Refrigerant evaporator including refrigerant passage with inner fin

• US 6,253,840 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1999
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kuroyanagi, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): LEO, LEONARD R
• Application Number:
  US09/247,773
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 165/153, 165/177, 165/174, 165/176, 165/183, 165/179, 165/166, 625/15
• US Class Current: 165/183
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0333 the plates having integrated connecting members
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0071 Evaporators
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0085 Evaporators
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/06 by affecting the pattern of flow of the heat-exchange media F28F13/003 takes precedence; static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/027 with openings, e.g. louvered corrugated fins; Assemblies of corrugated strips
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/0265 by using guiding means or impingement means inside the header box

Abstract

A refrigerant passage of an evaporator, in which refrigerant flows, is divided into plural sub-passages by partition wall portions of inner fins. The partition wall portions have plural louvers for flowing the refrigerant from an air flow downstream side sub-passage to an ajdacent air flow upstream side sub-passage. The louvers are alternately arranged on the partition wall portions with specific intervals in a refrigerant flow direction. Accordingly, refrigerant distributed amounts into the plural sub-passages can be adjusted to correspond to variations in thermal load on an air side.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger including a refrigerant passage in which refrigerant flows in a refrigerant flow direction, for exchanging heat between the refrigerant and an air flowing outside the refrigerant passage in an air flow direction perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction, the heat exchanger comprising:

a tube defining therein the refrigerant passage;

an inner fin having a plurality of partition wall portions and dividing the refrigerant passage into a plurality of sub-passages by the plurality of partition wall portions, the plurality of sub-passages including first, second, and third sub-passages so that the first sub-passage is disposed on an air flow upstream side more than the second and third sub-passages, the plurality of partition wall portions including first and second wall portions respectively dividing the first and second sub-passages and the second and third sub-passages;

a first group of louvers provided on the first partition wall portion for guiding the refrigerant from the second sub-passage into the first sub-passage;

a second group of louvers provided on the second partition wall portion for guiding the refrigerant from the third sub-passage into the second sub-passage, the second group of louvers being shifted from the first group of louvers in the refrigerant flow direction to avoid overlapping with the first group of louvers in the air flow direction;

a plurality of first groups of louvers provided on the first partition wall portion at a first interval to define first interval spaces therebetween in the refrigerant flow direction; and

a plurality of second groups of louvers provided on the second partition wall portion at a second interval to define second interval spaces therebetween in the refrigerant flow direction and to respectively face the first interval spaces in a direction perpendicular to the refrigerant flow direction;

wherein each length of the first group of louvers and the second group of louvers in the refrigerant flow direction is approximately equal to that of each of the first and second intervals.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first interval is equal to the second interval.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein each of the first groups of louvers and the second groups of louvers includes a plurality of louvers bent up from the first and second partition wall portions and arranged in the refrigerant flow direction.