Heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger 1 comprises a plurality of first plates 11 and a plurality of second plates 12. A plane part 110 of each first plate 11 has round projection parts 40 that project toward a second plate 12 and abut on the second plate 12, and V-shaped projection parts 50 that project toward the second plate 12, are provided in V-shapes in the longitudinal direction of a first flow passage 10A along the obverse surface of the first plate 11, and face the second plate 12 with a gap interposed therebetween. A plane part 120 of each second plate 12 has round projection parts 45 that project toward a first plate 11 and abut on the round projection parts 40 at positions facing the round projection parts 40 of the first plate 11. A plurality of round projection parts 40 and V-shaped projection parts 50 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first flow passage 10A. The round projection parts 40 are arranged on a virtual line A connecting a protruding part 51 of one V-shaped projection part 50, said protruding part 51 being formed so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the first flow passage 10A, and a protruding part 51 of a V-shaped projection part 50 that is adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the first flow passage 10A, said protruding part 51 being formed so as to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the first flow passage 10A, on the plane part 110 of each first plate part 11.

Description

heat exchanger

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

[0002] JP6949250B2 discloses a heat exchanger in which first heat transfer plates and second heat transfer plates are alternately stacked, with first flow paths through which a first fluid flows and second flow paths through which a second fluid flows alternately arranged between them, and these flow paths are provided with inner fins.

[0003] The heat exchanger of JP6949250B2 is configured to include inner fins having a large number of wavy protrusions in the space between the first and second fluid passages, in a first passage through which a first fluid flows and a second passage through which a second fluid flows. However, there are cases in which the provision of inner fins is not necessarily appropriate for properly circulating the first and second fluids while exchanging heat between them.

[0004] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to improve the heat exchange performance in both the flow path of a first fluid and the flow path of a second fluid in a heat exchanger in which flow paths of a first fluid and flow paths of a second fluid are formed alternately.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid includes a plurality of first plates arranged in parallel with a gap therebetween, and second plates arranged with a gap between each pair of adjacent first plates and stacked alternately with the first plates to form first flow paths through which the first fluid flows and second flow paths through which the second fluid flows, each of the first plate and the second plate having a flat portion and a wall portion erected from the periphery of the flat portion, the flat portion of the first plate having a first protrusion protruding toward the second plate and abutting against the second plate, and a second protrusion protruding toward the second plate and extending from the surface of the first plate. and a first V-shaped protrusion provided in a V-shape in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path along the first plate and facing the second plate with a gap therebetween, the flat portion of the second plate having a second protrusion protruding toward the first plate at a position facing the first protrusion of the first plate and abutting the first protrusion, the first protrusion and the first V-shaped protrusion are arranged in plurality in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path, and the first protrusion is arranged on an imaginary line connecting, on the flat portion of the first plate, a protrusion of the first V-shaped protrusion that is convex in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path and a protrusion of the first V-shaped protrusion adjacent to the first V-shaped protrusion in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path.

[0006] In the above aspect, by arranging the first V-shaped protrusions upright in the first flow path, when the first fluid flowing through the first flow path passes through the first V-shaped protrusions, a flow that becomes a vertical vortex in the stacking direction of the heat exchanger is generated, and the first fluid flows within the first flow path, thereby improving the heat exchange performance between the first fluid and the second fluid.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a front view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the heat exchanger. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a first plate and a second plate. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the first plate. Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of the R portion in Fig. 5.

[0008] Hereinafter, a heat exchanger 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0009] First, the overall configuration of a heat exchanger 1 will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is a front view of the heat exchanger 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of the heat exchanger 1.

[0010] The heat exchanger 1 is provided in a refrigeration cycle mounted on, for example, a vehicle, and performs heat exchange between coolant as a first fluid and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant as a second fluid.

[0011] The heat exchanger 1 includes a core 10 , a support plate 20 (see FIG. 2 ), and a bottom plate 30 .

[0012] 1 , the core unit 10 is configured by alternately stacking a plurality of first plates 11 and a plurality of second plates 12 arranged in parallel. The upper surface of the core unit 10 is provided with a first fluid inlet 15 for allowing cooling water to flow into the core unit 10, a first fluid outlet 16 for allowing cooling water to flow out of the core unit 10, a second fluid inlet 25 for allowing gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant to flow into the core unit 10, and a second fluid outlet 26 for allowing the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant to flow out of the core unit 10. The structure of the core unit 10 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3 .

[0013] 2 , the support plate 20 is attached to one end surface (here, the top surface) of the core unit 10. The support plate 20 is made of a member that is thicker than the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that constitute the core unit 10, and supports the core unit 10 from the top surface and fixes the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26.

[0014] The bottom plate 30 is attached to the other end face (here, the bottom face) of the core unit 10. The bottom plate 30 is made of a member that is thicker than the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that constitute the core unit 10, and supports the core unit 10 from the bottom face. The bottom plate 30 has a flange 31 for fixing the heat exchanger 1 to another member.

[0015] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are flat plates (plates) made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and are formed to have the same rectangular shape (rectangular) on their outer peripheries. As shown in Fig. 2, the corners of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are slightly rounded to guide the flow of the coolant and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0016] A pipe (not shown) through which cooling water flows is connected to the first fluid inlet 15 and the first fluid outlet 16. A pipe (not shown) through which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows is connected to the second fluid inlet 25 and the second fluid outlet 26. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant has a different volume between the gas phase and the liquid phase, and therefore its pressure within the heat exchanger is higher than that of cooling water. For this reason, the second fluid inlet 25 and the second fluid outlet 26 are provided with bolt holes for fixing with pipe bolts or the like.

[0017] Next, the structure of the core portion 10 will be described with reference to Figure 3 in addition to Figures 1 and 2. Figure 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger 1, and corresponds to the cross section taken along line III-III in Figure 2.

[0018] 3, the core 10 is configured by alternately arranging a plurality of first plates 11 and second plates 12. In the core 10, first flow paths 10A through which coolant as a first fluid flows and second flow paths 10B through which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant as a second fluid flows are alternately formed by the first plates 11 and pairs of adjacent second plates 12. Inner fins 18 are provided in the second flow paths 10B.

[0019] The cooling water that flows in from the first fluid inlet 15 and changes its flow direction inside the support plate 20 branches off and flows into each of the multiple first flow paths 10A. The cooling water that has passed through the multiple first flow paths 10A joins together and flows out of the heat exchanger 1 from the first fluid outlet 16.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 3, the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that flows from the second fluid inlet 25 and changes its flow direction inside the support plate 20 branches off and flows into each of the multiple second flow paths 10B. The gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant that has passed through the multiple second flow paths 10B joins together and flows out of the heat exchanger 1 from the second fluid outlet 26. As shown in Fig. 3, the first flow paths 10A are joined to each other at the ends of the communication paths of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 so as to be closed to the second flow paths 10B. Although not shown, the second flow paths 10B are joined to each other at the ends of the communication paths of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 so as to be closed to the first flow paths 10A.

[0021] The inner fins 18 are provided in the second flow path 10B and abut against the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. The inner fins 18 are fins that increase the heat transfer area of ​​the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 to promote heat exchange of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flowing through the second flow path 10B. The inner fins 18 also serve to support the second flow path 10B in the stacking direction to prevent the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 from deforming due to the pressure of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0022] The surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that come into contact with the inner fin 18 are formed flat. On the other hand, the surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 that face the first flow path 10A are formed so as to have a plurality of round protrusions 40 and V-shaped protrusions 50 protruding therefrom, as will be described next.

[0023] Figures 4, 5, and 6 are explanatory diagrams of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the pair of first plate 11 and second plate 12. Figure 5 is a top view of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the R portion of Figure 5.

[0024] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 have a rectangular shape with rounded corners, and inlets and outlets for the cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant are located at the four corners. The cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flow along the surfaces of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A and the second flow path 10B.

[0025] The first plate 11 has a flat portion 110 and a wall portion 111 that stands upright and surrounds the periphery of the flat portion 110. The wall portion 111 has a tapered shape that widens outward as it extends upward. In this way, the first plate 11 has a tray or dish shape as a whole.

[0026] A first fluid inlet side communicating passage 151, a first fluid outlet side communicating passage 161, a second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251, and a second fluid outlet side communicating passage 261 are formed to penetrate the flat surface portion 110 of the first plate 11. The first fluid inlet side communicating passage 151 and the second fluid outlet side communicating passage 261 are arranged in the first plate 11.

[0027] The first flow path 10A, which is formed between the flat surface 110 of the first plate 11 and the opposing second plate 12, has a round protrusion (first protrusion) 40 and a V-shaped protrusion (first V-shaped protrusion) 50 that protrude toward the flat surface 110 of the second plate 12.

[0028] The V-shaped protrusions 50 are configured by repeatedly forming V-shapes in the width direction from one long side along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A to the other long side opposite to that long side of the first plate 11. A plurality of V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A. In the example shown in FIG. 4, nine V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged.

[0029] 5, the V-shaped protrusion 50 is composed of convex portions 51 that are convex portions formed in a V-shape in a plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, concave portions 52 that are concave portions formed in a V-shape in a plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and connecting portions 53 that connect the convex portions 51 and the concave portions 52, and the convex portions 51, the concave portions 52, and the connecting portions 53 are repeatedly formed in the width direction. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the V-shaped protrusion 50 has six convex portions 51 and five concave portions 52. In this way, the V-shaped protrusion 50 has a wave shape composed of multiple convex portions 51 and multiple concave portions 52.

[0030] In this way, by arranging the V-shaped protrusions 50 upright in the first flow path 10A, when the cooling water flowing through the first flow path 10A passes through the V-shaped protrusions 50, a flow that forms a vertical vortex in the stacking direction of the heat exchanger 1 is generated. This flow causes the cooling water to flow within the first flow path 10A, and promotes heat exchange between the cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0031] V-shaped protrusions 54 are also disposed between the first fluid inlet-side communicating passage 151 and the second fluid outlet-side communicating passage 261, and between the first fluid outlet-side communicating passage 161 and the second fluid inlet-side communicating passage 251. Unlike the V-shaped protrusions 50, the ends of these V-shaped protrusions 54 do not contact the widthwise ends of the first plate 11 or the communicating passages. The V-shaped protrusions 54 are configured to include one recess 52 and two protrusions 51. Round protrusions 40 are disposed near the two recesses 52. With this configuration, by providing the V-shaped protrusions 54 near the ends of the first plate 11 where the flow of cooling water is likely to stagnate, stagnation of cooling water can be suppressed. Furthermore, by disposing the round protrusions 40 near the communicating passages that penetrate the four corners of the first plate 11, deformation of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 in this vicinity is suppressed.

[0032] Round protrusions 40 are formed near the recesses 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 50. As shown in Fig. 5 , five round protrusions 40 are arranged near the recesses 52 of one V-shaped protrusion 50. The centers of the round protrusions 40 are arranged on a line (imaginary line A) connecting the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12.

[0033] The round protrusions 40 are also arranged around the first fluid inlet side communicating passage 151, the first fluid outlet side communicating passage 161, the second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251, and the second fluid outlet side communicating passage 261. The opposing second plate 12 also has round protrusions (second protrusions) 45 formed at the same positions as the round protrusions 40 of the first plate 11. The round protrusions 40 of the first plate 11 and the round protrusions 45 of the second plate 12 abut at their tops. By abutting the round protrusions 40 and 45 at their tops, they are arranged in an upright columnar shape between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 in the first flow path 10A.

[0034] The round protrusion 40 is disposed at a location on the imaginary line A of the first plate 11 between the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12, where the distance between them is large. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 6, when the distance on the imaginary line A between the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 and the convex portion 51 of the adjacent V-shaped protrusion 55 is S1 and the distance between the convex portion 51 of this V-shaped protrusion 55 and the convex portion 51 of another adjacent V-shaped protrusion 55 is S2 which is larger than S1, the round protrusion 40 is disposed between the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 which is large in distance.

[0035] In this way, when a plurality of V-shaped protrusions 50 or V-shaped protrusions 55 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, the round protrusions 40 are arranged at locations on the imaginary line A where the distance between the convex portions 51 is large, which facilitates the work of forming the first plate 11 by pressing or the like. The same applies to the round protrusions 45 arranged on the second plate 12 opposite the first plate 11.

[0036] In this manner, the round protrusions 40 are arranged on the first plate 11 in positions that form a grid pattern across the entire flat surface 110. By arranging the round protrusions 40 upright in this manner, the flow path height of the first flow path 10A can be maintained at a specified height at positions that require dimensional control when the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are stacked and assembled. Furthermore, by having the round protrusions 40 and the round protrusions 45 interposed between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, deformation of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 due to the pressure of the coolant or the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant is prevented.

[0037] Furthermore, because the rounded protrusions 40 are arranged upright like columns, the cooling water flowing through the first flow path 10A generates a flow that forms horizontal vortices in the surface direction of the flat portion 110 near the rounded protrusions 40. As a result, cooling water may stagnate in this vicinity, particularly downstream of the rounded protrusions 40, reducing heat exchange efficiency. In response to this, the rounded protrusions 40 are arranged near the recesses 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 50. More specifically, the rounded protrusions 40 are arranged on an imaginary line A connecting the convex portions 51 of the V-shaped protrusions 50 and the recesses 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 55, which are adjacent in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A. In the first flow path 10A, the cooling water passes over the connecting portions 53, which are oriented in different directions between the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55, and vertical vortices of different directions act on the rounded protrusions 40. This prevents cooling water from stagnation near the rounded protrusions 40, promoting heat exchange.

[0038] As a result, the cooling water flows evenly over the entire surface of the first flow path 10A, making it less likely for the cooling water to stagnate, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling water and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the first flow path 10A and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in 10B.

[0039] The flat surface 110 of the second plate 12 facing the first plate 11 is also tray-shaped or dish-shaped, like the first plate 11, having a flat surface 120 and a wall 121 that stands upright around the flat surface 120.

[0040] The planar portion 120 of the second plate 12 has a first fluid inlet-side communicating passage 151, a first fluid outlet-side communicating passage 161, a second fluid inlet-side communicating passage 251, and a second fluid outlet-side communicating passage 261 formed therethrough, and has a round protrusion 45 and a V-shaped protrusion (second V-shaped protrusion, shown by a dotted line) 55 that protrude toward the planar portion 110 of the opposing first plate 11. Similar to the V-shaped protrusion 50, the V-shaped protrusion 55 is composed of a convex portion 51 that is a convex portion formed in a V shape in a plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, a concave portion 52 that is a concave portion that is formed in a V shape in a plan view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and a connecting portion 53 that connects the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 52, and the convex portion 51, the concave portion 52, and the connecting portion 53 are repeatedly formed in the width direction. The V-shaped protrusion 55 has the convex portion 51 and the concave portion 52 arranged in the opposite direction to those of the V-shaped protrusion 50 .

[0041] 5, the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 are positioned so as not to intersect with each other in a plan view. More specifically, the recess 52 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 is positioned opposite the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11. The recess 52 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 of the second plate 12 are spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, with the round protrusion 40 being disposed therebetween.

[0042] In this way, the V-shaped protrusions 50 of the first plate 11 and the V-shaped protrusions 55 of the second plate 12 are arranged so as not to intersect with each other in a plan view, thereby preventing the flow of coolant from stagnating due to the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55 protruding from each other making the height of the first flow path 10A in the stacking direction narrower than necessary. In the core portion 10, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are configured to be in contact with each other in the stacking direction at the wall portions 111 and 121. These are fixed by brazing, for example.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the V-shaped protrusion 55 may not be provided on the flat surface 120 of the second plate 12 facing the first plate 11. That is, in the first flow path 10A, the V-shaped protrusion 50 may be provided only on the flat surface 110 of the first plate 11, and the V-shaped protrusion 50 may be used to direct the flow of cooling water.

[0044] According to the above embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0045] This embodiment is configured as a heat exchanger 1 that exchanges heat between coolant and a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. The heat exchanger 1 includes a plurality of first plates 11 arranged in parallel with a gap between them, and second plates 12 arranged with a gap between each pair of adjacent first plates 11 and stacked alternately with the first plates 11 to form first flow paths 10A through which coolant flows and second flow paths 10B through which gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows. The first plates 11 and the second plates 12 each have flat portions 110, 120 and wall portions 111, 121 extending from the peripheries of the flat portions 110, 120, respectively. The flat surface 110 of the first plate 11 has a round protrusion (first protrusion) 40 that protrudes toward the second plate 12 and abuts against the second plate 12, and a V-shaped protrusion (first V-shaped protrusion) 50 that protrudes toward the second plate 12 and is provided in a V-shape along the surface of the first plate 11 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, facing the second plate 12 with a gap between them. The flat surface 120 of the second plate 12 has a round protrusion (second protrusion) 45 that protrudes toward the first plate 11 at a position opposite the round protrusion 40 of the first plate 11 and abuts against the round protrusion 40. The round protrusions 40 and V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged in multiple positions in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and the round protrusions 40 are arranged on the planar portion 110 of the first plate 11 on an imaginary line A connecting the protrusion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 that has a convex shape in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A and the protrusion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 adjacent to the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A that also has a convex shape in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A.

[0046] In this configuration, the V-shaped protrusions 50 are arranged upright in the first flow path 10A, which generates a vertical vortex in the stacking direction of the heat exchanger 1 when the coolant flows through the first flow path 10A. This causes the coolant to flow within the first flow path 10A, promoting heat exchange between the coolant and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. Furthermore, the rounded protrusions 40 and 45 are disposed between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, preventing deformation of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 due to the pressure of the coolant or the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. Furthermore, the rounded protrusions 40 are arranged on an imaginary line connecting the convex portions 51 of adjacent V-shaped protrusions 50, which prevents the coolant from stagnating near the rounded protrusions 40.

[0047] In addition, in this embodiment, the flat surface portion 120 of the second plate 12 protrudes toward the first plate 11 and has a V-shaped protrusion portion (second V-shaped protrusion portion) 55 that is arranged in a V-shape in the opposite direction to the V-shaped protrusion portion 50 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A and faces the first plate 11 at a distance, and the V-shaped protrusion portion 55 is arranged in multiple portions in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, and the round protrusion portion (second protrusion portion) 45 is arranged on the flat surface portion 120 of the second plate 12 between the recesses 52 of adjacent V-shaped protrusion portions 55 that are concave in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A.

[0048] In this configuration, the V-shaped protrusions 55 are arranged on the second plate 12 of the first flow path 10A, and the round protrusions 45 are arranged near the recesses 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 55. As a result, in the first flow path 10A, the cooling water passes over the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55, which are oriented in different directions, and vertical vortices of different directions act on the round protrusions 40 and 45. This prevents the cooling water from accumulating near the round protrusions 40 and 45, and promotes heat exchange.

[0049] In addition, in this embodiment, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are rectangular in shape, and the V-shaped protrusion 50 and the V-shaped protrusion 55 have multiple convex portions 51 and are formed from one of the wall portions 111, 121 that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A to the other wall portion 111, 121.

[0050] In this configuration, the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55 are arranged across the width of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, thereby increasing the strength of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 and preventing them from being deformed by the pressure of the cooling water and the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant. Furthermore, compared to a configuration in which the V-shaped protrusions are not continuous across the width, heat exchange between the cooling water and the two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant is further promoted.

[0051] In addition, in this embodiment, the round protrusion 40 is positioned on the virtual line A between the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 adjacent to it in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, at a point where the distance between them is large.

[0052] In this configuration, when a plurality of V-shaped protrusions 50 or V-shaped protrusions 55 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, the round protrusions 40 are arranged at locations where the distance between the protrusions 51 is large, which facilitates the work of forming the first plate 11 by pressing or the like. Furthermore, the flat surface portion 120 around the round protrusions 40 has space, which prevents the cooling water from accumulating near the round protrusions 40 and promotes heat exchange.

[0053] In addition, in this embodiment, the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 50 on the flat portion 110 of the first plate 11 and the convex portion 51 of the V-shaped protrusion 55 on the flat portion 120 of the second plate 12 overlap in a planar view.

[0054] In this configuration, the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55 overlap each other at the recesses 52 and protrusions 51, but are arranged so as not to overlap at other locations, particularly at the connecting portions 53. Therefore, compared to a structure in which the connecting portions 53 overlap each other in the stacking direction, the reduction in the flow path cross-sectional area is suppressed, and cooling water is prevented from stagnating in the first flow path 10A.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, the second flow path 10B is provided with inner fins 18 between the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, the first fluid is cooling water, and the second fluid is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0056] In this configuration, inner fins 18 are provided in the second flow path 10B, through which a two-phase gas-liquid refrigerant flows, the pressure of which increases as the gas and liquid phases mix, thereby further preventing deformation of the second flow path 10B due to pressure.

[0057] In addition, in this embodiment, a support plate 20 that is thicker than the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 is fixed to the top of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, and the support plate 20 is provided with a first fluid inlet 15 and a first fluid outlet 16 that communicate with the first flow path 10A, and a second fluid inlet 25 and a second fluid outlet 26 that communicate with the second flow path 10B.

[0058] In this configuration, a support plate 20 with a large difference in thickness is fixed to the top of the core part 10, which is composed of a first plate 11 and a second plate 12 stacked together, and fluid inlets and outlets are fixed to the support plate 20, thereby reducing the number of parts while suppressing deformation due to the pressure of the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above embodiments merely illustrate some of the application examples of the present invention, and it is not intended that the technical scope of the present invention be limited to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the first fluid is cooling water and the second fluid is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant. However, the first fluid and the second fluid are not limited to these. The present invention can be applied to any fluids as long as heat exchange occurs between the first fluid and the second fluid having different temperatures.

[0061] In the present embodiment, the V-shaped protrusion 50 is provided on both the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. However, it is sufficient that the V-shaped protrusion 50 is provided on at least one of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12.

[0062] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the round protrusion portion 40 is configured to be formed as a protrusion of the same shape at the same position on the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, but it may also be formed as a protrusion that stands up from at least one of the plates at the same height as the flow path height.

[0063] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-211631, filed with the Japan Patent Office on December 15, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid, comprising: a plurality of first plates arranged in parallel with a gap between them; and second plates arranged between adjacent pairs of the first plates with a gap between them, and stacked alternately with the first plates to form a first flow path through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path through which the second fluid flows, wherein the first plate and the second plate each have a planar portion and a wall portion erected from the periphery of the planar portion, the planar portion of the first plate has: a first protrusion protruding toward the second plate and abutting against the second plate, and a first V-shaped protrusion protruding toward the second plate, provided in a V-shape along the surface of the first plate in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path, and facing the second plate with a gap between them, and the planar portion of the second plate has a second protrusion protruding toward the first plate at a position opposite the first protrusion of the first plate and abutting against the first protrusion, a heat exchanger, wherein the first protrusion and the first V-shaped protrusion are arranged in a plurality of portions in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path, and the first protrusion is arranged on the planar portion of the first plate on a virtual line connecting a convex portion of the first V-shaped protrusion that is convex in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path and a convex portion of the first V-shaped protrusion adjacent to the first flow path in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path, the convex portion also being convex in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path.

2. A heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the flat portion of the second plate protrudes toward the first plate and has a second V-shaped protrusion that is arranged in a V-shape in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path in the opposite direction to the first V-shaped protrusion and faces the first plate with a gap therebetween, the second V-shaped protrusions are arranged in a plurality of parts in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path, and the second protrusions and the second V-shaped protrusions have recesses that are concave in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path and are arranged on the imaginary line.

3. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first protrusion is disposed at a point on the imaginary line between the convex portion of the first V-shaped protrusion and the convex portion of the second V-shaped protrusion adjacent to the first flow path in the longitudinal direction, where the distance between them is large.

4. A heat exchanger as described in claim 2, wherein the first plate and the second plate are rectangular in shape, and the first V-shaped protrusion and the second V-shaped protrusion have a plurality of the convex portions and are formed from one of the wall portions provided along the longitudinal direction of the first flow path to the other of the wall portions opposite the one of the wall portions.

5. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4, wherein the convex portion of the first V-shaped protrusion on the flat surface of the first plate and the convex portion of the second V-shaped protrusion on the flat surface of the second plate overlap in a plan view.

6. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the second flow path is provided with an inner fin between the first plate and the second plate, the first fluid is cooling water, and the second fluid is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant.

7. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein a support plate having a thickness greater than that of the first plate and the second plate is fixed to the upper part of the first plate and the second plate, and the support plate is provided with a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet communicating with the first flow path, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet communicating with the second flow path.

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