Upward-Blowing Heat Exchanger Layout for Draft-Free Heating
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioners improve heating performance but fail to eliminate the drafty feeling caused by conditioned air directly striking the human body, leading to discomfort.
Innovation Solution
An air conditioner design featuring a heat exchanger with supercritical refrigerant and a fan that blows heated air upward, using a configuration with plate fins and heat transfer tubes arranged to oppose air flow, ensuring temperature difference maintenance and comfortable heating by secondary radiation from the ceiling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conditioned air is blown out downward from above to improve heating performance, then heating efficiency improves, but drafty feeling is produced as conditioned air directly strikes the human body
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional downward air blowing direction and changes it to upward air blowing direction. The air blowing unit is configured to blow conditioned air upward toward the ceiling, allowing the air to naturally descend and circulate through the room, thereby eliminating direct contact with occupants while maintaining heating effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the flow direction parameter of the conditioned air from downward to upward. By controlling the air blowing unit to direct air upward at specific angles, the system transforms the air circulation pattern to achieve both heating performance and comfort requirements.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If conditioned air is blown out upward to eliminate drafty feeling, then comfort improves, but only the upper space becomes warm and heating comfort is not ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension for air circulation by blowing air upward toward the ceiling. This creates a three-dimensional convection current where heated air rises, cools slightly, and then naturally descends along the walls, providing comprehensive temperature distribution throughout the room rather than just localized upper space heating.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of forcing air downward, the system inverts the approach by blowing air upward and relying on natural convection and room geometry to distribute heat throughout the space, including lower areas near occupants.
3Productivity
If refrigerant flow path is extended to improve heat exchange performance, then heating efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger structure serves multiple functions: it acts as both the heat exchange surface and the air blowing path guide. The integrated design allows the refrigerant to flow through tubes while the surrounding fins and structure simultaneously direct air flow, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the refrigerant flow path and air flow path into a single integrated heat exchanger assembly. The refrigerant tubes and fins are configured to create both efficient heat transfer surfaces and directional air flow channels, combining two functions into one structure.
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 solution effectively eliminates drafty feelings by maintaining temperature differences and improving heat exchange performance, ensuring heating comfort without direct air strikes, while also enhancing the coefficient of performance (COP) and preventing evaporation pressure drops.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger that causes heat to be radiated with respect to air from a supercritical refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of the air flow rises as the air flow proceeds from the upstream side to the downstream side
Implementation Method 3
a fan that generates an air flow with respect to the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 4
a heat exchanger that causes heat to be radiated with respect to air from a supercritical refrigerant
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(b)
Figure 3
AI summary
To provide an air conditioner that eliminates discomfort (drafty feeling) that is produced as a result of conditioned air directly striking the human body and ensures heating comfort. An air conditioner (1) includes an indoor heat exchanger (6) that causes heat to be radiated with respect to air from a supercritical refrigerant and a fan (53) that generates an air flow with respect to the indoor heat exchanger (6). In the indoor heat exchanger (6) during heat radiation, the refrigerant is allowed to flow such that the refrigerant moves from a downstream side of the air flow closer to an upstream side thereof, and conditioned air that has been heated by the indoor heat exchanger (6) is blown out upward inside a room and is sucked in from below. The blowout temperature of the conditioned air is 45°C to 55°C, and the blowout velocity of the conditioned air is equal to or less than 2 m/s.