Heat exchanger
The heat exchanger design addresses the challenge of miniaturization and durability by using laminated plates with a thick support plate and optimized fluid flow paths, achieving efficient heat exchange and structural integrity.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023211636
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-15
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing heat exchanger designs struggle to miniaturize while maintaining durability, particularly due to structural weaknesses at the corners where fluid inlet/outlet pipes are located.
A heat exchanger design featuring laminated plates with alternating flow paths for two fluids, supported by a thick support plate with a peripheral portion that includes a contact portion and a chamfered portion for secure brazing, allowing pipes to be arranged at the four corners for miniaturization.
The design effectively miniaturizes the heat exchanger while enhancing its durability by ensuring secure fixation of the support plate and promoting efficient heat exchange through optimized fluid flow paths.
Smart Images

Figure 2025095555000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.
Background Art
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger in which heat transfer plates are alternately stacked, and a first flow path through which a first fluid flows and a second flow path through which a second fluid flows are alternately arranged therebetween. A reinforcing plate is fixed to the upper part, and a pipe serving as an inlet / outlet of the fluid is fixed to this reinforcing plate.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In order to improve the heat exchange efficiency while miniaturizing the heat exchanger, it is desirable to arrange the pipes serving as inlets / outlets of the fluid at the four corners of the heat exchanger as much as possible. On the other hand, as described in Patent Document 1, in the structure in which the reinforcing plate is fixed to the upper part of the heat transfer plate, it is difficult to arrange the reinforcing plate up to the four corners where the pipes are fixed. Therefore, the heat transfer plate to which the pipes are fixed becomes structurally weak, and there is a possibility that problems may occur in durability.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to provide a heat exchanger capable of achieving both miniaturization and durability.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, including: a plurality of plates that are laminated in parallel with a space therebetween, and that alternately form a first flow path through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path through which the second fluid flows; and a support plate that is fixed to the plates at an end in the lamination direction, and that has a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet that communicate with the first flow path, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet that communicate with the second flow path, and that is thicker than the plates. The plate has a flat portion and a wall portion that stands upright around the flat portion. The support plate has a peripheral portion that is inscribed in the wall portion of the plate, and the peripheral portion has a contact portion that is in line contact with the wall portion and a chamfered portion that is provided so as to be spaced apart from the contact portion.
Advantages of the Invention
[0007] In the above aspect, a support plate having a large thickness is provided above the laminated plates, and the contact portion is in line contact with the wall portion. As a result, a fillet is appropriately generated at the chamfered portion with respect to the wall portion of the plate during brazing, so that brazing can be surely performed. Therefore, by arranging the pipes at the four corners of the support plate, the heat exchanger can be miniaturized, and the support plate having a large thickness can be surely fixed above the plates, so that the durability of the heat exchanger can be improved.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0008]
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6A
Figure 6B
Figure 7A
Figure 7B
[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the heat exchanger 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0010] First, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the overall configuration of the heat exchanger 1 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the heat exchanger 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the heat exchanger 1.
[0011] The heat exchanger 1 is provided, for example, in a refrigeration cycle mounted on a vehicle or the like, and performs heat exchange between cooling water as a first fluid and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant as a second fluid.
[0012] The heat exchanger 1 includes a core portion 10, a support plate 20, and a bottom plate 30.
[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the core portion 10 is configured by alternately arranging a plurality of first plates 11 and a plurality of second plates 12 arranged in parallel. On the upper surface of the core portion 10, there are provided a first fluid inlet 15 for allowing cooling water to flow into the core portion 10, a first fluid outlet 16 for allowing cooling water to flow out of the core portion 10, a second fluid inlet 25 for allowing the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant to flow into the core portion 10, and a second fluid outlet 26 for allowing the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant to flow out of the core portion 10. The structure of the core portion 10 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3.
[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 20 is attached to one end face (here, the upper face) of the core part 10. The support plate 20 is composed of a member thicker than the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that constitute the core part 10, supports the core part 10 from above, and fixes the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26.
[0015] The bottom plate 30 is attached to the other end face (here, the lower face) of the core part 10. The bottom plate 30 is composed of a member thicker than the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that constitute the core part 10, supports the core part 10 from below. The bottom plate 30 is provided with a plurality of flanges 31 for fixing the heat exchanger 1 to other members.
[0016] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are formed using flat plate members (plates) made of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum so that their outer peripheries have the same rectangular shape (rectangle). As shown in FIG. 2, the corners of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 have a slightly rounded shape in order to guide the flow of cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.
[0017] Pipes (not shown) through which cooling water flows are connected to the first fluid inlet 15 and the first fluid outlet 16. Pipes (not shown) through which the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows are connected to the second fluid inlet 25 and the second fluid outlet 26. Since the volume of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant changes between the gas phase and the liquid phase, the pressure is higher compared to the cooling water. For this reason, the second fluid inlet 25 and the second fluid outlet 26 are provided with bolt holes for fixing the pipes with bolts or the like.
[0018] Next, with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 together, the structure of the core part 10 will be described. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heat exchanger 1 and is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the core portion 10 is configured by alternately arranging a plurality of first plates 11 and a plurality of second plates 12. In the core portion 10, a first flow path 10A through which cooling water flows and a second flow path 10B through which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows are alternately formed by a first plate 11 and a pair of second plates 12 adjacent to the first plate 11. An inner fin 18 is provided in the second flow path 10B.
[0020] In each of the plurality of first flow paths 10A, the cooling water flowing in from the first fluid inlet 15 and having its flow direction changed inside the support plate 20 branches and flows in. The cooling water that has passed through the plurality of first flow paths 10A merges and flows out of the heat exchanger 1 from the first fluid outlet 16.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, in each of the plurality of second flow paths 10B, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing in from the second fluid inlet 25 and having its flow direction changed inside the support plate 20 branches and flows in. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has passed through the plurality of second flow paths 10B merges and flows out of the heat exchanger 1 from the second fluid outlet 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the first flow path 10A is joined to each other at the end of the communication path between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 so as to be closed with respect to the second flow path 10B. Although not shown, the second flow path 10B is joined to each other at the end of the communication path between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 so as to be closed with respect to the first flow path 10A.
[0022] The inner fin 18 is provided in the second flow path 10B and abuts against the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. The inner fin 18 is a fin for increasing the heat transfer area of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 and promoting the heat exchange of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing through the second flow path 10B. Further, the inner fin 18 also has a role of supporting the second flow path 10B in the stacking direction so that the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are not deformed by the pressure of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.
[0023] Note that the surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that are in contact with the inner fins 18 are formed flat. On the other hand, on the surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 on the side of the first flow path 10A, a plurality of round protrusions 40 and V-shaped protrusions 50 project.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 20 has fixing portions 215, 216, 225, and 226 for fixing the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26, respectively, at its four corners. FIG. 3 shows the fixing portion 225 for fixing the second fluid inlet 25. The fixing portion 225 is formed in a concave shape so that the second fluid inlet 25 can be fitted therein. By arranging the fluid inlets and outlets at the four corners of the heat exchanger 1 in this way, the surface area of each plate for performing heat exchange can be increased, so that the heat exchanger 1 can be miniaturized.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, the support plate 20 is fixed above the plate (here, the second plate 12) located at the uppermost part (the end in the stacking direction) of the core portion 10. The support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12. A chamfered portion 213 having a chamfering structure is formed in the peripheral portion 211 as will be described later. The support plate 20 is joined to the second plate 12 in a liquid-tight manner by brazing at the chamfered portion 213. Thereby, a first flow path 10A is also formed between the support plate 20 and the second plate 12. The peripheral portion 211 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B.
[0026] FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, and is an exploded perspective view of a pair of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12.
[0027] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are rectangular with rounded corners, and inlets and outlets for cooling water and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant are arranged at their four corners. The cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant are configured to flow along the surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A and the second flow path 10B.
[0028] The first plate 11 has a flat portion 110 and a wall portion 111 erected so as to surround the periphery of the flat portion 110. The wall portion 111 has a tapered shape that widens outward as it goes upward. In this way, the first plate 11 is generally in the shape of a basin or a dish.
[0029] On the flat portion 110 of the first plate 11, a first fluid inlet side communication passage 151, a first fluid outlet side communication passage 161, a second fluid inlet side communication passage 251, and a second fluid outlet side communication passage 261 are respectively formed to penetrate. On the first plate 11, the first fluid inlet side communication passage 151 and the second fluid outlet side communication passage 261 are arranged.
[0030] The first flow path 10A formed between the flat portion 110 of the first plate 11 and the opposing second plate 12 has a round protrusion 40 and a V-shaped protrusion 50 protruding toward the flat portion 110 of the second plate 12.
[0031] The V-shaped protrusion 50 is configured such that a V-shaped shape is repeatedly formed in the width direction from one long side along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A in the first plate 11 to the other long side opposing the long side. A plurality of V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A. In the example shown in FIG. 4, nine V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged.
[0032] The V-shaped protrusion 50 is composed of a convex portion 51 of a convex shape formed in a V-shape in plan view along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, a concave portion 52 of a concave shape formed in a V-shape in plan view along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and a connecting portion 53 connecting the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 52, and the convex portion 51, the concave portion 52, and the connecting portion 53 are repeatedly formed in the width direction. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the V-shaped protrusion 50 has six convex portions 51 and five concave portions 52. In this way, the V-shaped protrusion 50 has a wave shape composed of a plurality of convex portions 51 and a plurality of concave portions 52.
[0033] In this way, by vertically arranging the V-shaped protrusion 50 in the first flow path 10A, when the cooling water flowing through the first flow path 10A passes through the V-shaped protrusion 50, a flow that forms a longitudinal vortex in the stacking direction of the heat exchanger 1 is generated. Due to such a flow, the cooling water flows within the first flow path 10A, promoting heat exchange between the cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.
[0034] Note that V-shaped protrusions 54 are also arranged between the first fluid inlet side communication path 151 and the second fluid outlet side communication path 261, and between the first fluid outlet side communication path 161 and the second fluid inlet side communication path 251. Different from the V-shaped protrusion 50, the end of this V-shaped protrusion 54 does not contact the end in the width direction of the first plate 11 or the communication path. The V-shaped protrusion 54 is configured in a shape having one concave portion 52 and two convex portions 51. Round protrusions 40 are arranged near the two concave portions 52. With this configuration, by providing the V-shaped protrusion 54 near the end of the first plate 11 where the flow of the cooling water is likely to stagnate, the stagnation of the cooling water can be suppressed. Furthermore, by arranging the round protrusions 40 near the communication paths penetrating the four corners of the first plate 11, deformation of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 in this vicinity is suppressed.
[0035] Round protrusions 40 are formed near the concave portion 52 of the V-shaped protrusion 50. Five round protrusions 40 are arranged near the concave portion 52 of one V-shaped protrusion 50. The center of the round protrusion 40 is arranged on a line connecting the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A. The round protrusions 40 are also arranged around each of the first fluid inlet side communication path 151, the first fluid outlet side communication path 161, the second fluid inlet side communication path 251, and the second fluid outlet side communication path 261.
[0036] Also, in the opposing second plate 12, a round protrusion 45 is formed at the same position as the round protrusion 40 of the first plate 11. The round protrusion 40 of the first plate 11 and the round protrusion 45 of the second plate 12 are in contact with each other at their tops. By the round protrusions 40 and 45 being in contact with each other at their tops, in the first flow path 10A, they are erected and arranged in a columnar shape between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12.
[0037] In this way, on the first plate 11, the round protrusions 40 are arranged at positions such that they form a lattice pattern over the entire flat surface portion 110. By the round protrusions 40 being erected and arranged in a lattice pattern, when the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are laminated and assembled, the flow path height of the first flow path 10A at the positions where dimensional management is required can be maintained at a specified height. Also, by the round protrusions 40 and 45 intervening between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, it is possible to prevent them from deforming due to the pressure of the cooling water or the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.
[0038] Note that, by the round protrusions 40 being erected and arranged in a columnar shape, a flow is generated in the cooling water flowing through the first flow path 10A such that it becomes a lateral vortex in the stacking direction of the flat surface portion 110 near the round protrusions 40. As a result, in the vicinity here, particularly on the downstream side of the round protrusions 40, there may be cases where the cooling water stagnates and the heat exchange efficiency decreases. In contrast, the round protrusions 40 are arranged near the concave portion 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 50. In the first flow path 10A, the cooling water passes over the connecting portions 53 where the V-shaped protrusions 50 and the V-shaped protrusions 55 have different directions, and longitudinal vortices in different directions act on the round protrusions 40. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the stagnation of the cooling water near the round protrusions 40 and promote heat exchange.
[0039] As a result, a uniform flow of the cooling water is generated over the entire surface of the first flow path 10A, and it becomes difficult for the cooling water to stagnate. Therefore, the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling water in the first flow path 10A and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the second flow path 10B is improved.
[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the flat portion 110 of the second plate 12 facing the first plate 11 is also in a bowl shape or a dish shape having a flat portion 120 and a wall portion 121 erected so as to surround the periphery of the flat portion 120, similar to the first plate 11.
[0041] On the flat portion 120 of the second plate 12, a first fluid inlet side communication passage 151, a first fluid outlet side communication passage 161, a second fluid inlet side communication passage 251, and a second fluid outlet side communication passage 261 are respectively formed to penetrate therethrough, and have a round protrusion 45 and a V-shaped protrusion 55 protruding toward the flat portion 110 of the facing first plate 11. Similar to the V-shaped protrusion 50, the V-shaped protrusion 55 is composed of a convex portion 51 of a convex-shaped portion formed in a V-shape in plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, a concave portion 52 of a concave-shaped portion formed in a V-shape in plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and a connecting portion 53 connecting the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 52, and the convex portion 51, the concave portion 52, and the connecting portion 53 are repeatedly formed in the width direction. And, in the V-shaped protrusion 55, the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 52 are arranged in the opposite direction to the V-shaped protrusion 50.
[0042] The V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 are arranged at positions not intersecting with each other in plan view. More specifically, the concave portion 52 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 is arranged to face the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11. The concave portion 52 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 are separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and a round protrusion 40 is arranged therebetween.
[0043] In this way, by arranging the V-shaped protrusions 50 of the first plate 11 and the V-shaped protrusions 55 of the second plate 12 so that they do not cross each other in plan view, the height of the first flow path 10A is not narrowed more than necessary by the V-shaped protrusions 50 and the V-shaped protrusions 55 protruding from each other, and the stagnation of the flow of the cooling water is suppressed. In the core portion 10, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are configured to be in contact with each other in the stacking direction at the wall portions 111 and 121. These are fixed by, for example, brazing.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 3, when the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are stacked to form the core portion 10, each communication passage is configured to communicate in the stacking direction.
[0045] Here, the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251 shown in FIG. 3 will be described as a representative.
[0046] When the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are stacked, the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251 opens to the second flow path 10B through which the second fluid flows and is liquid-tightly closed with respect to the first flow path 10A. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251 has an annular portion 251a formed around it, and the annular portion 251a of the first plate 11 and the annular portion 251a of the second plate 12 are in contact with each other in the stacking direction, and by brazing these, it is sealed with respect to the first flow path 10A.
[0047] Further, on the outside of the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251, there is an offset portion 251b formed offset in the stacking direction from the annular portion 251a. The offset portion 251b of the first plate 11 and the offset portion 251b of the second plate 12 are in contact with each other in the stacking direction, and by brazing these, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 can be fixed to each other on the outside of the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251.
[0048] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the flat portion 120 of the second plate 12 facing the first plate 11 may be configured without the V-shaped protrusion 55. That is, in the first flow path 10A, the V-shaped protrusion 50 may be provided only on the flat portion 110 of the first plate 11, and the flow of the cooling water may be configured to be caused by the V-shaped protrusion 50.
[0049] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B, the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 will be described.
[0050] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the core portion 10, and FIG. 6A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20.
[0051] The support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12. As shown in FIG. 5, the peripheral portion 211 is formed with a contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121 and a chamfered portion 213 having a gentle curved surface that curves gradually as it moves away from the contact portion 212. The support plate 20 is in line contact with the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12 in the stacking direction at the contact portion 212.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 6A, the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 has a chamfered structure that gradually separates from the wall portion 121 around the contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121. With such a structure, when the support plate 20 is disposed above the structure in which the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are stacked and brazed in a state where they are pressed, the brazing material penetrates into the gaps between the upper and lower chamfered portions 213 of the contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121 due to capillary action, thereby forming a fillet with an appropriate shape.
[0053] Note that the brazing material has been previously placed on the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 that contacts the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20, and brazing is performed by heating these. For example, the brazing material is previously applied to the peripheral portion of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12. Alternatively, the brazing material may be previously placed on the wall portion 121 that contacts the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20, or a brazing material layer may be previously clad on the surface of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12.
[0054] Furthermore, since the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 has the chamfered portion 213, when pressing from above when fixing the support plate 20 to the core portion 10, even when the position changes in the stacking direction with respect to the tapered wall portions 111 and 121, the positional relationship between the contact portion 212 in contact with the wall portions 111 and 121 and the chamfered portion 213 remains constant. As a result, the shape of the fillet formed during brazing becomes constant, so that the support plate 20 can be securely fixed.
[0055] In this way, by forming a fillet with an appropriate shape between the support plate 20 and the second plate 12, the support plate 20 with a large plate thickness is sufficiently fixed to the core portion 10. Thereby, the durability of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.
[0056] Next, a modified example of the shape of the support plate 20 will be described.
[0057] FIG. 6B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 according to a modified example of the present embodiment.
[0058] The peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 shown in FIG. 6A is formed with a chamfered portion 213 having a gentle curved surface with respect to the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12.
[0059] On the other hand, in the modification shown in FIG. 6B, the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 has a chamfered portion 213 having a chamfered structure in which the contact portion 212 contacts the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12 and is linearly separated from the wall portion 121 around the contact portion 212.
[0060] In this way, by configuring the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20, the brazing material also enters the upper and lower gaps of the contact portion 212 in contact with the wall portion 121 of the peripheral portion 211 by capillary action, and a fillet of an appropriate shape is formed.
[0061] FIGS. 7A and 7B are enlarged cross-sectional views of the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 in still another modification of the present embodiment.
[0062] The support plate 20 shown in FIG. 7A forms the peripheral portion 211 by curving the periphery of the flat support plate 20. By curving the peripheral portion 211, a vertex of the curved shape is formed as the contact portion 212, and a chamfered portion 213 is formed around the contact portion 212.
[0063] The support plate 20 shown in FIG. 7B forms the peripheral portion 211 by bending the periphery of the flat support plate 20 in the same manner as in FIG. 7A. The structure of FIG. 7B has a chamfered structure in which the chamfered portion 213 is linearly separated from the wall portion 121 around the contact portion 212, similar to FIG. 6B. Even with such a configuration, the contact portion 212 and the chamfered portion 213 can be formed by curving the peripheral portion 211. Therefore, the brazing material layer can be pre-cladded on the surface of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12, and the brazing material can be pre-arranged, and brazing can be performed by heating these.
[0064] According to the above embodiments, the following effects are obtained.
[0065] This embodiment relates to a heat exchanger 1 that performs heat exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, and includes a plurality of plates (a first plate 11 and a second plate 12) that are stacked in parallel with a gap therebetween, and that alternately form a first flow path 10A through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path 10B through which the second fluid flows; a first fluid inlet 15 and a first fluid outlet 16 that are fixed to the plates at an end in the stacking direction and communicate with the first flow path 10A; and a second fluid inlet 25 and a second fluid outlet 26 that communicate with the second flow path 10B, and a support plate 20 that is thicker than the plates. The plates have flat portions 110 and 120, and wall portions 111 and 121 that stand on the peripheries of the flat portions 110 and 120. The support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portions 111 and 121 of the plates, and the peripheral portion 211 has a contact portion 212 that is in line contact with the wall portions 111 and 121, and a chamfered portion 213 that is provided so as to be spaced apart from the contact portion 212.
[0066] In this configuration, a support plate 20 having a large thickness is provided above the stacked plates, and the contact portion 212 is in line contact with the wall portion 121. As a result, a fillet is appropriately generated at the chamfered portion 213 with respect to the wall portions 111 and 121 of the plates during brazing, so that brazing can be reliably performed. Therefore, by disposing the pipes at the four corners of the support plate 20, the heat exchanger 1 can be miniaturized, and the support plate 20 having a large thickness can be reliably fixed above the plates, so that the durability of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.
[0067] Further, in this embodiment, the support plate 20 is formed to have the same thickness in the stacking direction, and the peripheral portion 211 is formed by a side wall portion having a plate thickness, so that the strength of the support plate 20 to which the pipes are fixed is increased, and the durability of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.
[0068] Further, in this embodiment, the peripheral portion 211 is brazed to the wall portions 111 and 121 of the plates in a liquid-tight manner, so that the support plate 20 can be reliably fixed to the first plate 11 and the second plate 12.
[0069] In addition, in the present embodiment, since the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B is formed between the support plate 20 and the plate, a flow path can also be formed between the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 and the support plate 20. As a result, the area for heat exchange between the cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant increases, and heat exchange in the heat exchanger 1 can be promoted.
[0070] In addition, in the present embodiment, the plate includes communication holes (151, 152, 252, 261) that communicate with the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26, respectively. These communication holes include an annular portion 251a that joins to the communication holes of the adjacent plate when not communicating with the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B formed between adjacent plates, and an offset portion 251b that joins to the plate on the outer peripheral side of the communication holes of the adjacent plate when communicating with the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B formed between adjacent plates.
[0071] In this configuration, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are joined to each other in a liquid-tight manner at the communication holes, and when communicating with the communication holes or the flow path, they are joined to each other at the offset portion 251b outside the communication holes. Thereby, the strength of the core portion 10 constituted by the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 can be increased, and the durability of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.
[0072] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the above embodiments merely show a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.
[0073] In the above embodiment, the first fluid is cooling water and the second fluid is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. However, the first fluid and the second fluid are not limited to these. The heat exchanger 1 can be applied to any fluid as long as it performs heat exchange between the first fluid and the second fluid having different temperatures.
[0074] In addition, in the present embodiment, the V-shaped protrusion 50 is provided on both the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. However, the V-shaped protrusion 50 may be provided on at least one of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12.
[0075] Also, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the round protrusion 40 is configured to be formed as a protrusion of the same shape at the same position on the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. However, it may be formed as a protrusion that stands up to the same height as the flow path height from at least one of the plates.
Explanation of Reference Numerals
[0076] 1 Heat exchanger 10 Core part 10A First flow path 10B Second flow path 11 First plate 12 Second plate 15 First fluid inlet 16 First fluid outlet 20 Support plate 25 Second fluid inlet 26 Second fluid outlet 110, 120 Flat part 111, 121 Wall part 151 First fluid inlet side communication path 161 First fluid outlet side communication path 211 Peripheral part 212 Chamfered part 251 Second fluid inlet side communication path 251a Annular part 251b Offset part 261 Second fluid outlet side communication path
Claims
1. A heat exchanger that performs heat exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, a plurality of plates that are stacked in parallel with a gap therebetween, and that alternately form a first flow path through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path through which the second fluid flows, a support plate that is fixed to the plates at an end in the stacking direction, and that has a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet that communicate with the first flow path, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet that communicate with the second flow path, and that is thicker than the plates, comprising: the plate has a flat portion and a wall portion that stands upright around the flat portion, the support plate has a peripheral portion that is inscribed in the wall portion of the plate, the peripheral portion has a contact portion that is in line contact with the wall portion, and a chamfered portion that is provided so as to be separated from the contact portion, a heat exchanger.
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is formed to have the same thickness in the stacking direction, a heat exchanger.
3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion is brazed to the wall portion of the plate in a liquid-tight manner, a heat exchanger.
4. The heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the first flow path or the second flow path is formed between the support plate and the plate, a heat exchanger.
5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the plate comprises communication holes that communicate with the first fluid inlet, the first fluid outlet, the second fluid inlet, and the second fluid outlet respectively, the communication holes when not communicating with the first flow path or the second flow path formed between adjacent plates, have an annular portion that joins the communication holes of adjacent plates, when communicating with the first flow path or the second flow path formed between adjacent plates, have an offset portion that joins the plate on the outer peripheral side of the communication holes of adjacent plates, comprising: a heat exchanger.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Plate heat exchanger and heat pump hot water system
JP6949250B2