Heat pump heat exchanger having a low pressure drop distribution tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9746255-B2
Application number	US-201314073948-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 7, 2013
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

A heat pump heat exchanger includes a first manifold, a second manifold spaced from the first manifold, a plurality of refrigerant tubes hydraulically connecting the manifolds, and a distribution tube disposed in the first manifold. The distribution tube includes an inlet end, a distal end opposite the inlet end, a plurality of orifices between the inlet end and the distal end. The distribution tube also includes a terminal aperture immediately adjacent the distal end, wherein the terminal aperture includes an open aperture area greater than any one of the open orifice area. The open aperture area is large enough to provide a uniform refrigerant collection with acceptable minimal pressure drop in evaporative mode, but small enough to prevent vapor overflow to an area of the manifold adjacent to the distal end in condenser mode. The length of the distribution tube is less than ¾ the length of the first manifold.

First claim

Having described the invention, it is claimed:

1. A heat pump heat exchanger comprising:
a first manifold;
a second manifold spaced from the first manifold;
a plurality of refrigerant tubes hydraulically connecting the first manifold to the second manifold; and
a distribution tube disposed in the first manifold, wherein the distribution tube includes an inlet end, a distal end opposite the inlet end, a plurality of orifices between the inlet end and the distal end, and a terminal aperture between the distal end and the plurality of orifices;
wherein the distribution tube includes a length less than length of the first manifold;
wherein each of the plurality of orifices includes an open orifice area; and
wherein the terminal aperture includes an open aperture area greater than the sum of the-open orifice-areas of all orifices between the inlet end and the terminal aperture.

2. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 1 , having a ratio of the open aperture area to the sum of the open orifice areas is equal to the ratio of the manifold length minus distribution tube length to the distribution tube length as presented in the following equation:
[Area terminal aperture /Total Area orifices ]=[[length manifold −length tube ]/[length tube ]]

Where:
Area terminal aperture =the open aperture area;
Total Area orifices =the sum of the open orifice areas;
length manifold =the length of manifold;
length tube =the length of distribution tube.

3. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the length of the distribution tube is less than ¾ of the length of the first manifold.

4. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein, when the heat exchanger is in an operating position, in which the first manifold is an upper manifold and the second manifold is a lower manifold, with respect to the direction of gravity, the heat exchanger is selectively operable as an evaporator and as a condenser.

5. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of the orifices is oriented in the direction of the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

6. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 5 , wherein the terminal aperture is oriented in the direction of the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

7. A heat pump heat exchanger comprising:
a first manifold having a manifold length;
a second manifold spaced from the first manifold;
a plurality of refrigerant tubes hydraulically connecting the first manifold to the second manifold; and
a distribution tube disposed in the first manifold, wherein the distribution tube includes an inlet end, a distal end opposite the inlet end, several orifices between the inlet end and the distal end, and a terminal aperture immediately adjacent the distal end;
wherein the distribution tube includes a distribution tube length less than the manifold length;
wherein each of the several orifices includes an open orifice area; and
wherein the terminal aperture includes an open aperture area; and
wherein ratio of the open aperture area to the sum of the open orifice areas of all orifices between the inlet end and the terminal aperture is equal to the ratio of the manifold length minus distribution tube length to the distribution tube length as presented in the following equation:
[Area terminal aperture /Total Area orifices ]=[[length manifold −length tube ]/[length tube ]]

Where:
Area terminal aperture =the open aperture area;
Total Area orifices =the sum of the open orifice areas;
length manifold =the length of manifold;
length tube =the length of distribution tube.

8. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 7 , wherein the length of the distribution tube is less than ¾ of the length of the first manifold.

9. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 7 , wherein, when the heat exchanger is in an operating position, in which the first manifold is an upper manifold and the second manifold is a lower manifold, with respect to the direction of gravity, the heat exchanger is selectively operable as an evaporator and as a condenser.

10. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of the orifices is oriented in the direction of the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

11. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 10 , wherein the terminal aperture is oriented in the direction of the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

12. A heat pump heat exchanger comprising:
a first manifold;
a second manifold spaced from the first manifold;
a plurality of refrigerant tubes hydraulically connecting the first manifold to the second manifold; and
a distribution tube disposed in the first manifold, wherein the distribution tube includes an inlet end, a distal end opposite the inlet end, and at least one orifice between the inlet end and the distal end, each of the at least one orifice having an open orifice area;
wherein the distribution tube includes a length less than length of the first manifold; and
wherein a terminal aperture is arranged between the distal end and the at least one orifice, the terminal aperture having an open aperture area larger than the open orifice area of each of the at least one orifice,
wherein the distribution tube is bowed inward at the terminal aperture.

13. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 12 , wherein the length of the distribution tube is less than ¾ of the length of the first manifold.

14. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 12 , wherein, when the heat exchanger is in an operating position, in which the first manifold is an upper manifold and the second manifold is a lower manifold, with respect to the direction of gravity, the heat exchanger is selectively operable as an evaporator and as a condenser.

15. The heat pump heat exchanger of claim 12 , wherein in the operating position, the terminal aperture is oriented in the direction of gravity.

Assignees

• Mahle Int Gmbh

Inventors

• Xia Yanping
• Johnson Russell S

Classifications

• F28F9/0273 Primary

  with multiple holes · CPC title