Patent ID: 9541314
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: F25B,F28D,F28F

Claim:
1. A vapor compression system comprising: a compressor configured and arranged to compress a refrigerant; a condenser configured and arranged to condense the refrigerant that has been compressed by the compressor; an expansion device configured and arranged to reduce pressure of the refrigerant that has been condensed by the condenser; and an evaporator configured and arranged to evaporate the refrigerant discharged from the expansion device, the evaporator including a shell with a longitudinal center axis extending generally parallel to a horizontal plane, a distributing part disposed inside of the shell, and configured and arranged to distribute the refrigerant, and a tube bundle including a plurality of failing-film-type heat transfer tubes disposed inside of the shell below the distributing part so that the refrigerant discharged from the distributing part is supplied onto the tube bundle to form a liquid film along an exterior wall of each of the falling-film-type heat transfer tubes, all of the falling-film-type heat transfer tubes disposed inside of the shell extending generally parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the shell and arranged in a plurality of columns extending parallel to each other when viewed along the longitudinal center axis of the shell, the tube bundle having an upper region and a lower region, the falling-film-type heat transfer tubes in the tube bundle having both of an arrangement in which a vertical pitch between a first falling-film-type heat transfer tube disposed immediately below the distributing part and a second falling-film-type heat transfer tube disposed immediately below the first falling-film-type heat transfer tube among the falling-film-type heat transfer tubes in at least one of the columns is larger than a vertical pitch between adjacent ones of the falling-film-type heat transfer tubes in the at least one of the columns in the lower region of the tube bundle, and an arrangement in which a horizontal pitch between adjacent ones of the columns is larger in an outer region of the tube bundle than in an inner region of the tube bundle, wherein the horizontal pitch between adjacent ones of the columns gradually increases from the inner region to the outer region of the tube bundle.