WO2015173606A1

WO2015173606A1 - A distributor of refrigerant fluid in a heat exchanger

Info

Publication number: WO2015173606A1
Application number: PCT/IB2014/061390
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franco Provenziani
Original assignee: Provides Metalmeccanica S.R.L.
Priority date: 2014-05-13
Filing date: 2014-05-13
Publication date: 2015-11-19
Also published as: EP3143356B1; EP3143356A1

Abstract

A distributor (1) of coolant in a heat exchanger, which distributor (1) comprises a main body (2) made of plastic material having a plurality of elongated longitudinal seats (21), each one suitable to receive a respective tubular member (3) made of copper wherein, upon use, the coolant flows, at each one of such elongated seats (21) a transversal abutment profile (20) being further obtained, acting as abutment of the main body (2) against the tube plate (104) of the exchanger which arranges, upon use, circumscribed to the respective tubular member (3) made of copper.

Description

A DISTRIBUTOR OF REFRIGERANT FLUID IN A HEAT EXCHANGER

DESCRIPTION

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a device distributor of refrigerant fluid for use in a heat exchanger, in particular an evaporator. Such exchanger is suitable, for example, to be used in conditioning or refrigerating plants.

Background The heat exchangers, in particular those for use in conditioning or refrigerating plants, provide a skirt acting as outer casing wherein one or more tube bundles are housed wherein a first operating "cold" fluid flows subtracting heat from a second operating fluid to be cooled down. The operating coolants which are used very much, in particular in the heat exchangers working as evaporators, are for example freon, ammonia and C0₂.

The coolant is fed by a discharge line within a head or collector of the exchanger. In order to guarantee an optimum flow condition, from such collector the coolant is conveyed into the tubes of the tube bundle by means of a suitable distributor device. The latter indeed provides a respective feeding duct for each tube of the tube bundle. Distributor duct and respective tube are engaged one into the other one.

The distributor and the related ducts generally are implemented with pieces made of copper or other metal. The distributor of a heat exchanger represents a much critical component for the whole efficiency of the system. However, the known distributors are rather expensive and heavy and few versatile with respect to variable cooling needs.

Summary of the invention

The technical problem placed and solved by the present invention is then to provide a device distributor of fluid, in particular coolant, within the tube bundles of a heat exchanger allowing to obviate the drawbacks mentioned above with reference to the known art.

Such problem is solved by a distributor according to claim 1 .

Preferred features of the present invention are subject of the depending claims.

The distributor of the invention, in particular thanks to the possibility of making its own main body of plastic material, results to be light and with reduced cost. Furthermore, the distributor allows inserting tubular metallic elements, or ducts, within seats obtained in the main body, by allowing a modular implementation of the distributor itself and by making it extremely versatile with respect to different distribution needs.

Other advantages, features and used modes of the present invention will result evident from the following detailed description of some embodiments, shown by way of example and not for limitative purposes. Brief description of the drawings

The figures of the enclosed drawings will be referred to, wherein:

^■ Figure 1 shows a view in lateral section of a preferred embodiment of the distributor according to the present invention, assembled on a heat exchanger;

^■ Figure 2 shows an enlarged detail of the distributor of Figure 1 ;

^■ Figure 3 shows a side view of the distributor of Figure 1 ; and

^■ Figure 4 shows a cross-section of the distributor of Figure 1 , performed according to the line A-A of Figure 3.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

By firstly referring to Figure 1 , a fluid distributor device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is designated as a whole with 1. In the present embodiment, the distributor 1 is meant to distribute coolant, in particular freon, in a heat exchanger 100, in particular an evaporator. In Figure 1 a head or collector 101 of the exchanger 100, an inlet 102 of freon inside said head 101 , a tube bundle made of tubes 103, which has to receive the freon to the purpose of the heat exchange, and an associated tube plate 104 are then represented. A clamping member 105, in particular a screw, for the connection between head 101 and tube plate 104 is also represented. One or more not represented gaskets can be further provided, for example housed both on the head and on the tube plate.

By also referring to Figures 2, 3 and 4, the distributor 1 comprises a main body 2 wholly or mainly made of plastic material. Preferably, such plastic material is selected in a group comprising PVC, teflon, polypropylene, nylon, or other.

Advantageously, the main body 2 can be made under the shape of a monolithic (piece) structure, for example by means of a single moulding operation. The distributor 1 bears a plurality of elongated longitudinal seats 21 , parallel and transversally placed side-by-side, obtained in the main body 2. Each elongated seat 21 receives a respective metallic tubular member 3, or duct, inside thereof, upon use, the coolant for feeding the tubes 103 flows. The tubular members 3 preferably are made of titanium, aluminium, steel, Cupro- Nickel or other.

In the present example, the seats 21 and the tubular members 3 have cylindrical or substantially cylindrical geometry.

As it is better visible in Figure 2, each seat 21 has a first tract 210 with smaller cross section, suitable to keep constrained a respective tubular member 3, and a second tract 212 with bigger cross-section. At the latter, the main body 2 is made locally weaker so as to allow its housing/adapting inside the tubes 103. At the second tract 212 in fact an engagement tubular member 213, preferably elongated and/or with substantially conical or however tapered profile, indeed suitable to insert inside a tube 103, remains indeed defined. The engaging member 213 is inserted in the respective tube 103 until reaching the point that an abutment profile 20, or different coupling means, of the main body 2 stops against the tube plate 104 wherein the tubes 103 are housed.

Preferably, as mentioned above, the engaging member 213 has an elastic deformability.

Advantageously, the tubular members 3 are removably received within the respective seats 21.

Furthermore, it is obvious that the tubular members 3 have an opening for feeding fluid, in particular a cross-section of the inner lumen, which can be selected based upon the specific cooling needs.

The present invention has been sofar described with reference to preferred embodiments. It is to be meant that other embodiments belonging to the same inventive core may exist, as defined by the protection scope of the herebelow reported claims.

Claims

1. A distributor (1 ) of fluid, in particular coolant, for use in a heat exchanger (100), which distributor (1 ) comprises a main body (2), which main body (2) bears a plurality of elongated longitudinal seats (21 ), each one suitable to receive a respective metallic tubular member (3) wherein, upon use, the fluid flows, each one of said elongated seats (21 ) having a first tract (210) with smaller cross-section, suitable to receive a respective tubular member (3), and a second tract (212) with bigger cross-section, externally to each one of said elongated seats (21 ) a transversal abutment profile (20) being further obtained, suitable for coupling with the end of a tube (103) of the exchanger (100) and/or with a tube plate (104) of the latter, which tube (103) is arranged, upon use, circumscribed to the respective metallic tubular member (3), wherein, at each second tract (212) of said elongated seats (21 ), said main body (2) comprises an engagement member (213) suitable to fit in a respective tube (103) of the exchanger (100) according to said arrangement circumscribed to the tubular member (3).

2. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein said engagement member (213) has a substantially conical and/or tapered profile.

3. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said engagement member (213) can be deformed elastically to be inserted in the respective tube (103) of the exchanger (100).

4. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said engagement member (213) has a substantially tubular shape.

5. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims, further comprising a plurality of metallic tubular members (3), each one apt to engage a respective elongated seat (21 ) of said main body (2).

6. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to the previous claim, wherein said tubular elements (3) are removably received in the respective seats (21 ) of said main body (2).

7. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said main body (2) is made of plastic material, the latter preferably selected from a group comprising PVC, teflon, polypropylene and nylon.

8. The fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims, wherein said main body (2) has a monolithic structure.

9. A heat exchanger (100) comprising a fluid distributor (1 ) according to anyone of the preceding claims.