comprising a first wall and having a first cavity; a first plate at least partially located in the first cavity, wherein the first plate partitions the first cavity into a first sub-cavity and a second sub-cavity; a second tube at least partially located in the first cavity, wherein the second tube comprises a second wall and has a second cavity, wherein the second tube further comprises a first communication portion and a second communication portion, the first communication portion is in communication with the first sub-cavity and the second cavity, the second communication portion is in communication with the second sub-cavity and the second cavity, and at least part of the first communication portion is located at the second wall; and a first port located at the first wall and in communication with the first sub-cavity; and the first sub-header is arranged along a length direction of the first header; anda plurality of first heat exchange tubes in communication with the first tube and the second header.

26. The heat exchanger according to claim 25, wherein the first header further comprises at least one second sub-header, the at least one second sub-header is in communication with at least part of the first sub-header; andin a first direction, the first sub-header is located above the at least one second sub-header; andwherein the second header comprises a plurality of third sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the second header; andthe plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the first sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers, and / or the plurality of first heat exchange tubes is in communication with the at least one second sub-header and the plurality of third sub-headers.

27. (canceled)28. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, further comprising a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes comprises a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, the first inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the at least one second sub-header, the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header, andthe liquid distributor comprises a plurality of ports, and at least part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the plurality of third sub-headers.

29. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, further comprising a plurality of first connecting tubes and a liquid distributor, wherein each of the plurality of first connecting tubes comprises a first inlet-and-outlet port and a second inlet-and-outlet port, and the liquid distributor comprises a plurality of ports,wherein a part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the first inlet-and-outlet ports, another part of the plurality of ports of the liquid distributor are connected to the at least one second sub-header, and the second inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the first sub-header.

30. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes comprises a first segment, a second segment, and a bent segment, and a length of the first segment is greater than a length of the second segment; andan end of the bent segment is in communication with the first segment, and another end of the bent segment is in communication with the second segment; andwherein the heat exchanger further comprising fins, wherein the fins are arranged at intervals along a length direction of the plurality of first heat exchange tubes, and the fins are at least partially located on the first segment and / or the second segment; andan end of the first segment is in communication with the bent segment, another end of the first segment is in communication with the first header, an end of the second segment is in communication with the bent segment, and another end of the second segment is in communication with the second header.

31. (canceled)32. The heat exchanger according to claim 26, further comprising:a third header and a fourth header, wherein the third header and the fourth header are spaced apart from each other, and the second header is in direct or indirect communication with the third header; anda plurality of second heat exchange tubes in communication with the third header and the fourth header;wherein the third header comprises a plurality of fourth sub-headers arranged along a length direction of the third header, and at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers are provided with the first plate; andeach of the plurality of fourth sub-headers comprises a third sub-cavity and a fourth sub-cavity, and the first plate located in the at least part of the plurality of fourth sub-headers is configured to be in communication with the third sub-cavity and the fourth sub-cavity; andwherein the heat exchanger further comprising:a second connecting tube comprising a third inlet-and-outlet port and a fourth inlet-and-outlet port, wherein the third inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the second header, and the fourth inlet-and-outlet port is connected to the plurality of fourth sub-headers; andfins at least partially located at the plurality of first heat exchange tubes and / or the plurality of second heat exchange tubes.

33. (canceled)34. (canceled)35. (canceled)

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