Falling film heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021190432-A1
Application number	US-201716757337-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 20, 2017
Priority date	Oct 20, 2017
Publication date	Jun 24, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system includes a shell having an inlet configured to receive refrigerant and an outlet configured to output the refrigerant. The heat exchanger also includes a refrigerant distributor disposed within the shell, and multiple evaporating tubes disposed within the shell and positioned below the refrigerant distributor. The refrigerant distributor includes a perforated plate having multiple holes, each hole extends from a top surface of the perforated plate to a bottom surface of the perforated plate, and a center point of each hole is substantially aligned with a centerline of a respective evaporating tube.

First claim

1 . A heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a shell having an inlet configured to receive refrigerant and an outlet configured to output the refrigerant; a refrigerant distributor disposed within the shell; and a plurality of evaporating tubes disposed within the shell and positioned below the refrigerant distributor; wherein the refrigerant distributor comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes, each hole of the plurality of holes extends from a top surface of the perforated plate to a bottom surface of the perforated plate, and a center point of each hole of the plurality of holes is substantially aligned with a centerline of a respective evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes.

2 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the plurality of holes are arranged in a first row, the first row is substantially aligned with a corresponding first evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes, and the center point of each hole in the first row is substantially aligned with the centerline of the corresponding first evaporating tube.

3 . The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein another portion of the plurality of holes are arranged in a second row, the second row is substantially aligned with a corresponding second evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes, and the center point of each hole in the second row is substantially aligned with the centerline of the corresponding second evaporating tube.

4 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein each hole of the plurality of holes extends substantially along a vertical axis, and a first portion of the perforated plate is positioned above a second portion of the perforated plate along the vertical axis.

5 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a protrusion extends from the bottom surface of the perforated plate toward the plurality of evaporating tubes at an outlet of one of the plurality of holes.

6 . A heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a shell having an inlet configured to receive refrigerant and an outlet configured to output the refrigerant; a refrigerant distributor disposed within the shell; and a plurality of evaporating tubes disposed within the shell and positioned below the refrigerant distributor; wherein the refrigerant distributor comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes each extending substantially along a vertical axis, each hole of the plurality of holes extends from a top surface of the perforated plate to a bottom surface of the perforated plate, and a first portion of the top surface is positioned above a second portion of the top surface along the vertical axis.

7 . The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the perforated plate is arcuate.

8 . The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the first portion comprises a central portion of the perforated plate, and the second portion comprises a distal portion of the perforated plate.

9 . The heat exchanger of claim 6 , comprising a spray header disposed within the shell and positioned above the refrigerant distributor, wherein each evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes extends along a longitudinal axis, the spray header has a plurality of openings configured to output the refrigerant toward the refrigerant distributor, and the plurality of openings are arranged along a lateral axis, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

10 . The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein a protrusion extends from the bottom surface of the perforated plate toward the plurality of evaporating tubes at an outlet of one of the plurality of holes.

11 . A heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a shell having an inlet configured to receive refrigerant and an outlet configured to output the refrigerant; a refrigerant distributor disposed within the shell; and a plurality of evaporating tubes disposed within the shell and positioned below the refrigerant distributor, wherein each evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes extends along a longitudinal axis; wherein the refrigerant distributor comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes, each hole of the plurality of holes extends from a top surface of the perforated plate to a bottom surface of the perforated plate, and the plurality of holes are arranged in at least one row; and wherein spacings between adjacent holes of the at least one row vary along the longitudinal axis, sizes of adjacent holes of the at least one row vary along the longitudinal axis, or a combination thereof.

12 . The heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein the spacings between the adjacent holes of the at least one row decrease along the longitudinal axis from a central portion of the perforated plate to a distal portion of the perforated plate.

13 . The heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein the sizes of the adjacent holes of the at least one row increase along the longitudinal axis from a central portion of the perforated plate to a distal portion of the perforated plate.

14 . The heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein each hole of the plurality of holes extends substantially along a vertical axis, and a first portion of the top surface is positioned above a second portion of the top surface along the vertical axis.

15 . The heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein a protrusion extends from the bottom surface of the perforated plate toward the plurality of evaporating tubes at an outlet of one of the plurality of holes.

16 . A heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) system, comprising:
a shell having an inlet configured to receive refrigerant and an outlet configured to output the refrigerant; a refrigerant distributor disposed within the shell; a plurality of evaporating tubes disposed within the shell and positioned below the refrigerant distributor, wherein each evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes extends along a longitudinal axis; and a spray header disposed within the shell and positioned above the refrigerant distributor, wherein the spray header has a plurality of openings configured to output the refrigerant toward the refrigerant distributor, and the plurality of openings are arranged along a lateral axis, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.

17 . The heat exchanger of claim 16 , wherein the spray header comprises a first spray head extending along the lateral axis and a second spray head extending along the lateral axis, the first and second spray heads are separated from one another along the longitudinal axis, the first spray head has a first portion of the plurality of openings, and the second spray head has a second portion of the plurality of openings.

18 . The heat exchanger of claim 16 , wherein the refrigerant distributor comprises a perforated plate having a plurality of holes, and each hole of the plurality of holes extends from a top surface of the perforated plate to a bottom surface of the perforated plate.

19 . The heat exchanger of claim 18 , wherein a center point of each hole of the plurality of holes is substantially aligned with a centerline of a respective evaporating tube of the plurality of evaporating tubes.

20 . The heat exchanger of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of holes are arranged in at least one row, spacings between adjacent pairs

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co
• York Wuxi Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Co Ltd

Inventors

• Schreiber Jeb W
• Su Xiuping
• Wang Li
• Gallus Brian Thomas
• Ford Scott Allen
• Xue Fang

Classifications

• F28F9/005

  Other auxiliary members within casings, e.g. internal filling means or sealing means · CPC title

• F28D2021/0071

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F28D2021/0061

  for phase-change applications · CPC title

• F28D7/16

  the conduits being arranged in parallel spaced relation ({F28D7/0008 - F28D7/0058 take precedence}; F28D7/02 - F28D7/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28D5/02

  in which the evaporating medium flows in a continuous film or trickles freely over the conduits · CPC title