【DESCRIPTION】
【Technical Field】
The present invention relates to an evaporator and, more specifically, to an evaporator, in
which refrigerant is uniformly distributed to each area through 8-pass flow from a first area to an
eighth area so as to reduce temperature variation and maximize the heat 5 exchange efficiency with
respect to outdoor air, and air is discharged to the left and right sides in a vehicle room with
uniform temperature distribution so as to maintain the comfort of passengers.
【Background Art】
In the recent automotive industry, there have been performed research and development
10 for the improvement of fuel efficiency according to the increase of the global interest in the
environment and energy. Also, in order to satisfy the various demands of users, there has been
steadily performed research and development towards lightweight, compact and multi-functional
automobiles as well as evaporators having increased thermal performance in a compact structure.
The evaporator is a component of an air conditioner system, in which the air introduced
15 by an air blower is cooled by heat exchange while a liquid heat exchange medium is converted
into a gas phase such that the cooled air is supplied to the inside of a vehicle.
Fig. 1 shows a prior art evaporator, and Fig. 2 to Fig. 4 respectively show the schematic
flow refrigerant flow in the evaporator of Fig. 1, temperature interpretation result for the second
line of the evaporator, and the refrigerant speed interpretation result thereof.
20 The prior art evaporator 80, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, includes: a first header tank 10
and a second header tank 20, each of which inside is divided into a first line and a second line by
a partition wall 70 and which are provided in parallel to each other at a predetermined distance
from each other; an inlet pipe 30 and an outlet pipe 40, which are formed at one side of the first
header tank 10; a baffle 50 provided to the inside of the first header tank 10 or the second header
25 tank 20 so as to control the flow of refrigerant; and a core part 60 including a plurality of tubes
61, of which both ends are fixed to the first header tank 10 and the second header tank 20 and a
plurality of fins 62 interposed between the tubes 61.
Herein, the refrigerant, introduced through the inlet pipe 30 into the first line, sequentially
passes through: a first area A1 (from the top to the bottom) extending in the lengthwise direction
30 in the first header tank 10 to the second header tank 20 through the tubes 61; a second area A2
(from the bottom to the top) extending to the first header tank 10 through other tubes 61; a third
area A3 (from the top to the bottom) extending to the second header tank 20 again through still
other tubes 61; a fourth area A4 (from the bottom to the top) extending to the second line through
a communication part (not shown, a predetermined area of the partition wall in the second header
35 tank 20 is formed to be hollow) and then extending to the first header tank 10; and a fifth area A5
(from the top to the bottom) extending to the second header tank 20 again through still other
tubes 61; and a sixth area A6 (from the bottom to the top) extending to the first header tank 10
again through the other tubes 61 and, after that, is discharged through the outlet pipe 40.
3
However, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4, according to the prior art evaporator, the
refrigerant is concentrated on the areas adjacent to the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe. In particular,
the second line provided with the outlet pipe is likely to have an area, in which the refrigerant
flow is weak by the concentration of the refrigerant due to the inertia thereof, and thus
temperature becomes increased in this area. Fig. 4 shows sections of 5 a predetermined speed or
higher, indicated by oblique lines. More specifically, the evaporator described above has areas of
a relatively high temperature in the range of 8 to 10℃, wherein the temperature difference
between the fourth area and the sixth area is the largest, which is 8℃ to the maximum. In
addition, there are wide sections, of which a speed is below the predetermined speed. As
10 described above, if the refrigerant distribution in the evaporator is non-uniform, the thermal
performance of the evaporator becomes decreased and thus a temperature difference is generated
in the air discharged to the left and right sides in the vehicle room, thereby decreasing the
temperature comfort of users. The problems as described above become more serious when the
amount of the refrigerant in the evaporator becomes decreased and thus the flow rate thereof
15 becomes low.
【Prior Art Document】
【Patent Document】
Korean Reg. Patent No. 10-1130038 (Title of the Invention: Vehicle HVAC system using
a 6-pass tube-fin type evaporator using refrigerant containing HFO 1234yf, Published: 20
20 December 2010)
【Disclosure】
【Technical Problem】
Accordingly, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the abovementioned
problems occurring in the prior arts, and it is an objective of the present invention to
25 provide an evaporator, comprising 8-pass flow from a first area to an eighth area so as to
uniformly distribute refrigerant to the respective areas, thereby reducing temperature variation
and increasing the heat exchange efficiency with respect to outdoor air, wherein air is discharged
to the left and right sides in a vehicle room with uniform temperature distribution so as to
maintain the comfort of passengers.
30 【Technical Solution】
To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an evaporator,
comprising: a first header tank and a second header tank, each of which inside is divided into a
first line and a second line by a partition wall, and arranged in parallel to each other at a
predetermined distance from each other; baffles provided to the inside of the first header tank
35 and the second header tank so as to control the flow of refrigerant; and a core part including a
plurality of tubes, of which both ends are respectively fixed to the first lineand the second lineof
the first header tank and the second header tank, and fins interposed between the tubes, wherein
4
the tubes respectively have four or more areas, provided to the first line and the second line, for
movement from the first header tank to the second header tank or from the second header tank to
the first header tank.
Herein, the evaporator includes an inlet pipe communicating with the first line, and an
outlet pipe communicating with the second line, the both being in parallel 5 to each other at one
side of the first header tank, and the refrigerant, introduced through the inlet pipe in the first line
of the tubes, sequentially passes through a first area for the movement from the first header tank
to the second header tank, a second area for the movement from the second header tank to the
first header tank, a third area for the movement from the first header tank to the second header
10 tank, and a fourth area for the movement from the second header tank to the first header tank, so
as to move to the second line, and sequentially passes through a fifth area for the movement from
the first header tank to the second header tank, a sixth area for the movement from the second
header tank to the first header tank, a seventh area for the movement from the first header tank to
the second header tank, and an eighth area for the movement from the second header tank to the
15 first header tank, so as to be discharged through the outlet pipe.
That is, the evaporator according to the present invention has 8-pass flow from the first
area to the eighth area so as to uniformly distribute the refrigerant to each of the areas, thereby
reducing temperature variation. Therefore, according to the evaporator of the present invention,
it is possible to maximize the heat exchange efficiency with respect to outdoor air. In addition,
20 the air discharged to the left and right sides in a vehicle room can have uniform temperature
distribution, thereby maintaining the comfort of passengers.
Furthermore, the evaporator has the plurality of tubes, of which flow paths respectively
have the same flow path area and the same full circumference length and which have a hydraulic
diameter in the range of 1.0 to 2.8 mm, and the core part, of which width is 150 to 300 mm.
25 Therefore, the evaporator of the present invention has advantages of improving thermal
performance while reducing temperature variation.
In addition, the number of the tubes forming the first area and the number of the tubes
forming the eighth area are the same as each other, the number of the tubes forming the second
area and the number of the tubes forming the seventh area are the same as each other, the number
30 of the tubes forming the third area and the number of the tubes forming the sixth area are the
same as each other, and the number of the tubes forming the fourth area and the number of the
tubes forming the fifth area are the same as each other, such that the baffles are provided at the
same positions so as to be symmetrical to each other in the width directionand, thus, the
manufacturing process can be simplified.
35 Also, the first header tank and the second header tank respectively have the same number
of the baffles, which are located in the first line and the second line, wherein the baffles located
in the first line and the second line of the first header tank and the second header tank
respectively have the same positions in the lengthwise direction, thereby further improving
manufacturability.
40 Herein, the evaporator has the same number of tubes which form the opposite areas of the
first line and the second line, wherein it is possible to form the evaporator in such a manner that
5
the number of the tubes of the eighth area is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes of
the seventh area and the number of the tubes of the seventh area is smaller than or equal to the
number of the tubes of the sixth area. In other words, according to the evaporator of the present
invention, the number of the tubes forming an area, which is adjacent to an outlet, is smaller than
or equal to the number of the tubes forming neighboring areas such that 5 the concentration of the
refrigerant on the area adjacent to the outlet can be prevented.
【Advantageous Effects】
Therefore, the evaporator according to the present invention has 8-pass flow from the
first area to the eighth area so as to uniformly distribute refrigerant to each of the areas, thereby
10 reducing temperature variation and maximizing the heat exchange efficiency with respect to
outdoor air, and also has an advantage of uniform temperature distribution in the air discharged
to the right and left sides in a vehicle room, thereby maintaining the comfort of passengers.
【Description of Drawings】
Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are respectively a perspective view for showing a prior art evaporator
15 and a schematic view for showing the flow of refrigerant.
Fig. 3 is a temperature interpretation graph for the second line side of the evaporator
shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a refrigerant speed interpretation graph for the evaporator shown in Fig. 1 and
Fig. 2.
20 Fig. 5 is a perspective view for showing an evaporator according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are views for showing the refrigerant flows of the evaporator shown in
Fig. 5.
Fig. 8 is a front view showing the evaporator shown in Fig. 5.
25 Fig. 9 is a view for showing the shapes of the tubes and fins of the evaporator shown in
Fig. 5 in detail.
Fig. 10 is a perspective view for showing the evaporator according to another
embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 11 is a temperature interpretation graph for the second line side of the evaporator
30 according to the present invention.
Fig. 12 is a refrigerant speed interpretation graph for the evaporator according to the
present invention.
Fig. 13 is a graph for showing the relations between the hydraulic diameter of the tubes,
and a maximum temperature difference and thermal performance, and
6
Fig. 14 is a graph for showing the relations between a core part width and thermal
performance.
【Explanation of essential reference numerals in drawings】
1000: evaporator
100: first header tank 5 200: second header tank
300: inlet pipe 400: outlet pipe
500: core part 510: tubes
520: fins 530: side plate
600: baffles
10 Wcore: width of core part
A1: first area A2: second area
A3: third area A4: fourth area
A5: fifth area A6: sixth area
A7: seventh area A8: second area
15 St: flow path area of tube
Lt: flow path full circumference length of tubes
【Mode for Invention】
Hereinafter, an evaporator having the above-mentioned features according to the
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detailwith reference to the
20 attached drawings.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view for showing an evaporator 1000 according to an embodiment
of the present invention, Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 are views for showing the refrigerant flows of the
evaporator 1000 shown in Fig. 5, Fig. 8 is a front view showing the evaporator 1000 shown in
Fig. 5, Fig. 9 is a view for showing the shapes of the tubes 510 and fins 520 of the evaporator
25 1000 shown in Fig. 5 in detail, Fig. 10 is a perspective view for showing an evaporator 1000
according to another embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 11 is a temperature interpretation
graph for the second line side of the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention, Fig. 12
is a refrigerant speed interpretation graph for the evaporator 1000 according to the present
invention, Fig. 13 is a graph for showing the relations between the hydraulic diameter of the
30 tubes 510, and a maximum temperature difference and thermal performance, and Fig. 14 is a
graph for showing the relations between a core part width Wcore and thermal performance.
7
The evaporator 1000 according to the present invention includes a first header tank 100, a
second header tank 200, baffles 600, and a core part 500.
The first header tank 100 and the second header tank 200 are provided to be spaced from
each other at a predetermined distance, wherein the inside of each of the first header tank 100
and the second header tank 200 is divided into a first line and a second 5 line by a partition wall
and the first header tank 100 and the second header tank 200 are respectively connected to an
inlet pipe 300, through which refrigerant is introduced, and an outlet pipe 400. Herein, the first
line is connected to the inlet pipe 300 such that the refrigerant can be introduced through the inlet
pipe 300, and the second line is connected to the outlet pipe 400 such that the refrigerant can be
10 discharged through the outlet pipe 400. The inlet pipe 300 and the outlet pipe 400 are
respectively formed in the shape of a pipe so as to be connected to one side of the first header
tank 100 in parallel to each other (see Fig. 10), and may be formed in the shape of a “C”-type
manifold (see Fig. 5 to Fig. 8). In particular, explaining the inlet pipe 300 and the outlet pipe
400, which are formed in the shape of a “C”-type manifold, the inlet pipe 300 communicates
15 with the first line and extends in the downward direction and then in the width direction by being
folded, and the outlet pipe 400 communicates with the second line and extends in the width
direction.In the present invention, the “C”-type manifold shape indicates that the inlet pipe 300
and the outlet pipe 400 are in the shape of a "C" on the whole when the evaporator 1000 is
viewed at one side of the first header tank 100, wherein a manifold structure for forming the inlet
20 pipe 300 and the outlet pipe 400 may include a first member (the reference sign thereof is not
shown), which directly coupled to the first header tank 100, and a second member (the reference
sign thereof is not shown), which is coupled with the first member so as to form a refrigerant
flow space therein. In addition, Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 show an example, in which the inlet pipe 300 and
the outlet pipe 400 are extended in the width direction, that is, towards the front side on the
25 drawings where the second line is positioned.
Referring to Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 and Fig. 10, the first header tank 100 and the second header
tank 200 are spaced from each other in the height direction, wherein the first header tank 100 is
positioned at the upper side in such a manner that the first line is formed at the rear side and the
second line is formed at the front side.Even though Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 and Fig. 10 show that the inlet
30 pipe 300 and the outlet pipe 400 are positioned at the left side, the evaporator 1000 of the present
invention is not limited thereto and the first header tank 100 and the second header tank 200 may
be oppositely positioned in the vertical direction or spaced from each other in the left and right
directions.Also, the positions of the first line and the second line may be changed in the same
way.
35 The baffles 600 are means provided to the inside of the first header tank 100 and the
second header tank 200 so as to control the flow of the refrigerant, and are formed in the shape of
a plate for blocking the refrigerant in the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100 and the
second header tank 200, wherein the number of the tubes 510 for forming the first area A1 to the
eighth area A8 can be adjusted by controlling the positions of the baffles 600.
40 The core part 500 includes the tubes 510 and fins 520 and may further include side plates
at both sides so as to support the tubes 510 and the fins 520.
8
The tubes 510 are respectively fixed to the first line and the second line, formed by the
first header tank 100 and the second header tank 200, at both ends thereof so as to form
refrigerant flow paths, and the fins 520 are interposed between the tubes 510.
Herein, there are a plurality of the tubes 510, all of which are in the same shape. More
specifically, each of the plurality of tubes 510 has the same flow path 5 area and each of the flow
paths has the same full circumference length. In addition, it is preferable that 4 or more areas,
extending from the first header tank 100 to the second header tank 200 or from the second header
tank 200 to the first header tank 100 in the first line and the second line, are respectively
provided to the tubes 510 in the lengthwise direction. In particular, the tubes 510 are provided
10 with the first area A1 to the fourth area A4, for transferring the refrigerant introduced through the
inlet pipe 300, in the first line and the fifth area A5 to the eighth area A8 in the second line. More
specifically, the first area A1 to the fourth area A4 are formed by the tubes 510 in the first line in
sequence along the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100. The first area A1 is an area,
into which the refrigerant introduced through the inlet pipe 300 first flows, wherein the
15 refrigerant introduced through the inlet pipe 300 flows in the lengthwise direction of the first
header tank 100 to a portion blocked by the baffle 600 and then to the second header tank 200.
The second area A2 is an area, into which the refrigerant passing through the first area A1 flows,
wherein the second area A2 is formed in the vicinity of the first area A1 in the lengthwise
direction of the first header tank 100 such that the refrigerant of the second header tank 200
20 flows to the first header tank 100. The third area A3 is an area, to which the refrigerant passing
through the second area A2 flows, wherein the third area A3 is formed in the vicinity of the
second area A2 in the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100 such that the refrigerant of
the first header tank 100 flows to the second header tank 200. The fourth area A4 is an area, to
which the refrigerant passing through the third area A3 flows, wherein the fourth area A4 is
25 formed in the vicinity of the third area A3 in the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100
such that the refrigerant of the second header tank 200 flows to the first header tank 100.
Further, the fifth area A5 to the sixth area A6 are areas formed by the tubes 510 in the
second line, wherein, after the refrigerant passing through the fourth area A4 flows to the second
line, the refrigerant of the first header tank 100 flows to the second header tank 200. The sixth
30 area A6 is an area, to which the refrigerant passing through the fifth area A5 flows, wherein the
sixth area A6 is formed in the vicinity of the fifth area A5 in the lengthwise direction of the first
header tank 100 such that the refrigerant of the second header tank 200 flows to the first header
tank 100. The seventh area A7 is an area, to which the refrigerant passing through the sixth area
A6 flows, wherein the seventh area A7 is formed in the vicinity of the sixth area A6 in the
35 lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100 such that the refrigerant of the first header tank
100 flows to the second header tank 200. The eighth area A8 is an area, to which the refrigerant
passing through the seventh area A7 flows, wherein the eighth area A8 is formed in the vicinity
of the seventh area A7 in the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100 such that the
refrigerant of the second header tank 200 flows to the first header tank 100. The eighth area A8
40 is a part communicating with the outlet pipe 400 such that the refrigerant introduced through the
inlet pipe 300 flows from the first area A1 to the eighth area A8 in sequence and then is
discharged through the outlet pipe 400.
9
That is, the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention has the 8-pass flow from
the first area A1 to the eighth area A8, wherein the refrigerant is uniformly distributed to each of
the areas, thereby reducing temperature variation. Therefore, the evaporator 1000 according to
the present invention can maximize the heat exchange efficiency with respect to the outdoor air
and maintain the comfort of passengers through the uniform temperature 5 distribution of the air
discharged to the left and right sides in a vehicle room.
In particular, the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention may be formed such
that the number of the tubes 510 of the eighth area A8 is smaller than or equal to the number of
the tubes 510 of the seventh area A7, the number of the tubes 510 of the seventh area A7 is
10 smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes 510 of the sixth area A6, and the number of the
tubes 510 of the sixth area A6 is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes 510 of the fifth
area A5.
Fig. 8 shows an example, wherein the numbers of the tubes 510 of the eighth area A8 and
the seventh area A7 are respectively to be 4, and the numbers of the tubes 510 of the sixth area
15 A6 and the fifth area A5 are respectively to be 5. However, the evaporator 1000 according to the
present invention is not limited to the above example. shows the number of the tubes
510 forming the respective areas in the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention. In the
, the total number of the tubes 510 means the number of lines of the tubes positioned in
the lengthwise direction of the first header tank 100.
20 【Table 1】
total number of
tubes 510
1st area A1
(8th area A8)
2nd area A2
(7th area A7)
3rd area A3
(6th area A6)
4th area A4
(5th area A5)
4N N N N N
4N+1 N N N N+1
4N+2 N N N+1 N+1
4N+3 N N+1 N+1 N+1
(N is an integer equal to or higher than 1.)
In the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention, the numbers of the tubes 510
forming the fifth area A5 to the eighth area A8 are limited since the areas of the second line first
meet the air in the air flow direction. Therefore, the air passes through the second line first and
25 then passes through the first line such that the temperature variation of the second line is larger
than the temperature variation of the first line. Accordingly, in the case of the evaporator 1000,
the air primarily cooled in the second line is cooled again in the first line. Therefore, in order to
reduce the air temperature variation on the whole, it is important to release the concentration of
the refrigerant in the second line.
10
In other words, according to the evaporator 1000 of the present invention, the number of
the tubes 510 forming an area, which is adjacent to an outlet, is smaller than or equal to the
number of the tubes 510 forming neighboring areas thereof such that the concentration of the
refrigerant on the area adjacent to the outlet can be prevented. Herein, since the number of the
tubes 510 may be not a multiple of 4, it is possible to arrange the tubes 5 510 in such a manner that
the number of the tubes 510 of the eighth area A8, which is nearest to the outlet, is smaller than
or equal to the number of the tubes 510 of the seventh area A7, the number of the seventh area
A7 is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes 510 of the sixth area A6, and the number
of the sixth area A6 is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes 510 of the fifth area A5.
10 In addition, the numbers of the tubes 510 forming the opposite areas of the first line and
the second line may be the same. More specifically, it is preferable that the number of the tubes
510 forming the first area A1 is the same as the number of the tubes 510 forming the eighth area
A8, the numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the second area A2 and the seventh area
A7 are the same as each other, the numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the third area
15 A3 and the sixth area A6 are the same as each other, and the numbers of the tubes 510
respectively forming the fourth area A4 and the fifth area A5 are the same as each other.In other
words, the numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the first area A1 and the eighth area
A8 which are arranged in parallel to each other in the width direction are the same as each other,
the numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the second area A2 and the seventh area A7
20 which are arranged in parallel to each other in the width direction are the same as each other, the
numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the third area A3 and the sixth area A6 which are
arranged in parallel to each other in the width direction are the same as each other, and the
numbers of the tubes 510 respectively forming the fourth area A4 and the fifth area A5 which are
arranged in parallel to each other in the width direction are the same as each other.Therefore, the
25 evaporator 1000 according to the present invention has advantages that the same number of
baffles 600 are respectively provided to the first line and the second line in the first header tank
100 and the second header tank 200 so as to control the refrigerant flow in the first header tank
100 and the second header tank 200 and the baffles 600 are provided at the same positions in the
lengthwise direction in the first line and the second line, thereby simplifying manufacturing
30 work.
Meanwhile, it is preferable that the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention
has a hydraulic diameter of the tubes 510 in the range of 1.0 to 2.8 mm. The hydraulic diameter
indicates 4 X flow path areas (St) of the tubes (510)/full circumference length (Lt) of entire flow
paths of the tubes (510).
35 Meanwhile, (a) and (b) in Fig. 9 respectively show the cross-sections of the tubes 510, in
which (a) of Fig. 9 shows the flow path areas St of the tubes 510, the total areas of the respective
parts through which the refrigerant flows, with oblique lines, and (b) of Fig. 9 shows the full
circumference length Lt of the respective parts, through which the refrigerant flows, and
circumferential lengths with thick lines on the cross section of the tubes 510.
40 Fig. 11 is a temperature interpretation graph for the second line side of the evaporator
1000 according to the present invention, and Fig. 12 is a refrigerant speed interpretation graph
for the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention. Referring to Fig. 11, it could be noted
that the temperature interpretation graph for the second line side of the evaporator 1000
11
according to the present invention had no section of temperature in the range of 8 to 10℃ and the
areas of temperature in the range of 6 to 8℃ were also reduced, in comparison with the
temperature interpretation graph of the prior art evaporator, as shown in Fig. 3. In addition, areas
of a predetermined speed or higher are shown with oblique lines. Referring to Fig. 12, it could be
noted that the refrigerant speed interpretation graph for the evaporator 5 1000 according to the
present invention had sections below the predetermined speed, which were much reduced, in
comparison with the refrigerant speed interpretation graph of the prior art evaporator, as shown
in Fig. 4. That is, the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention can reduce the
concentration of the refrigerant due to the inertia thereof and the temperature variation resulted
10 from such refrigerant concentration in the vicinity of the areas provided with the inlet pipe 300
and the outlet pipe 400 such that the temperature difference of the air discharged to the left and
right sides in a vehicle room and the overall thermal performance can be further increased.
Furthermore, the thermal performance is rapidly decreased if the hydraulic diameter of
the tubes 510 is less than 1.0 mm, and the maximum temperature difference is increased if the
15 hydraulic diameter of the tubes 510 exceeds 2.8 mm, as shown in Fig. 13. Therefore, it is
preferable that the hydraulic diameter of the tubes 510 is formed to be in the range of 1.0 to 2.8
mm in the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention so as to reduce the maximum
temperature difference and sufficiently secure the thermal performance.
In addition, it is preferable that the width Wcore of the core part is formed to be in the
20 range of 150 to 300 mm in the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention. Fig. 14 shows
a graph for showing the relations between the tubes 510, of which hydraulic diameter is 1.0 mm
and the core part width Wcore is 2.8 mm, and the thermal performance. It could be noted that the
thermal performance was rapidly decreased when the core part width Wcorewas less than 150
mm or exceeded 300 mm.
25 In other words, the evaporator 1000 according to the present invention has advantages
that the hydraulic diameter of the tubes 510 is formed to be in the range of 1 to 2.8 mm and the
width Wcore of the core part is formed to be in the range of 150 to 300 mm, thereby reducing the
temperature variation and improving the thermal performance.
It should be understood that there is no intent to limit the present invention to the
30 particular forms of the embodiments mentioned above. It should be further understood that the
present invention can be applied in a various fields and various modifications can be made
thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention.
35
12
We Claim:-
【Claim 1】
An evaporator, comprising:
a first header tank (100) and a second header tank (200), each of which inside is divided
into a first line and a second line by a partition wall, and arranged 5 in parallel to each other at a
predetermined distance from each other;
baffles (600) provided to the inside of the first header tank (100) and the second header
tank (200) so as to control the flow of refrigerant; and
a core part (500) including a plurality of tubes (510), of which both ends are respectively
10 fixed to the first lineand the second lineof the first header tank (100) and the second header tank
(200), and fins (520) interposed between the tubes (510),
wherein the tubes (510) respectively have four or more areas, provided to the first line
and the second line, for movement from the first header tank (100) to the second header tank
(200) or from the second header tank (200) to the first header tank (100).
15 【Claim 2】
The evaporator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator (1000) includes an inlet pipe
(300) communicating with the first line, and an outlet pipe (400) communicating with the second
line, the both being in parallel to each other at one side of the first header tank (100).
【Claim 3】
20 The evaporator according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator (1000) includes an inlet pipe
(300) communicating with the first line and folded in the shape of a “C”-type manifold at one
side of the first header tank (100) so as to extend in the downward direction and then in a width
direction, and an outlet pipe (400) communicating with the second line and extending in the
width direction.
25 【Claim 4】
The evaporator according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the refrigerant, introduced through the
inlet pipe (300) in the first line of the tubes (510), sequentially passes through a first area (A1)
for the movement from the first header tank (100) to the second header tank (200), a second area
(A2) for the movement from the second header tank (200) to the first header tank (100), a third
30 area (A3) for the movement from the first header tank (100) to the second header tank (200), and
a fourth area (A4) for the movement from the second header tank (200) to the first header tank
(100), so as to move to the second line, and sequentially passes through a fifth area (A5) for the
movement from the first header tank (100) to the second header tank (200), a sixth area (A6) for
the movement from the second header tank (200) to the first header tank (100), a seventh area
35 (A7) for the movement from the first header tank (100) to the second header tank (200), and an
13
eighth area (A8) for the movement from the second header tank (200) to the first header tank
(100), so as to be discharged through the outlet pipe (400).
【Claim 5】
The evaporator according to claim 4, wherein the evaporator (1000) has the plurality of
tubes (510), of which flow paths respectively have the same flow 5 path areas (St) and the same
full circumference length (Lt).
【Claim 6】
The evaporator according to claim 5, wherein the tubes (510) have a hydraulic diameter
in the range of 1.0 to 2.8 mm, defined by equation 1 as follows:
10 [equation 1]
hydraulic diameter = 4 X flow path areas (St) of the tubes (510)/full circumference length
(Lt) of the flow paths of the tubes (510).
【Claim 7】
The evaporator according to claim 6, wherein the evaporator (1000) has the core part
15 (500), of which width (Wcore) is 150 to 300 mm.
【Claim 8】
The evaporator according to claim 5, wherein the evaporator (1000) has the number of
the tubes (510) of the eighth area (A8), which is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes
(510) of the seventh area (A7).
20 【Claim 9】
The evaporator according to claim 5, wherein the evaporator (1000) has the number of
the tubes (510) of the seventh area (A7), which is smaller than or equal to the number of the
tubes (510) of the sixth area (A6).
【Claim 10】
25 The evaporator according to claim 5, wherein the number of the tubes (510) of the
seventh area (A6) is smaller than or equal to the number of the tubes (510) of the sixth area (A5).
【Claim 11】
The evaporator according to claim 5, wherein the first header tank (100) and the second
header tank (200) respectively have the same number of baffles (600), which are located in the
30 first line and the second line.
14
【Claim 12】
The evaporator according to claim 11, wherein the baffles (600) located in the first line
and the second line of the first header tank (100) and the second header tank (200) respectively
have the same positions in the lengthwise direction.
5 【Claim 13】
The evaporator according to claim 12, wherein the evaporator (1000) has the same
number of tubes (510) which form the opposite areas of the first line and the second line.
【Claim 14】
The evaporator according to claim 13, wherein the number of the tubes (510) forming the
10 first area (A1) and the number of the tubes (510) forming the eighth area (A8) are the same as
each other, the number of the tubes (510) forming the second area (A2) and the number of the
tubes (510) forming the seventh area (A7) are the same as each other, the number of the tubes
(510) forming the third area (A3) and the number of the tubes (510) forming the sixth area (A6)
are the same as each other, and the number of the tubes (510) forming the fourth area (A4) and
15 the number of the tubes (510) forming the fifth area (A5) are the same as each other.