Flow Diverter and Cooling System

Abstract

A flow divider (100) including a main body (10) and a flow divider plate (20), wherein the main body (10) has a chamber (11), the flow divider plate (20) is disposed in the chamber (11), an inlet (12) is formed at one end of the main body (10), and the flow divider plate (20) has a plurality of flow divider holes (21) formed therein, the flow divider holes (21) communicating with the inlet (12) via the chamber (11), the main body (10) being formed by metal pipe processing, the flow divider plate (20) being formed by metal sheet processing, and the flow divider holes (21) being formed by a single punching operation in the flow divider plate (20), and a cooling system (1000).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed on August 14, 2020, bearing application number 202010816500.8 and entitled "Flow Diverter and Cooling System", and a Chinese patent application filed on August 14, 2020, bearing application number 202021702257.9 and entitled "Flow Diverter and Cooling System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD This application relates to the field of cooling, and more particularly to flow dividers and cooling systems. [Background technology]

[0003] A flow distributor is usually attached to the inlet of a heat exchanger in a cooling system and is used to distribute the medium evenly to each heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger for heat exchange.

[0004] Conventional flow dividers, main bodies and flow divider plates are all formed by turning a copper rod. The copper rod is first cut and then a blade is used to cut a number of flow divider holes in sequence, resulting in low processing efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a shunt having the following technical aspects. A flow distributor including a body and a flow divider plate, the body having a chamber, the flow divider plate being disposed in the chamber, an inlet being formed at one end of the body, and a plurality of flow divider holes being formed in the flow divider plate, the flow divider holes communicating with the inlet via the chamber, the body being formed by metal tube processing, the flow divider plate being formed by metal sheet processing, and the flow divider holes being formed by a single punching of the flow divider plate.

[0006] The flow distributor provided in the present application can improve processing efficiency by forming the flow dividing holes in the flow dividing plate by punching the metal plate once.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present application, the body is formed by spinning or water swelling a stainless steel tube, which is relatively light, reducing the weight of the body and the cost.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present application, the flow divider plate is formed by drawing and punching a stainless steel plate. Stainless steel can reduce the weight of the flow divider and reduce the cost, and the stainless steel flow divider plate and the main body can be welded by laser welding or argon arc welding, so that no welding material is required, the heat-affected area is small, and the fixing is realized by melting the base material, which improves the uniformity of the weld and the weld strength.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present application, a protrusion is provided on the side of the flow divider plate close to the inlet, one side of the protrusion is fixed to the flow divider plate, the other side is spherical, and the flow divider holes are provided around the protrusion, the gas-liquid mixed medium is separated into gaseous medium and liquid medium by gravity, and some of the medium that first contacts the protrusion is reflected by the turbulence caused by the protrusion and mixed with the remaining medium, so that the gaseous medium and the liquid medium are mixed and then guided into the flow divider holes along the spherical surface of the protrusion, so that the medium can be uniformly mixed and then distributed into the flow divider holes, and the flow resistance of the medium can be reduced.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present application, the protrusion is hemispherical, and the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion is disposed toward the inlet. The hemispherical protrusion can ensure the height and arc degree of the protrusion, thereby preventing the protrusion from being too high or too low, and preventing the arc degree from being too small or too large.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present application, the side of the flow dividing plate away from the protrusion is provided with a plurality of cams uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow dividing plate, and the flow dividing holes are drilled in the cams in one-to-one correspondence. The outlet pipe can be welded to the cam so as to communicate with the flow dividing holes, thereby reinforcing the welding strength of the outlet pipe; the outlet pipe can be partially inserted into the flow dividing holes and partially fitted to the outer wall of the cam, so as to be applicable to outlet pipes of different pipe diameters and to increase the scope of application.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present application, the flow divider plate has a first side adjacent to the inlet, and a first arcuate segment is disposed between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, the first arcuate segment extending from the spherical surface of the protrusion to the first side, the arrangement of the first arcuate segment allows a natural transition between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, and some of the medium flows to the bottom of the protrusion, and the first arcuate segment can act to guide the flow of this part of the medium.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present application, a second arc segment is provided between the inner wall of the flow-diverting hole and the first side surface, and the second arc segment extends from the first side surface to the inner wall of the flow-diverting hole. The arrangement of the second arc segment can further reduce the flow resistance of the medium.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present application, the protrusions are tension molded to the flow field plate, which simplifies the structure of the flow field plate and reduces the welding process.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present application, the axis of the flow dividing hole is inclined to the axis of the inlet, and the inclination angle a is less than or equal to 90°. By inclining the axis of the flow dividing hole, the inclination direction of the flow dividing hole and the flow direction of the medium before flowing along the spherical surface of the protrusion and entering the flow dividing hole can be made similar to each other, thereby reducing the flow resistance.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present application, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole and the axis of the inlet is 10°. The inclination angle of 10° is relatively close to the flow direction of the medium after the medium flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion and before entering the diversion hole, so that the flow resistance of the medium is further reduced.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present application, the inner wall of the body is arc-shaped, and the arc degree of the inner wall of the body is 15 mm or more. The arc-shaped inner wall can reduce the flow resistance of the medium flowing through the chamber.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of flow diverter holes are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow diverter plate. The uniform distribution of the flow diverter holes results in a uniform distribution of the medium.

[0019] The cooling system includes a heat exchanger and the flow divider described above disposed at the inlet of the heat exchanger. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a flow divider provided in the present application. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a current shunt provided in the present application; [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a flow divider provided in the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a body of a flow divider provided in the present application. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a flow diverter plate of a flow diverter provided in the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a front view of a flow diverter plate of the flow diverter provided in the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the process by which a medium flows through a flow divider provided in the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the cooling system provided in the present application.

[0021] 1000 cooling system, 100 flow diverter, 10 body, 11 chamber, 12 inlet, 13 inlet pipe, 14 opening, 15 outlet pipe, 20 flow diverter plate, 21 flow diverter hole, 22 projection, 23 cam, 24 first side, 25 second side, 26 second arc-shaped segment, 27 first arc-shaped segment, 200 heat exchanger, 201 evaporator, 202 condenser, 300 throttle valve, 400 compressor.

[0022] The present application will now be further described with reference to specific embodiments in conjunction with the above-mentioned drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] Hereinafter, the technical aspects of the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, but it is clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and are not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments that a person skilled in the art can obtain based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0024] It should be explained that when an assembly is said to be "mounted" to another assembly, it may be mounted directly to the other assembly or there may be intervening assemblies present. When an assembly is said to be "mounted" to another assembly, it may be mounted directly to the other assembly or there may be intervening assemblies present at the same time. When an assembly is said to be "secured" to another assembly, it may be secured directly to the other assembly or there may be intervening assemblies present at the same time.

[0025] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. Herein, the terms used in the specification of this application are merely intended to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and / or combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0026] Referring to Figures 1 to 3, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application.

[0027] The flow diverter 100 provided in this application is applied to a cooling system 1000, and the flow diverter 100 is attached to the inlet of a heat exchanger 200 to distribute the medium evenly to each heat exchange tube (not shown) of the heat exchanger 200. In this embodiment, the flow diverter 100 is attached to the inlet of an evaporator 201, but in other embodiments, the flow diverter 100 may be attached to the inlet of a condenser 202. It should be noted that the medium in this application is a refrigerant.

[0028] Furthermore, the flow distributor 100 includes a body 10 and a flow distributor plate 20, the body 10 is designed to be hollow to form a chamber 11, the flow distributor plate 20 is disposed in the chamber 11, an inlet 12 is formed at one end of the body 10, the flow distributor plate 20 is provided with a plurality of flow distributor holes 21, the plurality of flow distributor holes 21 are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow distributor plate 20, and the flow distributor holes 21 are connected to the inlet 12 via the chamber 11.

[0029] The main body 10 is formed by metal tube processing, the flow divider plate 20 is formed by metal plate processing, and the flow divider holes 21 are formed by punching the flow divider plate 20 once. A single punching of the metal plate can form a plurality of flow divider holes 21, which improves processing efficiency compared to the conventional method of forming flow divider holes by lathe processing of a copper rod.

[0030] Furthermore, the main body 10 is formed by subjecting a stainless steel pipe to a spinning process or a water swelling process.

[0031] The flow dividing plate 20 is formed by drawing and punching a stainless steel plate.

[0032] Compared with a brass shunt, the stainless steel body 10 and the stainless steel shunt plate 20 can reduce the cost and the weight of the shunt 100. The stainless steel shunt 100 has a high pressure resistance and good sealing performance, and can avoid the problem of cracking during ammonia fumigation tests when using brass materials. In addition, the stainless steel shunt plate 20 can be welded into the body 10 by laser welding or argon arc welding, so no welding material is required, the heat-affected zone is small, the melting point is high, the welding uniformity is improved, and the welding strength is improved. However, the copper body and the shunt plate can only be welded by flame welding or high frequency welding, which requires a relatively deep weld penetration depth and a long weld penetration time. It can be understood that if the weld penetration depth or weld penetration does not meet the requirements, it will affect the weld strength.

[0033] The inlet 12 is provided with an inlet pipe 13, which is fixed to the inlet 12 by welding, and is used by a user to connect to an external device such as a throttle valve 300, for example.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body 10 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, in which an opening 14 is drilled at one end of the body 10 away from the inlet 12, a flow diverter plate 20 is provided in the opening 14, and the flow diverter plate 20 and the body 10 are fixed together by welding.

[0035] Specifically, the inner wall of the main body 10 is arc-shaped, and by designing in this manner, the pressure loss during the flow of the medium through the chamber 11 can be reduced; it can be understood that if the pressure loss of the medium becomes excessive, the dynamic pressure of the medium will decrease and the medium will preferentially flow into the closest diversion hole 21, resulting in uneven distribution of the medium flow rate.

[0036] Preferably, the arc of the inner wall of the body 10 is 15 mm or more, and it can be understood that if the arc is too small, the pressure loss during the flow of the medium increases. The arc of the inner wall of the body 10 is 15 mm, 16 mm, 20 mm, or more than 20 mm.

[0037] Referring to Figures 5, 6 and 7, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the flow diverter plate 20 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, Figure 6 is a front view of the flow diverter plate 20 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, and Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process in which a medium flows within the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application.

[0038] Specifically, the protrusions 22 are provided on the side of the flow dividing plate 20 facing the inlet 12, the flow dividing holes 21 are provided around the protrusions 22, one side of the protrusions 22 is fixed to the side of the flow dividing plate 20, and the other side is spherical, that is, the side where the protrusions 22 contact the medium is spherical. It can be seen that the gas-liquid mixed medium flows in from the inlet 12, the gas-liquid mixed medium separates into gaseous medium and liquid medium due to the gravity action, and the medium that first contacts the protrusions 22 forms a reflection due to the turbulent flow action of the protrusions 22 and mixes with the remaining medium, so that the gaseous medium and the liquid medium are mixed again and uniformly distributed in the surrounding flow dividing holes 21, improving the flow dividing ability of the flow dividing device 100, and the spherical surface of the protrusions 22 guides the medium to flow into the flow dividing holes 21, playing the role of guiding the flow, reducing the pressure loss of the medium, and improving the flow ability of the flow dividing device 100.

[0039] Furthermore, since the protrusions 22 are formed by stretch forming the flow field plate 20, there is no need to provide the protrusions 22 separately on the flow field plate 20, which reduces the welding process.

[0040] Preferably, in this embodiment, the protrusion 22 is hemispherical, and the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion 22 faces the inlet 12, that is, the bottom surface of the hemispherical protrusion 22 is fixed to the flow dividing plate 20, and the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 contacts the medium. With this design, the height and arc degree of the protrusion 22 can be ensured, and it can be understood that if the protrusion 22 is a sphere with a relatively small height and arc degree, such as a 1 / 8 sphere, the height of the protrusion 22 relative to the flow dividing plate 20 is too low, the arc degree is relatively small, and it is almost flat, which will affect the turbulence and reflection effect, and affect the flow guiding role of the protrusion 22, and if the protrusion 22 is a perfect sphere, it will reduce the space of the chamber 11, which will affect the mixing space of the gaseous medium and the liquid medium.

[0041] 5, the flow dividing plate 20 has a first side 24 and a second side 25 provided opposite to each other, the first side 24 is provided adjacent to the inlet 12, the protrusion 22 is provided on the first side 24, and a first arc-shaped segment 27 is provided between the protrusion 22 and the first side 24, and the first arc-shaped segment 27 extends from the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 to the first side 24 so as to connect the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 to the first side 24. It can be seen that some of the medium flows to the bottom of the protrusion 22, and the first arc-shaped segment 27 can naturally transition between the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 and the first side 24 of the protrusion 22, thereby reducing the flow loss in the process of the medium at the bottom of the protrusion 22 flowing to the flow dividing hole 21.

[0042] Specifically, a plurality of cams 23 are provided on the side of the flow dividing plate 20 away from the projections 22, uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow dividing plate 20, the flow dividing holes 21 are drilled in the cams 23 in one-to-one correspondence, the outlet pipe 15 is provided at the opening of the flow dividing hole 21 located outside the chamber 11, and the outlet pipe 15 and the cams 23 are fixedly connected by welding. It can be seen that with such a design, the connection strength of the outlet pipe 15 can be increased.

[0043] Furthermore, a portion of the outlet pipe 15 may be inserted into the flow dividing hole 21, and a portion may be fitted into the outer wall of the cam 23, which not only reinforces the connection strength but also allows connection to outlet pipes 15 of different pipe diameters. In this embodiment, multiple outlet pipes 15 are connected to multiple heat exchange tubes of the evaporator 201, but in other embodiments, the outlet pipes 15 are connected to different devices according to different connection objects.

[0044] The inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 may be stainless steel pipes or copper pipes, but the stainless steel pipes are low in cost and are made of the same material as the main body 10, which reduces the difficulty of welding, and since the pipelines of the cooling system are usually copper pipes, the inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 are made of copper pipes, which makes it easier for users to weld them. The flow divider 100 of the present application may select the inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 to be made of stainless steel or copper material according to different locations.

[0045] Preferably, the axis of the diversion hole 21 is inclined to the axis of the inlet 12, and the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 is less than or equal to 90°. After the medium passes through the turbulence caused by the protrusion 22, it flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion 22, and its flow direction is inclined to the axis of the inlet 12. If the axis direction of the diversion hole 21 is the same as the flow direction of the medium, the flow resistance of the medium can be further reduced, and if the inclination angle of the axis of the diversion hole 21 to the axis of the inlet 12 exceeds 90°, the medium needs to change direction before entering the diversion hole 21, which increases the flow resistance. The included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 may be 90°, 80°, 70°, 50°, 20°, 10°, etc.

[0046] Preferably, in this embodiment, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 is 10°, and as can be seen from Fig. 7, a is 10°, which is relatively close to the flow direction of the medium after it flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 and before it enters the diversion hole 21. Of course, in other embodiments, according to different heights of the protrusion 22, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 may be 85°, 45°, 30° or another angle.

[0047] A second arcuate segment 26 is provided between the inner wall of the flow dividing hole 21 and the first side surface 24, and the second arcuate segment 26 extends from the first side surface 24 to the inner wall of the flow dividing hole 21 so as to connect the first side surface 24 and the inner wall of the flow dividing hole 21. With this design, the flow resistance of the medium can be further reduced.

[0048] Referring to Fig. 8, it is a structural schematic diagram of a cooling system 1000 provided in the present application. The present application further provides a cooling system 1000 including a compressor 400, a throttle valve 300, a heat exchanger 200, and the above-mentioned flow divider 100 provided at the inlet of the heat exchanger 200. The heat exchanger 200 may be an evaporator 201 or a condenser 202. The cooling system 1000 of the present application is provided with the flow divider 100 provided in the present application, which can improve the heat exchange effect of the evaporator 201 and improve the performance of the cooling system.

[0049] When the heat exchanger 200 is an evaporator 201, the inlet pipe 13 of the flow divider 100 is connected to the outlet of the throttle valve 300, the medium is throttled / decompressed by the throttle valve 300 to a gas-liquid two-phase state, the evaporator 201 has multiple heat exchange tubes, and the medium flowing out from the throttle valve 300 is distributed by the flow divider 100 and evenly distributed to each heat exchange tube of the evaporator 201 to make the heat exchange of the evaporator 201 uniform, and avoid some heat exchange tubes having more gaseous medium and some heat exchange tubes having more liquid medium. When some heat exchange tubes have more liquid medium and some heat exchange tubes have less liquid medium, the heat absorbed by the heat exchange tube with more gaseous medium is less and the heat absorbed by the heat exchange tube with more liquid medium is more, which affects the full utilization of the heat exchange area of ​​the heat exchange tube of the evaporator 201, thereby affecting the heat exchange effect and causing the performance deterioration of the cooling system. The medium flowing out of the evaporator 201 enters the compressor 400, becomes a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous medium, and enters the condenser 202 again.

[0050] During the operation, the gas-liquid two-phase medium enters the chamber 11 from the inlet pipe 13. In the process of flowing, the gaseous medium and the liquid medium are separated by gravity. Due to the turbulent flow caused by the protrusions 22, the medium that first comes into contact with the protrusions 22 is reflected and mixed with the other medium, so that the liquid medium and the gaseous medium are mixed again. After being mixed, the liquid medium and the gaseous medium flow uniformly into each dividing hole 21 along the spherical surface of the protrusions 22, and are then distributed into each heat exchange tube.

[0051] The flow dividing holes 21 in the flow divider 100 provided in the present application are formed by punching the flow dividing plate 20 once, which can improve the processing efficiency. If stainless steel is used for the production, the welding strength between the flow dividing plate 20 and the main body 10 can be improved, which can reduce the cost, and the pressure resistance and sealing performance can be improved, and the risk of the brass material cracking due to ammonia fumigation can be reduced. By making the side surface of the protrusion 22 in contact with the medium spherical, the medium can be mixed uniformly, and the pressure loss during the medium flow process can be reduced, thereby improving the flow capacity.

[0052] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined in any manner. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments have been described. However, to the extent that any combination of these technical features is not contradictory, any combination of these technical features should be considered within the scope of the present specification.

[0053] The above examples merely show some embodiments of the present application, and the description is specific and detailed, but should not be understood as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make some further modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be subject to the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A flow distributor including a body and a flow dividing plate, the body having a chamber, the flow dividing plate being disposed in the chamber, an inlet being formed at one end of the body, the flow dividing plate being formed with a plurality of flow dividing holes, the flow dividing holes being connected to the inlet via the chamber, the main body is formed by metal pipe processing, the flow dividing plate is formed by metal plate processing, and the flow dividing holes are formed by punching the flow dividing plate once; a protrusion is provided on a side surface of the flow dividing plate adjacent to the inlet, one side surface of the protrusion is fixed to the flow dividing plate and the other side surface is spherical, the spherical surface of the protrusion is provided toward the inlet, and the flow dividing holes are provided around the protrusion; The axis of the flow dividing hole is inclined with respect to the axis of the inlet, and the inclination angle a is 90° or less; A flow divider, wherein an inner wall of the body in the chamber through which the medium flows between the inlet and the flow divider plate is generally arc-shaped, and a circle corresponding to the arc has a radius of 15 mm or more.

2. 2. The flow distributor according to claim 1, wherein the main body is formed by spinning or water swelling a stainless steel tube.

3. 2. The flow distributor according to claim 1, wherein the flow distributor plate is formed by drawing or punching a stainless steel plate.

4. The flow diverter of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is hemispherical, the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion facing toward the inlet.

5. A flow diverter as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of cams are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow diverter plate on the side away from the protrusion, and the flow diverter holes are drilled in the cams in one-to-one correspondence.

6. 2. The flow distributor of claim 1, wherein the flow distributor has a first side adjacent the inlet, and a first arcuate segment is disposed between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, the first arcuate segment extending from the spherical surface of the protrusion to the first side.

7. 7. The flow diverter of claim 6, wherein a second arcuate segment is provided between the inner wall of the flow diverter hole and the first side, the second arcuate segment extending from the first side to the inner wall of the flow diverter hole.

8. The flow diverter of claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed by tensioning the flow diverter plate.

9. 2. The flow splitter of claim 1, wherein the included angle a between the axis of the flow split hole and the axis of the inlet is 10 degrees.

10. The flow distributor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flow diverter holes are uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the flow diverter plate.

11. A cooling system comprising a heat exchanger and a flow divider according to any one of claims 1 to 10 provided at an inlet of the heat exchanger.

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