Appeal No. 2004-1125
Application No. 09/923,998
The subject matter on appeal relates to a heat exchanger
component (claims 1-3, 5-8, 11, 12, 20-23, and 28), a
refrigerant cycle (claims 13-17, 24-27, and 29), and a method
for lowering the surface energy of a heat exchanger (claims 18,
19, and 30). According to the appellants, heat transfer in an
air conditioner is improved by applying a thin coating of a
“lower surface energy material” on the inner surface of the heat
exchanger of the air conditioner to prevent the wetting of
lubricating oil on the oxide coated inner surface.
(Specification, paragraphs 1-10.) Further details of this
appealed subject matter are recited in representative claims 1,
2, 5, 6, 8, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 28 reproduced below:
1. A heat exchanger component comprising:
a plurality of flow passages; and
a low surface energy coating on a surface of said
plurality of flow passages, said low surface energy
coating reducing a wettability of oil on said
plurality of flow passages.
2. The heat exchanger component as recited in
claim 1 wherein said low surface energy coating is
formed from a solution including a low surface energy
substance and a solvent.
5. The heat exchanger component as recited in
claim 2 wherein said low surface energy substance is a
silane.
6. The heat exchanger component as recited in
claim 5 wherein said solution contains said low
surface energy silane in an amount of 1-2% by weight.
2
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