Heat exchanger

Abstract

[Problem] To prevent a deterioration in heat exchange performance without changing the material of a heat exchanger 100. [Solution] A heat exchanger 100 performs heat exchange between a first fluid, which passes through a first flow passage constituted of an inflow port 6, slits 23b, 33b, 43b and an outflow port 8, and a second fluid, which passes through a second flow passage constituted of an inflow port 6, slits 23a, 33a, 43a, and an outflow port 9. The heat exchanger 100 comprises: insulation sections 10 having a void in a first layer 1 provided side by side with the first and second flow passages; and an insulation section 50 having a void in a fifth layer 5.

Description

heat exchanger

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularly to a heat exchanger with a thermal insulation structure.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a heat exchanger including a heat exchanger body having a heat exchange section, both made of an aluminum alloy, and a protective section that protects the heat exchange section from impacts and external forces. In this type of heat exchanger, multiple layers, each having multiple flow paths, are stacked on top of each other and adjacent layers are joined to each other, so that heat exchange occurs between a first fluid flowing through a first flow path formed in a first layer and a second fluid flowing through a second flow path formed in a second layer.

[0003] JP 2014-40945 A

[0004] However, the heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not contribute to heat exchange, and the relatively heavy protective part becomes a heat transfer path, which can reduce heat exchange performance. The heat exchanger disclosed in Patent Document 1 uses an aluminum alloy as the material for the protective part, but it is expected that heat transfer will be significant due to its high thermal conductivity, and the volume of the protective part is relatively large.

[0005] If this is the case, one possible approach would be to change the material of the protective part, but given that the original function of the protective part is to protect the heat exchanger from external forces, it would be difficult to simply change the material.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent a decrease in heat exchange performance without changing the material, although the structure of what corresponds to the protective portion is changed.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, the heat exchanger of the present invention is a heat exchanger that exchanges heat between a first fluid passing through a first flow path and a second fluid passing through a second flow path, and is provided with an insulating section that is arranged alongside the first and second flow paths and has a gap.

[0008] The first and second flow paths may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape when viewed macroscopically, and the heat insulating portion may be provided side by side facing at least the first surface of the heat exchanger body.

[0009] The heat insulating section may be formed with a plurality of holes through which outside air can enter and exit.

[0010] The heat insulating section may have a plurality of partial partition walls.

[0011] The heat exchanger may be formed by diffusion bonding.

[0012] The heat exchanger may be formed by etching. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that expressions such as up, down, left, and right in this specification are not absolute, but are relative to the drawings.

[0014] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The heat exchanger 100 shown in Fig. 1 has, for example, a five-layer structure in which a first layer 1, a second layer 2, a third layer 3, a fourth layer 4, and a fifth layer 5 are stacked in this order from top to bottom.

[0015] The material of the heat exchanger 100 can be a material with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, as is common, but is not limited to these materials and may be, for example, copper, copper alloy, stainless steel, etc. However, in this embodiment, the five-layer structure is realized by diffusion bonding, so the material must be capable of diffusion bonding.

[0016] The specific configuration of each of the first layer 1 to the fifth layer 5 will be described later, but a common configuration among them, except for the fifth layer 5, is that round holes are formed at the corners to form inlets 6 and 7 for fluids such as cooling air before heat exchange and outlets 8 and 9 through which the fluid flows out after heat exchange. The fluids that flow in through the inlets 6 and 7 pass through first and second flow paths formed in the second layer 2 to the fourth layer 4 and flow out from the outlets 8 and 9, respectively.

[0017] 1 , a plurality of heat insulating sections 10 (48 in this example, 6 rows and 8 columns) are formed in the first layer 1 between the inlets 6 and 7 and the outlets 8 and 9. Each heat insulating section 10 has an internal gap, and a hole 11 is provided in the center of the top surface to allow outside air to pass in and out of the first layer 1. In this embodiment, a heat insulating section 50 provided with a hole 51 is also formed in the fifth layer 5, as will be described later using FIG.

[0018] Each part of the first layer 1 to the fifth layer 5, including the inlets 6, 7, the outlets 8, 9, the insulating sections 10 and their holes 11, is formed by etching, but is not limited to this.

[0019] The size of the heat exchanger 100 varies depending on the type, purpose, and scale of the device to be heat exchanged. For example, if the device to be heat exchanged is a hydrogen power generation device with an approximate size of 0.5 m x 0.5 m x 1.0 m, the heat exchanger 100 can have a height H of 20 mm to 30 mm, a length L of 100 mm to 200 mm, and a width W of 50 mm to 100 mm.

[0020] Furthermore, assuming that the heat exchanger 100 is of the above-mentioned size, the inlets 6, 7 and outlets 8, 9 can each have a height h1 of 20 mm to 50 mm and a diameter d1 of 10 mm to 20 mm, each insulating section 10 can have a height h2 of 5.0 mm to 10 m, a length l2 of 15 mm to 25 mm, and a width w2 of 10 mm to 15 mm, and the hole sections 11 can have a height h3 of 0.5 m to 2.0 m, a length l3 of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm, and a width w3 of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.

[0021] Furthermore, the fluid can be a liquid or a gas. In the case of a liquid, for example, cooling water at 5°C to 10°C on the low temperature side and hot water at 80°C to 90°C on the high temperature side can be introduced at a flow rate of 1 l / min to 5 l / min, and in the case of a gas, for example, air at 5°C to 10°C on the low temperature side and air at 80°C to 90°C on the high temperature side can be introduced at a flow rate of 1 l / min to 5 l / min from inlets 6 and 7.

[0022] 2 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the first layer 1. Each heat insulating section 10 includes a plurality of grooves 12 having a bottom surface and not penetrating to the second layer 2, and partition walls 13 defining each groove 12.

[0023] The configuration of the heat insulating part 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 6, taking the heat insulating part 50 having a similar configuration as an example, but each groove 12 extends, for example, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger 100 as shown in Fig. 2. This is to avoid heat transfer along the temperature gradient of at least the first layer 1, but this does not prevent the grooves 12 from instead extending, for example, parallel to the longitudinal direction.

[0024] Assuming that the heat exchanger 100 is of the above size, each groove portion 12 can have a height h4 of 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, a length l4 of 5.0 mm to 10 mm, a width w4 of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm, and a pitch p4 of 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm.

[0025] 2, the heat exchanger 100 has a relatively small edge region extending from the longitudinal side surface of the second layer 2 to the end of the groove 12. However, if increased structural strength is desired, this region can be enlarged. In other words, the edge region can be enlarged by increasing the short-side length of each of the first layer 1 through the fifth layer 5. In this case, provided that the necessary strength is maintained in the first layer 1 through the fifth layer 5, multiple through holes can be formed in the edge region of each layer. However, the through holes in the first layer 1 and the fifth layer 5 can be made to have a diameter similar to that of the holes 11 and 51, so that each through hole functions similarly to the grooves 12 and 52.

[0026] 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in Fig. 1 sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the second layer 2. The second layer 2 includes a peripheral portion 21 defining its side surface, a cavity 22 into which a fluid flowing in from the inlet 6 flows, slit portions 23a located in odd-numbered columns from the far left side of the drawing and not communicating with the cavity 22, slit portions 23b located in even-numbered columns from the far left side of the drawing and communicating with the cavity 22, and a partition portion 24 defining the slit portions 23a, 23b.

[0027] Each of the slits 23a, 23b does not have a bottom surface and penetrates all the way to the third layer 3. Therefore, the slits 23a, 23b have a different configuration from the grooves 12 in the first layer in that they have a bottom surface or not. The fluid that flows in from the inlet 6 passes through the slits 23b toward the third layer 3, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7 .

[0028] Assuming that the heat exchanger 100 has the above size, for example, the thickness of the peripheral portion 21 is 20 mm to 30 mm, which is the same as the total thickness of the heat exchanger body, and the volume of the cavity portion 22 is 5000 mm. ３ ~10,000 mm ３ The step height between the peripheral portion 21 and the hollow portion 22 can be 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, the height h5 of the slit portions 23a and 23b can be 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, the length l5 can be 15 mm to 25 mm, the width w5 can be 0.05 mm to 2.0 mm, and the pitch p5 can be 0.1 mm to 4.0 mm. Note that in order to supplement the strength of the hollow portion 22, several ribs, each having a height of 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, a length of 10 mm to 100 mm, and a width of 0.5 mm to 2.9 mm, for example, may be provided.

[0029] 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the third layer 3. The third layer 3 has slits 33a and 33b and a partition 34 corresponding to the slits 23a and 23b and the partition 24 of the second layer 2. Specifically, the slits 23a and 33a correspond to each other, and the slits 23b and 33b correspond to each other. Therefore, the slits 23a and 33a do not communicate with the cavity 22, while the slits 23b and 33b communicate with the cavity 22.

[0030] 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in Fig. 1 sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the fourth layer 4. The fourth layer 4 is configured symmetrically with the second layer 2 and includes a peripheral portion 41 defining its side surface, a cavity 42 into which fluid flowing out from the outlet 9 (see Fig. 1) flows, slit portions 43a located in odd-numbered columns from the far left side of the drawing and communicating with the cavity 42, slit portions 43b located in even-numbered columns from the far left side of the drawing and not communicating with the cavity 42, and a partition portion 44 defining the slit portions 43a, 43b.

[0031] Each of the slits 43a, 43b does not have an upper surface and penetrates to the third layer 3. The fluid flowing in from the inlet 7 (FIG. 1) passes through the slit 43a toward the third layer 3, as will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

[0032] 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the fifth layer 5. The fifth layer 5 has a symmetrical configuration with the first layer 1, and each heat insulating section 50 includes a plurality of grooves 52, which have an upper surface (not shown in FIG. 6 ) and do not penetrate to the fourth layer 4, and partition walls 53 that define each groove 52.

[0033] Figure 6 also includes an enlarged oblique view at a different angle, in which each insulating section 50 includes a hole 51 corresponding to the hole 11 and a communication section 54 that connects the hole 51 and the groove 52 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the groove 52.

[0034] During use of the heat exchanger 100, the first and second flow paths formed in the second to fourth layers 2 to 4 can be insulated by the insulating section 10 of the first layer 1 and the insulating section 50 of the fifth layer 5 that are provided alongside them. This makes it possible to suppress the transfer of heat through the first layer 1 and the fifth layer 5, and to prevent a decrease in heat exchange efficiency.

[0035] To prevent deformation or damage to the heat insulating parts 10 and 50, the outside air is allowed to enter and exit through the holes 11 and 51 depending on the temperature and pressure. In other words, the heat insulating parts 10 and 50 have a hollow structure, and the hollow parts can be formed to reduce the weight.

[0036] Furthermore, those skilled in the art may think that it would be difficult to adopt a hollow structure that would increase thermal resistance even in some areas, but in fact, by adopting a hollow steel structure, the heat exchanger of this embodiment has been able to improve heat exchange performance due to its insulating function and also achieve weight reduction.

[0037] However, it is not essential that the heat exchanger 100 be formed with both the insulating section 10 and the insulating section 50; only one of these may be formed, or instead of or in addition to these, an insulating section may be formed on the longitudinal and / or lateral sides of the heat exchanger 100, for example, spanning the first layer 1 to the fifth layer 5.

[0038] Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the first flow path formed mainly by the second layer 2 to the fourth layer 4 shown in Fig. 1 etc. Fig. 7 shows a cutaway view of a portion of the first layer 1 to the fifth layer 5. Please also refer to the vertical cross section of Fig. 2 in addition to Fig. 7. Note that the vertical cross section of Fig. 2 is a cross section at the position where the slit portions 23b, 33b, and 42b in the "even-numbered columns" mentioned above appear, and the slit portions 23b, 33b, and 42b constitute the first flow path.

[0039] 2, the fluid that has flowed into the second layer 2 through the inlet 6 snakes through the first flow path, which is shaped like a rectangular wave, in the order right → bottom → right → top → right → bottom → right → top..., and flows out of the outlet 8. However, it should be noted that the first flow path does not necessarily have to be snake-shaped.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, the fluid that flows into the second layer 2 through the inlet 6 travels horizontally through slit 23b toward the far right of the drawing, then turns downward downstream, passes through slit 33b downward, and reaches slit 43b. The fluid then travels horizontally through slit 43b toward the far right of the drawing, then turns upward downstream, passes through slit 33b upward, and reaches slit 23b. From there, the fluid continues to travel in a similar meandering manner, and flows out of the outlet 8.

[0041] On the other hand, in the second flow path formed by the slits 23a in the "odd-numbered columns," the fluid that flows into the second layer 2 through the inlet 7, although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, travels horizontally through the slits 23a toward the front left of the drawing, turns downward downstream, passes through the slits 33a in the downward direction, and reaches the slits 43a. The fluid then travels horizontally through the slits 43a toward the front left of the drawing, turns upward downstream, passes through the slits 33a in the upward direction, and reaches the slits 23a. From there, the fluid continues to travel in a similar meandering manner and flows out of the outlet 9.

[0042] In this manner, in this embodiment, the first and second paths both have a meandering shape up and down, and the directions of the fluids flowing through the flow paths are opposite to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this form.

[0043] As described above, the heat exchanger 100 of this embodiment is provided with the insulating sections 10, 50 having gaps and arranged alongside the first and second flow paths, and therefore can prevent degradation of heat exchange performance.

[0044] 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the first layer 1. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the second layer 2. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the third layer 3. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the fourth layer 4. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 100 shown in FIG. 1 , sliced ​​vertically along the longitudinal direction and horizontally at the fifth layer 5. It is an explanatory diagram of a first flow path formed mainly by the second layer 2 to the fourth layer 4 shown in FIG. 1 etc.

[0045] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 First layer 2 Second layer 3 Third layer 4 Fourth layer 5 Fifth layer 6, 7 Inlet 8, 9 Outlet 10, 50 Heat insulating portion 11, 51 Hole 12, 52 Groove 13, 53 Partition wall 21, 41 Peripheral portion 22, 42 Cavity 23a, 23b, 33a, 33b, 43a, 43b Slit 24, 34, 44 Partition 54 Communication portion 100 Heat exchanger

Claims

1. A heat exchanger for exchanging heat between a first fluid passing through a first flow path and a second fluid passing through a second flow path, the heat exchanger comprising an insulating section having a gap and disposed adjacent to the first and second flow paths.

2. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second flow paths are rectangular parallelepipeds when viewed macroscopically, and said insulating section is arranged adjacent to and facing at least a first surface of the heat exchanger body.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating section has a plurality of holes formed therein through which outside air can flow in and out.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the heat insulating section has a plurality of partial partition walls.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1, formed by diffusion bonding.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 1, formed by etching.

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