Flat Tube Heat Exchanger for High-Pressure CO2 Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional CO2 heat exchange devices face challenges with high manufacturing complexity, material waste, and poor heat exchange performance due to large wall thicknesses and uneven fluid distribution, especially in high-pressure refrigerant systems.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange device with a housing and heat exchange core featuring flat tubes and connecting blocks with specific channel configurations and insertion holes, which reduces material thickness, simplifies manufacturing, and enhances pressure resistance and heat exchange efficiency by ensuring uniform fluid distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional CO2 heat exchange devices use large wall thicknesses to bear high pressures, then pressure resistance is improved, but material waste increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin-walled flat tubes instead of conventional large-wall-thickness tubes. The flat tube structure with optimized thin walls achieves sufficient pressure resistance for CO2 high-pressure systems while dramatically reducing material consumption. The thin-walled design is combined with structural reinforcement through the flat tube geometry and connection methods to maintain strength while minimizing material waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining flat tubes with connecting blocks and reinforcement structures. The connection between flat tubes and connecting blocks creates a composite system that distributes stress effectively, allowing thin-walled tubes to withstand high pressures without requiring excessive wall thickness, thus reducing material waste while maintaining pressure resistance.
2Strength
If conventional CO2 heat exchange devices use large wall thicknesses, then pressure resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchange device is segmented into modular components: flat tubes, connecting blocks, and support structures. Each component can be manufactured independently using standardized processes, then assembled together. This segmentation simplifies manufacturing by allowing specialized production of each part and reducing the complexity of manufacturing a single integrated high-pressure component with thick walls.
Solution Approach 2:
The thin-walled flat tubes are designed with standardized dimensions and wall thicknesses that can be produced using conventional thin-walled tube manufacturing processes. This standardization reduces manufacturing complexity compared to custom thick-walled tube fabrication, while the flat tube geometry provides structural reinforcement that compensates for the reduced wall thickness.
3Loss of substance
If conventional liquid-air heat exchange devices use thin wall thicknesses, then material usage is reduced, but heat exchange performance deteriorates due to uneven fluid distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The flat tube structure provides enhanced local heat transfer characteristics. The flat geometry increases the surface area in contact with the heat exchange medium, improving local heat transfer efficiency. Additionally, the connection blocks are designed with specific channel configurations that ensure uniform fluid distribution to each flat tube, addressing the uneven distribution problem while maintaining thin wall thicknesses for reduced material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional circular tubes to flat tubes, changing the geometric dimensionality. The flat tube configuration increases the surface area-to-volume ratio and improves heat transfer surface contact with the heat exchange medium. This dimensional change enhances heat exchange performance per unit material, allowing thin-walled construction without sacrificing heat transfer efficiency.
4Strength
If conventional finned-tube type devices are used, then pressure resistance is improved, but material waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flat tubes in the patent are designed with optimized thin wall thicknesses that eliminate the need for excessive material usage while maintaining sufficient pressure resistance. The flat geometry provides structural rigidity that compensates for the reduced wall thickness, allowing the device to withstand CO2 operating pressures without requiring the thick-walled construction of conventional finned-tube heat exchangers, thus reducing material waste.
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 device achieves simplified manufacturing, reduced material usage, improved pressure resistance, and enhanced heat exchange performance, making it suitable for high-pressure refrigerant systems while minimizing material waste and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchange core includes at least one flat tube, at least a part of the first fluid channel is located in the flat tube
Implementation Method 2
the conventional CO2 microchannel heat exchange device exchanges heat through forced convection between the refrigerant and the air
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchange device includes a housing having an opening on one side, and a heat exchange core body. The heat exchange device also includes a connection block provided with a first channel, a second channel, a first interface, and a second interface. The connection block is also provided with a first socket of the first channel, and a first socket of the second channel. The heat exchange core body includes at least one flat tube. At least one part of one end of the flat tube extends into the first socket of the first channel and is mounted in a sealed manner with the first socket of the first channel, and at least one part of the other end of the flat tube extends into the first socket of the second channel and is mounted in a sealed manner with the first socket of the second channel.