Intermediate cooler for air-conditioning refrigerant

Abstract

An intermediate heat exchanger for refrigerant which passes through a high pressure side and a low pressure side in which the refrigerant has a different temperature circulating in an air conditioning loop. The heat exchanger includes a thin pressure-stable vessel defining at least one longitudinal compartment therein, and a flat multi-chamber tube through which refrigerant on one side flows. The tube extends through the at least one compartment and is spaced from at least two opposing walls of the compartment. Heat exchange ribs roughly fill the compartment between the tube and the two opposing walls, wherein refrigerant on the other side flows through the compartment between the tube and the two opposing walls.

1 . An intermediate heat exchanger for refrigerant which passes  2  through a high pressure side and a low pressure side in which the refrigerant has a different temperature circulating in an air conditioning loop, comprising: 
 a thin pressure-stable vessel defining at least one longitudinal compartment therein;    a flat multi-chamber tube through which refrigerant on one side flows, said tube extending through said at least one compartment and spaced from at least two opposing walls of said compartment;    heat exchange ribs roughly filling the compartment between the tube and said two opposing walls, wherein refrigerant on the other side flows through the compartment between the tube and the two opposing walls.    
   
   
       2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the opposing walls is curved, and said ribs fill the compartment between said curved wall and said flat multi-chamber tube.  
   
   
       3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one longitudinal wall dividing the vessel into at least two compartments, wherein the multi-chamber tube extends in the longitudinal direction of said compartments and is substantially straight through at least one compartment.  
   
   
       4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 3 , wherein said flat multi-chamber tube has a U-bend between two parallel straight portions, wherein said straight portions separately extend through two parallel compartments separated by said at least one longitudinal wall.  
   
   
       5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein said heat exchange ribs are arranged so as to be exposed to essentially no pressure loads.  
   
   
       6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein said vessel is substantially cylindrical with closing covers at each end of the cylinder.  
   
   
       7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of longitudinal walls dividing said vessel into a plurality of parallel longitudinal compartments.  
   
   
       8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 7 , wherein a flat multi-chamber tube extends through each vessel compartment, with said tubes being arranged in series with one tube configured to input or output the refrigerant, and at least one other tube configured to output or input, respectively, the refrigerant.  
   
   
       9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 8 , wherein said one tube has a greater cross-section than the other tubes.  
   
   
       10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 9 , wherein said vessel is substantially cylindrical, and said one tube extends substantially along the center plane of the cylindrical vessel.  
   
   
       11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein said vessel is substantially cylindrical, and the cross-sectional shape of the compartments is generally rectangular.  
   
   
       12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the chambers in the flat multi-chamber tube have a diameter of about 1.20 mm or less.  
   
   
       13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the length to diameter ratio (L/D) of the vessel is at least 3:1.  
   
   
       14 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein both the vessel and the multi-chamber tube are extruded.  
   
   
       15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein said ribs have walls extending longitudinally through said compartment.