A cascade refrigeration device that enhances the efficiency of vortex tubes using loop heat pipes

Abstract

This invention relates to a cascade refrigeration device that enhances the efficiency of a vortex tube using a loop heat pipe. The device includes a vortex tube and a loop heat pipe. The vortex tube comprises a hot-end tube and a cold-end tube. The loop heat pipe includes an evaporator, a liquid pipeline, and a gas pipeline. The main body of the hot-end tube is located inside the evaporator, with one end exposed outside the evaporator and the other end exposed outside the evaporator and connected to the vortex chamber. One end of the liquid pipeline is connected to one end of the gas pipeline, and the other ends of both the liquid and gas pipelines are connected to the evaporator. The liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator through the liquid pipeline, and the hot-end tube is located within the liquid refrigerant. After heat exchange between the liquid refrigerant in the evaporator and the hot-end tube, a gaseous refrigerant is formed. The gaseous refrigerant in the evaporator is discharged through the gas pipeline. This device achieves effective heat transfer within the vortex tube without consuming additional energy, thereby improving its refrigeration performance and solving the technical problem of low refrigeration efficiency in existing vortex tube technologies.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of refrigeration equipment technology, specifically to a cascade refrigeration device that uses a loop heat pipe to enhance the efficiency of a vortex tube. Background Technology

[0002] Eddy current tubes, with their advantages of simple structural design, low cost, reliable performance, and environmentally friendly working fluids, have been widely used in various fields such as machinery manufacturing, biomedicine, precision instruments, aerospace, and chemical processing. Given that eddy current tubes can achieve significant temperature separation characteristics with natural working fluids, the widespread application of eddy current tube refrigeration is of great significance for achieving energy conservation, emission reduction, and environmental protection.

[0003] Currently, the application of vortex tubes still faces some shortcomings and key bottlenecks. The most important factor is the low cooling efficiency of vortex tubes. For example, when the inlet pressure is 800 kPa and the cooling flow ratio is 0.7, its cooling COP is only about 0.3, which greatly restricts its further promotion and application. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a cascade refrigeration device that uses a loop heat pipe to enhance the efficiency of vortex tubes, which can greatly improve the refrigeration efficiency.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a cascade refrigeration device that enhances the efficiency of vortex tubes using a loop heat pipe, comprising a vortex tube and a loop heat pipe. The vortex tube includes a hot-end tube and a vortex chamber. The loop heat pipe includes an evaporator, a liquid pipeline, and a gas pipeline. The middle part of the hot-end tube is located inside the evaporator, with one end of the hot-end tube exposed outside the evaporator and the other end of the hot-end tube exposed outside the evaporator and connected to the vortex chamber. The hot-end tube is sealed to the evaporator. One end of the liquid pipeline is connected to one end of the gas pipeline. A liquid-phase refrigerant is disposed in the liquid pipeline. The other ends of both the liquid pipeline and the gas pipeline are connected to the evaporator. The liquid-phase refrigerant enters the evaporator through the liquid pipeline. The hot-end tube located inside the evaporator is located in the liquid-phase refrigerant. After heat exchange between the liquid-phase refrigerant in the evaporator and the hot-end tube, a gas-phase refrigerant is formed. The gas-phase refrigerant in the evaporator is discharged through the gas pipeline and condenses back into a liquid-phase refrigerant in the loop heat pipe to complete the cycle.

[0006] With the above structure, the cascade refrigeration device of the present invention, which uses a loop heat pipe to enhance the efficiency of a vortex tube, has the following advantages: Since no separation of hot and cold fluids occurs inside the vortex tube, the fluid inside the vortex tube will be in a state of internal cold and external hot. In this invention, the liquid pipe in the loop heat pipe provides liquid-phase refrigerant to the evaporator. After heat exchange with the hot end of the vortex tube, the liquid-phase refrigerant carries away heat, thereby reducing the heat in the hot end of the vortex tube and improving the refrigeration efficiency of the vortex tube. Furthermore, the heat transfer coefficient of liquid is much greater than that of gas, and the heat exchange performance of the liquid-phase refrigerant is significantly better than that of gas. The heat exchange performance is far greater than that of gases. Furthermore, the gaseous refrigerant formed after the liquid refrigerant absorbs heat and vaporizes is discharged from the gas pipeline and condenses in the loop heat pipe to form a liquid refrigerant for reuse. This not only greatly improves the refrigeration efficiency of the vortex tube but also significantly reduces energy consumption. The invention is reasonably designed, the components are easy to install and debug, and it does not require additional mechanical energy-consuming devices or consume high-quality electrical energy. Moreover, the optimal energy transfer effect between different systems can be achieved through the structural optimization of the cascade refrigeration device cooling evaporator, thereby greatly improving refrigeration efficiency while ensuring economy.

[0007] As an improvement, the loop heat pipe also includes a condenser, with one end of the liquid line and one end of the gas line connected by the condenser. With this structure, the condenser improves the condensation efficiency of the gaseous refrigerant, thereby further improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigeration device.

[0008] As an improvement, a temperature measuring element is connected to one end of the hot end tube, and a flow regulating valve is connected to the liquid or gas pipeline. The flow regulating valve is electrically connected to the temperature measuring element. With this structure, closed-loop control is achieved through the temperature measuring element and the flow regulating valve. The flow rate of the refrigerant is precisely adjusted according to the temperature of the hot end tube, thereby further improving the refrigeration efficiency.

[0009] As an improvement, the loop heat pipe also includes a liquid receiver, which is connected to the liquid line and located near the other end of the liquid line. With this structure, since the flow rate of the refrigerant needs to be adjusted by a flow regulating valve under different operating conditions, the evaporation rate varies under different conditions. By setting up a liquid receiver, when there is too much liquid refrigerant in the liquid line, it can be temporarily stored in the liquid receiver. When there is not enough liquid refrigerant, the refrigerant in the liquid receiver can also play a cooling role, further improving the cooling efficiency.

[0010] As an improvement, the hot end tube is welded to the evaporator; this structure has the advantages of simple structure, convenient operation and good sealing performance.

[0011] As an improvement, the vortex tube is set horizontally, and the hot end tube located in the evaporator is completely immersed in the liquid refrigerant located in the evaporator. With this structure, the horizontally set vortex tube can facilitate the complete immersion of the hot end tube in the evaporator by the liquid refrigerant, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the hot end tube and the liquid refrigerant, and thus further improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigeration device.

[0012] As an improvement, the connection between the other end of the liquid pipeline and the evaporator is located below the hot end tube, and the connection between the other end of the gas pipeline and the evaporator is located above the hot end tube. Both the other ends of the gas pipeline and the liquid pipeline are connected to the side wall of the evaporator. With this structure, the flow direction of the refrigerant is reasonably arranged according to the gas-liquid density, which facilitates the stable inflow of liquid refrigerant and the stable outflow of gaseous refrigerant.

[0013] As an improvement, the vortex tube is vertically arranged, and an annular baffle is connected inside the evaporator. The annular baffle is coaxial with the vortex tube, and a gap is provided between the vortex tube and the annular baffle. The connection between the other end of the liquid pipeline and the evaporator is located above the annular baffle, and the connection between the other end of the gas pipeline and the evaporator is located below the annular baffle. The outer wall of the hot-end tube located inside the evaporator and below the annular baffle is completely covered by the liquid refrigerant inside the evaporator. With this structure, the liquid refrigerant flows from the gap into the evaporator below the annular baffle. Under the action of liquid surface tension and gravity, it descends along the surface of the hot-end tube and covers the outer peripheral wall surface of the hot-end tube, so that the hot-end tube and the liquid refrigerant are in full contact, improving the heat exchange efficiency and further improving the refrigeration efficiency of the refrigeration device. The connection between the other end of the gas pipeline and the evaporator is located below the annular baffle, so that the gas refrigerant can flow out stably.

[0014] As an improvement, the gap width is less than 3mm; this structure avoids excessive flow of liquid refrigerant from the gap, which could cause accumulation of liquid refrigerant in the evaporator.

[0015] As an improvement, the other end of both the gas line and the liquid line is connected to the side wall of the evaporator; this structure further facilitates the stable outflow of the gaseous refrigerant. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A magnified view of part A in the middle.

[0019] Reference numerals: 1. Evaporator; 2. Vortex tube; 21. Hot end tube; 22. Vortex chamber; 3. Loop heat pipe; 31. Liquid line; 32. Gas line; 33. Condenser; 34. Receiver; 4. Temperature measuring element; 5. Flow regulating valve; 6. Annular baffle; 7. Gap; 100. Liquid phase refrigerant; 200. Gas phase refrigerant. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following is a detailed description of a cascade refrigeration device of the present invention, which uses a loop heat pipe to enhance the efficiency of a vortex tube, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] Example 1:

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, a cascade refrigeration device that enhances the efficiency of a vortex tube using a loop heat pipe includes a vortex tube 2 and a loop heat pipe 3. The vortex tube 2 includes a hot-end tube 21 and a vortex chamber 22. The loop heat pipe 3 includes an evaporator 1, a liquid pipeline 31, a gas pipeline 32, a condenser 33, and a water storage tank 34. The evaporator 1 has a hollow shell structure. The middle part of the hot-end tube 21 is located inside the evaporator 1, with one end of the hot-end tube 21 exposed outside the evaporator 1 and the other end of the hot-end tube 21 exposed outside the evaporator 1 and connected to the vortex chamber 22. The hot-end tube 21 is sealed to the evaporator 1 and is welded to the evaporator 1, that is, the connection between the two ends of the hot-end tube 21 and the evaporator 1 is sealed by welding. The vortex tube 2 is also connected to a nozzle for introducing a high-pressure gas source into the vortex tube 2. The nozzle is located outside the evaporator 1. The vortex tube 2, the hot-end tube 21, the vortex chamber 22, and the nozzle are all prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, one end of the liquid pipeline 31 is connected to one end of the gas pipeline 32. Specifically, one end of the liquid pipeline 31 and one end of the gas pipeline 32 are connected through a condenser 33, that is, one end of the liquid pipeline 31 is connected to the condenser 33, and one end of the gas pipeline 32 is connected to the condenser 33. The liquid pipeline 31 contains a liquid refrigerant 100. The other ends of the liquid pipeline 31 and the gas pipeline 32 are both connected to the evaporator 1. The liquid refrigerant 100 enters the evaporator through the liquid pipeline 31. In step 1, the hot end tube 21 located in the evaporator 1 is located in the liquid phase refrigerant 100; after heat exchange between the liquid phase refrigerant 100 in the evaporator 1 and the hot end tube 21, a gas phase refrigerant 200 is formed. The gas phase refrigerant 200 in the evaporator 1 is discharged through the gas pipeline 32 and condensed into liquid phase refrigerant 100 in the condenser 33; the loop heat pipe 3 also includes a liquid receiver 34, which is connected to the liquid pipeline 31 and is located near the other end of the liquid pipeline 31.

[0024] like Figure 1As shown, the vortex tube 2 is horizontally arranged. The other end of the liquid pipe 31 is connected to the evaporator 1 below the hot end tube 21, and the other end of the gas pipe 32 is connected to the evaporator 1 above the hot end tube 21. Both the other ends of the gas pipe 32 and the liquid pipe 31 are connected to the side wall of the evaporator 1. The hot end tube 21 located in the evaporator 1 is completely immersed in the liquid refrigerant 100 located in the evaporator 1, that is, the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant 100 in the evaporator 1 is higher than the upper surface of the hot end tube 21, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the hot end tube 21 and the liquid refrigerant 100.

[0025] Since no separation of hot and cold fluids occurs inside the vortex tube 2, the fluid inside the vortex tube 2 will be in a state of internal cold and external hot. In this invention, the liquid pipe 31 in the loop heat pipe 3 provides liquid-phase refrigerant 100 to the evaporator 1. After heat exchange with the hot end tube 21 of the vortex tube 2, the liquid-phase refrigerant 100 carries away heat, thereby reducing the heat in the hot end tube 21 of the vortex tube 2 and improving the cooling efficiency of the vortex tube 2. Furthermore, the heat transfer coefficient of liquid is much greater than that of gas, and the heat exchange performance of liquid-phase refrigerant 100 is much greater than that of gas-phase refrigerant 200. The gaseous refrigerant 200 formed after heat absorption and vaporization is discharged from the gas pipeline 32 and condensed in the loop heat pipe 3 to form a liquid refrigerant 100 for reuse. This not only improves the cooling efficiency of the vortex tube 2, but also greatly reduces energy consumption. The present invention is reasonably designed, the components are easy to install and debug, and it does not require additional mechanical energy-consuming devices or consume high-quality electrical energy. Moreover, the optimal energy transfer effect between different systems can be achieved through the structural optimization of the cascade refrigeration device cooling evaporator 1, thereby greatly improving the cooling efficiency while ensuring economy. In this embodiment, the liquid refrigerant 100 is preferably water.

[0026] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, one end of the hot-end pipe 21 is connected to a temperature measuring element 4, and a flow regulating valve 5 is connected to the liquid pipeline 31 or the gas pipeline 32. The flow regulating valve 5 is electrically connected to the temperature measuring element 4. In this embodiment, the flow regulating valve 5 is a linear regulating valve and is installed on the gas pipeline 32. The flow regulating valve 5 and the temperature measuring element 4 are controlled by PID. First, a standard temperature t that the hot-end pipe 21 is expected to reach after cooling is set according to actual needs. When the temperature measuring element 4 detects that the temperature of the hot-end pipe 21 rises above the temperature t, it indicates that the heat absorption of the hot-end pipe 21 by the loop heat pipe 3 is too low. At this time, the flow regulating valve 5 is controlled to increase the flow rate. Conversely, when the temperature measuring element 4 detects that the temperature of the hot-end pipe 21 drops below the temperature t, it indicates that the heat absorption of the hot-end pipe 21 by the loop heat pipe 3 is too high. At this time, the flow regulating valve 5 is controlled to decrease the flow rate, thereby further improving the cooling efficiency of the refrigeration device.

[0027] Example 2:

[0028] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the vortex tube 2 is vertically arranged, and an annular baffle 6 is connected inside the evaporator 1. The annular baffle 6 is coaxially arranged with the vortex tube 2, and a gap 7 is provided between the vortex tube 2 and the annular baffle 6, with a width of less than 3mm. The connection between the other end of the liquid pipeline 31 and the evaporator 1 is located above the annular baffle 6, and the connection between the other end of the gas pipeline 32 and the evaporator 1 is located below the annular baffle 6. Furthermore, the other ends of both the liquid pipeline 31 and the gas pipeline 32 are connected to the side wall of the evaporator 1. Liquid phase refrigeration After the working fluid 100 flows into the evaporator 1 from the liquid pipe 31, it leaves through the gap 7. Under the action of liquid surface tension and gravity, the liquid refrigerant 100 flows down along the outer peripheral wall of the hot end pipe 21, so that the outer wall of the hot end pipe 21 located in the evaporator 1 and below the annular baffle 6 is completely covered by the liquid refrigerant 100 in the evaporator 1. After the liquid refrigerant 100 on the outer peripheral wall of the hot end pipe 21 exchanges heat with the hot end pipe 21, it evaporates into the gaseous refrigerant 200 and enters the condenser 33 through the gas pipe 32.

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the two embodiments described above. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A cascade refrigeration device that enhances the efficiency of vortex tubes using a loop heat pipe, characterized in that, The system includes a vortex tube (2) and a loop heat pipe (3). The vortex tube (2) includes a hot-end tube (21) and a vortex chamber (22). The loop heat pipe (3) includes an evaporator (1), a liquid pipeline (31), and a gas pipeline (32). The hot-end tube (21) is located in the middle of the evaporator (1). One end of the hot-end tube (21) is exposed outside the evaporator (1), and the other end of the hot-end tube (21) is exposed outside the evaporator (1) and connected to the vortex chamber (22). The hot-end tube (21) is sealed to the evaporator (1). One end of the liquid pipeline (31) is connected to one end of the gas pipeline (32). The liquid pipeline (31) contains a liquid refrigerant (10). 0), the other end of the liquid pipeline (31) and the other end of the gas pipeline (32) are both connected to the evaporator (1). The liquid refrigerant (100) enters the evaporator (1) through the liquid pipeline (31). The hot end pipe (21) located in the evaporator (1) is located in the liquid refrigerant (100). After the liquid refrigerant (100) in the evaporator (1) exchanges heat with the hot end pipe (21), a gaseous refrigerant (200) is formed. The gaseous refrigerant (200) in the evaporator (1) is discharged through the gas pipeline (32) and condenses into liquid refrigerant (100) in the loop heat pipe (3) to complete the cycle.

2. The cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The loop heat pipe (3) also includes a condenser (33), and one end of the liquid pipe (31) and one end of the gas pipe (32) are connected through the condenser (33).

3. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 2, characterized in that, One end of the hot end tube (21) is connected to a temperature measuring element (4), and a flow regulating valve (5) is connected to the liquid pipeline (31) or the gas pipeline (32), and the flow regulating valve (5) is electrically connected to the temperature measuring element (4).

4. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 3, characterized in that, The loop heat pipe (3) also includes a liquid reservoir (34), which is connected to the liquid line (31) and located near the other end of the liquid line (31).

5. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hot end tube (21) is welded to the evaporator (1).

6. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The vortex tube (2) is horizontally arranged, and the hot end tube (21) located in the evaporator (1) is completely immersed in the liquid refrigerant (100) located in the evaporator (1).

7. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connection between the other end of the liquid pipeline (31) and the evaporator (1) is located below the hot end pipe (21), and the connection between the other end of the gas pipeline (32) and the evaporator (1) is located above the hot end pipe (21). Both the other end of the gas pipeline (32) and the other end of the liquid pipeline (31) are connected to the side wall of the evaporator (1).

8. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The vortex tube (2) is vertically arranged, and an annular baffle (6) is connected inside the evaporator (1). The annular baffle (6) is coaxially arranged with the vortex tube (2). A gap (7) is provided between the vortex tube (2) and the annular baffle (6). The connection between the other end of the liquid pipeline (31) and the evaporator (1) is located above the annular baffle (6). The connection between the other end of the gas pipeline (32) and the evaporator (1) is located below the annular baffle (6). The outer wall of the hot end tube (21) located inside the evaporator (1) and below the annular baffle (6) is completely covered by the liquid refrigerant (100) inside the evaporator (1).

9. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 8, characterized in that, The width of the gap (7) is less than 3 mm.

10. A cascade refrigeration device for enhancing vortex tube efficiency using a loop heat pipe according to claim 8, characterized in that, The other end of the gas pipeline (32) and the other end of the liquid pipeline (31) are both connected to the side wall of the evaporator (1).

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