Flat tube, heat exchanger and water heater

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of heat exchange, in particular to a flat tube, a heat exchanger and a water heater. A plurality of flow channels are formed in the flat pipe and extend in the length direction of the flat pipe, the thickness of the inner sides of the flow channels is smaller than that of the outer sides of the flow channels, the inner walls, forming the flow channels, of the flat pipe are flow channel inner walls, and protrusions are at least arranged on the first inner side wall, close to the inner side of the flat pipe, of the flow channel inner walls. The flat pipe has the advantages that the protrusions are arranged in the flow channels in the flat pipe, the structural strength of the flat pipe is enhanced through the protrusions, the durability is improved, the turbulent flow effect is optimized, the temperature of a medium is made to be uniform, the heat exchange efficiency of the flat pipe and the water tank is improved, the heat insulation layer is additionally arranged, and therefore the heat exchange efficiency of the flat pipe and the water tank is improved. Medium heat overflow in the flow channel is reduced, and the heat preservation effect of the flat pipe is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of heat exchange, in particular to a flat tube, a heat exchanger and a water heater. Background Art

[0002] The water heater includes a plurality of flat tubes, a first collecting tube and a second collecting tube. One end of the plurality of flat tubes is connected to the first collecting tube, and the other end is connected to the second collecting tube. The first collecting tube and the second collecting tube are connected through the plurality of flat tubes. The flat tubes are bent and attached to the water tank for heating the water in the water tank.

[0003] A flow channel for medium circulation is provided in the flat tube. The medium flows in the flow channel and exchanges heat with the water tank through the contact between the flat tube and the water tank. However, the heat exchange efficiency between the existing flat tube and the water tank is not high. The heat of the medium in the flat tube is easily dissipated to the external environment. In addition, in order to reduce the distance between the medium and the water tank, the wall thickness of the flat tube is often set very thin, resulting in low structural strength and easy damage and deformation during the bending process. Utility Model Content

[0004] Based on this, the utility model provides a flat tube to solve the above technical problems.

[0005] A flat tube is used in a heat exchanger. After being bent, the side of the flat tube close to the center of the circle is the inner side, and the side of the flat tube away from the center of the circle is the outer side. The flat tube is provided with multiple flow channels, and the multiple flow channels are extended along the length direction of the flat tube. The thickness of the inner side of the flow channel is less than the thickness of the outer side of the flow channel. The inner wall of the flow channel formed by the flat tube is the flow channel inner wall. At least a first inner side wall of the flow channel inner wall close to the inner side of the flat tube is provided with a protrusion, and the protrusion protrudes along the length direction of the flat tube and is connected to the flow channel inner wall.

[0006] In one embodiment, a direction from the inner wall of the flow channel to the center of the flow channel is defined as a first direction, and a width of the protrusion gradually decreases in the first direction.

[0007] In one embodiment, the first inner side wall is provided with a plurality of first protrusions, and the plurality of first protrusions are arranged at intervals.

[0008] In one embodiment, the direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube is the thickness direction, the inner wall of the flow channel has a second inner wall relative to the first inner wall along the thickness direction of the flat tube and close to the outer side of the flat tube, the second inner wall is provided with at least one second protrusion, and the number of the first protrusions is greater than the second protrusions; and or, the plurality of flow channels are evenly spaced along the width direction of the flat tube, and the side surface of the inner wall of the flow channel is provided with third protrusions along the width direction of the flat tube, and the number of the third protrusions is less than the first protrusions.

[0009] In one embodiment, the height of the first protrusion is H1, the height of the second protrusion is H2, H1 and H2 satisfy: H1≥H2, and / or, the height of the first protrusion is H1, the height of the third protrusion is H3, H1 and H3 satisfy: H1≥H3.

[0010] In one embodiment, the direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube is the thickness direction. Along the thickness direction of the flat tube, the height of the flow channel is H4, the height of the first protrusion is H1, and H1 and H4 satisfy 0.6H4≥H1≥0.1H4.

[0011] In one embodiment, one of the outer side and the inner side of the flat tube has an edge with a chamfer, while the other has no chamfer.

[0012] In one embodiment, a side wall of the inner wall of the flow channel close to the outer side of the flat tube is provided with a heat insulation layer; and / or a heat insulation layer is provided on the outer side of the flat tube.

[0013] The utility model also provides a heat exchanger, which includes a first header, a second header and the flat tubes as described above, wherein the first header and the second header are arranged at intervals, a plurality of the flat tubes are provided, and the plurality of flat tubes are arranged in parallel at intervals, one end of each of the flat tubes is connected to the first header, and the other end is connected to the second header.

[0014] The utility model also provides a water heater, which comprises the heat exchanger and a water tank as described above, wherein the flat tubes of the heat exchanger are bent, fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral side of the water tank.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the utility model sets protrusions in the flow channel in the flat tube, and the protrusions enhance the structural strength of the flat tube, improve durability, optimize the turbulence effect, make the temperature of the medium uniform, improve the heat exchange efficiency between the flat tube and the water tank, and increase the heat insulation layer to reduce the heat spillover of the medium in the flow channel and improve the thermal insulation effect of the flat tube. The first protrusion, the second protrusion and the third protrusion in the flow channel are reasonably set, and the processing of the protrusions and the turbulence effect are optimized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the flat tube provided by the utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the flat tube provided by the utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the flat tube provided by the utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the flat tube provided by the utility model;

[0020] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0021] The symbols in the figure mean the following:

[0022] 100, flat tube; 101, inner wall of flow channel; 10, flow channel; 12, protrusion; 121, first protrusion; 122, second protrusion; 123, third protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0024] It should be noted that when a mechanism is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another mechanism, it may be directly on the other mechanism or there may be a central mechanism. When a mechanism is considered to be "connected to" another mechanism, it may be directly connected to the other mechanism or there may be a central mechanism at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in the specification of this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0025] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0026] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly in contact with the second feature, or the first feature and the second feature are indirectly in contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being “above”, “above” or “above” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being “below”, “below” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the specification of this application have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used in the specification of this application includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0028] Existing flat tubes are usually provided with flow channels, in which the medium flows, thereby exchanging heat with the water heater connected to the flat tubes. However, in order to improve the heat exchange efficiency and reduce the loss in the heat transfer process, the wall thickness of the side of the flat tube in contact with the water tank is often set to be thinner, and its structural strength is insufficient and it is easy to deform and break.

[0029] To address this problem, the utility model provides a flat tube 100, in which a protrusion 12 is arranged in a flow channel 10 to improve the structural strength of the flat tube 100, disturb the medium in the flow channel 10, improve the heat exchange efficiency, and prevent the heat in the flat tube 100 from overflowing through a heat insulation layer.

[0030] In this embodiment, the flat tube 100 is applied to a heat exchanger, and the flat tube 100 is applied to a water tank as an example for detailed description. The flat tube 100 is connected to the outer wall of the water tank to exchange heat with the water tank. In other embodiments, the flat tube 100 can also be applied to other heat exchangers that exchange heat by contact, such as air conditioners, etc., and is not limited to the above-mentioned water heater.

[0031] See also Figure 1, a plurality of flow channels 10 are provided in the flat tube 100, and the plurality of flow channels 10 are extended along the length direction of the flat tube 100. The inner wall of the flat tube 100 forming the flow channel 10 is the flow channel inner wall 101, and at least a first inner wall of the flow channel inner wall 101 close to the inner side wall of the flat tube 100 is provided with a protrusion 12, which protrudes along the length direction of the flat tube 100 and is connected to the flow channel inner wall 101. In this way, the protrusion 12 can disturb the medium in the flow channel 10, promote the generation of turbulence during the flow of the medium, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency, and the protrusion 12 can also improve the structural strength of the flat tube 100, and prevent the problem of medium leakage caused by deformation and damage. At the same time, the thickness of the inner side of the flow channel of the flat tube 100 is less than the thickness of the outer side of the flow channel, which is conducive to improving the heat conduction inside the flat tube 100 and reducing the heat dissipation outside the flat tube 100, further improving the heat exchange efficiency.

[0032] The direction from the inner wall 101 of the flow channel to the center of the flow channel 10 is defined as the first direction, and the width of the protrusion 12 in the first direction gradually decreases. In this way, while improving the strength of the flat tube 100, the influence of the protrusion 12 on the flow area of ​​the flow channel 10 can be reduced to ensure heat exchange efficiency.

[0033] Specifically, see Figure 1 , at least one first protrusion 121 is provided on the first inner side wall, that is, the side of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to the inner side of the flat tube 100. In this way, since the side of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to the inner side of the flat tube 100 is the side of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to the water tank, and this side is close to the water tank, the first protrusion 121 is provided on this side to enhance the turbulence of the medium on this side, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the medium on this side and the inner wall 101 of the flow channel, and also improving the heat exchange efficiency between the flat tube 100 and the water tank. When there are multiple first protrusions 121, the multiple first protrusions 121 are arranged at intervals to increase the heat exchange efficiency between the first protrusions 121 and the heat exchange medium.

[0034] For further information, see Figure 2 , the direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube 100 is the thickness direction, the flow channel inner wall 101 has a second inner wall along the thickness direction of the flat tube 100 relative to the first inner wall and close to the outside of the flat tube 100, and the side of the flow channel inner wall 101 close to the outside of the flat tube 100 is provided with at least one second protrusion 122, and the number of the first protrusions 121 is greater than the second protrusions 122. In this way, the side of the flow channel inner wall 101 away from the water tank also has a second protrusion 122 that can disturb the medium, so as to improve the turbulence of the medium in the flow channel inner wall 101, thereby further improving its temperature uniformity and ensuring the heat exchange efficiency between the medium and the water tank. In addition, the number of the first protrusions 121 is greater than the second protrusions 122, that is, the uniformity of the medium on the side close to the water tank is higher. Under the premise of a certain number of protrusions 12, the turbulence effect of the flow channel inner wall 101 close to the water tank is better.

[0035] See also Figure 3 , multiple flow channels 10 are evenly spaced along the width direction of the flat tube 100, and a third protrusion 123 is provided on the side of the flow channel inner wall 101 along the width direction of the flat tube 100. In this way, processing is convenient, and the flow channels 10 evenly spaced can make the medium evenly distributed, the heat exchange effect is more even, and the heat exchange efficiency is higher. Adding the third protrusion 123 can further disturb the flow of the medium, so that the temperature of the medium in the flow channel 10 is uniform.

[0036] It should be explained that the direction of the flat tube 100 approaching or moving away from the water tank is the thickness direction of the flat tube 100, and the flow direction of the medium in the flow channel 10 is the length direction of the flat tube 100. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the flat tube 100 is the transverse arrangement direction of the multiple flow channels 10 that are set at an angle to the thickness direction and the length direction of the flat tube 100.

[0037] In this embodiment, the inner wall of each flow channel 10 is provided with a third protrusion 123 on both sides along the width direction of the flat tube 100 to improve the turbulent effect on the medium. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the inner wall 101 of the flow channel can be provided with a third protrusion 123 on either side along the width direction of the flat tube 100 to reduce the process cost and material cost.

[0038] The number of the third protrusions 123 is smaller than that of the first protrusions 121 , which ensures the flow disturbance effect on the side of the flow channel inner wall 101 where the first protrusions 121 are provided, so as to ensure the heat exchange efficiency.

[0039] For further information, see Figure 5 The height of the first protrusion 121 is H1, and the height of the second protrusion 122 is H2, and H1 and H2 satisfy: H1 ≥ H2. Since the increase in height will make the first protrusion 121 or the second protrusion 122 have a stronger turbulence ability, a larger H1 can also make the medium close to the water tank side have better temperature uniformity.

[0040] Preferably, H1>H2=H3, thus ensuring the best heat exchange effect at the first inner wall.

[0041] It should be explained that the height of the first protrusion 121 refers to the height of the first protrusion 121 protruding from the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to it. For example: the inner wall of the flow channel inner wall 101 close to the water tank is defined as the base surface, and the height H1 of the first protrusion 121 is the distance between the end of the first protrusion 121 away from the base surface and the base surface. Similarly, the height H2 of the second protrusion 122 is the distance between the end of the second protrusion 122 close to the water tank and the side of the flow channel inner wall 101 away from the water tank.

[0042] In this embodiment, the first protrusion 121 and the second protrusion 122 are arranged opposite to each other to facilitate processing. In other embodiments, the first protrusion 121 and the second protrusion 122 can also be arranged alternately to further increase the disturbance of the heat exchange medium and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

[0043] See also Figure 4-Figure 5 , the height of the third protrusion 123 is H3, H1 and H3 satisfy: H1 ≥ H3. In this way, the effect brought by the height of the third protrusion 123 being less than the first protrusion 121 is similar to the setting of the quantity above, because the increase in height will make the first protrusion 121 or the second protrusion 122 have a stronger turbulence ability, so a larger H1 can also make the medium close to the water tank side have better temperature uniformity.

[0044] Furthermore, the direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube 100 is the thickness direction. Along the thickness direction of the flat tube 100, the height of the flow channel 10 is H4, and the height of the first protrusion 121 is H1. H1 and H4 satisfy 0.6H4≥H1≥0.1H4. The thickness direction of the flat tube 100 has been explained above and will not be repeated here. The height of the first protrusion 121 is reasonably set, which can prevent the first protrusion 121 from being too high and affecting the normal flow of the medium in the flow channel 10, and from being too high and causing processing difficulties. When the second protrusion 122 and the third protrusion 123 are set on each side wall of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel, it will also be easy to interfere. At the same time, it also prevents the first protrusion 121 from being too short and unable to play the desired spoiler effect.

[0045] Exemplarily, in this embodiment, H1 is set to 0.1H4, 0.2H4, 0.3H4, 0.4H4, 0.5H4 or 0.6H4, etc., and is not limited to the two endpoint values ​​of the above-mentioned proportional coefficient of 0.1 or 0.6, as long as the above-mentioned technical effect can be achieved.

[0046] In addition, a heat insulating layer is provided on one side of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to the outer side of the flat tube 100, and / or a heat insulating layer is provided on the outer side of the flat tube 100. In this way, the heat insulating layer can prevent the heat in the flow channel 10 from being dissipated in a direction away from the water tank, thereby preventing the temperature of the medium from decreasing and affecting the heat exchange between the flat tube 100 and the water tank. Whether a heat insulating layer is provided on the inner wall 101 of the flow channel close to the outer side of the flat tube 100 or a heat insulating layer is provided on the outer side of the flat tube 100, it can reduce the heat overflow.

[0047] Preferably, a heat insulation layer is provided on both the inner wall 101 of the flow channel and the outer side of the flat tube 100 to improve the heat preservation effect of the flat tube 100. In other embodiments, a heat insulation layer may be provided on only one of the inner wall 101 of the flow channel or the outer side of the flat tube 100 to reduce production costs.

[0048] In addition, one of the edges of the outer side and the inner side of the flat tube is chamfered, while the other is not chamfered, so that it is convenient for the installer to identify and avoid mistakes during installation, thereby playing a fool-proof effect and reducing the difficulty of assembly.

[0049] Preferably, the outer edge of the flat tube 100 is chamfered to prevent the outer side of the flat tube 100 from being damaged due to stress concentration during bending and deformation, while increasing the inner area of ​​the flat tube 100 and improving the heat conduction of the flat tube.

[0050] The utility model also provides a heat exchanger, comprising a first header, a second header, and the flat tube 100 as described above, wherein the first header and the second header are arranged at intervals, a plurality of flat tubes 100 are provided, and the plurality of flat tubes 100 are arranged in parallel at intervals, one end of each flat tube is connected to the first header, and the other end is connected to the second header. The heat exchange medium in the first header and the second header can flow into the flat tube 100.

[0051] The utility model further provides a water heater, comprising the heat exchanger and a water tank as described above, wherein the flat tubes 100 in the heat exchanger are bent and attached to the outer peripheral side of the water tank.

[0052] Compared with the prior art, the utility model sets a protrusion 12 in the flow channel 10 in the flat tube 100, and uses the protrusion 12 to enhance the structural strength of the flat tube 100, improve durability, optimize the turbulence effect, make the temperature of the medium uniform, improve the heat exchange efficiency between the flat tube 100 and the water tank, and increase the heat insulation layer to reduce the heat spillover of the medium in the flow channel 10, and improve the thermal insulation effect of the flat tube 100. The first protrusion 121, the second protrusion 122 and the third protrusion 123 in the flow channel 10 are reasonably set, and the processing of the protrusion 12 and the turbulence effect are optimized.

[0053] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the utility model, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this field, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the utility model, and these all belong to the protection scope of the utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of the utility model patent shall be based on the attached claims.

Claims

1. A flat tube, used in a heat exchanger, wherein the side of the flat tube close to the center of the circle after being bent is the inner side, and the side of the flat tube away from the center of the circle is the outer side; It is characterized in that A plurality of flow channels (10) are provided in the flat tube, and the plurality of flow channels (10) are extended along the length direction of the flat tube, the thickness of the inner side of the flow channel is smaller than the thickness of the outer side of the flow channel, the inner wall of the flat tube forming the flow channel (10) is the flow channel inner wall (101), and at least a first inner side wall of the flow channel inner wall (101) close to the inner side of the flat tube is provided with a protrusion (12), and the protrusion protrudes along the length direction of the flat tube and is connected to the flow channel inner wall (101).

2. The flat tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: A direction from the inner wall (101) of the flow channel to the center of the flow channel (10) is defined as a first direction, and a width of the protrusion (12) gradually decreases in the first direction.

3. The flat tube according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first inner side wall is provided with a plurality of first protrusions (121), and the plurality of first protrusions (121) are arranged at intervals.

4. The flat tube according to claim 3, characterized in that: The direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube is the thickness direction, the flow channel inner wall (101) has a second inner wall relative to the first inner wall along the thickness direction of the flat tube and close to the outer side of the flat tube, the second inner wall is provided with at least one second protrusion (122), and the number of the first protrusions (121) is greater than the number of the second protrusions (122); and or, a plurality of the flow channels (10) are evenly spaced along the width direction of the flat tube, and along the width direction of the flat tube, a side surface of the flow channel inner wall (101) is provided with third protrusions (123), and the number of the third protrusions (123) is less than the number of the first protrusions (121).

5. The flat tube according to claim 4, characterized in that: The height of the first protrusion (121) is H1, the height of the second protrusion (122) is H2, H1 and H2 satisfy: H1≥H2, and / or the height of the first protrusion (121) is H1, the height of the third protrusion (123) is H3, H1 and H3 satisfy: H1≥H3.

6. The flat tube according to claim 3, characterized in that: The direction from the inside to the outside of the flat tube is the thickness direction. Along the thickness direction of the flat tube, the height of the flow channel (10) is H4, the height of the first protrusion (121) is H1, and H1 and H4 satisfy 0.6H4≥H1≥0.1H4.

7. The flat tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: The edge of one of the outer side and the inner side of the flat tube is chamfered, while the other one is not chamfered.

8. The flat tube according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat insulation layer is provided on one side wall of the inner wall (101) of the flow channel close to the outer side of the flat tube; and / or a heat insulation layer is provided on the outer side of the flat tube.

9. A heat exchanger, characterized in that: The heat exchanger includes a first header, a second header, and a flat tube according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first header and the second header are arranged at intervals, a plurality of the flat tubes are provided, and the plurality of flat tubes are arranged at intervals and in parallel, and one end of each of the flat tubes is connected to the first header, and the other end is connected to the second header.

10. A water heater, characterized in that: The water heater comprises the heat exchanger as claimed in claim 9 and a water tank, wherein the flat tubes of the heat exchanger are bent, fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral side of the water tank.

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