Curved surface heat exchanger diffusion welding tool and welding method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a curved surface heat exchanger diffusion welding tool and a welding method.The curved surface heat exchanger diffusion welding tool comprises a tool base, an upper tool die, a lower tool die and a guide mechanism, the lower tool die is installed on the tool base, one end of the guide mechanism is connected with the upper tool die, and the other end of the guide mechanism is connected with the lower tool die; the guide mechanism is used for guiding the moving direction of the tool upper die, the tool lower die and the tool upper die are compared through the guide mechanism to guarantee the parallelism, and a containing cavity is formed between the tool upper die and the tool lower die and used for containing a heat exchanger plate set to be welded. A diffusion welding tool is used for stacking a plurality of curved plate pieces for one-time machining forming, it is guaranteed that all parts of the upper tool die and all parts of the lower tool die can be in an aligned state, then welding positions are accurately aligned, wrong welding is avoided, the defective rate is reduced, and meanwhile a plurality of production steps are omitted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of heat exchangers, and in particular to a diffusion welding tool for a curved heat exchanger and a welding method thereof. Background Art

[0002] The printed circuit heat exchanger (PCHE) is a highly efficient, compact heat exchanger with excellent heat transfer performance. It boasts advantages such as high and low temperature resistance, high pressure resistance, compact structure, small size, high heat transfer area density, and low leakage resistance. It is widely used in the petrochemical industry, marine engineering, nuclear energy, thermal power, shipbuilding, hydrogen energy, and other fields, and is a core component of the system. The heat exchanger is constructed by etching or machining the flow channels on the metal heat exchange plates. Multiple metal heat exchange plates are stacked and assembled using diffusion welding to form the heat exchange core.

[0003] Printed circuit board heat exchangers utilize staggered, etched flow plates with channel sizes typically under 2mm. These heat exchangers offer high heat transfer efficiency, and their cores are typically regular cubes. However, for applications requiring custom heat exchanger installation, custom-shaped heat exchangers are often required. Existing custom-shaped heat exchangers are often machined, resulting in significant raw material loss and a lengthy, multi-step, and slow production process. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention aims to propose a diffusion welding tool for curved heat exchangers and a welding method thereof to solve the problems of large raw material loss, complex process and low production efficiency in the processing and production of special-shaped heat exchangers in the prior art.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the technical solution of the present invention is achieved as follows:

[0006] A curved heat exchanger diffusion welding tool, comprising a tool base, an upper tool mold, a lower tool mold and a guide mechanism, wherein the lower tool mold is installed on the tool base, one end of the guide mechanism is connected to the upper tool mold, and the other end of the guide mechanism is connected to the lower tool mold, the guide mechanism is used to guide the movement direction of the upper tool mold, the lower tool mold and the upper tool mold are compared by the guide mechanism to ensure parallelism, a accommodating cavity is formed between the upper tool mold and the lower tool mold, the accommodating cavity is used to accommodate a heat exchanger plate group to be welded, and the upper and lower inner surfaces of the accommodating cavity are both set to curved surfaces.

[0007] Furthermore, the guide mechanisms are provided in plurality and are respectively located near the four corners of the entire tooling.

[0008] Furthermore, an upper arc surface is provided at a position on the lower portion of the tooling upper mold facing the accommodating cavity, and the upper arc surface is provided as a downwardly convex arc surface structure.

[0009] Furthermore, a lower arc surface is provided on the inner side of the lower mold of the tooling, facing the accommodating cavity, and the lower arc surface is provided as a downwardly concave arc surface structure.

[0010] Furthermore, limiting structures are provided on both sides of the tooling base, the limiting structures are located between the tooling upper mold and the tooling lower mold, and the limiting structures are located on the side of the heat exchange plate to be welded.

[0011] Furthermore, the limiting structure is configured as a block or plate structure.

[0012] Furthermore, a slot is provided at an upper portion of the tooling base near the edge, and the size of the slot matches the shape of the limiting structure.

[0013] Furthermore, a sliding groove is provided on the side of the tooling base, and the sliding groove is provided on the side of the tooling base and can be recessed inward, forming a groove structure on the side of the tooling base. The shape of the sliding groove matches the shape of the guide mechanism, and the lower end of the guide mechanism is located inside the sliding groove, and the guide mechanism can slide along the sliding groove.

[0014] Furthermore, ribs are provided on the left and right edges of the lower mold of the tooling, and the ribs are set to be higher than the edge of the accommodating cavity. The ribs are used to limit the heat exchange plates placed on the bottom layer in the accommodating cavity. A gap is formed between the lower part of the upper mold of the tooling and the edge of the upper arc surface, and the gap is set corresponding to the ribs.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the welding tooling of the present invention has the following advantages:

[0016] The diffusion welding tooling and welding method for a curved heat exchanger of the present invention use the diffusion welding tooling to stack and form multiple curved panels at one time, ensuring that all parts of the upper mold and the lower mold of the tooling are aligned, thereby accurately aligning the welding positions, avoiding wrong welding, reducing the defective rate, and eliminating multiple production steps.

[0017] The present invention also provides a welding method using the above-mentioned curved heat exchanger diffusion welding tool.

[0018] The advantages of the welding method and the above-mentioned curved heat exchanger diffusion welding tooling over the prior art are the same, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the welding tooling according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the welding tool according to the first embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the welding tooling according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the welding tool according to the second embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the welding tooling according to the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the welding tool according to the third embodiment of the present invention from another perspective;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the staggered stacking structure of the heat exchange plates described in the present invention.

[0026] Description of reference numerals:

[0027] Tooling base 1, accommodating cavity 11, sliding groove 12, tooling upper mold 2, upper arc surface 21, gap 22, tooling lower mold 3, lower arc surface 31, accommodating groove 32, rib 33, guide mechanism 4, limiting structure 5, heat exchange plate 6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the directions involved in the following specific embodiments are briefly explained: the directions or positional relationships indicated by "front", "back", "up", "down", "left", "right", "top", "bottom" and the like mentioned in the embodiments refer to the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and the term "on..." refers to being directly or indirectly supported by... elements.

[0029] It should be noted that, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they may refer to mechanical connections, electrical connections, or mutual communication; they may refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; they may refer to internal communication between two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on specific circumstances.

[0030] like Figures 1 to 7As shown, a curved heat exchanger diffusion welding tool includes a tool base 1, an upper tool mold 2, a lower tool mold 3, and a guide mechanism 4. The lower tool mold 3 is mounted on the tool base 1 and can be integrally formed with the tool base 1. The guide mechanism 4 is connected to the upper tool mold 2 at one end and to the lower tool mold 3 at the other end. The guide mechanism 4 is used to guide the movement direction of the upper tool mold 2. The lower tool mold 3 and the upper tool mold 2 are aligned with the guide mechanism 4 to ensure parallelism and prevent misalignment between the upper and lower tools. A receiving cavity 11 is formed between the upper and lower tool molds 2 and 3. The receiving cavity 11 is used to accommodate the heat exchanger plate group to be welded. The upper and lower inner surfaces of the receiving cavity 11 are both configured as curved surfaces to mate with the curved heat exchanger plates.

[0031] Furthermore, multiple guide mechanisms 4 are provided, located near the four corners of the tooling, to ensure that all parts of the upper mold 2 and the lower mold 3 are aligned, thereby accurately aligning the welding positions, avoiding misaligned welding, and reducing the defective rate. The guide mechanism 4 can be configured as a height-adjustable lifting mechanism, such as a cylinder.

[0032] Limiting structures 5 are also provided on both sides of the tooling base 1. These structures are located between the upper tooling mold 2 and the lower tooling mold 3. These structures prevent the upper tooling mold 2 from excessively moving. Furthermore, the limiting structures 5 are located to the sides of the heat exchange plates 5 to be welded, which, to a certain extent, also prevents the plates from shifting. Furthermore, the limiting structures 5 can be provided on the left and right sides, or the front and back sides, of the tooling base 1, and can be removable relative to the tooling base 1, making it easier to adjust the position of the limiting structures based on the size of the heat exchange plates.

[0033] An upper arc surface 21 is provided on the lower portion of the upper mold 2, facing the accommodating cavity 11. The upper arc surface 21 is configured as a downwardly convex arc surface structure. During welding, the upper arc surface 21 mates with the concave surface of the upper heat exchange plate 6. A lower arc surface 22 is provided on the inner side of the lower mold 3, facing the accommodating cavity 11. The lower arc surface 22 is configured as a downwardly concave arc surface structure. During welding, the lower arc surface 22 mates with the convex surface of the lower heat exchange plate 6.

[0034] Furthermore, the curvature radii of the upper arc surface 21 and the lower arc surface 22 are set to be equal radius, concentric unequal radius, or unequal radius, which only needs to achieve the fixation and compression of the multi-layer heat exchange plates.

[0035] Furthermore, the limiting structure 5 can be selected in different forms to achieve different limiting needs. Figures 1 and 2As shown, the limiting structure 5 can be set as a block structure, and the width of the limiting structure 5 in the left and right directions is close to the width of the guide mechanism 4. The limiting structure 5 is set between two adjacent guide mechanisms 4, and cooperates with the guide mechanism 4 to play a fixed limiting role on all sides of the heat exchange plate 6.

[0036] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, the limiting structure 5 can also be set as a plate-like structure, that is, the two ends of the limiting structure 5 are close to the guide mechanisms 4 on the left and right sides. The plate-like limiting structure 5 can increase the contact area between multiple heat exchange plates 6 and the limiting structure 5, thereby increasing the limiting and fixing force of the heat exchange plates 6.

[0037] Specifically, a slot can be set on the upper part of the tooling base 1 near the edge, and the size of the slot matches the shape of the limiting structure 5. When installing the limiting structure 5, the lower part of the limiting structure 5 is inserted into the slot, and the slot fixes the limiting structure 5. The top of the limiting structure 5 abuts against the tooling upper mold 2, thereby achieving the limitation of the front and rear directions of the heat exchange plate 6 and the support of the upper mold 2 in the up and down directions.

[0038] like Figures 1 and 2 As shown, the guide mechanism 4 can be arranged on the upper part of the tool base 1, or can be arranged on the upper surface of the tool base 1 as an upwardly extending structure. As an alternative embodiment, as Figures 3 to 6 As shown, a sliding groove 12 is provided on the side of the tooling base 1. The sliding groove 12 is provided on the side of the tooling base 1 and can be recessed inward, forming a groove structure on the side of the tooling base 1. The shape of the sliding groove 12 matches the shape of the guide structure 4. The lower end of the guide structure 4 is located inside the sliding groove 12. The guide structure 4 can slide along the sliding groove 12, thereby driving the tooling upper mold 2 to rise and fall, thereby adjusting the size of the accommodating cavity 11 to facilitate the adaptation of different numbers of heat exchange plates 6 for welding. Furthermore, the structure in which the projection of the tooling upper mold 2 on the tooling base is smaller than the projection of the tooling lower mold 3 on the tooling base can be configured, that is, the upper end of the guide mechanism 4 is provided on the outside of the tooling upper mold 2, so that the guide mechanism 4 surrounds the periphery of the tooling upper mold 2, and plays a sufficient limiting and protective role in the movement of the tooling upper mold 2.

[0039] The accommodating cavity 11 can be configured as a structure with both ends open, or as a structure with both ends closed. Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, ribs 33 are provided on both the left and right edges of the lower tooling mold 3. Ribs 33 are positioned higher than the edge of the accommodating cavity 11. Ribs 33 are used to limit the heat exchange plates 6 placed on the bottom layer within the accommodating cavity 11, preventing them from moving. Correspondingly, a gap 22 is formed between the lower portion of the upper tooling mold 2 and the edge of the upper curved surface 21. Gap 22 corresponds to ribs 33, allowing the heat exchange plates 6 to be placed inside, with their left and right ends within the left and right sides of the upper and lower tooling molds 2 and 3.

[0040] As an alternative embodiment, Figure 5 As shown, the left and right ends of the accommodating cavity 11 can also be set to be flush with the left and right ends of the tooling upper mold 2 and the tooling lower mold 3, that is, the setting of the retaining edge 33 and the gap 22 is omitted.

[0041] A method for diffusion welding of a curved heat exchanger is also provided, using the above-mentioned diffusion welding tool for the curved heat exchanger:

[0042] Step 1: Arrange and stack the etched heat exchange plates on the fixture rack, and use acetone to scrub the surfaces of the heat exchange plates to remove oil stains;

[0043] Step 2: Place graphite tooling of corresponding specifications and quantity on the diffusion welding assembly platform;

[0044] Step 3: Evenly spray solder resist on the upper surface of the graphite tooling;

[0045] Step 4: Place the tooling base 1 and the tooling lower mold 3 in the center on the graphite tooling;

[0046] Step 5: Stack the curved heat exchange plates before forming in an interlaced manner and place them into the lower mold 3 of the tooling;

[0047] Step 6: Assemble the upper tooling mold 2 with the lower tooling mold 3 through the guide mechanism 4;

[0048] Step 7: meet different core height requirements by replacing different limiting structures 5;

[0049] Step 8: Place the graphite tooling in the center of the upper part of the mold 2 on the tooling;

[0050] Step 9: The graphite assembly and diffusion welding are sent to the corresponding positions inside the diffusion welding equipment through the assembly platform;

[0051] Step 10: Operate the diffusion welding equipment to perform diffusion welding.

[0052] Although the present application has been disclosed with reference to the above embodiments, the application is not limited to the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. The scope of the application should be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A diffusion welding tool for a curved heat exchanger, characterized in that: The utility model comprises a tooling base (1), a tooling upper mold (2), a tooling lower mold (3) and a guide mechanism (4), wherein the tooling lower mold (3) is mounted on the tooling base (1), one end of the guide mechanism (4) is connected to the tooling upper mold (2), and the other end of the guide mechanism (4) is connected to the tooling lower mold (3), the guide mechanism (4) is used to guide the moving direction of the tooling upper mold (2), the tooling lower mold (3) and the tooling upper mold (2) are aligned with each other through the guide mechanism (4) to ensure parallelism, and a receiving cavity (11) is formed between the tooling upper mold (2) and the tooling lower mold (3), the receiving cavity (11) is used to receive and hold a heat exchanger plate group to be welded, and the upper and lower inner surfaces of the receiving cavity (11) are both arranged as curved surfaces.

2. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: The guide mechanisms (4) are provided in plurality and are respectively located near the four corners of the entire tooling.

3. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upper arc surface (21) is provided at a position on the lower part of the tooling upper mold (2) facing the accommodating cavity (11), and the upper arc surface (21) is provided as a downwardly convex arc surface structure.

4. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: A lower arc surface (22) is provided on the inner side of the tool lower mold (3) facing the accommodating cavity (11), and the lower arc surface (22) is provided as a downwardly concave arc surface structure.

5. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: Limiting structures (5) are also provided on both sides of the tooling base (1), and the limiting structures (5) are located between the tooling upper mold (2) and the tooling lower mold (3), and the limiting structures (5) are located on the side of the heat exchange plate (6) to be welded.

6. The welding tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: The limiting structure (5) is configured as a block or plate structure.

7. The welding tool according to claim 5, characterized in that: A slot is provided on the upper portion of the tooling base (1) near the edge, and the size of the slot matches the shape of the limiting structure (5).

8. The welding tool according to claim 1, characterized in that: A sliding groove (12) is provided on the side of the tooling base (1). The sliding groove (12) is provided on the side of the tooling base (1) and can be recessed inwardly, forming a groove structure on the side of the tooling base (1). The shape of the sliding groove (12) matches the shape of the guide mechanism (4). The lower end of the guide mechanism (4) is located inside the sliding groove (12), and the guide mechanism (4) can slide along the sliding groove (12).

9. The welding tool according to claim 3, characterized in that: A retaining edge (33) is provided on both the left and right edges of the tooling lower mold (3), and the retaining edge (33) is set higher than the edge of the accommodating cavity (11). The retaining edge (33) is used to limit the heat exchange plate (6) placed on the bottom layer in the accommodating cavity (11). A gap (22) is formed between the lower part of the tooling upper mold (2) and the edge of the upper arc surface (21), and the gap (22) is set corresponding to the retaining edge (33).

10. A diffusion welding method for a curved heat exchanger, characterized in that: Use the welding jig according to claims 1 to 9.

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