Heat Exchanger Liquid Tank Structure for Stable Gas-Liquid Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid tank structures of heat exchangers face issues where condensed refrigerant, due to its hard fall, remixes gas and liquid, leading to inefficient separation and increased refrigerant consumption, causing environmental problems.
Innovation Solution
A liquid tank structure with a sloshing suppression member is introduced between the inlet and outlet ports to prevent the disturbance of the refrigerant surface, ensuring better separation of gas and liquid, thereby reducing the amount of refrigerant sent to the undercooling part.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the liquid tank structure allows condensed refrigerant to fall freely for separation, then gas and liquid can be separated, but the enclosed capacity of refrigerant increases too much, increasing consumption amount
Solution Approach 1:
The sloshing suppression member serves as an intermediary that improves gas-liquid separation efficiency without requiring increased refrigerant enclosed capacity. By controlling the flow path and suppressing liquid surface disturbance, it achieves effective separation with optimized refrigerant quantity, reducing overall consumption.
2Quantity of substance
If the condensed refrigerant is discharged without sufficient separation due to liquid surface disturbance, then the system operates with less refrigerant, but gas is mixed with liquid causing inefficient undercooling
Solution Approach 1:
The sloshing suppression member acts as a mediator that ensures sufficient gas-liquid separation before discharge, preventing gas from mixing with liquid. This maintains reliable undercooling performance while allowing optimized refrigerant charge quantity, avoiding the need for excessive refrigerant to compensate for poor separation.
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
The sloshing suppression member effectively calms the refrigerant surface, ensuring proper separation of gas and liquid, reducing the necessary refrigerant charge and minimizing environmental impact by optimizing refrigerant usage.
Implementation Method 1
a sloshing suppression member arranged in the liquid tank between the inlet port and the outlet port, the sloshing suppression member allowing the condensed refrigerant to pass through the sloshing suppression member and suppressing a sloshing of the condensed refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
the inlet portion 101 of the condensed refrigerant is located at a position higher than that of the outlet portion 102 in order to separates its gas and liquid
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
In a liquid tank structure of a heat exchanger, a liquid tank 4 is attached to a heat exchanger having a heat exchanger core defining a condensation part AC and an under cooling part BC, and a pair of headers 1 and 2 each having an inlet part R1, R2 connected with the condensation part AC and an outlet part R3, R4. The condensed refrigerant from the inlet part R2 flows in the liquid tank 4 through an inlet port 1a of an inlet-port side connecting pipe 4a connected with the inlet part R2 of one header 2 of the pair of header. The condensed refrigerant Q accumulated in a bottom portion of the liquid tank 4 is discharged to the outlet part R3 through an outlet port b1 of an outlet-port side connecting pipe 4b connected with the outlet part R3 at a position under an inlet port a1. A sloshing suppression member 11, for suppressing a sloshing of the condensed refrigerant Q accumulated in the bottom portion of the liquid tank 4, has a passing-through ability of the condensed refrigerant and is provided in an inner space of the liquid tank 4 between the inlet port a1 and the outlet port b1.