Condenser

A condenser comprising a plurality of heat exchange tubes disposed in parallel such that the heat exchange tubes are spaced apart from one another in a vertical direction and extend in a left-right direction;

• and header tanks which extend in the vertical direction and to which left and right end portions of the heat exchange tubes are connected, in which three or more heat exchange paths each formed by a plurality of heat exchange tubes successively arranged in the vertical direction are juxtaposed in the vertical direction, wherein
• the condenser has a group composed of at least two heat exchange paths which are successively arranged and which include a heat exchange path at an upper end, and at least one heat exchange path is provided below the group;
• in the group, refrigerant is caused to flow from a heat exchange path at one of upper and lower ends toward a heat exchange path at the other end;
• first and second header tanks are provided separately at a left or right end of the condenser, first heat exchange tubes which form a heat exchange path located on the downstreammost side of the group with respect to a refrigerant flow direction and first heat exchange tubes which form the heat exchange path located below the group being connected to the first header tank, and second heat exchange tubes which form all the remaining heat exchange path(s) being connected to the second header tank;
• the first header tank is disposed on the outer side of the second header tank with respect to the left-right direction, has an upper end located above a lower end of the second header tank, and has a function of separating gas and liquid from each other and storing the liquid;
• a space for air to flow through is provided between the first and second header tanks;
• all the heat exchange paths of the group are refrigerant condensation paths for condensing refrigerant, and the heat exchange path located below the group is a refrigerant super-cooling path for super-cooling refrigerant;
• and
• the first header tank includes branching control means for promoting a flow of liquid-phase refrigerant from the first header tank into the first heat exchange tubes which constitute the refrigerant super-cooling path.