Heat Exchanger Pipe Arrangement for Reversible Air Conditioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers used in reversible air conditioning systems for electric vehicles are not optimized for both heating and cooling modes, leading to inefficiencies and mechanical stress on the compressor due to uneven refrigerant flow and pressure drops.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger assembly with a specific arrangement of pipes and manifolds that allows the refrigerant to flow from bottom to top in both heating and cooling modes, optimizing fluid circulation and reducing pressure drops while maintaining thermal performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the heat exchanger uses conventional single-mode optimization, then the exchange surface is fully utilized in cooling mode, but the internal pressure drop becomes excessive in heating mode causing mechanical stress on the compressor
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into two distinct passes: a upper pass and a lower pass. The refrigerant flow path is segmented to flow through the lower pass first, then the upper pass, allowing different flow regimes and heat transfer characteristics in each pass. This segmentation enables optimization for both heating and cooling modes simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the flow direction parameter from the conventional top-to-bottom flow to a bottom-to-top flow through two passes. This parameter change modifies the pressure drop characteristics and two-phase flow distribution, reducing excessive pressure drops in heating mode while maintaining full exchange surface utilization in cooling 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 arrangement improves the uniformity of fluid flow, enhances thermal performance in heating mode, and minimizes degradation in cooling mode, reducing energy consumption and mechanical stress on the compressor.
Implementation Method 1
the refrigerant fluid heats up and evaporates
Implementation Method 2
the gas being lighter than the liquid, it tends to rise relative to the liquid
Implementation Method 3
heat exchanger capable of operating with a reversible air conditioning circuit intended, in particular, to heat or cool the passenger compartment
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an assembly including a heat exchanger (12) and a mounting (70) on which said exchanger (12) is mounted, said exchanger (12) including a first channel (52) for circulating a coolant supplied by a first collector (50) provided with a first pipe (51) in which the coolant can circulate, and a second channel (54) for circulating the coolant supplied by a second collector (55) provided with a second pipe (56) in which the coolant can circulate, the first and second channels (52, 54) defining a heat-exchange surface (58) that extends in a substantially vertical plane. According to the invention, the first pipe (51) is located in the lower half of the first collector (50) along a first axis (80) parallel to the plane of the heat-exchange surface (58), the second pipe (56) being located above the first pipe (51) along the first axis (80). The invention further relates to an air-conditioning loop including the above-described assembly.