Heat Exchanger Flow Layout for Balanced Refrigerant Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing heat exchangers in air-conditioning devices face challenges in optimizing refrigerant flow paths, leading to degraded heat exchange performance when switching between cooling and heating operations, due to limitations in selecting refrigerant flow paths that result in uneven flow-path lengths and refrigerant distribution inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
The air-conditioning device incorporates a heat exchanger design with heat-transfer pipes arranged in intersecting rows, featuring converging refrigerant flow paths from gas-side inlets positioned off-center, allowing for equal flow path lengths and optimal refrigerant distribution during both cooling and heating operations, while maintaining efficient heat exchange performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If refrigerant flow paths converge at an intermediate position or use counterflow layout, then heat exchange efficiency improves for one operation mode, but freedom of selecting refrigerant flow paths decreases and refrigerant distribution becomes unbalanced when switching between cooling and heating operations
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple independent flow path systems (first system and second system) with different inlet positions. Each system can operate independently, allowing the refrigerant to be distributed to different inlet positions depending on whether cooling or heating operation is required, thus maintaining high heat exchange efficiency in both modes.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger is designed with dual functionality to serve both cooling and heating operations efficiently. By providing multiple inlet positions and corresponding flow path systems, the same heat exchanger can achieve optimal heat exchange performance in both cooling mode (using first inlet position) and heating mode (using second inlet position), making it universally applicable to both operation modes.
2Temperature
If flow paths converge at intermediate position to improve liquid side heat transfer, then heat transfer coefficient improves, but pressure loss increases on gas side
Solution Approach 1:
Different flow path configurations are provided for different operational requirements. The first flow path system is optimized for cooling operation with convergence at intermediate position to enhance liquid side heat transfer, while the second flow path system is optimized for heating operation with different inlet positioning to balance pressure loss, allowing each system to have optimal local characteristics for its specific operation mode.
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 enhances heat exchange performance by ensuring balanced refrigerant distribution and flow-path resistance, improving the overall efficiency of the air-conditioning device during both cooling and heating operations.
Implementation Method 1
heat-transfer pipes, through which a refrigerant flows, and that performs heat exchange with air
Implementation Method 2
a refrigerant flows, and that performs heat exchange with air
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger includes a refrigerant flow path into which a gas refrigerant flows from two gas-side inlets in the second row, that are positioned off from each other. Refrigerant flow paths from the two gas-side inlets converge in the one end portion. The refrigerant flow path connects to a heat-transfer pipe in the first row from the second row. The refrigerant flow path includes a refrigerant flow path which is formed in a range from the same stage as one of the gas-side inlets of the second row to the same stage as the other of the gas-side inlets of the second row, while being arranged along both ways between the one end portion and the other end portion in the first row, and the refrigerant flow path extends to a liquid-side outlet.