Guest Bio
Jeff Tucker is the Head of Microchannel at Danfoss.
Episode Summary
Jeff Tucker, head of microchannel at Danfoss Turbocor, joins John Sheff, Danfoss’ former director of public and industry affairs, to discuss the latest innovations in heat exchanger technology.
Main Points
- The purpose of a heat exchanger is to transfer heat from one medium to the other, most often between refrigerant and air.
- Microchannel heat exchangers are airside heat exchangers, using air as a heat transfer medium.
- Traditionally, heat exchangers have copper tubes and aluminum plates, but now are starting to be phased out in favor of more energy efficient materials.
- Microchannel exchangers are completely aluminum, smaller and lighter than traditional exchangers and easy to recycle.
- The smaller internal volume means less refrigerant use.
- With the push toward rooftop units and smaller HVAC systems, microchannel exchangers help manufacturers meet new building standards. The smaller size is particularly helpful when retrofitting older buildings with more efficient systems.
- Danfoss is developing an interlaced microchannel heat exchanger product, able to operate at different speeds and run multiple circuits at the same time.
- Danfoss can design microchannel products in different shapes, not necessarily square, depending on customer need.
- Microchannel exchangers are able to adapt to changes in refrigerants, including the new low-density refrigerants being developed for commercial equipment.
- To improve efficiency and ensure refrigerant is distributed evenly across the heat exchanger, Danfoss is developing a next-generation evaporator that self-balances and can make adjustments when used with a variable-speed compressor, so no need to do any iterations.
- Next step for microchannel technology is to apply it to outdoor use – heat pumps and evaporator surfaces. Danfoss is also developing an integrated heat exchanger with expansion device for easier installation and is experimenting with different aluminum alloys to balance cost, performance and corrosion resistance.
Links
Learn more about Danfoss microchannel heat exchangers.
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For more information and additional episodes of the EnVisioneering Exchange podcast, visit https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/about-danfoss/insights-for-tomorrow/envisioneering-exchange/