KR20210128571A - Airconditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air conditioner. More particularly, the present invention relates to an air conditioner with a heat exchanger, which comprises: a compressor for compressing refrigerant; an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant; and a heat exchanger which exchanges the refrigerant with air. The heat exchanger includes: a flat tube having a flow path through which the refrigerant flows therein and disposed to be spaced apart in plurality; an adsorbent disposed in a space spaced apart from the flat tube and the flat tube and adsorbing moisture in the air; and sheets covering both sides of the flat tube and the adsorbent. Accordingly, the amount of the adsorbent to be disposed is greatly increased, the size of the heat exchanger is possible, and the adsorbent does not peel off on the surface of the heat exchanger.

Description

air conditioner {Airconditioner}

The present invention relates to an air conditioner, and more particularly, to an air conditioner having an adsorbent.

In general, an air conditioner is a device that cools or heats a room using a refrigeration cycle including a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, and an indoor heat exchanger. The air conditioner may include two assemblies of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. The double outdoor unit is installed outside and includes a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger. The indoor unit is installed indoors and includes an indoor heat exchanger.

A heat exchanger is a device that exchanges heat between refrigerant and air. The heat exchanger may be classified into a microchannel type heat exchanger and a fin-tube type heat exchanger according to a structure. The microchannel heat exchanger is a heat exchanger in which a fine flow path is formed in a plate tube. In a microchannel heat exchanger, heat is exchanged between a refrigerant flowing in a tube and air flowing outside the tube. The fin-tube type heat exchanger is a heat exchanger having a tube having a flow path formed therein and a fin installed in the tube. In a fin-tube type heat exchanger, heat is exchanged between a refrigerant flowing inside a tube and air flowing outside the tube and a fin.

A desiccant type heat exchanger is a heat exchanger that lowers the humidity of air by a desiccant, exchanges heat, and then increases the humidity of the air. The desiccant type heat exchanger is manufactured by coating the surface with a desiccant. A desiccant may be included in the adsorbent.

1 shows a heat exchanger according to the prior art. 1 is a fin-tube type and desiccant type heat exchanger. A refrigerant flows inside the tube. A plurality of fins are disposed on the outside of the tube. The surface of the fin is coated with a solid adsorbent. More specifically, a binder is applied to the pin as a binder, and an adsorbent is applied to the binder to be fixed to the pin and coated.

However, the prior art has a problem in that the optimum combination ratio is different for each type of adsorbent, and a difficult coating process is required.

For example, in the case of the prior art, a dip coating method is mainly used. Immersion coating is performed by immersing the heat exchanger in a tank in which a binder is stored, or by immersing it in a tank in which an adsorbent is stored. Such dip coating has a problem in that a large amount of binder/adsorbent must be prepared in a water tank, and there is also a problem in that the viscosity of the liquid binder/adsorbent must be constant at all times.

In addition, contraction/expansion is repeated due to the repeated cooling/heating process of the heat exchanger, and when the contraction/expansion is repeated, there is a risk that the coated adsorbent or binder may be peeled off. The exfoliated adsorbent or binder is included in the air supplied to the room and may harm the user.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that includes an adsorbent, but does not require a complicated coating operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air conditioner that prevents an adsorbent from being peeled off and discharged into a room.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, an air conditioner according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a compressor for compressing a refrigerant, an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant, and a heat exchanger for exchanging the refrigerant with air. The heat exchanger includes: a flat tube having a flow path through which a refrigerant flows therein, and a plurality of spaced apart tubes; an adsorbent disposed in a space spaced apart between the flat tube and the flat tube and adsorbing moisture in the air; It includes a flat tube and a sheet covering both sides of the adsorbent.

The heat exchanger may be of the microchannel type.

The sheet includes a first sheet covering one side of the flat tube; and a second sheet covering the other side of the flat tube.

The heat exchanger may include a connection part for connecting one end of at least one flat tube to each other to form one flow path.

The flat tube, the adsorbent, the first sheet covering one side of the flat tube and the adsorbent, and the second sheet covering the other side of the flat tube and the adsorbent may form a heat exchange assembly. A plurality of heat exchange assemblies may be stacked so that the second sheet of one heat exchange assembly and the first sheet of the other heat exchange assembly face each other.

The flat tube is located on one surface of the sheet, and a plurality of flat tubes may be arranged in parallel.

In the heat exchanger, when viewed from one side of the sheet, a flat tube and an adsorbent may be alternately disposed.

The sheet is formed in a mesh structure, and the size of the pores of the mesh structure may be smaller than the size of the particles of the adsorbent.

In order to achieve the above object, a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a first sheet; a flat tube disposed on one surface of the first sheet and having a flow path through which the refrigerant flows therein, and a plurality of flat tubes are spaced apart from each other; a second sheet facing the first sheet and covering the other side of the plurality of flat tubes; and an adsorbent disposed in the space formed by the flat tube and the first sheet and the second sheet and adsorbing moisture in the air.

The details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

According to the air conditioner of the present invention, there are one or more of the following effects.

First, it has the advantage that it does not require complicated coating work on the surface of the fin.

Second, the amount of adsorbent to be disposed is greatly increased compared to the prior art, and there is also an advantage that it is not necessary to design a large size of a fin to provide a large number of adsorbents, thereby enabling miniaturization.

Third, there is also an advantage of reducing the pressure loss because there is no need to densely arrange the spacing of the pins compared to the prior art.

Fourth, since the adsorbent is placed in a closed space, peeling does not occur, and there is also an advantage that it does not harm the user.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a schematic view of a fin-tube desiccant heat exchanger according to the prior art;
2 is a layout view of the main components of the air conditioner;
3 is a layout view of the main components of a heat recovery type ventilation system;
4 is a perspective view showing a heat exchanger according to the present invention;
Figure 5 is an exploded view of the heat exchange assembly of one of Figure 4;
6 is a plan view of the flat tube of the heat exchange assembly of FIG. 5 viewed from above;
7 is a cross-sectional view showing one flat tube of the heat exchange assembly of FIG. 6 after cutting A1-A2;
8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an arrangement space of an adsorbent from the side by cutting the heat exchange assembly of FIG. 6 along lines B1-B2.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and common knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings for explaining the air conditioner according to the embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a direction in which air flows into the heat exchanger 100 is referred to as a front, and a surface of the heat exchanger 100 disposed in a direction in which air is introduced is referred to as a front surface. A direction in which air is discharged from the heat exchanger 100 is referred to as a rear, and a surface of the heat exchanger 100 disposed in a direction in which air is discharged is referred to as a rear surface (or a rear surface). When looking at the heat exchanger 100 from the front, a surface disposed on the left side of the heat exchanger 100 is referred to as a left surface, and a right surface of the heat exchanger 100 opposite to the left surface is referred to as a right surface. When looking at the heat exchanger 100 from the front, the surface disposed on the upper side of the heat exchanger 100 is referred to as the upper surface, and the lower surface of the heat exchanger 100 opposite to the upper surface is referred to as the bottom surface (or the bottom surface). do.

<Air conditioner>

2 shows the air conditioner 1 . The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be disposed in the air conditioner 1 of FIG. 2 . Hereinafter, main components of the air conditioner 1 and their arrangement will be described with reference to FIG. 2 .

The air conditioner 1 is disposed outdoors to exchange heat with a refrigerant and external air, and includes an outdoor unit that radiates heat of the refrigerant to the outside, and is disposed indoors to exchange heat with the refrigerant and indoor air, and to absorb internal heat. Includes indoor unit. The refrigerant may be a gas refrigerant.

The air conditioner (1) includes a compressor (11) for compressing a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger (12) installed outdoors to exchange heat with outdoor air and a refrigerant, an expansion mechanism for expanding the refrigerant, and an indoor air and refrigerant installed in the room and an indoor heat exchanger (13) for heat exchange.

The compressor 11 compresses the incoming low-temperature-low pressure refrigerant into high-temperature-high pressure refrigerant. The compressor 11 is generally disposed in an outdoor unit. The compressor 11 may have various structures, and may be a reciprocating compressor using a cylinder and a piston or a scroll compressor using an orbiting scroll and a fixed scroll. The compressor 11 in this embodiment is a scroll compressor. Although one compressor 11 is illustrated in the present invention, a plurality of compressors 11 may be provided according to embodiments.

The compressor 11 guides the high-temperature-high pressure refrigerant to the switching valve 15 .

The switching valve 15 is a device to which a plurality of pipes are connected and switched to switch the refrigerant flow path. Referring to FIG. 2 , the switching valve 15 is connected to the compressor 11 , the outdoor heat exchanger 12 , the indoor heat exchanger 13 , and the accumulator 16 . The switching valve 15 may switch to a cooling operation and a heating operation according to switching.

2 shows the switching valve 15 during the cooling operation. During the cooling operation, the switching valve 15 connects the outlet end of the compressor 11 and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 , and the accumulator 16 and the indoor heat exchanger 13 .

Although not shown, during the heating operation, the switching valve 15 connects the outlet end of the compressor 11 and the indoor heat exchanger 13 , and connects the accumulator 16 and the outdoor heat exchanger 12 .

An accumulator 16 may be disposed in the refrigerant inflow direction of the compressor 11 . The accumulator 16 is a device for preventing damage to the compressor 11 by preventing excessive refrigerant from flowing into the compressor 11 . In the accumulator 16 , the refrigerant may exist in a liquid phase and a gas phase, and only the gaseous refrigerant flows to the compressor 11 to prevent damage to the compressor 11 .

The outdoor heat exchanger 12 is disposed in the outdoor space and exchanges heat with outdoor air between the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant supplied from the compressor 11 based on the cooling operation. During the cooling operation, the outdoor heat exchanger 12 functions as a condenser that cools and condenses the refrigerant. The outdoor heat exchanger 12 is disposed in the outdoor unit. The outdoor heat exchanger 12 cools the high-temperature-high-pressure refrigerant and discharges it as the low-temperature-high-pressure refrigerant. The low-temperature-high-pressure refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger (12) flows to the expansion mechanism (14).

The expansion mechanism 14 is a component for discharging low-temperature-low-pressure refrigerant by expanding the refrigerant. The expansion mechanism 14 may be disposed in the outdoor unit or may be disposed in the indoor unit, but preferably may be disposed in the outdoor unit in order to reduce the noise of the indoor unit and to reduce the size of the indoor unit. During the cooling operation, the expansion mechanism 14 is completely opened to allow the refrigerant to pass through, so that the low-temperature-high pressure refrigerant discharged from the outdoor heat exchanger 12 is discharged in a cryogenic-low pressure state. The low-temperature-low-pressure refrigerant discharged from the expansion mechanism 14 flows to the indoor heat exchanger 13 .

The indoor heat exchanger 13 is a device for exchanging low-temperature-low pressure refrigerant and indoor air, and absorbing heat from the indoor air to cool the indoor air. The indoor heat exchanger 13 is disposed in the indoor unit. The indoor heat exchanger 13 acts as an evaporator for evaporating a refrigerant during a cooling operation. The refrigerant discharged from the indoor heat exchanger (13) flows back to the compressor (11).

The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be disposed in the indoor heat exchanger 13 or the outdoor heat exchanger 12 of FIG. 2 .

<Ventilation system>

Figure 3 shows a heat recovery ventilation system (ERV, Energy Recovery Ventilator). The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be disposed in the ventilation system 2 of FIG. 3 . Hereinafter, the main components of the heat recovery type ventilation system 2 and the arrangement thereof will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

The heat recovery type ventilation system 2 supplies outdoor air (OA, Outdoor Air) to the indoor (SA, Supplied Air) and exhausts indoor air (RA, Room Air) to the outside (Exhausted Air).

The first heat exchanger 25 may be disposed in a flow path through which outside air is supplied, and may be disposed in a flow path through which bet air is discharged to the outside. The first heat exchanger 25 may be disposed over a flow path through which outside air is supplied and a flow path through which bet air is discharged to the outside. The portion disposed on the outdoor air supply passage and the portion disposed on the internal exhaust passage of the first heat exchanger 25 are physically spaced apart and do not mix with each other. The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be the first heat exchanger 25 in the heat recovery type ventilation system 2 .

The second heat exchanger 26 exchanges heat between the outside supplied to the room and the bet discharged to the outside. The second heat exchanger 26 may be a sensible heat exchanger.

The outside air OA is introduced into the ventilation system 2 through the outside air inlet 21 . The introduced outside air exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 25 . The outside air passing through the first heat exchanger 25 exchanges heat with the bet in the second heat exchanger 26 . The outdoor air passing through the second heat exchanger 26 is supplied to the room through the outdoor air supply port 24 .

The bet (RA) is introduced into the ventilation system (2) through the bet inlet (23). The introduced bet exchanges heat with the outside air in the second heat exchanger 26 . The bet that has passed through the second heat exchanger 26 exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the first heat exchanger 25 . The bet that has passed through the first heat exchanger 25 is discharged to the outside through the bet outlet 22 .

Assuming the cooling operation, the cycle of the ventilation system 2 will be described in more detail as follows. The cycle of the ventilation system 2 is divided into a first cycle and a second cycle, and the first cycle and the second cycle are repeated to constitute the entire cycle.

In the case of the first cycle, hot and humid outdoor air is introduced into the ventilation system 2 through the upper outdoor air inlet 21a. The high-temperature and high-humidity outdoor air passes through the upper portion 25a of the first heat exchanger, and is cooled while releasing heat as a refrigerant, and moisture is adsorbed and dehumidified on the surface of the upper portion 25a of the first heat exchanger. The outside air passing through the upper part 25a of the first heat exchanger passes through the second heat exchanger 26 and heat is emitted to the low-temperature bet air. The outdoor air that has passed through the second heat exchanger 26 is in a low-temperature dry state, and is supplied to the room through the lower outdoor air supply port 24b.

In the case of the first cycle, low-temperature and dry bet air is introduced into the ventilation system 2 through the upper bet inlet 23a. The low-temperature dry bet passes through the second heat exchanger 26 and absorbs heat from the high-temperature outside air. The bet that has passed through the second heat exchanger 26 passes through the lower portion 25b of the first heat exchanger, is heated while absorbing heat from the refrigerant, and is adsorbed to the lower portion 25b of the first heat exchanger in the second cycle to be described later. As the moisture moves to the bet, it is humidified. The bet that has passed through the lower part (25b) of the first heat exchanger is in a high temperature and humid state, and is discharged to the outside through the lower bet discharge port (22b).

In the case of the second cycle, hot and humid outdoor air is introduced into the ventilation system 2 through the lower outdoor air inlet 21b. The high-temperature and high-humidity outdoor air passes through the lower part 25b of the first heat exchanger, and is cooled while releasing heat as a refrigerant, and moisture is adsorbed and dehumidified on the surface of the lower part 25b of the first heat exchanger. The bet passing through the lower portion 25b of the first heat exchanger passes through the second heat exchanger 26 and radiates heat to the low temperature bet. The outdoor air that has passed through the second heat exchanger 26 is in a low-temperature dry state, and is supplied to the room through the upper outdoor air supply port 24a.

In the case of the second cycle, low-temperature and dry bet air is introduced into the ventilation system 2 through the lower bet inlet 24b. The low-temperature dry bet passes through the second heat exchanger 26 and absorbs heat from the high-temperature outside air. The bet that has passed through the second heat exchanger 26 passes through the upper portion 25a of the first heat exchanger, is heated while absorbing heat from the refrigerant, and is adsorbed to the upper portion 25a of the first heat exchanger in the first cycle described above. As the moisture moves to the bet, it is humidified. The bet that has passed through the lower part 25b of the first heat exchanger is in a high temperature and humid state, and is discharged to the outside through the upper bet discharge port 22a.

The first cycle and the second cycle may be repeated with a predetermined time interval. That is, the upper portion 25a of the first heat exchanger adsorbs moisture from the outside air in the first cycle, and separates the moisture from the air in the second cycle. The lower portion 25b of the first heat exchanger separates moisture from the air in the first cycle, and adsorbs moisture from the outside air in the second cycle.

The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be the first heat exchanger 25 in the heat recovery type ventilation system 2 . If the prior art shown in FIG. 1 is applied to the first heat exchanger 25 of FIG. 3, if the first cycle and the second cycle are repeated, the cooling/adsorption or heating/separation state is repeated. Over time, as thermal expansion or contraction is repeated, the adsorbent or binder may be peeled off.

<Heat exchanger>

4, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention will be described.

Types of the heat exchanger 100 include a fin-tube type heat exchanger and a microchannel type heat exchanger. Among them, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention will be described based on a microchannel heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention will be described based on a desiccant type heat exchanger having an adsorbent. The desiccant type heat exchanger is one in which an adsorbent is coated on the outer surface of the refrigerant pipe. The adsorbent can increase/decrease the temperature of the flowing air more efficiently by adsorbing moisture present in the flowing air.

The adsorbent 114 is formed in a solid phase.

The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention includes a flat tube 111 in which a flow path through which a refrigerant flows is formed and a plurality of flat tubes 111 are spaced apart from each other. In addition, it is disposed in a space spaced apart between the flat tube 111 and the flat tube 111, and includes an adsorbent 114 for adsorbing moisture in the air. That is, the flat tube 111 and the adsorbent 114 are disposed to cross.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the flat tube 111 is formed in a plate shape in which the length of one side is longer than the length of the other side. More specifically, the horizontal length of the flat tube 111 may be formed in a plate shape longer than the vertical length. A plurality of microchannels are formed in the flat tube 111 , and a refrigerant flows through the microchannels. A plurality of microchannels may be arranged in a line along the horizontal direction of the flat tube 111 .

In addition, a sheet covering both sides of the flat tube 111 and the adsorbent 114 is included. The sheet holds the position of the adsorbent 114 .

In other words, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention includes a layer composed of a first sheet 115 , a layer composed of a second sheet 116 , and a first sheet 115 and a second sheet 116 . It is formed between and includes a layer in which the flat tube 111 and the adsorbent 114 are alternately disposed.

Air passes through one side of the sheet. As the air passes through the flat tube 111 , the temperature may increase or decrease. As the air passes through the adsorbent 114 , the humidity may increase or decrease.

Alternatively, air may flow through the first sheet 115 , the adsorbent 114 , and the second sheet 116 . At this time, the humidity may increase or decrease while penetrating the adsorbent 114 , and the temperature may increase or decrease by exchanging heat with the adjacent flat tube 111 .

Hereinafter, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention will be described in detail for each component.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the flat tube 111 , the adsorbent 114 , the first sheet 115 , and the second sheet 116 constitute one heat exchange assembly 110 . One or more heat exchange assemblies 110 and one or more fins 120 are loaded to constitute heat exchanger 100 . A plurality of second sheets 116 of one heat exchange assembly of the heat exchange assembly 110 and the first sheets 115 of the other heat exchange assembly are stacked to face each other.

The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention is configured while a plurality of heat exchange assemblies 110 and a plurality of fins 120 are cross-loaded. A header 131 for supplying a refrigerant is disposed at one end of the heat exchange assembly 110 , and a header 132 for discharging a refrigerant is disposed at the other end of the heat exchange assembly 110 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the heat exchange assembly 110 includes a seat and a plurality of flat tubes 111 . In addition, the adsorbent 114 is disposed in a space spaced apart between the flat tube 111 and the flat tube 111 .

The flat tube 111 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7 . The flat tube 111 is a component for exchanging heat between a refrigerant flowing inside and air flowing outside. The flat tube 111 has a flow path through which the refrigerant flows therein, and a plurality of them are disposed to be spaced apart from each other.

5 shows a heat exchange assembly 110 forming a unit of one of the heat exchangers 100 according to the present invention. One layer composed of flat tubes 111 is formed between the first sheet 115 and the second sheet 116 . 6 is a view illustrating that a plurality of flat tubes 111 form one flow path. 7 is a diagram illustrating a cross-section of one flat tube 111 .

Referring to FIG. 7 , a flow path through which the refrigerant flows is formed in the flat tube 111 extending long in the longitudinal direction. A plurality of refrigerant passages are formed inside the flat tube 111 . The plurality of refrigerant passages formed in the flat tube 111 may be referred to as microchannels. A plurality of refrigerant passages may be formed along the width direction of the flat tube 111 . The refrigerant passage may have a rectangular cross section as shown in FIG. 7 , and may be formed in various shapes other than the rectangular shape.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the flat tube 111 may be integrally manufactured. Front ends of the plurality of flat tubes 111 may be formed to communicate with each other, and rear ends of the plurality of flat tubes 111 may also be formed to communicate with each other.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a connecting portion 112 may be formed at one end of the flat tube 111 , and an opening may be formed at the other end of the flat tube 111 .

A place connecting the end of one flat tube 111 and the end of the other flat tube 111 may remain connected. This becomes the connection 112 . A place 111 connecting the end of one flat tube 111 and the end of the other flat tube 111 may be removed. This becomes an opening, and a stopper 113 to be described later may be disposed. For example, referring to FIG. 5 , the rear end of the first flat tube 111 connected to the inlet header 131 and the rear end of the second flat tube 111 on the right side of the first flat tube 111 remain connected to each other, , the connection part 112 is formed. A place connecting the front end of the first flat tube 111 and the front end of the second flat tube 111 is removed and an opening is formed.

The connecting portion 112 and the opening face each other. For example, the connection part 112 formed at the rear end of the first flat tube 111 connected to the inlet header 131 and the rear end of the second flat tube 111 is the front end of the first flat tube 111 and the second flat tube ( 111) facing each other with the opening formed at the front end.

The connection part 112 and the opening part are arranged to cross each other. For example, an opening is formed between the front end of the first flat tube 111 connected to the inlet header 131 and the front end of the second flat tube 111 , and the front end of the second flat tube 111 and the third flat tube 111 . At the front end of the connection part 112 is formed. A connection part 112 is formed between the rear end of the first flat tube 111 and the rear end of the second flat tube 111 , and an opening is formed at the rear end of the second flat tube 111 and the rear end of the third flat tube 111 .

The front end of the first flat tube 111 is connected to the inlet header 131 , and the rear end of the last flat tube 111 is connected to the outlet header 132 . The connecting portion 112 and the opening are arranged at an intersection, and one refrigerant passage is formed from the first flat tube 111 to the last flat tube 111 .

The flat tube 111 may be disposed on one surface of the first sheet 115 . Referring to FIG. 5 , the flat tube 111 may be disposed on the lower surface of the first sheet 115 .

The plurality of flat tubes 111 may be arranged in parallel. The refrigerant flow direction flowing inside the odd-numbered flat tube 111 and the refrigerant flow direction flowing inside the even-numbered flat tube 111 may be opposite to each other.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a plurality of flat tubes 111 may be disposed on one surface of the sheet. The plurality of flat tubes 111 may be arranged in a line along one surface of the sheet. The plurality of flat tubes 111 are disposed along one surface of the sheet, and may be disposed to cross the adsorbent 114 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the plurality of flat tubes 111 may be disposed in the width direction. Although not shown, the plurality of flat tubes 111 may be disposed in a vertical direction, unlike in FIG. 5 . Unlike FIG. 5 , when the plurality of flat tubes 111 are disposed in the vertical direction of the width, a relatively large amount of the adsorbent 114 may be disposed.

The connection part 112 is a component that connects the plurality of flat tubes 111 to form a flow path through which the refrigerant flows, and communicates the plurality of flat tubes 111 with each other. The connection part 112 connects one end of at least one flat tube 111 to each other to form one flow path.

The connection part 112 may be formed at the front or rear end of the flat tube 111 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the flat tube 111 and the connection part 112 may be manufactured as one. In this case, one end of all the flat tubes 111 may be all connected with one pipe, and the other end of all the flat tubes 111 may be all connected with another pipe. One side of the pipe connecting the flat tube 111 is cut, and an end of the flat tube 111 is welded and sealed, thereby forming a plurality of connecting portions 112 .

Otherwise, the plurality of flat tubes 111 may be separately manufactured, and the connection part 112 may also be manufactured separately, and then the ends of the plurality of flat tubes 111 and the connection part 112 may be combined.

The stopper 113 is a component that seals the adsorbent installation space in which the adsorbent 114 is disposed from the external space. The stopper 113 is disposed at the other end of the flat tube 111 .

The stopper 113 is disposed in the opening formed between the flat tube 111 and the flat tube 111 . The stopper 113 seals the open side of the separation space.

The stopper 113 is opposed to the connecting portion 112 . One end of the spaced space is provided with a connecting portion 112, and the other end is provided with an opening. The stopper 113 is disposed in the opening, and when the connecting portion 112 is disposed at one end of the separation space, the stopper 113 may be disposed at the other end of the separation space.

Hereinafter, the adsorbent 114 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 with reference to FIG. 8 .

The adsorbent 114 is a component that adsorbs moisture contained in the air. The adsorbent 114 may be a hydrophilic material such as zeolite, silica gel, mesoporous silica, or activated carbon.

The type of the adsorbent 114 used in the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may vary depending on the operating mode of the system, the range of temperature or humidity, the purpose of use of the system, and the like. The adsorbent 114 used in the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention may be selected as a suitable type according to an experiment.

The adsorbent 114 may be in the form of a powder. Alternatively, the adsorbent 114 may be in the form of a bead, that is, a bead of a certain size.

The adsorbent 114 is disposed in a space S spaced apart between the flat tube 111 and the flat tube 111 .

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) is formed between one flat tube (111) and the other flat tube (111). The adsorbent arrangement space (S) is formed between the first sheet (115) and the second sheet (116). The adsorbent arrangement space S is formed by one flat tube 111 , the other flat tube 111 , the first sheet 115 , the second sheet 116 , the connection part 112 , and the opening.

A connection part 112 is formed at one end of the adsorbent arrangement space S, and an opening is formed at the other end. A stopper 113 is disposed at the opening formed at the other end of the adsorbent arrangement space S to prevent the adsorbent 114 from pouring out of the adsorbent arrangement space S.

For example, an adsorbent arrangement space S is formed between the first flat tube 111 connected to the inlet header 131 on the left side of FIG. 5 and the second flat tube 111 on the left. The first flat tube 111 is disposed on the left side of the adsorbent arrangement space (S), the second flat tube 111 is disposed on the right side, the first sheet 115 is disposed on the upper side, and the second sheet ( 116 is disposed, an opening and a stopper 113 are disposed at the front end, and the connecting portion 112 is disposed at the rear end.

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) extends long in the extension direction of the flat tube (111). For example, referring to FIG. 5 , the extension direction of the flat tube 111 is the front-rear direction, and the adsorbent arrangement space S may also extend in the front-rear direction.

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) may have the same width and may extend long in the extension direction of the flat tube (111).

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) may be formed parallel to the flat tube (111).

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) is arranged to cross the flat tube (111).

A first sheet 115 and a second sheet 116 are disposed on both sides of the adsorbent arrangement space (S). The first sheet 115 or the second sheet 116 has a mesh structure, so that water molecules can permeate therethrough. Accordingly, moisture in the air flowing from one side of the sheet passes through the sheet, and the moisture that passes through the sheet is adsorbed by the adsorbent 114 .

The adsorbent arrangement space (S) may extend parallel to the air flow direction.

The plurality of adsorbent arrangement spaces (S) may be arranged in a vertical direction in the air flow direction.

Hereinafter, the sheets 115 and 116 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 .

The sheet is a device for supporting the flat tube 111 and fixing the adsorbent 114 . The sheet covers both sides of the flat tube 111 and the adsorbent 114 .

The sheet may be formed in a mesh structure. The sheet includes a plurality of apertures. The hole formed in the sheet is formed smaller than the size of the adsorbent 114 .

5 and 8 , the first sheet 115 covers one side of the flat tube 111 . The first sheet 115 covers the upper side of the flat tube 111 and the upper side of the adsorbent arrangement space (S). Moisture contained in the air flowing through the upper portion of the first sheet 115 may pass through the first sheet 115 and be adsorbed to the adsorbent 114 .

5 and 8 , the second sheet 116 covers the other side of the flat tube 111 . The second sheet 116 faces the first sheet 115 with the flat tube 111 interposed therebetween. 5, the second sheet 116 covers the lower side of the flat tube 111 and the lower side of the adsorbent arrangement space (S). Moisture contained in the air flowing under the second sheet 116 may pass through the second sheet 116 and be adsorbed to the adsorbent 114 .

Air may pass through the first sheet 115 , the adsorbent arrangement space S and the second sheet 116 . In other words, the upper air and the lower air of the heat exchange assembly 110 may move with each other. At this time, air may pass through the adsorbent arrangement space (S) and moisture may be adsorbed to the adsorbent 114 .

The fin 120 is a component that allows heat exchange with air more easily by increasing the surface area.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the fins 120 are disposed between one heat exchange assembly and the other heat exchange assembly 110 . One end of the fin 120 is coupled to one heat exchange assembly 110 , and the other end is coupled to the other heat exchange assembly 110 .

The fin 120 may extend in the air flow direction. The fin 120 may extend long in the air flow direction to form an air flow path.

The fins 120 may extend forward-backwardly as shown in FIG. 4 . Although not shown, the pins 120 may extend left and right differently from that shown in FIG. 4 . At this time, the air flow will flow in the left-right direction.

Flat tubes 111 are connected to the header 130 .

The inlet header 131 supplies the refrigerant to the flat tube 111 . Referring to FIG. 4 , the inlet header 131 may extend vertically. The inlet header 131 is coupled to the front end of the first flat tube 111 of each heat exchange assembly 110 . The inlet header 131 supplies the refrigerant to the first flat tube 111 of each heat exchange assembly.

The outlet header 132 discharges the refrigerant from the flat tube 111 . Referring to FIG. 4 , the outlet header 132 may extend vertically. The outlet header 132 is coupled to the rear end of the last flat tube 111 of each heat exchange assembly 110 . The outlet header 132 flows through the heat exchange assembly 110 and discharges the refrigerant after heat exchange.

The operation of the air conditioner 1 according to the present invention configured as described above will be described as follows.

In the present invention, unlike the prior art, the flat tube 111 for heat exchange and the adsorbent 114 for adsorbing moisture in the air are alternately arranged. More specifically, one flat tube 111 is disposed on the left side of the adsorbent 114 , the other flat tube 111 is disposed on the right side, the first sheet 115 is disposed on the upper side, and the lower side of the adsorbent 114 is disposed. The silver second sheet 116 is disposed, and the front/rear end is provided with a connection part 112 and a stopper 113 , so that the adsorbent 114 is fixed in the closed space.

Accordingly, the adsorbent 114 can secure a sufficient surface area even if it is not coated on the fin 120 , and has the effect of reducing pressure loss compared to the prior art.

In addition, even if heating/cooling or humidification/dehumidification occurs continuously, the adsorbent 114 does not deviate from the adsorbent arrangement space S, and peeling does not occur, so that the user's health is not harmed.

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those of ordinary skill in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.

1: Air conditioner 2: Heat recovery ventilation system
100: heat exchanger 110: heat exchange assembly
111: flat tube 112: connection part
113: stopper 114: adsorbent
115: first sheet 116: second sheet
120: pin 130: header
S: Adsorbent arrangement space

Claims (14)

a heat exchanger for exchanging refrigerant with air;
a flat tube disposed in the heat exchanger, a flow path through which the refrigerant flows therein, and a plurality of flat tubes spaced apart from each other;
an adsorbent disposed in a space spaced apart between the flat tube and the flat tube and adsorbing moisture in the air;
The air conditioner comprising a; sheet covering both sides of the flat tube and the adsorbent. According to claim 1,
the heat exchanger,
Air conditioner, characterized in that the microchannel type. According to claim 1,
The sheet is
a first sheet covering one side of the flat tube; and
The air conditioner comprising a; a second sheet covering the other side of the flat tube. 4. The method of claim 3,
The adsorbent is
An air conditioner disposed between the first sheet and the second sheet. According to claim 1,
the heat exchanger,
An air conditioner comprising a; a connection part for connecting one end of at least one flat tube to each other to form one flow path. 6. The method of claim 5,
the heat exchanger,
and a stopper disposed at the other end of the flat tube and sealing the space in which the adsorbent is disposed from the external space. 7. The method of claim 6,
The plug is opposite to the connection part of the air conditioner. According to claim 1,
The flat tube, the adsorbent, a first sheet covering one side of the flat tube and the adsorbent, and a second sheet covering the other side of the flat tube and the adsorbent form a heat exchange assembly;
The heat exchange assembly,
An air conditioner in which a plurality of second sheets of one heat exchange assembly are stacked so that the first sheet of the other heat exchange assembly faces each other. 9. The method of claim 8,
and a fin disposed between the one heat exchange assembly and the other heat exchange assembly. According to claim 1,
The flat tube is
An air conditioner disposed on one surface of the sheet, a plurality of which are disposed in parallel. According to claim 1,
the heat exchanger,
An air conditioner in which the flat tube and the adsorbent are alternately disposed when viewed from one side of the sheet. According to claim 1,
The sheet is formed in a mesh structure,
The size of the pores of the mesh structure is formed smaller than the size of the particles of the adsorbent. first sheet;
a flat tube disposed on one surface of the first sheet, a flow path through which a refrigerant flows therein, and a plurality of flat tubes disposed to be spaced apart;
a second sheet facing the first sheet and covering the other side of the plurality of flat tubes;
and an adsorbent disposed in a space formed by the flat tubes, the first sheet, and the second sheet and adsorbing moisture in the air. 14. The method of claim 13,
a connection part formed at one end of the space in which the adsorbent is disposed and connecting the one flat tube and the other flat tube;
The heat exchanger further comprising: a stopper disposed at the other end of the space in which the adsorbent is disposed and sealing the space.

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