Heat exchanger and heat exchange system including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852425-B2
Application number	US-202017113663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2020
Priority date	Dec 24, 2019
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to heat exchangers and heat exchange systems such heat exchangers. The heat exchangers include a shell having an inlet and an outlet and heat exchange tube bundles arranged therein. The shell includes a first region communicating with the inlet configured to accommodate the heat exchange tube bundles and a refrigerant input from the inlet. The refrigerant performs heat exchange with a fluid in the heat exchange tube bundles. A second region is arranged between the first region and the outlet and communicates with the first region and the outlet. A heating device is disposed in the second region. Embodiments may optimize spatial layout of the heat exchanger tube bundles, effectively improving the utilization of shell space of the heat exchanger the heat transfer efficiency of the heat exchanger at the same material cost, and enhance the overall performance, safety and reliability of the system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger, comprising a shell having an inlet and an outlet, and heat exchange tube bundles arranged in the shell, wherein the shell comprises:
a first region communicating with the inlet and configured to accommodate the heat exchange tube bundles and a refrigerant input from the inlet, the refrigerant configured to perform a heat exchange with a fluid in the heat exchange tube bundles;
a second region arranged between the first region and the outlet, the second region configured to fluidly communicate with the first region and the outlet; and
a heating device disposed in the second region configured to evaporate refrigerant not evaporated by the heat exchange tube bundles;
wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the outlet such that refrigerant enters the first region from the inlet and refrigerant exits the second region through the outlet;
wherein the first region and the second region are arranged side by side in a length direction of the shell, and the inlet and the outlet are disposed under the first region and above the second region respectively, the first region and the second region not overlapping in a height direction of the shell.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a height of the heat exchange tube bundles to an internal height of the shell is not smaller than 0.5.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heating device is at least one of an electric heater or at least one row of heat exchange tubes, and the heat exchange tubes communicate with a fluid input end of the heat exchange tube bundles in the first region through a pipeline.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heating device is disposed at the bottom of the second region, and a ratio of the height of the heating device to a height of the second region is not larger than 0.5.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a flow guiding member arranged at least between the first region and the second region for guiding the refrigerant flowing out of the first region after the heat exchange to flow toward the second region.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 5 , wherein the flow guiding member is configured as a baffle having an arc shape.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device connected to the heating device and configured to control an operation of the heating device.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein a liquid height of the refrigerant in the first region is not smaller than a height of the heat exchange tube bundles.

9. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a liquid blocking member arranged at the outlet and configured to prevent a liquid-state refrigerant from flowing out of the shell.

10. The heat exchanger according to claim 9 , wherein the liquid blocking member is configured as a wire mesh having a structure of at least two layers.

11. The heat exchange system according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange tube bundles of first region include first heat exchange tube bundles connected to a baffle and second heat exchange tube bundles connected to the baffle, wherein a fluid flows through the first heat exchange tube bundles in a first direction, through the baffle, and through the second heat exchange tube bundles in a second direction opposite the first direction.

12. A heat exchanger, comprising a shell having an inlet and an outlet, and heat exchange tube bundles arranged in the shell, wherein the shell comprises:
a first region communicating with the inlet and configured to accommodate the heat exchange tube bundles and a refrigerant input from the inlet, the refrigerant configured to perform a heat exchange with a fluid in the heat exchange tube bundles;
a second region arranged between the first region and the outlet, the second region configured to fluidly communicate with the first region and the outlet a heating device disposed in the second region configured to evaporate refrigerant not evaporated by the heat exchange tube bundles;
wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the outlet such that refrigerant enters the first region from the inlet and refrigerant exits the second region through the outlet;
a control device connected to the heating device and configured to control an operation of the heating device;
a detection device connected to the control device and configured to detect parameter information of the refrigerant in the first region and provide the parameter information to the control device for the control device to control the operation of the heating device.

13. A heat exchange system, comprising:
a heat exchanger comprising a shell having an inlet and an outlet, and heat exchange tube bundles arranged in the shell, wherein the shell comprises:
a first region communicating with the inlet and configured to accommodate the heat exchange tube bundles and a refrigerant input from the inlet, the refrigerant configured to perform a heat exchange with a fluid in the heat exchange tube bundles;
a second region arranged between the first region and the outlet, the second region configured to fluidly communicate with the first region and the outlet; and
a heating device disposed in the second region configured to evaporate refrigerant not evaporated by the heat exchange tube bundles;
wherein the heat exchange system is one of an HVAC system, a transportation refrigeration system, or a freezing/refrigeration system;
wherein the inlet is in fluid communication with the outlet such that refrigerant enters the first region from the inlet and refrigerant exits the second region through the outlet;
wherein the first region and the second region are arranged side by side in a length direction of the shell, and the inlet and the outlet are disposed under the first region and above the second region respectively, the first region and the second region not overlapping in a height direction of the shell.

14. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , wherein at least one of (i) a ratio of a height of the heat exchange tube bundles to an internal height of the shell is not smaller than 0.5 and (ii) a liquid height of the refrigerant in the first region is not smaller than a height of the heat exchange tube bundles.

15. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , wherein the heating device is at least one of an electric heater or at least one row of heat exchange tubes, and the heat exchange tubes communicate with a fluid input end of the heat exchange tube bundles in the first region through a pipeline.

16. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , wherein the heating device is disposed at the bottom of the second region, and a ratio of the height of the heating device to a height of the second region is not larger than 0.5.

17. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a flow guiding member arranged at least between the first region and the second region for guiding the refrigerant flowing out of the first region after the heat exchange to flow toward the second region and/or the outlet.

18. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , further comprising:
liquid blocking member arranged at the outlet and configured to prevent a liquid-state refrigerant from flowing out of the shell.

19. The heat exchange system according to claim 13 , further comprising a control device connected to the heating device and configured to control an operation of the heating device.

Assignees

• Carrier Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Wei
• Alahyari Abbas A
• Esformes Jack Leon

Classifications

• F28F9/22 Primary

  Arrangements for directing heat-exchange media into successive compartments, e.g. arrangements of guide plates · CPC title

• F28D7/1607 Primary

  with particular pattern of flow of the heat exchange media, e.g. change of flow direction (F28D7/1623, F28D7/1638, F28D7/1661, F28D7/1676, F28D7/1692 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28F2009/228

  Oblique partitions · CPC title

• F28D7/0066 Primary

  Multi-circuit heat-exchangers, e.g. integrating different heat exchange sections in the same unit or heat-exchangers for more than two fluids (F28D7/103 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F27/00

  Control arrangements or safety devices specially adapted for heat-exchange or heat-transfer apparatus (control arrangements in general G05) · CPC title