Heat pump heater
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat pump heaters in motor vehicle air conditioning systems face challenges in achieving uniform air temperature distribution across the outlet area due to temperature gradients and uneven refrigerant distribution, leading to irregular heating and reduced heat transfer efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a heat pump heater design featuring a first and second tube row with a bypass duct connecting the inlet and outlet pipes, allowing the liquid phase of the refrigerant to bypass the tubes, thereby increasing the mass flow of the gaseous phase and enhancing heat transfer, which helps in reducing the uneven air temperature distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If refrigerant flows through flat tubes in the heater block, then heat transfer between refrigerant and air occurs, but the refrigerant temperature decreases in the flow direction causing uneven air temperature distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bypass duct that allows refrigerant to flow in reverse direction through part of the heater block. Specifically, refrigerant flows through the first tube row in one direction and through the second tube row in the opposite direction via the bypass duct, thereby inverting the flow direction in the second row to compensate for temperature gradients
Solution Approach 2:
The heater block is segmented into multiple tube rows (first tube row and second tube row) with separate flow paths. The bypass duct creates distinct segmentation in flow routes, allowing different sections of the heater block to be optimized independently for temperature distribution
2Temperature
If multi-row heat pump heater is used to compensate temperature distribution, then air temperature uniformity improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bypass duct merges the outlet of the first tube row with the inlet of the second tube row, creating an integrated flow path that utilizes existing heater block structure. This merging approach achieves multi-row temperature compensation without requiring completely separate heater blocks
Solution Approach 2:
The bypass duct serves multiple functions: it redirects refrigerant flow, compensates for temperature gradients, and utilizes the same heater block structure for both heating and flow redistribution purposes, reducing the need for additional dedicated components
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 uneven distribution of air temperature across the outlet area, improving the heating efficiency and ensuring a more uniform temperature distribution, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the heat pump heater.
Implementation Method 1
Air flowing into the passenger compartment circulates about the flat tubes in the heater block so that air exchanges the heat with the refrigerant in the flat tubes and is heated up
Data Source
AI summary
A heat pump heater for an air conditioning system of a motor vehicle may include a first tube row and a second tube row each including a plurality of flat tubes arranged spaced apart from one another. The first and second tube row may be arranged in parallel to form a tube block. At least some flat tubes of the first tube row may lead into an inlet pipe and at least some flat tubes of the second tube row may lead into an outlet pipe. A refrigerant may be flowable from the inlet pipe via the first tube row and to the outlet pipe via the second tube row. The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe may be fluidically connected to one another via at least one bypass duct such that a liquid phase of the refrigerant is flowable out of the inlet pipe into the outlet pipe.