KR102729471B1 - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger in which first tubes and second tubes through which fluids of different temperatures flow are installed together, and in which thermal deformation in the header of a portion where the first tube and the second tube are adjacent to each other can be prevented by changing the shape of the header in various ways.

Description

Heat exchanger

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger in which tubes through which fluids having different temperatures flow are installed, and which can prevent thermal deformation of a header into which tubes through which fluids having different temperatures flow are inserted.

The condenser used in the air conditioning system of a vehicle is a component that falls under the category of heat exchangers, and during the cooling cycle, it condenses the high-pressure gaseous refrigerant discharged from the compressor into a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid by exchanging heat with the outside air, and discharges it to an expansion means.

The radiator used in the vehicle's air conditioning system is also a component included in the category of heat exchangers, and prevents the engine temperature from rising above a certain temperature.

In general, internal combustion engines always generate a large amount of heat in the process of combusting high-temperature, high-pressure gas, and if the heat is not properly cooled, various parts including the cylinder and piston will be damaged due to overheating. Therefore, a jacket that accommodates coolant is provided around the cylinder, and by circulating the coolant inside the jacket, the coolant absorbs the heat generated from the engine, thereby cooling the engine. In other words, a radiator is a heat exchanger that prevents engine overheating and maintains an optimal operating state by circulating high-temperature coolant that has absorbed the heat generated by combustion while circulating inside the engine and releasing the heat to the outside by circulating it using a water pump.

Meanwhile, in hybrid vehicles, in addition to the engine, electrical and electronic components such as motors, inverters, and battery stacks must also be cooled. However, the coolant passing through the engine and the coolant passing through the electrical components have a certain temperature difference, so they cannot have a single cooling system. Accordingly, the vehicle cooling system is largely equipped with an engine cooling system and an electrical component cooling system separately, and a radiator for engine cooling and a radiator for electrical component cooling are equipped separately.

The above-mentioned radiator for cooling the electrical components is generally manufactured separately and assembled on the upper or lower side of the condenser. This method requires parts for assembling the radiator for cooling the electrical components and the condenser, and has the problem of reduced productivity due to the additional assembly process. In addition, when the radiator for cooling electrical components is assembled on the lower or upper side of the condenser as described above, since it must be installed in a limited space, the front surface area of the condenser inevitably has to be reduced, which may reduce the cooling performance, and there was a problem that the supercooling area formed in the lower area of the condenser was covered by the bumper beam of the vehicle, so that the air flowing in from the outside was not sufficient. In order to solve this problem, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0023184 (“Integrated Radiator and Assembly Method Thereof”, Publication Date 2018.03.07., hereinafter “Prior Art 1”) discloses an integrated radiator in which an engine cooling area and an electrical component cooling area are integrally configured in a single radiator, and an assembly method therefor.

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the integrated radiator disclosed in prior art 1, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a specific portion of FIG. 1.

Briefly describing prior art 1 with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an integrated radiator (10) may include a first tube (21) and a second tube (22) that are arranged in a stacked manner toward one side of each other, a header (30) that is connected to the ends of the first tube (21) and the second tube (22), and a tank (40) that is connected to the outside of the header (30) and has a baffle (41) formed inside to divide the internal space into a space where the first tube (21) and the second tube (22) are located. The fluid (heat exchange medium) passing through the first tube (21) may have a higher temperature than the fluid passing through the second tube (22). If the temperatures of the fluids flowing through each of the first tube (21) and the second tube (22) differ in this way, thermal deformation occurs at the portion of the header (30) where the first tube (21) is inserted and the portion where the second tube (22) is inserted, resulting in problems such as fluid leaking to the outside. In order to solve such problems in the past, a method such as inserting a dummy tube through which no fluid flows between the first tube (21) and the second tube (22) was used. However, even when the dummy tube is used, there are problems such as thermal deformation occurring due to the temperature difference between the fluids flowing through each of the first tube (21) and the second tube (22).

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2018-0023184 (“Integrated radiator and assembly method thereof”, published on March 7, 2018)

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the heat exchanger according to the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger in which first tubes and second tubes through which fluids having different temperatures flow are installed together, and in which thermal deformation in the header of a portion where the first tube and the second tube are adjacent to each other can be prevented.

In order to solve the above-described problem, the heat exchanger according to the present invention is characterized by including a first tube having a flow path formed therein through which a first heat exchange medium flows and a plurality of first tubes are arranged in a stacked manner while being spaced apart to one side, a second tube having a flow path formed therein through which a second heat exchange medium having a temperature different from that of the first heat exchange medium flows and a plurality of second tubes are arranged in a stacked manner while being spaced apart to one side, and arranged on one side of the first tube, a dummy tube having at least one tube disposed between the first tube and the second tube, and a plurality of tube insertion holes into which ends of the tubes are inserted are formed and spaced apart from one another to one side, and a header having a thermal stress absorbing portion formed in at least one region among regions between the tube insertion holes into which ends of the dummy tubes are inserted and adjacent tube insertion holes.

In addition, the thermal stress absorbing member is characterized by including a through hole formed in at least one region among regions between a tube insertion hole into which an end of the dummy tube is inserted and an adjacent tube insertion hole.

In addition, the through hole is characterized by being formed in a form that extends to one side or having a width of a central portion of the through hole that is smaller than the width of an adjacent portion.

In addition, the above through hole is formed in a form that extends to one side,

Among the plurality of through holes formed in the single above-mentioned area, the end of the through hole arranged at the outermost side is characterized in that it is arranged at the same position in the width direction as the end of the adjacent tube insertion hole.

In addition, the through hole is characterized in that the width of the central portion is smaller than the width of the adjacent other portions, and among the plurality of through holes formed in the single region, the central portion of the through hole arranged at the outermost end is arranged at the same position with respect to the width direction as the end of the adjacent tube insertion hole.

In addition, the tank is characterized by including an edge joined to the edge of the header, a baffle formed inside to divide the internal space into a space where the end of the first tube is located and a space where the end of the second tube is located, and a gasket including an outer portion in an annular shape, the outer portion being located between the edge of the header and the edge of the tank, and a middle portion connecting the middle of the outer portion and covering the through hole.

In addition, the gasket is characterized in that it further includes a projection formed protruding on one side of the through hole and inserted into the through hole.

In addition, the shape of the protrusion is characterized by corresponding to the shape of the through hole.

In addition, the above-described interrupt portions are characterized in that at least two or more are arranged spaced apart from each other, and the gasket further includes a bridge portion connecting the interrupt portions adjacent to each other.

In addition, the through holes are characterized in that a plurality of them are spaced apart in the width direction of the header in a single region.

In addition, the thickness of the header in the area where the thermal stress absorbing portion is formed is characterized by being thinner than the thickness of the header in other areas.

In addition, the thermal stress absorbing portion is characterized in that it is formed in an area adjacent to the center among the areas.

In addition, the thermal stress absorbing member is characterized by including a groove formed sunken in at least one region among regions between a tube insertion hole into which an end of the dummy tube is inserted and an adjacent tube insertion hole.

In addition, the home is characterized in that it is formed in an area adjacent to the center among the areas.

According to the heat exchanger of the present invention as described above, since a thermal stress absorbing portion is formed in the header in the region between the third tube insertion hole into which the dummy tube of the header is inserted and the tube insertion hole adjacent thereto, even if thermal deformation of the header occurs due to a temperature difference between the heat exchange medium flowing inside the first tube and the second tube, there is an effect of preventing damage to the header itself or weakening of its durability.

Figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the radiator of prior art 1.
Figure 2 is an enlarged partial view of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the header and gasket of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a top plan view of the header of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a top plan view of the header of a heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of a gasket of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the combination of the header and gasket of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a header of a heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a header of a heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

The heat exchanger according to various embodiments of the present invention may include a plurality of tubes, and header tanks connected to both ends of the tubes, similar to the heat exchanger described in the background art above. At this time, the plurality of tubes are divided into a first tube, a second tube, and a dummy tube, and the first tube is laminated to one side and has a flow path formed inside it so that a first heat exchange medium flows, and the second tube is also laminated to one side, but is located on one side of the first tube, and has a flow path formed inside it so that a second heat exchange medium having a different temperature from the first heat exchange medium flows. That is, the first tube and the second tube in the present invention are the same as the first tube and the second tube described in the background art above. The dummy tube is arranged between the first tube and the second tube to prevent thermal deformation, and unlike the first tube and the second tube, the heat exchange medium does not flow inside it, and it serves to prevent thermal shock between the first tube and the second tube having different temperatures. The dummy tube may be formed of the same material as the first tube and the second tube, but the present invention is not limited to the material of the dummy tube thereto.

The heat exchanger according to various embodiments to be described in the present invention below changes the structure of the header to prepare for thermal deformation because thermal deformation occurs in the header due to the temperature difference between the first heat exchange medium and the second heat exchange medium flowing through each of the first tube and the second tube, and thus the header will be mainly described.

[First and Second Embodiments]

Figure 3 illustrates a disassembled state of the header (100) and gasket (200) of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the header (100) of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention is formed with a plurality of tube insertion holes. Among the plurality of tube insertion holes, one end of the first tube described above is inserted into the tube insertion hole formed in the first region (S1), one end of the second tube described above is inserted into the tube insertion hole formed in the second region (S2), and one end of a dummy tube is inserted into the tube insertion hole formed in the third region (S3) located between the first region (S1) and the second region (S2).

As shown in Fig. 3, the gasket (200) is positioned on the edge of the header (100) and, when the edge of the tank (not shown) is joined to the edge of the header (100), is compressed and acts to seal the flow path inside the tank while being positioned between the header (100) and the tank. The detailed configuration of the gasket (200) will be described later.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the header (100) of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the header (100) of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a first tube insertion hole (110) into which one end of a first tube is inserted in a first region (S1), a second tube insertion hole (120) into which one end of a second tube is inserted in a second region (S2), and a third tube insertion hole (130) into which one end of a dummy tube is inserted in a third region (S3). As illustrated in FIG. 4, a total of five third tube insertion holes (130) are formed on the third region (S3), so in the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention, a total of five dummy tubes can be placed between the first tube and the second tube. Although not separately distinguished by drawing number in FIG. 4, the heat exchanger including various embodiments of the present invention has various shapes of thermal stress absorbing portions formed in the area between the third tube insertion hole (130) into which the end of the dummy tube of the header (100) is inserted and the tube insertion hole adjacent to the third tube insertion hole (130), and the embodiments are divided according to the shape of the thermal stress absorbing portion.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the thermal stress absorbing member in the present embodiment may include a through hole (140) formed in the header (100) in the region between the third tube insertion hole (130) located at the centermost among the five third tube insertion holes (130) and the third tube insertion hole (130) adjacent thereto. As described above in the background art, due to the temperature difference between the heat exchange media flowing through each of the first tube and the second tube, the most thermal deformation occurs in the portion where the first tube and the second tube are adjacent to each other, i.e., the third region (S3), and in particular, the most thermal deformation occurs in the exact center (C) of the third region (S3). Therefore, the present invention forms a through hole (140) capable of absorbing thermal stress in a portion adjacent to the center (C), so that even if thermal deformation occurs in the header (100), the thermal deformation occurs in a portion adjacent to the through hole (140) or in the inside of the through hole, thereby alleviating stress due to thermal deformation in other portions of the header (100).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, a plurality of through holes (140) are formed at a set interval in the width direction of the header (100) in a single first region, and in this embodiment, a plurality of through holes (140) are formed in the first regions located on both sides of the third tube insertion hole (130) located at the center.

In this embodiment, the through hole (140) is formed to extend to one side. Among the multiple through holes (140) formed in a single hole formation area, the end of the through hole (140) positioned at the outermost side (the end located most outside based on the width direction of the header among both ends) can be positioned at the same position based on the width direction of the header (100) as the end of the adjacent tube insertion hole. This is to ensure that stress due to thermal deformation of the header (100) is smoothly transferred to the inside of the through hole (140).

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the header (100) of a heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the header (100) of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the header (100) of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above in other parts, but the shape of the through hole (140) is peanut-shaped, unlike the first embodiment. More specifically, the through hole (140) of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a shape in which two oval-shaped holes overlap each other, and therefore, the width of the middle portion is smaller than the width of the adjacent portions based on the longitudinal direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, among the multiple peanut-shaped through holes (140) formed in a single first region, the central portion of the through hole (140) arranged at the outermost end is arranged at the same position with respect to the width direction as the end of the adjacent third tube insertion hole (130). This is also to relieve stress due to thermal deformation in other portions of the header (100) by allowing thermal deformation to occur in a portion adjacent to the through hole (140) even if thermal deformation occurs in the header (100).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the through hole (140) formed in the first region of the heat exchanger according to various embodiments of the present invention can be formed symmetrically with respect to the center (C).

Figure 6 is a bottom perspective view of a gasket (200) of a heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the gasket (200) of the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention may be formed of an elastic material such as rubber or silicone, and may include an outer portion (210), a middle portion (220), and a bridge portion (230).

The outer portion (210) is a portion located at the edge of the header (100) when the gasket (200) is mounted on the header (100). Therefore, when the tank is coupled to the header (100), the outer portion (210) is compressed by the edge of the tank and the edge of the header (100) to seal the internal space of the tank.

As shown in Fig. 6, the stop portion (220) is a portion that connects the stops of the outer portion (210) to each other, and when the gasket (200) is installed on the header (100), the stop portion (220) covers the through hole (140), thereby preventing the outflow of the heat exchange medium through the through hole (140). Therefore, the stop portion (220) is formed in a shape corresponding to the area of the header where the through hole (140) is formed, and the number of the stop portions (220) is also formed corresponding to the number of the header area where the through hole (140) is formed.

As shown in Fig. 6, a protrusion (221) may be formed on the lower surface of the stop portion (220). The protrusion (221) is inserted into the through hole (140) to further prevent leakage of the heat exchange medium and to facilitate the alignment of the position of the stop portion (220). The shape of the protrusion (221) may correspond to the shape and size of the through hole (140) formed in the header (100).

The tank may include a baffle formed inside to divide the internal space of the tank into a portion where the first tube is positioned and a portion where the second tube is positioned, and when the tank and the header (100) are coupled to each other, the stop portion (220) may be compressed by the baffle.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the bridge portion (230) connects adjacent intermediate portions (220) when a plurality of intermediate portions (220) are formed. As described above, the gasket (200) itself is formed of an elastic material with low rigidity, so it may be somewhat difficult to align. In particular, in the case of the outer portion (210) described above, it is relatively easy to align because it is settled in a kind of settling space formed at the edge of the header (100), but it is not easy to align the intermediate portion (220) that is settled in a form that covers the upper part of the through hole (140) without a separate settling space. The bridge portion (230) connects adjacent intermediate portions (220) to compensate for this, and although not illustrated in detail in FIG. 6, another bridge portion is formed at a position symmetrical to the bridge portion (230) illustrated in FIG. 6, so as to facilitate the alignment of the intermediate portions (220). That is, in the present invention, at least one bridge portion (230) may be formed between adjacent intermediate portions (220), and preferably, a plurality of bridge portions (230) are formed between adjacent intermediate portions (220), and the bridge portions (230) formed in a plurality may be formed to be symmetrical with respect to an imaginary center line based on the longitudinal direction of the intermediate portion (220).

FIG. 7 illustrates a state in which the header (100) and gasket (200) described above are coupled to each other. The protrusion (221) illustrated in FIG. 6 is inserted into the through hole (140) of the header (100), so that the gasket (200) can be more easily coupled to the header (100), thereby further preventing the heat exchange medium from leaking through the through hole (140).

[Third embodiment]

FIG. 8 illustrates a portion of a longitudinal cross-section of a header of a heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The thermal stress absorbing portion of the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment of the present invention, unlike the first and second embodiments described above, has a structure that prevents thermal deformation of the header (100) without forming a through hole. Describing in more detail with reference to FIG. 8, the thermal stress absorbing portion of the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment of the present invention makes the thickness of the header located in the third region (S3) thinner than other portions, so that even if stress is transferred to the third region (S3) due to thermal deformation of the header (100), it is flexibly deformed.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the overall thickness of the header located in the third region (S3) is not thinner than that of other portions, but among the multiple regions (between the third tube insertion hole and another adjacent tube insertion hole from the third tube insertion hole) located in the third region (S3), the thickness of the header in the region adjacent to the exact center (C) (the region indicated by the dotted circle) may be formed to be thinner than that of the other regions. However, the present invention does not limit the thickness of the header corresponding to the third region (S3) to that illustrated in FIG. 8, and the thickness of the entire header in the third region (S3) may be thinner than that of the header in the first region (S1) or the second region (S2).

[Example 4]

FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of a longitudinal cross-section of a header of a heat exchanger according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the thermal stress absorbing portion of the heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention may include a groove (101) formed in the header (100) of the third region (S3). The groove (101) is formed by being sunken into the header (100) of the third region (S3), so that even if stress is transferred to the third region (S3) due to thermal deformation of the header (100), it can be flexibly deformed. The groove (101) may not be formed in a shape in which a certain region is sunken downward, but may have a notch shape having a V-shaped cross-section.

As with the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment of the present invention described above, the header (100) of the heat exchanger according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention may also have the groove (101) formed not over the entire header (100) of the third region (S3), but only in the header (100) of the region adjacent to the exact center (C) of the third region (S3).

The features of the heat exchangers according to the third and fourth embodiments of the present invention described above can be interchanged. That is, the thickness of the header (100) of the third region (S3) can be thinner than the thickness of the headers (100) of other regions, and a notch-shaped groove (101) can also be formed. In addition, a through hole (140) can be formed in the third and fourth embodiments as needed.

The technical idea of the present invention should not be interpreted as limited to the above-described embodiments. The scope of application is diverse, and various modifications can be implemented at the level of those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention claimed in the claims. Accordingly, such improvements and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention as long as they are obvious to those skilled in the art.

10: Integrated radiator 21: 1st tube
22: 2nd tube 30: Header
40: Tank 41: Baffle
100 : Header 101 : Home
110: 1st tube insertion hole 120: 2nd tube insertion hole
130: Dummy tube insertion hole 140: Through hole
200 : Gasket 210 : Outer part
220 : Intermediate part 221 : Protrusion
230 : Bridge section
S1: Area 1 S2: Area 2
S3: Third area

Claims (14)

A first tube having a first heat exchange medium flowing therethrough and a plurality of tubes arranged in a stack with one side spaced apart from the other;
A second tube having a plurality of tubes arranged in a stacked manner spaced apart from each other to one side and through which a second heat exchange medium having a different temperature from the first heat exchange medium flows, wherein a euro is formed inside the tube and the second heat exchange medium is arranged on one side of the first tube;
At least one dummy tube disposed between the first tube and the second tube; and
A header in which a plurality of tube insertion holes into which ends of tubes are inserted are formed spaced apart from each other on one side, and a thermal stress absorbing portion is formed in at least one region among regions between the tube insertion holes into which ends of the dummy tubes are inserted and adjacent tube insertion holes;
Including,
The above thermal stress absorbing part is,
A through hole formed in at least one area among the areas between the tube insertion hole into which the end of the above dummy tube is inserted and the adjacent tube insertion hole,
A tank having an edge joined to the edge of the header and a baffle formed inside to divide the internal space into a space where the end of the first tube is located and a space where the end of the second tube is located; and
A gasket further comprising an outer portion positioned between the edge of the header and the edge of the tank in a ring shape, and a middle portion connecting the middle of the outer portion and covering the through hole;
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the gasket further includes a projection formed protruding on one side of the through hole and inserted into the through hole.
delete In the first paragraph,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the above through hole is formed in a form that extends to one side or in a form in which the width of the central portion of the above through hole is smaller than the width of the adjacent other portion.
In the third paragraph,
The above through hole is formed in a form that extends to one side,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that among the plurality of through holes formed in a single above-mentioned area, the end of the through hole arranged at the outermost side is arranged at the same position with respect to the width direction as the end of the adjacent tube insertion hole.
In the third paragraph,
The above through hole has a central portion whose width is smaller than that of the adjacent portions.
A heat exchanger, characterized in that among the plurality of through holes formed in a single above-mentioned area, the central portion of the through hole arranged at the outermost side is arranged at the same position with respect to the end of the adjacent tube insertion hole in the width direction.
delete delete In the first paragraph,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the shape of the above protrusion corresponds to the shape of the above through hole.
In the first paragraph,
At least two of the above-mentioned interruptions are arranged spaced apart from each other,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the gasket further includes a bridge portion connecting adjacent interrupt portions.
In the first paragraph,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the above through holes are arranged in a plurality of spaced apart manners in the width direction of the header in a single above region.
In the first paragraph,
A heat exchanger characterized in that the thickness of the header in the area where the thermal stress absorbing portion is formed is thinner than the thickness of the header in other areas.
In Article 11,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the thermal stress absorbing portion is formed in an area adjacent to the center among the areas.
In Article 11,
The above thermal stress absorbing part is,
A heat exchanger characterized in that it includes a groove formed in at least one area among areas between a tube insertion hole into which an end of the dummy tube is inserted and an adjacent tube insertion hole.
In Article 13,
A heat exchanger, characterized in that the above groove is formed in an area adjacent to the center among the above areas.