Thermal management assembly

By designing the heat exchanger and the gas-liquid separator on the same side and assembling the refrigerant inlet and outlet on the same side, the problem of inconvenient assembly in the existing technology is solved, and efficient installation and stable operation of the thermal management component are achieved.

WO2025195400A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2025-09-25SHAOXING SANHUA AUTOMOTIVE THERMAL MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2025/083361
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-03-19
Filing Date
2025-03-19
Publication Date
2025-09-25

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

During the assembly process of existing thermal management components, the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are located on different sides, which makes assembly inconvenient and affects installation efficiency and convenience.

Method used

A thermal management assembly is designed in which the heat exchanger and gas-liquid separator are located on the same side along the plate stacking direction, the refrigerant inlet and outlet are also located on the same side, and the gas-liquid separator is connected by screws, which facilitates the assembly of external components from the same side.

Benefits of technology

The installation convenience and assembly efficiency of the thermal management component are improved, the connection process of the refrigerant external components is simplified, and the compactness and stability of the component are enhanced.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A thermal management assembly, comprising a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator. The thermal management assembly comprises a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet. In the stacking direction of plates, the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet are both located on the same side of the heat exchanger as the gas-liquid separator, such that external refrigerant components can be assembled from the same side of the heat exchanger, thereby facilitating an improvement in the convenience of mounting the thermal management assembly.
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Description

A thermal management component

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on March 19, 2024, with application number 202410316955.1 and invention name “A Thermal Management Component”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of heat exchange technology, and in particular to a thermal management component. Background Art

[0003] The thermal management component includes a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator. The heat exchanger includes a condensing section and a subcooling section. The gas-liquid separator is located on the side of the subcooling section away from the condensing section, and the gas-liquid separator and the subcooling section are fixedly connected. The heat exchanger includes an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe. The refrigerant can flow into the condensing section from the inlet pipe and exchange heat with the coolant in the condensing section. The refrigerant flows out of the condensing section and enters the gas-liquid separator. Then, it flows out of the gas-liquid separator and enters the subcooling section and exchanges heat with the coolant in the subcooling section. The refrigerant flows out of the heat exchanger from the outlet pipe. In the related art, the heat exchanger includes a heat exchange core. The inlet pipe and the outlet pipe are respectively located on both sides of the heat exchange core, that is, one of the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe is located on the side where the gas-liquid separator is located, and the other is located on the opposite side of the gas-liquid separator. In this way, the gas-liquid separator, the inlet pipe and the outlet pipe need to be assembled separately from both sides of the heat exchanger, which is inconvenient for assembling the thermal management component. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a thermal management component, which is conducive to improving the convenience of installation of the thermal management component.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, one embodiment of the present application adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A thermal management component includes a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator, the heat exchanger includes a plurality of stacked plates, and the gas-liquid separator is located on one side of the heat exchanger along the stacking direction of the plates, the heat exchanger includes a condensing part and a supercooling part, the condensing part and the supercooling part both have a first inter-plate channel, the condensing part has a second inter-plate channel, and the supercooling part has a third inter-plate channel, the thermal management component has a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet, the refrigerant inlet is connected to the second inter-plate channel, the second inter-plate channel can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel, the second inter-plate channel is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator, the outlet of the gas-liquid separator is connected to the third inter-plate channel, the third inter-plate channel can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel, and the refrigerant outlet of the third inter-plate channel is connected, along the stacking direction of the plates, the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet are located on the same side of the heat exchanger as the gas-liquid separator.

[0007] In one embodiment provided in the present application, the thermal management component includes a heat exchanger and a gas-liquid separator. The thermal management component has a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet. Along the stacking direction of the plates, the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet are both located on the same side of the heat exchanger as the gas-liquid separator. In this way, the refrigerant external components can be assembled from the same side of the heat exchanger, which is conducive to improving the convenience of installation of the thermal management component. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a thermal management assembly provided by the present application from one perspective;

[0009] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the heat exchanger in FIG1 from one perspective;

[0010] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the heat exchanger in FIG1 from another perspective;

[0011] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the heat exchanger in FIG2 ;

[0012] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the heat exchanger in FIG3 from a bottom view;

[0013] FIG6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger along plane AA in FIG5 ;

[0014] FIG7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger along plane BB in FIG5 ;

[0015] FIG8 is a schematic top view of the heat exchanger in FIG2 ;

[0016] FIG9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger along the CC plane in FIG8 ;

[0017] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of the damping plate in FIG4 from one perspective;

[0018] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of the first plate in FIG4 from one perspective. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0020] Figures 1-11 illustrate an embodiment of a thermal management assembly 100. Thermal management assembly 100 includes a heat exchanger 101 and a gas-liquid separator 102. Heat exchanger 101 includes a plurality of stacked plates 103, where "several" refers to three or more. Gas-liquid separator 102 is located on one side of heat exchanger 101 along the stacking direction of plates 103.

[0021] The heat exchanger 101 includes a condensing section 1 and a subcooling section 2. In this embodiment, the condensing section 1 is located below the subcooling section 2, and the condensing section 1 and the subcooling section 2 are welded together. In other embodiments, the condensing section 1 and the subcooling section 2 can be connected by bonding or flow channel plates. The condensing section 1 and the subcooling section 2 both have a first inter-plate channel S1, which is used for the circulation of coolant. The condensing section 1 has a second inter-plate channel S2, which is used for the circulation of refrigerant. The subcooling section 2 has a third inter-plate channel S3, which is also used for the circulation of refrigerant. The second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 are not connected to the first inter-plate channel S1. The thermal management assembly 100 has a refrigerant inlet 1111 and a refrigerant outlet 1141. The refrigerant inlet 1111 is connected to the second inter-plate channel S2. The second inter-plate channel S2 can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel S1. "The ability of the second inter-plate channel S2 to exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel S1" means that the refrigerant in the second inter-plate channel S2 can exchange heat with the coolant in the first inter-plate channel S1. The second inter-plate channel S2 is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator 102. The outlet of the gas-liquid separator 102 is connected to the third inter-plate channel S3. The third inter-plate channel S3 can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel S1. "The ability of the third inter-plate channel S3 to exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel S1" means that the refrigerant in the third inter-plate channel S3 can exchange heat with the coolant in the first inter-plate channel S1. The third inter-plate channel S3 is connected to the refrigerant outlet 1141. Along the stacking direction of the plates, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are located on the same side of the heat exchanger 101 as the gas-liquid separator 102. This allows the assembly of external refrigerant components from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, facilitating easier installation of the thermal management assembly 100. For ease of description, the terms "up" and "down" are defined as the upper and lower directions in Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings in this specification; "up" and "down" merely represent relative positions.

[0022] In this embodiment, the gas-liquid separator 102 is located on a side of the condensing portion 1 away from the subcooling portion 2, and the gas-liquid separator 102 and the heat exchanger 101 are connected by screws, so that the gas-liquid separator 101 is easy to disassemble and maintain. In other embodiments, the gas-liquid separator 102 and the heat exchanger 101 can also be connected by welding, bonding, or clamping.

[0023] The thermal management component 100 of this embodiment constitutes a component of the air conditioning device, and the heat exchanger 101 functions as a condenser. The air conditioning device mainly includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. The refrigerant is compressed in the gas phase by the compressor, converted into the liquid phase in the condenser, expanded to a low pressure through the expansion valve, and then converted into the gas phase in the evaporator and transported to the compressor again. The gas-phase refrigerant coming out of the compressor flows into the condensation section 1 from the refrigerant inlet 1111. The gas-phase refrigerant dissipates heat to the coolant, and part of the gas-phase refrigerant condenses into liquid-phase refrigerant. There is a gas-liquid two-phase refrigerant in the condensation section 1. The gas-liquid separator 102 is set to separate the gas-liquid refrigerant and the liquid-phase refrigerant in the refrigerant and discharge the liquid-phase refrigerant (the liquid-phase refrigerant may be mixed with the gas-phase refrigerant). The liquid-phase refrigerant continues to exchange heat with the coolant in the supercooling section 2. The heat exchange effect of the liquid-phase refrigerant is good, which is conducive to improving the heat exchange effect of the thermal management component 100. The refrigerant at the condenser outlet is preferably entirely liquid, and the condensed liquid refrigerant is preferably supercooled to a certain degree in order to improve the refrigeration capacity of the refrigeration system and facilitate the transport of the liquid refrigerant. The provision of the gas-liquid separator 102 facilitates the flow of more liquid refrigerant from the supercooling portion 2 and the outlet of the heat exchanger 101. Furthermore, when the thermal management assembly 100 is applied to an air conditioning device, the provision of the gas-liquid separator 102 facilitates the flow of more liquid refrigerant from the heat exchanger 101 into other devices, such as a valve device, thereby preventing the mixing of gas and liquid refrigerant within the valve device, thereby facilitating the stable operation of the air conditioning device.

[0024] The main flow direction is defined as the direction of coolant flow within the condenser section 101. The main flow direction is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the plates 103. Along the main flow direction, the gas-liquid separator 102 is located at one end of the heat exchanger 101. The second channel 112 has a first outlet 1121, which is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator 102. The condenser section 1 has a fifth channel 113, which has a first inlet 1131, which is connected to the outlet of the gas-liquid separator 102. Along the main flow direction, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 are both located at the same end as the gas-liquid separator 102.

[0025] 1 and 3 as well as 6 and 7 , in this embodiment, along the main flow direction, the gas-liquid separator 102 is located at one end of the heat exchanger 101, and the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are both located at the other end of the heat exchanger 101. Along the height of the heat exchanger 101, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are located on the same side of the heat exchanger 101. In this embodiment, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are both located on the side of the condensing section 1 away from the supercooling section 2. This allows the piping connections for the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 to be made from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which helps reduce the assembly time of the heat exchanger 101 and thereby helps improve the assembly efficiency of the thermal management assembly 100. The piping is an external component for the refrigerant. The refrigerant inlet 1111 is connected to a pair of counterparts, and the counterpart connected to the refrigerant inlet 1111 can be a compressor. The refrigerant outlet 1141 is connected to another counterpart, and the counterpart connected to the refrigerant outlet 1141 can be a valve device, an intermediate heat exchanger, or a adapter block, etc. In this way, two counterparts can be assembled from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which is conducive to improving the assembly efficiency and installation convenience of the thermal management component 100; and the gas-liquid separator 102 can also be assembled from the same side, further improving the assembly convenience of the thermal management component 100. In this application, the height direction of the heat exchanger 101 is parallel to the stacking direction of the plates 103. In other embodiments, the piping connected to the refrigerant inlet and the piping connected to the refrigerant outlet can also be set on the counterparts.

[0026] 1 , 7 , and 9 , in this embodiment, the first channel 111 and the second channel 112 extend along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101. In this embodiment, the first channel 111 is located at the end opposite to the gas-liquid separator 102, and the second channel 112 is located at the same end as the gas-liquid separator 102.

[0027] The refrigerant inlet 1111 and the first channel 111 are correspondingly arranged and connected along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101. At the first channel 111 and the second channel 112, the first inter-plate channel S1 is closed, while the second inter-plate channel S2 is open. The first channel 111 is connected to the second inter-plate channel S2, and the second inter-plate channel S2 is connected to the second channel 112. Refrigerant can flow horizontally from the first channel 111 into the second inter-plate channel S2, and then from the second inter-plate channel S2 into the second channel 112. The second channel 112 is connected to the first outlet 1121. In other embodiments, the first channel 111 and the second channel 112 can also be arranged obliquely along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101.

[0028] In this embodiment, along the main flow direction, the fifth channel 113 is located at the same end as the gas-liquid separator 102. The fifth channel 113 and the third channel 211 are aligned and connected along the height of the heat exchanger 101, thereby reducing refrigerant flow resistance. The first inlet 1131 and the fifth channel 113 are aligned and connected along the height of the heat exchanger 101. At the fifth channel 113, the second inter-plate channel S2 and the first inter-plate channel S1 are closed, and the fifth channel 113 is disconnected from the second inter-plate channel S2 and the first inter-plate channel S1. At the third channel 211, the first inter-plate channel S1 is closed, and the third channel 211 is disconnected from the first inter-plate channel S1. The third inter-plate channel S3 is open, and the third channel 211 is connected to the third inter-plate channel S3, allowing refrigerant to flow laterally from the third channel 211 into the third inter-plate channel S3. In other embodiments, the fifth channel 113 and the third channel 211 may also be partially aligned and connected along the height of the heat exchanger 101. In other embodiments, the fifth channel 113 and the third channel 211 may also be arranged to be inclined along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101 .

[0029] In this embodiment, the condenser section 1 further comprises a sixth channel 114 along the main flow direction. The sixth channel 114 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are aligned and connected along the height of the heat exchanger 101. The fourth channel 212 and the sixth channel 114 are aligned and connected along the height of the heat exchanger 101. This helps reduce refrigerant flow resistance. At the fourth channel 212, the first inter-plate channel S1 is closed, and the fourth channel 212 and the first inter-plate channel S1 are not connected. The third inter-plate channel S3 is open, and the third inter-plate channel S3 is connected to the fourth channel 212. At the sixth channel 114, the second inter-plate channel S2 and the first inter-plate channel S1 are both closed, and the sixth channel 114 and the second inter-plate channel S2 are not connected, nor are the sixth channel 114 and the first inter-plate channel S1. In other embodiments, the fourth channel 212 and the sixth channel 114 may also be arranged at an angle along the height of the heat exchanger 101. In other embodiments, the fourth channel 212 and the sixth channel 114 may also be partially aligned and connected along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101 .

[0030] With reference to Figures 1, 6, and 7, the refrigerant generally flows as follows: the refrigerant flows from the refrigerant inlet 1111 into the first channel 111 of the condenser section 1, flows laterally to the left from the first channel 111 into the second inter-plate channel S2 of the condenser section 1, and flows from the second inter-plate channel S2 into the second channel 112. The refrigerant and the coolant exchange heat within the condenser section 1. In this embodiment, the refrigerant is condensed by the coolant, and the refrigerant in the condenser section 1 comprises a gas phase and a liquid phase. The refrigerant then flows downward from the second channel 112 into the first outlet 1121, and exits the heat exchanger 101 from the first outlet 1121.

[0031] The refrigerant coming out of the heat exchanger 101 enters the gas-liquid separator 102 through the inlet of the gas-liquid separator 102. The gas-liquid separator 102 separates the refrigerant into gas-phase refrigerant and liquid-phase refrigerant, and discharges the liquid-phase refrigerant from the outlet of the gas-liquid separator 102; the liquid-phase refrigerant flows into the fifth channel 113 from the outlet of the gas-liquid separator 102, flows upward from the fifth channel 113 into the third channel 211 of the subcooling part 2, and flows rightward from the third channel 211 into the third inter-plate channel S3 of the subcooling part 2. The refrigerant and the coolant continue to exchange heat in the subcooling part 2; after the heat exchange is completed, the refrigerant flows from the third inter-plate channel S3 into the fourth channel 212, flows straight downward from the fourth channel 212 to the sixth channel 114, flows from the sixth channel 114 to the refrigerant outlet 1141 and flows out of the heat exchanger 101. In this way, the refrigerant enters the liquid storage tank 102 from the condensing part 1 and then returns to the supercooling part 2 from the liquid storage tank 102, which is beneficial for having more liquid-phase refrigerant in the supercooling part 2, and is beneficial for the refrigerant in the supercooling part 2 to have a stable degree of supercooling. It is also beneficial for more liquid-phase refrigerant to flow out of the heat exchanger 101, which is beneficial for improving the stability of the air-conditioning device.

[0032] 1 and 2 , heat exchanger 101 includes a first pipe 14 and a second pipe 15. Coolant enters heat exchanger 101 through first pipe 14 and exits through second pipe 15. Both first pipe 14 and second pipe 15 are located on the side of subcooling section 2 away from condensing section 1. Along the main flow direction, first pipe 14 and second pipe 15 are located at opposite ends of heat exchanger 101. Gas-liquid separator 102 is located at one end of heat exchanger 101 along the main flow direction. Along the height of heat exchanger 101, gas-liquid separator 102 is installed on the side opposite first pipe 14, facilitating installation. Longer pipes for first and second pipes 14, 15 make it difficult to install gas-liquid separator 102 on the side where they are located. However, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and refrigerant outlet 1141 pipes are shorter, and gas-liquid separator 102 is located on the side of condensing section 1 away from subcooling section 2, making installation easier.

[0033] Of course, in other embodiments, the gas-liquid separator 102 may also be installed on the same side as the first connecting pipe 14 and the second connecting pipe 15. In other embodiments, the first connecting pipe 14 and the second connecting pipe 15 may also be located on both sides of the heat exchanger 101 in the height direction, or both the first connecting pipe 14 and the second connecting pipe 15 may be located on the lower side of the heat exchanger 101.

[0034] 2 and 9 , in this embodiment, the heat exchanger 101 has a seventh channel 221 and an eighth channel 222 . Along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101 , the seventh channel 221 extends from the supercooling portion 2 to the condensation portion 1 , and the eighth channel 222 extends from the supercooling portion 2 to the condensation portion 1 . The opening of the first connecting pipe 14 and the seventh channel 221 are correspondingly arranged and connected along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101. At the seventh channel 221, the second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 are not open, and the second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 are not connected to the seventh channel 221. At the seventh channel 221, the first inter-plate channel S1 is opened, and the seventh channel 221 is connected to the first inter-plate channel S1; at the eighth channel 222, the second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 are not open, and the second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 are not connected to the eighth channel 222. At the eighth channel 222, the first inter-plate channel S1 is opened, and the first inter-plate channel S1 is connected to the eighth channel 222. Along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101, the eighth channel 222 and the opening of the second connecting pipe 15 are correspondingly arranged and connected.

[0035] In conjunction with Figures 2 and 9 , the coolant flow path is generally as follows: the coolant flows from the first connecting pipe 14 into the seventh channel 221, flows laterally from the seventh channel 221 into the first inter-plate channel S1, and exchanges heat with the refrigerant in the heat exchanger 101. The coolant flows laterally from the first inter-plate channel S1 into the eighth channel 222, then flows upward from the eighth channel 222 to the second connecting pipe 15, and flows out of the heat exchanger 101 from the second connecting pipe 15. In this embodiment, the flow direction of the coolant in the first inter-plate channel S1 is consistent, simplifying the coolant flow path. Of course, in other embodiments, the flow direction of the coolant in the first inter-plate channel S1 may also be changed. In other embodiments, the coolant may also flow in a U-loop. Horizontal refers to the direction perpendicular to the height of the heat exchanger 101.

[0036] In some embodiments, the flow direction of the coolant can be set as needed. For example, in the condensation section 1, the flow direction of the coolant and the flow direction of the refrigerant can be opposite. In the condensation section 1, the coolant and the refrigerant are in countercurrent, which is beneficial to improve the heat exchange effect of the coolant and the refrigerant. In some embodiments, in the condensation section 1, the flow direction of the coolant and the flow direction of the refrigerant can also be the same.

[0037] In conjunction with Figures 4, 6, and 7, in this embodiment, the condensation section 1 includes a plurality of first plates 13, which are stacked. A second inter-plate channel S2 is provided between a first plate 13 and an adjacent first plate 13, and a first inter-plate channel S1 is provided between a first plate 13 and another adjacent first plate 13. The second inter-plate channels S2 and the first inter-plate channels S1 are alternately provided. This increases the heat exchange area between the refrigerant and the coolant, which is beneficial for improving the heat exchange effect between the refrigerant and the coolant. In other embodiments, two layers of first inter-plate channels S1 may be provided between two adjacent second inter-plate channels S2.

[0038] With reference to Figures 4, 6, and 7, in this embodiment, the supercooling section 2 includes a plurality of second plates 23, which are stacked. A third inter-plate channel S3 is defined between a second plate 23 and an adjacent second plate 23, and a first inter-plate channel S1 is defined between a second plate 23 and another adjacent second plate 23. The third inter-plate channels S3 and the first inter-plate channels S1 are arranged alternately. This increases the heat exchange area between the refrigerant and the coolant, improving the heat exchange efficiency between the refrigerant and the coolant. In other embodiments, two layers of first inter-plate channels S1 may be provided between adjacent third inter-plate channels S3. In this embodiment, the first plates 13 and the second plates 23 are collectively referred to as plates 103.

[0039] In this embodiment, the lowermost second plate 23 of the supercooling part 2 and the uppermost first plate 13 of the condensing part 1 are welded, fixed and sealed, so that the structure of the heat exchanger 101 is simple and compact.

[0040] With reference to Figures 4, 6, and 10-11, the first plate 13 has a plurality of first corner holes 131. Multiple first plates 13 are stacked, and the plurality of first corner holes 131 are aligned to form the fourth channel 111, the second channel 112, the fifth channel 113, and the sixth channel 114. The second plate 23 has a plurality of second corner holes 231. Multiple second corner holes 231 are aligned to form the third channel 211 and the fourth channel 212. Both the first plate 13 and the second plate 23 also have a third corner hole a and a fourth corner hole b. The first plate 13 and the second plate 23 are stacked, and the third corner holes a are at least partially aligned to form the seventh channel 221, and the fourth corner holes b are at least partially aligned to form the eighth channel 222.

[0041] In combination with Figures 4, 6 and 10-11, in this embodiment, the heat exchanger 101 includes a damping plate 8, which is the second plate 23 located at the bottom of the supercooling part 2, and the plate surface of the damping plate 8 and the fifth channel 1111 of the first plate 13 are correspondingly arranged, and the plate surface of the damping plate 8 and the second channel 112 of the first plate 13 are correspondingly arranged. The condensation part 1 is located below the damping plate 8. The setting of the damping plate 8 hinders the refrigerant from flowing from the fifth channel 1111 into the supercooling part 2, which will help prevent the condensation part 1 and the supercooling part 2 from bypassing and improve the heat exchange effect; in addition, the setting of the damping plate 8 enables the refrigerant to have two heat exchange process sections, which is conducive to improving the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant.

[0042] In conjunction with Figures 4, 6, and 10-11, in this embodiment, along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101, the surface of the second plate 23 corresponds to the fifth channel 111 of the first plate 13, and the surface of the second plate 23 corresponds to the second channel 112 of the first plate 13. This helps prevent bypass of the condensation section 1 and the subcooling section 2, thereby improving the heat exchange effect. The heat exchanger 101 includes two plates, the first plate 13 and the second plate 23, and is simple to process and form.

[0043] In this embodiment, along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101, the height of the condensing section 1 is greater than that of the subcooling section 2. The refrigerant temperature in the condensing section 1 is high, and the refrigerant needs to exchange a large amount of heat with the coolant. The high setting of the condensing section 1 is conducive to sufficient condensation of the refrigerant. After condensation, the liquid refrigerant is in a saturated state. The coolant in the subcooling section 2 only needs to keep the refrigerant in a liquid state, so that the refrigerant has a stable subcooling degree. Of course, in other embodiments, the heights of the condensing section 1 and the subcooling section 2 can also be set as needed.

[0044] 6 , along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101, the refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 are located along the lower side of the heat exchanger 101. This facilitates the connection of the refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131. The refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 can be assembled from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which helps to reduce the time for assembling the thermal management component 100. In the air-conditioning system, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are respectively connected to their respective counterparts, the first outlet 1121 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 102, and the first inlet 1131 is connected to the gas-liquid separator 102. This solution can assemble the counterpart connected to the refrigerant inlet 1111, the counterpart connected to the refrigerant outlet 1141, and the gas-liquid separator 102 from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which is beneficial to improving and reducing the assembly time of the thermal management component 100.

[0045] 1 , 3 , and 6-7 , in this embodiment, along the height direction of the heat exchanger 101, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 are located on the same side of the heat exchanger 101. In this embodiment, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 are both located on the side of the condenser 1 away from the subcooling section 2. This facilitates connecting the piping for the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 from one side of the heat exchanger 101, thereby reducing the assembly time of the thermal management assembly 100. In other embodiments, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 may also be located on the side of the subcooling section 2 away from the condenser 1.

[0046] Along the main flow direction, the refrigerant inlet 1111 and the refrigerant outlet 1141 are both located at the end opposite to the gas-liquid separator 102, the first outlet 1121 and the first inlet 1131 are both located at the same end as the gas-liquid separator 102, the heat exchanger 101 and the gas-liquid separator 102 are assembled, and in the air-conditioning device, the heat exchanger 101 also needs to be assembled with the valve device, and the refrigerant outlet 1141 and the valve device can be connected through a pipeline. In this embodiment, the valve device and the gas-liquid separator 102 can be installed on the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which is conducive to improving the compactness of the thermal management component 100.

[0047] 3 , in this embodiment, the heat exchanger 101 includes a first end face 4, a projection of the refrigerant inlet 1111 on the first end face 4 and a projection of the first outlet 1121 on the first end face 4 are arranged diagonally, and a projection of the refrigerant outlet 1141 on the first end face 4 and a projection of the first inlet 1131 on the first end face 4 are arranged diagonally, so that the refrigerant can be introduced and discharged at different positions of the heat exchanger 101, which helps to maintain the circulation of the refrigerant in the entire system, which is conducive to uniformly distributing the refrigerant, improving the heat exchange efficiency, and ensuring the smooth operation of the entire system.

[0048] Of course, in other embodiments, along the width direction of the first end face 4, the projection of the refrigerant inlet 1111 on the first end face 4 and the projection of the first outlet 1121 on the first end face 4 may also be located on the same side, and the projection of the refrigerant outlet 1141 on the first end face 4 and the projection of the first inlet 1131 on the first end face 4 may also be located on the same side.

[0049] In conjunction with Figures 4 and 6 , in this embodiment, the heat exchanger 101 includes a plurality of first fins 5 , which are located in the second inter-plate channel S2 and the third inter-plate channel S3 . The first fins 5 are used to increase the heat exchange area between the refrigerant and the coolant, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency. The heat exchanger 101 also includes a plurality of second fins 6 , which are located in the first inter-plate channel S1 . The first fins 5 are used to increase the heat exchange area between the coolant and the refrigerant, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency. In this embodiment, the first fins 5 and the second fins 6 have the same structure, so there is no need to distinguish between the first fins 5 and the second fins 6 during assembly, making the heat exchanger 101 simple to assemble.

[0050] In other embodiments, the structures of the first fin 5 and the second fin 6 may also be different. The fluid properties of the refrigerant and the coolant are different. The structures of the first fin 5 and the second fin 6 are different. The disturbance characteristics of the first fin 5 on the refrigerant are different from the disturbance characteristics of the second fin 6 on the coolant, which is also beneficial to improving the heat exchange effect.

[0051] In other embodiments, the structures of part of the first fins 5 and part of the second fins 6 may be different, and the structures of part of the first fins 5 and part of the second fins 6 may be the same.

[0052] In other embodiments, the heat exchanger 101 may not be provided with fins. By providing a dot wave or herringbone wave pattern on the first plate 13 and a dot wave or herringbone wave pattern on the second plate 23, the heat exchange between the refrigerant and the coolant can be improved. The first plate 13 includes a plurality of first protrusions (not shown in the figure), and the first protrusions of two adjacent first plates 13 are welded and fixed. The second plate 23 includes a plurality of second protrusions (not shown in the figure), and the second protrusions of two adjacent second plates 23 are welded and fixed. This can also improve the heat exchange effect. The structures of the first protrusions and the second protrusions can be the same or different.

[0053] In other embodiments, point waves or herringbone waves may be provided on the refrigerant side to improve heat exchange, and fins may be provided on the coolant side to improve heat exchange.

[0054] 1 , the heat exchanger 101 includes a mounting plate 7 , which is located on a side of the condensing unit 1 away from the subcooling unit 2 . The mounting plate 7 is welded to the condensing unit 1 . In this embodiment, the gas-liquid separator 102 and the mounting plate 7 are fixed by screws, which facilitates the removal of the gas-liquid separator 102 and the heat exchanger 101 . The mounting plate 7 is typically provided with mounting holes (not shown in the figure) through which the thermal management assembly 100 is mounted to the air conditioning unit. In other embodiments, the gas-liquid separator 102 and the mounting plate 7 may also be connected and fixed by welding, gluing, or snapping.

[0055] In other embodiments, the first connecting pipe 14 and the second connecting pipe 15 are both located on the side of the condensing portion 1 away from the supercooling portion 2, and the refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, and the gas-liquid separator 102 can also be located on the side of the supercooling portion 2 away from the condensing portion 1. In this way, the refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, and the gas-liquid separator 102 can be assembled from the same side of the heat exchanger 101, which is conducive to improving the convenience of installing the thermal management component 100. In other embodiments, the positions of the refrigerant inlet 1111, the refrigerant outlet 1141, the first connecting pipe 14, and the second connecting pipe 15 can also be selected as needed. For example, the refrigerant inlet 1111 is located on the side of the condensing portion 1 away from the supercooling portion 2, and the refrigerant outlet 1141 is located on the supercooling portion 2 away from the condensing portion 1.

[0056] It should be noted that: It should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application and are not intended to limit the technical solutions described in the present application. Although this specification has described the present application in detail with reference to the above embodiments, ordinary technicians in this field should understand that technicians in the relevant technical field can still modify or replace the application with equivalents, and all technical solutions and improvements that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application should be covered by the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermal management component, characterized in that: The invention comprises a heat exchanger (101) and a gas-liquid separator (102), wherein the heat exchanger (101) comprises a plurality of stacked plates (103), and the gas-liquid separator (102) is located on one side of the heat exchanger (101) along the stacking direction of the plates (103). The heat exchanger (101) comprises a condensation section (1) and a subcooling section (2), wherein the condensation section (1) and the subcooling section (2) both have a first inter-plate channel (S1), the condensation section (1) has a second inter-plate channel (S2), and the subcooling section (2) has a third inter-plate channel (S3). The thermal management component (100) has a refrigerant inlet (1111) and a refrigerant outlet (1141), wherein the refrigerant inlet (1111) ) is connected to the second inter-plate channel (S2), the second inter-plate channel (S2) can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel (S1), the second inter-plate channel (S2) is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator (102), the outlet of the gas-liquid separator (102) is connected to the third inter-plate channel (S3), the third inter-plate channel (S3) can exchange heat with the first inter-plate channel (S1), the third inter-plate channel (S3) is connected to the refrigerant outlet (1141), and along the stacking direction of the plates (103), the refrigerant inlet (1111) and the refrigerant outlet (1141) are located on the same side of the heat exchanger (101) as the gas-liquid separator (102).

2. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The gas-liquid separator (102) is located on a side of the condensation section (1) away from the supercooling section (2), and the refrigerant inlet (1111) and the refrigerant outlet (1141) are also located on a side of the condensation section (1) away from the supercooling section (2).

3. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The condensation section (1) has a first channel (111) and a second channel (112); the refrigerant inlet (1111) and the first channel (111) are correspondingly arranged and connected; the first channel (111) and the second channel (112) are connected through the second inter-plate channel (S2); and the inlet of the gas-liquid separator (102) is connected to the second channel (112).

4. The thermal management assembly according to claim 3, wherein: The supercooling section (2) has a third channel (211) and a fourth channel (212), and the third channel (211) and the fourth channel (212) are connected through the third inter-plate channel (S3). The condensation section (1) has a fifth channel (113), and at the fifth channel (113), the second inter-plate channel (S2) and the first inter-plate channel (S1) are not open, and the outlet of the gas-liquid separator (102) and the third channel (211) are connected through the fifth channel (113). The condensation section (1) has a sixth channel (114), and at the sixth channel (114), the second inter-plate channel (S2) and the first inter-plate channel (S1) are not open, and the fourth channel (212) and the refrigerant outlet (1141) are connected through the sixth channel (114).

5. The thermal management assembly according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (101) includes a first connecting pipe (14) and a second connecting pipe (15), and the first connecting pipe (14) and the second connecting pipe (15) are both located on the side of the supercooling part (2) away from the condensing part (1), and the heat exchanger (101) has a seventh channel (221) and an eighth channel (222), the mouth of the first connecting pipe (14) is connected to the seventh channel (221), the seventh channel (221) and the eighth channel (222) are connected through the first inter-plate channel (S1), and the eighth channel (222) is connected to the mouth of the second connecting pipe (15).

6. The thermal management assembly according to claim 5, wherein: A main flow direction is defined, which is perpendicular to the stacking direction of the plates (103). Along the main flow direction, the gas-liquid separator (102) is located at one end of the heat exchanger (101), and the refrigerant inlet (1111) and the refrigerant outlet (1141) are both located at the other end of the heat exchanger (101).

7. The thermal management assembly according to claim 6, wherein: The second channel (112) of the condensation section (1) has a first outlet (1121), the fifth channel (113) of the condensation section (1) has a first inlet (1131), the first outlet (1121) is connected to the inlet of the gas-liquid separator (102), and the outlet of the gas-liquid separator (102) is connected to the first inlet (1131).

8. The thermal management assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The heat exchanger (101) includes a first end surface (4), a projection of the refrigerant inlet (1111) on the first end surface (4) and a projection of the first outlet (1121) on the first end surface (4) are arranged diagonally, and a projection of the refrigerant outlet (1141) on the first end surface (4) and a projection of the first inlet (1131) on the first end surface (4) are arranged diagonally.

9. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (101) comprises a plurality of first fins (5) and a plurality of second fins (6), wherein the first fins (5) are located in the second inter-plate channel (S2) and the third inter-plate channel (S3), and the second fins (6) are located in the first inter-plate channel (S1), and the plurality of first fins (5) and the plurality of second fins (6) have the same structure, or at least some of the first fins (5) and at least some of the second fins (6) have different structures; Alternatively, the condensation section (1) includes a plurality of first plates (13), and the plurality of first plates (13) are stacked; the supercooling section (2) includes a plurality of second plates (23), and the plurality of second plates (23) are stacked; the first plates (13) include a plurality of first protrusions, and the first protrusions of two adjacent first plates (13) are welded and fixed; the second plates (23) include a plurality of second protrusions, and the second protrusions of two adjacent second plates (23) are welded and fixed.

10. The thermal management assembly according to claim 1 or 9, characterized in that: The heat exchanger (101) includes a mounting plate (7), the mounting plate (7) is located on a side of the condensation section (1) away from the supercooling section (2), the mounting plate (7) and the condensation section (1) are welded together, and the gas-liquid separator (102) and the mounting plate (7) are fixed by screws, clamping or welding.

Citation Information

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