DESC:FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of mechanical engineering. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system.
BACKGROUND
A condenser is an important element of a vehicular air conditioning system. A condenser having an integrated drier bottle is known as an Integrated Receiver Drier-bottle condenser (IRD condenser or KoMo condenser). Such condensers include a receiver-drier bottle and a heat exchanger core that is in fluid communication with the receiver-drier bottle. The receiver-drier bottle receives a liquid and gas refrigerant and supplies the refrigerant to the sub cooling pass of the heat exchanger core, where the refrigerant flowing through the flow passages of the heat exchanger core facilitates the heat transfer between the refrigerant and the ambient rammed air, thereby resulting in heat rejection to the ambient rammed air. The receiver-drier bottle further accommodates a drier that absorbs the moisture contained in the refrigerant of the air conditioning circuit so as to ensure that as little moisture as possible enters the air conditioning cycle. The receiver-drier bottle has a circular configuration and the receiver-drier bottle diameter (D) is greater than the thickness of the heat exchanger core (T). With such a configuration, the mounting of the condenser assembly to an engine cooling module becomes complex. More specifically, a variety of frames having complex configurations are required for facilitating the mounting of the condenser onto the radiator.
Accordingly, there is need for a condenser assembly that can be conveniently mounted on the engine cooling module. Further, there is need for a condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system that is compact while still accommodating a drier. Still further, there is need for a condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system that does not require a complex frame and mount for mounting the condenser assembly to the engine cooling module.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a condenser assembly for a vehicle air conditioning system that comprises a first manifold having a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet, and a second manifold spaced apart from the first manifold. The condenser assembly further comprises a heat exchanger core comprising a plurality of tubes with fins configured thereon. The heat exchanger core is disposed between the first manifold and the second manifold, and is in fluid communication with the first manifold and the second manifold. The heat exchanger core is adapted to receive a refrigerant from the first manifold and facilitates dissipation of heat contained in the refrigerant. A drier bottle having a rectangular profile is in fluid communication with the second manifold and the drier bottle is adapted to receive a refrigerant and dehumidify the refrigerant.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS
A condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of a conventional condenser assembly having a receiver-drier bottle with a circular profile assembled to a heat exchanger core;
Figure 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d illustrate a front view, side view and a top view, and an isometric view respectively of a condenser assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein a receiver-drier bottle has a rectangular profile having thickness same as that of the heat exchanger core;
Figure 3 exploded view of the condenser assembly shown in Figure 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d; and
Figure 4 illustrates a schematic representation illustrating the condenser assembly of Figure 3 installed in a car.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which do not restrict the scope and ambit of the present disclosure. The description is provided purely by the way of illustration.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The description hereinafter, of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of a conventional condenser assembly along with a receiver-drier bottle.
The conventional condenser assembly comprises a receiver-drier bottle 1, and a heat exchanger core 2. The diameter D, of the receiver-drier bottle 1, is greater than the thickness T, of the heat exchanger core 2. This creates problems in mounting the condenser assembly 10 onto the engine cooling module, as complex plastic frames or mounts are required for the same. The use of the complex plastic frames and mounts may also have a detrimental effect on the aesthetics of the vehicle. Moreover, the conventional condenser assembly 10 also has a bulky configuration, which is not desirable.
Figure 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d illustrate a front view, a side view, a top view, and an isometric view of a condenser assembly, respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the receiver-drier bottle has a rectangular profile and its thickness is the same as that of the heat exchanger core of the condenser assembly.
The condenser assembly of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to Figures 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. The condenser assembly 200 comprises a first manifold 21A that has a refrigerant inlet 22 and a refrigerant outlet 23 configured thereon. A second manifold 21B is spaced apart from the first manifold 21A. A heat exchanger core 20, comprising a plurality of tubes with fins configured thereon, is disposed between the first manifold 21A and the second manifold 21B. The heat exchanger core 20 is in fluid communication with the first manifold 21A and the second manifold 21B. The heat exchanger core 20 is adapted to receive the refrigerant from the first manifold 21A. A plurality of baffles is configured within the manifolds 21A, 21B to regulate the flow of the refrigerant in the plurality of tubes. The heat exchanger core 20 facilitates the dissipation of heat contained in the refrigerant. The second manifold 21B is adapted to feed the refrigerant to the receiver-drier bottle 30 which is disposed adjacent to the second manifold 21B and is in fluid communication with the second manifold 21B. The receiver-drier bottle 30 is adapted to absorb any moisture contained in the refrigerant, thereby dehumidifying the refrigerant. The dehumidified refrigerant enters the second manifold 21B via a second port 24B (seen in Figure 4), wherefrom is passes through the heat exchanger core 20 to the refrigerant outlet 23. The receiver-drier bottle 30 has a rectangular profile, and the thickness “D” of the receiver-drier bottle is equal to the thickness “T” of the heat exchanger core 20.
In another embodiment, the receiver-drier bottle 30 can be mounted on any side of the condenser assembly 100.
Figure 3 illustrates an exploded view of the condenser assembly of Figure 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d. A first port 24A and a second port 24B that facilitate the fluid communication of the second manifold 21B with the receiver-drier bottle 30 are clearly viewed in Figure 4. The refrigerant enters the receiver-drier bottle 30 via the first port 24A and the dehumidified refrigerant enters the second manifold 21B via the second port 24B.
Figure 5 is a schematic representation illustrating the condenser assembly of Figure 3 installed in a car.
The condenser assembly 100 of the present embodiment has a very compact and sleek configuration and it can be installed onto the engine cooling module of the vehicle without the use if complex plastic frames or mounting structures. Moreover, the reduced size of the condenser assembly 100 also results in the optimal utilization of space.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS AND ECONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE
The condenser assembly in accordance with the present disclosure has several technical advantages including but not limited to the realization of:
A condenser assembly, wherein a receiver-drier bottle has a compact sleek configuration while still accommodating a drier, thereby facilitating convenient mounting of said condenser assembly to the engine cooling module.
A condenser assembly, wherein a receiver-drier bottle has a rectangular profile having thickness same as that of the core, thereby providing sleek configuration to the condenser assembly.
A condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system that does not require complex frames and mounts for mounting the condenser assembly to the engine cooling module.
Throughout this specification the word “comprise”, or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. The word “equal” would be understood to mean approximately equal throughout the throughout the specification.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiment will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiment herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiment without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiment. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiment herein has been described in terms of preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiment herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiment as described herein. ,CLAIMS:1. A condenser assembly for a vehicular air conditioning system, said condenser assembly comprising:
• a first manifold having a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet configured thereon;
• a second manifold spaced apart from said first manifold;
• a heat exchanger core comprising a plurality of tubes with fins configured thereon, said heat exchanger core being disposed between said first manifold and said second manifold, said heat exchanger core being in fluid communication with said first manifold and said second manifold, and said heat exchanger core being configured to receive a refrigerant from said first manifold and facilitate the dissipation of heat contained in said refrigerant; and
• a receiver-drier bottle having a rectangular profile in fluid communication with said second manifold, said receiver-drier bottle configured to receive said refrigerant and dehumidify said refrigerant.

2. The condenser module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the thickness of said receiver-drier bottle is equal to the thickness of said heat exchanger core.

3. The condenser module as claimed in claim 1, wherein a plurality of baffles is configured within said manifolds to regulate the flow of refrigerant in said plurality of tubes.