Heat exchanger and air-conditioning apparatus

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes: a heat exchange module including fins and heat transfer pipes; and a refrigerant distributor connected to an end portion of the heat exchange module. The refrigerant distributor includes: one or more distributors including a first inlet and first outlets, and configured to cause the refrigerant that flows from the first inlet into the one or more distributors to branch into refrigerant streams, and cause each of the refrigerant streams to flow out from an associated one of the first outlets; and a communication header including a second inlet and second outlets with which some others of the heat transfer pipes are connected, and configured to cause the refrigerant that flows from the second inlet to branch into refrigerant streams, and cause each of the refrigerant streams to flow out from an associated one of the second outlets.

1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a heat exchange module including a plurality of heat transfer pipes, and configured to cause heat exchange to be performed between refrigerant that flows in the heat exchange module and air that flows around the heat exchange module, the heat transfer pipes extending in a first direction and arranged apart from each other in a second direction crossing the first direction; and   a refrigerant distributor connected to an end portion of the heat exchange module in the first direction,   wherein the refrigerant distributor includes
 one or more distributors including a first inlet and a plurality of first outlets with which some of the plurality of heat transfer pipes are connected, the one or more distributors each including a collision wall therein, and being configured to cause the refrigerant that flows from the first inlet into the one or more distributors to branch into refrigerant streams because of collision of the refrigerant with the collision wall, and cause each of the refrigerant streams to flow out from an associated one of the plurality of first outlets, and 
 a communication header including a second inlet and a plurality of second outlets with which some others of the plurality of heat transfer pipes are connected, the communication header including a communication space therein, and being configured to cause the refrigerant that flows from the second inlet into the communication space to branch into refrigerant streams, and cause each of the refrigerant streams to flow out from an associated one of the plurality of second outlets. 
   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the distributor is a two-branch distributor configured to cause the refrigerant to branch into refrigerant streams by repeating, one or more times, the collision that causes the refrigerant to branch into two refrigerant streams, until the number of the refrigerant streams reaches M, the number M of the refrigerant streams being a power of 2, where M is the number of the refrigerant streams into which the refrigerant passes through the distributor to branch. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein the two-branch distributor is a stack type header formed by stacking one or more plate-like elements each including a flow passage provided to cause the refrigerant to branch into two refrigerant streams. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein the two-branch distributor is formed by coupling one or more Y-shaped joints each including a flow passage provided to cause the refrigerant to branch into two refrigerant streams. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the distributor and the communication header are provided side by side in the second direction, and   where the second direction is an up-down direction, the communication header is located under the distributor.   
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 where the number of the plurality of heat transfer pipes arranged apart from each other in the second direction is the number of rows in the heat exchange module, the heat exchange module includes
 a main heat exchange module having a first number of rows, and 
 an auxiliary heat exchange module located alongside of the main heat exchange module in the second direction, the auxiliary heat exchange module having a second number of rows that is smaller than the first number of rows, and 
   the refrigerant distributor is connected to an end portion of the main heat exchange module in the first direction.   
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the heat transfer pipes of the heat exchange module include heat transfer pipes located on a windward side and heat transfer pipes located on a leeward side in a flow direction of the air,   the flow direction of the air flows is a direction crossing the first direction and the second direction,   the heat exchange module includes
 a windward heat exchange module including windward heat transfer pipe rows located on the windward side, and 
 a leeward heat exchange module including leeward heat transfer pipe rows located on the leeward side, 
   the windward heat exchange module includes
 a windward main heat exchange module having a first number of rows, and 
 a windward auxiliary heat exchange module provided alongside of the windward main heat exchange module in the second direction, the windward auxiliary heat exchange module having a second number of rows that is smaller than the first number of rows, 
   the leeward heat exchange module includes
 a leeward main heat exchange module having the first number of rows, and 
 a leeward auxiliary heat exchange module located alongside of the leeward main heat exchange module in the second direction, the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module having the second number of rows that is smaller than the first number of rows, 
   the refrigerant distributor is connected to an end portion of the leeward main heat exchange module in the first direction, and   the heat transfer pipes of the windward heat transfer pipe rows and the heat transfer pipes of the leeward heat transfer pipe rows are connected to each other at an other end portion in the first direction to form refrigerant flow passages through which the refrigerant flows.   
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 7 , wherein when the heat exchange module operates as a condenser, the refrigerant flows through the windward main heat exchange module, the leeward main heat exchange module, the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module, and the windward auxiliary heat exchange module in this order in the refrigerant flow passage. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the heat transfer pipes of the heat exchange module include heat transfer pipes located on a windward side and heat transfer pipes located on a leeward side in a flow direction of the air,   the flow direction of the air is a direction crossing the first direction and the second direction,   the heat exchange module includes
 a windward heat exchange module including windward heat transfer pipe rows located on the windward side, and 
 a leeward heat exchange module including leeward heat transfer pipe rows located on the leeward side, 
   the windward heat exchange module includes
 a windward main heat exchange module having a first number of rows, and 
 a windward auxiliary heat exchange module provided alongside of the windward main heat exchange module in the second direction, the windward auxiliary heat exchange module having a second number of rows that is smaller than the first number of rows, 
   the leeward heat exchange module includes
 a leeward main heat exchange module having the first number of rows, and 
 a leeward auxiliary heat exchange module provided alongside of the leeward main heat exchange module in the second direction, the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module having the second number of rows that is smaller than the first number of rows, 
   the refrigerant distributor is connected to an end portion of the windward main heat exchange module in the first direction, and   the heat transfer pipes of the windward heat transfer pipe rows and the heat transfer pipes of the leeward heat transfer pipe rows are connected to each other at an other end portion in the first direction to form refrigerant flow passages through which the refrigerant flows.   
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 9 , wherein when the heat exchange module operates as a condenser, the refrigerant flows through the leeward main heat exchange module, the windward main heat exchange module, the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module, and the windward auxiliary heat exchange module in this order in the refrigerant flow passage. 
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 7 , further comprising a second refrigerant distributor connected to an end portion of the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module in the first direction and provided alongside of the refrigerant distributor in the second direction,
 wherein the second refrigerant distributor is an interflow header having an internal space that is divided by a first partition plate into a plurality of sub-internal spaces that are located in association with the heat transfer pipes included in the leeward auxiliary heat exchange module.   
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 11 , wherein
 the interflow header and the communication header are formed integral with each other,   between the interflow header and the communication header, a second partition plate is provided to divide the internal space of the interflow header and an internal space of the communication header from each other, and   the second partition plate has a through hole through one of the plurality of sub-internal spaces of the interflow header and the internal space of the communication header communicate with each other.   
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the heat transfer pipes are flat tubes. 
     
     
         14 . An air-conditioning apparatus comprising an outdoor unit and an indoor unit that are connected by a refrigerant pipe, whereby a refrigerant circuit is provided,
 wherein the outdoor unit includes
 a compressor configured to compress and discharge refrigerant, 
 a four-way valve configured to switch a flow passage for the refrigerant between plural flow passages, 
 an outdoor heat exchanger configured to cause heat exchange to be performed between outdoor air and the refrigerant, 
 an outdoor fan configured to send the outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger, and 
 an expansion valve configured to expand the refrigerant to decompress the refrigerant, 
   wherein the indoor unit includes
 an indoor heat exchanger configured to cause heat exchange to be performed between indoor air and the refrigerant, and 
 an indoor fan configured to send the indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger, and 
   wherein at least one of the outdoor heat exchanger and the indoor heat exchanger is the heat exchanger of  claim 1 .   
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the number K of the refrigerant streams into which the refrigerant passes through the communication header to branch is smaller than the number M of refrigerant streams into which the refrigerant passes through the distributor to branch.