US20130056189A1

US20130056189A1 - Kind of microchannel heat exchanger

Info

Publication number: US20130056189A1
Application number: US13/600,528
Authority: US
Inventors: Huaxin Wan; Juan Li
Original assignee: AO Smith Corp
Current assignee: AO Smith Corp
Priority date: 2011-09-07
Filing date: 2012-08-31
Publication date: 2013-03-07
Also published as: CN202254941U; CA2788792A1

Abstract

A microchannel heat exchanger. The heat exchanger includes two parallel collecting pipes on two sides, and a group of microchannel flat pipes between the two sides, and both ends of every microchannel flat pipe are connected to the collecting pipes. Tube walls of the microchannel flat pipe are tightly fit and fixed on the plate shaped heat conducting fin. A microchannel heat exchanger according to the invention gives good strength to the microchannel flat pipes, so as to avoid bending. Additionally, it increases the thickness of microchannel flat pipe, which can substantially prevent it from being worn or exposed. Moreover, the gap due to length error can be eliminated. Lastly, the thermal conduction capability is improved, which reduces the usage of silicone grease, and makes its application becomes more convenient.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Utility Model No. 201120334542.4, filed Sep. 7, 2011, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to a kind of microchannel heat exchanger, especially to structural improvements in microchannel heat exchanger technology.
Microchannel heat exchangers have the advantages of compact structure and high heat exchange efficiency, and have therefore been rapidly popularized and applied. However, current microchannel heat exchangers have problems during service. First, microchannel flat pipe is of low strength and poor rigidity, and easily bent during transportation or installation. Once it deforms, its normal use will be influenced, and the heat exchanger will be discarded as completely useless under severe circumstances. Second, the wall of the microchannel flat pipe is thin (e.g, only 0.17 mm), with poor abrasion and compression resistance. If a welding slag spot on the attachment surface (such as on an inner tank of a water heater) has not been found, and the heat exchanger is directly wrapped on it, it will be easily worn or exposed after a long time, causing damage to the heat exchanger.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, the invention provides a microchannel heat exchanger, including a group of microchannel flat pipe interconnected to form a heat exchange flow channel, wherein a wall of the microchannel flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin.
In another embodiment, the invention provides a microchannel heat exchanger. The microchannel heat exchanger includes a group of microchannel flat pipe interconnected to form a heat exchange flow channel. A wall of the microchannel flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin. The base material of the plate-shaped heat conduction fin and the microchannel flat pipe is aluminum. The microchannel flat pipe is welded on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin. A heat exchange channel of the microchannel flat pipe is formed by interconnected collecting pipes on its two sides. The collecting pipes and a group of microchannel pipe form a continuous heat exchange channel from an inlet connection to an outlet connection. All surfaces extending in a width direction of the group of microchannel flat pipe are in the same plane and the flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin.
An objective of this invention is to propose a kind of microchannel heat exchanger with good strength, and abrasion and compression resistance by means of structural improvements aimed at the existing technical problems.
In order to achieve the above objective, the microchannel heat exchanger includes a group of microchannel flat pipes that are interconnected to form a heat exchanger flow channel, which is improved in that the wall of the microchannel flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin.
In one aspect of the invention the base material of the plate-shaped heat conduction fin and the microchannel flat pipe is the same.
In another aspect of the invention the microchannel flat pipe is welded on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin.
In another aspect of the invention the heat exchange channel is formed by the interconnected collecting pipes on both sides of the microchannel flat pipe.
In another aspect of the invention the collecting pipes and the group of microchannel pipe form a continuous heat exchange channel from an inlet connection to an outlet connection.
The heat exchanger of this invention has the following benefits and effects: strength of the heat exchanger is improved, to avoid bending of the microchannel flat pipe; wall thickness of microchannel flat pipe is increased, which can effectively prevent it from being worn or exposed; for the heat exchanger formed by the collecting pipes on both sides and microchannel pipes, the error due to length error of several pieces of microchannel flat pipes can be eliminated, as well as the gap between the microchannel flat pipe and the attachment during assembly, which is caused because a width direction of microchannel flat pipe is not in a same plane when it is fixed on the collecting pipes on both sides; and lastly, the thermal conduction capability is improved, which reduces the usage of silicone grease, and makes its application more convenient.
Other aspects of the invention will become apparent by consideration of the detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a microchannel heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a back view of the microchannel heat exchanger of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.
A basic structure of the microchannel heat exchanger in this embodiment is shown as FIGS. 1 and 2. A collecting pipe 1 on both sides is connected to a group of parallel microchannel flat pipes 3, to form a continuous heat exchange channel from an inlet connection 5 to an outlet connection 6 under the action of partition plate 2 inside the collecting pipe. All surfaces extending in a width direction of various microchannel flat pipes 3 are in the same plane, and the pipe wall is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin 4.
The plate-shaped heat conduction fin 4 and microchannel flat pipe 3 both are made of aluminum. Experience has proven that the microchannel heat exchanger in this embodiment has substantially eliminated the existing technical problems. Therefore it can reach the following effects because the aluminum heat conduction fin is welded into a whole with the microchannel flat pipe, then tightly wrapped on the inner tank (water tank) of water heater as required: First, strength and rigidity of the whole heat exchanger are improved, to avoid bending of the microchannel flat pipe. Second, the thickness of the contact surface of heat conduction fin is increased, such that abrasion or tearing can be avoided. Third, with the heat conduction fin, heat exchanger and the inner tank wall of water heater can be joined together compactly during installation, to eliminate the problems caused by error in the length of the microchannel flat pipe. Fourth, capacity of heat conduction of the heat exchanger is improved by over 5% because of the heat conduction fin, which reduces the usage of silicone grease, and makes its application more convenient.
Besides the above embodiments, other manners can be executed for this invention. The technical schemes formed on the basis of equivalent replacement or transformation will be within the protection scope required by this invention.
Thus, the invention provides, among other things, a microchannel heat exchanger. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A microchannel heat exchanger, including a group of microchannel flat pipe interconnected to form a heat exchange flow channel, wherein a wall of the microchannel flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin.

2. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a base material of the plate-shaped heat conduction fin and the microchannel flat pipe is the same.

3. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein the base material of the plate-shaped heat conduction fin and the microchannel flat pipe is aluminum.

4. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the microchannel flat pipe is welded on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin.

5. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a heat exchange channel of the microchannel flat pipe is formed by interconnected collecting pipes on its two sides.

6. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 5, wherein the collecting pipes and a group of microchannel pipe form a continuous heat exchange channel from an inlet connection to an outlet connection.

7. The microchannel heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein all surfaces extending in a width direction of the group of microchannel flat pipe are in the same plane, and the flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin.

8. A microchannel heat exchanger, including a group of microchannel flat pipe interconnected to form a heat exchange flow channel, wherein a wall of the microchannel flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on a plate-shaped heat conduction fin, wherein the base material of the plate-shaped heat conduction fin and the microchannel flat pipe is aluminum, wherein the microchannel flat pipe is welded on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin, wherein a heat exchange channel of the microchannel flat pipe is formed by interconnected collecting pipes on its two sides, wherein the collecting pipes and a group of microchannel pipe form a continuous heat exchange channel from an inlet connection to an outlet connection, and wherein all surfaces extending in a width direction of the group of microchannel flat pipe are in the same plane, and the flat pipe is tightly fit and fixed on the plate-shaped heat conduction fin.