KR102088826B1 - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

The heat exchanger according to the present invention includes a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows, a header in which one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes is coupled to supply refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes, and refrigerant in the direction of refrigerant flow inside the header It characterized in that it comprises a plurality of baffles that interfere with the flow and at least one refrigerant flow hole formed in each baffle and passing a portion of the refrigerant that is blocked by each baffle.

Description

Heat exchanger

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

In general, the heat exchanger may be used as a condenser or evaporator in a refrigeration cycle device comprising a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator.

In addition, heat exchangers are installed in vehicles, refrigerators, and the like to exchange refrigerant with air.

The heat exchanger may be classified into a fin tube type heat exchanger, a micro channel type heat exchanger, etc., depending on the structure.

The heat exchanger may include a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows to exchange heat with external air, an heat transfer fin connecting the plurality of refrigerant tubes to improve heat exchange capability, and a header for supplying refrigerant to the plurality of refrigerant tubes. have.

The refrigerant is a state in which the liquid phase (L) and the gas phase (G) are mixed, and there is a problem in that the gas phase and the liquid phase are unevenly introduced when the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant tube as it flows inside the header.

In particular, when the coolant passes in the horizontal direction of the headers located at the lower portion located in the downward direction, the liquid refrigerant flows along the header to the end of the header due to the influence of gravity and then flows into the refrigerant tube located on the downstream side of the header. Due to this, the refrigerant tube in which a relatively large amount of gas is introduced has a problem in that a liquid deficiency region is generated and heat exchange performance is deteriorated.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger for reducing the reduction in heat exchange performance caused by imbalance of the liquid refrigerant generated during the distribution of refrigerant from the header to each refrigerant tube.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The heat exchanger according to the present invention includes a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows, a header in which one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes is coupled to supply refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes, and refrigerant in the direction of refrigerant flow inside the header It includes a plurality of baffles that interfere with the flow of the at least one refrigerant flow hole is formed in each of the baffle to pass a portion of the refrigerant that is blocked by each baffle.

The plurality of baffles may be arranged with a constant pitch in the direction of the refrigerant.

At least three refrigerant tubes may be positioned between the adjacent baffles.

The baffle may extend upward from the bottom surface of the header.

The area of the baffle may be 30% to 50% of the cross-sectional area of the header.

The area of the refrigerant flow hole may be 0.5% to 20% of the cross-sectional area of the header.

The height of the refrigerant flow hole may be 30% to 70% of the height of the baffle.

A refrigerant supply unit through which the refrigerant is supplied may be further formed at one end of the header.

The area of each refrigerant flow hole may be increased as it is adjacent to the refrigerant supply unit.

The header may extend in the direction of gravity, or may extend in a horizontal direction crossing the direction of gravity.

In addition, the present invention includes a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows, a header in which one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes is coupled to supply refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes, and the flow of refrigerant in the direction of refrigerant flow inside the header It includes a plurality of refrigerant dispersion unit to prevent the, the refrigerant dispersion unit may be formed by protruding at least a portion of the inner surface of the header to the center of the header.

The outdoor heat exchanger of the present invention has one or more of the following effects.

First, it is supplied to a plurality of refrigerant tubes in a uniform ratio or a refrigerant containing a gas phase and a liquid phase, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger and reducing the pressure loss of the refrigerant.

Second, since the distributors arranged at regular intervals in the heat exchanger can be omitted and the refrigerant can be uniformly supplied in a simple configuration, manufacturing cost is reduced and manufacturing is easy.

Third, the present invention has the advantage that when only the baffle is attached, the refrigerant is not evenly distributed, but restricts excessive liquid refrigerant from flowing into the refrigerant tube adjacent to the baffle mounting portion, and can easily respond to various loads. do.

Fourth, the present invention has an advantage that can be used for both a horizontal header in which the header extends in the horizontal direction and a vertical header in which the header extends in the vertical direction.

1 is a view showing a refrigeration cycle device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outside of the outdoor unit shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger illustrated in FIG. 3.
5 is an enlarged view of a header portion shown in FIG. 4.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the other direction of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 3.
7 is a cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a view showing the heat exchanger illustrated in FIG. 7.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will be clarified with reference to embodiments described below in detail together with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be embodied in various different forms, and the present embodiments merely make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the person having the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the scope of the claims. The same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification.

The spatially relative terms “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, etc., are as shown in the figure. It can be used to easily describe the correlation between components and other components. The spatially relative terms should be understood as terms including different directions of components in use or operation in addition to the directions shown in the drawings. For example, when a component shown in the drawing is turned over, a component described as "below" or "beneath" of another component may be placed "above" another component. You can. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can include both the directions below and above. Components can also be oriented in different directions, and thus spatially relative terms can be interpreted according to orientation.

The terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular form also includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the phrase. As used herein, "comprises" and / or "comprising" refers to the components, steps and / or actions mentioned, excluding the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps and / or actions. I never do that.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the present specification may be used as meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. In addition, terms defined in the commonly used dictionary are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless specifically defined.

In the drawings, the thickness or size of each component is exaggerated, omitted, or schematically illustrated for convenience and clarity. In addition, the size and area of each component does not necessarily reflect the actual size or area.

In addition, the angles and directions mentioned in the process of explaining the structure of the embodiment are based on those described in the drawings. In the description of the structure constituting the embodiment in the specification, if the reference point and the positional relationship with respect to the angle is not explicitly mentioned, reference is made to the related drawings.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view illustrating a refrigerating cycle device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the outside of the outdoor unit shown in FIG. 1.

1 to 2, the refrigeration cycle device according to the present embodiment includes a compressor 10 for compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 11 in which the refrigerant is heat exchanged with outdoor air, and an expansion mechanism in which the refrigerant is expanded. 12 and an indoor heat exchanger 13 in which the refrigerant is heat exchanged with indoor air.

The refrigerant compressed in the compressor 10 may be condensed by exchanging heat with outdoor air while passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 11.

The outdoor heat exchanger 11 can be used as a condenser.

The refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger (11) can be expanded by flowing to the expansion mechanism (12). The refrigerant expanded by the expansion mechanism 12 may be evaporated by exchanging heat with indoor air while passing through the indoor heat exchanger 13.

The indoor heat exchanger 12 may be used as an evaporator to evaporate the refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporated from the indoor heat exchanger (12) can be recovered by the compressor (10).

The heat exchanger may include an indoor heat exchanger 12 and an outdoor heat exchanger 11.

The refrigerant is operated in a refrigeration cycle while circulating the compressor 10, the outdoor heat exchanger 11, the expansion mechanism 12, and the indoor heat exchanger 13.

The compressor 10 may be connected to a suction path of the compressor 10 that guides the refrigerant that has passed through the indoor heat exchanger 13 to the compressor 10. The compressor 10 may be provided with an accumulator 14 in which liquid refrigerant is accumulated in the suction passage.

The indoor heat exchanger 13 may be formed with a refrigerant passage through which the refrigerant passes.

The refrigeration cycle device may be a separate air conditioner in which the indoor unit (I) and the outdoor unit (O) are separated, and in this case, the compressor (10) and the outdoor heat exchanger (11) may be installed inside the outdoor unit (I). In addition, the refrigeration cycle device may be a refrigerator, the indoor heat exchanger 13 may be arranged to exchange heat with air in the food storage, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may exchange heat with air outside the food storage. In the case of a refrigerator, the indoor unit (I) and the outdoor unit (O) may be disposed together in the main body.

The expansion mechanism 12 may be installed in either the indoor unit I or the outdoor unit O.

The indoor heat exchanger 13 may be installed inside the indoor unit I.

An outdoor fan 15 for blowing outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may be installed in the outdoor unit O. In addition, a compressor 10 may be installed in the machine room of the outdoor unit O.

An indoor fan 16 for blowing indoor air through the indoor heat exchanger 13 may be installed in the indoor unit I.

In the conventional heat exchange, the refrigerant is in a state in which the liquid phase and the gas phase are mixed, and there is a problem in that the gas phase and the liquid phase are unevenly introduced when the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant tube.

Hereinafter, the heat exchanger 11 of the present invention for solving this problem will be described in detail.

3 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 3.

The heat exchanger 100 is a device in which a refrigerant in a refrigeration cycle exchanges heat with external air. The heat exchanger 100 preferably distributes the refrigerant evenly inside, and preferably has a large heat transfer area.

The heat exchanger 100 may be arranged with a plurality of heats, or the flow direction of the refrigerant in one heat may be alternately changed.

For example, the heat exchanger 100 is The plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 through which the refrigerant flows, one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 are coupled to the inside of the header 70 and header 70 for supplying refrigerant to the interior of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 At least one refrigerant flow hole (91) formed in the plurality of baffles (90) and each baffle (90) that obstructs the flow of the refrigerant in the direction of the refrigerant to pass a portion of the refrigerant that is blocked by each baffle (90). It includes.

The refrigerant tube 50 has a fine inner diameter to maximize the contact area with air while a refrigerant flows therein. A plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 are connected to the header 70. The refrigerant tube 50 extends in a direction crossing the header 70.

Specifically, the refrigerant tube 50 is disposed vertically (longitudinal) (UD) long, and a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 may be stacked in the horizontal (front-rear) direction (FR). As the air passes through the space between the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 stacked in the front-rear direction, the refrigerant heat exchanges with the refrigerant in the refrigerant tube 50. The plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 horizontally stacked together define a heat exchange surface together with a fin 60 to be described later.

Of course, the refrigerant tube 50 extends in the horizontal direction (before and after), and may be stacked in the vertical direction. In this case, the header 70 extends in the vertical direction.

The heat exchanger 100 may further include a fin 60 connecting the refrigerant tube 50 to conduct heat. The fin 60 is formed by bending in the vertical direction, and connects the two refrigerant tubes 50 stacked in the vertical direction to conduct heat.

The header 70 is coupled to one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 to supply refrigerant to the interior of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. In addition, the header 70 may be coupled to one end of the refrigerant tube 50 to collect refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant tube 50 and supply it to other devices.

The header 70 has a larger diameter, inner diameter or size than the refrigerant tube 50, and extends in the front-rear direction.

The header 70 may include a lower header 81 connected to the lower end of the refrigerant tube 50 and an upper header 71 connected to the upper end of the refrigerant tube 50.

The lower header 81 communicates with the lower side of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The lower header 81 is disposed to extend in the longitudinal direction, and is connected to the inlet pipe 22. The inside of the lower header 81 is formed as one space, and the refrigerant introduced through the inlet pipe 22 is distributed and supplied to the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The inlet pipe 22 is an example of a refrigerant supply unit.

The inlet pipe 22 is connected to an area adjacent to the front end F of the lower header 81. Specifically, the front of the lower header 81 becomes the upstream side, and the rear of the lower header 70 becomes the downstream side.

The upper header 71 communicates with the upper side of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The upper header 71 is disposed to extend in the longitudinal direction, and is connected to the outlet pipe 24. The inside of the upper header 71 is formed as one space, and guides the refrigerant discharged above the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 to the outlet pipe 24.

Of course, the refrigerant leaked from the upper header 71 may be supplied to the header 70 of another heat exchanger 100.

In this embodiment, the header 70 is described as extending in the front-rear direction crossing the direction of gravity, but the header 70 may extend in the direction of gravity.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the header 70 shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view cut along another direction of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 3.

4 and 5, the heat exchanger 100 will be described in detail with respect to the baffle 90 and the refrigerant flow hole 91 that prevents the concentration of refrigerant from occurring inside the header 70.

The baffle 90 may have a plurality of structures inside the header 70 that obstruct the flow of the refrigerant in the direction of the refrigerant. Of course, the baffle 90 may be an example of a refrigerant dispersion unit described later.

The baffle 90 may shield a portion of the space inside the header 70 on a cross section crossing the front-rear direction in the interior of the header 70. The baffle 90 shields a part of the inner flow path 8 of the header 70 at a cross section crossing the front-rear direction in the interior of the header 70.

Specifically, when the baffle 90 intersects the front-rear direction, the baffle 90 may include a structure having a constant area in a vertical cross-section. The shape of the baffle 90 is not limited.

More specifically, the baffle 90 may have a plate shape in which the baffle 90 extends upward from the bottom surface 81a of the header 70. The baffle 90 covers the lower region of the header 70 to prevent liquid refrigerant from being drawn downstream of the header 70 through the lower region of the header 70. Accordingly, the baffle 90 preferably has a shape corresponding to the lower region of the header 70 and covering the entire lower region of the header 70.

For example, if the bottom surface 81a of the header 70 is convex downward, the lower portion of the baffle 90 may be convex downward and the upper portion may have a flat semicircle shape. Of course, the baffle 90 may have a rectangular shape.

The baffle 90 may be manufactured integrally with the header 70 or may be manufactured by welding or fitting the header 70. Preferably, a hole is formed in the bottom surface 81a of the header 70, and the baffle 90 may be inserted into the header 70 from the outside to be coupled.

The baffle 90 may extend upward from the bottom surface 81a of the header 70, and one end of the refrigerant tube 50 may extend from the outer top of the header 70 to the inside of the header 70. The lower end of the refrigerant tube 50 is located in the upper region of the header 70, and the upper end of the baffle 90 is spaced apart from the lower end of the refrigerant tube 50 and positioned inside the header 70.

Since the liquid refrigerant is biased to the lower portion of the header 70 under the influence of gravity, it is preferable to limit the flow of the liquid refrigerant by biasing the baffle 90 also to the lower portion.

The area of the baffle 90 is preferably 30% to 50% of the cross-sectional area of the header 70. This means that if the area of the baffle 90 is less than 30% of the cross-sectional area of the header 70, the refrigerant is biased in the downstream direction in the header 70, and the cross-sectional area of the baffle 90 is greater than 50% of the cross-sectional area of the header 70. This is because, if it is large, the resistance increases in the interior of the header 70, hindering the progress of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant is biased upstream of the header 70.

The height H2 of the baffle 90 may be set in consideration of the insertion length L1 of the refrigerant tube 50 and uniform distribution of the refrigerant. The height H2 of the baffle 90 may be 30% to 45% of the height or diameter of the refrigerant tube 50. This means that if the height H2 of the baffle 90 is less than 30% of the height H1 of the header 70, the refrigerant is biased in the downstream direction in the header 70, and the height H2 of the baffle 90 is header. If it is greater than 45% of the height (H1) of (70), the resistance increases in the interior of the header (70), hindering the progress of the refrigerant, and the refrigerant biases upstream of the header (70) and interferes with the refrigerant tube (50). Because this happens.

The height H2 or the area of each baffle 90 may be the same as or different from each other. For example, the area or height of each baffle 90 may be smaller as it is adjacent to the refrigerant supply unit.

The plurality of baffles 90 may be arranged with a constant pitch in the front-rear direction, which is the progress of the refrigerant. Preferably, at least three refrigerant tubes 50 may be positioned between the adjacent baffles 90. At least three refrigerant tubes 50 are positioned between the adjacent baffles 90, and one end of the at least three refrigerant tubes 50 is overlapped in the space between the adjacent baffles 90. Means

When less than three refrigerant tubes are positioned between the adjacent baffles 90, there are problems in that the refrigerant pressure loss increases and the manufacturing cost increases because too many baffles 90 must be disposed.

The baffle 90 is preferably disposed only on the lower header 81, which is highly affected by gravity when dispersing the refrigerant. However, the baffle 90 may be disposed on the lower header 81 and the upper header 71.

When only the baffle 90 is present inside the header 70, there is a problem that the refrigerant is directed to the upstream side of the header 70 and a problem in which proper response is difficult according to each load.

Accordingly, the embodiment may include at least one refrigerant flow hole 91 formed in each baffle 90 and passing a portion of the refrigerant blocked by each baffle 90.

The refrigerant flow hole 91 has a size smaller than that of the baffle 90 to pass a portion of the refrigerant that is blocked by the baffle 90. By adjusting the size or number of the refrigerant flow holes 91, it is possible to distribute the refrigerant evenly, and it is easy to cope with various loads.

One refrigerant flow hole 91 may be provided in each baffle 90, or a plurality of refrigerant flow holes 91 may be provided.

The area of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is preferably 0.5% to 20% of the cross-sectional area of the header 70. Here, the area of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is a value obtained by summing the areas of all the refrigerant flow holes 91 disposed in one baffle 90.

If the area of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is less than 0.5% compared to the cross-sectional area of the header 70, the liquid refrigerant is not solved to be biased upstream by the baffle 90, and the area of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is header This is because, when the cross-sectional area of (70) is greater than 20%, bias of the liquid refrigerant limited by the baffle (90) is achieved through the refrigerant flow hole (91).

The height H3 of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is preferably located at 50% or less of the height H1 of the header 70 because the liquid refrigerant is biased downward by gravity. Specifically, the height H3 of the refrigerant flow hole 91 may be 5% to 70% of the height H2 of the baffle 90.

This means that if the height H3 of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is lower than 5% of the height H2 of the baffle 90, the location of the refrigerant flow hole 91 is close to the bottom surface 81a of the header 70. There is a problem that is difficult to manufacture, and if the height (H3) of the refrigerant flow hole (91) is higher than 70% of the height (H2) of the baffle (90), vapor refrigerant than liquid refrigerant through the refrigerant flow hole (91) This is because the fluid flows and the effect of dispersing the liquid refrigerant is negligible.

It is preferable that the area of each refrigerant flow hole 91 is larger as it is adjacent to the refrigerant supply unit. At this time, it is assumed that the height H2 or the area of each baffle 90 is the same. When the liquid refrigerant is biased upstream of the header 70 by the baffle 90 having the same height or area, the refrigerant flow hole 91 having a larger area is disposed closer to the upstream of the header 70, and the liquid refrigerant And a gas phase refrigerant can be uniformly dispersed.

The height H1 of the header 70 may be greater than the sum of the insertion length L1 of the refrigerant tube 50 and the height H2 of the baffle 90. The height H1 of the header 70 is preferably about 10% larger than the height H1 of the header 70 than the sum of the insertion length L1 of the refrigerant tube 50 and the height H2 of the baffle 90. Do.

7 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a view showing the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 7.

The heat exchanger 100 of another embodiment has a difference in structure and manufacturing method of the baffle 90 compared to the embodiment of FIG. 5. Hereinafter, the difference from FIG. 5 will be described by forgery, and a configuration without a specific description is considered to be the same as that of FIG.

Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the heat exchanger 100 of the embodiment is a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 through which refrigerant flows, one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 is coupled to the inside of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 A header 70 for supplying refrigerant to the furnace, and includes a plurality of refrigerant dispersion units that hinder the flow of refrigerant in the direction of refrigerant flow inside the header 70, and the refrigerant dispersion unit includes at least a portion of the inner surface of the header 70 It may be formed to protrude to the center of the header (70).

The refrigerant dispersion unit may be formed by protruding at least a portion of the inner surface of the header 70 toward the center of the header 70. Accordingly, at least one acid 92 in which the bottom surface 81a of the header 70 protrudes relatively upward and at least one of the bottom surface 81a of the header 70 protrudes relatively downward. One goal 93 may be included.

A plurality of mountains 92 and valleys 93 may be alternately arranged along the anteroposterior direction. The header 70 may have a spiral shape such that the mountain 92 and the valley 93 are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction. At this time, the mountain 92 and the valley 93 may be formed on the entire inner surface of the header 70.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and may be manufactured in various different forms, and having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It will be understood that a person can be practiced in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

10: compressor 12: expansion mechanism
13: indoor heat exchanger 14: accumulator
15: outdoor fan 16: indoor fan
20: outdoor heat exchanger 22: inlet pipe
50: refrigerant tube 60: fin
70: Header 90: Baffle

Claims (12)

A plurality of refrigerant tubes through which the refrigerant flows;
A header that one end of the plurality of refrigerant tubes is coupled to supply refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes;
A plurality of baffles interfering with the flow of refrigerant in the direction of refrigerant flow inside the header; And
And at least one refrigerant flow hole formed in each baffle and passing a portion of the refrigerant blocked by each baffle,
At least three refrigerant tubes are positioned between the adjacent baffles,
The baffle extends upward from the bottom surface of the header,
The area of the baffle is 30% to 50% of the cross-sectional area of the header,
The area of the refrigerant flow hole is 0.5% to 20% of the cross-sectional area of the header,
The height of the refrigerant flow hole is 5% to 70% of the height of the baffle. The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of baffles are heat exchangers arranged with a constant pitch (Pitch) in the direction of the refrigerant. delete delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
A heat exchanger in which one end of the header is further formed with a coolant supply unit through which coolant is supplied. The method according to claim 8,
The heat exchanger, characterized in that the area of each refrigerant flow hole becomes larger as it is adjacent to the refrigerant supply unit. The method according to claim 1,
The header is a heat exchanger extending in the direction of gravity or extending in a horizontal direction crossing the direction of gravity. delete An air conditioner comprising the heat exchanger of claim 1, 2 or 8.

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