Multi-Path Heat Exchanger Layout to Prevent Refrigerant Stagnation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat exchangers with multiple refrigerant paths experience performance degradation due to gravity's influence, causing refrigerant to flow less easily in lower paths, leading to stagnation and reduced efficiency, especially at low load conditions, which existing designs fail to adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring a plurality of paths where every two paths merge into a single path after passing through at least one column of fin plates, with a controlled difference in height between the highest and lowest paths set to be equal to or less than half the height of the heat exchanger, reducing the impact of gravity and flow resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If multiple refrigerant paths are used to decrease flow resistance, then flow resistance is reduced, but gravity causes refrigerant to flow less easily in lower paths leading to stagnation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies equipotentiality by arranging the refrigerant paths such that the difference in height between the highest and lowest paths is equal to or less than half the height of the heat exchanger. This creates more equal gravitational potential conditions across all paths, allowing refrigerant to flow uniformly through upper and lower paths without stagnation, while maintaining multiple paths to reduce flow resistance.
2Temperature
If paths are arranged in upper and lower positions to exchange heat with air, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but gravity causes pressure difference making lower paths less effective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by optimizing the vertical distribution of heat exchange surfaces in each path. By controlling the height difference between highest and lowest paths to be equal to or less than half the heat exchanger height, each path maintains appropriate local heat exchange capability while minimizing gravitational pressure differences that would otherwise cause uneven refrigerant distribution.
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 effectively reduces the influence of gravity and flow resistance, enhancing the refrigerant flow and heat transfer efficiency across the heat exchanger, preventing stagnation and improving overall refrigeration cycle performance.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanging portion (HE) including a plurality of paths (P) through which a refrigerant flows and a plurality of columns of fin plate that exchange heat between the refrigerant and air
Implementation Method 2
a vapor refrigerant (gas refrigerant) is flown through five paths to a heat exchanger, to allow each path running to-and-fro in the heat exchanger to exchange heat with air flown by a blower so as to be liquefied (condensed)
Implementation Method 3
the refrigerant can flow more easily in the upper path and less easily in the lower path due to gravity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a heat exchanger having a heat exchanging portion HE including a plurality of paths through which a refrigerant flows and a plurality of columns of fin plate that exchange heat between the refrigerant and air, wherein, in a case where the heat exchanging portion functions as a condenser, the refrigerant is flown from a header into the heat exchanging portion HE via the plurality of paths, every two paths of the plurality of paths merge into one single path by branching/merging pipes after the refrigerant has flown through one fin plate, before the refrigerant flows through the other fin plate so as to flow out of the heat exchanging portion HE, wherein a difference in height between the highest path and the lowest path in a vertical direction is set equal to or less than half of a height of the heat exchanging portion HE.