HEAT EXCHANGER ASSEMBLY HAVING A REFRIGERANT DISTRIBUTION CONTROL USING SELECTIVE TUBE PORT CLOSURES

• Main Authors: WINTERSTEEN DOUGLAS C, PAUTLER DONALD R, LI LONGHU, FORREST WAYNE O, WALKOWSKI NEIL A, JOSHI SHRIKANT M
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.12.2016
• Subjects: BLASTING; DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OFGENERAL APPLICATION; HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL; HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS,IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; WEAPONS

A heat exchanger assembly having a first manifold, a second manifold spaced from the first manifold, and a plurality of refrigerant tubes in hydraulic communication with the first manifold and the second manifold. The second manifold includes a first end, a second end opposite from the first end, and a refrigerant inlet adjacent the first end. The plurality of refrigerant tubes includes tube ports. A portion of the tube ports are selectively obstructed such that a refrigerant entering into the second manifold through the refrigerant inlet flows substantially uniformly across the plurality of refrigerant tubes from the second manifold to the first manifold. At least one of the obstructed tube ports includes an inserted sliver of braze amendable material, pinched closed, or formed by inserting a pin of reduced diameter into the selected ports and then squeezing the port from the outside to size it and then removing the pin.