Appeal No. 97-3006
Application 08/571,032
of claims 1 and 3, the only claims pending in the application.
We reverse.
The invention relates to a refrigerant condenser wherein
the refrigerant changes direction, i.e., turns, at least once
as it flows through the condenser. According to their
specification, the appellants have discovered an optimal
relationship in terms of heat exchange efficiency between the
condensation distance in such a condenser (which is a function
of the number of turns) and the equivalent or hydraulic
diameter of the refrigerant flow tubes. Claim 1 reads as
follows:
1. A refrigerant condenser comprising:
a plurality of superposed tubes having opposing ends,
a pair of headers joined to the tubes at the ends
thereof, and
separators disposed inside the headers for dividing the
tubes into a plurality of groups,
a high temperature, high pressure gaseous refrigerant
flowing through the tube groups changing in direction of flow
in the headers,
when the number of times the direction of flow is changed
in the headers is N and the distance between the pair of
headers is W (unit: mm), the distance W being selected within
-2-
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