Condenser assembly structure

Details Condenser assembly structure Condenser assembly structure

1997-12-23

2001-10-16

Flanigan, Allen (Department: 3743)

Heat exchange

With first fluid holder or collector open to second fluid

Reexamination Certificate

active

06302193

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a condenser inserted between a compressor and an evaporator in a vapor compression type refrigerator, which is used for an automobile air conditioner. The condenser receives the refrigerant from the compressor, condenses and liquefies the refrigerant by causing it to radiate heat, and sends the liquefied refrigerant to an evaporator by way of a liquid tank.
2. Description of the Related Art
A vapor compression type refrigerator is incorporated into an automobile air conditioner for cooling and dehumidifying the inside of an automobile. A circuit diagram showing the concept of the vapor compression type refrigerator, disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei. 4-95522, is shown in
FIG. 14. A
compressor
1
discharges a gaseous refrigerant that is high in temperature and pressure to a condenser
2
. When passing through the condenser
2
, a heat exchanging is performed between the refrigerant and air. The gaseous refrigerant drops in temperature and is condensed into a liquid refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant is temporarily impounded in a liquid tank
3
. Then, it is sent through an expansion valve
4
to an evaporator
5
where it is evaporated. Temperature of the evaporator
5
drops because the evaporator loses the latent heat of vaporization. Therefore, when air for air conditioning is circulated through the evaporator
5
, the air is cooled and dehumidified. The refrigerant is evaporated into a gaseous refrigerant in the evaporator
5
, and is sucked by and into the compressor
1
, and compressed again therein. In this way, the refrigerating cycle is repeated.
FIG. 15
shows a condenser
2
to which the present invention is applied. As shown, the condenser
2
includes a couple of upper and lower header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
arranged horizontally and in parallel. Refrigerant vertically flows between the upper and lower header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
. The condenser
2
is of the so-called vertical flow type. Attempts have been made to use fins for the cores of both the condenser
2
and a radiator
26
located adjacent to the condenser, and thereby realize a compact assembly of the condenser
2
and the radiator
26
. One or more partitioning walls are provided within the header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
of the condenser
2
, whereby the inner parts of the header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
are air- and liquid-tightly partitioned into a plural number of chambers. The inner part of the upper header pipe
6
a
is partitioned, by an upper partitioning wall
13
, into a first upper chamber
15
and a second upper chamber
16
. The inner part of the lower header pipe
6
b
is partitioned, by a lower partitioning wall
14
, into a first lower chamber
17
and a second lower chamber
18
. In the core
9
of the condenser
2
, a plural number of heat transfer tubes
7
are vertically arranged between the upper and lower header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
. Fins
8
are located between and supported by the heat transfer tubes
7
located adjacent to each other. Those heat transfer tubes
7
are classified into three types of heat transfer tubes, first heat transfer tubes
19
, second heat transfer tubes
20
, and third heat transfer tubes
21
. The first heat transfer tubes
19
are opened at the upper ends into the first upper chamber
15
, and at the lower ends into the first lower chamber
17
. The second heat transfer tubes
20
are opened at the upper ends into the second upper chamber
16
, and at the lower ends into the first lower chamber
17
. The third heat transfer tubes
21
are opened at the upper ends into the second upper chamber
16
, and at the lower ends into the second lower chamber
18
. The heat transfer tubes
7
are grouped into the first to third heat transfer tubes
19
,
20
and
21
with respect to the upper and lower partitioning walls
13
and
14
. The first heat transfer tubes
19
are located most upstream in the core, and feed the refrigerant downward. The second heat transfer tubes
20
are located at the central portion of the core, and feed the refrigerant upward. The third heat transfer tubes
21
are located most downstream in the core, and feed the refrigerant downward. Side plates
10
a
and
10
b
are located on both sides of the core
9
including the heat transfer tubes
7
and the fins
8
.
The first, second and third heat transfer tubes
19
,
20
and
21
are different in number. A total passage area S
19
of the first heat transfer tubes
19
is larger than a total passage area S
20
of the second heat transfer tubes
20
, and the total passage area S
20
is larger than a total passage area S
21
of the third heat transfer tubes
21
. That is, S
19
>S
20
>S
21
. (However, in the case of a condenser
2
shown in
FIG. 16
, S
19
=S
20
=S
21
, and the first, second and third heat transfer tubes
19
,
20
and
21
are equal in number.) That is, the total passage area of one group (upward group or downward group) of the heat transfer tubes is generally decreased as the refrigerant flows downward because the refrigerant is more condensed as flowing downward so that the volume of the refrigerant is more decreased.
An incoming block
11
is brazed to the upper side of right end (in
FIG. 15
) of the upper header pipe
6
a
. The incoming block
11
includes incoming ports
12
continuous to the inside of the first upper chamber
15
. Refrigerant that comes in through the incoming ports
12
flows vertically between the upper and lower header pipes
6
a
and
6
b
in the direction of arrows in FIG.
15
.
An outgoing pipe
22
through which the refrigerant goes out is firmly attached to the lower side of the left end (in
FIG. 15
) of the lower header pipe
6
b
, viz., the lower surface of the leftmost chamber (second lower chamber
18
) located most downstream in the condenser. The upper end of the outgoing pipe
22
is opened into the second lower chamber
18
at a position close to the lower partitioning wall
14
. The refrigerant flows into the condenser
2
, flows through the condenser
2
in the direction of the arrows (FIG.
15
), and reaches the second lower chamber
18
of the lower header pipe
6
b
. Then, the refrigerant goes out of the outgoing pipe
22
, flows through the liquid tank
3
and the expansion valve
4
, and goes to the evaporator
5
(FIG.
14
). In
FIG. 16
, the outgoing pipe
22
is omitted.
In the inner part of the thus constructed condenser
2
, refrigerant that comes in from the compressor
1
(
FIG. 14
) flows while being condensed into a liquid refrigerant. Specifically, the refrigerant comes in the condenser
2
through the incoming ports
12
, and as it is passed through the condenser
2
, heat exchange is carried out between the refrigerant and air that flows through the core
9
in the direction from one side to the other side of the core
9
, thereby dropping the temperature of the refrigerant. Thus, the gaseous refrigerant comes in the condenser
2
and is separated into a liquid refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant. Therefore, the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant coexist in the third heat transfer tubes
21
.
FIG. 17
shows another example of the conventional condenser
2
. In this condenser, the outgoing pipe
22
is attached to the upper side of the left end of the upper header pipe
6
a
, viz., the upper surface of the leftmost chamber located most downstream in the condenser. That is, two upper partitioning walls
13
are provided in the upper header pipe
6
a.
In the condenser
2
shown in
FIG. 17
, the outgoing pipe
22
is inserted into the upper header pipe
6
a
through a connection hole
30
, which is formed in the upper side of the upper header pipe
6
a
, and is opened into the upper header pipe
6
a
. The outer circumferential surface of the outgoing pipe
22
is air- and liquid-tightly coupled with the inner circumferential edge of the connection hole
30
by brazing as shown in FIG.
18
. The upper ends of the heat transfer tubes
7
are inserted into the upper header pipe
6
a

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