Heat exchanger, air-conditioning apparatus outdoor unit including heat exchanger, and air-conditioning apparatus including air-conditioning apparatus outdoor unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024219067-A1
Application number	US-202118557331-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 28, 2021
Priority date	May 28, 2021
Publication date	Jul 4, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heat exchanger mounted in an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes at least one heat exchanger core and a hot-gas refrigerant inlet formed in lower part of the heat exchanger and in which refrigerant flows when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser. Each heat exchanger core includes flat tubes extending in an up-down direction and are placed along a direction of flow of air. When a total flow passage cross-sectional area of each heat exchanger core is A [m 2 ]=a×N [m 2 ], where a [m 2 ] is a flow passage cross-sectional area of each flat tube and N is a number of the flat tubes, a height of each of the heat exchanger cores is H [m], a differential pressure of a refrigerant flow passage is ΔP HEX , and a liquid head is ΔP HEAD , ΔP HEX /ΔP HEAD =(5.94635×10 −4 ×A −1.75030 )/(8.4303H+0.8779)>1 is satisfied.

First claim

1 . A heat exchanger that is mounted in an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, the heat exchanger comprising one heat exchanger core or two or more heat exchanger cores each including a plurality of flat tubes that extend in an up-down direction and through which refrigerant flows as upward flows when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the two or more heat exchanger cores being placed along a direction of flow of air,
wherein in a case in which a total flow passage cross-sectional area of each of the heat exchanger cores is defined as A [m 2 ]=a×N [m 2 ], where a [m 2 ] is a flow passage cross-sectional area of each of the flat tubes and N is a number of the flat tubes, a height of each of the heat exchanger cores is defined as H [m], a differential pressure of a refrigerant flow passage is defined as ΔP HEX , and a liquid head is defined as ΔP HEAD ,

Δ
⁢

P
HEX

/
Δ
⁢

P
HEAD

=

(

5.94635
×

10

-
4

×

A

-
1.7503

)

/

(

8.4303

H

+
0.8779

)

>

1
⁢

is
⁢

satisfied
.

2 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , further comprising a hot-gas refrigerant inlet formed in a lower part thereof when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.

3 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , further comprising a hot-gas refrigerant merging region formed in a lower part thereof when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.

4 . The heat exchanger of claim 2 , comprising:
the one heat exchanger core; a first header provided at a lower end of the heat exchanger core; and a second header provided at an upper end of the heat exchanger core, wherein the hot-gas refrigerant inlet is formed at one end of the first header, the heat exchanger further comprising a liquid refrigerant outlet that is formed at one end of the second header located opposite the one end of the first header and through which refrigerant flows out when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser.

5 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , comprising:
the one heat exchanger core; a first header provided at a lower end of the heat exchanger core; a second header provided at an upper end of the heat exchanger core; and a partition plate provided in at least the first header and configured to divide a flow passage of the heat exchanger core into a plurality of regions in a width direction, wherein in a case in which a width of the heat exchanger core is defined as L [m] and a width of a furthest downstream region of the heat exchanger core is defined as L 1 ,
20[%]≤ L 1 /L≤ 50[%] is satisfied.

6 . The heat exchanger of claim 2 , comprising:
the two or more heat exchanger cores placed along the direction of flow of air; a first header provided at a lower end of one of the heat exchanger cores that is located on a furthest leeward side; and a second header provided at an upper or lower end of one of the heat exchanger cores that is located at a furthest windward side, wherein the hot-gas refrigerant inlet is formed at one end of the first header, the heat exchanger further comprising: a liquid refrigerant outlet that is formed at one end of the second header located on a same side as the one end of the first header and through which refrigerant flows out when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser; and a bridging header provided at upper or lower ends of two adjacent ones of the heat exchanger cores and configured so that refrigerant converging from the flat tubes of one of the heat exchanger cores that is located on a leeward side is distributed to the flat tubes of one of the heat exchanger cores that is located on a windward side.

7 . The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein
an upper or lower end of each of the flat tubes of the two adjacent heat exchanger cores is inserted in the bridging header, and in a case in which a gap between the upper or lower end of the flat tube and a wall portion of the bridging header that faces the upper or lower end is defined as δ, δ≤3 [mm] is satisfied.

8 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein in a case in which a width of each of the heat exchanger cores is defined as L [m], H/L>1 is satisfied.

9 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein H≥0.42 [m] is satisfied.

10 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein each of the flat tubes is provided with a plurality of partition posts configured to partition an internal flow passage and an inward projecting portion provided between adjacent ones of the partition posts.

11 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein each of the flat tubes has a distal portion subjected to tube shrinking so that an outer diameter of the flat tube decreases toward a distal end.

12 . A heat exchanger that is mounted in an outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, the heat exchanger comprising one heat exchanger core or two or more heat exchanger cores each including a plurality of flat tubes that extend in an up-down direction and through which refrigerant flows as upward flows when the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, the two or more heat exchanger cores being placed along a direction of flow of air,
wherein in a case in which a total flow passage cross-sectional area of each of the heat exchanger cores in an upward flow region is defined as A r [m 2 ]=a×N r [m 2 ], where a [m 2 ] is a flow passage cross-sectional area of each of the flat tubes and N r is a number of the flat tubes through which hot-gas refrigerant flows as upward flows in the heat exchanger, a height of each of the heat exchanger cores is defined as H [m], a differential pressure of a refrigerant flow passage is defined as ΔP HEX , and a liquid head is defined as ΔP HEAD ,

Δ
⁢

P
HEX

/
Δ
⁢

P
HEAD

=

(

5.94635
×

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Onaka Yoji
• Saikusa Tetsuji
• Adachi Rihito
• Kishida Nanami
• Gomyo Taisaku
• Nakao Yuki
• Kasaki Shingo
• Kibe Atsushi
• Morimoto Hiroyuki

Classifications

• F25B39/04

  Condensers · CPC title

• F25B2500/19

  Calculation of parameters · CPC title

• F25B49/02

  for compression type machines, plants or systems · CPC title

• F25B2600/2519

  On-off valves · CPC title

• F25B2600/2513

  Expansion valves · CPC title