JP2018035992A - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat exchanger capable of avoiding increase of the number of components and man-hours for assembly, and deterioration of drainability for condensate water, reducing a ventilation amount of air passing through an opening of a lower end part, and improving heat exchange performance.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger of this invention is an outdoor heat exchanger 5, and includes a plurality of flat tubes 11 arrayed in a vertical direction so that their side surfaces face each other, a header 12 to which the end parts of the flat tubes 11 are connected, and a plurality of fins 13 connected in a direction of crossing the flat tubes 11. The fins 13 have a plurality of fitting parts 13a into which the flat tubes 11 respectively are inserted, and at least one sub sitting part 13c provided below a bottom fitting part 13a' among the fitting parts 13a at the same pitch as the fitting parts 13a, and into which none of the flat tubes 11 is inserted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger used for an air conditioner or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 6, a heat exchanger 100 used in an air conditioner or the like usually includes a plurality of flat tubes 101 arranged in a vertical direction so that side surfaces (wide surfaces) face each other, and both ends of the flat tubes 101. A pair of left and right headers 102 connected to each other and a plurality of fins 103 joined in a direction intersecting with the plurality of flat tubes 101, and a space formed between the flat tubes 101 and the fins 103 is provided. Heat exchange is performed between the passing air and the refrigerant flowing in the flat space 101.

  In this type of heat exchanger 100, it is difficult to align the lower end portion of the header 102 and the lower end portion of the fin 103 due to the non-connectable range H of the flat tube 101 in the header 102 and the relationship with the arrangement pitch of the flat tubes 101. In other words, the step D between the lower end portion of the header 102 and the lower end portion of the fin 103 causes an opening region S2 (inside the broken line frame) continuous in the left-right direction at the lower end portion of the heat exchanger 100. The opening area S2 has the same opening area as the opening area S2 and has a ventilation resistance as compared with the heat exchange area S1 (in the broken line frame) where the plurality of flat tubes 101 and the plurality of fins 103 exist between the left and right headers 102. Therefore, the air easily flows into the opening region S2 that does not contribute to the heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant, relatively reducing the air flow rate in the heat exchange region S1 and lowering the heat exchange performance.

  Therefore, it has been proposed to fill the opening region S2 generated at the lower end of the heat exchanger with another member. For example, in the heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1, a spacer is disposed in the opening region S2 at the lower end.

JP2013-139918A

  However, if the gap generated at the lower end of the heat exchanger is filled with another member, not only the number of parts (type) and assembly man-hours will increase, but also the drainage of condensed water generated in the heat exchanger will be reduced by another member. There was a risk.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and avoids an increase in the number of parts and assembly man-hours and a decrease in the drainage of condensed water, while the flow of air flowing into the opening region S2 at the lower end portion is reduced. The purpose is to provide a heat exchanger that can reduce the ventilation rate and improve the heat exchange performance.

  The present invention has been proposed to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 includes a plurality of flat tubes arranged in a vertical direction so that side surfaces thereof are opposed to each other, and the plurality of flat tubes. A pair of headers to which left and right end portions are connected, and a plurality of fins joined in a direction intersecting the plurality of flat tubes, the header being formed in a cylindrical portion and upper and lower ends of the cylindrical portion The plurality of fins, the plurality of fitting portions into which the plurality of flat tubes are inserted, and the plurality of fins below a lowermost fitting portion of the plurality of fitting portions. At least one sub-fitting portion provided at the same arrangement pitch as the plurality of fitting portions in the arrangement direction of the plurality of fitting portions, wherein at least a part of the sub-fitting portion is the flat portion Located on the projection plane projected in the tube extension direction, or more than the projection plane Characterized in that located towards.

  The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that a dummy tube whose end is not connected to the header is inserted into at least a part of the sub-fitting portions of the plurality of fins.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the heat exchanger which can improve heat exchange performance can be provided, avoiding the increase in a number of parts and assembly man-hours, and the fall of the drainage of condensed water.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the air conditioner to which the heat exchanger which concerns on embodiment of this invention is applied. It is a figure which shows the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a top view of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is the front of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. It is a figure which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is a principal part front view which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is 1st Embodiment. It is a principal part perspective view which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on this. It is a figure which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on other embodiment of this invention, (a) is a principal part front view which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, (b) is 3rd Embodiment. It is a principal part front view which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on this. It is a figure which shows the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention, (a) is AA 'sectional drawing of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment, (b) is the heat which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is BB 'sectional drawing of an exchanger. It is a figure which shows the heat exchanger which concerns on a prior art example, (a) is a front view of the heat exchanger which concerns on a prior art example, (b) is a principal part front view which shows the lower part of the heat exchanger which concerns on a prior art example.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same elements throughout the description of the embodiment.

[Air conditioner]
Drawing 1 is an explanatory view showing the composition of the air harmony machine to which the heat exchanger concerning the embodiment of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, the air conditioner 1 includes an indoor unit 2 and an outdoor unit 3. The indoor unit 2 is provided with an indoor heat exchanger 4 for the indoor unit, and the outdoor unit 3 is provided with a compressor 6, an expansion valve 7, a four-way valve 8 and the like in addition to the outdoor heat exchanger 5. Yes.

  During the heating operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 of the outdoor unit 3 flows into the indoor heat exchanger 4 of the indoor unit 2 through the four-way valve 8. The refrigerant that has exchanged heat with air in the indoor heat exchanger 4 (condenser) is condensed and liquefied. Thereafter, the high-pressure liquid refrigerant is depressurized by passing through the expansion valve 7 of the outdoor unit 3, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 5. The refrigerant that exchanges heat with the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 5 (evaporator) is evaporated and gasified. Thereafter, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 6 through the four-way valve 8.

  During the cooling operation, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant discharged from the compressor 6 of the outdoor unit 3 flows into the outdoor heat exchanger 5 through the four-way valve 8. The refrigerant having exchanged heat with the outside air in the outdoor heat exchanger 5 (condenser) is condensed and liquefied. Thereafter, the high-pressure liquid refrigerant is decompressed by passing through the expansion valve 7 of the outdoor unit 3, becomes a low-temperature low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant, and flows into the indoor heat exchanger 4 of the indoor unit 2. The refrigerant that exchanges heat with air in the indoor heat exchanger 4 (evaporator) is evaporated and gasified. Thereafter, the low-pressure gas refrigerant is sucked into the compressor 6 through the four-way valve 8.

[Heat exchanger]
The heat exchanger of the present invention can be applied to both the indoor heat exchanger 4 of the indoor unit 2 and the outdoor heat exchanger 5 of the outdoor unit 3. In the following description, the outdoor heat exchanger 5 of the outdoor unit 3 is used. It is assumed that this applies to The outdoor heat exchanger 5 of the outdoor unit 3 is usually L-shaped in plan view, and can be obtained by bending a heat exchanger formed in a flat shape. Specifically, an assembly process for assembling the flat outdoor heat exchanger 5 with a member having a brazing material applied to the surface, and brazing in which the assembled flat outdoor heat exchanger 5 is brazed in a furnace. The L-shaped outdoor heat exchanger 5 is manufactured through the process and the bending process of bending the brazed flat outdoor heat exchanger 5 into an L-shape. Hereinafter, the heat exchanger of the present invention will be described as a flat outdoor heat exchanger 5 before bending.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a plan view of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment, and (b) is the heat according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a front view of the exchanger, and FIG. 3 is a view showing a lower part of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 (a) is a front view of a main part showing the lower part of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a perspective view of the main part showing the lower part of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outdoor heat exchanger 5 includes a plurality of flat tubes 11 arranged in the vertical direction so that the side surfaces 11 b (wide surfaces) face each other, and left and right ends of the flat tubes 11. A pair of headers 12 to be connected and a plurality of fins 13 joined in a direction intersecting the flat tube 11 are provided.

  The flat tube 11 has a flat shape extending in the air circulation direction, and a plurality of refrigerant flow paths 11a aligned in the air circulation direction are formed in the inside thereof. The flat tubes 11 are arranged side by side in a vertical direction with a predetermined interval (arrangement pitch P) through which air passes, and the left and right ends thereof are connected to a pair of headers 12.

  The header 12 has a cylindrical portion 12c having a cylindrical shape, into which the refrigerant supplied to the outdoor heat exchanger 5 is branched into a plurality of flat tubes 11 or flows into the plurality of flat tubes 11. A refrigerant flow path (not shown) for joining the refrigerant that has flowed out of the refrigerant is formed. The cap 12a is fitted into the upper and lower end portions of the cylindrical portion 12c, and the header 12 is brazed to form a closed portion 12d (in a broken line frame). In order to reduce the amount of refrigerant accumulated in the header 12, it is preferable that the position of the bottom surface 12b inside the header 12 be as high as possible. Therefore, normally, the cap 12 a has a convex shape toward the inside of the header 12. In the range from the lower end of the header 12 to the height of the cap 12a (the non-connectable range H with the flat tube 11), there is no refrigerant flow path inside, so it is difficult to connect the flat tube 11 within the non-connectable range H. is there.

  The fins 13 have a flat plate shape extending in a direction intersecting the flat tube 11 in a front view, and are arranged in parallel via a predetermined interval for air to pass through. Here, a region where a plurality of flat tubes 11 and a plurality of fins 13 exist between the left and right headers 12 is defined as a heat exchange region S1.

  The fin 13 is formed with a plurality of fitting portions 13 a that are fitted to the flat tube 11. The flat tube 11 is inserted into these fitting portions 13 a and is fitted to the flat tube 11. By brazing in a state, the fin 13 and the flat tube 11 are integrally joined. In addition, although the fitting part 13a of this embodiment is a notch groove shape which the windward side opened, a punching hole shape may be sufficient.

  The fitting portions 13 a are formed on the fins 13 with the arrangement pitch P of the flat tubes 11. The fin 13 is easily broken when the lower side is made longer than the lowermost fitting portion 13a '(fixed portion). Therefore, the length from the fitting portion 13a 'to the lower end of the fin 13 is a minimum length. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 6, in the conventional heat exchanger 100, the lower end portion of the header 102 and the fins are determined from the relationship between the non-connectable range H of the flat tubes 101 in the header 102 and the arrangement pitch P of the flat tubes 101. It is difficult to align the lower end of 103, and an opening region S2 (broken line frame) continuous in the left-right direction to the lower end of the heat exchanger 100 due to a step D between the lower end of the header 102 and the lower end of the fin 103. Inside) occurs. The opening area S2 has the same opening area as the opening area S2 and has a ventilation resistance as compared with the heat exchange area S1 (in the broken line frame) where the plurality of flat tubes 101 and the plurality of fins 103 exist between the left and right headers 102. Therefore, the air easily flows into the opening region S2 that does not contribute to the heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant, and the air flow rate in the heat exchange region S1 is relatively reduced, thereby reducing the heat exchange performance. When this open area S2 is filled with another member, not only the number of parts (type) and the number of assembling steps are increased, but another member may obstruct the drainage of the condensed water generated in the heat exchanger.

  Therefore, in the outdoor heat exchanger 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the air flow rate in the opening region S2 is reduced and the heat exchange performance is improved without using a separate member. Specifically, the plurality of fins 13 are provided below the lowermost fitting portion 13a ′ at the same arrangement pitch as the plurality of fitting portions 13a in the arrangement direction of the plurality of fitting portions 13a. It has at least one sub fitting part 13c which is not inserted. Furthermore, at least a part of the sub-fitting portion 13c is located on the projection surface in the extending direction of the flat tube 11 of the cap 12a, or is located below the projection surface. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ in FIG. 2A, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B ′ in FIG. X of FIG.5 (b) shows the projection surface of the extending | stretching direction of the flat tube 11 of the cap 12a. In the heat exchanger 5 shown in FIG. 5B, the cap 12a is located in the projection plane X. By doing in this way, the fin 13 can be arrange | positioned in the position of opening area S2, and ventilation resistance can be enlarged, without using another member like a prior art, and the heat exchange performance of the outdoor heat exchanger 5 falls. Can be prevented. Furthermore, it is possible to avoid an increase in the number of parts and assembly man-hours due to the provision of another member, and a decrease in the drainage of condensed water.

  In addition, a dummy tube 14 whose end is not connected to the header 12 can be arbitrarily provided in the sub-fitting portion 13c, and is desirably provided when it is necessary to ensure the strength of the extension portion 13b. For example, in the outdoor heat exchanger 5 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, a tube material that is the same material as the flat tube 11 and shorter than the flat tube 11 is used as the dummy tube 14, and this is an extension portion. It is made to fit in the sub fitting part 13c of 13b.

  Here, when the mode of arrangement of the extension portion 13b is viewed with respect to the sub fitting portion 13c, the sub fitting portion 13c is the lowest fitting portion 13a among the plurality of fitting portions 13a into which the flat tubes 11 are inserted. It will be provided below 'by the same arrangement pitch P as the plurality of fitting portions 13a. If comprised in this way, since the extension part 13b also becomes the same shape as the other part of the fin 13, the desired fin 13 can be manufactured easily, the increase in a number of parts and assembly man-hours, and drainage of condensed water It is possible to provide the outdoor heat exchanger 5 that can improve the heat exchange performance by reducing the ventilation rate of the air flowing through the opening region S2 at the lower end while avoiding the decrease in the temperature.

  Further, when the dummy tube 14 is provided in the sub-fitting portion 13c, not only the strength of the extension portion 13b can be secured, but also the ventilation resistance in the region (not shown) where the dummy tube 14 and the plurality of fins 13 exist between the headers 12. Can be approximated to the ventilation resistance in the heat exchange region S1 (inside the broken line frame), and it is possible to further improve the heat exchange performance by suppressing the deviation of the ventilation amount.

  In the outdoor heat exchanger 5 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, the plurality of flat tubes 11 arranged in the vertical direction so that the side surfaces 11b face each other and the left and right ends of the plurality of flat tubes 11 are connected. A pair of headers 12 and a plurality of fins 13 joined in a direction intersecting with the plurality of flat tubes 11, and the header 12 has a cylindrical portion 12c and a closed portion formed at the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical portion 12c. 12d, and the plurality of fins 13 includes a plurality of fitting portions 13a into which the plurality of flat tubes 11 are inserted, and a plurality of fins 13 below the lowermost fitting portion 13a ′ of the plurality of fitting portions 13a. It has at least one sub-fitting portion 13c provided at the same arrangement pitch P as the plurality of fitting portions 13a in the arrangement direction of the fitting portion 13a, and at least a part of the sub-fitting portion 13c has the blocking portion 12d. Positioned on the projection plane X projected in the extending direction of the flat tube 11 Or, because it is located below the projection plane X, the amount of air flowing through the opening region S2 at the lower end is reduced while avoiding an increase in the number of parts and the number of assembly steps and a decrease in drainage of condensed water. It is possible to reduce the air flow rate and improve the heat exchange performance.

  In addition, since at least a part of the sub-fitting portions 13c of the plurality of fins 13 is provided with a dummy tube 14 whose end portions are not connected to the header 12, not only can the strength of the extension portion 13b be ensured, but also between the headers 12 , The ventilation resistance of the area (not shown) where the dummy tube 14 and the plurality of fins 13 are present can be approximated to the ventilation resistance of the heat exchange area S1, and the heat exchange performance can be further improved by suppressing the deviation of the ventilation volume. become.

[Other Embodiments]
Next, outdoor heat exchangers 5B to 5G according to second to third embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. However, the description of the above embodiment is incorporated by using the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment for the configuration common to the above embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the outdoor heat exchanger 5 </ b> B of the second embodiment includes a fixing member 15 that covers the lower end portion of the header 12, and the extension portion 13 b of the fin 13 is the lower end of the header 12. It extends to the same height as the lower end of the fixing member 15. In this way, even in the outdoor heat exchanger 5B including the fixing member 15 of the header 12, the step between the lower end portion of the fixing member 15 and the lower end portion of the fin 13 is eliminated, and the lower end of the outdoor heat exchanger 5B. The amount of ventilation of the opening area S2 generated in the part can be reduced.

  The outdoor heat exchanger 5 is fixed to the base (not shown) of the outdoor unit 3 by fixing means (not shown) provided at the lower end of the header 12, but the portion facing the base extension 13 b is the lower end of the header. If it is lower than this, it is necessary to make the extension length of the extension portion 13b longer than the lower end of the header. In this case, as shown in FIG. 4B, the outdoor heat exchanger 5C of the third embodiment extends the extension 13b of the fin 13 to the same height as the lower end of the header 12 or below it. In this case, a plurality of sub-fitting portions 13c arranged in the vertical direction are provided on the extension portion 13b, and the dummy tubes 14 are inserted into the respective sub-fitting portions 13c. Thereby, not only the intensity | strength of the extension part 13b can be ensured with the some dummy pipe | tube 14, but it can adjust to ventilation resistance equivalent to heat exchange area | region S1.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed. For example, the heat exchanger described above uses the same material as the flat tube for the dummy tube, but has a shape that can be inserted into the sub fitting portion of the fin, and is fixed to the sub fitting portion so that the fin If the rigidity is sufficient to ensure the strength, it is included in the present invention.

1 Air conditioner 2 Indoor unit 3 Outdoor unit 4 Heat exchanger (indoor)
5, 5B, 5C Heat exchanger (outdoor)
6 Compressor 11 Flat tube 11a Refrigerant flow path 12 Header 13 Fin 13a Fitting portion 13a ′ Bottom fitting portion 13b Extension portion 13c Sub fitting portion 14 Dummy tubes 14E, 14F, 14G Dummy tube 15 Cap

Claims (2)

A plurality of flat tubes arranged in the vertical direction so that the side faces,
A pair of headers to which left and right ends of the plurality of flat tubes are connected;
A plurality of fins joined in a direction intersecting the plurality of flat tubes,
The header has a cylindrical portion, and closed portions formed at upper and lower ends of the cylindrical portion,
The plurality of fins are:
A plurality of fitting portions into which the plurality of flat tubes are inserted; and
At least one sub-fitting portion provided at the same arrangement pitch as the plurality of fitting portions in the arrangement direction of the plurality of fitting portions below the lowermost fitting portion among the plurality of fitting portions. Have
At least a part of the sub-fitting portion is located on the projection surface where the blocking portion is projected in the extending direction of the flat tube, or located below the projection surface;
The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a dummy tube whose end is not connected to the header is inserted into at least a part of the sub-fitting portions of the plurality of fins.

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