Plate heat exchanger and heat pump device including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11519673-B2
Application number	US-201916971697-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2019
Priority date	Mar 15, 2018
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

A plate heat exchanger includes heat transfer plates each of which has openings at four corners thereof, and which are stacked together. The heat transfer plates are partially brazed together such that a first flow passage through which first fluid flows and a second flow passage through which second fluid flows are alternately arranged, with an associated heat transfer plate interposed between the first and second flow passages. The openings at each of the four corners communicate with each other, thereby forming a first header and a second header, the first header allowing the first fluid to flow into and flow out of the first flow passage, the second header allowing the second fluid to flow into and flow out of the second flow passage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plate heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of heat transfer plates each of which has openings at four corner portions thereof, the plurality of heat transfer plates being stacked together,
wherein at least one of the plurality of heat transfer plates has two metal plates stacked together such that flat surfaces of the two metal plates overlap each other,
wherein the plurality of heat transfer plates are partially brazed together such that a first flow passage through which first fluid flows and a second flow passage through which second fluid flows are alternately arranged, with an associated one of the plurality of heat transfer plates interposed between the first flow passage and the second flow passage, the openings at the four corner portions are provided such that the openings at each of the four corner portions communicate with each other, thereby forming a first header and a second header, the first header being to allow the first fluid to flow into and out of the first flow passage, and the second header being to allow the second fluid to flow into and out of the second flow passage,
wherein inner fins are in each of the first flow passage and the second flow passage,
wherein said one of the plurality of heat transfer plates between the first flow passage and the second flow passage is said at least one heat transfer plate having the two metal plates stacked together, and
wherein the flat surfaces of the two metal plates that overlap each other are partially brazed together such that a plurality of outflow passages are between portions of the flat surfaces that are not brazed together, in such a manner as to communicate with outside of the plate heat exchanger.

2. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of outflow passages are in a stripe pattern or a grid pattern.

3. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a brazed portion at which the flat surfaces are brazed together has a circular shape.

4. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a brazing layer is on at least one of the flat surfaces of the two metal plates between which the plurality of outflow passages are formed.

5. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 ,
wherein each of the plurality of heat transfer plates has the two metal plates stacked together such that the flat surfaces of the two metal plates overlap each other, and
wherein the inner fins of each of the first and the second flow passages are brazed to the flat surfaces of one of the two metal plates of each the heat transfer plates that are on opposite sides of the first flow passage or the second flow passage.

6. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the two metal plates has a projection or a recess that forms a partition passage that isolates the first flow passage and the second flow passage from each other.

7. The plate heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the partition passage overlaps with the plurality of outflow passages.

8. The plate heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein an outer wall of the partition passage is brazed and forms a partition in the first flow passage or the second flow passage.

9. A heat pump device comprising:
a refrigerant circuit in which a compressor, a heat exchanger, a pressure reducer, and the plate heat exchanger of claim 1 are connected, and refrigerant is circulated; and
a heat medium circuit in which a heat medium is circulated, the heat medium exchanging heat with the refrigerant in the plate heat exchanger.

10. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of heat transfer plates each include outer wall portions at edges of the plurality of heat transfer plates, and the outer wall portions are bent from the plurality of heat transfer plates in a direction in which the plurality of heat transfer plates are stacked together, and
wherein the plurality of outflow passages are defined as spaces between the outer wall portions of each of the plurality of heat transfer plates, which are located between the two metal plates.

11. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein no fins are provided between the two metal plates of said at least one of the plurality of heat transfer plates.

12. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of outflow passages are formed between the two metal plates, and
wherein a height of the outflow passages between the two metal plates is equal to or less than a height of brazing material associated with brazing of the two metal plates.

13. The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein in each region in which the inner fins are provided, when an area of a brazed portion at which the flat surfaces are brazed together occupies 30% or more and 90% or less of a total area of the region.

14. A plate heat exchanger, comprising:
a plurality of heat transfer plates each of which has openings at four corner portions thereof, the plurality of heat transfer plates being stacked together,
wherein at least one of the plurality of heat transfer plates has two metal plates stacked together,
wherein the plurality of heat transfer plates are partially brazed together such that a first flow passage through which first fluid flows and a second flow passage through which second fluid flows are alternately arranged, with an associated one of the plurality of heat transfer plates interposed between the first flow passage and the second flow passage, the openings at the four corner portions are provided such that the openings at each of the four corner portions communicate with each other, thereby forming a first header and a second header, the first header being configured to allow the first fluid to flow into and out of the first flow passage, and the second header being to allow the second fluid to flow into and out of the second flow passage,
wherein inner fins are in each of the first flow passage and the second flow passage,
wherein said one of the plurality of heat transfer plates between the first flow passage and the second flow passage is said at least one heat transfer plate having the two metal plates stacked together,
wherein the two metal plates are partially brazed together at a brazed portion such that a plurality of outflow passages are between the two metal plates along overlapping surfaces thereof, the plurality of outflow passages communicating with outside of the heat exchanger,
wherein the plurality of outflow passages are in a grid pattern, and
wherein a central region of each of the plurality of outflow passages has a larger flow-passage cross section than a flow-passage cross section of a peripheral region of each said outflow passage.

15. A plate heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of heat transfer plates each of which has openings at four corner portions thereof, the plurality of heat transfer plates being stacked together,
wherein at least one of the plurality of heat transfer plates has two metal plates stacked together,
wherein the plurality of heat transfer plates are partially brazed together such that a first flow passage through which first fluid flows and a second flow passage through which second fluid flows are alternately arranged, with an associated one of the plurality of heat transfer plates interposed between the first flow passage and the second flow passage, the openings at the four corner portions are provided such that the openings at each of the four corner portions communicate with each other, thereby forming a first header and a second header, the first header being to allow the first fluid to flow into and out of the first flow passage, the second header being to allow t

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Yoshimura Susumu
• Sun Faming
• EIJIMA Yoshitaka
• Shiraishi Sho
• Yokoi Masahiro
• Abe Ryosuke
• Suzuki Kazutaka

Classifications

• F28F3/06

  the means being attachable to the element · CPC title

• F28D9/005 Primary

  the plates having openings therein for both heat-exchange media · CPC title

• F28F3/025 Primary

  the means being corrugated, plate-like elements · CPC title

• F28F2215/04

  Assemblies of fins having different features, e.g. with different fin densities · CPC title

• F28F2275/04

  by brazing · CPC title