JP6854971B2 - Refrigerant distributor, heat exchanger and air conditioner - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerant distributor, a heat exchanger equipped with the refrigerant distributor, and an air conditioner.

Most air conditioners compatible with air conditioning and heating currently use a cross-fin tube type heat exchanger composed of a circular copper heat transfer tube and aluminum strip-shaped fins. This heat exchanger exchanges heat between the refrigerant and air by flowing a fluorocarbon-based refrigerant in a copper heat transfer tube.

On the other hand, parallel flow heat exchangers are widely used in automobile radiators and air conditioners for air conditioners for the purpose of reducing size, weight, performance, and cost. In this heat exchanger, two header tubes are provided at both ends of a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes having brazed aluminum fins on the outer surface, and the inflow side header tube to the outflow side via each flat heat transfer tube. It is a heat exchanger in the form of flowing a refrigerant toward a header pipe.

In the parallel flow type heat exchanger, in order for the area of all the fins to work effectively, it is necessary to flow an appropriate amount of liquid refrigerant evenly to each of a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes arranged one above the other.

However, in the heat exchanger, the refrigerant flows as a gas-liquid two-phase state refrigerant while undergoing a phase change of evaporation and condensation, and therefore stands in the vertical direction under the condition that the flow velocity of the refrigerant is small and the momentum is low. Since the liquid refrigerant in the header pipe on the inflow side stays downward due to the influence of gravity, it tends to be difficult to supply a sufficient liquid refrigerant to the flat heat transfer tube connected to the upper part of the header pipe on the inflow side.

As a result, when the parallel flow type heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the amount of liquid refrigerant supplied to the upper one of the stacked flat heat transfer tubes is small, and all the liquid refrigerant is upstream of the flat heat transfer tubes. Since it evaporates, heat absorption due to the evaporation action of the liquid refrigerant does not occur from the middle stream to the downstream. That is, in the upper flat heat transfer tube, there is a problem that the liquid component of the refrigerant is small and the degree of superheat is large from the middle flow to the downstream, and the heat transfer area in that portion is not effectively used.

On the other hand, in the lower one of the stacked flat heat transfer tubes, the amount of the liquid refrigerant supplied is excessive, so that the liquid refrigerant remains even at the outlet of the flat heat transfer tube. That is, there arises a problem that the liquid refrigerant leaving the remaining capacity for heat absorption flows out from the flat heat transfer tube below, which causes the efficiency of the heat exchanger as a whole to deteriorate.

In addition, if a "liquid return" occurs in which the liquid refrigerant flows from the lower flat heat transfer tube to the compressor downstream of the heat exchanger, the liquid refrigerant may damage the compressor chamber of the compressor. To avoid this, it is necessary to completely evaporate the liquid refrigerant by the time it reaches the outlet of the heat exchanger by squeezing the expansion valve upstream of the heat exchanger and lowering the evaporation pressure. There is a problem that it causes an increase in energy consumption in the vessel.

In order to avoid such a problem, when a parallel flow heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, the liquid refrigerant in each flat heat transfer tube is completely eliminated at almost aligned positions near the header tube on the outflow side. Desirable for maximizing the performance of the heat exchanger. In particular, when supplying air at a constant wind speed to a heat exchanger, such as an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, it is required that the refrigerant can be evenly distributed to each flat heat transfer tube without uneven flow.
As a conventional technique for solving such a problem, for example, there is one shown in FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1. In this example, in order to improve the refrigerant distribution in the vertically standing header, a part of the internal space of the header is partitioned by a partition wall, and a plurality of through holes are provided in the partition wall. As a result, the refrigerant is to be uniformly distributed to each flat heat transfer tube.

Further, in Patent Document 2 and Patent Document 3, regardless of the distribution structure, a header structure divided in the longitudinal direction is provided for ease of manufacturing itself and an internal structure for refrigerant distribution. It is shown.

Japanese Patent No. 5775226 Japanese Patent No. 4827882 Japanese Patent No. 4405819

In Patent Document 1, the refrigerant discharged from the partitioned space in the header has a larger flow path cross-sectional area, so that the flow velocity of the liquid refrigerant decreases, and the liquid refrigerant is easily affected by gravity and falls downward in the header. Cheap. Especially in a low refrigerant flow rate region, the structure is such that the liquid refrigerant tends to stay in the lower part due to the influence of gravity, and in such a case, the liquid may flow unevenly to the lower heat transfer tube.

In Patent Document 2, a folded-back flow path and a branch flow path are formed by a divided header structure. As the refrigerant flow path, the refrigerant flows one by one flat heat transfer tube, and the refrigerant does not flow through the plurality of heat transfer tubes. When the amount of circulation is large, there is a problem that the pressure loss becomes large due to the insufficient cross-sectional area of the flow path, the saturation temperature decreases downstream in the flow direction, and a predetermined amount of exchange heat cannot be secured.

In Patent Document 3, in the divided header structure, the refrigerant flow path cannot be narrowed, the liquid refrigerant is affected by the action of gravity and accumulates downward, and when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator, there is a problem of refrigerant distribution. was there.

The present invention is an invention for solving the above-mentioned problems, and supplies a liquid refrigerant to each flat heat transfer tube in a parallel flow type evaporator even during operation under a minimum load condition or an intermediate load condition. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigerant distributor capable of suppressing bias in quantity with a simple structure and improving the performance as an evaporator, a heat exchanger equipped with the refrigerant distributor, and an air conditioner.

In order to achieve the above object, the refrigerant distributor of the present invention is a refrigerant distributor that is connected to each end of a plurality of heat transfer tubes forming a flow path of the refrigerant, communicates the plurality of heat transfer tubes, and distributes the refrigerant. Therefore, the refrigerant distributor includes a first member and a second member to be combined with each other, and by combining the first member and the second member, a narrow flow path in which the cross-sectional area of the portion serving as the flow path of the refrigerant is narrowed. The first member and the second member are made of a plate material, and the first member and the second member have a D-shaped cross-sectional shape formed by bending the plate material, and the D-shaped straight line. A part of the portion has a separated portion, and the first member and the second member are combined through the separated portion, and a narrow flow is provided between the opposite D-shaped straight portions of the first member and the second member. It was decided to form a road.
Others will be described in the embodiment.

Also, the first member may cross section has the shape of a concave shape, the second member is fitted to the inner surface of the first member forms a narrow channel, the cross section is concave One end of the open end of one member extends from the other end to the side opposite to the plurality of heat transfer tubes, and one end of the first member is from the contact point between the first member and the second member. Is also characterized in that it extends to the opposite side of the plurality of heat transfer tubes. Other aspects of the present invention will be described in the embodiments and the like described later.

According to the present invention, even during operation under the minimum load condition or the intermediate load condition, the deviation of the amount of liquid refrigerant supplied to each flat heat transfer tube in the parallel flow type evaporator can be suppressed by a simple structure. The performance as an evaporator can be improved.

It is a figure which shows the appearance structure of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the heat exchanger when the flat heat transfer tube which concerns on 1st Embodiment is used. It is a figure which shows the structure of the flat heat transfer tube which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows that the header which concerns on 1st Embodiment is point symmetry. It is a figure which shows the disassembled state of the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the vertical cross section of the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the brazing surface of the refrigerant distributor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other brazed surface of the refrigerant distributor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the appearance structure of the heat exchanger which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of Example 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the side surface of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 1 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which the header insertion member is a concave-shaped member. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which the header insertion member has a tubular shape (hollow shape). It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which the header insertion member has an H shape. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which the header insertion member has a trapezoidal shape. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 3 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 4 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 5 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is a reference figure. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 5 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which sets the insertion length of a header insertion member to be long. It is a figure which shows the cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of Example 5 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment, and is the figure which inserts the member different from the header insertion member into a flow path. It is a figure which shows the mounting method of the perforated partition plate in the header of Example 6 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the attachment method of the perforated partition plate in the header of Example 6 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows other example of the attachment method of the perforated partition plate in the header of Example 6 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the perforated partition plate of the header of Example 7 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the other structure of the perforated partition plate of the header of Example 7 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the perforated plate for preventing the drift in the header of Example 8 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the vertical cross section of the perforated plate for preventing the drift in the header of Example 8 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the position of the partition plate of the header insertion member of Example 9 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a front view of the heat exchanger of Example 10 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view near the header in the heat exchanger of Example 10 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of a header in the heat exchanger of the tenth embodiment according to the third embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view near the header in the heat exchanger of Example 11 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view near the header in the heat exchanger of Example 12 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a side view of the connection pipe of the bypass pipe provided in the heat exchanger of Example 12 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cross section of the refrigerant inlet pipe when the circulation amount of a refrigerant is relatively large in the heat exchanger of Example 12 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing which shows the cross section of the refrigerant inlet pipe at the time of the heat exchanger of Example 12 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment, when the circulation amount of a refrigerant is relatively small. It is a vertical sectional view near the header in the heat exchanger of Example 13 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a vertical sectional view near the header in the heat exchanger of Example 14 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing around the header in the heat exchanger of Example 14 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the header provided in the heat exchanger of the 15th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the opposite side of the refrigerant inlet pipe. It is an exploded perspective view when the header provided in the heat exchanger of Example 15 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment is seen from the side of a refrigerant inlet pipe. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a header provided in the heat exchanger of the 15th embodiment according to the third embodiment when a header cut in a cross section including a flat heat transfer tube is viewed from directly above. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the header provided in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the opposite side of the refrigerant inlet pipe. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the header provided in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the side of the refrigerant inlet pipe. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a header provided in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when a header cut in a cross section including a flat heat transfer tube is viewed from directly above. It is a front view of the heat exchanger of Example 17 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the appearance structure of the heat exchanger of Example 18 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st reference form. It is a perspective view which looked at the vicinity of the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 1st reference form from obliquely above. It is an exploded perspective view of the vicinity of the header of the heat exchanger according to the 1st reference embodiment. In the first reference embodiment, it is a VII direction arrow view of the duct of FIG. 34A. In the first reference embodiment, it is the VIII direction arrow view of FIG. In the first reference embodiment, it is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 35A. In the first reference form, it is the Q1 part enlarged view of FIG. 35B. It is a top view of the heat exchanger according to the 1st reference form. In the first reference embodiment, it is XI-XI sectional view of FIG. 36A. In the first reference form, it is the Q2 part enlarged view of FIG. 36B. It is a perspective view which shows the heat exchanger which concerns on the modification of the 1st reference form. It is a perspective view of the heat exchanger which concerns on the 2nd reference form. In order to make it easy to understand the structure of the header of the heat exchanger according to the second reference embodiment, it is a perspective view of a state where the inner cylinder and the intermediate cylinder are pulled up from the outer cylinder and a part thereof is exposed. It is sectional drawing of the flat tube and the header of the heat exchanger which concerns on 2nd reference form. It is a vertical sectional view of the heat exchanger which concerns on the 2nd reference form. It is a partial enlarged view which cut out a part of the heat exchanger which concerns on the 2nd reference form. It is a perspective view of the vicinity of the upper part of the header provided in the heat exchanger according to the 2nd reference form. It is a figure explaining the refrigeration cycle. It is a figure explaining the degree of superheat by the uneven flow of the refrigerant distribution of a heat exchanger, and is the figure in the case where there is no uneven flow of a liquid refrigerant. It is a figure explaining the degree of superheat by the uneven flow of the refrigerant distribution of a heat exchanger, and is the figure in the case of the uneven flow of a liquid refrigerant. There is a schematic diagram of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a diagram showing a round cross section. There is a schematic diagram of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a diagram showing a cross section of a header composed of two members. There is a schematic diagram of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a diagram showing another cross section of a header composed of two members.

Embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
First, the refrigeration cycle to which the refrigerant distributor and the heat exchanger of the present embodiment are applied will be described, and the conventional problems will be described in detail.

FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating a refrigeration cycle. Here, the refrigeration cycle of the heat pump type air conditioner AC will be described with reference to FIG. 44, taking as an example during the heating operation. As shown here, the air conditioner AC includes a compressor 8, a four-way valve 9, an indoor heat exchanger 101, an expansion valve 103, an outdoor heat exchanger 106, and the like.

The compressor 8 compresses the gas refrigerant, and the refrigerant 60 in a high temperature / high pressure state in the compressor 8 is guided to the indoor heat exchanger 101 (condenser) in the indoor unit 100 via the four-way valve 9. Be taken. Then, the high-temperature refrigerant flowing in the flat heat transfer tube of the indoor heat exchanger 101 dissipates heat to the indoor air supplied from the blower 102, thereby warming the room. At this time, the gas refrigerant that has been deprived of heat gradually liquefies in the flat heat transfer tube, and the liquid refrigerant in the overcooled state, which is several ° C. lower than the saturation temperature, flows out from the outlet of the indoor heat exchanger 101.

After that, the liquid refrigerant flowing out of the indoor unit 100 becomes a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in a low temperature / low pressure state due to the expansion action when passing through the expansion valve 103. This low-temperature / low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is guided to the outdoor heat exchanger 106 (evaporator) in the outdoor unit 105. Then, the low-temperature refrigerant flowing in the flat heat transfer tube of the outdoor heat exchanger 106 absorbs heat from the outside air supplied from the blower 107, so that the dryness of the refrigerant (= mass velocity of gas / (mass velocity of liquid + gas). Mass velocity)) increases. At the outlet of the outdoor heat exchanger 106, the refrigerant is gasified and returns to the compressor 8 with a degree of superheat of several ° C. The heating operation of the air conditioner AC is realized by a series of refrigeration cycles in which the refrigerant 60 circulates counterclockwise as described above.

On the other hand, during the cooling operation, the four-way valve 9 is switched to form a refrigeration cycle in which the refrigerant 61 circulates clockwise. In this case, the indoor heat exchanger 101 acts as an evaporator, and the outdoor heat exchanger 106 acts as a condenser.

Next, when the indoor heat exchanger 101 or the outdoor heat exchanger 106 is acting as an evaporator, the state of the refrigerant drift generated in the evaporator will be described with reference to FIGS. 45A and 45B. 45A and 45B show the evaporator in a planar and schematic manner, and some of them are simplified by omitting the individual display of the flat heat transfer tube.

FIG. 45A is a diagram for explaining the degree of superheat due to the unbalanced flow of the refrigerant distribution of the heat exchanger, and is a diagram when there is no unbalanced flow of the liquid refrigerant. FIG. 45B is a diagram for explaining the degree of superheat due to the drift of the refrigerant distribution of the heat exchanger, and is a diagram when there is a drift of the liquid refrigerant. As shown in these, the heat exchanger is provided with headers 3a and 3b that are substantially vertical to the left and right, and is connected between them by a large number of flat heat transfer tubes 1 stacked in the vertical direction. Fins for expanding the heat transfer area are brazed to each flat heat transfer tube 1, but the illustration is omitted here. Further, in the flat heat transfer tube 1, the hatched portion is a two-phase region 90 through which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows, and the white portion is a superheated region 91 through which a gas refrigerant flows.

In the parallel flow type evaporator shown in FIGS. 45A and 45B, a low-temperature / low-pressure gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows in from the lower part of the header 3b. The inflowing refrigerant flows in the flat heat transfer tube 1 in the order of the region (A) → (B) → (C) → (D) while changing the flow direction, and exchanges heat with the air passing between the flat heat transfer tubes 1 ( After absorbing heat), it is discharged as a refrigerant in a medium temperature / low pressure state from the upper part of the header 3b.

As shown in FIG. 45A, when the refrigerant drift does not occur, that is, when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is large and a substantially equal amount of gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is supplied to each flat heat transfer tube 1 in the region (D). Even in the flat heat transfer tube 1 having the same height, since the two-phase region 90 becomes the superheated region 91 at the same distance from the inflow side, only the gas refrigerant that has sufficiently absorbed heat flows out from any of the flat heat transfer tubes 1. ..

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 45B, when a drift of the liquid refrigerant occurs, that is, gravity acts on the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant having a small flow velocity in the header 3a and flows into the flat heat transfer tube 1 above the region (D). When the amount of liquid refrigerant is small and the amount of liquid refrigerant flowing into the flat heat transfer tube 1 below is large, the lower part is the two-phase region 90 and the upper part is the overheating region 91 near the outlet of the region (D).

As described above, when the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant containing a large amount of liquid refrigerant returns to the compressor 8, "liquid return" causes damage to the compression chamber. In order to avoid this, it is necessary to throttle the expansion valve 103 upstream of the evaporator to lower the evaporation pressure (temperature) so that the liquid refrigerant is completely vaporized in the vicinity of the outlet in the region (D) of FIG. 45B. There is. However, when the evaporation pressure is lowered, there is a problem that the compression work increases and the energy saving property of the air conditioner is hindered.

Further, when the refrigerant drift occurs, the two-phase region 90 is short and the superheat region 91 is long in the flat heat transfer tube 1 above the region (D), so that the two-phase region 90 greatly contributes to the endothermic heat from the air. There is a problem that the heat transfer area is reduced and the compression work is increased.
In order to solve the above problems, various methods of Patent Documents 1 to 3 have been tried.

FIG. 46A is a schematic view of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a view showing a round cross section. FIG. 46B is a schematic view of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a diagram showing a cross section of a header composed of two members. FIG. 46C is a schematic view of a header structure as a comparative example, and is a view showing another cross section of a header composed of two members.

FIG. 46A is a header showing a round cross section, which is often used mainly for a condenser such as an automobile radiator. The header 3a to which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is connected has a round shape. FIG. 46B is the structure of the divided header of Patent Document 3. The header 3a is composed of a first member 310a and a second member 340a. In addition, there is also a divided header structure as shown in FIG. 46C. The header 3a is composed of a first member 311a and a second member 341a.

In the header structures of FIGS. 46A, 46B, and 46C, since the flow path cross-sectional area is large, the speed of the liquid refrigerant is low and the liquid refrigerant tends to be affected by the weight and easily accumulate in the lower part of the header.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, even during operation under the minimum load condition or the intermediate load condition, the deviation of the liquid refrigerant supply amount to each flat heat transfer tube in the parallel flow type evaporator is suppressed by a simple structure. However, we are proposing a refrigerant distributor (header) that can improve the performance as an evaporator.

<< First Embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external configuration of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state before inserting the headers 3x and 3y into the flat heat transfer tube 1 according to the first embodiment. The heat exchanger includes a large number of flat heat transfer tubes 1 in which the refrigerant flows and extends laterally, and fins 2 into which a large number of flat heat transfer tubes 1 are inserted to exchange heat with the refrigerant. It is provided with headers 3x and 3y which are coupled to one of the flat heat transfer tubes 1 and extend in the vertical direction (vertical direction) to distribute the refrigerant to a large number of flat heat transfer tubes 1. A refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is connected below the header 3x. Further, a refrigerant outlet pipe 33 is connected to the central portion of the header 3x. The refrigerant flows in from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and the refrigerant flows through the flow paths in the plurality of flat heat transfer pipes 1 and flows out from the refrigerant outlet pipe 33. A partition plate 35x (see FIG. 4) is inserted in the upper part, the middle lower part, and the lower part of the header 3x. Similarly, a partition plate 35x is inserted in the upper part and the lower part of the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 of the header 3y.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a flat heat transfer tube 1 according to the first embodiment. The flat heat transfer tube 1 includes a heat transfer tube body 11 that forms an appearance and a partition rib 13 that allows a large number of refrigerant flow paths 12 to be formed inside the heat transfer tube body 11. The refrigerant that has flowed into the flat heat transfer tube 1 can be uniformly distributed and flow in a large number of refrigerant flow paths 12.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a header 3x of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section of the header 3x of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 shows an XX cross section of FIG. The header 3x includes a flat tube side header member 31x (first member) and a combination header member 34x (second member). Further, a partition plate 35x is inserted in the upper part, the middle part, and the lower part of the header 3x.

The narrow flow path 38 is formed by combining the flat tube side header member 31x (first member) and the combination header member 34x (second member). The narrow flow path 38 is a flow path in which the cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area) of the portion serving as the flow path of the refrigerant is narrowed. The cross-sectional area of the narrow flow path 38 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the header 3x (refrigerant distributor).

The flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x are formed of a plate material, and the flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x have a D-shaped cross section formed by bending the plate material, and the D-shape. A separating portion 39 (see FIG. 7) is provided as a part of the straight portion of the above. The flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x are combined through the separation portion 39, and a narrow flow path 38 is provided between the flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x's opposing D-shaped straight portions. Is forming. The flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x, or the combination member thereof, may be manufactured by extrusion molding.
Further, the flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x can be formed by extrusion molding or the like in addition to the bending process of the plate material.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing that the header 3x according to the first embodiment is point symmetric. The left figure of FIG. 6 shows a cross section (XX cross section, see FIG. 4) of a header member in which a flat tube side header member 31x and a combination header member 34x are combined. When this is rotated 180 degrees around the point O, the right figure of FIG. 6 is obtained. As shown in FIG. 6, the cross-sectional shape of the header member in which the flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x are combined is a point-symmetrical shape except for the hole position into which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted. You can see that.

The flat tube side header member 31x (first member) has an opening 31x3, and the combination header member 34x (second member) has an opening 34x3. The first member and the second member have an opening to which the same heat transfer tube is connected.

The flat tube side header member 31x (first member) has a parallel surface 31x4 parallel to the end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1, and the combination header member 34x (second member) is parallel to the end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1. It has a parallel plane 34x4. Each of the first member and the second member has a parallel surface parallel to the end surface of the heat transfer tube, and has at least one bent portion for forming the parallel surface. The parallel plane corresponds to the above-mentioned D-shaped straight line portion.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a disassembled state of the header of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. The combination header member 34x is inserted into the flat tube side header member 31x from the upper part in the vertical direction in accordance with the separation portion 39. Then, the combined header member is inserted into the flat heat transfer tube 1. The partition plate 35x is inserted into the upper part, the middle lower part, and the lower part of the combined header member.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a vertical cross section of the header of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a YY cross section of FIG. It can be seen that the narrow flow path 38 is formed by combining the flat tube side header member 31x (first member) and the combination header member 34x (second member) in the header 3x. As a result, the speed of the refrigerant inside the header according to the present embodiment is increased as compared with the shape shown as the header cross-sectional structure of the comparative example shown in FIG. As a result, the momentum of the liquid refrigerant increases, and the liquid refrigerant can reach the flat heat transfer tube 1 attached to the upper part of the header.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a brazed surface of the refrigerant distributor according to the first embodiment. It is a clad material in which a brazing material 31x1 is laminated on the outside of a base material 31x0 of a flat tube side header member 31x. The brazing material 34x1 is laminated on the outside of the base material 34x0 of the combination header member 34x to form a clad material. The header structure can be brazed according to the present embodiment by using such a single-sided clad material.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another brazed surface of the refrigerant distributor according to the first embodiment. FIG. 10 shows the minimum required brazed surfaces 37a, 37b, 37c. The brazed surface 37a is a joint surface between the flat tube side header member 31x and the flat heat transfer tube 1, and the brazed surfaces 37b and 37c are joint surfaces between the flat tube side header member 31x and the combination header member 34x. Even in the case of FIG. 10, a substantially narrow flow path 38 can be formed.

According to the first embodiment, the narrow flow path 38 can be formed by combining the header members, and the liquid refrigerant can be raised to the upper part of the heat exchanger to improve the refrigerant distribution by increasing the refrigerant flow rate. Further, the combination members are almost the same members and have excellent assembleability.

<< Second Embodiment >>
(Example 1)
FIG. 11A is a diagram showing an external configuration of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11B is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the first embodiment according to the second embodiment. FIG. 11B shows a cross section of the part II-II in FIG. 11A. As shown in FIG. 11A, there are two headers 3a and 3b arranged substantially vertically on the upstream side and the downstream side, and a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 are connected substantially vertically between them. In each flat heat transfer tube 1, a plurality of fins 2 for expanding the heat transfer area are arranged with a predetermined gap in the horizontal direction. Although not shown in detail, the fin 2 is devised so that water droplets condensed on the surface of the fin can easily fall off when the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. It also has a shape for defining to keep the gap between adjacent fins constant.

Header 3a includes a header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member (first member) is configured to include a header insertion member 34 a (second member). Similarly, the header 3b includes a header base member 31b (first member), which is a concave-shaped member, and a header insertion member 34b (second member).

A refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is connected below the header insertion member 34a. Further, a refrigerant outlet pipe 33 is connected to the header insertion member 34b. The refrigerant flows in from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and the refrigerant flows through the flow paths in the plurality of flat heat transfer pipes 1 and flows out from the refrigerant outlet pipe 33.

Air flows between the fins in a direction substantially vertical to the paper surface to exchange heat between the refrigerant and air. Under conditions widely used in air conditioners, the air side has ^{a laminar heat transfer coefficient of about several tens to 100 W / (m 2} K), and the inside of the flow path of the flat heat transfer tube 1 is several thousand W / (m) due to the refrigerant. It is a heat transfer performance with a boiling heat transfer coefficient of about ^{2 K).} Therefore, since the effect of expanding the area on the air side is large, the fin 2 is a thin aluminum fin with a fin gap of about 1 mm to several mm so that the area on the air side can be secured as much as possible if the heat exchangers have the same volume. Consists of.

A feature of the present embodiment is that the end portion of the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted into a hole provided in the flat surface portion of the header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member. The header insertion member 34a is inserted into the opposite opening side to which the flat heat transfer tube 1 of the concave member is connected. By brazing both of them in a furnace such as an electric furnace, a header structure having a narrow flow path 38 serving as a flow path for the refrigerant is obtained. Similarly, the other header 3b also forms a narrow flow path 38 which is a refrigerant flow path by inserting the header insertion member 34b into the header base member 31b. That is, the contact surface between the header base member 31a of the concave member and the header insertion member 34a becomes the brazing surface.

In FIG. 11A, the flow of the refrigerant when the heat exchanger is used as the evaporator is shown by a white arrow. The refrigerant, which has become low temperature and low pressure due to the action of the expansion valve (not shown in FIG. 11A), flows the number of flat heat transfer tubes in parallel for each space partitioned by the partition plates 35a and 35b in the heat exchanger. Then, the refrigerant flows upward through the perforated partition plate 36a (perforated partition plate), and flows in parallel with the number of flat heat transfer tubes. The refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 flows upward from below the heat exchanger while changing its flow direction as through region a → region b → region c, and finally flows out from the refrigerant outlet pipe 33.

In the figure, the flow of the refrigerant flowing from the lower side to the upper side of the heat exchanger is simply shown, but the flow may be partially included in the partitioned space. In this way, the flow of the refrigerant from the bottom to the top in the heat exchanger changes the flow direction in the same heat exchanger, and when used as a condenser, the supercooled liquid refrigerant accumulates due to the action of gravity. This is to make it easier to go downward so that

When used as an evaporator, the liquid component gradually evaporates in the flow direction, and the gas component increases. Therefore, when the gas refrigerant is flowed in the same flow path cross-sectional area, the pressure loss per unit increases due to the increased flow velocity of the gas refrigerant. As a result, there is a problem that an effective temperature difference from the air cannot be secured due to a decrease in the saturation temperature of the refrigerant, and an increase in compression work as a whole causes deterioration of energy saving performance. Therefore, it is common practice to increase the number of flat heat transfer tubes that gradually flow in parallel toward the outlet so that the pressure loss does not become too large.

FIG. 11B shows an enlarged view of the cross section of II-II. The header insertion member 34a is inserted into the header base member 31a of the concave member, and the contact surface is brazed to form a narrow flow path 38 (header space). The inner area of the header base member 31a of the concave member defined by the virtual surface on the opening side of the header base member 31a of the concave member is narrowed by inserting the header insertion member 34a into the inside, resulting in a narrow flow. Road 38 is formed. As a result, the speed of the refrigerant inside the header according to the present embodiment is increased as compared with the shape shown as the header cross-sectional structure of the comparative example shown in FIG. As a result, the momentum of the liquid refrigerant increases, and the liquid refrigerant can reach the flat heat transfer tube attached to the upper part of the header. Further, there is a perforated partition plate 36a, in which the liquid refrigerant is guided upward in a state where it is narrowed in the smallest area and the flow velocity is increased.

Although FIG. 11A shows an example of a simplified heat exchanger for the sake of explanation, in reality, a plurality of these basic configurations may be stacked in the height direction, or a similar heat exchanger may be used for air. A predetermined heat transfer area can be secured by arranging them in the leeward and upwind directions. Further, although the perforated partition plate 36a is provided at one place in FIG. 1 for simplification of the description, it may be provided in the header 3b at the same height position as the partition plate 35a, and the drift flow improvement in the region b can be improved. You can plan.

FIG. 12 is a view of the flat heat transfer tube 1 end viewed from the open side of the header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member (viewed by arrow III in FIG. 11A). The flat heat transfer tube 1 is provided with a plurality of small flow paths of about 1 mm to several mm through which a plurality of refrigerants flow, and is formed by extrusion processing or drawing processing. The header base member 31a of the concave member and each flat heat transfer tube 1 are brazed at the connecting surface 131.

(Example 2)
FIG. 13A is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the second embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram in which the header insertion member 34a is a concave-shaped member. FIG. 13B is a view showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the second embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a view in which the header insertion member 34a has a tubular shape (hollow shape). FIG. 13C is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the second embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram in which the header insertion member 34a is H-shaped. FIG. 13D is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the second embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram in which the header insertion member 34a has a trapezoidal shape.

FIG. 13A is a reference configuration, and like the header base member 31a of the concave member, the header insertion member 34a is also composed of the concave member opening in the same direction. If the shape secures the strength associated with the internal pressure of the header, such a configuration can reduce the weight of the header portion most.

FIG. 13B shows the header insertion member 34a having a tubular shape (hollow shape). With such a configuration, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the header insertion member 34a. The header insertion member 34a may be a solid material, and in this case, the rigidity can be further increased.

In FIG. 13C, the header insertion member 34a is composed of a substantially H-shaped member. It can be manufactured by extrusion processing, and the flow path area surrounded by the concave header base member 31a can be further narrowed.

FIG. 13D shows a cross section of the header base member 31a, which is a concave member, having a divergent shape. With such a configuration, the header base member 31a of the concave member and the insertion member 34a can be fixed by using a jig or the like, or brazed while being tied while applying a contact load to the contact surface.

Although it is shown as a shape having uniform surface on the opening side end face and the header insert member 34 a of the header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member in the drawings both may be a shape provided with a step. When the end faces are aligned, the accuracy of parts assembly can be improved, and the assembly condition can be managed by checking the appearance.

(Example 3)
FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the third embodiment according to the second embodiment. The difference from the inventions up to FIG. 13 is that the other end is longer than the end length of the header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member, such as 31a1. With such a configuration, the heat exchanger can be fixed via the housing 319 and the joint component 318, so that a separate member for fixing becomes unnecessary. It is not necessary to provide all of the stretched 31a1 in the longitudinal direction, and the material and weight can be reduced by providing only the portions necessary for fixing. Although FIG. 14 shows an example of fixing the heat exchanger and the housing, it may be used for fixing the heat exchangers to each other.

(Example 4)
FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the fourth embodiment according to the second embodiment. It is a clad material in which a brazing material shown as 31a2 is laminated on the outside of a base material 31a0 of a header base member 31a of a substantially U-shaped member. Further, the brazing material 34a1 is applied to the outside of the base material 34a0 of the header insertion member 34a. The structure using such a single-sided clad material enables brazing of the header structure according to the present invention.

(Example 5)
FIG. 16A is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the fifth embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a reference diagram. FIG. 16B is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the fifth embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram in which the insertion length of the header insertion member 34a is set longer. FIG. 16C is a diagram showing a cross section of the header of the heat exchanger of the fifth embodiment according to the second embodiment, and is a diagram in which a member 340 separate from the header insertion member 34a is inserted into the flow path.

With reference to FIG. 16A, FIG. 16B sets the insertion length of the header insertion member 34a to be inserted into the header base member 31a of the concave member to be longer. By increasing the insertion length, it is possible to make adjustments such as reducing the flow path area of the refrigerant. In FIG. 16C, a member 340 separate from the header insertion member 34a is inserted into the cross section of the flow path. With such a configuration, the refrigerant flow path can be further narrowed, so that the flow path can be partially narrowed according to the region in the heat exchanger, and the degree of freedom in adjusting the refrigerant drift in advance is increased. In FIG. 16B, the gap D1 between the outer surface of the insertion member 34a and the end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1 inserted in the header facing the outer surface is preferably 1 mm to 3 mm.

(Example 6)
FIG. 17A is a diagram showing a method of attaching the perforated partition plate 36a (partition plate with holes) in the header of the sixth embodiment according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17B is a diagram showing another example of a method of attaching the perforated partition plate 36a in the header of the sixth embodiment according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17C is a diagram showing another example of a method of attaching the perforated partition plate 36a in the header of the sixth embodiment according to the second embodiment. The perforated partition plate 36a has a square hole 360.

In FIG. 17A, the perforated partition plate 36a is installed by inserting the protrusion 36a1 of the perforated partition plate 36a into the hole 34a2 of the header insertion member 34a, and the perforated partition plate 36a is built into the opening of the header base member 31a and brazed. FIG. 17B shows that the refrigerant leakage can be reduced by cutting off the corner portion of the insertion member 34a as shown in the figure or processing the insertion member 34a into a round shape. In FIG. 17C, a groove 34a3 is provided in advance in the header insertion member 34a, and a perforated partition plate 36a having a protrusion 36a1 is installed therein.
Although FIG. 17 shows an example of the perforated partition plate 36a, the fixing method shown in FIG. 17 may be applied to the partition plates 35a and 35b.

(Example 7)
FIG. 18A is a diagram showing a configuration of a perforated partition plate 36a of the header of the seventh embodiment according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18B is a diagram showing another configuration of the perforated partition plate 36a of the header of the seventh embodiment according to the second embodiment. 18A and 18B relate to the perforated partition plate 36a for which the sixth embodiment has been described. FIG. 18A shows a configuration in which one hole 360a is formed. FIG. 18B shows a configuration in which two holes 360a are formed. Not only the square holes shown in FIG. 17 so far but also round holes may be used, and a faster refrigerant speed can be realized in the header space by selecting the hole diameter.

(Example 8)
FIG. 19A is a diagram showing a perforated plate 132 for preventing drift in the header 3a of the eighth embodiment according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19A is a diagram showing an IV-IV cross section of FIG. 11A. FIG. 19B is a perspective view of a perforated plate 132 for preventing drift in the header 3a of the eighth embodiment according to the second embodiment. A perforated plate 132 is built in the header base member 31a of the concave member so that the end surface and the surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1 are aligned with each other. The perforated plate 132 is provided with a plurality of holes 133 into which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted. With such a configuration, the gap on the side surface of the flat heat transfer tube and the step between the upper and lower sides can be filled, the step in the flow path can be further reduced, and the drift due to the disturbance of the refrigerant in the header can be prevented.

(Example 9)
FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the position of the partition plate of the header insertion member of the ninth embodiment according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 11A, the header 3a has a configuration in which the header insertion member 34a is inserted into the header base member 31a. In (b-1), (b-2), and (b-3) of FIG. 20, the mounting height positions of the partition plate 35a and the perforated partition plate 36a are changed with respect to the header insertion member 34a. In this way, while the header base member 31a of the concave-shaped member is used in common, the above-mentioned refrigerant can be used by changing the mounting positions of the header insertion member 34a and the partition plate (for example, the partition plate 35a and the perforated partition plate 36a). The combination of the number of flat heat transfer tubes to be flowed can be freely set. This makes it possible to make adjustments at the design stage, such as differences between capacity models and whether to prioritize the performance of the condenser or evaporator.

According to the second embodiment, the refrigerant distribution to each flat heat transfer tube of the parallel flow type heat exchanger can be made uniform, and the heat exchanger can operate efficiently. Thereby, the energy saving property of the air conditioner can be improved.

According to this embodiment, even during operation under the minimum load condition or the intermediate load condition, the deviation of the amount of liquid refrigerant supplied to each flat heat transfer tube in the parallel flow type evaporator can be suppressed by a simple structure. Headers 3a, 3b, 3x, 3y can be provided. Therefore, a heat exchanger having a header (indoor heat exchanger 101, outdoor heat exchanger 106) (see FIG. 44), an air conditioner AC equipped with the heat exchanger (see FIG. 44), and an air conditioning system can be realized.

<< Third Embodiment >>
Next, as each embodiment (Examples 10 to 18) of the third embodiment, a heat exchanger 10A and the like (see FIG. 21) provided with a bypass pipe 40A (see FIG. 21) will be described. The flat heat transfer tube 1 and fins 2 included in the heat exchanger 10A are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted.

(Example 10)
FIG. 21 is a front view of the heat exchanger 10A of the tenth embodiment according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 21, the heat exchanger 10A includes a flat heat transfer tube 1, fins 2, headers 3c and 3d, a refrigerant inlet pipe 30, a refrigerant outlet pipe 33, and a bypass pipe 40A. ..
The refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is a pipe that guides the refrigerant to the lower part of the narrow flow path i1 (see FIG. 22A) of the header 3c. The refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is connected to the lower part of the header 3c, and its downstream end faces the narrow flow path i1 (see FIG. 22A).
The refrigerant outlet pipe 33 is a pipe through which the refrigerant merged in the header 3d passes through the plurality of flat heat transfer pipes 1, and is connected to the upper part of the other header 3d.

When the heat exchanger 10A is functioning as an evaporator, the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and when the heat exchanger 10A is functioning as a condenser, the refrigerant flows out from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. It will be. That is, the word "refrigerant inlet pipe 30" is used to mean that the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 in at least one of the operation modes such as air conditioning. The same applies to the refrigerant outlet pipe 33.

The bypass pipe 40A is a pipe that guides the refrigerant that diverges to itself through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 to the upper part of the narrow flow path i1 (see FIG. 22A), and is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.
The "refrigerant distributor" that distributes the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 10A includes a header 3c and a bypass pipe 40A.

FIG. 22A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10A of the tenth embodiment according to the third embodiment in the vicinity of the header 3c.
As shown in FIG. 22A, the header 3c is provided with a narrow flow path i1 elongated in the vertical direction. Then, the refrigerant flowing into the narrow flow path i1 via the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 rises through the narrow flow path i1 (see the white arrow in FIG. 22A), and is further distributed to the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1. It is supposed to be done.

Although the configuration of the header 3c is shown in a simplified manner in FIG. 22A, the configuration of the header 3c may be, for example, the configuration of the first embodiment (see FIG. 5) or the second embodiment (see, for example, FIG. 11B). Applicable. That is, as the header 3c, a header 3c in which the "first member" and the "second member" are combined with each other may be used. The same applies to the other Examples 11 to 18 described later.

As shown in FIG. 22A, the bypass pipe 40A includes connecting pipes 41 and 42 and has an L shape. One connecting pipe 41 extends in the vertical direction so as to be parallel to the extending direction of the header 3c, and its lower end is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. Further, on the side surface near the upper end of the connecting pipe 41, a hole h1 for guiding the refrigerant is provided in the other connecting pipe 42.

The other connecting pipe 42 extends in the horizontal direction, one end of which is connected to the hole h1 of the connecting pipe 41 and the other end of which is connected to the upper part of the header 3c. Then, a part of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is guided to the upper part of the narrow flow path i1 via the bypass flow path i2 in the bypass pipe 40A.

The refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the bypass pipe 40A are connected by brazing, for example. That is, the other pipe (for example, the bypass pipe 40A) is inserted into the hole on the side surface of the pipe having the larger diameter (for example, the refrigerant inlet pipe 30), and the pipe is placed at the connection point and rowed. Then, they are collectively brazed in a brazing furnace (not shown).

FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the header 3c in the heat exchanger 10A of the tenth embodiment according to the third embodiment. That is, FIG. 22B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 22A.
As shown in FIG. 22B, the narrow flow path i1 provided in the header 3c has a rectangular cross section. Further, in the wall surface of the header 3c constituting the narrow flow path i1, the distance L1 between the pair of first wall surfaces n1 and n1 perpendicular to the direction in which the flat heat transfer tube 1 extends is the remaining pair of second wall surfaces. It is preferably shorter than the distance L2 between n2 and n2 (L1 <L2). More specifically, it is preferable that the distance L1 is 1 mm or more and 3 mm or less, and the distance L2 is 10 mm or more and 20 mm or less. As a result, the flow velocity of the refrigerant is increased in the process of the refrigerant rising through the narrow flow path i1 having a relatively small cross-sectional area.

According to such a configuration, the plurality of refrigerant flow paths 12 provided in the flat heat transfer tube 1 and the narrow flow paths i1 can be communicated with each other. Further, by making the flow path cross-sectional area of the narrow flow path i1 relatively small, the speed of the refrigerant rising through the narrow flow path i1 can be increased. Therefore, the momentum guides the refrigerant to the upper part of the header 3c.

For example, when the heat exchanger 10A functions as an evaporator, the gaseous refrigerant blown upward through the narrow flow path i1 and the refrigerant flowing through the bypass pipe 40A are above the narrow flow path i1. Meet at. A part of the refrigerant that has flowed into the narrow flow path i1 via the bypass pipe 40A flows into the flat heat transfer tube 1 having a relatively high height position as it is, and the rest descends through the narrow flow path i1.

In the process of merging the refrigerant descending through the narrow flow path i1 and the refrigerant rising from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 via the narrow flow path i1, a velocity component for moving the refrigerant in the lateral direction is generated. As a result, the refrigerant easily flows into the flat heat transfer tube 1 whose height position is near the middle. As a result, the drift of the refrigerant in the height direction is improved, and the refrigerant is distributed substantially evenly to the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1.

Although FIG. 22A shows an example in which the number of flat heat transfer tubes 1 connected to the header 3c is 14, the number is not limited to this, and other numbers (for example, 8) may be used. Further, in addition to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, a bypass pipe 40A may be installed in the refrigerant outlet pipe 33.

Further, the connection position at the downstream end of the bypass pipe 40A is not limited to the example of FIG. 22A. For example, in the height direction, the bypass pipe may be connected to the intermediate portion of the header 3c (that is, near the intermediate position in the height direction). That is, a bypass pipe may be provided to guide the refrigerant that diverges to itself through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 to the intermediate portion of the narrow flow path i1 in the height direction. According to such a configuration, a large amount of refrigerant locally flows through the flat heat transfer tube 1 in the middle portion in the height direction. Therefore, in the wind speed distribution of the air passing through the gap between the fins 2 of the heat exchanger 10A, when the wind speed is high in the middle portion in the height direction of the heat exchanger 10A, the heat exchange of the refrigerant is performed by the above configuration. High efficiency can be achieved.

(Example 11)
FIG. 23 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the header 3c in the heat exchanger 10B of the eleventh embodiment according to the third embodiment.
In the example shown in FIG. 23, the bypass pipe 40B includes connecting pipes 41 and 42 and pipe joints 43 and 44. Then, the connecting pipes 41 and 42 are connected in an L shape via the pipe joint 43. Further, the lower end of the bypass pipe 40B and the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 are connected via another pipe joint 44.

According to such a configuration, the entire heat exchanger 10B can be brazed all at once, and the horizontal connection pipe 42 and the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 are brazed in a state of being connected to the header 3c. Later, it is also possible to burner the connecting pipe 41 in the vertical direction. Therefore, it becomes easy to connect each pipe while preventing interference of a housing (not shown) such as an outdoor unit. As described above, according to the eleventh embodiment, the degree of freedom in manufacturing the heat exchanger 10B is increased as compared with the tenth embodiment described above.

(Example 12)
FIG. 24 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the header 3c in the heat exchanger 10C of the twelfth embodiment according to the third embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 24, the bypass pipe 40C includes connecting pipes 41C and 42. Further, the height position of the lower end of the bypass pipe 40C is lower than that of the lower surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. The configuration of such a bypass pipe 40C will be described with reference to FIG. 25A and the like below.

FIG. 25A is a side view of the connection pipe 41C of the bypass pipe included in the heat exchanger of the twelfth embodiment according to the third embodiment. That is, FIG. 25A is a side view seen from the line VI-VI of FIG. 24.
As shown in FIG. 25A, the connection pipe 41C included in the bypass pipe 40C (see FIG. 24) has a U-shaped bent portion 411C near the connection portion with the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. The bent portion 411C includes a portion whose height position is lower than that of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and is connected to the lower surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.

Further, the connecting pipe 41C has another bent portion 412C in the middle portion of the height position so that the position of the connecting pipe 42 (see FIG. 24) in the horizontal direction is directly above the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. There is. Such a connecting pipe 41C is formed by bending a straight pipe.

FIG. 25B is an explanatory view showing a cross section of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 when the circulation amount of the refrigerant is relatively large in the heat exchanger of the twelfth embodiment according to the third embodiment.
When the amount of circulation of the refrigerant is relatively large and the flow velocity is high, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 in a so-called cyclic flow mode. That is, the liquid refrigerant flows near the inner wall surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, while the gas refrigerant (or gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant) flows near the center of the cross section of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.

When the refrigerant flows in such a circular flow, the liquid refrigerant flows substantially uniformly in the circumferential direction of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. Therefore, for example, even if the bypass pipe 40A is connected to the upper surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 (Example 10: see FIG. 21), or even if the bypass pipe 40C is connected to the lower surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 (the present invention). Example 12: see FIG. 25A), the refrigerant is properly guided to the bypass pipe.

FIG. 25C is an explanatory view showing a cross section of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 when the circulation amount of the refrigerant is relatively small in the heat exchanger of the twelfth embodiment according to the third embodiment.
When the circulation amount of the refrigerant is relatively small and the flow velocity is slow, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 in a so-called layered flow or wavy flow mode. That is, due to the influence of gravity, the liquid refrigerant flows unevenly under the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.

Here, in the heat exchanger 10C (see FIG. 24) of the twelfth embodiment, as described above, the upstream end of the bent portion 411C of the bypass pipe 40C (see FIG. 24) is connected to the lower surface of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. ing. Therefore, even when the flow velocity of the refrigerant is slow, the liquid refrigerant flows into the U-shaped bent portion 411C due to gravity. Then, the liquid refrigerant that has flowed into the bent portion 411C rises in the form of a mist while being accompanied by the gas refrigerant that is blown up through the bypass pipe 40C. Therefore, according to the twelfth embodiment, the liquid refrigerant is appropriately guided to the upper part of the header 3c (see FIG. 24) even when the circulation amount of the refrigerant is small.

(Example 13)
FIG. 26 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10D of the thirteenth embodiment according to the third embodiment in the vicinity of the header 30c.
The refrigerant inlet pipe 30 shown in FIG. 26 is a pipe that guides the refrigerant to the upper part of the narrow flow path i1 and is connected to the upper part of the header 3c. The bypass pipe 40D is a pipe that guides the refrigerant that diverges to itself through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 to the lower part of the narrow flow path i1 in the height direction. The bypass pipe 40D has a configuration in which a connecting pipe 41 extending in the vertical direction and a connecting pipe 42 extending in the horizontal direction are connected in an L shape. The upstream end (upper end of the connecting pipe 41) of the bypass pipe 40D is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and the downstream end is connected to the lower part of the header 3c.

According to such a configuration, a part of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is guided to the upper part of the narrow flow path i1 of the header 3c. Further, the rest of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 descends through the bypass pipe 40D, and is further blown up through the narrow flow path i1. In the process of merging the refrigerant that blows up through the narrow flow path i1 and the refrigerant that descends from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 through the narrow flow path i1, a velocity component that moves the refrigerant in the lateral direction is generated. As a result, the refrigerant easily flows into the flat heat transfer tube 1 whose height position is near the middle.

Further, according to the thirteenth embodiment, while guiding the refrigerant to the vicinity of the middle of the height position and the flat heat transfer pipe 1 on the lower side, a relatively large amount of refrigerant is applied to the flat heat transfer pipe 1 on the upper side via the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. It can be passed through. Therefore, the configuration of Example 13 is particularly effective when the wind speed of the air flowing through the upper part of the heat exchanger 10D is relatively high.

The connection position at the downstream end of the bypass pipe 40D is not limited to the example of FIG. 26. For example, the bypass pipe 40D may be connected to the intermediate portion of the header 3c so that the refrigerant flowing through the bypass pipe 40D is guided to the intermediate portion of the narrow flow path i1 in the height direction.

Further, instead of the configuration of FIG. 26, although not shown, one end is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30, and a plurality of bypass pipes are provided on the other end side so as to have different height positions. You may. In the bypass pipe described above, the flow paths on the other end side that are branched into a plurality of branches communicate with the narrow flow path i1. For example, a part of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 connected to the upper part of the header 3c is divided into two through the bypass pipe described above, and is guided to each of the lower part and the middle part of the narrow flow path i1. You may be able to do it. According to such a configuration, the refrigerant is appropriately distributed in the height direction based on the wind speed distribution of the air passing through the gaps of the fins 2.

(Example 14)
FIG. 27A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10E of the 14th embodiment according to the third embodiment in the vicinity of the header 3E.
As shown in FIG. 27A, the heat exchanger 10E includes a plate-shaped partition member 45 that partitions the space in the header 3E into a narrow flow path i1 and a bypass flow path i2. The partition member 45 is an elongated rectangular plate, and is arranged in the header 3E so that the plate surface is parallel to the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 27A, of the two spaces partitioned by the partition member 45, the space on the flat heat transfer tube 1 side functions as the narrow flow path i1, and the space on the opposite side functions as the bypass flow path i2. In the partition member 45, a hole h31 (first hole) is provided at a position (lower part) corresponding to the connection point of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. The refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is inserted into this hole 31. Then, the refrigerant is guided to the narrow flow path i1 via the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.

Further, a hole h32 for guiding the refrigerant to the bypass flow path i2 is provided on the upper surface near the downstream end of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. Further, a hole h4 (second hole) is provided in the upper part of the partition member 45. The narrow flow path i1 and the bypass flow path i2 communicate with each other through the hole h4.

In this way, in the partition member 45, a hole h31 (first hole) is provided at a connection point with the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 that guides the refrigerant to the narrow flow path i1, and a hole is provided at a position different in height from the hole h31. h4 (second hole) is provided. Then, a part of the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is guided to the flat heat transfer pipe 1 through the hole h32, the bypass flow path i2, the hole h4, and the narrow flow path i1 in that order. ..

According to such a configuration, the diameters of the holes 31 and h4 of the partition member 45 are appropriately adjusted at the design stage based on the pressure loss when the refrigerant flows through the holes h31 and h4. Has been done. Thereby, the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the narrow flow path i1 and the flow rate of the refrigerant flowing through the bypass flow path i2 can be adjusted. Further, the structure of the heat exchanger 10E can be simplified and made compact.

FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 10E of the 14th embodiment according to the third embodiment in the vicinity of the header 3E. That is, FIG. 27B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 27A.
In the example shown in FIG. 27B, the narrow flow path i1 and the bypass flow path i2 each have a rectangular shape in a cross-sectional view. Further, although the cross-sectional area of the narrow flow path i1 is larger than that of the bypass flow path i2, the magnitude relationship may be reversed.

In addition to the configurations shown in FIGS. 27A and 27B, for example, the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 may be connected to the upper part of the header 3E. Then, the hole h31 may be provided at a position corresponding to the connection point of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 in the partition member 45, and the hole h4 may be provided in the lower portion (or the intermediate portion) of the partition member 45.

(Example 15)
FIG. 28A is an exploded perspective view of the header 3F included in the heat exchanger of the 15th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the opposite side of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.
The side of the header 3F to which the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is connected is referred to as "one side", and the opposite side is referred to as "other side". As shown in FIG. 28A, the header 3F includes a first plate-shaped body 31F (entrance side plate-shaped body), a second plate-shaped body 32F (second member), a third plate-shaped body 33F (first member), and a first plate-shaped body. The four plate-shaped bodies 34F are sequentially laminated. These plate-shaped bodies 31F to 34F are elongated rectangular metal plates provided with a predetermined refrigerant flow path.

The first plate-shaped body 31F is a plate-shaped body in which the first refrigerant flow hole h7 is provided at a position corresponding to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. A refrigerant inlet pipe 30 is connected to one side of the first plate-shaped body 31F (see also FIG. 28B). Horizontally long insertion holes h5 and h6 into which the partition plates 35 and 36 are inserted are provided near the upper and lower ends of the first plate-shaped body 31F.

The second plate-shaped body 32F forms a bypass flow path (not shown) between itself and the first plate-shaped body 31F, and also has a narrow flow path (narrow flow path) between itself and the third plate-shaped body 33F. It is a plate-like body for forming (not shown). The second plate-shaped body 32F is laminated on the other side of the first plate-shaped body 31F.

As shown in FIG. 28A, the second plate-shaped body 32F includes a flat plate portion 321 and a first convex portion 322, a pair of second convex portions 323 and 323, and a pair of engaging portions 324 and 324. , These are integrally formed.
The flat plate portion 321 is an elongated rectangular thin plate portion whose plate surface is flat.
The first convex portion 322 is a portion that is abutted against one end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1 (see FIG. 28C), and projects from the flat plate portion 321 to the other side. The first convex portion 322 is provided at the center of the second plate-shaped body 32F in the width direction and extends in the height direction.

FIG. 28B is an exploded perspective view of the header 3F included in the heat exchanger of the 15th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the side of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.
As shown in FIG. 28B, the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323 project to one side from the flat plate portion 321 and extend in the height direction. Further, the tips of the second convex portions 323 and 323 are abutted against the other side surface of the first plate-shaped body 31F (entrance side plate-shaped body). That is, the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323 have a function of forming the above-mentioned "bypass flow path" while keeping the distance between the first plate-shaped body 31F and the second plate-shaped body 32F constant. doing.

Between the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323, a second refrigerant passage hole h8 through which the refrigerant flows is provided in the upper portion of the flat plate portion 321. Further, in the lower part of the flat plate portion 321, another second refrigerant flow hole h9 through which the refrigerant flows is provided between the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323. The flat plate portion 321 may be provided with a "second refrigerant flow hole" at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion.

The refrigerant that passes through the gap between the groove u1 (see FIG. 28C) between the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323 and the other surface of the first plate-shaped body 31F is the second refrigerant. It is guided to the "narrow flow path" through the through holes h8 and h9. The above-mentioned "narrow flow path" is a gap between the second plate-shaped body 32F and the third plate-shaped body 33F.

The pair of engaging portions 324 and 324 included in the second plate-shaped body 32F are portions that engage with the stepped portions t1 and t1 of the third plate-shaped body 33F, and project from the flat plate portion 321 to the other side. The pair of engaging portions 324 and 324 are provided at both ends in the width direction of the second plate-shaped body 32F, and extend in the height direction.

FIG. 28C is an exploded view of the header 3F included in the heat exchanger of the 15th embodiment according to the third embodiment when the header 3F cut in the cross section including the flat heat transfer tube 1 is viewed from directly above.
As shown in FIG. 28C, the first convex portion 322 is provided between the pair of engaging portions 324 and 324 in the width direction (the vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. 28C), and has a triangular shape in a plan view. Then, the tip of the first convex portion 322 is abutted against one end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1.

From another point of view, two grooves u2 and u2 are formed between the pair of engaging portions 324 and 324 and the first convex portion 322. Then, the gap between the third plate-shaped body 33F and the grooves u2 and u2 functions as a narrow flow path (not shown) for guiding the refrigerant. In this way, the gap between one surface of the third plate-shaped body 33F (first member) and the other side surface of the second plate-shaped body 32F (second member) is a "narrow flow path". "(: Not shown).

Further, the projection surface M1 (FIG. 28B) when the first refrigerant flow hole h7 (see FIG. 28A) of the first plate-shaped body 31F (inlet-side plate-shaped body) is projected onto the second plate-shaped body 32F (second member). (See) has a plate surface on one side of the second plate-shaped body 32F. As a result, the refrigerant directed to the second plate-shaped body 32F through the first refrigerant flow hole h7 vigorously collides with the plate surface on one side of the second plate-shaped body 32F and is diffused. Therefore, the refrigerant is likely to be evenly distributed in the height direction.
The above-mentioned "projection" means that the region of the first refrigerant flow hole h7 is transferred (projected) to the plate surface of the second plate-shaped body 32F in the axial direction of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30. ..

The third plate-shaped body 33F (first member) is a plate-shaped body laminated on the other side of the second plate-shaped body 32F (second member). The third plate-shaped body 33F is provided with eight holes h10 through which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted at predetermined intervals in the height direction. Similarly, the fourth plate-shaped body 34F is also provided with eight holes h11 through which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted.

Then, as shown by the arrows in FIGS. 28A and 28B, the refrigerant that has collided with the projection surface M1 of the second plate-shaped body 32F and diffused is divided into upper and lower parts, and the first plate-shaped body 31F and the second plate-shaped body 31F and the second plate-shaped body. It passes through a gap (bypass flow path: not shown) between the body and the body 32F. The refrigerant flowing upward through the bypass flow path flows into the upper flat heat transfer tube 1 (see FIG. 28C) through the second refrigerant flow hole h8 on the upper side of the second plate-shaped body 32F.

On the other hand, the refrigerant flowing downward through the bypass flow path (not shown) passes through the second plate-shaped body 32F and the third plate through the second refrigerant flow hole h9 on the lower side of the second plate-shaped body 32F. It flows into the gap (narrow flow path: not shown) between the body 33F. Then, in the process of ascending the narrow flow path having a relatively small flow path cross-sectional area, the refrigerant is appropriately distributed to the lower, middle, and upper flat heat transfer tubes 1. As described above, according to the fifteenth embodiment, the drift of the refrigerant in the height direction is improved, and the refrigerant is distributed substantially evenly to the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1.

Further, according to the fifteenth embodiment, since the first plate-shaped body 31F, the second plate-shaped body 32F, the third plate-shaped body 33F, and the fourth plate-shaped body 34F are sequentially laminated, the lamination thereof. The thickness of the header 3F in the direction becomes relatively thin. Therefore, the header 3F can be made compact. Further, since the above-mentioned four plate-shaped bodies may be laminated and brazed all at once, the labor and cost required for manufacturing the header 3F can be reduced.

(Example 16)
FIG. 29A is an exploded perspective view of the header 3G included in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the opposite side of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.
The header 3G shown in FIG. 29A includes a first plate-shaped body 31G (entrance side plate-shaped body), a second plate-shaped body 32G (second member), a third plate-shaped body 33G (first member), and a fourth plate-shaped body. The 34G and the fifth plate-shaped body 35G are sequentially laminated. These plate-shaped bodies 31G to 35G are elongated rectangular metal plates provided with a predetermined refrigerant flow path.

The configurations of the first plate-shaped body 31G, the fourth plate-shaped body 34G, and the fifth plate-shaped body 35G of Example 16 are in this order, the first plate-shaped body 31F of Example 15 (see FIG. 28A). , The third plate-shaped body 33F, and the fourth plate-shaped body 34F. Therefore, in Example 16, the description of the first plate-shaped body 31G, the fourth plate-shaped body 34G, and the fifth plate-shaped body 35G is omitted, and the remaining second plate-shaped body 32G and the third plate-shaped body 33G are referred to. explain.

As shown in FIG. 29A, the second plate-shaped body 32G includes a flat plate portion 321 and a first convex portion 322, and a pair of engaging portions 324 and 324, which are integrally formed. Since the flat plate portion 321 and the first convex portion 322 and the pair of engaging portions 324 and 324 are the same as those in the 15th embodiment (see FIG. 28A), the description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 29A, one surface of the second plate-shaped body 32G is flat. That is, in this Example 16, the pair of second convex portions 323 and 323 (see FIG. 28A) described in the 15th embodiment are not provided. Then, the plate surface on the other side of the first plate-shaped body 31G and the plate surface on one side of the second plate-shaped body 32G are brazed in close contact with each other.

Further, in the second plate-shaped body 32G, holes h12 are provided at locations corresponding to the first refrigerant flow holes h7 of the first plate-shaped body 31G. In the hole h12, the refrigerant flowing from the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 through the first refrigerant flow hole h7 is referred to as a second plate-shaped body 32G (second member) and a third plate-shaped body 33G (first member). It is a hole for leading to a gap (narrow flow path) between them.

FIG. 29B is an exploded perspective view of the header 3G included in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when viewed from the side of the refrigerant inlet pipe 30.
As shown in FIG. 29B, in the third plate-shaped body 33G, the projection surface corresponding to the first refrigerant flow hole h7 (see FIG. 29A) of the first plate-shaped body 31G and the hole h12 of the second plate-shaped body 32G. M2 has a plate surface on one side of the third plate-shaped body 33G. Then, the refrigerant that sequentially passes through the first refrigerant flow hole h7 (see FIG. 29A) and the hole h12 collides with the projection surface M2 and is diffused.

In the third plate-shaped body 33G, flat holes h13 are provided at locations corresponding to the upper six of the eight flat heat transfer tubes 1 (see FIG. 29C). Further, in the third plate-shaped body 33G, the portion corresponding to the two lower flat heat transfer tubes 1 (see FIG. 29C) is a rectangular recess u3 (FIG. 29A) recessed on one side when viewed from the other side. See). The projection surface M2 (see FIG. 29B) is present on the back surface (one side surface) of the recess u3.

Then, the refrigerant passing through the gap (narrow flow path) between the second plate-shaped body 32G and the third plate-shaped body 33G passes through the upper six holes h13, and a part of them passes through the recesses u3 and the fourth. It descends through the gap between it and the plate-shaped body 34G. Further, the refrigerant that has flowed into the gap between the recess u3 and the fourth plate-shaped body 34G is guided to the two flat heat transfer tubes 1 on the lower side.

FIG. 29C is an exploded view of the header 3G included in the heat exchanger of the 16th embodiment according to the third embodiment when the header 3G cut in the cross section including the flat heat transfer tube 1 is viewed from directly above.
As shown in FIG. 29C, the tip of the first convex portion 322 is abutted against one end surface of the flat heat transfer tube 1. Then, as in the fifteenth embodiment, a pair of grooves u2 and u2 through which the refrigerant flows are formed between the first convex portion 322 and the pair of engaging portions 324 and 324.

According to the 16th embodiment, in the configuration in which the first plate-shaped body 31G and the second plate-shaped body 32G are brought into close contact with each other, the refrigerant collides with the projection surface M2 (see FIG. 29B) of the third plate-shaped body 33G. The refrigerant after diffusion can be appropriately distributed to each flat heat transfer tube 1.

(Example 17)
FIG. 30 is a front view of the heat exchanger 10H of the 17th embodiment according to the third embodiment.
In the example shown in FIG. 30, the header 3H has a configuration in which two headers 3c (see FIG. 21) of the tenth embodiment are stacked in the vertical direction and integrated. A partition plate N for partitioning the narrow flow path i1 inside the header 3H into upper and lower portions is provided at an intermediate position in the height direction of the header 3H.

Further, in the header 3H, the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the bypass pipe 40A similar to those in the tenth embodiment are connected to the upper side of the partition plate N. Similarly, in the header 3H, the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the bypass pipe 40A are also connected to the lower side of the partition plate N. Then, the refrigerant guided to the flat heat transfer pipe 1 via the header 3H is guided to the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 via the header 3H on the downstream side and the connecting pipe 46 in sequence.

According to such a configuration, by integrally forming the header 3H, the number of parts can be reduced as compared with the tenth embodiment (see FIG. 21), and the rigidity of the heat exchanger 10H can be increased. Also, there is little possibility that damaging because fins 2 portrait was that are integrally formed, the drainage of condensed water.

(Example 18)
FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the heat exchanger K3 according to the third embodiment.
The heat exchanger K3 shown in FIG. 31 includes a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1, a plurality of fins 2, headers 3x, 3y, and a bypass tube 40A. The heat exchanger K3 has a configuration in which the bypass pipe 40A of the third embodiment (see FIG. 21) is connected to the header 3y of the first embodiment (see FIG. 1).

That is, the refrigerant is below the narrow flow path 38 (see FIG. 5) between the flat tube side header member 31x (first member: see FIG. 5) and the combination header member 34x (second member: see FIG. 5). The bypass pipe 40A is connected to the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 that guides the pipe. The bypass pipe 40A has a function of guiding the refrigerant that diverges to itself through the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 to the upper part (or intermediate portion) of the narrow flow path 38 in the height direction. According to such a configuration, the refrigerant can be distributed substantially evenly to each of the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 arranged in the vertical direction.

In addition to Example 10, the configurations of Examples 11 to 14 and 17 are also applicable to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1) and also to the second embodiment (see FIG. 11B and the like). It is possible. For example, applying Example 14 to the first embodiment, a plate-shaped partition that divides the space between the "first member" and the "second member" into a narrow flow path i1 and a bypass flow path i2. The structure may be such that the member 45 is provided.

Further, the wall surface of the flat tube side header member 31x (first member: see FIG. 5) constituting the narrow flow path 38 (see FIG. 5) of the heat exchanger K3, and the combination header member 34x (second member: FIG. 5). It is preferable that the following relationship is established on the wall surface of (see). That is, the distance between the pair of first wall surfaces perpendicular to the direction in which the flat heat transfer tube 1 extends is 1 mm or more and 3 mm or less, and the distance between the remaining pair of second wall surfaces is 10 mm or more. It is preferably 20 mm or less. According to such a configuration, it is possible to increase the flow velocity of the refrigerant ascending through the narrow flow path 38 having a relatively small flow path cross-sectional area.

<< 1st reference form >>
FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger K according to the first reference embodiment.
The heat exchanger K is a parallel flow type heat exchanger. The heat exchanger K includes headers 5x and 5y, a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1, and a large number of fins 2.

That is, the heat exchanger K includes a heat exchanger core portion Kc having a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 and a large number of fins 2, and headers 5x and 5y.
A plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 are provided in the vertical direction.

The headers 5x and 5y are members for distributing the refrigerant flowing into themselves to the flat heat transfer tubes 1 arranged in the vertical direction and for merging the refrigerants flowing out from the flat heat transfer tubes 1, and have a vertically long shape. ing.

For example, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 32, when the refrigerant is flowing into one of the headers 5y, the refrigerant is distributed from the header 5y to each flat heat transfer tube 1. Then, the refrigerant flowing out from each flat heat transfer tube 1 joins at the other header 5x. Alternatively, when the refrigerant is flowing into the other header 5x, the refrigerant is distributed from the header 5x to each flat heat transfer tube 1, and the refrigerant flowing out from each flat heat transfer tube 1 joins in one header 5y.

<Structure of header 5x>
Since the header 5x and the header 5y have a symmetrical shape and have the same configuration, the configuration of the header 5x will be described, and the description of the configuration of the header 5y will be omitted.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the header 5x of the heat exchanger K according to the first reference embodiment as viewed from diagonally above.
The header 5x includes a duct 51, a home header 52, and a soto header 53.

<Partition plates 14a, 14b>
A partition plate 14a is provided above the uppermost flat heat transfer tube 1 among the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 of the header 5x. Further, a partition plate 14b is provided below the lowermost flat heat transfer tube 1 among the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 of the header 5x.

FIG. 34A is an exploded perspective view of the header 5x of the heat exchanger according to the first reference embodiment, and FIG. 34B is a view taken along the line VII of the duct 51 of FIG. 34A.
The partition plates 14a and 14b are each formed of sheet metal into a plate shape.

The partition plate 14a has a rectangular insertion portion 14a1 and a stopper portion 14a2 protruding outward. Similarly, the partition plate 14b has a rectangular insertion portion 14b1 and a stopper portion 14b2 protruding outward.
The insertion portions 14a1 and 14b1 are in contact with and sealed on the inner surface of the soto header 53, the inner surface of the duct 51, and the inner surface of the home header 52, respectively.

As a result, the partition plates 14a and 14b suppress the outflow of the refrigerant inside each of the duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53, respectively. Further, the partition plates 14a and 14b suppress the outside air from flowing into each of the duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53.

<Duct 51>
The duct 51 shown in FIGS. 33 and 34A is a member for distributing the refrigerant in which the refrigerant flows into the flat heat transfer tube 1 and the refrigerant flows out from the flat heat transfer tube 1.
The duct 51 has a shape having a long and flat cross section in the vertical direction. The duct 51 is formed by sheet metal or extrusion using, for example, an aluminum or aluminum alloy plate.

35A is an arrow view in the VIII direction of FIG. 32, FIG. 35B is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX of FIG. 35A, and FIG. 35C is an enlarged view of part Q1 of FIG. 35B.

36A is a top view of the heat exchanger K according to the first reference embodiment, FIG. 36B is a sectional view taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 36A, and FIG. 36C is an enlarged view of the Q2 portion of FIG. 36B.

As shown in FIGS. 35C and 36B, the duct 51 is formed so that the flow path hole 51a through which the refrigerant flows penetrates in the vertical direction.
The flow path hole 51a has a flat rectangular cross section (FIGS. 35C and 36A) so that the cross-sectional area is reduced in order to form a narrow channel portion.

When the refrigerant passes through the flow path hole 51a inside the duct 51, the flow path hole 51a is a narrow flow path and the cross-sectional area is small, so that the volume in the length direction is large and the flow velocity is large.

As shown in FIG. 36C, the duct 51 is continuous with the flow path hole 51a through the opening 51b with respect to the refrigerant flow path 12 (also referred to as a through hole) of each flat heat transfer tube 1. As shown in FIG. 36B, the duct 51 is formed with the same number of openings 51b as the flat heat transfer tube 1.
Then, as shown in FIG. 35C, the width dimension s2 of the opening 51b of the duct 51 is smaller than the width dimension s1 of the flat heat transfer tube 1.

As shown in FIG. 36C, the opening 51b has a height dimension s4 smaller than the thickness dimension s3 of the flat heat transfer tube 1. Then, as shown in FIGS. 35C and 36C, the flat heat transfer tube 1 is brought into contact with the opening 51b of the duct 51, and the flat heat transfer tube 1 is positioned with respect to the duct 51.

As shown in FIGS. 34A and 34B, insertion holes 51c1 and 51c2 through which the insertion portion 14a1 of the upper partition plate 14a penetrates are formed in the upper part of the duct 51. Insertion holes 51c3 and 51c4 through which the insertion portion 14b1 of the lower partition plate 14b penetrates are formed in the lower part of the duct 51. As a result, the partition plates 14a and 14b can be inserted into the soto header 53 and the duct 51.

<Uchiheader 52>
The Uchiheader 52 shown in FIG. 33 is a member for fixing a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 to the duct 51.

As shown in FIG. 34A, the Uchiheader 52 is a member having a flat substantially U-shaped cross section and a long shape in the vertical direction. The Uchiheader 52 is made of sheet metal using, for example, an aluminum or an aluminum alloy plate.
The Uchiheader 52 has a central plate 52c and a side plate 52a and a side plate 52b that are continuous with the side ends of the central plate 52c.

An insertion hole 52d through which each flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted is formed in the central plate 52c of the home header 52. That is, the central plate 52c of the Uchiheader 52 is formed with the same number of insertion holes 52d as the flat heat transfer tube 1.
Since the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted, the insertion hole 52d has a size slightly larger than the outer diameter of the flat heat transfer tube 1. The insertion hole 52d is formed, for example, by burring so that the direction of the burrs faces the direction in which the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted.

The width dimension s5 (FIG. 34A) of the home header 52 is formed to be substantially the same as the width dimension s6 (FIG. 34A) of the duct 51. As a result, as shown in FIG. 35C, the home header 52 and the duct 51 can be fixed by the soto header 53.

<Soto header 53>
As shown in FIGS. 33 and 35C, the soto header 53 is a member for abutting and fixing the flat heat transfer tube 1 to the duct 51 together with the home header 52.

As shown in FIG. 34A, the soto header 53 is a member having a substantially M-shaped cross section and long in the vertical direction. The sotoheader 53 is made of sheet metal using, for example, an aluminum or aluminum alloy plate.
The soto header 53 has a central plate 53a having a concave shape at the center and a pair of flat plate-shaped side plates 53b and 53c continuous at both side ends of the central plate 53a. In the central plate 53a, the center is bent to form a bent portion 53am, and the top line 53a1 (see FIG. 35C) forming the apex of the concave portion having a substantially M-shaped cross section extends in the vertical direction and is formed in a straight line. There is.

As shown in FIG. 34A, the dimension s7 between the side plates 53b and 53c of the soto header 53 is set to be slightly larger than the width dimension s6 (FIG. 34A) of the duct 51 and the width dimension s5 (FIG. 34A) of the home header 52.
In this way, the soto header 53 is not formed into a simple rectangular structure but has a substantially M-shaped cross section, and is in contact with both the short side side surfaces 51s1 and 51s2 (FIG. 34A) of the duct 51 and the long side side surface 51s3 (FIG. In all of 34A), at least one point (top line 53a1) is in contact with the cross section (FIG. 35C).

As a result, as shown in FIG. 35C, when the duct 51 and the soto header 53 are assembled, the duct 51 does not come into contact with the bending radius portions 53r1 and 53r2 of the sotoheader 53. Therefore, the duct 51 and the soto header 53 can be accurately positioned.

As shown in FIG. 34A, the soto header 53 is formed with a partition plate insertion hole 53d into which the partition plate 14a is inserted in order to determine the flow path pattern of the ratio refrigerant that partitions the header in the vertical direction and to form a space. ing. The stopper portion 14a2 of the partition plate 14a is fitted into the partition plate insertion hole 53d. Further, a partition plate insertion hole 53e into which the partition plate 14b is inserted is formed in the lower portion of the soto header 53. The stopper portion 14b2 of the partition plate 14b is fitted into the partition plate insertion hole 53e.

It is desirable that the duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53 are made of the same material or have substantially the same thermal conductivity. This is to prevent brazing defects due to uneven heating due to differences in thermal conductivity and heat capacity when brazing in a furnace is performed during manufacturing. Therefore, as described above, the duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53 are formed by using aluminum or an aluminum alloy. The duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53 may be made of other metals.

<Example of manufacturing method of heat exchanger K>
Next, an example of the manufacturing method of the heat exchanger K will be described. In addition, you may assemble by the method other than the following.

A brazing material is attached to the outer surface 52a1 of the side plate 52a of the Uchiheader 52 and the outer surface 52b1 of the side plate 52b shown in FIG. 34A. Further, the inner surface 53b1 of the side plate 53b of the soto header 53 and the inner surface 53c1 of the side plate 53c are joined by welding such as brazing.
Further, the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 and a large number of fins 2 are joined by welding such as brazing. For these joinings, it is preferable to select a material having a brazing material layer on the surface of one of the members because brazing in the furnace can be selected.

Then, the flat heat transfer tube 1 and the insertion holes 52d of the home header 52 on the header 5x side and the flat heat transfer tube 1 are joined by welding such as brazing. When processing the Uchiheader 52 from a plate material, it is desirable to select aluminum or an aluminum alloy having a brazing material layer on the outer surface side of the Uchiheader 52 on the central plate 52c or the side plate 52b side. Here, since the brazing material is not attached to the duct 51, it is possible to prevent the brazing material from blocking the opening 51b of the duct 51 and the hole h of the flat heat transfer tube 1.

Then, the home header 52 and the duct 51 are brought into contact with each other, and the soto header 53 is brought into contact with the home header 52 and the duct 51 from the outside.
Then, the flat heat transfer tube 1 through which a large number of fins 2 are inserted is inserted into each insertion hole 52d of the home header 52 and brought into contact with the opening 51b of the duct 51 so that the refrigerant flows (FIG. 36C).

Similar to the header 5x, the header 5y and the flat heat transfer tube 1 through which a large number of fins 2 are inserted are assembled.
In this way, the heat exchanger K shown in FIG. 32 is assembled, placed in a furnace, heated, and brazed.
After that, the upper partition plate 14a and the lower partition plate 14b are inserted into the insertion holes 51c1, 51c2 and the insertion holes 51c3, 51c4 on the header 5x side and the header 5y side, whereby the heat exchanger K shown in FIG. 32 is inserted. Is completed.

According to the above configuration, the number of parts of the headers 5x and 5y can be composed of four types, including the partition plates 14a and 14b, the duct 51, the home header 52, and the soto header 53. That is, the number of parts is unlikely to increase significantly in order to improve the distribution of the refrigerant.

By increasing the flow velocity of the refrigerant by the duct 51 having the flow path hole 51a of the narrow flow path portion, the refrigerant flows smoothly to the upper part even when gravity acts, so that the distribution of the refrigerant can be improved. The shape of the M-shaped soto header 53 is substantially M-shaped in the duct 51, and the top line 53a1 is abutted against the duct 51 so that the duct 51 comes into contact with the bent R portions 53r1 and 53r2 of the sotoheader 53. This can be avoided, and the positioning of the home header 52, the duct 51, the soto header 53, and the flat heat transfer tube 1 can be facilitated.

That is, the headers 5x and 5y can be positioned by forming the soto header 53 into an M shape. With this configuration, the position accuracy of the headers 5x and 5y can be obtained without increasing an extra space in the headers 5x and 5y.
Further, since the flat heat transfer tube 1 is used as the heat transfer tube, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved.

From the above, it is possible to provide headers 5x and 5y, which are refrigerant distributors having good refrigerant distribution, saving members, and having ease of assembly.
Therefore, it is possible to realize a heat exchanger K (FIG. 31) having a header type refrigerant distributor (header 5x, 5y) having a simple structure and cost saving and good distribution, and an air conditioner including the heat exchanger K (FIG. 31).

<< Modification example of the first reference form >>
FIG. 37 is a perspective view showing the heat exchanger K10 according to the modified example of the first reference embodiment.
The heat exchanger K10 of the modified example is a combination of two heat exchangers K described in the first reference embodiment arranged side by side.

Since the other configurations are the same as those of the first reference embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.
The heat exchanger K10 includes a first heat exchanger K11 and a second heat exchanger K12 having the same configuration as the heat exchanger K of the first reference embodiment.

The first heat exchanger K11 includes a header 5x1 having the same configuration as the header 5x and a header (not shown) having the same configuration as the header 5y.
The header 5x1 includes a duct 51, a home header 52, and a soto header 53. Partition plates 14a and 14b are inserted into the upper and lower parts of the header 5x1 to seal them.

A flat heat transfer tube 1 having a large number of fins 2 is abutted against an opening (not shown) of the duct 51. As a result, the refrigerant can flow to and from the duct 51 through the flat heat transfer tube 1.
The second heat exchanger K12 includes a header 5x2 having the same configuration as the header 5x and a header (not shown) having the same configuration as the header 5y.

The header 5x2 includes a duct 51, a home header 52, and a soto header 53. Partition plates 14a and 14b are inserted into the upper and lower parts of the header 5x2 to seal them.
A flat heat transfer tube 1 having a large number of fins 2 is abutted against an opening (not shown) of the duct 51. As a result, the refrigerant can flow to and from the duct 51 through the flat heat transfer tube 1.

The first heat exchanger K11 and the second heat exchanger K12 may be connected to each other.
According to the above configuration, since the first heat exchanger K11 and the second heat exchanger K12 are arranged side by side, the refrigerant can be distributed more satisfactorily. In addition, the amount of heat exchange is improved.

In the modified example, the case where the two first heat exchangers K11 and the second heat exchanger K12 are arranged side by side has been described, but three or more may be arranged side by side. The amount of heat exchange increases as the number of heat exchangers K arranged side by side increases.
Further, in the first reference embodiment, the configuration in which the Uchiheader 52 and the Sotoheader 53 are separated from each other has been described, but the Uchiheader 52 and the Sotoheader 53 may be integrally formed.

As described in the first reference embodiment, the heat exchanger has the following configuration.
That is, the heat exchanger
A heat exchanger core having fins that expand the heat transfer area on the air side and a heat transfer tube through which the refrigerant passes.
An inner header member in contact with the heat transfer tube, a duct having a duct flow path through which the refrigerant flows and having an opening for communicating the flow path of the heat transfer tube and the duct flow path, and the duct and the inner header member. It is provided with a header having an outer header member in contact with.
According to such a configuration, the refrigerant can be appropriately distributed, and a heat exchanger provided with a header having a small number of parts can be provided.

Further, in the heat exchanger, the opening preferably has a width equal to or less than the width of the heat transfer tube.
According to such a configuration, the heat transfer tube can be positioned with respect to the duct by bringing the heat transfer tube into contact with the opening of the duct.

Further, in the heat exchanger, it is preferable that the opening has a height dimension equal to or less than the thickness dimension of the heat transfer tube.
According to such a configuration, the heat transfer tube can be positioned with respect to the duct by bringing the heat transfer tube into contact with the opening of the duct.

Further, it is preferable that the outer header member and the duct are in contact with one or more points on a surface other than the side surface of the duct.
With such a configuration, the outer header member can be easily positioned with respect to the duct.

Further, it is preferable that the outer header member has a bend so that the duct does not come into contact with the corner portion of the outer header member.
According to such a configuration, the outer header member can be accurately positioned with respect to the duct.

Further, it is preferable that the duct has an insertion portion for inserting the partition plate into the outer header member.
According to such a configuration, the partition plate can be inserted into the outer header member via the insertion portion.

Further, it is preferable that the width of the inner header member and the width of the duct are substantially the same.
According to such a configuration, both sides of the inner header member and the duct can be sandwiched by the outer header member.

Further, the heat transfer tube is brought into contact with the duct so as to communicate with the opening.
The inner header member is fixed to the heat transfer tube and
The outer header member is preferably fixed to the inner header member and the duct on the outside.
According to such a configuration, the inner header member and the duct can be firmly fixed by the outer header member.

Further, the duct is directly fixed to the outer header member, and is fixed to the outer header member.
The inner header member is directly fixed to the outer header member and is fixed.
It is preferable that the duct and the inner header member are in contact with each other without being directly fixed to each other.
Such a configuration facilitates the manufacture of heat exchangers.

Further, the air conditioner may be equipped with the heat exchanger having the above-described configuration.
According to such a configuration, the refrigerant can be appropriately distributed, and an air conditioner having a header having a small number of parts can be provided.

<< Second reference form >>
FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger K2 according to the second reference embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 38, the heat exchanger K2 includes a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1, a plurality of fins 2, and headers 7x and 7y.

The flat heat transfer tube 1 is a heat transfer tube through which a refrigerant flows. The flat heat transfer tube 1 has a flat shape in a vertical cross-sectional view, and in the example shown in FIG. 38, it extends in the left-right direction. One end of the flat heat transfer tube 1 is connected to the header 7x, and the other end is connected to another header 7y. Then, the refrigerant flows through the plurality of refrigerant flow paths 12 (see FIG. 42) provided side by side inside the flat heat transfer tube 1.

The plurality of fins 2 are thin metal plates for securing a heat transfer area between the refrigerant and air, and are arranged at predetermined intervals. In the example shown in FIG. 38, a plate fin having an elongated rectangular plate surface is used as the fin 2. The fins 2 are arranged so that the plate surfaces are parallel to each other and a predetermined fin pitch is secured between the adjacent fins 2.

Each of the plurality of fins 2 is provided with an opening h15 (see FIG. 43) which is a U-shaped notch for inserting the flat heat transfer tube 1 from the side (front side). The plurality of openings h15 are provided at equal intervals in the height direction so as to correspond one-to-one with the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1. Further, the fin 2 includes a fin collar 2c (see FIG. 43) formed at the edge of the opening h15.

The matter that the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted into the opening h15 of the fin 2 from the side is included in the matter that the flat heat transfer tube 1 (heat transfer tube) is "inserted" into the fin 2.

The headers 7x and 7y are refrigerant distributors connected to a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1. The headers 7x and 7y have an elongated cylindrical shape in the height direction. Then, the refrigerant distributed from one of the headers 7x and 7y to the flat heat transfer tube 1 is guided to the other through the flat heat transfer tube 1 and merges.

In the example shown in FIG. 38, the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 for introducing and deriving the refrigerant to and from the heat exchanger K2 are connected to the header 7x. Next, the configuration of the header 7x will be described, but the same applies to the other header 7y.

In FIG. 39, in order to make it easier to understand the structure of the header 7x of the heat exchanger according to the second reference embodiment, the inner cylinder 72 and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are pulled up from the outer cylinder 71 to expose a part thereof. It is a perspective view of the state.
As shown in FIG. 39, the header 7x includes an outer cylinder 71 (cylinder body), an inner cylinder 72 (cylinder body), and intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 (cylinder body).

The outer cylinder 71 is a cylinder connected to a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 (see FIG. 40), and has an elongated cylindrical shape. The outer cylinder 71 is provided with an insertion hole h16 into which a plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 are inserted. Further, although not visible in FIG. 39, the outer cylinder 71 has a hole (not shown) into which the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 (see FIG. 38) are inserted, on the opposite side (right side) of the insertion hole h16. ).

The inner cylinder 72 has an elongated cylindrical shape, is coaxial with the outer cylinder 71, and is arranged in the outer cylinder 71. Further, the inner cylinder 72 is configured to have no holes so that the refrigerant does not leak inside the inner cylinder 72 in the radial direction.

The intermediate cylinders 73, 74, and 75 are cylinders that guide the refrigerant in a predetermined direction, and each has an elongated cylindrical shape. The intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are coaxial with the outer cylinder 71 and the inner cylinder 72, and are arranged between the outer cylinder 71 and the inner cylinder 72.

In the example shown in FIG. 39, three intermediate cylinders 73, 74, and 75 having different outer diameters and inner diameters and substantially the same length in the height direction are coaxially arranged. In the outermost intermediate cylinder 73, another insertion hole h17 is provided at a position corresponding to the insertion hole h16 of the outer cylinder 71. That is, the number of insertion holes h17 of the intermediate cylinder 73 is the same as the number of insertion holes h16 of the outer cylinder 71, and the position of the insertion holes h17 in the height direction is the same as that of the insertion holes h16. It is the same as the position in the height direction (see FIGS. 40 and 41). Then, the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted into the header 7x through the insertion holes h16 and h17 in order.

Further, although not visible in FIG. 39, an elongated hole h18 (see FIGS. 40 and 41) is provided on the opposite side (right side) of the insertion hole h17 in the intermediate cylinder 73 in the height direction. A first flow path hg elongated in the height direction is formed by the hole h18 of the intermediate cylinder 73 and the hole h19 of the intermediate cylinder 75 described below (see FIGS. 40 and 41).

The innermost intermediate cylinder 74 of the three intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 is provided with a hole h20 elongated in the circumferential direction (see also FIG. 40). The holes h20 are holes for communicating the flat heat transfer tubes 1 arranged at equal intervals in the height direction and the first flow path hg elongated in the vertical direction (see FIGS. 40 and 41). In other words, the hole h20 is a crossover flow path connecting the flat heat transfer tube 1 and the first flow path hg. Then, the refrigerant flowing from the flat heat transfer tube 1 wraps around from the front side through the hole h20 and is guided to the first flow path hg (see FIGS. 40 and 41). Depending on the mode of air conditioning operation (heating operation or cooling operation), the direction in which the refrigerant flows may be opposite.

Another intermediate cylinder 75 is arranged between the outer intermediate cylinder 73 and the inner intermediate cylinder 74. The intermediate cylinder 75 has a function of adjusting the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant flow path together with the other intermediate cylinders 73 and 74.

In the example shown in FIG. 39, in the intermediate cylinder 75, a predetermined hole h21 is provided at a position corresponding to the insertion holes h16 and h17 described above. The hole h21 has a function of guiding the refrigerant flowing from the flat heat transfer tube 1 to the hole h20 of the intermediate cylinder 74 (or vice versa). The width of the hole h21 in the circumferential direction and the height direction is slightly larger than that of the insertion holes h16 and h17, and communicates with the above-mentioned hole h20 and also communicates with the first flow path hg through the hole h20. (See FIG. 40).

Further, although not visible in FIG. 39, an elongated hole h19 (see FIGS. 40 and 41) is provided on the opposite side (right side) of the hole h21 in the intermediate cylinder 75 in the height direction. The position of the hole h19 in the circumferential direction (see FIG. 40) and the range in the height direction (see FIG. 41) are the same as those of the hole h18 of the intermediate cylinder 73.

FIG. 40 is a cross-sectional view of the flat heat transfer tube 1 and the header 7x of the heat exchanger K2 according to the second reference embodiment.
That is, the header 7x is formed on a predetermined plane that crosses the refrigerant flow path 12 of the flat heat transfer tube 1 in a state where the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are positioned in the height direction and the circumferential direction. FIG. 40 shows a cross section when cut.

As shown in FIG. 40, a plurality of "cylinders" including the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are in close contact with other "cylinders" adjacent to each other in the radial direction. For example, the outer cylinder 71 and the intermediate cylinder 73 that are adjacent to each other in the radial direction are brazed and are in close contact with each other. Further, the inner cylinder 72 and the intermediate cylinder 74 that are adjacent to each other in the radial direction are brazed and are in close contact with each other. Similarly, the intermediate cylinders 73 and 75 are also in close contact with each other, and the intermediate cylinders 74 and 75 are also in close contact with each other.

The fact that the cylinders are "closely attached" means that there is almost no gap between the cylinders adjacent to each other in the radial direction in the portions other than the holes h20, h21, h18, and h19. For example, the above-mentioned "adhesion" also includes a state in which an inner peripheral surface of a predetermined cylinder and an outer peripheral surface of another cylinder inside the predetermined cylinder are brazed and there is almost no gap between them.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 40, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, and 75 have substantially the same wall thickness. When the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy, the wall thickness thereof is 0.5 mm to 3 mm in order to secure the strength of the header 7x. It is preferably within the range.

The constituent materials and wall thicknesses of the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are not limited to those described above. Further, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 may have a wall thickness different from that of the others.

As described above, the flat heat transfer tube 1 is inserted into the insertion hole h16 of the outer cylinder 71 and the insertion hole h17 of the intermediate cylinder 73. Further, the holes h18 of the intermediate cylinder 73, the holes h20 of the intermediate cylinder 74, and the holes h21 and h19 of the intermediate cylinder 75 all communicate with the refrigerant flow path 12 of the flat heat transfer tube 1. The "refrigerant flow path" included in the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 includes holes h20, h21, h18, and h19.

As shown in FIG. 40, it is preferable that the tip of the flat heat transfer tube 1 faces the inner cylinder 72 and the width L of the flat heat transfer tube 1 is narrower than the outer diameter of the inner cylinder 72. As a result, most of the refrigerant from the flat heat transfer tube 1 to the header 7x collides with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 72, so that the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is agitated. Therefore, it becomes difficult for the refrigerant to be separated into a gas phase and a liquid phase. The refrigerant that has collided with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 72 wraps around through the hole h20 of the intermediate cylinder 74 and is guided to the first flow path hg (see FIG. 41) that is elongated in the height direction.

FIG. 41 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger K2 according to the second reference embodiment.
As described above, the intermediate cylinder 73 is provided with an elongated hole h18 in the height direction, and the intermediate cylinder 75 is provided with an elongated hole h19 in the height direction. The "first flow path hg" that guides the refrigerant in the direction parallel to the central axis R of the plurality of "cylinders" including the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 is the hole h18. It is configured to include h19.

The first flow path hg described above is provided at a position (right side) away from the insertion hole h16 of the outer cylinder 71 in the cross-sectional view of the header 7x (see FIG. 40). Therefore, when the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 or the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 (see FIG. 38) is inserted into the header 7x, the flat heat transfer pipe 1 and the fins 2 do not interfere with the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33, so that the refrigerant does not interfere with the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33. The work of connecting the inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 to the header 7x becomes easy.

Further, in a predetermined operation mode (for example, heating operation), the refrigerant flows upward through the first flow path hg. Even when the refrigerant flows upward through the first flow path hg in this way, by appropriately adjusting the cross-sectional area of the first flow path hg at the design stage (for example, narrowing the cross-sectional area), The refrigerant flows at a relatively large flow velocity through the first flow path hg. As a result, the refrigerant is distributed substantially evenly to the plurality of flat heat transfer tubes 1 provided in the height direction, so that the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger K2 can be improved as compared with the conventional case.

FIG. 42 is a partially enlarged view in which a part of the heat exchanger K2 according to the second reference embodiment is cut out.
In the example shown in FIG. 42, after the refrigerant flowing out of the flat heat transfer tube 1 collides with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 72, the circumferential direction of the intermediate cylinder 74 is shown by the curved arrow of the broken line and the curved arrow of the solid line below it. It wraps around through the hole h20 (see also FIG. 40), and further flows downward through the first flow path hg.

As described above, the holes h20, h21, h18, and h19 function as a refrigerant flow path in the header 7x. Therefore, according to the second reference embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a partition plate (not shown) conventionally used for forming a refrigerant flow path or adjusting the flow velocity of the refrigerant in the header 7x. .. For example, the refrigerant guided in the vertical direction through the first flow path hg (holes h18, h19) collides with the upper end or the lower end of the first flow path hg without providing a partition plate (not shown). This is because the direction of the flow changes. Since it is not necessary to provide a partition plate (not shown) in the header 7x in this way, the number of parts of the heat exchanger K2 can be reduced, and the manufacturing man-hours and manufacturing costs can be reduced.

FIG. 43 is a perspective view of the vicinity of the upper part of the header 7x included in the heat exchanger K2 according to the second reference embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 43, the upper end surfaces of the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are substantially flush with each other. Further, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are positioned in the circumferential direction at the end portion (upper end portion in FIG. 43) in the direction parallel to the central axis R (see FIG. 41). Has a recess v for use. That is, in the upper ends of the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75, the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction is cut out to form a recess v.

Then, in the manufacturing stage of the heat exchanger K2, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are positioned in the circumferential direction by the operator aligning the positions of the recesses v in the circumferential direction. To. For example, when an operator fits a positioning plate material (not shown) having a thickness corresponding to the concave portion v into the concave portion v, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are arranged in the circumferential direction. Positioned with. In the second reference embodiment, the same recess v is provided at the lower end of the header 7x (see FIG. 41), but even if the recess v is provided at only one of the upper end and the lower end of the header 7x. Good.

Further, a brazing material for joining is appropriately applied to the peripheral wall surfaces (outer peripheral surface and inner peripheral surface) of the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75. Then, when heated in a heating furnace (not shown) in the state of being positioned as described above, the brazing material is melted and the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are joined.

<Effect>
According to the second reference embodiment, in the manufacture of the header 7x, if the operator inserts the inner cylinder 72 or the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 into the outer cylinder 71, each cylinder naturally becomes coaxial, so that the cylinders are coaxial in the radial direction. Positioning is easy. Further, since the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 have substantially the same length in the height direction, positioning in the height direction is easy.

Further, since the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are formed with the positioning recesses v (see FIG. 43), positioning in the circumferential direction is easy. Therefore, the operator can easily assemble the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75.

Further, at the design stage of the header 7x, the designer can appropriately adjust the number of intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 (three in the second reference form) and the wall thickness, so that the designer can perform the first flow path hg (FIG. 40). , See FIG. 41). As a result, the designer can easily perform the design in consideration of the flow velocity of the refrigerant flowing through the header 7x. For example, when the designer reduces the number of intermediate cylinders or reduces the wall thickness thereof, the cross-sectional area of the first flow path hg becomes smaller. As a result, the flow velocity when the refrigerant having a predetermined flow rate passes through the header 7x can be increased. The same can be said when the header 7x is appropriately redesigned based on the operating conditions of the air conditioner.

Further, since each of the holes of the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, and 75 functions as a refrigerant flow path, it is not necessary to provide a partition plate (not shown) for forming the refrigerant flow path in the header 7x. As a result, the man-hours and manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger K2 can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.
Further, since the inner cylinder 72 is hollow in the radial direction, the cost (volume) of the material required for the header 7x can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.

Further, since the cylindrical outer cylinder 71, inner cylinder 72, and intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 do not have a complicated structure, it is not necessary to mold them using a core. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of the header 7x and the like can be reduced as compared with the conventional case.
Further, in the header 7x, the first flow path hg in the height direction (see FIG. 41) is provided at a position separated from the connection portion of the flat heat transfer tube 1 (see FIG. 40). This facilitates the work of connecting the refrigerant inlet pipe 30 and the refrigerant outlet pipe 33 (see FIG. 38) to the header 7x.

Further, the configuration of the header 7x can be applied to the indoor heat exchanger 101 as well as the outdoor heat exchanger 106 (see FIG. 44). As described above, according to the second reference embodiment, in addition to the heat exchanger K2 (that is, the outdoor heat exchanger 106 and the indoor heat exchanger 101) that are easy to manufacture, an air conditioner including these can be provided.

<< Modification example of the second reference form >>
The heat exchanger K2 and the like have been described above in the second reference mode, but various other changes can be made.
For example, in the second reference embodiment, the configuration in which the header 7x of the heat exchanger K2 includes three intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 (see FIG. 40) has been described, but even if the number of intermediate cylinders is two or less. It may be four or more. That is, at least one intermediate cylinder may be arranged coaxially with the outer cylinder 71 and the inner cylinder 72 and between the outer cylinder 71 and the inner cylinder 72.

Further, in the second reference embodiment, the configuration in which the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are provided with the recesses v (see FIG. 43) for positioning has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 are positioned in the circumferential direction at the end portions (upper end portion and lower end portion) in the direction parallel to the central axis R (see FIG. 41). It may be configured to have a convex portion (not shown) for use.

Further, in the second reference embodiment, the number of the first flow path hg parallel to the central axis R (see FIG. 41) of the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 is one. I explained, but it is not limited to this. For example, the first flow path hg may be provided in the front portion of the intermediate cylinders 73 and 75, and another first flow path hg may be provided in the rear portion of the intermediate cylinders 73 and 75. In such a configuration, the refrigerant flowing from the flat heat transfer tube 1 is divided into front and rear through two holes (not shown) of the intermediate cylinder 74, and a part of the refrigerant flows through the front hole h20 to the front first flow. It is guided to the road hg, and the rest is guided to the rear first flow path hg through a hole (not shown) on the rear side. According to such a configuration, in the flow of the refrigerant through the flat heat transfer tube 1, there is no bias in the front-rear direction, so that the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger K2 can be further improved.

Further, in the second reference embodiment, a configuration in which each cylinder including the outer cylinder 71, the inner cylinder 72, and the intermediate cylinders 73, 74, 75 is cylindrical (see FIG. 39) has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the cross section of each of the above-mentioned cylinders may have a square frame shape or a polygonal frame shape. In such a configuration, "coaxial" means that the position of the center of gravity when each cylinder is cut in a predetermined cross section is substantially the same. Further, the "diameter direction" means a direction perpendicular to the straight line (central axis) passing through the center of gravity described above.

As described in the second reference embodiment, the heat exchanger has the following configuration.
That is, the heat exchanger
With multiple fins arranged at predetermined intervals,
A plurality of heat transfer tubes inserted through the plurality of fins,
A refrigerant distributor connected to the plurality of heat transfer tubes is provided.
The refrigerant distributor is
An outer cylinder provided with an insertion hole into which the plurality of heat transfer tubes are inserted,
An inner cylinder coaxial with the outer cylinder and arranged inside the outer cylinder,
It has at least one intermediate cylinder coaxial with the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and arranged between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder.
A plurality of cylinders including the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder are in close contact with other cylinders adjacent to each other in the radial direction.
The intermediate cylinder has a refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows.
The intermediate cylinder is in close contact with the other cylinders adjacent to each other in the radial direction at a portion other than the refrigerant flow path.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide a heat exchanger that is easy to manufacture.

Further, the refrigerant flow path has a first flow path that guides the refrigerant in a direction parallel to the central axis of the cylinder.
In the cross-sectional view of the refrigerant distributor, it is preferable that the first flow path is provided at a position separated from the insertion hole of the outer cylinder.
According to such a configuration, when the refrigerant inlet pipe or the refrigerant outlet pipe is inserted into the refrigerant distributor, it is possible to prevent the heat transfer pipe or the fin from interfering with the refrigerant inlet pipe or the refrigerant outlet pipe.

Further, the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder preferably have a concave portion or a convex portion for positioning in the circumferential direction at an end portion in a direction parallel to the central axis thereof.
With such a configuration, positioning of the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder becomes easy.

Further, it is preferable that the tip of the heat transfer tube faces the inner cylinder and the width of the heat transfer tube is narrower than the outer diameter of the inner cylinder.
According to such a configuration, most of the refrigerant flowing from the heat transfer tube to the refrigerant distributor collides with the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder, so that the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is agitated.

Further, the air conditioner may have the following configuration.
That is, the air conditioner
It is configured to include a refrigerant circuit in which the refrigerant circulates sequentially through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator.
At least one of the condenser and the evaporator
With multiple fins arranged at predetermined intervals,
A plurality of heat transfer tubes inserted through the plurality of fins,
A refrigerant distributor connected to the plurality of heat transfer tubes is provided.
The refrigerant distributor is
An outer cylinder provided with an insertion hole into which the plurality of heat transfer tubes are inserted,
An inner cylinder coaxial with the outer cylinder and arranged inside the outer cylinder,
It has at least one intermediate cylinder coaxial with the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and arranged between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder.
A plurality of cylinders including the outer cylinder, the inner cylinder, and the intermediate cylinder are in close contact with other cylinders adjacent to each other in the radial direction.
The intermediate cylinder has a refrigerant flow path through which the refrigerant flows.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide an air conditioner including a heat exchanger that is easy to manufacture.

<< Other variants >>
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the like, and includes various modifications. For example, in the embodiment and the like, the case where the heat exchanger (that is, the outdoor heat exchanger 106 and the indoor heat exchanger 101) is a parallel flow type heat exchanger has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the heat exchanger may be a fin tube heat exchanger or another type of heat exchanger.

Further, in the embodiments and the like, the air conditioner in which the heat exchanger configuration is applied to both the outdoor heat exchanger 106 and the indoor heat exchanger 101 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the embodiment or the like may be applied to one of the outdoor heat exchanger 106 and the indoor heat exchanger 101. In other words, among the above-mentioned "condenser" and "evaporator" in the refrigerant circuit Q in which the refrigerant circulates sequentially through the compressor 8, the "condenser", the "expansion valve", and the "evaporator". At least one of them may be provided with the configuration of the header (for example, the headers 3x and 3y of FIG. 1) described in the embodiment and the like.

Further, in the embodiment and the like, the configuration in which the air conditioner AC (see FIG. 44) includes one outdoor unit 105 and one indoor unit 100 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the embodiment can be applied to a multi-type air conditioner in which a plurality of indoor units are connected to one outdoor unit. Further, the embodiment or the like can be applied to an air conditioner having a configuration in which a plurality of outdoor units are connected in parallel.

Further, the configurations described in the embodiments and the like can be applied to various types of air conditioners (refrigeration cycle devices) such as packaged air conditioners, multi air conditioners for buildings, room air conditioners, and integrated air conditioners.

Further, the above-described embodiments and the like have been described in detail for the sake of easy-to-understand explanation, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of a certain embodiment or the like with the configuration of another embodiment or the like, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment or the like to the configuration of a certain embodiment or the like. ..

1 Flat heat transfer tube (heat transfer tube)
2 fins 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3d1, 3E, 3F, 3G, 3H, 3x, 3y, 5x, 5x1, 5x2, 5y, 7x, 7y header (refrigerant distributor)
8 Compressor 9 Four-way valve 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, 10E, 10H, K, K2, K3, K10 Heat exchanger 12 Refrigerant flow path 30 Refrigerant inlet pipe 33 Refrigerant outlet pipe 31F First plate (inlet side plate) body)
32F 2nd plate-like body (2nd member)
33F 3rd plate-like body (1st member)
34F 4th plate-like body 321 Flat plate part 322 1st convex part 323 2nd convex part 324 Engagement part 31G 1st plate-like body (entrance side plate-like body)
32G second plate-like body (second member)
33G 3rd plate-like body (1st member)
34G 4th plate-like body 35G 5th plate-like body 31a, 31b Header base member (1st member)
31x flat tube side header member (first member)
34a, 34b Header insertion member (second member)
34x combination header member (second member)
31x3, 34x3 openings 35a, 35b, 35x partition plate 36a Perforated partition plate (partition plate with holes)
38 Narrow flow path 39 Separation part (separation part)
40A, 40B, 40C, 40D Bypass pipe (refrigerant distributor)
90 Two-phase region 91 Overheating region 100 Indoor unit 101 Indoor heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
102 Indoor blower 103 Expansion valve 105 Outdoor unit 106 Outdoor heat exchanger (heat exchanger)
107 Outdoor blower 131 Connection surface 132 Perforated plate 133 Hole 318 Mounting bracket 319 Housing 360, 360a Hole 411C Bending part AC air conditioner h7 1st refrigerant flow hole h8, h9 2nd refrigerant flow hole h31 hole (1st Hole)
h4 hole (second hole)
i1 Narrow flow path i2 Bypass flow path M1, M2 Projection surface n1 First wall surface n2 Second wall surface u1 Groove u3 Recess

Claims (5)

A refrigerant distributor that distributes refrigerant by connecting to the ends of a plurality of heat transfer tubes forming a flow path of the refrigerant and communicating the plurality of heat transfer tubes.
The refrigerant distributor includes a first member and a second member to be combined with each other.
By combining the first member and the second member, a narrow flow path is formed in which the cross-sectional area of the portion serving as the flow path of the refrigerant is narrowed.
The first member and the second member are made of a plate material, and are formed of a plate material.
The first member and the second member have a D-shaped cross-sectional shape formed by bending the plate material, and have a separated portion in a part of a straight portion of the D-shaped shape.
The first member and the second member are combined through the separated portion.
A refrigerant distributor that forms the narrow flow path between the first member and the opposite D-shaped straight line portion of the second member. A refrigerant distributor that distributes refrigerant by connecting to the ends of a plurality of heat transfer tubes forming a flow path of the refrigerant and communicating the plurality of heat transfer tubes.
The refrigerant distributor includes a first member and a second member to be combined with each other.
By combining the first member and the second member, a narrow flow path is formed in which the cross-sectional area of the portion serving as the flow path of the refrigerant is narrowed.
The first member has a concave cross section and has a concave cross section.
The second member is fitted to the inner surface of the first member to form the narrow flow path.
One end of the open Hotan of the first member in cross section a concave shape, which extends on the side opposite to the plurality of heat transfer tubes than the other, further, said one end of said first member , A refrigerant distributor extending from the contact point between the first member and the second member to the side opposite to the plurality of heat transfer tubes. A refrigerant distributor that distributes refrigerant by connecting to the ends of a plurality of heat transfer tubes forming a flow path of the refrigerant and communicating the plurality of heat transfer tubes.
The refrigerant distributor includes a first member and a second member to be combined with each other.
By combining the first member and the second member, a narrow flow path is formed in which the cross-sectional area of the portion serving as the flow path of the refrigerant is narrowed.
An inlet side plate-like body is further provided with a refrigerant inlet pipe connected to one side and a first refrigerant passage hole provided at a position corresponding to the refrigerant inlet pipe.
The second member is a plate-like body laminated on the other side of the inlet-side plate-like body.
The first member is a plate-like body laminated on the other side of the second member.
The second member is
The flat plate part whose plate surface is flat and
It has a first convex portion that protrudes from the flat plate portion to the other side and extends in the height direction.
The tip of the first convex portion is abutted against the one-sided end surface of the heat transfer tube.
The gap between the one side surface of the first member and the other side surface of the second member functions as the narrow flow path.
The second member is
Further having a pair of second convex portions protruding from the flat plate portion to the one side and extending in the height direction.
Between the pair of second convex portions, at least one of the upper portion and the lower portion of the flat plate portion is provided with a second refrigerant passage hole through which the refrigerant flows.
The tips of the pair of second convex portions are abutted against the other side surface of the inlet side plate-like body.
The refrigerant flowing through the gap between the groove between the pair of second convex portions and the other side surface of the inlet side plate-like body is narrowed through the second refrigerant flow hole. Refrigerant distributor guided to the flow path. With the plurality of heat transfer tubes in which the refrigerant flows and extends in the lateral direction,
The heat radiation fins into which the plurality of heat transfer tubes are inserted to allow heat exchange between the refrigerant and the fluid, and
A refrigerant distributor that is coupled to one of the plurality of heat transfer tubes and extends in the vertical direction so that the refrigerant is distributed to the plurality of heat transfer tubes is provided.
The refrigerant distributor is a heat exchanger which is the refrigerant distributor according to any one of claims 1 to 3. An air conditioner including the heat exchanger according to claim 4.

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