Cold Storage Heat Exchanger Structure for Dual Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cold-storage type cooling devices for vehicles require separate evaporators for cooling the compartment and for a trucker's nap, leading to increased costs and inefficiencies, as the cold storage heat exchanger used for a trucker's nap only performs air heat exchange with the cold storage material without effectively cooling the vehicle compartment.
Innovation Solution
A single cold storage heat exchanger is designed with refrigerant tubes, a cold storage container, and air-side fins, featuring a concave-convex surface with recess and protrusion portions to enhance heat exchange and brazing performance, allowing for both cold storage and compartment cooling, with the air-side fins thermally connected to the refrigerant tubes to improve heat transfer and extend cold release duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cold storage heat exchanger is used for both cold storage and compartment cooling, then device complexity and cost are reduced, but heat exchange performance and cooling efficiency may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is segmented into distinct functional zones: a cold storage container for cold storage material, refrigerant tubes for refrigerant flow, air-side fins for compartment cooling, and inner fins inside the container for enhancing cold storage heat exchange. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function while working together as an integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the heat exchanger have different thermal properties and functions. The air-side fins are designed with high thermal conductivity for efficient compartment cooling, while the cold storage container provides thermal mass for cold storage. The inner fins inside the container enhance heat exchange between the cold storage material and the container walls, creating local quality variations that optimize overall performance.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cold storage container has a smooth surface for easy manufacturing, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but heat exchange performance between refrigerant tube and container deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The outer surface of the cold storage container is designed with convex portions and concave portions rather than a smooth surface. This curved, uneven surface increases the surface area for heat exchange between the container and the refrigerant tube, improving thermal contact and heat transfer efficiency while remaining manufacturable through standard forming processes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables effective and prolonged cold storage and release, reducing the need for additional cooling devices and lowering costs by integrating cold storage and compartment cooling functions within a single heat exchanger, while maintaining efficient heat exchange performance.
Implementation Method 1
refrigerant tubes having therein refrigerant passages and being arranged to provide a clearance therebetween
Implementation Method 2
cooling air passage in which air flows to cool a space to be cooled
Implementation Method 3
cold storage container that is bonded to the refrigerant tube and defines a compartment receiving a cold storage material
Implementation Method 4
cold storage heat exchanger as a single heat exchanger, which can perform cold storage, cooling of a compartment due to a refrigerant tube, and cooling of the compartment due to cold release of a cold storage material
Implementation Method 5
an air-side fin arranged in the cooling air passage and thermally connected to the refrigerant tube
Implementation Method 6
air-side fin arranged in the cooling air passage and thermally connected to the refrigerant tube
Implementation Method 7
The protrusion portions of the cold storage container are bonded to an outer surface of the refrigerant tube
Data Source
AI summary
A cold storage heat exchanger includes multiple refrigerant tubes, a cold storage container, an inner fin, a cooling air passage and an air-side fin. The inner fin is arranged inside of the cold storage container. The cooling air passage, in which air flows to cool a space, is provided to contact a surface of the refrigerant tube on a side opposite to the cold storage container. The air-side fin is arranged in the cooling air passage and thermally connected to the refrigerant tube. The cold storage container includes multiple recess portions bonded to the inner fin, and multiple protrusion portions located on an outer side of the recess portions. The protrusion portions of the cold storage container are bonded to an outer surface of the refrigerant tube.