JP2022150123A - Cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cooling device which enables reduction of the coolant supply frequency.SOLUTION: A cooling device includes: a heat exchanger (2) which receives heat from a heat source (H); a housing chamber (3) which houses the heat exchanger (2) contacting with a coolant; a pressure regulator (4) which communicates with the housing chamber (3) and suctions air in the housing chamber (3) to regulate a pressure; a heat exchange chamber (5) communicating with the pressure regulator (4); a vortex tube (6) communicating with the heat exchanger (5); and a gas-liquid separation chamber (7) which is located between the vortex tube (6) and the housing chamber (3) and into which cool air discharged from the vortex tube (6) flows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to cooling devices.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cooling device that cools a heat source by spraying coolant (water) onto a heat exchanger that receives heat from a heat source and evaporating the coolant on the surface of the heat exchanger.

JP 2017-129048 A

2. Description of the Related Art A cooling device that utilizes the latent heat of evaporation of a cooling liquid generally releases the evaporated cooling liquid (refrigerant gas) to the atmosphere. That is, the total amount of coolant held by the cooling device decreases as the cooling device operates. Therefore, in order to operate the cooling device continuously, it is required to replenish the coolant frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling device capable of reducing the frequency of replenishment of coolant.

In order to solve the above problems, a cooling device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a heat exchanger (2) that receives heat from a heat source (H), and the heat exchanger (2) that is in contact with a cooling liquid. A storage chamber (3) for housing, communicated with the storage chamber (3), and communicated with a pressure regulator (4) for sucking air in the storage chamber (3) to regulate pressure, and the pressure regulator (4). a heat exchange chamber (5); a vortex tube (6) communicating with the heat exchange chamber (5); ) into which cold air discharged from the air-liquid separation chamber (7) flows.

According to the above aspect, the refrigerant gas containing moisture that has not been completely removed in the heat exchange chamber can be separated into warm air and cold air by the vortex tube, and then the cold air can flow into the gas-liquid separation chamber. The cold air flowing into the gas-liquid separation chamber has a low temperature and is in a state of being prone to condensation (condensation). For this reason, condensation can occur in the gas-liquid separation chamber, and the cooling liquid can be recovered and returned to the storage chamber. The coolant returned to the storage chamber is used again for heat exchange by the heat exchanger. In this way, by returning the recovered coolant to the storage chamber for reuse, it is possible to reduce the frequency of replenishment of the coolant to the cooling device. Moreover, since the cold air flowing into the storage chamber through the gas-liquid separation chamber has a low temperature, the heat exchanger in the storage chamber can be effectively cooled. Therefore, the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the heat source can also be expected.

Here, the cooling device of the above aspect further comprises a tank (8) that collects the cooling liquid from the heat exchange chamber (5) and the gas-liquid separation chamber (7) and supplies it to the storage chamber (3). may

In this case, the total amount of coolant that the entire cooling device can hold increases, and the frequency of supplying coolant to the cooling device can be further reduced. In addition, the effect of stabilizing the amount of cooling liquid in the accommodation chamber and stabilizing the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling liquid and the heat exchanger can be expected.

Further, the pressure regulator (4) may be configured to pressurize the air in the storage chamber (3) and supply it to the heat exchange chamber (5).

In this case, the refrigerant gas having a high pressure and being easily condensed is supplied to the heat exchange chamber. Therefore, it is possible to promote the condensation of the refrigerant gas in the heat exchange chamber and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

According to the aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device capable of reducing the frequency of replenishment of coolant.

1 is a schematic diagram of a cooling device according to an embodiment; FIG.

Hereinafter, the cooling device of this embodiment will be described based on the drawings.
As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 1 includes a heat exchanger 2, an accommodation chamber 3, a pressure regulator 4, a heat exchange chamber 5, a vortex tube 6, a gas-liquid separation chamber 7, a tank 8, Prepare. The accommodation chamber 3 and the pressure regulator 4 are connected by a first air passage 3a. The pressure regulator 4 and the heat exchange chamber 5 are connected by a second air passage 4a. The heat exchange chamber 5 and the vortex tube 6 are connected by a third air passage 6a.

The vortex tube 6 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 are connected by a fourth air passage 6b. The heat exchange chamber 5 and the tank 8 are connected by a first liquid flow path 5b. The gas-liquid separation chamber 7 and the tank 8 are connected by a second liquid flow path 7c. The tank 8 and the storage chamber 3 are connected by a third liquid flow path 8a. The gas-liquid separation chamber 7 and the storage chamber 3 are connected by a fifth air passage 7b.

The cooling device 1 is configured to cool the heat source H. The heat source H is, for example, a vehicle ECU (Electronic Control Unit). In this case, the cooling device 1 is mounted on the vehicle. However, the heat source H may be a vehicle part other than the ECU. Also, the heat source H does not have to be a part of the vehicle. That is, the cooling device 1 may be used in applications other than vehicles.

The heat exchanger 2 is configured to receive heat from the heat source H and transfer it to the cooling liquid L. The heat exchanger 2 is housed inside the housing chamber 3 . As the coolant L, for example, water can be used, but other liquids may be used. The heat exchanger 2 of this embodiment is a heat sink and has a base 2a and a plurality of fins 2b. The plurality of fins 2b are formed to protrude from the base portion 2a while being spaced apart from each other. As the material for the heat exchanger 2, aluminum is suitable because of its high thermal conductivity. However, the material of the heat exchanger 2 may not be aluminum.

A cooling liquid L is stored in the housing chamber 3 , and at least the base portion 2 a of the heat exchanger 2 is in contact with the cooling liquid L. The heat exchanger 2 is arranged at the bottom of the housing chamber 3 so that the coolant L and the heat exchanger 2 are in contact with each other. Note that a part of the fin 2b (for example, the connection with the base 2a) may be in contact with the cooling liquid L. Although the heat source H and the heat exchanger 2 are in contact with each other in FIG. For example, a TIM (Thermal Interface Material) may be arranged between the heat source H and the heat exchanger 2 .

The housing chamber 3 is provided with an outside air introduction path 3 b for introducing outside air (atmosphere) into the housing chamber 3 . Since the outside air introduction path 3b is provided, it is possible to prevent the storage chamber 3 from becoming extremely depressurized. The interior of the accommodation chamber 3 is at atmospheric pressure in the initial state.
The pressure regulator 4 regulates the pressure of the air in the housing chamber 3 sucked through the first air passage 3a, and supplies the air to the heat exchange chamber 5 through the second air passage 4a. The air in the storage chamber 3 contains the evaporated coolant L (hereinafter referred to as refrigerant gas). When the coolant L is water, the refrigerant gas is water vapor. The pressure regulator 4 of this embodiment is a compressor, and is configured to compress air containing refrigerant gas. When the pressure regulator 4 operates to pressurize the inside of the heat exchange chamber 5, the relationship between the amount of outside air inflow corresponding to the cross-sectional area of the outside air introduction passage 3b and the processing flow rate of the pressure regulator 4 causes the inside of the accommodation chamber 3 to Pressure changes.

The heat exchange chamber 5 is configured to perform heat exchange between the air containing the refrigerant gas pressure-regulated (compressed in this embodiment) by the pressure regulator 4 and the outside air. The heat exchange chamber 5 has a plurality of fins 5a for enhancing heat exchange efficiency. As heat exchange is performed, part of the refrigerant gas in the heat exchange chamber 5 is condensed to become the cooling liquid L, which flows toward the tank 8 through the first liquid flow path 5b. The first liquid flow path 5b is connected to the bottom of the heat exchange chamber 5 so that the condensed cooling liquid L flows by its own weight.

A plurality of walls 5 c are provided inside the heat exchange chamber 5 . The plurality of wall portions 5c are provided so that the flow of air in the heat exchange chamber 5 from the second ventilation path 4a to the third ventilation path 6a meanders. By providing the wall portion 5c in this way, the condensation (condensation) of the refrigerant gas on the surface of the wall portion 5c can be promoted, and the recovery efficiency of the cooling liquid L can be enhanced. The air containing the refrigerant gas remaining without being condensed in the heat exchange chamber 5 goes to the vortex tube 6 through the third air passage 6a.

The vortex tube 6 is configured to separate the air containing the refrigerant gas supplied through the third air passage 6a into cold air and warm air. The hot air is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 6c of the vortex tube 6. The cool air is directed to the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 through the fourth air passage 6b.

A wall portion 7 a is provided in the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 . The wall portion 7a is arranged in the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 between the opening of the fourth air passage 6b and the opening of the fifth air passage 7b. Inside the gas-liquid separation chamber 7, the cold air discharged from the vortex tube 6 hits the wall portion 7a, and part of the refrigerant gas contained in the cold air condenses to form the coolant L. As shown in FIG. The coolant L is directed to the second liquid channel 7c connected to the bottom of the gas-liquid separation chamber 7. As shown in FIG. The cold air remaining without condensation flows into the storage chamber 3 through the fifth air passage 7b.

The tank 8 temporarily stores the cooling liquid L supplied from the heat exchange chamber 5 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 7, and then supplies it to the storage chamber 3 through the third liquid flow path 8a. The tank 8 is provided with an outside air introduction hole 8b. Therefore, the inside of the tank 8 is at atmospheric pressure. Alternatively, the tank 8 and the third liquid flow path 8a may be omitted, and the first liquid flow path 5b and the second liquid flow path 7c may be directly connected to the storage chamber 3.

Next, the operation of the cooling device 1 configured as described above will be described.

The heat exchanger 2 receives heat from the heat source H and becomes hot. Since the coolant L is in contact with the heat exchanger 2, the coolant L that has received heat from the heat exchanger 2 evaporates and becomes refrigerant gas (gas). At this time, since the heat exchanger 2 is provided with the fins 2b, the heat exchange efficiency can be enhanced. The refrigerant gas goes to the pressure regulator 4 through the first air passage 3a. In the pressure regulator 4, the refrigerant gas is pressurized to 0.3-0.7 MPa, for example.

The pressurized refrigerant gas goes to the heat exchange chamber 5 through the second air passage 4a. In the heat exchange chamber 5, part of the refrigerant gas is condensed into the cooling liquid L by exchanging heat with the outside air. At this time, the heat exchange efficiency can be improved by providing the heat exchange chamber 5 with the fins 5a. Moreover, since the refrigerant gas in a pressurized state is likely to condense, the refrigerant gas can be efficiently condensed by arranging the heat exchange chamber 5 downstream of the pressure regulator 4 which is a compressor.

The cooling liquid L condensed in the heat exchange chamber 5 goes to the tank 8 through the first liquid flow path 5b. The compressed refrigerant gas remaining in the heat exchange chamber 5 without being condensed goes to the vortex tube 6 through the third air passage 6a. The compressed refrigerant gas supplied to the vortex tube 6 is separated into warm air discharged from the exhaust port 6c and cold air discharged from the fourth air passage 6b. Since the cold air discharged from the fourth air passage 6b has a low temperature, it is likely to condense (condense). When the cold air flows into the gas-liquid separation chamber 7, the cold air hits the wall portion 7a to cause dew condensation, and the cooling liquid L is obtained. The cooling liquid L goes to the tank 8 through the second liquid flow path 7c.

Refrigerant gas remaining without condensation in the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 flows into the storage chamber 3 through the fifth air passage 7b. Since the refrigerant gas flowing into the storage chamber 3 from the fifth air passage 7b has a low temperature, the temperature inside the storage chamber 3 can be lowered. Thereby, the heat source H can be effectively cooled via the fins 2b.

The coolant L that has flowed into the tank 8 from the first liquid flow path 5b and the second liquid flow path 7c is stored in the tank 8 once. As the coolant L in the storage chamber 3 evaporates, the coolant L in the tank 8 is sequentially supplied to the storage chamber 3 through the third liquid flow path 8a.
With such a cycle, the cooling device 1 can cool the heat source H continuously.

As described above, the cooling device 1 of this embodiment includes the heat exchanger 2 that receives heat from the heat source H, the storage chamber 3 that stores the heat exchanger 2 in contact with the coolant L, and the storage chamber 3 , a pressure regulator 4 that sucks air in the storage chamber 3 to adjust the pressure, a heat exchange chamber 5 that communicates with the pressure regulator 4, a vortex tube 6 that communicates with the heat exchange chamber 5, and a vortex tube 6. and a gas-liquid separation chamber 7 positioned between the chamber 3 and into which cool air discharged from the vortex tube 6 flows.

According to this configuration, the refrigerant gas containing moisture that has not been completely removed in the heat exchange chamber 5 can be separated into warm air and cold air by the vortex tube 6, and then the cold air can flow into the gas-liquid separation chamber 7. can. The cold air flowing into the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 has a low temperature and is in a state of being prone to condensation (condensation). Therefore, dew condensation is caused in the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 , and the cooling liquid L can be recovered and returned to the storage chamber 3 . The coolant L returned to the storage chamber 3 is used again for heat exchange by the heat exchanger 2 . By returning the recovered coolant L to the housing chamber 3 for reuse in this way, it is possible to reduce the frequency of replenishment of the coolant L to the cooling device 1 . In addition, since the cold air flowing into the storage chamber 3 through the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 has a low temperature, the heat exchanger 2 inside the storage chamber 3 can be effectively cooled. Therefore, the effect of improving the cooling efficiency of the heat source H can also be expected.

The cooling device 1 of this embodiment further includes a tank 8 that collects the cooling liquid L from the heat exchange chamber 5 and the gas-liquid separation chamber 7 and supplies the cooling liquid L to the storage chamber 3 . With this configuration, the total amount of coolant L that can be held by the entire cooling device 1 is increased, and the frequency of replenishment of the coolant L to the cooling device 1 can be further reduced. Further, the effect of stabilizing the amount of the cooling liquid L in the storage chamber 3 and stabilizing the heat exchange efficiency between the cooling liquid L and the heat exchanger 2 can be expected.

Moreover, the pressure regulator 4 of the present embodiment is a compressor, and is configured to pressurize the air in the housing chamber 3 and supply it to the heat exchange chamber 5 . According to this configuration, the refrigerant gas having a high pressure and being easily condensed is supplied to the heat exchange chamber 5 . Therefore, it is possible to promote condensation of the refrigerant gas in the heat exchange chamber 5 and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiments, regulator 4 was a compressor. However, the pressure regulator 4 may be configured to reduce the pressure of the refrigerant gas in the storage chamber 3 and supply it to the heat exchange chamber 5 . In this case, it is preferable to reduce the diameter of the outside air introduction passage 3b so that the inside of the housing chamber 3 is also decompressed as the pressure regulator 4 operates. When the interior of the storage chamber 3 is decompressed, the cooling liquid L in the storage chamber 3 tends to evaporate. Therefore, it is possible to promote the evaporation of the coolant L on the surface of the heat exchanger 2 and improve the heat exchange efficiency.

In addition, it is possible to appropriately replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and modifications may be combined as appropriate.

1 Cooling Device 2 Heat Exchanger 3 Storage Chamber 4 Pressure Regulator 5 Heat Exchange Chamber 6 Vortex Tube 7 Gas-Liquid Separation Chamber 8 Tank H Heat Source

Claims (3)

a heat exchanger (2) receiving heat from a heat source (H);
a housing chamber (3) housing the heat exchanger (2) in contact with the cooling liquid;
a pressure regulator (4) that communicates with the storage chamber (3) and adjusts the pressure by sucking the air in the storage chamber (3);
a heat exchange chamber (5) in communication with the pressure regulator (4);
a vortex tube (6) communicating with the heat exchange chamber (5);
A cooling device comprising a gas-liquid separation chamber (7) located between the vortex tube (6) and the storage chamber (3), into which cool air discharged from the vortex tube (6) flows. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, further comprising a tank (8) for collecting the cooling liquid from the heat exchange chamber (5) and the gas-liquid separation chamber (7) and supplying it to the storage chamber (3). 3. Cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pressure regulator (4) is configured to pressurize the air in the accommodation chamber (3) and supply it to the heat exchange chamber (5).

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