Fin Tube Heat Exchanger With Integrated Headerless Refrigerant Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger manufacturing processes are inefficient due to the need for separate headers, increased production costs, and high brazing defect rates, with difficulties in maintaining consistent tube insertion hole shapes and requiring multiple molds for different sizes.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design that integrates fin tubes with connection parts allowing adjacent tubes to communicate, eliminating the need for separate headers and enabling uniform refrigerant distribution without additional slotting or wire cutting, and allowing for flexible customization without separate molds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate headers are used with slotting processing or wire cutting to form insertion holes, then tube insertion is enabled, but production rate decreases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the header function with the fin tube structure by forming connection parts directly on the fin tubes. This eliminates the need for separate headers and the complex slotting or wire cutting processes, thereby maintaining tube insertion capability while significantly improving production rate and reducing manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the header function from the traditional heat exchanger structure and integrates it directly into the fin tubes through connection parts. This extraction eliminates the need for separate header manufacturing and tube insertion processes, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and productivity.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple molds are used for different heat exchanger sizes, then manufacturing accuracy is maintained, but production efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal fin tube structure with connection parts that can be used across different heat exchanger sizes. The connection parts are formed directly on the fin tubes through a standardized process, allowing the same manufacturing approach to work for various sizes without requiring multiple specialized molds, thus improving production efficiency while maintaining manufacturing precision.
3Ease of manufacture
If blade processing equipment is used for insertion holes, then tube insertion is achieved, but blade abrasion causes shape inconsistency and requires frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the insertion hole formation process from the traditional blade-based slotting or wire cutting methods. Instead, connection parts are formed directly on the fin tubes through a different manufacturing process that does not involve blade abrasion, thereby achieving insertion capability while eliminating shape inconsistency and the need for frequent blade replacement.
4Ease of operation
If traditional header manufacturing is used, then refrigerant distribution is achieved, but additional slotting or wire cutting processes are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the refrigerant distribution function with the fin tube structure itself. Connection parts are formed directly on the fin tubes, eliminating the need for separate headers and the additional slotting or wire cutting processes. This integration maintains refrigerant distribution capability while significantly reducing manufacturing process complexity.
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 improves production speed and cost efficiency by eliminating the need for separate headers and molds, enhancing assemblability and heat exchange performance through uniform refrigerant distribution and reduced manufacturing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the openings of the fin tubes adjacent to each other communicate with each other... allowing refrigerant to be evenly distributed
Implementation Method 2
a fin coupled between the tubes to improve the heat exchange performance... each of the plurality of fin tubes including a fin for heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger comprising multiple arranged fin tubes, each of which comprises a heat transferring fin and multiple tubes integrally formed on a plate, wherein refrigerant flows through the tubes. Each of the fin tubes has a first surface forming the front surface of the fin tube and a second surface forming the rear surface of the fin tube, and has opening part which communicates with at least a side of the multiple tubes and is formed to extend through the first surface and the second surface; and the perimeters of the openings of the fin tubes adjacent to each other may be connected through a connection part such that the openings of the adjacent fin tubes communicate with each other. Therefore, there is an advantage in that refrigerant can be distributed without a separate header.