Air to refrigerant heat exchanger with phase change material

• US 9,109,841 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hanon Systems (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp (Hahn & Co. Auto Holdings Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Goenka, Lakhi Nandlal
• Primary Examiner(s): Norman, Marc
• Assistant Examiner(s): SNOW, MAXWELL B
• Application Number:
  US13/267,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20130087316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 165/10, 165/140, 165/156, 165/104.17, 625/15, 625/18, 625/24, 625/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/00328 of the liquid-air type
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/005 Regenerative cooling means, e.g. cold accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0021 using phase change material [PCM] for storage
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05383 with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits F28D1/05391 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/05391 with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits combined with a particular flow pattern, e.g. multi-row multi-stage radiators
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/02 using latent heat
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 20/026 with different heat storage materials not coming into direct contact
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0008 the heat storage material being enclosed in plate-like or laminated elements, e.g. in plates having internal compartments
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2020/0013 the heat storage material being enclosed in elements attached to or integral with heat exchange conduits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/14 Thermal energy storage

Abstract

A thermal energy heat exchanger for an air conditioning system includes a row of first tubes, a row of second tubes, and a row of third tubes. Inside, heat is exchanged between air, refrigerant, and phase change material, also known as PCM, cool storage material, cold storage material, and latent heat storage material. The first row of tubes carries refrigerant. A portion of the second row of tubes and a portion of the third row of tubes carry refrigerant. The remainder of the second and third rows of tubes carry phase change material. The phase change material can be associated with a phase change material manifold. Advantageously, the melting point of phase change material in the second tubes can be different from the melting point of the phase change material in the third tubes.

Claims

1. A thermal energy exchanger for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system that exchanges thermal energy between a first fluid and a second fluid, the thermal energy exchanger comprising:

a first row of first tubes, wherein each of the first tubes receives the first fluid therein;

a second row of second tubes disposed directly downstream of the first tubes with respect to a flow path of the second fluid, a portion of the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein, the remaining second tubes including a phase change material disposed therein;

in the second row, the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein and the second tubes including the PCM disposed therein alternate;

a third row of third tubes disposed directly downstream of the second tubes with respect to the flow path of the second fluid, a portion of the third tubes receiving the first fluid therein, the remaining third tubes including a phase change material disposed therein;

the second tubes with phase change material disposed therein contacting the third tubes receiving the first fluid therein;

the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein contacting the third tubes with phase change material disposed therein.

2. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the second tubes including the phase change material disposed therein includes at least one of an internal fin and an hourglass-shaped web formed therein.

3. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising a phase change material manifold disposed around at least a portion of an outer periphery of at least one of the first tubes, the second tubes, and the third tubes.

4. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the at least one of the third tubes including the phase change material disposed therein includes at least one of an internal fin and an hourglass-shaped web formed therein.

5. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the phase change material disposed in the third tubes is substantially identical to the phase change material disposed in the second tubes.

6. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a melting point of the phase change material disposed in at least one of the second tubes is higher than a melting point of the phase change material disposed in at least one of the third tubes.

7. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the second tubes including the phase change material disposed therein and at least one of the third tubes including the phase change material disposed therein are in fluid communication with at least one phase change material manifold.

8. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising at least one fluid manifold in fluid communication with at least one of the first tubes receiving the first fluid therein, the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein, and the third tubes receiving the first fluid therein.

9. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 8, further comprising a secondary phase change material manifold disposed in the at least one fluid manifold.

10. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 8, further comprising a secondary phase change material manifold disposed adjacent an outer surface of the at least one fluid manifold.

11. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 3, further comprising a secondary phase change material manifold disposed around at least a portion of an outer periphery of the thermal energy exchanger.

12. A thermal energy exchanger for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system that exchanges thermal energy between a first fluid and a second fluid, the thermal energy exchanger comprising:

a first row of first tubes, wherein each of the first tubes receive the first fluid therein;

a second row of second tubes disposed directly downstream of the first tubes with respect to a flow path of the second fluid, a portion of the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein, the remaining second tubes including a phase change material disposed therein;

in the second row, the second tubes receiving the first fluid therein and the second tubes including the PCM disposed therein alternate;

a third row of third tubes disposed directly downstream of the second tubes with respect to the flow path of the second fluid, a portion of the third tubes receiving the first fluid therein, the remaining third tubes including a phase change material disposed therein;

the melting point of the phase change material disposed in the second tubes being greater than the melting point of the phase change material disposed in the third tubes.

13. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 12, wherein the third tubes receiving the first fluid therein and the third tubes including the phase change material disposed therein alternate.

14. A thermal energy exchanger for a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system that exchanges thermal energy between a first fluid and a second fluid, the thermal energy exchanger comprising:

a plurality of first tubes, each of the first tubes receives the first fluid therein; and

a plurality of second tubes disposed downstream of the first tubes with respect to a flow path of the second fluid, wherein a first portion of each of the second tubes receives the first fluid therein and a second portion of each of the second tubes includes a phase change material disposed therein,

a plurality of third tubes disposed downstream of the second tubes with respect to the flow path of the second fluid, wherein a first portion of each of the third tubes receives the first fluid therein and a second portion of each of the third tubes includes a phase change material therein;

each of the second tubes connected to a divided manifold and a common manifold;

the first fluid taking a U-shaped flow path through the second tubes from a first portion of the divided manifold, through the common manifold, to the second portion of the divided manifold;

a third portion of the divided manifold containing the phase change material of the second tubes, and

at least one of the following numbered features are present;

1) the first tubes are connected to an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, the first fluid taking a straight flow path from the inlet manifold to the outlet manifold;

2) each of the first tubes defines a single inner volume, the first fluid being in fluid communication with the entire single inner volume;

or

3) the first tubes are connected to an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold, the inlet manifold adjacent to the divided manifold, the outlet manifold adjacent to the common manifold.

15. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the flow of the first fluid through the third tubes is U-shaped.

16. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the melting point of the PCM disposed in the third tubes is different from the melting point of the PCM disposed in the second tubes.

17. The thermal energy exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the third portion of the divided manifold is located between the first and second portions of the divided manifold.