CN111801538A

CN111801538A - Heat exchanger unit and air conditioner using the same

Info

Publication number: CN111801538A
Application number: CN201980016272.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 奥村拓也; 丸本一彦; 山本宪昭
Original assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-03-02
Filing date: 2019-02-26
Publication date: 2020-10-20
Also published as: EP3760949B1; EP3760949A4; JP2019152367A; EP3760949A1; WO2019167909A1

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat exchanger unit (100) having a plurality of heat exchangers (1), each of the plurality of heat exchangers (1) comprising: a 1 st pipe (6) into which the refrigerant flows; a 1 st header channel communicating with the outflow side of the 1 st pipe (6); a 2 nd manifold flow path arranged downstream of the 1 st manifold flow path; a plurality of refrigerant flow paths for connecting the 1 st header flow path and the 2 nd header flow path; and a 2 nd pipe (7) communicating with the outflow side of the 2 nd header flow path. In addition, the heat exchanger unit (100) comprises: a 1 st flow rate adjusting unit (81) provided in the 1 st pipe (6) of at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers (1); and a 2 nd flow rate adjusting unit (82) provided in the 2 nd pipe (7) of at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers (1).

Description

Heat exchanger unit and air conditioner using the same

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger unit including a plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel, and an air conditioner using the heat exchanger unit. And more particularly to a heat exchanger unit suitable in the case where the heat exchanger is a plate fin stacked type heat exchanger and an air conditioner using the same.

Background

In general, an air conditioner circulates a refrigerant compressed by a compressor through a heat exchanger such as a condenser or an evaporator, and performs cooling or heating by exchanging heat with air. In addition to the case where one heat exchanger is used alone, a heat exchanger may be used in a plurality of heat exchangers combined to form a heat exchanger group. In this case, it is preferable that the refrigerant flows substantially equally through the heat exchangers, and the heat exchange efficiency of each heat exchanger is substantially the same.

Therefore, in the conventional heat exchanger unit, the refrigerant is branched via the distributor and substantially uniformly supplied to the heat exchangers (see, for example, patent document 1).

Fig. 13 shows a schematic structure of a conventional heat exchanger unit described in patent document 1. The 3 heat exchangers 101 are connected in parallel, and a distributor 102 is provided at a branching portion of the refrigerant. Further, a flow rate adjusting portion 103 is provided between the distributor 102 and the inlet piping portion of the heat exchanger 101 on the downstream side thereof. And, the refrigerant is branched by the distributor 102. The flow rate of the refrigerant is adjusted, that is, the pressure loss (hereinafter, referred to as pressure loss) is adjusted by the flow rate adjusting unit 103, and the refrigerant is supplied to each heat exchanger 101.

With the above configuration, the refrigerant is supplied to the heat exchangers 101 substantially equally.

In the configuration described in patent document 1, the refrigerant branched by the distributor 102 is flow-regulated by the flow regulator 103 and flows into the heat exchangers 101. However, if the pressure loss of the outlet pipe is different, the dryness of the inlet changes between the plurality of heat exchangers 101, the split flow rate varies, and the split flow may not be equally distributed to the plurality of heat exchangers. That is, if the flow rate adjustment, in other words, the pressure loss adjustment is performed by the flow rate adjustment unit 103 at the inlet portion of the heat exchanger, the equalization of the divided flows is improved as compared with the case where the pressure loss adjustment is not performed, but the equalization degree of the divided flows is not sufficient, and there is room for improvement.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent No. 6104893 publication

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a heat exchanger unit which improves the equalization degree when refrigerant is divided into a plurality of heat exchangers and exerts good heat exchange performance, and a high-performance air conditioner using the heat exchanger unit.

Specifically, the heat exchanger unit of the present invention includes a plurality of heat exchangers, wherein each of the plurality of heat exchangers includes: a 1 st pipe into which the refrigerant flows; a 1 st header channel communicating with an outflow side of the 1 st pipe; a 2 nd manifold flow path arranged downstream of the 1 st manifold flow path; a plurality of refrigerant flow paths for connecting the 1 st header flow path and the 2 nd header flow path; and a 2 nd pipe communicating with the outflow side of the 2 nd header flow path. And comprises: a branching unit that branches the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers; a merging section that merges the refrigerants from the 2 nd pipes of the plurality of heat exchangers; a 1 st flow rate adjusting part provided in a 1 st pipe of at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers; and a 2 nd flow rate adjusting part provided in the 2 nd pipe of at least any one of the plurality of heat exchangers.

Thus, by adjusting the flow rate adjusting unit so that the pressure loss on the inlet side and the pressure loss on the outlet side of each heat exchanger become equal, the dryness and the circulation amount of the refrigerant can be equalized and distributed to each heat exchanger. Therefore, the degree of equalization of the refrigerant split flow between the heat exchangers can be improved. That is, the refrigerant can be more reliably equally divided into the heat exchangers, the heat exchange efficiency can be equalized among the plurality of heat exchangers, and the heat exchange performance of the entire heat exchanger unit can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger unit according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger unit of fig. 1 as viewed from below.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a plate fin of a heat exchanger constituting the heat exchanger unit of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of the plate fin of fig. 3 in an enlarged manner.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a refrigerant flow path portion in the heat exchanger of the heat exchanger unit of fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a cross section of a manifold flow path portion of the heat exchanger of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger unit according to embodiment 2 of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a portion shown by a in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a diagram of a refrigeration cycle of an air conditioner according to embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of the air conditioner according to embodiment 3 when viewed from the right side.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of the air conditioner according to embodiment 3 when viewed from above.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an arrangement structure of a heat exchanger of an air conditioner according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a conventional heat exchanger unit.

Detailed Description

(basic knowledge of the invention)

The present inventors have intensively studied about the flow distribution of refrigerant to a plurality of heat exchangers, and as a result, have obtained the following knowledge.

The inventors of the present invention have found, based on experiments performed by the inventors, that in the case of a heat exchanger such as a multi-pass small-diameter heat exchanger in which the pressure loss in the heat exchanger itself is small, the degree of equalization of the refrigerant split flow between the heat exchangers is low. Therefore, some method is needed to improve the equalization degree of the split streams.

One example of the multipass type small-diameter heat exchanger is a plate fin stacked type heat exchanger. In a plate fin stacked heat exchanger, the diameter of a heat transfer flow path between a header at an inlet portion and a header at an outlet portion can be easily reduced, and the number of heat transfer flow paths (the number of passages) can be increased. Therefore, when the heat exchanger is used as an indoor heat exchanger of an air conditioner, a great effect can be obtained.

However, the present inventors have found that, even when a plurality of the plate-fin stacked heat exchangers are connected in parallel and a flow rate adjusting portion is provided on the inlet side of each heat exchanger to adjust the pressure loss of the inlet pipe to be equal between the plurality of heat exchangers, if the lengths of the outlet pipes are not equal and the pressure losses thereof are different among the plurality of heat exchangers, the refrigerant cannot be equally split into the plurality of heat exchangers. The present inventors have made the following investigations regarding the cause thereof. That is, in a multi-pass type small-diameter heat exchanger such as a plate fin stacked heat exchanger, even if flow rate adjustment is performed at the inlet of the heat exchanger, since the internal pressure loss of the heat exchanger itself is very small, the pressure loss generated in the outlet pipe differs among the plurality of heat exchangers, and the dryness of the refrigerant at the inlet of the heat exchanger changes due to the effect of the difference. As a result, the degree of equalization at the time of refrigerant flow division becomes low, and uniform flow division cannot be achieved.

Therefore, even if an attempt is made to improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger by using a plate-fin stacked heat exchanger which is advantageous for the reduction in the diameter of the heat transfer flow path and the increase in the number of heat transfer flow paths (number of passages), the effect of improving the heat exchange efficiency by the reduction in the diameter of the heat transfer flow path and the increase in the number of heat transfer flow paths (number of passages) cannot be fully utilized, and good heat exchange performance cannot be obtained.

Therefore, as described in patent document 1, when a heat exchanger unit in which a plurality of heat exchangers are combined is used as an outdoor unit, the plurality of heat exchangers face different discharge ports, and therefore, there is no problem even if the heat exchange efficiency is slightly different among the plurality of heat exchangers. On the other hand, when a heat exchanger unit in which a plurality of heat exchangers are combined in parallel is used as an indoor unit so as to face one outlet, the heat exchange efficiency between the heat exchangers is different, and the temperature difference of the air after heat exchange is directly caused. Thus causing discomfort to the user. Therefore, it is necessary to further increase the degree of equalization of the split streams to the respective heat exchangers.

Based on the above new findings, the present inventors have made the following disclosure.

A heat exchanger unit according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of heat exchangers, each of the plurality of heat exchangers including: a 1 st pipe into which the refrigerant flows; a 1 st header channel communicating with an outflow side of the 1 st pipe; a 2 nd manifold flow path arranged downstream of the 1 st manifold flow path; a plurality of refrigerant flow paths for connecting the 1 st header flow path and the 2 nd header flow path; and a 2 nd pipe communicating with the outflow side of the 2 nd header flow path. And comprises: a branching unit that branches the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers; a merging section that merges the refrigerants from the 2 nd pipes of the plurality of heat exchangers; a 1 st flow rate adjusting part provided in a 1 st pipe of at least one of the plurality of heat exchangers; and a 2 nd flow rate adjusting part provided in the 2 nd pipe of at least any one of the plurality of heat exchangers.

In a heat exchanger unit according to another aspect of the present invention, each of the plurality of heat exchangers is a plate-fin stacked heat exchanger having a plurality of plate fins, each of the plurality of plate fins is configured by stacking 2 plate-like members, and a plurality of refrigerant flow paths are formed by recessed grooves formed in at least one of the 2 plate-like members, and each of the plurality of heat exchangers has a header region in which at least one of the 1 st header flow path and the 2 nd header flow path is disposed.

This makes it possible to reduce the diameter of the heat transfer channel between the upstream 1 st header channel and the downstream 2 nd header channel and increase the number of passages. Therefore, the heat exchanger itself can be formed with less internal pressure loss. Even when the internal pressure loss of the heat exchanger itself is small, the flow rate adjusting portion can be adjusted so that the pressure loss on the inlet side and the pressure loss on the outlet side between the heat exchangers become equal. Therefore, the dryness and the circulation amount of the refrigerant can be equally distributed to the heat exchangers. This makes it possible to equalize the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchangers and to improve the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit.

In the heat exchanger unit according to another aspect of the present invention, the distributor may be provided in the refrigerant flow dividing portion.

This enables the refrigerant to be distributed substantially equally among the plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel, and the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit can be improved.

In the heat exchanger unit according to another aspect of the present invention, a branch pipe may be provided in the branch portion of the refrigerant, and a throttle pipe having a pipe diameter smaller than the pipe diameter of the inlet of the branch pipe may be provided on the upstream side of the branch pipe.

As a result, the refrigerant passes through the throttle pipe to accelerate the flow velocity of the refrigerant, and the flow of the refrigerant immediately after the throttle pipe acts so as to be an annular flow. Therefore, by flowing the refrigerant into the inlet of the branch pipe, the refrigerant can be split into two flows at substantially the same gas-liquid balance and supplied to the heat exchangers. This makes it possible to substantially equalize the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchangers, and to improve the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit.

An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, and at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit includes the heat exchanger unit described above.

This makes it possible to obtain a high-performance air conditioner having a heat exchanger unit with high heat exchange efficiency and high energy saving performance.

An air conditioner according to an aspect of the present invention includes an indoor unit including: a housing; a heat exchanger unit disposed within the housing; an air passage formed in the housing; and a blow-out port disposed at an outlet of the air passage. The plurality of heat exchangers of the heat exchanger unit are arranged in parallel in the 1 st direction crossing the air passage in the air passage.

Thus, even when a plurality of heat exchangers are arranged in a row, the temperature of the air blown out from the outlet of the indoor unit can be made substantially uniform. Therefore, the use of the fin-type stacked heat exchanger having high heat exchange efficiency improves heat exchange performance, and a high-efficiency and high-quality air conditioner with little temperature variation of air from the air outlet can be obtained.

In an air conditioner according to another aspect of the present invention, the flow dividing portion and the flow merging portion may be disposed outside one end in the 1 st direction of the plurality of heat exchangers arranged side by side, the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers may be disposed, and a projection range of the header region projected onto a plane perpendicular to a direction of wind flowing in the air passage or a plane perpendicular to the direction and parallel to the 1 st direction may be included.

In the heat exchanger arranged so as to cross the air passage, the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe connected to the upstream header passage and the downstream header passage of the heat exchanger located apart from each other on the opposite side of the merging portion cross the air passage. However, the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe that cross the air passages are located in a header region of the heat exchanger where at least one of the upstream header flow path and the downstream header flow path is provided and which is not used for heat exchange. Therefore, a decrease in heat exchange efficiency due to the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe crossing the air passages can be suppressed. Therefore, the high heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger can be fully utilized to obtain the high-performance air conditioner with high energy saving performance.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the embodiments, the plate-fin stacked heat exchanger to which the present invention is most effectively applied will be described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and includes a structure of a heat exchanger equivalent to the technical idea described in the following embodiments.

(embodiment mode 1)

[1-1. Structure ]

As shown in fig. 1, the heat exchanger unit 100 of the present embodiment includes a plurality of heat exchangers 1 (two

heat exchangers

1a and 1b in the present embodiment). The

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (1 st direction) in fig. 1.

Each of the

heat exchangers

1a, 1b includes, as described later: the 1 st header flow path 28; a 2 nd manifold channel 29 disposed downstream of the 1 st manifold channel; and a plurality of refrigerant passages 31 (see fig. 3) for communicating the 1 st header passage with the 2 nd header passage.

As shown in fig. 1, the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b each have an

inflow pipe

6a and 6b communicating with the 1 st header flow path 28 (see fig. 3) via

inlet pipes

2a and 2 b. The

heat exchangers

1a and 1b each have

outflow pipes

7a and 7b communicating with the 2 nd header flow path 29 (see fig. 3) via

outlet pipes

3a and 3 b. The inlet pipe 2a and the inflow pipe 6a, and the inlet pipe 2b and the inflow pipe 6b constitute the 1 st pipe in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively. The outlet pipe 3a and the outlet pipe 7a, and the outlet pipe 3b and the outlet pipe 7b constitute the 2 nd pipe in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively.

In addition, the heat exchanger unit 100 includes: a flow divider (flow dividing portion) 4 that divides the refrigerant into the 1

st pipes

6a and 6b in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b; and a flow combiner (merging section) 5 that merges the refrigerants from the 2

nd pipes

7a and 7b in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively. Thus, the heat exchanger unit 100 is configured such that the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger unit 100 from the main pipe 70 flows in parallel in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. In other words, the refrigerant circuits of the

heat exchangers

1a, 1b are connected in parallel with each other.

For example, when the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are used as evaporators, the refrigerant is branched by the flow divider 4 and flows into the 1

st pipes

6a and 6b, and the refrigerants flowing in the 2

nd pipes

7a and 7b are merged by the merging unit 5. The refrigerant is supplied from the main pipe 70 to the heat exchanger unit 100, flows out from the heat exchanger unit 100, and returns to the main pipe 70.

In the present embodiment, the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are symmetrical with respect to each other about the boundary portion as shown in fig. 1, that is, are formed in a mirror image relationship.

Further, a flow rate adjusting portion 81 is provided in the 1 st pipe of at least one of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. Further, a flow rate adjusting portion 82 is provided in the 2 nd pipe of at least one of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. That is, the heat exchanger unit 100 is provided with at least one flow rate adjustment portion on both the upstream side and the downstream side of the heat exchanger 1.

In the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting portion 81 and the flow rate adjusting portion 82 are provided in each of the inflow pipe 6 and the outflow pipe 7 of the

heat exchanger

1a and 1b, which has a smaller pressure loss from the flow diverter 4 to the flow combiner 5 including the heat exchanger. In the example shown in fig. 1, the pressure loss of the right heat exchanger 1b is smaller than the pressure loss of the left heat exchanger 1 a. Therefore, the flow rate adjusting portion 81 is provided in the inflow pipe 6b of the right heat exchanger 1b, and the flow rate adjusting portion 82 is provided in the outflow pipe 7 b.

The flow rate adjusting section 81 is formed of, for example, a small-diameter pipe having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the inflow pipe 6. The flow rate adjusting section 82 is formed of, for example, a small-diameter pipe having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the outflow pipe 7. The flow rate adjusting unit 81 is configured such that pipe pressure losses from the respective left and

right heat exchangers

1a and 1b to the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b of the flow splitter 4 are substantially equal. Similarly, the flow rate adjusting section 82 is configured such that the pipe pressure loss from each of the left and

right heat exchangers

1a and 1b to the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b of the merging device 5 is substantially equal. The flow rate adjusting section 81 is formed of a large-diameter pipe having a pipe diameter larger than that of the inflow pipe 6 so that pipe pressures from the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b to the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b of the flow combiner 5 are substantially equal to each other. The flow rate adjusting section 82 is formed of a large diameter pipe having a diameter larger than that of the outflow pipe 7 so that the pipe pressure loss from the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b to the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b of the merging device 5 is substantially equal. That is, the flow rate adjusting portion 81 and the flow rate adjusting portion 82 can be configured by making a part of the pipe diameter of the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe different from the pipe diameter of the other part.

In the present embodiment, the flow rate adjustment unit 81 and the flow rate adjustment unit 82 are provided only in the heat exchanger with a smaller pressure loss from the flow splitter 4 to the flow combiner 5 including the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, among the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. However, the flow

rate adjusting portions

81 and 82 may be provided in the

inflow pipes

6a and 6b and the

outflow pipes

7a and 7b of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively. That is, the pressure loss can be adjusted for each of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger unit of fig. 1 viewed from below.

In the present embodiment, the heat exchanger 1(1a, 1b) of the heat exchanger unit 100 is a plate-fin stacked heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger 1, as shown in fig. 2, comprises: a plate fin laminate 22 in which a plurality of plate fins 21 are laminated; an inlet pipe 2 serving as an inlet of the refrigerant; and an outlet pipe 3 serving as an outlet for the refrigerant.

The inlet pipe 2 and the outlet pipe 3 are configured such that the directions of the refrigerant flowing in and out are opposite to each other when the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are used as evaporators and condensers. In the present embodiment, a case where the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are used as evaporators will be described as an example. Therefore, the 1 st pipe is specified as the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b, and the 2 nd pipe is specified as the

outlet pipes

3a and 3 b.

The plate fins 21 are rectangular plate-shaped.

End plates

23, 24 are provided on both sides (left and right sides in fig. 2) in the stacking direction of the plate-fin stacked body 22. The

end plates

23, 24 are constituted by flat plates. The shape of the

end plates

23, 24 in plan view is substantially the same as the shape of the plate fin 21 in plan view shown in fig. 3. The

end plates

23, 24 are formed of a plate material having rigidity. The

end plates

23, 24 are formed by grinding and metal working a metal material such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel.

The

end plates

23, 24 and the plurality of plate fins 21 are joined to each other by brazing in a state where they are stacked to form an integrated body.

In the present embodiment, the

end plates

23, 24 on both sides of the plate-fin laminated body 22 are connected and fixed to the plate-fin laminated body 22 by connecting members 25 such as bolts and nuts or rivet pins. The connecting members 25 connect the

end plates

23, 24 to the plate-fin stacked body 22 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the

end plates

23, 24 when viewed from above. That is, the

end plates

23, 24 on both sides of the plate-fin stacked body 22 are mechanically connected to and fixed to the plate-fin stacked body 22 with the plate-fin stacked body 22 interposed therebetween.

As shown in fig. 3, the plate fin 21 has a refrigerant flow path 31. The refrigerant flow path 31 is composed of a plurality of refrigerant flow paths (1 st

refrigerant flow path

31a, 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31b) arranged in parallel with each other and through which the 1 st fluid refrigerant flows. That is, the refrigerant passage 31 is composed of a set of the 1 st refrigerant passage 31a and the 2 nd refrigerant passage 31 b. That is, the refrigerant flow path 31 is arranged in a substantially U shape. Specifically, in fig. 3, the refrigerant flows from the left to the right in the 1 st refrigerant flow path 31a and turns back at the right end, and flows from the right to the left in the 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31 b. The inlet pipe 2 and the outlet pipe 3 connected thereto are arranged together at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the end plate 23a on one side (the right side in fig. 2) of the plate-fin laminated body 22.

As shown in fig. 3, the plate fin 21 has a plurality of heat transfer flow paths (hereinafter, referred to as refrigerant flow paths 31) arranged in parallel. The refrigerant flow path 31 is connected to the upstream header flow path (1 st header flow path) 28 and the downstream header flow path (2 nd header flow path) 29. The upstream header flow path 28 and the downstream header flow path 29 connected to the plurality of refrigerant flow paths 31 are arranged together at one end side in the longitudinal direction of the plate fin 21. The upstream header flow path 28 and the downstream header flow path 29 may be disposed apart from each other at both end portions of the plate fin 21 in the longitudinal direction.

As shown in fig. 3, the region where the header flow paths are arranged is referred to as a header region H, and the region where the refrigerant flow paths 31 are arranged is referred to as a flow path region P.

The upstream header flow path 28 serves as a refrigerant inlet when the heat exchanger 1 is used as an evaporator, and serves as a refrigerant outlet when the heat exchanger 1 is used as a condenser. On the other hand, the downstream header flow path 29 is opposite thereto. That is, the downstream header flow path 29 serves as a refrigerant outlet when the heat exchanger 1 is used as an evaporator, and serves as a refrigerant inlet when the heat exchanger 1 is used as a condenser.

As shown in FIG. 4, the plate fin 21 is constructed by disposing the pair of 1 st and 2 nd plate-

like members

26a, 26b in opposition to each other and joining them together by brazing. As described above, the plurality of refrigerant flow paths 31 are formed in a substantially U shape.

As shown in fig. 5 and 6, a plurality of plate fins 21 are stacked to form a plate fin stacked body 22 forming a main body of the heat exchanger 1.

In the plate fin 21, a plurality of projections 27 are appropriately provided between both end portions in the longitudinal direction of the plate fin 21 and the refrigerant flow path 31 in a plan view (see fig. 3). Between the plate fins 21, a gap d (see fig. 5 and 6) is formed by the plurality of protrusions 27, and air as the 2 nd fluid flows in the gap d.

The refrigerant flow channels 31 are formed by concave grooves formed in the 1 st plate-like member 26a and the 2 nd plate-like member 26 b. Therefore, the diameter of the refrigerant flow path 31 can be easily reduced. The refrigerant flow path 31 may be formed by a concave groove provided in at least one of the 1 st plate-like member 26a and the 2 nd plate-like member 26 b.

Further, the refrigerant flow path 31 includes: an upstream header flow path-side refrigerant flow path (1 st refrigerant flow path) 31a connected to the upstream header flow path 28; and a downstream header flow path side refrigerant flow path (2 nd refrigerant flow path) 31b connected to the downstream header flow path 29. In the present embodiment, the 1 st header flow path 28 and the 1 st refrigerant flow path 31a communicate with each other through the passage portion 34a, and the 2 nd header flow path 29 and the 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31b communicate with each other through the passage portion 34 b.

A slit groove 35 (see fig. 3) is disposed between the 1 st refrigerant passage 31a and the 2 nd refrigerant passage 31 b. As shown in fig. 3, the slit groove 35 is formed from the end portion (left side in fig. 3) of the plate fin 21 on the side where the upstream header flow path 28 and the downstream header flow path 29 are arranged to the vicinity of the turn-back portion of the refrigerant flow path 31. The slit groove 35 can prevent direct heat transfer between the 1 st refrigerant flow path 31a and the 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31 b.

The number of the 2 nd refrigerant passages 31b is larger than the number of the 1 st refrigerant passages 31 a. Further, the non-porous portion 36 is disposed in a portion of the downstream header flow path 29 facing the passage portion 34b, and no refrigerant flow path is formed. Thus, when the heat exchanger 1 is used as a condenser, the refrigerant flowing from the downstream header flow path 29 to the 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31b collides with the wall portion 36a of the imperforate portion 36 and flows uniformly to the 2 nd refrigerant flow path 31 b.

[1-2. actions ]

The operation and action of the heat exchanger unit 100 configured as described above will be described.

Here, a case where the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b of the heat exchanger unit 100 are used as evaporators will be described.

The refrigerant as the 1 st fluid flows into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b from

inlet pipes

2a and 2b provided on the inlet sides (upstream sides) of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively. The refrigerant flows into the 1 st refrigerant flow channels 31a provided in each of the plurality of plate fins 21 constituting the plate fin laminated body 22 via the upstream header flow channel 28. The refrigerant flows in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the 1 st refrigerant flow paths 31a, turns around in a U-shape, and flows in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the 2 nd refrigerant flow paths 31 b. Thereafter, the refrigerant passes through the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b provided on the outlet sides (downstream sides) of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b via the downstream header flow path 29, and flows out.

On the other hand, the air (the 2 nd fluid) having exchanged heat with the refrigerant (the 1 st fluid) passes through the gaps d formed between the plate fins 21 constituting the plate fin laminated body 22 (see fig. 5 and 6). Thereby, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant as the 1 st fluid and the air as the 2 nd fluid.

In this manner, the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b perform heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air. The refrigerant is branched by a flow divider 4 on the inlet side (upstream side) of the heat exchanger 1, and is supplied from 2

inlet pipes

2a and 2b into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, respectively. The refrigerant having passed through the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b is discharged from the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b, and then joined by a joining device 5.

Here, when a plurality of (2 in the present embodiment) heat exchangers 1 are arranged in parallel for use, the refrigerant is distributed to each heat exchanger. In this case, it is preferable that the dryness of the refrigerant flowing into each of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b is equal. Preferably, the flow rates of the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchangers are equal.

However, when the lengths of the inlet pipes 6 in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are different from each other, or when the lengths of the outlet pipes 7 in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are different from each other, it is considered that the pressure losses in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are different from each other. Therefore, when the flow divider 4, the flow combiner 5, and the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are arranged in this manner, the dryness and the flow rate balance of the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchangers are lost.

For example, in the above-described conventional example, the pressure is adjusted by providing the flow rate adjusting portion only on the inlet pipe side, i.e., on the upstream side of the heat exchanger. In the above-described conventional example, since the pressure loss at the refrigerant flow path 31 portion of the heat exchanger used is very small, the refrigerant flowing into the inlet pipe is affected by the difference in the pipe pressure on the outlet pipe side (downstream side). Therefore, the dryness of the refrigerant flowing into each heat exchanger becomes different for each heat exchanger. Therefore, the refrigerant flow rate flowing into each heat exchanger cannot be divided so as to be uniform. That is, the degree of equalization when the refrigerant flows into the heat exchangers is reduced, and the refrigerant cannot be equally split into the heat exchangers.

In contrast, in the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting portion 82 is provided not only on the upstream side of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b but also on the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b side (downstream side). That is, the pressure is adjusted at both the inlet side and the outlet side of the

heat exchangers

1a, 1 b. Thereby, the pressure loss on the inlet side of the

heat exchangers

1a, 1b becomes equivalent, and the pressure loss on the outlet side of the

heat exchangers

1a, 1b can be made equivalent. Therefore, the states of the refrigerants at the inlets of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, that is, the dryness of the refrigerants can be equalized. This allows the refrigerant to be equally divided into the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. That is, the refrigerant can be split to flow into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b uniformly by greatly increasing the equalizing rate of the split refrigerant.

Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be made more uniform, and the heat exchange performance of the entire heat exchanger unit can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the illustrated plate-fin stacked heat exchanger includes a plurality of 1

st refrigerant channels

31a and 2 nd refrigerant channels 31b (having a large number of passages) that connect the upstream header channel 28 and the downstream header channel 29. Therefore, the pressure loss of the entire refrigerant flow path 31, that is, the internal pressure loss of the heat exchanger is as low as about a tenth of the internal pressure loss of the fin-and-tube heat exchanger. Therefore, even when the pressure on the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b side (upstream side) is adjusted, the dryness of the refrigerant flowing from the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b is affected by the difference in the pipe pressure on the

outlet pipes

3a and 3b side (downstream side), and becomes different for each of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. Therefore, the refrigerant cannot be equally divided into the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b.

However, in the present embodiment, the flow rate adjusting portion 82 is also provided on the

outlet pipe

3a or 3b side (downstream side). Accordingly, pressure adjustment can be performed on both the inlet side and the outlet side of the refrigerant, and pressure loss on the inlet side and pressure loss on the outlet side of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be equalized. Accordingly, the dryness of the refrigerant flowing into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be equalized, and therefore the refrigerant can be equally divided into two flows in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b.

Therefore, as shown in the present embodiment, even when the plate-fin stacked heat exchanger is used as the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1b constituting the heat exchanger unit 100, the degree of equalization of the divided flows of the refrigerant flowing into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be increased, and the heat exchange performance of the entire heat exchanger unit can be improved.

As described above, by using the plate-fin stacked heat exchanger as the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, the diameter of the refrigerant flow path 31 between the upstream header flow path 28 and the downstream header flow path 29 can be reduced, the number of passages of the refrigerant flow path 31 can be increased, and the heat exchange efficiency in the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be improved. In the heat exchanger unit 100 of the present embodiment, the refrigerant can be equally divided into a plurality of pipes communicating with the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1b and can flow into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. Therefore, the heat exchanger unit 100 having good heat exchange performance can be realized.

[1-3. Effect, etc. ]

As described above, in the present embodiment, the heat exchange unit 100 includes the heat exchanger 1a and the heat exchanger 1b, and the heat exchange unit 100 includes: a flow divider 4 connected to a main pipe 70 for supplying the refrigerant and branching the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe 6a and the 1 st pipe 6 b; a 2 nd pipe 7a for supplying the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 1a to the main pipe 70; a 2 nd pipe 7b for supplying the refrigerant supplied from the heat exchanger 1b to the main pipe 70; and a flow combiner 5 connected to the 2 nd pipe 7a, the 2 nd pipe 7b, and the main pipe 70, and configured to supply the refrigerant supplied from the 2 nd pipe 7a and the 2 nd pipe 2b to the main pipe 70.

The 1 st pipe 6a supplies the refrigerant branched by the flow divider 4 to the heat exchanger 1a, and the 1 st pipe 6b supplies the refrigerant branched by the flow divider 4 to the heat exchanger 1 b.

The heat exchanger 1a has a 1 st manifold flow path 28a and a 2 nd manifold flow path 29a, and the heat exchanger 1b has a 1 st manifold flow path 28a and a 2 nd manifold flow path 29 b.

The 1 st pipe 6a is connected to the 1 st header passage 28a, the 1 st pipe 6b is connected to the 1 st header passage 28b, the 2 nd pipe 7a is connected to the 2 nd header passage 29a, and the 2 nd pipe 7b is connected to the 2 nd header passage 29 b.

The 1 st flow rate adjusting part 81 is disposed in at least one of the 1 st pipe 6a and the 1 st pipe 6b, and the 2 nd flow rate adjusting part 82 is disposed in at least one of the 2 nd pipe 7a and the 2 nd pipe 7 b.

The 1 st flow rate adjustment unit 81 and the 2 nd flow rate adjustment unit 82 each adjust the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the pipe.

Thus, if the 1 st and 2 nd flow

rate adjusting parts

81 and 82 are adjusted so that the pressure loss on the inlet side and the pressure loss on the outlet side of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b become equal, the dryness and the circulation amount of the refrigerant can be equalized and distributed to the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. Therefore, the degree of equalization of the refrigerant split between the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be improved. Therefore, the refrigerant can be more reliably equally distributed to the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, the heat exchange efficiency can be equalized, and the heat exchange performance of the entire heat exchanger unit 100 can be improved.

(embodiment mode 2)

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a heat exchanger unit according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. Fig. 8 is a view showing a schematic configuration of a portion shown by a in fig. 7.

As shown in fig. 7, the heat exchanger unit 110 of the present embodiment is configured such that a branch pipe 9 is provided at an upstream portion of the

inlet pipes

2a and 2b of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, and the refrigerant flowing into the heat exchanger unit 110 is branched into the

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. Further, a throttle pipe 10 is provided on the inlet side (upstream side) of the branch pipe 9.

The other structures and the structures of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b themselves are the same as those of embodiment 1, and the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted.

As shown in fig. 7, a branch pipe 9 is provided at a branching portion that branches the refrigerant to the 1

st pipes

6a and 6b of each of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1 b. In the present embodiment, a Y branch pipe branched into 2 branches is used as the branch pipe 9. As shown in fig. 8, a throttle pipe 10 having a pipe diameter smaller than that of the inlet pipe 9a of the inlet of the branch pipe 9 is provided on the inlet side (upstream side) of the branch pipe 9.

In the present embodiment, the refrigerant flowing from the inlet pipe 9a of the branch pipe 9 is throttled by the throttle pipe 10 located on the upstream side thereof to increase the flow velocity, thereby forming an annular flow. Therefore, the refrigerant can be equally branched in the branch pipe 9(Y branch pipe). This enables the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b to be supplied with refrigerant having substantially the same vapor-liquid balance. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b can be substantially equalized, and the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit 110 can be improved.

Further, as shown in the present embodiment, by using the Y branch pipe as the branch pipe 9, even if the branch pipe 9 is provided in a slightly inclined state, the refrigerant is less likely to be affected by gravity at the time of branching. Therefore, the refrigerant throttled by the throttle pipe 10 and branched by the branch pipe 9 can be supplied to the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b without impairing the gas-liquid separation ratio. This can more reliably improve the heat exchange efficiency of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, and improve the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit 110.

Instead of the combination of the branch pipe (Y branch pipe) 9 and the throttle pipe 10, a distributor may be provided upstream of the 1

st pipes

6a and 6 b. By providing the distributor, the refrigerant can be distributed substantially equally to each of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1b connected in parallel. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency of the entire heat exchanger unit 110 can be improved.

(embodiment mode 3)

[3-1. Structure ]

Fig. 9 is a refrigeration cycle diagram of the air conditioner according to embodiment 3.

The air conditioner 200 of the present embodiment is configured using the heat exchanger unit of any one of

embodiments

1 and 2.

As shown in fig. 9, the air conditioner 200 includes an outdoor unit 51 and indoor units 52 connected to the outdoor unit 51.

The outdoor unit 51 includes: a compressor 53 that compresses a refrigerant; a four-way valve 54 for switching the refrigerant circuit between cooling operation and heating operation; an outdoor heat exchanger 55 that performs heat exchange between the refrigerant and outside air; a decompressor 56 for decompressing the refrigerant; and an outdoor fan 59.

The indoor unit 52 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 57 and an indoor fan 58 that exchange heat between the refrigerant and the indoor air.

The compressor 53, the four-way valve 54, the indoor heat exchanger 57, the decompressor 56, and the outdoor heat exchanger 55 are connected to form a refrigerant circuit through which a refrigerant flows, thereby forming a heat pump refrigeration cycle.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to embodiment 3, as viewed from the right side. Fig. 11 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of the indoor unit according to embodiment 3 when viewed from above.

As shown in fig. 10, the indoor heat exchanger 57 includes: a housing 64; a heat exchanger unit 60 disposed within the housing 64; a heat-exchanging air-blowing passage (air passage) 62 formed in the casing 64. As the heat exchanger unit 60, the

heat exchanger units

100, 110 of any of

embodiments

1 and 2 can be used. An outlet 61 is disposed at the outlet of the air passage 62. Further, a suction port 63 is disposed at the inlet of the air passage.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the indoor heat exchanger 57 constituting the heat exchanger unit 60 is disposed in the air passage 62. As shown in fig. 11, the indoor heat exchanger 57 is configured by arranging the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b in parallel in the 1 st direction across the air passage 62. In the present embodiment, the indoor heat exchanger 57 is disposed over the entire width of the air passage 62. Specifically, the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are arranged in the left-right direction in fig. 11 so as to face the single air outlet 61 when the indoor unit 52 is viewed in plan.

In the refrigerant circuit of the present embodiment, it is possible to use tetrafluoropropene or trifluoropropene, and difluoromethane, pentafluoroethane, or tetrafluoroethane as a single refrigerant, or to use 2 components or 3 components mixed separately as a refrigerant.

[3-2. actions ]

The air conditioner 200 configured as described above can switch between the cooling operation and the heating operation by switching the four-way valve.

During the cooling operation, the four-way valve 54 is switched so that the discharge side of the compressor 53 communicates with the outdoor heat exchanger 55. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 53 becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and is sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 55 by the four-way valve 54. The refrigerant radiates heat and condenses by exchanging heat with the outside air, becomes a high-pressure liquid refrigerant, and is sent to the decompressor 56. The refrigerant is decompressed by the decompressor 56 to become a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and is sent to the indoor unit 52. In the indoor unit 52, the refrigerant flows into the indoor heat exchanger 57. The refrigerant absorbs heat by exchanging heat with the indoor air and evaporates and gasifies to become a low-temperature gas refrigerant. At this time, the indoor air is cooled by heat exchange with the refrigerant, and the indoor air is cooled. The refrigerant flowing out of the indoor heat exchanger 57 returns to the outdoor unit 51, and returns to the compressor 53 through the four-way valve 54.

On the other hand, during the heating operation, the four-way valve 54 is switched so that the discharge side of the compressor 53 communicates with the indoor unit 52. Thus, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 53 becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant, and is sent to the indoor unit 52 through the four-way valve 54. The high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant enters the indoor heat exchanger 57, exchanges heat with indoor air, releases heat, and is cooled. Thereby, the refrigerant is condensed and becomes a high-pressure liquid refrigerant. At this time, the indoor air is heated by heat exchange with the refrigerant, and the room is heated. Thereafter, the refrigerant is sent to the decompressor 56, decompressed in the decompressor 56 to become a low-temperature low-pressure two-phase refrigerant, and sent to the outdoor heat exchanger 55. In the outdoor heat exchanger 55, the refrigerant is evaporated and gasified by heat exchange with outside air, and is returned to the compressor 53 via the four-way valve 54.

In the air-conditioning apparatus 200 of the present embodiment, the heat exchange efficiencies of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are not uniform but are equalized in the heat exchanger unit 60 constituting the indoor unit. Therefore, the temperature of the cool air or the warm air blown out from the air outlet 61 can be made substantially uniform in the width direction of the air outlet. Therefore, even when the fin-type stacked heat exchanger is used as the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, the temperature unevenness of the blown air can be reduced, the reliability can be improved, and the high-quality air conditioner 200 can be obtained.

Further, by using the fin-type stacked heat exchanger as the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, the diameter of the refrigerant flow path 31 can be reduced and the number of passages of the refrigerant flow path 31 can be increased. This can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, and can obtain a high-performance air conditioner 200 with high energy saving performance.

In the present embodiment, the

heat exchanger units

100 and 110 described in any of

embodiments

1 and 2 are used for the indoor unit 52, but may be used for at least any of the outdoor unit 51 and the indoor unit 52. This can improve the heat exchange efficiency of at least either one of the outdoor heat exchanger 55 and the indoor heat exchanger 57, and can improve the energy saving performance of the air conditioner 200.

(embodiment mode 4)

In the present embodiment, the arrangement of the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 of the plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1b in the indoor unit 52 of the air-conditioning apparatus 200 will be described in detail.

In the air-conditioning apparatus 200 described in embodiment 3, a case in which a plurality of

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are arranged in an inclined state in the casing 64 of the indoor unit 52 as shown in fig. 10 will be described as an example. Of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, the inlet pipe 2 (1 st pipe 6) connected to the upstream header passage 28 and the outlet pipe 3 (2 nd pipe 7) connected to the downstream header passage 29 of one of the heat exchangers 1 are arranged as shown in fig. 12. That is, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 of one heat exchanger 1 of the heat exchangers 1(1a, 1B) are arranged so that the header region H of the heat exchanger 1 in which the upstream header passage 28 and the downstream header passage 29 are arranged is projected within a projection range W of a plane perpendicular to a direction substantially parallel to the flow B (see fig. 10 and 12) of the air.

The 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 of one of the heat exchangers 1(1a, 1b) may be disposed in a projection range W in which a header region H of the heat exchanger 1 in which the upstream header passage 28 and the downstream header passage 29 are disposed is projected on a plane perpendicular to and parallel to the 1 st direction.

For example, in the case where a branching portion (a flow divider 4 or a branch pipe 9) that branches the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe 6a and the 1 st pipe 6b and a merging portion (a flow combiner 5) that merges the refrigerant from the 2 nd pipe 7a and the 2 nd pipe 7b are provided on either the left or right side of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b arranged side by side in the 1 st direction (the left-right direction in fig. 11), the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 of the heat exchanger 1 located at positions separated from the side opposite to the side where the branching portion and the merging portion are provided extend in the direction (the 1 st direction) in which the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b are arranged side by side. Therefore, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 are disposed in the projection range W of the header region H where at least one of the upstream header passage 28 and the downstream header passage 29 is provided.

Of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b arranged in parallel along the 1 st direction so as to cross the air passage 62, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 of the heat exchanger 1, which are located at positions apart from the side on which the branching portion (the flow divider 4 or the branch pipe 9) that branches the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe 6a and the 1 st pipe 6b and the merging portion (the flow combiner 5) that merges the refrigerant from the 2 nd pipe 7a and the 2 nd pipe 7b are provided, cross the air passage 62. However, with the above configuration, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 are located in the wake flow range of the header region H (behind the header region H) of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b in which the upstream header flow path 28 and the downstream header flow path 29 are provided and are not used for heat exchange. Therefore, the decrease in heat exchange efficiency caused by the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 crossing the air passage 62 (air flow obstruction) can be minimized.

This makes it possible to fully utilize the high heat exchange efficiency of the

heat exchangers

1a and 1b, and to obtain the high-performance air conditioner 200 with high energy saving performance.

The 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 that cross the air passage 62 may be arranged within the projection range W of the header area H, and the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 may have their pipe diameters increased to the projection surface range W of the header area H. Therefore, when the heat exchanger 1 is used as a condenser, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 can function as a liquid pool of the refrigerant.

In the present embodiment, the 1 st pipe 6 and the 2 nd pipe 7 are disposed in the projection plane range W of the header region H where both the upstream header passage 28 and the downstream header passage 29 are provided. However, in the case where the upstream header flow paths 28 and the downstream header flow paths 29 are separately provided at both ends of the plate fins 21, either one of the header regions H may be provided within the projection plane range W.

The heat exchanger unit according to the present invention and the air conditioner using the same have been described above using the above embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. That is, the embodiments disclosed are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the terms of the claims.

Industrial applicability of the invention

The invention provides a heat exchanger unit which can equalize the heat exchange efficiency of a plurality of heat exchangers connected in parallel and can exert good heat exchange performance, and an air conditioner with high energy saving performance and high performance using the heat exchanger unit. This makes it possible to apply the present invention to various heat exchangers for home use and industrial use, and air conditioners such as air conditioners.

Description of the reference numerals

1. 1a, 1b Heat exchanger

2. 2a, 2b inlet piping (No. 1 piping)

3. 3a, 3b outlet pipes (No. 2 pipe)

4 shunt (shunting part)

5 flow converging device (confluence part)

6. 6a, 6b flow into the pipe (No. 1 pipe)

7. 7a, 7b outflow pipes (No. 2 pipe)

81 flow control part (1 st flow control part)

82 flow control part (2 nd flow control part)

9 branched pipe

9a inlet pipe

10 throttle pipe

21 plate fin

22. 22a, 22b plate fin laminate

23. 23a, 23b end plate

24. 24a, 24b end plate

25 connecting member

26a 1 st plate-like member

26b 2 nd plate-like member

27 protrusion

28. 28a, 28b upstream header flow path (No. 1 header flow path)

29. 29a, 29b downstream header flow path (No. 2 header flow path)

31 refrigerant flow path

31a upstream header flow path side refrigerant flow path (No. 1 refrigerant flow path)

31b downstream header flow path side refrigerant flow path (2 nd refrigerant flow path)

34a, 34b passage part

35 slit groove

36 non-hole part

36a wall portion

51 outdoor machine

52 indoor machine

53 compressor

54 four-way valve

55 outdoor heat exchanger

56 pressure reducer

57 indoor heat exchanger

58 indoor fan

59 outdoor fan

60 heat exchanger unit

61 air outlet

62 wind path for heat exchange (wind path)

63 suction inlet

64 casing

70 main piping

100. 110 heat exchanger unit

200 air conditioner.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger unit comprising a plurality of heat exchangers, the heat exchanger unit characterized by:

each of the plurality of heat exchangers includes:

a 1 st pipe into which the refrigerant flows;

a 1 st header channel communicating with an outflow side of the 1 st pipe;

a 2 nd manifold flow path arranged downstream of the 1 st manifold flow path;

a plurality of refrigerant flow paths which communicate the 1 st header flow path with the 2 nd header flow path; and

a 2 nd pipe communicating with the outflow side of the 2 nd header flow path,

the heat exchanger unit includes:

a branching portion that branches the refrigerant to the 1 st pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers;

a merging section that merges the refrigerant from the 2 nd pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers;

a 1 st flow rate adjusting unit provided in the 1 st pipe of at least any one of the plurality of heat exchangers; and

a 2 nd flow rate adjusting portion provided in the 2 nd pipe of at least any one of the plurality of heat exchangers.

2. The heat exchanger unit of claim 1, wherein:

each of the plurality of heat exchangers is a plate fin stacked type heat exchanger having a plurality of plate fins,

each of the plurality of plate fins

Wherein the plurality of refrigerant flow paths are formed by stacking 2 plate-like members and by forming a concave groove formed in at least one of the 2 plate-like members,

and has a header region in which at least either of the 1 st header flow path and the 2 nd header flow path is arranged.

3. The heat exchanger unit of claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a distributor is provided at the merging section.

4. The heat exchanger unit of claim 1 or 2, wherein:

a branch pipe is arranged at the confluence part,

a throttle pipe having a pipe diameter smaller than that of an inlet of the branch pipe is provided on the upstream side of the branch pipe.

5. An air conditioner including an indoor unit and an outdoor unit, characterized in that:

at least one of the indoor unit and the outdoor unit has the heat exchanger unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The air conditioner according to claim 5, characterized in that:

the indoor unit includes:

a housing;

the heat exchanger unit disposed within the housing;

an air passage formed in the housing; and

a blow-out port disposed at an outlet of the air passage,

the plurality of heat exchangers of the heat exchanger unit are arranged in parallel in a 1 st direction crossing the air passage in the air passage.

7. The air conditioner according to claim 6, characterized in that:

the flow dividing portion and the flow merging portion are disposed outside one end in the 1 st direction of the plurality of heat exchangers arranged side by side,

the 1 st pipe and the 2 nd pipe of each of the plurality of heat exchangers are disposed so that a projection range of the header area is projected onto a plane perpendicular to a direction of wind flowing in the air passage or onto a plane perpendicular to the 1 st direction and parallel thereto.