JP2011080736A - Heat exchange device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a heat exchange device in a simple structure, which uniformly cools an object to be cooled. <P>SOLUTION: The heat exchange device 100 includes at least a freezing cycle including a compressor 1, a condenser 2, an expansion valve 3, a refrigerant storage tank 4, refrigerant piping 6 sequentially connecting the elements in order to make a refrigerant circulate, and a heat pipe 5 having a condensing part 52 inserted into the refrigerant storage tank and an evaporating part 51 exposed to the outside of the refrigerant storage tank. Heat exchanging with the cooled object is carried out in the evaporating part 51, and the refrigerant storage tank stores the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant which is obtained by evaporating the liquid refrigerant via the heat exchange in the inside thereof, and the refrigerant passing through the expansion valve can flow into the refrigerant storage tank from an inlet side 41, and from an outlet side, the gaseous refrigerant can flow out of a gaseous refrigerant take-out part 42 provided on an upper part in the refrigerant storage tank. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchange device.

Many cooling systems for cooling an object to be cooled to a temperature between 0 ° C. and room temperature have been proposed, and a typical example is shown in FIG.
The refrigeration cycle shown in FIG. 4 uses a refrigerator mainly composed of a compressor (compressor) 1 and a condenser (condenser) 2, and uses a refrigerant direct cooling system (direct expansion system) that uses the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant gas. ).

  In the direct expansion type heat exchange device 100 ′ according to this prior art, an evaporator composed of a heat exchange tube 200 and fins 7 is provided in a heat exchange chamber of an air cooler 12 having a blower fan and a heat exchange chamber (not shown), This is an apparatus intended to cool the air A1 that is the object to be cooled.

  The heat exchange device 100 ′ includes a compressor 1 for compressing the gaseous refrigerant r1, a condenser 2 for liquefying the compressed refrigerant, an expansion valve 3 for adiabatically expanding the liquefied refrigerant r2, and an expansion The air cooler 12 that causes the refrigerant passed through the valve 3 and the air A1 that is the object to be cooled to contact with each other through the tube wall of the heat exchanger tube 200 and outputs the cold air A2 by heat exchange, the compressor 1, the condenser 2, A refrigerating cycle comprising a refrigerant pipe 6 that circulates a refrigerant by sequentially connecting the expansion valve 3 and the air cooler 12 is provided. Regarding the pressure of the refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant r <b> 2 after being compressed by the compressor 1 is higher than the gaseous refrigerant r <b> 1 before being compressed by the compressor 1. As for the refrigerant itself, an appropriate one such as chlorofluorocarbon is used as in the case of other devices having a known refrigeration cycle.

  In this direct expansion type heat exchanging apparatus 100 ′, since the refrigerant evaporates in the gas cooling part (the air cooler 12 provided with the heat exchange tube 200 of FIG. 4) made of a heat exchange tube, this is generally the evaporator. That's it.

  Thus, in the direct expansion heat exchange apparatus 100 ′, the gas cooling unit is formed in a series of refrigeration cycles. The heat exchange tube 200 has the property that the heat exchange operation is completed when the evaporation of the refrigerant liquid inside is completed, and the downstream range thereafter becomes an unnecessary region.

  The direct expansion method has a property that the heat exchange process is simple and the heat exchange efficiency is good depending on the application scale, but the refrigerant control is difficult due to the structure.

  Furthermore, in the direct expansion method, the length of the heat exchanger tube 200 needs to be designed with a margin in order to avoid a situation (liquid back) in which the liquid refrigerant may return to the compressor 1. When the liquid back occurs and the refrigerant enters the compressor 1 in a liquid state, liquid compression is caused to generate an abnormal pressure, and the compressor 1 is damaged.

  Next, in the direct expansion method in which the gas cooling section is formed in a series of refrigeration cycles, the heat exchange tube surface temperature in the air cooler is affected by the characteristic that a temperature gradient from low temperature to high temperature can always be achieved. In addition to the problem of freezing of the surface, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to uniformly cool the object to be cooled as the design scale becomes larger.

  In addition, when it is assumed that the direct expansion method is applied to large-capacity equipment, it is necessary to increase the area for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the object to be cooled, and at the same time to avoid liquid back, and directly exchange heat with the object to be cooled. The heat exchanger tube is inevitably designed to be long, and the efficiency of the air cooler as a whole is inevitably reduced due to the increase in size of the heat exchanger tube and the gas cooling section that accommodates it, and the need for a large compressor. It was.

  Because of these properties, the direct expansion method is suitable for application to a small air volume cooler, but when trying to design a large air volume heat exchanger, there are many problems in terms of refrigerant design difficulty, size and efficiency, In fact, there was not enough to be applied to large capacity equipment.

  By the way, as a heat exchange method that can be applied to large-capacity facilities in principle, in addition to the above-described direct expansion method, water or brine liquid is cooled in advance by a cooling method based on the direct expansion method to produce cold water (brine liquid). A brine cooling method is also included in which the air to be cooled is cooled with a brine solution).

However, since the brine cooling method is cooling by utilizing sensible heat of the brine, a large amount of water or brine solution is required, and the problem of increasing the size of the entire apparatus is not solved (in contrast, the above-described refrigerant direct cooling method (direct expansion method) Since the latent heat of vaporization of the refrigerant is used, the same amount of heat can be exchanged at a flow rate of about 1/100 of brine).
Further, in the brine cooling method, in addition to the structure of the direct expansion method, a component for cooling the air that is the object to be cooled with cold water (brine liquid) is further required, which causes a new problem that the entire apparatus becomes complicated.
As described above, the brine cooling system is still not enough to be applied to a large capacity facility.

  As described above, a cooling system that is sufficiently useful for application to a large-capacity facility has not been provided in the world so far from various viewpoints.

JP 2000-320909 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-179836

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchange device having a simple structure and capable of cooling an object to be cooled uniformly.

  Moreover, this invention makes it a subject to provide the heat exchange apparatus which can prevent the freezing of the heat exchange surface with a to-be-cooled object easily.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device that can realize a small-sized, lightweight, and highly efficient large-capacity air cooler relatively easily.

  In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchange device with good refrigerant amount controllability that does not cause liquid back even with respect to load fluctuations.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present application has one end in contact with the load (cooled object) side and the other end of the refrigerant storage tank for heat exchange with air that is the cooled object. In addition to the heat pipe provided in the refrigerant storage tank, a gaseous refrigerant take-out section is provided above the refrigerant storage tank so that the gaseous refrigerant taken out from the refrigerant is sent to the compressor. It is found that the overall system operation including the temperature control of the cold air obtained by the above heat exchange can be performed by the superheat degree of the liquid or the liquid level control of the liquid refrigerant stored in the refrigerant storage tank. As a result, the heat exchange device of the present invention has been completed.

The heat exchange device of the present invention capable of solving the above problems is (1) a compressor for compressing a gaseous refrigerant, a condenser for liquefying the compressed refrigerant, and adiabatic expansion of the liquefied refrigerant. An expansion valve, a refrigerant storage tank that stores the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve, and one or more heat pipes in which a condensing unit is inserted into the refrigerant storage tank and an evaporation unit is exposed outside the refrigerant storage tank; A heat exchange device comprising at least a refrigeration cycle comprising the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and a refrigerant pipe for circulating the refrigerant by sequentially connecting the refrigerant storage tank,
The evaporating part of the heat pipe is configured to exchange heat with the object to be cooled. Further, the refrigerant storage tank has the liquid refrigerant and the liquid refrigerant evaporates through the heat exchange. The obtained gaseous refrigerant is stored inside, and the refrigerant having passed through the expansion valve can flow from the input side, while the gas provided above the refrigerant storage tank from the output side It is comprised so that the gaseous refrigerant | coolant can be taken out from a gaseous refrigerant | coolant taking-out part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  Moreover, the heat exchange device of the present invention is characterized in that (2) one or both of the condensing part and the evaporating part of the heat pipe are horizontally arranged.

  In the heat exchange device of the present invention, (3) the evaporating part of the heat pipe is arranged above the condensing part.

  The heat exchange device according to the present invention is characterized in that (4) the refrigerant storage tank is further provided with a recovery mechanism for the compressor lubricating oil that has flowed into the refrigerant storage tank together with the refrigerant. is there.

  In the heat exchange device of the present invention, (5) the amount of heat transfer of the heat pipe is controlled in accordance with the degree of superheat of the refrigerant or the liquid level of the liquid in the refrigerant storage tank. It is a feature.

  In the heat exchange apparatus of the present invention, (6) the evaporation portion of the heat pipe is provided in the heat exchange chamber of an air cooler having a blower fan and a heat exchange chamber, thereby cooling the air that is the object to be cooled. It is characterized by tightening. (7) A drainage outlet for draining may be further provided at the bottom of the heat exchange chamber of the air cooler.

[Explanation of terms]
In the present specification, “liquid back” indicates a situation where liquid refrigerant may return to the compressor from an evaporator or the like in a refrigeration (equipped with a cycle) device. If a liquid back occurs and the refrigerant enters the compressor while it is in a liquid state, liquid compression occurs and an abnormal pressure is generated, which damages the compressor.

  According to the present invention, a large amount of heat can be exchanged by a small facility by heat exchange by latent heat of vaporization of refrigerant and heat exchange using latent heat inside the heat pipe. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat exchange device having a simple structure and capable of cooling an object to be cooled uniformly.

  Conventionally, when designing a large-capacity air cooler, it is necessary to increase the area for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the object to be cooled, and at the same time avoid the liquid back, and the heat exchanger tube that directly exchanges heat with the object to be cooled. Inevitably, however, the length of the heat exchanger tube and the gas cooling section that accommodates it must be increased, and the efficiency of the entire air cooler is inevitably reduced due to the demand for a large compressor. However, according to the present invention, since the gas cooling unit can be provided separately from the series of refrigeration cycles, the capacity can be increased by designing to increase or decrease the heat transfer amount as a whole heat pipe due to the large number of heat pipes, for example. Therefore, a large-capacity air cooler with a small size, light weight and high efficiency can be realized relatively easily.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat exchange device that can easily prevent freezing of a heat exchange surface with an object to be cooled.

  In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a heat exchange device with good refrigerant amount controllability that does not cause liquid back even with respect to load fluctuations.

In addition, although each literature hung up previously is observed as a heat exchange apparatus which applied the heat pipe, these differ from the objective of this invention, a structure, and an effect in each of the following points.
First, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-320909) discloses a system including a typical refrigeration cycle that performs heat exchange with a heat exchanger tube in an evaporator after adiabatic expansion. The structure (FIG. 4) which fits and connects a heat pipe in the reservoir tank is disclosed. However, in Patent Document 1, both ends of the heat pipe are merely embedded in a high-pressure or low-pressure line. In the present invention, one end (load side) of the heat pipe is exposed to air and the other end is exposed to the refrigerant storage tank, and the configuration is different. The purpose of Patent Document 1 is to improve the cooling performance of the evaporator by lowering the temperature of the high-temperature refrigerant from the condenser by using the low temperature of the low-pressure side refrigerant, which is different from the object of the present invention.

Next, Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-17936) discloses a roof snow melting device using a heat pipe and a boiler. One end (load side) of the heat pipe is outside air (snow) and the other end ( The heat (cold medium side) is installed (configured) in the steam header pipe 4 and is partially in common with the configuration of the present application in that it is thermally coupled to the heat medium supply circulation pipe 5 inside.
However, the apparatus of Patent Document 2 is not a refrigeration cycle, does not use a compressor, and differs from the present application in that a heat (cold) medium feed pump 7 and a boiler 9 are used. The object is also different from the present application.
Furthermore, the heat (cold) medium storage tank 6 of Patent Document 2 has a structure in which a heat (cold) medium liquid is extracted and delivered to the boiler 9, and the purpose is different from that of the refrigerant storage tank of the present application. Since the present application is a refrigeration cycle and uses a compressor, it is necessary to have a structure in which liquid back should not occur. That is, the refrigerant gas is always extracted from the gaseous refrigerant take-out portion of the refrigerant storage tank and sent to the compressor.

It is a figure explaining about one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a heat pipe. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of Example 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows a prior art.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. As a premise, in the heat exchange device 100 according to the present embodiment, the evaporation part 51 of the heat pipe 5 is provided in a heat exchange chamber (corresponding to a gas cooling part) of an air cooler 12 having a blower fan and a heat exchange chamber (not shown). Thus, the apparatus is intended to cool the air A1, which is the object to be cooled.

A heat exchange device 100 according to the present embodiment includes a compressor 1 for compressing a gaseous refrigerant r1, a condenser 2 for liquefying the compressed refrigerant, and an expansion valve for adiabatically expanding the liquefied refrigerant r2. 3, a refrigerant storage tank 4 that stores the refrigerant that has passed through the expansion valve 3, a plurality of heat pipes 5 in which a condensing unit 52 is inserted into the refrigerant storage tank 4, and an evaporation unit 51 is exposed outside the refrigerant storage tank 4; A heat exchanging device comprising at least a refrigeration cycle comprising the compressor 1, the condenser 2, the expansion valve 3 and the refrigerant storage tank 4 connected in order to circulate the refrigerant, In the evaporation part 51, it is comprised so that heat exchange with air A1 which is a to-be-cooled body may be performed.
As the refrigerant, an appropriate one can be used as in the case of a conventionally known apparatus having a refrigeration cycle. However, in this embodiment, a refrigerant such as R22 (HCFC) or R407C is adopted.

  The refrigerant storage tank 4 stores therein a liquid refrigerant and a gaseous refrigerant obtained by evaporating the liquid refrigerant through the heat exchange. The refrigerant from the input side 41 passes through the expansion valve 3. From the output side, the gaseous refrigerant can be taken out from the gaseous refrigerant take-out portion 42 provided above the refrigerant storage tank 4.

  By the way, in a general refrigeration cycle, the refrigerant evaporates in the gas cooling part (the air cooler 12 provided with the heat exchange tube 200 shown in FIG. 4) composed of a heat exchange tube. Since evaporation occurs in the refrigerant storage tank 4, it can be considered that the refrigerant storage tank 4 fulfills the function of an evaporator when applied to the conventional refrigeration cycle.

  However, in the prior art, the gas cooling part is formed in a series of refrigeration cycles. Unlike this, in the present invention, the gas cooling part is provided separately from the series of refrigeration cycles. 5 and the configuration is remarkably different in that heat exchange is indirectly performed with the refrigeration cycle. Further, in the present invention, the basic cooling principle of the cooled object is different in that the cooled object is not directly cooled in the refrigeration cycle as in the prior art, and is indirectly realized through the heat pipe 5. .

  Conventionally, when designing a large-capacity air cooler, it is necessary to increase the area for heat exchange between the refrigerant and the object to be cooled, and at the same time avoid the liquid back, and heat exchange tubes that directly exchange heat with the object to be cooled are also available. Inevitably, a long design was unavoidable, and the efficiency of the entire air cooler was inevitably reduced due to an increase in the size of the heat exchanger tube and the gas cooling unit that accommodated it, and the need for a large compressor. However, according to the present invention, the gas cooling section can be provided separately from the series of refrigeration cycles, so that the heat transfer amount of the heat pipe 5 as a whole is increased or decreased depending on the number of heat pipes 5, for example. Capacitance can be easily achieved, and a large-capacity air cooler that is small, light, and highly efficient can be realized relatively easily.

  In the conventional technology in which the gas cooling part is formed in a series of refrigeration cycles, the heat exchange tube surface temperature in the air cooler is affected by the characteristic that a temperature gradient from low temperature to high temperature can be obtained. There was a problem of freezing. However, according to the present invention, the object to be cooled is not directly performed in the refrigeration cycle as in the prior art, but is indirectly realized through the heat pipe 5, so that the object to be cooled is uniformly cooled. A possible heat exchange device can be provided, and a heat exchange device that can easily prevent freezing of the heat exchange surface, that is, the evaporation unit 51, without being affected by the temperature gradient, can be provided.

In the present embodiment, the heat pipe 5 has the evaporator 51 disposed above the condenser 52. As will be described later, in the heat pipe 5 of the present embodiment, the condensed working fluid f returns to the evaporation section 51 by capillary action through the wick 55 provided in the container 54. According to this structure, the condensed working fluid f The thin film is always formed in the container 54, and the function of continuously performing heat exchange is exhibited. In this embodiment, an appropriate number of fins 7 are provided in the vicinity of the evaporator 51 and the condenser 52.
The configuration and operating principle of the heat pipe 5 itself are as follows.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a heat pipe. The heat pipe 5 is provided with a capillary structure (wick) 55 on the inner wall of a sealed container (container) 54 having a cylindrical tube wall closed at both ends. A working fluid f is vacuum-sealed in the container 54. The container 54 has a heat insulating structure (heat insulating portion 53) except that one end and the other end thereof are a heat input (evaporation) portion 51 and a heat dissipation (condensation) portion 52, respectively. For simplicity, the illustration of the fins 7 provided near the evaporator 51 and the condenser 52 of the container 54 is omitted in FIG.

The operating principle of the heat pipe 5 itself is the same as that conventionally known. That is, when heat is input to one end side (evaporating part 51) of the heat pipe 5, i) evaporation of the working fluid f occurs in the evaporating part 51 (absorption of latent heat of evaporation), and ii) the vapor is on the other end side (condensing part 52) Iii) the vapor condenses in the condensing unit 52 (release of latent heat of evaporation), and iv) the condensed working fluid f returns to the evaporating unit 51 by capillary action through the wick 55. It occurs continuously. In the heat pipe 5, heat is transferred quickly by repeating the above cycle, and heat conduction with extremely high efficiency is possible.
The working fluid f is the same as that conventionally known. In this embodiment, for example, ammonia or butane is used. However, it is not limited to these, For example, what evaporates in the range of 0-5 degreeC can also be used.

Therefore, heat exchange in the air cooler 12 is performed in the following manner.
First, the working fluid f that has received heat from the air A <b> 1 through the tube wall of the container 54 in the evaporator 51 of the heat pipe 5 absorbs latent heat and moves to the condenser 52 as vapor. The air A1 deprived of latent heat becomes cold air A2 and is output to the outside of the air cooler 12. In the above manner, in the present invention, heat exchange between the air A1 and the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 is performed via the working fluid f of the heat pipe 5.

  Next, the working fluid f in the heat pipe 5 that has finished heat exchange with the air A1 in the evaporating unit 51 is converted into vapor and moves to the condensing unit 52 where the latent heat is released. Here, the latent heat is released from the tube wall of the container 54 into the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4. The working fluid f condensed with the release of latent heat is returned to the evaporation unit 51 through the wick 55 by capillary action, becomes vapor again by heat exchange with the new air A1, moves to the condensation unit 52, and repeats latent heat release.

  In the present invention, latent heat absorption and release by the heat pipe 5 are repeated between the air cooler 12 and the refrigerant storage tank 4 in this way. As the repetition proceeds, the temperature difference between the air A1 input to the air cooler 12 and the cold air A2 output from the air cooler 12 increases, while the refrigerant temperature in the refrigerant storage tank 4 where the latent heat release has been repeated is increased. Ascending and evaporation progresses, and the amount of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 increases.

  The refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 where latent heat release has been repeated increases in temperature and evaporates, and the amount of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 increases. In the present invention, the gaseous refrigerant is taken out from the gaseous refrigerant take-out portion 42 and returned to the compressor 1 through the refrigerant pipe 6 again.

For confirmation, the refrigerant flow in the heat exchange device according to the present embodiment is summarized as follows. First, the gaseous refrigerant r1 returned to the compressor 1 through the refrigerant pipe 6 is compressed by the compressor 1, the compressed refrigerant is liquefied by the condenser 2, and the liquefied refrigerant r2 is adiabatically expanded via the expansion valve 3. Then, it is input from the input unit 41 into the refrigerant storage tank 4 and temporarily stored. Here, the working fluid f in the heat pipe 5 that has finished heat exchange with the air A <b> 1 in the evaporation section 51 provided in the heat exchange chamber of the air cooler 12 becomes steam and is condensed in the refrigerant storage tank 4. When the refrigerant moves to the section 52 and releases the latent heat there, the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 where the latent heat release has been repeated increases in temperature and evaporates, and the amount of gaseous refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 increases. To do. In the present embodiment, the gaseous refrigerant is taken out from the gaseous refrigerant take-out part 42 and returned to the compressor 1 again through the refrigerant pipe 6. Regarding the pressure of the refrigerant, the liquid refrigerant r <b> 2 after being compressed by the compressor 1 is higher than the gaseous refrigerant r <b> 1 before being compressed by the compressor 1.
Thus, the heat exchange apparatus according to the present embodiment also ensures the circulation of the refrigerant and constitutes a refrigeration cycle.

[Operation]
Below, an example of the control of the heat exchange apparatus which concerns on this embodiment provided with the said schematic structure, and the operating point is demonstrated.
In the present embodiment, the temperature control of the cold air A <b> 2 output from the air cooler 12 is realized through the heat transfer amount control of the heat pipe 5.
In this embodiment, the heat transfer amount of the heat pipe 5 is controlled according to the degree of superheat of the refrigerant or the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4.
More specifically, in the present embodiment, the heat transfer amount control of the heat pipe 5 is performed using the following sensors.

In the present embodiment, a liquid level sensor 8 is provided in the refrigerant storage tank 4.
The liquid level sensors 8 are connected to the electromagnetic valves 10 respectively. The liquid level sensor 8 monitors the liquid level of the refrigerant before evaporation stored in the refrigerant storage tank 4, and when the liquid level becomes higher than a preset level, the driving amount of the solenoid valve 10 (solenoid valve). 10 is reduced, and the amount of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant storage tank 4 through the expansion valve 3 is reduced, while the liquid level is lower than a preset level. If it becomes lower, the driving amount of the electromagnetic valve 10 is increased, and the amount of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant storage tank 4 through the expansion valve 3 is increased.

  In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 11 is provided in a part of the refrigerant pipe 6 that connects the gaseous refrigerant take-out part 42 and the compressor 1. The temperature sensor 11 is connected to the expansion valve 3, and when the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant r1 passing through the temperature sensor 11 becomes higher than a preset temperature, the opening degree of the diaphragm of the expansion valve 3 is increased. 3, the amount of the refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant storage tank 4 is increased. On the other hand, when the temperature of the gaseous refrigerant r1 passing through the temperature sensor 11 becomes lower than a preset temperature, the expansion valve 3 The opening of the diaphragm is reduced, and the amount of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant storage tank 4 through the expansion valve 3 is reduced. The expansion valve 3 of the present embodiment adopts a so-called temperature-type expansion valve configuration that keeps the degree of superheat constant in this way.

In the present embodiment, an internal pressure sensor 9 is also provided in the refrigerant storage tank 4. This also has an effect of further improving the safety of the heat exchange device 100.
The internal pressure sensor 9 monitors the internal pressure of the refrigerant storage tank 4. When the internal pressure becomes higher than a preset level, the driving amount of the electromagnetic valve 10 is reduced and flows into the refrigerant storage tank 4 through the expansion valve 3. While the configuration is such that the amount of refrigerant is reduced, the amount of refrigerant flowing into the refrigerant storage tank 4 via the expansion valve 3 is increased by increasing the drive amount of the electromagnetic valve 10 when the internal pressure becomes lower than a preset level. It is the structure which increases.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, by using the liquid level sensor 8, the temperature sensor 11, and the internal pressure sensor 9, the liquid level and refrigerant temperature of the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant storage tank 4, and the The internal pressure is controlled so as to be within a desired range. For example, regarding the liquid level sensor 8 or the temperature sensor 11, the set value may be variable depending on the set temperature of the cold air A2 to be finally controlled. Further, in order to maintain the state of the refrigerant storage tank 4 at all times, a microcomputer or other computing means (not shown) is used, and the outputs of the liquid level sensor 8, the temperature sensor 11, and the internal pressure sensor 9 are utilized. You may design so that the heat exchange apparatus 100 which concerns on embodiment controls cooperatively.

Next, an example is given and explained about the heat exchange device of the present invention which consists of the above basic principle.
In addition, about the location which overlaps with the structure demonstrated above, description is abbreviate | omitted below.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the heat exchange device 101 according to the present embodiment. A different part from FIG. 1 is a configuration of a part of the refrigerant storage tank 4 and the air cooler 12 and an aspect of the condensing part 52 and the evaporating part 51 of the heat pipe 5 inserted or provided therein.

  In the present embodiment, a discharge port 13 is provided at the bottom of the air cooler 12 so that the condensed water d accumulated therein is discharged.

  Similarly, in this embodiment, the bottom side of the refrigerant storage tank 4 communicates with the oil recovery device so that the lubricating oil o in the refrigerant is discharged.

In this embodiment, the condensing part 52 and the evaporating part 51 of the heat pipe 5 are horizontally inserted and arranged in the refrigerant storage tank 4 and the air cooler 12.
By arranging in this way, the condensed water d that occurs on the surfaces of the fins 7 provided around the evaporator 51 can be easily dropped as a result of heat exchange in the air cooler 12. As described above, it is possible to easily prevent freezing of the heat exchange surface, that is, the evaporation part 51.
In addition, as the result of repeated latent heat release on the refrigerant storage tank 4 side, the temperature of the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 rises, and the evaporation of the lubricating oil o in the refrigerant that becomes apparent in the vicinity of the condensing unit 52 is caused by evaporation. It becomes easy.

  The control and operation procedure of the heat exchange device 101 according to the present embodiment is substantially the same as that described for the above-described embodiment.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, it is possible to discharge the condensed water d accumulated in the air cooler 12 and to discharge the lubricating oil o in the refrigerant stored in the refrigerant storage tank 4, which is more feasible. It becomes possible to provide a heat exchange device.

[Modification]
As mentioned above, although the content of the present invention was explained in detail through one embodiment and an example, the present invention is not limited to the above mode and can be modified in various modes.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the condensing unit 52 and the evaporating unit 51 of the heat pipe 5 are both arranged horizontally, but at least one of the condensing unit 52 and the evaporating unit 51 may be arranged horizontally. . Even in such an aspect, it is possible to provide a heat exchange device with higher feasibility.

In this embodiment, the heat transfer amount of the heat pipe 5 is controlled according to the degree of superheat of the refrigerant or the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4, but the heat exchange apparatus according to the present invention The control and operation procedures are not limited to this, and various control and operation procedures can be applied. In any case, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchange device with good refrigerant amount controllability that does not cause liquid back even with respect to load fluctuations.
Therefore, a means for directly or indirectly monitoring the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank 4 is provided, and the liquid back into which the liquid refrigerant flows into the refrigerant pipe 6 and the compressor 1 from the gaseous refrigerant take-out portion 42. If an aspect for preventing the situation is taken, the same aspect is included in the gist of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the internal pressure sensor 9 is further provided in addition to the liquid level sensor 8 and the temperature sensor 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the internal pressure sensor 9 may be omitted.

  Others In the present embodiment, the number of heat pipes 5 is plural. However, the number of heat pipes 5 may be singular or plural depending on required specifications, design conditions, and the like.

  In the present embodiment, the heat pipe 5 is configured such that the evaporation unit 51 is disposed above the condensing unit 52. However, the heat pipe 5 is not limited thereto, and the condensing unit 52 is disposed above the evaporation unit 51. You can configure it. In this case, the condensed working fluid f naturally falls toward the evaporation unit 51 by gravity regardless of the capillary force through the wick 55.

  As described above, it is apparent that the present invention is novel and useful for providing a heat exchange device having a simple structure and capable of uniformly cooling an object to be cooled.

A1 Air A2 Cold d Condensed water f Working fluid o Lubricating oil r2 Liquid refrigerant r1 Gaseous refrigerant 1 Compressor 2 Condenser 3 Expansion valve 4 Refrigerant storage tank 5 Heat pipe 6 Refrigerant piping 7 Fin 8 Liquid level sensor 9 Internal pressure sensor 10 Solenoid valve 11 Temperature sensor 12 Air cooler 13 Drain port 41 Input part 42 Gaseous refrigerant take-out part 51 Evaporating part 52 Condensing part 53 Heat insulating part 54 Container 55 Wick 100, 100 ', 101 Heat exchanger 200 Heat exchange tube

Claims (7)

A compressor for compressing the gaseous refrigerant;
A condenser for liquefying the compressed refrigerant;
An expansion valve for adiabatically expanding the liquefied refrigerant;
A refrigerant storage tank for storing the refrigerant having passed through the expansion valve;
One or a plurality of heat pipes in which a condensing part is inserted into the refrigerant storage tank, and an evaporation part is exposed outside the refrigerant storage tank,
A refrigerant pipe for circulating the refrigerant by sequentially connecting the compressor, the condenser, the expansion valve, and the refrigerant storage tank;
A heat exchange device comprising at least a refrigeration cycle comprising:
In the evaporating part of the heat pipe, it is configured to perform heat exchange with the object to be cooled,
The refrigerant storage tank stores the liquid refrigerant and the gaseous refrigerant obtained by evaporating the liquid refrigerant through the heat exchange, and passes through the expansion valve from the input side. While being able to flow in the refrigerant, from the output side is configured to be able to take out the gaseous refrigerant from a gaseous refrigerant take-out portion provided above the refrigerant storage tank,
A heat exchange device characterized by that. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the condensing part and the evaporation part of the heat pipe are horizontally arranged. The heat exchange device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the evaporating part of the heat pipe is disposed above the condensing part. The heat exchange device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a recovery mechanism for the oil for lubricating the compressor that has flowed into the refrigerant storage tank together with the refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank. . The heat transfer amount of the heat pipe is controlled in accordance with the degree of superheat of the refrigerant or the liquid level of the liquid refrigerant in the refrigerant storage tank. The heat exchange apparatus as described. The said evaporation part of the said heat pipe is provided in the said heat exchange chamber of the air cooler which has a ventilation fan and a heat exchange chamber, and thereby cools the air which is a to-be-cooled body. The heat exchange apparatus in any one. The heat exchange apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a drain outlet for draining water at a bottom of the heat exchange chamber of the air cooler.

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