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(11) | EP 1 031 801 A3 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION |
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| (54) | Heat exchanger |
| (57) The present invention provides a heat exchanger capable of improving heat exchange
efficiency. The heat exchanger, in which a plurality of flat plate-shaped fins 1a
are stacked at predetermined intervals, heat exchanger tubes 2 for passing refrigerant
therethrough are inserted in a stacking direction, air is caused to pass through between
each fin group 1, and the heat exchanger tubes 2 are disposed in a plurality of rows
in an air passage direction A, is characterized in that: the heat exchanger tube 2
is partitioned into a portion for containing gas and a high proportion of gaseous
phase of a gas-liquid two-layer flow of the refrigerant flowing in said tube, and
a portion for containing liquid and a high proportion of liquid phase of the gas-liquid
two-layer flow of the refrigerant; first heat exchanger tubes 2a and 2b of a 2-pass
structure are disposed as the former portion, and a second heat exchanger tube 2c
of a 1-pass structure is disposed as the latter portion; these first and second heat
exchanger tubes 2a, 2b and 2c are communicated to each other through a coupling member
3; each pass of these first and second heat exchanger tubes 2a, 2b and 2c has, when
the heat exchanger is operated as a condenser, an inlet in a leeward-side row and
an outlet in a windward-side row; and at least part of the passes are of a counterflow
type, being overlapped between a plurality of rows in the air passage direction. |