A heat exchanger

Abstract

The application relates to a heat exchanger, which comprises two collecting headers oppositely arranged, at least one heat exchange pipe arranged between the two collecting headers, an inner cavity of the heat exchange pipe being communicated with an inner cavity of the collecting header, at least one fin arranged between at least two adjacent heat exchange pipes, an end portion of the fin and the collecting header having a gap, a structural member having at least one opening, the heat exchange pipe being inserted into the opening, the structural member further having at least one abutting portion protruding from the structural member and arranged in the gap. The heat exchanger of the application comprises the structural member arranged in the gap between the end portion of the fin and the collecting header through the abutting portion, which can reduce air leakage of the heat exchanger, avoid direct contact between the fin and the connecting portion of the heat exchange pipe and the collecting header, and improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger. The structural member is sleeved on the heat exchange pipe through the opening, so that the structural member can be firmly mounted on the heat exchanger.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Existing heat exchangers use brazing to weld the manifold, heat exchange tubes, and fins. If the fins and manifold are in close contact before brazing, the filler metal on the manifold will melt and flow onto the fins during the brazing process, causing fin erosion and damaging the fins. Therefore, in conventional heat exchange tube design, a gap is usually reserved between the fins and the manifold to solve the fin erosion problem.

[0003] However, the existence of these gaps causes the air blown out by the fan to flow away from the gaps when the heat exchanger is working, reducing the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger. Utility Model Content

[0004] This application provides a heat exchanger that can effectively improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0005] This application provides a heat exchanger, comprising: two manifolds arranged opposite to each other; at least one heat exchange tube disposed between the two manifolds, the inner cavity of the heat exchange tube communicating with the inner cavity of the manifolds; at least one fin disposed between at least two adjacent heat exchange tubes, with a gap between the end of the fin and the manifold; and a structural member having at least one opening into which the heat exchange tube is inserted, and the structural member also having at least one abutment portion protruding from the structural member and disposed within the gap.

[0006] As can be seen from the above technical solutions, the heat exchanger of this application includes a structural component with an opening and a contact portion. The structural component is positioned within the gap between the end of the fins and the manifold through the contact portion, which reduces air leakage in the heat exchanger while preventing the fins from directly contacting the connection between the heat exchange tube and the manifold, thereby improving the heat exchanger's heat exchange efficiency. Furthermore, the structural component is fitted onto the heat exchange tube through the opening, ensuring a secure installation on the heat exchanger and preventing it from easily falling off, thus improving the stability of the structural component and extending its service life.

[0007] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0008] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0009] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a section III;

[0010] Figure 3 A top view of a structural component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 4 A rear view of a structural component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0012] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the abutment portion provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0014] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A magnified view of part I in the middle;

[0015] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of another heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0016] Figure 9 for Figure 8 A magnified view of a section II;

[0017] Figure 10 A front view of another structural component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0018] Figure 11 A top view of another structural component provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0019] Figure 12 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of another structural component provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0020] Figure label:

[0021] 1-Manifold;

[0022] 2-Heat exchange tubes;

[0023] 3-Fin;

[0024] 4-Structural components;

[0025] 41-Opening;

[0026] 42-butt part;

[0027] 42a - First surface; 42b - Second surface;

[0028] 42A - First abutment part; 42B - Second abutment part;

[0029] 421 - Substrate; 422 - First support plate; 423 - Second support plate;

[0030] 43-Baffle;

[0031] 44-Connecting plate.

[0032] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To better understand the technical solution of this application, the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] It should be understood that the described embodiments are only a part of the technical solutions of this application, and not all of them. All other technical solutions obtained by those skilled in the art based on the technical solutions of this application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0035] The terminology used in the embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. The singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in the embodiments of this application and the appended claims are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0036] It should be understood that the term "and / or" used in this article is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this article generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0037] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" described in the embodiments of this application are used to describe the angles shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application. Furthermore, in the context, it should be understood that when it is mentioned that an element is connected "upper" or "lower" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower," or indirectly connected to the other element "upper" or "lower" through an intermediate element.

[0038] This application provides a heat exchanger, which includes two manifolds, at least one heat exchange tube, at least one fin, and a structural component. The two manifolds are arranged opposite to each other, and the heat exchange tube, fin, and structural component are all disposed between the two manifolds. There is a gap between the end of the fin and the manifold, and the structural component is at least partially disposed within the gap.

[0039] It should be noted that the term "at least part" in the phrase "the structural component is at least partially disposed within the aforementioned gap" should be interpreted broadly. That is, the structural component may be completely located within the aforementioned gap, or it may be located only partially within the aforementioned gap while the other part extends beyond the aforementioned gap. This application does not make any specific limitation in this regard.

[0040] Specifically, there is at least one heat exchange tube, usually two or more. Both ends of the multiple heat exchange tubes are welded and fixed to two manifolds, so that the inner cavities of the multiple heat exchange tubes are connected to the inner cavities of the two manifolds. This serves to fix the heat exchange tubes and also allows for the flow of fluid within the heat exchanger. One of the two manifolds is an inlet pipe, and the other is an outlet pipe, ensuring sufficient heat exchange between the refrigerant inside the heat exchanger and the external gas.

[0041] The heat exchanger has at least one fin, usually two or more. Each fin is positioned between two adjacent heat exchange tubes and welded to them to enhance the heat exchanger's performance. The fins offer good and stable heat transfer performance, and the resistance to airflow through them is low. As the fluid flows through the heat exchange tubes, heat is transferred through the fins to the air passing between them, achieving both heating and cooling of the air.

[0042] The structural component includes at least one opening and at least one abutment. The number of openings corresponds to the number of heat exchange tubes and their positions are one-to-one. The number of abutments corresponds to the number of fins and their positions are one-to-one. The heat exchange tubes are inserted into the openings, which allows the structural component to be firmly installed on the heat exchanger, preventing it from easily falling off and improving the installation stability of the structural component, thereby extending its service life. The abutment is located in the gap between the fin end and the manifold, which can prevent the fins from directly contacting the connection between the heat exchange tube and the manifold. This not only prevents the brazing filler metal on the manifold from melting and flowing onto the fins, thus preventing the fins from being eroded, but also prevents the air blown by the fan from flowing away through the gap when the heat exchanger is working, increasing the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat exchanger and thus improving the heat exchange efficiency.

[0043] The heat exchanger of this application comprises three steps in its assembly process: component preparation, assembly, and brazing. After preparing each component, the positions of two manifolds are fixed, and multiple fins are assembled into a fin group. The fin group has multiple tube holes, and multiple heat exchange tubes are inserted into these tube holes. The ends of the heat exchange tubes are then inserted into the openings of the structural component, bringing the structural component into contact with the fins, thus obtaining a machined component. Each heat exchange tube in the machined component is then inserted into the corresponding hole in the manifold, ensuring that the abutting portion of the structural component contacts the manifold, resulting in an assembled component. The assembled component is then brazed using flux. At the high temperature of brazing, the molten brazing filler metal evenly fills the minute gaps between the heat exchange tubes and fins, between the heat exchange tubes and manifolds, between the manifolds and the structural component, and between the structural component and the fins. After cooling, the heat exchanger of this application is obtained. In the assembly process of the heat exchanger of this application, the structural component directly contacts the fins and also contacts the manifolds, simplifying the assembly of the heat exchanger.

[0044] In some embodiments, the brazing filler metal is a 4-series aluminum material, which is a silicon-aluminum alloy with silicon as the main alloying element.

[0045] In some implementations, the manifold is a cylindrical structure made of metal.

[0046] In some implementations, the heat exchange tube is a round or flat tube made of metal.

[0047] In some embodiments, the fins are sheet-like structures made of metal, and the fins include at least one of straight fins, corrugated fins, windowed fins, and studded fins.

[0048] In some implementations, at least one of the manifolds, heat exchange tubes, and fins is typically made of 3-series aluminum.

[0049] In some embodiments, the structural components are made of metallic materials, preferably high-melting-point metallic materials, such as any one of 1-series aluminum alloys, 3-series aluminum alloys, 5-series aluminum alloys, 6-series aluminum alloys, and stainless steel. Specifically, 1-series aluminum alloys are pure aluminum materials with industrially pure aluminum as the main component, and the aluminum content is usually above 99.0%. 3-series aluminum alloys are manganese-aluminum alloy materials with manganese as the main alloying element, and the manganese content is between 1.0% and 1.5%. 5-series aluminum alloys are magnesium-aluminum alloy materials with magnesium as the main alloying element, and the magnesium content is usually between 1% and 5%. 6-series aluminum alloys are magnesium-aluminum-silicon alloy materials with magnesium and silicon as the main alloying elements. It is understood that the melting point of the above-mentioned metallic materials is higher than the melting point of the brazing filler metal, to avoid the structural components being eroded by the brazing filler metal during brazing.

[0050] In some embodiments, the structural component is made of metal foil, which is low in cost and easy to process, significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger. Furthermore, metal foil is lightweight and does not significantly increase the weight of the heat exchanger.

[0051] In some implementations, the thickness of the structural member at any location is greater than or equal to 0.15 mm.

[0052] This application limits the material and thickness of the structural components, enabling the components to have a certain degree of plasticity and thickness, allowing them to be processed into specific shapes, and ensuring that they have a certain strength after processing and will not deform during use.

[0053] In some implementations, to improve the service life and corrosion resistance of the heat exchanger, a corrosion-resistant coating can be applied to the surface of at least one of the manifold, heat exchange tube, fins, and structural components to enhance the corrosion resistance of the heat exchanger.

[0054] In some embodiments, considering the need to increase the heat exchange area and heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger, the heat exchanger of this application is preferably a microchannel heat exchanger. It is understood that this application does not limit the type of heat exchanger; in other embodiments, the heat exchange tube includes one of the following: a circular tube finned heat exchanger, a shell-and-tube heat exchanger, or a finned microchannel heat exchanger.

[0055] Example 1

[0056] This application provides a heat exchanger. Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of part III, as shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the heat exchanger includes two manifolds 1, multiple heat exchange tubes 2, multiple fins 3, and structural components 4. The multiple heat exchange tubes 2 and multiple fins 3 are alternately arranged between the two manifolds 1, and at least part of the structural components 4 are arranged in the gap between the ends of the manifolds 1 and the fins 3.

[0057] Figure 3 This is a top view of a structural component provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 4 This is a rear view of a structural component provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figures 2-4As shown, structural component 4 includes multiple openings 41, multiple abutment portions 42, and baffles 43. The openings 41 and abutment portions 42 are alternately arranged on the baffles 43. The baffles 43 are positioned between the fins 3 and the manifold 1. The number of heat exchange tubes 2 is the same as the number of openings 41, and their positions correspond one-to-one. Multiple heat exchange tubes 2 are inserted into the multiple openings 41, ensuring that structural component 4 is securely mounted on the heat exchanger, preventing it from easily falling off, improving the stability of structural component 4, and thus extending its service life. The baffles 43 have a first side and a second side arranged opposite to each other. Abutment portions 42 protrude from the first side of the baffles 43 and are positioned within the gap between the manifold 1 and the end of the fins 3, contacting the manifold 1. The second side of the baffles 43 contacts the fins 3. The baffle 43 of this application can bring together the opening 41 and the contact portion 42 on the structural member 4 and contact the fins 3 and the manifold 1 respectively. This can prevent the fins 3 from directly contacting the connection between the heat exchange tube 2 and the manifold 1, prevent the brazing filler metal on the manifold 1 from melting and flowing onto the fins 3, and prevent the fins 3 from being eroded. It can also prevent the air blown by the fan from flowing away through the above-mentioned gap when the heat exchanger is working, thereby increasing the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat exchanger and thus improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0058] In some implementations, continue as Figure 3 As shown, the baffle 43 is a plate-shaped baffle 43. The plate-shaped baffle 43 occupies a small volume of the heat exchanger, thus avoiding the influence of the baffle 43 on the heat exchanger's heat exchange efficiency.

[0059] In some embodiments, the shape of the opening 41 includes, but is not limited to, rectangle, circle, and ellipse. The diameter of the opening 41 is larger than the outer diameter of the heat exchange tube 2, which facilitates the insertion of the heat exchange tube 2 into the opening 41.

[0060] In some embodiments, the shape of the contact portion 42 includes, but is not limited to, a sphere, a hemisphere, an ellipsoid, a cuboid, or other irregular shapes.

[0061] In some embodiments, the abutment portion 42 is an integral structure, while in other embodiments, the abutment portion 42 is a non-integral structure. For example, the abutment portion 42 can be a plurality of broken structures, or the abutment portion 42 includes a plurality of sub-abutment portions, which are at least partially connected to each other.

[0062] This application does not impose any restrictions on the shape of the contact portion 42, as long as the contact portion 42 can fill the gap between the manifold 1 and the fin 3.

[0063] In some embodiments, the length of the contact portion 42 along the first direction is greater than or equal to 1 mm, and the first direction is parallel to the length direction of the heat exchange tube 2. For example, the first direction is... Figure 4 In the Z-axis direction, the length of the contact portion 42 along the first direction is... Figure 3In this application, D1 is defined as being greater than or equal to 1 mm, which is used to maintain the distance between the manifold 1 and the fin 3, and to prevent the solder on the manifold 1 from melting and flowing onto the fin 3.

[0064] In some embodiments, the length of structural member 4 along the second direction is greater than the length of the heat exchanger core along the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the heat exchange tube 2 and the manifold 1. For example, the second direction is... Figure 4 In the Y direction, the length of structural component 4 along the second direction is... Figure 4 In the context of D2, the core of the heat exchanger refers to the integral structure formed by the manifold 1, the heat exchanger, and the fins 3. This application specifies that the length of the structural member 4 along the second direction is greater than the length of the heat exchanger core along the second direction. This ensures that the abutting portion 42 of the structural member 4 can adequately cover the gap between the end of the fins 3 and the manifold 1, preventing a large amount of gas from leaking out from the gap. This allows the gas to fully exchange heat with the fins 3, improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0065] In some implementations... Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the abutment portion provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 5 As shown, the abutment portion 42 has a first surface 42a and a second surface 42b that connect to each other. The first surface 42a surrounds the second surface 42b and is connected to the baffle 43. The second surface 42b contacts the manifold 1. This provides a large contact area between the abutment portion 42 and the manifold 1, which helps to improve the connection strength between the structural member 4 and the manifold 1. Preferably, the second surface 42b is a plane.

[0066] Example 2

[0067] This application provides a heat exchanger. Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of another heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 7 for Figure 1 A magnified view of part I. Figure 8 This is a front view of another heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 9 for Figure 8 A magnified view of part II, as shown below. Figures 6-9 As shown, the heat exchanger includes two manifolds 1, multiple heat exchange tubes 2, multiple fins 3, and structural components 4. The multiple heat exchange tubes 2 and multiple fins 3 are alternately arranged between the two manifolds 1, and at least part of the structural components 4 are arranged in the gap between the ends of the manifolds 1 and the fins 3.

[0068] Figure 10 This is a front view of another structural component provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 11 A top view of another structural component provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, structural component 4 includes an opening 41, an abutment portion 42, and a connecting plate 44. The abutment portion 42 includes a first abutment portion 42A and a second abutment portion 42B arranged adjacent to each other. The connecting plate 44 is disposed between the first abutment portion 42A and the second abutment portion 42B. The ends of the connecting plate 44 are fixedly connected to the ends of the first abutment portion 42A and the second abutment portion 42B, respectively. The first abutment portion 42A, the connecting plate 44, and the second abutment portion 42B surround and form the opening 41. The heat exchange tube 2 is sleeved in this opening 41, so that the structural component 4 is firmly installed on the heat exchanger and is not easy to fall off, thereby improving the stability of the structural component 4 and extending its service life. The contact part 42 is set in the gap between the manifold 1 and the fin 3. This not only prevents the fin 3 from directly contacting the connection between the heat exchange tube 2 and the manifold 1, and prevents the brazing filler metal on the manifold 1 from melting and flowing onto the fin 3, thus preventing the fin 3 from being eroded, but also prevents the air blown by the fan from flowing away through the gap when the heat exchanger is working, thereby increasing the heat dissipation area of ​​the heat exchanger and thus improving the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0069] It should be noted that this application has multiple adjacent first abutment portions 42A and second abutment portions 42B, that is, this application has multiple openings 41 and multiple abutment portions 42, and the first abutment portions 42A and the second abutment portions 42B have the same structure.

[0070] In some implementations... Figure 12 A three-dimensional structural diagram of another structural component provided in the embodiments of this application is shown below. Figure 12 As shown, the abutment portion 42 includes a base plate 421 and a first support plate 422 and a second support plate 423 located on the same side of the base plate 421. The first support plate 422, the base plate 421 and the second support plate 423 are arranged to form a groove structure. The groove structure has a certain volume and can fill the gap between the manifold 1 and the end of the fin 3 well. At the same time, the groove structure is lightweight and has a certain strength, which can improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger without significantly increasing the weight of the heat exchanger.

[0071] In some embodiments, the substrate 421 is in contact with the manifold 1, and the first support plate 422 and the second support plate 423 are in contact with the fins 3. In other embodiments, the substrate 421 is in contact with the fins 3, and the first support plate 422 and the second support plate 423 are in contact with the manifold 1.

[0072] It should be noted that, continuing as Figure 11 As shown, both the opening 41 and the contact portion 42 in this application are groove-shaped structures, and the opening direction of the opening 41 is opposite to the opening direction of the contact portion 42.

[0073] In some embodiments, the groove structure of the abutment portion 42 is any one of a straight structure, an arc structure, and a wavy structure. Of course, the abutment portion 42 can also be other shapes, and this application does not limit the shape of the abutment portion 42. It is understood that the groove structure of the abutment portion 42 affects the shape of the opening 41. When the groove structure of the abutment portion 42 is a wavy structure, the groove structure of the opening 41 is also a wavy structure.

[0074] In some embodiments, the length of the contact portion 42 along the first direction is greater than or equal to 1 mm, and the first direction is parallel to the length direction of the heat exchange tube 2. For example, the first direction is... Figure 10 In the Z-axis direction, the length of the contact portion 42 along the first direction is... Figure 10 In this application, D3 is defined as being greater than or equal to 1 mm, which is used to maintain the distance between the manifold 1 and the fin 3, and to prevent the solder on the manifold 1 from melting and flowing onto the fin 3.

[0075] In some embodiments, the length of structural member 4 along the second direction is greater than the length of the heat exchanger core along the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the heat exchange tube 2 and the manifold 1. The heat exchanger core refers to the integral structure formed by the manifold 1, the heat exchanger, the fins 3, and the side plate. For example, the second direction is... Figure 11 In the Y direction, the length of structural component 4 along the second direction is... Figure 11 In D4 of this application, the length of the structural member 4 along the second direction is greater than the length of the heat exchanger core along the second direction, so as to ensure that the abutting part 42 of the structural member 4 can cover more of the gap between the end of the fin 3 and the manifold 1, so as to prevent a large amount of gas from leaking out from the gap, so that the gas can fully exchange heat with the fin 3 and improve the heat exchange efficiency of the heat exchanger.

[0076] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger, characterized in that, The heat exchanger includes: a manifold (1), two manifolds (1) are provided and the two manifolds (1) are arranged opposite to each other; at least one heat exchange tube (2), the heat exchange tube (2) is arranged between the two manifolds (1) and the inner cavity of the heat exchange tube (2) is connected to the inner cavity of the manifold (1); at least one fin (3), the fin (3) is arranged between at least two adjacent heat exchange tubes (2) and there is a gap between the end of the fin (3) and the manifold (1); a structural member (4), the structural member (4) has at least one opening (41) in which the heat exchange tube (2) is inserted, the structural member (4) also has at least one abutment (42), the abutment (42) protrudes from the structural member (4) and is arranged in the gap.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The structural component (4) also includes a baffle (43), the opening (41) and the abutment (42) are alternately arranged on the baffle (43), the baffle (43) is in contact with the fin (3), and the abutment (42) is in contact with the manifold (1).

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 2, characterized in that, The abutting part (42) has a first surface (42a) and a second surface (42b) connected together. The first surface (42a) surrounds the second surface (42b). The first surface (42a) is connected to the baffle (43), and the second surface (42b) is in contact with the manifold (1).

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The structural component (4) includes at least a first abutting portion (42A) and a second abutting portion (42B) respectively disposed on both sides of the fin (3), a connecting plate (44) is disposed between the first abutting portion (42A) and the second abutting portion (42B), and the first abutting portion (42A), the connecting plate (44) and the second abutting portion (42B) surround to form the opening (41).

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The abutting portion (42) includes a substrate (421) and a first support plate (422) and a second support plate (423) located on the same side of the substrate (421). The first support plate (422), the substrate (421) and the second support plate (423) are arranged to form a groove structure.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 5, characterized in that, The groove structure can be any one of a straight structure, an arc structure, or a wave structure.

7. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The length of the contact portion (42) along the first direction is greater than or equal to 1 mm, and the first direction is parallel to the length direction of the heat exchange tube (2).

8. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The length of the structural component (4) along the second direction is greater than the length of the core of the heat exchanger along the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the plane formed by the heat exchange tube (2) and the manifold (1).

9. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The contact part (42) is a foil made of metal material.

10. The heat exchanger according to claim 9, characterized in that, The metallic material includes any one of 1-series aluminum alloys, 3-series aluminum alloys, 5-series aluminum alloys, 6-series aluminum alloys, and stainless steel.

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