CN111699351A

CN111699351A - Heat exchanger, heat exchange module, and refrigeration cycle device

Info

Publication number: CN111699351A
Application number: CN201880089054.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 小野寺亚由美; 畠田崇史; 高山司; 是泽亮辅
Original assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corp
Current assignee: Toshiba Carrier Corp
Priority date: 2018-03-27
Filing date: 2018-03-27
Publication date: 2020-09-22
Also published as: JP6963098B2; JPWO2019186674A1; WO2019186674A1

Abstract

A heat exchanger, a heat exchange module and an air conditioner are provided, which can distribute refrigerant more equally to a plurality of heat exchange tubes in parallel. The heat exchanger (31) is provided with a pair of headers (32, 33) arranged substantially in parallel; a plurality of flat tubes (35) which are arranged in the direction in which the pair of headers (32, 33) extend, are arranged between the pair of headers (32, 33), and circulate the refrigerant between the upstream-side header (32) and the downstream-side header (33); and an upstream side joint (37) for making the refrigerant flow into the upstream side header (32). The upstream side joint (37) has a front end opening (45) provided at the front end and at least one side surface opening (46) provided on the side surface of the upstream side joint (37) and facing the inner wall surface (32c) of the upstream side header (32). An angle (theta) formed by an opening direction (Z2) of the side surface opening (46) of the upstream side joint (37) and a line segment (L) orthogonal to the header is less than 45 degrees. The opening area of the side opening (46) is larger than the opening area of the front end opening (45).

Description

Heat exchanger, heat exchange module, and refrigeration cycle device

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a heat exchanger, a heat exchange module, and a refrigeration cycle device.

Background

A heat exchanger including a pair of headers and a plurality of heat exchange tubes connected to the headers in parallel with each other is known.

A joint connecting one of the headers to the refrigerant inflow tube is inserted into the header on the side opposite to the side where the heat exchange tubes are connected. The front end of the joint is plugged. The joint has a plurality of refrigerant flow holes at a distal end thereof, the refrigerant flow holes opening in a direction perpendicular to a refrigerant flow direction.

Prior art documents:

patent documents:

patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-183847

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In the conventional heat exchanger, the refrigerant flow hole is provided only in the circumferential direction of the joint inserted into the header. The refrigerant circulation hole distributes refrigerant to the plurality of heat exchange tubes.

However, in the conventional heat exchanger, the refrigerant distribution amount to the heat exchange tubes far from the insertion position of the joint is small, while the refrigerant distribution amount to the heat exchange tubes near the insertion position of the joint is large. In other words, in the conventional heat exchanger, there is room for improvement in terms of uniformizing the distribution amount of the refrigerant distributed to the plurality of heat exchange tubes.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a heat exchanger, a heat exchange module, and a refrigeration cycle apparatus capable of more equally distributing refrigerant to a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in parallel.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a pair of headers arranged substantially in parallel; a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in the extending direction of the pair of headers, arranged between the pair of headers, and configured to circulate a refrigerant between one of the headers and the other header; and a joint provided on a side surface of the one header, the joint allowing the refrigerant to flow into the one header or allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the one header. The joint has: a front end opening extending toward the heat exchange tube and provided at a front end of the joint; and at least one side opening provided on a side surface of the joint and facing an inner wall surface of the one header. An angle formed by an extending direction of a line segment passing through a center of the side opening and a line segment orthogonal to the header with respect to a center line of an extending direction of the joint is less than 45 degrees. The opening area of the side opening is larger than that of the front end opening.

In order to solve the above problem, a heat exchanger module according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of the heat exchangers and a relay pipe connecting the plurality of the heat exchangers in series. The total opening area of the side openings and the front end openings of the heat exchanger on the downstream side is larger than the total opening area of the side openings and the front end openings of the heat exchanger on the upstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

In order to solve the above problem, a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a compressor; a condenser; an expansion device; an evaporator having the heat exchanger or the module; and a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device, and the evaporator to allow the refrigerant to flow therethrough.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a partial sectional view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a partial sectional view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a partial sectional view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the distribution of the refrigerant in the heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view of another example of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view of another example of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of another example of the air conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a heat exchanger module of an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of a heat exchanger, a heat exchange module, and a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 12. In the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Fig. 1 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of an air conditioner as a refrigeration cycle apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, an air conditioner 1 of the present embodiment includes an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3.

The indoor unit 2 includes an indoor unit casing 11, an indoor heat exchanger 12 housed in the indoor unit casing 11, and an indoor fan 13 housed in the indoor unit casing 11 and generating a flow of air passing through the indoor heat exchanger 12.

The indoor fan 13 includes a fan 13a and a power source, for example, a motor 13b, for driving the fan 13 a. When the fan 13a is driven, indoor air is sucked into the indoor unit 2 and blown out of the indoor unit 2 through the indoor heat exchanger 12.

The outdoor unit 3 includes an outdoor unit casing 15, a compressor 16 housed in the outdoor unit casing 15, a four-way valve 17 housed in the outdoor unit casing 15, an outdoor heat exchanger 18 housed in the outdoor unit casing 15, a throttle mechanism 19 serving as an expansion device (expansion device), and an outdoor blower 21 housed in the outdoor unit casing 15 and generating a flow of air passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

The throttle mechanism 19 is, for example, a Pulse Motor Valve (PMV) or a capillary tube.

The outdoor fan 21 includes a propeller fan 21a and a power source, for example, a motor 21b, for driving the propeller fan 21 a. When the propeller fan 21a is driven, outdoor air is sucked into the outdoor unit 3, passes through the outdoor heat exchanger 18, and is blown out of the outdoor unit 3.

The air conditioner 1 further includes a refrigerant pipe 23 for connecting the compressor 16, the four-way valve 17, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the throttle mechanism 19, and the indoor heat exchanger 12 to circulate the refrigerant.

The compressor 16, the four-way valve 17, the outdoor heat exchanger 18, the throttle mechanism 19, and the indoor heat exchanger 12 are connected to the refrigerant pipe 23 in this order.

The refrigerant pipe 23 includes: a first refrigerant pipe 23a connecting the discharge port 16a of the compressor 16 to the four-way valve 17, a second refrigerant pipe 23b connecting the four-way valve 17 to the suction port 16b of the compressor 16, a third refrigerant pipe 23c connecting the four-way valve 17 to the outdoor heat exchanger 18, a fourth refrigerant pipe 23d connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 18 to the expansion mechanism 19, a fifth refrigerant pipe 23e connecting the expansion mechanism 19 to the first pipe connecting portion 25a of the outdoor unit 3, a sixth refrigerant pipe 23f connecting the first pipe connecting portion 25a of the outdoor unit 3 to the second pipe connecting portion 25b of the indoor unit 2, a seventh refrigerant pipe 23g connecting the second pipe connecting portion 25b of the indoor unit 2 to the indoor heat exchanger 12, an eighth refrigerant pipe 23h connecting the indoor heat exchanger 12 to the third pipe connecting portion 25c of the indoor unit 2, and a refrigerant pipe 23b connecting the outdoor heat exchanger 12 to the indoor unit 2, A ninth refrigerant pipe 23i for connecting the third pipe connection portion 25c of the indoor unit 2 to the fourth pipe connection portion 25d of the outdoor unit 3, and a tenth refrigerant pipe 23j for connecting the fourth pipe connection portion 25d of the outdoor unit 3 to the four-way valve 17.

The sixth refrigerant pipe 23f and the ninth refrigerant pipe 23i supply the refrigerant to and from the outdoor unit 3 and the indoor units 2.

Each of the first pipe connection portion 25a and the fourth pipe connection portion 25d also serves as a joint corresponding to an inlet and an outlet of the refrigerant pipe 23 on the outdoor unit 3 side, i.e., the first refrigerant pipe 23a, the second refrigerant pipe 23b, the third refrigerant pipe 23c, the fourth refrigerant pipe 23d, the fifth refrigerant pipe 23e, and the tenth refrigerant pipe 23 j.

Each of the second pipe connection portion 25b and the third pipe connection portion 25c also serves as a joint corresponding to an inlet and an outlet of the seventh refrigerant pipe 23g and the eighth refrigerant pipe 23h serving as the refrigerant pipe 23 on the indoor unit 2 side.

The air conditioner further includes a control unit 27 electrically connected to the four-way valve 17 via a signal line (not shown) 1.

The control unit 27 includes a central processing unit (not shown), and a storage unit (not shown) that stores various calculation programs, parameters, and the like executed by the central processing unit. The control unit 27 reads various control programs from the auxiliary storage device into the main storage device, and the central processing unit executes the various control programs read into the main storage device.

The control unit 27 controls the four-way valve 17 based on an operation input to a remote controller (not shown) to switch between a cooling operation (a flow of refrigerant shown by a broken line in fig. 1) and a heating operation (a flow of refrigerant shown by a solid line in fig. 1) of the air conditioner 1.

In the cooling operation, the air conditioner 1 discharges a compressed high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant from the compressor 16, and sends the refrigerant to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 via the four-way valve 17. The outdoor heat exchanger 18 exchanges heat between outdoor air and the refrigerant, cools the refrigerant, and turns the refrigerant into a high-pressure liquid state. That is, the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as a condenser. The refrigerant having passed through the outdoor heat exchanger 18 is decompressed by the throttle mechanism 19, becomes a low-pressure liquid refrigerant, and reaches the indoor heat exchanger 12. The indoor heat exchanger 12 exchanges heat between indoor air and a liquid refrigerant, cools air blown into an indoor space, and evaporates the refrigerant to change from a gas-liquid two-phase state to a gas state. That is, the indoor heat exchanger 12 functions as an evaporator. The refrigerant having passed through the indoor heat exchanger 12 is sucked into the compressor 16 and returned.

On the other hand, in the heating operation, the air conditioner 1 reverses the four-way valve 17 to generate a flow of the refrigerant in the refrigeration cycle in a direction opposite to the flow of the refrigerant in the cooling operation. That is, the indoor heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser, and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 functions as an evaporator.

The air conditioner 1 may not include the four-way valve 17 and may be dedicated for cooling. In this case, the discharge port 16a of the compressor 16 is directly connected to the outdoor heat exchanger 18 via the refrigerant pipe 23, and the suction port 16b of the compressor 16 is directly connected to the indoor heat exchanger 12 via the refrigerant pipe 23. The indoor heat exchanger 12 always functions as an evaporator.

In the case of the air conditioner 1 capable of cooling and heating, the directions of the flows of the refrigerant in the indoor heat exchanger 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 are reversed (reversed) between the cooling operation and the heating operation. Therefore, the indoor heat exchanger 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 18 that function as evaporators will be hereinafter simply referred to as the heat exchanger 31. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the heat exchanger 31 functioning as an evaporator is explained.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment has a rectangular plate-like appearance.

The air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 31 flows in the front-back direction of the paper surface in fig. 2 and in the direction of the solid arrow FL in fig. 3. In other words, the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 31 flows in the front-rear direction through the plate-shaped heat exchanger 31. The direction in which the air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 31 flows is referred to as an air flow direction FL of the heat exchanger 31 or a ventilation direction FL of the heat exchanger 31.

The heat exchanger 31 includes: a pair of

headers

32, 33 arranged substantially in parallel; a plurality of flat tubes 35 as heat exchange tubes, the flat tubes 35 being arranged in the extending direction (the direction of the solid arrow X in fig. 2) of the pair of

headers

32, 33, and being bridged between the pair of

headers

32, 33, for circulating the refrigerant between the upstream-side header 32 and the downstream-side header 33; corrugated fins 36 provided between the adjacent flat tubes 35; an upstream side joint 37 for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the upstream side header 32; and a downstream side joint 38 for flowing the refrigerant out of the downstream side header 33.

The heat exchanger 31 branches the refrigerant flowing into the upstream header 32 from the upstream joint 37 into the plurality of flat tubes 35, merges the refrigerant, which has exchanged heat through the flat tubes 35, into the downstream header 33, and flows out from the downstream header 33 to the downstream joint 38.

The difference between the upstream side of the flow of the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 31 and the downstream side of the flow of the refrigerant follows the flow of the refrigerant when the heat exchanger 31 functions as an evaporator. Therefore, if the flow of the refrigerant when the heat exchanger 31 functions as a condenser is followed, the difference between the upstream side of the flow of the refrigerant and the downstream side of the flow of the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 31 is reversed. Therefore, the upstream header 32 may be referred to as "one header 32", the downstream header 33 may be referred to as "the other header 33", the upstream joint 37 may be simply referred to as "the joint 37", "the first joint 37", or "the one joint 37", and the downstream joint 38 may be referred to as "the second joint 38", or "the other joint 38".

The

headers

32, 33, the flat tubes 35, the corrugated fins 36, the upstream side joint 37, and the downstream side joint 38 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The

headers

32, 33, the flat tubes 35, the corrugated fins 36, and the downstream side joint 38 are integrated by brazing. The

headers

32, 33, the flat tubes 35, the corrugated fins 36, and the downstream side joint 38 may be joined by a method other than brazing.

Each of the

headers

32, 33 is a straight pipe having a circular cross section (annular cross section). The upstream header 32 is disposed at a position corresponding to one of the 4 sides of the heat exchanger 31. The downstream header 33 is disposed at a position corresponding to the side of the heat exchanger 31 that faces the side at which the upstream header 32 is disposed.

End portions

32a, 32b, 33a, and 33b of the

respective headers

32 and 33 are provided with end caps 39 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. End caps 39 close off each end of the

headers

32, 33. Each end cap 39 is brazed to a

header

32, 33.

In the heat exchanger 31, the second end 32b of the upstream header 32 and the second end 33b of the downstream header 33 are preferably disposed above the first end 32a of the upstream header 32 and the first end 33a of the downstream header 33.

The plurality of flat tubes 35 are straight tubes having a flat, rounded rectangular cross-sectional shape. The plurality of flat tubes 35 are arranged at substantially equal intervals in the extending direction X of the

headers

32, 33. The plurality of flat tubes 35 are substantially orthogonal to the

headers

32, 33. The end portions of the plurality of flat tubes 35 are inserted into and fixed to the

headers

32 and 33.

Each flat tube 35 has a flat rounded rectangular cross-sectional shape extending in the air flow direction FL of the heat exchanger 31. The short sides of the cross-sectional shape of the flat tubes 35 extend in the direction in which the plurality of flat tubes 35 are aligned, i.e., the extending direction X of the

headers

32, 33. The long side of the cross-sectional shape of the flat tube 35 extends in the direction penetrating the heat exchanger 31. The pair of adjacent flat tubes 35 face each other with a wide surface on which the long side of the cross-sectional shape is located.

Each flat tube 35 has a plurality of refrigerant flow paths 35a arranged in the air flow direction FL of the heat exchanger 31, which is a direction penetrating the heat exchanger 31. The plurality of refrigerant flow paths 35a extend substantially in parallel. The flat tubes 35 are generally manufactured by extrusion molding of aluminum.

Each of the corrugated fins 36 is an aluminum thin plate having mountain fold portions and valley fold portions alternately. Each of the corrugated fins 36 is a thin plate that is continuous and V-shaped and moves at a distance separating the pair of adjacent flat tubes 35. Each corrugated fin 36 is sandwiched between adjacent flat tubes 35. That is, the folds of the corrugated fins 36 are in contact with the wide surfaces of the flat tubes 35.

The heat exchanger 31 includes a pair of side plates 41. The pair of side plates 41 is made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The pair of side plates 41 are disposed at positions corresponding to two sides of the heat exchanger 31 that are different from the sides where the pair of

headers

32 and 33 are located and face each other. That is, the heat exchanger 31 has a rectangular plate shape described by the pair of

headers

32, 33 facing each other and the pair of side plates 41 facing each other. Each side plate 41 is brazed to the corrugated fins 36 disposed at the outer edge of the heat exchanger 31.

The upstream-side joint 37 is a straight pipe having a circular cross section (annular cross section). The upstream-side joint 37 is connected to the side surface of the upstream header 32 from the opposite side of the flat tube 35. That is, the upstream side joint 37 is connected to the upstream side header 32 from the side opposite to the side where the flat tubes 35 are arranged. The upstream side joint 37 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 23 of the air conditioner 1.

The downstream side joint 38 is a straight pipe having a circular cross section (annular cross section). The downstream-side joint 38 is connected to the downstream-side header 33 from the opposite side of the flat tubes 35. That is, the downstream-side joint 38 is connected to the downstream-side header 33 from the side opposite to the side where the flat tubes 35 are arranged. The downstream side joint 38 is connected to the refrigerant pipe 23 of the air conditioner 1. The inner diameter of the downstream joint 38 is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37.

The upstream side joint 37 is connected to the vicinity of the first end 32a of the upstream side header 32, and the downstream side joint 38 is connected to the vicinity of the second end 33b of the downstream side header 33. That is, the upstream side joint 37 and the downstream side joint 38 are disposed near two diagonal corners of the 4 corners of the rectangular heat exchanger 31. In other words, the flat tubes 35 close to the upstream side joint 37 are away from the downstream side joint 38, and the flat tubes 35 far from the upstream side joint 37 are close to the downstream side joint 38.

The upstream side joint 37 is inserted into the upstream side header 32 toward a region between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 or a region between a pair of adjacent flat tubes 35, that is, a region where the corrugated fins 36 are arranged. The upstream-side joint 37 may be inserted into the upstream-side header 32 toward the side plate 41 or the flat tubes 35. The heat exchanger 31 may be provided with a plurality of upstream side joints 37 as shown by two-dot chain lines in fig. 2. The plurality of upstream side joints 37 may be provided in a region between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 and a region between a pair of adjacent flat tubes 35. The plurality of upstream-side joints 37 facilitate uniform distribution of the refrigerant to the flat tubes 35.

The downstream-side joint 38 is inserted into the downstream-side header 33 toward a region between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35, or a region between a pair of adjacent flat tubes 35, that is, a region where the corrugated fins 36 are arranged. The downstream-side joint 38 may be inserted into the downstream-side header 33 toward the side plate 41 or the flat tubes 35.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view orthogonal to the center line of the upstream-side header 32 and passing through the center line of the upstream-side joint 37.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the upstream joint 37 of the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment extends toward the flat tubes 35 when viewed from the X direction, which is the extending direction of the upstream header 32. The upstream side joint 37 has an outer diameter and an inner diameter smaller than the width of the flat tube 35. The front end of the upstream side joint 37 is a projecting end that projects toward the inside of the upstream side header 32. Gaps G are provided between the flat tubes 35 and the upstream-side joint 37 when viewed from the extending direction of the upstream header 32.

The upstream side joint 37 has a front end opening 45 provided at the front end of the upstream side joint 37 and directed in the extending direction Y of the upstream side joint 37, and a side surface opening 46 provided at the side surface of the upstream side joint 37 and directed toward the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream side header 32. The side opening 46 may be one or plural.

The front end opening 45 and the side surface opening 46 allow the refrigerant to flow into the upstream header 32 when the heat exchanger 31 functions as an evaporator (solid arrow f in fig. 4). In other words, the refrigerant flowing through the upstream joint 37 is branched into the front end opening 45 and the side surface opening 46 and flows into the upstream header 32.

The front end opening 45 substantially allows the refrigerant flowing through the upstream joint 37 to travel straight. The opening diameter of the distal end opening 45 is smaller than the inner diameter of the upstream side joint 37. In other words, the front end opening 45 throttles the refrigerant flowing out of the upstream joint 37. The distal end opening 45 may be, for example, a hole (so-called orifice) formed in a plate that closes the distal end of the upstream side joint 37, or a hole formed in a cover that closes the distal end of the upstream side joint 37. The distal end opening 45 may be an open end of the upstream joint 37 that is plastically deformed by a processing method such as diameter reduction to be reduced in diameter. The center of the leading end opening 45 preferably coincides with the center line of the upstream side joint 37.

The side surface opening 46 is provided in a side surface of a portion of the upstream joint 37 disposed in the upstream header 32. The side surface opening 46 faces a direction orthogonal to the flow direction of the refrigerant in the upstream joint 37. An extension of a line segment passing through the center of the side opening 46 reaches the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream side header 32. The side surface opening 46 changes the traveling direction of the refrigerant flowing through the upstream joint 37, and allows the refrigerant to substantially flow out toward the outside in the radial direction of the upstream joint 37.

The opening area of the side opening 46 is larger than the opening area of the front end opening 45. The opening shape of the side opening 46 and the opening shape of the distal end opening 45 are circular, but may be non-circular such as triangular or quadrangular. The side opening 46 and the tip opening 45 may be holes having the same diameter, but may be conical holes. The non-circular holes have a refrigerant spraying effect, promote mixing of the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant, and equalize the distribution amount of the refrigerant supplied to the plurality of flat tubes. The conical holes increase the flow velocity of the refrigerant to promote mixing of the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant, thereby equalizing the distribution amount of the refrigerant supplied to the plurality of flat tubes.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view through the center line of the upstream header 32 and the center line of the upstream joint 37.

As shown in fig. 6, the flat tubes 35, the side plates 41, and the upstream side joint 37 of the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment extend in substantially parallel directions.

The upstream side joint 37 has an outer diameter dimension and an inner diameter dimension larger than the height dimension of the flat tube 35.

The upstream side joint 37 extends toward the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream side header 32 between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 or between a pair of adjacent flat tubes 35. Therefore, the front end opening 45 faces the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream-side header 32 between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 or between the adjacent pair of flat tubes 35. The upstream side joint 37 preferably extends toward an intermediate position between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 or between an adjacent pair of flat tubes 35. Thus, the front end opening 45 preferably faces an intermediate position between the side plate 41 and the flat tube 35 or between an adjacent pair of flat tubes 35. In other words, the distance separating the upstream side joint 37 from the side plate 41 and the distance separating the upstream side joint 37 from the flat tubes 35 are preferably substantially equal. That is, the distance separating the front end opening 45 from the side plate 41 and the distance separating the front end opening 45 from the flat tubes 35 are preferably substantially equal.

The upstream side joint 37 may extend toward the side plate 41 or the flat tube 35. Thus, the front end opening 45 may face the side plate 41 or the flat tube 35. In this case, the upstream side joint 37 is disposed on an extension line of the side plate 41 or the flat tube 35 in the extending direction.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along line VII-VII of fig. 6.

As shown in fig. 7, the side opening 46 of the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment allows the refrigerant in the upstream joint 37 to flow out in a direction perpendicular to the center line of the upstream header 32, for example. The side openings 46 are provided substantially symmetrically with respect to the center line of the upstream header 32.

It is preferable that the center line Z1 of the upstream joint 37 in the extending direction and the extending direction Z2 of a line segment passing through the center of the side opening 46 (i.e., the opening direction Z2 of the side opening 46) coincide with a direction orthogonal to the center line H of the upstream header 32, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The opening direction Z2 of the side opening 46 may also be inclined within a range of less than ± 45 degrees with respect to a line segment L orthogonal to the center line H of the upstream-side header 32. Therefore, the angle θ formed by the opening direction Z2 of the side opening 46 and the line segment L perpendicular to the center line H of the upstream header 32 with respect to the center line Z1 in the extending direction of the upstream joint 37 may be set to be less than 45 degrees. Fig. 7 shows a case where the angle θ is 0 degree.

The opening direction Z2 of the side opening 46 is defined such that, with reference to a line segment L passing through the center line Z1 of the upstream joint 37 and orthogonal to the center line H of the upstream header 32, the direction toward the second end 32b of the upstream header 32, i.e., the end farther from the upstream joint 37, is positive, and the direction toward the first end 32a of the upstream header 32, i.e., the end closer to the upstream joint 37, is negative. The opening direction of the side openings 46 is preferably in the positive direction.

As shown in fig. 7, when the upstream joint 37 has a plurality of side openings 46, the plurality of side openings 46 are disposed in a range of an angle θ < 45 degrees.

Further, the upstream side joint 37 may also have a second side opening having a smaller opening area than the side opening 46. The angle θ of the second side opening may be smaller than 45 degrees, and the angle θ may be larger than 45 degrees.

The heat exchanger 31 shown in fig. 8 has 8 flat tubes 35. The 8 flat tubes 35 are referred to as a 1 st-stage flat tube 35a, a 2 nd-stage flat tube 35b, a 3 rd-stage flat tube 35c, a 4 th-stage flat tube 35d, a 5 th-stage flat tube 35e, a 6 th-stage flat tube 35f, a 7 th-stage flat tube 35g, and an 8 th-stage flat tube 35h from the side close to the upstream-side joint 37. The heat exchanger 31 shown in fig. 8 includes an upstream joint 37 inserted into the upstream header 32 between the 1 st-stage flat tube 35a and the 2 nd-stage flat tube 35 b.

The distal end opening 45 of the upstream-side joint 37 causes the refrigerant to flow toward the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 between the 1 st-stage flat tube 35a and the 2 nd-stage flat tube 35b (solid arrow F1 in the figure). On the other hand, the side surface opening 46 of the upstream joint 37 allows the refrigerant to flow in a direction perpendicular to the center line of the upstream header 32. The refrigerant that flows out from the front end opening 45 and the side surface opening 46 and collides with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 is in a state in which a gas component and a liquid component are mixed, and changes direction toward the center line of the upstream header 32 (solid arrow F2 in the figure).

However, the liquid refrigerant having a large mass falls under the upstream-side header 32 (the first end portion 32a) due to the influence of gravity. Further, when the side openings 46 are directed to the range of the angle θ of 45 degrees or more, the distance from the side openings 46 to the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 becomes longer than the range of the angle θ < 45 degrees, and the distribution amount of the refrigerant to the flat tubes 35 in the upper stage (for example, the 5 th to 8 th flat tubes 35e to 35h) decreases.

However, in the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment, the refrigerant flowing into the upstream side header 32 from the front end opening 45 and the side surface opening 46 collides with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream side header 32 at an early stage, and the mixing of the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant is promoted, and the refrigerant reaches the upper-stage flat tubes 35 in a larger amount by the surface tension in the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream side header 32, so that the refrigerant distribution amount is increased. In fig. 8, the distribution of the refrigerant to the 8 flat tubes 35 is represented by the difference in the length of the solid arrows extending from the flat tubes 35. The example of the solid arrows shows the distribution of the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 31 provided with the upstream-side joint 37, and the upstream-side joint 37 has one side opening 46 and one front opening 45 facing the windward direction of the heat exchanger 31. The broken-line arrows extending from the flat tubes 35 are comparative examples of the distribution of the refrigerant in the conventional heat exchanger including the upstream-side joint having only one side opening 46 facing the windward direction of the heat exchanger 31 and no tip opening 45.

In the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment, the refrigerant flowing into the upstream header 32 from the distal end opening 45 can collide with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 at an early stage, and the refrigerant can be prevented from being retained in the flat tubes 35 near the upstream joint 37 or in the upper surface (portion in the upstream header 32) of the side plate 41. The stagnation of the refrigerant reduces the distribution amount of the refrigerant to the flat tubes 35, and therefore the prevention of the stagnation improves the distribution amount of the refrigerant to the flat tubes 35.

Next, another example of the heat exchanger 31 of the present embodiment will be described. In the

heat exchangers

31A and 31B described in the respective examples, the same components as those of the heat exchanger 31 shown in fig. 1 to 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 9 is a partial sectional view of another example of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a sectional view orthogonal to the center line of the upstream-side header 32 and passing through the center line of the upstream-side joint 37.

As shown in fig. 9, the heat exchanger 31A of the present embodiment is provided with only one side opening 46A, and the refrigerant is caused to flow out to the region a on the upstream header 32 side when viewed in the X direction, which is the extending direction of the upstream header 32.

The one region a is preferably an upwind side (upstream side, starting end side of solid arrow FL) in the air flow direction FL of the heat exchanger 31.

Fig. 10 is a partial sectional view of another example of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 is a sectional view orthogonal to the center line of the upstream-side header 32 and passing through the center line of the upstream-side joint 37.

As shown in fig. 10, the heat exchanger 31B of the present embodiment includes a protrusion 49 provided on the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 and protruding toward the side surface opening 46 and the distal end opening 45, respectively.

The projection 49 may be formed by plastically deforming the upstream header 32, or may be formed by fixing a separate member to the upstream header 32. The protrusion 49 is provided on the surface directly opposite the side surface opening 46, that is, at the intersection of the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 and a line segment connecting the center of the upstream joint 37 and the center of the side surface opening 46. The projection 49 is provided on the opposite surface of the distal end opening 45, that is, at the intersection of the center line of the upstream joint 37 and the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32.

The protrusion 49 preferably has a curved surface in a chevron shape so that the gas phase and the liquid phase of the refrigerant flowing out from the front end opening 45 or the side opening 46 and colliding with the protrusion 49 can be efficiently mixed.

The projection 49 disposed on the extension line of the distal end opening 45 of the upstream joint 37 stirs the flow of the refrigerant (liquid refrigerant, gas refrigerant) from the distal end opening 45 toward the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 (solid arrow F1). The projection 49 disposed on the extension of the side opening 46 stirs the flow of the refrigerant (liquid refrigerant, gas refrigerant) from the side opening 46 toward the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 (solid arrow F1). The refrigerant after stirring is uniformly distributed by each flat tube 35.

In the heat exchanger 31 of each of the above embodiments, the upstream side joint 37 has been described as extending toward the flat tubes 35 when viewed from the X direction, which is the extending direction of the upstream side header 32, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the upstream joint 37 may extend in a direction perpendicular to the flat tubes 35 when viewed from the X direction, which is the extending direction of the upstream header 32, or may be oriented in any direction.

The heat exchanger 31 is not limited to the corrugated fins 36, and may include plate-like fins.

Next, another example of the air conditioner 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the air conditioner 1A described in each example, the same components as those of the

heat exchangers

31, 31A, and 31B shown in fig. 1 to 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 11, the air conditioner 1A of the present embodiment includes a heat exchanger module 51 in place of the indoor heat exchanger 12 functioning as an evaporator or the heat exchanger 31 functioning as the outdoor heat exchanger 18.

As shown in fig. 11 and 12, the heat exchanger module 51 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of, for example, two heat exchangers 31a and 31b connected in series, and at least one relay pipe 53 connecting the plurality of heat exchangers 31a and 31b in series.

The heat exchanger module 51 may include three or more heat exchangers 31 connected in series. In this case, the relay pipe 53 is provided for each adjacent pair of heat exchangers 31.

The relay pipe 53 may be formed by extending the downstream side joint 38 of the upstream side heat exchanger 31a, or may be formed by extending the upstream side joint 37 of the downstream side heat exchanger 31 b.

In the upstream heat exchanger 31a when the heat exchanger module 51 functions as an evaporator, the refrigerant flowing into the upstream header 32 from the upstream joint 37 is branched into the plurality of flat tubes 35, the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the flat tubes 35 is merged in the downstream header 33, and the refrigerant flows out from the downstream header 33 to the downstream joint 38. Next, the heat exchanger module 51 causes the refrigerant to flow from the downstream side joint 38 of the upstream side heat exchanger 31a to the upstream side joint 37 of the downstream side heat exchanger 31b through the relay pipe 53. The downstream heat exchanger 31b of the heat exchanger module 51 branches the refrigerant flowing into the upstream header 32 from the upstream joint 37 into the plurality of flat tubes 35, merges the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the flat tubes 35 into the downstream header 33, and flows out from the downstream header 33 to the downstream joint 38.

In the flow direction of the refrigerant (the direction of the solid line arrow in fig. 12), the total opening area of the side surface opening 46 and the front end opening 45 of the downstream heat exchanger 31b is larger than the total opening area of the side surface opening 46 and the front end opening 45 of the upstream heat exchanger 31 a. The upstream joint 37 of the downstream heat exchanger 31b may have the same configuration as the upstream joint 37 of the upstream heat exchanger 31a, may have only one of the side opening 46 and the distal end opening 45, and may have any opening direction of the side opening 46. However, in this case, the total opening area is preferably larger than the total opening area of the side opening 46 and the front end opening 45 of the upstream heat exchanger 31 a.

Further, the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37 of the downstream heat exchanger 31b is larger than the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37 of the upstream heat exchanger 31a in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

In each of the heat exchangers 31 (heat exchangers 31a and 31b), the downstream joint 38 has an inner diameter equal to or larger than that of the upstream joint 37 provided in the same heat exchanger 31.

The

heat exchangers

31, 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1, 1A of the present embodiment configured as described above have the distal end opening 45 provided at the distal end of the upstream joint 37 and facing the extending direction Y of the upstream joint 37, and at least one side surface opening 46 provided at the side surface of the upstream joint 37 and facing the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32, the angle θ formed by the opening direction Z2 of the side surface opening 46 and the line segment L orthogonal to the center line H of the upstream header 32 is smaller than 45 degrees, and the opening area of the side surface opening 46 is larger than the opening area of the distal end opening 45. Therefore, the

heat exchangers

31 and 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A can disperse the main flow of the refrigerant by colliding with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 using the side openings 46, thereby suppressing phase separation of the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant in the upstream header 32, and making the distribution amounts of the refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes 35 uniform. The

heat exchangers

31 and 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A can prevent the liquid refrigerant from stagnating in the flat tubes 35 near the upstream-side joint 37 due to the refrigerant flowing out of the front-end opening 45, suppress phase separation between the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant in the upstream-side header 32, and equalize the distribution amounts of the refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes 35.

The

heat exchangers

31, 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1, 1A of the present embodiment have the tip openings 45 facing the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream-side header 32 between the pair of adjacent flat tubes 35. Therefore, the

heat exchangers

31 and 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A can more reliably prevent the liquid refrigerant from stagnating in the flat tubes 35 near the upstream side joint 37 due to the refrigerant flowing out from the front end opening 45, suppress phase separation between the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant in the upstream side header 32, and equalize the distribution amounts of the refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes 35.

The

heat exchangers

31 and 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A of the present embodiment have a plurality of side openings 46. Therefore, the

heat exchangers

31 and 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A can reduce the pressure loss in the refrigerant flow path, and efficiently collide the refrigerant against the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 to disperse the refrigerant, thereby making the distribution amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the flat tubes 35 more uniform.

The heat exchanger 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A of the present embodiment have the side opening 46 through which the refrigerant flows out to the upstream side region a of the upstream side header 32. In other words, the heat exchanger 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A cause the refrigerant to collide with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32 on the upstream side where the heat source temperature difference is large. Therefore, the heat exchanger 31A, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A are positioned on the windward side of the flat tubes 35, and the refrigerant can be actively caused to flow into the refrigerant flow path 35a having a large amount of heat transfer work, thereby increasing the amount of heat exchange of the refrigerant.

The heat exchanger 31B, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A of the present embodiment are provided with protrusions 49 that are provided on the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream-side header 32 and protrude toward the side opening 46 and the distal end opening 45, respectively. Therefore, the heat exchanger 31B, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1 and 1A can further promote the stirring of the liquid refrigerant and the gas refrigerant that collide with the inner wall surface 32c of the upstream header 32, and further uniformize the distribution amounts of the refrigerant supplied to the flat tubes 35.

In the heat exchanger module 51 and the air conditioner 1A according to the present embodiment, the total opening area of the upstream joint 37 of the downstream heat exchanger 31b is larger than the total opening area of the side opening 46 and the front end opening 45 of the upstream joint 37 of the upstream heat exchanger 31A. Therefore, the heat exchanger module 51 and the air conditioner 1A according to the present embodiment can suppress excessive increases in pressure loss in the heat exchangers 31A and 31b, and can equalize the refrigerant distribution to the flat tubes 35 by the side openings 46 and the front end openings 45.

In the heat exchanger module 51 and the air conditioner 1A according to the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the downstream joint 38 is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37 provided in the same heat exchanger 31, and the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37 of the downstream heat exchanger 31b is larger than the inner diameter of the upstream joint 37 of the upstream heat exchanger 31A. Therefore, excessive increases in pressure loss in the heat exchangers 31a and 31b can be suppressed, and the refrigerant distribution to the flat tubes 35 based on the side openings 46 and the front end openings 45 can be made more uniform.

Therefore, according to the

heat exchangers

31, 31A, 31B, the heat exchanger module 51, and the air conditioners 1, 1A of the present embodiment, the refrigerant can be distributed more evenly to the plurality of flat tubes 35 in parallel.

While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These new embodiments can be implemented in other various ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent thereof.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 1a … air conditioner, 2 … indoor unit, 3 … outdoor unit, 11 … indoor unit casing, 12 … indoor heat exchanger, 13 … indoor blower, 13a … fan, 13b … motor, 15 … outdoor unit casing, 16 … compressor, 16a … discharge port, 16b … suction port, 17 … four-way valve, 18 … outdoor heat exchanger, 19 … throttling mechanism, 21 … outdoor blower, 21a … propeller fan, 21b … motor, 23 … refrigerant piping, 23a … first refrigerant piping, 23b … second refrigerant piping, 23c … third refrigerant piping, 23d … fourth refrigerant piping, 23e … fifth refrigerant piping, 23f … sixth refrigerant piping, 23g … seventh refrigerant, 23h … eighth refrigerant piping, 23i … ninth refrigerant piping, 23j … tenth refrigerant, 25a … first piping connection portion, 25B … second pipe connection portion, 25c … third pipe connection portion, 25d … fourth pipe connection portion, 27 … control portion, 31A, 31B … heat exchanger, 31A … upstream side heat exchanger, 31B … downstream side heat exchanger, 32 … upstream side header, 32a … first end portion, 32B … second end portion, 32c … inner wall surface, 33 … downstream side header, 33a … first end portion, 33B … second end portion, 35 … flat tube, 35a … refrigerant flow path, 36 … corrugated fin, 37 … upstream side joint, 38 … downstream side joint, 39 … end cap, 41 … side plate, 45 … front end opening, 46a … side opening, 48 … second side opening, 49 … protrusion portion, 51 … heat exchanger module, 53 … relay pipe.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger is provided with:

a pair of headers arranged substantially in parallel;

a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in the extending direction of the pair of headers, arranged between the pair of headers, and configured to circulate a refrigerant between one of the headers and the other header; and

a joint provided on a side surface of the one header for allowing the refrigerant to flow into the one header or allowing the refrigerant to flow out of the one header,

the joint has a tip opening provided at a tip end and at least one side opening provided on a side surface of the joint and facing an inner wall surface of the one header,

an angle formed by an extending direction of a line segment passing through a center of the side opening and a line segment orthogonal to the header with respect to a center line of an extending direction of the joint is less than 45 degrees,

the opening area of the side opening is larger than that of the front end opening.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1,

the joint extends toward the heat exchange tubes with a gap provided between the heat exchange tubes and the joint as viewed from the extending direction of the header,

the front end opening faces an inner wall surface of the one header between the adjacent pair of the heat exchange tubes.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2,

the connector has a plurality of the side openings.

4. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

the number of the side openings is only one, and the refrigerant is caused to flow out to a region on the windward side of the header when viewed from the extending direction of the header.

5. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the heat exchanger includes a protrusion provided on an inner wall surface of the one header and protruding toward the side surface opening and the distal end opening.

6. A heat exchanger module comprising a plurality of heat exchangers according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a relay pipe connecting the plurality of heat exchangers in series,

the total opening area of the side openings and the front end openings of the heat exchanger on the downstream side is larger than the total opening area of the side openings and the front end openings of the heat exchanger on the upstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

7. The heat exchanger module of claim 7,

the heat exchanger includes a second joint that causes the refrigerant to flow into the other of the headers or causes the refrigerant to flow out of the other of the headers,

the inner diameter of the second joint is equal to or larger than the inner diameter of the joint of the same heat exchanger,

the joint of the heat exchanger on the downstream side has an inner diameter dimension larger than an inner diameter dimension of the joint of the heat exchanger on the upstream side in the flow direction of the refrigerant.

8. A refrigeration cycle device is provided with:

a compressor;

a condenser;

an expansion device;

an evaporator having the heat exchanger of any one of claims 1 to 5 or the heat exchanger module of any one of claims 6 to 7; and

and a refrigerant pipe connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion device, and the evaporator to allow the refrigerant to flow therethrough.