Heat exchanger and hot water apparatus including the same

Abstract

To provide a heat exchanger capable of properly preventing rotation of a component for pipe connection during brazing, and a water heater including the heat exchanger.SOLUTION: A hole part 42 is arranged on an outer surface side of an 10a of a sidewall part of a case 1, and an end part 20 of a heat transfer tube 2 is inserted into the hole part 42. The heat exchanger HE includes the pipe connecting portion HS in which the chamber 59 is formed, and further includes the support portion 45 provided in the pipe connecting portion HS, and the support portion 45 comes into contact with any one of the header portion H, the heat transfer tube 2, and the case 1, thereby preventing the pipe connecting portion HS from rotating about the hole portion 42 through which the end portion 20 of the heat transfer tube 2 is inserted.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger used as a component of a water heater, for example, and to a water heater or other hot water device including the heat exchanger. [Background technology]

[0002] An example of a heat exchanger is described in Patent Document 1. In the heat exchanger described in this document, a bracket for the overheat switch is in contact with a part for connecting pipes. By making the bracket in contact in this way, it is possible to prevent the part for connecting pipes from rotating when brazed.

[0003] However, the above-mentioned prior art has room for improvement, as will be described below.

[0004] In other words, rotation is prevented by a separate bracket, which requires a separate part to be attached to the heat exchanger to prevent rotation. This method increases the total number of parts, and also requires attaching a separate part to the heat exchanger before brazing, which may complicate the manufacturing process and increase manufacturing costs. Therefore, there is room for improvement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 4031483 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present invention was devised under the circumstances described above, and its objective is to provide a heat exchanger and a hot water device equipped with the same that can appropriately prevent the rotation of piping connection parts when brazed, while minimizing the complexity of manufacturing work and increases in manufacturing costs as much as possible. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following technical solutions.

[0008] A first aspect of the present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising: a case into which a heating medium is supplied; a plurality of heat transfer tubes housed within the case and having ends extending to the outside of the case through a plurality of holes formed in a side wall of the case; and a plurality of headers having a plurality of holes through which the ends of the heat transfer tubes are inserted and forming a chamber therein; a mounting plate having a first hole through which one of the plurality of heat transfer tubes is inserted and a second hole through which a connection fitting for connecting a pipe or the pipe itself is fixed; and a pipe connection portion having a lid attached to the mounting plate and forming a chamber therein; and a support portion provided on the mounting plate, which contacts the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube, thereby preventing the pipe connection portion from rotating around the first hole.

[0009] This configuration provides the following effects. First, because the support portion contacts either the header portion or the heat transfer tube and prevents the piping connection portion from rotating in the direction in which the connection fitting drops downward around the first hole, there is no risk of the piping connection portion being misaligned due to rotation during brazing in the heat exchanger assembly process. Because the support portion is provided on the mounting plate, the manufacturing process of the heat exchanger is simplified compared to when a separate jig or the like is used, making it possible to favorably improve productivity of the heat exchanger and reduce manufacturing costs.

[0010] In the present invention, preferably, the support portion is plate-shaped and has a width at its tip end that is narrower than the width at its base end.

[0011] This configuration makes it possible to reduce the contact area between the tip of the support portion and the header portion, which, unlike when the support portion is in contact with a wide area, makes it possible to appropriately suppress the effects of distortion due to expansion of the header portion.

[0012] In the present invention, preferably, the first hole portion and the second hole portion are aligned horizontally, and the support portion extends vertically upward or downward and contacts any of the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube arranged above or below the piping connection portion, thereby preventing the piping connection portion from rotating around the first hole portion.

[0013] According to this configuration, the support portion can be made shorter, which is more preferable in terms of facilitating assembly and preventing the pipe connection portion from rotating.

[0014] In the present invention, the first hole portion and the second hole portion may be aligned horizontally, and the support portion may extend horizontally and contact any one of the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube arranged horizontally of the piping connection portion, thereby preventing the piping connection portion from rotating around the first hole portion.

[0015] This configuration also facilitates assembly and prevents the piping connection header from rotating.

[0016] In the present invention, preferably, the first hole portion and the second hole portion are aligned horizontally, and the support portion is provided at a position opposite the center of the first hole portion from the second hole portion.

[0017] This configuration is more preferable in that the support portion can support the force that tends to rotate the pipe connecting portion.

[0018] A hot water device provided by a second aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising the heat exchanger provided by the first aspect of the present invention and a heating medium supply means for supplying the heating medium into the case of the heat exchanger.

[0019] According to this configuration, the same effects as those described for the heat exchanger provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

[0020] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a heat exchanger according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the header portion H and the pipe connection portion HS. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an enlarged view of a header portion H and a pipe connection portion HS. [Figure 6] This is a modified example of the pipe connection part HS. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0023] The heat exchanger HE shown in Figures 1 to 3 includes a roughly rectangular cylindrical or frame-shaped case 1 with open upper and lower surfaces, a plurality of body pipes 29 arranged within this case 1, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes 2 and 3.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, the heat exchanger HE of this embodiment is combined with, for example, a burner 8 (corresponding to a specific example of a heating medium supply means) and used to configure a hot water device WH such as a water heater. In the burner 8, fuel gas or liquid fuel is burned, and the resulting combustion gas (corresponding to a specific example of a heating medium) is supplied into the case 1 of the heat exchanger HE. As a result, the hot water flowing through the multiple body pipes 29, heat transfer tubes 2, and heat transfer tubes 3 is heated, and hot water is produced.

[0025] The configuration of the heat exchanger HE will be explained in more detail below. The heat exchanger HE has multiple body pipes 29 arranged along the inner surfaces of the side walls 10b-10d of the case 1. In addition to absorbing heat from the combustion gas used to heat hot and cold water, they also cool the side walls 10b-10d, preventing them from overheating. The body pipes 29 are connected via header sections 6A, 6B located on the outer surface of the side wall 10a of the case 1. Hot and cold water supplied from the heat transfer tubes 9 connected to the body pipes 29 passes through the body pipes 29 and the multiple header sections 6A, 6B, as indicated by the broken arrows in FIG. 1. The hot and cold water then flows through the multiple heat transfer tubes 2 and the header section H (described later) before reaching the tap outlet 27. The tap outlet 27 is comprised of a connecting joint 27a attached to the piping connection section HS. This connecting joint 27a corresponds to the connecting joint referred to in the present invention (the invention described in the claims).

[0026] In the header portions 6A, 6B, cover members 6a, 6b with concave inner portions are joined to the side wall portion 10a of the case 1, thereby forming a chamber for the circulation of hot and cold water between these cover members 6a, 6b and the side wall portion 10a. These header portions 6A, 6B do not correspond to the header portion as defined in the present invention (the invention described in the claims). The multiple header sections H (Ha, Hb) correspond to the header section in the present invention, the details of which will be described later.

[0027] 3, the heat transfer tubes 2 are, for example, fin tube types that are inserted through and joined to a plurality of plate-like fins 25, and are arranged side by side in the vertical and horizontal directions within the case 1. Both end portions 20 of each heat transfer tube 2 penetrate the side wall portions 10a, 10c of the case 1 and are drawn out to the outside of the case 1.

[0028] The heat exchanger HE further includes a plurality of header portions H (Ha, Hb). Of the multiple header sections H, one header section H (Hb) connects the end 29b of the lowest body pipe 29 to the end 20 of the heat transfer tube 2. On the other hand, the other multiple header sections H (Ha) connect the ends 20 of the multiple heat transfer tubes 2 together. The lowest body pipe 29, like the multiple heat transfer tubes 2, is included in the heat transfer tubes defined in the present invention (hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the lowest body pipe 29 and its end 29b will be described as being similar to the heat transfer tubes 2 and their ends 20).

[0029] The heat exchanger HE further includes inlet and outlet header sections 7A, 7B. A plurality of heat transfer tubes 3 are attached to the inlet and outlet header sections 7A, 7B. The heat transfer tubes 3 are serpentine heat transfer tubes, each consisting of a plurality of straight tube sections 30 spaced apart in the vertical direction and connected via semicircular arc-shaped connecting tube sections 31. The heat transfer tubes 3 are aligned in the width direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 3 ), but are arranged in a staggered pattern so that adjacent heat transfer tubes 3 are at different heights. Hot and cold water supplied to the inlet header section 7A passes through the plurality of heat transfer tubes 3 before reaching the outlet header section 7B. The hot and cold water that reaches this header section 7B is sent to the body pipe 29 via a connecting pipe 9. The header portions 7A and 7B for the water inlet and outlet do not correspond to the header portion as defined in the present invention (the invention described in the claims).

[0030] As can be clearly seen in Figures 1, 4, and 5, each header section H and pipe connection section HS is composed of a mounting plate 4 and a cover section 5. Both of these are made of metal and are generally oval in shape when viewed from the front. The cover portion 5 is a cup-shaped member having a recess on one side facing the mounting plate 4. The mounting plate 4 has an outer peripheral wall 40 into which the tip peripheral wall of the lid 5 fits, a main wall 41 connected to the outer periphery of the outer peripheral wall 40 and facing the side wall 10a or 10c of the case 1, and a pair of holes 42 formed in the main wall 41 and through which the ends 20 of the pair of heat transfer tubes 2 are inserted. A chamber 59 is provided inside both the mounting plate 4 and the lid 5, communicating with the interiors of the ends 20 of the pair of heat transfer tubes 2 and enabling the flow of hot water from one of the pair of heat transfer tubes 2 to the other. At the piping connection part HS, a connection fitting 27a is provided in one of the holes 42 in place of the heat transfer tube 2.

[0031] The mounting plate 4 further includes a burring portion 43 and an extension portion 44 .

[0032] The burring portions 43 are cylindrical portions of the main wall portion 41 that protrude from the periphery of each hole 42 toward the side wall portion 10a or 10c of the case 1, and are formed integrally with the main wall portion 41. The burring portions 43 are fitted onto the end portion 20 of the heat transfer tube 2 and brazed to the end portion 20.

[0033] The extension portion 44 is a portion that partially extends from a part of the front end peripheral edge portion 43a of the burring portion 43 toward the side wall portion 10a or 10c of the case 1 and abuts against the side wall portion 10a, and is formed integrally with the burring portion 43. In this embodiment, one burring portion 43 is provided with two extension portions 44.

[0034] 2, the mounting plate 4 of the pipe connection part HS further includes a support part 45, and the end part 20 of the heat transfer tube 2 is inserted into one of the holes 42, just like the header part H, while the connection joint 27a is brazed to the other side of the hole 42 as the tap hole 27. The tip of the support part 45 comes into contact with the header part H, so that the pipe connection part HS is prevented from rotating around the hole 42 through which the end part 20 of the heat transfer tube 2 is inserted during brazing.

[0035] Next, the operation of the heat exchanger HE and the water heating device WH will be described.

[0036] The pipe connection portion HS is provided with a support portion 45. Unlike the present embodiment, if the pipe connection portion does not have a support portion, for example, the weight of the connection fitting 27a may cause the pipe connection portion HS to rotate around the hole 42 through which the end portion 20 of the heat transfer tube 2 is inserted during assembly before brazing or during heating for brazing. In this case, there is a risk that the desired pipe will not be connected to the heat exchanger HE after brazing. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, the support portion 45 appropriately prevents or suppresses such a situation, and by positioning the pipe connection portion HS, the desired pipe will be connected to the heat exchanger HE after brazing. Because the width of the tip of the support portion 45 is set narrow, it is possible to appropriately suppress the effects of distortion due to the expansion of the header portion compared to when the tip is set wide. Furthermore, because the support portion 45 extends vertically toward the header portion H, the support portion can be shortened, making assembly easier. If the position of the support portion 45 is located in the opposite direction of the second hole portion with respect to the center of the cross section of the heat transfer tube 2 inserted into the piping connection portion HS, the force with which the support portion 45 supports the piping connection portion HS can be further strengthened.

[0037] There is no need to use a separate dedicated member (spacer) to prevent the pipe connection part HS from rotating during assembly before brazing or during heating for brazing, etc. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the manufacturing process of the heat exchanger HE, improve the productivity of the heat exchanger, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configurations of the heat exchanger and the hot water device according to the present invention can be freely modified in various ways within the intended scope of the present invention.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, support portion 45 extends vertically from pipe connection portion HS toward header portion H arranged above it, as shown in Fig. 2, but the present invention is not limited to this, and support portion 45 may extend horizontally as shown by support portion 451 in Fig. 6(a) and support portion 452 in Fig. 6(b), or may come into contact with another header portion, case, or heat transfer tube to prevent rotation. The shape and specific protruding dimensions of support portion 45 are not limited.

[0040] The water heater according to the present invention is not limited to a reverse combustion type in which the combustion gas flows from the top to the bottom of the heat exchanger, but may be a forward combustion type in which the combustion gas flows in the opposite direction. Furthermore, instead of combustion gas, high-temperature exhaust gas generated in a cogeneration system or the like may be used as the heating medium. Therefore, the heating medium supply means referred to in the present invention may be a means other than a burner. The heat exchanger according to the present invention is not limited to use in a water heater. [Explanation of symbols]

[0041] HE heat exchanger WH water heater Br Brazed part H(Ha,Hb) Header section HS piping connection 1 case 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d side wall section 2 Heat transfer tubes 20 End (of heat transfer tube) 3 Heat transfer tubes 27 Tap 27a Connection joint 38 Water Inlet 29 Body Pipe 29b End (of body pipe) 3 Heat transfer tubes 30 Straight tubular body 31 Connecting pipe body 4 Mounting plate 40 Outer wall 41 Main wall 42 Hole 43 Burring section 43a Front edge (burring part) 44 Extension 45, 451, 452 Support part 5 Lid 59 Chamber 6A, 6B Header section 6a, 6b Cover members 7A, 7B Header section 8 Burner 9 Connecting pipe

Claims

1. a case into which a heating medium is supplied; a plurality of heat transfer tubes housed in the case and having ends extending to the outside of the case through a plurality of holes formed in a side wall of the case; a plurality of header portions each having a plurality of holes through which the ends of the heat transfer tubes are inserted, the header portions defining a chamber therein; A heat exchanger comprising: a mounting plate having a first hole through which one of the plurality of heat transfer tubes is inserted and a second hole to which a connection joint for connecting a pipe or the pipe itself is fixed, and a pipe connection unit having a cover attached to the mounting plate and forming a chamber therein; The mounting plate is provided with a support portion, The support portion contacts either the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube, thereby preventing the piping connection portion from rotating around the first hole portion.

2. 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, The support portion is plate-shaped and has a width at its tip end that is narrower than the width at its base end.

3. 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, the first hole and the second hole are aligned in a horizontal direction, The support portion extends vertically upward or downward and contacts either the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube arranged above or below the piping connection portion, thereby preventing the piping connection portion from rotating around the first hole portion.

4. 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, the first hole and the second hole are aligned in a horizontal direction, The support portion extends horizontally and contacts any of the header portion, the case, or the heat transfer tube, which are arranged horizontally of the piping connection portion, thereby preventing the piping connection portion from rotating around the first hole portion.

5. 2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, the first hole and the second hole are aligned in a horizontal direction, A heat exchanger, wherein the support portion is provided at a position opposite the second hole with respect to the center of the first hole.

6. A heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5; a heating medium supply means for supplying the heating medium into the case of the heat exchanger; A water heating device comprising:

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