An evaporative air cooler that slows down scaling and prevents corrosion

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of air cooler technology, specifically disclosing an evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties, comprising: a shell; an air inlet zone and an air outlet zone respectively provided at the top of the shell, and a cavity provided inside the shell extending from the air inlet zone to the air outlet zone; a spray zone and a wet heat exchange zone sequentially located below the air inlet zone and within the cavity; and a dry heat exchange zone located below the air outlet zone; the wet heat exchange zone and the dry heat exchange zone are respectively provided with a wet heat exchange body and a dry heat exchange body, the dry heat exchange body and the wet heat exchange zone being connected in series, and the heat exchange medium flowing along the dry heat exchange body to the wet heat exchange zone; the spray zone sprays soft water onto the surface of the wet heat exchange zone, solving the problems of space waste, rapid scale formation rate, and high water consumption in traditional evaporative air coolers.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of air cooler technology, and specifically discloses an evaporative air cooler that slows down scaling and prevents corrosion. Background Technology

[0002] Evaporative air coolers are heat exchange devices that cool the medium through air temperature rise and partial evaporation of spray water. They are characterized by high heat exchange efficiency, compact structure, and small footprint. Currently, mainstream evaporative air coolers are designed and manufactured primarily with a tubular structure, using bare tube bundles as the heat exchange device. The tube bundles are arranged in a staggered configuration, creating either a unidirectional or counter-directional airflow structure. During the heat exchange process, the medium being cooled / condensed flows horizontally inside the tube bundle, while the spray water and air flow vertically outside the tube bundle. After heat exchange is completed, the hot medium is cooled / condensed, and the spray water and air are heated, with some of the spray water evaporating.

[0003] Existing evaporative air coolers with a co-directional airflow and water flow design typically leave the area below the air outlet unused, serving solely as a dedicated cavity for airflow discharge, to prevent secondary entrainment of air with sprayed water during the exhaust process and to ensure smooth airflow exit. While this simplifies airflow organization to some extent, it also results in ineffective utilization of the overall vertical space of the equipment, failing to further reduce the equipment's footprint or expand the space for heat exchange units. Furthermore, the air discharged from the outlet still carries a certain amount of humidity and enthalpy difference, and its inherent heat exchange potential is wasted because it does not form effective contact with other heat exchange components, thus failing to fully exploit the overall heat exchange efficiency of the equipment.

[0004] Furthermore, existing equipment generally adopts a single heat exchange mode where "high-temperature process media directly enters the wet heat exchange zone." Because the initial temperature of the medium to be cooled / condensed is high, it maintains a high temperature level on the tube bundle wall after entering, leading to a significantly accelerated evaporation rate of the spray water film on the wall. On the one hand, this directly increases the water replenishment demand of the circulating water system, raising the equipment's water consumption costs. On the other hand, the rapid evaporation of water causes dissolved calcium, magnesium, and other mineral ions to rapidly concentrate on the tube bundle wall, accelerating the nucleation and growth of scale. Scale adhesion not only increases heat transfer resistance and reduces heat exchange efficiency but also forms oxygen concentration cells between the scale and the tube wall, exacerbating localized corrosion of the tube bundle wall, shortening the equipment's service life, and increasing the maintenance costs and downtime for subsequent acid washing and descaling.

[0005] It is evident that current evaporative air coolers still have technical shortcomings in the synergistic optimization of structural space utilization, heat exchange potential exploitation, and scaling and corrosion control. In view of this, this utility model provides an evaporative air cooler that slows down scaling and prevents corrosion, in order to solve the above problems. Utility Model Content

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of wasted space, rapid scale formation, and high water consumption in traditional evaporative air coolers.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the basic solution of this utility model provides an evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties, comprising: case; The housing has an air inlet area and an air outlet area at the top, and the housing has a cavity extending from the air inlet area to the air outlet area. The spray zone and the wet heat exchange zone are located sequentially below the air inlet zone and within the cavity; The dry heat exchange zone is located below the air outlet zone; The wet heat exchange zone and the dry heat exchange zone are respectively provided with a wet heat exchange body and a dry heat exchange body. The dry heat exchange body and the wet heat exchange zone are connected in series. The heat exchange medium flows from the dry heat exchange body to the wet heat exchange zone. The spray zone sprays soft water onto the surface of the wet heat exchange zone.

[0008] Furthermore, the dry heat exchange zone includes several dry heat exchange units, each of which includes a finned heat exchange tube bundle, an inlet tube box and an outlet tube box that are respectively connected to both ends of the heat exchange tube bundle, and an inlet flange and an outlet flange respectively provided on the inlet tube box and the outlet tube box.

[0009] Furthermore, it also includes an auxiliary heat exchange zone and a water storage zone arranged sequentially below the wet heat exchange zone, in order to reduce the temperature of the liquid cooling medium after heat exchange and to recover the liquid cooling medium.

[0010] Furthermore, the auxiliary heat exchange zone can be any one of packing rack heat exchange, bubble heat exchange, or air heat exchange.

[0011] Furthermore, a spraying device is provided in the spraying area, which includes a spray water transport pipe located above the wet heat exchanger body and several nozzles located on the spray water transport pipe. The water storage area includes a water tank located below the auxiliary heat exchange area and a water pump located between the water tank and the spray device.

[0012] Furthermore, both the auxiliary heat exchange zone near the air outlet zone and the cavity near the air outlet zone are equipped with water collectors to intercept the liquid cooling medium in the humid air after heat exchange.

[0013] Furthermore, the wet heat exchanger body is a tubular heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger.

[0014] Furthermore, the dry heat exchanger body is located inside or above the cavity.

[0015] Furthermore, when the dry heat exchanger body is located above the cavity, the condensing medium flows in the opposite direction to the air within the dry heat exchanger body; When the dry heat exchanger body is located inside the cavity, the condensing medium flows in the same direction as the air inside the dry heat exchanger body.

[0016] Furthermore, the air outlet area corresponds one-to-one with the air inlet area, and the air inlet area and the air outlet area are respectively located on both sides of the housing; Alternatively, the air inlet area may be a plurality of zones arranged symmetrically along the air outlet area.

[0017] The principle and effect of this solution are as follows: Compared to traditional evaporative air coolers, this invention adds a dry heat exchanger body below the air outlet area, effectively utilizing idle space and greatly enhancing the heat exchange capacity of the equipment while maintaining its volume.

[0018] This invention addresses the problem of high water consumption and scale formation caused by the direct flow of the high-temperature cooling / condensing medium through the wet heat exchanger in evaporative air coolers with a co-current air-water structure. The dry heat exchanger first pre-cools the medium, and then the wet heat exchanger further cools it to the target temperature. This reduces the temperature difference and heat load in the wet heat exchange zone, decreases water evaporation, and thus slows down the rate of scale formation.

[0019] To address the issue of accelerated scale formation as spray water temperature increases, this invention utilizes a packing rack in the auxiliary heat exchange zone to ensure the equipment's heat exchange capacity. On one hand, some scale adheres to the packing, reducing the content of scale-forming compounds in the spray water and thus decreasing the scale formation rate on the wet heat exchanger body. On the other hand, secondary heat exchange occurs through contact between air and spray water, lowering the spray water temperature and increasing the average logarithmic temperature difference during heat exchange. The scaled packing rack can be removed for cleaning or replacement at any time.

[0020] To address the problem of difficult scale removal after scaling in evaporative air coolers, this utility model offers the following solution: The wet heat exchanger body adopts a modular design with multiple tubular or plate heat exchange units. If the equipment needs to be disassembled, one or more tubular or plate heat exchange units can be shut down before being removed, facilitating cleaning and maintenance, avoiding downtime for the entire unit, and further ensuring the equipment's online operating time and heat exchange efficiency.

[0021] This invention, based on the different heat exchange performance requirements of the cooled / condensed medium and the different flow rate requirements of the cooled / condensed medium, adopts structures such as air inlet zones and dry heat exchange zones at different locations, thereby reducing the space occupied by the corresponding equipment, achieving energy-saving effects and slowing down scaling and preventing corrosion for different needs, and expanding the potential market capacity and application boundaries. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to Embodiment 1 of this application is shown; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to Embodiment 2 of this application is shown; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to Embodiment 3 of this application is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an evaporative air cooler with slow scaling and corrosion prevention according to Embodiment 4 of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To further illustrate the technical means and effects adopted by this utility model in order to achieve the intended utility model purpose, the following detailed description of the specific implementation methods, structure, features and effects of this utility model is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0025] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings include: 1. Spray device; 2. Wet heat exchanger body; 3. Packing frame; 4. Air inlet louver; 5. Water tank; 6. First water collector; 7. Support; 8. Water pump; 9. Fan motor; 10. Fan blade; 11. Air duct; 12. Dry heat exchanger body; 13. Second water collector; 14. Air inlet zone a; 5. Spray zone b; 6. Wet heat exchanger zone c; 7. Auxiliary heat exchanger zone d; 8. Water storage zone e; 9. Air outlet zone f; 10. Dry heat exchanger zone g.

[0026] An evaporative air cooler with slow scaling and corrosion prevention, as described in Example 1. Figure 1 As shown: It includes a shell, an air inlet zone (a), a spray zone (b), a wet heat exchange zone (c), an auxiliary heat exchange zone (d), a water storage zone (e), an air outlet zone (f), and a dry heat exchange zone (g), all located on the shell. Details are as follows: Air intake zone a: Air intake zone a is symmetrically located on both sides of the top of the shell, including air intake grilles and walkways on the surface of the shell. Baffles are provided at the perimeter edges of air intake zone a. Both the air intake grilles and walkways have through holes with a diamond or rectangular cross-section. The air intake grilles and walkways are each composed of several identical components, which can be flexibly disassembled and installed during equipment cleaning and maintenance. Air enters the interior of the shell through the through holes in the air intake grilles and walkways. The air intake grilles mainly block leaves or other large-area materials in the incoming air, and workers can stand on the walkways to directly remove the materials blocked by the air intake grilles.

[0027] Spraying zone b: Located on both sides of the shell and directly above the wet heat exchange zone c. Spraying zone c is equipped with a spraying device 1. The spraying device 1 includes a spraying water transport pipe and several nozzles installed on the spraying water transport pipe. The spraying water transport pipe serves as a transport component for spraying water, and a water pump 8 is installed on it to provide spraying water for the equipment during operation.

[0028] Wet heat exchange zone c: Wet heat exchange zone c is equipped with a wet heat exchange body 2. The wet heat exchange body 2 is located at the middle height position on both sides of the equipment body. The wet heat exchange body 2 adopts tube heat exchange or plate heat exchange. In the case of tubular heat exchange, the wet heat exchange body 2 includes several tubular heat exchange units. Each tubular heat exchange unit includes a heat exchange tube located below the spray zone b, an inlet tube box and an outlet tube box connected to both ends of the heat exchange tube, and an inlet flange and an outlet flange respectively installed on the inlet tube box and the outlet tube box. The inlet flange and the outlet flange are connected to the medium inlet and outlet pipelines through flexible connections. A baffle plate is provided between adjacent tubular heat exchange units. In the case of plate heat exchange, the wet heat exchange body 2 includes several plate heat exchange units. Each plate heat exchange unit includes a heat exchange plate bundle located below the spray zone b, an inlet tube box and an outlet tube box connected to both ends of the heat exchange plate bundle, and an inlet flange and an outlet flange respectively installed on the inlet tube box and the outlet tube box. The inlet flange and the outlet flange are connected to the medium inlet and outlet pipelines through flexible connections. A baffle plate is provided between adjacent plate heat exchange units.

[0029] The wet heat exchanger unit 2 is the site for heat exchange between hot and cold media. The heat exchanger unit carries the heat medium, while spray water and air flow outside. Some of the spray water evaporates and absorbs heat, thus fulfilling the requirements of heat medium condensation and spray water concentration. Specifically, the heat exchange tubes or heat exchange plate bundles form a heat medium flow channel internally, and a spray water-air flow channel is formed between the heat exchange tubes or heat exchange plate bundles. Heat exchange between the heat medium and the spray water-air is completed here, the heat medium is condensed, and some of the spray water evaporates and enters the atmosphere with the air. At the same time, the wet heat exchanger unit 2 is modular, and the operation and isolation of the equipment can be controlled by opening and closing valves during operation, which is conducive to cleaning and maintenance of the equipment.

[0030] Auxiliary heat exchange zone d: Located directly below the wet heat exchange zone c, auxiliary heat exchange zone d employs any one of the following heat exchange methods: packing frame 3, bubbling heat exchange, or air heat exchange. A first water collector 6 is installed at the junction of auxiliary heat exchange zone d and air outlet zone f. An air inlet louver 4 is installed on the shell corresponding to auxiliary heat exchange zone d, and a grille to block foreign objects is installed inside the air inlet louver 4. When using packing frame 3 for heat exchange, an additional packing frame 3 is installed in auxiliary heat exchange zone d. The packing frame 3 increases the contact area between air and spray water, and introduces air to cause some of the spray water to evaporate again, reducing the temperature of the spray water. Furthermore, the packing frame 3 can be removed for direct physical descaling or directly replaced after scaling.

[0031] Water storage area e: Located directly below auxiliary heat exchange area d, water storage area e includes a water tank 5 arranged below auxiliary heat exchange area d, and a water pump 8 located outside the shell and connected to the water tank 5 via a pipe. The water tank 5 is used to temporarily store the remaining spray water, and its surface is also equipped with a water inlet, an overflow outlet, and a drain outlet, used to replenish spray water, control the water level in the water tank 5, and promptly remove spray water with a certain ion concentration, respectively. The water pump 8 is installed outside the water tank 5 and is used to deliver the spray water in the water tank 5 to the spray water transport pipeline.

[0032] Air outlet zone f includes a duct 11 located in the middle of the top surface of the casing, a fan 9 installed beside the duct 11, and fan blades 10 located inside the duct 11 and driven by the fan. A cavity is formed inside the casing that connects the air inlet zone a and the air outlet zone f; the duct 11 guides air upwards; the fan 9 promotes air circulation; a second water collector 13 is installed inside the cavity, which blocks small water droplets in the humid air after heat exchange, thus achieving dehumidification of the humid air.

[0033] Dry heat exchange zone g: A dry heat exchange body 12 is added below the air outlet zone f, effectively utilizing idle space and greatly enhancing the heat exchange capacity of the equipment while maintaining volume. The dry heat exchange body 12 includes several dry heat exchange units. Each dry heat exchange unit includes a finned heat exchange tube bundle, an inlet tube box and an outlet tube box connected to both ends of the heat exchange tube bundle, and inlet flanges and outlet flanges respectively installed on the inlet and outlet tube boxes. The dry heat exchange body 12 is connected in series with the wet heat exchange body 2. The upper inlet of the wet heat exchange body 2 is connected in series with the outlet of the dry heat exchange unit 12. The condensable medium first enters from the inlet of the dry heat exchange unit 12, flows out from the outlet of the dry heat exchange unit 12, and then enters the wet heat exchange body 2. The dry heat exchange body 12 first performs preliminary cooling on the condensable medium, and then the wet heat exchange body 2 further cools it to the target temperature. This reduces the temperature difference and heat load of the wet heat exchange zone c, reduces water evaporation, and thus slows down the rate of scale precipitation.

[0034] The dry heat exchanger body 12 is located above the cavity between the air inlet zone a and the air outlet zone f, and the condensing medium flows in the opposite direction to the air in the dry heat exchanger body 12, which makes the gas flow path in the cavity longer and the heat exchange potential greater, and can be applied to heat exchange where the condensing medium needs to be condensed.

[0035] In this embodiment, soft water is used as spray water, serving as the cold source for the spray water evaporative air cooler, while the medium to be condensed acts as the heat source. The spray water forms a continuous and uniform water film on the outer surface of the wet heat exchanger body 2. The fan 10 introduces fresh air, some of which flows between the formed water film and in the same direction as the spray water. The heat exchange medium inside the wet heat exchanger body 2 undergoes cross-flow heat exchange, cooling or condensing the medium within the body. Meanwhile, the spray water outside the wet heat exchanger body 2 evaporates, and the air heats up, thus completing the heat exchange. After heat exchange, the spray water enters the packing material and comes into full contact with the air for further heat exchange, lowering the spray water temperature. Simultaneously, some compounds precipitate, reducing scaling on the wet heat exchanger body 2. The heated air flows along the cavity and, after being dehumidified by the second water collector 13, comes into contact with the dry heat exchanger body 12, providing initial cooling to the heat source flowing within the dry heat exchanger body 12.

[0036] This embodiment reduces the thermal stress in the wet heat exchange zone c by using a dry-wet series heat exchange, thus slowing down the rate of scale formation. Furthermore, the combined dry-wet heat exchange mode significantly reduces the cooling load dependent on evaporation, resulting in substantial water savings. The dry-wet heat exchange series also achieves gradient cooling of the heat medium, improving overall heat exchange efficiency while reducing the energy consumption of the fan 9 and water pump 8. By reducing water consumption and scale formation, it also reduces wastewater discharge and the use of chemical cleaning agents, meeting green manufacturing requirements. Therefore, this embodiment effectively solves the problems of wasted space, rapid scale formation, and high water consumption inherent in traditional evaporative air coolers.

[0037] Example 2 Figure 2 As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 is that the dry heat exchanger body 12 is located inside the cavity, and the condensate flows in the same direction as the air within the dry heat exchanger body 12, which is suitable for heat exchange of the medium that needs to be cooled. Compared with Embodiment 1, Embodiment 2 effectively reduces the overall height of the equipment, which is not only more advantageous in terms of space utilization; but also has a shorter gas flow path within the cavity, resulting in lower fan energy consumption and achieving a more energy-efficient effect; and the use of a co-current air-water heat exchange path reduces local hot spots and dry spots, which can more effectively achieve the purpose of slowing down scaling and preventing corrosion.

[0038] Examples 3 and 4 are respectively as follows Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the difference between this embodiment and Embodiments 1 and 2 is that the air inlet zone a, spray zone b, wet heat exchange zone c, auxiliary heat exchange zone d, and water storage zone e are only one side of a set with a shell, while the air outlet zone f and dry heat exchange zone g are located on the other side of the shell, meaning that the air outlet zone a corresponds one-to-one with the air inlet zone f. Compared to Embodiments 1 and 2, Embodiments 3 and 4 have smaller overall dimensions and require less airflow, allowing for the use of lower-energy-consumption fans; furthermore, the entire equipment is skid-mounted, with a compact structure and stable connections, greatly reducing on-site installation workload, time, and costs, and facilitating subsequent relocation and movement.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any way. Although the present utility model has been disclosed above with reference to a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any person skilled in the art can make some modifications or alterations to the above-disclosed technical content to create equivalent embodiments without departing from the scope of the present utility model. Any indirect modifications, equivalent changes, and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model without departing from the scope of the present utility model shall still fall within the scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A scale-inhibiting and corrosion-preventing evaporative air cooler, characterized by, include: case; The housing has an air inlet area and an air outlet area at the top, and the housing has a cavity extending from the air inlet area to the air outlet area. The spray zone and the wet heat exchange zone are located sequentially below the air inlet zone and within the cavity; The dry heat exchange zone is located below the air outlet zone; The wet heat exchange zone and the dry heat exchange zone are respectively provided with a wet heat exchange body and a dry heat exchange body. The dry heat exchange body and the wet heat exchange zone are connected in series. The heat exchange medium flows from the dry heat exchange body to the wet heat exchange zone. The spray zone sprays soft water onto the surface of the wet heat exchange zone.

2. The evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dry heat exchange zone includes several dry heat exchange units. Each dry heat exchange unit includes a finned heat exchange tube bundle, an inlet tube box and an outlet tube box that are respectively connected to both ends of the heat exchange tube bundle, and an inlet flange and an outlet flange respectively installed on the inlet tube box and the outlet tube box.

3. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes an auxiliary heat exchange zone and a water storage zone located sequentially below the wet heat exchange zone, in order to reduce the temperature of the liquid cooling medium after heat exchange and to recover the liquid cooling medium.

4. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 3, characterized in that, The auxiliary heat exchange zone can be any one of packing rack heat exchange, bubbling heat exchange, or air heat exchange.

5. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The spraying area is equipped with a spraying device, which includes a spray water transport pipe located above the wet heat exchanger body and several nozzles located on the spray water transport pipe. The water storage area includes a water tank located below the auxiliary heat exchange area and a water pump located between the water tank and the spray device.

6. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the auxiliary heat exchange zone near the air outlet zone and the cavity near the air outlet zone are equipped with water collectors to intercept the liquid cooling medium in the humid air after heat exchange.

7. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 1, characterized in that, The wet heat exchanger body is either a tubular heat exchanger or a plate heat exchanger.

8. An evaporative air cooler with slow scaling and corrosion prevention according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The dry heat exchanger body is located inside or above the cavity.

9. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the dry heat exchanger body is located above the cavity, the condensing medium flows in the opposite direction to the air inside the dry heat exchanger body; When the dry heat exchanger body is located inside the cavity, the condensing medium flows in the same direction as the air inside the dry heat exchanger body.

10. An evaporative air cooler with anti-scaling and anti-corrosion properties according to claim 9, characterized in that, The air outlet area corresponds one-to-one with the air inlet area; Alternatively, the air inlet area may be a plurality of zones arranged symmetrically along the air outlet area.

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