CN113154928A

CN113154928A - External air heat exchanger for vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113154928A
Application number: CN202110006228.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J.韦斯豪瑟; C.伯特彻; J-C.阿尔布雷赫特; C.瓦赫斯穆思; C.温格勒
Original assignee: Volkswagen Automotive Co ltd
Current assignee: Volkswagen Automotive Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-07
Filing date: 2021-01-05
Publication date: 2021-07-23
Also published as: DE102020200078A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an external air heat exchanger (40) for a vehicle (36). The external air heat exchanger (40) has or forms a space region (46) in which the melt water (48) and the incoming external air (34) can come into contact with one another in a targeted manner.

Description

External air heat exchanger for vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to an outside air heat exchanger for a vehicle, comprising a set of sheets through which outside air can flow for heat transfer, to a vehicle comprising an outside air heat exchanger according to the invention and to a method for dehumidifying an outside air heat exchanger of a vehicle, comprising the following steps: operating the outside air heat exchanger in a defrost mode; the outside air is caused to flow at least sectionally through the set of sheets of the outside air heat exchanger.

Background

In the technical field of vehicles, it is known to air condition vehicles using an external air heat exchanger, usually combined with a refrigeration circuit or used in the context of a heat pump. Here, one known problem is the accumulation of frost and ice on the external air heat exchanger, which can usually be solved by conventional defrosting.

Melt water is generated during defrosting. The melt water must be drained as completely as possible so that it does not accumulate in the area of the set of sheets of the outdoor air heat exchanger. Otherwise, when the accumulated melt water is frozen again, the external air heat exchanger risks being clogged. It is generally desirable to drain the melt water as completely as possible so that it does not re-freeze on the sheet set and impede heat transfer.

Exemplary heat pump systems with heat exchangers are described, for example, in patent documents US 2016/0297283 a1 or US 10,207,564B 2.

An air conditioning system for a vehicle is known from the patent document US 2016/0018153 a 1.

Another heat exchanger is known from patent document US 9,995,534B 2, which can be used in deicing operation and prevents the heat exchanger from clogging.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved external air heat exchanger in which the melt water can be discharged particularly efficiently.

The object is achieved by an external air heat exchanger according to the invention, a vehicle according to the invention and a method according to the invention for dehumidifying an external air heat exchanger in a vehicle. Other preferred embodiments of the invention result from the remaining features mentioned in the description.

A first aspect of the invention relates to an outside air heat exchanger for a vehicle, the outside air heat exchanger including a sheet set through which outside air can flow for heat transfer.

According to the invention, a blow-off nozzle for water is or can be formed below or along the sheet metal groups in sections.

A blowing nozzle in the sense of the present invention is understood to be a spatial region in which the melt water and the oncoming flow of outside air are brought into targeted contact with one another. In this case, both the targeted guidance of the outside air into the region with the melt water and the targeted guidance of the melt water into the region through which the outside air flows are possible. Both measures can also be taken simultaneously. The blow-out nozzle preferably additionally has a narrowed flow cross section for the oncoming flow of outside air. In the context of the present invention, the information relating to the direction indication "down" always means "the direction of the portion under the action of gravity in the flow direction of the molten water".

The external air heat exchanger according to the invention advantageously achieves a targeted blowing out of the melt water. Second, the necessity of a re-defrost cycle can be postponed and heat transfer can become more efficient.

In a preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that a blow-off nozzle in the form of a collecting space is formed below the sheet package.

The melt water can thereby flow down unhindered and quickly from the sheet without accumulating upward on the sheet, and then be blown out efficiently by outside air.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the collecting space is delimited upwards by the sheet metal groups and downwards by the collecting duct of the external air heat exchanger.

In other words, a greater distance is provided between the collecting duct and the group of sheets than in the known external air heat exchanger with collecting ducts. This also makes it possible to implement the external air heat exchanger according to the invention at low cost.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the outlet nozzles are formed by a spherical cross-sectional shape of the collecting duct of the external air heat exchanger.

This assists the gravity-driven outflow of the melt water on the one hand and the nozzle effect on the other hand as a result of the oncoming flow of external air being compressed by the spherical cross-sectional shape.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the cross-sectional shape is circular or oval.

Such a header tube can be produced, processed and assembled particularly simply.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the blowing nozzles can be formed by louvers in such a way that the sheet metal groups are isolated from the external air by means of louver segments.

The larger the area of the sheet group on the incident flow side of the outside air heat exchanger, the stronger the effect of the blow-out nozzle. This enables the position of the blow-out nozzle and the intensity of the blow-out nozzle effect to be flexibly adjusted. The shutter may preferably be drivingly moved.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the sheet metal groups can be insulated by means of louvers in such a way that a defined, non-insulated gap remains in the lower region of the sheet metal groups.

In this way, the blow-out nozzle can be formed exactly in the region into which the melt water flows due to gravity. This makes the effect of the blow-out nozzle particularly effective.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the louvers have air flow openings which can be displaced along the sheet metal groups.

The air flow gaps can be realized, for example, as gaps in the material of the louvers.

This enables an arbitrary and flexible positioning of the blow-out nozzle on the upstream side of the external air heat exchanger.

In a further preferred embodiment of the external air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the respective lowermost sheet of the sheet group forms a downwardly closed surface and a blow-out nozzle.

The lowermost sheet itself can thus serve as a collecting duct and at the same time form blow-out nozzles, which greatly simplifies the construction of the external air heat exchanger.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle comprising an outside air heat exchanger according to the invention as described hereinbefore.

The vehicle is preferably an electric vehicle.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a method for dehumidifying an outside air heat exchanger of a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

-operating the outside air heat exchanger in a defrost mode;

-flowing outside air at least sectionally through the set of sheets of the outside air heat exchanger.

According to the invention, the external air flows under the sheet set or along the sheet set in sections through the blow-out nozzles and thereby discharges the standing water.

The external air heat exchanger used is preferably an external air heat exchanger according to the invention as described above.

The vehicle used is preferably a vehicle according to the invention as described above.

In a preferred embodiment of the outside air heat exchanger according to the invention, it is provided that the outlet nozzles are formed by louvers by sectionally insulating the sheet groups from the outside air by the louvers.

The louvers are preferably moved downward from above on the upstream side of the external air heat exchanger and in this case cover the sheet metal groups more and more, preferably until an adjustable coverage is reached.

The louver is preferably moved downward along the sheet set until a predetermined gap is left in a lower region of the sheet set.

In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, it is provided that the louvers have air flow openings which move along the sheet metal groups.

It can be said that the blow nozzle itself moves along the sheet set on the sheet set. The blow-out nozzle preferably moves the outside-air heat exchanger from the upper portion to the lower portion at a time in a relatively short period of time. The time interval may be, for example, 10 seconds.

Whereby the melt water can be blown off over the entire vertical length of the sheet set.

In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, provision is made for outside air to be forced through the sheet package of the outside air heat exchanger by means of a fan in addition to the driving movement of the vehicle.

For this purpose, a cooler fan of the vehicle is preferably used.

The additional fan can be used to make the external air act on the external air heat exchanger particularly effectively and to blow off particularly much melt water in a short time.

The various embodiments of the invention mentioned in the present application can be advantageously combined with each other if not separately stated otherwise.

Drawings

The invention is elucidated below in the examples with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows an outside air heat exchanger according to the prior art;

FIG. 2 shows a vehicle according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates an outside air heat exchanger according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates another outside air heat exchanger according to the present invention;

FIG. 5A shows another outside air heat exchanger according to the present invention;

FIG. 5B illustrates another outside air heat exchanger according to the present invention; and is

Fig. 5C shows the outside air heat exchanger according to the invention shown in fig. 5A and 5B in a further view.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows an external air heat exchanger 10 for a vehicle according to the prior art; the outside air heat exchanger 10 comprises one or more sheet groups 12, which can be designed in different ways. The outside-air heat exchanger 10 is laterally delimited by flat tubes 14, wherein such flat tubes 14 can also be located between individual webs 16. If the outside air heat exchanger 10 has to be defrosted, the melt water 18 accumulates between the sheets 16 or between the sheets 16 and one or more flat tubes 14.

Although the melt water 18 can flow away downwards 20 and can be discharged through a collecting tube 22 provided for this purpose in the forward direction 24 or in the backward direction 26, a water column 28 accumulating upwards 30 is formed first due to the sluggishness of the process. If the defrost operation is terminated, a portion of the water column 28 may refreeze and block the external air heat exchanger 10.

The schematic diagram shown in fig. 1 shows a conventional outside-air heat exchanger 10 in a view from the front 24, which at the same time corresponds to the direction of flow 32 of outside air 34.

The orientation data and partially also the principle view are used accordingly below.

Fig. 2 shows a vehicle 36, in this case an electric vehicle 38, according to the invention. The vehicle 36 comprises an outside air heat exchanger 40 according to the invention described in the subsequent figures.

Fig. 3 shows an external air heat exchanger 40 according to the invention in a first embodiment.

As shown in the illustration based on fig. 1, the outside-air heat exchanger 40 comprises a sheet material package 42 through which the outside air 34 can flow for heat transfer and, for example, flat tubes 44.

According to the invention, a blow-out nozzle 46 is formed below the sheet set 42. The standing water 48 of the melt water 18 can accumulate in the blow-out nozzles 46 and thus quickly flow away from the sheets 50 of the sheet group 42. The standing water 48 can then be effectively blown back 26 by the outside air 34.

A feature of the first embodiment is that such blow-out nozzles 46 are configured in the form of a collecting space 52 below the sheet set 42. The collection space 52 may be defined upwardly 30 by the group of sheets 42 and downwardly 20 by a collection duct 54 of the outside air heat exchanger 40.

Fig. 4 shows another outside air heat exchanger 40 according to the invention. The viewing angle here is a sectional view of the collector tube 54 from the right 56 and the flat tube 44, which is not cut in this view. The sheet material 50 located in front of the flat tube 44 is not visible in this view.

The feature of this embodiment is that the external air heat exchanger 40 has a blow-out nozzle 46 which is formed by the spherical cross-sectional shape 58 of the collecting duct 54. The standing water 48 can thus be easily blown off and additionally drained away.

As shown, the cross-sectional shape 58 is, for example, circular 60 or oval 62.

Fig. 5A shows another outside air heat exchanger 40 according to the invention. The feature of this embodiment is that the blow-out nozzle 46 is formed by the louver 64 in such a manner as to sectionally isolate the sheet group 42 from the outside air 34 with the louver 64.

The group of sheets 42 can preferably be isolated by the louvers 64 such that a defined gap 68 remains in the lower region 66 of the group of sheets 42, which gap is not isolated.

Fig. 5B shows another outside air heat exchanger 40 according to the present invention; in this embodiment, a louver 64 is also provided. The louvers 64 now have air flow gaps 70 that form the blow out nozzles 46. The air flow gap 70 can move up 30 or down 20 along the group of sheets 42.

Fig. 5C shows the external air heat exchanger 40 according to the invention shown in fig. 5A and 5B in a further view, said fig. 5C being in a schematic view different from the other figures and illustrating the structural embedding and the function of the external air heat exchanger 40 in more detail in the context of the vehicle 36. The structural embedding and basic functions shown in the vehicle 36 can naturally also be applied to the remaining embodiments.

Shown is a forward region of the vehicle 36 in which the engine 72, fan 74 and outside air heat exchanger 40 are disposed behind a radiator grill 76 below a hood 78.

Further, the louver 64 is disposed between the radiator grill 76 and the outside air heat exchanger 40.

The louvers 64 with the airflow notches 70 are shown only exemplarily in the lower right of fig. 5C. However, the description of FIG. 5C also applies to embodiments that use louvers 64 without airflow notches 70.

The shutter 64 is here purely exemplarily stored on the driven roller 80 and can be wound up by and unwound from said roller.

For dehumidifying the outside-air heat exchanger 40, after the outside-air heat exchanger has been operated in the defrost mode or after the outside-air heat exchanger has been operated in the defrost mode, a sheet group 42, not shown here, flows at least in sections from the outside air 34 through the outside-air heat exchanger 40

Depending on the position of the louvers 64, the outside air 34 flows from below the sheet pack 42 or in sections along the sheet pack 42 through the blow-out nozzles 46 and thus discharges any standing water 48 to the rear 26.

Fig. 5C shows, at the top left, how the outlet nozzle 46 is formed by a louver 64 without air flow openings 70, in such a way that the external air heat exchanger 40 or the sheet package 42 is blocked off from the external air 34 in sections by the louver 64 until only a defined gap 68 (see also fig. 5A) remains.

Whereas if the louver with the air flow gap 70 shown in the lower right of fig. 5C is used (see also fig. 5B), the blow-out nozzle 46 can be arbitrarily positioned and moved along the sheet group 42 or the outside-air heat exchanger 40 with the size and nozzle effect constant.

It is also possible that in addition to the driving movement of the vehicle 36, the outside air 34 is forced through the sheet set 42 of the outside air heat exchanger 40 by the fan 74.

All embodiments may be combined using individual features as a whole or by abstraction.

List of reference numerals

10 outside air heat exchanger

12 sheet set

14 flat tube

16 sheet material

18 melting water

20 is below

22 collecting pipe

24 front

After 26

28 Water column

30 to

32 direction of incident flow

34 outside air

36 vehicle

38 electric vehicle

40 outside air heat exchanger

42 sheet set

44 flat tube

46 blow-out nozzle

48 water accumulations

50 sheet material

52 collecting space

54 collecting pipe

56 right side

58 cross-sectional shape

60 round

62 oval

64 louver

66 lower region

68 gap

70 air flow gap

72 engine

74 blower

76 radiator grille

78 hood

80 roller

Claims

1. An outside-air heat exchanger (40) for a vehicle (36), comprising a sheet set (42) through which outside air (34) can flow for heat transfer, characterized in that blow-off nozzles (46) for water accumulation (48) are or can be configured underneath or sectionally along the sheet set (42).

2. The external air heat exchanger (40) according to claim 1, characterized in that blow-off nozzles (46) in the form of collecting spaces (52) are configured below the sheet set (42).

3. An outside air heat exchanger (40) according to claim 2, wherein the collecting space (52) is delimited upwards (30) by a group of sheets (42) and downwards (20) by a collecting duct (54) of the outside air heat exchanger (40).

4. External air heat exchanger (40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the blow-out nozzles (46) are formed by a spherical cross-sectional shape (58) of the collecting duct (54) of the external air heat exchanger (40).

5. The outside-air heat exchanger (40) of claim 4, wherein the cross-sectional shape (58) is circular (60) or elliptical (62).

6. External air heat exchanger (40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blow-out nozzles (46) can be formed by louvers (64) in such a way that the set of sheets (42) is sectionally insulated from the external air (34) by the louvers (64).

7. The outside-air heat exchanger (40) of claim 6, wherein the group of sheets (42) can be insulated with louvers (64) such that a prescribed gap (68) remains in a lower region (66) of the group of sheets (42) that is not insulated.

8. The outside air heat exchanger (40) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the louver (64) has a flow gap (70) that is movable along a group of sheets (42).

9. External air heat exchanger (40) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the respective lowermost sheet of the set of sheets (42) forms a downwardly closed surface and a blow-out nozzle (46).

10. Vehicle comprising an external air heat exchanger (40) according to one of the preceding claims.

11. A method for dehumidifying an outside air heat exchanger (40) in a vehicle (36), the method comprising the steps of:

-operating the outside air heat exchanger (40) in a defrost mode;

-flowing outside air (34) at least sectionally through a set of sheets (42) of an outside air heat exchanger (40),

the device is characterized in that the external air (34) flows under the sheet set (42) or along the sheet set (42) in sections through the blow-out nozzles (46) and thereby discharges the water (48).

12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the blow-out nozzles (46) are formed by louvers (64) by sectionally insulating the group of sheets (42) from the outside air (34) with the louvers (64).

13. Method according to claim 12, characterized in that the louver (64) is moved downwards (20) along the group of sheets (42) until a prescribed gap (68) remains in the lower region (66) of the group of sheets (42), which gap is not insulated.

14. Method according to one of claims 11 to 13, characterized in that the louver (64) has an air flow gap (70) which moves along the set of sheets (42).

15. Method according to one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, in addition to the driving movement of the vehicle (36), outside air (34) is forced through the sheet pack (42) of the outside air heat exchanger (40) by means of a fan (74).