Refrigerant distributing component, header assembly, and heat exchanger

A refrigerant distributing component includes a body. The body has a distributing cavity extending along a length direction of the body therein and an inner sidewall of the distributing cavity has a plurality of distributing hole therein, wherein refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Phase application of the International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2014/070743, filed Jan. 16, 2014, which claims the benefit of prior Chinese Application No. 201310378731.5 filed Aug. 27, 2013. The entire contents of the above-mentioned patent applications are incorporated by reference as part of the disclosure of this U.S. application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to a field of refrigeration technology, and more particularly to a refrigerant distributing component, a header assembly and a heat exchanger.

2. Description of the Related Art

In order to improve performances of a heat exchanger, a refrigerant distributing component is normally disposed in the header of the heat exchanger, e.g., a circular tube having distributing holes in a wall thereof. When the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator or an outdoor heat pump, the refrigerants entering an inlet of the heat exchanger are in a two-phase state of mixed vapour and liquid. A vapour-liquid separation occurs to the refrigerants in a distributing device, and refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes are all liquids and refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes are all vapours, resulting in an uneven distribution of the refrigerants entering each flat tube of the heat exchanger. Moreover, after the refrigerants with two phases of vapour and liquid flow through the distributing holes, a vapour-liquid separation phenomenon may also be caused by a difference in density of the refrigerants in vapour and liquid phase, thus the refrigerants cannot be distributed into each flat tubes evenly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure seeks to solve at least one of the problems existing in the related art to at least some extent.

Therefore, an objective of the present disclosure is to provide a refrigerant distributing component, which can reduce a vapour-liquid separation phenomenon.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a header assembly having the refrigerant distributing component described above.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a header assembly, which can reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants.

Another objective of the present disclosure is to provide a heat exchanger having the header assembly described above.

The refrigerant distributing component according to embodiments of a first aspect of the present disclosure includes: a body having a distributing cavity extending in a length direction of the body therein, and an inner sidewall of the distributing cavity has a plurality of distributing holes therein, refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes.

According to the refrigerant distributing component of embodiments of the present disclosure, since the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes, the two-phase refrigerants mix evenly under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, so as to reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants, facilitate a more even distribution of the refrigerants into heat exchanging tubes and improve an homogeneity of the distribution of the refrigerants in the heat exchanger, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing holes are divided into a plurality of groups, and refrigerants sprayed from at least one group of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from at least another group of the distributing holes.

Preferably, refrigerants sprayed from any two groups of the distributing holes collide with each other.

Alternatively, the distributing holes in each group are arranged in a line in the length direction of the body.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing holes are divided into a plurality of groups, and refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes in any group collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes in the same group.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the body has an arc-shaped cross-section, and the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes in a circle in which a center of the body serves as a center of the circle and a radius of the body serves as a radius of the circle.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing cavity includes a plurality of distributing channels which are arranged and spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the body.

Specifically, an inner sidewall of each distributing channel has at least one row of the distributing holes therein.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the body has an arc-shaped cross-section and the distributing channel has a circular cross-section, a distance from the center of the distributing channel to the center of the body is L and a hydraulic diameter of the distributing channel is R, and an included angle between two lines connecting centers of the distributing holes of two outermost distributing channels to the center of the circle is α, wherein 2N arctan(R/L)<α<π.

In some other embodiments of the present disclosure, the body has an arc-shaped cross-section and the distributing channel has an arc-shaped cross-section.

Further, a circumferential groove is provided in inner surfaces of two ends of the body.

The header assembly according to a second aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a header; a refrigerant distributing component according to the first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, disposed in the header.

The header assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure, through the refrigerant distributing component, can reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants and improve the homogeneity of the distribution of the refrigerants, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

Specifically, an outer wall surface of the body of the refrigerant distributing component is conformed together with an inner wall of the header.

The header assembly according to a third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a header; a refrigerant distributing component including a body which is disposed in the header and divides an inner cavity of the header into an distributing cavity and a mixing cavity and has a plurality of distributing holes communicating the distributing cavity and the mixing cavity, wherein refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes in the mixing cavity.

According to the header assembly of embodiments of the present disclosure, since the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes in the mixing cavity, the two-phase refrigerants mix evenly under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, so as to reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants, facilitate a more even distribution of the refrigerants into heat exchanging tubes and improve an homogeneity of the distribution of the refrigerants in the heat exchanger, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

Alternatively, the body is formed as a plate having an arc-shaped or a corrugated cross-section.

Further, two longitudinal edges of the body respectively each have a turn-down conformed with an inner wall of the header.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a surface of the body adjacent to the distributing cavity has a separating rib extending in a length direction of the body, and the separating rib divides the distributing cavity into a plurality of distributing channels.

Preferably, the distributing holes are divided into a plurality of groups, and refrigerants sprayed from any two groups of the distributing holes collide with each other.

The heat exchanger according to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure includes a header assembly according to the second or the third aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail and examples of the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings, where same or similar reference numerals are used to indicate same or similar members or members with same or similar functions. The embodiments described herein with reference to drawings are explanatory, which are used to illustrate the present disclosure, but shall not be construed to limit the present disclosure.

A refrigerant distributing component100according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described with reference toFIG. 1toFIG. 11. The refrigerant distributing component100is disposed in a header of a heat exchanger and used to distribute the refrigerant to the header, so that the refrigerant can be distributed evenly among heat exchanging tubes of the heat exchanger.

As shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 11, the refrigerant distributing component100according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a body1having an distributing cavity2extending in a length direction (a left-right direction inFIG. 5) of the body1, an inner sidewall (upper wall inFIG. 1) of the distributing cavity2has a plurality of distributing holes3therein. It should be understood that a shape of a cross-section of the distributing cavity2may be any appropriate shape, such as a circle, an arc or a rectangle. Moreover, a size, a shape, a position and an opening direction of each distributing hole may be designed according to a practical appliance. Preferably, the plurality of the distributing holes3may be distributed evenly. Preferably, the distributing hole3is configured to be a slot, thus further improving the uniformity of the distribution of the refrigerant.

According to the refrigerant distributing component100of embodiments of the present disclosure, in the plurality of the distributing holes3, refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3, in other words, the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3and the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3spray to each other. Therefore, the counter-spraying of the refrigerants can be realized according to the refrigerant distributing component100of embodiments of the present disclosure.

Specifically, the refrigerants enter the distributing cavity2and spray out from the plurality of the distributing holes3, and the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3, in other words, a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3is intersected with a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3, so that although a vapour-liquid separation phenomenon occurs after the refrigerants with two phases of vapour and liquid leave the distributing holes3, the two-phase refrigerants will reform a sufficiently mixed vapour-liquid fluid under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, thus reducing the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the two-phase refrigerants entering the heat exchanging tubes of the heat exchanger.

According to the refrigerant distributing component100of embodiments of the present disclosure, since the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes, the two-phase refrigerants mix evenly under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, so as to reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants, facilitate a more even distribution of the refrigerants into heat exchanging tubes and improve the uniformity of the distribution of the refrigerants in the heat exchanger, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing holes3are divided into a plurality of groups, for example, the distributing holes3in each group are arranged in line in a length direction of the body1and may also be arranged in other shapes. The refrigerants sprayed from at least one group of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from at least another group of the distributing holes3, in other words, the refrigerants sprayed from at least two groups of the plurality of groups of the distributing holes3collide with each other. Specifically, it may be that the refrigerants sprayed from one group of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another group of the distributing holes3, it may also be that the refrigerants sprayed from one group of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from other groups of the distributing holes3, and it may further be that the refrigerants sprayed from several groups of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another several groups of the distributing holes3. Preferably, the refrigerants sprayed from any two groups of the distributing holes3collide with each other, thus further improving the uniformity of a mixing of the two-phase refrigerants.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing holes3are divided into a plurality of groups and the refrigerants sprayed from a part of the distributing holes3in any group of collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3in the same group, in other words, the refrigerants sprayed from each group of the distributing holes3may collide with each other.

As shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 11, in some specific embodiments of the present disclosure, the body1has an arc-shaped cross-section, and the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3in a circle in which a center of the body1serves as a center of the circle and a radius of the body1serves as a radius of the circle. In other words, the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3in a circle, and a center of the circle is a center of the body1and a radius of the circle is a radius of the body1. Preferably, as an arrow shown inFIG. 3, a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3is intersected with a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3at the center of the circle.

As shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 11, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the distributing cavity2includes a plurality of distributing channels21which are arranged and spaced apart in a circumferential direction of the body1and each of the distributing channels21has the distributing hole3for distributing the refrigerant therein. Preferably, shapes and sizes of the distributing channels21are the same.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, an inner sidewall of each distributing channel21has at least one row of the distributing holes3therein. For example, in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 3, the body1has three distributing channels21which extend in the length direction of the body1and are arranged uniformly apart from each other in a circumferential direction of the body1. The distributing hole21has a circular cross-section, an inner sidewall of each distributing channel21protrudes inwardly, and the inner sidewall of each distributing channel21has a row of the distributing holes3arranged in a line therein. It should be understood that a plurality of rows of the distributing holes3may be formed in each distributing channel21, and the distributing holes3in each row may be distributed spirally around an axial direction of the distributing channel21. Preferably, in the embodiment shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 3, the refrigerants distributed from the distributing holes3in the inner wall of the three distributing channels21are intersected at the center of the body1, in other words, the refrigerants sprayed from the three rows of the distributing holes3collide with each other at the center of the body1.

As shown inFIG. 1toFIG. 9, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the body1has an arc-shaped cross-section, and the distributing channel21has a circular cross-section. As shown inFIG. 2, a distance from the center of the distributing channel21to the center of the body1is L, a hydraulic diameter of the distributing channel21is R, and an included angle between two lines connecting centers of distributing holes3of two outermost distributing channels21to the center of the circle of the body1is α, wherein 2N arctan(R/L)<α<π. Inventors of the present application find out that, by meeting the formula of 2N arctan(R/L)<α<π, the refrigerants after the collision can flow into the heat exchanging tubes more smoothly.

As shown inFIG. 10andFIG. 11, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the body1has an arc-shaped cross-section, the distributing channel21has an arc-shaped cross-section, and the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall of the body1are both arc-shaped. The distributing cavity2has two separating ribs23therein so as to divide the distributing cavity2into three distributing channels21.

In order to conveniently dispose the body1in the header, as shown inFIG. 4toFIG. 9, circumferential grooves4are provided in the inner sidewall surface at two ends of the body1and the two partition plates5are fitted into the two circumferential grooves4respectively. In a flowing direction of the refrigerants, the partition plate5located in upper stream of the two partition plates5has a partition plate hole51fitting with the distributing channel21, and the partition plate5located in lower stream of the two partition plate5may have the partition plate hole51or may not have the partition plate hole51. Shapes of parts of the two partition plates5outside the circumferential groove4fit with the shape of the inner wall of the header, so that the body1can be fixed in the header by the partition plate5fitting with the inner wall of the header.

As shown inFIG. 5, the partition plate5located in upper stream (the left side) divides the inner cavity of the header into a liquid reserving and guiding segment201and a refrigerant distributing segment202, the refrigerant distributing component100is disposed in the refrigerant distributing segment202, and the distributing cavity2is communicated with the liquid reserving and guiding segment201. The refrigerants enter in the liquid reserving and guiding segment201first, then enter into the plurality of the distributing channels21via the partition plate hole51of the partition plate5and the refrigerants spray from the distributing holes3of each distributing channel21to the refrigerant distributing segment202and collide in the refrigerant distributing segment202.

In order to make the refrigerants flow into the distributing channel21more easily, as shown inFIG. 9, in a further embodiment of the present disclosure, a part of the inner sidewall of the distributing channel21between the circumferential groove4and an left end-surface of the body1is removed so as to form an opening segment22of the distributing channel21. It should be understood that the opening segment22of the distributing channel21is located in the reserving and guiding segment201.

A header assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure is described following with reference toFIG. 3,FIG. 5andFIG. 11.

As shown inFIG. 3,FIG. 5andFIG. 11, the header assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a header200and a refrigerant distributing component disposed in the header200, and the refrigerant distributing component is the refrigerant distributing component100according to embodiments described above.

Preferably, an outer sidewall surface of the body1of the refrigerant distributing component100is conformed together with an inner wall surface of the header200, and a shape of the outer sidewall surface of the body1is fitting with a shape of the inner wall surface of the header200, so as to facilitate the conformation.

The header assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure, through the refrigerant distributing component100, can reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants and improve the homogeneity of the distribution of the refrigerants, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

A header assembly according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is described following with reference toFIG. 12toFIG. 17.

As shown inFIG. 12toFIG. 17, the header assembly according to embodiments of the present disclosure includes a header200and a refrigerant distributing component100.

The refrigerant distributing component100includes a body1, and the body1is disposed in the header200and divides an inner cavity of the header200into an distributing cavity2and a mixing cavity6and has a plurality of distributing holes3communicating the distributing cavity2and the mixing cavity6, refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3in the mixing cavity6.

In a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, the distributing holes3are divided into a plurality of groups and the refrigerants sprayed from any two groups of the distributing holes3collide with each other.

The body1may be fixed in the header200by means of a welding, for example.

The refrigerants enter the distributing cavity2and spray out from the distributing cavity2to the mixing cavity6, and a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3and a motion path of the refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3have intersection points such that collisions occur in the mixing cavity6, thus although a vapour-liquid separation phenomenon occurs after the refrigerants with two phases of vapour and liquid leave the distributing holes3, the two-phase refrigerants will reform a sufficiently mixed vapour-liquid fluid under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, thus reducing the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the two-phase refrigerants entering the heat exchanging tubes300of the heat exchanger.

The refrigerants may collide with each other in a radial direction of the header200, the refrigerants may also collide with each other in an axial direction of the header200, may further collide with each other in the radial and the axial directions of the header200at the same time, and the refrigerants may even collide with each other deviating from a predetermined angle in the radial and the axial directions.

According to the header assembly of embodiment of the present disclosure, since the refrigerants sprayed from one part of the distributing holes3collide with refrigerants sprayed from another part of the distributing holes3in mixing cavity6, the two-phase refrigerants mix evenly under a strong disturbance effect caused by the collision of refrigerants, so as to reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants, facilitate a more even distribution of the refrigerants into heat exchanging tubes300and improve a uniformity of the distribution of the refrigerants in the heat exchanger, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown inFIG. 12andFIG. 13, the body1is a plate having an arc-shaped cross-section, and two longitudinal edges (the side edges extending along a direction of an arrow A shown inFIG. 12) of the body1each have a turn-down11conformed with an inner wall of the header200and used to support and install the body1in the header200. The cross-section of the distributing cavity2is arc-shaped and the inner sidewall of the body1has three rows of the distributing holes3so as to form three groups of the distributing holes3, and each row of the distributing holes3includes a plurality of distributing holes3.

In the examples shown inFIG. 14andFIG. 15, the body1is a plate with an arc-shaped cross-section, and two longitudinal edges of the body1each have a turn-down11conformed with an inner wall of the header200. A surface of the body1adjacent to the distributing cavity2has separating ribs23extending in the length direction of the body1, and the ribs23divide the distributing cavity2into a plurality of distributing channels21and each of the cross-sections of the distributing channels21is arc-shaped. As shown inFIG. 14andFIG. 15, the separating ribs are two in number and are provided in the distributing cavity2to divide the distributing cavity2into three distributing channels21. Each of the inner sidewalls of the distributing channels21has a row of distributing holes3therein.

In the examples shown inFIG. 16andFIG. 17, the body1is a plate having a corrugated cross-section, and the inner sidewall surface of the body1has a plurality of rows of the distributing holes3therein so as to form a plurality of groups of the distributing holes3. More specifically, two sides of each wave peak each have a row of distributing holes3, and the refrigerants sprayed from two rows of the distributing holes3between adjacent two wave peaks collide with each other.

A heat exchanger according to embodiment of the present disclosure is described following with reference toFIG. 1toFIG. 18.

As shown inFIG. 18, the heat exchanger according to embodiment of the present disclosure includes two headers200, a heat exchanging tube300, a fin400and a refrigerant distributing component100. Two ends of the heat exchanging tube300are connected to the two headers200respectively. Preferably, the heat exchanging tube300is configured to be a flat tube. The fin400is disposed between the adjacent heat exchanging tubes300. The refrigerant distributing component100is disposed in at least one of the two headers200, and the refrigerant distributing component100and the header200form a header assembly, which is the header assembly described in the above embodiments.

The heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be a parallel-flow heat exchanger, such as a micro-channel heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present disclosure, through the refrigerant distributing device, can reduce the vapour-liquid separation phenomenon of the refrigerants and improve the homogeneity of the distribution of the refrigerants, thus improving the performance of the heat exchanger.

In the specification, it is to be understood that terms such as “central,” “longitudinal,” “lateral,” “length,” “width,” “thickness,” “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “rear,” “left,” “right,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “top,” “bottom,” “inner,” “outer,” “clockwise,” and “counter-clockwise” should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description and do not require that the present disclosure be constructed or operated in a particular orientation.