Heat exchanger, refrigeration cycle apparatus, and method of manufacturing heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016025415-A1
Application number	US-201314774171-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 27, 2013
Priority date	Mar 21, 2013
Publication date	Jan 28, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes a plurality of fins spaced apart from each other such that gas flows therebetween, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes extending through the plurality of fins and joined to the plurality of fins by tube expansion. The heat transfer tubes are arranged in five or more columns along a flow direction of the gas and staggered in a row direction intersecting the flow direction of the gas. Each of the plurality of fins is flat and plate-shaped and continuously extends between the heat transfer tubes in the flow direction of the gas. The plurality of heat transfer tubes satisfy relationships of 1.055 D≦Da≦1.068 D and 1.56 Da≦L≦2.58 Da, where D is an unexpanded outside diameter of the heat transfer tubes, Da is an expanded outside diameter thereof, and L is a distance between centers of adjacent two heat transfer tubes.

First claim

1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of fins spaced apart from each other such that gas flows through spaces defined by the plurality of fins; and a plurality of heat transfer tubes extending through the plurality of fins and joined to the plurality of fins by tube expansion, the plurality of heat transfer tubes being arranged in five or more columns in a column arrangement direction along a flow direction of the gas and being arranged in a staggered pattern in a row arrangement direction intersecting the flow direction of the gas, each of the plurality of fins being flat and plate-shaped and continuously extending between the plurality of heat transfer tubes in the column arrangement direction without any cut, the plurality of heat transfer tubes satisfying relationships of 1.055 D≦Da≦1.068 D and 1.56 Da≦L≦2.58 Da, where D is an unexpanded outside diameter of the plurality of heat transfer tubes, Da is an expanded outside diameter thereof, and L is a distance between centers of adjacent two of the plurality of heat transfer tubes.

2 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins and the plurality of heat transfer tubes are composed of copper-containing metal.

3 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of heat transfer tubes are arranged in multiple rows in the row arrangement direction intersecting the flow direction of the gas, and wherein each of the plurality of fins is flat and plate-shaped and continuously extends between the plurality of heat transfer tubes in the row arrangement direction.

4 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of heat transfer tubes satisfy a relationship of 3 mm≦D≦6 mm.

5 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of heat transfer tubes has on an inner surface thereof a plurality of grooves extending axially and a plurality of protrusions each being disposed between adjacent two of the plurality of grooves, and wherein the plurality of heat transfer tubes satisfy a relationship of 6.66 D≦N≦10 D (D is expressed in units of mm), where N is a number of the plurality of protrusions indicating a sum of the plurality of protrusions.

6 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins satisfy a relationship of 0.3 D≦Fp≦0.58 D, where Fp is a fin pitch that is a distance between adjacent two of the plurality of fins.

7 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fins satisfy a relationship of 0.026 D≦Ft≦0.037 D, where Ft is a thickness of the plurality of fins.

8 . A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising:
a refrigerant circuit through which refrigerant is circulated, the refrigerant circuit sequentially connecting, by pipes, a compressor, a condensor, an expansion unit, and an evaporator, at least one of the condensor and the evaporator being the heat exchanger of claim 1 .

9 . The refrigeration cycle apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant is any of a single-component refrigerant of HC, a refrigerant mixture containing HC, R32, R410A, R407C, carbon dioxide, R1234yf, a refrigerant mixture containing at least R1234yf, R1234ze, and a refrigerant mixture containing at least R1234ze.

10 . A method of manufacturing a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
inserting a plurality of heat transfer tubes into a plurality of fins spaced apart from each other; and expanding the plurality of heat transfer tubes and joining the plurality of heat transfer tubes to the plurality of fins, the plurality of fins and the plurality of heat transfer tubes being composed of copper-containing metal, the plurality of heat transfer tubes satisfying relationships of 1.055 D≦Da≦1.068 D and 1.56 Da≦L≦2.58 Da, where D is an unexpanded outside diameter of the plurality of heat transfer tubes, Da is an expanded outside diameter thereof, and L is a distance between centers of adjacent two of the plurality of heat transfer tubes.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Ishikawa Tomotaka
• Lee Sangmu

Classifications

• F28D1/047

  the conduits being bent, e.g. in a serpentine or zig-zag · CPC title

• F28D2021/0071

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F28D1/053

  the conduits being straight · CPC title

• F02G1/053

  Component parts or details · CPC title

• F28D2021/007

  Condensers · CPC title