JP2010255916A - Heat exchanger and air conditioner mounted with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To sufficiently exert a function of a linear water conducting member by closely making the water conducting member contact with a corrugate fin throughout its overall length when disposing the linear water conducting member to a face of the side collecting condensed water of a parallel flow type heat exchanger. <P>SOLUTION: The heat exchanger 1 is equipped with two header pipes 2, 3 disposed in parallel with each other at an interval, a plurality of flat tubes 4 disposed between the header pipes 2, 3 and making refrigerant passages 5 formed therein communicate with interiors of the header pipes 2, 3, and the corrugate fins 6 disposed between the flat tubes 4. A plurality of the linear water conducting members 10 are disposed on the face of the side collecting condensed water of the heat exchanger 1 in a state that they contact with ends of the corrugate fins 6 and are laid over a plurality of rows of the corrugate fins 6 in parallel with each other at intervals, and a middle portion of the water conducting member 10 is fixed by a fixing member 11 inserted in a gap of the corrugate fins 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a parallel flow heat exchanger and an air conditioner equipped with the heat exchanger.

  A parallel flow type heat in which a plurality of flat tubes are arranged between a plurality of header pipes so that a plurality of refrigerant passages in the flat tubes communicate with the inside of the header pipe, and fins such as corrugated fins are arranged between the flat tubes. Exchangers are widely used in outdoor units of car air conditioners and building air conditioners.

  An example of a conventional parallel flow heat exchanger is shown in FIG. In FIG. 13, the upper side of the paper is the upper side in the vertical direction, and the lower side of the paper is the lower side in the vertical direction. The heat exchanger 1 arranges two horizontal header pipes 2 and 3 in parallel with a horizontal interval, and a plurality of horizontal flat tubes 4 between the header pipes 2 and 3 at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Place with. The flat tube 4 is an elongated molded product obtained by extruding a metal, and a refrigerant passage 5 through which a refrigerant flows is formed. Since the flat tube 4 is disposed so that the extrusion direction, which is the longitudinal direction, is horizontal, the refrigerant flow direction of the refrigerant passage 5 is also horizontal. A plurality of refrigerant passages 5 having the same cross-sectional shape and cross-sectional area are arranged in the depth direction of FIG. 13, and therefore, the vertical cross section of the flat tube 4 has a harmonica shape. Each refrigerant passage 5 communicates with the inside of the header pipes 2 and 3. Corrugated fins 6 are arranged between the adjacent flat tubes 4.

  The header pipes 2 and 3, the flat tube 4 and the corrugated fin 6 are all made of a metal having good heat conduction such as aluminum, the flat tube 4 is for the header pipes 2 and 3, and the corrugated fin 6 is for the flat tube 4. It is fixed by brazing or welding.

  The heat exchanger 1 is used in a side flow, and the refrigerant outlets 7 and 8 are provided only on the header pipe 3 side. Two partition plates 9a and 9c are provided in the header pipe 3 at intervals in the vertical direction. Inside the header pipe 2, the partition plates are located at a height intermediate between the partition plates 9a and 9c. 9b is provided.

  When the heat exchanger 1 is used as an evaporator, the refrigerant flows in from the lower refrigerant inlet / outlet port 7 as indicated by solid line arrows in FIG. The refrigerant entering from the refrigerant inlet / outlet 7 is blocked by the partition plate 9 a and travels toward the header pipe 2 via the flat tube 4. This refrigerant flow is represented by a left-pointing block arrow. The refrigerant that has entered the header pipe 2 is blocked by the partition plate 9 b and travels to the header pipe 3 via another flat tube 4. This refrigerant flow is represented by a right-pointing block arrow. The refrigerant that has entered the header pipe 3 is blocked by the partition plate 9c, and further travels toward the header pipe 2 via another flat tube 4. This refrigerant flow is represented by a left-pointing block arrow. The refrigerant that has entered the header pipe 2 is folded back and travels again to the header pipe 3 via another flat tube 4. This refrigerant flow is represented by a right-pointing block arrow. The refrigerant that has entered the header pipe 3 flows out from the refrigerant inlet / outlet 8. In this way, the refrigerant follows the zigzag path and flows from the bottom to the top. Although the case where the number of partition plates is 3 is shown here, this is only an example, and the number of partition plates and the number of times the resulting refrigerant flow may be folded may be set as desired. it can. Moreover, also about the number of the flat tubes of each path | route, arbitrary numbers can be set as needed.

  When the heat exchanger 1 is used as a condenser, the refrigerant flow is reversed. That is, the refrigerant enters the header pipe 3 from the refrigerant inlet / outlet 8 as shown by the dotted arrows in FIG. 13 and is dammed by the partition plate 9c and directed to the header pipe 2 via the flat tube 4, and is dammed by the partition plate 9b in the header pipe 2. It heads to the header pipe 3 via another flat tube 4, and the header pipe 3 is dammed by a partition plate 9 a, then goes to the header pipe 2 again via another flat tube 4, and is folded back by the header pipe 2 to make another flat It flows from the top to the bottom following the zigzag path in which it goes to the header pipe 3 again via the tube 4 and flows out from the refrigerant inlet / outlet 7 as indicated by the dotted line arrow.

  In the parallel flow type heat exchanger, if the condensed water is not quickly drained from the corrugated fins, the ventilation path is blocked and the heat exchange efficiency is lowered. This problem is particularly remarkable in a side flow parallel flow heat exchanger. When the heat exchanger 1 is used as an evaporator, the condensed water may turn into frost on the surface of the heat exchanger when the temperature is low. Moreover, it may grow to ice by repeating the defrosting operation for removing the frost. In the present specification, the term “condensed water” is used to include water in which such frost and ice are melted, so-called defrosted water.

  Patent Document 1 proposes a measure for promoting drainage from a parallel flow heat exchanger. In the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, a drainage guide that comes into contact with the corrugated fins is disposed on the condensed water condensing side. The drainage guide is made of a linear member, is inclined with respect to the flat tube, and at least one of both ends is led to the lower end side or the side end side of the heat exchanger.

JP 2007-285673 A

  The drainage guide described in Patent Document 1 is effective only when it is in close contact with the corrugated fin. However, it is extremely difficult to accurately form a flat surface of a heat exchanger configured by arranging a plurality of corrugated fins in a row, and the presence of irregularities and undulations is a normal condition. If the drainage guide of the linear member is stretched where there are irregularities and undulations, there will always be places where the drainage guide floats from the corrugated fins. Lifting from the corrugated fins significantly impairs the effectiveness of the drainage guide.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and when a linear water guide member is disposed on the surface of the parallel flow type heat exchanger where condensed water is collected, the water guide member is connected to the corrugated fin over its entire length. The purpose is to adhere closely and perform the function sufficiently. Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance air conditioner equipped with the parallel flow type heat exchanger.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a plurality of header pipes arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of refrigerant pipes arranged between the plurality of header pipes, and having refrigerant passages provided inside the header pipes. In the heat exchanger comprising a flat tube communicated with the corrugated fin and the corrugated fin disposed between the flat tubes, a plurality of linear water guide members are provided on the surface where condensed water is concentrated, Fixing in contact with the end of the corrugated fin and extending parallel to the plurality of rows of corrugated fins, spaced apart from each other, and being inserted in the gap of the corrugated fin at the midpoint of the water guiding member It is characterized by being fixed with a member.

  According to this configuration, since the midway portion of the water guide member is fixed by the fixing member inserted into the gap between the corrugated fins, the water guide member does not float from the corrugated fins. For this reason, the water guide member can reliably perform the function of attracting condensed water from the corrugated fins over its entire length.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that an end of the corrugated fin protrudes from an end of the flat tube, and the fixing member is inserted into a gap formed by the protruding portions.

  According to this structure, a fixing member can be arrange | positioned, without inhibiting the ventilation property of a corrugated fin at all. Further, when the water guide member is pushed into the gap formed between the protruding portions of the corrugated fins, the water guide member is tightly attached and closely contacts the corrugated fins, so that the condensed water attraction performance of the water guide member is further improved.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that the fixing member has a length extending over a plurality of the water guiding members.

  According to this configuration, since a plurality of water guide members are fixed by one fixing member, the number of fixing members required as a whole can be reduced. The number of fixing member insertion operations can be reduced.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that the fixing member has a length that covers only one of the water guiding members.

  According to this configuration, even if the arrangement pitch of the water guiding members is changed due to the design change, the fixing member can be used without changing the design.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that the fixing member has a tapered end at a leading end when inserted into the gap.

  According to this configuration, the fixing member can be easily inserted into the gap.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that the fixing member has a tapered shape at an end opposite to a leading side when inserted into the gap.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the turbulence of the air flow outside the fixing member and increase the blowing efficiency.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that the fixing member has a tapered shape in which a leading end and an opposite end are symmetrical when inserted into the gap.

  According to this configuration, when the fixing member is inserted into the gap, there is no need to worry about the direction of the fixing member, and the operation is easy.

  In the heat exchanger configured as described above, it is preferable that a notch through which the water guide member is passed is formed in the fixing member.

  According to this configuration, the pressure of the water guide member by the fixing member is alleviated, and the water guide of the water guide member is not interrupted. Further, the arrangement pitch of the water guiding members can be maintained as desired.

  The heat exchanger of the said structure WHEREIN: It is preferable that the lower end of the said water conveyance member hangs down outside a heat exchanger.

  According to this configuration, condensed water can be quickly removed from the corrugated fin region.

  In addition, the present invention is an air conditioner in which the heat exchanger configured as described above is mounted on an outdoor unit.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a high-performance air conditioner in which the ventilation of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit is not easily impaired by the condensed water.

  Further, the present invention is an air conditioner in which the heat exchanger configured as described above is mounted in an indoor unit.

  According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a high-performance air conditioner in which the air permeability of the heat exchanger of the indoor unit is not easily impaired by the condensed water.

  According to the present invention, the linear water guiding member can be brought into close contact with the corrugated fin over the entire length, and the function of attracting condensed water from the corrugated fin can be surely performed.

It is a partial front view of the heat exchanger which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial expanded sectional view of the heat exchanger of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view of the heat exchanger of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the cross-sectional shape of a fixing member. It is a figure which shows the other example of the cross-sectional shape of a fixing member. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the cross-sectional shape of a fixing member. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the cross-sectional shape of a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a fixing member. It is a perspective view which shows the other examples of a fixing member. It is a partial front view of the heat exchanger which concerns on deformation | transformation embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the outdoor unit of the air conditioner carrying the heat exchanger which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the indoor unit of the air conditioner carrying the heat exchanger which concerns on this invention. It is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic structure of a conventional parallel flow type heat exchanger.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Components that are functionally common to the conventional structure of FIG. 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 13 and description thereof is omitted.

  FIGS. 1 to 3 show a partial structure of a side flow type parallel flow heat exchanger 1. A plurality of linear water guide members 10 are arranged at predetermined intervals on the surface of the heat exchanger 1 on the condensate condensing side. The water guide member 10 is made of a bundle of fibers (preferably synthetic fibers) or a braided metal, and crosses the flat tube 4 diagonally. The angle of the water guide member with respect to the flat tube 4 is preferably about 45 ° in consideration of the balance between the drainage efficiency and the ventilation resistance by the water guide member 10. Note that which side is the condensate condensing side depends on the arrangement and shape of the heat exchanger 1.

  Although the heat exchanger 1 shown here is a side flow system, it is not limited to this system. The present invention is also applicable to a downflow parallel flow heat exchanger in which vertical flat tubes are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the horizontal direction, and the same condensate draining effect can be obtained also in that case.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the end of the corrugated fin 6 protrudes from the end of the flat tube 4. The fixing member 11 is inserted into the gap G formed by the protruding portions so as to press the water guide member 10.

  The fixing member 11 is preferably formed of an elastic material such as soft synthetic resin or rubber. The soft synthetic resin or rubber may be foamed or not foamed. The width (height in FIG. 2) is set to a dimension that exerts an appropriate compressive force on the upper and lower corrugated fins 6 so that the fixing member 11 does not fall out of the gap G due to vibration during transportation or vibration of the refrigerator. To do. If the depth of the gap G is too shallow, the fixing member 11 easily falls off.

  In this way, fixing the intermediate portion of the water guide member 10 with the fixing member 11 prevents the water guide member 10 from floating up from the corrugated fin 6 in the middle, and the water guide member 10 attracts condensed water from the corrugated fin 6. The function to do is performed reliably over its entire length.

  In the present embodiment, the end of the corrugated fin 6 protrudes from the end of the flat tube 4, and the fixing member 11 is inserted into the gap G formed by the protruding portions of the corrugated fin 6. Ventilation is not hindered. In addition, when the water guide member 10 is pushed into the gap G, the water guide member 10 is tightly attached and closely contacts the corrugated fins 6, so that the condensed water attraction performance of the water guide member is further improved.

  In the present embodiment, the fixing member 11 has a length that spans the plurality of water guiding members 10. Since a plurality of water guide members 10 are fixed by one fixing member 11, the number of fixing members 11 required as a whole can be reduced. The number of operations for inserting the fixing member 11 can be reduced. Various lengths can be selected in accordance with the circumstances from a length spanning only two water guide members 10 to a length substantially equal to the entire length of the flat tube 4.

  Further, the length of the fixing member 11 may be a length that covers only one water guide member 10. If it does in this way, even if the arrangement pitch of the water guide members 10 changes due to the design change, the fixing member 11 can continue to be used without changing the design.

  Instead of inserting the fixing member 11 for each gap G, that is, for each flat tube 4, the fixing member 11 can be inserted every other row or every other two rows. However, for the purpose of preventing the middle of the water guide member 10 from floating from the corrugated fins 6, it is preferable to insert the fixing members 11 into all the gaps G belonging to the condensed water condensing side surface.

  The cross section of the fixing member 11 can have various shapes as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 is the same as the arrangement of the fixing member 11 in FIG. 2, and the right side is the leading side when inserted into the gap G.

  The fixing member 11 in FIG. 4 has a rectangular cross section. Such a simple-shaped fixing member 11 may be formed by cutting a plate material, for example, and is easy to manufacture. Moreover, the contact area with the protrusion part of the corrugated fin 6 is large, and it is difficult to drop off from the gap G.

  5 to 7 are examples in which the end of the fixing member 11 that becomes the leading side when inserted into the gap G is tapered. In FIG. 5, the leading end is semicircular. In FIG. 6, the leading end and the trailing end are both semicircular. In FIG. 7, the leading end is wedge-shaped and the trailing end is semicircular. By making the leading end tapered in this manner, the fixing member 11 can be easily inserted into the gap G.

  Further, as in the example of FIGS. 6 and 7, by making the end opposite to the leading side when the gap G is inserted into a tapered shape, the disturbance of the air flow outside the fixing member 11 is reduced, The ventilation efficiency can be increased.

  Further, as in the example of FIG. 6, if the leading side and the opposite end when inserting into the gap G are symmetrically tapered, the fixing member 11 is fixed when inserted into the gap. There is no need to worry about the orientation of the member 11, and the work is easy.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a notch 12 through which the water guide member 10 is passed can be formed at the end of the fixing member 11. If the notch 12 is provided in this way, the pressure of the water guide member 10 by the fixing member 11 is relieved, and the water guide of the water guide member 10 is not interrupted. Moreover, the arrangement pitch of the water guide members 10 can be maintained as desired.

  In the example of FIG. 8, the notch 12 has a triangular notch shape and is narrow. If such a notch 12 is used, the water guide member 10 can be positioned exactly.

  In the example of FIG. 9, the notch 12 has a rectangular shape and is wider than the notch 12 of FIG. If the notch 12 is used, the positioning of the water guide member 10 is somewhat sweetened, but on the other hand, there is room for movement of the water guide member 10, so that the situation where the water guide member 10 is forcibly pulled and the fibers are cut is avoided. it can.

  FIG. 10 shows a modified embodiment of the heat exchanger 1. Depicted in FIG. 10 is the lower end of the heat exchanger 1, where the lower end of the water guide member 10 hangs out of the heat exchanger. In this way, condensed water can be quickly removed from the area of the corrugated fin 6.

  The heat exchanger 1 can be mounted on an outdoor unit or an indoor unit of a separate air conditioner. FIG. 11 shows an example of mounting on an outdoor unit, and FIG. 12 shows an example of mounting on an indoor unit.

  The outdoor unit 20 in FIG. 11 includes a sheet metal housing 20a having a substantially rectangular planar shape, and the long side of the housing 20a is a front surface 20F and a back surface 20B, and the short side is a left side surface 20L and a right side surface 20R. An exhaust port 21 is formed on the front surface 20F, a rear intake port 22 is formed on the rear surface 20B, and a side intake port 23 is formed on the left side surface 20L. The exhaust port 21 is made up of a set of a plurality of horizontal slit-like openings, and the rear intake port 22 and the side intake ports 23 are made up of lattice-like openings. A top plate and a bottom plate (not shown) are added to the four sheet metal members of the front surface 20F, the back surface 20B, the left side surface 20L, and the right side surface 20R to form a hexahedral-shaped housing 20a.

  Inside the housing 20a, a heat-planar L-shaped heat exchanger 1 is disposed just inside the rear intake port 22 and the side intake port 23. In order to force heat exchange between the heat exchanger 1 and the outdoor air, a blower 24 is disposed between the heat exchanger 1 and the exhaust port 21. The blower 24 is a combination of an electric motor 24a and a propeller fan 24b. In order to improve the blowing efficiency, a bell mouth 25 surrounding the propeller fan 24b is attached to the inner surface of the front surface 20F of the housing 20a. A space inside the right side surface 20R of the housing 20a is isolated by a partition wall 26 from an air flow flowing from the rear intake port 22 to the exhaust port 21, and a compressor 27 is accommodated therein.

  When condensed water is generated in the heat exchanger 1 of the outdoor unit 20, not only the heat exchange performance is reduced due to the area of the air flow passage being narrowed by the condensed water, but the outside air temperature is below freezing point, The condensed water may freeze and cause damage to the heat exchanger 1. Therefore, in the outdoor unit 20, the drainage of the condensed water from the heat exchanger 1 becomes an important issue.

  In the outdoor unit 20, the windward side of the heat exchanger 1 is the condensed water condensing side. This is due to the following reason. In the outdoor unit 20, the heat exchanger 1 is installed substantially vertically without being inclined. When the heat exchanger 1 is used as an evaporator (for example, the heating operation corresponds to this), heat exchange is actively performed on the windward side rather than the leeward side, and condensed water accumulates there. Therefore, the windward side is the condensed water condensing side.

  Condensate condensed on the windward side does not flow to the leeward side. When the outside air temperature is low, the condensed water adheres to the heat exchanger 1 as frost. If the amount of frost increases, the defrosting operation is forced, but during the defrosting operation, the blower 24 is stopped, so that the water in which the frost has melted flows down by gravity without being affected by the wind. From these things, by arrange | positioning the water guide member 10 to the surface of the windward side, condensed water can be drained rapidly and the fall of heat exchange performance can be prevented.

  The indoor unit 30 in FIG. 12 includes the heat exchanger 1 having a shape in which a V-shape is inverted inside a casing 31. The front panel 32 covers a portion from the upper surface to the front surface of the housing 31. The front panel 32 is formed with an intake port composed of a set of a plurality of slit-shaped openings. An air filter 33 having an L-shaped cross section is disposed along the inner surface of the front panel 32.

  The heat exchanger 1 is disposed so as to face the air filter 33, and the cross flow fan 34 is disposed inside the V shape formed by the heat exchanger 1. An air outlet 35 is provided in the lower front portion of the housing 31. The air outlet 35 is provided with a vertical louver 36 in which a plurality of vertical louver pieces are arranged side by side and a horizontal louver 37 in which a plurality of horizontal louver pieces are arranged vertically. A drain pan 38 is disposed below the lowermost part of the heat exchanger 1.

  During indoor air conditioning, the cross flow fan 34 rotates in the direction of the thick arrow in the figure, and the refrigerant sent from the outdoor unit (not shown) flows through the heat exchanger 1. By the rotation of the cross flow fan 34, the room air flows in the direction of the thin arrow in the figure. That is, the room air is sucked from the intake port of the front panel 32 and passes through the air filter 33 toward the heat exchanger 1. Dust contained in the air is collected by the air filter 33, and the purified air passes through the heat exchanger 1. At that time, the air exchanges heat with the heat exchanger 1. The air whose temperature is adjusted by passing through the heat exchanger 1 is sucked into the cross flow fan 34 and blown out into the room from the air outlet 35. By adjusting the angle of the vertical louver 36 and the horizontal louver 37, the blowing direction can be changed.

  In the indoor unit 30, due to the influence of gravity or wind passing through the heat exchanger 1, the surface that is on the leeward side and also on the lower side of the heat exchanger 1 is the condensed water collecting side. The water guide member 10 is disposed on the surface on this side.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

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

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat exchanger 2, 3 Header pipe 4 Flat tube 5 Refrigerant passage 6 Corrugated fin G Gap 7, 8 Refrigerant inlet / outlet 10 Water guide member 11 Fixing member 12 Notch 20 Outdoor unit 30 Indoor unit

Claims (11)

A plurality of header pipes arranged in parallel at intervals, a plurality of flat tubes arranged between the plurality of header pipes and having refrigerant passages provided therein communicated with the inside of the header pipes, and the flat tubes In a heat exchanger with corrugated fins arranged between them,
A plurality of linear water-conducting members are arranged on the surface where condensed water gathers, and are arranged parallel to each other in such a manner as to contact the end portions of the corrugated fins and span a plurality of rows of corrugated fins. In addition, a heat exchanger characterized in that an intermediate portion of the water guide member is fixed by a fixing member inserted into a gap between the corrugated fins.   2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein an end of the corrugated fin protrudes from an end of the flat tube, and the fixing member is inserted into a gap formed between the protruding portions.   The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member has a length extending over a plurality of the water guiding members.   The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member has a length that covers only one of the water guide members.   The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member has a tapered end at a leading end when inserted into the gap.   The heat exchanger according to claim 5, wherein the fixing member has a tapered shape at an end opposite to a leading side when inserted into the gap.   The heat exchanger according to claim 6, wherein the fixing member has a tapered shape in which a leading side and an opposite end are symmetrical when inserted into the gap.   The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the fixing member is formed with a notch through which the water guide member is passed.   The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a lower end of the water guide member hangs outside the heat exchanger.   An air conditioner in which the heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is mounted on an outdoor unit.   An air conditioner in which the heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is mounted on an indoor unit.

Images