Evaporator

Abstract

A corrugate fin of an evaporator includes wave crest portions, wave trough portions, and flat connection portions connecting together the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions. Opposite end portions of a cutout extend to corresponding connection portions located at opposite ends of the wave crest portion and the wave trough portion. A projection projecting inward is formed integrally with end portions of the connection portions, the end portions of the connection portions corresponding to opposite ends of the cutout. The projection extends between the end portions of the connection portions located at the opposite ends of the wave crest portion and the wave trough portion. The projection projects inward in a shape resembling a lying letter V. The evaporator exhibits excellent drainage of condensed water and enables high work efficiency in manufacture thereof.

1 . An evaporator comprising a plurality of refrigerant flow members arranged in parallel in a left-right direction, and corrugate fins disposed in corresponding air-passing clearances between the adjacent refrigerant flow members, the corrugate fins each comprising wave crest portions, wave trough portions, and flat connection portions connecting together the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions, a cutout being for ed in each of the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions.  
   
   
       2 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of louver groups each consisting of a plurality of louvers juxtaposed in a front-rear direction are arranged at predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction at each connection portion of each corrugate fin, whereby a plurality of louver-free portions are provided at each connection portion at the predetermined intervals in the front-rear direction; and the cutout is formed in each of the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions at least at a position corresponding to one of the louver-free portions of each connection portion.  
   
   
       3 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein opposite end portions of each cutout of each corrugate fin extend to connection portions located at opposite ends of the corresponding wave crest portion or wave trough portion.  
   
   
       4 . An evaporator according to  claim 3 , wherein a projection projecting inward is for ed integrally with corresponding end portions of each pair of connection portions of each corrugate fin, the end portions of the connection portions corresponding to opposite ends of one of the cutouts.  
   
   
       5 . An evaporator according to  claim 4 , wherein each projection of each corrugate fin is formed in such a manner as to extend between the corresponding end portions of the connection portions located at the opposite ends of the corresponding wave crest portion or wave trough portion, the end portions of the connection portions corresponding to the opposite ends of one of the cutouts.  
   
   
       6 . An evaporator according to  claim 5 , wherein the projections of the corrugate fins project inward in a shape resembling a lying letter V.  
   
   
       7 . An evaporator according to  claim 5 , wherein a pair of slits spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction is for ed in each of the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions of each corrugate fin in such a manner as to extend to the connection portions located at the opposite ends of the corresponding wave crest portion or wave trough portion; and a portion sandwiched between the slits is bent inward to thereby form the cutout and the projection.  
   
   
       8 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions of each corrugate fin comprises a flat portion and round portions located at corresponding opposite ends of the flat portion and connected to the corresponding connection portions; and the round portions have a radius of curvature of 0.7 mm or less.  
   
   
       9 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein a fin height of each corrugate fin, which is a direct distance between the wave crest portions and the wave trough portions, is 7.0 mm to 10.0 mm; and a fin pitch, which is a pitch of the connection portions, is 1.3 mm to 1.8 mm.  
   
   
       10 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein tube groups are arranged in a plurality of rows at predetermined internals in the front-rear direction, each tube group consisting of a plurality of flat tubes arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction; and a plurality of flat tubes arranged in tandem in the front-rear direction constitute a single refrigerant flow member.  
   
   
       11 . An evaporator according to  claim 10 , wherein front end portions of the corrugate fins project frontward beyond front ends of the refrigerant flow members, and a cutout is formed in each of the front projecting portions of the corrugate fins.  
   
   
       12 . An evaporator according to  claim 10 , wherein the cutouts are formed in each corrugate fin at positions corresponding to clearances between adjacent front and rear flat tubes of the refrigerant flow members.  
   
   
       13 . An evaporator according to  claim 12 , wherein front end portions of the corrugate fins project frontward beyond front ends of the refrigerant flow members, and a cutout is formed in each of the front projecting portions of the corrugate fins.  
   
   
       14 . An evaporator according to  claim 10 , further comprising a refrigerant inlet header section which is disposed on a side toward the front and on a first-end side of the refrigerant flow members and to which the flat tubes of at least a single tube group are connected, a refrigerant outlet header section which is disposed on the first-end side of the refrigerant flow members and rearward of the refrigerant inlet header section and to which the flat tubes of the remaining tube groups are connected; a first inter mediate header section which is disposed on the side toward the front and on a second-end side of the refrigerant flow members and to which the flat tubes connected to the refrigerant inlet header section are connected; and a second inter mediate header section which is disposed on the second-end side of the refrigerant flow members and rearward of the first inter mediate header section and to which the flat tubes connected to the refrigerant outlet header section are connected; wherein the first and second intermediate header sections communicate with each other.  
   
   
       15 . An evaporator according to  claim 10  wherein a tube height, which is a thickness of the individual flat tubes as measured in the left-right direction, is 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm.  
   
   
       16 . An evaporator according to  claim 1 , wherein each of the refrigerant flow members is formed of two metal plates whose peripheral edge portions are joined together; a bulging refrigerant flow tube portion is for ed between the two metal plates, and a bulging header formation portion is connectedly formed at each of opposite ends of the bulging refrigerant flow tube portion; and a plurality of the refrigerant flow members are laminated such that their bulging header formation portions abut each other and such that air-passing clearances are formed between the bulging refrigerant flow tube portions.  
   
   
       17 . An evaporator according to  claim 16 , wherein a drain groove for draining condensed water downward is for ed on an outer surface of the refrigerant flow members, and the cutouts are formed in the corrugate fins at positions corresponding to the drain grooves.  
   
   
       18 . An evaporator according to  claim 16 , wherein a tube portion height, which is a thickness of the bulging refrigerant flow tube portion as measured in the left-right direction, is 0.75 mm to 1.5 mm.  
   
   
       19 . A refrigeration cycle comprising a compressor, a condenser, and an evaporator, and using a chlorofluorocarbon-based refrigerant, the evaporator being an evaporator according to  claim 1 .  
   
   
       20 . A vehicle having installed therein a refrigeration cycle according to  claim 19  as a car air conditioner.  
   
   
       21 . A supercritical refrigeration cycle which comprises a compressor, a gas cooler, an evaporator, a pressure-reducing device, and an intermediate heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between a refrigerant from the gas cooler and a refrigerant from the evaporator and in which a supercritical refrigerant is used, the evaporator being an evaporator according to  claim 1 .  
   
   
       22 . A vehicle having installed therein a refrigeration cycle according to  claim 21  as a car air conditioner.