heat exchanger

Abstract

To improve performance of a heat exchanger.SOLUTION: An oil cooler 1 comprises a heat exchange unit 2 in which a plurality of core plates 5 and 6 having a pair of through holes 11, 12 are laminated. The heat exchange unit 2 constitutes an inter-plate flow path through which fluid flows between each of the plurality of core plates. The heat exchange unit 2 comprises a pair of communication flow paths formed by the pair of through holes and communicating the plurality of inter-plate flow paths in a lamination direction of the plurality of core plates, a fluid introduction unit 14 that forms a flow path that communicates with one of the pair of communication flow paths, and a fluid discharge unit 17 that forms a flow path that communicates with the other of the pair of communication flow paths. A center C2 of the fluid introduction unit is separated from a center C1 of one of the pair of communication flow paths by a predetermined distance D1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A heat exchanger that exchanges heat among multiple fluids is used, for example, as a water-cooled oil cooler that cools the lubricating oil of an internal combustion engine using a refrigerant such as long-life coolant (LLC). Known heat exchangers include a throttle portion that partially reduces the cross-sectional area of a first refrigerant tank space, which distributes the refrigerant flowing in from a refrigerant inlet into multiple refrigerant flow paths, in a direction perpendicular to the plate stacking direction (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-200039 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In heat exchangers, there is room for further improvement in terms of distributing the inflowing fluids, such as refrigerant and lubricant, more uniformly among the multiple flow paths in the stacking direction in order to improve performance, i.e., improve the efficiency of heat exchange.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to improve the performance of a heat exchanger by distributing fluid more uniformly through a plurality of flow paths in the stacking direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the heat exchanger according to the present invention comprises a pair of circularIn a heat exchanger in which a plurality of core plates each having a through hole are stacked and inter-plate flow paths through which a fluid flows between the core plates are formed, the heat exchanger comprises: a pair of communication flow paths formed by a pair of the through holes and connecting the plurality of inter-plate flow paths in the stacking direction of the plurality of core plates; a fluid inlet portion forming a flow path communicating with one of the pair of communication flow paths; and a fluid outlet portion forming a flow path communicating with the other of the pair of communication flow paths. a base plate provided at the lowermost end of each of the core plates in the stacking direction in contact with the core plates; Equipped with The fluid introduction portion is a circular through-hole-shaped opening formed in the base plate, and the communication flow path and the fluid introduction portion are connected by connecting the through-hole of the lowest core plate and the through-hole-shaped fluid introduction portion in the stacking direction of the core plates, and are arranged to overlap in a plan view with their centers offset, and the fluid introduction portion is communicated with the communication flow path by bending the flow path in the stacking direction due to the offset caused by a portion of the lowest core plate protruding toward the center of the fluid introduction portion. .

[0007] The heat exchanger according to the present invention comprises: The fluid introduction portion is provided at a position where the center of an opening on the inlet side of the fluid in the thickness direction of the base plate and the center of an opening on the outlet side of the fluid are spaced apart in the surface direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, the performance of the heat exchanger can be improved by distributing the fluid more uniformly among the multiple flow paths in the stacking direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an oil cooler as a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a side view of an oil cooler according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the oil cooler according to the first embodiment taken along line AA. [Figure 4] FIG. 5 is a BB cross-sectional view of the oil cooler according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a first core plate and a second core plate of the oil cooler according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler according to a first reference example. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 4 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 1. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 2. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 3. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 4. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 5. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler according to Reference Example 6. [Figure 16] 10 is a graph showing the distribution ratio of each stage of the cooling water flow passage between plates of the oil cooler according to the second embodiment and reference examples 5 and 6. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler according to a third embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, an example will be described in which a heat exchanger according to the present invention is used as a water-cooled oil cooler 1 that cools lubricating oil (oil) of an internal combustion engine, which corresponds to a first fluid, using a refrigerant (cooling water) such as long-life coolant (LLC), which corresponds to a second fluid.

[0015] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is a plan view of an oil cooler 1 as a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the oil cooler 1. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the oil cooler 1 taken along line AA. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the oil cooler 1 taken along line BB.

[0016] First, a first embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the oil cooler 1 includes a heat exchange unit 2 formed by stacking multiple core plates (a first core plate 5 and a second core plate 6) (see FIG. 5) each having a pair of through holes (an oil passage hole 11 and a cooling water passage hole 12). The heat exchange unit 2 defines interplate flow paths (an interplate oil flow path 7 and an interplate cooling water flow path 8) through which fluids (lubricating oil (oil) and cooling water) flow between the multiple core plates. The heat exchange unit 2 includes a pair of communication flow paths (a pair of oil communication flow paths 31 and a pair of cooling water communication flow paths 32) formed by a pair of through holes and connecting the multiple interplate flow paths in the stacking direction of the multiple core plates, fluid inlet portions (a cooling water inlet portion 14 and an oil inlet portion 18) that form a flow path communicating with one of the pair of communication flow paths, and fluid outlet portions (a cooling water outlet portion 15 and an oil outlet portion 19) that form a flow path communicating with the other of the pair of communication flow paths. The center C2 of the fluid introduction portion is spaced a predetermined distance D1 from the center C1 of one of the pair of communication passages. The oil cooler 1 according to this embodiment will now be described in detail.

[0017] For ease of explanation, the directions along the surfaces of the first core plate 5, the second core plate 6, the top plate 3, and the bottom plate (base plate) 4 in the oil cooler 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 will be referred to as the X direction (left-right direction) along the X axis, and the other direction along the Y axis (front-rear direction) along the Y axis. Furthermore, the direction along the Z axis direction (Z direction) perpendicular to the X and Y axes in the oil cooler 1 will be referred to as the up-down direction or the stacking direction of the first core plate 5, the second core plate 6, the top plate 3, and the bottom plate 4. Furthermore, the direction along the surfaces (planes extending in the X and Y axis directions) of the first core plate 5, the second core plate 6, the top plate 3, and the bottom plate 4 in the oil cooler 1 will be referred to as the planar direction. The planar direction is a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction. Furthermore, in the oil cooler 1, one end of the stacking direction will be referred to as the bottom plate 4 side (lower end side), and the other end of the stacking direction will be referred to as the top plate 3 side (upper end side). In the following description, when the positional relationship and direction of each component are described as right side, left side, front side, rear side, upper side, lower side, top, bottom, etc., this refers only to the positional relationship and direction in the drawings and does not limit the positional relationship and direction in an actual heat exchanger.

[0018] An oil cooler 1 as a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention will be outlined with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the oil cooler 1 is roughly composed of a heat exchange section 2 that exchanges heat between oil and cooling water, a top plate 3 attached to the upper surface of the heat exchange section 2, and a bottom plate 4 attached to the lower surface of the heat exchange section 2.

[0020] The heat exchange unit 2 is formed by alternately stacking first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 as multiple core plates having a common basic shape. In addition, the heat exchange unit 2 is formed with inter-plate oil passages 7 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) as first inter-plate passages and inter-plate cooling water passages 8 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) as second inter-plate passages alternately between the first core plates 5 and the second core plates 6. In the oil cooler 1, for example, 10 inter-plate oil passages 7 and 9 inter-plate cooling water passages 8 are formed within the heat exchange unit 2.

[0021] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 2, taken along line AA in FIG. 1, which connects one of a pair of cooling water communication channels 32 (the cooling water inlet side) to the other (the cooling water outlet side). FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 2, taken along line BB in FIG. 1, which connects one of a pair of oil communication channels 31 (the oil inlet side) to the other (the oil outlet side). As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the oil cooler 1 has inter-plate oil channels 7 defined between the upper surface of the first core plate 5 and the lower surface of the second core plate 6. The oil cooler 1 also has inter-plate cooling water channels 8 defined between the lower surface of the first core plate 5 and the upper surface of the second core plate 6. Fin plates (schematically shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) are arranged in each inter-plate oil channel 7, and multiple embossments 20 (not shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) protrude from the inter-plate cooling water channels 8.

[0022] The first and second core plates 5, 6, the top plate 3, and the bottom plate 4 are joined together by brazing. Each of the first and second core plates 5, 6, the top plate 3, and the bottom plate 4 is made of a so-called clad material, which is an aluminum alloy base material coated with a brazing material layer. After each part is temporarily assembled in its predetermined position, the above materials are brazed together by heating in a furnace.

[0023] In addition, the first core plates 5 located at the top and bottom of the heat exchange section 2 have a slightly different configuration from the general first core plates 5 located in the middle of the heat exchange section 2 due to their relationship with the top plate 3 and bottom plate 4.

[0024] For example, the first core plate 5 located at the bottom of the heat exchange section 2 is formed to be thicker than the other first core plates 5 .

[0025] Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 of the oil cooler 1. As shown in Fig. 5, the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 are formed by pressing a thin base material of an aluminum alloy, and are rectangular (approximately square) as a whole, and have a pair of through holes, namely a pair of oil passage holes 11, 11 and a pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12. In Fig. 5, the line CC shown by the dashed dotted line is a straight line connecting one (oil inlet side) and the other (oil outlet side) of a pair of oil communication channels 31 in the heat exchange section 2.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 5, the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 have hole portions 13 through which neither oil nor cooling water passes. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the hole portions 13 are connected above and below in the heat exchange section 2, but are not connected to the inter-plate oil flow paths 7 or the inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8. The first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 have a pair of oil passage holes 11, 11, a pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12, and a plurality of embossments 20 formed around the hole portions 13. The embossments 20 have, for example, a circular uneven shape in a plan view.

[0027] As shown in Fig. 3, the top plate 3 is provided with a cooling water discharge part 15 that communicates with one of the cooling water passage holes 12 at the top of the heat exchange part 2. As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, a cooling water discharge pipe 17 is connected to the cooling water discharge part 15.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, the bottom plate 4 serving as a base plate has a cooling water inlet 14 that communicates with one of the cooling water passage holes 12 at the bottom of the heat exchanger 2. A cooling water inlet passage (not shown) is connected to the cooling water inlet 14. As shown in Fig. 4, the bottom plate 4 also has an oil inlet 18 that communicates with one of the oil passage holes 11 at the bottom of the heat exchanger 2, and an oil outlet 19 that communicates with the other of the oil passage holes 11 at the bottom of the heat exchanger 2. The oil inlet 18 and the oil outlet 19 of the bottom plate 4 are attached to a cylinder block (not shown) or the like via a gasket (not shown) or the like that seals them.

[0029] Cooling water is supplied to the oil cooler 1 through a cooling water inlet 14, and the cooling water is discharged through a cooling water outlet pipe 17. Oil is supplied to the oil cooler 1 through an oil inlet 18, and the oil is discharged through an oil outlet 19.

[0030] The pair of oil passage holes 11, 11 are located on the outer edges of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. The pair of oil passage holes 11, 11 are formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the pair of oil passage holes 11, 11 are formed on the outer edges of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 on a diagonal line of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. The pair of oil passage holes 11, 11 are formed so that their positions coincide in the stacking direction when a plurality of first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are stacked together.

[0031] The pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12 are located on the outer edges of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. The pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12 are formed at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5 , the pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12 are formed on the outer edges of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 at positions symmetrical with respect to the center of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 on a diagonal line of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. The pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12 are formed so that their positions coincide in the stacking direction when a plurality of first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are stacked together.

[0032] The cooling water passage holes 12 are formed in the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 so as not to overlap with the oil passage holes 11. More specifically, the cooling water passage holes 12 are formed on a diagonal line of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 that is different from the diagonal line of the oil passage holes 11.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 5, the holes 13 are located at the centers of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6.

[0034] Cooling water introduced from the cooling water inlet 14 of the bottom plate 4 flows through the inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8, and flows throughout the heat exchange section 2 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6, reaching the cooling water outlet 15 of the top plate 3. Oil introduced from the oil inlet of the bottom plate 4 flows through the inter-plate oil flow paths 7, and flows throughout the heat exchange section 2 in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6, reaching the oil outlet of the bottom plate 4.

[0035] As shown in Fig. 4, the first core plate 5 is formed so that the periphery of the oil passage hole 11 forms a boss portion 21 that protrudes toward the bottom plate 4 (downward). The first core plate 5 is also formed one step higher so that the periphery of the cooling water passage hole 12 forms a boss portion 22 that protrudes toward the top plate 3 (upward). The first core plate 5 is also formed so that the periphery of the hole portion 13 forms a boss portion 23 that protrudes toward both the top plate 3 (upward) and the bottom plate 4 (downward), as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. In the lowest first core plate 5, the boss portion 23 around the hole portion 13 protrudes only toward the top plate 3.

[0036] As shown in Fig. 4, the second core plate 6 is formed one step higher so that the periphery of the oil passage hole 11 protrudes toward the top plate 3 (upper side) as a boss portion 24. The second core plate 6 is also formed so that the periphery of the cooling water passage hole 12 protrudes toward the bottom plate 4 (lower side) as a boss portion 25. The second core plate 6 is also formed so that the periphery of the hole portion 13 protrudes toward the top plate 3 (upper side) and the bottom plate 4 (lower side) as a boss portion 26, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

[0037] Therefore, by alternately combining the first core plates 5 and the second core plates 6, a certain gap is formed between the first core plates 5 and the second core plates 6, which becomes the inter-plate oil flow paths 7 and the inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8.

[0038] A boss portion 21 provided around the oil passage hole 11 in the first core plate 5 is joined to a boss portion 24 provided around the oil passage hole 11 in one of the adjacent second core plates 6. As a result, the two adjacent upper and lower inter-plate oil passages 7 communicate with each other. Furthermore, the two adjacent upper and lower inter-plate oil passages 7 are isolated from the inter-plate cooling water passage 8 between them. Therefore, when multiple first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are joined together, the inter-plate oil passages 7 communicate with each other via the multiple oil passage holes 11. In this way, the multiple oil passage holes 11 form a pair of oil communication passages 31 that communicate the multiple inter-plate oil passages 7 in the stacking direction of the multiple first core plates 5 and second core plates 6. The pair of oil communication passages 31 communicate with the inter-plate oil passage 7, which serves as the first inter-plate passage.

[0039] A boss portion 25 provided around the cooling water passage hole 12 in the second core plate 6 is joined to a boss portion 22 provided around the cooling water passage hole 12 in one of the adjacent first core plates 5. As a result, the two adjacent upper and lower inter-plate cooling water passages 8 communicate with each other. Furthermore, the two adjacent upper and lower inter-plate cooling water passages 8 are isolated from the inter-plate oil passage 7 between them. Therefore, when multiple first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are joined together, the inter-plate cooling water passages 8 communicate with each other via the multiple cooling water passing holes 12. In this way, the multiple cooling water passing holes 12 form a pair of cooling water communication passages 32 that communicate the multiple inter-plate cooling water passages 8 in the stacking direction of the multiple first core plates 5 and second core plates 6. The pair of cooling water communication passages 32 communicate with the inter-plate cooling water passages 8 as the second inter-plate passages.

[0040] The boss portions 23 around the holes 13 in the first core plate 5 are joined to boss portions 26 provided around the holes 13 of the adjacent upper and lower second core plates 6. Therefore, when a large number of first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are joined together, the holes 13 do not communicate with the inter-plate oil flow paths 7 and the inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8.

[0041] The pair of cooling water passage holes 12, 12 are formed so that their positions coincide in the stacking direction when the multiple first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 are stacked together. Therefore, the positions of the centers of the cooling water communication channels 32 in the planar direction of the first core plates 5 and second core plates 6 coincide in the stacking direction as shown by the dashed dotted line C1 in Figure 3.

[0042] The cooling water inlet 14 is a through-hole-shaped opening formed in the bottom plate 4. The cooling water inlet 14 communicates with one of the cooling water passage holes 12 at the bottom of the heat exchanger 2. The center of the cooling water inlet 14 in the planar direction of the bottom plate 4 is offset (a predetermined distance D1) from the center C1 of the cooling water communicating passage 32 in the planar direction, as shown by the dashed-dotted line C2 in FIG. 3 . The predetermined distance D1 is determined based on the overall dimensions of the oil cooler 1, the dimensions of the cooling water inlet 14, and the cooling water communicating passage 32, etc. For example, when the diameter of the cooling water communicating passage 32 is 12 mm, the distance D1 is 5.5 mm. The center C2 of the cooling water inlet 14 is offset from the center C1 of the cooling water communicating passage 32 on the cooling water inlet side in the direction of a straight line connecting the cooling water inlet side and the cooling water outlet side of the pair of cooling water communicating passages 32 in the heat exchanger 2, as shown in FIG. 3 . In addition, the center C2 of the cooling water inlet section 14 is spaced apart from the center C1 of the cooling water communication flow path 32 on the cooling water inlet side in the direction of the outer peripheral end of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 (towards the outer periphery) in the surface direction of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6.

[0043] By being provided in the above-described position on the bottom plate 4, the cooling water inlet 14 has a through hole that partially faces the lowermost core plate among the multiple core plates, specifically the underside of the first core plate 5 as shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, in the oil cooler 1, the flow path at the connection between the cooling water inlet 14 and the cooling water communication flow path 32 has a crank-shaped or approximately crank-shaped bent shape as shown by the arrow F1.

[0044] Next, the operation of the oil cooler 1 described above will be explained in comparison with the oil cooler 100 of the first reference example.

[0045] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the oil cooler 100 according to Reference Example 1, taken along line AA in Fig. 1. The oil cooler 100 of Reference Example 1 differs only in that the position of the center of the cooling water inlet 114 in the planar direction of the bottom plate 104 coincides with the position of the center C1 in the planar direction of the cooling water communicating channel 32. The oil cooler 100 has other configurations similar to those of the oil cooler 1 described above, and therefore description of these other configurations will be omitted.

[0046] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler 1 according to the first embodiment, taken along the line AA. Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water in the oil cooler 100 according to Reference Example 1, taken along the line AA. The flow velocity of the cooling water is as shown by the flow rate scales S1 and S2 in Figs. 7 and 8.

[0047] 7 and 8, the distribution ratio is calculated as follows. First, a cross section at the position indicated by line CC in FIG. 5 is set as an evaluation cross section for each stage of the plurality of interplate cooling water channels 8 in the heat exchange section 2. Next, the flow rate passing through the evaluation cross section for each stage of the plurality of interplate cooling water channels 8 is calculated from the flow velocity. Then, the distribution ratio is obtained from the ratio of the flow rate at each stage of the plurality of interplate cooling water channels 8 to the flow rate at the evaluation cross section for the entire plurality of interplate cooling water channels 8.

[0048] 7 and 8, it can be seen that in the oil cooler 1, compared to the oil cooler 100, the cooling water introduced from the cooling water inlet 14 to the heat exchange section 2 is distributed not only to the inter-plate cooling water passages 8 on the top plate 3 side (uppermost side) that is farther from the cooling water inlet 14 in the stacking direction, but also to the inter-plate cooling water passages 8 on the bottom plate 4 (lowermost side) that is closer to the cooling water inlet 14 in the stacking direction. In addition, the distribution ratio of the lowest row of the multiple inter-plate cooling water passages 8 of the oil cooler 1 shown in FIG. 7 is higher than the distribution ratio of the lowest row of the multiple inter-plate cooling water passages 8 of the oil cooler 100 shown in FIG. 8.

[0049] In the oil cooler 1, the center C2 in the planar direction of the cooling water inlet section 14 is spaced a distance D1 from the center C1 in the planar direction of the cooling water communicating passage 32. This allows the cooling water to flow obliquely with respect to the stacking direction (Z direction), which is the extension direction of the cooling water communicating passage 32, before being introduced into the heat exchange section 2. More specifically, the center C2 of the cooling water inlet section 14 is spaced away from the center C1 of the cooling water communicating passage 32 on the cooling water inlet side, toward the outer peripheral ends (outward direction) of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. Therefore, the cooling water is introduced from the outer side toward the inner side (toward the center of the inter-plate cooling water passage 8) of the inter-plate cooling water passage 8 formed by the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7 , the oil cooler 1 can increase the distribution ratio of the lower stages of the multiple inter-plate cooling water passages 8 more than the oil cooler 100 of Reference Example 1.

[0050] Next, cases where the diameters of the cooling water introduction portions 214, 314, 414 in the oil cooler 1 are changed as in Reference Examples 2 to 4 shown below will be described.

[0051] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the coolant in the oil cooler 200 according to Reference Example 2. Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the coolant in the oil cooler 300 according to Reference Example 3. Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the coolant in the oil cooler 400 according to Reference Example 4. As with the results of the flow analysis in Figs. 7 and 8, in the results of the flow analysis shown in Figs. 9 to 11, as the gray becomes darker and approaches black, the flow velocity of the coolant increases, and as the gray becomes lighter and approaches white, the flow velocity of the coolant decreases.

[0052] In the oil coolers 200, 300, and 400 of Reference Examples 2 to 4 shown in FIGS. 9 to 11 , similar to the oil cooler 100 of Reference Example 1, the center position of the cooling water inlet portion 214, 314, and 414 in the planar direction of the bottom plate coincides with the center C1 of the cooling water communication channel 32 in the planar direction. The oil coolers 200, 300, and 400 of Reference Examples 2 to 4 differ from the oil cooler 100 of Reference Example 1 in the diameters of the cooling water inlet portions 214, 314, and 414. Specifically, the oil cooler 200 is a reference example used to verify the effect of improving flow velocity by reducing the diameter of the cooling water inlet portion 214 by 3.4 mm. The oil cooler 300 is a reference example used to verify the effect of improving flow velocity by reducing the diameter of the cooling water inlet portion 314 by 5.0 mm. The oil cooler 400 is a reference example for verifying the effect of improving the flow rate by reducing the diameter of the cooling water inlet 414 by 6.7 mm. In the oil coolers 200, 300, and 400 of reference examples 2 to 4, the diameter of the cooling water communication passage 32 is, for example, 12 mm.

[0053] 9 to 11, in the oil coolers 300, 400 in which the diameter of the cooling water inlet 314, 414 is narrowed, the cooling water introduced into the heat exchange section 2 flows back toward the cooling water inlet 314, 414, compared to the oil cooler 200. In other words, according to the oil coolers 200, 300, 400 of reference examples 2 to 4, even if the diameter of the cooling water inlet 214, 314, 414 is narrowed, it is difficult to improve the performance of the oil cooler 1 by increasing the flow velocity and distribution rate of the cooling water in each stage of the heat exchange section 2, as in the oil cooler 1 according to embodiment 1.

[0054] As described above, according to the oil cooler 1, the flow velocity and distribution rate of the cooling water can be increased in each stage of the heat exchange section 2, thereby improving the performance of the oil cooler 1.

[0055] [Second embodiment] Next, an oil cooler 1B according to a second embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention will be described. In the oil cooler 1B according to this embodiment, the same components as those in the oil cooler 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0056] Fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler 1B according to a second embodiment. In the oil cooler 1B shown in Fig. 12, the cooling water discharge portion 15 is provided on the lower side, and in this case, the center C2B of the cooling water inlet portion 14B is spaced apart from the center C1 of the cooling water communicating passage 32 on the cooling water inlet side in the plane direction of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 toward the center of the first core plate 5 and the second core plate 6 (toward the inner periphery). In the heat exchanger of the present invention, the direction in which the center of the cooling water inlet portion is shifted from the cooling water communicating passage is the outer side of the interplate cooling water passage 8 in the oil cooler 1 described above, but it may also be closer to the center of the interplate cooling water passage 8 as in the oil cooler 1B. By shifting the center C2B of the cooling water inlet 14B in this manner, the oil cooler 1B can deflect the flow of fluid (cooling water) near the cooling water inlet 14B, improving the flow of fluid through the multiple inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8 in the stacking direction, where fluid flow is difficult.

[0057] Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water of the oil cooler 1B according to the second embodiment. Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water of the oil cooler 500 according to Reference Example 5. Fig. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the results of a flow analysis of the cooling water of the oil cooler 600 according to Reference Example 6. Fig. 16 is a graph showing the distribution ratio of each stage of the cooling water flow passage between plates of the oil coolers according to the second embodiment and Reference Examples 5 and 6.

[0058] The oil cooler 500 according to Reference Example 5 differs only in that the position of the center of the cooling water inlet 514 in the surface direction of the bottom plate coincides with the position of the center C1 in the surface direction of the cooling water communicating passage 32. The oil cooler 600 according to Reference Example 6 differs from the oil cooler 500 in that, like the oil cooler 500, the position of the center of the cooling water inlet 514 in the surface direction of the bottom plate coincides with the position of the center C1 in the surface direction of the cooling water communicating passage 32, and the diameter of the cooling water inlet 614 is smaller than the diameter of the cooling water inlets 14B, 514.

[0059] As shown in Figures 13 and 16, in the oil cooler 1B, compared to the oil coolers 500 and 600, it can be seen that the cooling water introduced from the cooling water inlet 14 to the heat exchange section 2 is also distributed to the inter-plate cooling water flow paths 8 on the top plate 3 side (uppermost side), which is away from the cooling water inlet 14 in the stacking direction.

[0060] As with the oil cooler 1 described above, the oil cooler 1B can also improve performance by increasing the flow rate and distribution rate of the cooling water in each stage of the heat exchange section 2.

[0061] [Third embodiment] Next, an oil cooler 1C according to a third embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention will be described. In the oil cooler 1C according to this embodiment, the same components as those of the oil cooler 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0062] Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler 1C according to a third embodiment. The oil cooler 1C shown in Fig. 17 differs from the previously described oil cooler 1 in that the bottom plate 4C is composed of two plates, a first bottom plate 41C and a second bottom plate 42C. The oil cooler 1C also differs from the previously described oil cooler 1 in that the coolant introduction section 14C is composed of a first coolant introduction section 141C provided in the first bottom plate 41C and a second coolant introduction section 142C provided in the second bottom plate 42C.

[0063] In the oil cooler 1C, the center C2C of the first coolant inlet section 141C is spaced a distance D31 from the center C1 of the coolant inlet-side coolant communicating passage 32 in the planar direction of the first and second core plates 5 and 6 toward the outside (toward the outer periphery) of the first and second core plates 5 and 6 in the direction of a straight line connecting the coolant inlet side and the coolant discharge side of the pair of coolant communicating passages 32. In the oil cooler 1C, the center C3C of the second coolant inlet section 142C is spaced a distance D32 from the center C1 of the coolant inlet-side coolant communicating passage 32 in the planar direction toward the outside (toward the outer periphery) of the first and second core plates 5 and 6 in the direction of a straight line connecting the coolant inlet side and the coolant discharge side of the pair of coolant communicating passages 32. In the heat exchanger of the present invention, the bottom plate 4C forming the coolant inlet section 14C may be a plurality of plates, as in the oil cooler 1C. Furthermore, in the heat exchanger of the present invention, the coolant introduction section 14C, like the first coolant introduction section 141C and the second coolant introduction section 142C, may be offset in a stepped manner in the direction of a straight line connecting the coolant inlet side and the coolant outlet side of the pair of coolant communication channels 32. In the coolant introduction section 14C, a center C2C of the opening (first coolant introduction section 141C) on the coolant inflow side in the thickness direction of the bottom plate 4C and a center C3C of the opening (second coolant introduction section 142C) on the coolant outflow side are arranged apart in the planar direction.

[0064] As with the oil cooler 1 described above, the oil cooler 1C can also increase the flow rate and distribution rate of the cooling water in each stage of the heat exchange section 2, thereby improving performance.

[0065] [Fourth embodiment] Next, an oil cooler 1D according to a fourth embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention will be described. In the oil cooler 1D according to this embodiment, the same components as those in the oil cooler 1 described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0066] Figure 18 is a cross-sectional view of an oil cooler 1D according to a fourth embodiment. The oil cooler 1D shown in Figure 18 differs from the previously described oil cooler 1 in that a cooling water inlet pipe 16D is provided on a top plate 3D and a cooling water outlet 15D is provided on a bottom plate 4D. In other words, the cooling water inlet and outlet sides are reversed. In the oil cooler 1D, as in the previously described oil cooler 1, the position of the center of the cooling water inlet 14D is offset by a predetermined distance D4 from the position of the center C1 in the planar direction of the cooling water communicating channel 32, as shown by the dashed-dotted line C2D in Figure 18.

[0067] In the heat exchanger of the present invention, the cooling water inlet 14 is not limited to being provided on the bottom plate 4 as in the oil cooler 1 described above, but may also be provided on the top plate 3.

[0068] As with the oil cooler 1 described above, the oil cooler 1D can also increase the flow rate and distribution rate of the cooling water in each stage of the heat exchange section 2, thereby improving performance.

[0069] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the heat exchanger according to the above-described embodiments of the present invention, and includes all aspects encompassed by the concept and scope of the claims. Furthermore, each component may be appropriately and selectively combined to achieve at least some of the above-described problems and advantages. For example, the shape, material, arrangement, size, etc. of each component in the above-described embodiments may be appropriately modified depending on the specific use of the present invention.

[0070] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the oil coolers 1, 1B, 1C, and 1D equipped with the cooling water introduction portions 14, 14B, 14C, and 14D have been described as examples corresponding to the fluid introduction portions of the heat exchanger of the present invention that are spaced a predetermined distance from the center of one of the pair of communicating passages. However, the fluid introduction portion of the heat exchanger of the present invention may also be applied to an introduction portion (oil introduction portion 18) for oil to the heat exchange portion. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1, 1B, 1C, 1D, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600... oil cooler, 2... heat exchange section, 3, 3D... top plate, 4, 4C, 4D, 104... bottom plate, 5... first core plate, 6... second core plate, 7... oil flow path between plates, 8... cooling water flow path between plates, 11... oil passage hole, 12... cooling water passage hole, 13... hole portion, 14, 14B, 14C, 14D, 114, 214, 314, 414, 514, 614...cooling water inlet portion, 15, 15D...cooling water outlet portion, 16, 16D...cooling water inlet pipe, 17...cooling water outlet pipe, 18...oil inlet portion, 19...oil outlet portion, 20...embossment, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26...boss portion, 31...oil communication channel, 32...cooling water communication channel, 41C...first bottom plate, 42C...second bottom plate, 141C...first cooling water inlet portion, 142C...second cooling water inlet portion

Claims

1. A heat exchanger in which a plurality of core plates each having a pair of circular through holes are stacked and inter-plate flow paths through which a fluid flows are formed between the core plates, a pair of communication flow paths formed by the pair of through holes and connecting the plurality of inter-plate flow paths in the stacking direction of the plurality of core plates; a fluid introduction portion that forms a flow path that communicates with one of the pair of communication flow paths; a fluid discharge portion that forms a flow path that communicates with the other of the pair of communication flow paths; a base plate provided at the lowermost end of the plurality of core plates in the stacking direction in contact with the core plates, the fluid introduction portion is a circular through-hole-shaped opening formed in the base plate, The communication flow path and the fluid introduction portion are connected in the stacking direction of the core plates by the through hole of the lowest core plate and the through hole-shaped fluid introduction portion, and are arranged to overlap in a plan view and have their centers offset from each other, The fluid introduction portion is in communication with the communication flow path, with the flow path being bent in the stacking direction by a portion of the core plate at the lowest end that protrudes toward the center of the fluid introduction portion due to the offset. heat exchanger.

2. The fluid introduction portion is provided such that a center of an opening on an inlet side of the fluid in a thickness direction of the base plate and a center of an opening on an outlet side of the fluid are spaced apart in a surface direction. The heat exchanger of claim 1 .

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