Refrigeration – Refrigeration producer – Compressor-condenser-evaporator circuit
Reexamination Certificate
2003-05-23
2004-08-03
Jones, Melvin (Department: 3744)
Refrigeration
Refrigeration producer
Compressor-condenser-evaporator circuit
C062S509000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06769269
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser for condensing and separating initially introduced gaseous refrigerant of high pressure into gas and liquid. In particular, after refrigerant is separated into gas and liquid, the multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser of the invention can improve the sub-cooling rate of liquid refrigerant while it flows through a pre-sub-cooling section and additionally in other sections.
2. Background of the Related Art
A condenser liquefies refrigerant of high temperature and pressure fed from a compressor via heat exchange between refrigerant and ambient air. A receiver tank or section is arranged between the condenser and an expansion valve and temporarily stores liquefied refrigerant from the condenser so that liquid refrigerant can be fed into an evaporator according to a desired amount of cooling load.
Recently, condensers each having a receiver tank integrally attached thereto are widely commercialized in order to maximize space utilization in an engine room of a vehicle.
Of the condensers each having an integral receiver tank, it is developed a multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser which comprises a pair of headers and a receiver tank provided in one of the headers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,407 discloses a conventional multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser or heat exchanger.
As shown in
FIG. 6
, the conventional heat exchanger
1
comprises a plurality of flat tubes
2
and corrugated fins
3
, which are mounted on a pair of header tanks
4
opposed to each other.
Each header
4
comprises blind caps
5
at opposite ends, three baffles or partitions
6
and
6
′ and four compartments
8
a.
The header tank
4
on the inlet side is provided with a tank member or separate member
7
which defines on the outer side of this header tank
4
, an inlet pipe
9
is connected to the tank member
7
, and a distributing chamber
8
is in communication with the a pair of refrigerant passages
2
A and
2
B through respective communication ports
10
a
,
10
b
provided in the header tank
4
.
The header
4
has a separate member
11
formed outside, and a refrigerant collecting chamber
12
is connected with a pair of refrigerant passages
2
A and
2
B via ports
13
a
and
13
b
in the header
4
.
In this heat exchanger
1
, after introduced into the distributing chamber
8
via the inlet pipe
8
, refrigerant partially flows into the upper refrigerant passage
2
A via the communication port
10
a
and partially feeds into the lower refrigerant passage
2
B via the communication port
10
b.
Then, a partial refrigerant flow through the upper refrigerant passage
2
A is introduced into the collecting chamber
12
via the port
13
a
, and another partial refrigerant flow through the lower refrigerant passage
2
B is introduced via the port
13
b
into the collecting chamber
12
, where refrigerant exits via an outlet pipe
14
to the outside.
The conventional heat exchanger distributes refrigerant to the upper and lower passages and thus remarkably reduces refrigerant pneumatic resistance within the respective header tanks.
However, the conventional heat exchanger does not effectively separate refrigerant into liquid and gas. In addition, because the separate member
7
and collecting chamber
12
functioning as a receiver tank are provided respectively to the header tanks
4
, the heat exchanger has a relatively large size.
In the meantime, a Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Serial No. 7-103612 discloses a condenser which is integrally provided with a receiver tank at one end of header tanks in order to reduce the overall size.
As shown in
FIG. 7
, the condenser
3
having the integral receiver tank comprises a condensation section
8
, a receiver section
9
and a sub-cooling section
10
, in which the condensation section
8
is connected to the outlet side of a compressor
2
.
The condensation section
8
introduces liquid-gas refrigerant into the receiver section
9
, which separates refrigerant into gaseous and liquid refrigerant and feeds liquid refrigerant into the sub-cooling section
10
.
The sub-cooling section
10
is arranged under and adjacent the condensation section
8
, and sub-cools liquid refrigerant introduced from the receiver section
9
.
The condenser
3
is provided with a second header
16
having an upstream side connected with a lower end of the condensation section
8
and a lower side connected with an upstream end of the sub-cooling section
10
. The second header
16
is divided by first and second baffles
41
and
42
into an upstream communication chamber
46
, a downstream communication chamber
47
and the receiver section
9
.
As a result, two phase refrigerant of gas-liquid flown out via the condensation section
8
is introduced into the receiver section
9
via the upstream communication chamber
46
.
The first baffle
41
vertically arranged within the second header
16
is provided with a refrigerant inlet port
44
communicating with an upper end of the receiver section
9
and a refrigerant outlet port
45
opened to a lower end of the receiver section
9
so that refrigerant can enter the entire receiver section
9
.
In
FIG. 7
, some of reference numbers which do not designate the above-described components are not explained.
As set forth above, the conventional condenser installs the receiver section in one of the header tanks to reduce the overall size thereof, allows whole refrigerant to flow into the receiver section
9
to improve responsiveness in respect to rapid load fluctuation in a cooling cycle
1
, and installs the sub-cooling section
10
to completely remove bubbly gaseous refrigerant.
The conventional condenser includes the receiver section to realize effective sub-cooling. However, there is a drawback that the sub-cooling rate cannot be further raised at a point where liquid refrigerant returns and initially sub-cools after gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure is initially introduced and condensed into gas and liquid.
Furthermore, the conventional condenser further comprises a site glass
4
for confirming whether or not refrigerant finely condenses, and thus fabrication cost disadvantageously increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser for condensing and separating initially introduced gaseous refrigerant of high pressure into gas and liquid, by which after separated into gas and liquid, liquid refrigerant can be improved with sub-cooling rate while flowing through a pre-sub-cooling section and additionally in other sections.
Also, the invention has a multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser designed according to a conditional expression, which follows the relative dimension ratio of sections during condensation of refrigerant, in order to realize optimum condensation efficiency regardless of the total size of the condenser.
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a multistage gas and liquid phase separation condenser comprising: an super heat cooling/condensing section dm
1
for cooling gaseous refrigerant of high temperature and pressure, which is introduced into the section dm
1
, to remove excessive heat therefrom and condense gaseous refrigerant; a first condensing section dm
2
placed over the super heat cooling/condensing section dm
1
for recondensing gaseous refrigerant; a second condensing section dm
3
placed over the first condensing section dm
2
for recondensing refrigerant to a liquid ratio higher than in the first condensing section dm
2
, whereby refrigerant is introduced into a receiver section
400
after flowing through the second condensing section dm
3
; a first sub-cooling section dm
4
placed downstream of the super heat cooling/condensing section dm
1
for sub-cooling refrigerant more than in the
Kim Yong-ho
Lee Sangok
Oh Kwangheon
Park Tae-young
Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.
Halla Climate Control Corporation
Jones Melvin
LandOfFree
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