Heat Exchanger Header Partition for Refrigerant Leak Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers face difficulties in detecting defects at the joint between the header and partition plate, leading to potential refrigerant leakage and compromised heat exchange performance.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring a first header with a partition plate that has a larger surface area than the sectional areas of its components, allowing refrigerant to leak if a defect is present, facilitating easy detection of defective products during production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the partition plate is brazed to the inside of the tanks to partition the tanks into a plurality of blocks, then the refrigerant is prevented from leaking to the outside of the heat exchanger even if a defect is present in the brazed part, but it becomes difficult to detect a defective product and gas refrigerant mixes with two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant deteriorating the heat exchange performance
Solution Approach 1:
A detection tube is introduced as an intermediary element that connects the interior of the heat exchanger blocks to the exterior environment. This tube serves as a mediator that allows refrigerant to escape externally if a defect exists in the brazed partition plate, enabling defect detection without compromising the primary sealing function of the partition plate itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection function is extracted from the partition plate structure itself. Instead of relying on the partition plate to both seal and indicate defects, the sealing function remains with the partition plate while the detection function is separated and implemented through the dedicated detection tube that extends from the block interior to the exterior.
2Reliability
If the partition plate is brazed to the inside of the tanks to partition the tanks into a plurality of blocks, then the refrigerant is prevented from leaking to the outside of the heat exchanger even if a defect is present in the brazed part, but gas refrigerant mixes with two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant deteriorating the heat exchange performance
Solution Approach 1:
The detection tube acts as an intermediary escape route for refrigerant, allowing defective blocks to vent refrigerant externally rather than allowing mixing between blocks. This prevents the contamination of heat exchange cycles with improperly phased refrigerant while maintaining the primary sealing integrity of the partition plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harm of refrigerant leakage through defects is converted into a beneficial detection mechanism. By providing a controlled external escape path through the detection tube, the system transforms what would be a hidden failure mode into a detectable condition that prevents broader system performance deterioration.
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
Enables straightforward identification of defective products by allowing refrigerant leakage, thereby preventing their distribution and maintaining heat exchange efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the partition plate is brazed to the inside of the tanks to partition the tanks into a plurality of blocks
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A heat exchanger includes: a heat exchange element including flat tubes spaced from each other; and a first header in which one end portion of each of the flat tubes is inserted. The first header includes: a first main header portion in which some of the flat tubes are inserted; a first sub-header portion in which others of the flat tubes are inserted such that the number of the flat tubes inserted in the first sub-header portion is smaller than that of the flat tubes inserted in the first main header portion; and a partition plate provided between the first main header portion and the first sub-header portion, and joined to the first main header portion and the first sub-header portion. The partition plate has a surface area that is larger than a sectional area of the first main header portion and a sectional area of the first sub-header portion.