Heat exchanger shunt
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers experience uneven refrigerant flow to flat pipes due to differences in refrigerant state, leading to inefficiencies in heat exchange, particularly at the upstream side of evaporation where liquid-rich refrigerant flows, causing energy loss and uneven distribution.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger incorporates a partition wall with communication holes of varying sizes in the header pipe, directing refrigerant flow from the non-connection-side space to the connection-side space, and includes a damming plate with an updraft hole to manage refrigerant flow, ensuring even distribution across flat pipes by reducing kinetic energy and flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If refrigerant flows directly from header pipe to flat pipes without flow control, then the structure is simple, but uneven refrigerant distribution occurs causing heat exchange inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The header pipe is segmented into multiple flow control sections, each with its own communication holes and partition walls. This divides the single flow path into multiple controlled paths, enabling even distribution of refrigerant to different flat pipes while maintaining overall system simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
Communication holes and partition walls act as intermediary flow control elements between the header pipe and flat pipes. These intermediaries regulate refrigerant flow distribution without requiring complex valve mechanisms, achieving even flow distribution while keeping the structure relatively simple
2Ease of operation
If communication holes are uniformly sized, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but refrigerant flow remains uneven due to kinetic energy and momentum differences
Solution Approach 1:
Communication holes are designed with different sizes at different locations along the header pipe. This local variation in hole quality compensates for differences in refrigerant kinetic energy and momentum at different positions, achieving uniform flow distribution to all flat pipes
Solution Approach 2:
The size parameter of communication holes is changed along the length of the header pipe. By varying this geometric parameter, the patent optimizes refrigerant flow distribution without requiring complex control mechanisms, balancing manufacturing feasibility with flow uniformity
3Ease of operation
If partition wall is added to create non-connection-side space, then refrigerant flow control is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The header pipe internal space is segmented by partition walls into connection-side and non-connection-side spaces. This segmentation creates distinct flow zones that facilitate better control over refrigerant distribution while using simple geometric divisions rather than complex mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The partition wall introduces a vertical dimension to the flow control mechanism by creating upper and lower spaces. This dimensional approach allows refrigerant to be directed through communication holes at different heights, improving flow control capability without requiring complex lateral control mechanisms
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 configuration ensures even refrigerant flow to all flat pipes, preventing uneven distribution and enhancing heat exchange efficiency, especially during high refrigerant circulation rates, by utilizing the partition wall and damming plate to control flow paths and resistances.
Implementation Method 1
the partition wall includes a plurality of communication holes arranged in a vertical direction, and one communication hole of the communication holes has a smaller opening area than an opening area of another communication hole of the communication holes immediately below the one communication hole
Implementation Method 2
includes a damming plate with an updraft hole to manage refrigerant flow, ensuring even distribution across flat pipes by reducing kinetic energy and flow resistance
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchanger which is constituted by a pair of header pipes and a plurality of flat pipes having a plurality of refrigerant flow paths to execute heat exchange between air flowing in the plurality of flat pipes and refrigerant flowing in the refrigerant flow paths of the flat pipes
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
In a header pipe at an upstream side of evaporation where refrigerant with a large ratio of liquid refrigerant (liquid rich) flows, since a flow distance of the refrigerant from an inlet of a heat exchanger is short, energy lost by pressure loss and a head difference is small and the refrigerant moves upward in the header pipe while kinetic energy of the refrigerant is kept. Accordingly, inertia of outflowing to the flat pipe is large, and uneven flow of the liquid refrigerant occurs at an upper portion of the heat exchange sections with momentum of moving upward in the header pipe, which causes the refrigerant to unevenly flow to the plurality of flat pipes. When a heat exchanger functions as an evaporator, in a refrigerant outflow section 11 from which refrigerant outflows to a plurality of flat pipes 2, a header pipe 3b includes a partition wall 15 which divides a connection-side space 13 of the flat pipes 2 and a non-connection-side space 14 of the flat pipes 2, the partition wall 15 includes a plurality of communication holes 16a, 16b arranged in a vertical direction, and the communication hole 16a is configured to have a smaller opening area than that of the communication hole 16b immediately below the communication hole 16a.