A heat pipe system and its control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a heat pipe system and a control method thereof. The system includes an evaporation coil, a condensation coil, a connecting pipeline and an auxiliary pipeline; the evaporation coil and the condensation coil are arranged opposite to each other, and the evaporation coil includes an upper evaporation coil and a lower evaporation coil; the condensation coil includes an upper condensation coil and a lower condensation coil; the lower evaporation coil is communicated with the upper condensation coil through the connecting pipeline; the auxiliary pipeline includes a first pipeline and a second pipeline; a driving device is provided on the first pipeline, one end of the first pipeline is communicated with the upper evaporation coil, the other end of the first pipeline is communicated with the lower condensation coil, and the driving device is used for bringing the working medium in the upper evaporation coil to the lower condensation coil; one end of the second pipeline is communicated with the lower condensation coil, and the other end of the second pipeline is communicated with the upper evaporation coil. By arranging a power cycle heat pipe on the basis of a gravity cycle heat pipe, the overall performance of the heat pipe can be improved, and the energy utilization efficiency of the heat pipe is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of air conditioners, and particularly relates to a heat pipe system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] During the air conditioning process, it is necessary to cool and dehumidify the incoming air. Since the temperature of the dehumidified air is relatively low, it often cannot meet the process or comfort requirements. Therefore, it is necessary to heat it by means of electricity, steam, etc. to reach the required supply air temperature.

[0003] This process of first over-cooling and then reheating causes a large amount of energy waste. For most constant temperature and humidity air conditioners, the energy consumed by reheating can reach nearly 50% of the total energy consumption of the air conditioner.

[0004] To reduce energy consumption, a feasible means is to use a U-shaped heat pipe to transfer the energy of the incoming air to the low-temperature area for reheating. The U-shaped heat pipe is divided into an evaporation coil and a condensation coil. The two coils are connected by a pipeline. The liquid working medium in the evaporation coil absorbs heat and evaporates, and flows along the gas channel to the condensation coil; the working medium releases heat and condenses into a liquid in the condensation coil. In the existing design, a liquid pump is used to drive the circulation of the working medium. This design completely relies on the refrigerant pump to send the working medium from the heat pipe condenser to the heat pipe evaporator. Once the refrigerant pump fails, the entire heat pipe will completely fail.

[0005] Another problem with using a liquid pump to transport the refrigerant is that the pressure at the outlet of the refrigerant pump is higher than that at the inlet. Since the outlet of the refrigerant pump is connected to the evaporation coil and the inlet is connected to the condensation coil, the pressure of the working medium in the evaporation coil rises, and the pressure of the working medium in the condensation coil decreases. Correspondingly, the saturation temperature of the working medium in the evaporation coil rises, and the saturation temperature of the working medium in the condensation coil drops. The working medium in the evaporation coil needs to absorb heat from the air. As the temperature of the working medium rises, the temperature difference with the air decreases, and the heat transfer amount decreases; the condensation coil needs to release heat to the air. As the temperature of the working medium drops, the temperature difference with the air drops, which also leads to a reduction in heat transfer. It can be seen that transporting the refrigerant with a liquid pump will adversely affect the heat transfer between the heat pipe and the air in principle.

[0006] Therefore, a new technical solution is urgently needed to solve the problems existing in the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Aiming at the above problems of the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a heat pipe system and a control method thereof, which can improve the overall performance of the heat pipe while maintaining a passive heat pipe, and can actively adjust the reheating capacity of the heat pipe within a certain range.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the specific technical solutions of the present invention are as follows:

[0009] On the one hand, the present invention provides a heat pipe system, which includes an evaporation coil, a condensation coil, a connecting pipeline and an auxiliary pipeline;

[0010] The evaporation coil and the condensation coil are arranged opposite to each other. The evaporation coil includes an upper evaporation coil and a lower evaporation coil; the condensation coil includes an upper condensation coil and a lower condensation coil;

[0011] The lower evaporation coil communicates with the upper condensation coil through the connecting pipeline;

[0012] The auxiliary pipeline includes a first pipeline and a second pipeline; a driving device is provided on the first pipeline. One end of the first pipeline communicates with the upper evaporation coil, and the other end of the first pipeline communicates with the lower condensation coil. The driving device is used to bring the working medium in the upper evaporation coil to the lower condensation coil; one end of the second pipeline communicates with the lower condensation coil, and the other end of the second pipeline communicates with the upper evaporation coil.

[0013] Further, the first pipeline includes at least two first branch pipelines arranged in parallel, and the driving device is provided on each first branch pipeline.

[0014] Further, each first branch pipeline is provided with a check valve, and the check valve is arranged at the outlet end of the driving device. Further, the system further includes a throttling device and a filter;

[0015] The throttling device is arranged on the second pipeline, and the throttling device is used to adjust the flow rate of the working medium inside the second pipeline;

[0016] The filter is used to filter the working medium entering the second pipeline.

[0017] Optionally, the throttling device includes an adjusting flow channel and a main flow channel arranged in parallel;

[0018] An electromagnetic valve is provided on the adjusting flow channel, and the electromagnetic valve is used to control the on-off of the adjusting flow channel.

[0019] Further, a gas-liquid separator is further provided on the first pipeline;

[0020] The gas-liquid separator is arranged at the inlet end of the driving device and is used to separate the liquid working medium and the gaseous working medium at the outlet end of the upper evaporation coil.

[0021] Further, the system further includes a plurality of connectors. The plurality of connectors are arranged at the ports of the upper evaporation coil and the lower condensation coil, and the connectors are used to collect or distribute the working medium at the ports.

[0022] Optionally, the connector includes a distributor and a main pipe.

[0023] Further, a flow switch is also provided on the first pipeline.

[0024] The system further includes a control device, a temperature sensor, and an alarm device.

[0025] The flow switch is used to obtain the working medium flow information in the first pipeline.

[0026] The temperature sensor is used to obtain the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil.

[0027] The control device is used to obtain the data of the temperature sensor and control the operation of the driving device.

[0028] The alarm device is used to send an alarm message when the driving device is in an abnormal state.

[0029] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a control method for a heat pipe system, and the method includes:

[0030] The control device obtains the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil detected by the temperature sensor.

[0031] Based on the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil, it is judged whether the air temperature is consistent with a preset value.

[0032] If the air temperature is not consistent with the preset value, the rotation speed of the driving device is adjusted according to the difference between the air temperature and the preset value; continue to obtain the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization, and judge whether the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization reaches the preset value.

[0033] If the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization does not reach the preset value, the opening degree of the throttling device is adjusted to make the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil reach the preset value.

[0034] Adopting the above technical solution, a heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0035] 1. A heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention can improve the overall performance of the heat pipe and the utilization efficiency of heat pipe energy by setting a power cycle heat pipe on the basis of a non-powered cycle heat pipe.

[0036] 2. A heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention can increase the saturation temperature of the working medium on the condensation coil side and reduce the saturation temperature of the working medium on the evaporation coil side due to the pressurization and suction effects by setting an auxiliary air pump, further improving the cooling efficiency inside the condensation coil and the heating efficiency inside the evaporation coil, thereby improving the working efficiency of the heat pipe.

[0037] 3. A heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention can effectively increase the height difference of the gravity heat pipe and enhance the driving ability of the gravity circulation by setting an auxiliary circulation pump.

[0038] 4. A heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention can improve the working ability and working safety of the air pump by setting the corresponding control logic for the auxiliary circulation pump. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention, and those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0040] Figure 1 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system according to the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 Structural schematic diagram of a gravity heat pipe in the embodiments of this specification;

[0042] Figure 3 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0043] Figure 4 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0044] Figure 5 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0045] Figure 6 Structural schematic diagram of a throttling device in the embodiments of this specification;

[0046] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the working principle of a throttling device in some embodiments of this specification;

[0047] Figure 8 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0048] Figure 9 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0049] Figure 10 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0050] Figure 11 Structural schematic diagram of a heat pipe system in some embodiments of this specification;

[0051] Figure 12Schematic diagram of the heat pipe system structure in some embodiments of this specification;

[0052] Figure 13 Schematic diagram of the heat pipe system structure in some embodiments of this specification;

[0053] Figure 14 Schematic diagram of the heat pipe system structure in some embodiments of this specification;

[0054] Figure 15 Schematic diagram of the heat pipe system structure in some embodiments of this specification;

[0055] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of the control of the heat pipe system in the embodiments of this specification;

[0056] Figure 17 Flowchart of the heat pipe system control method in the embodiments of this specification.

[0057] In the figure: 1 - Evaporation coil, 2 - Condensation coil, 3 - Connection pipeline, 4 - Auxiliary pipeline, 5 - Connector, 6 - Control device, 7 - Temperature sensor, 8 - Alarm device, 11 - Upper evaporation coil, 12 - Lower evaporation coil, 21 - Upper condensation coil, 22 - Lower condensation coil, 41 - First pipeline, 42 - Second pipeline, 43 - Driving device, 44 - Check valve, 45 - Throttling device, 46 - Throttling device, 47 - Gas-liquid separator, 51 - Distributor, 52 - Main pipe, 411 - First branch pipeline, 421 - Second branch pipeline, 451 - Adjusting flow channel, 452 - Main flow channel, 453 - Solenoid valve. Detailed implementation manners

[0058] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0059] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description, claims and the above drawings of the present invention are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily have to be used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present invention described here can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here. In addition, the terms "comprising" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, device, product or equipment comprising a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or equipment.

[0060] Embodiment 1

[0061] During the air conditioning process, it is first necessary to cool and dehumidify the fresh air, and then heat it to reach the required supply air temperature, which will inevitably cause a large amount of energy waste. In order to improve the energy utilization efficiency, an embodiment of this specification provides a heat pipe system, such as Figure 1 shown, a schematic structural diagram of a heat pipe system provided by an embodiment of this specification, but based on conventional or non-creative labor, it may include more or fewer structures. The system structure listed in the embodiment is only one of many structures and does not represent the only structural form. During the actual implementation process, it can be carried out according to the structure in the embodiment.

[0062] Specifically, as Figure 1 shown, a heat pipe system, the system includes an evaporation coil 1, a condensation coil 2, a connecting pipeline 3 and an auxiliary pipeline 4; the evaporation coil 1 and the condensation coil 2 are arranged opposite to each other, and the evaporation coil 1 includes an upper evaporation coil 11 and a lower evaporation coil 12; the condensation coil 2 includes an upper condensation coil 21 and a lower condensation coil 22; the lower evaporation coil 12 is communicated with the upper condensation coil 21 through the connecting pipeline 3; the auxiliary pipeline 4 includes a first pipeline 41 and a second pipeline 42; a driving device 43 is provided on the first pipeline 41, one end of the first pipeline 41 is communicated with the upper evaporation coil 11, the other end of the first pipeline 41 is communicated with the lower condensation coil 22, and the driving device 43 is used to bring the working medium in the upper evaporation coil 11 to the lower condensation coil 22. Optionally, the driving device 43 brings the gaseous working medium in the upper evaporation coil 11 to the lower condensation coil 22; one end of the second pipeline 42 is communicated with the lower condensation coil 22, and the other end of the second pipeline 42 is communicated with the upper evaporation coil 11.

[0063] The heat pipe system can be applied to flat heat pipes and U-shaped heat pipes for heat recovery. Different connection methods are adopted according to different heat pipe types. The following takes the U-shaped heat pipe as an example for illustration.

[0064] Among them, in the U-shaped heat pipe, the evaporation lower coil 12 and the condensation upper coil 21 form a circulating non-powered pipeline. In particular, there is a liquid level difference or height difference between the condensation upper coil 21 and the evaporation lower coil 12. During the air conditioning process, it is necessary to cool and dehumidify the incoming air. When the evaporation coil 1 is in an external heating environment, the liquid working medium flowing in it will absorb heat and evaporate, so as to realize the cooling treatment of the incoming air temperature. The gas in the evaporation lower coil 12 will flow into the condensation upper coil 21 along the connection pipeline 3 channel due to buoyancy or the air pressure inside the pipeline. The gaseous working medium releases heat and condenses into a liquid in the condensation upper coil 21, and then returns to the evaporation lower coil 12 by using the liquid level difference or height difference to form a cycle. The above process realizes a non-powered heat energy cycle, which can heat the air passing through the condensation coil 2 through the heat energy in the pipeline, thus avoiding the waste of heat energy in the pipeline and saving energy consumption.

[0065] In the embodiment of this specification, as Figure 1 shown, there is a height difference between the condensation upper coil 21 and the evaporation lower coil 12. In this way, when the connection pipeline 3 is connected, it is in an inclined state, which is convenient for the gas generated by the evaporation of the evaporation lower coil 12 to rise into the condensation upper coil 21 due to buoyancy. At the same time, the liquid formed by the liquefaction of the condensation upper coil 21 enters the evaporation lower coil 12 due to the action of gravity, so as to realize the non-powered heat energy cycle exchange.

[0066] In the embodiment of this specification, the evaporation lower coil 12 includes a plurality of evaporation sub-coils, and the condensation upper coil 21 includes condensation sub-coils corresponding to the evaporation sub-coils. The plurality of evaporation sub-coils and the plurality of condensation sub-coils are connected in series from top to bottom to form a plurality of circulating coils. It can be understood that a plurality of the connection pipelines 3 are arranged in parallel and are respectively connected to evaporation sub-coils at different heights, so as to improve the heat energy exchange efficiency of the entire heat pipe system.

[0067] As Figure 2 shown, it is a schematic diagram of a single non-powered circulation pipeline. The non-powered heat energy cycle exchange is realized by means of height difference or liquid level difference, which saves energy consumption, improves the utilization efficiency of heat energy, reduces the maintenance cost at the same time, and has high reliability.

[0068] Due to the poor adjustability of the non-powered cycle and the need for a certain height difference to ensure the efficiency of the cycle, in order to further improve the efficiency and controllability of the heat energy cycle. In the embodiments of this specification, a power cycle pipeline is formed between the evaporation upper coil 11 and the condensation lower coil 22. Specifically, by setting a driving device 43, the gaseous working medium evaporated in the evaporation upper coil 11 is transmitted to the condensation lower coil 22 through the first pipeline 41, so that the condensation lower coil 22 receives high-calorie gas and generates heat through liquefaction. Due to the action of the driving device 43, a pressure difference appears inside the evaporation upper coil 11, so that the liquid working medium in the condensation lower coil 22 is sucked into the evaporation upper coil 11 due to the pressure difference, thus forming a power heat energy cycle. It is equivalent that the first pipeline 41 is a gaseous pipeline and the second pipeline 42 is a liquid pipeline.

[0069] Through the setting of the power cycle, the height difference of the non-powered cycle can be increased, that is, more condensation lower coils 22 can be set, so that the height difference between the evaporation lower coil 12 and the condensation upper coil 21 becomes larger, realizing a greater driving ability of the non-powered cycle, and the performance of the non-powered heat pipe can be greatly improved.

[0070] In the embodiments of this specification, by setting a driving device 43 at the outlet section of the evaporation upper coil 11, the outlet of the driving device 43 is connected to the condensation lower coil 22, and the gaseous working medium in the evaporation upper coil 11 is transported to the condensation lower coil 22. There must be a pressure difference between the evaporation upper coil 11 and the condensation lower coil 22. That is, under the suction action of the driving device 43, the pressure inside the evaporation upper coil 11 decreases, and the saturation temperature of the working medium in the corresponding coil also decreases. In this way, the temperature difference between the working medium and the air flowing through the evaporation coil increases, which is beneficial to the evaporation upper coil 11 absorbing heat from the air. Correspondingly, under the pressurization action of the driving device 43, the pressure inside the condensation lower coil 22 will rise, and the saturation temperature of the working medium in the corresponding coil also increases, which is beneficial to heating the air flowing through the condensation lower coil 22. Therefore, through the working principle of the driving device 43, the operating efficiency of the heat pipe can be further increased.

[0071] In the embodiments of this specification, the driving device 43 can be an air pump. The air pump can have a fixed speed or a variable speed, and different speeds are selected according to the actual working environment. The specific control method will be elaborated in detail later. In actual work, the air pump functions similar to a compressor, but the air pump mainly transports gaseous working medium and has a certain pressurization ability. Optionally, the pressure ratio increased by the air pump is 1-1.5. Preferably, the pressure ratio increased by the air pump is 1~1.2. The air pump can be in various forms such as a centrifugal pump, a turbine pump, a rotor pump, a scroll pump, etc. To reduce the complexity of the system, a lubricant-free design can be adopted.

[0072] Based on the system provided above, in order to further improve the regulation ability of the power circulation pipeline, a throttling device 45 may be provided on the outlet pipeline of the lower condensation coil 22, so as to control the pressure drop in the liquid pipeline between the lower condensation coil 22 and the upper evaporation coil 11.

[0073] It can be understood that when a throttling device 45 is provided on the second pipeline 42, the throttling device 45 should have a large opening when throttling is not required, so as to reduce or avoid the pressure drop when the working medium flows through the device. When throttling is required, the throttling range of the throttling device 45 is small. Optionally, the maximum ratio of the pressure in the pipeline before throttling to the pressure after throttling generally does not exceed 1.2.

[0074] In the embodiments of this specification, as Figure 6 shown, it is an embodiment of the throttling device. The throttling device 45 includes a regulating flow channel 451 and a main flow channel 452 arranged in parallel; a solenoid valve 453 is provided on the regulating flow channel 451, and the solenoid valve 453 is used to control the on-off of the regulating flow channel 451. In practical applications, the liquid working medium in the lower condensation coil 22 enters the upper evaporation coil 451 through the regulating flow channel 451 and the main flow channel 452. When throttling is not required, the solenoid valve 453 is opened, and the regulating flow channel 451 and the main flow channel 452 work simultaneously, which can provide the required flow area and reduce the pressure drop. When throttling is required, the liquid working medium passes through the main flow channel 452, so the flow area is reduced, and the required throttling pressure drop can be generated.

[0075] In some other embodiments, the throttling device 45 may be a device capable of continuously adjusting the valve opening. The valve may have a low pressure drop or no pressure drop when fully opened, and will quickly reach a large flow rate after the valve is opened and adjust in a large flow rate range. As Figure 7 shown, it is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the flow rate and the valve opening of the throttling device 45. Any structure that can achieve the above effects is within the scope of protection of this application.

[0076] In order to ensure the stability and controllability of the entire heat pipe system during operation, a combination of multiple air pumps can be adopted, that is, at least two first branch pipelines 411 arranged in parallel are provided in the first pipeline 41, and the driving device 43 is provided on each of the first branch pipelines 411. In this way, the operation of different driving devices 43 can be controlled as needed. At the same time, when some of the driving devices 43 fail, other driving devices 43 can work in time to ensure the normal and stable operation of the entire heat pipe system.

[0077] In actual work, as Figure 4As shown, two parallel first branch pipelines 411 can be set, and an air pump is provided on each first branch pipeline 411. By controlling the operation of the air pumps on different first branch pipelines 411, the adjustment ability of the power cycle drive can be improved. Specifically, the parallel air pumps can work alternately, avoiding excessive wear caused by a single air pump working for too long, thereby increasing the service life of the air pump and the stability of the entire heat pipe system. As Figure 5 shown, it is another manifestation of the multiple drive devices. Different parallel connection methods are set according to different situations, which will not be elaborated here one by one.

[0078] Correspondingly, in order to improve the adjustment of the liquid pipeline between the evaporation upper coil 11 and the condensation lower coil 22, as Figure 5 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of the heat pipe system in some embodiments. The second pipeline 42 can include at least two parallel second branch pipelines 421, and a throttling device 45 is provided on each second branch pipeline 421. By dividing the second pipeline 42 into different second branch pipelines 421, the pressure drop in the liquid pipeline can be flexibly adjusted, improving the heat exchange efficiency of the entire power cycle pipeline.

[0079] Based on the above-provided power cycle pipeline, in order to facilitate the effective operation of the power cycle, the first pipeline 41 can also be provided with a gas-liquid separator 47 and a check valve 46; the gas-liquid separator 47 is arranged at the inlet end of the drive device 43, used to reduce the liquid working medium entering the drive device 43, that is, the gas-liquid separator is used to separate the liquid working medium and the gas working medium at the outlet end of the evaporation upper coil 11. In practice, the specific design form of the gas-liquid separator 47 can be diverse, which can be an independent gas-liquid separator 47, or the upper space of the outlet main pipe of the evaporation upper coil 11 can be used as the gas-liquid separator, or it can be integrated on the pump body; the check valve 44 is arranged at the outlet end of the drive device 43.

[0080] It should be noted that the check valve 44 can be used in a multi-pump pipeline with parallel connection. When there is a non-working air pump, the check valve 44 closes, which can prevent the working medium from flowing back through the pipeline where the non-working air pump is located, and can improve the efficiency of the working medium transportation.

[0081] When there are multiple first branch pipelines 411 in the first pipeline 41, a gas-liquid separator 47 and a check valve 46 can be provided on each first branch pipeline 411, which is convenient for adjusting the air pumps on each first branch pipeline 411. In some other embodiments, a gas-liquid separator 47 can also be provided on the main pipeline, that is, on the confluence pipeline of multiple first branch pipelines 411, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, both are schematic diagrams of the positions of the gas-liquid separator 47 and the check valve 46 during actual operation, but it is not limited to this.

[0082] To prevent external impurities from entering the air pump and affecting its normal operation, in the embodiments of this specification, a filter 46 may also be provided in the second pipeline 42. The filter 46 is used to filter the working medium passing through the second pipeline 42. In actual operation, when there are multiple parallel second branch pipelines 421 in the second pipeline 42, the filter 46 may be provided in each second branch pipeline 421, and the filter 46 can perform a filtrate function.

[0083] In some other embodiments, the filter 46 may also be provided in the second pipeline 41. Optionally, the filter 46 is provided at the inlet end of the air pump to filter impurities in the gas entering the air pump from the first pipeline 41. Specifically, the filter 46 is provided on the pipelines of multiple air pumps, and correspondingly, the filter 46 can perform a gas filtering function.

[0084] Since both the upper evaporation coil 11 and the lower condensation coil 22 may include multiple sub-coils, during the transmission of the liquid working medium, the problem of flow rate distribution needs to be considered. Therefore, a connector 5 may be provided. The connector 5 is provided at the ports of the upper evaporation coil and the lower condensation coil, and the connector 5 is used to collect or distribute the working medium at the ports. Optionally, the connector 5 includes a main pipe 52 and a distributor 51.

[0085] It can be understood that the distributor 51 is provided at the port where flow rate distribution is required, and the main pipe 52 is provided at the port where flow rate collection is required. For example, as Figure 1 、 Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, by providing the distributor 51 at the inlet end of the upper evaporation coil 11, the liquid pumped by the liquid pump can be reasonably distributed to each sub-coil, and the main pipe 52 is provided at other ports to collect the working medium for easy transportation. Through the above setting of the distributor, the evaporation performance of the upper evaporation coil 11 is improved, and the efficiency of the entire power cycle is increased.

[0086] It should be noted that the above-provided power cycle pipeline can be arranged inside the housing of the original U-shaped heat pipe as long as it can provide pipeline layout, which can reduce the increase in equipment size and facilitate transportation and installation.

[0087] Through the heat pipe system provided above, a part of the pipeline below the condensation coil (condensation lower coil) and a part of the pipeline above the evaporation coil (evaporation upper coil) together with the gas-side delivery pump and the throttling device form an independent powered cycle. After the working fluid absorbs heat and evaporates in the evaporation upper coil, it is transported to the condensation lower coil through the gas-side delivery pump, and the liquid condensed in the condensation lower coil is sent to the evaporation upper coil under the push of the gas-side delivery pump. Since the lower pipeline of the condensation coil has been occupied by the power loop, the height difference between the lowermost pipe of the condensation non-powered loop and the corresponding pipeline of the evaporation coil has increased significantly, enhancing the driving ability of the non-powered cycle and significantly improving the performance of the non-powered heat pipe. In the above system, a throttling device can be set to utilize the pressurization ability of the gas-side delivery pump to increase the condensation pressure and condensation temperature in the condensation coil, and use the throttling device to reduce the evaporation pressure and evaporation temperature in the evaporation coil, thereby further increasing the heat transfer temperature difference between the evaporation coil and the condensation coil and improving the heat pipe performance.

[0088] As Figure 8 shown, for a situation of the power cycle in some other embodiments, a U-shaped heat pipe is formed by connecting the evaporation lower coil and the condensation lower coil. Therefore, there is no height difference between the evaporation lower coil and the condensation lower coil in this U-shaped heat pipe, and the liquid level difference and gas-liquid interaction inside the two coils can be used to drive the circulation of the working fluid. The evaporation upper coil and the condensation upper coil above it can achieve the circulation of part of the pipeline through the drive of the gas pump to achieve the purpose of adjusting the heat exchange capacity.

[0089] As Figure 9 shown, for an extreme situation of the power cycle in some other embodiments, both the evaporation coil and the condensation coil are composed of the same sub-coils, and there is no non-powered circulation pipeline with a height difference. The circulation of all pipelines can be achieved by setting a gas pump, which can effectively improve the circulation efficiency of each pipeline and thus improve the thermal energy utilization efficiency of the entire pipeline.

[0090] Based on the heat pipe system provided above, in addition to being applicable to U-shaped heat pipes, flat heat pipes for heat recovery can also adopt the above-mentioned power cycle method to achieve active regulation of the heat exchange quantity. As Figures 11 - 15 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of a flat heat pipe system, and its specific working method refers to the working method of the above-mentioned U-shaped heat pipe, which will not be elaborated one by one.

[0091] In the embodiments of this specification, in order to improve the effective control of the power cycle, a control system is also set. Specifically, this heat pipe system further includes a control device 6, a temperature sensor 7, and an alarm device 8. The temperature sensor 7 is used to obtain the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil; the control device 6 is used to obtain the data of the temperature sensor 7 and control the operation of the driving device 43; the alarm device 8 is used to send an alarm message when the driving device 43 is in an abnormal state.

[0092] To improve the precise control of the air pump, a flow switch can also be set to detect the flow rate of the gaseous working medium passing through the air pump in real time. Optionally, a flow switch shall be set in each pipeline where the air pump is located.

[0093] In actual operation, there can be multiple temperature sensors 7, which can detect the supply air temperature, the air temperature after the evaporator coil, the air temperature after the surface cooler or evaporator, and the air temperature after the condenser coil. In this way, the control device can accurately obtain the temperature information of each process of the heat pipe system and can control and adjust it in a timely manner.

[0094] As Figure 16 shown, it is a schematic structural diagram of the control system of the heat pipe system. The control box is used to receive the operation instructions from the upper controller and send working instructions to the air pump.

[0095] Specifically, on the basis of the above-provided control system, the embodiment of this specification also provides a heat pipe system control method. To better implement the control process, the following introduces the specific embodiments of the heat pipe system control method of the present invention. Figure 17 It is a schematic flow chart of a heat pipe system control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. This specification provides the method operation steps as described in the embodiment or flow chart, but based on routine or non-creative labor, there can be more or fewer operation steps. The step sequence listed in the embodiment is only one way among the execution sequences of numerous steps and does not represent the only execution sequence. When the actual system or server product executes, it can be executed in the order of the embodiment or as shown in the drawings, or executed in parallel (for example, in an environment of parallel processors or multi-threaded processing). Specifically, as Figure 17 shown, the method may include:

[0096] S101: The control device obtains the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil detected by the temperature sensor;

[0097] S103: Based on the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil, determine whether the air temperature is consistent with a preset value;

[0098] S105: If the air temperature is not consistent with the preset value, adjust the rotation speed of the driving device according to the difference between the air temperature and the preset value;

[0099] S107: Continuously obtain the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil after stabilization, and determine whether the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil after stabilization reaches the preset value.

[0100] S109: If the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil after stabilization does not reach the preset value, adjust the opening degree of the throttling device so that the air temperature after passing through the condenser coil reaches the preset value.

[0101] It can be understood that the temperature sensor can obtain the temperature after the condensation coil in real time and send the temperature to the control device. The control device can be a control box or an upper controller, and adjust the operation of the air pump in a timely manner according to the temperature, so as to control the performance of the power cycle by controlling the output power of the air pump. Specifically, when the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil is less than the preset value, the rotation speed of the air pump can be increased to increase the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil. When the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil is greater than the preset value, the rotation speed of the air pump should be decreased. In a heat pipe system equipped with a throttling device, when the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil is continuously less than the preset value, the opening of the throttling device can be reduced to further increase the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil. Optionally, when the opening of the throttling device is not the largest, the opening of the throttling device can also be increased to reduce the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil.

[0102] In some other embodiments, the heat pipe system can be in a multi-pump parallel connection mode. To avoid excessive working time of a single pump, the control device can record and save the working time and sequence of each air pump, and allocate the operation of the air pumps by itself, so as to ensure that each air pump can maintain good working efficiency. It should be noted that when the pump is turned off, the check valve on the pipeline where the pump is located should also be closed.

[0103] Of course, in order to ensure the state of the air pump during operation, the heat pipe system control method provided in the embodiments of this specification further includes:

[0104] S201: The flow switch obtains the working medium flow information flowing through the first pipeline and determines whether the flow value corresponding to the flow information reaches the preset flow value;

[0105] S203: When the flow information is lower than the flow value, the flow switch sends a warning message to the control device;

[0106] S205: Based on the warning message, the control device activates the alarm device to send an alarm message.

[0107] It can be understood that the flow switch can be a digital monitoring device. The digital quantity can represent only two states: "on" and "off". When the flow rate in the pipeline is greater than or equal to the preset value of the flow switch, the switch is in the conducting state; when it is lower than the preset value, it is in the open-circuit state. In this way, as long as an open circuit is detected, a flow failure can be judged, that is, the pump has a problem. Specifically, when there is more working medium passing through the pipeline and exceeding the preset value, the flow switch is in the open state; when there is less working medium passing through the pipeline and lower than the preset value, the flow switch is in the closed state. Therefore, the digital quantity of the flow switch also shows the working ability of the air pump. The size of the working medium flow rate passing through can be judged through the digital quantity, and then compared with the preset flow rate to judge whether the air pump is in the normal working state. In this way, timely inspection and replacement can be carried out. Through the setting of the alarm device, the operator can know in the first time and avoid certain risks.

[0108] In some other embodiments, the flow switch can also be a flow sensor, which can obtain real-time data of the flow rate passing through the pipeline, so as to improve the accurate judgment of the working ability of the air pump and ensure the accuracy of its regulation.

[0109] Based on the heat pipe system and its control method provided above, the embodiments of this specification further provide an air conditioner. The air conditioner can be a central air conditioner, and the central air conditioner includes the heat pipe system described above.

[0110] The central air conditioner generally includes an air duct composed of an air conditioner box body. Among them, the evaporation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe, the evaporator or surface cooler of the air conditioning system, and the condensation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe are connected in series in the air duct in sequence, and the external air flows through in sequence. Optionally, a fan is provided at one end of the air conditioner box. The air is first cooled by the evaporation coil, then further cooled and dehumidified by the evaporator or surface cooler of the air conditioning system, and finally reheated by the condensation coil.

[0111] In actual work, a U-shaped heat pipe is used in an air conditioner. The air conditioner casing forms a flow-through air duct, and a fan is provided in the air duct. The air duct is sequentially provided with an evaporation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe, an evaporator or a surface cooler of the air conditioning system, and a condensation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe from the inlet to the outlet. There is a pipeline connection between the evaporation coil and the condensation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe, and the pipeline is the connection pipeline and the auxiliary pipeline provided above. The evaporation coil absorbs the heat of the flowing air, and the liquid working medium inside it is heated and evaporated to generate a gaseous working medium. Part of the gaseous working medium enters the condensation coil through the connected pipeline, and the other part enters the condensation coil under the drive of an air pump; at the same time, the air flowing through the heat pipe evaporation coil is cooled and the temperature drops. This part of the air continues to flow through the evaporator or the surface cooler of the air conditioning system, is cooled and dehumidified, and reaches a lower temperature. The low-temperature air continues to flow backward through the condensation coil of the U-shaped heat pipe. Since the temperature of the gaseous working medium in the condensation coil is higher than that of the flowing air, it is condensed into a liquid by the low-temperature air; at this time, the air absorbs the condensation heat of the working medium and realizes heating and temperature rise. Part of the liquid in the condensation coil returns to the evaporation coil due to the height difference or the liquid level difference, and part returns to the evaporation coil under the drive of an air pump, so as to realize the transfer of heat energy from the evaporation coil to the condensation coil and the circulation of the working medium.

[0112] The following beneficial effects can be achieved through the above-mentioned heat pipe system and its control method:

[0113] 1) For a heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention, by setting a power heat pipe on the basis of a gravity heat pipe, the overall performance of the heat pipe can be improved, and the energy utilization efficiency of the heat pipe is increased.

[0114] 2) For a heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention, by setting an auxiliary air pump, due to the pressurization and suction effects, the saturation temperature of the working medium on the condensation coil side can be increased, and the saturation temperature of the working medium on the evaporation coil side can be reduced, further improving the cooling efficiency inside the condensation coil and the heating efficiency inside the evaporation coil, thereby improving the working efficiency of the heat pipe.

[0115] 3) For a heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention, by setting an auxiliary circulation pump, the height difference of the gravity heat pipe can be effectively increased, and the driving ability of the gravity circulation is enhanced.

[0116] 4) For a heat pipe system and its control method according to the present invention, by setting a corresponding control logic for the auxiliary circulation pump, the working ability and the working safety of the liquid pump are improved.

[0117] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and without departing from the spirit or basic characteristics of the present invention, the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms. Therefore, from any point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description. Therefore, all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are intended to be embraced by the present invention. Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the claims involved.

[0118] In addition, it should be understood that although this specification is described in terms of embodiments, not every embodiment only contains an independent technical solution. This narrative manner of the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A heat pipe system, characterized in that, it includes an evaporation coil (1), a condensation coil (2), a connecting pipeline (3) and an auxiliary pipeline (4); the evaporation coil (1) and the condensation coil (2) are arranged oppositely, and the evaporation coil (1) includes an upper evaporation coil (11) and a lower evaporation coil (12); the condensation coil (2) includes an upper condensation coil (21) and a lower condensation coil (22); the lower evaporation coil (12) is communicated with the upper condensation coil (21) through the connecting pipeline (3); the auxiliary pipeline (4) includes a first pipeline (41) and a second pipeline (42); a driving device (43) is arranged on the first pipeline (41), one end of the first pipeline (41) is communicated with the upper evaporation coil (11), the other end of the first pipeline (41) is communicated with the lower condensation coil (22), and the driving device (43) is used for bringing the working medium in the upper evaporation coil (11) to the lower condensation coil (22); one end of the second pipeline (42) is communicated with the lower condensation coil (22), and the other end of the second pipeline (42) is communicated with the upper evaporation coil (11).

2. The heat pipe system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the first pipeline (41) includes at least two first branch pipelines (411) arranged in parallel, and the driving device (43) is arranged on each first branch pipeline (411).

3. The heat pipe system according to claim 2, characterized in that, each first branch pipeline (411) is provided with a check valve (44), and the check valve (44) is arranged at the outlet end of the driving device (43).

4. The heat pipe system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the system further includes a throttling device (45) and a filter (46); the throttling device (45) is arranged on the second pipeline (42), and the throttling device is used for adjusting the flow rate of the working medium inside the second pipeline (42); the filter (46) is used for filtering the working medium entering the second pipeline (42).

5. The heat pipe system according to claim 4, characterized in that, the throttling device (45) includes an adjusting flow channel (451) and a main flow channel (452) arranged in parallel; an electromagnetic valve (453) is arranged on the adjusting flow channel (451), and the electromagnetic valve (453) is used for controlling the on-off of the adjusting flow channel (451).

6. The heat pipe system according to claim 1, characterized in that, a gas-liquid separator (47) is further arranged on the first pipeline (41); the gas-liquid separator (47) is arranged at the inlet end of the driving device (43) and is used for separating the liquid working medium and the gaseous working medium at the outlet end of the upper evaporation coil (11).

7. The heat pipe system according to claim 1, characterized in that, the system further includes a plurality of connectors (5), and the plurality of connectors (5) are arranged at the ports of the upper evaporation coil (11) and the lower condensation coil (22), and the connectors (5) are used for collecting or distributing the working medium at the ports.

8. The heat pipe system according to claim 7, wherein, the connector (5) includes a distributor (51) and a main pipe (52).

9. The heat pipe system according to claim 1, wherein, a flow switch is further provided on the first pipeline (41), the system further includes a control device (6), a temperature sensor (7) and an alarm device (8); the flow switch is used to obtain the working medium flow information in the first pipeline (41); the temperature sensor (7) is used to obtain the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil (2); the control device (6) is used to obtain the data of the temperature sensor (7) and control the operation of the driving device (43); the alarm device (8) is used to send an alarm message when the driving device (43) is in an abnormal state.

10. A control method for a heat pipe system, the method being based on the heat pipe system according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein, the method includes: the control device obtains the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil detected by the temperature sensor; based on the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil, determine whether the air temperature is consistent with a preset value; if the air temperature is not consistent with the preset value, adjust the rotation speed of the driving device according to the difference between the air temperature and the preset value; continuously obtain the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization, and determine whether the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization reaches the preset value, if the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil after stabilization does not reach the preset value, adjust the opening degree of the throttling device so that the air temperature after passing through the condensation coil reaches the preset value.

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