Laminated-type evaporator

A laminated-type evaporator for disposition in a refrigeration system on a downstream side of a pressure reducing means for reducing pressure of a refrigerant in the refrigeration system and on an intake side of a compressor, for evaporating the pressure-reduced refrigerant, said laminated-type evaporator comprising:

• a main heat exchanger having a refrigerant passage therein for performing heat exchange between refrigerant flowing within said refrigerant passage and cooled fluid flowing outside said refrigerant passage;
• an auxiliary heat exchanger having an inlet-side refrigerant passage for introducing refrigerant from said pressure reducing means toward an inlet of said main heat exchanger refrigerant passage and an outlet-side refrigerant passage for introducing refrigerant from an outlet of said main heat exchanger toward said compressor, said auxiliary heat exchanger performing heat exchange between refrigerant flowing through said inlet-side refrigerant passage and refrigerant flowing through said outlet-side refrigerant passage;
• and
• a connecting member having a first communication hole for connecting with a downstream-side pipe of said pressure reducing means and a second communication hole for connecting with an intake-side pipe of said compressor, said connecting member being fixed to said auxiliary heat exchanger for communicating said first communication hole and said inlet-side refrigerant passage and communicating said second communication hole and said outlet-side refrigerant passage,
• wherein said refrigerant passage of said main heat exchanger is formed by an internal space formed by a pair of laminated thin metal plates,
• said main heat exchanger is provided with a plurality of said pair of thin metal plates, and fin means for enlarging a thermal-transmission surface area of heat exchange with said cooled fluid is provided between respective pairs of thin metal plates,
• said inlet-side refrigerant passage and said outlet-side refrigerant passage of said auxiliary heat exchanger are alternately formed on a front and rear side, respectively, of said thin metal plates by lamination of a plurality of metal thin plates, to form the inlet-side refrigerant passage and the outlet-side refrigerant passage between alternating pairs of the laminated plurality of thin metal plates,
• said auxiliary heat exchanger has convexities contacting said connecting member and which define contact portions in which said auxiliary heat exchanger and said connecting member are in mutual contact and non-contact portions in which a clearance is provided between said auxiliary heat exchanger and said connecting member, said clearance being of at least a predetermined dimension, and
• said contact portion has a width of not more than a second predetermined dimension.

A laminated-type evaporator, fabricated by laminating thin metal plates together and for disposition in a refrigeration system on a downstream side of a pressure reducing means for reducing pressure of a refrigerant in the refrigeration system and on an intake side of a compressor, for evaporating the pressure-reduced refrigerant, said laminated-type evaporator comprising:

• a main heat exchanger having a refrigerant passage in an internal space formed by a pair of laminated thin metal plates and fin means for enlarging a thermal-transmission surface area of said main heat exchanger provided between said respective pair of thin metal plates for performing heat exchange between refrigerant flowing within said refrigerant passage and cooled fluid flowing outside said refrigerant passage;
• an auxiliary heat exchanger having an inlet-side refrigerant passage and an outlet-side refrigerant passage formed on a front and rear side, respectively, of said metal thin plate by laminating a plurality of said thin metal plates, said inlet-side refrigerant passage being for introducing refrigerant from said pressure reducing means toward an inlet of said main heat exchanger refrigerant passage and said outlet-side refrigerant passage being for introducing refrigerant from an outlet of said main heat exchanger toward said compressor, said auxiliary heat exchanger performing heat exchange between refrigerant flowing through said inlet-side refrigerant passage and refrigerant flowing through said outlet-side refrigerant passage;
• and
• a connecting member for connecting said auxiliary heat exchanger with a downstream-side pipe of said pressure reducing means and an intake-side pipe at said compressor, said connecting member having at least first and second convex portions, said first convex portion having a first communication hole for connecting with said downstream-side pipe of said pressure reducing means, said second convex portion having a second communication hole for connecting with said intake-side pipe of said compressor, said connecting member being fixed to said auxiliary heat exchanger to communicate said first communication hole and said inlet-side refrigerant passage and to communicate said second communication hole and said outlet-side refrigerant passage, said first and second convex portions and said auxiliary heat exchanger defining contact portions compressor, said connecting member having at least first and second convex portions, said first convex portion having a first communication hole four connecting with said downstream-side pipe of said pressure reducing means, said second convex portion having a second communication hole for connecting with said intake-side pipe of said compressor, said connecting member being fixed to said auxiliary heat exchanger to communicate said first communication hole and said inlet-side refrigerant passage and to communicate said second communication hole and said outlet-side refrigerant passage, said first and second convex portions and said auxiliary heat exchanger defining contact portions in which said connecting member and said auxiliary heat exchanger are in mutual contact and non-contact portions in which a clearance is provided between said connecting member and said auxiliary heat exchanger, said clearance being of at least a predetermined dimension, said contact portion having a predetermined surface area.