Condenser Undercooling Block with Integrated Internal Heat Exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air conditioning circuits for motor vehicles with phase-change refrigerants face challenges in integrating an internal heat exchanger due to space constraints and potential leak sources, making it difficult to achieve efficient subcooling and heat exchange.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an internal exchanger within the second heat exchange block of the condenser to facilitate heat exchange between high and low-pressure refrigerant fluids, eliminating the need for additional ducts and connections, and allowing for supplementary subcooling if necessary, while maintaining a bottle for filtration and dehydration between the blocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If an internal heat exchanger is integrated into the condenser structure, then space requirements are reduced and leak risks are minimized, but the structural complexity of the condenser increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal heat exchanger is merged with the second heat exchange block, integrating two functions (heat exchange and subcooling) into a single structural unit. This eliminates the need for separate external heat exchanger components and their connecting ducts, thereby reducing overall space requirements while minimizing potential leak sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal heat exchanger is nested within the second heat exchange block structure. The high-pressure refrigerant channel and low-pressure refrigerant channel are arranged concentrically or adjacently within the same block, allowing one component to be housed within another, thus reducing the overall volume occupied by the system.
2Productivity
If an internal heat exchanger is added to the air conditioning circuit, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but the number of connections and potential leak sources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The internal heat exchanger utilizes the existing refrigerant flow path within the condenser blocks, merging the heat exchange function with the existing subcooling process. This integration eliminates the need for additional external connections and fittings, thereby maintaining high heat exchange efficiency while reducing the number of potential leak sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The internal heat exchanger uses the refrigerant already present in the system, allowing the refrigerant to serve dual purposes: first as it passes through the first heat exchange block for condensation, then again as it passes through the internal heat exchanger in the second block for additional heat exchange. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate refrigerant lines and connections.
3Device complexity
If the second heat exchange block is used for both subcooling and internal heat exchange, then component quantity is reduced, but the thermal load on the block increases
Solution Approach 1:
The second heat exchange block is designed with differentiated local zones: one region dedicated to subcooling the condensed refrigerant using the cooling fluid circuit, and another region (the internal heat exchanger) dedicated to heat exchange between high-pressure and low-pressure refrigerant. This local differentiation allows each zone to optimize its thermal function without overwhelming the entire block.
Solution Approach 2:
The second heat exchange block is segmented into functional sections: a subcooling section that receives refrigerant from the first block and cools it, and an internal heat exchange section that facilitates heat transfer between high-pressure and low-pressure refrigerant streams. This segmentation allows the thermal load to be distributed across distinct functional zones within the same physical block.
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 reduces space requirements, minimizes leak risks, and enhances cooling efficiency by integrating the internal exchanger within the existing structure, allowing for effective subcooling and heat exchange without additional components.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchange block (12) for ensuring the cooling of a refrigerant until its condensation by means of a cooling fluid
Implementation Method 2
a second heat exchange block (14) for ensuring the subcooling of the condensed refrigerant from the first heat exchange block by means of a cooling fluid
Implementation Method 3
the second block incorporates an internal exchanger to ensure heat exchange between the condensed and subcooled refrigerant fluid, called 'high pressure refrigerant fluid ', and the same refrigerant fluid when expanded, called 'low pressure refrigerant'
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
A condenser (10) comprises a first heat exchange block (12), for cooling a refrigerant down to its condensation point by means of a coolant, and a second heat exchange block (14), for undercooling the refrigerant by means of a coolant. The second block (14) incorporates an internal heat exchanger (34) for exchanging heat between the condensed and undercooled refrigerant, called the "high-pressure refrigerant", and the same refrigerant once expanded, called the "low-pressure refrigerant". Application to motor vehicles.