Heat exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers face challenges in maintaining intended refrigerant passage areas due to manufacturing errors in the insertion depth of heat transfer tubes, leading to inefficient refrigerant circulation and heat exchange performance.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger design includes a header divided into circulation and insertion spaces with a circulation member and an insertion space forming member, which regulates the refrigerant flow and insertion depth, ensuring a consistent refrigerant passage area and reducing the impact of manufacturing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the flow path cross-sectional area is designed to change with insertion depth, then refrigerant circulation can be optimized for different conditions, but manufacturing errors in insertion depth cause the intended flow path area to be unachievable
Solution Approach 1:
The header is segmented into distinct functional zones: a circulation space for refrigerant circulation and an insertion space for heat transfer tube insertion. This segmentation isolates the refrigerant flow path from the insertion depth variations, ensuring that manufacturing errors in tube insertion do not affect the intended flow path cross-sectional area in the circulation space.
Solution Approach 2:
The circulation space acts as an intermediary zone between the refrigerant supply and the heat transfer tubes. By establishing this intermediate circulation region with a defined flow path, the system decouples the refrigerant distribution function from the insertion depth of individual tubes, thereby maintaining consistent refrigerant circulation despite manufacturing tolerances.
2Productivity
If refrigerant circulation amount is increased, then heat exchange performance improves, but refrigerant flow distribution becomes uneven causing some tubes to receive insufficient refrigerant
Solution Approach 1:
The circulation space is designed to create equipotential flow conditions for refrigerant distribution. By providing a common circulation region where refrigerant can equilibrate before being distributed to multiple heat transfer tubes, the system ensures uniform refrigerant supply to all tubes regardless of circulation amount, preventing flow distribution inequalities that would occur with direct high-speed circulation.
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 ensures reliable refrigerant supply to heat transfer tubes, improving heat exchange performance by maintaining intended refrigerant passage areas and optimizing refrigerant circulation, even under varying circulation conditions.
Implementation Method 1
heat exchange with the air flowing outside the multiport flat tubes
Implementation Method 2
heat exchange with the air flowing outside the multiport flat tubes
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger includes: heat transfer tubes aligned with one another; a header connected to end portions of the heat transfer tubes; and fins joined to the heat transfer tubes. When viewed in a longitudinal direction of the header and when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the header is divided into: a circulation space including a first space in which refrigerant flows in a first direction along the longitudinal direction of the header and a second space in which the refrigerant flows in a second direction opposite to the first direction along the longitudinal direction; and an insertion space into which the heat transfer tubes are inserted. The header includes: a circulation division plate that divides the first space from the second space; and an insertion space forming plate that divides the circulation space from the insertion space.