Gravity cooling system and ship

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a gravity cooling system and a ship. The gravity cooling system includes a cooler and a phase change water tank. Both ends of the cooler and both ends of the phase change water tank are respectively communicated with a gravity water inlet and a gravity water outlet. The cooler is communicated with a user heat source to form a first cooling circuit, and the phase change water tank is communicated with the user heat source to form a second cooling circuit. A first valve is provided on the pipeline where the phase change water tank is communicated with the user heat source, and a second valve is provided on the communication pipeline between the phase change water tank and the gravity water inlet. The ship gravity cooling system and the ship provided by the embodiment of the present invention achieve the balance between the supply and demand of cooling water by setting a cooling water tank, ensure that the outlet temperature of the user heat source fluctuates within the target value range, and avoid the thermal shock generated when the heat dissipation of the user heat source suddenly increases. The stability of the gravity cooling system is improved, which is beneficial to the normal operation of the ship power system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ship cooling systems, and particularly to a gravity cooling system and a ship. Background Art

[0002] The ship cooling system is an important link to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the ship power plant. Most of the heat generated during the operation of the ship power system, such as diesel engines or steam power systems, auxiliary equipment, etc., needs to be transferred to the cooling water through the ship cooling system and discharged outside the ship.

[0003] With the development of large and advanced ships, the amount of cooling water required by ships is constantly increasing. The ship cooling water pump is one of the main energy-consuming components of the ship power system, and the energy consumption and noise are high, which is not conducive to the development of green ships. To reduce the power consumption and noise of the cooling water pump, a gravity cooling water system is adopted in some modern green ships and high-speed ships to provide cooling water for the central cooler or condenser, using the oncoming flow pressure of the ship to overcome the resistance of the cooling system to achieve ship cooling, and replacing the pump drive at some speeds.

[0004] The traditional gravity cooling system is designed for the rated working conditions of the ship. However, during the operation of the ship, it often deviates from the rated working condition point. As Figure 1 shown in the schematic diagram of the relationship between the gravity cooling capacity and the cooling capacity required by the user of the traditional gravity cooling system. It can be seen that when the ship speed is relatively low or very high, the cooling capacity required by the user is higher than the gravity cooling capacity; within the medium ship speed range, the cooling capacity required by the user is lower than the gravity cooling capacity, that is, there is a difference between the required cooling capacity and the actually provided cooling capacity, resulting in a large deviation between the actual temperature and the target temperature at the outlet of the user heat source.

[0005] When the gravity cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, it will cause the subcooling degree of the condensate flowing through the cooler to be too large, resulting in overcooling; when the gravity cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, it will cause insufficient cooling. That is, the supply and demand balance of the cooling water cannot be achieved. Especially when the heat of the user heat source suddenly increases, it will also form a heat shock, and the uncooled heat cannot be effectively discharged. Affecting the stability of the entire cooling system, thus affecting the normal operation of the ship power system. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiment of the present invention provides a ship gravity cooling system to solve the problem that the gravity cooling system in the prior art cannot achieve the supply and demand balance of the cooling water, and there is a heat shock, which affects the stability of the entire cooling system.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a self-flow cooling system for a ship, which includes a cooler and a phase change water tank. Both ends of the cooler and both ends of the phase change water tank are respectively connected to a self-flow water inlet and a self-flow water outlet. The cooler is connected to a user heat source to form a first cooling loop, and the phase change water tank is connected to the user heat source to form a second cooling loop; a first valve is provided on the pipeline connecting the phase change water tank and the user heat source, and a second valve is provided on the pipeline connecting the phase change water tank and the self-flow water inlet.

[0008] In the self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a phase change unit and heat exchange tubes are provided in the phase change water tank. One end of the heat exchange tube is connected to the self-flow water inlet, and the other end is connected to the self-flow water outlet. The heat exchange tube is located within the phase change unit.

[0009] The self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a controller, and the controller is respectively communicatively connected to the first valve and the second valve.

[0010] In the self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a temperature sensor is installed at the outlet end of the user heat source, and the temperature sensor is communicatively connected to the controller.

[0011] The self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a filter. The water inlet of the filter is connected to the self-flow water inlet, and the water outlet of the filter is respectively connected to the phase change water tank and the cooler.

[0012] In the self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, a third valve is installed at the self-flow water inlet, and a fourth valve is installed at the self-flow water outlet.

[0013] In the self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the phase change unit is made of a sphere encapsulating a phase change material.

[0014] In the self-flow cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat exchange tube is made of titanium alloy.

[0015] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a ship, which includes a ship's side and any one of the above self-flow cooling systems, and the ship's side is provided with the self-flow water inlet and the self-flow water outlet.

[0016] In the ship according to an embodiment of the present invention, the opening direction of the self-flow water inlet is the same as the sailing direction of the hull, and the opening direction of the self-flow water outlet is opposite to the opening direction of the self-flow water inlet.

[0017] The ship gravity cooling system and the ship provided by the embodiments of the present invention can store the excess gravity cooling capacity when the gravity cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source by setting a cooling water tank; when the gravity cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, the stored cooling capacity can be used for supplementary cooling. Thus, the supply-demand balance of the cooling water is achieved, and the outlet temperature of the user heat source is ensured to fluctuate within the target value range. In addition, when the heat dissipation of the user heat source suddenly increases, it can effectively play a role in thermal buffering, avoid thermal shock, and discharge the heat in time. Therefore, the stability of the gravity cooling system is improved, which is beneficial to the normal operation of the ship power system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the relationship between the gravity cooling capacity of the traditional gravity cooling system and the cooling capacity required by the user;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the gravity cooling system according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the change in the outlet temperature of the user heat source of the ship gravity cooling system with a non-phase-change water tank and a phase-change water tank.

[0022] Reference numerals:

[0023] 1, cooler; 11, gravity inlet of the cooler; 12, gravity outlet of the cooler; 13, heat source inlet of the cooler; 14, heat source outlet of the cooler; 15, first cooling circuit; 2, phase-change water tank; 21, gravity inlet of the phase-change water tank; 22, gravity outlet of the phase-change water tank; 23, heat source inlet of the phase-change water tank; 24, heat source outlet of the phase-change water tank; 25, second cooling circuit; 3, gravity water inlet; 31, third valve; 4, gravity water outlet; 41, fourth valve; 5, user heat source; 6, first valve; 7, second valve; 8, controller; 9, filter; 10, ship's side. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part rather than all of the embodiments of the present invention. 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.

[0025] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "first" and "second" are used for numbering product components for clear description and do not represent any substantial difference. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection or an integral connection; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] The following Figure 2 and Figure 3 describe the gravity cooling system and the ship of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0028] As Figure 2 shown is a schematic structural diagram of the gravity cooling system of the embodiments of the present invention. The gravity cooling system includes a cooler 1 and a phase change water tank 2. Both ends of the cooler 1 are respectively communicated with a self-flow water inlet 3 and a self-flow water outlet 4, and both ends of the phase change water tank 2 are respectively communicated with the self-flow water inlet 3 and the self-flow water outlet 4. The cooler 1 is communicated with a user heat source 5 to form a first cooling loop 15, and the phase change water tank 2 is communicated with the user heat source 5 to form a second cooling loop 25. A first valve 6 is provided on the pipeline where the phase change water tank 2 is communicated with the user heat source 5, and a second valve 7 is provided on the communication pipeline between the phase change water tank 2 and the self-flow water inlet 3. Among them, the user heat source 5 can be any device or system that needs refrigeration, such as a ship power system such as a diesel engine or a steam power system, auxiliary equipment, etc. The hot fluid in the user heat source 5 can flow through the cooler 1 and the phase change water tank 2 respectively for cooling.

[0029] Specifically, the gravity inlet 21 of the phase change water tank and the gravity outlet 22 of the phase change water tank are respectively connected to the gravity water source and the outside. The gravity inlet 11 of the cooler is connected to the gravity water inlet 3, and the gravity outlet 12 of the cooler is connected to the gravity water outlet 4. The heat source inlet 13 and the heat source outlet 14 of the cooler are respectively connected to the user heat source 5 to form a first cooling circuit 15, and the heat source inlet 23 and the heat source outlet 24 of the phase change water tank are respectively connected to the user heat source 5 to form a second cooling circuit 25. Among them, the first valve 6 is used to control the connection and disconnection of the pipeline between the user heat source 5 and the phase change water tank 2, and the second valve 7 is used to control the connection and disconnection of the pipeline between the gravity water source and the phase change water tank 2.

[0030] During use, when the gravity cooling system operates within the rated working conditions, both the first valve 6 and the second valve 7 are in the normally closed state. The hot fluid of the user heat source 5 all passes through the cooler 1, and the gravity water all cools the hot fluid of the user heat source 5 through the cooler 1. When the gravity cooling capacity, that is, the cooling capacity that the gravity water can provide, is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5, the second valve 7 is opened to divert part of the gravity water, so that part of the gravity water enters the cooler 1 and the other part of the gravity water enters the phase change water tank 2, and the cooling capacity is stored through the phase change water tank 2 to complete cold storage. When the gravity cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5 or when the heat dissipation of the user heat source 5 suddenly increases, the first valve 6 is opened to divert the hot fluid, so that part of the hot fluid enters the cooler 1 and the other part of the hot fluid enters the phase change water tank 2, and the hot fluid of the user heat source 5 is cooled by the cooling capacity stored in the phase change water tank 2, so that the heat of the user heat source 5 can be discharged smoothly, thereby achieving the effect of resisting thermal shock.

[0031] As Figure 3 shown is a schematic diagram of the change in the outlet temperature of the user heat source of the gravity cooling system for ships with and without a phase change water tank. It can be seen from the figure that when the sailing speed of the ship is less than V0, the outlet temperature T of the user heat source 5 is still higher than the target temperature T0. When the speed is V1, the outlet temperature T of the user heat source 5 reaches the highest peak value, and there is insufficient cooling. When the sailing speed of the ship is within a certain range greater than the speed V0, the outlet temperature T of the user heat source 5 is lower than the target temperature T0. When the speed is V2, the outlet temperature T of the user heat source 5 reaches the lowest peak value, and there is excessive cooling. After adding the phase change water tank, within the entire speed range, the outlet temperature of the user heat source 5 is controlled to fluctuate within a small range around the target temperature T0.

[0032] The self-flow cooling system provided by the embodiments of the present invention can store the excess self-flow cooling capacity by setting up a phase change water tank 2 when the self-flow cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source. When the self-flow cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, the stored cooling capacity can be used for supplementary cooling, so as to achieve the balance between the supply and demand of cooling water. In addition, when the heat dissipation of the user heat source suddenly increases, it can effectively play a role in heat buffering, avoid heat shock, and discharge the heat in time. Thus, it is ensured that the outlet temperature of the user heat source 5 fluctuates within the target value range, improving the stability of the self-flow cooling system and being beneficial to the normal operation of the ship power system.

[0033] A phase change unit and heat exchange tubes are arranged in the phase change water tank 2. One end of the heat exchange tube is communicated with the self-flow water inlet 3, and the other end is communicated with the self-flow water outlet 4. The heat exchange tube is located in the phase change unit. Specifically, one end of the heat exchange tube is communicated with the self-flow water inlet 3 through the self-flow inlet 21 of the phase change water tank, and the other end of the heat exchange tube is connected to the self-flow water outlet 4 through the self-flow outlet 22 of the phase change water tank. When the self-flow cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5, the self-flow water enters the heat exchange tube and exchanges heat with the phase change unit to store the cooling capacity in the phase change unit, completing cold storage. When the heat dissipation of the user heat source 5 suddenly increases and the self-flow water cannot fully meet the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5, when the hot fluid of the user heat source 5 flows through the phase change water tank 2, it exchanges heat with the phase change unit and uses the cooling capacity stored in the phase change unit to cool the hot fluid of the user heat source 5.

[0034] Among them, the phase change unit in the phase change water tank 2 is made of a sphere encapsulated phase change material. The hot fluid of the user heat source 5 enters the phase change water tank 2 and directly contacts and exchanges heat with the phase change unit. Or, cooling tubes are arranged in the phase change water tank 2. The cooling tubes are located in the phase change unit. The two ends of the cooling tubes are respectively connected to the user heat source 5 through the heat source inlet 23 and the heat source outlet 24 of the phase change water tank, so that the hot fluid of the user heat source 5 circulates through the cooling tubes and exchanges heat with the phase change unit.

[0035] Furthermore, to increase the heat exchange area and improve the heat exchange efficiency, both the cooling tubes and the heat exchange tubes can be set as spiral coiled tubes. Further, both the cooling tubes or the heat exchange tubes can be made of titanium alloy, making them have higher strength, better corrosion resistance and heat resistance.

[0036] The self-flow cooling system provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes a controller 8, which is communicatively connected to the first valve 6 and the second valve 7 respectively. The controller 8 controls the opening and closing of the first valve 6 and the second valve 7 according to the comparison result between the cooling capacity provided by the self-flow system and the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5. Specifically, when the self-flow cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5, the controller 8 controls the first valve 6 to close and the second valve 7 to open to store cold using the phase change water tank 2; when the self-flow cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source 5, the controller 8 controls the first valve 6 to open and the second valve 7 to close to use the phase change water tank 2 for supplementary cooling.

[0037] Further, a temperature sensor is installed at the outlet end of the user heat source 5, and the temperature sensor is communicatively connected to the controller 8. The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the hot fluid before being cooled. The controller 8 determines the self-flow amount or the hot fluid amount that needs to be diverted into the phase change water tank 2 according to the temperature of the hot fluid at the outlet end of the user heat source 5 and the target temperature, and thus controls the first valve 6 and the second valve 7 accordingly. Among them, both the first valve 6 and the second valve 7 are flow regulating valves.

[0038] In the embodiment of the present invention, a filter 9 is further included. The water inlet of the filter 9 is communicated with the self-flow water inlet 3, and the water outlet of the filter 9 is respectively communicated with the phase change water tank 2 and the cooler 1. Installing a filter between the self-flow water inlet 3 and the phase change water tank 2 and the cooler 1 can filter impurities or foreign objects in the self-flow water to prevent clogging of the self-flow water pipeline and even entering the cooler 1 or the phase change water tank 2.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present invention, a third valve 31 is installed at the self-flow water inlet 3, and a fourth valve 41 is installed at the self-flow water outlet 4. Among them, both the third valve 31 and the fourth valve 41 can be one-way valves to ensure the orderly operation of the entire self-flow cooling system. When the self-flow cooling system is applied to a ship, both the third valve 31 and the fourth valve 41 can be sea valves.

[0040] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a ship, which includes a ship's side 10 and the self-flow cooling system as described in any of the above embodiments. The ship's side 10 is provided with a self-flow water inlet 3 and a self-flow water outlet 4. The self-flow water inlet 3 is communicated with a self-flow water source, and the self-flow water outlet 4 is communicated with the outside. The cooler 1 and the phase change water tank 2 in the self-flow cooling system are respectively communicated with heat sources on the ship, such as a power system or auxiliary equipment, etc., to cool the hot fluid generated by them through self-flow water.

[0041] Among them, the opening direction of the self-flow water inlet is the same as the sailing direction of the hull. For example, Figure 2 the direction indicated by the arrow in the figure is the sailing direction, and the opening direction of the self-flow water outlet is opposite to the opening direction of the self-flow water inlet. This can reduce the resistance generated by the self-flow water on the hull.

[0042] The ship provided by the embodiment of the present invention is cooled for the ship power system through a gravity cooling system provided with a phase change water tank 2. Not only can the excess cooling capacity be stored when the gravity cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the power system, preventing the excessive supercooling degree at the power system end, but also supplementary cooling can be carried out when the gravity cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the power system. Moreover, when the heat rejection of the power system suddenly increases, it can resist the thermal shock generated by the power system, enabling the normal operation of the ship power system.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements for some of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A gravity cooling system, characterized in that, It includes a controller, a cooler and a phase change water tank. Both ends of the cooler and both ends of the phase change water tank are respectively connected and communicated with a running water inlet and a running water outlet. The cooler is connected and communicated with a user heat source to form a first cooling circuit, and the phase change water tank is connected and communicated with the user heat source to form a second cooling circuit; a first valve is provided on the pipeline where the phase change water tank is connected and communicated with the user heat source, and a second valve is provided on the communication pipeline between the phase change water tank and the running water inlet. The first valve and the second valve are flow regulating valves; the user heat source is a ship power system; The controller is respectively in communication connection with the first valve and the second valve. A temperature sensor is installed at the outlet end of the user heat source, and the temperature sensor is in communication connection with the controller. The temperature sensor is used to detect the temperature of the hot fluid at the outlet end of the user heat source; The controller is used for: controlling the on-off of the first valve and the second valve according to the comparison result between the running water cooling capacity and the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, specifically including: when the running water cooling capacity is higher than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, controlling the first valve to close and the second valve to open; when the running water cooling capacity is lower than the cooling capacity required by the user heat source, controlling the first valve to open and the second valve to close; The controller is further used for: confirming the amount of running water or the flow rate of the hot fluid that needs to be diverted into the phase change water tank according to the temperature of the hot fluid at the outlet end of the user heat source and the target temperature, and correspondingly controlling the first valve and the second valve.

2. The gravity cooling system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A phase change unit and heat exchange tubes are arranged in the phase change water tank. One end of the heat exchange tube is connected and communicated with the running water inlet, and the other end is connected and communicated with the running water outlet. The heat exchange tube is located inside the phase change unit.

3. The gravity cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, It further includes a filter. The water inlet of the filter is connected and communicated with the running water inlet, and the water outlet of the filter is respectively connected and communicated with the phase change water tank and the cooler.

4. The gravity cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, A third valve is installed at the running water inlet, and a fourth valve is installed at the running water outlet.

5. The gravity cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The phase change unit is made of a spherical encapsulated phase change material.

6. The gravity cooling system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat exchange tube is made of titanium alloy.

7. A ship, characterized in that, It includes a ship's side and the running water cooling system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The ship's side is provided with the running water inlet and the running water outlet.

8. The ship according to claim 7, characterized in that, The opening direction of the running water inlet is the same as the sailing direction of the hull, and the opening direction of the running water outlet is opposite to the opening direction of the running water inlet.

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