Heat Exchanger

This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. JP2024-097605 filed on Jun. 17, 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

Conventionally, as the heat exchangers that may be used in vehicles such as automobiles, an oil cooler has been proposed in which one surface of the base plate part is used as the cooler core fixing surface and the other side is used as the mounting surface (for example, see Patent Literature 1). In the oil cooler described in Patent Literature 1, a plurality of grooves are formed in the base plate part, and by using the plate to block this groove, a fluid flow path may be formed. In addition, a pipe for inflow or outflow of fluid is connected orthogonally to the base plate such that it will pass through a through hole in this plate.

(PATENT LITERATURE 1) Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2010-190055

In the oil cooler described in Patent Literature 1, the pipe for the inflow or outflow of fluid is connected orthogonally to the base plate, and therefore the fluid flows vertically in relation to the groove via the pipe and the direction of the fluid will undergo a 90° direction change within the narrow groove, making it easy for a large pressure drop to occur. On the other hand, in recent years, due to a reduction in the amount of work that pumps must do due to the electrification of automobiles, etc., it has become necessary to have a low pressure loss in heat exchangers, especially for the pipe part. In addition, due to changes in the placement position of the heat exchanger associated with the electrification of the automobile, the layout of the heat exchanger in the height direction has become more restrictive than in the past, and flattening of the heat exchanger itself has also become required, or the height of the heat exchanger including the pipe was at times limited.

The present invention was constructed in light of the above-noted challenges, and is intended to provide a heat exchanger that can easily accommodate the layout constraints in the height direction and that can maintain a low pressure drop.

In order to solve the above-noted problems, the heat exchanger according to the present invention is characterized by the fact that it is provided with a laminated body in which a flow path may be formed through the lamination of a plurality of plates, and a base plate that may be attached to one side of said laminated body in the layering direction, wherein in addition to the formation of a groove on a surface of a side of said laminated body amongst said base plates that is connected to the flow path of said laminated body and extends in the in-plane direction, a lid member that blocks said groove and that may be connected with a pipe member is provided, said lid member may be connected such that it extends in an angled direction in relation to both said lamination direction and said in-plane direction, and there is a dome-shaped junction that swells to the said of said laminated body from the surface of the side of said laminated body amongst said lid member.

According to this aspect, as fluid flows between the pipe member and the base plate, the direction of the flow of the fluid changes by the amount of the angle of inclination of the pipe member relative to the in-plane direction. In addition, it will be possible to minimize any pressure drop because the fluid will flow through the dome-shaped junction into the groove. In comparison to a configuration in which the pipe member is connected along the lamination direction, it will be possible to reduce the change in the direction of the flow of fluid and to minimize any pressure loss that may occur during the inflow or outflow of fluid. At the same time, because the pipe member is angled relative to the lamination direction, the height (the lamination direction dimension) of the heat exchanger including the pipe member can be minimized while ensuring the length of the pipe member, making it is easy to accommodate layout constraints in the height direction.

It is also acceptable for said lid member to have an angled part that extends in an angled manner away from the base plate in said in-plane direction and away from said laminated body in said lamination direction. According to this aspect, it will be easy to angle and connect the pipe member. Also, it will be possible to ensure that fluid flowing from the pipe member to the base plate or fluid flowing from the base plate to the pipe member will flow along the angled part.

It is also acceptable for said lid member to have a retaining part that may be retained between said laminated body and said base plate in said lamination direction. According to this aspect, it will be easy to ensure the contact area between the lid member and the laminated body, and to minimize fluid leakage. In other words, in a configuration in which the edge of the plate-shaped lid member is in contact with the side surface of the laminated body, the contact area corresponds to the thickness of the lid member, whereas if a retaining part is provided, it is possible to form a part in which the lid member and the laminated body overlap opposite the lamination direction, and the area of this part can be set as appropriate.

Said base plate and said lid member may also be brazed and formed as a single unit by overlapping the planar parts provided in each member. According to this aspect, it will be possible to stably join the base plate and the lid member.

It is also acceptable to form a plurality of said grooves in said base plate. According to this aspect, it will be possible to provide a plurality of pipe members on the base plate.

According to the heat exchanger pertaining to the present invention, it will be easy to accommodate any layout constraints in the height direction and to minimize any pressure drop.

The examples of embodiment of the prevention invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Heat exchangeraccording to an example of embodiment of the present invention is provided with laminated bodyin which a flow path is formed as a result of the lamination of a plurality of platesto, and base platethat may be attached to one side of laminated bodyin the Z direction (lamination direction), as shown in. On upper surfaceA of the side of laminated bodyof base plate, groovesandthat are connected to the flow path of laminated bodyand that extend in the direction along the XY plane (in-plane direction) are formed, and there is lid memberthat can connect pipe membersandwhile blocking groovesand. Lid membermay be connected to pipe membersandin a direction that is angled in relation to both the Z-direction and the XY-plane, and has dome-shaped bulges (junctions)andthat swell from the side surface of laminated bodyto the side of laminated bodyof lid member.

Here,is a perspective view showing heat exchangeraccording to an example of embodiment of the present invention, whileis a perspective view showing base plateof heat exchanger,is a perspective view showing base plateof laminated bodythat overlaps base plateof lid member,is a perspective view showing bottom plateof laminated bodyand bottom first plateof laminated bodythat are overlaid onto lid member,is a perspective view showing bottom plateof laminated body, bottom plateof lower plate, and second plateof normal first platethat are overlaid onto lid member.

Heat exchangermay be used, for example, in a cooling water system of an automobile (vehicle). The automobile to which heat exchangermay be provided may have only an internal combustion engine as the driving source, it may have an internal combustion engine and a motor, or it may have only a motor, and heat exchangermay be provided in order to cool the heating part in each driving method. Cooling water is an example of the fluid that may be used for cooling, and oils such as hydraulic oil are examples of the fluids to be cooled, but these fluids may be selected as appropriate according to the driving method of the automobile, the type of heating part, and the required cooling performance, etc. Further, according to the present embodiment, the fluid used for cooling may be treated as the first fluid, while the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the second fluid, but the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the second fluid and the fluid to be cooled may be treated as the first fluid. In the following description, the first fluid will be cooling water and the second fluid will be oil.

In addition to laminated body, base plate, and lid member, heat exchangeris further provided with pipe memberthat is the inlet pipe for the first fluid, and pipe memberthat is the outlet pipe for the first fluid.

Laminated bodymay be formed as a whole in a square column, as shown in, through the lamination of a plurality of square-shaped platesto. In other words, bottom platemay be overlapped by lower first plate(see), which may be further overlapped by second plate(see), with further overlapping of normal first plate(see), followed by the alternating lamination of second plateand normal first plate, at which point the topmost portion is overlapped by top plate, which has an approximately square shape. These platestomay be brazed and joined together. As a result, the flow path for the first fluid (cooling water flow path) and the flow path for the second fluid (oil flow path) may be constructed in alternating fashion.

In the following explanation, the lamination direction of the plurality of plates in laminated bodyis the Z direction, the direction in which the pair of sides of the plurality of square platestoextends is the X direction, and the direction in which the other pair of sides extends is the Y direction. Also, of the Z direction, the side on which bottom platehas been provided is on the lower side, while the side on which top platehas been provided is on the upper side, and these sides may be simply referred to as the upper and lower sides, but the use of the upper and lower sides in the Z direction is for the sake of convenience, and this may not necessarily match the upper and lower sides in the vertical direction in the state of actual use.

As shown in, bottom platehas square plate body, peripheral flange partthat has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body, first inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the second fluid, central openingthat has been provided in the center part, and a plurality of protruding partsthat have been formed on the upper surface of plate body.

First inlet openingand first outlet openingare arranged at corners connected by a diagonal line, while second inlet openingand second outlet openingare arranged at corners connected by another diagonal line. In other words, the first fluid and the second fluid flow along these diagonal lines, respectively. Also, a flange is formed on the peripheral edge of second inlet opening, second outlet opening, and central opening, but no flange is formed on first inlet openingor first outlet opening.

As shown in, lower first platehas square plate body, peripheral flange partthat has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body, first inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the second fluid, and central openingthat has been provided in the center part.

First inlet openingis positioned above first inlet opening, while first outlet openingis positioned above first outlet opening, second inlet openingoverlaps with second inlet opening, second outlet openingoverlaps with second outlet opening, and central openingoverlaps with central opening.

The peripheral edge of second inlet openingand second outlet openingis planar, and the lower surface of this planar portion is brazed with the flange of the peripheral edge of second inlet openingand second outlet openingof bottom plate. A flange is also formed on the peripheral edge of first inlet opening, first outlet opening, and central opening. The lower surface at the peripheral edge of central openingis brazed with the flanged portion at the peripheral edge of central openingof bottom plate.

As shown in, second platehas square plate body, peripheral flange partthat has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body, first inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the second fluid, central openingthat has been provided in the center part, and a plurality of protruding partsthat have been formed on the upper surface of plate body.

First inlet openingis overlapped onto first inlet opening, while first outlet openingis overlapped onto first outlet opening, second inlet openingis positioned above second inlet opening, second outlet openingis positioned above second outlet opening, and central openingoverlaps with central opening.

At the peripheral edge of first inlet openingand first outlet opening, a flange is formed on the lower side, and at the peripheral edge of the innermost circumferential side of central opening, each of these flanges are brazed with each flange of the peripheral edge of first inlet opening, first outlet openingand central openingof first plate. Also, at the peripheral edge of second inlet openingand second outlet opening, a flange is formed on the lower side, and at the peripheral edge of the outermost circumferential side (in other words, the side that is further outside of the innermost side of the flange) of central opening, each of these flanges are brazed with the boss part of the peripheral edge of first inlet opening, first outlet openingand central openingof normal first plate, which will be discussed later.

As shown in, normal first platehas square plate body, peripheral flange partthat has been erected on the upper side from the outer circumferential edge of plate body, first inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the first fluid, first outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the first fluid, second inlet openingthat forms the inlet for the second fluid, second outlet openingthat forms the outlet for the second fluid, and central openingthat has been provided in the center part.

Normal first platediffers from lower first platein that a flange is formed on the lower peripheral edge of second inlet openingand second outlet opening, a plurality of protruding parts are formed on the lower surface of plate body, and a flange is formed on the top side at the peripheral edge of the innermost circumferential side of central opening, and a boss part is formed on the lower side at the peripheral edge of the outermost circumferential side (in other words, the side that is further outside of the innermost side of the flange), but the remaining structure is similar to that of lower first plate.

In this way, the flange of the periphery of the opening of each plate is brazed and joined with respect to the other plate such that each flow path is divided in a liquid-tight manner, with only the first fluid flowing between bottom plateand first plate, only the second fluid flowing between the upper and lower sides of first platesand, and only the first fluid flowing between the upper side of second plateand the lower side of normal first plate. The overlapping of the openings in each plate also creates a distribution channel through which the first fluid and the second fluid can pass in the Z direction.

In laminated body, the first fluid introduced from first inlet openingof bottom platepasses through the distribution channel constructed of first inlet openings,,, andtowards the upper side in the Z direction (see) and flows along a diagonal line between the plates in the XY plane. The first fluid that reaches first outlet openings,,, andpasses through the distribution channels constructed of first outlet openings,,, andtowards the lower side in the Z direction and exits first outlet openingof bottom plateout of laminated body.

Similarly, the second fluid introduced from first inlet openingof bottom platepasses through the distribution channel constructed of first inlet openings,,, andtowards the upper side in the Z direction and flows along a diagonal line between the plates in the XY plane. The second fluid that has reached second outlet openings,,, andpasses through the distribution channel constructed of second outlet openings,,, andtowards the lower side in the Z direction (see) and exits second outlet openingof bottom plateout of laminated body.

As shown in, base plateis formed as a rectangular plate with the X direction as the long direction and the Y direction as the short direction, and it has two groovesandthat have been formed in its upper surfaceA of this plate, along with two through-holesand, and four corner through-holesfor attaching heat exchangerto other equipment.

Groovesandextend along the X direction and are non-through-hole depressions in the Z direction, while one end of grooveoverlaps with first inlet openingof bottom plateand one end of grooveoverlaps with first outlet opening. In other words, grooveforms a flow path on the inlet side for the first fluid and grooveforms a flow path on the outlet side for the first fluid. In the position in which groovesandhave been formed, base platewill swell towards the lower side to ensure the groove depth while ensuring a plate thickness that is equivalent to that of the other parts.

Through-holeoverlaps with second inlet openingof bottom plate, while through-holeoverlaps with second outlet openingof bottom plate. In other words, through-holeforms a flow path on the inlet side for the second fluid, and through-holeforms a flow path on the outlet side for the second fluid.

Lid memberhas plate bodyformed separately from base plateand extending along the XY plane, as well as first inlet opening, first outlet opening, second inlet opening, and second outlet openingformed in the plate body, bulging partsandas dome-shaped junctions that bulge upwardly from plate body, and four corner through-holesfor attaching heat exchangerto other equipment, as shown in.

Plate bodyis formed in a rectangular shape to overlap base platesuch that through-holesthat have been formed in the four corners overlap through-holesof base plate. The outer edge shape of lid memberis the same as the outer edge shape of base plate, and the outer edge dimensions of both are the same in the X and Y directions.

First inlet openingoverlaps one end of grooveand first inlet opening, while first outlet openingoverlaps one end of grooveand first outlet opening, second inlet openingoverlaps through-holeand second inlet opening, and second outlet openingoverlaps through-holeand second outlet opening.

Base plateand lid memberare brazed together, such as by sandwiching a braze between these parts or using a cladding material for one or both parts, making each opening reliably liquid-tight. In other words, base plateand lid membermay be brazed together and formed as a single unit.

Dome-shaped bulging partaligns with first inlet openingin the X direction and is arranged such that base endis continuous with the other end of groove. Here, “dome-shaped” refers to a shape having a predetermined space inside. Bulging parthas angled tube partthat protrudes from base endtowards the upper side, and connection surface partthat is provided at the tip of angled tube part, as shown inand.

Angled tube partis formed as a cylinder that extends upwardly in the Z direction as it moves away from first inlet openingin the X direction. In other words, angled tube partfunctions as a ramp extending in the Z direction away from base plateas it moves away from laminated bodyin a direction within the XY plane.

Connection surface partextends generally orthogonally to the direction of extension of angled tube partto form connection opening. Connection openingis connected by an inlet side pipe memberthat may be, for example, inserted and brazed in place. At this time, the portion of pipe memberthat may be connected to connection openingextends generally orthogonally to connection surface part. In other words, pipe memberis connected such that it extends along angled tube partas an inclined part, and extends in an inclined direction with respect to both the Z direction and the direction within the XY plane.

The portion of plate bodythat has been sandwiched between first inlet openingand bulging partbecomes the blockage partthat blocks groovefrom the upper side. A channel extending along the X direction is formed by grooveand blockage partsuch that the first fluid flowing from pipe memberpasses through the channel and into laminated body.

The outlet side bulging parthas a similar configuration to the inlet side bulging partto connect the outlet side pipe member. Also, the portion of plate bodythat has been sandwiched between first outlet openingand bulging partforms blockage partthat blocks groovefrom the upper side.

Laminated bodymay be arranged on the upper side of lid member. The part of plate bodywhere laminated bodyis overlapped is overlapping part, and overlapping partis the retaining part that may be held between laminated bodyand base platein the Z direction.

As shown in, the inlet side pipe memberhas insertion partthat may be inserted into connection opening, insertion restrictionthat is formed to be larger in diameter than the inner diameter of connection opening, angled partthat extends along the extension direction of angled tube part, parallel partthat extends along the X direction, and curved partbetween angled partand parallel part. The outlet side pipe memberalso has the same shape as the inlet side pipe member.

The flow of the fluid in heat exchangeras described above will be described next. First, the first fluid passes through parallel partof pipe memberon the inlet side and after the direction is changed in curved part, it passes through angled partand flows into angled tube part. In addition, the first fluid passes through angled tube part, passes through the flow path formed by grooveand blockage part, and passes through first inlet openingto be introduced into laminated body. The first fluid flowing out of laminated bodypasses through first outlet opening, passes through the flow path formed by grooveand blockage part, and passes through bulging partand pipe memberhaving a configuration similar to that on the inlet side.

Base platemay be connected to other equipment such that the second fluid flows in and flows out directly from the other equipment to heat exchanger(through through-holesand, only through second inlet openingand second outlet opening) without going via any pipes, etc.

Each part in heat exchanger(such as between base plateand lid member, between lid memberand laminated body, or between the plates in laminated body) is brazed, such as using a braze or cladding material, and is connected in a liquid-tight manner.

In this way, according to heat exchangeraccording to the example of embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to perform any installation work for each grooveandbecause lid memberwill block the plurality of groovesand. In addition, the contact area between groovesandcan be secured between lid memberand base plate, reducing the accuracy required to minimize fluid leakage, and reducing manufacturing costs. In this way, fluid leakage can be inhibited while lowering costs. In addition, a plurality of groovesandmay be formed in base plateto provide a plurality of pipe membersandon base plate.