JP7471081B2 - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a heat exchanger manufactured using a laminate material such as a laminate sheet in which a resin heat-sealing layer is laminated to a metal heat-transfer layer, and to the outer laminate material of the heat exchanger.

As electronic devices such as smartphones and personal computers become smaller and more powerful, measures to prevent heat generation around the CPU of the electronic device have become important. Some models incorporate water-cooled coolers and heat pipes to reduce the thermal load on electronic components such as the CPU and prevent heat from building up inside the housing, and technologies have been proposed to avoid the adverse effects of heat.

In addition, the battery modules installed in electric and hybrid vehicles generate a lot of heat in the battery packs due to repeated charging and discharging. For this reason, technology has been proposed to incorporate water-cooled coolers and heat pipes into battery modules, just like the electronic devices mentioned above, to avoid the adverse effects of heat.

In addition, measures such as installing cooling plates or heat sinks have been proposed to prevent heat generation in power modules made of silicon carbide (SiC) and other materials.

However, electronic devices such as the above-mentioned smartphones and personal computers have thin housings, and many electronic components and coolers are installed in the limited space inside the thin housing, so the coolers themselves are also thin.

Conventionally, thin coolers such as heat pipes incorporated into small electronic devices are generally manufactured by joining multiple metal parts obtained by processing metals with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum by brazing or diffusion bonding (Patent Documents 1 to 3, etc.).

JP 2015-59693 A JP 2015-141002 A JP 2016-189415 A

However, in the conventional small electronic device coolers described above, each component part is manufactured by metal processing (machining), such as plastic processing, such as casting or forging, or removal processing, such as cutting. This type of metal processing is tedious and has strict restrictions, so there is a limit to how thin the device can be made, and there is an issue that it is difficult to make the device thinner than it currently is.

In addition, conventional coolers for small electronic devices require difficult metalworking (metal-to-metal joining) such as brazing or diffusion bonding to join the various components, making them difficult to manufacture and reducing production efficiency and increasing costs.

Furthermore, conventional coolers are manufactured using restrictive metal processing techniques, which means that their shape and size cannot be easily altered, resulting in limited freedom in design and a lack of versatility.

This invention was made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a heat exchanger and its outer laminate material that can be made sufficiently thin, has a high degree of design freedom and is highly versatile, and can be manufactured efficiently and easily, thereby reducing costs.

To solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following:

[1] A heat exchanger comprising an outer envelope having an inlet and an outlet, and an inner fin provided within the outer envelope and having an uneven portion, wherein a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet passes through an inner fin installation portion within the outer envelope and flows out from the outlet,
The outer envelope is made of an outer envelope laminate material having a resin heat-sealing layer on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer and a resin protective layer on the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer,
A heat exchanger comprising: an outer surface of the outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer.

[2] A flow path forming sheet having a hollow heat exchange flow path through which a heat exchange medium flows and functioning as a spacer in the thickness direction;
Covering sheets on both sides are joined and integrated to both sides of the flow passage forming sheet, respectively;
an inlet/outlet for allowing a heat exchange medium to flow in and out of the heat exchange flow path;
The covering sheet is constituted by an outer lamination material having a resin heat fusion layer provided on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer and a resin protective layer provided on the outer surface side,
A heat exchanger comprising: an outer surface of the outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer.

[3] A heat exchanger according to paragraphs 1 or 2 above, in which the hydrophilic layer has a contact angle with pure water of 40° or less.

[4] A heat exchanger according to any one of the preceding paragraphs 1 to 3, in which the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is constituted by a hydrophilic layer provided on the protective layer.

[5] The heat exchanger according to the preceding paragraph 4, in which the hydrophilic layer contains an organic polymer having a hydrophilic group at the end group of the main chain or side chain.

[6] A heat exchanger according to any one of the preceding paragraphs 1 to 3, in which the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is constituted by the protective layer containing hydrophilic fine particles.

[7] A heat exchanger according to any one of the preceding paragraphs 1 to 3, in which the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is constituted by the protective layer containing a hydrophilic additive.

[8] The heat exchanger described in the preceding paragraph 1, in which the outer envelope is formed by bonding and integrating the outer peripheral edges of two sheets of the outer envelope laminate material that are stacked with the inner fin interposed therebetween.

[9] The heat exchanger according to paragraph 1, wherein the outer envelope includes a tray member provided in the middle region and having a recess in which the inner fin is housed, and a cover member that closes the opening of the recess in the tray member.

[10] An outer envelope laminate material for forming an outer envelope in a heat exchanger, comprising an outer envelope having an inlet and an outlet, and an inner fin provided within the outer envelope and having an uneven portion, such that a heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet passes through an inner fin installation portion within the outer envelope and flows out from the outlet,
A metal heat transfer layer;
A resin heat fusion layer provided on the inner surface side of the heat transfer layer;
A resin protective layer is provided on the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer,
1. An outer laminate material for a heat exchanger, comprising: an outer surface of said outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer.

[11] An outer laminate material for forming the covering sheet in a heat exchanger, the outer laminate material comprising a flow path forming sheet having a hollow heat exchange flow path through which a heat exchange medium flows and a function as a spacer in the thickness direction, covering sheets on both sides of the flow path forming sheet, respectively joined and integrated with both sides of the flow path forming sheet, and an inlet/outlet for allowing the heat exchange medium to flow in and out of the heat exchange flow path,
A metal heat transfer layer;
A resin heat fusion layer provided on the inner surface side of the heat transfer layer;
A resin protective layer is provided on the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer,
1. An outer laminate material for a heat exchanger, comprising: an outer surface of said outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer.

According to the heat exchangers of inventions [1] to [3], since a hydrophilic layer is provided on the outer surface of the outer laminate material, when the heat exchanger is used as a cooler for a heat exchange target component such as a battery, the generation of water droplets due to condensation on the outer surface can be suppressed, and adverse effects caused by dripping due to water droplets can be suppressed, and stable cooling performance can be obtained over the long term. In addition, since the heat exchanger of the present invention is manufactured by heat fusing the laminate material, there is no need to use troublesome metal processing, and it can be manufactured efficiently and simply, reducing costs and achieving a sufficiently thin shape. Furthermore, in the heat exchanger of the present invention, the shape and size of the laminate material can be easily changed, increasing the degree of freedom in design and improving versatility.

The heat exchangers of inventions [4] to [9] can achieve the above effects even more reliably.

The outer laminate material of the heat exchanger of inventions [10] and [11] has a hydrophilic layer on the outer surface, so by using this outer laminate material to manufacture a heat exchanger, it is possible to reliably manufacture a heat exchanger that has the same effect as the heat exchanger of the above invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1(a) is a plan view, FIG. 1(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross section taken along line B-B in FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1(c) is a front cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross section taken along line C-C in FIG. 1(a). FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view for explaining an example of an outer envelope laminate material for an outer envelope used in the heat exchanger of the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view for explaining another example of an outer envelope laminate material for an outer envelope used in the heat exchanger of the first embodiment. FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view for explaining an inner core laminate material for an inner fin employed in the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows a heat exchanger of the second embodiment, where FIG. 4(a) is a plan view and FIG. 4(b) is a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the cross section taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a heat exchange panel as a heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a heat exchange panel according to the third embodiment. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a state in which a joint pipe is attached to a heat exchange panel of the third embodiment.

First Embodiment
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a heat exchanger according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the vertical direction in Fig. 1(a) will be referred to as the "front-rear direction", and the vertical direction in Fig. 1(c) will be referred to as the "vertical direction (thickness direction)".

As shown in FIG. 1, the heat exchanger of the first embodiment is used as a heat transfer panel or a heat transfer tube, and includes a bag-shaped outer envelope 1 as a casing (container) and an inner fin (inner core material) 2 housed inside the outer envelope 1, with inlets 16, 16 provided at the front and rear ends of the outer envelope 1.

The outer envelope 1 is made of an outer envelope laminate material L1, which is a laminate sheet that has flexibility and suppleness.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the outer laminate material L1 includes a heat transfer layer 51 made of metal (metal foil), a heat fusion layer 52 made of a heat fusion resin film or a heat fusion resin sheet laminated on one side (inner surface) of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, a protective layer (heat resistant layer) 53 made of a heat resistant resin film or a heat resistant resin sheet laminated on the other side (outer surface) of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a hydrophilic layer 54 laminated on the outer surface of the protective layer 53.

In this embodiment, the term "foil" is used to include films, thin plates, and sheets.

In this embodiment, the outer envelope 1 is formed into a bag shape by stacking two rectangular outer envelope laminate materials L1, L1 one on top of the other, and bonding the heat-sealing layers 52 at the outer periphery together by thermal adhesion (thermal fusion), as described below.

In addition, joint pipes 33, 33 are provided at the inlets 16, 16 of the outer envelope 1. In this embodiment, the joint pipes 33, 33 are made of, for example, a single piece of synthetic resin, and at least the resin on the surface is configured as a heat-sealing layer.

The joint pipes 33, 33 are arranged so as to be sandwiched between the front and rear ends of the two outer laminate materials L1 that constitute the outer envelope 1, and the outer peripheral surface (thermal fusion layer) of each joint pipe 33, 33 is joined and integrated by thermal fusion to the thermal fusion layer 52 of the corresponding outer laminate material L1. As a result, the joint pipes 33, 33 are fixed to the outer envelope 1 in a state in which they penetrate the front and rear ends of the outer envelope 1 at the positions of the inlets 16, 16 of the outer envelope 1. In this state, the entire outer peripheral surface of the joint pipes 33, 33 and the thermal fusion layer 52 of the outer laminate material L1 are sealed by thermal fusion. Furthermore, one end of each joint pipe 33, 33 is arranged outside the outer envelope 1, and the other end is arranged inside the outer envelope 1, so that a heat exchange medium such as a refrigerant can be introduced into the inside of the outer envelope 1 through one joint pipe 33, and the heat exchange medium inside the outer envelope 1 can be discharged to the outside through the other joint pipe 33.

In this embodiment, one of the pair of entrances 16, 16 is configured as an entrance, and the other entrance 16 is configured as an exit.

As the heat transfer layer 51 in the outer laminate material L1, copper foil, aluminum foil, stainless steel foil, nickel foil, nickel-plated copper foil, clad metal made of nickel and copper foil, etc. can be suitably used. In this embodiment, the terms "copper," "aluminum," "nickel," and "titanium" are used to include their alloys.

The heat transfer layer 51 is also called a heat collection layer, and is preferably 8 μm to 300 μm thick, more preferably 100 μm or less.

In addition, by subjecting the heat transfer layer 51 to a surface treatment such as chemical conversion treatment, the durability of the heat transfer layer 51 can be further improved, such as by preventing corrosion of the heat transfer layer 51 and improving adhesion to the resin.

For example, the chemical conversion treatment is carried out as follows. That is, the surface of the metal foil that has been degreased is coated with an aqueous solution of any one of the following solutions 1) to 3), and then dried to carry out the chemical conversion treatment.

1) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, chromic acid, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of metal salts of fluorides and non-metal salts of fluorides.

2) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, at least one resin selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins, chitosan derivative resins, and phenolic resins, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of chromic acid and chromium (III) salts.

3) An aqueous solution of a mixture containing phosphoric acid, at least one resin selected from the group consisting of acrylic resins, chitosan derivative resins, and phenolic resins, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of chromate and chromium (III) salts, and at least one compound selected from the group consisting of metal salts of fluorides and nonmetal salts of fluorides.

The chemical conversion coating preferably has a chromium coating amount (per side) of 0.1 mg/m ² to 50 mg/m ² , and even more preferably 2 mg/m ² to 20 mg/m ² .

As the heat-sealing layer 52, a film or sheet made of a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene, or a modified resin thereof, a fluorine-based resin, a polyester resin, a vinyl chloride resin, or the like can be suitably used. Among these, it is particularly preferable to use a film or sheet made of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE).

The thermal adhesive layer 52 should preferably have a thickness of 20 μm to 5000 μm, and more preferably 20 μm to 1000 μm.

The protective layer 53 can be preferably a film or sheet made of heat-resistant resin such as polyester resin (PET) or polyamide resin (ONY).

Furthermore, the protective layer 53 should preferably have a thickness of 6 μm to 100 μm, and more preferably 6 μm to 80 μm.

As an adhesive for bonding the heat transfer layer 51, heat fusion layer 52, and protective layer 53 that constitute the outer laminate material L1, a two-component curing urethane adhesive, an olefin adhesive, or the like can be suitably used. The thickness of the adhesive is preferably set to 1 μm to 10 μm, and more preferably set to 2 μm to 7 μm.

The hydrophilic layer 54 is formed, for example, by applying a hydrophilic coating agent to the protective layer 53. The hydrophilic coating agent orients hydrophilic groups (hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, amino groups, sulfonic acid groups, etc.) on the outermost surface of the coating layer, increasing the affinity with water and allowing a thin water film to be formed uniformly.

The hydrophilic coating agent includes an organic polymer that has at least one hydrophilic group, such as a hydroxyl group, a carboxyl group, an amino group, or a sulfonic acid group, at the end group of the main chain or side chain, and includes the following mixtures in which the organic polymer is mixed with a component that can be combined with the polymer.

- A mixture of the above-mentioned hydrophilic organic polymer and a low molecular weight organic compound - A mixture of the above-mentioned hydrophilic organic polymer, a low molecular weight organic compound, and an alkali silicate - A mixture of the above-mentioned hydrophilic organic polymer, a low molecular weight organic compound, and an organosilicon compound It is preferable to dry the above-mentioned hydrophilic coating agent at a temperature of 200°C or less for a short period of time of several seconds to several tens of seconds.

The following (1) to (3) show examples of hydrophilic layers 54 made from hydrophilic coating agents.

(1) Coating agent made of alkali silicate and organic compound A hydrophilic coating agent consisting of an alkali silicate with _SiO2 / _M2O (M: lithium, sodium, potassium, etc.) = 2 to 5, an acrylic acid-acrylamide copolymer with an acrylamide content of 40% to 80%, a low molecular weight organic compound with a carbonyl group (aldehydes, etc.), and a silane coupling agent.

The coating agent is applied to the resin surface by gravure coating and dried (150° C. to 180° C.×30 to 60 seconds, coating amount 0.5 g/m ² to 3.0 g/m ² ), thereby obtaining a hydrophilic layer 54 with good hydrophilicity.

(2) Coating agent made of hydrophilic polymer and low molecular weight organic compound having carbonyl group. Hydrophilic coating agent in which hydrophilic polymer (acrylic acid-acrylamide copolymer, etc.): crosslinking agent made of low molecular weight organic compound having carbonyl group is mixed in a ratio of 1:0.5-2 (by weight).

The coating agent is applied to the resin surface by gravure coating and dried (150° C. to 180° C.×30 to 60 seconds, coating amount 0.5 g/m ² to 3.0 g/m ² ), thereby obtaining a hydrophilic layer 54 with good hydrophilicity.

(3) Coating agent with colloidal silica added to hydrophilic polymer A coating agent in which a hydrophilic polymer (acrylic acid-acrylamide copolymer) and a crosslinking agent (a low molecular weight organic compound having a carbonyl group) are mixed in a ratio of 1:0.6, and a colloidal solution (product name "organosilica sol") in which nano-level colloidal silica is stably dispersed in an organic solvent is added to the above mixture.

The hydrophilic layer 54 is obtained by applying and drying this coating agent to the resin surface.

On the other hand, in this embodiment, a hydrophilic protective layer 55 that serves as both a protective layer and a hydrophilic layer can be formed on the outer surface of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the hydrophilic protective layer 55 can be formed on the outer surface of the heat transfer layer 51 by a method such as adding hydrophilic particles or additives to the resin that constitutes the protective layer.

Hydrophilic particles that can be used for hydrophilic treatment include oxide-based particles (beryllium oxide, calcium silicate, silica, alumina, calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, magnesium oxide, magnesium carbonate, barium sulfate, talc, mica, etc.), nitride-based particles (boron nitride, aluminum nitride, etc.), carbide-based particles (silicon carbide, etc.), and hydroxide-based particles (aluminum hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, etc.).

The fine particles to be added to the resin for the protective layer are preferably capable of being hydrophilized and have good thermal conductivity, and inorganic fine particles are more preferable than organic fine particles.

Furthermore, taking into consideration the average particle size and track record as an anti-blocking agent for resin films, it is preferable to use alumina, silica, calcium carbonate, talc, etc. after hydrophilization.

When hydrophilic particles are added to the resin for the protective layer, it is preferable to use hydrophilic particles that have a thermal conductivity (0.5 W/m·k or more) greater than that of the resin for the protective layer (PET: 0.16 W/m·k, ONY: 0.4 W/m·k).

The thermal conductivity of hydrophilic fine particles is 30 W/m·k for Al ₂ O ₃ , 10 W/m·k for SiO ₂ , 1 to 2 W/m·k for talc, and 0.5 to 1 W/m·k for CaCO ₃ .

The hydrophilic fine particles added to the resin for the protective layer can have an average particle diameter smaller than the thickness of the protective layer 55, but if a resin film is used as the hydrophilic protective layer 55, it is preferable that the hydrophilic fine particles added have an average particle diameter of 10 μm or less.

_{Al2O3 has} an average particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm, _SiO2 has an average particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm, talc has an average particle size of 3 μm to 5 μm, and _CaCO3 has an average particle size of 1 μm to 5 μm.

The amount of hydrophilic microparticles added to the resin for the protective layer should be set at 0.05 wt% to 5 wt%, and more preferably at 0.1 wt% to 3 wt%. In other words, if too much microparticles are added, fish eyes are more likely to occur, which can have a negative effect on the appearance of the protective layer. If too little is added, it may be difficult to achieve sufficient hydrophilicity.

To make hydrophilic particles (inorganic particles) hydrophilic, surface treatment using a silane coupling agent or a titanium coupling agent can be applied, and both wet and dry treatment methods can be used.

In this embodiment, examples of hydrophilization treatment of inorganic fine particles using wet treatment, which is advantageous in terms of uniform treatment, are shown below in (1) and (2).

(1) Alumina (average particle size 1 μm to 5 μm) was added to a 50 wt % aqueous solution of a titanium coupling agent (product name "Orgatix TC-510"), and the solution was placed in a stirrer and stirred. The alumina was recovered from this solution using a centrifuge, and after drying at 100°C, hydrophilic alumina was produced.

(2) Ethanol was added to silica (average particle size 1 μm to 5 μm), and the mixture was placed in a stirrer and stirred. Furthermore, 2 wt% of methoxysilane (product name "KP-913") was added and stirred. Silica was recovered from this solution by filtration, and after drying at 100°C, hydrophilic silica was produced.

Next, the method for adding and dispersing the hydrophilically treated particles into the resin for the protective layer is shown below.

The hydrophilic microparticles are first mixed with a polymer such as plastic or resin, and pellets are made by kneading the resin and microparticles together. These pellets are then used to form a resin film, which results in a film with better dispersion of the microparticles.

The process for making pellets is generally called kneading or compounding, and the following three methods (1) to (3) are commonly used for this kneading method.

(1) Method using rolls This is one of the methods commonly used for rubber, in which the rubber is crushed into a sheet between two rotating rolls while additives are added and kneaded into the material.

(2) Method using a kneader This method is used for rubber, as well as for resins such as PP and PVC, in which additives and base materials are kneaded using a pressure kneader, the melted candy-like substance is taken out, and this is then made into pellets using an extruder. The pellets thus formed contain the additives and resin mixed together.

(3) Method using an extruder This method uses a dedicated continuous mixer, mixes the resin material and additives and feeds them from a hopper, and the long, thin, candy-like material that comes out of the end of the machine is cut into pellets. The hopper that serves as the feed port may be separate for the additives side and the resin side. This method is often used in situations where mass production is a given.

In this embodiment, it is also possible to form a hydrophilic protective layer 55 by adding a hydrophilic additive to the resin for the protective layer.

Hydrophilic additives that can be added to the resin for the protective layer include nonionic surfactants, anionic surfactants, and cationic surfactants. When these surfactants are kneaded into the resin and a film is formed, the hydrophilic groups of the surfactant are oriented outward toward the air, and the lipophilic groups are oriented inward, forming a continuous film. These hydrophilic groups positioned on the outside absorb moisture in the air, exerting hydrophilic and antistatic effects.

The order of hydrophilicity and antistatic effects is cationic > amphoteric > anionic > nonionic, so cationic surfactants are preferred for hydrophilizing the resin surface.

However, while the use of surfactants to impart hydrophilicity to resin films (protective layers) is widely used due to its advantages of being inexpensive and simple, the surfactants that bleed out onto the film surface can cause the imparted hydrophilicity and antistatic effect to disappear due to repeated friction or washing with water, etc.

In order to address the above drawbacks, it is preferable to use a polymeric surfactant. Examples of polymeric surfactants include nonionic surfactants having polyethylene oxide chains (polyether ester amide type, ethylene oxide-epichlorohydrin type, polyether ester type), polystyrene sulfonate type anionic surfactants, and quaternary ammonium base-containing acrylate polymer type cationic surfactants. By using this polymeric surfactant and kneading it into the resin for the protective layer to form a film, the hydrophilicity of the resin surface can be maintained for a long period of time.

The amount of polymeric surfactant added to the resin for the protective layer is preferably set to 0.1 wt% to 10 wt%, and more preferably 0.5 wt% to 5 wt%.

The hydrophilic layer 54 and hydrophilic protective layer 55 on the outer surface of the outer envelope of this embodiment configured as described above are preferably those that have a contact angle (wettability) of 40° or less with pure water obtained by the sessile drop method based on JIS R 3257 (1999).

In this embodiment, the hydrophilic layer 54 (see FIG. 2A) or the hydrophilic protective layer 55 (see FIG. 2B) is configured as a layer having hydrophilic properties.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the inner fin 2 housed inside the outer envelope 1 is made of an inner core laminate material L2, which is a laminate sheet having flexibility or suppleness.

As shown in FIG. 2C, the inner core laminate material L2 includes a heat transfer layer 61 made of metal foil and heat-sealing layers 62, 62 made of a resin film or resin sheet laminated on both sides of the heat transfer layer 61 with an adhesive.

The heat transfer layer 61 and heat fusion layer 62 in the inner core laminate material L2 can be preferably configured similarly to the heat transfer layer 51 and heat fusion layer 52 in the outer laminate material L1.

Furthermore, as an adhesive for bonding between the heat transfer layer 61 and the heat fusion layers 62 on both sides that constitute the inner core laminate material L2, an adhesive having a similar configuration to the adhesive provided between the layers 51 to 53 of the outer laminate material L1 can be suitably used.

The inner fin 2 can be processed by cutting, injection molding, sheet molding (vacuum forming, compressed air forming, etc.), corrugating, or embossing. Needless to say, the processing method of the inner fin 2 is not limited.

The inner fin 2 is formed into a typical wave shape (sine wave shape) in which arc-shaped recesses 25 and protrusions 26 are alternately and continuously formed, a so-called analog signal waveform.

In this embodiment, it is preferable to set the fin height of the inner fin 2 to 0.1 mm to 50 mm.

The joint pipe 33 is made of the same type of resin as the heat-sealing layers 52, 62 of the outer laminate material L1 and the inner core laminate material L2, i.e., polyolefin resins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, or modified resins thereof, fluororesin, polyester resin, polyvinyl chloride resin, etc. In this embodiment, the joint pipe 33 can be formed, for example, by injection molding, etc.

The manufacturing procedure for the heat exchanger of this first embodiment is not particularly limited, but for example, an inner fin 2 is installed in the middle region of one (lower) outer laminate material L1, and joint pipes 33, 33 are installed at the front and rear edges of the outer periphery of the outer laminate material L1.

Then, the other (upper) outer laminate material L1 is placed on the lower outer laminate material L1 so as to cover the inner fin 2 and the joint pipes 33, 33. In this way, the heat-sealed layers 52 at the outer peripheral edges of the upper and lower outer laminate materials L1 are overlapped, and the overlapped portion is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of heat seal dies, and the heat-sealed layers 52 at the overlapped portion are heat-sealed to be joined together (outer envelope fusion process). Note that the joint pipes 33, 33 are joined together by heat-sealing the outer peripheral surfaces of the joint pipes 33, 33 to the heat-sealed layers 52 at the outer peripheral edges of the upper and lower outer laminate materials L1.

Furthermore, the intermediate region (fin installation position) of the pair of outer envelope laminate materials L1, L1 of the outer envelope 1 is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower heating plates. As a result, the heat-sealed layers 62 at the peaks and valley bottoms of the inner fin 2 are bonded and integrated with the heat-sealed layers 52 of the pair of laminate materials L1 by heat fusion (fin fusion process).

In this manner, the heat exchanger of this embodiment is manufactured. Note that in this embodiment, the outer envelope fusing process and the fin fusing process may be performed separately or simultaneously.

In the fusion process (welding process), the welding temperature is preferably set to 140°C to 250°C, and more preferably to 160°C to 200°C. Furthermore, the welding pressure is preferably set to 0.1 MPa to 0.5 MPa, and more preferably to 0.15 MPa to 0.4 MPa. Furthermore, the welding time is preferably set to 2 seconds to 10 seconds, and more preferably to 3 seconds to 7 seconds.

In this embodiment of the heat exchanger, a heat exchange medium such as a cooling liquid is introduced into the envelope 1 through one joint pipe 33 and then discharged from the other joint pipe 33, thereby circulating the cooling liquid within the envelope 1 and exchanging heat between the circulating cooling liquid and the heat exchange target material that is in contact with the outer surface of the envelope 1, thereby cooling the heat exchange target material.

The heat exchanger of this embodiment is not particularly limited in the manner of use, and may be used alone or in combination of two or more. When using one, as described above, the heat exchanger is used by contacting the upper and lower surfaces of the heat exchanger with the heat exchange target material. When using two, for example, the two heat exchangers may be arranged to sandwich the heat exchange target material. Furthermore, when using two or more, the heat exchangers and the heat exchange target material may be arranged to overlap each other.

The inner fins 2 are arranged so that the ridge and valley directions are aligned with the front-rear direction of the tray member 10. As a result, the tunnels and grooves formed by the ridges and valleys of the inner fins 2 are configured as heat exchange flow paths. These heat exchange flow paths are arranged along the front-rear direction of the outer envelope 1, and multiple paths are arranged in parallel in the width direction (left-right direction), so that the heat exchange medium (heat medium) can flow smoothly from one end of the outer envelope 1 to the other end in the front-rear direction while being evenly distributed through each heat exchange flow path.

As described above, according to the heat exchanger of the first embodiment, the hydrophilic layer 54 or hydrophilic protective layer 55 is provided on the outer surface of the outer envelope 1, so that when used as a cooler for a heat exchange target component such as a battery, the generation of water droplets due to condensation on the outer surface of the outer envelope 1 can be suppressed, and adverse effects caused by dripping of water droplets can be suppressed. For example, short circuits due to dripping of condensed water at the terminals of a battery or the like can be prevented, and stable cooling performance can be obtained over the long term while preventing damage to the battery.

In addition, according to the heat exchanger of this embodiment, the components of the outer envelope 1, inner fins 2, and header 3 are made from synthetic resin, so they can be easily manufactured by simply heat fusing the components together as appropriate. Therefore, the heat exchanger of this embodiment can reduce costs and improve productivity compared to conventional metal heat exchangers that are manufactured using difficult and tedious joining processes such as brazing.

Furthermore, the heat exchanger of this embodiment can further improve production efficiency and reduce costs, unlike those that use tedious and restrictive metal processing such as metal plastic processing and cutting.

In addition, the heat exchanger of this embodiment is formed by bonding together thin laminate material L1, so it can be reliably made sufficiently thin and lightweight.

In addition, according to the heat exchanger of this embodiment, the inner fins 2 are arranged inside the outer envelope 1, and a space for refrigerant circulation (heat exchange flow path) is secured inside the outer envelope 1, so that high strength can be secured against both internal and external pressure, and operational reliability can be improved.

Furthermore, in the heat exchanger of this embodiment, since the outer casing 1 is made of laminate material L1, the shape and size of the heat exchanger itself can be easily changed, and as mentioned above, the thickness, strength, heat exchange performance, etc. can also be easily changed, so that the heat exchanger can be easily finished into an appropriate configuration according to the installation position, etc., which increases the freedom of design and improves versatility.

Second Embodiment
3 to 5 are diagrams showing a heat exchanger according to a second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in these figures, the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment includes an outer envelope 1 as a casing (container), an inner fin (inner core material) 2 housed inside the outer envelope 1, and a pair (on both sides) of headers (joint members) 3, 3 housed within both ends of the outer envelope 1.

The outer packaging body 1 is composed of a tray member 10 that is rectangular in plan view and a cover member 15 that is rectangular in plan view.

The tray member 10 is made of a molded product of the outer laminate material L1, and the entire middle region except for the outer periphery is recessed downward using a cold forming method such as deep drawing or extrusion molding to form a recess 11 that is rectangular in plan view, and a flange portion 12 that protrudes outward is integrally formed on the outer periphery of the opening edge of the recess 11.

The cover member 15 also has a pair of openings 16, 16 formed in correspondence with the front and rear ends of the recessed portion 11 in the tray member 10. Needless to say, in this embodiment, one of the pair of openings 16 is configured as an entrance, and the other opening 16 is configured as an exit.

The tray member 10 and the cover member 15 are made of the same outer laminate material L1 as in the first embodiment.

Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the inner fin 2 housed in the hollow portion (recessed portion) 11 of the outer envelope 1 is made of the same inner core laminate material L2 as in the first embodiment described above, and has the same shape.

The inner fin 2 is accommodated in the recess 11 of the tray member 10. In this case, the inner fin 2 is accommodated in the middle part of the recess 11 of the tray member 10, excluding both front and rear ends. Furthermore, the inner fin 2 is arranged so that its ridge and valley directions coincide with the front-rear direction of the tray member 10 (left-right direction in FIG. 5). As a result, the tunnel and groove parts formed by the ridge and valley parts of the inner fin 2 are configured as heat exchange channels. These heat exchange channels are arranged along the front-rear direction of the tray member 10, and multiple channels are arranged in parallel in the width direction (left-right direction), so that the heat exchange medium (heat medium) can flow smoothly from one end side to the other end side in the front-rear direction of the outer envelope 1 while being evenly distributed through each heat exchange channel.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a pair of headers 3, 3 arranged at both ends of the outer envelope 1 are made of molded synthetic resin.

The resin used to make up the header 3 is the same type of resin as that used to make up the joint pipe 33 in the first embodiment.

The header 3 comprises a box-shaped mounting box 31 having an opening 32 on one side, and a pipe section 33 provided on the upper wall of the mounting box 31. The pipe section 33 is connected to the inside of the mounting box 31, and is configured so that a heat exchange medium can pass between the inside of the pipe section 33 and the inside of the mounting box 31.

The mounting box portion 31 of the header 3 is disposed on both sides of the inner fin 2 in the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10. Furthermore, the pipe portion 33 of the header 3 is disposed facing upward, and the opening portion 32 of the mounting box portion 31 is disposed facing inward, i.e., facing the inner fin 2.

In this way, the headers 3, 3 are housed in the tray member 10, and the cover member 15 is placed on the tray member 10 so as to close its opening. In this case, the upward pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 are inserted and placed inside the entrance/exit 16 of the cover member 15.

The heat exchanger thus provisionally assembled is heated in the same manner as in the above embodiment, whereby the contacting parts are thermally fused together to form an integrated unit.

That is, the overlapping portion of the flange portion 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover member 15 in the outer envelope 1 is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower heat seal dies (outer envelope fusion process). This causes the heat fusion layers 52 of the flange portion 12 of the tray member 10 and the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover member 15 to be heat fused (thermally bonded) together, sealing the hollow portion of the outer envelope 1 in an airtight or liquid-tight state.

Next, the middle region (lower wall 111 and upper wall 151) of the outer casing 1 with its outer periphery heat-sealed is heated while being sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower heating plates. As a result, the heat-sealed layers 62 at the peaks and valleys of the inner fin 2 and the heat-sealed layers 52 at the bottom wall 111 of the tray member 10 and the middle region (upper wall) 151 of the cover member 15 are bonded together by heat adhesion (thermal fusion) to form a liquid-tight or airtight seal (fin fusion process). Furthermore, in this fin fusion process, the outer periphery of the mounting box portions 31, 31 of the headers 3, 3 and the heat-sealed layers 52 of the corresponding tray member 10 and cover member 15 are bonded together by heat adhesion (thermal adhesion) to form a liquid-tight or airtight seal.

In this embodiment, the outer envelope fusing process and the fin fusing process may be performed separately or simultaneously.

The heat exchanger thus assembled is positioned so that the pipe sections 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 protrude upward from the upper walls (cover members 15) at both ends of the outer envelope 1.

In the heat exchanger of this second embodiment, the same outer laminate material L1 as in the first embodiment is used as the outer laminate material L1 constituting the outer envelope 1, and a hydrophilic layer 53 (see FIG. 2A) or a hydrophilic protective layer (see FIG. 2B) is provided on the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer 51 in the outer laminate material L1.

In the heat exchanger of the second embodiment, a heat exchange medium such as a cooling liquid is introduced into the outer envelope 1 from the pipe section 33 of one header 3, passed through the inner fin 2, and then introduced into the outer envelope 1 from the pipe section 33 of the other header 3, thereby circulating the cooling liquid within the outer envelope 1 and exchanging heat between the circulating cooling liquid and the heat exchange target material that is in contact with the outer surface of the outer envelope 1, thereby cooling the heat exchange target material.

The other configurations of the heat exchanger of this second embodiment are substantially similar to those of the heat exchanger of the first embodiment described above, so the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and duplicate explanations are omitted.

The heat exchanger of the second embodiment configured as described above can also achieve the same effects as the heat exchanger of the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing a heat exchange panel P as a heat exchanger according to a third embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the heat exchange panel P of the third embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 6. In this embodiment, in order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the depth direction in Fig. 6 is defined as the "vertical direction", the left-right direction in Fig. 6 is defined as the "horizontal direction", and the up-down direction in Fig. 6 is defined as the "thickness direction". Furthermore, in Figs. 6 to 8, the dimensions in the thickness direction are exaggerated compared to the dimensions in the vertical and horizontal directions in order to facilitate understanding of the invention.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the heat exchange panel P of this embodiment includes a flow path forming sheet 1b that is rectangular in plan view, and covering sheets 1a on both the front and back sides that are laminated on the front and back sides of the flow path forming sheet 1b. In this embodiment, the upper side of Figure 6 will be described as the front side, and the lower side as the back side. However, in the present invention, the front side and the back side are not particularly distinguished, and either side may be the front side or the back side. For example, the upper side of Figures 6 and 7 may be the front side and the lower side the back side, or the lower side may be the front side and the upper side the back side.

The flow passage forming sheet 1b is hollowed out in a U-shape by laser processing or the like, penetrating from the front to the back, to form a hollow heat exchange flow passage 20.

The flow path forming sheet 1b functions as a spacer in the thickness direction, preventing shrinkage deformation, expansion deformation, etc. in the thickness direction of the heat exchange panel P, thereby ensuring a specified thickness.

At least the front and back surfaces of the flow path forming sheet 1b are made of a heat-sealable resin.

For example, a synthetic resin sheet, a metal laminate material, a resin-coated metal material, etc. can be used as the flow path forming sheet 1b. The metal laminate material is a synthetic resin sheet or a synthetic resin film laminated on both sides of a metal sheet or a metal film. The resin-coated metal material is a metal laminate material, a metal sheet or a metal film coated on both sides with a synthetic resin. The synthetic resin sheet can be preferably made of the same type of resin as that constituting the heat-sealing layer 52 of the outer wrapping laminate material L1 of the first embodiment. An example of a metal laminate material is an aluminum sheet or aluminum film on both sides of which a resin of the same type as that constituting the heat-sealing layer 52 of the outer wrapping laminate material L1 of the first embodiment, such as an LLDPE (linear low density polyethylene) film or sheet, is attached by adhesive. An example of a resin-coated metal material is an aluminum sheet or aluminum film on both sides of which a resin of the same type as that constituting the heat-sealing layer 52 of the outer wrapping laminate material L1 of the first embodiment, such as a polyethylene resin, is coated.

The flow path forming sheet 1b may be one having a thickness of 0.1 mm to 5 mm, preferably 0.1 mm to 2 mm.

The covering sheet 1a is composed of an outer laminate material (laminate sheet) L1. In this embodiment, the laminate material L1 has a similar structure to the outer laminate material L1 constituting the outer body 1 in the heat exchanger of the first embodiment (see FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B), and a hydrophilic layer 54 or a hydrophilic protective layer 55 is provided on the outer surface side.

The heat-sealing layers 52 (see FIG. 2A or FIG. 2B) on the inner surfaces of the two covering sheets 1a configured as described above are laminated on the front and back surfaces of the flow path forming sheet 1b, and the sealing layers 52 and the resin constituting the front and back surfaces of the flow path forming sheet 1b are joined together by heat sealing to form a heat exchange panel P as shown in FIG. 6. In this heat exchange panel P, the openings on both the front and back sides of the heat exchange flow path 20 in the flow path forming sheet 1b are blocked by the covering sheets 1a on both the front and back sides, so that the heat exchange flow path 20 is formed into a flattened tube shape.

In addition, of the covering sheets 1a on both sides, two circular inlets 16 that penetrate from front to back are formed in the portions of the covering sheet 1a on the front side that correspond to both ends of the heat exchange flow path 20.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a joint pipe 33 may be attached to each of a pair of inlets 16 of the heat exchange panel P.

The joint pipe 33 is made of a molded hard synthetic resin. The end of the joint pipe 33 is attached to the heat exchange panel P by bonding the outer surface of the covering sheet 1a of the heat exchange panel P by heat fusion or the like.

The heat exchange panel P having the above configuration is used as a cooler for cooling batteries or the like as cooling target members (heat exchange target members) in the same manner as the heat exchangers of the first and second embodiments. That is, a cooling liquid (cooling water, antifreeze liquid, etc.) flows in from one inlet/outlet 16 through an inlet pipe or the like, and the cooling liquid flows through the heat exchange flow path 20 of the heat exchange panel P, and flows out from the other inlet/outlet 16 through an outlet pipe or the like. In this way, the battery is cooled by heat exchange between the cooling liquid circulating inside the heat exchange panel P and the battery through the covering sheet 1a.

In the heat exchanger of this third embodiment, other configurations are substantially similar to those of the heat exchangers of the first and second embodiments described above, so the same or corresponding parts are given the same reference numerals and duplicate explanations are omitted.

The heat exchanger (heat exchange panel P) of the third embodiment configured as described above can also achieve the same effects as the heat exchanger of the first embodiment.

Example 1
Outer packaging laminate material: Hydrophilic layer/PET12/Adhesive/AL120/Adhesive/LLDPE40
Inner core laminate material: LLDPE40/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLPPE40
The outer laminate material L1 was prepared to include a heat transfer layer 51 made of Al foil having a thickness of 120 μm, a heat-sealing layer 52 made of an LLDPE film having a thickness of 40 μm laminated to the inner side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, a protective layer 53 made of a PET film having a thickness of 12 μm laminated to the outer side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a hydrophilic layer (hydrophilic coating agent layer) 54 laminated to the outer side of the protective layer 53.

The hydrophilic layer 54 in Example 1 is a coating agent layer made of an alkali silicate and an organic compound. That is, a hydrophilic coating agent made of an alkali silicate of _SiO2 / _Na2O =3, an acrylic acid-acrylamide copolymer with an acrylamide content of 60%, a low molecular weight organic compound (glyoxal) having a carbonyl group, and a silane coupling agent (γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) was used.

The above coating agent was applied to the surface of a PET film (protective layer) by gravure coating and dried at 180° C. for 30 seconds to prepare a hydrophilic coating layer (hydrophilic layer) 54 with a coating amount of 1.0 g/m ^2. The contact angle of pure water of this hydrophilic layer 54 was 5°.

The inner core laminate material L2 was prepared with a heat transfer layer 61 made of Al foil with a thickness of 120 μm and a heat fusion layer 62 made of an LLDPE film with a thickness of 40 μm laminated on both sides of the heat transfer layer 61 with an adhesive.

The above outer laminate material L1 was used to produce a tray member 10 and a cover member 15 corresponding to the second embodiment shown in Figures 3 to 5. That is, deep drawing was performed on each of the outer laminate materials L1 of the above examples and comparative examples to produce a tray member 10 having a recessed portion 11 of 4 mm depth x 90 mm width x 140 mm length, and a flange portion 12 of 10 mm width formed around the entire periphery of the opening edge of the recessed portion 11.

Each of the outer laminate materials L1 was cut to a length of 160 mm and a width of 110 mm to produce the cover member 15.

Furthermore, the inner fin 2 of the second embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 was produced using the above-mentioned inner core laminate material L2. That is, the inner core laminate material L2 was corrugated to produce a corrugated inner fin 2 having a height of 4.2 mm, a width of 90 mm, and a length of 100 mm.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, a header 3 was produced by injection molding, in which a pipe section 33 with an inner diameter of φ10 mm, an outer diameter of φ12 mm, and a length of 3 mm was integrally formed with a mounting box section 31 with a length of 90 mm, width of 20 mm, and height of 4 mm.

Next, the headers 3, 3 were placed in both ends of the recess 11 of the tray member 10 with the pipes 33 facing upward. Furthermore, the inner fins 2 were placed between the headers 3, 3 in the recess 11.

The cover member 15 was then placed so as to close the recessed portion 11 of the tray member 10 from above. At this time, the pipe portions 33, 33 of the headers 3, 3 were inserted through the entrances 16, 16 of the cover member 15 and protruded above the cover member 15.

In this way, a heat exchanger mock-up was made in an unbonded state, and the mock-up was heat-sealed using a heat sealer under heat-sealing conditions of 180°C x 0.3 MPa x 7 seconds to thermally bond (thermally seal) each part together, thereby producing the heat exchanger of Example 1.

Example 2
Outer laminate material: Hydrophilic alumina-added PET12/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLDPE40
The outer laminate material prepared was provided with a heat transfer layer 51 made of Al foil having a thickness of 120 μm, a heat-sealing layer 52 made of an LLDPE film having a thickness of 40 μm laminated to the inner surface side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a hydrophilic protective layer 55 made of a PET film having hydrophilic alumina added thereto having a thickness of 12 μm laminated to the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive.

In Example 2, the hydrophilic alumina was prepared as follows. Alumina (average particle size 1 μm to 5 μm) was added to a 50 wt % aqueous solution of a titanium coupling agent (product name "Orgatix TC-510"), and the solution was placed in a stirrer and stirred. Alumina was recovered from this solution using a centrifuge, and dried at 100°C to produce hydrophilic alumina.

A 12 μm-thick PET film was formed with 3 wt% of this hydrophilic alumina added, and then dry laminated to produce an outer laminate material L1 in which the PET film with hydrophilic alumina added (hydrophilic protective layer 55) was laminated on the outer surface. The contact angle of this hydrophilic protective layer 55 was 30°.

A heat exchanger was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1 above, except that this outer laminate material L1 was used.

<Comparative Example 1>
An outer package laminate material L1 (PET12/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLDPE40) was prepared similarly to Example 1 above, except that it did not have a hydrophilic layer 54. The contact angle of pure water with the 12 μm-thick PET film (protective layer 53) in this outer package laminate material L1 was 70°.

A heat exchanger was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1 above, except that this outer laminate material L1 was used.

Example 3
Outer packaging laminate material: Hydrophilic layer/PET12/Adhesive/AL120/Adhesive/LLDPE40
Channel-forming sheet material: Hollow channel-forming sheet made of LLDPE (thickness 200 μm)
The outer laminate material L1 was prepared to include a heat transfer layer 51 made of Al foil having a thickness of 120 μm, a heat-sealing layer 52 made of an LLDPE film having a thickness of 40 μm laminated to the inner side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, a protective layer 53 made of a PET film having a thickness of 12 μm laminated to the outer side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a hydrophilic layer (hydrophilic coating layer) 54 laminated to the outer side of the protective layer 53.

The hydrophilic layer 54 in Example 3 is a coating agent made of a hydrophilic polymer and a low molecular weight organic compound having a carbonyl group. That is, a hydrophilic coating agent was prepared by mixing acrylic acid-acrylamide copolymer:glyoxal (crosslinking agent) in a ratio of 1:0.7 (weight ratio).

The above coating agent was applied to the surface of a PET film (protective layer) by gravure coating and dried at 160° C. for 30 seconds to prepare a hydrophilic coating layer (hydrophilic layer) 54 with a coating amount of 0.6 g/m ^2. The contact angle of pure water of this hydrophilic layer 54 was 15°.

Using the outer laminate material L1 with this configuration, a covering sheet 1a corresponding to the third embodiment shown in Figures 6 and 7 was produced. That is, the outer laminate material L1 was cut to a length of 120 mm x width of 90 mm to produce two covering sheets, one on the front and one on the back. Furthermore, circular holes with a diameter of φ8 mm were formed side by side in the horizontal direction at the vertical end of one of the covering sheets (the front covering sheet) to form a pair of entrances 16.

On the other hand, a 200 μm thick LLDPE sheet was prepared as the material for the flow path forming sheet (flow path forming sheet material). Three of these LLDPE sheets (120 mm long x 90 mm wide) were stacked and bonded under welding conditions of 160°C x 0.2 MPa x 10 seconds, and a fiber laser machine was used to form a U-shaped heat exchange flow path 20 that penetrates from the front to the back of the laminated sheet, producing flow path forming sheet 1b (see Figure 7, etc.).

Then, the above-mentioned covering sheet 1a was placed on the front and back sides of the flow path forming sheet 1b so that the heat fusion layer 52 on the inner side was overlapped to produce an unbonded laminate. At this time, the front covering sheet 1a having a pair of inlets 3, 3 was placed so that its inlets 16 corresponded to both ends of the heat exchange flow path 20 of the flow path forming sheet 1b. Then, this laminate was heat sealed under the conditions of 180°C x 0.3 MPa x 10 seconds to produce a heat exchanger (heat exchange panel P) as shown in Figures 6 and 7.

Next, one end of the joint pipe (without flange) 33, which is made of a polyethylene tube with an inner diameter of φ6 mm, an outer diameter of φ8 mm, and a length of 10 mm, is heated with a burner, and after confirming that it is melted, the melted end is pressed against a pair of inlets 16, 16 in the front covering sheet 1a and heat-sealed to produce the heat exchange panel with joint pipe of Example 3.

Example 4
Outer packaging laminate material: Hydrophilic silica-added PET12/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLDPE40
The outer laminate material L1 was prepared to include a heat transfer layer 51 made of Al foil having a thickness of 120 μm, a heat-sealing layer 52 made of an LLDPE film having a thickness of 40 μm laminated to the inner side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive, and a hydrophilic protective layer 55 made of a PET film having hydrophilic silica added thereto having a thickness of 12 μm laminated to the outer side of the heat transfer layer 51 via an adhesive.

The method for producing hydrophilic silica in Example 4 is as follows. Specifically, methanol was added to silica (average particle size 1 μm to 5 μm), and the mixture was placed in a stirrer and stirred. Furthermore, 2 wt% of methoxysilane (product name "KP-913") was added and stirred. Silica was recovered from this solution by filtration, and after drying at 100°C, hydrophilic silica was produced.

A 12 μm thick PET film was formed with 3 wt % of the above hydrophilic silica added, and the PET film with hydrophilic silica added (hydrophilic protective layer 55) was laminated on the outer surface by dry lamination to produce an outer laminate material L1. The contact angle of pure water with this hydrophilic protective layer 55 was 30°.

A heat exchanger was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 3 above, except that this outer laminate material L1 was used.

Example 5
Outer packaging laminate material: PET12 with 2wt% cationic surfactant/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLDPE40
A 2 wt% quaternary ammonium base-containing acrylate polymer-type cationic surfactant was added to form a PET film, and the cationic surfactant-added PET film (hydrophilic protective layer 55) was laminated on the outer surface by dry lamination to produce an outer laminate material L1. The contact angle of pure water with this hydrophilic protective layer 55 was 35°.

A heat exchanger was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 3 above, except that this outer laminate material L1 was used.

<Comparative Example 2>
An outer package laminate material L1 (PET12/adhesive/AL120/adhesive/LLDPE40) was prepared similarly to that in Example 3, except that it did not have a hydrophilic layer 54. The contact angle of pure water with the 12 μm-thick PET film (protective layer 53) in this outer package laminate material L1 was 70°.

A heat exchanger (heat exchange panel P) was produced in the same manner as in Example 3 above, except that this outer laminate material L1 was used.

<Evaluation of heat exchange performance and condensation state>
The inside of a thermo-hygrostat was set to an atmosphere of 25°C x 90% RH, and each of the heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2 was vertically installed therein. A test device was prepared in which the following simulated cell could be installed in contact with the outermost surface of each heat exchanger near the center of the heat exchanger in the longitudinal direction.

As the simulation cell, an aluminum block (length 100 mm x width 90 mm x thickness 20 mm) was heated to 80°C in a thermostatic chamber and then placed in the center of each heat exchanger in the test device.

Next, tap water at a temperature of 21°C was circulated through each heat exchanger at a flow rate of 0.25 L/min, and the upper surface center temperature of the simulated cell was measured for each heat exchanger at predetermined intervals. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

After three minutes of running tap water (circulating), each heat exchanger was removed from the test device, filter paper was attached to the outer surface of each heat exchanger, and the area onto which water (condensed water) was transferred was measured. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

In Table 1, the pure contact angle (°) was measured for the outermost surface of the hydrophilic layer 54 or the hydrophilic protective layer 55. Furthermore, as described above, in the evaluation of the condensation state, after the heat exchange performance evaluation test, water droplets on the outer surface of each heat exchanger were transferred to filter paper, and the ratio of the area of the transferred water to the heat exchanger surface was measured. If the condensation state of this heat exchanger was less than 30% of the heat exchanger surface, it was evaluated as good (○); if it was 30% or more but less than 60%, it was evaluated as slightly poor (△); and if it was 60% or more, it was evaluated as poor (×).

As is clear from Tables 1 and 2, the heat exchangers of Examples 1 to 5, which have a hydrophilic layer and a hydrophilic protective layer on the outer surface, have little condensation during cooling operation, good condensation conditions, and the temperature drop in the simulated cells is also fast, and they have good heat exchange performance. In contrast, the heat exchangers of Comparative Examples 1 and 2, which do not have a hydrophilic outer surface, have a lot of condensation during cooling operation, poor condensation conditions, and the temperature drop in the simulated cells is also slow, and their heat exchange performance is slightly inferior to that of the heat exchangers of the Examples.

The heat exchanger of this invention can be used as a cooler (cooling device) used to counter heat generation around the CPU and batteries of smartphones and personal computers, around the displays of LCD TVs, OLED TVs, and plasma TVs, around the power modules and batteries of automobiles, and as a heater (heating device) used for floor heating and snow removal.

1: Outer cover 1a: Cover sheet 1b: Flow path forming sheet 10: Tray member 11: Recessed portion 15: Cover member 16: Port (inlet, outlet)
2: Inner fin 20: Heat exchange flow path 25: Recess 26: Protrusion 51: Heat transfer layer 52: Thermal fusion layer 53: Protective layer 54: Hydrophilic layer 55: Hydrophilic protective layer L1: Outer laminate material

Claims (8)

In a heat exchanger for cooling an electronic device or a battery,
The heat exchange medium is provided with an outer envelope having an inlet and an outlet, and an inner fin provided in the outer envelope and having an uneven portion, and is configured so that the heat exchange medium flowing in from the inlet passes through the inner fin installation portion in the outer envelope and flows out from the outlet,
The outer envelope is made of an outer envelope laminate material having a resin heat-sealing layer provided on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer via an adhesive, and a heat-resistant resin protective layer provided on the outer surface side of the heat transfer layer via an adhesive,
The outer envelope is formed by stacking two sheets of the outer envelope laminate material and bonding the heat-sealing layers of the outer periphery of each sheet together by thermal adhesion,
A heat exchanger comprising: an outer surface of the outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer. A heat exchanger for cooling an electronic device or a battery, comprising:
a flow passage forming sheet having a hollow heat exchange flow passage through which a heat exchange medium flows and functioning as a spacer in a thickness direction;
A covering sheet;
an inlet/outlet for allowing a heat exchange medium to flow in and out of the heat exchange flow path;
Both surfaces of the flow path forming sheet are made of a heat fusion resin,
The covering sheet is constituted by an outer lamination material having a resin heat fusion layer provided on the inner surface side of a metal heat transfer layer via an adhesive, and a heat resistant resin protective layer provided on the outer surface side via an adhesive,
the heat-sealing layer of the covering sheet and the heat-sealing resin constituting both sides of the flow path-forming sheet are made of the same type of resin;
In a state where the heat-sealing layers on the inner surfaces of the two covering sheets are laminated on both sides of the flow path forming sheet, the heat-sealing layers and the resin constituting both sides of the flow path forming sheet are joined and integrated by heat fusion,
A heat exchanger comprising: an outer surface of the outer laminate material having a hydrophilic layer. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hydrophilic layer has a contact angle with pure water of 40° or less. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is composed of a hydrophilic layer provided on the protective layer. The heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the hydrophilic layer contains an organic polymer having a hydrophilic group at the end group of the main chain or side chain. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is constituted by the protective layer containing hydrophilic fine particles. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hydrophilic layer of the outer laminate material is constituted by the protective layer containing a hydrophilic additive. 2. The heat exchanger as described in claim 1, wherein the outer casing comprises a tray member having a recess in an intermediate region in which the inner fin is housed, and a cover member that closes an opening of the recess in the tray member.

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