Heat exchanger and refrigeration cycle apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025164195-A1
Application number	US-202218841396-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 9, 2022
Priority date	Mar 9, 2022
Publication date	May 22, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes: a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes each having an elongated cross-sectional shape, each including refrigerant flow passages therein, and arranged apart from and in parallel with each other; and corrugated fins each provided between associated adjacent ones of the flat heat transfer tubes. Each of the corrugated fins has fin portions each having a plate shape, and is bent into a wave shape such that the fin portions are arranged alongside of each other in an axial direction of the flat heat transfer tubes. The fin portions include louvers. The louvers are made as different types of louvers to have different configurations, such that the different types of louvers are provided at respective selected sets of fin portions, to thereby cause different amounts of frost to be formed on the fin portions.

First claim

1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes each having an elongated cross-sectional shape, each including a plurality of refrigerant flow passages therein, and arranged apart from each other and in parallel with each other; and a plurality of corrugated fins each provided between associated adjacent ones of the flat heat transfer tubes, wherein each of the plurality of corrugated fins has a plurality of fin portions each having a plate shape, and is bent into a wave shape such that the plurality of fin portions are arranged alongside of each other in an axial direction of the flat heat transfer tubes, the plurality of fin portions include louvers, and the louvers are made as different types of louvers to have different configurations, such that the different types of louvers are provided at respective selected sets of fins portions of the plurality of fin portions, to thereby cause different amounts of frost to be formed on the plurality of fin portions.

2 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the different types of louvers are arranged at respective repetitive patterns in the axial direction of the flat heat transfer tubes.

3 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the different types of louvers are different in width in a direction in which the flat heat transfer tubes are arranged.

4 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the different types of louvers are different in number of the louvers provided at one fin portion.

5 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein
each of the louvers has a slit through which air passes and a plate portion that is inclined relative to an associated one of the plurality of fin portions and guides air into the slit, and the different types of louvers are different in inclined angle of the plate portion.

6 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of fin portions include the fin portions having no louver.

7 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of fin portions have drain holes to drain water that flows over upper surfaces of the plurality of fin portions, and the drain holes are made as different types of drain holes to have different configurations, such that the different types of drain holes are formed in respective selected sets of fin portions of the plurality of fin portions, to thereby cause different amounts of frost to be formed on the fins portions.

8 . The heat exchanger of claim 7 , wherein the drain types of drain holes are different in total opening area of the drain holes formed in the one fin portion.

9 . The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a dimension of each of the plurality of fin portions in a flow direction of air is 22 mm or more.

10 . A refrigeration cycle apparatus comprising the heat exchanger of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Onaka Yoji
• Adachi Rihito
• Kishida Nanami
• Saikusa Tetsuji
• Nakao Yuki
• Kibe Atsushi
• Morimoto Hiroyuki

Classifications

• F28F17/005

  Means for draining condensates from heat exchangers, e.g. from evaporators (F28B9/08 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/126

  consisting of zig-zag shaped fins (F28F1/105 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/022

  with multiple channels · CPC title

• F28D1/05383

  with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits (F28D1/05391 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F17/00

  Removing ice or water from heat-exchange apparatus · CPC title