JP2012037092A - Heat exchanger, and air conditioner with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To maintain superior drainage performance, even when a parallel flow type heat exchanger of a side flow method is arranged while a surface on a side where condensed water concentrates is inclined to face downward.SOLUTION: The heat exchanger 1 includes: two header pipes 2, 3 arranged in parallel to each other with a space; a plurality of flat tubes 4 arranged between the header pipes 2, 3 and making internal refrigerant passages 5 communicate with the header pipes 2, 3; and corrugated fins 6 arranged between the flat tubes 4. Ends of the corrugated fins 6 on a surface of the heat exchanger 1 where condensed water concentrates projects from ends of the flat tubes 4, and linear water-conducting members 10 are inserted in gaps G formed between the protrusions. The clearance between the water-conducting member 10 and the projecting end of the corrugated fin 6 located above it is set at a distance allowing surface tension of water to act between both of them. A drainage plate 11 for connecting the ends of the flat tubes 4 to one another is inserted on the surface on the side where the water-conducting members 10 are arranged.

Description

  The present invention relates to a side flow 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 side flow parallel flow type heat exchanger is shown in FIG. The heat exchanger 1 includes two header pipes 2 and 3 and a plurality of flat tubes 4 arranged therebetween. In FIG. 7, the header pipes 2 and 3 extend in the vertical direction and are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction at intervals, and the flat tubes 4 extend in the horizontal direction and are arranged at a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction. Needless to say, the parallel flow type heat exchanger 1 is installed at various angles in accordance with design requirements at the stage of actually mounting on equipment, and there are many cases where exact “vertical” and “horizontal” do not apply.

  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 the same cross-sectional area are arranged in the depth direction of FIG. 7, so that 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.

  In the heat exchanger 1, the refrigerant inlets and 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 from the lower refrigerant inlet / outlet 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 dammed up by the partition plate 9 c, 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.

  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 arrow in FIG. 7, is dammed by the partition plate 9c and goes 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.

  When the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, moisture in the atmosphere condenses on the surface of the heat exchanger that has become a low temperature, and condensed water is generated. In the parallel flow type heat exchanger, when the condensed water stays on the surface of the flat tube or the corrugated fin, the cross-sectional area of the air flow passage is narrowed by the water, and the heat exchange performance is deteriorated.

  When the temperature is low, the condensed water turns into frost on the surface of the heat exchanger. Frost can travel to ice. 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.

  Condensed water retention is a problem particularly in a side flow parallel flow heat exchanger. Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose measures for promoting drainage from a side flow 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.

  In the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 2, the guide plate is disposed in contact with the corrugated fin on the downstream side of the air blowing. The dew adhering to the surface of the heat exchanger moves downstream by blowing and adheres to the guide plate, and falls freely by its weight.

JP 2007-285673 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-263861

  In the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, water is guided by bringing a drainage guide made of a linear member into contact with the heat exchanger. However, when the heat exchanger is installed in a tilted state or when dirt is attached to the drainage guide, a phenomenon such as water jumping may occur without water passing through the drainage guide. Even in the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 2, when installed in an inclined state, water jumps due to water bridged between the fins.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and improves the drainage of the condensate water of the side flow type parallel flow heat exchanger, and the effect is that the surface on the side where the condensate collects is down. It is intended to be exerted even when the heat exchanger is placed in an inclined state so as to face.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of header pipes arranged in parallel at intervals, and a plurality of refrigerant pipes arranged between the plurality of header pipes are provided inside the header pipes. In a parallel flow type heat exchanger of a side flow system comprising a flat tube connected to each other and a corrugated fin arranged between the flat tubes, the end of the corrugated fin on the surface where condensed water is concentrated is It protrudes from the end of the flat tube, a linear water guiding member is inserted into the gap formed by the protruding ends of the corrugated fins, and the distance between the water guiding member and the protruding end of the corrugated fin located thereon is And the distance at which the surface tension of water can work, and the end of the flat tube is the same as the surface on which the water guide member is disposed. Drain plate for coupling is inserted a.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the heat exchanger configured as described above, a plurality of notches are formed at one edge of the drainage plate at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the flat tubes. The end and the water guide member enter.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the heat exchanger configured as described above, the plurality of drain plates are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the length direction of the flat tube.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchanger configured as described above is mounted on an outdoor unit or an indoor unit of an air conditioner.

  According to the present invention, in the side flow type parallel flow heat exchanger, the end of the corrugated fin on the surface on the side where condensed water collects protrudes from the end of the flat tube, and the gap formed by the protruding ends of the corrugated fin A linear water guide member is inserted in the gap, and the distance between the water guide member and the protruding end of the corrugated fin located thereon is a distance at which the surface tension of water can work, and the water guide member is disposed. Since the drainage plate that connects the ends of the flat tubes is inserted into the surface on the side where the condensate is connected, the condensed water not only moves from the corrugated fins to the water guiding member, but also moves from the corrugated fins to the drainage plate. As the heat exchanger flows down stably, the heat exchanger is placed in an inclined state so that the surface on which the condensed water collects faces downward Even, condensed water continues to flow down to the lower end of the heat exchanger, it is not such as dropping in the middle.

It is a partial front view of the heat exchanger which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a partial schematic sectional drawing of the heat exchanger which concerns on embodiment. It is a partial schematic sectional view which shows the state which inclined and placed the heat exchanger which concerns on embodiment so that the surface at the side where condensed water gathers may face downward. 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 block diagram of the air conditioner carrying the heat exchanger which concerns on this invention, and shows the state at the time of heating operation. It is a schematic block diagram of the air conditioner carrying the heat exchanger which concerns on this invention, and shows the state at the time of air_conditionaing | cooling operation. It is a vertical sectional view showing a schematic structure of a conventional side flow type parallel flow type heat exchanger. It is a partial schematic sectional drawing of the conventional side flow type parallel flow type heat exchanger. It is a partial schematic sectional drawing which shows the state which inclined and placed the conventional side flow type parallel flow type heat exchanger so that the surface on the side where condensed water collects may face downward.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. Components that are functionally common to the conventional structure of FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in FIG. 7, and description thereof is omitted.

  The drainage of the side flow type parallel flow heat exchanger 1 can be improved by making the parallel flow type heat exchanger 1 as shown in FIG. That is, in the parallel flow type heat exchanger, the end of the corrugated fin 6 on the surface on the side where condensed water collects is protruded from the end of the flat tube 4. The water guide member 10 is inserted into the gap G formed by the protruding portions. The distance between the water guide member 10 and the protruding end of the corrugated fin 6 positioned thereon is a distance at which the surface tension of water can work.

  The water guide member 10 is an aggregate of fibers (preferably synthetic fibers), a so-called string, or a metal or synthetic resin wire wound in a double helix, or a metal or synthetic resin wire made of a coil spring. Wrapped in shape, metal or synthetic resin plate with corrugated plate with fine pitch, metal or synthetic resin rod with spiral groove in the shape of drill bit, sponge or other porous material Various water-absorbing members and non-water-absorbing members, such as substances (water-absorbing members), braided braids, chains, etc., that can exert the surface tension of condensed water can be used.

  When condensed water accumulates at the end of the corrugated fin 6, a bridge phenomenon (a film of water stretches) occurs on the end surface of the corrugated fin 6 due to the surface tension of the water. Not only the end face of the corrugated fin 6 but also a bridge phenomenon occurs between the water guide member 10 inserted under the corrugated fin 6 and the end of the corrugated fin 6. Further, a bridging phenomenon also occurs between the water guiding member 10 and the condensed water accumulated at the end of the corrugated fin 6 located below the water guiding member 10. Due to such a chain of bridging phenomena, a water conduit that extends from the upper part to the lower part is formed, and the condensed water bridged between the corrugated fins 6 can flow down.

  However, the side flow type parallel flow heat exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 8 cannot be said to completely solve the problem of drainage. When the parallel flow type heat exchanger 1 of FIG. 8 is tilted so that the surface on which condensed water collects is directed downward as shown in FIG. 9, the condensed water accumulated at the end of the corrugated fin 6 Before moving to the water guide member 10 due to tension, the corrugated fin 6 is dropped from the lower corner. When the heat exchanger 1 is installed in an indoor unit of an air conditioner and a cross flow fan is installed under the heat exchanger 1, water drops will be scattered and mixed with the air flow blown out by the cross flow fan. Give people discomfort.

  Therefore, in the present invention, another device is added to the structure of FIG. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the drainage plate 11 that connects the ends of the flat tubes 4 is inserted into the surface on which the water guiding member 10 is disposed. The drain plate 11 is arranged vertically in FIG. 1, that is, at a right angle to the flat tube 4. A plurality of notches 12 are formed at one edge of the drain plate 11 at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the flat tubes 4, and the ends of the flat tubes 4 and the water guide member 10 enter the notches 12. The other edge of the drainage plate 11 protrudes further outward than the corrugated fins 6.

  The drain plate 11 is fixed to the flat tube 4 by brazing or welding. As a material for the drain plate 11, it is preferable to use a plate material having the same material and thickness as the corrugated fins 6. As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of drain plates 11 are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the length direction of the flat tube 4. The pitch of the drain plates 11 can be set wider than the pitch of the peaks (valleys) of the corrugated fins 6, for example, about three times the pitch of the peaks (valleys) of the corrugated fins 6.

  As described above, various kinds of water guide members 10 can be used, but here, a material obtained by twisting two wires is used. The wire is made of the same material as the flat tube 4, the corrugated fin 6, and the drain plate 11 in order to prevent electrolytic corrosion. If the flat tube 4, the corrugated fin 6, and the drain plate 11 are made of aluminum, the wire is also aluminum. The length of the water guide member 10 is substantially the same as the length of the flat tube 4.

  When the heat exchanger 1 is placed so that the surface on the side where condensed water is concentrated faces downward, the heat exchanger 1 is as shown in FIG. The condensed water gathered at the end of the corrugated fin 6 flows down stably through the drainage plate 11 because a drainage path called the drainage plate 11 is secured. Condensed water continues to flow down to the lower end of the heat exchanger 1 and does not drop in the middle. Regarding the collection and drainage of condensed water, it is only necessary to prepare a mechanism for receiving and draining water only for the lowermost part of the heat exchanger 1 or the corrugated fins 6 slightly above it.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, condensed water is dripped from the corrugated fins 6 other than the lowermost part, and the water droplets are scattered by being mixed with the airflow blown out by the cross flow fan disposed under the heat exchanger 1, which makes the user uncomfortable. Can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, the drain plate 11 is arranged vertically, that is, at a right angle to the flat tube 4, but the drain plate 11 can be inserted so as to obliquely intersect the flat tube 4.

  The heat exchanger 1 can be mounted on an outdoor unit or an indoor unit of a separate air conditioner. FIG. 4 shows an example of mounting on an outdoor unit.

  The outdoor unit 20 shown in FIG. 4 includes a sheet metal housing 20a having a substantially rectangular planar shape. 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 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 facts, by applying the structure of the present invention to the windward surface, the condensed water can be drained quickly, and deterioration of the heat exchange performance can be prevented.

  5 and 6 show an example in which the heat exchanger 1 is mounted on an indoor unit of a separate type air conditioner. The outdoor unit of the separate type air conditioner shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 includes a compressor, a four-way valve, an expansion valve, an outdoor heat exchanger, an outdoor fan, etc., and the indoor unit is an indoor heat exchanger, an indoor side Includes a blower. The outdoor heat exchanger functions as an evaporator during heating operation and functions as a condenser during cooling operation. The indoor heat exchanger functions as a condenser during heating operation and functions as an evaporator during cooling operation.

  FIG. 5 shows a basic configuration of a separate air conditioner that uses a heat pump cycle as a refrigeration cycle. The heat pump cycle 101 includes a compressor 102, a four-way valve 103, an outdoor heat exchanger 104, a decompression / expansion device 105, and an indoor heat exchanger 106 connected in a loop. The compressor 102, the four-way valve 103, the heat exchanger 104, and the decompression / expansion device 105 are accommodated in the casing of the outdoor unit 110, and the heat exchanger 106 is accommodated in the casing of the indoor unit 120. An outdoor fan 107 is combined with the heat exchanger 104, and an indoor fan 108 is combined with the heat exchanger 106. The blower 107 includes a propeller fan 107a for forming a blown airflow, and the blower 108 includes a cross flow fan 108a for forming a blown airflow. The cross flow fan 108a is disposed below the heat exchanger 106 with its axis line horizontal.

  The heat exchanger 1 which concerns on this invention can be used as a component of the heat exchanger 106 of an indoor unit. The heat exchanger 106 is a combination of three heat exchangers 106A, 106B, and 106C like a roof that covers the blower 108, and any or all of the heat exchangers 106A, 106B, and 106C are combined with the heat exchanger 1. It can be.

  FIG. 5 shows a state during heating operation. At this time, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 102 enters the indoor heat exchanger 106 where it dissipates heat and condenses. The refrigerant exiting the heat exchanger 106 enters the outdoor heat exchanger 104 from the decompression / expansion device 105 and expands there, takes heat from the outdoor air, and returns to the compressor 102. The airflow generated by the indoor fan 108 promotes heat dissipation from the heat exchanger 106, and the airflow generated by the outdoor fan 107 accelerates heat absorption of the heat exchanger 104.

  FIG. 6 shows a state during cooling operation or defrosting operation. At this time, the four-way valve 103 is switched so that the refrigerant flow is reversed from that during the heating operation. That is, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the compressor 102 enters the outdoor heat exchanger 104, where it dissipates heat and condenses. The refrigerant exiting the heat exchanger 104 enters the heat exchanger 106 on the indoor side from the decompression / expansion device 105 and expands there, takes heat from the indoor air, and returns to the compressor 102. The air flow generated by the outdoor air blower 107 promotes heat dissipation from the heat exchanger 104, and the air flow generated by the indoor air blower 108 promotes heat absorption of the heat exchanger 106.

  When the heat exchanger 1 according to the present invention is used as a constituent element of the heat exchanger 106 of the indoor unit, the surface that is the leeward side of the heat exchanger 1 and also the lower surface side depending on the posture of the heat exchanger 1 is condensed water. The rally side. The water guide member 10 and the drain plate 11 are disposed on the leeward side surface.

  When the heat exchanger 1 according to the present invention is used, even if condensed water collects on the surface on the leeward side, it does not drop on the cross flow fan 108a, and water splash does not occur. Moreover, in the heat exchanger 1, a bridge phenomenon can be suppressed and an increase in ventilation resistance can be suppressed.

  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 side flow parallel flow heat exchangers.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heat exchanger 2, 3 Header pipe 4 Flat tube 5 Refrigerant passage 6 Corrugated fin G Crevice 7, 8 Refrigerant inlet / outlet 10 Water guide member 11 Drain plate 12 Notch 20 Outdoor unit 110 Outdoor unit 120 Indoor unit 120 Indoor unit

Claims (4)

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 the parallel flow type heat exchanger of the side flow type provided with corrugated fins arranged between each other,
The end of the corrugated fin on the surface on the side where condensed water collects protrudes from the end of the flat tube, a linear water guiding member is inserted into the gap formed by the protruding ends of the corrugated fin, and the water guiding member, The distance from the protruding end of the corrugated fin located thereon is a distance at which the surface tension of water can work,
A parallel flow heat exchanger, wherein a drainage plate for connecting ends of the flat tubes is inserted into a surface on which the water guide member is disposed.   The plurality of notches are formed at one edge of the drainage plate at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the flat tubes, and the ends of the flat tubes and the water guide member enter the notches. Parallel flow heat exchanger.   The parallel flow heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of drain plates are arranged at a predetermined pitch along a length direction of the flat tube.   An air conditioner comprising the heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3 mounted on an outdoor unit or an indoor unit.

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