JP2010038439A - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid contact of protruded portions with each other even when ends of corrugated fins of a parallel flow heat exchanger are protruded from header pipes. <P>SOLUTION: The heat exchanger 1 includes the two header pipes 2, 3 arranged in parallel with each other leaving a gap; a plurality of flat tubes 4 which are juxtaposed between the header pipes 2, 3 leaving intervals in the pipe length direction and in which vertical refrigerant passages 5 provided inside are communicated with inside of the header pipes; and the corrugated fins 6 arranged between the flat tubes 4. At least one of an upwind side end part 6aU and a downwind side end part 6aD of the corrugated fin 6 is protruded from a tangent line simultaneously coming into contact with the header pipes 2, 3. Spacers 10U, 10D, 11U, 11D for preventing contact of the protruded end portions with each other are formed on the lateral faces of the header pipes 2, 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a parallel flow type heat exchanger.

  A parallel flow type heat exchanger in which a plurality of flat tubes are arranged between a plurality of header pipes so that a refrigerant passage inside the flat tubes communicates with the inside of the header pipe, and fins such as corrugated fins are arranged between the flat tubes. Is widely used in outdoor units of car air conditioners and building air conditioners. An example of this can be seen in US Pat.

  An example of a conventional parallel flow heat exchanger is shown in FIG. The heat exchanger 1 arranges two horizontal header pipes 2 and 3 parallel to each other with a vertical gap, and a vertical flat tube 4 between the header pipes 2 and 3 with a gap in the pipe length direction. Place several in a line. The flat tube 4 is an elongated molded product obtained by extruding a metal having good heat conductivity such as aluminum, and a refrigerant passage 5 through which a refrigerant flows is formed inside. Since the flat tube 4 is disposed so that the extrusion molding direction is vertical, the refrigerant flow direction of the refrigerant passage 5 is also vertical. Each refrigerant passage 5 communicates with the inside of the header pipes 2 and 3. In FIG. 14, the upper side of the paper is the upper side in the vertical direction, the lower side of the paper is the lower side in the vertical direction, and a plurality of flat tubes 4 are vertically arranged between the upper header pipe 2 and the lower header pipe 3. The configuration is arranged at a predetermined pitch.

  The header pipes 2 and 3 and the flat tube 4 are fixed by welding, brazing or the like. A plurality of refrigerant passages 5 are arranged in the depth direction of FIG. 14, so that the flat tube 4 has a harmonica-like cross section. Corrugated fins 6 are disposed between the flat tubes 4. The flat tube 4 and the corrugated fin 6 are fixed by welding, brazing or the like. In addition to the flat tube 4, the header pipes 2 and 3 and the corrugated fin 6 are also made of a metal having good heat conduction.

Since many flat tubes 4 are provided between the header pipes 2 and 3 and the corrugated fins 6 are provided between the flat tubes 4, the heat exchanger 1 has a large heat dissipation (heat absorption) area and efficiently exchanges heat. It can be performed. A refrigerant inlet 7 is provided at one end of the lower header pipe (also referred to as a lower header pipe) 3, and a refrigerant flow is provided at one end of the upper header pipe (also referred to as an upper header pipe) 2. A refrigerant outlet 8 is provided at a position diagonal to the inlet 7.
JP 2004-177082 A

  In the parallel flow type heat exchanger, the corrugated fin length in the wind flow direction may be increased in order to increase the area of the corrugated fin (such an example is also described in Patent Document 1). As a result, one or both ends of the corrugated fin in the wind flow direction protrude beyond the header pipe. To be exact, the upper and lower header pipes (one upper and lower header pipe are provided). In the case of a configuration that is in contact)

  When industrially mass-producing parallel flow heat exchangers, parallel flow heat exchangers may be stacked with the air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other during the manufacturing process or the packaging process of the finished product. The ends of the corrugated fins that protrude beyond the header pipe may come into contact with each other, and the contact portion may be bent or crushed to close the air flow path. This problem can be solved by increasing the diameter of the header pipe so that the corrugated fins do not protrude, but if the diameter of the header pipe is increased, the refrigerant flow to each flat tube becomes unbalanced or heat Another problem arises, such as an increase in the size of the exchanger and an obstacle to miniaturization of the heat exchanger.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and even if the end of the corrugated fin of the parallel flow type heat exchanger protrudes beyond the header pipe, it is possible to avoid contact between the protruding portions. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a plurality of header pipes arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of header pipes arranged in a row in the pipe length direction between the plurality of header pipes, In a heat exchanger comprising a flat tube in which a refrigerant passage provided therein communicates with the inside of the header pipe, and a corrugated fin disposed between the flat tubes, the windward side end and the leeward side of the corrugated fin At least one of the end portions protrudes from a tangent line simultaneously in contact with the plurality of header pipes, and the corrugated fins protrude when the heat exchangers are stacked on the side surfaces of the header pipes so that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other. It is characterized in that a spacer for preventing the end portions from contacting each other is formed.

  According to this configuration, when the parallel flow type heat exchangers are stacked with the air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other, the protruding ends of the corrugated fins of both heat exchangers are prevented from contacting by the spacer formed on the header pipe. Therefore, the heat exchangers can be stacked safely without worrying about the corrugated fins being bent or crushed and closing the air flow path.

  In the heat exchanger having the above-described configuration, when two heat exchangers are stacked with the air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other, an unevenness is formed between the spacer of one heat exchanger and the spacer of the other heat exchanger. It is preferable that a relative movement between the heat exchangers in a direction parallel to the air inlet / outlet surface is prevented.

  With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent an accident that the spacers are disengaged to bring the heat exchangers close to each other and the protruding end portions of the corrugated fins collide with each other to cause deformation.

  According to the present invention, even if the parallel flow heat exchangers in which the end of the corrugated fin protrudes beyond the header pipe are overlapped with each other so that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other, the protruding ends of the corrugated fin are in contact with each other. Therefore, the heat exchangers can be stacked without worrying about the corrugated fins being bent or crushed and closing the air flow path.

  Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view of a parallel flow type heat exchanger, FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the parallel flow type heat exchanger, and FIG. 3 is a view in which two parallel flow type heat exchangers are stacked with their air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other. It is a vertical sectional view showing a state. 2 and 3 is perpendicular to the cross-sectional direction of FIG. Elements that are functionally common to the heat exchanger having the conventional structure shown in FIG. 14 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. The same applies to the second and following embodiments.

  The corrugated fin 6 of the heat exchanger 1 has a windward end 6aU of an airflow passing therethrough (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2) from a tangent line L1 where the windward side surfaces of the header pipes 2 and 3 are simultaneously in contact with each other. It is sticking out. Further, the leeward side end portion 6aD protrudes from a tangent line L2 that simultaneously contacts the leeward side surfaces of the header pipes 2 and 3. Hereinafter, the leeward side end portion 6aU may be referred to as “the protruding end portion 6aU”, and the leeward side end portion 6aD may be referred to as “the protruding end portion 6aD”.

  In the header pipes 2 and 3, spacers 10U and 11U are formed on the leeward side surface, and spacers 10D and 11D are formed on the leeward side surface. Although only the spacers 10U and 11U are shown in FIG. 1, they are substantially rectangular parallelepiped members and have a length that covers from the left end to the right end of the row of the flat tubes 4. The spacers 10D and 11D have the same shape.

  The protruding length of the spacers 10U and 11U from the header pipes 2 and 3 is longer than the length of the protruding end portion 6aU of the corrugated fin 6 protruding from the tangent L1. The protruding length of the spacers 10D and 11D from the header pipes 2 and 3 is longer than the length of the protruding end portion 6aD of the corrugated fin 6 protruding from the tangent L2. The spacers 10U, 10D, 11U, and 11D may be attached to the header pipes 2 and 3 by welding or brazing, or may be integrally formed with the header pipes 2 and 3. The integral molding is preferable because it eliminates the need for attaching a spacer, which is a separate part, to the header pipe by welding or brazing, and does not cause displacement during the installation.

  The two heat exchangers 1 are referred to as an air inlet / outlet surface (referred to as the surface into which the airflow flows or the surface from which the airflow flows in the heat exchanger 1). FIG. 3 shows a state in which the plane is defined by the end 6aU, or is in contact with the protruding end 6aD and is substantially equal to the plane defined by the protruding end 6aD. In FIG. 3, the spacers 10D and 11D of the heat exchanger 1 located on the left side are in contact with the spacers 10U and 11U of the heat exchanger 1 located on the right side, but the corrugated fins 6 are not in contact with each other. Therefore, the corrugated fins 6 are not bent or crushed by the contact between the corrugated fins 6, and the air flow path between the fins is not closed.

  In FIG. 3, for example, the direction of the heat exchanger 1 located on the right side is reversed so that the spacers 10D and 11D of the right heat exchanger 1 are in contact with the spacers 10D and 11D of the left heat exchanger 1. There is no hindrance. Further, the number of stacked heat exchangers 1 is not limited to two. Any number can be stacked. It can also be stacked vertically with the air inlet / outlet surface horizontal.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a front view of the parallel flow type heat exchanger, FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view of the parallel flow type heat exchanger, and FIG. 6 is a diagram in which two parallel flow type heat exchangers are stacked with their air inlet and outlet faces facing each other. It is a vertical sectional view showing a state.

  In the second embodiment, a total of four recesses 12 are formed near both ends of the spacers 10U and 11U. The spacers 10 </ b> D and 11 </ b> D are formed with convex portions 13 at locations corresponding to the concave portions 12. The concave portion 12 has a cylindrical shape, and the convex portion 13 has a cylindrical shape that fits into the concave portion 12.

  When the two heat exchangers 1 are stacked so that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other and the concave portion 12 of one heat exchanger 1 and the convex portion 13 of the other heat exchanger 1 are paired, As shown in FIG. 6, the convex portion 13 is fitted into the concave portion 12. Thereby, uneven | corrugated engagement arises between the spacers 10D and 11D of the heat exchanger 1 located on the left side in FIG. 6 and the spacers 10U and 11U of the heat exchanger 1 located on the right side. As a result, since the relative movement of the heat exchangers 1 in the direction parallel to the air inlet / outlet surface is prevented, the spacers are disengaged to bring the heat exchangers 1 closer to each other, and the protruding ends of the corrugated fins 6 are connected to each other. Can prevent accidents caused by collisions.

  Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a front view of a parallel flow heat exchanger, FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of the parallel flow heat exchanger, and FIG. 9 is a view in which two parallel flow heat exchangers are stacked with their air inlet and outlet surfaces facing each other. It is a vertical sectional view showing a state.

  The third embodiment is the same as the second embodiment in that the concave-convex engagement is generated between the spacers, but the structure for realizing it is different. That is, in the third embodiment, instead of the long spacers covering from the left end to the right end of the flat tube 4 row, short spacers are formed near the left end and the right end of the flat tube 4 row, respectively. As shown in FIG. 7, two spacers 10 </ b> U are formed near both ends of the windward side surface of the header pipe 2, and two spacers 11 </ b> U are formed near both ends of the windward side surface of the header pipe 3. On the leeward side surfaces of the header pipes 2 and 3, spacers 10 </ b> D and 11 </ b> D having short lengths are formed at positions corresponding to the spacers 10 </ b> U and 11 </ b> U.

  Concave portions 12 are formed in the spacers 10U and 11U, and convex portions 13 are formed in the spacers 10D and 11D at locations corresponding to the concave portions 12. The front shape of both the concave portion 12 and the convex portion 13 is rectangular.

  In FIG. 7, a recess 12 is formed at the upper left corner of the spacer 10U located on the left side, and a recess 12 is formed at the upper right corner of the spacer 10U located on the right side. A concave portion 12 is formed in the lower left corner of the spacer 11U located on the left side, and a concave portion 12 is formed in the lower right corner of the spacer 11U located on the right side. That is, the pair of spacers 10U and the pair of spacers 11U have a symmetrical shape, and the combination of the spacer 10U and the spacer 11U has a vertically symmetrical shape. The arrangement of the convex portions 13 is the same as this.

  Since the concave portions 12 and the convex portions 13 are arranged as described above, the concave portions 12 are provided in the concave portions 12 as shown in FIG. If engaged, the relative movement of the heat exchangers 1 in the direction parallel to the air inlet / outlet surface is prevented in any direction.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 10 is a vertical sectional view of a parallel flow type heat exchanger, FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which two parallel flow type heat exchangers are stacked with their air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other, and FIG. FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which parallel flow heat exchangers are stacked in a manner different from that in FIG.

  The heat exchanger 1 of the fourth embodiment is different from the heat exchanger 1 from the first embodiment to the third embodiment, and only one of the windward side end 6aU and the leeward side end 6aD of the corrugated fin 6 is tangent L1. Or it becomes the protrusion edge part which protrudes from L2. Here, the windward end portion 6aU is set as a protruding end portion. The spacer is formed only on the same side as the protruding end. Therefore, the spacers 10U and 11U exist on the leeward side surface of the header pipes 2 and 3, but the spacer does not exist on the leeward side surface.

  In the heat exchanger 1 of the fourth embodiment, the spacers 10U and 11U can be stacked so as to face each other as shown in FIG. 11, or the spacers 10U and 11U are stacked in the same direction as shown in FIG. You can also. In any case, contact between the corrugated fans 6 does not occur. Note that when the spacers face each other as shown in FIG. 11, it is possible to provide uneven engagement between the spacers as in the second and third embodiments.

  Next, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a vertical sectional view of a parallel flow heat exchanger.

  The fifth embodiment is different from the previous embodiments in that the corrugated fin is divided at the center of the flat tube 4 and becomes the windward corrugated fin 6U and the leeward corrugated fin 6D. The fin surface of the leeward corrugated fin 6U has a downward slope toward the leeward side, and the fin surface of the leeward corrugated fin 6D has an upward slope toward the leeward side. A gap 14 is formed between the windward corrugated fin 6U and the leeward corrugated fin 6D. The gap 14 is set to such a size that the water droplets attached to the leeward end of the leeward corrugated fin 6U and the water droplets attached to the leeward end of the leeward corrugated fin 6D can be combined.

  The windward side end portion 6aU of the windward side corrugated fin 6U protrudes from the tangent line L1, and the leeward side end portion 6aD of the windward side corrugated fin 6D protrudes from the tangent line L2. The header pipe 2, so that the contact between the protruding end 6 a U and the protruding end 6 a D (the protruding ends 6 a U and the protruding ends 6 a D may contact each other) does not occur when the plurality of heat exchangers 1 are stacked. The spacers 10U, 10D, 11U, and 11D are formed on the three side surfaces. The structure of the spacer may be any of the first embodiment to the third embodiment. FIG. 13 shows the spacer of the first embodiment. Further, as in the fourth embodiment, only one of the leeward side end portion 6aU and the leeward side end portion 6aD may be a protruding end portion, and a spacer may be formed only on that side.

  The parallel flow heat exchangers from the first embodiment to the fifth embodiment can be used for indoor units, outdoor units, dehumidifiers, and the like of air conditioners. A screw hole may be provided in the spacer, and the heat exchanger may be fixed to the housing of the device using this. If it does in this way, a spacer can be used in the scene at the time of both the production of a heat exchanger, and the attachment to an apparatus housing | casing.

  As mentioned above, although each embodiment of the present invention was described, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the application target of the present invention is not limited to a parallel flow type heat exchanger in which a flat tube is disposed between two header pipes. Parallel flow heat exchanger with more than two header pipes, for example, three header pipes, upper header pipe, middle header pipe, lower header pipe The present invention can also be applied to existing parallel flow heat exchangers. The present invention can also be applied to a parallel flow heat exchanger in which the header pipe is vertical and the flat tube is horizontal.

  The present invention is widely applicable to parallel flow heat exchangers.

The front view of the parallel flow type heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment Vertical sectional view of a parallel flow type heat exchanger according to the first embodiment 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which two parallel flow heat exchangers according to the first embodiment are stacked in such a manner that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other. Front view of parallel flow type heat exchanger according to second embodiment Vertical sectional view of a parallel flow heat exchanger according to a second embodiment 2 is a vertical sectional view showing a state in which two parallel flow heat exchangers according to the second embodiment are stacked in such a manner that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other. The front view of the parallel flow type heat exchanger concerning a 3rd embodiment Vertical sectional view of a parallel flow heat exchanger according to a third embodiment Vertical sectional view showing a state in which two parallel flow heat exchangers according to the third embodiment are stacked in such a manner that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other Vertical sectional view of a parallel flow type heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment Vertical sectional view showing a state in which two parallel flow type heat exchangers according to the fourth embodiment are stacked in such a manner that the air inlet / outlet surfaces face each other Vertical sectional view showing a state in which the parallel flow heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment is stacked in a manner different from that in FIG. Vertical sectional view of a parallel flow type heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment Model vertical sectional view showing the schematic structure of a conventional parallel flow heat exchanger

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat exchanger 2, 3 Header pipe 4 Flat tube 5 Refrigerant passage 6 Corrugated fin 6U Upwind side corrugated fin 6D Downward side corrugated fin 6aU Upwind side edge part 6aD Downward side edge part 7 Refrigerant inlet 8 Refrigerant outlet 10U, 10D, 11U, 11D Spacer 12 Concave part 13 Convex part

Claims (2)

A plurality of header pipes arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of header pipes arranged in a row in the pipe length direction between the plurality of header pipes. In a heat exchanger comprising a flat tube communicating with the inside and a corrugated fin disposed between the flat tubes,
At least one of the windward side end and the leeward side end of the corrugated fin protrudes from a tangent that is in contact with the plurality of header pipes at the same time. A heat exchanger characterized in that a spacer is formed to prevent the protruding ends of the corrugated fins from contacting each other when stacked in a shape.   When two heat exchangers are stacked with the air inlet / outlet surfaces facing each other, an uneven engagement occurs between the spacer of one heat exchanger and the spacer of the other heat exchanger, and the air inlet / outlet surface The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein relative movement between the heat exchangers in a direction parallel to the heat exchanger is prevented.

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