EVAPORATOR HAVING A HYBRID EXPANSION DEVICE FOR IMPROVED ALIQUOTING OF REFRIGERANT

摘要

Provided is a heat exchanger with an automotive evaporator (100) having a hybrid expansion device (200) configured to divide refrigerant across a refrigerant tube (106). The hybrid expansion device (200) includes a first stage refrigerant pressure drop device (202) and a second stage refrigerant pressure drop device (204). The first stage refrigerant pressure drop device (202) is a thermal expansion valve (TXV) (202) configured to receive and expand a liquid phase refrigerant into a first mixture of two phase refrigerant, and the second stage refrigerant pressure drop device (204) is a tube extending within the inlet manifold (102) configured to expand the first mixture of two phase refrigerant into a second mixture of two phase refrigerant. The tube (204) includes a plurality of orifices (206) and a tube diameter large enough to prevent resistance to refrigerant flow, but, small enough to prevent the first mixture of two phase refrigerant flow from separating into liquid and vapor layers.