Composite-type heat exchanger

Abstract

To provide a composite-type heat exchanger which inhibits increase of the number of heat exchangers even in a system needing a plurality of heat exchangers.SOLUTION: In the invention, a composite-type heat exchanger 1 includes: a plurality of tubes 10 arranged parallel to each other in a first direction; header bars 11 which are provided at both ends as seen in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction between the adjacent tubes 10 and connect the adjacent tubes 10. The tube 10 includes: a pair of tube plates 20 arranged parallel to each other in the first direction; and tube bars 22 which are provided at both ends as seen in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction and connect the pair of tube plates 20. Further, the tube 10 includes a partition part 23 which is provided between the pair of tube plates 20 and partitions the inside of the tube 10 in the third direction. The composite-type heat exchanger 1 causes internal fluids of different heat exchange systems to flow into different internal fluid passages 30 in the tubes 10 each partitioned by the partition part 23.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a combined heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] Construction machinery and other work machines are equipped with multiple hydraulic systems, each of which must be equipped with a heat exchanger such as an oil cooler, resulting in a large number of heat exchangers being installed.Some conventional work machines are equipped with a heat exchanger assembly that combines multiple heat exchangers that exchange heat between multiple fluids corresponding to each of the multiple hydraulic systems.

[0003] Also, a so-called bar-and-plate heat exchanger is known as a heat exchanger mounted on construction machinery. For example, the stacked heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a bar-and-plate heat exchanger consisting of a number of plates with square planes and a number of bars interposed on both sides of the plates. In a bar-and-plate heat exchanger, the area surrounded by a pair of plates and a pair of bars forms a flow path for circulating a fluid. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Publication number 6-39250 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In work machines such as construction machines, a large number of heat exchangers are required for multiple fluids as described above, so the heat exchanger assemblies that combine the independent cores of each heat exchanger end up being large. Furthermore, in work machines, it is difficult to ensure the layout and space required to mount a large heat exchanger assembly, and the number of parts required to mount a large heat exchanger assembly increases, resulting in increased labor hours and costs.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a combined heat exchanger that can perform heat exchange between multiple fluids without increasing the size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, a composite heat exchanger 1 comprises a plurality of tubes 10 arranged in parallel in a first direction, and header bars 11 provided between adjacent tubes 10 at both ends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and connecting the adjacent tubes 10, and the tubes 10 comprise a pair of tube plates 20 arranged in parallel in the first direction, tube bars 22 provided at both ends in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions and connecting the pair of tube plates 20, and a partition section 23 provided between the pair of tube plates 20 and dividing the interior of the tubes 10 in the third direction, and different fluids of a heat exchange system are circulated through different internal fluid flow paths 30 within the tubes 10 divided by the partition section 23.

[0008] In the present invention, the partition 23 preferably has a hollow portion 23a.

[0009] In the present invention, the combined heat exchanger 1 has an external fluid flow path 31 through which a heat medium flows in the third direction between adjacent tubes 10, and it is preferable that a lower temperature fluid flows in an internal fluid flow path 30 that is located more upstream in the third direction among the plurality of internal fluid flow paths 30. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, the combined heat exchanger can exchange heat among a plurality of fluids without increasing the size. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view showing an example of a core of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a part of a core of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is a top view showing an example of a partition portion of the combined heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a side view illustrating an example of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view showing another example of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a top view showing another example of the core of the combined heat exchanger according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view showing another example of a combined heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A combined heat exchanger 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, front, rear, left, right, top, and bottom are indicated as necessary. Terms indicating directions and positions are used in this specification, but these terms are used for convenience of explanation and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention.

[0013] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a combined heat exchanger 1. Fig. 2 is a top view showing a core 3 of the combined heat exchanger 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of the core 3. Fig. 4 is a top view showing a partition section 23 of the combined heat exchanger 1. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the combined heat exchanger 1.

[0014] 1, a combined heat exchanger 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a core 3, a pair of core supports 4, and multiple pairs of tanks 5. In the example described in this embodiment, the stacking direction of multiple tubes 10 stacked in the core 3 is a left-right direction (first direction), the flow direction of an internal fluid perpendicular to the stacking direction is a top-bottom direction (second direction), and the flow direction of an external fluid (heat medium) perpendicular to the stacking direction and the flow direction of the fluid is a front-back direction (third direction).

[0015] As shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 2 , the combined heat exchanger 1 of this embodiment has multiple heat exchange sections 6 inside the core 3, and each heat exchange section 6 circulates different internal fluids of different heat exchange systems in a predetermined flow direction. For example, the internal fluid is a fluid such as oil that is heat exchanged, and the internal fluids of different heat exchange systems may be different types of internal fluids, or may be the same type but with different temperatures. The heat exchange section 6 has any of various heat exchange functions, such as an oil cooler, a radiator, an intercooler, or an air conditioning heat exchanger. For example, the multiple heat exchange sections 6 may be a combination of oil coolers, or a combination of an oil cooler and a radiator.

[0016] 1 to 3, the core 3 includes a plurality of tubes 10, a plurality of pairs of header bars 11, and a plurality of outer fins 12. Note that in FIG. 1, some of the tubes 10, some of the header bars 11, and some of the outer fins 12 are shown, and other tubes 10, other header bars 11, and other outer fins 12 are not shown.

[0017] The multiple tubes 10 are formed into flattened rectangular tube shapes extending in the vertical direction and stacked in parallel in the left-right direction. A pair of header bars 11 are formed from metal in the shape of rods extending in the front-rear direction with the same length as the tubes 10. They are placed at both ends in the vertical direction between adjacent tubes 10 and have the function of connecting the adjacent tubes 10.

[0018] The outer fins 12 are configured as metal corrugated fins or the like that have the same length as the tubes 10 in the front-to-rear direction and have a wavy (bellows-like) cross section parallel to the up-down direction. The outer fins 12 are sandwiched between adjacent tubes 10 in the left-to-right direction and between a pair of header bars 11 in the up-down direction.

[0019] The header bar 11 and the outer fins 12 are joined to the tubes 10 on both sides in the left-right direction, and an external fluid flow path 31 is formed along the outer fins 12, which allows an external fluid such as air used for heat exchange to circulate in the front-to-rear direction.

[0020] 2 and 3, the tube 10 is composed of a pair of metal tube plates 20, a metal inner fin 21, a pair of metal tube bars 22, and a partition 23. The tube 10 is formed in the shape of a flattened square tube extending in the vertical direction, and constitutes an internal fluid flow path 30 through which the internal fluid flows in the vertical direction.

[0021] The pair of tube plates 20 are formed in the shape of rectangular flat plates in a side view and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The inner fins 21 have a wavy (accordion-like) cross section parallel to the front-rear direction, are formed to have the same length in the up-down direction as the tube plates 20, and are arranged between the pair of tube plates 20. The tube bars 22 are formed in the shape of rods extending in the up-down direction with the same length as the tube plates 20, and are arranged at both ends in the front-rear direction between the pair of tube plates 20, sandwiching the inner fins 21.

[0022] The inner fins 21 and the tube bars 22 are joined to the tube plates 20 on both sides in the left and right direction, and an internal fluid flow path 30 is formed along the inner fins 21 .

[0023] The flow direction of the internal fluid in the internal fluid flow path 30 and the flow direction of the external fluid in the external fluid flow path 31 are perpendicular to each other, and heat exchange occurs between the internal fluid flowing through the internal fluid flow path 30 and the external fluid flowing through the external fluid flow path 31.

[0024] In this embodiment, an example is illustrated in which multiple heat exchange units 6 use the same inner fins 21, but the present invention is not limited to this example. In other examples, the multiple heat exchange units 6 may each use inner fins 21 with different numbers of waves, plate thicknesses, wave pitches, etc. Alternatively, among the multiple heat exchange units 6, only some of the heat exchange units 6 may be configured to use inner fins 21, and the other heat exchange units 6 may be configured not to use inner fins 21.

[0025] The partitions 23 are formed in the shape of rods extending in the vertical direction and having the same length as the tube plates 20. The partitions 23 are arranged between the pair of tube plates 20 so as to separate the interior of the tubes 10 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the multiple tubes 10 and the direction of fluid flow, i.e., in the front-rear direction.

[0026] By arranging the partitions 23 at the same positions in the front-to-rear direction of the plurality of tubes 10, the internal fluid flow path 30 is divided into a plurality of flow paths by the partitions 23, and the plurality of flow paths respectively form a plurality of heat exchange sections 6. For example, the partition 23 is arranged in the center in the front-to-rear direction, and divides the inside of the tube 10 into two in the front-to-rear direction, thereby dividing the internal fluid flow path 30 into a first internal fluid flow path 30a on the front side and a second internal fluid flow path 30b on the rear side, and a first heat exchange section 6a on the front side and a second heat exchange section 6b on the rear side are formed.

[0027] The partition 23 may be configured to have a heat insulating function, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, by having a hollow portion 23a extending in the vertical direction therein. Although not shown, the partition 23 may have the hollow portion 23a closed at both ends in the vertical direction. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4(a), the partition 23 is configured to have a heat insulating function by arranging a pair of vertically extending metal partition plates 23b in parallel in the front-to-rear direction with the hollow portion 23a sandwiched between them. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the partition 23 may be configured to have a heat insulating function by being formed in a rectangular or cylindrical shape having the hollow portion 23a therein.

[0028] It is preferable to evacuate the hollow portion 23a of the partition portion 23. The partition portion 23 may be configured to have a heat insulating material inside instead of the hollow portion 23a.

[0029] The pair of core supports 4 are formed of metal in the shape of flat plates having the same length as the tubes 10 in the up-down and front-rear directions, and are joined to both ends of the core 3 in the left-right direction, respectively, to support the core 3 from the sides. Note that the core supports 4 are preferably formed thicker than the tube plates 20.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1 , the tank 5 is formed of a metal tank body 15 having a U-shaped cross section parallel to the left-right direction, with side plates 16 attached to the left and right ends of the U-shaped tank body 15. The tank body 15 may be formed, for example, by extrusion or bending using a bevel or the like. Each pair of tanks 5 is disposed on the upstream and downstream sides of the core 3 in the flow direction of the internal fluid, i.e., on both ends of the core 3 in the vertical direction, so as to cover the core 3 from above and below, with their openings facing the core 3. The front or rear surface of the tank 5 is provided with an inlet / outlet port 7 through which the internal fluid flows into or out of the tube 10 of the core 3. Note that if the tank 5 is formed by drawing, the four corners of the opening on the core 3 side will be rounded, which may cause misalignment between the opening edge of the tank 5 and the core support 4 or the partition 23, resulting in poor connection. In contrast to this, as in this embodiment, the tank 5 is formed using a U-shaped tank body 15 and side plates 16 formed by extrusion processing, bending processing, etc., so that the four corners of the opening on the core 3 side are formed angular, thereby suppressing misalignment between the opening edge of the tank 5 and the core support 4 or partition portion 23, and thus suppressing poor connection.

[0031] Particularly in this embodiment, the plurality of pairs of tanks 5 are provided corresponding to the plurality of heat exchange sections 6 of the core 3, respectively. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the plurality of pairs of tanks 5 include a pair of tanks 5a corresponding to the front first heat exchange section 6a and a pair of tanks 5b corresponding to the rear second heat exchange section 6b. The front pair of tanks 5a are arranged forward of the partition sections 23 of the plurality of tubes 10 so as to cover the front first internal fluid flow passages 30a from above and below, and the rear pair of tanks 5b are arranged rearward of the partition sections 23 of the plurality of tubes 10 so as to cover the rear second internal fluid flow passages 30b from above and below. The front pair of tanks 5a have inlet / outlet sections 7 provided on the front surface, and the rear pair of tanks 5b have inlet / outlet sections 7 provided on the rear surface.

[0032] Each tank 5 has an opening on the core 3 side, and the edge of the opening of each tank 5 on the partition section 23 side is in contact with the partition section 23. Specifically, the edge of the opening of the tank 5a corresponding to the first heat exchange section 6a on the second heat exchange section 6b side is in contact with the partition section 23. Also, the edge of the opening of the tank 5b corresponding to the second heat exchange section 6b on the first heat exchange section 6a side is in contact with the partition section 23. Each tank 5 and the partition section 23 may be connected at the contacting portions by brazing, welding, or the like.

[0033] In the composite heat exchanger 1, the internal fluids of the different heat exchange systems for the heat exchange sections 6 are circulated from the upper tank 5 through the tubes 10 of each heat exchange section 6 to the lower tank 5.

[0034] As an example, in the combined heat exchanger 1, when a relatively low-temperature internal fluid and a relatively high-temperature internal fluid are circulated through the internal fluid flow path 30 as different internal fluids of the heat exchange system, and a cooling medium is circulated through the external fluid flow path 31 as the external fluid, the relatively low-temperature internal fluid is circulated through the heat exchange section 6 upstream of the cooling medium, and the relatively high-temperature internal fluid is circulated through the heat exchange section 6 downstream of the cooling medium.

[0035] As another example, in the combined heat exchanger 1, when a relatively low-temperature internal fluid and a relatively high-temperature internal fluid are circulated through the internal fluid flow path 30 as internal fluids of different heat exchange systems, and a heating medium is circulated through the external fluid flow path 31 as an external fluid, the relatively high-temperature internal fluid is circulated through the heat exchange section 6 upstream of the heating medium, and the relatively low-temperature internal fluid is circulated through the heat exchange section 6 downstream of the heating medium.

[0036] As described above, the combined heat exchanger 1 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of tubes 10 arranged in parallel in a first direction and header bars 11 provided at both ends of adjacent tubes 10 in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and connecting the adjacent tubes 10. The tubes 10 include a pair of tube plates 20 arranged in parallel in the first direction and tube bars 22 provided at both ends in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions and connecting the pair of tube plates 20. The tubes 10 further include partitions 23 provided between the pair of tube plates 20 and dividing the interior of the tubes 10 in the third direction. The combined heat exchanger 1 allows different internal fluids of heat exchange systems to flow through different internal fluid channels 30 within the tubes 10 divided by the partitions 23.

[0037] As a result, the combined heat exchanger 1 does not need to have multiple independent cores 3 each made up of multiple tubes 10, but instead has multiple internal fluid flow paths 30 in one core 3, allowing internal fluids of different heat exchange systems to circulate through each path. Therefore, the combined heat exchanger 1 can exchange heat among multiple internal fluids without increasing the size of the device. Therefore, it is possible to provide a combined heat exchanger 1 that reduces the number of independent cores 3 and makes the device more compact for work machines such as construction machines that have multiple hydraulic systems.

[0038] Furthermore, in the combined heat exchanger 1, the partition 23 may be configured to have a hollow portion 23a. This allows the hollow portion 23a to insulate the plurality of internal fluid flow paths 30 from each other, so that even if a temperature difference occurs between the internal fluids of different heat exchange systems circulating through the plurality of internal fluid flow paths 30, heat exchange between the internal fluids of different heat exchange systems can be suppressed.

[0039] Furthermore, the combined heat exchanger 1 has an external fluid flow path 31 through which the heat transfer medium flows in the third direction between adjacent tubes 10, and preferably flows a lower-temperature internal fluid through an internal fluid flow path 30 located more upstream in the third direction among the multiple internal fluid flow paths 30. This allows a cooling medium such as cooling air to act on the lower-temperature internal fluid before the higher-temperature internal fluid when the combined heat exchanger 1 is used as a cooler such as an oil cooler or an intercooler. This ensures a temperature difference between the lower-temperature internal fluid and the cooling medium, thereby increasing the heat exchange amount of the lower-temperature internal fluid.

[0040] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the combined heat exchanger 1 includes multiple pairs of tanks 5 corresponding to the multiple heat exchange sections 6, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In another example, as shown in Fig. 6, the combined heat exchanger 1 may include a pair of upper and lower tanks 5 spanning the multiple heat exchange sections 6, with the interior of the tanks 5 being divided by partitions 8 for each heat exchange section 6. In this case, an inlet / outlet section 7 may be provided on the front surface of the pair of tanks 5 corresponding to the front first heat exchange section 6a, and an inlet / outlet section 7 may be provided on the rear surface of the pair of tanks 5 corresponding to the rear second heat exchange section 6b.

[0041] In the other example described above, each tank 5 has an opening on the core 3 side, and the opening of each tank 5 is partitioned by a partition 8, and the edge of the partition 8 is in contact with the partition portion 23. The partition 8 and the partition portion 23 may be connected at the contacting portion by brazing, welding, or the like.

[0042] In the above-described embodiment, an example in which each of the plurality of tubes 10 includes one partition section 23 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In the above-described embodiment, the internal fluid flow path 30 is divided into two flow paths, i.e., the first internal fluid flow path 30a and the second internal fluid flow path 30b, and the first internal fluid flow path 30a and the second internal fluid flow path 30b form two heat exchange sections 6, i.e., the first heat exchange section 6a and the second heat exchange section 6b, respectively. In contrast, in other examples, each of the plurality of tubes 10 may include two or more partition sections 23. In this case, the internal fluid flow path 30 is divided into three or more flow paths, and the three or more flow paths form three or more heat exchange sections 6, respectively. For example, FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate an example in which each of the plurality of tubes 10 includes two partition sections 23, and the internal fluid flow path 30 is divided into three flow paths, and the three flow paths form three heat exchange sections 6, respectively.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the partition 23 is disposed at the center of the tube 10 in the front-rear direction, dividing the interior of the tube 10 equally in the front-rear direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. In the above-described embodiment, the internal fluid flow path 30 is divided equally, so that the multiple heat exchange sections 6 have the same heat exchange area. In contrast, in another example, the position of the partition 23 in the front-rear direction of the tube 10 may be calculated and positioned so that each of the multiple heat exchange sections 6 has a heat exchange area as needed. For example, the capacity and flow rate of each of the multiple internal fluid flow paths 30 may be calculated based on the heat exchange area of ​​each of the multiple heat exchange sections 6, and the position of the partition 23 may be calculated based on the calculation result.

[0044] The above-described embodiment of the present invention shows one aspect of the combined heat exchanger according to the present invention, and the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The present invention may be variously changed, substituted, or modified within the scope of the technical concept, and the claims include all embodiments that may fall within the scope of the technical concept. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1 Combined heat exchanger 3 cores 4 Core Support 5, 5a, 5b tanks 6 Heat exchange section 6a 1st heat exchange section 6b Second heat exchange section 7 Inflow / outlet section 8 dividers 10 tubes 11. Header Bar 12 outer fin 15 Tank body 16 Side panel 20 tube plates 21 Inner fin 22 Tube Bar 23 Partition 23a Hollow part 23b Partition plate 30 Internal fluid flow path 30a First internal fluid flow path 30b second internal fluid flow path 31 External fluid flow path

Claims

1. A plurality of tubes (10) arranged in parallel in a first direction; and header bars (11) provided at both ends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction between adjacent tubes (10) to connect the adjacent tubes (10), The tube (10) includes a pair of tube plates (20) arranged in parallel in the first direction, and tube bars (22) provided at both ends in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction and connecting the pair of tube plates (20); a partition portion (23) provided between the pair of tube plates (20) and partitioning the inside of the tube (10) in the third direction, A composite heat exchanger (1) characterized in that different fluids of heat exchange systems are circulated through different internal fluid flow paths (30) within the tubes (10) separated by the partitions (23).

2. 2. The combined heat exchanger (1) according to claim 1, wherein the partition (23) has a hollow portion (23a).

3. an external fluid flow path (31) for circulating a heat transfer medium in the third direction between adjacent tubes (10); 2. The composite heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a lower temperature fluid is circulated through an internal fluid flow path (30) located more upstream in the third direction among the plurality of internal fluid flow paths (30).

Images