Heat exchanger

Abstract

To keep heat conductivity high even when joining components to each other with an adhesive agent.SOLUTION: A heat exchanger includes: a first member 10 provided with a first joint region 10z in which a plurality of recess parts 5 is formed; a second member 20 provided with a second joint region 20z to be joined to the first joint region; and a resin material 7 joining the first joint region to the second joint region and including a filler 8 entering the recess parts 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below describes a heat exchanger in which constituent members are joined with an adhesive. Although it is required that the thermal conductivity between the constituent members of the heat exchanger be kept high, the adhesive has a low thermal conductivity. Therefore, Patent Document 1 attempts to solve this problem by including a filler with high thermal conductivity in the adhesive.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In Patent Document 1, heat is transferred through the portion where the constituent member and the filler are in contact. However, when the filler is spherical, for example, the contact area between the constituent member and the filler becomes extremely narrow. When attempting to transfer heat through this narrow contact portion, heat transfer is inhibited by the contact resistance corresponding to the small size of the contact area. Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the surface area by enlarging the filler. However, since the total volume of the portion joined with the adhesive does not change, increasing the size of the filler decreases the allowable content, and as a result, the contact area cannot be increased.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to maintain a high thermal conductivity even when joining constituent members with an adhesive.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium, and includes a first member (10) provided with a first joint region (10z) in which a plurality of recesses (5) are formed, a second member (20) provided with a second joint region (20z) joined to the first joint region, a resin material (7) having a melting point lower than the melting points of the first member and the second member and joining the first joint region and the second joint region, and a filler (8) contained in the resin material, entering the recesses, and having a thermal conductivity higher than the thermal conductivity of the resin material.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the thermal conductivity can be kept high even when joining constituent members with an adhesive.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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Figure 12

[0009] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For ease of understanding the description, the same reference numerals are given to the same components in each drawing as much as possible, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0010] As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger 1 includes a core portion 2 and header tanks 3 and 4. The heat exchanger 1 performs heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium. The core portion 2 includes tubes 10 and fins 20. The tubes 10 are configured such that the first medium flows through their interiors. A plurality of tubes 10 are provided, and the tubes 10 and the fins 20 are alternately laminated.

[0011] The refrigerant, which is the first medium, flows into the tubes 10 from the header tank 3, turns back in the header tank 3 and reflows into the tubes 10, and then flows into the header tank 3. The header tank 3 is provided with an inflow portion 31 for receiving the refrigerant and an outflow portion 32 for discharging the refrigerant.

[0012] In FIG. 1, an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis orthogonal to each other are set. The x-axis is set along the longitudinal direction of the tubes 10 so that the + direction is from the header tank 4 toward the header tank 3. The y-axis is set along the direction of the air flow flowing into the core portion 2 so that the + direction is from the upstream side to the downstream side of the air flow in FIG. 1. The z-axis is set along the longitudinal direction of the header tanks 3 and 4 so that the + direction is from the lower side to the upper side of FIG. 1.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 2, the fins 20 are configured such that the passing air, which is the second medium, flows therethrough. A second flow path 1a through which the passing air flows is provided in the fins 20. A first flow path 1b through which the refrigerant, which is the first medium, flows is provided in the tube 10. The fins 20 and the tube 10 are in contact with each other and are configured to be heat-exchangeable. Therefore, the passing air flowing through the fins 20 and the refrigerant flowing through the tube 10 are configured to be heat-exchangeable.

[0014] The tube 10 and the fins 20 are joined by a resin material 7. The resin material 7 and the filler (not shown in FIG. 2) contained in the resin material 7 will be described in detail later.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 3, the tube 10 is a tubular member having a flat cross-sectional shape. The tube 10 includes a partition wall portion 11 and inner fins 12. Inner fins 12 for improving the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the passing air are provided inside the partition wall portion 11. One end in the width direction of the partition wall portion 11 is a curved end portion 11a that is curved in a substantially arc shape. A pair of flat plate portions 11p arranged opposite to each other extend from the curved end portion 11a, and a caulking portion 11b is provided on the side opposite to the curved end portion 11a.

[0016] Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 4, the joining structure between the tube 10 and the fins 20 will be described. The tube 10 and the fins 20 are joined by a resin material 7. The resin material 7 functions as an adhesive, and a material having a melting point lower than the melting points of the tube 10 and the fins 20 is selected. As the resin material 7, for example, a liquid thermoplastic and thermosetting material mainly composed of an epoxy resin is selected.

[0017] Since the resin material 7 is a material that functions as an adhesive, its thermal conductivity is low, for example, λ = 0.3 [W / mK]. On the other hand, since aluminum is selected as the material for the tube 10 and the fins 20, their thermal conductivities are high, for example, 250 [W / mK].

[0018] When the tube 10 and the fin 20 are joined only with the resin material 7, the thermal conductivity decreases and the performance as a heat exchanger deteriorates. Therefore, the filler 8 is mixed into the resin material 7. As the filler 8, materials such as aluminum and boron nitride are used, for example. When boron nitride is selected as the material, the thermal conductivity is higher than that of the resin material 7 and is, for example, 200 [W / mK].

[0019] On the surface of the tube 10, a plurality of recesses 5 are formed. The recess 5 includes a bottom portion 51 and a top portion 52 provided on the fin 20 side rather than the bottom portion 51. An opening 53 is formed between the pair of top portions 52. The recess 5 is formed so that the filler 8 can enter. In the recess 5, the width 51w of the bottom portion 51 and the width 53w of the opening 53 are configured to be the same.

[0020] In the tube 10, the region where the recess 5 is formed and where the resin material 7 adheres is the first bonding region 10z. In the fin 20, the region where the resin material 7 adheres and which is bonded to the first bonding region 10z is the second bonding region 20z.

[0021] In addition, in the present embodiment, the recess 5 is provided in the tube 10 to form the first bonding region 10z, and the second bonding region 20z is formed in the fin 20 without providing a recess. However, a mode in which a recess is provided in the fin 20 and no recess is provided in the tube 10 may also be adopted. In that case, the first bonding region is provided on the fin 20 side, and the second bonding region is provided on the tube 10 side.

[0022] Subsequently, with reference to FIG. 5, a modified example of the joining structure between the tube and the fin will be described. Since the shape of the recess of the tube 10 shown in FIG. 4 is different from that of the tube 10A shown in FIG. 5, the recess will be described.

[0023] On the surface of the tube 10, a plurality of recesses 5A are formed. The recess 5A includes a bottom portion 51A and a top portion 52A provided on the fin 20 side rather than the bottom portion 51A. An opening 53A is formed between a pair of top portions 52A. The recess 5A is formed so that the filler 8 can enter. In the recess 5A, the width 53Aw of the opening 53A is configured to be wider than the width 51Aw of the bottom portion 51A.

[0024] The recess 5 described with reference to FIG. 4 and the recess 5A described with reference to FIG. 5 only need to have the illustrated cross-sectional shape, and may be configured to have a longitudinal direction on the surface of the tube 10 as a so-called groove, or may only have the illustrated cross-sectional shape as a so-called depression.

[0025] The joining structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 can be applied not only to the joining of the tube and the fin but also to various parts of the heat exchanger. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, it may be used for joining the first member 10Ba and the second member 10Bb constituting the tube. The second member 10Bb has a portion that folds back and rises, and a pair of first members 10Ba are joined to that portion. A resin material 7 is provided at the joining portion between the first member 10Ba and the second member 10Bb. The resin material 7 contains the filler 8. The joining structure of the joining portion between the first member 10Ba and the second member 10Bb is the same as the joining structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0026] For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a resin material 7 may be provided at the joining portion between the tube 10C and the sheet metal 15. The resin material 7 contains the filler 8. The joining structure of the joining portion between the tube 10C and the sheet metal 15 is the same as the joining structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0027] For example, as shown in FIG. 8, a resin material 7 may be provided at the joining portion between the insert 16 and the sheet metal 15. The resin material 7 contains the filler 8. The joining structure of the joining portion between the insert 16 and the sheet metal 15 is the same as the joining structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0028] For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a resin material 7 may be provided at the joint between the capsule 17 and the sheet metal 15. The resin material 7 contains a filler 8. The joint structure at the joint between the capsule 17 and the sheet metal 15 is the same as the joint structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0029] For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a resin material 7 may be provided at the joint of the header tank 3D. The header tank 3D includes tank headers 33D, 34D and a plate header 35D. The resin material 7 is provided at the joint between the tank header 33D and the plate header 35D. The resin material 7 is provided at the joint between the tank header 34D and the plate header 35D. The joint structure of each joint is the same as the joint structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0030] For example, it may be applied to the joint of a fin-plate type heat exchanger 1E as shown in FIG. 11. The heat exchanger 1E shown in FIG. 11 includes a core portion 50E, a refrigerant inlet connector 51E, a refrigerant outlet connector 52E, a cooling water inlet connector 53E, a cooling water outlet connector 54E, a receiver connector 55E, and a gas-liquid separation portion 56E.

[0031] FIG. 12 shows a partial configuration of the core portion 50E as a cross-sectional view. As shown in FIG. 12, the core portion 50E joins an outer plate 501E and an inner plate 502E via a resin material 7. Also, the outer plate 501E and the outer plate 503E are joined via a resin material 7. The joint structure of the joint via the resin material 7 is the same as the joint structure described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

[0032] [Appendix] The following Appendices 1 to 8 can be arbitrarily combined as long as there is no technical contradiction.

[0033] [Appendix 1] A heat exchanger 1 that performs heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium, Tubes 10, 10A as the first member provided with a first joint region 10z in which a plurality of recesses 5, 5A are formed, Fins 20 as the second member provided with a second joint region 20z joined to the first joint region 10z, A resin material 7 having a melting point lower than the melting points of the tubes 10, 10A as the first member and the fins 20 as the second member, and joining the first joint region 10z and the second joint region 20z, A filler 8 contained in the resin material 7, entering the recesses 5, 5A, and having a thermal conductivity higher than that of the resin material 7, are provided.

[0034] According to Supplementary Note 1, since the resin material 7 joining the first joint region 10z and the second joint region 20z contains the filler 8 with high thermal conductivity, it is possible to suppress a decrease in thermal conductivity while improving the joinability by the resin material 7. Since the filler 8 enters the recesses 5, 5A, the distance between the first joint region 10z and the second joint region 20z can be made closer, and it is possible to prevent the resin material 7 from becoming too thick.

[0035] In the description of the above embodiment, the tubes 10, 10A were described as the first member and the fins 20 as the second member. However, the fins 20 may be provided with recesses as the first member, and the tubes 10, 10A may be the second member.

[0036] The first member and the second member may be any members that constitute a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium. It is possible to apply the joining structure in which a first joint region and a second joint region are provided to all the joining portions of the members described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12. The following supplementary notes mainly describe the heat exchanger 1 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. However, since the first member and the second member may be any members that constitute a heat exchanger, like Supplementary Note 1, each supplementary note can be applied to the joining structure described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12.

[0037] [Supplementary Note 2] The recesses 5, 5A are provided with bottoms 51, 51A and tops 52, 52A closer to the second joint region 20z than the bottoms 51, 51A, The heat exchanger 1 according to appended note 1, in which the tops 52, 52A are in contact with the second joint region 20z.

[0038] According to appended note 2, since there are tops 52, 52A in contact with the second joint region 20z, a metal touch region is formed at the contact portion where the tubes 10, 10A as the first member and the fins 20 as the second member are in contact, and the heat exchange efficiency can be further improved.

[0039] [Appended note 3] The heat exchanger 1 according to appended note 1 or 2, in which the maximum outer dimension length of the filler 8 is smaller than the width of the recesses 5, 5A.

[0040] In appended note 3, when the filler 8 is spherical, the maximum outer dimension length is the diameter of the filler 8. Therefore, the diameter of the filler 8 is smaller than the width of the recesses 5, 5A. Since the recess 5 is configured such that the width 51w of the bottom 51 and the width 53w of the opening 53 are the same, the diameter of the filler 8 is smaller than the width 51w and the width 53w. Since the recess 5A is configured such that the width 53Aw of the opening 53A is wider than the width 51Aw of the bottom 51A, the diameter of the filler 8 is smaller than the width 53Aw.

[0041] In appended note 3, when the filler 8 is non-spherical, the maximum outer dimension length is the maximum value of the lengths of the outer shape of the filler 8 when viewed from all directions. Therefore, the maximum value of the lengths of the outer shape of the filler 8 when viewed from all directions is smaller than the width of the recesses 5, 5A. Since the recess 5 is configured such that the width 51w of the bottom 51 and the width 53w of the opening 53 are the same, the maximum value of the lengths of the outer shape of the filler 8 when viewed from all directions is smaller than the width 51w and the width 53w. Since the recess 5A is configured such that the width 53Aw of the opening 53A is wider than the width 51Aw of the bottom 51A, the maximum value of the lengths of the outer shape of the filler 8 when viewed from all directions is smaller than the width 53Aw.

[0042] [Appended note 4] The recess 5A is provided with a bottom portion 51A and a top portion 52A closer to the second joining region 20z than the bottom portion 51A, and an opening 53A on the top portion 52A side is wider than the bottom portion 51A. The heat exchanger 1 according to any one of Appendices 1 to 3.

[0043] Since the opening 53A on the top portion 52A side is wider than the bottom portion 51A, the filler 8 can easily enter the recess 5A.

[0044] [Appendix 5] The tubes 10, 10A as the first member and the fins 20 as the second member are formed of a material containing aluminum. The heat exchanger 1 according to any one of Appendices 1 to 4.

[0045] In Appendix 5, the tubes 10, 10A as the first member and the fins 20 as the second member may be formed of a material containing elements such as magnesium in addition to aluminum.

[0046] [Appendix 6] One of the first member and the second member is the fin 20 as the heat transfer member and the other is the tube 10, 10A as the flow path forming member. The heat exchanger 1 according to any one of Appendices 1 to 5.

[0047] [Appendix 7] As described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 12, the first member and the second member are members that constitute a flow path through which the first medium or the second medium flows. The heat exchanger 1 according to any one of Appendices 1 to 6.

[0048] As described above, the present embodiment has been described with reference to specific examples. However, the present disclosure is not limited to these specific examples. As long as those skilled in the art appropriately make design changes to these specific examples and have the features of the present disclosure, they are included in the scope of the present disclosure. Each element, its arrangement, conditions, shape, etc. provided in each of the above-described specific examples are not limited to those illustrated and can be appropriately changed. Each element provided in each of the above-described specific examples can be appropriately combined as long as no technical contradiction occurs.

Description of Symbols

[0049] 1: Heat exchanger 10: Tube 10z: First joint region 20: Fin 20z: Second joint region 5: Recess 7: Resin material 8: Filler

Claims

1. A heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first medium and a second medium, comprising: a first member (10, 10A) provided with a first joint region (10z) in which a plurality of recesses (5, 5A) are formed; a second member (20) provided with a second joint region (20z) joined to the first joint region; a resin material (7) having a melting point lower than the melting points of the first member and the second member, and joining the first joint region and the second joint region; a filler (8) contained in the resin material, entering the recesses, and having a thermal conductivity higher than the thermal conductivity of the resin material.

2. The recesses are provided with a bottom (51, 51A) and a top (52, 52A) closer to the second joint region than the bottom, The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the top abuts against the second joint region.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the maximum outer dimension length of the filler is smaller than the width of the recess.

4. The recess (5A) is provided with a bottom (51A) and a top (52A) closer to the second joint region than the bottom, and an opening (53A) on the top side of the bottom is widened. The heat exchanger according to claim 1.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member are formed of a material containing aluminum.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein one of the first member and the second member is a heat transfer member and the other is a flow path forming member.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the first member and the second member are members that constitute a flow path through which the first medium or the second medium flows.

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