Heat exchange core and laminated heat exchanger

Abstract

This invention discloses a heat exchange core and a plated heat exchanger, relating to the field of heat exchange technology, and is used to solve the problem of uneven refrigerant distribution within the refrigerant channels of each layer. The heat exchange core includes at least two sets of horizontally stacked plate assemblies, each set of plate assemblies having a refrigerant channel and a flow guide channel, with a coolant channel formed between adjacent sets of plate assemblies; a refrigerant inlet channel, running horizontally through each plate assembly, with a refrigerant distribution port corresponding to each set of plate assemblies, the refrigerant distribution port being located near the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel, and a liquid accumulation area for accumulating liquid refrigerant forming below the refrigerant distribution port of the refrigerant inlet channel; the refrigerant distribution ports corresponding to each set of plate assemblies are all located at the same horizontal height; the inlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant distribution port, and the outlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant channel, the flow guide channel being used to guide the refrigerant in the refrigerant inlet channel into the refrigerant channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heat exchange technology, and more particularly to a heat exchange core and a plated heat exchanger. Background Technology

[0002] Plated heat exchangers are widely used due to their high heat exchange efficiency and small footprint. For example, they can be used in battery thermal management systems as coolers to cool the coolant and ensure the battery operates within a reasonable temperature range. A plated heat exchanger includes a heat exchange core, which is composed of multiple stacked plate assemblies. Each plate assembly consists of two stacked plates, forming internal refrigerant channels. The gaps between adjacent plate assemblies form coolant channels, resulting in multiple alternating layers of refrigerant and coolant channels for heat exchange. The heat exchange core has a refrigerant inlet channel extending along the stacking direction, communicating with each layer of refrigerant channels. After entering the inlet channel, the refrigerant is then distributed to each layer of channels. The uniformity of refrigerant distribution within each layer affects the overall heat exchange efficiency of the plated heat exchanger. However, the uniformity of refrigerant distribution within existing heat exchange cores needs improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a heat exchange core and a plated heat exchanger to improve the uniformity of refrigerant distribution in each layer of refrigerant channels within the heat exchange core.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a heat exchange core, comprising:

[0005] At least two sets of stacked assemblies are stacked horizontally, each set of said stacked assemblies has a refrigerant flow channel and a flow guide channel, and a coolant flow channel is formed between two adjacent sets of said stacked assemblies;

[0006] A refrigerant inlet channel extends horizontally through each of the laminated assemblies. A refrigerant distribution port is provided at the position corresponding to each set of laminated assemblies in the refrigerant inlet channel. The refrigerant distribution port is located near the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel. A liquid accumulation zone for accumulating liquid refrigerant is formed in the area below the refrigerant distribution port of the refrigerant inlet channel. The refrigerant distribution ports corresponding to each set of laminated assemblies are located at the same horizontal height. The inlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant distribution port, and the outlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant flow channel. The flow guide channel is used to guide the refrigerant in the refrigerant inlet channel into the refrigerant flow channel.

[0007] In some possible implementations, the flow channel is arranged around the refrigerant inlet channel from below.

[0008] In some possible implementations, the refrigerant distribution port is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel away from the center of the refrigerant flow path, and the outlet of the guide channel is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel closer to the center of the refrigerant flow path.

[0009] In some possible implementations, the flow channel is an arc-shaped flow channel, a wave-shaped flow channel, or a bent flow channel.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the outlet of the flow channel faces the center of the refrigerant flow channel.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the flow cross-section of the outlet of the flow guide channel is smaller than the flow cross-section of the rest of the flow guide channel.

[0012] In some possible implementations, the flow cross-section of the guide channel gradually decreases along the direction from the inlet to the outlet.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the angle between the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port and the vertical plane passing through the axis of the refrigerant inlet channel is 30° to 60°.

[0014] In some possible implementations, the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port is opposite to the flow direction of the outlet of the flow channel.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the heat exchange core provided by the present invention has a refrigerant flow channel and a flow guide channel in each set of laminated components. A refrigerant distribution port is opened at the position of each set of laminated components corresponding to the refrigerant inlet channel. The refrigerant distribution port is set close to the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel, so that the area of ​​the refrigerant inlet channel near the bottom wall, that is, the area below the refrigerant distribution port, forms a liquid accumulation area for accumulating liquid refrigerant. The inlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant distribution port, and the outlet of the flow guide channel is connected to the refrigerant flow channel. During operation, the gas-liquid mixture of refrigerant enters the refrigerant inlet channel. The liquid phase refrigerant accumulates in the liquid accumulation area of ​​the inlet channel under its own gravity, while the gas phase refrigerant enters the guide channel through the refrigerant distribution port near the bottom of the inlet channel. Since the refrigerant distribution ports for each set of laminated fins are located at the same horizontal level, the liquid accumulation depth of the liquid phase refrigerant in the liquid accumulation area of ​​each set of laminated fins is the same. After accumulating to the same depth, the liquid phase refrigerant in each set of laminated fins is carried away by the gas phase refrigerant through liquid level overflow and gas phase refrigerant carry-over. The refrigerant enters the guide channel, and finally, the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant is discharged from the outlet of the guide channel into the refrigerant flow channel. The accumulation depth is the same, which helps to ensure the uniform distribution of the liquid phase in each refrigerant flow channel. By setting up the guide channel, the resistance of the gas phase refrigerant entering the refrigerant flow channel is increased, making the flow distribution of the gas phase refrigerant in each layer of refrigerant flow channel more uniform. It also makes the carrying effect of the gas phase on the liquid phase at each refrigerant distribution port similar, further making the liquid phase evenly distributed in each layer of refrigerant flow channel, and improving the problem of uneven distribution of liquid phase refrigerant at low flow rates.

[0016] Secondly, the present invention also provides a plated heat exchanger, including a heat exchange core, wherein the heat exchange core is any of the heat exchange cores described above. Since the plated heat exchanger includes the heat exchange core as described in the first aspect, it has the same beneficial effects as the first aspect, which will not be elaborated upon here. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and form part of this invention, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and are used to explain the invention, but do not constitute an undue limitation of the invention. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a heat exchange core provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The attached diagram is labeled as follows: 1 is the stacked assembly, 11 is the refrigerant flow channel, 12 is the flow guide channel, 121 is the outlet, 2 is the refrigerant inlet channel, 21 is the refrigerant distribution port, and 22 is the liquid accumulation area. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the technical problems to be solved, the technical solutions, and the beneficial effects of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0021] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0022] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified. "Several" means one or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0023] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0024] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0025] See Figure 1This invention provides a heat exchange core, including a laminated assembly 1 and a refrigerant inlet channel 2. The laminated assembly 1 consists of at least two sets, stacked horizontally. Each set of laminated assemblies 1 includes two laminates arranged horizontally. Various protrusions and / or recesses can be provided on the laminates to increase heat exchange efficiency and provide regional isolation. The two laminates in each set of laminated assemblies 1 are fixedly connected by brazing, and there is a gap between the two laminates, so that a refrigerant flow channel 11 and a flow guide channel 12 are formed in each set of laminated assemblies 1. A coolant flow channel is formed between two adjacent sets of laminated assemblies 1, that is, there is a gap between one laminate in one set of laminated assemblies 1 and one laminate in another adjacent set of laminated assemblies 1, and this gap forms a coolant flow channel. The two adjacent laminates in the two adjacent sets of laminated assemblies 1 are also fixedly connected by brazing.

[0026] The refrigerant inlet channel 2 extends horizontally through each laminated assembly 1. For example, the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is structured as follows: each laminate has a through hole at the same location, and the edge of the through hole is bent to form an annular fold. After multiple laminates are stacked, the annular folds of adjacent laminates are sealed together. These annular folds are arranged sequentially to form the refrigerant inlet channel 2 extending horizontally through each laminated assembly 1. Alternatively, the refrigerant inlet channel 2 can also extend through each laminated assembly 1 via a sleeve, with the sleeve forming the refrigerant inlet channel 2.

[0027] Each refrigerant inlet channel 2 has a refrigerant distribution port 21 corresponding to the position of each stacked assembly 1. For example, if the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is formed by an annular fold on the stacked assembly, then the refrigerant distribution port 21 is formed at the annular fold of each refrigerant flow channel 11. If the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is formed by a sleeve, then the refrigerant distribution port 21 is opened on the sleeve. The refrigerant distribution port 21 is located close to the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel 2, and there is a preset height between the lowest point of the refrigerant distribution port 21 and the lowest point of the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel 2, so that the area of ​​the refrigerant inlet channel 2 located below the refrigerant distribution port 21 forms a liquid accumulation area 22 for accumulating liquid refrigerant. The refrigerant distribution ports 21 corresponding to each stacked assembly 1 are all located at the same horizontal height. The inlet of the guide channel 12 is connected to the refrigerant distribution port 21, and the outlet of the guide channel 12 is connected to the refrigerant flow channel 11. The guide channel 12 is used to guide the refrigerant in the refrigerant inlet channel 2 into the refrigerant flow channel 11.

[0028] The working process of the heat exchange core is as follows: When the stacked heat exchanger is in normal operation, the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is located at the bottom and its axis is arranged horizontally. After the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant enters the refrigerant inlet channel 2, the liquid phase refrigerant accumulates in the liquid accumulation area 22 of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 under its own gravity. The gas phase refrigerant enters the guide channel 12 through the refrigerant distribution port 21 near the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel 2. Since the refrigerant distribution port 21 corresponding to each stacked assembly 1 is located at the same horizontal height, the liquid phase refrigerant has the same liquid accumulation depth in the liquid accumulation area of ​​each stacked assembly 1. When the liquid phase refrigerant of each stacked assembly 1 accumulates to the overflow water level at the same height in the liquid accumulation area, it enters the guide channel 12 with the gas phase refrigerant through liquid overflow and gas phase refrigerant flow. Finally, the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant is discharged from the outlet of the guide channel 12 into the refrigerant flow channel 11, completing the distribution of refrigerant in each layer of refrigerant flow channel 11.

[0029] Since the liquid accumulation depth of the liquid accumulation area 22 corresponding to each layer of refrigerant flow channel 11 is the same, it helps to ensure the uniformity of liquid phase distribution within each refrigerant flow channel 11. By setting the guide channel 12, the resistance of gaseous refrigerant entering the refrigerant flow channel 11 is increased, making the flow distribution of gaseous refrigerant within each layer of refrigerant flow channel 11 more uniform. It also makes the carrying effect of gas on liquid phase at each refrigerant distribution port 21 similar, further making the liquid phase distribution within each layer of refrigerant flow channel 11 uniform, thus improving the problem of uneven liquid phase refrigerant distribution at low flow rates. In addition, after being guided by the guide channel 12, the refrigerant can enter the refrigerant flow channel 11 from the outlet in a jet manner, making the mixing effect of the gas-liquid mixed refrigerant more uniform and enabling it to be quickly and evenly distributed within the refrigerant flow channel 11, thereby improving the heat exchange effect.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, in some embodiments, the flow channel 12 is arranged around the refrigerant inlet channel 2 from below. In this way, the liquid refrigerant falls into the flow channel 12 from the refrigerant distribution port of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 under its own gravity. After entering the flow channel 12, the liquid refrigerant can also flow to the outlet 121 in the flow channel 12 by its own gravity. The flow is driven by gravity and the carrying pressure of the gaseous refrigerant, which together drive the flow to the outlet 121 to obtain a faster refrigerant outlet speed and further improve the uniformity of gas-liquid mixing.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the refrigerant distribution port 21 is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 away from the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11, and the outlet 121 of the guide channel 12 is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 closer to the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11. The entire area of ​​the refrigerant flow channel 11 has a center position, two bottom corner positions, and two top corner positions. The center position is located between the bottom corner positions and the top corner positions, and can be located at the intersection of the diagonals of the four corners. Since the refrigerant inlet channel is located near one of the bottom corners of the laminated assembly 1, that is, the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is located at one of the bottom corners of the entire refrigerant flow channel 11, far from the center, the refrigerant distribution port 21 is set on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 away from the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11, while the outlet 121 of the guide channel 12 is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 near the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11. This allows the guide channel 12 to be arranged around the refrigerant inlet channel 2 from below via a longer path. By increasing the path length of the guide channel 12, the resistance of the gaseous refrigerant entering the refrigerant flow channel 11 can be further increased, so that the amount of liquid refrigerant carried into each layer of the refrigerant flow channel during gas flow is similar, further improving the uniformity of refrigerant distribution in each layer of the refrigerant flow channel 11.

[0032] Of course, if the pressure of the gaseous refrigerant is appropriate, the refrigerant distribution port 21 can also be set on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 near the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11, and on the same side of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 as the outlet 121 of the guide channel 12.

[0033] Furthermore, the angle between the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port 21 and the vertical plane passing through the axis of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 is 30° to 60°, specifically 30°, 45°, 60°, etc. This ensures that there is a certain height between the lowest point of the refrigerant distribution port 21 and the lowest point of the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel 2, forming a liquid accumulation zone 22. Within this angle range, the overflow liquid level of the liquid accumulation zone 22 is appropriate, not too shallow, which would result in too little liquid refrigerant accumulation and poor uniformity of refrigerant distribution in each layer of refrigerant flow channel 11. The overflow liquid level of the liquid accumulation zone 22 is also not too deep, which would result in excessive liquid refrigerant accumulation and low utilization rate.

[0034] As an optimization, in this embodiment, the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port 21 is opposite to the flow direction of the outlet 121 of the flow channel 12. That is, the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port 21 and the flow direction of the outlet 121 of the flow channel 12 are on the same straight line and in opposite directions, so that the path of the flow channel 12 meets the resistance requirement that hinders the flow of gas phase. Preferably, the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port 21 and the flow direction of the flow channel 12 pass through the axis of the refrigerant inlet channel 2 and pass through the center position of the refrigerant flow channel 11.

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the guide channel 12 is an arc-shaped guide channel, a wave-shaped guide channel, or a bent guide channel. The arc-shaped guide channel is preferably a circular arc-shaped guide channel, which shares the same center with the refrigerant inlet channel 2, reducing the pressure drop of the gaseous refrigerant in the circular arc-shaped guide channel, allowing the refrigerant to be ejected from the outlet at a higher speed, thereby improving the gas-liquid mixing effect and distribution uniformity; the bent guide channel can be an L-shaped bent guide channel, etc.

[0036] In this embodiment, the outlet 121 of the flow channel 12 faces the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11. In this way, the refrigerant is directed from the outlet 121 of the flow channel 12 toward the center of the refrigerant flow channel 11, which makes the refrigerant more evenly distributed in various positions within the refrigerant flow channel 11 and improves the heat exchange effect.

[0037] In some embodiments, the flow cross-section of the outlet 121 of the guide channel 12 is smaller than the flow cross-section of the rest of the guide channel 12. This allows the refrigerant to enter the refrigerant channel 11 in a jet manner, improving the mixing effect and uniformity of the gas-liquid refrigerant distribution.

[0038] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the flow cross section of the guide channel 12 gradually decreases along the direction from the inlet to the outlet 121, thereby making the refrigerant flow velocity in the guide channel 12 faster and faster, and finally ejected in the form of a jet.

[0039] Based on the heat exchange core described in any of the above embodiments, this invention also provides a plated heat exchanger, including the heat exchange core described in any of the above embodiments. Since the plated heat exchanger uses the heat exchange core described in this application, it has the same beneficial effects as the heat exchange core, which will not be elaborated upon here.

[0040] In the description of the above embodiments, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0041] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A heat exchange core, characterized in that, include: At least two sets of stacked assemblies are stacked horizontally, each set of said stacked assemblies has a refrigerant flow channel and a flow guide channel, and a coolant flow channel is formed between two adjacent sets of said stacked assemblies; A refrigerant inlet channel extends horizontally through each of the laminated assemblies. A refrigerant distribution port is provided at the position corresponding to each set of laminated assemblies. The refrigerant distribution port is located near the bottom wall of the refrigerant inlet channel. A liquid accumulation zone for accumulating liquid refrigerant is formed in the area below the refrigerant distribution port of the refrigerant inlet channel. The refrigerant distribution ports corresponding to each set of laminated assemblies are located at the same horizontal height. The inlet of the guide channel is connected to the refrigerant distribution port, and the outlet of the guide channel is connected to the refrigerant flow channel. The guide channel is used to guide the refrigerant in the refrigerant inlet channel into the refrigerant flow channel, and the guide channel is arranged around the refrigerant inlet channel from below.

2. The heat exchange core according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerant distribution port is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel away from the center of the refrigerant flow channel, and the outlet of the guide channel is located on the side of the refrigerant inlet channel closer to the center of the refrigerant flow channel.

3. The heat exchange core according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow guiding channel is an arc-shaped flow guiding channel, a wave-shaped flow guiding channel, or a bent flow guiding channel.

4. The heat exchange core according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outlet of the flow guide channel faces the center of the refrigerant flow channel.

5. The heat exchange core according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow cross-section of the outlet of the guide channel is smaller than the flow cross-section of the rest of the guide channel.

6. The heat exchange core according to claim 5, characterized in that, The flow cross-section of the guide channel gradually decreases along the direction from the inlet to the outlet.

7. The heat exchange core according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle between the flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port and the vertical plane passing through the axis of the refrigerant inlet channel is 30°~60°.

8. The heat exchange core according to claim 7, characterized in that, The flow direction of the refrigerant distribution port is opposite to the flow direction of the outlet of the flow channel.

9. A plated heat exchanger, comprising a heat exchange core, characterized in that, The heat exchange core is the heat exchange core as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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