Cold-Storage Evaporator Layout That Preserves Cooling Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing evaporator with a cool storage function for car air conditioners experiences a drop in cooling performance when the effective core area is maintained constant, as the number of refrigerant flow tube sections decreases, leading to inadequate cooling capacity during engine stoppage.
Innovation Solution
The evaporator design includes flat refrigerant flow tube sections with air-passing clearances that contain cool storage material containers and fins, where the containers are connected and have convex portions projecting to join with the flow tube sections, maintaining the effective core area while allowing efficient cool storage and air passage, and a communication member for simplified charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cool storage material containers are added to the evaporator, then cool storage function is improved, but the number of refrigerant flow tube sections decreases and cooling performance drops
Solution Approach 1:
The evaporator is segmented into multiple regions with different configurations: some air-passing clearances contain cool storage material containers while others contain fins. This segmentation allows the system to simultaneously provide cool storage functionality and maintain adequate cooling performance through the fin-containing regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Different air-passing clearances are assigned different functions based on local requirements: certain clearances are dedicated to cool storage (containing containers) while others are dedicated to heat exchange (containing fins). This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by ensuring that cool storage and cooling performance are both addressed in different locations within the same evaporator structure.
2Quantity of substance
If cool storage material containers are disposed in air-passing clearances, then cool storage capacity increases, but air-passage resistance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air-passing clearances are segmented into different functional zones: some clearances contain cool storage material containers while others contain fins. This segmentation ensures that air passage resistance is not excessively increased throughout the entire evaporator, as the fin-containing clearances provide open pathways for air flow.
Solution Approach 2:
Cool storage material containers are placed in only some of the air-passing clearances rather than all of them. This partial application allows the system to achieve adequate cool storage capacity while leaving other clearances open for air flow, thereby preventing excessive increase in air-passage resistance.
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
This design suppresses the drop in cooling performance by maintaining the number of refrigerant flow tube sections, efficiently storing cool in the containers, and preventing increased air-passage resistance, ensuring effective cooling even when the engine is stopped.
Implementation Method 1
an evaporator with a cool storage function for use in a car air conditioner... imparting a cool storage function to the evaporator has been considered, to thereby enable cooling of a vehicle compartment by making use of cool stored in the evaporator
Implementation Method 2
a low temperature refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant flow tube sections enables storage of cool in the cool storage material within the cool storage material containers
Data Source
AI summary
An evaporator having a plurality of flat refrigerant flow tubes disposed in parallel such that their width direction coincides with an air flow direction and they are spaced from one another. Air-passing clearances are formed between adjacent refrigerant flow tubes. Cool storage material containers filled with a cool storage material are disposed in some of the air-passing clearances, and each cool storage material container is brazed to the refrigerant flow tubes located on opposite sides thereof. Corrugated fins are disposed in the remaining air-passing clearances, and each fin is brazed to the refrigerant flow tubes located on opposite sides thereof. Each cool storage material container includes a plurality of convex portions projecting outward from opposite side surfaces thereof, and projecting ends of the convex portions are joined to the corresponding refrigerant flow tubes.