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  Laminated heat exchangerUSPTO Application #: 20070295026Title: Laminated heat exchanger Abstract: An evaporator implemented by a laminated heat exchanger includes a refrigerant inlet header section, a refrigerant outlet header section, and plural inter mediate header sections. A sixth intermediate header section includes a refrigerant channel allowing refrigerant flow in the longitudinal direction thereof and whose downstream end with respect to the refrigerant flow direction is closed, and causes refrigerant to dividedly flow into a plurality of refrigerant flow tube portions. Refrigerant that has flown into the refrigerant inlet header section from a refrigerant inlet flows into the refrigerant outlet header section through the refrigerant flow tube portions and through the intermediate header sections and flows out from a refrigerant outlet. A resistive plate portion within the sixth intermediate header section blocks the refrigerant channel thereof extending in the longitudinal direction thereof. A resistive hole in the resistive plate portion imparts resistance to refrigerant that flows through the refrigerant channel. (end of abstract)
Agent: Oblon, Spivak, Mcclelland Maier & Neustadt, P.C. - Alexandria, VA, US Inventors: Daisuke Mori, Naohisa Higashiyama USPTO Applicaton #: 20070295026 - Class: 062515000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Refrigeration, Refrigeration Producer, Evaporator, E.g., Heat Exchanger The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070295026. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is an application filed under 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 111(a) claiming the benefit pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 119(e)(1) of the filing date of Provisional Application No. 60/609,831 filed Sep. 15, 2004 pursuant to 35 U.S.C. .sctn. 111(b). TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] The present invention relates to a laminated heat exchanger, and more particularly to a laminated heat exchanger used as an evaporator of a vehicle air conditioner, which is a refrigeration cycle on board a vehicle. [0003] Herein and in the appended claims, the upper, lower, left-hand, and right-hand sides of FIGS. 1, 3, and 11 will be referred to as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right," respectively. The downstream side of flow (represented by arrow X in FIGS. 1 and 11) of air is referred to as the "front," and the opposite side as the "rear." BACKGROUND ART [0004] A laminated heat exchanger that is conventionally used widely as an evaporator of a vehicle air conditioner includes a plurality of flat, hollow members (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2003-14392). Each of the flat, hollow members includes two vertically elongated metal plates whose perimetric edge portions are joined together. Two vertically extending bulging refrigerant flow tube portions are formed between the two metal plates while being spaced apart from each other in the air flow direction. A bulging header formation portion is connected to each of the upper and lower ends of each of the two refrigerant flow tube portions. The header formation portions of adjacent flat, hollow members arranged in a laminated condition are joined together. Clearances between the refrigerant flow tube portions of adjacent flat, hollow members serve as air-passing clearances. The header formation portions of the flat, hollow members form a refrigerant inlet header section having a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerant outlet header section having a refrigerant outlet, and a plurality of intermediate header sections. [0005] The laminated heat exchanger described in the publication includes a refrigerant inlet header section; a refrigerant outlet header section arranged upstream of the refrigerant inlet header section with respect to the air flow direction; a first intermediate header section arranged under the refrigerant inlet header section; a second intermediate header section arranged in tandem alignment with the first intermediate header section; a third intermediate header section arranged above the second intermediate header section and in tandem alignment with the refrigerant inlet header section; a fourth intermediate header section arranged upstream of the third intermediate header section with respect to the air flow direction and in tandem alignment with the refrigerant outlet header section; a fifth intermediate header section arranged under the fourth intermediate header section; and a sixth intermediate header section arranged under the refrigerant outlet header section and in tandem alignment with the fifth intermediate header section. The refrigerant flow tube portions of the flat, hollow members establish communication between the refrigerant inlet header section and the first intermediate header section, communication between the second intermediate header section and the third intermediate header section, communication between the fourth intermediate header section and the fifth intermediate header section, and communication between the sixth intermediate header section and the refrigerant outlet header section. The third intermediate header section and the fourth intermediate header section communicate with each other via communication channels formed in the flat, hollow members. Each of the refrigerant inlet header section, the second intermediate header section, and the sixth intermediate header section serves as a refrigerant-flow-dividing header section which has a refrigerant channel allowing flow of refrigerant in the longitudinal direction thereof and having a downstream end with respect to the refrigerant flow direction closed and which causes refrigerant to dividedly flow into a plurality of refrigerant flow tube portions. Each of the refrigerant outlet header section, the first intermediate header section, and the fifth intermediate header section serves as a refrigerant-flow-joining header section which has a refrigerant channel allowing flow of refrigerant in the longitudinal direction thereof and having a downstream end with respect to the refrigerant flow direction open and which causes refrigerant flowing out from a plurality of refrigerant flow tube portions to join together. The refrigerant channel of the refrigerant inlet header section communicates with a refrigerant inlet; the refrigerant channel of the refrigerant outlet header section communicates with a refrigerant outlet; the refrigerant channel of the first intermediate header section communicates with that of the second intermediate header section; and the refrigerant channel of the fifth intermediate header section communicates with that of the sixth intermediate header section. [0006] A laminated heat exchanger of this kind is designed for uniformly divided flow of refrigerant in terms of refrigerant flow into the refrigerant flow tube portions that establish communication between the refrigerant inlet header section and the first intermediate header section, refrigerant flow into the refrigerant flow tube portions that establish communication between the second intermediate header section and the third intermediate header section, refrigerant flow into the refrigerant flow tube portions that establish communication between the fourth intermediate header section and the fifth intermediate header section, and refrigerant flow into the refrigerant flow tube portions that establish communication between the sixth intermediate header section and the refrigerant outlet header section. In the laminated heat exchanger described in the above-mentioned publication, in order to disperse refrigerant, which flows into the refrigerant channel of the second intermediate header section from that of the first intermediate header section, over the entire second intermediate header, and to disperse refrigerant, which flows into the refrigerant channel of the sixth intermediate header section from that of the fifth intermediate header section, over the entire sixth intermediate header, a flat plate having a refrigerant passage hole is disposed between the first intermediate header section and the second intermediate header section and between the fifth intermediate header section and the sixth intermediate header section; and a guide is provided on the downstream surface of each of the flat plates with respect to the refrigerant flow direction for dispersing refrigerant that has passed through the relevant refrigerant passage holes, in the second intermediate header section and in the sixth intermediate header section. [0007] However, in an evaporator of a vehicle air conditioner, air-velocity distribution may become nonuniform along the left-right direction on the upstream side with respect to the air flow direction; i.e., on the rear side, depending on the method of installation of the evaporator and the shape of casing of the evaporator. In this case, a vehicle-air-conditioner evaporator implemented by a laminated heat exchanger featuring uniformly divided flow of refrigerant into all refrigerant flow tube portions may involve a problem in that the temperature distribution of discharged air; i.e., the temperature distribution of air that has passed the evaporator, may become nonuniform along the left-right direction. In other words, the temperature of discharged air becomes relatively high in a region where air velocity becomes high on the rear side, and the temperature of discharged air becomes relatively low in a region where air velocity becomes low on the rear side. Further, in the region where air velocity becomes low on the rear side, condensed water may be frozen on the surfaces of refrigerant flow tube portions and fins. [0008] An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a laminated heat exchanger which, when applied to, for example, an evaporator of a vehicle air conditioner, can provide uniform temperature distribution of discharged air even when air-velocity distribution becomes nonuniform on the upstream side with respect to the air flow direction. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION [0009] To fulfill the above object, the present invention comprises the following modes. [0010] 1) A laminated heat exchanger comprising a plurality of flat, hollow members, each of the flat, hollow members comprising two vertically elongated metal plates having perimetric edge portions joined together, a bulging refrigerant flow tube portion being formed between the two metal plates, a bulging header formation portion being connected to each of opposite ends of the refrigerant flow tube portion, the header formation portions of adjacent flat, hollow members arranged in a laminated condition being joined together, clearances between the refrigerant flow tube portions of adjacent flat, hollow members serving as air-passing clearances, the header formation portions of the flat, hollow members forming a refrigerant inlet header section having a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerant outlet header section having a refrigerant outlet, and a plurality of intermediate header sections, at least one of all the header sections serving as a refrigerant-flow-dividing header section which has a refrigerant channel allowing flow of refrigerant in the longitudinal direction thereof and having a downstream end with respect to the refrigerant flow direction closed and which causes refrigerant to dividedly flow into a plurality of refrigerant flow tube portions, refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant inlet header section from the refrigerant inlet, flowing through the refrigerant flow tube portions and through the intermediate header sections, flowing into the refrigerant outlet header section, and flowing out from the refrigerant outlet, wherein a resistive portion is provided in at least one of the refrigerant-flow-dividing header sections so as to impart resistance to refrigerant that flows through the refrigerant channel extending in a longitudinal direction of the refrigerant-flow-dividing header section. [0011] 2) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 1), wherein the resistive portion comprises a resistive hole formed in a resistive plate portion that is provided within the refrigerant-flow-dividing header section in a manner to block the refrigerant channel thereof. [0012] 3) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 2), wherein the resistive plate portion is a portion of a flat plate of metal sandwiched between and joined to two metal plates used to form the flat, hollow member, the portion of the flat plate being present within the refrigerant-flow-dividing header section; and a portion of the flat plate that is present in another header section having the refrigerant channel has a refrigerant passage hole formed therein and having a cross-sectional area equal to that of the refrigerant channel. [0013] 4) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 2), wherein a plurality of resistive plate portions are provided within at least one refrigerant-flow-dividing header section, and the resistive hole is formed in each of the resistive plate portions. [0014] 5) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 4), wherein the resistive holes of different sizes are mixedly present. [0015] 6) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 4), wherein the resistive holes of different vertical positions within the corresponding refrigerant channels are mixedly present. [0016] 7) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 2), wherein at least one resistive plate portion is provided within each of a plurality of refrigerant-flow-dividing header sections, and the resistive hole is formed in the resistive plate portion. [0017] 8) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 7), wherein the resistive holes of different sizes are mixedly present. [0018] 9) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 7), wherein the resistive holes of different vertical positions within the corresponding refrigerant channels are mixedly present. [0019] 10) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 2), wherein the size of the resistive hole is 1/60 to 1/10 the cross-sectional area of the refrigerant channel of the refrigerant-flow-dividing header section. [0020] 11) A laminated heat exchanger according to par. 2), wherein a guide portion is provided on a downstream-side surface of the resistive plate portion with respect to the refrigerant flow direction so as to guide refrigerant having passed through the resistive hole, toward the refrigerant flow tube portion near the resistive plate portion. Continue reading... Full patent description for Laminated heat exchanger Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Laminated heat exchanger patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Laminated heat exchanger or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Engine heat pump Next Patent Application: Process for forming hollow costume jewelry articles coated with a film of precious metal or metallic alloy Industry Class: Refrigeration ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Laminated heat exchanger patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.11285 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m |
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