Heat exchanger for an air conditioner and an air conditioner having the same

Abstract

A heat exchanger for an air conditioner and an air conditioner having the same are provided. The heat exchanger may include at least one heat exchange device, the heat exchange device comprising a lower header provided therein with a lower flow path; an upper header provided therein with an upper flow path; and a plurality of flat tubes provided therein with a plurality of flow paths that communicates with the lower flow path and the upper flow path. The upper flow path may be partitioned into a first lower flow path with which a portion of the plurality of flat tubes may communicate, and a second lower flow path with which a remaining portion of the plurality of flat tubes may communicate. Each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header may be 0.7 times or more as large as a sum of sectional areas of flow paths in the plurality of flat tubes forming one path.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising:
 at least one heat exchange device, the at least one heat exchange device comprising:
 a lower header provided therein with a lower flow path; 
 an upper header provided therein with an upper flow path; and 
 a plurality of flat tubes provided therein with a plurality of flow paths that communicates with the lower flow path and the upper flow path, wherein the upper flow path is partitioned into a first lower flow path with which a first portion of the plurality of flat tubes communicates, and a second lower flow path with which a second portion of the plurality of flat tubes communicates, wherein a longitudinal width of a heat exchange area is greater than a transverse width of the heat exchange area, the heat exchange area being an area in which heat of the plurality of flat tubes are exchanged with air, and wherein each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.7 times or more as large as a sum of sectional areas of flow paths in the plurality of flat tubes forming one path. 
   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one heat exchange device further comprises a plurality of fins disposed between the plurality of flat tubes. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein a refrigerant introduced into the upper flow path through the first portion of the plurality of flat tubes collides with an upper inner wall of the upper header and is discharged to the second portion of the plurality of flat tubes. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet pipe to introduce and guide a refrigerant into the heat exchanger in a direction substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the plurality of flat tubes extends. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 4 , wherein the inlet pipe communicates with one of the first lower flow path or the second lower flow path. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 4 , wherein the inlet pipe comprises a plurality of branch pipes. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths is determined by the following equation:
     A cell= Tn×Cn×A      
       where, Acell is the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths, Tn is a number of flat tubes forming one path, Cn is a number of the flow paths formed in the plurality of flat tubes forming the one path, and A is an area of a flow path. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein each of the internal sectional area of the upper header and the internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.8 times or less as large as the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal width is approximately 1.5 times or more as large as the transverse width. 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 9 , wherein the longitudinal width is approximately 2.5 times or less as large as the transverse width. 
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least heat exchange device comprises a plurality of heat exchange devices disposed at front and rear sides with respect to an air moving direction, wherein an inlet pipe that introduces and guides a refrigerant into the heat exchanger is connected to a first lower flow path formed in a lower header of a first heat exchange device of the plurality of heat exchange devices, and wherein an outlet pipe that introduces and guides the refrigerant out of the heat exchanger is connected to a lower flow path formed in a lower header of a second heat exchange device of the plurality of heat exchange devices. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 11 , wherein a separator is disposed between a second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the first heat exchange device, and a second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the second heat exchange device, and is provided therein with a plurality communication holes. 
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 12 , wherein a sum of sectional areas of the plurality of communication holes is approximately 4% to approximately 8% of an area of the separator. 
     
     
         14 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least heat exchange device comprises a plurality of heat exchange devices disposed at front and rear sides with respect to an air moving direction, and wherein an upper flow path formed in an upper header of a first heat exchange device of the plurality of heat exchange devices is partitioned into a first upper flow path and a second upper flow path. 
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 14 , wherein an inlet pipe that introduces and guides a refrigerant into the heat exchanger is connected to the first upper flow path, and an outlet pipe that discharges and guides the refrigerant from the heat exchanger is connected to the second upper flow path. 
     
     
         16 . The heat exchanger of  claim 15 , wherein a first lower flow path formed in a lower header of the first heat exchange device communicates with a first lower flow path formed in a lower header of a second heat exchange device of the plurality of heat exchange devices through a plurality of first communication holes, and wherein a second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the first heat exchange device communicates with a second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the second heat exchange device through a plurality of second communication holes. 
     
     
         17 . The heat exchanger of  claim 16 , wherein a sum of sectional areas of the plurality of first communication holes is approximately 4% to approximately 8% of an area of a separator, which is disposed between the first lower flow path formed in the lower header of the first heat exchange device and the first lower flow path formed in the lower header of the second heat exchange device. 
     
     
         18 . The heat exchanger of  claim 17 , wherein a sum of sectional areas of the plurality of second communication holes is approximately 4% to approximately 8% of an area of a separator, which is disposed between the second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the first heat exchange device and the second lower flow path formed in the lower header of the second heat exchange device. 
     
     
         19 . An air conditioner comprising the heat exchanger of  claim 1 . 
     
     
         20 . A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising:
 least one heat exchange device, the at least one heat exchange device comprising:
 a lower header provided therein with a lower flow path; 
 an upper header provided therein with an upper flow path; and 
 a plurality of flat tubes provided therein with a plurality of flow paths that communicates with the lower flow path and the upper flow path, wherein the upper flow path is partitioned into a first upper flow path with which a first portion of the plurality of flat tubes communicates, and a second upper flow path with which a second portion of the plurality of flat tubes communicates, and wherein each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.7 times or more as large as a sum of sectional areas of flow paths in the plurality of flat tubes forming one path. 
   
     
     
         21 . The heat exchanger of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one heat exchange device further comprises a plurality of fins disposed between the plurality of flat tubes. 
     
     
         22 . The heat exchanger of  claim 20 , wherein the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths may be determined by the following equation:
     A cell= Tn×Cn×A      
       where, Acell is the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths, Tn is a number of flat tubes forming one path, Cn is a number of the flow paths formed in the plurality of flat tubes forming the one path, and A is an area of a flow path. 
     
     
         23 . The heat exchanger of  claim 20 , wherein each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.8 times or less as large as the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths. 
     
     
         24 . An air conditioner comprising the heat exchanger of  claim 20 . 
     
     
         25 . A heat exchanger for an air conditioner, comprising:
 at least one heat exchange device, the at least one heat exchange device comprising:
 a lower header provided therein with a lower flow path; 
 an upper header provided therein with an upper flow path; and 
 a plurality of flat tubes provided therein with a plurality of flow paths that communicates with the lower flow path and the upper flow path, wherein the plurality of flat tubes are divided into a plurality of groups, each group forming one path in communication with a portion of the lower flow path and the upper flow path, wherein a longitudinal width of a heat exchange area is greater than a transverse width of the heat exchange area, the heat exchange area being an area in which heat of the plurality of flat tubes are exchanged with air, and wherein each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.7 times or more as large as a sum of sectional areas of flow paths in the plurality of flat tubes forming one path. 
   
     
     
         26 . The heat exchanger of  claim 25 , wherein the at least one heat exchange device further comprises a plurality of fins disposed between the plurality of flat tubes. 
     
     
         27 . The heat exchanger of  claim 25 , wherein the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths may be determined by the following equation:
     A cell= Tn×Cn×A      
       where, Acell is the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths, Tn is a number of flat tubes forming one path, Cn is a number of the flow paths formed in the plurality of flat tubes forming the one path, and A is an area of a flow path. 
     
     
         28 . The heat exchanger of  claim 25 , wherein each of an internal sectional area of the upper header and an internal sectional area of the lower header is approximately 0.8 times or less as large as the sum of the sectional areas of the flow paths. 
     
     
         29 . An air conditioner comprising the heat exchanger of  claim 25 .