HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract

A heat exchanger is provided that may include a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows, a fin disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes to conduct heat, and a sacrificial sheet provided between a refrigerant tube of the plurality of refrigerant tubes and the fin and configured such that a first surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube and a second surface thereof contacts the fin. A corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet may be lower than a corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Application No. 10-2022-0124455 filed in Korea on Sep. 29, 2022, whose entire disclosure is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

A heat exchanger with strong corrosion resistance is disclosed herein.

2. Background

Generally, a heat exchanger may be used as a condenser or an evaporator in a refrigerating cycle device including a compressor, a condenser, an expansion mechanism, and an evaporator. Further, the heat exchanger may be installed in a vehicle, or a refrigerator, for example, to exchange heat between refrigerant and air. The heat exchanger may be classified into a fin tube type heat exchanger, or a micro channel type heat exchanger, for example, according to the structure.

Recently, copper has been replaced by aluminum as a material for heat exchangers in view of cost, processability, and corrosion resistance. This is because aluminum is light, inexpensive, and has high thermal conductivity.

The aluminum material used for heat exchangers is mainly pure aluminum (A1XXX), which is advantageous in extrusion, has high thermal conductivity, and is inexpensive, and aluminum-manganese (A3XXX), which is slightly lower in extrudability than the pure aluminum but has a relatively high strength and corrosion resistance.

Table 1 shows compositions of A1070 and A3003, which are mainly used as a conventional aluminum material for a heat exchanger. A1070 is pure aluminum material, while A3003 is aluminum-manganese material.

	TABLE 1
	Material name
	Cu	Si	Fe	Zn	Mg	Mn	Ti	Al
A1070	0.03	0.20	0.25	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.03	Rem.
A3003	0.158	0.084	0.421	0.034	0.001	1.021	0.014	Rem.

The A1070 material is low in material cost and extrusion cost, so that it is used as a tube and fin material of a condenser for a home appliance, such as an air conditioner and a refrigerator, which does not require high strength but is important in economic efficiency. In contrast, the A3003 material is superior to the A1070 in strength and corrosion resistance but is slightly high in extrusion cost, so that it is used as an extruded tube and fin material for a heat exchanger, such as an intercooler and a radiator for a vehicle.

On the other hand, aluminum is a metal that is easily activated but has high corrosion resistance by forming an oxide film on a surface in the atmosphere. However, pitting corrosion occurs in which corrosion occurs only in a local region where the oxide film is damaged when aluminum is corroded. Further, corrosion is intensively propagated to a portion by electrochemical action with various impurities contained in aluminum alloy. Due to the corrosion mechanism of aluminum, the aluminum heat exchanger may be locally penetrated, thus causing leakage of refrigerant or high-temperature fluid therefrom.

In order to prevent corrosion, Korean Patent Publication No. 20150035416 (hereinafter, “Patent Document 1”), which is hereby incorporated by reference, has attempted to adjust the contents of copper, silicon, iron, and zirconium and use properties of zirconium elements that control corrosion, inducing uniform corrosion. However, Patent Document 1 is problematic in that zirconium is a very expensive rare metal, so that manufacturing costs are high, and material loses occur during recrystallization of elements in the material when fins and tubes are subjected to brazing welding at high temperature, so that it is difficult to use this technology in mass production.

Referring to FIG. 7, according to the related art, in order to prevent corrosion, a method of applying zinc particles 203 onto a tube 204 and brazing it with a fin 201 has been used. The fin 201 is usually coated with cladding 202.

However, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, in the process of melting the fin 201 and zinc, zinc concentration is not constant, thus leading to a section (portion of the tube 204 close to the fin 201) in which the zinc concentration is excessive and a section in which the zinc concentration is insufficient. Further, the method of applying zinc has technical limitations in that quality deviation occurs in terms of accurate application amount and uniformity.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the fin 201 and the tube 204 may be separated from each other in the section where the zinc concentration is excessive, and corrosion may start in the section where the zinc concentration is low.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerating cycle device according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line V-V′ of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6A;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating a method of coupling a fin and a tube according to related art;

FIG. 9 is a zinc distribution diagram of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 a diagram illustrating separation of the fin and the tube according to the related art.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Objectives, features, and advantages of embodiments will be easily understood from the following embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments may be embodied in different forms without being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided to be thorough and complete and to sufficiently convey the spirit to those skilled in the art. Like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout various figures and embodiments of the present disclosure.

The spatially relative terms “below”, “beneath”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, etc. may be used to easily describe a relationship between one component and another component as shown in the drawings. The spatially relative terms should be understood as encompassing different directions of components in use or operation in addition to directions shown in the drawings. For example, when reversing components shown in the drawings, components described as being “below” or “beneath” other components may be placed “above” the other components. Thus, the exemplary term “below” may include directions of both below and above. The components may also be oriented in other directions, and thus the spatially relative terms may be interpreted according to an orientation.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. In the present disclosure, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprise”, “include”, “have”, etc. when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations of them but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The size or shape of components shown in the drawings may be exaggerated for the clarity and convenience of description. Further, the size and area of each component do not entirely reflect the actual size and area.

Further, angles and directions mentioned in the process of describing the structure of the embodiment are based on those described in the drawings. In the description of the structure according to the embodiment in the specification, if the reference point and the positional relationship for the angle are not clearly mentioned, refer to the related drawings.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a refrigerating cycle device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an outdoor unit shown in FIG. 1.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the refrigerating cycle device according to this embodiment may include a compressor 10 that compresses a refrigerant, an outdoor heat exchanger 11 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and outdoor air, an expansion mechanism 12 that expands the refrigerant, and an indoor heat exchanger 13 that exchanges heat between the refrigerant and indoor air. The refrigerant compressed by the compressor 10 may be condensed by exchanging heat with outdoor air while passing through the outdoor heat exchanger 11.

The outdoor heat exchanger 11 may be used as a condenser. The refrigerant condensed in the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may flow to the expansion mechanism 12 and then be expanded. The refrigerant expanded by the expansion mechanism 12 may be evaporated by exchanging heat with indoor air while passing through the indoor heat exchanger 13.

The indoor heat exchanger 12 may be used as an evaporator that evaporates the refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporated by the indoor heat exchanger 12 may be recovered to the compressor 10.

The heat exchanger may include the indoor heat exchanger 12 and the outdoor heat exchanger 11. The refrigerant is operated in a refrigerating cycle while circulating through the compressor 10, the outdoor heat exchanger 11, the expansion mechanism 12, and the indoor heat exchanger 13.

An intake path of the compressor 10 that guides the refrigerant passing through the indoor heat exchanger 13 to the compressor 10 may be connected to the compressor 10. An accumulator 14 in which liquid refrigerant is accumulated may be installed in the intake path of the compressor 10.

The indoor heat exchanger 13 may form a refrigerant path through which the refrigerant passes. The refrigerating cycle device may be a separable type air conditioner in which an indoor unit I and an outdoor O are separated. In this case, the compressor 10 and the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may be installed in the outdoor unit I. Further, the refrigerating cycle device may be a refrigerator, and the indoor heat exchanger 13 may exchange heat with air inside of a food storage, and the outdoor heat exchanger 11 may exchange heat with air outside of the food storage. In the case of the refrigerator, the indoor unit I and the outdoor O may be disposed together in a main body.

The expansion mechanism 12 may be installed in either of the indoor unit I or the outdoor O. The indoor heat exchanger 13 may be installed in the indoor unit I.

An outdoor fan 15 may be installed in the outdoor O to blow outdoor air to the outdoor heat exchanger 11. In addition, the compressor 10 may be installed in a machine room of the outdoor O. An indoor fan 16 may be installed in the indoor unit I to blow indoor air to the indoor heat exchanger 13.

In conventional heat exchange, a liquid phase and a gas phase of the refrigerant are mixed. When the two-phase refrigerant flowing into a header is introduced into a refrigerant tube, the gas phase and the liquid phase may be unevenly introduced.

In order to solve this problem, a heat exchanger 100 according to an embodiment will be described hereinafter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line V-V′ of FIG. 3.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, the heat exchanger 100 is a device that exchanges heat between the refrigerant of a refrigerating cycle and outside air. The heat exchanger 100 may evenly distribute the refrigerant therein, and has a large heat transfer area.

The heat exchanger 100 may be arranged with a plurality of rows, and a flow direction of the refrigerant in one row may be alternately changed. For example, the heat exchanger 100 may include a plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 through which the refrigerant flows, a fin 60 disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes 50 to conduct heat, and a sacrificial sheet 90 configured such that one (first) surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube 50 and the other (second) surface contacts the fin 60.

The heat exchanger 100 may further include a header 70 to which one end of each of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 is coupled to supply the refrigerant into the refrigerant tubes 50, an outer pipe 110 provided inside of the header 70, and an inner pipe 120 provided inside of the outer pipe 110.

The refrigerant tube 50 has a fine inner diameter so that the refrigerant flows therein to maximize a contact area with the air. The plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 is connected to the header 70. The refrigerant tubes 50 extend in a direction transverse to the header 70.

More particularly, the refrigerant tubes 50 may be arranged lengthwise in a horizontal (frontward-rearward) direction (LeRi), and the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 may be stacked in a vertical (longitudinal) direction (UD). While air passes through a space between the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 stacked in the vertical direction, the air exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the refrigerant tubes 50. The plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 stacked horizontally define a heat exchange surface together with the fins 60, which will be described hereinafter.

Each refrigerant tube 50 may include a plurality of micro channels 50a therein. The plurality of micro channels 50a defines a space through which the refrigerant passes. The plurality of micro channels 50a may extend in parallel with the refrigerant tube 50.

More particularly, as shown in FIG. 5, a cross-sectional shape of the refrigerant tube 50 may be a rectangular shape, a horizontal length of which is greater than a vertical length thereof, and a sectional shape of the micro channel 50a may be a rectangular shape. The micro channels 50a are usually stacked in one row in a direction (frontward-rearward direction) FR crossing a longitudinal direction of the refrigerant tube 50.

The fin 60 transfers heat from the refrigerant tube 50. The fin 60 increases the contact area with air to improve heat dissipation performance.

The fin 60 is disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes 50. The fin 60 may have various shapes, but may be formed by bending a plate that has a same width as the refrigerant tube 50. The fin 60 may be coated by cladding 601.

The fin 60 may connect two refrigerant tubes 50 stacked in the vertical direction to conduct heat. The fin 60 may directly contact the refrigerant tube 50, and may be connected to the refrigerant tube 50 by the sacrificial sheet 90.

When seen from the frontward-rearward direction, a contact portion between the fin 60 and the sacrificial sheet 90 is formed in a U- or V-shape.

The fins 60 and the refrigerant tubes 50 are alternatively stacked in the vertical direction, and the refrigerant tubes 50 are positioned at a lowermost end and an uppermost end of the fin 60. The refrigerant tubes 50 are connected to an upper end of the fin 60 and a lower end of the fin 60.

Assuming that the refrigerant tube 50 located at the uppermost end is defined as first refrigerant tube 50 or 51 and the refrigerant tube 50 located under the first refrigerant tube 50 or 51 is defined as a second refrigerant tube 50 or 52, the fin 60 between the first refrigerant tube 50 or 51 and the second refrigerant tube 50 or 52 may be defined as a first fin 60 or 61. In this way, an nth refrigerant tube and an nth fin may be defined.

The header 70 may be coupled to one end of each of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50 to supply the refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. Further, the header 70 may be coupled to one end of the refrigerant tube 50 to collect the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant tube 50 and supply the collected refrigerant to another device.

The header 70 has a diameter, inner diameter, or size larger than that of the refrigerant tubes 50, and extends in the vertical direction. The header 70 may include a left header 71 connected to one (first) end of the refrigerant tube 50, and a lower header 70 or 81 connected to the other (second) end of the refrigerant tube 50.

The right header 81 communicates with right sides of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The right header 81 extends lengthwise in the vertical direction, and is connected to an inlet pipe 22. An interior of the right header 81 is formed as one space, so that the refrigerant introduced through the inlet pipe 22 is distributed and supplied to the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The inlet pipe 22 is an example of a refrigerant supply unit. The inlet pipe 22 is connected to a region adjacent to a lower end of the right header 81.

The left header 71 communicates with left sides of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50. The left header 71 extends lengthwise in the vertical direction, and is connected to an outlet pipe 24. An interior of the left header 71 is formed as one space to guide the refrigerant, discharged to an upper side of the plurality of refrigerant tubes 50, to the outlet pipe 24.

Of course, the refrigerant discharged from the left header 71 may be supplied to the header 70 of another heat exchanger 100.

In the heat exchanger 100, the outer pipe 110 and the inner pipe 120 may be positioned to prevent the refrigerant from being biased inside of the header 70. The refrigerant is uniformly distributed through holes of the outer pipe 110 and the inner pipe 120.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional perspective view of FIG. 5. FIG. 6B is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 6A.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, one (first) surface of the sacrificial sheet 90 contacts the refrigerant tube 50, and the other (second) surface contacts the fin 60, so that the sacrificial sheet is corroded instead of the fin 60 and the refrigerant tube 50, thus suppressing or preventing corrosion of the fin 60 and the refrigerant tube 50 and preventing separation of the fin 60 from the refrigerant tube 50.

For example, a corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than a corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50. If corrosion occurs while two metals contact each other, the metal with the lower corrosion potential is corroded first, so that the sacrificial sheet 90 is corroded instead of the refrigerant tube 50, thus preventing the refrigerant tube 50 from corroding and preventing the refrigerant from leaking out.

Further, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than a corrosion potential of the fin 60. Even if only the refrigerant tube 50 is not corroded, leakage of the refrigerant is prevented. However, when the fin 60 is corroded, the flow of air is hindered and the efficiency of the refrigerant is lowered. Thus, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the fin 60.

If the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 is lower than the corrosion potential of the fin 60, the sacrificial sheet 90 is corroded first instead of the fin 60, thus preventing the fin 60 from being corroded. That is, the corrosion potential of the fin 60 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50. Among the fin 60 and the refrigerant tube 50, it is most critical when corrosion occurs on the refrigerant tube 50. When the fin 60 is corroded, efficiency may be slightly lowered. However, when the refrigerant tube 50 is corroded, the refrigerant leaks out and the air conditioner may not operate, causing a major problem.

Therefore, according to embodiments disclosed herein, the corrosion potential of the fin 60 is set to be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50, so that the fin 60 is corroded prior to the refrigerant tube 50, thus preventing the corrosion of the refrigerant tube 50.

In conclusion, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the fin 60, and the corrosion potential of the fin 60 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50. More specifically, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may range from −0.97V to −1.1V, the corrosion potential of the fin 60 may range from −0.75V to −0.95V, and the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50 may range from −0.6V to −0.7V. Further, the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be lower than the corrosion potential of the fin 60, or may be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube 50.

The material of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be different from the material of the fin 60 and the material of the refrigerant tube 50. The material of the sacrificial sheet 90 may include metal or alloy that satisfies the corrosion potential. Considering cost, ease of manufacture, and thermal conductivity, for example, the sacrificial sheet 90 may include zinc or an alloy of zinc and aluminum. However, the material of the sacrificial sheet 90 is not limited thereto.

The material of the fin 60 may include metal or alloy that satisfies the corrosion potential. Considering cost, ease of manufacture, and thermal conductivity, for example, the fin 60 may include at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy. However, the material of the fin 60 is not limited thereto.

The material of the refrigerant tube 50 may include metal or alloy that satisfies the corrosion potential. Considering cost, ease of manufacture, and thermal conductivity, for example, the refrigerant tube 50 may include at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy. However, the material of the refrigerant tube 50 is not limited thereto.

The sacrificial sheet 90 may be positioned on an upper surface and/or lower surface of the refrigerant tube 50. The sacrificial sheet 90 is in surface contact with the upper surface and/or lower surface of the refrigerant tube 50. The sacrificial sheet 90 may cover an entire upper surface and/or lower surface of the refrigerant tube 50.

A width of the sacrificial sheet 90 in the frontward-rearward direction may be at least equal to a width of the fin 60 and the refrigerant tube 50 or larger than the width of the fin 60 and the refrigerant tube 50. This is because when the width of the sacrificial sheet 90 is reduced, corrosion first occurs in a portion where the sacrificial sheet 90 is not present.

The sacrificial sheet 90 may have a structure that enhances a coupling force with the refrigerant tube 50 and facilitates alignment with the refrigerant tube 50. For example, the sacrificial sheet 90 may include a first region 92 and a second region 91 with a step between the first region 92 and the second region. The width of the first region 92 may be greater than that of the second region 91.

The second region 91 is a region having a height difference from the first region 92. For example, the second region 91 may be formed by drawing a portion of the first region 92. The second region 91 may protrude toward the refrigerant tube 50 contacting the sacrificial sheet 90. As another example, the second region 91 may be formed by recessing a portion of the first region 92.

The second region 91 may be continuously or intermittently formed in the longitudinal direction (leftward-rightward direction) of the refrigerant tube 50. The second region 91 may be continuously or intermittently formed in a widthwise direction (frontward-rearward direction) of the refrigerant tube 50.

The refrigerant tube 50 may further include a matching portion 50b corresponding to the second region 91. The matching portion 50b is a portion matched with the second region 91. The matching portion 50b may be inserted into the second region 91 or may be a space into which the second region 91 is inserted. The matching portion 50b may be configured as a groove.

A thickness T2 of the sacrificial sheet 90 may be thicker than a thickness T1 of the fin 60. A thickness T3 of the refrigerant tube 50 may be thicker than the thickness T2 of the sacrificial sheet 90.

If the thickness T2 of the sacrificial sheet 90 is too thin, it is rapidly corroded, thus shortening a lifespan of the heat exchanger. If the thickness T2 of the sacrificial sheet 90 is too thick, cost burden increases and thermal conductivity also deteriorates. Therefore, the thickness T2 of the sacrificial sheet 90 may have a value between the thickness T1 of the fin 60 and the thickness T3 of the refrigerant tube 50.

A heat exchanger according to embodiments disclosed herein has at least one or more of the following advantages.

First, embodiments disclosed herein are advantageous in that a sacrificial sheet disposed between a fin and a refrigerant tube has a low corrosion potential, so that the sacrificial sheet is corroded prior to the refrigerant tube and the fin by external water or air, thus preventing corrosion of the fin and the tube and preventing the fin from being separated from the tube.

Second, embodiments disclosed herein are advantageous in that a sacrificial sheet covers both upper and lower surfaces of a refrigerant tube to have a thick thickness, so that it can withstand corrosion for a long time, and consequently, sacrificial corrosion is performed for a long time, thus increasing a lifespan of a heat exchanger.

Third, embodiments disclosed herein are advantageous in that a sacrificial sheet is attached to an outer surface of a refrigerant tube, and a fin is brazed on the sacrificial sheet, so that it facilitates manufacture, reduces a manufacturing time, and reduces manufacturing costs compared to brazing by applying zinc particles, and zinc concentration around the fin becomes uniform.

Fourth, embodiments disclosed herein are advantageous in that a region of a sacrificial sheet is inserted into a groove of a refrigerant tube, so that the refrigerant tube and the sacrificial sheet are easily aligned, and separation of the refrigerant tube from the sacrificial sheet may be prevented.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a heat exchanger that uses a sacrificial sheet having a potential difference, thus preventing corrosion of a fin and a tube and preventing the fin from being separated from the tube.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a heat exchanger that uses a sacrificial sheet on an outer surface of a tube, thus enabling easy manufacture and reducing manufacturing costs.

Embodiments disclosed herein provide a heat exchanger, in which a sacrificial sheet may be easily aligned and coupled to an outer surface of a tube.

Advantages are not limited to the above-mentioned advantages, and other advantages which are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In a heat exchanger according to embodiments disclosed herein is a corrosion potential of a sacrificial sheet between a fin and a refrigerant tube is lower than that of the refrigerant tube. Further, the sacrificial sheet between the fin and the refrigerant tube is zinc.

More specifically, embodiments disclosed herein provide a heat exchanger including a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows, a fin disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes to conduct heat, and a sacrificial sheet configured such that a first surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube and a second surface thereof contacts the fin. A corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet is lower than a corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube.

The corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet may be lower than a corrosion potential of the fin. The corrosion potential of the fin may be lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube.

The sacrificial sheet may include zinc or alloy of zinc and aluminum. The fin may include at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy. The refrigerant tube may include at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy.

The sacrificial sheet may be positioned on each of upper and lower surfaces of the refrigerant tube. The sacrificial sheet may include a first region, and a second region with a step between the first region and the second region. The second region may be formed by drawing a portion of the first region.

The second region may protrude toward the refrigerant tube contacting the sacrificial sheet. The second region may be formed by recessing a portion of the first region. The refrigerant tube may include a matching portion corresponding to the second region. A width of the first region may be greater than a width of the second region.

A thickness of the sacrificial sheet may be thicker than a thickness of the fin. A thickness of the refrigerant tube may be thicker than a thickness of the sacrificial sheet.

Each of the refrigerant tubes may include a plurality of micro channels therein.

The heat exchanger may further include a header coupled to first ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes to supply the refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

The material of the sacrificial sheet may be different from that of the fin and the refrigerant tube.

Although embodiments have been described with respect to the accompanying drawings, the embodiments may be embodied in several forms without being limited to the above embodiments. It is apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments may be implemented in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are illustrative and not restrictive.

It will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on” another element or layer, the element or layer can be directly on another element or layer or intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Spatially relative terms, such as “lower”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “lower” relative to other elements or features would then be oriented “upper” relative to the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “lower” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-section illustrations that are schematic illustrations of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures). As such, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances, are to be expected. Thus, embodiments should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.

Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger, comprising:

a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows;

a fin disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes to conduct heat; and

a sacrificial sheet provided between a refrigerant tube of the plurality of refrigerant tubes and the fin and configured such that a first surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube and a second surface thereof contacts the fin, wherein a corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet is lower than a corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the corrosion potential of the sacrificial sheet is lower than a corrosion potential of the fin.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a corrosion potential of the fin is lower than the corrosion potential of the refrigerant tube.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the sacrificial sheet comprises zinc or alloy of zinc and aluminum.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the fin comprises at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the refrigerant tube comprises at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the sacrificial sheet is positioned at each of upper and lower surfaces of each of the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the sacrificial sheet comprises:

a first region; and

a second region with a step between the first region and the second region.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the second region is formed by protruding a portion of the first region.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the second region protrudes toward the refrigerant tube contacting the sacrificial sheet.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the second region is formed by recessing a portion of the first region.

12. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein the refrigerant tube comprises a matching portion corresponding to the second region.

13. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein a width of the first region is greater than a width of the second region.

14. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the sacrificial sheet is thicker than a thickness of the fin.

15. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the refrigerant tube is thicker than a thickness of the sacrificial sheet.

16. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein each of the refrigerant tubes comprises a plurality of micro channels therein.

17. The heat exchanger of claim 11, further comprising:

a header coupled to first ends of the plurality of refrigerant tubes to supply the refrigerant into the plurality of refrigerant tubes.

18. A heat exchanger, comprising:

a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows;

a fin disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes to conduct heat; and

a sacrificial sheet provided between a refrigerant tube of the plurality of refrigerant tubes and the fin and configured such that a first surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube and a second surface thereof contacts the fin, wherein the sacrificial sheet comprises zinc.

19. The heat exchanger of claim 18, wherein the refrigerant tube and the fin comprise at least one of aluminum, copper, and aluminum alloy.

20. A heat exchanger comprising:

a plurality of refrigerant tubes through which refrigerant flows;

a fin disposed between adjacent refrigerant tubes to conduct heat; and

a sacrificial sheet provided between a refrigerant tube of the plurality of refrigerant tubes and the fin and configured such that a first surface thereof contacts the refrigerant tube and a second surface thereof contacts the fin, wherein a material of the sacrificial sheet is different from a material of the fin and the refrigerant tube.