Technical Field
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Embodiments of the present invention relate to a plate heat exchanger.
Background
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In a conventional plate heat exchanger, the top of a protruding part of one of two adjacent heat transfer plates is welded to the bottom of a corresponding recess of the other heat transfer plate. A channel can thus be formed between the two adjacent heat transfer plates.
Summary of the Invention
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An objective of embodiments of the present invention is to provide a plate heat exchanger, whereby the heat exchange performance of the plate heat exchanger is improved.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, a plate heat exchanger is provided, comprising: a first heat transfer plate, comprising multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts, the protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate having top parts, and the multiple protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate comprising multiple gap-forming protruding parts; and a second heat transfer plate stacked on the first heat transfer plate in a stacking direction, the second heat transfer plate comprising multiple downwardly sunk depressed parts, the depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate having bottom parts, and the multiple depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate comprising multiple gap-forming depressed parts, wherein the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate respectively face, and are separated by a predetermined gap from, the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate in the stacking direction.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate further comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts, the multiple depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate further comprise multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts, and the top parts of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the top parts of the gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate project upward by the same distance as, a smaller distance than, or a greater distance than the top parts of the non-gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the bottom parts of the gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate are sunk downward by the same distance as, a smaller distance than, or a greater distance than the bottom parts of the non-gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, a height difference between the top part of the non-gap-forming protruding part of the first heat transfer plate and at least one or at least one row of top parts among the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate, and a height difference between the bottom part of the non-gap-forming depressed part of the second heat transfer plate and a bottom part, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts of the first heat transfer plate, among the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate, are the same or different.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate projects upward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate, or by a different distance.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate is sunk downward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate, or by a different distance.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate and the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate are located in at least a partial region of a heat exchange zone of the plate heat exchanger, and/or at least a partial region of a port zone surrounding an inlet port.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the plate heat exchanger comprises multiple said first heat transfer plates and multiple said second heat transfer plates, the multiple first heat transfer plates and the multiple second heat transfer plates being arranged alternately.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined gap is 10% - 50% of the maximum height of a channel formed between the first heat transfer plate and the second heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined gap is within the range of 0.1 mm - 0.5 mm.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the first heat transfer plate further comprises multiple downwardly sunk depressed parts, the depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate having bottom parts, and the multiple depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate comprising multiple gap-forming depressed parts; the plate heat exchanger further comprises a third heat transfer plate, the first heat transfer plate being stacked on the third heat transfer plate, and the third heat transfer plate comprising multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts, the protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate having top parts, and the multiple protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate comprising multiple gap-forming protruding parts; and the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate respectively face, and are separated by a predetermined gap from, the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate in the stacking direction.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate further comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts, the multiple depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate further comprise multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts, and the top parts of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the bottom parts of the gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate are sunk downward by the same distance as, a smaller distance than, or a greater distance than the bottom parts of the non-gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the top parts of the gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate project upward by the same distance as, a smaller distance than, or a greater distance than the top parts of the non-gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, a height difference between the bottom part of the non-gap-forming depressed part of the first heat transfer plate and at least one or at least one row of bottom parts among the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate, and a height difference between the top part of the non-gap-forming protruding part of the third heat transfer plate and a top part, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of bottom parts of the first heat transfer plate, among the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate, are the same or different.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate is sunk downward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate, or by a different distance.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate projects upward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate, or by a different distance.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate and the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate are located in at least a partial region of a heat exchange zone of the plate heat exchanger, and/or at least a partial region of a port zone surrounding an inlet port.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the second heat transfer plate and the third heat transfer plate are identical heat transfer plates.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the first heat transfer plate further comprises multiple downwardly sunk depressed parts, the depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate having bottom parts, and the multiple depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate comprising multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts; the plate heat exchanger further comprises a third heat transfer plate, the first heat transfer plate being stacked on the third heat transfer plate, and the third heat transfer plate comprising multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts, the protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate having top parts, and the multiple protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate comprising multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts; and the top parts of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate in the stacking direction.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the second heat transfer plate and the third heat transfer plate are identical heat transfer plates.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate are all non-gap-forming depressed parts; the multiple protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate are all non-gap-forming protruding parts.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate has a recessed portion which, when viewed in the stacking direction, is within the top part of the at least one or at least one row of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate, and the recessed portion is sunk downward.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the top parts of the protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate and the bottom parts of the depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate are flat.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the bottom parts of the depressed parts of the first heat transfer plate and the top parts of the protruding parts of the third heat transfer plate are flat.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the second heat transfer plate further comprises multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts, the protruding parts of the second heat transfer plate having top parts, and the top parts of the protruding parts of the second heat transfer plate are flat.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate comprise multiple gap-forming protruding part sets, each gap-forming protruding part set comprising at least one row of gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate; the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets, each non-gap-forming protruding part set comprising at least one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate; and the multiple gap-forming protruding part sets and the multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets are arranged alternately.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the multiple gap-forming protruding part sets have the same number or different numbers of rows of gap-forming protruding parts; and/or the multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets have the same number or different numbers of rows of non-gap-forming protruding parts.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, the number of rows of gap-forming protruding parts in at least one gap-forming protruding part set is the same as or different from the number of rows of non-gap-forming protruding parts in at least one non-gap-forming protruding part set.
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In the plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention, as a result of having the top parts of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts of the first heat transfer plate respectively separated from the bottom parts of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts of the second heat transfer plate by a predetermined gap, the heat exchange performance of the plate heat exchanger is improved.
Brief Description of the Drawings
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- Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention.
- Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a heat transfer plate of the plate heat exchanger shown in Fig. 1.
- Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of a heat transfer plate of a plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention, in which shading lines are used to show a heat exchange zone and a port zone of the plate heat exchanger.
- Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of a heat transfer plate of a plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention, in which shading lines are used to show a port zone surrounding an inlet port of the plate heat exchanger.
- Fig. 5 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional drawing of adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 6 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional drawing of adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 7 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional drawing of adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to another embodiment of the present invention.
- Fig. 8 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional drawing of adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to a variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 6.
- Fig. 9 is a schematic partial enlarged sectional drawing of adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to another variant of the embodiment shown in Fig. 6.
- Fig. 10 is a schematic partial enlarged perspective view of a heat transfer plate of a plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention.
- Fig. 11 is a schematic partial enlarged top view of the heat transfer plate of the plate heat exchanger shown in Fig. 10; and
- Fig. 12 is a schematic partial enlarged main view of two adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger according to embodiments of the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Invention
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The present invention is explained further below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
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Referring to Fig. 1, a plate heat exchanger 100 according to embodiments of the present invention comprises multiple heat transfer plates 10; channels 101 formed between adjacent heat transfer plates 10 of the multiple heat transfer plates 10 (see Figs. 5 - 9 and Fig. 12); and ports formed in the heat transfer plates 10. Openings 11 of the multiple heat transfer plates 10 (Figs. 2 - 4) form the ports. Fig. 1 shows connection tubes 102 connected to the ports of the heat transfer plates 10. As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the heat transfer plate 10 or the heat exchanger 100 comprises a heat exchange zone 21 for heat exchange by a heat exchange medium, and port zones 22 surrounding the openings or surrounding inlet ports and outlet ports. The channels 101 comprise channels for circulation of a refrigerant, and channels for circulation of a cold carrier; the channels for circulation of the refrigerant are arranged alternately with, and exchange heat with, the channels for circulation of the cold carrier.
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As shown in Figs. 5 - 12, the multiple heat transfer plates 10 comprise: a first heat transfer plate 10A; and a second heat transfer plate 10B stacked on the first heat transfer plate 10A in a stacking direction. The first heat transfer plate 10A comprises multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts 5, the protruding parts 5 of the first heat transfer plate 10A having top parts 51, and the multiple protruding parts 5 of the first heat transfer plate 10A comprising multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G. The second heat transfer plate 10B comprises multiple downwardly sunk depressed parts 6, the depressed parts 6 of the second heat transfer plate 10B having bottom parts 61, and the multiple depressed parts 6 of the second heat transfer plate 10B comprising multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G. The top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively face, and are separated by a predetermined gap G, G1, G2 from, the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B in the stacking direction. The top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A are not welded to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B respectively. For example, the heat exchange medium can flow through the predetermined gap. Projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may substantially coincide with projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B respectively; alternatively, projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may be located within projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B respectively; alternatively, projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B may be located within projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively. The multiple protruding parts 5 of the first heat transfer plate 10A further comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, the multiple depressed parts 6 of the second heat transfer plate 10B further comprise multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N, and the top parts 51 of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B. For example, the top parts 51 of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A are brazed with a brazing filler metal to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B respectively.
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It should be explained that each of the multiple heat transfer plates 10 comprises multiple protruding parts 5 with top parts 51 and multiple depressed parts 6 with bottom parts 61; the multiple protruding parts 5 comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N and may further comprise multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G; and the multiple depressed parts 6 comprise multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N and may further comprise multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G. The top parts 51 of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of one heat transfer plate 10 respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the heat transfer plate 10 which is adjacent thereabove in the stacking direction of the heat transfer plates. The bottom parts 61 of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of one heat transfer plate 10 respectively face and are connected to the top parts 51 of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the heat transfer plate 10 which is adjacent therebelow in the stacking direction of the heat transfer plates. The heat transfer plate 10 may by formed by pressing a flat plate using upper and lower mold cores with protrusions and depressions. Viewed from above the heat transfer plate 10, the protruding parts 5 are protrusions; viewed from below the heat transfer plate 10, the protruding parts 5 are depressions; viewed from above the heat transfer plate 10, the depressed parts 6 are depressions; viewed from below the heat transfer plate 10, the depressed parts 6 are protrusions.
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Referring to Figs. 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12, the predetermined gap separating at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, is the same as the predetermined gap separating at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B. As shown in Fig. 8, the predetermined gap G1 separating at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, is different from the predetermined gap G2 separating at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B. The use of such a structure enables a greater amount of turbulence to be achieved in a fluid flow direction of the heat exchange medium.
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Referring to Figs. 5 - 10 and 12, in embodiments of the present invention, the top parts 51 of the gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A project upward by a smaller distance than the top parts 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A. At least one or at least one row of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may project upward by the same distance (see Figs. 5, 6, 7, 9, 10 and 12) as at least one other or at least one other row of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, or by a different distance (see Fig. 8). In the case where the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5G project upward by different distances, a greater amount of turbulence can be achieved in a fluid flow direction of the heat exchange medium. As an alternative to the solution described above, or based on the solution described above, referring to Fig. 5, the bottom parts 61 of the gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B are sunk downward by a smaller distance than the bottom parts 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B. It will be understood that, as long as a gap is formed between the top part 5 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A and the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B, the following examples are also possible: the top part 51 of the gap-forming protruding part 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may project upward by the same distance as, or a greater distance than, the top part 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A; and the bottom part 61 of the gap-forming depressed part 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B may be sunk downward by the same distance (see Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12) as, or a greater distance than, the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B. At least one or at least one row of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B may be sunk downward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, or by a different distance. In the case where the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6G are sunk downward by different distances, a greater amount of turbulence can be achieved in a fluid flow direction of the heat exchange medium.
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Referring to Figs. 5 - 9 and 12, in embodiments of the present invention, a height difference between the top part 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A and at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, and a height difference between the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B and a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, are the same (see Fig. 5) or different (see Figs. 6 - 9 and 12). Referring to Figs. 6 - 9 and 12, the bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, is sunk downward by the same distance as the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B.
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In the case where the height difference between the top part 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A and at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, and the height difference between the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B and a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, are the same, the first heat transfer plate 10A and the second heat transfer plate 10B may be symmetric with respect to a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, see Fig. 5. The first heat transfer plate 10A and the second heat transfer plate 10B have identical or similar stretched-out areas, so product reliability is improved. In a conventional dimple-type heat exchanger, the main flow direction of the heat exchange medium is within the same plane, so essentially, flow is approximately in two dimensions along the heat transfer plate. In the case where the height differences are different, referring to Figs. 6 - 9 and 12, undulating flow of the heat exchange medium can be achieved, i.e. the heat exchange medium flows not only approximately in two dimensions along the heat transfer plate surface but also in the depth direction of the heat transfer plate, thus realizing three-dimensional flow of the heat exchange medium. Thus, a greater amount of turbulence can be achieved in the flow direction of the heat exchange medium, so as to achieve better heat exchange performance. When the top part 51 of the gap-forming protruding part 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A projects upward by a greater distance than the top part 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A, or when the bottom part 61 of the gap-forming depressed part 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B is sunk downward by a greater distance than the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the second heat transfer plate 10B, disturbance of the heat exchange medium can be further increased to achieve better heat exchange performance. Referring to Fig. 7, in embodiments of the present invention, the first heat transfer plate 10A further comprises: multiple downwardly sunk depressed parts 6, the depressed parts 6 of the first heat transfer plate 10A having bottom parts 61, and the multiple depressed parts 6 of the first heat transfer plate 10A comprising multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G. The multiple heat transfer plates 10 further comprise: a third heat transfer plate 10C, the first heat transfer plate 10A being stacked on the third heat transfer plate 10C, and the third heat transfer plate 10C comprising: multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts 5, the protruding parts 5 of the third heat transfer plate 10C having top parts 51, and the multiple protruding parts 5 of the third heat transfer plate 10C comprising multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G; and the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C respectively face, and are separated by a predetermined gap G3 from, the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A in the stacking direction. The predetermined gap G3 may be different from the predetermined gap G1; of course, the predetermined gap G3 could also be the same as the predetermined gap G1. The top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C are not welded to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively. For example, the heat exchange medium can flow through the predetermined gap. Projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C may substantially coincide with projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively; alternatively, projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C may be located within projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A respectively; alternatively, projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may be located within projections, on a plane perpendicular to the stacking direction, of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C respectively. The multiple protruding parts 5 of the third heat transfer plate 10C further comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, the multiple depressed parts 6 of the first heat transfer plate 10A further comprise multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N, and the top parts 51 of the multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the third heat transfer plate 10C respectively face and are connected to the bottom parts 61 of the multiple non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the first heat transfer plate 10A.
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As shown in Fig. 7, the predetermined gap separating at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the third heat transfer plate 10C, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, is the same as the predetermined gap separating at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 of the third heat transfer plate 10C, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A. The predetermined gap separating at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of top parts 51 of the third heat transfer plate 10C, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, may be different from the predetermined gap separating at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C from a bottom part 61, corresponding to the at least one other or at least one other row of top parts 51 of the third heat transfer plate 10C, among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A. The use of such a structure enables a greater amount of turbulence to be achieved in a fluid flow direction of the heat exchange medium.
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Referring to Fig. 7, in embodiments of the present invention, the bottom parts 61 of the gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A are sunk downward by a smaller distance than the bottom parts 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the first heat transfer plate 10A. Of course, in the case where a gap is ensured, the bottom parts 61 of the gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A could be sunk downward by the same distance as, or a greater distance than, the bottom parts 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N of the first heat transfer plate 10A. At least one or at least one row of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A may be sunk downward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, or by a different distance. As an alternative to the solution described above, or based on the solution described above, the top parts 51 of the gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C may project upward by a smaller distance than the top parts 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the third heat transfer plate 10C. Of course, in the case where a gap is ensured, the top parts 51 of the gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C could project upward by the same distance as, or a greater distance than, the top parts 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the third heat transfer plate 10C. At least one or at least one row of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C may project upward by the same distance as at least one other or at least one other row of the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C, or by a different distance.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, referring to Fig. 7, a height difference between the bottom part 61 of the non-gap-forming depressed part 6N of the first heat transfer plate 10A and at least one or at least one row of bottom parts 61 among the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, and a height difference between the top part 51 of the non-gap-forming protruding part 5N of the third heat transfer plate 10C and a top part 51, corresponding to the at least one or at least one row of bottom parts 61 of the first heat transfer plate 10A, among the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C, are the same or different.
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Referring to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A and the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B are located in at least a partial region of the heat exchange zone 21 of the plate heat exchanger 100, and/or at least a partial region of the port zone 22 surrounding the inlet port. The multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the third heat transfer plate 10C and the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the first heat transfer plate 10A are located in at least a partial region of the heat exchange zone 21 of the plate heat exchanger 100, and/or at least a partial region of the port zone 22 surrounding the inlet port. The concept of the present invention may also be applied to the entire heat transfer plate 10, as shown by the shading lines in Fig. 3, i.e. the concept of the present invention may be applied to the heat exchange zone and the port zones of the plate heat exchanger. The concept of the present invention may also be applied to only a partial region of the plate heat exchanger. For example, the concept of the present invention is only applied to the heat exchange zone, to improve heat exchange performance while reducing the charge of one heat exchange medium. For example, the concept of the present invention is only applied to the port zone surrounding the inlet port, to achieve more disturbance and thereby achieve better heat exchange performance in a region around the inlet port that allows the heat exchange medium to enter the plate heat exchanger, as shown by the shading lines in Fig. 4. It should be explained that although the region around the inlet port allowing one heat exchange medium to enter the plate heat exchanger is shown by the shading lines in Fig. 4, the concept of the present invention could also be applied to the region around the inlet port allowing the other heat exchange medium to enter the plate heat exchanger, or the concept of the present invention could also be applied to the regions around all of the inlet ports. In addition, the concept of the present invention could also be used for plate heat exchangers of other types, rather than being limited to plate heat exchangers of the type shown in the figures.
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Referring to Fig. 6, in embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined gap G, G1, G2 is 10% - 50% of the maximum height Hm of the channel 101 formed between the first heat transfer plate 10A and the second heat transfer plate 10B. The predetermined gap G, G1, G2 may be within the range of 0.1 mm - 0.5 mm. Similarly, referring to Fig. 7, the predetermined gap G3 is 10% - 50% of the maximum height of the channel 101 formed between the first heat transfer plate 10A and the third heat transfer plate 10C. The predetermined gap G3 may be within the range of 0.1 mm - 0.5 mm. Gaps in these size ranges, and small particles of filler metal attached to the surface of the heat transfer plate in the regions where the gaps are located, can better stimulate a nucleate boiling effect, thereby further considerably improving heat exchange performance.
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Referring to Figs. 5 - 9, in embodiments of the present invention, the plate heat exchanger 100 comprises multiple said first heat transfer plates 10A and multiple said second heat transfer plates 10B, the multiple first heat transfer plates 10A and the multiple second heat transfer plates 10B being arranged alternately. In other words, the plate heat exchanger 100 may comprise only two types of heat transfer plates. That is, the second heat transfer plate 10B and the third heat transfer plate 10C are identical heat transfer plates. Of course, the plate heat exchanger 100 could also comprise three or more types of heat transfer plates. In addition, the multiple depressed parts 6 of the first heat transfer plate 10A may all be non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N, and the multiple protruding parts 5 of the third heat transfer plate 10C may all be non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N.
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Referring to Fig. 9, in embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A has a recessed portion 52; when viewed in the stacking direction, the recessed portion 52 is within the top part 51 of the at least one or at least one row of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A, and the recessed portion 52 is sunk downward. In addition, as an alternative to the solution described above, or based on the solution described above, at least one or at least one row of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B may also have a recessed portion; when viewed in the stacking direction, the recessed portions are within the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G of the second heat transfer plate 10B, and the recessed portions are sunk upward.
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Referring to Figs. 10 - 12, in embodiments of the present invention, at least one or at least one row of the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 and/or at least one or at least one row of the bottom parts 61 of the depressions 6 of the heat transfer plate 10 may be flat, and when viewed in the stacking direction, may be round, oval, etc. For example, the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 of the first heat transfer plate 10A and the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6 of the second heat transfer plate 10B may be flat. The bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6 of the first heat transfer plate 10A and the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 of the third heat transfer plate 10C may be flat. The second heat transfer plate 10B further comprises: multiple upwardly projecting protruding parts 5, the protruding parts 5 of the second heat transfer plate 10B having top parts 51; and the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 of the second heat transfer plate 10B may be flat.
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Referring to Figs. 10 and 12, in embodiments of the present invention, the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A comprise multiple gap-forming protruding part sets, each gap-forming protruding part set comprising at least one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G of the first heat transfer plate 10A. The multiple non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A comprise multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets, each non-gap-forming protruding part set comprising at least one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N of the first heat transfer plate 10A. The multiple gap-forming protruding part sets and the multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets are arranged alternately. The multiple gap-forming protruding part sets have the same number or different numbers of rows of gap-forming protruding parts 5G; and/or the multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets have the same number or different numbers of rows of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N. The number of rows of gap-forming protruding parts 5G in at least one gap-forming protruding part set may be the same as or different from the number of rows of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N in at least one non-gap-forming protruding part set. The above concept may be used for the protruding parts 5 and depressed parts 6 of any plate. In Figs. 10 and 12, multiple gap-forming protruding part sets are arranged alternately with multiple non-gap-forming protruding part sets, each gap-forming protruding part set comprising one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, and each non-gap-forming protruding part set comprising one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N. The multiple rows of gap-forming protruding parts 5G are not welded to the corresponding multiple rows of gap-forming depressed parts 6G, and the multiple rows of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N are welded to the corresponding multiple rows of non-gap-forming depressed parts 6N. For example, the heat transfer plate may employ the following distributions of protruding parts 5:
- a distribution typified by one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, and one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G;
- a distribution typified by one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, and one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G; or
- a distribution typified by one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, one row of non-gap-forming protruding parts 5N, and one row of gap-forming protruding parts 5G.
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That is to say, the distribution of protruding parts 5 of the heat transfer plate may be configured according to requirements. For the depressed parts 6 of the heat transfer plate, the above distributions may also be used, but replacing the protruding parts 5 in the above distributions with the depressed parts 6.
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According to embodiments of the present invention, some of the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 and some of the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6, which face each other, of adjacent heat transfer plates are respectively not welded together; for example, some of the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 and some of the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6, which face each other, of adjacent heat transfer plates respectively form gaps, and the formation of solder points will thereby be hindered. Thus, on the side of the heat transfer plate that has gaps, there is more space between the adjacent heat transfer plates, so the pressure drop on this side will be reduced. The volume of the channel on the other side of the heat transfer plate is correspondingly reduced, and the charge of heat exchange medium can be reduced. The reduction in size of a welding region can form a greater heat exchange area, thereby improving heat exchange performance. In addition, these gaps, and small particles of filler metal attached to the surface of the heat transfer plate in the regions where the gaps are located, will stimulate a nucleate boiling effect, thereby further considerably improving heat exchange performance. For example, some refrigerants are flammable refrigerants, which can burn or even explode under certain conditions; for this reason, associated laws and regulations have set out limiting requirements for the charge of these refrigerants in air conditioning systems. This presents a challenge in the design of plate heat exchangers; the refrigerant charge at the refrigerant side is to be reduced while ensuring heat exchange performance. According to some embodiments of the present invention, at the channel side for circulation of the cold carrier (e.g. water), some of the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 and some of the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6, which face each other, of adjacent heat transfer plates are separated by gaps and are respectively not welded together. The reduction in size of a welding region can form a greater heat exchange area, thereby improving heat exchange performance; furthermore, since the volume of the channel (the channel used to circulate the refrigerant) at the other side of the heat transfer plate is correspondingly reduced, the refrigerant charge can be reduced. According to some embodiments of the present invention, at the channel side for circulation of the refrigerant, some of the top parts 51 of the protruding parts 5 and some of the bottom parts 61 of the depressed parts 6, which face each other, of adjacent heat transfer plates are separated by gaps and are respectively not welded together. These gaps, and small particles of filler metal attached to the surface of the heat transfer plate in the regions where the gaps are located, will stimulate a nucleate boiling effect, thereby further considerably improving heat exchange performance; furthermore, the reduction in size of a welding region can form a greater heat exchange area, thereby improving heat exchange performance. This is a better choice, especially in the case of plate heat exchangers charged with medium- or low-pressure refrigerant. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, at both sides of at least one heat transfer plate or at both sides of each heat transfer plate, the top parts 51 of the multiple gap-forming protruding parts 5G are respectively separated from the bottom parts 61 of the multiple gap-forming depressed parts 6G by a predetermined gap. Thus, the pressure drop in the channels of the heat transfer plate can be reduced at both sides of the heat transfer plate, increasing the heat exchange area and improving heat exchange performance.
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Although the above embodiments have been described, some of the above embodiments and certain features in the above embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments.