Heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger 1 that exchanges heat between a first fluid and a second fluid comprises: plates (first plates 11, second plates 12) that are stacked parallel to each other with a gap therebetween and form alternating first channels 10A through which the first fluid flows and second channels 10B through which the second fluid flows; and a support plate 20 that is fixed to the top of the plates and is thicker than the plates. The support plate 20 comprises a first fluid inlet 15 and a first fluid outlet 16 that communicate with the first channels 10A and a second fluid inlet 25 and a second fluid outlet 26 that communicate with the second channels 10B. The plates have a flat part 110, 120 and a wall part 111, 121 that is erected at the circumference of the flat part 110, 120. The support plate 20 has a circumferential part 211 that contacts the inside of the wall parts 111, 121 of the plates. The circumferential part 211 contacts the wall parts 111, 121 in a line in the stacking direction and has a chamfer part 213 that curves in the direction away from the portion of contact.

Description

heat exchanger

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

[0002] JP6949250B2 discloses a heat exchanger in which heat transfer plates are alternately stacked and first flow paths through which a first fluid flows and second flow paths through which a second fluid flows are alternately arranged between the heat transfer plates, in which a reinforcing plate is fixed to the top and pipes that serve as inlets and outlets for the fluids are fixed to this reinforcing plate.

[0003] In order to improve the heat exchange efficiency while miniaturizing the heat exchanger, it is desirable to arrange the pipes that serve as the inlets and outlets of the fluid at the four corners of the heat exchanger as much as possible. However, in a structure in which a reinforcing plate is fixed to the top of a heat transfer plate as described in JP6949250B2, it is difficult to arrange the reinforcing plate at the four corners where the pipes are fixed, which weakens the structure of the heat transfer plate to which the pipes are fixed, and this may cause durability problems.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has an object to provide a heat exchanger that can achieve both compactness and durability.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid comprises a plurality of plates stacked in parallel at intervals, and forming alternating first flow paths through which the first fluid flows and second flow paths through which the second fluid flows; and a support plate fixed to the plates at the ends in the stacking direction, the support plate having a thickness greater than that of the plates, the support plate having a first fluid inlet and a first fluid outlet communicating with the first flow paths, and a second fluid inlet and a second fluid outlet communicating with the second flow paths, the support plate having a flat portion and a wall portion erected around the flat portion, the support plate having a peripheral portion inscribed in the wall portion of the plate, the peripheral portion having a contact portion in line contact with the wall portion and a chamfered portion spaced apart from the contact portion.

[0006] In the above embodiment, a thick support plate is provided on top of the stacked plates, and the contact portion makes line contact with the wall portion. This allows appropriate fillets to be formed at the chamfered portion against the wall portion of the plate during brazing, thereby ensuring reliable brazing. Therefore, by arranging the piping at the four corners of the support plate, the heat exchanger can be made smaller, and the thick support plate can be reliably fixed to the top of the plate, improving the durability of the heat exchanger.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a front view of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional 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 an explanatory diagram of a support plate. FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram of the peripheral portion of a support plate. FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram of the peripheral portion of a support plate. FIG. 7A is an explanatory diagram of the peripheral portion of a support plate. FIG. 7B is an explanatory diagram of the peripheral portion of a support plate.

[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 is configured to include a core portion 10 , a support plate 20 , and a bottom plate 30 .

[0012] 1 , the core unit 10 is configured by alternately arranging 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 lower 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 lower face. The bottom plate 30 has a plurality of flanges 31 for fixing the heat exchanger 1 to another member.

[0015] The first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are flat 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 higher pressure than cooling water because its volume changes between the gas phase and the liquid phase. For this reason, the second fluid inlet 25 and the second fluid outlet 26 are provided with bolt holes for fixing the pipes with 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, 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 a plurality of second plates 12. In the core 10, first flow paths 10A through which coolant flows and second flow paths 10B through which a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant flows are alternately formed by the first plates 11 and a pair of second plates 12 adjacent to the first plates 11. 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 have a plurality of round protrusions 40 and V-shaped protrusions 50 protruding therefrom.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, the support plate 20 has fixing portions 215, 216, 225, and 226 at its four corners for fixing the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26, respectively. Fig. 3 shows a fixing portion 225 for fixing the second fluid inlet 25. The fixing portion 225 is formed in a recessed shape so that the second fluid inlet 25 can be fitted into it. By arranging the fluid inlets and outlets at the four corners of the heat exchanger 1 in this way, the surface area of ​​each plate that performs heat exchange can be increased, allowing the heat exchanger 1 to be made more compact.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3 , the support plate 20 is fixed to the upper side of a plate (here, the second plate 12) located at the top (end in the stacking direction) of the core unit 10. The support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12. As described below, the peripheral portion 211 is formed with a chamfered portion 213 having a chamfered structure. The support plate 20 is liquid-tightly joined to the second plate 12 at the chamfered portion 213 by brazing. As a result, a first flow path 10A is also formed between the support plate 20 and the second plate 12. The peripheral portion 211 will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B .

[0025] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, and is an exploded perspective view of the pair of the first plate 11 and the second plate 12. As shown in FIG.

[0026] 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.

[0027] 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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 40 and a V-shaped protrusion 50 that protrude toward the flat surface 110 of the second plate 12.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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 Figure 4, 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] 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.

[0034] Round protrusions 40 are formed near the recessed portions 52 of the V-shaped protrusions 50. Five round protrusions 40 are arranged near the recessed portion 52 of one V-shaped protrusion 50. The centers of the round protrusions 40 are arranged on a line 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 in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A. Round protrusions 40 are also arranged around each of the first fluid inlet side communicating channel 151, the first fluid outlet side communicating channel 161, the second fluid inlet side communicating channel 251, and the second fluid outlet side communicating channel 261.

[0035] A round protrusion 45 is also formed on the opposing second plate 12 at the same position as the round protrusion 40 of the first plate 11. The round protrusion 40 of the first plate 11 and the round protrusion 45 of the second plate 12 abut at their tops. By abutting the round protrusion 40 and the round protrusion 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.

[0036] In this way, 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 a grid pattern, 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 interposing the round protrusions 40 and the round protrusions 45 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 stacking 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. In the first flow path 10A, the cooling water passes over the connecting portions 53, which are oriented in different directions at the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55, and vertical vortices of different directions act on the rounded protrusions 40. This prevents cooling water from stagnating 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 in the first flow path 10A and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the second flow path 10B.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4, the flat surface 110 of the second plate 12 facing the first plate 11 is also tray-shaped or dish-shaped, similar to the first plate 11, and has a flat surface 120 and a wall 121 that stands upright around the flat surface 120.

[0040] The flat surface 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, respectively, and has a round protrusion 45 and a V-shaped protrusion 55 protruding toward the flat surface 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 V-shaped in a planar view in the longitudinal direction of the first flow path 10A, a concave portion 52 that is V-shaped in a planar 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] 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 height of the first flow path 10A being narrower than necessary due to the V-shaped protrusions 50 and 55 protruding from each other. 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] As shown in FIG. 3, when the core portion 10 is formed by stacking the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, the communication paths are configured to communicate with each other in the stacking direction.

[0044] Here, the second fluid inlet side communication passage 251 shown in FIG. 3 will be described as a representative example.

[0045] When the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are stacked, the second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251 opens to the second flow path 10B through which the second fluid flows and is liquid-tightly closed to the first flow path 10A. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, the second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251 has an annular portion 251a formed around its periphery, and the annular portion 251a of the first plate 11 and the annular portion 251a of the second plate 12 are in contact with each other in the stacking direction and are brazed together to seal off the first flow path 10A.

[0046] Additionally, an offset portion 251b formed to be offset in the stacking direction from the annular portion 251a is provided on the outside of the second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251. The offset portion 251b of the first plate 11 and the offset portion 251b of the second plate 12 are in contact with each other in the stacking direction and are brazed together, thereby fixing the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 to each other outside the second fluid inlet side communicating passage 251.

[0047] 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.

[0048] Next, the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7B.

[0049] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the core portion 10, and FIG. 6A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20. As shown in FIG.

[0050] 5, the support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12. The peripheral portion 211 is formed with a contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121 and a chamfered portion 213 that has a chamfered structure with a gently curved surface that curves as it moves away from the contact portion 212. The support plate 20 is in line contact with the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12 at the contact portion 212 in the stacking direction.

[0051] 6A , peripheral portion 211 of support plate 20 has a chamfered structure that gradually moves away from wall portion 121 around contact portion 212 that contacts wall portion 121. With this structure, when support plate 20 is placed on top of the structure in which first plate 11 and second plate 12 are stacked and brazing is performed while they are pressed together, the brazing material penetrates by capillary action into the gap between contact portion 212 that contacts wall portion 121 and chamfered portions 213 above and below, forming a fillet of an appropriate shape.

[0052] The brazing material is placed in advance on the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 that contacts the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20, and then brazing is performed by heating them. For example, the brazing material is applied in advance to the peripheral portion of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12. Alternatively, the brazing material may be placed in advance on the wall portion 121 that contacts the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20, or a brazing material layer may be clad in advance on the surface of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12.

[0053] Furthermore, since the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 has the chamfered portion 213, when the support plate 20 is pressed from above to fix it to the core portion 10, even if the position of the support plate 20 changes in the stacking direction relative to the tapered wall portions 111, 121, the positional relationship between the chamfered portion 213 and the contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portions 111, 121 remains constant. This ensures that the shape of the fillet formed during brazing remains constant, allowing the support plate 20 to be reliably fixed.

[0054] In this way, by forming a fillet of an appropriate shape between the support plate 20 and the second plate 12, the support plate 20 having a large plate thickness is sufficiently fixed to the core portion 10. This makes it possible to improve the durability of the heat exchanger 1.

[0055] Next, modified examples of the shape of the support plate 20 will be described.

[0056] FIG. 6B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 in a modified example of this embodiment.

[0057] The peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 shown in FIG. 6A is formed with a chamfered portion 213 having a gently curved surface relative to the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12 .

[0058] In contrast, in the modified example shown in Figure 6B, the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 has a contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121 of the second plate 12, and has a chamfered portion 213 that has a chamfered structure that is linearly spaced apart from the wall portion 121 with the contact portion 212 as the center.

[0059] By configuring the peripheral portion 211 of the support plate 20 in this manner, the solder penetrates into the gaps above and below the contact portion 212 that contacts the wall portion 121 of the peripheral portion 211 by capillary action, thereby forming a fillet of an appropriate shape.

[0060] 7A and 7B are enlarged cross-sectional views of a peripheral portion 211 of a support plate 20 in yet another modified example of the present embodiment.

[0061] 7A shows a support plate 20 in which a peripheral portion 211 is formed by curving the periphery of a flat support plate 20. By curving the peripheral portion 211, the apex of the curved shape is formed as a contact portion 212, and a chamfered portion 213 is formed with the contact portion 212 as the center.

[0062] 7A , the support plate 20 shown in FIG. 7B has a peripheral portion 211 formed by bending the periphery of the flat support plate 20. Similarly to FIG. 6B , the structure in FIG. 7B has a chamfered structure in which the chamfered portion 213 is spaced apart from the wall portion 121 in a straight line around the contact portion 212. Even with this configuration, the contact portion 212 and the chamfered portion 213 can be formed by curving the peripheral portion 211. Therefore, brazing can be performed by pre-arranging a brazing material on the surface of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12, for example, by cladding the brazing material layer on the surface of the first plate 11 or the second plate 12, and then heating the brazing material.

[0063] According to the above embodiment, the following effects are achieved.

[0064] This embodiment is a heat exchanger 1 that exchanges heat between a first fluid and a second fluid, and comprises a plurality of plates (first plate 11, second plate 12) stacked in parallel at intervals to form alternating first flow paths 10A through which the first fluid flows and second flow paths 10B through which the second fluid flows, and a support plate 20 that is thicker than the plates and is fixed to the plates at the ends in the stacking direction and has 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. The plate has flat portions 110, 120 and wall portions 111, 121 standing around the flat portions 110, 120, and the support plate 20 has a peripheral portion 211 that is inscribed in the wall portions 111, 121 of the plate, and the peripheral portion 211 has a contact portion 212 that is in line contact with the wall portions 111, 121 and a chamfered portion 213 that is arranged so as to be spaced apart from the contact portion 212.

[0065] In this configuration, a thick support plate 20 is provided on top of the stacked plates, and the contact portion 212 is in line contact with the wall portion 121. This allows an appropriate fillet to be formed at the chamfered portion 213 against the wall portions 111, 121 of the plate during brazing, thereby enabling reliable brazing. Therefore, by arranging the piping at the four corners of the support plate 20, the heat exchanger 1 can be made smaller, and the thick support plate 20 can be reliably fixed to the top of the plate, improving the durability of the heat exchanger 1.

[0066] In addition, in this embodiment, the support plate 20 is formed to the same thickness in the stacking direction, and the side wall portion of the plate thickness forms the peripheral portion 211, so that the strength of the support plate 20 to which the piping is fixed is increased, and the durability of the heat exchanger 1 can be improved.

[0067] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the peripheral portion 211 is liquid-tightly brazed to the wall portions 111 and 121 of the plates, so that the support plate 20 can be reliably fixed to the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 .

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B is formed between the support plate 20 and the plate, so that a flow path can also be formed between the first plate 11 or the second plate 12 and the support plate 20. This increases the area where heat exchange between the coolant and the gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant occurs, and heat exchange in the heat exchanger 1 can be promoted.

[0069] In the present embodiment, the plates are provided with communication holes (151, 152, 252, 261) that respectively communicate with the first fluid inlet 15, the first fluid outlet 16, the second fluid inlet 25, and the second fluid outlet 26. These communication holes are provided with annular portions 251a that join to the communication holes of the adjacent plates when they do not communicate with the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B formed between the adjacent plates, and offset portions 251b that join to the adjacent plates on the outer circumferential side of the communication holes of the adjacent plates when they communicate with the first flow path 10A or the second flow path 10B formed between the adjacent plates.

[0070] In this configuration, the first plate 11 and the second plate 12 are joined together liquid-tightly at the communication holes, and when the communication holes are connected to the flow path, they are joined together at the offset portions 251b outside the communication holes. This increases the strength of the core 10 formed by the first plate 11 and the second plate 12, thereby improving the durability of the heat exchanger 1.

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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 heat exchanger 1 can be applied to any fluid as long as it performs heat exchange between the first fluid and the second fluid having different temperatures.

[0073] 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.

[0074] 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.

[0075] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-211636, 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 plates stacked in parallel at intervals, the plates alternately forming a first flow path through which the first fluid flows and a second flow path through which the second fluid flows; and a support plate fixed to the plates at ends in the stacking direction, the support plate having 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, the support plate having a thickness greater than that of the plates, the support plate having a flat portion and a wall portion erected around the flat portion, the support plate having a peripheral portion inscribed in the wall portion of the plate, the peripheral portion having a contact portion in line contact with the wall portion, and a chamfered portion spaced apart from the contact portion.

2. A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the support plate is formed to have a uniform thickness in the stacking direction.

3. A heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral portion is brazed to said wall portion of said plate in a liquid-tight manner.

4. A heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein the first flow path or the second flow path is formed between the support plate and the plate.

5. A heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the plate has communication holes respectively communicating with the first fluid inlet, the first fluid outlet, the second fluid inlet and the second fluid outlet, and the communication holes have: an annular portion joining the communication hole of the adjacent plate when the communication hole does not communicate with the first flow path or the second flow path formed between the adjacent plates; and an offset portion joining the adjacent plate on the outer circumferential side of the communication hole of the adjacent plate when the communication hole communicates with the first flow path or the second flow path formed between the adjacent plates.

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