Condenser

A condenser adapted to be used in a vapor compression system, the condenser comprising:

• a shell having a refrigerant inlet that at least refrigerant with gas refrigerant flows therethrough and a refrigerant outlet that at least refrigerant with liquid refrigerant flows therethrough, with a longitudinal center axis of the shell extending substantially parallel to a horizontal plane;
• and
• a tube bundle including a plurality of heat transfer tubes disposed inside of the shell so that the refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant inlet is supplied onto the tube bundle, the heat transfer tubes extending substantially parallel to the longitudinal center axis of the shell, the tube bundle including an upper group of the heat transfer tubes and a lower group of the heat transfer tubes disposed below the upper group of the heat transfer tubes, and at least a majority of the upper group of heat transfer tubes being disposed above the longitudinal center axis,
• the plurality of heat transfer tubes in the tube bundle being arranged to form a first vapor passage extending between the tube bundle and a first longitudinal sidewall of the shell and substantially vertically along a first passage lengthwise direction, and the first vapor passage extending past at least the upper group of the heat transfer tubes,
• the first vapor passage having a first minimum width measured perpendicularly relative to the first passage lengthwise direction and the longitudinal axis, the first minimum width being larger than a tube diameter of the heat transfer tubes of the tube bundle, and the first minimum width being smaller than four times the tube diameter, and
• each of the heat transfer tubes disposed above the longitudinal center axis of the heat exchanger and adjacent the first vapor passageway being spaced at least the tube diameter from the first sidewall and less than four times the tube diameter from the first sidewall as measured perpendicularly relative to the first passage lengthwise direction.