Heat Exchanger Manifold Assembly With Clamping Plate Flow Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchange apparatuses experience significant pressure drops due to flat tubes occupying a large portion of the flow area in the manifold, reducing the effective flow area and increasing refrigerant pressure loss.
Innovation Solution
A manifold design with a clamping plate and tube member configuration that allows flat tubes to be mounted without deep insertion, utilizing a linear flat plate structure to minimize obstruction, thereby maximizing the effective flow area and reducing pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flat tubes are inserted deeply into the manifold to ensure proper connection and communication, then connection reliability is improved, but the effective flow area of the manifold is reduced, causing refrigerant pressure to decrease significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold is divided into multiple independent connection regions, each with its own clamping plate and clamping slot configuration. This segmentation allows each tube connection to be optimized independently, ensuring reliable connection in each segment while maintaining overall flow area through parallel flow paths.
Solution Approach 2:
A clamping plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the flat tube and the manifold body. The clamping plate with its clamping slots provides a dedicated connection interface that secures the tube without requiring deep insertion into the manifold, thus maintaining the effective flow area while ensuring reliable connection.
2Stability of the object's composition
If flat tubes are inserted deeply into the manifold to ensure proper sealing and connection, then connection stability is improved, but the flow area occupied by tubes increases, leading to greater pressure loss
Solution Approach 1:
The connection function is extracted from the main manifold body and relocated to dedicated clamping plates. This extraction allows the connection mechanism to be separated from the flow path, ensuring stable connections without occupying excessive flow area in the manifold, thereby reducing pressure loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection structure transitions from a deep radial insertion (occupying flow area) to a peripheral clamping arrangement. The clamping slots are positioned at the periphery of the manifold cross-section, allowing tubes to be secured in a dimension that does not significantly impede the central flow path, thus reducing pressure loss while maintaining connection stability.
3Ease of manufacture
If a traditional round manifold structure is used with deep tube insertion, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but the effective flow area is significantly reduced, requiring larger manifold dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The manifold structure is segmented with multiple clamping plates positioned at different locations. Each clamping plate is a simple, standardized component that can be manufactured independently and assembled into the manifold, maintaining manufacturing simplicity while the distributed arrangement preserves effective flow area.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamping plate design serves multiple functions: it provides connection interfaces for tubes, maintains structural integrity of the manifold, and preserves flow area by positioning connections at the periphery. This multi-functionality allows a single standardized component to address multiple requirements without increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention discloses a manifold, a heat exchange apparatus and a manifold manufacturing method, wherein a flow section of the manifold comprises at least one linear side, the linear side being formed by a clamping plate, and another side being formed by a first tube member; sidewalls of the first tube member are provided in a direction parallel to a central axis with a first opening for mounting the clamping plate; a first clamping slot and a second clamping slot are respectively provided at two sides in the first tube member near the first opening; the clamping plate is a linear flat plate structure, and two sides thereof are respectively located inside the first clamping slot and the second clamping slot. An effective flow area inside the manifold can be increased by means of the structural configuration described above, reducing a decrease in pressure of refrigerant after passing through the manifold.