heat exchanger

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger. The heat exchanger comprises a shell and a heat exchange tube bundle within the shell. The shell has an inlet and an outlet. Refrigerant flows in through the inlet, exchanges heat with the fluid within the heat exchange tube bundle, and then flows out through the outlet. The outlet is provided with an extended section extending into the interior of the shell. The extended section has a receptacle for accommodating at least a portion of the liquid in the refrigerant flowing to the outlet after the heat exchange. The present invention is easy to manufacture, install, maintain, and is low-cost. By optimizing the structural design of the heat exchanger's outlet piping, it can effectively control the effects of liquid carryover, enhancing the overall performance, safety, and reliability of the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of heat exchange, and in particular to a heat exchanger. Background Art

[0002] The existing technology provides various types of heat exchange devices, equipment, or systems, which have been widely used in many industries and places, bringing great convenience. However, these existing heat exchange devices, equipment, or systems still have some drawbacks and shortcomings in aspects such as structure, heat exchange effect, performance, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, which can be further improved and optimized.

[0003] For example, in Figure 1 The figure shows a side view of a conventional flooded evaporator. The shell of this type of flooded evaporator is typically cylindrical and has a large volume. The heat exchange tube bundle is mounted at the bottom of the shell. Refrigerant flows into the shell through inlet A and, after exchanging heat with the fluid within the heat exchange tube bundle, leaves the evaporator through outlet B. Due to limitations such as liquid carryover (LCO), these heat exchangers are typically conservative in design to avoid costly design improvements and reduced system performance caused by LCO. Therefore, the industry has long adopted baffles as a solution to mitigate LCO. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides a heat exchanger, which can solve or at least alleviate one or more of the above-mentioned problems and other problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] First, according to one aspect of the present invention, a heat exchanger is provided, which includes a shell and a heat exchange tube bundle located in the shell, the shell having an inlet and an outlet, the refrigerant flows in through the inlet, exchanges heat with the fluid in the heat exchange tube bundle, and then flows out from the outlet, the outlet is provided with an extension section extending into the interior of the shell, and the extension section has a receiving portion for receiving at least a portion of the liquid in the refrigerant flowing to the outlet after the heat exchange.

[0006] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the extended section is provided with one or more valve components, which are configured to be closed in an initial state or when the internal pressure of the shell reaches a preset value to prevent liquid from flowing out of the accommodating portion, and to be opened when the liquid accommodated in the accommodating portion reaches a preset amount to allow the accommodated liquid to flow out of the accommodating portion and into the interior of the shell.

[0007] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the valve component is provided at the bottom of the accommodating portion.

[0008] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, an opening is provided at the bottom of the accommodating portion, and the valve component is configured in an I-shape, comprising a first part and a second part respectively located at both ends of the valve component, and a middle part connecting the first part and the second part together, the cross-sectional area of ​​the first part and the cross-sectional area of ​​the second part are both larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening and the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle part, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle part.

[0009] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the extension section is further provided with one or more through holes opposite to the accommodation portion.

[0010] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the extension section is further provided with a liquid blocking member for blocking liquid from flowing therein.

[0011] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the liquid-blocking member is configured as a wire mesh having at least a two-layer structure.

[0012] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the angle between the tangent direction of the end surface of the free end of the extended section and the horizontal direction ranges from 45° to 270°.

[0013] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, the extended section is configured in a J-shape, and the heat exchanger is a flooded evaporator.

[0014] In the heat exchanger according to the present invention, optionally, a protruding portion for accommodating the valve component is provided at the bottom of the extension section.

[0015] The principles, characteristics, features, and advantages of the various technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly understood from the following detailed description, combined with the accompanying drawings. For example, the present invention is easy to manufacture, install, maintain, and is low-cost. By optimizing the structural design of the heat exchanger's outlet piping, it effectively controls LCO, helps reduce heat exchanger header space, or increases the number of heat exchange tubes, achieving a compact heat exchanger design. The present invention can enhance overall system performance, safety, and reliability, while avoiding adverse effects on other components, devices, or equipment associated with the heat exchanger (such as the compressor). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, these drawings are designed for explanatory purposes only and are only intended to conceptually illustrate the structural configurations herein, and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0017] Figure 1 The present invention is a side view schematic diagram of the structure of an overflow evaporator in the prior art.

[0018] Figure 2 1 is a side structural schematic diagram of a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 3 1 is a side structural schematic diagram of a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 4 1 is a side structural schematic diagram of a heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 5 1 is a side structural schematic diagram of a heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 2 A schematic side view of the heat exchanger in the first embodiment is shown when the valve member is closed, and the extended section is also shown in this figure.

[0023] Figure 7 yes Figure 2 FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the valve component in the first embodiment of the heat exchanger.

[0024] Figure 8 yes Figure 2 The diagram shows a partial top view of the structure of the heat exchanger in the first embodiment after the valve component is installed, and the extended section is also shown in the diagram.

[0025] Figure 9 yes Figure 2 The schematic side view of the heat exchanger in the first embodiment is shown when the valve component is opened.

[0026] Figure 10 1 is a schematic side structural diagram of the extended section in four other different embodiments of the heat exchanger according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 11 FIG. 1 is a side structural schematic diagram of an extended section with a valve component in another embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] First, it should be noted that the following will specifically illustrate the structural composition, features, and advantages of the heat exchanger of the present invention by way of example. However, all descriptions are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute any limitation of the present invention. In this document, the technical terms "first" and "second" are used solely for distinguishing purposes and are not intended to indicate their order or relative importance. The technical term "substantially" is intended to include insubstantial errors associated with the measurement of a specific quantity (e.g., a range of ±8%, ±5%, or ±2% of a given value). The technical terms "upper," "lower," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "left," "right," and their derivatives should be used in relation to the orientations shown in the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the present invention may adopt a variety of alternative orientations.

[0029] In addition, for any individual technical features described or implied in the embodiments mentioned herein, the present invention still allows for any combination or deletion of these technical features (or their equivalents) to obtain more other embodiments of the present invention that may not be directly mentioned herein. In addition, to simplify the drawings, the same or similar parts and features may be marked in only one or several places in the same drawing.

[0030] exist Figure 2 The general structure of the first embodiment of the heat exchanger according to the present invention is shown in a schematic manner. The following will first be explained by way of example to clearly understand the present invention and the differences between the first embodiment and the heat exchanger. Figure 1 The obvious advantages compared with these existing heat exchangers shown in FIG.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, heat exchanger 100 comprises a shell 8 and a heat exchange tube bundle 3 disposed within shell 8. Shell 8 can be configured in any suitable shape, such as a cylinder or a rectangular parallelepiped, depending on the application, and defines an internal cavity 9 for accommodating heat exchange tube bundle 3. Shell 8 is provided with an inlet 1 and an outlet 2. Any suitable refrigerant 7, such as hydrofluoroolefin (HFO), hydrofluorocarbon (HFC), or R-134a, flows into shell 8 through inlet 1 and then out through outlet 2. During this flow, refrigerant 7 exchanges heat with the fluid within heat exchange tube bundle 3.

[0032] Specifically, in Figure 2 Arrows A and B schematically show that the refrigerant 7 enters the inner cavity 9 of the shell 8 from the inlet 1, and finally leaves the heat exchanger 100 through the outlet 2 and enters other components, devices or equipment such as a compressor (not shown). Figure 2Arrows C and D schematically indicate that another fluid (such as water, ethylene glycol, or brine) will flow through the heat exchange tube bundles 3 arranged within the shell 8. During this flow, the fluid will exchange heat with the refrigerant 7. Typically, the refrigerant 7 undergoes boiling heat exchange within the internal cavity 9 of the shell 8, partially evaporating, and then flows out of the outlet 2 in a gaseous state or substantially in a gaseous state (e.g., possibly containing a gas-liquid mixture).

[0033] A flow pipe 4 is provided at the outlet 2 of the heat exchanger 100, and the refrigerant 7 after the heat exchange process will flow through the flow pipe 4. Figure 1 What is different from the existing design shown is that the above-mentioned flow pipe 4 is constructed to have an extension section 40, that is, there is an extension section 40 extending into the interior of the shell 8 at the outlet 2, and an accommodating portion 41 is provided on the extension section 40, so that the accommodating portion 41 can be used to provide an accommodating space so that a part or all of the refrigerant liquid contained in the refrigerant 7 flowing through it can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 41.

[0034] For example, in Figure 2 In this embodiment, the accommodating portion 41 is specifically implemented as an arcuate portion that forms part of the extended section 40. This allows at least a portion of the refrigerant liquid contained in the refrigerant 7 to be retained within this arcuate portion. In other words, this structural configuration allows this portion of refrigerant liquid to remain within the shell 8, thereby reducing or even preventing the refrigerant liquid from flowing out of the outlet 2 of the heat exchanger 100. This not only effectively controls the LCO and prevents the performance of associated components, devices, or equipment, such as the compressor, from being damaged by the outflow of refrigerant liquid, but also helps improve the system's COP (Coefficient of Performance).

[0035] Optionally, one or more valve components 5 may be provided in the extension section 40, for example, at any suitable location on the extension section 40 (e.g., at the bottom or side of the accommodating portion 41). The valve components 5 may be optionally configured to be in a closed state under normal circumstances, so that the accommodating portion 41 can accommodate refrigerant liquid, and to be opened when necessary to release the refrigerant liquid contained in the accommodating portion 41 to flow out of the extension section 40. In other words, all or a portion of the refrigerant liquid may be discharged into the internal cavity 9 of the shell 8 so that it can continue to participate in the heat exchange process with the fluid flowing in the heat exchange tube bundle 3.

[0036] According to the teachings of the present invention, those skilled in the art will understand that the arrangement position, number of settings, structural structure, size, material, etc. of the valve component 5 can be flexibly designed and adjusted according to specific application requirements, for example, in combination with the liquid holding capacity of the accommodating portion 41, the control requirements of LCO, etc.

[0037] For illustrative purposes, please also refer to Figure 6 、 Figure 7 and Figure 8 , which shows a valve component 5 that is optionally configured as an I-shaped structure, and can be used to cooperate with an opening 43 provided at the bottom of the accommodating portion 41.

[0038] Specifically, if Figure 7 As shown, the valve component 5 may include a first portion 51, a second portion 52, and a middle portion 53. The first portion 51 and the second portion 52 are located at opposite ends of the valve component 5 and connected by the middle portion 53. These portions may be made of any suitable material, such as rubber. In the valve component 5, the cross-sectional areas of the first portion 51 and the second portion 52 may be the same (e.g., using a completely symmetrical structural design) or different. However, their respective cross-sectional areas are greater than the cross-sectional areas of the opening 43 and the middle portion 53, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening 43 is greater than the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle portion 53.

[0039] In this way, in the initial state, the valve component 5 can be closed, i.e., the first portion 51 blocks the opening 43, allowing the refrigerant liquid to be accommodated through the accommodating portion 41. Alternatively, the valve component 5 can be configured such that, under normal circumstances, when the internal pressure P of the shell 8 (the vapor pressure formed by the evaporated refrigerant 7) reaches a predetermined value, the vapor pressure P causes the second portion 52 to abut and block the opening 43, thereby closing the valve component 5 and allowing the accommodating portion 41 to accommodate the refrigerant liquid. As the refrigerant liquid in the accommodating portion 41 accumulates, gradually increasing liquid pressure is generated. Once the refrigerant liquid in the accommodating portion 41 reaches a predetermined amount and the resulting liquid pressure exceeds the predetermined pressure P, the second portion 52 is pushed away from the opening 43, causing the intermediate portion 53 to move downward relative to the opening 43. Since the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle portion 53 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening 43, the refrigerant liquid accumulated in the accommodating portion 41 can flow out of the accommodating portion 41 through the gap between the opening 43 and the middle portion 53, that is, this part of the flowing refrigerant liquid will be discharged into the internal cavity 9 of the shell 8, and can then continue to participate in the above-mentioned heat exchange process.

[0040] It should be noted that the above process can be a dynamic balance process. Once the current steam pressure P is greater than the current refrigerant liquid pressure in the accommodating portion 41, the valve component 5 will be restored to the original closed state, and this cycle will be repeated.

[0041] Continue reading Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 , in these figures, the side structures of the other three heat exchangers 200, 300 and 400 according to the present invention are schematically illustrated. In this document, unless otherwise specified, the above three heat exchanger embodiments are the same as Figure 2 The same or similar contents in the illustrated embodiments have been described in great detail in the foregoing text, so you can directly refer to the specific description of the corresponding parts above and will not repeat them again.

[0042] Heat exchangers 200, 300, and 400 each illustrate different configurations that can serve as the accommodating portion 41. Specifically, in some applications, the extended section 40 of the flow tube 4 can be configured such that a tangent direction t of the end surface of the free end 42 of the extended section 40 forms an angle in the range of 45° to 270° with the horizontal direction a.

[0043] For example, for Figure 3 The heat exchanger 200 shown and Figure 5 For the heat exchanger 400 shown, the angle formed between the tangent direction t of the end surface of the free end 42 of each extended section 40 and the horizontal direction a (in this case, the horizontal direction a coincides with the perpendicular direction b of the end surface of the free end 42) is 90°. The extended section 40 itself has a relatively significant tilted structure, resulting in a relatively small liquid holding capacity. Once it reaches a certain amount of refrigerant liquid, this structural feature facilitates the liquid to flow out of the free end, and this process can be repeated continuously. Therefore, for situations similar to or similar to the above heat exchangers 200 and 400, it may be necessary to eliminate the need for a valve component, or alternatively, consider inserting a wire mesh at the end of the extended section 40 to prevent liquid droplets from entering.

[0044] For example, for Figure 4 The heat exchanger 300 shown and Figure 2For the heat exchanger 100 shown, the angle formed between the tangent direction t of the end surface of the free end 42 of each extended section 40 and the horizontal direction a (in this case, the horizontal direction a is perpendicular to the vertical direction b of the end surface of the free end 42) is 180°. In this case, the extended section 40 itself has a relatively obvious curved concave structure, thus providing a relatively large liquid holding capacity. Therefore, for situations similar to or similar to the above heat exchangers 300 and 100, it is possible to consider providing a valve component to enhance the controllable ability of the container 41 to contain and discharge the refrigerant liquid.

[0045] Continue reading Figure 10 , which schematically shows several other optional structural arrangements of the flow tube 4 that can be applied to the heat exchanger of the present invention. Figure 10 As shown in (a)-(d) of FIG. 1 , one or more through holes 6 can be provided in the extended section 40 of the flow tube 4. For example, the through holes 6 can be arranged at a position opposite to the accommodating portion 41. The arrangement of the through holes 6 provides more refrigerant vapor discharge channels, which is very beneficial for meeting control requirements for vapor pressure drop, LCO, etc. in some applications.

[0046] In addition, as an optional aspect, the present invention also allows for the provision of a liquid barrier (not shown) in the extended section 40 of the circulation tube 4 to prevent the refrigerant liquid from flowing into the extended section 40, thereby helping to reduce the outflow of the refrigerant liquid from the outlet 2 and effectively preventing it from entering components, devices, or equipment associated with the heat exchanger, such as the compressor, and potentially causing adverse effects. By way of example, the liquid barrier can be implemented using a wire mesh having at least two layers, such as two or more layers of metal wire mesh, to block the refrigerant liquid. The blocked refrigerant liquid will then drip into the internal cavity 9 of the shell 8 and continue to be heated and evaporated.

[0047] The heat exchanger of the present invention, in particular the circulation tubes therein, has been described above in conjunction with a number of embodiments. However, it should be understood that the present invention allows for changes, replacements or adjustments to be made to any structural configurations such as the circulation tubes and the extended sections and accommodating portions therein according to different applications, thereby forming more extended designs to fully meet various possible practical needs. For example, although in the foregoing examples, the circulation tubes 4 are constructed to be J-shaped overall, in certain applications, it is possible to construct them to have an irregular shape, to have different pipe diameters, etc., and the accommodating portion therein may not necessarily be formed by an arc-shaped portion, but may have any feasible structural configuration, such as by, for example, Figure 11The additional protrusion 44 schematically shown in the figure (such as a receiving cavity welded on the outer wall of the circulation tube 4, etc.) can be implemented using a linear straight pipe portion, etc., as long as they can achieve the purpose of receiving the refrigerant liquid.

[0048] According to another technical solution of the present invention, a heat exchange system is provided, in which a heat exchanger such as the one designed and provided by the present invention, as exemplified above, may be provided. For example, the heat exchanger may be implemented as a heat exchange device such as a flooded evaporator in the heat exchange system, thereby better addressing the problems existing in the prior art, such as those mentioned above, and achieving the outstanding technical advantages of the present invention over the prior art as discussed above. In particular, the ability to effectively control LCO enables a more compact heat exchanger structure, greatly facilitating reduction in heat exchanger manifold space or an increase in the number of heat exchange tubes, thereby improving overall system performance and safety and reliability. It should be understood that the heat exchange system according to the present invention may include, but is not limited to, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, transport refrigeration systems, and freezing / refrigeration systems.

[0049] The heat exchanger according to the present invention is described in detail above by way of example only. These examples are intended only to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention and are defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising a shell and a heat exchange tube bundle located in the shell, wherein the shell has an inlet and an outlet, wherein a refrigerant flows in through the inlet, exchanges heat with a fluid in the heat exchange tube bundle, and then flows out from the outlet, characterized in that: The outlet is provided with an extension section extending into the interior of the shell, and the extension section has a receiving portion for receiving at least a portion of liquid in the refrigerant flowing to the outlet after the heat exchange; The extended section is provided with one or more valve components, which are configured to be closed in an initial state or when the internal pressure of the shell reaches a preset value to prevent liquid from flowing out of the accommodating portion, and to be opened when the liquid contained in the accommodating portion reaches a preset amount, so that the contained liquid flows out of the accommodating portion and into the interior of the shell.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The valve member is disposed at the bottom of the accommodation portion.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein: An opening is provided at the bottom of the accommodating portion, and the valve component is configured in an I-shape, comprising a first portion and a second portion located at both ends of the valve component, respectively, and a middle portion connecting the first portion and the second portion, wherein the cross-sectional area of ​​the first portion and the cross-sectional area of ​​the second portion are both larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening and the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle portion, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the opening is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the middle portion.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The extension section is provided with one or more through holes opposite to the receiving portion.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The extension section is provided with a liquid-blocking member for blocking liquid from flowing into the extension section.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 5, wherein The liquid-blocking member is configured as a wire mesh having at least two layers.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The angle between the tangent direction of the end surface of the free end of the extension section and the horizontal direction is in the range of 45°-270°.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein The extended section is configured in a J-shape, and the heat exchanger is a flooded evaporator.

9. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 3, wherein: The bottom of the extension section is provided with a protruding portion for accommodating the valve component.

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