US 12,173,911 B2
Heat exchanger for a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system
Michael F. Taras, The Woodlands, TX (US); Ying Gong, Fulshear, TX (US); and Khaled H. Saleh, Katy, TX (US)
Assigned to Goodman Global Group, Inc., Waller, TX (US)
Filed by Goodman Global Group, Inc., Waller, TX (US)
Filed on Jun. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/217,155.
Application 18/217,155 is a continuation of application No. 17/303,314, filed on May 26, 2021, granted, now 11,725,833.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/036,669, filed on Jun. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0341135 A1, Oct. 26, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. F28F 9/00 (2006.01); F24F 1/0067 (2019.01); F28F 9/02 (2006.01)
CPC F24F 1/0067 (2019.02) [F28F 9/0282 (2013.01); F28F 2260/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operating a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, comprising:
flowing an airflow with an uneven intensity distribution across a heat exchanger; and
flowing refrigerant through a plurality of sections of microchannel tubes of the heat exchanger such that the airflow exchanges heat with the refrigerant flowing through the heat exchanger, wherein flowing the refrigerant through the heat exchanger further comprises:
flowing the refrigerant into the heat exchanger, through a first inlet and a second inlet;
flowing the refrigerant from the inlets into first pass sections, which include two non-adjacent sections among the plurality of sections, for flowing the refrigerant in a first pass from a first header to a second header;
flowing the refrigerant from the first pass into second pass sections, which include two additional sections among the plurality of sections located between the first pass sections, for flowing the refrigerant in a second pass from the second header back to the first header;
flowing the refrigerant from the second pass into at least one third pass section among the plurality of sections, for flowing the refrigerant in a third pass from the first header to the second header; and
flowing the refrigerant through additional individual sections in additional passes upstream of the third pass such that the number of sections and passes from the first inlet to the third pass is different than the second inlet to the third pass.