Vehicle Air Conditioner Parallel Coolant Path Heat Exchangers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional vehicle air conditioners face limitations in heating performance and coolant pressure loss due to the series coupling of condensers and evaporators, which restricts downsizing and enhances heat exchange efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The vehicle air conditioner design includes a coolant path with branching and joining portions, allowing coolant to flow through first and second water-refrigerant heat exchangers in parallel, reducing pressure loss and enhancing heating capacity by utilizing a compressor-driven refrigerant cycle that transfers heat effectively between the coolant and refrigerant.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the condenser and evaporator are coupled in series in the coolant path, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but coolant pressure loss increases and component downsizing is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The coolant path is divided into multiple parallel branches, with the condenser and evaporator arranged in separate parallel paths between the branching portion and joining portion. This segmentation allows coolant to flow through multiple routes simultaneously, reducing pressure loss while maintaining heat exchange efficiency through distributed heat transfer across parallel heat exchangers.
2Loss of energy
If the condenser and evaporator are coupled in series, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but the size of components must be increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a one-dimensional series arrangement to a two-dimensional parallel network arrangement of heat exchangers. By organizing condenser and evaporator units in parallel branches within the coolant path, the system achieves enhanced heat exchange efficiency through increased surface area utilization without requiring proportional increases in overall component volume or footprint.
3Power
If a heat pump is added to heat the coolant, then heating performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pump system is designed to serve multiple functions: it can heat the coolant during cold conditions, provide cooling during hot conditions, and potentially operate in reverse cycle modes. This multi-functionality allows a single integrated system to replace what would otherwise require separate heating and cooling systems, improving heating performance while managing overall device complexity through functional consolidation.
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 configuration improves heating power while reducing coolant pressure loss, enabling efficient heating and cooling performance without increasing the size of components, thus overcoming the limitations of conventional systems.
Implementation Method 1
The first water-refrigerant heat exchange is disposed in the coolant path and the refrigerant path, and causes the refrigerant to vaporize, by performing a thermal exchange between the coolant and a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant
Implementation Method 2
The second water-refrigerant heat exchanger is disposed in the coolant path and the refrigerant path, and condenses the refrigerant by performing a thermal exchange between the coolant and a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant
Implementation Method 3
The compressor is disposed in the refrigerant path, and compresses the refrigerant
Implementation Method 4
The heater core is disposed in the coolant path, and heats air to be blown into an interior of the vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle air conditioner includes: a coolant-path coupled with a cooling-portion of a heat-generating component of a vehicle, for circulating a coolant; and a refrigerant-path for circulating a refrigerant. The conditioner further includes: a first water-refrigerant heat exchanger for vaporizing the refrigerant by thermal-exchange between the coolant and a low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant; a second water-refrigerant heat exchanger for condensing the refrigerant by a thermal-exchange between the coolant and a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant; and a heater core for heating air to be blown into the vehicle's interior. The coolant-path includes: a branching-portion for causing a coolant's flow to branch off; a joining-portion for causing the branched flows to join; and first and second parts that branch off at the branching-portion and join at the joining-portion. The first and second water-refrigerant heat exchangers are disposed in the first and second parts of the coolant-path, respectively.