Patent ID: 6779594
Filing Date: 2004-08-24
Classification: F28D,F28F

Abstract:
An evaporator for transferring heat between a heat transfer fluid and a refrigerant, comprising:a tube including a first end, a second end, an inner surface with surface irregularities, and an outer surface, the surface irregularities having sharp points; and an electrode located inside and spaced from the tube, the electrode including a smooth outer surface and having a voltage applied to produce an electric field, the refrigerant flowing through the tube in the space between the outer surface of the electrode and the inner surface of the tube, and the heat transfer fluid flowing over the outer surface of the tube, wherein the outer surface of the electrode and the inner surface of the tube are spaced apart from each other such that the electric field produced by the applied voltage of the electrode is intensified around the sharp points of the surface irregularities and presses the refrigerant against the surface irregularities on the inner surface of the tube in order to increase the heat transfer rate between the refrigerant and the heat transfer fluid.