JP2009052771A - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat exchanger provided with a liquid receiver capable of efficiently separating coolant in a gas phase from coolant in a liquid phase. <P>SOLUTION: A coolant inflow port 31 and a coolant outflow port 32 are formed on a peripheral wall of a cylindrical body 26 of the liquid receiver 7 of the heat exchanger so as to place the former above the latter. A baffle 35 positioned between the coolant inflow port 31 and the coolant outflow port 32, a swirling flow generating device 39 positioned below the baffle 35 and giving swirling motions to coolant passing through a coolant passing hole 28 of the baffle 35, and a flow speed increasing device 41 for increasing flow speed of a swirling flow of the coolant generated by the swirling flow generating device 39 are arranged in the liquid receiver 7. A coolant passing hole 38 is formed at the center part of the baffle 35. The swirling flow generating device 39 is equipped with a guide member 43 for guiding coolant passing through the coolant passing hole 38 of the baffle 35 to the peripheral wall side of the cylindrical body 26 while giving the swirling motions to the coolant. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger used in, for example, a refrigeration cycle constituting a car air conditioner.

  In this specification and claims, the top and bottom of FIG.

  In recent years, condensers of a refrigeration cycle constituting a car air conditioner are, for example, spaced apart from each other for the purpose of improving assembling to a vehicle body, saving installation space, and improving the refrigeration capacity of a refrigeration cycle. A pair of tanks extending in the up-down direction, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in parallel with a space between the tanks in the vertical direction and having both ends connected to the tanks, respectively. It is equipped with fins arranged between the matching heat exchange pipes, and a vertically extending liquid receiver attached to one of the tanks. Both tanks are separated by a partition wall provided at the same height position. Is divided into two headers in the length direction, and a condensing part having a function as a condenser is provided in a portion above the both partition walls and below the both partition walls. A supercooling part having a function as a supercooler is provided in the part, the liquid receiver includes a cylindrical main body extending in the vertical direction and closed at both upper and lower ends, and a refrigerant is provided on a peripheral wall of the cylindrical main body. An inlet and a refrigerant outlet are formed so that the former is positioned above, and a partition that vertically divides the inside of the cylindrical body at a height position between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet in the cylindrical body. Heat exchange in which a plate is disposed and a deflection communication hole is formed in the partition plate so as to allow a refrigerant above the partition plate to drift in a direction along a portion below the partition plate in the peripheral wall of the cylindrical main body. A container is known (see Patent Document 1).

However, in the receiver of the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, the refrigerant that has passed through the deflection communication hole of the partition plate flows along the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical main body and flows out from the refrigerant outlet. There is a problem that the gas-liquid separation effect in the portion below the plate is insufficient, and the performance of the car air conditioner using this heat exchanger is lowered.
JP 2007-107861 A

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above problems and provide a heat exchanger including a liquid receiver that can be efficiently separated into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises the following aspects.

1) A pair of tanks extending in the vertical direction spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of heats arranged in parallel with a space in the vertical direction between the tanks and both ends connected to both tanks. An exchange pipe, a fin arranged between adjacent heat exchange pipes, and a liquid receiver having a cylindrical main body extending in the vertical direction and attached to one of the tanks. In the heat exchanger in which the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet are formed on the peripheral wall of the cylindrical main body so that the former is located above,
In the liquid receiver, located between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet, and prevents direct flow of the refrigerant that has flowed into the receiver from the refrigerant inlet to the refrigerant outlet and passes through the refrigerant. A baffle plate having a hole, a swirl flow generating device that imparts a swirl motion to the refrigerant that is positioned below the baffle plate and that has passed through the refrigerant passage hole of the baffle plate, and swirling of the refrigerant generated by the swirl flow generator A heat exchanger in which a flow rate increasing device for increasing the flow rate of the flow is arranged.

  2) A refrigerant passage hole is formed in the central part of the baffle plate, and the swirling flow generator guides the refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant passage hole of the baffle plate to the peripheral wall side of the cylindrical main body while giving a swirling motion. The heat exchanger according to the above 1), comprising a member.

  3) The heat exchanger according to 2) above, wherein the guide member is spiral.

  4) A flow speed increasing device is provided with a cylindrical portion whose upper end is fixed to the baffle plate and surrounding the guide member of the swirling flow generator, and is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical portion, the lower end is closed, and it faces downward. And a thin conical portion, and a through hole is formed in the peripheral wall of the conical portion, and the through hole is closed with a mesh, so that the flow velocity increasing device also serves as a strainer. ) Or 3).

  5) Both tanks are partitioned into two headers arranged in the vertical direction by partition walls at the same height, respectively, and a condensing part having a function as a condenser is provided in a portion above both partition walls, Similarly, a subcooling part having a function as a supercooler is provided below the two partition walls, and the refrigerant flowing out from the tank side header to which the condenser receiver is attached passes through the refrigerant inlet. The refrigerant that enters the liquid receiver and flows out from the refrigerant outlet of the tubular body of the liquid receiver flows into the header on the tank side where the liquid receiver of the supercooling unit is attached. ) To 4).

  According to the heat exchanger of 1) above, the refrigerant outlet of the refrigerant that is located in the receiver between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet and flows into the receiver from the refrigerant inlet. Since a baffle plate that prevents direct flow to the side and has a refrigerant passage hole is disposed, the refrigerant that has flowed into the liquid receiver from the refrigerant inlet port has a gas-phase refrigerant and a liquid-phase refrigerant above the baffle plate. After the separation, the refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passage hole and flows below the baffle plate. However, when the liquid refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passage hole, the gas-phase refrigerant may be generated again in the form of bubbles. However, since a swirling flow generator that swirls the refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant passage hole of the baffle plate is arranged at a position below the baffle plate in the receiver, The mixed liquid phase refrigerant is swirled to generate a swirling flow, and is efficiently separated again into the gas phase refrigerant and the liquid phase refrigerant due to the specific gravity difference between the liquid phase refrigerant and the gas phase refrigerant. In addition, since a flow velocity increasing device that increases the flow velocity of the swirling flow of the refrigerant generated by the swirling flow generating device is disposed in the liquid receiver, compared to the liquid exchanger of the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1. Thus, the gas-liquid separation efficiency below the baffle plate is improved.

  According to the heat exchangers 2) and 3) above, the structure of the swirling flow generator can be made relatively simple.

  According to the heat exchanger of the above 4), the flow velocity increasing device is provided continuously to the cylindrical portion with the upper end fixed to the baffle plate and surrounding the guide member of the swirling flow generating device, and the lower end of the cylindrical portion. Since the lower end is closed and the conical portion is narrowed downward, the flow rate of the refrigerant is effectively increased by the action of the conical portion. Moreover, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the case where the flow rate increasing device and the strainer are separate parts.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  In this embodiment, the heat exchanger according to the present invention is applied to a heat exchanger in which a condensing part having a condenser function and a supercooling part having a supercooler function are integrated.

  In the following description, the left and right sides in FIG. 1 are referred to as the left and right sides, the front side of FIG. 1 (the lower side in FIG. 3) is the front, and the opposite side is the rear.

  FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the heat exchanger, and FIGS. 2 to 4 show the configuration of the main part thereof.

  In the following description, the term “aluminum” includes aluminum alloys in addition to pure aluminum.

  In FIG. 1, the heat exchanger (1) has a width between a pair of left and right aluminum tanks (2) and (3) extending in the vertical direction and spaced apart from each other, and both tanks (2) and (3). A plurality of flat aluminum heat exchange tubes (4) with their directions directed in the front-rear direction and arranged in parallel at intervals in the vertical direction, and both left and right ends connected to both tanks (2) (3), respectively And an aluminum corrugated fin (5) brazed to the heat exchange pipe (4) between the adjacent heat exchange pipes (4) and outside the heat exchange pipes (4) at both upper and lower ends, and A pair of upper and lower aluminum side plates (6) disposed outside the corrugated fins (5) and brazed to the corrugated fins (5), and fixed to the left tank (2) via mounting members (8) And a liquid receiver (7).

  Both tanks (2) and (3) of the heat exchanger (1) are divided vertically by partition walls (9) and (11) at the same height at the bottom, thereby condensing the gas-phase refrigerant. Function of the condenser (12) having the function of a condenser to be a liquid phase, and the function of the supercooler for supercooling the liquid refrigerant condensed in the condenser (12) to a temperature lower by about 5 to 15 ° C. than the condensation temperature And a supercooling section (13) having a vertical line in the same vertical plane.

  Here, the part above the partition wall (9) in the left tank (2) is the left header (14) of the condensing part (12), and the part above the partition wall (11) in the right tank (3) Is the right header (15) of the condenser (12). Further, the part below the partition wall (9) in the left tank (2) is the left header (16) of the supercooling section (13), and the part below the partition wall (11) in the right tank (3) Is the right header (17) of the supercooling section (13).

  The right header (15) of the condensing part (12) is divided into an upper header part (15a) and a lower header by an aluminum first partition plate (18) for forming a passage group provided at a middle height position in the vertical direction. The left header (14) is divided by an aluminum second partition plate (19) for passage group formation provided at a lower position than the first partition plate (18). The upper header portion (14a) and the lower header portion (14b) are partitioned. The condensing part (12) is divided into a part above the first partition plate (18), a part between the partition plates (18) and (19), and a part below the second partition plate (19), respectively. A passage group (21), (22), (23) is provided which is composed of heat exchange pipes (4) arranged continuously in the vertical direction. The number of heat exchange pipes (4) constituting each of the passage groups (21), (22), and (23) decreases sequentially from the top. Further, the flow direction of the refrigerant in all the heat exchange pipes (4) constituting each passage group (21), (22), and (23) is the same, and two adjacent passage groups (21) (22) And the flow directions of the refrigerant in the heat exchange pipe (4) of (22) and (23) are different.

  An aluminum refrigerant inlet member (24) leading to a refrigerant inlet (not shown) is brazed to the upper end portion of the upper header portion (15a) of the right header (15) of the condensing portion (12), and the right side of the supercooling portion (13). An aluminum refrigerant outlet member (25) leading to a refrigerant outlet (not shown) is brazed to the header (17). In addition, a refrigerant outlet (29) for sending refrigerant to the receiver (7) is formed in the lower header part (14b) of the left header (14) of the condensing part (12), and the left header of the supercooling part (13) A refrigerant inlet (30) for feeding refrigerant from the liquid receiver (7) is formed in (16) (see FIG. 2).

  The liquid receiver (7) has a cylindrical main body (26) whose upper and lower ends are open, a lower cap (27) for closing the lower end opening of the cylindrical main body (26), and an upper end opening of the cylindrical main body (26). And an upper cap (28) for closing.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, at the lower part of the peripheral wall of the cylindrical body (26) of the liquid receiver (7), the refrigerant inlet (31) and the refrigerant outlet (32) are located above the former. It is formed to do. The refrigerant inlet (31) is a refrigerant outlet formed in the lower header part (14b) of the left header (14) of the condensing part (12) via the refrigerant inlet path (33) formed in the mounting member (8). The refrigerant outlet (32) is formed in the left header (16) of the supercooling section (13) through the refrigerant outflow path (34) formed in the mounting member (8). It is made to lead to a refrigerant inlet (30).

  The liquid receiver (7) is vertically divided at a height position between the refrigerant inlet (31) and the refrigerant outlet (32) in the liquid receiver (7), and the refrigerant inlet (31) A synthetic resin baffle plate (35) that prevents direct flow of the refrigerant that has flowed into the liquid receiver (7) from the side toward the refrigerant outlet (32) is disposed. The baffle plate (35) is disk-shaped, and an annular groove (36) is formed on the entire outer periphery thereof, and an O-ring (37) is fitted in the annular groove (36). An O-ring (37) seals between the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical main body (26) and the peripheral edge of the baffle plate (35). A cylindrical refrigerant passage hole (38) extending in the vertical direction is formed in the central portion of the baffle plate (35) in a penetrating manner.

  Further, at a height position below the baffle plate (35) in the liquid receiver (7), it is made of a synthetic resin that imparts a turning motion to the refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant passage hole (38) of the baffle plate (35). A swirling flow generating device (39) and a synthetic resin flow velocity increasing device (41) for increasing the flow velocity of the swirling flow of the refrigerant generated by the swirling flow generating device (39) are arranged.

  The swirling flow generating device (39) is attached to the baffle plate (35), and is formed integrally with the circular substrate (42) having a smaller diameter than the baffle plate (35) and protruding upward from the substrate (42). In addition, a spiral guide member (43) whose upper end is in contact with a portion around the refrigerant passage hole (38) on the lower surface of the baffle plate (35) is provided. The central portion of the guide member (43) is located almost directly below the refrigerant passage hole (38) of the baffle plate (35), and the guide member (43) passes through the refrigerant passage hole (38) of the baffle plate (35). It is guided radially outward, that is, toward the peripheral wall of the cylindrical main body (26) while giving a swirling motion to the refrigerant flowing in from above. The outermost wall portion (43a) of the guide member (43) is formed with a blowing port (44) for blowing a swirling flow toward the cylindrical main body (26).

  The flow velocity increasing device (41) has a cylindrical portion (45) having an upper end fixed to the lower surface of the baffle plate (35) and surrounding the guide member (43) of the swirling flow generating device (39), and the cylindrical portion (45). And a conical portion (46) which is provided continuously to the lower end and is closed at the lower end and narrows downward. A plurality of through holes (47) are formed in the circumferential wall of the conical portion (46) at intervals in the circumferential direction, and the through holes (47) are closed with a mesh (48), resulting in a flow velocity The increase device (41) also serves as a strainer.

  Although illustration is omitted, a desiccant is disposed in a portion of the liquid receiver (7) above the baffle plate (35).

  The heat exchanger (1) constitutes a refrigeration cycle together with a compressor, an expansion valve (decompressor) and an evaporator, and is mounted on a vehicle as a car air conditioner.

  In the heat exchanger (1) described above, during operation of the refrigeration cycle, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid mixed phase refrigerant compressed by the compressor passes through the inlet member (24) from the refrigerant inlet (not shown) to the condenser (12). It flows into the upper header portion (15a) of the right header (15). The gas-liquid mixed phase refrigerant that has flowed into the upper header portion (15a) of the right header (15) passes through the heat exchange pipe (4) of the upper end passage group (21), and the upper header portion (14a) of the left header (14). ) And then into the lower header section (15b) of the right header (15) through the heat exchange pipe (4) of the intermediate path group (22) and further heat exchange of the lower end path group (23). It flows into the lower header part (14b) of the left header (14) through the pipe (4).

  The gas-liquid mixed phase refrigerant that has flowed into the lower header portion (14b) of the left header (14) of the condensing portion (12) is sent out from the refrigerant outlet (29) and is supplied to the refrigerant inlet passage (33) of the mounting member (8). And flows from the refrigerant inlet (31) into a portion above the baffle plate (35) in the liquid receiver (7). When the gas-liquid mixed phase refrigerant flows into the upper part of the receiver (7) above the baffle plate (35), it is separated into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant due to the difference in specific gravity. The gas-phase refrigerant accumulates in the upper part of the liquid receiver (7).

  The liquid-phase refrigerant separated from the gas-phase refrigerant flows down by its own weight and flows below the baffle plate (35) through the refrigerant passage hole (38). When the liquid phase refrigerant passes through the refrigerant passage hole (38), the gas phase refrigerant may be generated again in the form of bubbles. However, since the swirling flow generating device (39) is disposed at a position below the baffle plate (35) in the liquid receiver (7), the liquid phase refrigerant is guided by the guide member of the swirling flow generating device (39) ( 43), a swirling motion is given to the outer side in the radial direction and a swirling flow is generated, and due to the difference in specific gravity between the liquid-phase refrigerant and the gas-phase refrigerant, the gas-phase refrigerant and the liquid-phase refrigerant are efficiently re-circulated. To be separated. Moreover, while the refrigerant flows in the conical portion (46) of the flow velocity increasing device (41) disposed so as to surround the swirling flow generating device (39), the flow velocity of the refrigerant is increased, and the liquid phase refrigerant and the gas are increased. The phase refrigerant is efficiently separated. The liquid-phase refrigerant passes through the mesh (48) closing the through hole (47) of the flow velocity increasing device (41), passes from the refrigerant outlet (32) through the refrigerant outflow path (34) of the mounting member (8), It flows into the left header (16) of the supercooling section (13) from the inlet (30). The refrigerant flowing into the left header (16) of the supercooling section (13) flows into the right header (17) through the heat exchange pipe (4), and passes through the refrigerant outlet member (25) from the refrigerant outlet (not shown). It is sent to the evaporator through an expansion valve.

It is a front view showing the whole heat exchanger composition of an embodiment of this invention. It is the vertical longitudinal cross-sectional view which abbreviate | omitted and showed the part which expanded and shows the part of the liquid receiver of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. It is an AA line expanded sectional view of FIG. It is a disassembled perspective view which shows a baffle plate, a turning flow generator, and a flow velocity increase apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

(1): Heat exchanger
(2) (3): Tank
(4): Heat exchange pipe
(5): Corrugated fin
(7): Receiver
(9): Partition wall
(11): Partition wall
(12): Condensing part
(13): Supercooling section
(14): Condenser left header
(15): Condenser right header
(16): Supercooler left header
(17): Supercooler right header
(26): Cylindrical body
(31): Refrigerant inlet
(32): Refrigerant outlet
(35): Baffle plate
(38): Refrigerant passage hole
(39): Swirling flow generator
(41): Flow velocity increasing device
(43): Guide member
(45): Cylindrical part
(46): Conical part
(47): Through hole
(48): Mesh

Claims (5)

A pair of tanks extending in the vertical direction spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in parallel with a space in the vertical direction between both tanks and having both ends connected to both tanks. And a fin disposed between adjacent heat exchange pipes, and a liquid receiver having a cylindrical body extending in the vertical direction and attached to one of the tanks. In the heat exchanger in which the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet are formed in the peripheral wall of the main body so that the former is located above,
In the liquid receiver, located between the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet, and prevents direct flow of the refrigerant that has flowed into the receiver from the refrigerant inlet to the refrigerant outlet and passes through the refrigerant. A baffle plate having a hole, a swirl flow generating device that imparts a swirl motion to the refrigerant that is positioned below the baffle plate and that has passed through the refrigerant passage hole of the baffle plate, and swirling of the refrigerant generated by the swirl flow generator A heat exchanger in which a flow rate increasing device for increasing the flow rate of the flow is arranged. A refrigerant passage hole is formed in the central portion of the baffle plate, and the swirl flow generating device provides a guide member for guiding the refrigerant passing through the refrigerant passage hole of the baffle plate to the peripheral wall side of the cylindrical main body while giving a swirling motion. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 provided. The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the guide member has a spiral shape. The flow velocity increasing device is provided with a cylindrical portion whose upper end is fixed to the baffle plate and surrounding the guide member of the swirling flow generating device, and is connected to the lower end of the cylindrical portion, and the lower end is closed and narrows downward. Or a through hole is formed in the peripheral wall of the conical part, and the through hole is closed with a mesh so that the flow velocity increasing device also serves as a strainer. 3. The heat exchanger according to 3. Both tanks are partitioned into two headers vertically aligned by a partition wall at the same height position, and a condensing part having a function as a condenser is provided in the upper part of both partition walls. A supercooling section having a function as a supercooler is provided in a portion below the partition wall, and the refrigerant flowing out from the tank-side header to which the condenser receiver is attached is received through the refrigerant inlet. The refrigerant that enters the liquid container and flows out from the refrigerant outlet of the tubular main body of the liquid receiver flows into a header on the tank side to which the liquid receiver of the supercooling unit is attached. The heat exchanger according to any one of 4.

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