Heat exchanger and air conditioner including the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a heat exchanger, and more particularly, a heat exchanger of an aluminum alloy material designed to have an electric potential difference between a tube of the heat exchanger and a heat exchanger fin. A heat exchanger according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a tube through which a refrigerant flows, a heat exchanger fin coupled to a surface of the tube, and a filler that couples the tube and the heat exchanger fin, wherein the tube is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes a rare-earth metal, and the heat exchanger fin and the filler may be formed of aluminum alloy materials that include silicon (Si), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn).

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a tube through which a refrigerant flows;   a heat exchanger fin coupled to a surface of the tube; and   a filler that couples the tube and the heat exchanger fin,   wherein the tube is formed of an aluminum alloy material including a rare-earth metal, and the heat exchanger fin and the filler are formed of an aluminum alloy material including silicon (Si), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn).   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the aluminum alloy material of the tube further includes at least one selected from a group that includes silicon (Si), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zirconium (Zr). 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein the aluminum alloy material of the tube includes 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of the rare-earth metal with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and further includes at least one from 0.05 to 0.1 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 0.05 to 0.3 parts by weight of copper (Cu), 0.05 to 0.3 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), and 0.01 to 0.05 parts by weight of zirconium with respect to the overall weight of aluminum. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the rare-earth metal includes at least one selected from a rare-earth metal group that includes yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), scandium (Sc), and ytterbium (Yb). 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein electric potentials of the tube, the filler, and the heat exchanger fin are formed to sequentially decrease. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the heat exchanger fin includes a core layer and a clad layer formed on at least one surface of the core layer; and   the clad layer is melted to form the filler when braze-welding the heat exchanger fin and the tube.   
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 6 , wherein the filler has a higher electric potential than the core layer of the heat exchanger fin. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein a core layer of the heat exchanger fin is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes 0.1 to 0.6 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of copper (Cu), and 2.3 to 2.7 parts by weight of zinc (Zn) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and wherein the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes 6.8 to 8.2 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.1 to 0.25 parts by weight of copper (Cu), and 0.1 to 0.2 parts by weight of zinc (Zn) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the heat exchanger fin and the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from a group that includes iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chrome (Cr), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti). 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 9 , wherein a core layer of the heat exchanger fin is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from a group that includes 0.1 to 0.3 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 1.0 to 1.5 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of chrome (Cr), 0.01 to 0.1s part by weight of zirconium (Zr), and 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of titanium (Ti) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and wherein the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from a group that includes 0.6 to 0.8 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 0.05 to 0.1 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of chrome (Cr), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of zirconium (Zr), and 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of titanium (Ti) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum. 
     
     
         11 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a tube through which a refrigerant flows;   a heat exchanger fin coupled to a surface of the tube; and   a filler provided between the tube and the heat exchanger fin,   wherein electric potentials of the tube, the filler, and the heat exchanger fin are formed to sequentially decrease.   
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 11 , wherein the tube and a core layer of the heat exchanger fin have an electric potential difference within a range of 50 to 80 mV. 
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 11 , wherein the tube is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes a rare-earth metal, wherein the aluminum alloy material of the tube further includes at least one selected from a group that includes silicon (Si), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zirconium (Zr), and
 wherein the rare-earth metal includes at least one selected from a group that includes yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), scandium (Sc), and ytterbium (Yb).   
     
     
         14 . The heat exchanger of  claim 13 , wherein the aluminum alloy material of the tube includes 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of the rare-earth metal with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and further includes at least one from 0.05 to 0.1 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 0.05 to 0.3 parts by weight of copper (Cu), 0.05 to 0.3 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), and 0.01 to 0.05 parts by weight of zirconium (Zr) with respect to the overall weight of aluminum. 
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 11 , wherein the heat exchanger fin and the filler are formed of aluminum alloy materials that include silicon (Si), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). 
     
     
         16 . The heat exchanger of  claim 15 , wherein a core layer of the heat exchanger fin is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes 0.1 to 0.6 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.05 to 0.2 parts by weight of copper (Cu), and 2.3 to 2.7 parts by weight of zinc (Zn) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and
 wherein the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes 6.8 to 8.2 parts by weight of silicon (Si), 0.1 to 0.25 parts by weight of copper (Cu), and 0.1 to 0.2 parts by weight of zinc (Zn) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum.   
     
     
         17 . The heat exchanger of  claim 15 , wherein at least one of the heat exchanger fin and the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from a group that includes iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), chrome (Cr), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti). 
     
     
         18 . The heat exchanger of  claim 17 , wherein a core layer of the heat exchanger fin is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from a group that includes 0.1 to 0.3 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 1.0 to 1.5 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of chrome (Cr), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of zirconium (Zr), and 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of titanium (Ti) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum, and
 wherein the filler is formed of an aluminum alloy material that further includes at least one selected from 0.6 to 0.8 parts by weight of iron (Fe), 0.05 to 0.1 parts by weight of manganese (Mn), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of chrome (Cr), 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of zirconium (Zr), and 0.01 to 0.1 parts by weight of titanium (Ti) with respect to an overall weight of aluminum.   
     
     
         19 . An air conditioner comprising a heat exchanger having:
 a tube through which a refrigerant flows;   a heat exchanger fin coupled to a surface of the tube; and   a filler that couples the tube and the heat exchanger fin,   wherein the tube is formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes a rare-earth metal, and   wherein the heat exchanger and the filler are formed of an aluminum alloy material that includes silicon (Si), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn).   
     
     
         20 . The air conditioner of  claim 19 , wherein the aluminum alloy material of the tube further includes at least one selected from a group that includes silicon (Si), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and zirconium (Zr), and
 wherein the rare-earth metal includes at least one selected from a group that includes yttrium (Y), lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), neodymium (Nd), scandium (Sc), and ytterbium (Yb).