JP2007248004A - Connector for heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connector for a heat exchanger suited to mass production, easy in the adjustment of a coolant flow rate, and eliminating the waste of a space. <P>SOLUTION: The connector 100 is characterized in that the inner circumference of an inlet communication hole 101 connected to coolant supply piping 104, and a part of inner circumferences of first and second outlet communication holes 102, 103 is overlapped from a plane view, and the inlet communication hole 101 and the first and second outlet communication holes 102, 103 are composed so that they are respectively communicated with each other in a connector body. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger connector that connects a header tank of a heat exchanger and a refrigerant supply pipe that supplies a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant such as CO 2 gas.

  Generally, a heat exchanger used in a vehicle air conditioner or the like has a structure in which a header tank having a refrigerant passage is connected to both ends of a heat exchanger core in which a plurality of tubes and fins are alternately stacked. ing. In order to apply such a heat exchanger to a refrigeration cycle using a high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant such as CO2, it is necessary to increase the pressure resistance of the header tank. For this reason, for example, as in the heat exchanger proposed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-226865, the cross-sectional shape of the two tank portions is a substantially circular multi-hole structure, and the cross-sectional area of the internal flow path receiving the internal pressure is reduced. By doing so, high breakdown voltage is obtained.

  In addition, as a connection structure between the heat exchanger and a refrigerant supply pipe (hereinafter referred to as a pipe) for supplying a refrigerant, a system in which a connector is connected to the header tank in advance and the pipe is connected to the connector connection port is used. Yes.

Among these, as a conventional technique related to the connection between the multi-hole header tank and the piping, for example, a part of the header partitioning portion facing the piping is cut out to communicate the two refrigerant passages inside, and this The thing which connected piping to the notch part is disclosed (refer patent document 1). Moreover, what combined the flange connected with piping to the block which formed the flow path inside is disclosed (refer patent document 2). Further, there is disclosed a connector in which a connector having an L-shaped channel formed therein is connected to an extension of the header tank (see Patent Document 3).
JP 2004-293873 A JP 11-325784 A JP 2004-162993 A

  In recent years, in order to cope with mass production, a header tank having a divided structure in which a plurality of members are combined has been proposed. In that case, in order to enable high pressure resistance, light weight, and press working, it is necessary to use a material having a thinner plate thickness than in the past and to reduce the diameter of the refrigerant passage serving as the tank portion. However, in the tank having such a shape, the distance between the refrigerant flow paths provided is separated, so that it is difficult to apply the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-293873, and mass production is difficult. It was.

  In addition, in the connection structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-325784, the refrigerant flows more into the rear passage than the front passage due to a difference in dynamic pressure, so that it is difficult to adjust the refrigerant flow rate. There was a point.

  Further, in the connector structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-162993, since the connector is connected to the lower portion of the end of the header tank, a tube cannot be connected to that portion, resulting in wasted space. There was a problem.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a connector for a heat exchanger that is suitable for mass production, can easily adjust the flow rate of refrigerant, and does not waste space.

  In order to achieve the above object, a heat exchanger connector according to the present invention includes a header tank of a heat exchanger having at least two refrigerant channels, and a refrigerant that supplies refrigerant to each refrigerant channel in the header tank. A heat exchanger connector for connecting a supply pipe, comprising: a cylindrical inlet communication hole connected to the refrigerant supply pipe; and cylindrical first and second outlet communication holes connected to the header tank side. The inlet communication hole and a part of the first and second outlet communication holes overlap in plan view, and the inlet communication hole and the first and second outlet communication holes communicate with each other in the connector body. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, when the refrigerant flowing from the inlet communication hole flows into the first outlet communication hole and the second outlet communication hole, the dynamic pressure is equalized inside the inlet communication hole. It can distribute equally to a communicating hole and a 2nd exit communicating hole.

  Further, the flow rate of the refrigerant can be adjusted by changing the length of the portion communicating with the inlet communication hole in either the first outlet communication hole or the second outlet communication hole.

  Furthermore, since it does not interfere with the tubes and fins of the heat exchanger core when connected to the header tank, it is possible to prevent unnecessary space from being generated in the heat exchanger core by connecting the connector.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of a heat exchanger connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Initially, the whole structure of the heat exchanger in this embodiment is demonstrated with FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the heat exchanger 10 according to this embodiment includes a heat exchanger core 11 and header tanks 20 and 30 disposed at both ends thereof.

  The heat exchanger core 11 is formed by alternately laminating tubes 12 each having a plurality of refrigerant flow paths formed therein and cooling fins 13 formed in a corrugated shape, and is integrally brazed and joined. Further, a side plate (not shown) or the like as a reinforcing member is provided on the outer side of the outermost tube 12 and is brazed integrally with the heat exchanger core 11. When the refrigerant flows through the heat exchanger core 11, heat exchange is performed with cooling air (not shown).

  The header tanks 20 and 30 are disposed at both ends of the heat exchanger core 11, that is, at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the plurality of tubes 12, and inside the two refrigerant flow paths 21 and 22 ( The header tank 20 side) and 31 and 32 (header tank 30 side) are formed. The end portions of the tubes 12 are brazed and joined to the header tanks 20 and 30, and the refrigerant passages formed inside communicate with the refrigerant passages of the tubes 12. An end cap 15 for closing both ends of the tank portion is brazed to the end portions of the header tanks 20 and 30. The header tanks 20 and 30 are equipped with a necessary number of divides (plates) (not shown) according to the number of times the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger core 11 is turned.

  Further, an inlet-side connector 100 that supplies refrigerant into the header tank and an outlet-side connector 200 that discharges the refrigerant heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger core 11 from the header tank are brazed to the side surfaces of the header tank 20. It is joined by.

  Next, the configuration of the header tanks 20 and 30 will be described. Here, the header tank 20 will be described as an example, but the header tank 30 has substantially the same configuration except that no connector is joined.

  FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9 and shows a cross-sectional view of a portion where the tube 12 is not inserted. As shown in FIG. 10, the header tank 20 includes a tank portion 23 in which two refrigerant channels 21 and 22 are formed, and a plate portion 24 in which a tube insertion hole (not shown) for inserting the tube 12 is formed. And has a divided structure in which these two parts are combined.

In the header tank 20 of the present embodiment, the end portions of the plate portion 24 are bent and fixed so as to wrap around both side edges of the tank portion 23. And the tank part 23 and the plate part 24 are integrated by brazing in a furnace in this state.
Then, the structure of the connector 100 in this embodiment is demonstrated. Here, an example in which the present invention is applied to the connector 100 on the inlet side will be described. However, the outlet-side connector 200 may have the same configuration as the inlet-side connector 100 or may have an existing configuration.

[Embodiment 1]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 9, and is a cross-sectional view illustrating a joint portion between the connector 100 and the header tank 20 according to the first embodiment. All other figures having the same shape correspond to the BB cross section of FIG. In these drawings, illustration of the tube 12 is omitted. 2 is a diagram showing a planar arrangement of the connector 100 and the header tank 20, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration in the case of adjusting the refrigerant flow rate.

  The connector 100 of the present embodiment includes a cylindrical inlet communication hole 101 connected to the refrigerant pipe 104 and a cylindrical first outlet communication hole connected to the refrigerant flow paths 21 and 22 formed in the header tank 20. 102 and a second outlet communication hole 103. As shown in FIG. 2, these communication holes overlap the inner periphery of the inlet communication hole 101 and a part of the inner periphery of the first and second outlet communication holes 102 and 103 in a plan view. As shown, the inlet communication hole 101 and the first and second outlet communication holes 102 and 103 are configured to communicate with each other within the connector body. The inlet communication hole 101 and the first and second outlet communication holes 102 and 103 can be formed by drilling from the vertical direction of the cylindrical connector body.

  In addition, communication holes 25 and 26 through which the refrigerant flows are formed in a portion where the connector 100 of the header tank 20 is joined, that is, the mountain portion of the tank portion 23. Thus, when the header tank 20 and the connector 100 are joined, the communication holes 25 and 26 on the header tank 20 side, and the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103 on the connector 100 side are planar. In accordance with this, the refrigerant can be distributed. On the other hand, the portion of the connector 100 that joins the header tank 20 is cut into a reverse concave shape so as to be fitted to the convex portion of the tank portion 23.

  According to the connector 100 configured as described above, the refrigerant (thick arrow in the figure) supplied through the pipe 104 branches in two directions inside the inlet communication hole 101, and the first outlet communication hole 102, the first It flows into the 2 outlet communication hole 103. At this time, since the dynamic pressure is equalized inside the inlet communication hole 101, the refrigerant can be evenly distributed to the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103.

  Moreover, when adjusting a refrigerant | coolant flow rate, it can respond by shortening the length of the part connected with the inlet communication hole 101. FIG. For example, in order to reduce the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the second outlet communication hole 103 rather than the first outlet communication hole 102, a portion where the first outlet communication hole 102 communicates with the inlet communication hole 101 as shown in FIG. The length L2 of the portion where the second outlet communication hole 103 communicates with the inlet communication hole 101 is shortened with respect to the length L1. By doing so, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing into the second outlet communication hole 103 can be reduced as compared with the first outlet communication hole 102. Such adjustment of the flow rate can be easily set by changing the hole depth of the first outlet communication hole 102 or the second outlet communication hole 103.

  The connector 100 according to the present embodiment is suitable for mass production because it can be applied to a header tank having a divided structure in which the refrigerant flow path is separated. Moreover, since the number of parts is small and processing is simple, it can be manufactured at low cost. Further, the flow rate of the refrigerant can be easily adjusted by changing the depth of the first outlet communication hole 102 or the second outlet communication hole 103. Furthermore, when the connector 100 is connected to the header tank 20, there is no interference with the tubes 12 and the fins 13 of the heat exchanger core 11, so by connecting the connector 100, wasted space in the heat exchanger core 11. Can be prevented.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a joint portion between the connector 100A and the header tank 20 according to the second embodiment, and the same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, configurations and operational effects different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of common configurations and operational effects will be omitted.

  In the connector 100A of the present embodiment, the positions of the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103 on the connector side and the positions of the communication holes 25 and 26 on the header tank side are the center positions of the refrigerant flow paths 21 and 22. Offset from the inside.

  Therefore, in the connector 100A according to this embodiment, the positions of the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103 can be moved inward even if the refrigerant flow paths 21 and 22 are separated from each other. The diameter can be reduced and the size can be reduced.

[Embodiment 3]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a joint portion between the connector 100B and the header tank 20 according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a planar arrangement of the connector 100B and the header tank 20. In each figure, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, configurations and operational effects different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of common configurations and operational effects will be omitted.

  In the connector 100B of the present embodiment, the columnar inlet communication hole 201 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction of the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103, and the refrigerant is transverse to the connector 100B ( 9 is configured to flow in from the vertical direction in the overall view shown in FIG.

  In the connector 100B according to the present embodiment, the inflow direction of the refrigerant can be set at an arbitrary position in the vertical direction, so that the piping layout can have a degree of freedom.

[Embodiment 4]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a joint portion between the connector 100C and the header tank 20 according to the fourth embodiment. In each figure, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Hereinafter, configurations and operational effects different from those of the first embodiment will be described, and descriptions of common configurations and operational effects will be omitted.

  In the connector 100 </ b> C of this embodiment, the end portion 302 a of the pipe 302 is inserted to the vicinity of the bottom portion 301 a of the inlet communication hole 301. An annular groove 303 is formed in the pipe 302 on the fitting surface with the inlet communication hole 301, and an O-ring 304 is attached to the annular groove 303. A flange 305 is brazed to the pipe 302 and fastened to the connector 100C with a bolt 306. When the pipe 302 having such an O-ring 304 is inserted into the inlet communication hole 301 of the connector 100C, the O-ring 304 is pressed toward the center of the pipe 302 by the wall surface of the inlet communication hole 301 and deformed. Thereby, it closely_contact | adheres to the fitting surface of the piping 302 and the inlet communication hole 301, and a fitting clearance gap is sealed.

  In the connector 100 </ b> C according to this embodiment, the pipe 302 can be inserted to the back of the inlet communication hole 301 as compared with the above-described embodiment, so that the pipe 302 can be prevented from rattling.

  Further, the pipe 302 may be inserted to a position where the end 302 a of the pipe 302 contacts the bottom 301 a of the inlet communication hole 301. The end structure of the piping 302 in that case is shown in FIG. 8A and 8B are views showing the end structure of the pipe 302, where FIG. 8A is a side view and FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 8, by providing a notch 306 at the end 302 a of the pipe 302 and disposing the notch 307 toward the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103, The refrigerant flowing from the pipe 302 can be evenly distributed to the first outlet communication hole 102 and the second outlet communication hole 103.

  When the notch 307 is provided in the end portion 302a of the pipe 302 as in the present embodiment, the pipe 302 can be inserted further into the connector 100C, so that the backlash of the pipe can be more reliably prevented. be able to. Further, since the cutout portion 307 does not hinder the flow of the refrigerant from the pipe end, an increase in passage resistance can be prevented. Furthermore, by inserting the pipe 302 further into the connector 100C, it is possible to prevent the pipe from rattling even if the length of the connector main body is shortened, so that the connector can be reduced in size.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the size of the connector without preventing rattling of the piping and without increasing the passage resistance.

  The connector shown in each of the above embodiments is suitable for a heat exchanger through which a high-pressure fluid such as CO2 flows. However, the high-pressure fluid targeted by the present invention is not limited to this, and other high-pressure fluids can also be used. Can be applied.

Sectional drawing which shows the junction part of the connector concerning Embodiment 1 and a header tank. The figure which shows planar arrangement | positioning of a connector and a header tank in Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the structure in the case of adjusting a refrigerant | coolant flow volume in Embodiment 1. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the junction part of the connector concerning Embodiment 2, and a header tank. Sectional drawing which shows the junction part of the connector concerning Embodiment 3, and a header tank. The side view which shows planar arrangement | positioning of a connector and a header tank in Embodiment 3. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the junction part of the connector concerning Embodiment 4, and a header tank. The figure which shows the edge part structure of piping in Embodiment 4. FIG. (A) is a side view. (B) is CC sectional drawing of (a). The whole block diagram of the heat exchanger in an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 9.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Heat exchanger 11 ... Heat exchanger core 12 ... Tube 13 ... Fin 15 ... End cap 20, 30 ... Header tank 21, 22, 31, 32 ... Refrigerant flow path 23 ... Tank part 24 ... Plate part 25, 26 ... Communication hole 100, 100A to 100C ... Connector 101, 201, 301 ... Inlet communication hole 102 ... First outlet communication hole 103 ... Second outlet communication hole 104, 302 ... Pipe 301a ... Bottom (inlet communication hole)
302a ... End (Piping)
303 ... Annular groove 304 ... O-ring 305 ... Flange 306 ... Bolt 307 ... Notch

Claims (1)

A header tank (20) of a heat exchanger having at least two refrigerant flow paths (21, 22) is connected to a refrigerant supply pipe (104) for supplying a refrigerant to each of the refrigerant flow paths in the header tank. A heat exchanger connector,
A cylindrical inlet communication hole (101) connected to the refrigerant supply pipe (104); and cylindrical first and second outlet communication holes (102, 103) connected to the header tank side; The communication hole (101) and a part of the first and second outlet communication holes (102, 103) overlap in plan view, and the inlet communication hole (101) and the first and second outlet communication holes ( 102, 103) communicate with each other in the connector body.

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