JP2010210202A - Heat exchange body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve mechanical strength of a heat exchange body having a number of fins arranged at intervals from each other in the flowing direction of fluid for heat exchange. <P>SOLUTION: This heat exchange body 4 is composed of the plurality of fins 41 vertically disposed from a base plate section 40 and arranged in the flowing direction of a heat exchange medium and the width direction intersecting the flowing direction. Rib sections 42 are respectively formed between the fins 41 arranged in the flowing direction in a state of extending over the plurality of fins 41 arranged in the width direction, and a height of the rib section 42 from the base plate section 40 is lower than a height of the fin 41 from the base plate section 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger that includes a base plate portion and a plurality of fins that are provided upright from the base plate portion and that are arranged in the flow direction of the refrigerant and in the width direction crossing the flow direction.

  As a heat exchanger of the type described above, Patent Document 1 discloses a plate fin heat exchanger composed of a large number of fin rows arranged while being offset from each other in the fluid flow direction. This plate fin heat exchanger is designed so that the area of the flow path created by the gaps between the fins constituting the fin row is substantially constant with respect to the fluid flow direction.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-225091 (paragraph numbers [0002]-[0007], FIG. 1)

  In the conventional plate fin heat exchanger as described above, a gap in the flow direction is formed between the fins that are offset and aligned in the fluid flow direction. In this gap region, the plate-like base plate portion is formed. Since it only exists, the mechanical strength is weak.

  An object of the present invention is to improve the mechanical strength of a heat exchange element having a large number of fins that are spaced from each other in the flow direction of the heat exchange fluid.

  In order to achieve the above object, a heat exchange element according to the present invention includes a base plate portion, a plurality of fins that are erected from the base plate portion and arranged in the flow direction of the refrigerant and in the width direction crossing the flow direction. A rib portion extending across the plurality of fins arranged in the width direction is formed between the fins adjacent to each other in the flow direction, and the height of the rib portion from the base plate portion is from the base plate portion of the fin. It is configured to be lower than the height.

  According to this configuration, since the rib portion is formed between the fins adjacent to each other in the flow direction, that is, the gap between the fins, the mechanical strength of the gap region is enhanced. Moreover, the thickness of the base plate portion can be reduced if only the same strength as in the prior art is guaranteed. Therefore, even when there is a restriction in the height direction, the fin height can be increased as much as the thickness of the base plate portion is reduced, and the degree of freedom in fin design is expanded without reducing the heat exchange efficiency. In addition, since the height of the rib portion from the base plate portion is lower than the height of the fin from the base plate portion, the heat exchange medium that has passed through the side surface of the fin can smoothly cross the rib portion.

  Since the mechanical strength is improved by forming the rib portion in the gap region, the heat exchange element of the present invention is also suitable for the offset fin structure in which the gap between the fins becomes large. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fins are arranged side by side in the flow direction offset in the width direction.

  Furthermore, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a recess is formed by the base plate portion, the rib portion, and the fin, and at least in the flow direction of surfaces of the rib portion facing each other with the recess interposed therebetween. One surface is formed as a divergent inclined surface. With this configuration, the heat exchange medium that has passed through the side surfaces of the fins is restrained from staying at the rib portion, and can flow more smoothly through the rib portion, thereby obtaining a good cooling effect. At this time, if the downstream surface in the flow direction of the surfaces of the rib portions facing each other with the concave portion interposed therebetween is formed as a diverging inclined surface, the heat exchange medium flowing into the concave portion smoothly follows the inclined surface. And can pass through the rib portion.

  In order for the heat exchange medium to smoothly flow in the recesses formed between the lower portions of the fins adjacent to each other in the width direction, it is also preferable that the surface of the fin facing the recesses is formed as a diverging inclined surface. is there.

  As described above, the mechanical strength of the heat exchanger is improved only by the presence of a rib portion between fins adjacent to each other in the flow direction. However, in order to further improve the mechanical strength, the adjacent fins It is preferable that the rib portion and the rib portion are integrally coupled in the width direction.

  In order for the heat exchange medium to flow smoothly on the sides of the fins, it is also effective to make the cross-section of the fins longer in the flow direction than in the width direction, so that between the fins and the heat exchange medium Heat exchange efficiency can be increased.

  The height of the fin from the standing surface of the fin of the base plate portion is set to a height from the standing surface of the rib portion so that the heat exchange medium passing through the side surface of the fin more smoothly passes the rib portion. It is preferable to set it to 2 times or more.

It is a sectional side view which shows schematic structure of the drive device which has a cooling function using the heat exchange body which concerns on this invention. It is the schematic which shows the refrigerant circuit for heat exchangers. It is a perspective view which shows some heat exchange bodies seen from the heat radiating surface side. It is a top view which shows a part of heat exchange body seen from the heat radiating surface side. It is sectional drawing along the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5 of the heat exchange body in another embodiment. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5 of the heat exchange body in another embodiment. It is sectional drawing corresponding to FIG. 5 of the heat exchange body in another embodiment.

  As an embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention, an example of a vehicle drive device incorporating a heat exchanger employing this heat exchanger will be described based on the drawings.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this vehicle drive device (hereinafter referred to as “drive device”) is used for an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and the like, and includes a rotating electrical machine 1 and a driving device that houses the rotating electrical machine 1. A case 2 and an inverter 3 for controlling the rotating electrical machine 1 are provided. The drive device case 2 accommodates not only a motor and / or generator as the rotating electrical machine 1 but also an attached mechanism such as a differential device and a counter gear mechanism not shown here.

  On the other hand, as will be described in detail later, the heat exchanger 4 circulates heat generated by a heating element such as the inverter 3 or the rotating electrical machine 1 with the radiator 52 in the medium circulation system 5 as shown in FIG. It is used as a cooling body that radiates heat to a refrigerant as a heat exchange medium to thermally protect the heating element.

  The inverter 3 is a power composed of a switching transistor that converts a direct current of a battery power source into an alternating current (a three-phase alternating current when the rotating electric machine is a three-phase alternating current rotating electric machine) by a switching action, and a circuit board on which the switching transistors are arranged. Means module. As can be understood from FIG. 1, the inverter 3 is disposed on the upper surface side of the base plate portion 40 of the heat exchanger 4 fixed to the bottom portion of the inverter case 7. At this time, a configuration in which the substrate of the inverter 3 is directly integrated with the base plate portion 40 or a configuration in which the substrate of the inverter 3 is indirectly integrated with the base plate portion 40 by attaching the substrate of the inverter 3 to the base plate portion 40 is adopted. Can do. In this embodiment, the upper surface side of the base plate portion 40 functions as a heat receiving surface connected to the inverter 3, and the lower surface side of the base plate portion 40 is formed as a heat radiating surface 40a that releases heat to the refrigerant. The heat radiating surface 40 a is thermally connected to the inverter 3. The inverter case 7 is formed so as to cover the inverter 3 in order to protect the internal inverter 3 from water and dust from the outside.

On the other hand, the rotating electrical machine 1 is housed in a drive device case 2, and the upper surface of the drive device case 2 is formed as a facing surface 2 a that is disposed facing the heat radiating surface 40 a of the heat exchanger 4. 1 is thermally connected. That is, on the upper surface of the drive device case 2, the heat that the refrigerant circulates between the lower surface of the base plate portion 40, that is, the heat radiating surface 40 a with the base plate portion 40 of the heat exchanger 4 mounted on the drive device case 2. A rectangular recess for forming the exchange chamber R is formed. The bottom surface of the recess is the facing surface 2a.
Further, although not shown in the drawings, the joint 45 between the upper surface of the drive device case 2 and the lower surface of the base plate portion 40 is appropriately provided with a sealing material for sealing the heat exchange chamber R to the outside. It has been.
Note that the heat dissipation surface 40a and the opposing surface 2a are thermally connected to the inverter 3 and the rotating electrical machine 1 that heat generated by the inverter 3 and the rotating electrical machine 1 is directly or indirectly generated. The state transmitted to 2a.

  A heat exchange chamber R is formed between the heat radiating surface 40a of the base plate portion 40 of the heat exchange body 4 and the opposing surface 2a of the drive device case 2, and a base plate that creates a heat radiating surface 40a in the heat exchange chamber R. A plurality of fins 41 are erected in a protruding shape from the lower surface of the portion 40 toward the opposing surface 2a. A gap is formed between adjacent fins 41, and an inter-fin passage Rp through which the refrigerant flows is created by this gap.

Since the inverter 3 is cooled via the heat radiating surface 40a and the rotating electrical machine 1 is cooled via the facing surface 2a, it is necessary to circulate the refrigerant through a plurality of inter-fin passages Rp created between the fins 41. There is. For this purpose, a medium circulation system 5 is provided which allows the refrigerant to flow through the heat exchange chamber R as schematically shown in FIG.
The medium circulation system 5 is configured to circulate a single refrigerant through the heat exchange chamber R between the base plate portion 40 and the drive device case 2. The medium circulation system 5 includes a medium pump 51 as a pressure feed source, a radiator 52 as a heat exchanger, and flow paths 53, 54, and 55 that connect them.

Note that illustrations of accessory devices such as a drive motor of the medium pump 51 are omitted. The discharge side flow path 53 of the medium pump 51 as the starting point of the medium circulation system 5 is connected to the inflow side port 57 on the inlet side of the heat exchange chamber R, and the outflow side port 58 on the outlet side of the heat exchange chamber R is returned. The flow path 54 is connected to the inlet side of the radiator 52, and the outlet side of the radiator 52 is connected to the suction side flow path 55 of the medium pump 51. Therefore, in this medium circulation system 5, the coolant such as cooling water is sent from the medium pump 51 and then flows from the module constituting the inverter 3 when flowing through the inter-fin passage Rp formed in the heat exchange chamber R. Then, the heat of the drive device case 2 is absorbed and heated, sent to the radiator 52 via the return flow path 54, cooled by heat radiation to the air, returned to the medium pump 51, and repeated to complete the cycle. It will be.
The medium circulation system 5 may be a flow path that passes through the inside of the drive device case 2 for further cooling, for example, at the return flow path 54 partway.

Next, the structure of the heat exchanger 4 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. 3 and 4 are a perspective view and a plan view showing a part of the heat exchanging body 4 as seen from the heat radiating surface 40a side, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG.
The transverse cross section of the fin 41 erected from the heat radiating surface 40a side of the base plate portion 40 has a rectangular shape in which the horizontal side length: X is larger than the vertical side length (thickness): Y. Here, the direction in which the refrigerant flows while passing through the fins 41 is defined as the flow direction, and the transverse direction with respect to the flow direction is defined as the width direction, but the extending direction of the horizontal side coincides with the flow direction, The extending direction of the vertical side coincides with the width direction.
As is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the fins 41 are offset in the width direction by a predetermined offset amount: ΔS and are spaced apart by a predetermined gap: ΔD in the width direction. The gap: ΔD is preferably about twice as long as the length of the vertical side of the fin 41: Y, but is not limited to such a dimensional shape. Further, the gap W in the flow direction of each fin 41 that substantially creates the inter-fin passage Rp through which the coolant flows substantially matches the length Y in the width direction of the fin 41 here. It is not limited to. Further, a rib portion 42 extending in the width direction is formed between adjacent fins 41 in the flow direction, and the rib portion 42 is continuous over substantially all the fins 41 arranged in the width direction. It extends. The length of the fin 41 in the flow direction: X is considerably longer than the length of the rib portion 42 in the flow direction: W. For example, it is appropriate to be twice to several times. Since the refrigerant flow between the fin 41 and the fin 41 in the flow direction should not be blocked, the height of the fin 41 from the standing surface of the fin 41 of the base plate portion 40 is H: the height of the rib portion 42. : Set higher than h, for example, twice or more.

  Due to the structure of the fin 41 and the rib portion 42 described above, the concave portion 43 is formed by the fin 41 and the rib portion 42 adjacent in the width direction. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. Respective surfaces 42 a and 42 b facing the concave portion 43 of the portion 42 are formed as inclined surfaces that are divergent in the depth direction of the concave portion 43. Due to the inclined surfaces 42a and 42b, the refrigerant flowing between the fins 41 along the flow direction smoothly flows into the recesses 43, and good heat exchange with the base portion of the fins 41 becomes possible. When the flow direction is one direction, a similar effect can be obtained even if only the downstream surface in the flow direction of each recess 43 is formed as an inclined surface. Of course, such an inclined surface may not be formed depending on conditions such as when the depth of the recess 43 is shallow. Further, in order to obtain a smooth flow of the refrigerant, although not shown in the drawing, the surface of the fin 41 facing the recess 43 may be formed as an inclined surface spreading toward the end in the depth direction of the recess 43.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, an inflow side port 57 through which the refrigerant flows into the heat exchange chamber R and an outflow side port 58 through which the refrigerant flows out from the heat exchange chamber R extend in parallel to each other, so that the heat exchange chamber R It is connected to one side end. Further, in the heat exchange chamber R, a refrigerant inflow portion Ri extending from the inflow side port 57 to the other side end portion of the heat exchange chamber R, and a side end portion on the other side of the heat exchange chamber R from the outflow side port 58. Are formed in parallel with each other. A plurality of inter-fin passages Rp are arranged in parallel so as to cross between the refrigerant inflow portion Ri and the refrigerant outflow portion Ro, but due to the offset arrangement of the fins 41, the inter-fin passage Rp extends in a meandering manner. Become

The heat exchanger 4 configured as described above can be manufactured by various processing methods according to material characteristics using a material having good thermal conductivity such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, copper alloy, and stainless steel. The present invention does not limit a specific production method.
[Another embodiment]

(1) In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, in the shape of the fin 41, the upper region above the rib 42 in the front view viewed from the width direction is substantially rectangular, The lower region on the lower side was substantially trapezoidal and narrowed downward in the flow direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper region of the shape may be substantially trapezoidal, and may be a hexagonal shape as a whole. The latter shape can reduce the stagnation of the refrigerant and improve the cooling performance as compared to the former. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, it is also preferable to form a rounded trapezoidal shape by rounding the corners of the fin 41, particularly the corners facing the flow direction. Further, the inclined surface facing the concave portion 43 of the rib 42 may be a curved surface other than the flat plane.
(2) In the above embodiment, the fin 41 is formed as a substantially rectangular flat fin having a different aspect ratio of the cross section. However, the shape of the cross section is arbitrary, and has, for example, a circular or elliptical cross section. It may be formed as a pin fin.
(3) In the above-described embodiment, the fin 41 is erected straight from the heat radiating surface 40a toward the opposing surface 2a, but may be erected obliquely from the heat radiating surface 40a toward the opposing surface 2a. Alternatively, it may be erected in a curled state. Of course, the shape which combined them may be sufficient.
(4) In the above embodiment, the fins 41 and the ribs 42 adjacent in the flow direction are integrally coupled in the width direction. However, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, a configuration in which a communication concave portion 43a extending in the width direction so as to communicate with the concave portion 43 may be employed. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the structure which the fin 41 and the rib part 42 contact | connect.
(5) In the above embodiment, the heat exchange element 4 is thermally protected by radiating the heat generated by the heating element such as the inverter 3 or the rotating electrical machine 1 of the vehicle drive device to the refrigerant. Although configured as a thing, separately, the heat exchanger 4 may be configured to dissipate heat generated by an inverter, other electronic components, or the like of another device to the refrigerant.
(6) In the above-described embodiment, the heat exchanger 4 is used for the purpose of cooling to give heat to the refrigerant. On the contrary, it may be used for the purpose of heating to receive heat from the heat medium.

  The heat exchanger according to the present invention can be applied to various technical fields as a heat exchange plate in various heat exchange apparatuses.

1: Rotating electrical machine 2a: Opposing surface 3: Inverter 4: Heat exchanger 5: Medium circulation system 7: Inverter case 40: Base plate portion 40a: Heat radiation surface 41: Fin 42: Rib portion 42a: Inclined surface 43b: Inclined surface 43: Concave portion R: heat exchange chamber R
Rp: Inter-fin passage Ro: Refrigerant outflow portion Ri: Refrigerant inflow portion

Claims (8)

A heat exchange body comprising a base plate portion and a plurality of fins that are erected from the base plate portion and arranged in the flow direction of the heat exchange medium and in the width direction crossing the flow direction,
A rib portion extending across the plurality of fins arranged in the width direction is formed between the fins adjacent in the flow direction, and the height of the rib portion from the base plate portion is higher than the height of the fin from the base plate portion. Low heat exchanger.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of fins arranged in the flow direction are alternately offset in the width direction.   A recess is formed by the base plate portion, the rib portion, and the fin, and at least one surface in the flow direction among the surfaces of the rib portion facing each other with the recess interposed therebetween is formed as a diverging inclined surface. Item 3. The heat exchanger according to Item 1 or 2.   The heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein a surface on the downstream side in the flow direction among the surfaces of the rib portions facing each other with the concave portion interposed therebetween is formed as an inclined surface spreading toward the end.   The heat exchange body according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a surface of the fin facing the concave portion is formed as a divergent inclined surface.   The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the adjacent fins and the rib portion are integrally coupled in the width direction.   The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a cross section of the fin is longer in the flow direction than in the width direction.   The height of the said fin from the standing surface of the said fin of the said baseplate part is 2 times or more of the height from the said standing surface of the said rib part as described in any one of Claim 1 to 7 The heat exchanger as described.

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