Condenser-evaporator tube, in whose interior flows a vapor to be condensed and over which flows a liquid to be evaporated, where both inside and outside faces of this tube are covered with capillary structures configured for the formation of liquid menisci having a contact angle smaller than 90? where the liquid-vapor interface curves, which allows capillary condensation inside the tube and evaporation on the outside face at the upper end (25) of the liquid menisci where the liquid layer is thinnest and the evaporation most efficient.

An ice maker evaporator assembly having an evaporator pan with a back wall and left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the back wall, and a freeze plate located within the evaporator pan. A serpentine tubing is thermally coupled to the back wall of the evaporator pan opposite the left, right, top and bottom sidewalls. A first layer of insulation is formed on the serpentine tubing. An evaporator housing having a housing back wall and housing left, right, top and bottom sidewalls extending from the housing back wall is attached to the evaporator pan and covers serpentine tubing. A second layer of insulation is formed on top of the first layer of insulation.

An evaporator has a first longitudinal direction and includes first and second header tanks. The first header tank includes a first surrounding wall projecting from at least one of a first end portion and a second end portion along a first longitudinal direction to define a first recess to surround the first recess at at least one of the first end portion and the second end portion. The first surrounding wall has at least one first drain opening to drain water from the first recess. The second header tank has a second longitudinal direction and is disposed apart from the first header tank so that the first longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the second longitudinal direction. The second header tank has a second surrounding wall having at least one second drain opening to drain water from the second recess.

The condenser of the heat-exchanging device is provided with a flow passage through which a high-pressure refrigerant flows. The flow passage is structured by openings formed in the plurality of plates. Inside the flow passage, an inner pipe having an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the openings is disposed. The part inside the flow passage but outside the inner pipe serves as a passage in which the refrigerant that has flown into the condenser flows, and the part inside the inner pipe serves as a passage in which the refrigerant that has passed through the component section flows.

A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a compressor, a condenser such as an indoor heat exchanger, first expansion means, and an evaporator such as an outdoor heat exchanger that are connected by refrigerant pipes to form a refrigeration cycle. The evaporator is a heat exchanger including a plurality of plate-like heat transfer fins arranged in parallel and subjected to water slip or water repellent treatment, and a heat transfer tube provided in contact with the plurality of heat transfer fins such that refrigerant flows therein. The refrigeration cycle apparatus further includes a drain pan disposed below the evaporator, an evaporator fan for producing an air current flowing to the evaporator, such as an outdoor fan, and a heating unit disposed at a position below the heat transfer fins and on a leeward side of the heat transfer fins.

A heat exchanger includes multiple tubes, multiple fins, and a partition wall. The multiple fins are stacked alternately with the tubes to form a core including a first section and a second section. The partition wall partitions between the first section and the second section. The first section has multiple drain passages in the vicinity of the partition wall.

A heat exchanger, including plural flat tubes arranged in a right-and-left direction orthogonal to a front-and-back airflow direction of the heat exchanger, a corrugated fin sandwiched by adjacent of the flat tubes and thermally connected thereto at each of apexes of the corrugated fin, an inlet header connected to one end of each of the flat tubes, and an outlet header connected to the other end of each of the flat tubes, the flat tubes extending along an up-and-down direction of the heat exchanger. The corrugated fin includes a protruding portion protruding to a front side with respect to a front-side end portion of each of the flat tubes, the protruding portion including a first lug portion oriented obliquely to the front-and-back direction, a second lug portion being formed in the right-and-left direction at a part sandwiched by the adjacent of the flat tubes.

A refrigerant cycle system includes: a primary-side cycle of a vapor compression type that circulates a first refrigerant; a secondary-side cycle of a vapor compression type that circulates a second refrigerant; and a cascade heat exchanger that exchanges heat between the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant. The secondary-side cycle includes a secondary-side heat exchanger that uses cold or heat obtained by the second refrigerant from the cascade heat exchanger. The secondary-side heat exchanger includes a flat multi-hole pipe.

A refrigeration system includes a compressor for compressing a gaseous refrigerant, such that the temperature and pressure thereof increases; a four-way valve controlling whether the refrigeration system is in a heating mode or a cooling mode; a condenser, in which the gaseous refrigerant from the compressor exchanges heat with a high temperature heat carrier, said heat exchange resulting in the refrigerant condensing; an expansion valve reducing the pressure of liquid refrigerant from the condenser, hence reducing the boiling point of the refrigerant; an evaporator, in which the low boiling point refrigerant exchanges heat with a low temperature heat carrier, such that the refrigerant vaporizes; and a suction gas heat exchanger exchanging heat between high temperature liquid refrigerant from the condenser and low temperature gaseous refrigerant from the evaporator. A balance valve is arranged for controlling the amount of heat exchange between the high temperature liquid refrigerant and the low temperature gaseous refrigerant in the suction gas heat exchanger by directing a flow of high temperature liquid refrigerant directly from the condenser to the expansion valve. Disclosed is also a method for controlling such a system.

A refrigeration evaporator comprising fluidly connected liquid chambers disposed between first and second layers of material, and an inlet for receiving and introducing liquid refrigerant into one of the liquid chambers. Each of the chambers are interconnected by respective overflow inlets and outlets to allow flow of liquid refrigerant between the connected chambers under gravity such that, during influent flow of the liquid through the inlet, the chambers accumulate the liquid sequentially to impede the flow. The evaporator further comprises vapor circuit including respective draw off vapor channels for receiving flow of refrigerant vapor from corresponding chambers. The vapor channels are in fluid communication with peripheral vapor channels disposed along peripheral regions of the evaporator for reducing or preventing slugs of liquid refrigerant flowing into the circuit. The circuit and the overflow inlets and outlets are disposed between the first and second layers of material.