U.S. patent application number 09/895087 was filed with the patent office on 2002-01-03 for heat exchanger having superheated coolant bypass passage.
Invention is credited to Cho, Jae Hun, Kim, Jae Hoon, Yoo, Beom Kul.
Application Number | 20020000309 09/895087 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 19675332 |
Filed Date | 2002-01-03 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020000309 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim, Jae Hoon ; et
al. |
January 3, 2002 |
Heat exchanger having superheated coolant bypass passage
Abstract
A heat exchanger includes a flow passage formed by stacking a
plurality of laminated plates, cooling fins installed between the
plates, and a tank part prepared on top of the plates and connected
to a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet. The tank part has a bypass
means for allowing the coolant in a gas state to move toward the
coolant outlet without returning to the flow passage.
Inventors: |
Kim, Jae Hoon; (Asan-si,
KR) ; Cho, Jae Hun; (Asan-si, KR) ; Yoo, Beom
Kul; (Asan-si, KR) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PENNIE AND EDMONDS
1155 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS
NEW YORK
NY
100362711
|
Family ID: |
19675332 |
Appl. No.: |
09/895087 |
Filed: |
June 29, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/100 ;
165/153 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 9/028 20130101;
F28D 1/0341 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/100 ;
165/153 |
International
Class: |
F28F 027/02; F28D
001/02 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 30, 2000 |
KR |
2000-37073 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A heat exchanger including a flow passage formed by stacking a
plurality of plates with cooling fins installed between the plates
and a tank part located on top of the plates and connected to a
coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, wherein heat exchange is
performed between air and a coolant through cooling fins when the
coolant circulates through the flow passage formed by the plates,
the tank part comprising: a bypass means for allowing the coolant
in a gas state to move to the coolant outlet without returning to
the flow passage.
2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the bypass means is a
plurality of bypass holes formed at the upper portion of the tank
part in a zigzag pattern.
3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the bypass means is
formed by expanding an upper portion of the tank part.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicular heat exchanger
including a laminated type evaporator; and, more particularly, to a
heat exchanger capable of reducing friction resistance to a coolant
fluid flowing therein and improving the efficiency of a heat
exchanging performance by employing a superheated coolant bypass
passage that allows superheated coolant gas to bypass a
heat-exchanging region.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In general, an evaporator for use in vehicle air
conditioners includes a coolant inlet, a coolant outlet and a
coolant flow passage formed therebetween. Heat exchange is
performed when a coolant circulates through the coolant flow
passage.
[0003] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided a conventional
vehicular heat exchanger having a structure as described above. The
heat exchanger includes a coolant flow passage 102 formed by
stacking a plurality of laminated plates 101, cooling fins 103
installed between the laminated plates 101, and a tank part 106
installed on top of the laminated plates 101 and connected to a
coolant inlet 104 and a coolant outlet 106. A coolant is introduced
to the tank part 106 through the coolant inlet 104 and circulates
through patterns of the flow passage 102 formed on each of the
laminated plates 101. When the coolant travels through the flow
passages 102, heat is exchanged between the cooling fins 103 and
air flow generated by a blower prepared at one side of the heat
exchanger. When the heat exchanging process is completed, the
coolant is converted to superheated gas and transferred to an air
compressor through the coolant outlet 105.
[0004] However, this conventional heat exchanger presents certain
drawbacks. When the coolant in a liquid state absorbs the heat by
circulating the flow passages, some of the coolant is changed into
gas or superheated gas and cannot absorb the heat any more.
Nevertheless, the coolant in the gas or the superheated gas state
still remains in the heat-exchanging region, thereby reducing an
effective area of the heat exchanging process and deteriorating the
efficiency of the evaporator. Further, since a volume of the
coolant increases when the coolant undergoes a phase change from a
liquid state to a gas state, resistance of the coolant traveling
through the flow passage is also increased and the efficiency of
the heat exchanger is greatly reduced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to
provide a heat exchanger capable of reducing resistance against a
coolant traveling through a flow passage and increasing an
effective heat-exchanging area.
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
a heat exchanger including a flow passage 2 formed by stacking a
plurality of laminated plates 1, cooling fins 3 installed between
the plates 1, and a tank part 6 prepared on top of the plates 1 and
connected to a coolant inlet 4 and a coolant outlet 5, wherein the
tank part 6 has a bypass means for allowing the coolant in a gas
state to move toward the coolant outlet 5 without returning to the
flow passage 2.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] The above and other objects and features of the present
invention will become apparent from the following description of
preferred embodiments given in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional heat
exchanger;
[0009] FIG. 2 provides a perspective view of a heat exchanger in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
and
[0010] FIG. 3 depicts a schematic diagram for illustrating an
operational state of the heat exchanger in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a heat exchanger in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
The heat exchanger includes a passage 2 formed by stacking a
plurality of laminated plates 1, cooling fins 3 installed between
the plates 1, a tank part 6 formed on top of the plates 1 and
connected to a coolant inlet 4 and a coolant outlet 5. Further,
bypass holes 7 are formed on upper portion of the tank part 6 in a
zigzag pattern.
[0012] An operation of the heat exchanger in accordance with the
present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to
FIG. 3.
[0013] A coolant in a liquid state provided to the tank part 6
through the coolant inlet 4 circulates through the flow passage 2
patterned on the laminated plates 1 and absorbs heat from air
flowing around the cooling fins 3. During this heat-exchanging
process, some of the liquid coolant becomes gas or superheated gas.
Since the coolant in the superheated gas state has a smaller
density than the coolant in the liquid state, the superheated
coolant gas rises upward to the tank part 6 and moves to the
coolant outlet 5 through the bypass holes 7 without invading the
flow passage where the heat exchange is being performed.
Accordingly, it becomes possible that only the coolant in the
liquid state flows in the heat-exchanging region such that the flow
resistance of the coolant can be reduced and the efficiency of the
heat exchange can be greatly improved.
[0014] In accordance with another embodiment of the present
invention, an upper portion of the tank part 6 is expanded and the
coolant in the liquid state flows at a bottom portion of the tank
part 6. The coolant in the gas state transferred to the tank part 6
from the flow passage 2 flows through the expanded upper portion of
the tank part 4 and moves toward the coolant outlet 5 without
returning to the flow passage 2. Thus, the same effects as
described above can be obtained.
[0015] As described above, the heat exchanger in accordance with
the present invention includes a means for allowing a coolant in a
superheated gas state to bypass a flow passage where heat exchange
is being performed. Thus, resistance to the coolant flow and heat
loss in the heat exchanging process can be reduced. Further, the
efficiency of the heat exchanger can be greatly improved and an
overload of the air compressor can be prevented.
[0016] While the invention has been shown and described with
respect to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood by
those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may
by made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention as defined in the following claims.
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