Condenser Modulator Tank Layout to Reduce Thickness and Thermal Damage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional condensers face challenges in reducing thickness while maintaining refrigerant filling characteristics and preventing thermal damage to modulator tanks, especially when the upper-grill opening is removed, leading to high-temperature air heating the horizontal modulator tank and potentially reversing refrigerant flow.
Innovation Solution
The condenser design incorporates a first modulator tank along the side of the header tank and a second modulator tank at the lower end of the core part, with a communicating space that guides liquid-phase refrigerant to a supercooling portion, and a connection part between the communicating space and introduction passage is positioned lower than the connection part between the communicating space and the second modulator tank, enhancing gas-liquid separation and preventing thermal damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a conventional vertical modulator tank is used, then the refrigerant storage capacity is ensured, but the condenser thickness increases due to dead space around the core part
Solution Approach 1:
The modulator tank is repositioned from a vertical orientation along the side of the header tank to a horizontal orientation at the lower end of the core part. This dimensional change allows the modulator tank to utilize space that would otherwise be dead space, reducing the overall condenser thickness while maintaining refrigerant storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The modulator tank is divided into two separate tanks: a first modulator tank communicating with the header tank and a second modulator tank communicating with the first modulator tank. This segmentation allows for optimized spatial arrangement and improved gas-liquid separation performance while reducing condenser thickness
2Length of stationary object
If the upper-grill opening is removed to reduce mounting space, then the grill height is reduced, but high-temperature air accumulates and causes thermal damage to the modulator tank
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful high-temperature air that accumulates when the upper-grill opening is removed is converted into a beneficial positioning strategy. By placing the second modulator tank at the lower end of the core part where it is shielded from high-temperature air, the design transforms the thermal environment constraint into an opportunity for optimized component placement that prevents thermal damage
Solution Approach 2:
The modulator function is segmented across two tanks positioned at different locations: the first modulator tank near the header and the second modulator tank at the lower end. This segmentation allows the second tank to be positioned in a thermally favorable location protected from high-temperature air, preventing thermal damage while maintaining modulator functionality
3Manufacturing precision
If the connection part between communicating space and introduction passage is positioned lower, then gas-liquid separation performance is improved, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The connection part between the communicating space and introduction passage is positioned at a lower level, creating a gravitational potential difference that naturally facilitates gas-liquid separation. Liquid refrigerant flows downward to the lower connection part while gas rises upward, utilizing gravity and buoyancy forces to improve separation performance without complex mechanical components
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 configuration ensures refrigerant filling characteristics comparable to conventional condensers while reducing the condenser's thickness and preventing thermal damage, improving gas-liquid separation performance and maintaining the condenser's performance even when high-temperature air is present.
Implementation Method 1
The core part is formed by stacking tubes, in which a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle flows, and exchanges heat between the refrigerant and an external fluid flowing outside the tubes
Implementation Method 2
The first modulator tank and the second modulator tank separate the refrigerant flowing into the modulator tanks into gas and liquid
Implementation Method 3
The core part has a supercooling portion that supercools the liquid-phase refrigerant by exchanging heat between the liquid-phase refrigerant and the external fluid
Data Source
AI summary
A condenser has a core part having tubes, a first modulator tank and a second modulator tank. The first modulator tank is provided along a side portion of a header tank. The second modulator tank communicates with an interior of the first modulator tank and is provided along a lower edge of the core part in a gravity direction. An interior of the header tank is provided with a communicating space that communicates with the interior of the first modulator tank and an interior of the second modulator tank. The header tank has an introduction passage that guides liquid-phase refrigerant in the communicating space to a supercooling portion of the core part. A first connection part between the communicating space and the introduction passage is disposed on a lower side, in the gravity direction, of a second connection part between the communicating space and the second modulator tank.