JP6809282B2 - Condenser - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a condenser.

In recent vehicles, the installation space of the condenser is shrinking year by year from the viewpoint of collision safety and design, so that the width of the condenser is required to be further reduced. While there is a demand for narrowing the width of the condenser, the modulator tank for storing the refrigerant still has a large shape, and this hinders the thinning of the condenser.

Therefore, in the condenser described in Patent Document 1, the width of the modulator tank is thinned by dividing the modulator tank into a first modulator tank and a second modulator tank. Specifically, the condenser described in Patent Document 1 includes a core portion, a header tank, a first modulator tank, and a second modulator tank. The core portion is composed of a plurality of tubes and a plurality of outer fins alternately laminated. The header tank is connected to the end of the tube that constitutes the core. The first modulator tank is connected to the header tank and has a function of storing the refrigerant flowing in from the header tank. The second modulator tank is provided above the core portion and communicates with the inside of the first modulator tank.

Japanese Patent No. 5664063

By the way, in order to further reduce the width of the first modulator tank in the condenser described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the second modulator tank by the amount of the insufficient capacity. When increasing the capacity of the second modulator tank, if the internal space of the second modulator tank is simply expanded, there is a possibility that the withstand voltage strength of the second modulator tank having a hollow structure cannot be secured.

The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a condenser capable of improving the withstand voltage strength of a modulator tank while ensuring the flowability of a refrigerant.

The condenser (10) that solves the above problems includes a core portion (20), a pair of header tanks (40, 41), and a modulator tank (60). The core portion is composed of a laminated structure of a plurality of tubes (21) through which the refrigerant flows, and dissipates heat of the refrigerant by heat exchange with an external fluid flowing outside the tubes. The pair of header tanks are formed so as to extend in the stacking direction of the tubes, and are connected to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the tubes in the core portion. The modulator tank separates the refrigerant flowing out from one of the header tanks (41) of the pair of header tanks into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant to store the liquid phase refrigerant. The modulator tank has a first modulator tank (61) and a second modulator tank (62). The first modulator tank is formed so as to extend in the stacking direction of the tubes, is arranged adjacent to one header tank, and communicates with the inside of one header tank. The second modulator tank is formed so as to extend from the first modulator tank toward the other header tank (40), and communicates with the internal space (610) of the first modulator tank. The second modulator tank has a partition plate (623) that partitions the internal space (622) into a plurality of partition chambers (622a, 622b) in the stacking direction of the tubes. One end of each of the plurality of compartments is communicated with the internal space of the first modulator tank. The stacking direction of the tubes is the vertical direction. The second modulator tank further has a communication passage (624) for communicating the plurality of compartments in the vertical direction.

According to this configuration, since the inside of the second modulator tank can be supported by the partition plate, the withstand voltage strength of the second modulator tank can be improved. Further, since one end of each of the plurality of compartments is communicated with the internal space of the first modulator tank, the liquid-phase refrigerant accumulated inside the second modulator tank easily flows into the first modulator tank. That is, since it is difficult for a liquid pool of the liquid phase refrigerant to be formed inside the second modulator tank, the flowability of the refrigerant can be ensured.

The reference numerals in parentheses described in the claims are an example indicating the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described later.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a condenser capable of improving the withstand voltage strength of the modulator tank while ensuring the flowability of the refrigerant.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the front structure of the condenser of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure taken along the line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure around a cap member in the second modulator tank of the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure around a cap member in the second modulator tank of the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure around a cap member in the second modulator tank of another embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross-sectional structure around a cap member in the second modulator tank of another embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the condenser will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the description, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals as much as possible in each drawing, and duplicate description is omitted.
The condenser 10 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a heat exchanger constituting a vapor compression refrigeration cycle applied to an air conditioner for a vehicle. The refrigeration cycle is configured as a closed circuit in which a compressor, a condenser 10, a decompression mechanism, an evaporator, and the like are sequentially connected by piping. In the refrigeration cycle, an engine-driven compressor driven by power from the engine is adopted. As the compressor, an electric compressor driven by power transmitted from the electric motor may be adopted.

The condenser 10 condenses the high-temperature and high-pressure vapor-phase refrigerant discharged from the compressor by exchanging heat with the outside air of the vehicle interior, which is an external fluid. The condenser 10 causes the internally condensed refrigerant to flow to the evaporator via a depressurizing mechanism. The condenser 10 is arranged in an engine room in which an internal combustion engine, which is a driving source of a vehicle, is installed. The condenser 10 is arranged, for example, in the traveling wind introduction path formed at the foremost part in the engine room.

The main members constituting the condenser 10 are made of a metal material made of aluminum such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The condenser 10 is brazed and joined by a brazing material provided in advance at a required portion of each member in a state where each member made of a metal material is assembled.

As shown in FIG. 1, the condenser 10 includes a core portion 20, a pair of side plates 30 and 31, a pair of header tanks 40 and 41, a pair of connectors 50 and 51, and a modulator tank 60. ing. The arrows indicating up / down and left / right in FIG. 1 indicate the up / down direction and the left / right direction in the vehicle mounted state. The upward direction corresponds to the vertical direction upward, and the downward direction corresponds to the vertical direction downward. This also applies to drawings other than FIG. 1.

The core portion 20 has a laminated structure in which a plurality of tubes 21 through which a refrigerant flows are laminated in the vertical direction. The core portion 20 constitutes a heat exchange portion that dissipates heat by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside the tube 21 and air, which is an external fluid flowing outside the tube 21.

Fins 22 that promote heat exchange between the refrigerant and air are provided in the gaps between the adjacent tubes 21 and 21. The fin 22 is composed of corrugated fins formed so as to bend in a wavy shape. The fin 22 is not limited to the corrugated fin, and may be composed of plate fins or the like.

Each tube 21 is composed of a single-hole or multi-hole tube having a flat cross section. The tubes 21 are laminated at predetermined intervals so that air can flow between the adjacent tubes 21.
Note that in FIG. 1, the tubes 21 and fins 22 constituting the core portion 20 are not shown.

The core portion 20 has a condensing portion 23 for condensing the refrigerant and a supercooling portion 24 for cooling the liquid phase refrigerant flowing out of the modulator tank 60. Specifically, the portion of the core portion 20 located above the solid line DL constitutes the condensing portion 23, and the portion located below the solid line DL constitutes the supercooling portion 24. That is, in the core portion 20, the supercooling portion 24 is located below the condensing portion 23.

The pair of side plates 30 and 31 are reinforcing members that reinforce the core portion 20. The side plates 30 and 31 are arranged at both ends in the stacking direction of the tubes 21 in the core portion 20, that is, in the vertical direction.
Of the pair of side plates 30 and 31, the upper end side plate 30 is joined to the fin 22 located at the upper end of the core portion 20. Further, of the pair of side plates 30 and 31, the lower end side plate 31 is joined to the fin 22 located at the lower end of the core portion 20.

The pair of header tanks 40, 41 functions as tanks for collecting and distributing the refrigerant flowing through each tube 21. The pair of header tanks 40 and 41 are made of tubular hollow members formed so as to extend along the stacking direction of the tubes 21. One header tank 41 is connected to one end of the tube 21 in the longitudinal direction, and the other header tank 40 is connected to the other end of the tube 21 in the longitudinal direction. Inside each of the header tanks 40 and 41, an internal space communicating with the inside of each tube 21 is formed.

The header tank 40 is provided with two separators 400 and 401 as partitioning members that partition the internal space vertically. The inside of the header tank 40 is divided into three internal spaces 402a to 402c by two separators 400 and 401. Of these, the upper internal space 402a is communicated with the tube 21 in the upper portion of the condensing portion 23. The central internal space 402b is communicated with the tubes 21 in the middle and lower portions of the condensing portion 23. The lower internal space 402c is communicated with the tube 21 of the supercooling unit 24.

The internal space 402a above the header tank 40 is a space for distributing the refrigerant to the tube 21 in the upper portion of the condensing portion 23. The central internal space 402b of the header tank 40 is a space for collecting the refrigerant that has passed through the tube 21 in the middle portion of the condensing portion 23 and distributing the collected refrigerant to the tube 21 in the lower portion of the condensing portion 23. .. The internal space 402c below the header tank 40 is a space for collecting the refrigerant that has passed through the tube 21 of the supercooling unit 24.

An inlet side connector 50 constituting an inlet portion of the refrigerant is connected to a portion constituting the internal space 402a above the header tank 40. An external pipe through which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows is connected to the inlet side connector 50. Further, an outlet side connector 51 forming an outlet portion of the refrigerant is connected to a portion constituting the internal space 402c below the header tank 40. An external pipe for leading the refrigerant that has passed through the condenser 10 to the decompression mechanism is connected to the outlet side connector 51.

The header tank 41 is provided with two separators 410 and 411 as partitioning members that partition the internal space vertically. The inside of the header tank 41 is divided into three internal spaces 412a to 412c by two separators 410 and 411. Of these, the upper internal space 412a is communicated with the tube 21 in the upper portion and the tube 21 in the middle portion of the condensing portion 23. The central internal space 412b is communicated with the tube 21 in the lower portion of the condensing portion 23. The lower internal space 412c is communicated with the tube 21 of the supercooling unit 24.

The internal space 412a above the header tank 41 is communicated with the internal space 402a above the header tank 41 and the central internal space 402b via a tube 21 constituting the condensing portion 23. The internal space 412a is a space for collecting the refrigerant that has passed through the tube 21 in the upper portion of the condensing portion 23 and distributing the collected refrigerant to the tube 21 in the middle portion of the condensing portion 23.

The central internal space 412b of the header tank 41 is communicated with the central internal space 402b of the header tank 40 via a tube 21 constituting the condensing portion 23. The internal space 412b is a space for collecting the refrigerant that has passed through the tube 21 in the lower portion of the condensing portion 23.
The internal space 412c below the header tank 41 is communicated with the internal space 402c below the header tank 40 via a tube 21 constituting the supercooling unit 24. The internal space 412c is a space for distributing the refrigerant to the tube 21 of the supercooling unit 24.

The modulator tank 60 is a tank that separates the refrigerant flowing out from the condensing portion 23 of the core portion 20 into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant, and temporarily stores the liquid phase refrigerant. Inside the modulator tank 60, internal spaces 610 and 622 for storing the liquid phase refrigerant are formed. The modulator tank 60 plays a role of adjusting the circulation amount of the refrigerant circulating in the cycle according to the load fluctuation of the refrigeration cycle.

The modulator tank 60 is composed of a first modulator tank 61 and a second modulator tank 62 arranged in an L shape. The modulator tank 60 is made of a metal material made of aluminum.
The first modulator tank 61 is formed so as to extend in the stacking direction of the tubes 21, and is arranged adjacent to the header tank 41. The first modulator tank 61 is formed in a tubular shape and has an internal space 610 for storing the liquid phase refrigerant. The internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61 communicates with the inside of the header tank 41 via the inflow pipe 611 and the outflow pipe 612. The inflow pipe 611 allows the refrigerant to flow from the central internal space 412b of the header tank 41 into the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61. The outflow pipe 612 causes the liquid phase refrigerant to flow out from the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61 to the internal space 412c below the header tank 41.

The second modulator tank 62 is arranged above the core portion 20. By connecting one end of the second modulator tank 62 to the first modulator tank 61, the internal space 622 of the second modulator tank 62 is communicated with the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61. The second modulator tank 62 is formed so as to extend from the first modulator tank 61 toward the header tank 40. The second modulator tank 62 has a tubular member 620 formed so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the tube 21, and a cap member 621.

Inside the tubular member 620, a partition plate 623 is formed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the tube 21. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the internal space 622 of the tubular member 620 is partitioned into two partition chambers 622a and 622b in the stacking direction of the tubes 21 by the partition plate 623. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of each of the compartments 622a and 622b is communicated with the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61.

The cap member 621 is attached to the tip of the tubular member 620. As shown in FIG. 3, the cap member 621 is formed in a bottomed tubular shape. A gap is formed between the bottom surface 621a inside the cap member 621 and the tip end portion of the tubular member 620. This gap constitutes a communication passage 624 that communicates the other ends of the compartments 622a and 622b.

Next, an operation example of the condenser 10 of the present embodiment will be described.
When the operation of the air conditioner is started by turning on the operation switch of the air conditioner when the engine is operating, the compressor is driven by the power of the engine. As a result, the compressor compresses and discharges the refrigerant. The high-temperature and high-pressure vapor-phase refrigerant discharged from the compressor flows into the internal space 402a above the header tank 40 via the inlet-side connector 50.

The refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space 402a is located in the tube 21 in the upper portion of the condensing portion 23, the internal space 412a above the header tank 41, and the middle portion in the condensing portion 23, as shown by the dashed line arrow in FIG. It flows in this order through the tube 21, the central internal space 402b of the header tank 40, the tube 21 in the lower portion of the condensing portion 23, and the central internal space 412b of the header tank 41. When the refrigerant flows through the tube 21 of the condensing portion 23, heat exchange is performed between the refrigerant and air to cool the refrigerant. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant containing a gas phase refrigerant partially flows into the central internal space 412b of the header tank 41.

The refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space 412b flows into the internal spaces 610 and 622 of the modulator tank 60 via the inflow pipe 611, and is separated into a gas phase refrigerant and a liquid phase refrigerant inside the modulator tank 60 due to the difference in specific gravity of the refrigerant. To. Inside the modulator tank 60, a gas phase refrigerant having a light specific gravity is collected in an upper portion, and a liquid phase refrigerant having a heavier specific gravity than the gas phase refrigerant is collected and stored in a lower portion. The liquid phase refrigerant stored inside the modulator tank 60 flows into the internal space 412c below the header tank 41 via the outflow pipe 612.

The liquid-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space 412c exchanges heat with air when passing through the tube 21 of the supercooling unit 24 to be supercooled, and then flows into the internal space 402c of the header tank 40. The supercooled liquid-phase refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space 402c flows to the decompression mechanism via the outlet-side connector 51.

According to the condenser 10 of the present embodiment described above, the actions and effects shown in the following (1) to (4) can be obtained.
(1) Since the second modulator tank 62 can be supported from the inside by the partition plate 623, the pressure resistance strength of the second modulator tank 62 can be improved as compared with the case where the partition plate 623 does not exist. Further, since one end of each of the two compartments 622a and 622b is communicated with the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61, only the compartment 622a is communicated with the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61. Compared with the case, the liquid-phase refrigerant accumulated inside the second modulator tank 62 tends to flow into the first modulator tank 61. That is, since it becomes difficult for a liquid pool of the liquid phase refrigerant to be formed inside the second modulator tank 62, the flowability of the liquid phase refrigerant can be ensured. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of abnormalities due to the shortage of the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle. Examples of this type of abnormality include the generation of abnormal noise caused by an increase in the refrigerant passing noise.

(2) When the vehicle takes an inclined posture, the condenser 10 provided in the vehicle may also take an inclined posture. In such a situation, when the second modulator tank 62 is tilted as shown in FIG. 4, for example, the liquid phase refrigerant accumulated in the compartment 622a flows to the compartment 622b via the communication passage 624, so that the compartment chamber It becomes difficult for a liquid pool of the liquid phase refrigerant to be formed in 622a. As a result, the liquid phase refrigerant in the second modulator tank 62 can flow more easily into the first modulator tank 61, so that the flowability of the liquid phase refrigerant can be improved.

(3) The communication passage 624 is formed at an end portion of the second modulator tank 62 opposite to the end portion connected to the first modulator tank 61. As a result, when the second modulator tank 62 is tilted as shown in FIG. 4, most of the liquid phase refrigerant in the compartment 622a flows into the compartment 622b, so that the liquid phase refrigerant is pooled in the compartment 622a. Is more difficult to form. Therefore, the flowability of the liquid phase refrigerant can be further improved.

(4) The second modulator tank 62 has a cap member 621 attached to an end of the tubular member 620 opposite to the end connected to the first modulator tank 61. The cap member 621 forms a communication passage 624 that communicates the partition chambers 622a and 622b. Thereby, the communication passage 624 can be easily formed.

The above embodiment can also be implemented in the following embodiments.
As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom surface 621a of the cap member 621 may be in contact with the tip end portion of the tubular member 620. A recess 621b is formed on the bottom surface 621a of the cap member 621. The recess 621b constitutes a communication passage 624 that communicates the ends of the compartments 622a and 622b.

-As shown in FIG. 6, a through hole 623a may be formed in the partition plate 623. The through hole 623a constitutes a communication passage 624 that communicates the respective ends of the partition chambers 622a and 622b. The number of through holes 623a formed in the partition plate 623 is not limited to a single number, and may be a plurality.

-By providing a plurality of partition plates 623 in the second modulator tank 62, the internal space 622 of the second modulator tank 62 may be partitioned into three or more partition chambers. In this case, one end of each of the three or more partitioned chambers may be communicated with the internal space 610 of the first modulator tank 61.

The end of the tubular member 620 opposite to the end connected to the first modulator tank 61 may be closed by the cap member 621. That is, the second modulator tank 62 may have a structure that does not have the communication passage 624. Even with such a structure, the action and effect shown in (1) above can be obtained.

-The present disclosure is not limited to the above specific examples. Specific examples described above with appropriate design changes by those skilled in the art are also included in the scope of the present disclosure as long as they have the features of the present disclosure. Each element included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples, and their arrangement, conditions, shape, and the like are not limited to those illustrated, and can be changed as appropriate. The combinations of the elements included in each of the above-mentioned specific examples can be appropriately changed as long as there is no technical contradiction.

10: Condenser 20: Core 21: Tube 40, 41: Header tank 60: Modulator tank 61: First modulator tank 62: Second modulator tank 610: Internal space 620: Cylindrical member 621: Cap member 622: Internal space 622a, 622b: partition room 623: partition plate 624: continuous passage

Claims (4)

A core portion (20) which is composed of a laminated structure of a plurality of tubes (21) through which a refrigerant flows and dissipates heat of the refrigerant by heat exchange with an external fluid flowing outside the tubes.
A pair of header tanks (40, 41) formed so as to extend in the stacking direction of the tubes and connected to both ends of the tubes in the longitudinal direction in the core portion, respectively.
Among the pair of header tanks, a modulator tank (60) for separating the refrigerant flowing out from one of the header tanks (41) into a liquid phase refrigerant and a gas phase refrigerant and storing the liquid phase refrigerant is provided.
The modulator tank
A first modulator tank (61) that is formed so as to extend in the stacking direction of the tubes, is arranged adjacent to the one header tank, and communicates with the inside of the one header tank.
It has a second modulator tank (62) formed so as to extend from the first modulator tank toward the other header tank (40) and communicated with the internal space (610) of the first modulator tank.
The second modulator tank has a partition plate (623) that partitions the internal space (622) into a plurality of partition chambers (622a, 622b) in the stacking direction of the tubes.
One end of each of the plurality of compartments is communicated with the internal space of the first modulator tank .
The stacking direction of the tubes is the vertical direction.
The second modulator tank is a condenser further having a communication passage (624) for communicating the plurality of compartments in the vertical direction . The passageway
The condenser according to claim 1 , which is formed at an end of the second modulator tank opposite to the end connected to the first modulator tank. The passageway
The condenser according to claim 2, which is formed on the partition plate. The second modulator tank is
By forming the partition plate inside, a plurality of the partition chambers are provided inside, and a tubular member (620) connected to the first modulator tank and
The condensation according to claim 2 , further comprising a cap member (621) attached to an end of the tubular member opposite to the end connected to the first modulator tank and forming the communication passage. vessel.

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