Heat exchanger, method for manufacturing heat exchanger, tube connecting structure for heat exchanger header tank, gas cooler using supercritical refrigerant, and refrigerant system

Abstract

A heat exchanger according to the present invention includes a pair of header tanks 10 a and 10 b and a plurality of heat exchanging tubes 30 disposed between the header tanks and arranged in parallel. The header tank 10 and 10 b is provided with partitioning walls 15 integrally formed to the header tank along the longitudinal direction. The inside space of the header tank is divided by the partitioning walls 15 into tank partions 11 to 014 . Refrigerant turning communication apertures 17 are formed in the predetermined partitioning wall 15 . The refrigerant passages 35 of the heat exchanging tube 30 are grouped so as to correspond to each tank portion of the header tank 10 a and 10 b to thereby form a plurality of passes P 1 to P 4 . The refrigerant introduced into the first tank portion 11 of one of the header tanks 10 a passes through each passes P 1 to P 4 in this order from the rear side toward the front side, and then introduced into the fourth tank portion 14 of the other of the header tanks 10 b . According to this heat exchanger, enough pressure resistance and heat exchanging performance can be obained.

1 . A heat exchanger, comprising: 
 a pair of header tanks; and    a plurality of heat exchanging tubes disposed between said pair of header tanks and arranged in parallel in a header tank longitudinal direction,    wherein each of said header tanks is provided with one or more partitioning walls integrally formed in each of said header tanks and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a plurality of tank portions divided by said one or more partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed and arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein a refrigerant turning communication aperture for communicating adjacent tank portions is formed in a prescribed partitioning wall,    wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extended in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction,    wherein both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each of said heat exchanging tubes are grouped in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each tank portion of said header tanks, to thereby form a plurality of passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction, and    wherein refrigerant introduced into a first tank portion of one of said header tanks is introduced into a first tank portion of the other of said header tanks via a first pass, then the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of the other of said header tanks via said refrigerant turning communication aperture, and thereafter the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of said one of said header tanks via a second pass.    
   
   
       2 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein each of said header tanks is an integrally formed article formed by extrusion processing or drawing processing.  
   
   
       3 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said heat exchanging tube is an integrally formed article formed by extrusion processing or drawing processing.  
   
   
       4 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of tube insertion apertures communicating with said tank portions are provided at an inner side surface of each of said header tanks at certain intervals in the header tank longitudinal direction, and wherein refrigerant passages at end portions of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with corresponding tube insertion apertures.  
   
   
       5 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 4 , wherein end portions of each of said heat exchanging tubes are provided with one or more cutout portions corresponding to said one or more partitioning walls, and said end portions of each of said heat exchanging tubes are inserted into said tube insertion apertures with said one or more partitioning walls fitted in said one or more cutout portions.  
   
   
       6 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 5 , wherein one or more regions of each of said heat exchanging tubes corresponding to said one or more cutout portions are formed to be one or more non-passage areas in which no refrigerant passage exists, and wherein regions of each of said heat exchanging tubes not corresponding to said one or more cutout portions are formed to be passage areas in which said refrigerant passages exist.  
   
   
       7 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein said refrigerant turning communication aperture formed in said partitioning wall of the other of said header tanks is configured by a cut aperture formed in an inside surface of the other of said header tanks.  
   
   
       8 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein each of said header tanks is provided with a joining plate joined to an inner side surface thereof, wherein a plurality of tube insertion apertures are provided in said joining plate at certain intervals in a joining plate longitudinal direction, and wherein end portions of each of said heat exchanging tubes are inserted into corresponding tube insertion apertures to be communicated with said header tanks.  
   
   
       9 . The heat exchanger as recited in  claim 1 , wherein CO 2  is used as the refrigerant.  
   
   
       10 . A method for manufacturing a heat exchanger, comprising: 
 preparing a pair of header tanks, wherein each of said header tanks is provided with one or more partitioning walls integrally formed in each of said header tanks and extended in a header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a plurality of tank portions divided by said one or more partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein a refrigerant turning communication aperture for communicating adjacent tank portions is formed in predetermined partitioning walls;    preparing a plurality of heat exchanging tubes, wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extended in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction; and    forming a plurality of passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction by communicating both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each heat exchanging tubes are grouped into said plurality of passes in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each of said tank portions of said header tank,    whereby refrigerant introduced into a first tank portion of one of said header tanks is introduced into a first tank portion of the other of said header tanks via a first pass, then the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of the other of said header tanks via said refrigerant turning communication aperture, and thereafter the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of said one of said header tanks via a second pass.    
   
   
       11 . The method for manufacturing a heat exchanger as recited in  claim 10 , wherein at least one of said header tanks is provided, at its inner surface side, with a plurality of tube insertion apertures for communicating end portions of said heat exchanging tubes and said refrigerant turning communication aperture, and wherein said tube insertion apertures and said refrigerant turning communication aperture are formed simultaneously by cutting processing.  
   
   
       12 . A heat exchanger, comprising: 
 a pair of header tanks; and    a plurality of heat exchanging tubes disposed between said pair of header tanks and arranged in a header tank longitudinal direction,    wherein each of said header tanks is provided with three partitioning walls integrally formed in each of header tanks and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a first tank portion to a fourth tank portion divided by said partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein a refrigerant turning communication aperture for communicating adjacent tank portions is formed in a partitioning wall partitioning the second tank portion and the third tank portion of said one of said header tanks, a partitioning wall partitioning the first tank portion and the second tank portion of the other of said header tanks and a partitioning wall partitioning the third tank portion and the fourth tank portion of the other of said header tanks,    wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extended in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction,    wherein both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each of said heat exchanging tubes are grouped in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each tank portion of said header tanks, to thereby form a first to fourth passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction, and    wherein refrigerant introduced into the first tank portion of one of said header tanks passes through the first to fourth passes in turn and then introduced into the fourth tank portion of said one of said header tanks.    
   
   
       13 . A tube connecting structure for a header tank of a heat exchanger comprising a pair of header tanks and a plurality of heat exchanging tubes disposed between said pair of header tanks and arranged in a header tank longitudinal direction, 
 wherein each of said header tanks is provided with one or more partitioning walls integrally formed in each of header tanks and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a plurality of tank portions divided by said partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein tube insertion apertures communicating with said tank portions are formed in one side surface of each of said header tanks,    wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extending in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction,    wherein both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each of said heat exchanging tubes are grouped in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each tank portion of said header tanks, to thereby form a plurality of passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction, and    wherein refrigerant passes through each of said grouped refrigerant passages independently.    
   
   
       14 . The tube connecting structure as recited in  claim 13 , wherein end portions of said heat exchanging tubes are provided with one or more cutout portions corresponding to said one or more partitioning walls, and said end portions of said heat exchanging tubes are inserted into said tube insertion apertures with said one or more partitioning walls fitted in said one or more cutout portions.  
   
   
       15 . The tube connecting structure as recited in  claim 14 , wherein one or more regions of each of said heat exchanging tubes corresponding to said one or more cutout portions are formed to be one or more non-passage areas in which no refrigerant passage exists, and wherein regions of each of said heat exchanging tubes not corresponding to said one or more cutout portions are formed to be passage areas in which said refrigerant passages exist.  
   
   
       16 . A refrigerant system having a refrigeration cycle in which refrigerant compressed by a compressor is cooled by a gas cooler, decompressed by a decompressor, then heated while passing through a cooling device and then returned to said compressor, 
 wherein said gas cooler is configured by a heat exchanger comprising a pair of header tanks and a plurality of heat exchanging tubes disposed between said pair of header tanks and arranged in a header tank longitudinal direction,    wherein each of said header tanks is provided with one or more partitioning walls integrally formed in each of said header tanks and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a plurality of tank portions divided by said one or more partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein a refrigerant turning communication aperture for communicating adjacent tank portions is formed in a prescribed partitioning wall,    wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extended in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction,    wherein both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each of said heat exchanging tubes are grouped in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each tank portion of said header tanks, to thereby form a plurality of passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction, and    wherein refrigerant introduced into a first tank portion of one of said header tanks is introduced into a first tank portion of the other of said header tanks via a first pass, then the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of the other of said header tanks via said refrigerant turning communication aperture, and thereafter the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of said one of said header tanks via a second pass.    
   
   
       17 . The refrigerant system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein CO 2  is used as the refrigerant.  
   
   
       18 . A gas cooler using supercritical refrigerant in which a plurality of heat exchanging tubes are disposed between a pair of header tanks and arranged in parallel in a header tank longitudinal direction, 
 wherein each of said header tanks is provided with one or more partitioning walls integrally formed in each of said header tanks and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction, whereby a plurality of tank portions divided by said one or more partitioning walls and extended in the header tank longitudinal direction are formed so as to be arranged in parallel in a header tank widthwise direction, wherein a refrigerant turning communication aperture for communicating adjacent tank portions is formed in a prescribed partitioning wall,    wherein each of said heat exchanging tubes has a flat configuration having a width dimension larger than a height dimension, and is provided with a plurality of refrigerant passages extended in a tube longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel in a tube widthwise direction,    wherein both ends of each of said heat exchanging tubes are communicated with said pair of header tanks so that said refrigerant passages of each of said heat exchanging tubes are grouped in the tube widthwise direction in accordance with each tank portion of said header tanks, to thereby form a plurality of passes arranged in parallel in the tube widthwise direction,    wherein refrigerant introduced into a first tank portion of one of said header tanks is introduced into a first tank portion of the other of said header tanks via a first pass, then the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of the other of said header tanks via said refrigerant turning communication aperture, and thereafter the refrigerant is introduced into a second tank portion of said one of said header tanks via a second pass, and    wherein the refrigerant passing through the first and second passes is cooled by exchanging heat with ambient air.    
   
   
       19 . The gas cooler using supercritical refrigerant as recited in  claim 18 , wherein CO 2  is used as the refrigerant.