Heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger (100) includes: a core part (110) having a plurality of tubes (111) extending in an extension direction and inside which a refrigerant is made to circulate, the plurality of tubes being arranged in a column direction perpendicular to the extension direction and being arranged as at least a first tube row (111A) and a second tube row (111B) in a width direction perpendicular to the extension direction and the column direction; and a tank part (120) provided at both ends of the core part in the extension direction and configured by laminating N plates (123 to 126). Slits (129 to 132) are formed in N-1 of the N plates and penetrate, along the extension direction, a section of an intermediate region (133) between a first region (127) corresponding to the first tube row and a second region (128) corresponding to the second tube row.

Description

heat exchanger CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-98909 filed on June 19, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger.

[0003] A heat exchanger configured to pass a high-pressure refrigerant fluid has been proposed in, for example, Patent Document 1. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of tubes through which a high-pressure refrigerant flows, and a refrigerant tank disposed at both ends of the plurality of tubes. The refrigerant tank is configured by stacking a plurality of plates. Some of the plurality of plates have refrigerant passages formed therein for collecting and distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of tubes.

[0004] German Patent Publication No. 10020763

[0005] Here, the heat exchanger through which the high-pressure refrigerant flows is used as an evaporator or an indoor gas cooler. The indoor gas cooler has the same function as, for example, an indoor condenser. Therefore, the evaporator and the indoor gas cooler require designs with roughly the same level of pressure resistance. Therefore, although the evaporator and the indoor gas cooler are different products, their basic structures can be unified to reduce costs.

[0006] However, when a heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, condensation occurs on the outer wall surfaces of each component of the evaporator. This causes the condensed water to flow down and accumulate in the refrigerant tank at the lower end. This reduces drainage, and the performance of the evaporator decreases depending on the heat transfer area of ​​the part covered with condensed water.

[0007] Furthermore, when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the tubes are arranged, for example, in two rows. In this case, if the plates constituting the refrigerant tank are not properly joined, high-pressure refrigerant may leak from the refrigerant passage corresponding to the first row of tubes to the refrigerant passage corresponding to the second row of tubes. In other words, the high-pressure refrigerant does not pass through the tubes and leaks internally within the refrigerant tank. This reduces the performance of the evaporator.

[0008] When a heat exchanger is used as an indoor gas cooler, the tubes are arranged, for example, in two rows. In this case, a warm refrigerant flows through the first row of tubes, and a cold refrigerant flows through the second row of tubes. This causes heat damage in the refrigerant tank, where heat escapes between the first and second row of refrigerant channels. Furthermore, refrigerant may leak from the first row of refrigerant channels to the second row of refrigerant channels. This reduces the performance of the indoor gas cooler.

[0009] As described above, the evaporator and the indoor gas cooler can have the same basic structure, but whether the heat exchanger is used for the evaporator or the indoor gas cooler, there are issues with drainage, internal leakage, and heat damage.

[0010] In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger that can suppress at least internal leakage and thermal damage.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the heat exchanger includes: a core portion having a plurality of tubes extending in an extension direction and through which a refrigerant flows, the plurality of tubes being arranged in a row perpendicular to the extension direction and arranged as at least a first tube row and a second tube row in a width direction perpendicular to the extension direction and the row direction; and a tank portion provided at both ends of the core portion in the extension direction and constructed by stacking N plates.

[0012] N-1 of the N plates have a slit formed in the extension direction that penetrates a portion of the intermediate region between a first region corresponding to the first tube row and a second region corresponding to the second tube row.

[0013] According to this, slits are formed in the intermediate regions of the N-1 plates. Therefore, even if the high-pressure refrigerant attempts to move between the first region and the second region through the gaps between the plates, the movement of the high-pressure refrigerant is restricted by the slit spaces. In addition, the slit spaces make it difficult for heat of the high-pressure refrigerant to move between the first region and the second region. Therefore, heat is less likely to escape between the first row of refrigerant flow paths and the second row of refrigerant flow paths in the tank portion.

[0014] Therefore, when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, it is possible to prevent internal leakage of high-pressure refrigerant from the tank, and when the heat exchanger is used as an indoor gas cooler, it is possible to suppress heat damage.

[0015] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of a plurality of plates constituting a tank section, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the positional relationship of the slits in each plate in Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the tank section when the slits in each plate are provided at the same position in the column direction, Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the positional relationship of the slits in each plate in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the positional relationship of the slits in the tank section when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the range in which slits are provided in the tank section when the heat exchanger is used as an indoor gas cooler; FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the slits of each plate in the second embodiment; FIG. 10 is a view of the slits of each plate shown in FIG. 9 projected in the extension direction; FIG. 11 is a plan view of the slits of each plate in the second embodiment; and FIG. 12 is a view of the slits of each plate shown in FIG. 11 projected in the extension direction.

[0016] Hereinafter, several embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, parts corresponding to matters described in the preceding embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations may be omitted. In each embodiment, when only a part of the configuration is described, other previously described embodiments may be applied to the other parts of the configuration. In addition to combinations of parts that are specifically specified as being combinable in each embodiment, it is also possible to partially combine embodiments even if not specified, as long as there is no particular problem with the combination.

[0017] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. A heat exchanger according to this embodiment is used, for example, in a vehicle air conditioning system. The heat exchanger is used as an evaporator through which a high-pressure refrigerant flows and an interior gas cooler. The interior gas cooler also functions as a condenser.

[0018] The evaporator cools the conditioned air sent by the blower fan by heat exchange with the refrigerant that circulates in the refrigeration cycle and is decompressed by the expansion valve. The indoor gas cooler condenses the high-pressure gas used for cooling to liquefy it, and sends the liquefied refrigerant to the evaporator. The refrigerant can be, for example, carbon dioxide (CO ２ Although the evaporator and indoor gas cooler have different functions, they have the same basic structure.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the overall configuration of the heat exchanger 100. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a portion of the multiple plates 123 to 126 that constitute the upper tank portion 120. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the multiple plates 123 to 126, illustrating the positional relationship of the slits 129 to 132. The upper tank portion 120 refers to the portion located on the upper side of the drawing in the extension direction. Similarly, the lower tank portion 120 refers to the portion located on the lower side of the drawing in the extension direction.

[0020] 1, the heat exchanger 100 has, for example, a 2-2 turn structure and includes core sections 110 and tank sections 120 located above and below each core section 110. The heat exchanger 100 is composed of multiple members made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, which is lightweight and highly corrosion-resistant. These components are assembled together by fitting, crimping, or jig fixing, and then integrated by brazing with a brazing material.

[0021] The core portion 110 has tubes 111, fins 112, and side plates (inserts) 113. In Fig. 1, only a portion of the tubes 111 and the fins 112 is shown.

[0022] The tubes 111 have a flat cross-sectional shape. A refrigerant flows through the tubes 111. A plurality of the tubes 111 are arranged in a row. The direction in which the tubes 111 extend is referred to as the extension direction. The direction in which the plurality of tubes 111 are arranged in a row and perpendicular to the extension direction is referred to as the row direction.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, the multiple tubes 111 are arranged as a first tube row 111A and a second tube row 111B. The first tube row 111A and the second tube row 111B are arranged in the width direction perpendicular to the extension direction and row direction. The first tube row 111A and the second tube row 111B are arranged in series with respect to the air flow direction AR.

[0024] In this embodiment, the first tube row 111A is disposed on the downwind side of the air flow direction AR, and the second tube row 111B is disposed on the downwind side of the air flow direction AR. Note that the positional relationship of the first tube row 111A and the second tube row 111B with respect to the air flow direction AR may be reversed.

[0025] The tube 111 has, for example, a flattened hexagonal cross section. A plurality of tube holes are formed inside the tube 111 to allow the refrigerant to flow through. Note that the shape of the tube 111 is not limited to a flattened hexagonal cross section and may be other shapes. Also, the tube 111 does not necessarily have to have a plurality of tube holes.

[0026] The fins 112 are formed into a corrugated shape using thin strip material. The tubes 111 and the fins 112 are stacked alternately in the column direction. A pair of side plates 113 are provided as reinforcing members further outward from the outermost fin 112.

[0027] 1, a pair of tank portions 120 that collect and disperse the refrigerant are connected to both ends of the tubes 111 in the extension direction. Two rows of refrigerant flow paths are formed in the tank portions 120 corresponding to the core portion 110. The upper tank portion 120 is provided with an inlet 121 that is connected to one end of the refrigerant flow path on the downwind side in the air flow direction AR and allows the refrigerant to flow in from the outside, and an outlet 122 that is connected to one end of the refrigerant flow path on the upwind side and allows the refrigerant to flow out to the outside.

[0028] The tank portion 120 is provided at both ends of the core portion 110 in the extension direction. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the tank portion 120 is configured by stacking four plates 123 to 126. Specifically, the four plates 123 to 126 are a cover plate 123, a flow path plate 124, an intermediate plate 125, and a plate header 126. Each of the plates 123 to 126 is formed by press working or the like.

[0029] The cover plate 123 is the plate in the tank portion 120 that is located at a position farthest from the core portion 110. The cover plate 123 does not have any structure that forms a refrigerant flow path. The cover plate 123 is joined to a flow path plate 124.

[0030] The flow path plate 124 is disposed between the cover plate 123 and the intermediate plate 125, and is joined to the cover plate 123 and the intermediate plate 125. The flow path plate 124 has plate holes 124A formed therein that form flow paths for the refrigerant in, for example, the column direction.

[0031] The intermediate plate 125 is disposed between the flow path plate 124 and the plate header 126, and is joined to the flow path plate 124 and the plate header 126. The intermediate plate 125 has plate holes 125A formed therein that form refrigerant flow paths in, for example, the extension direction.

[0032] The plate header 126 is the plate in the tank section 120 that is arranged closest to the core section 110. In other words, the plate header 126 is the plate that is farthest from the cover plate 123. The plate header 126 is joined to the intermediate plate 125.

[0033] Plate holes 126A are formed in the plate header 126, into which the tip ends of the tubes 111 are inserted. The opening shape of the plate holes 126A roughly matches the outer circumferential shape of the tubes 111. Note that the plate holes 125A formed in the intermediate plate 125 may be larger than the plate holes 126A of the plate header 126, in order to ensure a wide gap between the inner wall surfaces of the plate holes 125A and the outer wall surfaces of the tubes 111.

[0034] 1, crimping portions 126B are formed on the widthwise edges of the plate header 126 to sandwich and temporarily fix the cover plate 123, the flow path plate 124, and the intermediate plate 125. The tank portion 120 is integrated by brazing, with the tube 111 inserted into the plate header 126 and the crimping portions 126B sandwiching the three plates 123 to 125.

[0035] As shown in Figure 4, the plate holes 124A to 126A of each plate 124 to 126 through which the refrigerant flows are formed in a first region 127 corresponding to the first tube row 111A and a second region 128 corresponding to the second tube row 111B in each plate 124 to 126.

[0036] The first region 127 is the region of each plate 124-126 on the downwind side of the air flow direction AR. In other words, the first region 127 is the region corresponding to the refrigerant flow path on the downwind side of the air flow direction AR. The second region 128 is the region of each plate 124-126 on the upwind side of the air flow direction AR. In other words, the second region 128 is the region corresponding to the refrigerant flow path on the upwind side of the air flow direction AR. Similarly, the first region 127 and the second region 128 can be set on the cover plate 123, which does not have a refrigerant flow path formed therein.

[0037] The relationship between the first region 127 and the second region 128 in the air flow direction AR (width direction) may be reversed. That is, the first region 127 may be set on the windward side of the air flow direction AR, and the second region 128 may be set on the leeward side of the air flow direction AR.

[0038] 2 to 4, slits 129 to 132 are formed in all of the plates 123 to 126. The slits 129 to 132 are formed in a part of an intermediate region 133 between the first region 127 and the second region 128 of the plates 123 to 126. The intermediate region 133 can also be considered an area where the plate holes 124A to 126A are not formed. Each of the slits 129 to 132 penetrates each of the plates 123 to 126 along the extension direction.

[0039] Furthermore, each of the slits 129 to 132 is formed intermittently in the column direction. Each of the slits 129 to 132 may be formed as a single through-hole extending in the column direction. The number of slits 129 to 132 may be set appropriately.

[0040] 3, the slits 129 to 132 of the adjacent plates 123 to 126 are connected in the extension direction. For example, the slit 129 of the cover plate 123 is connected to the slit 130 of the adjacent flow path plate 124. The slit 131 of the intermediate plate 125 is connected to the slits 130 and 132 of the adjacent plates 124 and 126. In this way, the slits 129 to 132 of the adjacent plates 123 to 126 are connected in the extension direction, so that all of the slits 129 to 132 are connected in the extension direction.

[0041] 3 and 4, the slits 129 to 132 of adjacent plates 123 to 126 are positioned offset in the column direction, and the column direction ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 are connected in the extension direction.

[0042] 4, the plates 123 to 126 have plate surfaces 134 facing the extension direction. The plate surfaces 134 can also be said to be surfaces parallel to the row direction and width direction.

[0043] The opening shape of each of the slits 129 to 132 on the plate surface 134 is a straight line extending in the column direction. In this embodiment, the opening shape of the column direction ends 129A to 132A of each of the slits 129 to 132 is, for example, semicircular. Of course, the opening shape of the column direction ends 129A to 132A of each of the slits 129 to 132 is just an example, and other shapes may also be used.

[0044] Here, the portions of the slits 129 to 132 of each of the plates 123 to 126 are empty spaces, and therefore are not joined to the plate surfaces 134 of the adjacent plates 123 to 126. The plates 123 to 126 are joined together at the plate surfaces 134 where the slits 129 to 132 are not formed.

[0045] Next, the effect of forming the slits 129 to 132 in the intermediate region 133 of each of the plates 123 to 126 will be described.

[0046] First, all of the slits 129 to 132 of all of the plates 123 to 126 that make up the tank portion 120 are connected in the extension direction. Therefore, when the heat exchanger 100 is used as an evaporator, even if condensed water occurs on the outer wall surface of the heat exchanger 100, the condensed water can be drained in the extension direction through the slits 129 to 132. Therefore, the drainage performance of the heat exchanger 100 can be ensured.

[0047] Furthermore, heat is less likely to move through the spaces defined by the slits 129-132. In other words, the slits 129-132 increase the thermal resistance of each of the plates 123-126. This makes it difficult for heat from the high-pressure refrigerant to move between the first region 127 and the second region 128 of each of the plates 123-126. In other words, it is difficult for heat from the warm refrigerant in the first tube row 111A to be transferred to the cold refrigerant in the second tube row 111B. Therefore, when the heat exchanger 100 is used as an indoor gas cooler, performance degradation due to heat damage can be suppressed.

[0048] Furthermore, even if the high-pressure refrigerant attempts to move between the first region 127 and the second region 128 through the gaps between adjacent plates 123-126, the plate surfaces 134 of each plate 123-126 do not have a joint surface at the portion where the slits 129-132 are provided. Therefore, it is difficult for the high-pressure refrigerant to move through the space between the slits 129-132. Therefore, the high-pressure refrigerant does not leak from the refrigerant flow path corresponding to the first tube row 111A (first region 127) to the refrigerant flow path corresponding to the second tube row 111B (second region 128). Therefore, internal leakage of the high-pressure refrigerant within the tank portion 120 can be completely prevented.

[0049] Furthermore, since no internal leakage of the refrigerant occurs, the refrigerant leaks to the outside of the tank portion 120. Therefore, an internal leakage of the refrigerant can be judged as an external leakage and determined as a defective product during pressure inspection. Therefore, products with internal leakage will not be released onto the market.

[0050] 5 and 6, when a plurality of slits 129 to 132 are formed in the column direction, the slits 129 to 132 of each plate 123 to 126 may be provided at the same position in the column direction. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the III-III cross section in Fig. 2.

[0051] In this case, when viewed in the width direction, there will be an area in the intermediate region 133 where the slits 130-132 are not located in any of the layers of each of the plates 124-126 configured as refrigerant flow paths. Therefore, after brazing, there is a possibility that the refrigerant will take a shortcut from the first region 127 to the second region 128 at some position in the column direction of the intermediate region 133 in each of the plates 124-126. In other words, there is a possibility that an internal leak of the refrigerant will occur in the tank portion 120. If the plates are not brazed, a shortcut of the refrigerant will occur inside the tank portion 120, causing an internal leak.

[0052] 6 shows an internal leak occurring between the plate header 126 and the intermediate plate 125. Internal leaks can also occur between the intermediate plate 125 and the flow path plate 124, or between the flow path plate 124 and the cover plate 123.

[0053] Of course, it is possible to prevent internal leaks at the positions where the slits 130 to 132 are provided. Also, if the slits 130 to 132 are formed as a single through-hole along the row direction, the above-mentioned internal leaks will not occur, and instead an external leak will occur, in which the refrigerant leaks out. Of course, when not brazed, an external leak will occur, and no internal leak will occur.

[0054] Alternatively, the columnar positions of the slits 130-132 in each plate 124-126 can be shifted. For example, if the slits 130-132 of each plate 124-126 are connected in the columnar direction when viewing each plate 124-126 in the extension direction, internal leakage can be prevented from occurring in any of the layers of each plate 124-126. In other words, by making it an external leakage, internal leakage can be eliminated. If it is an external leakage, refrigerant leakage can be easily detected during pressure inspection. Even if the slits 130-132 of each plate 124-126 are not connected in the columnar direction and gaps exist between the slits 129-132, internal leakage can be suppressed by making the gaps between the slits 129-132 very narrow.

[0055] In the above description, the tank section 120 is configured from four plates 123 to 126, but this is just one example of the configuration. For example, the tank section 120 may be configured from three plates: the cover plate 123, the flow path plate 124, and the plate header 126. It is sufficient that the tank section 120 is configured from at least three plates. Therefore, the tank section 120 may be configured from five or more plates.

[0056] In the above description, slits 129 to 132 are provided in all of the plates 123 to 126 that make up the tank section 120, but this is just one example of a configuration. For example, it is sufficient that at least N-1 of the N plates 123 to 126 have slits 129 to 132, where N is an integer. In this case, the plates that do not have slits 129 to 132 are not limited to the plates closest to the tubes 111 or the plates farthest from the tubes 111.

[0057] For example, the lid plate 123 farthest from the tube 111 in the extension direction may not have the slit 129. In this way, if one of the lid plates 123 does not have the slit 129, it is difficult to ensure drainage, but it is possible to suppress internal leakage and heat damage.

[0058] The slits 129 to 132 do not have to be provided from end to end in the column direction in the intermediate region 133 of each of the plates 123 to 126. For example, when the heat exchanger 100 is used as an evaporator and the refrigerant flow is configured as a 2-2 turn type or a 3-3 turn type, the slits 129 to 132 can be provided at the positions indicated by the wavy lines T1 and T2 in Fig. 7. That is, the slits 129 to 132 are provided on the inlet and outlet sides of the refrigerant in the column direction in the upper tank portion 120, and are provided throughout the column direction in the lower tank portion 120.

[0059] Alternatively, when the heat exchanger 100 is used as an indoor gas cooler and is configured so that the refrigerant flow turns between the front and rear, the slits 129 to 132 can be provided at the positions shown by the wavy line T3 in Fig. 8. That is, the slits 129 to 132 are provided in the entire upper tank portion 120 in the column direction, but are not provided in the lower tank portion 120.

[0060] In the above description, both the inlet 121 and the outlet 122 for the refrigerant for the heat exchanger 100 are located on one side of the upper tank portion 120 in the column direction, but this is just one example of the configuration. The inlet 121 and the outlet 122 do not have to be located at the same position, but may be located at different positions.

[0061] Second Embodiment In this embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, the opening shapes of the slits 129 to 132 in the plate surface 134 are all inclined with respect to the column direction and the width direction.

[0062] The direction of the inclination is opposite to the inclination of the slits 129 to 132 of the adjacent plates 123 to 126. The opposite direction of the inclination refers to the case where the inclination of the slits 129 to 132 shown in FIG. 9 is inclined to the upper right with respect to the column direction, or the case where the inclination is inclined to the upper left with respect to the column direction. The opening shapes of the slits 129, 131 of the cover plate 123 and the intermediate plate 125 are inclined to the upper right with respect to the column direction. In contrast, the opening shapes of the slits 130, 132 of the flow path plate 124 and the plate header 126 are inclined to the upper left with respect to the column direction.

[0063] Figure 10 is a projection view of the slits 129 to 132 of each plate 123 to 126 in the extension direction. As shown in the projection view of Figure 10, the slits 129 to 132 are inclined with respect to the column direction and width direction, but the ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 overlap with each other in the column direction. Therefore, the ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 of adjacent plates 123 to 126 are connected with each other in the extension direction.

[0064] The inclination of the slits 129 to 132 creates a space in the width direction, as shown by the wavy line S1 in Figure 10. This increases the bonding area in the width direction in the intermediate region 133 of each plate 123 to 126. This ensures the pressure resistance of the tank portion 120.

[0065] The opening shapes of the slits 129 to 132 on the plate surface 134 need only be such that at least the column-direction ends 129A to 132A are inclined relative to the column and width directions. Therefore, for example, as shown in Fig. 11, even if the entire opening shape of the slits 129 to 132 is a straight line along the column direction, the ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 may have an acute angular shape on the plate surface 134. In other words, at least a part of the straight line constituting the angular shape of the ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 is inclined relative to the column and width directions.

[0066] Even with this shape, as shown in the projection view of Figure 12, when the ends 129A to 132A of the slits 129 to 132 are overlapped in the extension direction, the space of the wavy line portion S2, i.e., the bonding area, can be secured in the width direction.

[0067] The opening shapes of the slits 129 to 132 in the plate surface 134 are not limited to the shapes described above. For example, the middle portion may be linear along the column direction, with only the end portions 129A to 132A being inclined. Furthermore, the end portions 129A to 132A of the opening shapes of the slits 129 to 132 are not limited to semicircular or acute-angled shapes. For example, the end portions 129A to 132A of the opening shapes of the slits 129 to 132 may be formed by two corners of a 90-degree square. Alternatively, the entire opening shape of the slits 129 to 132 may be curved, thereby causing the end portions 129A to 132A to be inclined. In other words, the inclination is not limited to a linear inclination, but also includes curved shapes.

[0068] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made as follows within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0069] For example, the heat exchanger 100 is not limited to use in vehicles.

[0070] Furthermore, the number of rows of the tubes 111 is not limited to two. For example, the number of rows of the tubes 111 may be three, four, or more. Even in such a case, slits 129 to 132 can be provided in the intermediate region 133 of each row of the plates 123 to 126.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the crimping portion 126B is provided on the plate header 126, but the crimping portion may be provided on the cover plate 123. Furthermore, the crimping portion may be provided by a separate crimping member.

[0072] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments or structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and equivalent modifications. In addition, various combinations and forms, including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a core section (110) having a plurality of tubes (111) extending in an extension direction and through which a refrigerant flows, the plurality of tubes being arranged in a row perpendicular to the extension direction and arranged as at least a first tube row (111A) and a second tube row (111B) in a width direction perpendicular to the extension direction and the row direction; and a tank section (120) provided at both ends of the core section in the extension direction and constructed by stacking N plates (123-126), wherein N-1 of the N plates have slits (129-132) formed therein that penetrate, along the extension direction, a portion of an intermediate region (133) between a first region (127) corresponding to the first tube row and a second region (128) corresponding to the second tube row.

2. A heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the slits are formed in all of the N plates, penetrating along the extension direction through a portion of the intermediate region between the first region corresponding to the first tube row and the second region corresponding to the second tube row, and the slits of adjacent plates are connected in the extension direction, so that all of the slits are connected in the extension direction.

3. A heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plates have plate surfaces (134) facing the extension direction, the opening shapes of the slits on the plate surfaces are such that at least the column direction ends (129A to 132A) are inclined with respect to the column direction and the width direction, and the ends of the slits of adjacent plates are connected in the extension direction.

4. A heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the entire opening shape of the slits in the plate surface is inclined with respect to the row direction and the width direction.

5. A heat exchanger as described in claim 3, wherein the opening shape of the end of the slit is an acute angular shape on the plate surface, and at least a part of the straight line constituting the angular shape is inclined with respect to the row direction and the width direction.

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