EP2778593A1 - Heat transfer fin, fin-tube heat exchanger, and heat pump device - Google Patents
Heat transfer fin, fin-tube heat exchanger, and heat pump device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2778593A1 EP2778593A1 EP12848344.3A EP12848344A EP2778593A1 EP 2778593 A1 EP2778593 A1 EP 2778593A1 EP 12848344 A EP12848344 A EP 12848344A EP 2778593 A1 EP2778593 A1 EP 2778593A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- heat transfer
- fin
- protruding
- collar
- heat exchanger
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
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- 238000004064 recycling Methods 0.000 description 11
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- 210000003722 extracellular fluid Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
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- 238000004378 air conditioning Methods 0.000 description 2
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- 229910052751 metal Inorganic materials 0.000 description 2
- 239000002184 metal Substances 0.000 description 2
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N Copper Chemical compound [Cu] RYGMFSIKBFXOCR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910052802 copper Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 239000010949 copper Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000002739 metals Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229920002050 silicone resin Polymers 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B39/00—Evaporators; Condensers
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F1/00—Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements
- F28F1/10—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses
- F28F1/12—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses the means being only outside the tubular element
- F28F1/24—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses the means being only outside the tubular element and extending transversely
- F28F1/32—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses the means being only outside the tubular element and extending transversely the means having portions engaging further tubular elements
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B13/00—Compression machines, plants or systems, with reversible cycle
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F2240/00—Spacing means
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a fin-tube heat exchanger and a heat pump device including the fin-tube heat exchanger.
- the present invention also relates to a heat transfer fin suitable for use in a fin-tube heat exchanger.
- heat exchangers serving as evaporators or condensers are used in air conditioning units such as household air conditioners, automobile air conditioners, and industrial packaged air conditioners, and heat pump devices such as refrigerators and heat pump water heaters.
- air conditioning units such as household air conditioners, automobile air conditioners, and industrial packaged air conditioners
- heat pump devices such as refrigerators and heat pump water heaters.
- fin-tube heat exchangers are most commonly used.
- FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fin-tube heat exchanger 100 used in a household air conditioner, an industrial packaged air conditioner, or the like.
- This heat exchanger 100 includes a stack of heat transfer fins 120 and a heat transfer tube 110 penetrating the stack of heat transfer fins 120.
- Each of the heat transfer fins 120 has a cylindrical collar portion 123 (having a uniform cross-sectional shape) extending upwardly from a base portion 121.
- a bottom portion 122 and a flared portion 124 extend radially outwardly in a curved manner from the bottom of the collar portion 123 and the upper end thereof, respectively.
- the flared portion 124 is in contact with the flat portion 121 of the adjacent heat transfer fin 120 in the vicinity of the bottom portion 122.
- the heat transfer tube 110 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the collar portion 123 is inserted into the collar portions 123 through the stack of the heat transfer fins 120, and then the heat transfer tube 110 is expanded. Thus, the heat transfer tube 110 is brought into close contact with the collar portions 123.
- gaps 130 are formed between the flared portions 124 and the adjacent bottom portions 122. Since the portions of the heat transfer tube 110 corresponding to these gaps 130 are not in contact with the heat transfer fins 120, the performance of heat transfer from the heat transfer tube 110 to the heat transfer fins 120 cannot be improved by conventional, commonly used mechanical tube expansion techniques.
- Patent Literature 1 has proposed a method for improving the performance of heat transfer from the heat transfer tube 110 to the heat transfer fins 120.
- a filler such as a silicone resin is put into the gaps 130 and cured so as to fill the gaps 130.
- Patent Literature 1 JP 2010-169344 A
- Patent Literature 1 since the method proposed in Patent Literature 1 requires a step of putting the filler in addition to the conventionally required common steps, improvements in the production process are needed, resulting in a significant increase in man hours.
- the heat exchanger when the heat exchanger is discarded, not only metals commonly used for the heat transfer fins 120 and the heat transfer tube 110 but also the filler, a different type of material, must be disposed of. Therefore, it is difficult to separate the materials from one another. As a result, the recycling efficiency is reduced and the environmental impact is increased.
- the present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- the present disclosure can provide a heat transfer fin suitable for use in a fin-tube heat exchanger.
- a first aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- the protruding portions serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins when they are stacked.
- a part of the upper end of each collar portion other than the part of the upper end on which the protruding portion is provided, that is, the wall portion comes into contact with the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a larger contact area between each heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube, and accordingly it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible as a whole, with the adjacent heat transfer fins being stably stacked.
- the adjacent heat transfer fins are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube can be transferred more efficiently.
- the adjacent heat transfer fins in the stack may not be in complete contact with each other, but the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved.
- a second aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the first aspect, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two. According to this configuration, it is possible to stack the adjacent heat transfer fins stably while reducing the number of the protruding portions. As the number of the protruding portions is reduced, the contact area between the heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube can be increased accordingly.
- a third aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the second aspect, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the third aspect, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the third aspect, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ⁇ 30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- a seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth and seventh aspects, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- a ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth and seventh aspects, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- a tenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further including a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess. According to this configuration, when the heat transfer fins are stacked, each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters.
- An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes; and a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess.
- each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters.
- a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure provides a fin-tube heat exchanger including: a stack of heat transfer fins; and a heat transfer tube penetrating the stack of heat transfer fins, wherein each of the heat transfer fins includes: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, and wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- the protruding portions serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins when they are stacked.
- a part of the upper end of each collar portion other than the part of the collar portion on which the protruding portion is provided, that is, the wall portion comes into contact with the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a larger contact area between each heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube, and accordingly it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible as a whole, with the adjacent heat transfer fins being stably stacked.
- the wall portion is formed on the upper end of each collar portion, the adjacent heat transfer fins are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube can be transferred more efficiently.
- the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins can be reduced as much as possible, there is no need to fill the gap with a filler. Therefore, it is easy to separate the materials from one another when the heat exchanger is discarded, and the recycling efficiency is enhanced.
- a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two. According to this configuration, it is possible to stack the adjacent heat transfer fins stably while reducing the number of the protruding portions. As the number of the protruding portions is reduced, the contact area between the heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube can be increased accordingly.
- a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the fourteenth aspect, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the fourteenth aspect, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ⁇ 30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- a eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to seventeenth aspects, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- a nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth and eighteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- a twentieth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth and eighteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- a twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twentieth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- a twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twentieth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is not in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- a twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-second aspects, wherein each of the heat transfer fins further includes a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess. According to this configuration, when the heat transfer fins are stacked, each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters.
- a twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-third aspects, wherein the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- a twenty-fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the twenty-third aspect, wherein as long as the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin, the height from the base portion to the top of the wall portion is greater than the height from the base portion to the top of the protruding portion.
- a twenty-sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-fifth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters a space beneath a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the gap formed between one of the heat transfer fins in the stack and another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin as much as possible. Thereby, it is possible to increase the heat transfer area and thus enhance the heat exchange efficiency.
- a twenty-seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat pump device including: a compressor; a condenser; a throttling device; an evaporator; and a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant is circulated to pass through the compressor, the condenser, the throttling device, and the evaporator, wherein at least one of the condenser and the evaporator is the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-sixth aspects.
- FIG. 1 shows a fin-tube heat exchanger 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
- This heat exchanger 1 includes a stack of heat transfer fins 3A, a pair of side plates 20 disposed on both sides of the stack of transfer fins 3A, and a plurality of U-shaped heat transfer tubes 2 penetrating the heat transfer fins 3A and the side plates 20.
- Each of the heat transfer fins 3A extends in a specific direction, and the straight portions of the heat transfer tubes 2 are arranged at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fins 3A.
- the straight portions of each heat transfer tube 2 are connected by a bent portion on the side of one of the side plates 20, and both ends of the heat transfer tube 2 protrude from the other side plate 20, and one end of the heat transfer tube 2 and one end of the adjacent heat transfer tubes 2 are connected by a bent pipe 21.
- Each of the heat transfer tubes 2 is made of a metal such as copper having a high thermal conductivity.
- Each of the heat transfer fins 3A has a plate shape obtained by press-forming a thin aluminum plate, and is rectangular in plane view.
- the shape of the heat transfer fins 3A is not particularly limited as long as they have a shape extending in the specific direction. For example, it may be a polygonal shape extended in the specific direction, such as a rhombus or a trapezoid, or may be an elliptical shape.
- each of the heat transfer fins 3A includes a base portion 4 spreading around the straight portion of the heat transfer tube 2 and a cylindrical collar portion 5 extending upwardly from the base portion 4 along the straight portion of the heat transfer tube 2.
- the direction in which the collar portion 5 extends is referred to as an upward direction and the direction opposite to the upward direction is referred to as a downward direction.
- the collar portion 5 forms an insertion hole into which the heat transfer tube 2 is to be inserted.
- the heat transfer tube 2 has an initial outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the collar portion 5. After the heat transfer fins 3A are stacked so that their insertion holes coincide with each other, the heat transfer tube 2 is inserted through the insertion holes. That is, a clearance is provided between the initial heat transfer tube 2 and the collar portions 5 so as to facilitate the insertion of the heat transfer tube 2. Then, the heat transfer tube 2 is expanded by a mechanical tube expanding technique in which a tube expanding billet is inserted into the heat transfer tube 2. Thereby, the heat transfer tube 2 comes into contact with the collar portions 5, and the collar portions 5 are coaxially fixed together.
- the collar portion 5 is provided with, on its lower end, a bottom portion 55 that is curved and extends radially outwardly from the bottom of the collar portion 5 down to the base portion 4.
- a plurality of protruding portions 51 and a plurality of wall portions 52 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.
- the number of the protruding portions 51 is equal to the number of the wall portions 52.
- the base portion 4 may be flat, but in the present embodiment, it has a corrugated shape having folds parallel to the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fins 3A.
- the folds of the corrugated shape need not necessarily be parallel to the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fins 3A. They may be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction.
- the base portion 4 includes a corrugated portion 41 having ridges and grooves, a flat ring portion 43 surrounding the heat transfer tube 2 at the same level as the grooves of the corrugated portion 41, and a peripheral wall portion 42 extending in a tapered manner from the outer edge of the ring portion 43 to the ridges of the corrugated portion 41.
- the above-mentioned bottom portion 55 extends down to the inner edge of the ring portion 43.
- each of the protruding portion 51 protrudes radially outwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion 5.
- the wall portion 52 extends upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion 5 other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion 51 protrudes.
- the wall portion 52 is formed by extending the collar portion 5 to a region between the protruding portions 51.
- the protruding portion 51 of one heat transfer fin 3A is in contact with the ring portion 43 of the adjacent heat transfer fin 3A in the vicinity of the bottom portion 55.
- a stepped portion that is curved and extends from the bottom of the collar portion 5 down to the base portion 4 to form a recess is provided.
- the ring portion 43 is provided with the stepped portion 6 so as to form a recess, into which the protruding portions 51 can be fitted, around the bottom portion 55. That is, the stepped portion 6 has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of a circle circumscribing the protruding portions 51.
- the cross-sectional shape of the stepped portion 6 may be a straight line parallel or oblique to the axial direction of the collar portion 5, or may be a curved line.
- the protruding portions 51 serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins 3A when they are stacked. Therefore, it is desirable that the heights from the ring portion 43 to the tops of all the protruding portions 51 be equal. Furthermore, it is preferable that the protruding portions 51 be arranged at regular angular intervals in the circumferential direction.
- the number of the protruding portions 51 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that at least two protruding portions 51 be provided. From the viewpoint of the stability of the stack of the heat transfer fins 3A in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fins 3A (the heat transfer fins 3A are supported more stably by two or more protruding portions 51 in the longitudinal direction), it is preferable that at least two protruding portions 51 be respectively disposed in two separate regions within a specific angular range spreading in the transverse direction of the heat transfer fin 3A from the center of the collar portion 5 (for example, in two separate regions within an angular range of ⁇ 30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in the transverse direction).
- three protruding portions 51 may be disposed in such a manner that one of them is disposed in one region within the angular range and the other two are disposed in the other region within the angular range and that the center lines of these three protruding portions 51 form a Y-shaped configuration in plane view (as viewed from the axial direction of the collar portion 5).
- two protruding portions 51 may be respectively disposed in two separate regions within the specific angular range, that is, at two separate positions deviated from a straight line passing through the center of the collar portion 5 and extending in the transverse direction.
- the best configuration is that only two protruding portions 51 protruding in the opposite directions along the transverse direction of the heat transfer fin 3A are provided.
- one of these two protruding portions 51 extends in a specific direction.
- the other one of the two protruding portions 51 extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction.
- the specific direction is a direction (transverse direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin 3A.
- each protruding portion 51 is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion 5 and finally bent at 90 degrees with respect to the collar portion 5.
- the protruding portion 51 need not necessarily be curved.
- the protruding portion 51 may be formed of a linear gradient portion extending obliquely upward from the collar portion 5 and a flange portion provided on the upper end of the linear gradient portion. The bending angle also is not limited to 90 degrees.
- each protruding portion 51 is smaller than the circumferential width of each protruding portion 51.
- the circumferential width of each protruding portion 51 is about one twelfth to one fifth the perimeter of the collar portion 5.
- each protruding portion 51 has sharp corners and its plane view is a circular arc shape with a certain width.
- the corners of the protruding portion 51 may be rounded, as shown in FIG. 7 , to prevent the sharp corners from damaging something when the heat transfer fins 3A are stacked.
- the protruding portion 51 may have a crescent shape in plane view.
- the wall portions 52 come into contact with the heat transfer tube 2, although they do not serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins 3A.
- the inner diameter of a circle connecting the wall portions 52 is equal to the inner diameter of the collar portion 5, and the wall portions 52 and the collar portion 5 form a continuous wall surface.
- a gap 7 is formed between the protruding portion 51 and the bottom portion 55 of the upper heat transfer fin 3A, as shown in FIG. 4A , but a much smaller gap is formed between the wall portion 52 and the bottom portion 55 of the upper heat transfer fin 3A, as shown in FIG. 4B .
- the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the wall portion 52 is greater than the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protruding portion 51. That is, the top of the wall portion 52 is located higher than the top of the protruding portion 51 by the difference ⁇ h between the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the wall portion 52 and the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protruding portion 51.
- the heat transfer area increases and thus the heat exchange efficiency improves. If the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the wall portion 52 is smaller than the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protruding portion 51, the lateral surface of the heat transfer tube 2 is exposed between the adjacent heat transfer fins 3A when the heat transfer fins 3A are stacked. This is an undesirable tendency in terms of the heat transfer efficiency.
- the wall portions 52 are formed on the upper end of the collar portion 5, the adjacent heat transfer fins 3A are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, the heat transfer fins 3A in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube 2 can be transferred more efficiently.
- the wall portion 52 of one of the heat transfer fins 3A in the stack may be in contact with the back side of the bottom of the collar portion 5 of another heat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin 3A.
- the wall portion 52 of one of the heat transfer fins 3A in the stack need not be in contact with the back side of the bottom of the collar portion 5 of another heat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin 3A.
- some of the wall portions 52 may be in contact with the back sides of the bottoms of the collar portions 52, and the other wall portions 52 may not be in contact with the back sides of the bottoms of the collar portions 52.
- the wall portion 52 is more likely to come into contact with the back side of the bottom of the adjacent collar portion 5 by the weight thereof.
- the wall portion 52 may not come into contact with the back side of the bottom of the adjacent collar portion 5.
- the stacked heat transfer fins 3A are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved.
- the protruding portion 51 of one of the heat transfer fins 3A in the stack enters the recess formed by the stepped portion 6 of another heat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin 3A.
- the wall portion 52 of one of the heat transfer fins 3A in the stack enters the space beneath the bottom of the collar portion 5 of another heat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin 3A.
- the height B from the base portion 4 to the top of the wall portion 52 need only be greater than the height A from the base portion 4 to the top of the protruding portion 51.
- a thin linear slit is provided between the protruding portion 51 and the wall portion 52.
- a notch 53 an example of a notched portion having an arc-shaped bottom with a certain width and smoothly connecting the protruding portion 51 and the wall portion 52, as shown in FIG. 8 .
- the heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube 110 is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of the heat transfer tube 110 to the inner peripheral surface of the collar portion 123, and then is conducted to the outer peripheral surface of the collar portion 123 and the upper surface and the lower surface of the base portion 121.
- the heat thus conducted to the outer peripheral surface of the collar portion 123 and the upper surface and the lower surface of the base portion 121 is transferred to a fluid that is to flow between the base portions 121.
- K the thermal contact conductance (W/m 2 • K)
- ⁇ 1 is the surface roughness ( ⁇ m) of one of two members in contact at the interface
- ⁇ 2 is the surface roughness ( ⁇ m) of the other one of the members in contact at the interface
- ⁇ 1 is the thermal conductivity (W/m • K) of the one of the members in contact at the interface
- ⁇ 2 is the thermal conductivity (W/m • K) of the other one of the members in contact at the interface
- P is the contact pressure (MPa)
- H is the hardness (Hb) of
- the thermal contact resistance Rc is calculated from the following equation 2 using the thermal contact conductance K obtained by the above equation 1.
- Rc 1 / K ⁇ S
- Rc is the thermal contact resistance (K/W) and S is the contact area (m 2 ).
- the materials of the heat exchanger 100 include not only the materials of the heat transfer fins 120 and the heat transfer tube 110 but also the filler as a different type of material. Therefore, it is difficult to separate the materials from one another for recycling when the product is discarded. As a result, the recycling efficiency decreases, which leads to a decrease in the recycling rate, an increase in the energy required for recycling, etc., and consequently in an increase in the environmental impact.
- thermal contact conductance K there are many other ways to increase the thermal contact conductance K.
- a method of reducing the surface roughnesses ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 of the surfaces of the heat transfer tube 110 and the collar portion 123 in contact a method of increasing the contact pressure P, a method of increasing the thermal conductivities ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 of the heat transfer tube 110 and the heat transfer fin 120, and a method of reducing the hardness H of the softer one of the heat transfer tube 110 and the heat transfer fin 120.
- the present invention focuses on the method of increasing the contact area S.
- An increase in the contact area between the heat transfer tube 110 and the heat transfer fin 120 makes it possible to reduce the thermal contact resistance Rc without changing the thermal contact conductance K, and thus to improve the performance of heat transfer from the heat transfer tube 110 to the heat transfer fin 120.
- the heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment not only the collar portions 5 but also the wall portions 52 between the protruding portions 51 come into contact with the heat transfer tube 2. Therefore, the performance of heat transfer from the heat transfer tube 2 to the heat transfer fins 3A can be improved more than in conventional heat exchangers. Thereby, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.
- the heat exchanger 1 does not require a filler. Therefore, it is easy to separate the materials from one another when the heat exchanger is discarded, and the recycling efficiency does not decrease.
- a refrigerant circuit 10C is configured to pass through both an indoor unit 10A and an outdoor unit 10B.
- a compressor 11 for example, a rotary compressor
- a four-way valve 12 for example, an outdoor heat exchanger 13
- a throttling device 14 for example, an expansion valve
- An indoor heat exchanger 15 is disposed in the indoor unit 10A.
- the outdoor unit 10B is provided with an outdoor fan 16 (for example, a propeller fan) for supplying outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 13
- the indoor unit 10A is provided with an indoor fan 17 (for example, a cross flow fan) for supplying indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 15.
- a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 11 is directed through the four-way valve 12 to the indoor heat exchanger 15 in heating operation and to the outdoor heat exchanger 13 in cooling operation.
- the indoor heat exchanger 15 serves as a condenser, into which the high-temperature refrigerant is introduced through the four-way valve 12.
- the indoor heat exchanger 15 allows the high-temperature refrigerant introduced thereinto to transfer its heat to the indoor air supplied by the indoor fan 17 through heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air so as to condense and liquefy the refrigerant.
- the liquefied refrigerant is adiabatically expanded by the throttling device 14, and the resulting low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant is supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 13.
- the outdoor heat exchanger 13 serves as an evaporator, and allows the vapor-liquid two-phase low-temperature refrigerant to absorb the heat of the outdoor air supplied by the outdoor fan 16 through heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air so as to evaporate and vaporize the refrigerant.
- the evaporated low-pressure vapor refrigerant is again compressed by the compressor 11.
- the indoor air is heated by repeating this cycle continuously. Thus, the room is heated.
- the refrigerant is caused to flow in the reverse direction by switching the four-way valve 12 so as to cool the indoor air.
- the room is cooled. That is, in both the heating operation and the cooling operation, the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 10C passes through the compressor 11, the condenser, the throttling device 14, and the evaporator in this order.
- the heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment When the heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment is used as at least one of the condenser and the evaporator in the room air conditioner 10 as described above or any other heat pump device, the heat exchange efficiency of the condenser and/or the evaporator can be improved. As a result, the COP (coefficient of performance) of the heat pump device can be improved.
- FIG. 9 a fin-tube heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 9 .
- the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted. This also applies to the third embodiment described later.
- a heat transfer fin 3B having a shape shown in FIG. 9 is used.
- This heat transfer fin 3B has the same configuration as the heat transfer fin 3A used in the first embodiment, except for the shape of the protruding portions 51.
- the height from the base portion 4 to the top of the wall portion 52 is greater than the height from the base portion 4 to the top of the protruding portion 51.
- each protruding portion 51 is formed continuously from the wall portions 52 on both sides thereof, and has a shape in which the circumferential center thereof is gradually raised with distance from the upper end of the collar portion 5.
- each protruding portion 51 has a spout-like shape with a pointed arch-shaped cross section (such as a bird's beak-shaped or V-shaped cross section).
- the protruding portions 51 serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins 3B. Therefore, the protruding portions 51 need to support the weight of all the upper located heat transfer fins 3B.
- the spout-like protruding portions 51 of the present embodiment can have a higher section modulus. Therefore, the strength of the protruding portions 51 themselves can be increased.
- the wall portions 52 have the same effect as in the first embodiment.
- the protruding portion 51 has a pointed arch-shaped cross section with a sharp corner at the center thereof, but the center of the protruding portion 51 may be smoothly curved as shown in FIG. 10 to prevent the sharp corner from damaging something when the heat transfer fins 3B are stacked.
- a fin-tube heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 11 .
- a heat transfer fin 3C having a shape shown in FIG. 11 is used.
- This heat transfer fin 3C has the same configuration as the heat transfer fin 3A used in the first embodiment, except for the shape of the protruding portions 51.
- the height from the base portion 4 to the top of the wall portion 52 is greater than the height from the base portion 4 to the top of the protruding portion 51.
- each protruding portion 51 is a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of a continuous cylindrical body including the collar portion 5 and the wall portion 52.
- the protrusion has a linear tab-like shape extending in the axial direction of the collar portion 5. This configuration also produces the same effects as in the first embodiment.
- the fin-tube heat exchanger of the present invention is applicable to heat pump devices for use in air conditioning units such as household air conditioners, automobile air conditioners, and industrial packaged air conditioners, refrigerators, heat pump water heaters, etc.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a fin-tube heat exchanger and a heat pump device including the fin-tube heat exchanger. The present invention also relates to a heat transfer fin suitable for use in a fin-tube heat exchanger.
- Conventionally, heat exchangers serving as evaporators or condensers are used in air conditioning units such as household air conditioners, automobile air conditioners, and industrial packaged air conditioners, and heat pump devices such as refrigerators and heat pump water heaters. In particular, in household air conditioners and industrial packaged air conditioners, fin-tube heat exchangers are most commonly used.
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FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a fin-tube heat exchanger 100 used in a household air conditioner, an industrial packaged air conditioner, or the like. Thisheat exchanger 100 includes a stack ofheat transfer fins 120 and aheat transfer tube 110 penetrating the stack ofheat transfer fins 120. Each of theheat transfer fins 120 has a cylindrical collar portion 123 (having a uniform cross-sectional shape) extending upwardly from abase portion 121. Abottom portion 122 and a flaredportion 124 extend radially outwardly in a curved manner from the bottom of thecollar portion 123 and the upper end thereof, respectively. The flaredportion 124 is in contact with theflat portion 121 of the adjacentheat transfer fin 120 in the vicinity of thebottom portion 122. In most cases, theheat transfer tube 110 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of thecollar portion 123 is inserted into thecollar portions 123 through the stack of theheat transfer fins 120, and then theheat transfer tube 110 is expanded. Thus, theheat transfer tube 110 is brought into close contact with thecollar portions 123. - When the
heat transfer fins 120 are stacked,gaps 130 are formed between the flaredportions 124 and theadjacent bottom portions 122. Since the portions of theheat transfer tube 110 corresponding to thesegaps 130 are not in contact with theheat transfer fins 120, the performance of heat transfer from theheat transfer tube 110 to theheat transfer fins 120 cannot be improved by conventional, commonly used mechanical tube expansion techniques. - Recently,
Patent Literature 1 has proposed a method for improving the performance of heat transfer from theheat transfer tube 110 to theheat transfer fins 120. In this method, a filler such as a silicone resin is put into thegaps 130 and cured so as to fill thegaps 130. - Patent Literature 1:
JP 2010-169344 A - However, since the method proposed in
Patent Literature 1 requires a step of putting the filler in addition to the conventionally required common steps, improvements in the production process are needed, resulting in a significant increase in man hours. In addition, when the heat exchanger is discarded, not only metals commonly used for theheat transfer fins 120 and theheat transfer tube 110 but also the filler, a different type of material, must be disposed of. Therefore, it is difficult to separate the materials from one another. As a result, the recycling efficiency is reduced and the environmental impact is increased. - In view of these circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fin-tube heat exchanger capable of improving the performance of heat transfer from a heat transfer tube to heat transfer fins without using a filler, and a heat pump device including this fin-tube heat exchanger. It is another object of the present invention to provide a heat transfer fin suitable for use in a fin-tube heat exchanger.
- The present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- The present disclosure can provide a heat transfer fin suitable for use in a fin-tube heat exchanger.
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FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger shown inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin in the first embodiment. -
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IVA-IVA inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IVB-IVB inFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in whichFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B are shown in one figure for explanation thereof. -
FIG. 6 is another enlarged cross-sectional view in whichFIG. 4A andFIG. 4B are shown in one figure for explanation thereof. -
FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin according to a modification of the first embodiment. -
FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin according to another modification of the first embodiment. -
FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin in a second embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin according to a modification of the second embodiment. -
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of a heat transfer fin in a third embodiment of the present invention. -
FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of a room air conditioner as an example of a heat pump device in which a fin-tube heat exchanger is used. -
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional view of a conventional fin-tube heat exchanger. - A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- According to the above-described configuration, the protruding portions serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins when they are stacked. On the other hand, when the heat transfer tube is inserted into the collar portions, a part of the upper end of each collar portion other than the part of the upper end on which the protruding portion is provided, that is, the wall portion, comes into contact with the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a larger contact area between each heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube, and accordingly it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible as a whole, with the adjacent heat transfer fins being stably stacked.
- In addition, since the wall portion is formed on the upper end of each collar portion, the adjacent heat transfer fins are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube can be transferred more efficiently. The adjacent heat transfer fins in the stack may not be in complete contact with each other, but the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved.
- In addition, not only the collar portion but also the wall portion between the protruding portions comes into contact with the heat transfer tube. Therefore, the performance of heat transfer from the heat transfer tube to the heat transfer fins can be improved more than in conventional heat exchangers. Thereby, the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger can be enhanced. In addition, unlike the conventional heat exchangers, there is no need to use a filler. Therefore, it is easy to separate the materials from one another when the heat exchanger is discarded, and the recycling efficiency does not decrease.
- A second aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the first aspect, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two. According to this configuration, it is possible to stack the adjacent heat transfer fins stably while reducing the number of the protruding portions. As the number of the protruding portions is reduced, the contact area between the heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube can be increased accordingly.
- A third aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the second aspect, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the third aspect, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to the third aspect, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ±30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth and seventh aspects, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- A ninth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to fifth and seventh aspects, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- A tenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the heat transfer fin according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, further including a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess. According to this configuration, when the heat transfer fins are stacked, each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters. Thereby, when the heat transfer fins are stacked during the production of the heat exchanger, even if the lower heat transfer fin is loaded by the weight of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the protruding portion of the lower heat transfer fin is deformed radially outwardly from the collar portion, the range in which the protruding portion is deformed is limited by the recess formed by the stepped portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the collar portion of the lower heat transfer fin in the stack from being deformed to have an inner diameter larger than that of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack. This means that when the heat transfer tube is inserted through the stack of the heat transfer fins and expanded to bring it into contact with the collar portions of the heat transfer fins, it is possible to prevent the contact area between the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube from differing from the contact area between the lower heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to achieve uniform heat transfer from the heat transfer tube to the heat transfer fins, regardless of where the heat transfer fins are located in the stack.
- An eleventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat transfer fin including: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes; and a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess.
- According to this configuration, when the heat transfer fins are stacked, each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters. Thereby, when the heat transfer fins are stacked during the production of the heat exchanger, even if the lower heat transfer fin is loaded by the weight of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the protruding portion of the lower heat transfer fin is deformed radially outwardly from the collar portion, the range in which the protruding portion is deformed is limited by the recess formed by the stepped portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the collar portion of the lower heat transfer fin in the stack from being deformed to have an inner diameter larger than that of the collar portion of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack. This means that when the heat transfer tube is inserted through the stack of the heat transfer fins and expanded to bring it into contact with the collar portions of the heat transfer fins, it is possible to prevent the contact area between the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube from differing from the contact area between the lower heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to achieve uniform heat transfer from the heat transfer tube to the heat transfer fins, regardless of where the heat transfer fins are located in the stack.
- A twelfth aspect of the present disclosure provides a fin-tube heat exchanger including: a stack of heat transfer fins; and a heat transfer tube penetrating the stack of heat transfer fins, wherein each of the heat transfer fins includes: a base portion; a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion; a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; and a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, and wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- According to this configuration, the protruding portions serve to support the adjacent heat transfer fins when they are stacked. On the other hand, when the heat transfer tube is inserted into the collar portions, a part of the upper end of each collar portion other than the part of the collar portion on which the protruding portion is provided, that is, the wall portion, comes into contact with the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to ensure a larger contact area between each heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube, and accordingly it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins as much as possible as a whole, with the adjacent heat transfer fins being stably stacked.
- In addition, since the wall portion is formed on the upper end of each collar portion, the adjacent heat transfer fins are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, the heat transfer fins in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in the heat transfer tube can be transferred more efficiently.
- In addition, since the gap between the adjacent heat transfer fins can be reduced as much as possible, there is no need to fill the gap with a filler. Therefore, it is easy to separate the materials from one another when the heat exchanger is discarded, and the recycling efficiency is enhanced.
- A thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the twelfth aspect, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two. According to this configuration, it is possible to stack the adjacent heat transfer fins stably while reducing the number of the protruding portions. As the number of the protruding portions is reduced, the contact area between the heat transfer fin and the heat transfer tube can be increased accordingly.
- A fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the thirteenth aspect, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the fourteenth aspect, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the fourteenth aspect, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ±30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure sufficiently stable stacking of the heat transfer fins even if the number of the protruding portions is two.
- A seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- A eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to seventeenth aspects, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- A nineteenth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth and eighteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- A twentieth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to sixteenth and eighteenth aspects, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- A twenty-first aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twentieth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- A twenty-second aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twentieth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is not in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- A twenty-third aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-second aspects, wherein each of the heat transfer fins further includes a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess. According to this configuration, when the heat transfer fins are stacked, each stepped portion forms a recess into which the protruding portion of the adjacent heat transfer fin enters. Thereby, when the heat transfer fins are stacked during the production of the heat exchanger, even if the lower heat transfer fin is loaded by the weight of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the protruding portion of the lower heat transfer fin is deformed radially outwardly from the collar portion, the range in which the protruding portion is deformed is limited by the recess formed by the stepped portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the collar portion of the lower heat transfer fin in the stack from being deformed to have an inner diameter larger than that of the collar portion of the upper heat transfer fin in the stack. This means that when the heat transfer tube is inserted through the stack of the heat transfer fins and expanded to bring it into contact with the collar portions of the heat transfer fins, it is possible to prevent the contact area between the upper heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube from differing from the contact area between the lower heat transfer fin in the stack and the heat transfer tube. Therefore, it is possible to achieve uniform heat transfer from the heat transfer tube to the heat transfer fins, regardless of where the heat transfer fins are located in the stack.
- A twenty-fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-third aspects, wherein the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- A twenty-fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to the twenty-third aspect, wherein as long as the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin, the height from the base portion to the top of the wall portion is greater than the height from the base portion to the top of the protruding portion.
- A twenty-sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-fifth aspects, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters a space beneath a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin. According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the gap formed between one of the heat transfer fins in the stack and another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin as much as possible. Thereby, it is possible to increase the heat transfer area and thus enhance the heat exchange efficiency.
- A twenty-seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a heat pump device including: a compressor; a condenser; a throttling device; an evaporator; and a refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant is circulated to pass through the compressor, the condenser, the throttling device, and the evaporator, wherein at least one of the condenser and the evaporator is the fin-tube heat exchanger according to any one of the twelfth to twenty-sixth aspects.
- Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.
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FIG. 1 shows a fin-tube heat exchanger 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Thisheat exchanger 1 includes a stack ofheat transfer fins 3A, a pair ofside plates 20 disposed on both sides of the stack oftransfer fins 3A, and a plurality of U-shapedheat transfer tubes 2 penetrating theheat transfer fins 3A and theside plates 20. - Each of the
heat transfer fins 3A extends in a specific direction, and the straight portions of theheat transfer tubes 2 are arranged at a constant pitch in the longitudinal direction of theheat transfer fins 3A. The straight portions of eachheat transfer tube 2 are connected by a bent portion on the side of one of theside plates 20, and both ends of theheat transfer tube 2 protrude from theother side plate 20, and one end of theheat transfer tube 2 and one end of the adjacentheat transfer tubes 2 are connected by abent pipe 21. - Each of the
heat transfer tubes 2 is made of a metal such as copper having a high thermal conductivity. Each of theheat transfer fins 3A has a plate shape obtained by press-forming a thin aluminum plate, and is rectangular in plane view. The shape of theheat transfer fins 3A is not particularly limited as long as they have a shape extending in the specific direction. For example, it may be a polygonal shape extended in the specific direction, such as a rhombus or a trapezoid, or may be an elliptical shape. - Specifically, as shown in
FIG. 2 to FIG. 4B , each of theheat transfer fins 3A includes abase portion 4 spreading around the straight portion of theheat transfer tube 2 and acylindrical collar portion 5 extending upwardly from thebase portion 4 along the straight portion of theheat transfer tube 2. Hereinafter, for the purpose of explanation, the direction in which thecollar portion 5 extends is referred to as an upward direction and the direction opposite to the upward direction is referred to as a downward direction. - The
collar portion 5 forms an insertion hole into which theheat transfer tube 2 is to be inserted. Theheat transfer tube 2 has an initial outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of thecollar portion 5. After theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked so that their insertion holes coincide with each other, theheat transfer tube 2 is inserted through the insertion holes. That is, a clearance is provided between the initialheat transfer tube 2 and thecollar portions 5 so as to facilitate the insertion of theheat transfer tube 2. Then, theheat transfer tube 2 is expanded by a mechanical tube expanding technique in which a tube expanding billet is inserted into theheat transfer tube 2. Thereby, theheat transfer tube 2 comes into contact with thecollar portions 5, and thecollar portions 5 are coaxially fixed together. - The
collar portion 5 is provided with, on its lower end, abottom portion 55 that is curved and extends radially outwardly from the bottom of thecollar portion 5 down to thebase portion 4. On the other hand, on the upper end of thecollar portion 5, a plurality of protrudingportions 51 and a plurality ofwall portions 52 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. The number of the protrudingportions 51 is equal to the number of thewall portions 52. - The
base portion 4 may be flat, but in the present embodiment, it has a corrugated shape having folds parallel to the longitudinal direction of theheat transfer fins 3A. The folds of the corrugated shape need not necessarily be parallel to the longitudinal direction of theheat transfer fins 3A. They may be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction. Specifically, thebase portion 4 includes acorrugated portion 41 having ridges and grooves, aflat ring portion 43 surrounding theheat transfer tube 2 at the same level as the grooves of thecorrugated portion 41, and aperipheral wall portion 42 extending in a tapered manner from the outer edge of thering portion 43 to the ridges of thecorrugated portion 41. The above-mentionedbottom portion 55 extends down to the inner edge of thering portion 43. - Each of the protruding
portion 51 protrudes radially outwardly from a part of the upper end of thecollar portion 5. Thewall portion 52 extends upwardly from a part of the upper end of thecollar portion 5 other than the part of the upper end from which the protrudingportion 51 protrudes. In other words, thewall portion 52 is formed by extending thecollar portion 5 to a region between the protrudingportions 51. In the adjacentheat transfer fins 3A, as shown inFIG. 4A , the protrudingportion 51 of oneheat transfer fin 3A is in contact with thering portion 43 of the adjacentheat transfer fin 3A in the vicinity of thebottom portion 55. - In the present embodiment, a stepped portion that is curved and extends from the bottom of the
collar portion 5 down to thebase portion 4 to form a recess is provided. Specifically, thering portion 43 is provided with the steppedportion 6 so as to form a recess, into which the protrudingportions 51 can be fitted, around thebottom portion 55. That is, the steppedportion 6 has an inner diameter larger than the diameter of a circle circumscribing the protrudingportions 51. The cross-sectional shape of the steppedportion 6 may be a straight line parallel or oblique to the axial direction of thecollar portion 5, or may be a curved line. In this configuration, when theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked during the production of the heat exchanger, even if the lowerheat transfer fin 3A is loaded by the weight of the upperheat transfer fin 3A in the stack and the protrudingportion 51 of the lowerheat transfer fin 3A is deformed radially outwardly from thecollar portion 5, the range in which the protrudingportion 51 is deformed is limited by the recess formed by the steppedportion 6. Therefore, it is possible to prevent thecollar portion 5 of the lowerheat transfer fin 3A in the stack from being deformed to have an inner diameter larger than that of thecollar portion 5 of the upperheat transfer fin 3A in the stack. This means that when theheat transfer tube 2 is inserted through the stack of theheat transfer fins 3A and expanded to bring it into contact with thecollar portions 5 of theheat transfer fins 3A, it is possible to prevent the contact area between the upperheat transfer fin 3A in the stack and theheat transfer tube 2 from differing from the contact area between the lowerheat transfer fin 3A in the stack and theheat transfer tube 2. Therefore, it is possible to achieve uniform heat transfer from theheat transfer tube 2 to theheat transfer fins 3A, regardless of where theheat transfer fins 3A are located in the stack. - The protruding
portions 51 serve to support the adjacentheat transfer fins 3A when they are stacked. Therefore, it is desirable that the heights from thering portion 43 to the tops of all the protrudingportions 51 be equal. Furthermore, it is preferable that the protrudingportions 51 be arranged at regular angular intervals in the circumferential direction. - The number of the protruding
portions 51 is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that at least two protrudingportions 51 be provided. From the viewpoint of the stability of the stack of theheat transfer fins 3A in the transverse direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of theheat transfer fins 3A (theheat transfer fins 3A are supported more stably by two or moreprotruding portions 51 in the longitudinal direction), it is preferable that at least two protrudingportions 51 be respectively disposed in two separate regions within a specific angular range spreading in the transverse direction of theheat transfer fin 3A from the center of the collar portion 5 (for example, in two separate regions within an angular range of ±30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in the transverse direction). For example, three protrudingportions 51 may be disposed in such a manner that one of them is disposed in one region within the angular range and the other two are disposed in the other region within the angular range and that the center lines of these three protrudingportions 51 form a Y-shaped configuration in plane view (as viewed from the axial direction of the collar portion 5). Alternatively, two protrudingportions 51 may be respectively disposed in two separate regions within the specific angular range, that is, at two separate positions deviated from a straight line passing through the center of thecollar portion 5 and extending in the transverse direction. However, from the viewpoint of increasing the stability while ensuring a large contact area between thewall portions 52 and theheat transfer tube 2, the best configuration is that only two protrudingportions 51 protruding in the opposite directions along the transverse direction of theheat transfer fin 3A are provided. In other words, one of these two protrudingportions 51 extends in a specific direction. The other one of the two protrudingportions 51 extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction. More specifically, the specific direction is a direction (transverse direction) perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of theheat transfer fin 3A. - In the present embodiment, each protruding
portion 51 is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of thecollar portion 5 and finally bent at 90 degrees with respect to thecollar portion 5. However, the protrudingportion 51 need not necessarily be curved. For example, the protrudingportion 51 may be formed of a linear gradient portion extending obliquely upward from thecollar portion 5 and a flange portion provided on the upper end of the linear gradient portion. The bending angle also is not limited to 90 degrees. - Preferably, the circumferential width of each protruding
portion 51 is smaller than the circumferential width of each protrudingportion 51. For example, the circumferential width of each protrudingportion 51 is about one twelfth to one fifth the perimeter of thecollar portion 5. - In the present embodiment, each protruding
portion 51 has sharp corners and its plane view is a circular arc shape with a certain width. However, the corners of the protrudingportion 51 may be rounded, as shown inFIG. 7 , to prevent the sharp corners from damaging something when theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked. The protrudingportion 51 may have a crescent shape in plane view. - On the other hand, the
wall portions 52 come into contact with theheat transfer tube 2, although they do not serve to support the adjacentheat transfer fins 3A. The inner diameter of a circle connecting thewall portions 52 is equal to the inner diameter of thecollar portion 5, and thewall portions 52 and thecollar portion 5 form a continuous wall surface. Specifically, when theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked, agap 7 is formed between the protrudingportion 51 and thebottom portion 55 of the upperheat transfer fin 3A, as shown inFIG. 4A , but a much smaller gap is formed between thewall portion 52 and thebottom portion 55 of the upperheat transfer fin 3A, as shown inFIG. 4B . - From the viewpoint of inserting the
wall portion 52 deeply into the space beneath the thebottom portion 55 of the upperheat transfer fin 3A and thereby reducing the gap between thewall portion 52 and thebottom portion 55 as much as possible, the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of thewall portion 52 is greater than the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protrudingportion 51. That is, the top of thewall portion 52 is located higher than the top of the protrudingportion 51 by the difference Δh between the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of thewall portion 52 and the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protrudingportion 51. In this configuration, not only thegap 7 can be reduced by the difference Δh, but also the contact area between theheat transfer fin 3A and theheat transfer tube 2 is increased. Therefore, the heat transfer area increases and thus the heat exchange efficiency improves. If the height B from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of thewall portion 52 is smaller than the height A from the ring portion 43 (base portion 4) to the top of the protrudingportion 51, the lateral surface of theheat transfer tube 2 is exposed between the adjacentheat transfer fins 3A when theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked. This is an undesirable tendency in terms of the heat transfer efficiency. In addition, since thewall portions 52 are formed on the upper end of thecollar portion 5, the adjacentheat transfer fins 3A are brought into contact with each other when they are stacked. Therefore, theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. As a result, heat of a fluid flowing in theheat transfer tube 2 can be transferred more efficiently. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , thewall portion 52 of one of theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack may be in contact with the back side of the bottom of thecollar portion 5 of anotherheat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the oneheat transfer fin 3A. Alternatively, as shown inFIG. 6 , thewall portion 52 of one of theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack need not be in contact with the back side of the bottom of thecollar portion 5 of anotherheat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the oneheat transfer fin 3A. In the stackedheat transfer fins 3A, some of thewall portions 52 may be in contact with the back sides of the bottoms of thecollar portions 52, and theother wall portions 52 may not be in contact with the back sides of the bottoms of thecollar portions 52. For example, when theheat transfer fins 3A are stacked during the production of the heat exchanger, in theheat transfer fins 3A located in the lower part of the stack, thewall portion 52 is more likely to come into contact with the back side of the bottom of theadjacent collar portion 5 by the weight thereof. In contrast, in some of theheat transfer fins 3A located in the upper part of the stack, thewall portion 52 may not come into contact with the back side of the bottom of theadjacent collar portion 5. However, the stackedheat transfer fins 3A are integrated into a single unit and the performance of heat transfer of the entire stack is improved. - As shown in
FIG. 4A , the protrudingportion 51 of one of theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack enters the recess formed by the steppedportion 6 of anotherheat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the oneheat transfer fin 3A. As shown inFIG. 4B , thewall portion 52 of one of theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack enters the space beneath the bottom of thecollar portion 5 of anotherheat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the oneheat transfer fin 3A. As shown inFIG. 5 , as long as the protrudingportion 51 of one of theheat transfer fins 3A in the stack is in contact with the recess formed by the steppedportion 6 of anotherheat transfer fin 3A that is stacked on the oneheat transfer fin 3A, the height B from thebase portion 4 to the top of thewall portion 52 need only be greater than the height A from thebase portion 4 to the top of the protrudingportion 51. - In the present embodiment, a thin linear slit is provided between the protruding
portion 51 and thewall portion 52. However, in order to reduce the stress concentrated on the boundary between the protrudingportion 51 and thewall 52, it is preferable to provide, between the protrudingportion 51 and thewall portion 52, a notch 53 (an example of a notched portion) having an arc-shaped bottom with a certain width and smoothly connecting the protrudingportion 51 and thewall portion 52, as shown inFIG. 8 . - Here, the details of heat transfer phenomena are described with reference to the conventional fin-
tube heat exchanger 100 shown inFIG. 13 . - The heat of a fluid flowing in the
heat transfer tube 110 is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of theheat transfer tube 110 to the inner peripheral surface of thecollar portion 123, and then is conducted to the outer peripheral surface of thecollar portion 123 and the upper surface and the lower surface of thebase portion 121. The heat thus conducted to the outer peripheral surface of thecollar portion 123 and the upper surface and the lower surface of thebase portion 121 is transferred to a fluid that is to flow between thebase portions 121. - In the case where the heat is transferred from the outer peripheral surface of the
heat transfer tube 110 to the inner peripheral surface of thecollar portion 5, the thermal contact conductance is generally defined by the following equation 1:
where K is the thermal contact conductance (W/m2 • K), δ1 is the surface roughness (µm) of one of two members in contact at the interface, δ2 is the surface roughness (µm) of the other one of the members in contact at the interface, δ0 is the equivalent length of the contact (= 23 µm), λ1 is the thermal conductivity (W/m • K) of the one of the members in contact at the interface, λ2 is the thermal conductivity (W/m • K) of the other one of the members in contact at the interface, P is the contact pressure (MPa), H is the hardness (Hb) of a softer one of the members in contact at the interface, and λf is the thermal conductivity (W/m • K) of an interstitial fluid. -
- Therefore, there are two ways to reduce the thermal contact resistance Rc: one is to increase the thermal contact conductance K; and the other is to increase the contact area S.
- As a way to increase the thermal contact conductance K, there is a method of filling the
gaps 130 between thecollar portions 123 with a filler, as described inPatent Literature 1, for example. With the use of the filler instead of the interstitial fluid, which is usually air, this method makes it possible to increase the thermal conductivity λf of the interstitial fluid and thus increase the thermal contact conductance K. - However, if the filler is used, the materials of the
heat exchanger 100 include not only the materials of theheat transfer fins 120 and theheat transfer tube 110 but also the filler as a different type of material. Therefore, it is difficult to separate the materials from one another for recycling when the product is discarded. As a result, the recycling efficiency decreases, which leads to a decrease in the recycling rate, an increase in the energy required for recycling, etc., and consequently in an increase in the environmental impact. - Recently, efforts to reduce the impact on the global environment, for example, the implementation of the Home Appliance Recycling Act, have been made at the initiative of the Japanese government. Since the number of products subject to the Recycling Act tends to be increased, the recycling efficiency is a non-negligible factor.
- In addition to the above-mentioned method, there are many other ways to increase the thermal contact conductance K. For example, there are a method of reducing the surface roughnesses δ1 and δ2 of the surfaces of the
heat transfer tube 110 and thecollar portion 123 in contact, a method of increasing the contact pressure P, a method of increasing the thermal conductivities λ1 and λ2 of theheat transfer tube 110 and theheat transfer fin 120, and a method of reducing the hardness H of the softer one of theheat transfer tube 110 and theheat transfer fin 120. The present invention focuses on the method of increasing the contact area S. - An increase in the contact area between the
heat transfer tube 110 and theheat transfer fin 120 makes it possible to reduce the thermal contact resistance Rc without changing the thermal contact conductance K, and thus to improve the performance of heat transfer from theheat transfer tube 110 to theheat transfer fin 120. - As described above, in the
heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment, not only thecollar portions 5 but also thewall portions 52 between the protrudingportions 51 come into contact with theheat transfer tube 2. Therefore, the performance of heat transfer from theheat transfer tube 2 to theheat transfer fins 3A can be improved more than in conventional heat exchangers. Thereby, the heat exchange efficiency of theheat exchanger 1 can be improved. In addition, unlike the conventional heat exchangers, theheat exchanger 1 does not require a filler. Therefore, it is easy to separate the materials from one another when the heat exchanger is discarded, and the recycling efficiency does not decrease. - Next, a
room air conditioner 10 as an example of a heat pump device, in which the above-describedheat exchanger 1 is used, is described with reference toFIG. 12 . - In the
room air conditioner 10, a refrigerant circuit 10C is configured to pass through both anindoor unit 10A and anoutdoor unit 10B. A compressor 11 (for example, a rotary compressor), a four-way valve 12, anoutdoor heat exchanger 13, a throttling device 14 (for example, an expansion valve) are disposed in theoutdoor unit 10B. Anindoor heat exchanger 15 is disposed in theindoor unit 10A. Theoutdoor unit 10B is provided with an outdoor fan 16 (for example, a propeller fan) for supplying outdoor air to theoutdoor heat exchanger 13, and theindoor unit 10A is provided with an indoor fan 17 (for example, a cross flow fan) for supplying indoor air to theindoor heat exchanger 15. - In the
room air conditioner 10, a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant compressed by thecompressor 11 is directed through the four-way valve 12 to theindoor heat exchanger 15 in heating operation and to theoutdoor heat exchanger 13 in cooling operation. In the heating operation, theindoor heat exchanger 15 serves as a condenser, into which the high-temperature refrigerant is introduced through the four-way valve 12. Theindoor heat exchanger 15 allows the high-temperature refrigerant introduced thereinto to transfer its heat to the indoor air supplied by theindoor fan 17 through heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air so as to condense and liquefy the refrigerant. The liquefied refrigerant is adiabatically expanded by the throttlingdevice 14, and the resulting low-temperature and low-pressure refrigerant is supplied to theoutdoor heat exchanger 13. Theoutdoor heat exchanger 13 serves as an evaporator, and allows the vapor-liquid two-phase low-temperature refrigerant to absorb the heat of the outdoor air supplied by theoutdoor fan 16 through heat exchange between the refrigerant and the air so as to evaporate and vaporize the refrigerant. The evaporated low-pressure vapor refrigerant is again compressed by thecompressor 11. The indoor air is heated by repeating this cycle continuously. Thus, the room is heated. In the cooling operation, the refrigerant is caused to flow in the reverse direction by switching the four-way valve 12 so as to cool the indoor air. Thus, the room is cooled. That is, in both the heating operation and the cooling operation, the refrigerant circulating in the refrigerant circuit 10C passes through thecompressor 11, the condenser, the throttlingdevice 14, and the evaporator in this order. - When the
heat exchanger 1 of the present embodiment is used as at least one of the condenser and the evaporator in theroom air conditioner 10 as described above or any other heat pump device, the heat exchange efficiency of the condenser and/or the evaporator can be improved. As a result, the COP (coefficient of performance) of the heat pump device can be improved. - Next, a fin-tube heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to
FIG. 9 . In the present embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof may be omitted. This also applies to the third embodiment described later. - In the present embodiment, a
heat transfer fin 3B having a shape shown inFIG. 9 is used. Thisheat transfer fin 3B has the same configuration as theheat transfer fin 3A used in the first embodiment, except for the shape of the protrudingportions 51. The height from thebase portion 4 to the top of thewall portion 52 is greater than the height from thebase portion 4 to the top of the protrudingportion 51. - Specifically, in the present embodiment, each protruding
portion 51 is formed continuously from thewall portions 52 on both sides thereof, and has a shape in which the circumferential center thereof is gradually raised with distance from the upper end of thecollar portion 5. In other words, each protrudingportion 51 has a spout-like shape with a pointed arch-shaped cross section (such as a bird's beak-shaped or V-shaped cross section). - When the
heat transfer fins 3B are stacked, the protrudingportions 51 serve to support the adjacentheat transfer fins 3B. Therefore, the protrudingportions 51 need to support the weight of all the upper locatedheat transfer fins 3B. In this regard, the spout-like protrudingportions 51 of the present embodiment can have a higher section modulus. Therefore, the strength of the protrudingportions 51 themselves can be increased. Thewall portions 52 have the same effect as in the first embodiment. - In
FIG. 9 , the protrudingportion 51 has a pointed arch-shaped cross section with a sharp corner at the center thereof, but the center of the protrudingportion 51 may be smoothly curved as shown inFIG. 10 to prevent the sharp corner from damaging something when theheat transfer fins 3B are stacked. - Next, a fin-tube heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to
FIG. 11 . In the present embodiment, a heat transfer fin 3C having a shape shown inFIG. 11 is used. This heat transfer fin 3C has the same configuration as theheat transfer fin 3A used in the first embodiment, except for the shape of the protrudingportions 51. The height from thebase portion 4 to the top of thewall portion 52 is greater than the height from thebase portion 4 to the top of the protrudingportion 51. - Specifically, in the present embodiment, each protruding
portion 51 is a protrusion provided on the outer peripheral surface of a continuous cylindrical body including thecollar portion 5 and thewall portion 52. The protrusion has a linear tab-like shape extending in the axial direction of thecollar portion 5. This configuration also produces the same effects as in the first embodiment. - The fin-tube heat exchanger of the present invention is applicable to heat pump devices for use in air conditioning units such as household air conditioners, automobile air conditioners, and industrial packaged air conditioners, refrigerators, heat pump water heaters, etc.
Claims (27)
- A heat transfer fin comprising:a base portion;a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion;a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; anda wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes,wherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 2, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 3, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 3, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ±30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- The heat transfer fin according to claim 1, further comprising a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess.
- A heat transfer fin comprising:a base portion;a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion;a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion;a wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes; anda stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess.
- A fin-tube heat exchanger comprising:a stack of heat transfer fins; anda heat transfer tube penetrating the stack of heat transfer fins,wherein each of the heat transfer fins comprises:a base portion;a cylindrical collar portion extending upwardly from the base portion;a protruding portion protruding radially outwardly from a part of an upper end of the collar portion; anda wall portion extending upwardly from a part of the upper end of the collar portion other than the part of the upper end from which the protruding portion protrudes, andwherein a height from the base portion to a top of the wall portion is greater than a height from the base portion to a top of the protruding portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the number of the protruding portions provided is at least two.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 13, wherein one of the at least two protruding portions extends in a specific direction, and another of the at least two protruding portions extends in a direction opposite to the specific direction.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the specific direction is perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the specific direction is within an angular range of ±30 degrees with respect to a straight line extending in a transverse direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the heat transfer fin from a center of the collar portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the protruding portion is bent radially outwardly with distance from the upper end of the collar portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein a notched portion is provided between the protruding portion and the wall portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the protruding portion has a center portion raised from an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the protruding portion is a protrusion provided on an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical body constituting the collar portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is not in contact with a back side of a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12, wherein each of the heat transfer fins further comprises a stepped portion that is curved and extends from a bottom of the collar portion down to the base portion to form a recess.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 23, wherein the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 23, wherein as long as the protruding portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack is in contact with the recess formed by the stepped portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin, the height from the base portion to the top of the wall portion is greater than the height from the base portion to the top of the protruding portion.
- The fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 23, wherein the wall portion of one of the heat transfer fins in the stack enters a space beneath a bottom of the collar portion of another heat transfer fin that is stacked on the one heat transfer fin.
- A heat pump device comprising:a compressor;a condenser;a throttling device;an evaporator; anda refrigerant circuit in which a refrigerant is circulated to pass through the compressor, the condenser, the throttling device, and the evaporator,wherein at least one of the condenser and the evaporator is the fin-tube heat exchanger according to claim 12.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2011246711 | 2011-11-10 | ||
PCT/JP2012/007197 WO2013069299A1 (en) | 2011-11-10 | 2012-11-09 | Heat transfer fin, fin-tube heat exchanger, and heat pump device |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP2778593A1 true EP2778593A1 (en) | 2014-09-17 |
EP2778593A4 EP2778593A4 (en) | 2014-10-15 |
EP2778593B1 EP2778593B1 (en) | 2017-05-10 |
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EP12848344.3A Active EP2778593B1 (en) | 2011-11-10 | 2012-11-09 | Fin-tube heat exchanger |
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EP (1) | EP2778593B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP6115783B2 (en) |
CN (2) | CN103105089B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2013069299A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
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US11125505B2 (en) | 2017-09-19 | 2021-09-21 | Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. | Heat exchanger and air conditioner including the same |
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JP6115783B2 (en) * | 2011-11-10 | 2017-04-19 | パナソニックIpマネジメント株式会社 | Heat transfer fin, fin tube heat exchanger and heat pump device |
US20160079639A1 (en) * | 2014-09-15 | 2016-03-17 | James O. Pinon | Cooling fin for a battery cell |
CN107850403B (en) * | 2015-07-10 | 2019-08-23 | 三菱电机株式会社 | Heat exchanger and conditioner |
JP6831206B2 (en) * | 2016-10-20 | 2021-02-17 | リンナイ株式会社 | Fin tube type heat exchanger and combustion device equipped with this heat exchanger |
WO2018139162A1 (en) * | 2017-01-24 | 2018-08-02 | 三菱電機株式会社 | Heat exchanger |
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- 2012-11-09 JP JP2013542859A patent/JP6115783B2/en active Active
- 2012-11-09 EP EP12848344.3A patent/EP2778593B1/en active Active
- 2012-11-09 CN CN201210447596.0A patent/CN103105089B/en active Active
- 2012-11-09 CN CN 201220590083 patent/CN202885630U/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2012-11-09 WO PCT/JP2012/007197 patent/WO2013069299A1/en active Application Filing
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EP2778593B1 (en) | 2017-05-10 |
CN103105089B (en) | 2017-03-01 |
JPWO2013069299A1 (en) | 2015-04-02 |
WO2013069299A1 (en) | 2013-05-16 |
EP2778593A4 (en) | 2014-10-15 |
CN202885630U (en) | 2013-04-17 |
CN103105089A (en) | 2013-05-15 |
JP6115783B2 (en) | 2017-04-19 |
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