초록 ▼

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems and heat exchangers are provided which include tube and manifold configurations designed to promote separation of vapor phase and liquid phase fluid. The manifolds contain multichannel tubes of various end geometries des

Heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems and heat exchangers are provided which include tube and manifold configurations designed to promote separation of vapor phase and liquid phase fluid. The manifolds contain multichannel tubes of various end geometries designed to dispose flow channels at different heights within the manifold. Individual tubes also may be disposed at different heights within the manifold. The various flow channel and tube heights permit direction of vapor phase and liquid phase refrigerant to certain flow channels.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A heat exchanger comprising: a first manifold configured to receive a mixed phase flow of liquid and vapor that at least partially separates in the first manifold and comprising a liquid section configured to collect the liquid and a vapor section configured to collect

The invention claimed is: 1. A heat exchanger comprising: a first manifold configured to receive a mixed phase flow of liquid and vapor that at least partially separates in the first manifold and comprising a liquid section configured to collect the liquid and a vapor section configured to collect the vapor, wherein the liquid section and the vapor section each extend along a common length of the first manifold to form a continuous interior volume of the first manifold; a second manifold; and a plurality of multichannel tubes in fluid communication with the first and second manifolds, each of the multichannel tubes having a first end disposed in the first manifold, a second end disposed in the second manifold, and a plurality of flow paths extending between the first and second ends, wherein the first ends extend into the continuous volume of the first manifold to direct liquid phase flow from the liquid section through some of the flow paths and vapor phase flow the vapor section through other flow paths. 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ends comprises a generally arcuate profile that positions inlets of outer flow paths within the liquid section and inlets of inner flow paths within the vapor section. 3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ends comprises an aperture extending through the multichannel tube to produce an inlet to at least one of the flow paths that receives liquid phase flow, and wherein the inlet is disposed within the liquid section. 4. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first end of at least one of the multichannel tubes extends into the first manifold to position all flow path inlets thereof within the liquid section to receive only liquid phase flow, and wherein the first end of at least one other of the multichannel tubes extends into the first manifold to position all flow path inlets thereof within the vapor section to receive only vapor phase flow. 5. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the first and second manifolds extend generally horizontally, and wherein the plurality of the multichannel tubes are spaced along the common length of the first manifold to align each of the first ends with the liquid section and with the vapor section. 6. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein the first manifold is positioned above the second manifold. 7. The heat exchanger of claim 5, wherein the first manifold is positioned below the second manifold. 8. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ends comprises a V-shaped profile having an angled section that positions an inlet of at least one of the flow paths receiving vapor phase flow within the vapor section and having a lower section that positions an inlet of at least one of the flow paths receiving liquid phase flow within the liquid section. 9. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first ends comprises an angled profile that positions inlets of the flow paths receiving liquid phase flow within the liquid section and inlets of the flow paths receiving vapor phase flow within the vapor section. 10. A heat exchanger comprising: a generally horizontal first manifold configured to receive a mixed phase flow of liquid and vapor that at least partially separates in the first manifold and comprising a liquid section configured to collect the liquid and a vapor section configured to collect the vapor, wherein the liquid section and the vapor section each extend along a common length of the first manifold to form a continuous interior volume of the first manifold; a generally horizontal second manifold; and a plurality of multichannel tubes in fluid communication with the first and second manifolds, each of the multichannel tubes having an inlet end disposed in the first manifold, an outlet end disposed in the second manifold, and a plurality of flow paths extending between the inlet and outlet ends, wherein the plurality of flow paths comprise liquid flow paths and vapor flow paths segregated from one another from the inlet ends to the outlet ends, and wherein each of the inlet ends are configured to position liquid inlets the liquid flow paths within the liquid section to receive liquid phase flow and vapor inlets of the vapor flow paths within the vapor section to receive vapor phase flow such that the liquid and vapor inlets are disposed within the same multichannel tube. 11. The heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the first manifold is positioned above the second manifold. 12. The heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the first manifold is positioned below the second manifold. 13. The heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the inlet ends comprise triangular shaped profiles and wherein the vapor inlets are disposed adjacent to a point of the triangular shaped profiles. 14. The heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the inlet ends comprises slanted profiles and wherein the vapor inlets and the liquid inlets are disposed on opposite sides of the slanted profiles from one another. 15. A heat exchanger comprising: a generally horizontal first manifold configured to receive a mixed phase flow of liquid and vapor that at least partially separates within the first manifold and comprising an upper section configured to collect the vapor and a lower section configured to collect the liquid, wherein the upper section and the lower section each extend along a common length of the first manifold to form a continuous interior volume within the first manifold; a generally horizontal second manifold; and a plurality of multichannel tubes in fluid communication with the first and second manifolds, each of the multichannel tubes having a first end disposed in the first manifold, a second end disposed in the second manifold, and a plurality of flow paths extending between the first and second ends, wherein the first ends are disposed within the continuous interior volume such that at least some of the flow paths terminate within the upper section to direct the vapor through the multichannel tubes in operation and such that at least other of the flow paths terminate within the lower section to direct the liquid through the multichannel tubes in operation. 16. The heat exchanger of claim 15, wherein the upper section and the lower section are separated in operation by a liquid-vapor boundary between the liquid and the vapor, and wherein at least one of the first ends is positioned across the liquid-vapor boundary to position vapor inlets of the vapor flow paths within the upper section and liquid inlets of the liquid flow paths within the liquid section. 17. The heat exchanger of claim 15, wherein all of the flow paths of at least one of the multichannel tubes terminate within the upper section and wherein all of the flow paths of at least another one of the multichannel tubes terminate within the lower section. 18. The heat exchanger of claim 15, wherein at least one of the multichannel tubes has an end that extends into the first manifold at a first distance into the first manifold and wherein at least another of the multichannel tubes has an end that extends into the first manifold at a second distance into the first manifold different than the first distance.