Plate heat exchanger

Abstract

Disclosed is a plate heat exchanger. The plate heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat transfer plates; and heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates among the plurality of heat transfer plates, the heat exchange spaces including a plurality of first heat exchange spaces for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces for a third heat transfer medium, each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in a direction of overlap of the heat transfer plates, the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces being different from the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces. The plate heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present application can optimize the heat transfer area for each circuit to improve the heat exchange efficiency.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to a plate heat exchanger. BACKGROUND

[0002] Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , a conventional plate heat exchanger 100' includes a plurality of heat transfer plates 10, and heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates 10 among the plurality of heat transfer plates 10, the heat exchange spaces including a plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C for a third heat transfer medium, each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C in an overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates 10. The ratio of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B is 1. That is, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B are alternately arranged. In Figure 2 , the flow of the first heat transfer medium is shown by a dashed line, the flow of the second heat transfer medium is shown by a solid line, and the flow of the third heat transfer medium is shown by a dotted line. For the above-described plate heat exchanger, when determining the size, the performance of each circuit needs to be sacrificed. Increasing the heat transfer area will be advantageous to improve the efficiency, especially for high-capacity circuits, but on the other hand, it will cause the heat transfer medium speed in low-capacity circuits to decrease, which can cause a problem of stagnation of the heat transfer medium under partial load conditions. SUMMARY

[0003] An object of embodiments of the present application is to provide a plate heat exchanger by which the heat transfer area for each circuit can be optimized to improve heat exchange efficiency.

[0004] According to embodiments of the present application, there is provided a plate heat exchanger including a plurality of heat transfer plates, and heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates among the plurality of heat transfer plates, the heat exchange spaces including a plurality of first heat exchange spaces for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces for a third heat transfer medium, each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in an overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates, wherein the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces is different from the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces.

[0005] According to embodiments of the present application, the ratio of the number of the heat exchange spaces having a larger number to the number of the heat exchange spaces having a smaller number among the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is greater than 1.05.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present application, a ratio of a number of heat exchange spaces with a larger number to a number of heat exchange spaces with a smaller number in a number of the first heat exchange spaces and a number of the second heat exchange spaces is between 1.1 and 5.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present application, a plurality of first heat exchange space groups and a plurality of second heat exchange space groups are arranged alternately in a direction of overlap of the heat transfer plate, each of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups includes one or more first heat exchange spaces, and each of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups includes one or more second heat exchange spaces.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present application, at least two of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups include the same number of first heat exchange spaces or different numbers of first heat exchange spaces, and / or at least two of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups include the same number of second heat exchange spaces or different numbers of second heat exchange spaces.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces are arranged continuously in the direction of overlap of the heat transfer plate for the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces, and / or the plurality of second heat exchange spaces are arranged continuously in the direction of overlap of the heat transfer plate for the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces form a plurality of heat exchange spaces, and the plurality of third heat exchange spaces are arranged alternately in the direction of overlap of the heat transfer plate.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the plate heat exchanger further includes a pair of first heat transfer medium ports for the first heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and to flow out of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces, respectively; a pair of second heat transfer medium ports for the second heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of second heat exchange spaces and to flow out of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, respectively; and a pair of third heat transfer medium ports for the third heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of third heat exchange spaces and to flow out of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces, respectively.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, one of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate, and one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate; or one of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate, and one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, each of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of first openings leading to the plurality of first heat exchange spaces; each of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of second openings leading to the plurality of second heat exchange spaces; and each of the pair of third heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of third openings leading to the plurality of third heat exchange spaces.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the third heat exchange space on both sides in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate; and / or each of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the first heat exchange space or the second heat exchange space on both sides in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first heat transfer medium and the second heat transfer medium are refrigerants, and the third heat transfer medium is a coolant.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first heat exchange space, the second heat exchange space and the third heat exchange space are independent of each other.

[0017] The plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present application can optimize the heat transfer area for each circuit to improve the heat exchange efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic outline view of a plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic view of a flow channel of a conventional plate heat exchanger;

[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic view of a flow channel of a conventional plate heat exchanger; Figure 2 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port;

[0021] Figure 4 Fig. 3 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present application, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 3;

[0022] Figure 5 Fig. 4 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present application, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 2;

[0023] Figure 6 Fig. 5 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present application, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 1.5;

[0024] Figure 7 Fig. 6 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to a first variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 1.5, the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces being arranged in another exemplary manner; Figure 6

[0025] Figure 8 Fig. 7 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to a second variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 1.5, the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces being arranged in yet another exemplary manner; and Figure 6

[0026] Figure 9 Fig. 8 is a partial schematic view of a plate heat exchanger according to a third variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, showing a first heat transfer medium port, a second heat transfer medium port and a third heat transfer medium port, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces to the number of second heat exchange spaces being 1.5, the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces being arranged in still another exemplary manner. Figure 6 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present application will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] Reference is made to Figure 1 , Figures 4 to 9 ​​​The plate heat exchanger 100 according to embodiments of the present application includes a plurality of heat transfer plates 10, and heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates 10 in the plurality of heat transfer plates 10, the heat exchange spaces including a plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C for a third heat transfer medium, each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates 10, for example, two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C. For example, the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A is greater than the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B. The ratio of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B is greater than 1, for example, greater than 1.05, 1.1, 1.15, etc. The ratio of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B can be between 1.1 and 5. The plate heat exchanger 100 shown in the figure is a double-circuit heat exchanger. The first heat exchange spaces 20A, the second heat exchange spaces 20B, and the third heat exchange spaces 20C are independent of each other. Each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B is adjacent to one third heat exchange space 20C on both sides in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates. The plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C is adjacent to the first heat exchange spaces 20A or the second heat exchange spaces 20B on both sides in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates. The first heat transfer medium of the first heat exchange spaces 20A exchanges heat with the third heat transfer medium of the third heat exchange spaces 20C, and the second heat transfer medium of the second heat exchange spaces 20B exchanges heat with the third heat transfer medium of the third heat exchange spaces 20C. According to the system operation needs, only the circuit in which the first heat exchange spaces 20A are located or only the circuit in which the second heat exchange spaces 20B are located can be operated, or the circuit in which the first heat exchange spaces 20A are located and the circuit in which the second heat exchange spaces 20B are located can be operated simultaneously. In theory, if the sum of the number of the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the number of the second heat exchange spaces 20B is N, there are (N-1) ratios of the number of the first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of the second heat exchange spaces 20B.

[0029] Referring to Figures 4 to 7 and Figure 9According to embodiments of the present application, the plurality of first heat exchange space groups and the plurality of second heat exchange space groups are arranged alternately in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate 10. Thereby, for example, when only one circuit is operated, for example, in the case of an evaporator, freezing of the third heat transfer medium of the third heat exchange space adjacent to another circuit can be prevented. Each of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups includes one or more first heat exchange spaces 20A, and each of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups includes one or more second heat exchange spaces 20B. At least two of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups can include the same number of first heat exchange spaces 20A or different numbers of first heat exchange spaces 20A; and / or at least two of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups can include the same number of second heat exchange spaces 20B or different numbers of second heat exchange spaces 20B.

[0030] Referring to Figure 8 and Figure 9 According to embodiments of the present application, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A is arranged continuously in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate 10 with respect to the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the second heat exchange spaces 20B (i.e., without considering the third heat exchange spaces 20C); and / or the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B is arranged continuously in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate 10 with respect to the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the second heat exchange spaces 20B (i.e., without considering the third heat exchange spaces 20C).

[0031] Referring to Figures 4 to 9 According to embodiments of the present application, the plurality of heat exchange spaces composed of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B is arranged alternately in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plate 10 with the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C.

[0032] According to embodiments of the present application, if a ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of second heat exchange spaces 20B is λ, there are arrangement modes of the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the second heat exchange spaces 20B.

[0033] Referring to Figure 1 , Figures 4 to 9, the plate heat exchanger 100 according to the embodiment of the present application further includes: a pair of first heat medium ports 30A for the first heat medium to flow into and out of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A, respectively; a pair of second heat medium ports 30B for the second heat medium to flow into and out of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B, respectively; and a pair of third heat medium ports 30C for the third heat medium to flow into and out of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C, respectively. In Figure 1 In the example shown in the figure, the first heat medium ports 30A and the second heat medium ports 30B located at the lower side of the plate heat exchanger 100 are heat medium inflow ports, while the first heat medium ports 30A and the second heat medium ports 30B located at the upper side of the plate heat exchanger 100 are heat medium outflow ports, the third heat medium ports 30C located at the lower side of the plate heat exchanger 100 are heat medium outflow ports, while the third heat medium ports 30C located at the upper side of the plate heat exchanger 100 are heat medium inflow ports. The first heat medium and the second heat medium can be the same or different, and can be refrigerant, while the third heat medium can be a coolant, such as water, a glycol solution, or an ethanol solution, etc. The first heat medium and the second heat medium have a temperature difference with the third heat medium to exchange heat when the plate heat exchanger 100 is in operation.

[0034] Referring to Figure 1 According to the embodiment of the present application, one of the pair of first heat medium ports 30A is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate 10, the other of the pair of first heat medium ports 30A is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate 10, and one of the pair of second heat medium ports 30B is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate 10, the other of the pair of second heat medium ports 30B is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate 10, thereby defining a parallel flow heat exchange mode. Alternatively, one of the pair of first heat medium ports 30A is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate 10, the other of the pair of first heat medium ports 30A is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate 10, and one of the pair of second heat medium ports 30B is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate 10, the other of the pair of second heat medium ports 30B is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate 10, thereby defining a cross flow heat exchange mode. In the embodiment shown in the figure, the third heat medium ports 30C are arranged between the first heat medium ports 30A and the second heat medium ports 30B at both the upper side of the plate heat exchanger 100 and the lower side of the plate heat exchanger 100.

[0035] Referring to Figures 4 to 9According to embodiments of the present application, each of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports 30A has a plurality of first openings 31 A leading to the plurality of first heat exchange spaces 20A; each of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports 30B has a plurality of second openings 31 B leading to the plurality of second heat exchange spaces 20B; and each of the pair of third heat transfer medium ports 30C has a plurality of third openings 31 C leading to the plurality of third heat exchange spaces 20C. In the figures, the locations of all openings are indicated by arrows. At the ports, locations without openings are provided with blocking rings 5 between adjacent heat transfer plates 10, and locations without blocking rings 5 between adjacent heat transfer plates 10 form openings; or distributors are provided in the ports, the distributors having openings leading to the heat exchange spaces. In addition, other suitable ways of forming openings leading to the heat exchange spaces can also be used.

[0036] According to embodiments of the present application, the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of second heat exchange spaces 20B is greater than 1, whereby the heat transfer area for each circuit can be optimized to improve heat exchange efficiency. Optimizing the heat transfer area for each circuit according to the heat load of each circuit can improve system efficiency by 5% to 10% at full load and part load, while avoiding reliability problems such as stagnation of the heat transfer medium. In addition, adjusting the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of second heat exchange spaces 20B does not affect the feasibility of product manufacturing, and does not cause an increase in cost.

[0037] Although the above embodiments describe a specific ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of second heat exchange spaces 20B and a specific arrangement of the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the second heat exchange spaces 20B, the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and the ratio of the number of first heat exchange spaces 20A to the number of second heat exchange spaces 20B can be any other value greater than 1, and the first heat exchange spaces 20A and the second heat exchange spaces 20B can be arranged in any other way.

Claims

1. A plate heat exchanger, comprising: Multiple heat transfer plates; as well as A heat exchange space is formed between adjacent heat transfer plates in the plurality of heat transfer plates. The heat exchange space includes a plurality of first heat exchange spaces for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces for a third heat transfer medium. Each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates. The number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces is different from the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces; The ratio of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces to the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, wherein the number of the larger heat exchange space is greater than 1.05; The plurality of first heat exchange space groups and the plurality of second heat exchange space groups are arranged alternately in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates. Each of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups includes one or more first heat exchange spaces, and each of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups includes one or more second heat exchange spaces.

2. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein: The ratio of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces to the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, where the number of the larger heat exchange space is greater than the number of the smaller heat exchange spaces, is between 1.1 and 5.

3. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein: At least two of the plurality of first heat exchange space groups include the same number of first heat exchange spaces or different numbers of first heat exchange spaces; and / or At least two of the plurality of second heat exchange space groups include the same number of second heat exchange spaces or different numbers of second heat exchange spaces.

4. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein: With respect to the first heat exchange space and the second heat exchange space, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces are arranged continuously in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates; and / or With respect to the first heat exchange space and the second heat exchange space, the plurality of second heat exchange spaces are arranged continuously in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.

5. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein: The plurality of heat exchange spaces, consisting of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, are alternately arranged with the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.

6. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 1, further comprising: A pair of first heat transfer medium ports are respectively used for the first heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and for the first heat transfer medium to flow out of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces; A pair of second heat transfer medium ports, respectively used for the inflow of the second heat transfer medium into the plurality of second heat exchange spaces and for the outflow of the second heat transfer medium from the plurality of second heat exchange spaces; as well as A pair of third heat transfer medium ports are respectively used for the inflow of the third heat transfer medium into the plurality of third heat exchange spaces and for the outflow of the third heat transfer medium from the plurality of third heat exchange spaces.

7. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 6, wherein: One of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is located at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is located at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate; and one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is located at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is located at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate; or One of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is located at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is located at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate. Similarly, one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is located at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is located at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate.

8. The plate heat exchanger as described in claim 6, wherein: Each of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of first openings leading to the plurality of first heat exchange spaces; Each of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of second openings leading to the plurality of second heat exchange spaces; as well as Each of the pair of third heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of third openings leading to the plurality of third heat exchange spaces.

9. The plate heat exchanger as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein: Each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the third heat exchange space on both sides in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates; and / or Each of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the first heat exchange space or the second heat exchange space on both sides of the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.

10. The plate heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein: The first heat transfer medium and the second heat transfer medium are refrigerants, and the third heat transfer medium is a coolant.

11. The plate heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein: The first heat exchange space, the second heat exchange space, and the third heat exchange space are independent of each other.

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