CONDENSER MODULE OF EVAPORATIVE CONDENSER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0199884 filed on Dec. 30, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a condenser module of an evaporative condenser

2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

A condenser is a heat exchanger cooling and liquefying high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant vapor supplied from a compressor, and serves to release heat within a refrigeration cycle to the outside.

Among these heat exchangers, a condenser composed of microchannel tubes (MCU) is disclosed. The condenser comprises a head pipe, connecting tubes, fin members, a cover, etc., and is primarily used in an air conditioning system.

Meanwhile, an air-cooled condenser has fin members and connecting tubes installed horizontally, while an evaporator has the fin members installed vertically to drain condensate, and then a hydrophilic coating is applied to improve drainability.

However, even when the fin members are installed vertically, the amount of residual water is still very high at approximately 15% of the amount of main water. The evaporated water remaining in the condenser without being drained, not only deteriorates the static pressure performance of the condenser and reduces the efficiency of an air conditioner, but also reduces corrosion resistance of the condenser.

Furthermore, the hydrophilic coating was applied to the condenser to improve the drainability. However, as the hydrophilicity deteriorates due to the detachment of the hydrophilic coating over time, the amount of residual water accumulated between the fins increases, which degrades the performance of the condenser and reduces the efficiency of the air conditioner.

Although water beading between the fins is not a problem because it is used for evaporative cooling, the fin structure causes the water beading to develop from an area where it contacts the connecting tube, resulting in residual water in this area. The water beading and residual water act as factors that accelerate the corrosion of the condenser module.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a condenser module of an evaporative condenser capable of increasing drainability and minimizing water beading and residual water on a fin member and a connecting tube.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above description. Those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will have no difficulty in understanding additional technical problems of the present disclosure from the general contents of the present specification.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a condenser module of an evaporative condenser includes: a plurality of connecting tubes having a plurality of channels in a first direction; and a fin member disposed between the connecting tubes, the fin member having a plurality of fins in a first direction, a first connecting portion connecting one end portion of the fins in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a second connecting portion connecting the other end portion of the fins, in which a plurality of first cutouts are formed at predetermined intervals on the first connecting part in close contact with one surface of the connecting tube, and a plurality of second cutouts are formed at predetermined intervals on the second connecting portion.

The connecting tube may include a plurality of first slits formed at predetermined intervals in a first surface of the fin member in the second direction that contacts the first connecting portion, and a plurality of second slits formed at predetermined intervals in a second surface, opposite to the first surface.

The first cutout and the first slit may be formed in positions corresponding to each other, and the second cutout and the second slit may be formed in positions corresponding to each other.

The fin member may have a length of the first cutout in the first direction that is at least twice that of the first connecting portion in the second direction, and a length of the second cutout in the first direction that is at least twice that of the second connecting portion in the second direction.

The fin member may have a louver shape in which a plurality of fins are formed at a predetermined angle.

The lengths of the first and second cutouts may be formed greater than that of the fin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a fin-tube structure according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a fin member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fin member of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting tube of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a condenser module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the condenser module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the example embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified in many different forms and the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the example embodiments set forth herein.

In addition, these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, shapes and dimensions of components may be exaggerated for clarity.

In description of example embodiments of the present disclosure, well-known technologies are not described in detail not to obscure the description of the present disclosure with unnecessary detail. Further, the following terminologies are defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure and may be construed in different ways by the intention of users and operators. Therefore, the definitions thereof should be construed based on the contents throughout the present specification. The terms used in the detailed description is merely for describing the example embodiments of the present disclosure and should in no way be limited. Unless clearly used otherwise, an expression in the singular form includes the meaning of the plural form.

As used herein, expressions such as “including” and “comprising” are intended to indicate the presence of features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, and are not intended to preclude the possibility of the presence, addition, or substitution of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof beyond those described.

Unless otherwise specified in the present specification, the unit ‘%’ means weight %.

In this specification, the terms such as “top,” “upper portion,” “upper surface,” “bottom,” “lower portion,” “lower surface,” and “side surface” are based on the drawings and may vary depending on a direction in which elements or components are arranged in practice.

In addition, a case in which any one portion is connected with the other portion includes a case in which the portions are directly connected with each other and a case in which the portions are indirectly connected with each other with other elements interposed therebetween.

Below, the present disclosure will be described in detail through each example embodiment or example of the present disclosure. It should be noted that each example embodiment or example described in this specification is not limited to a single example embodiment or example but may also be combined with other example embodiments or examples. Therefore, the citation of claims in the claim is merely an example of an example embodiment and the technical concept of the present disclosure should not be construed as being solely limited to the combination with the cited claim. Combinations with various claims also fall within the scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure.

The condenser module of the present disclosure is used in an evaporative heat exchanger. The evaporative heat exchanger includes an outdoor unit of an air conditioner, but the evaporative heat exchanger of the present disclosure is not limited to an outdoor unit of an air conditioner.

The evaporative heat exchanger may further include a water injection module that injects water passing through the condenser module from an upper portion of the condenser module, and a blower module disposed on one side of the condenser module to supply air passing through the condenser module.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to an example embodiment. However, it should be noted that the following Examples are only for illustrating the present disclosure in more detail and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. This is because the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the matters described in the claims and the matters reasonably inferred therefrom.

Hereinafter, directions in the drawings will be defined with X as a first direction, Y as a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and Z as a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. In addition, the first direction may be perpendicular to the floor when installing the heat exchanger.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a condenser module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a condenser module according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the condenser module 1 of an example embodiment includes a fin tube structure 2 and 3 composed of a plurality of connecting tubes 200 and a plurality of fin members 100.

In addition, first and second headers 62 and 61 are respectively arranged at the upper and lower end portions of the fin tube structure 2 and 3 composed of the plurality of connecting tubes 200 and the plurality of fin members 100. A first header 62 is connected to a refrigerant inlet 12 through which refrigerant flows in, a refrigerant outlet 11 through which refrigerant flows out, and a connecting pipe 13 that connects one fin tube structure 2 and 3 to each other.

In addition, covers 81 and 82 that function as brackets may be respectively disposed at left and right end portions of the fin tube structures 2 and 3.

In this case, water is sprayed from the top to the bottom of the condenser module 1 through a water injection module (not illustrated, e.g., nozzle), and air is moved upward through a blower module (not illustrated, e.g., fan), passing through the fin member 100 between the connecting tubes 200 together with water.

Water evaporates while passing between the connecting tube 200 and the fin member 100, and heat exchange occurs between the fluid and the water/air due to the latent heat of evaporation and sensible heat of the water/air, so the fluid passing through the condenser module 1 is condensed.

The refrigerant is introduced through a refrigerant inlet 12, circulates through one fin tube structure 3, moves to the other fin tube structure 2 through a connecting pipe 13, circulates through the other fin tube structure 2, and is then discharged to the outside through a refrigerant outlet 11.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a portion of a fin tube structure according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fin member of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fin member of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the connecting tube of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the fin members 100 are arranged one by one between the connecting tubes 200 in a second direction Y to provide a passage through which water and air may pass. The fin members 100 are connected to the connecting tubes 200 to expand the heat exchange area, thereby assisting heat exchange.

In this case, the fin members 100 may have a coating layer formed by coating the surface with a hydrophilic coating. The coating layer may include silicone and polyvinyl alcohol.

Furthermore, the fin members 100 are provided with a plurality of fins 116 and 117 in a first direction X, and each fin 116 and 117 is formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle toward a center 115 in the first direction X, so the fin members 100 may be formed in a louver shape. This may maximally expand an area of contact between the fins 116 and 117 when air and water pass therethrough.

In this case, the fin member 100 is provided with a first connecting portion 110 so that one end portion of each fin 116 and 117 is connected to each other in the second direction Y, and a second connecting portion 120 so that the other end portion is also connected to each other. Reference numerals 113 and 114 denote portions that connect both end portions of the first and second connecting portions 110 and 120 in the first direction to each other.

The fin member 100 is provided with a plurality of first cutouts 111 formed at predetermined intervals in the first connecting portion 110 that is in close contact with the first surface of the connecting tube in the second direction Y, and with a plurality of second cutouts 121 formed at predetermined intervals in the second connecting portion 120 that is in close contact with the second surface of the connecting tube in the second direction Y.

In this case, the first connecting portion 110 of the fin member 100 may be rounded. Accordingly, when the condenser module 1 operates, evaporated water may be formed on the first connecting portion 110 of the fin member 100. The water droplets formed on the first connecting portion 110 may flow downward along the first cutout 111, thereby suppressing the water beading phenomenon of the first connecting portion 110.

In addition, the second connecting portion 120 of the fin member 100 may be rounded. Accordingly, when the condenser module 1 operates, the evaporated water may be formed on the second connecting portion 120 of the fin member 100. The water droplets formed on the second connecting portion 120 may flow downward along the second cutout 121, thereby suppressing the water beading phenomenon of the second connecting portion 120.

Such a fin member 100 may be manufactured through a roll forming method. By adding a mold capable of notching before the roll forming mold, the fin member 100 in which the first and second cutouts 111 and 121 are formed in the first connecting portion 110 and the second connecting portion 120 may be manufactured.

Meanwhile, the fin member 100 may be formed at a position where the first cutout 111 and the second cutout 121 face each other in the second direction Y, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The fin member 100 may have a length W1 of the first cutout 111 in the first direction X that is at least half a length W2 of the first connecting portion 110 in the second direction Y, and a length of the second cutout 121 in the first direction X that is at least half that of the second connecting portion 120 in the second direction Y.

In some embodiments, the length W1 of the first cutout 111 in the first direction X may be greater than the length W2 of the first connecting portion 110 in the second direction Y, and the length of the second cutout 121 in the first direction X may be greater than the length of the second connecting portion 120 in the second direction Y.

In other embodiments, the length W1 of the first cutout 111 in the first direction X may be at least twice the length W2 of the first connecting portion 110 in the second direction Y, and the length of the second cutout 121 in the first direction X may be at least twice the length of the second connecting portion 120 in the second direction Y.

In addition, since the number of first and second cutouts 111 and 112 is smaller than the number of fins 116 and 117, the length of the first and second cutouts 111 and 121 in the first direction X may be formed to be greater than the length of the fins 116 and 117 in the first direction X to ensure the smooth flow of water droplets during drainage.

The connecting tube 200 may be formed of aluminum, and its surface may be coated with a hydrophilic coating to have a coating layer. The coating layer may include silicone and polyvinyl alcohol.

The connecting tube 200 has a plurality of channels 213 separated by walls 214 in the first direction X.

In this case, among the channels, two channels formed at both edges in the first direction X may be partially rounded in a semicircular shape, while the other channels may have the same size, shape, and area, and may be formed in a rectangular shape.

In addition, the connecting tube 200 includes a plurality of first slits 211 and a plurality of second slits 212.

The plurality of first slits 211 are formed at predetermined intervals on a first surface 210 in the second direction Y that contacts the first connecting portion 110 of the fin member 100, and each first slit 211 may be formed to extend along the third direction Z so as to reach both edges of the connecting tube 200 in the third direction Z.

The plurality of second slits 212 are formed at predetermined intervals on a second surface 215 in the second direction Y that contacts the second connecting portion 120 of the fin member 100, and each second slit 212 may be formed to extend along the third direction Z so as to reach both edges of the connecting tube 200 in the third direction Z.

In this way, the water droplets formed on the surface of the connecting tube 200 flow downward due to the first and second slits 211 and 212 formed on the first and second surfaces 210 and 215 of the connecting tube 200 in the second direction Y, thereby reducing the water beading phenomenon of the connecting tube 200.

Meanwhile, the connecting tube 200 may be formed at a position where the first slit 211 and the second slit 212 face each other in the second direction Y, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

By alternately arranging the plurality of fin members 100 and the plurality of connecting tubes 200 thus configured in the second direction, the fin-tube structure 2 is arranged.

In this case, the first cutout 111 and the first slit 211 may be formed in positions corresponding to each other, and the second cutout 121 and the second slit 212 may be formed in positions corresponding to each other.

Therefore, the first cutout 111 and the first slit 211 form a first drainage hole of an expanded size, and the second cutout 121 and the second slit 212 form a second drainage hole of an expanded size, so that water droplets formed on the first and second connecting portions 110 and 120 of the fins 116 and 117 of the fin member 100 may be drained more smoothly.

According to the present disclosure, by applying the drainage structure to the fin member and the connecting tube to remove the water beading and the residual water generated on the fin member and connecting tube, it is possible to improve the drainability and improve the corrosion resistance of the condenser module even after the operation of the heat exchanger is terminated.