KR102700072B1 - Header structure of heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger comprising a pair of tanks having an inlet and an outlet through which a heat exchange medium flows, a plurality of tubes through which the heat exchange medium flows but which are spaced apart from each other in both directions, and a pair of headers including a plurality of tube insertion ports into which the plurality of tubes are each inserted on one side and the tank is joined on the other side, wherein a stopper for limiting the insertion depth of the tubes is formed in the tube insertion ports so that the plurality of tubes can be inserted at a certain depth, and a brazing area is increased so as to better prevent leakage of the heat exchange medium.

Description

HEADER STRUCTURE OF HEAT EXCHANGER

The present invention relates to a header structure of a heat exchanger, and more specifically, to a structure of a header combined with a plurality of tubes in a header tank that distributes an introduced heat exchange medium to a plurality of tubes.

In general, a heat exchanger is a device installed on a specific path so that a heat exchange medium circulating inside performs heat exchange by absorbing heat from the outside or radiating heat to the outside. These heat exchangers are manufactured in various ways according to their intended use and purpose, such as condensers and evaporators that use refrigerant as a heat exchange medium, radiators and heater cores that use coolant as a heat exchange medium, and oil coolers that use oil used in engines and transmissions as a heat exchange medium.

At this time, the heat exchanger is generally formed in a form in which a header tank is connected to both ends of a plurality of tubes through which heat is transferred between the internal fluid and the external fluid. In addition, the heat exchange medium, which is the internal fluid, may be configured to flow into the header tank and be distributed over a plurality of tubes, and the fluid circulated in the tubes may be collected and discharged into the header tank.

Here, the tube may be joined by brazing at the contact area while being inserted into the tube insertion groove formed in the header of the header tank. In addition, there was a problem that the heat exchange medium may leak from the joined surface when the joined tube and header were used. Accordingly, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2019-0073742 (“Integral heat exchanger”, published on June 27, 2019), which detects a leak that occurs when a plurality of heat exchange media are used, and Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1932205 (“Heat exchanger”, announced on December 26, 2018), which reduces the passage resistance of the heat exchange medium flowing along the header tank to prevent damage, are currently disclosed.

In particular, when a tube plate is folded to form a folded tube, there is a problem that a leak point occurs because a void is generated between the gap of the folded tube and the header. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1 as follows. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the folded tube (1) may be formed by folding a single tube plate so that both ends of the single tube plate form a partition wall (2). Further, the inside of the folded tube (1) may be divided into a plurality of flow spaces (3a, 3b) based on the partition wall (2). At this time, due to the characteristic of the folded tube (1) being folded as a single tube plate, a gap is generated on the partition wall (2). At this time, if the length (g) of the gap is large, there is a problem that a leak may occur because it is not filled during brazing joint with the header, or the durability of the device may be reduced due to incomplete welding. To solve this problem, there was a method of inserting the tube deeply into the existing header, but this resulted in the problem of the deeply inserted tube interfering with the fluid flow inside the header tank, thereby increasing the flow resistance.

In addition, in the case where the heat exchange medium of the header tank is introduced at the inlet side or adjacent to the passage circulated through the baffle, a uniform flow rate distribution must be achieved in order to increase the efficiency due to the characteristics of the heat exchanger. Regarding this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-057952 (“Heat Exchanger”, published on March 13, 2008) discloses a technology for controlling the flow rate inside the header tank by manufacturing and combining a separate body. However, when applying a separate body, there is a problem that not only the weight and cost increase, but also a separate body assembly process is added.

KR 10-2019-0073742 A ("Integral heat exchanger") Published on 2019.06.27. KR 10-1932205 B1 ("Heat Exchanger") 2018.12.26. Notice JP 2008-057952 A ("Heat Exchanger") 2008.03.13. Published

The present invention has been made to solve the problems described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling the flow rate of fluid in a header tank by controlling the number of stoppers formed on a tube insertion port of a header.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to simplify the process by forming the stopper integrally with the tube insertion port of the header, thereby omitting the process of producing or mounting a separate part, thereby reducing weight and cost.

In addition, the purpose of the present invention is to prevent leakage of heat exchange medium by increasing the area joined through the stopper and to provide a plurality of tubes to be joined at a certain depth.

In order to achieve the above-described purpose, the heat exchanger of the present invention comprises: a pair of tanks each having an inlet and an outlet through which a heat exchange medium flows; a plurality of tubes each having a heat exchange medium flowing therein and spaced apart from each other in both directions; and a pair of headers each having a plurality of tube insertion ports into which the plurality of tubes are each inserted on one side thereof, and the tanks are coupled on the other side thereof; wherein a stopper for limiting the insertion depth of the tubes may be formed in the tube insertion ports.

In addition, the tube may have an internal flow space divided by a partition, and a stopper may be formed on the tube insertion port so that when the tube is inserted into the tube insertion port, the stopper corresponds to the partition of the tube.

Additionally, the tube may be configured as a folded tube in which a gap is formed on the bulkhead by folding the plate material on both sides.

Additionally, the length (d) of the stopper may be formed to be equal to or longer than the length (g) of the gap.

In addition, the present invention can be fixed by brazing each other while the tube is inserted into the tube insertion port and the bulkhead of the tube is in contact with the stopper.

In addition, the tube insertion port and the stopper of the present invention may be formed integrally with each other.

In addition, the present invention may further include a tube disposed on one side of the header, wherein the header further includes a protrusion formed with a hollow portion and protruding in the direction of the tube insertion port, and the stopper may be disposed on the hollow portion of the protrusion.

Additionally, a plurality of stopper modules including at least one stopper are formed in each of the plurality of tube insertion ports, and some of the plurality of stopper modules may include different numbers of stoppers.

In addition, by adjusting the number of stoppers of each of the plurality of stopper modules, the flow rate of the heat exchange medium distributed to the tubes in contact with each of the plurality of stopper modules can be adjusted.

Additionally, the plurality of stopper modules may be arranged such that the number of stoppers of one stopper module adjacent to the inlet through which the heat exchange medium flows into the header and the tank is greater than the number of stoppers of another stopper module relatively spaced apart from the inlet.

In addition, the plurality of said stopper modules may include a first stopper module including a plurality of stoppers, wherein the first stopper module may be formed such that the plurality of stoppers are spaced apart from each other along the longitudinal direction and come into contact with one end surface of a tube.

In addition, the number of the plurality of stopper modules can be adjusted by mounting and connecting the stoppers on the tube insertion port of the header.

Additionally, one stopper of the stopper module may be placed at a position corresponding to a gap of the tube composed of a folded tube.

The heat exchanger of the present invention with the above-described configuration has the advantage that the stopper is arranged on one side of the gap of the folded tube, so that the gap can be filled more easily. Accordingly, the present invention has the advantage of preventing a decrease in the performance of the heat exchanger and enabling brazing joints to be formed in a shorter time.

In addition, the heat exchanger of the present invention has an advantage in that more efficient heat exchange is achieved by providing a plurality of tubes to be inserted at a uniform depth through a stopper that limits the insertion depth of the tubes inserted into the header. At this time, the stopper is formed integrally with the header, thereby reducing the weight and cost of the heat exchanger to be produced, and has an advantage in that production is possible without an additional process by controlling the area to be punched in the process of forming the tube insertion port.

In addition, the heat exchanger of the present invention has the effect of preventing temperature differences due to flow rate imbalance by controlling the flow rate of fluid distributed to a plurality of tubes by adjusting the number of stoppers arranged in each tube insertion port. Accordingly, the present invention has the advantage of providing similar heat dissipation performance for each tube, thereby providing similar temperatures for heat-exchanged fluids.

In addition, the heat exchanger of the present invention has a larger contact area between the tube and the header, so that the sealing performance is improved when joining using brazing or the like, and thus has the effect of preventing the heat exchange medium from leaking even when used for a long period of time.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view of a folded tube.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a header according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main portion of FIG. 3 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines AA` and BB` of FIG. 5 according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a perspective view of a header according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a side view of a header according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 10 is a perspective view of a tube according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a tube and a header being combined according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 12 is a partially enlarged view of a header according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a header combined with a tube according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the heat exchanger of the present invention having the configuration described above will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

<Example 1>

FIGS. 2 and 3 relate to one embodiment of a heat exchanger of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the heat exchanger, and FIG. 3 shows an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger, respectively.

First, referring to FIG. 2, the heat exchanger of the present invention may include a core part (10) in which heat exchange between a heat exchange medium and a fluid takes place, and a header tank (20) in which an inlet and an outlet are formed through which the heat exchange medium is introduced and discharged. At this time, the header tanks (20) may be formed as a pair and may be respectively coupled to both ends of the core part (10), and the inlet and outlet may both be included on one header tank (20) or may be respectively arranged on a pair of header tanks (20).

Referring to FIG. 3, the core part (10) may include a plurality of tubes (100) spaced apart from each other, and may further include fins (11) interposed between the plurality of tubes (100). In addition, the header tank (20) may include a header (200) coupled to the ends of the plurality of tubes (100), and a tank (300) coupled to the header (200) to form an internal space. At this time, the headers (200) may be provided as a pair, and both ends of the tubes (100) may be coupled respectively. At this time, the header structure of the heat exchanger will be described in more detail through the following drawings.

FIGS. 4 to 6 relate to one embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a header, FIG. 5 is a partial enlarged view of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 3, respectively.

First, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the header (200) may be formed with a plurality of tube insertion holes (210) so that a plurality of tubes (100) may be inserted, respectively. In addition, the present invention may further include a stopper (400) formed on the plurality of tube insertion holes (210).

Referring to FIG. 6, the stopper (400) may be provided to limit the depth at which the tube (100) is inserted in the tube insertion port (210). In addition, the stopper (400) may be configured in multiple numbers and may be respectively placed in multiple tube insertion ports (210), and has the advantage of providing a plurality of tubes (100) to be inserted so that they are inserted to a certain depth. In addition, the present invention may also provide the advantage of preventing a plurality of tubes (100) from being fixed in an excessively inserted state, thereby restricting the flow of the introduced heat exchange medium. This will be described in more detail in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention. FIG. 7-(a) is a cross-sectional view of a header coupled with a tube along line A-A` of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7-(b) is a cross-sectional view of a header coupled with a tube along line B-B` of FIG. 5.

As illustrated in Fig. 7-(a), a plurality of stoppers (400) may be provided so as to be in contact with the end faces of the plurality of tubes (100), and may be configured to limit the depth into which the tubes (100) are inserted. In addition, since the end faces of the tubes (100) and the stoppers (400) are formed to be in contact with each other, there is an advantage in that the tubes (100) inserted through a process such as brazing are more firmly coupled when fixed. In addition, a plurality of stoppers (400) may be formed integrally with the header (200) as illustrated.

As illustrated in FIG. 7-(b), the header (200) can form a hole into which a tube is inserted through a tube insertion port (210) and a hollow portion (221) of a protrusion (220) protruding from the tube insertion port (210). In addition, when the tube (100) is inserted into one side of the header (200) and the protrusion (220) protrudes to the other side on the other side, the stopper (400) can be placed on the hollow portion (221) of the protrusion (220). In addition, when the protrusion (220) protrudes to one side on one side, the stopper (400) can also be placed on the tube insertion port (210). At this time, the tube (100) can come into contact with the inner surface of the tube insertion port (210) of the header (200) and the inner surface of the hollow portion (221). Accordingly, when fixing the inserted tube (100), the present invention can provide an area in contact with the outer surface of the tube (100) through the protrusion (220) to be expanded. In addition, the present invention can prevent fluid from leaking when the heat exchange medium introduced into the header (200) is distributed to a plurality of the tubes (100) through the stopper (400) and the protrusion (220).

<Example 2>

FIGS. 8 and 9 relate to another embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the header, and FIG. 9 shows a side view of the header, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, among the plurality of stoppers (400) arranged in each of the plurality of tube insertion ports (210), it may be characterized in that at least one tube insertion port (210) has a plurality of stoppers (400). That is, the tube insertion port (210) may be formed to have a constant length, and the plurality of stoppers (400) may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the length of the tube insertion port (210). As an example of this, FIG. 8 illustrates a first stopper module (410) including three stoppers (411, 412, 413) and a second stopper module (420) composed of one stopper (421). Here, the plurality of stoppers (400) arranged in one tube insertion port (210) may be configured with the same area or may be modified into various forms, such as having some different areas. In addition, the protrusion (220) may support both ends of the stopper (400), and the protrusion (220) and the stopper (400) may be formed integrally with each other.

And as illustrated in FIG. 9, the present invention can be configured to control the flow of the heat exchange medium (F _in ) distributed to the tube through the number of stoppers included in each stopper module. At this time, the stopper (400) can be formed so that the number of stoppers of one stopper module adjacent to the inlet through which the heat exchange medium (F _in ) flows in is greater than the number of stoppers of another stopper module relatively spaced apart from the inlet. At this time, the inlet through which the heat exchange medium (F _in ) flows in includes an inlet pipe formed on the tank, but when the heat exchange medium is circulated in the core and header tank through the baffle, a flow discharged from the tube into the header tank may also be included.

<Example 3>

FIGS. 10 and 11 relate to a third embodiment of a heat exchanger of the present invention, wherein FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tube, and FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the tube and the header being joined, respectively.

First, referring to FIG. 10, the tube (100) may be configured in the form of a folded tube, and may include a partition wall (500) in the form of a single workpiece folded. Accordingly, the partition wall (500) may be formed to extend along both ends of the tube (100), and may be placed on the opening (110) of the tube (100). Here, a gap may be formed at the position where the partition wall (500) is formed in the tube (100), and the gap is often maintained when joined with the header (200). In this case, if the gap value is large, there is a problem that the welding material may not fill the gap when brazing with the header (200), resulting in a leak or reduced durability due to incomplete welding.

The present invention has an advantage in that, as illustrated in FIG. 11, the stopper (400) formed in each tube insertion port (210) is positioned opposite the partition wall (500) of the tube (100), thereby more effectively improving the problems of the prior art. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 11-(a), the header (200) forms a hole through the tube insertion port (210) and the hollow portion (221), but the stopper (400) may be positioned on the hollow portion (221). In this case, when the tube (100) is inserted, the tube (100) can be inserted only to one side of the stopper (400), and the opening (110) of the tube (100) can be fastened so as to communicate with the hollow portion (221).

And as shown in FIG. 11-(b), the stopper (400) of the present invention may be formed to face the partition wall (500) and have a constant length (d). And as described above with reference to FIG. 1, the tube (100) of the present invention formed as a folded tube may also have a gap (Gap) formed in the area where the partition wall (500) is formed and may be configured to have a constant length (g). Here, the length (d) of the stopper (400) of the present invention may be formed to be equal to or greater than the length (g) of the gap. Accordingly, the bottom surface of the stopper (400) in the drawing may be formed to seal the top surface of the gap, thereby effectively preventing a leak from occurring in the corresponding area. At this time, the present invention may provide a heat exchanger in which the area of the stopper (400) is formed larger than the area of the gap, but the stopper (400) is positioned to seal one side of the gap, thereby making bonding easier and preventing leakage.

And the protrusion (220) of the present invention can guide the insertion of the tube (100) inserted from the lower side in the drawing. At this time, the protrusion (220) can be formed with an inner diameter corresponding to the outer diameter of the tube (100) so that a tube insertion port (210) and a hollow portion (221) are formed. And the protrusion (220) can be divided into a plurality of regions. Here, in one region, the stopper (400) is not formed and the protrusion (220) forms a tube insertion port (210) to guide the insertion of the tube (100), and in another region, the stopper (400) can be configured to have both ends supported by the protrusion (220) as described above to limit the insertion depth of the tube (100). At this time, the hollow portion (221) may be a hole formed by the protrusion (220) in another area, excluding the area of the stopper (400), and the flow rate of the heat exchange medium flowing in or out may be controlled according to the area of the hollow portion (221).

<Example 4>

FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 relate to a fourth embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a partial enlarged view of a header showing a coupling stopper mounted thereon, and FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a header on which a coupling stopper is mounted.

Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the stopper (400) of the present invention may be configured as an integral part with the header (200) as described above, and may be formed to be mounted on the header (200). In addition, the stopper (400) may include both a fixed stopper (401) configured as an integral part with the header (200) and a combined stopper (402) mounted on the header (200).

At this time, the coupling stopper (402) is formed to be mounted on the tube insertion port (210) of the header (200), and can be fixed by brazing and joining with the tube and the header. In addition, the coupling stopper (402) may be provided to control the insertion depth of the tube (100) to be constant when the tube (100) is inserted into the tube insertion port (210), and to be separated when fixedly joined. In addition, when the folded portion of the tube (100) is arranged at an end in the longitudinal direction rather than the center, the stopper (400) may be arranged at a corresponding position.

The above various embodiments may be applied singly or in combination, and in particular, the first embodiment or the second embodiment may be combined with the third embodiment to produce a synergistic effect. Here, when the first embodiment is used together with the third embodiment, there is an advantage in that each of the stoppers formed in the tube insertion port is formed to seal the gap of the folded tube, thereby improving the overall performance of the heat exchanger. In addition, when the second embodiment is combined with the third embodiment, one stopper from each of the plurality of stopper modules may be formed to seal the gap of the folded tube.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of application is diverse. Anyone with ordinary skill in the art can make various modifications without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims.

10: Core 11: Pin
20 : Header Tank
100 : Tube 110 : Opening
200 : Header
210 : Tube insertion port
220 : Protrusion 221 : Hollow
300 : Tank
400 : Stopper
401: Fixed stopper 402: Combined stopper
410: 1st stopper module
411: 1st stopper 412: 2nd stopper
413: 3rd stopper
420: 2nd stopper module 421: 1st stopper
500 : Bulkhead

Claims (13)

A pair of tanks having an inlet and an outlet through which a heat exchange medium flows;
A plurality of tubes in which a heat exchange medium flows inside and which are spaced apart from each other in both directions; and
A pair of headers including a plurality of tube insertion holes on one side into which a plurality of said tubes are each inserted, and a pair of headers on the other side into which said tank is coupled;
Including,
A stopper is formed in the above tube insertion port to limit the depth of insertion of the tube.
The above tube has its internal flow space divided by a partition,
When a tube is inserted into the above tube insertion port,
So that the above stopper corresponds to the bulkhead of the above tube,
A stopper is formed on the above tube insertion port,
The above tube is composed of a folded tube in which a gap is formed on the bulkhead by folding the plate on both sides,
The length (d) of the above stopper is formed to be equal to or longer than the length (g) of the gap,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the stopper is arranged to seal one side of the gap.
delete delete delete In the first paragraph,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the tube is inserted into the tube insertion port and the baffle of the tube is fixed to each other by brazing while in contact with the stopper.
In paragraph 1 or paragraph 5,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the tube insertion port and the stopper are formed integrally with each other.
In the first paragraph,
The tube is arranged on one side of the above header,
The above header is,
It further includes a protrusion that protrudes in the direction of the stroke from the above tube insertion port and has a hollow portion formed therein.
A heat exchanger characterized in that the stopper is arranged on the hollow part of the protrusion.
In the first paragraph,
A plurality of stopper modules including at least one stopper are formed in each of the plurality of above tube insertion ports,
A heat exchanger, wherein some of said plurality of stopper modules include different numbers of stoppers.
In Article 8,
By adjusting the number of stoppers in each of the above stopper modules,
A heat exchanger characterized by controlling the flow rate of a heat exchange medium distributed to tubes contacting each of the plurality of stopper modules.
In Article 9,
A plurality of the above stopper modules,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the number of stoppers of one stopper module adjacent to the inlet through which the heat exchange medium flows into the header and the tank is greater than the number of stoppers of another stopper module relatively spaced apart from the inlet.
In Article 8,
The plurality of said stopper modules comprises a first stopper module including a plurality of stoppers,
The above first stopper module,
A heat exchanger characterized in that a plurality of stoppers are arranged spaced apart from each other along the length and contact one end surface of a single tube.
In any one of Articles 8 to 11,
A plurality of the above stopper modules,
A heat exchanger characterized in that a stopper is mounted and combined on the tube insertion port of the above header so that the number can be adjusted.
In Article 8,
One stopper of the above stopper module is,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the tube is arranged at a position corresponding to the gap of the tube composed of a folded tube.

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