Copper Tube Aluminum Fin Type Auto Air Conditioner Evaporator Coils

Copper tube and aluminum fin type auto air conditioner evaporator

Copper tube is used as the refrigerant flow pipe, which has good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance to ensure the stable flow of refrigerant in the tube and efficient heat exchange. Aluminum fins are used as heat dissipation fins on the copper tubes, and the aluminum fins are in close contact with the copper tubes through the tube expansion process, which increases the heat dissipation area and improves the heat exchange efficiency.

Working Principle

Refrigerant Phase Change Heat Absorption: The high-pressure liquid refrigerant from the expansion valve of the air conditioning system is atomized into a low-temperature, low-pressure mist refrigerant that enters the copper tube. In the low-pressure environment, the mist refrigerant quickly evaporates and vaporizes, changing from liquid to gas, which absorbs a large amount of heat, thus lowering the temperature of the copper tube and aluminum fins.

Air heat exchange: the blower of the car air conditioner blows the air inside or outside the car to the evaporator, and when the air flows through the copper tube and aluminum sheet evaporator, the heat of the hot air is transferred to the lower temperature copper tube and aluminum fins, which reduces the temperature of the air. The cooled air is then blown into the cabin to realize the cooling effect inside the car.

Dehumidifying function: when the hot air passes through the surface of the evaporator with lower temperature, the water vapor in the air will condense into water droplets when it gets cold, which will attach to the surface of the aluminum fins and copper tubes and form condensate. The condensate will be collected in the water tray under the evaporator and discharged out of the car through the drain pipe, thus realizing the dehumidification of the air inside the car and reducing the humidity of the air inside the car.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Good thermal conductivity: Copper tubes have high thermal conductivity, which can quickly transfer the heat absorbed by the refrigerant in the evaporation process to the aluminum fins, which will then emit it to the air, effectively improving the cooling efficiency.

Strong corrosion resistance: copper has good corrosion resistance, in the operating environment of the automobile air conditioning system, it can resist the erosion of refrigerant, moisture and some corrosive substances in the air to extend the service life of the evaporator.

Processing technology is mature: copper tube and aluminum sheet evaporator manufacturing process is relatively mature, the quality control in the production process is relatively easy to ensure product consistency and reliability, and maintenance and replacement is also more convenient.

Disadvantages

Larger weight: Compared with the all-aluminum evaporator, the copper tube and aluminum chip evaporator is relatively heavier due to the presence of copper tubes, which may add a certain burden to some models that have strict requirements on vehicle weight.

Higher cost: The relatively high price of copper results in the manufacturing cost of copper tube and aluminum chip evaporators being higher than some other types of evaporators as well, which may affect their application in some economical models.

Heat transfer efficiency to be improved: Although the combination of copper tubes and aluminum fins can achieve better heat exchange, compared with some advanced all-aluminum laminated evaporators, there is still some room for improvement in heat transfer efficiency, and under the same requirement of cooling capacity, it may require greater volume and weight to meet the demand.

Application Scenarios

Large Buses: Large buses have large space and higher cooling capacity requirements for air conditioning systems. Copper tube and aluminum sheet evaporator with its good thermal conductivity and reliability, can meet the cooling needs of large buses in the long run, providing a comfortable environment for passengers.

Some high-end cars: some high-end cars pay attention to the performance and quality of the air conditioning system, the high quality and stability of the copper tube and aluminum chip evaporator can meet the requirements of these models on the air conditioning refrigeration effect and comfort, even if the cost is higher, it will be used in some high-end models.