HEAT EXCHANGER

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001]The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002]In general, a heat exchanger is a device installed on a specific path to enable a heat exchange medium circulated therein to perform heat exchange by absorbing heat from the outside or emitting heat to the outside. The heat exchanger may be manufactured in various ways based on its purpose and use, such as a condenser or an evaporator that uses a refrigerant as the heat exchange medium, a radiator or a heater core that uses a coolant as the heat exchange medium, and an oil cooler that uses oil used in an engine or a transmission as the heat exchange medium.

[0003]Here, the heat exchanger may be generally formed in the form of a header tank coupled to both ends of a plurality of tubes through which heat is transferred between an internal fluid and an external fluid. In addition, the header tank may include a manifold including an inlet and an outlet through which the heat exchange medium flows, and a pipe may be fixed and coupled to the manifold to introduce the heat exchange medium from another engine or discharge the heat exchange medium, where the heat transfer is performed, through another engine.

[0004]FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional heat exchanger.

[0005]A conventional heat exchanger 10 may include a first header tank 11 and a second header tank 12 spaced apart from each other in a height direction. Tube rows 13, including a plurality of tubes through which a heat exchange medium flows and formed in two rows from front to back, may be arranged between the first header tank 11 and the second header tank 12 in the height direction. The first header tank 11 may include a manifold 14 that may introduce and discharge the heat exchange medium.

[0006]The heat exchange medium may be introduced into the first header tank 11 through an inlet 14a of the manifold 14 included in the first header tank 11. The heat exchange medium may be cooled by external air as the heat exchange medium flows through the tube 13. The cooled heat exchange medium may be discharged back through an outlet 14b of the manifold 14 disposed in the first header tank 11.

[0007]The heat exchange medium introduced into the inlet 14a of the manifold 14 may form a plurality of pass flows in the tube rows 13 and be discharged through the outlet 14b of the manifold 14.

[0008]As described above, in the conventional heat exchanger 10, the pass flow through which the heat exchange medium flows may be formed in a complex manner. This flow formation may be insufficient to sufficiently secure a flow rate of the heat exchange medium in a situation where the heat exchange medium flows by a pump. This flow formation may make it difficult to maintain a pressure drop of the heat exchange medium at a low level.

[0009]When using a coolant having a low temperature as the heat exchange medium, the viscosity of the coolant may be increased as the flow continues. The increase in the viscosity of the coolant may have a great effect on the pressure drop, thus making it difficult to secure a sufficient flow rate of the coolant.

[0010]This application cites Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2019-0143757 (published on Dec. 31, 2019) as a related art document.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

[0011]An object of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger that may reduce a pressure drop of a heat exchange medium while securing sufficient heat exchange performance.

Technical Solution

[0012]In one general aspect, a heat exchanger includes: a plurality of tubes disposed in two rows from front to back in an airflow direction of introduced air; a first header tank coupled to one end of the plurality of tubes; a second header tank spaced apart from the first header tank and coupled to the other end of the plurality of tubes; an inlet manifold including an inlet, which is disposed on one side and into which a heat exchange medium is introduced, and connected to the header tank to enable the introduced heat exchange medium to flow into either the first header tank or the second header tank; and an outlet manifold including an outlet, which is disposed on one side and through which the heat exchange medium is discharged, and connected to the header tank to enable the heat exchange medium to flow into either the first header tank or the second header tank, wherein the flow of the heat exchange medium is formed in a single pass flow from the inlet manifold through the plurality of tubes to the outlet manifold.

Advantageous Effects

[0013]The heat exchanger according to the present invention may improve the performance of the heat exchanger by simplifying the pass flow of the heat exchange medium and adjusting the flow rate of the heat exchange medium.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014]FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional heat exchanger.

[0015]FIG. 2 is a view showing a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016]FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2.

[0017]FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

Best Model

[0029]In order to fully understand the present invention, embodiments of the present invention are described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention may be variously modified, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited to the following embodiments described in detail. The embodiments are provided to more fully explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the shapes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer explanation. It should be noted that the same member may be indicated by the same reference numeral in each drawing. In addition, the description omits detailed descriptions of known functions and configurations that may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention.

[0030]Hereinafter, a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.

[0031]The heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of tubes 100, a header tank 200, and a manifold 300.

[0032]The heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the plurality of tubes 100 including a first-row tube 110 disposed at the front in an airflow direction of introduced air and a second-row tube 120 disposed at the rear in the airflow direction. The plurality of tubes 100 may include the first-row tube 110 disposed at the front, which is an air introduction direction, and the second-row tube 120 disposed at the rear, which is a cooled-air discharge direction. The plurality of tubes 100 may be disposed in a height direction.

[0033]A heat exchange medium 1 may flow inside the plurality of tubes 100. The heat exchange medium 1 may exchange heat with air introduced into the front of the plurality of tubes 100.

[0034]The plurality of tubes 100 may be connected to the header tank 200 to enable the heat exchange medium 1 to be introduced into the plurality of tubes 100, then exchange heat with external air, and then be discharged from the plurality of tubes 100. The header tank 200 may include a first header tank 210 and a second header tank 220.

[0035]The first header tank 210 may be connected to one end of the plurality of tubes 100. The first header tank 210 may include a bulkhead 230 that divides the path inside. The bulkhead 230 may divide the path to enable the heat exchange medium 1 to flow corresponding to the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120.

[0036]The second header tank 220 may be spaced apart from the first header tank 210 and connected to the other end of the plurality of tubes 100. The second header tank 220 may include the bulkhead 230 that divides the path inside. The bulkhead 230 may divide the path to enable the heat exchange medium 1 to flow corresponding to the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120.

[0037]An inlet manifold 310 may be connected to the header tank to flow into either the first header tank 210 or the second header tank 220. In addition, an outlet manifold 320 may be connected to the header tank to flow into either the first header tank 210 or the second header tank 220.

[0038]Hereinafter, the description is provided based on the assumption that the first header tank 210 is disposed on an upper side in the height direction of the plurality of tube rows 100 and the second header tank 220 is disposed on a lower side.

[0039]Inside the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120, the heat exchange medium 1 may flow against the direction of gravity. In addition, the heat exchange medium 1 flowing inside the first-row tube 110 and the heat exchange medium 1 flowing inside the second-row tube 120 may flow in the same direction.

[0040]The heat exchange medium 1 may need to form a flow against the direction of gravity inside the plurality of tubes 100 so that when air fills the plurality of tubes 100, air may move upward along the heat exchange medium 1 and escape to the outside of the heat exchanger. The purpose of this configuration is to increase a heat exchange region and thus improve heat exchange performance by preventing air from filling the plurality of tubes 100.

[0041]The header tank 200 may be equipped with the manifold 300 that may introduce or discharge the heat exchange medium 1 into or from the header tank 200.

[0042]The inlet manifold 310 may be connected to the second header tank 220. The inlet manifold 310 may include an inlet 311, which is disposed on one side and into which the heat exchange medium 1 is introduced. The heat exchange medium 1 introduced into the inlet 311 may flow into the second header tank 220.

[0043]The outlet manifold 320 may be connected to the first header tank 210. The outlet manifold 320 may include an outlet 321, which is disposed on one side and through which the heat exchange medium 1 is discharged. The heat exchange medium 1 may flow from the first header tank 210 to the outlet 321 and discharged to the outside.

[0044]The inlet manifold 310 connected to the second header tank 220 may branch flow rates of the heat exchange medium 1 flowing into the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120.

[0045]The inlet manifold 310 may include a front branch hole 330 and a rear branch hole 340. The inlet manifold 310 may be connected to the interior of the second header tank 220 through the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340. The front branch hole 330 may be disposed to be adjacent to the first-row tube 110, and the rear branch hole 340 may be disposed to be adjacent to the second-row tube 120.

[0046]When the inlet manifold 310 is connected to the second header tank 220, the front branch hole 330 may branch the path from the second header tank 220 toward the first-row tube 110, and the rear branch hole 340 may branch the path from the second header tank 220 toward the second-row tube 120.

[0047]Here, each of the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340 may have a hole area set to adjust the flow rate of the heat exchange medium 1 flowing inside. That is, each of open cross-sectional areas of the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340 may have a set cross-sectional area. Accordingly, the open cross-sectional areas of the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340 may be different from each other.

[0048]In addition, the open cross-sectional area of the front branch hole 330 may be greater than the open cross-sectional area of the rear branch hole 340. The front branch hole 330 needs to be larger than the rear branch hole 340 so that more heat exchange medium may flow into the front first-row tube 110. The reason is that the second-row tube 120 at the rear exchanges heat with air that undergoes heat exchange with the first-row tube 110 at the front, resulting in air having a relatively high temperature, whereas a front side in the airflow direction needs to exchange heat with air that has a relatively low temperature, making it advantageous for the heat exchange performance when more heat exchange medium flows into the first-row tube 110 at the front.

[0049]The heat exchange medium 1 may be introduced into the second header tank 220 connected to the bottom of the plurality of tubes 100. The heat exchange medium 1 may flow from the second header tank 220 to the first header tank 210 through the plurality of tubes 100 by a pressure of a pump.

[0050]The flow rate of the heat exchange medium 1 flowing from the second header tank 220 to the first-row tube 110 and second-row tube 120 of the plurality of tubes 100 may be determined by a hole area al of the front branch hole and a hole area a2 of the rear branch hole. Each set flow rate may be continuously supplied at a constant pressure by the pump, thus maintaining a pressure drop of the heat exchange medium 1 at a low level over time.

[0051]The outlet manifold 320 may also include a front branch hole (not shown) and a rear branch hole (not shown). The outlet manifold 320 may be connected to the interior of the first header tank 210 through the front branch hole and the rear branch hole. The front branch hole may be disposed to be adjacent to the first-row tube 110, and the rear branch hole may be disposed to be adjacent to the second-row tube 120.

[0052]Each of the front branch hole and the rear branch hole formed in the outlet manifold 320 may also have a hole area set to adjust the flow rate of the heat exchange medium 1. The heat exchange medium 1 may flow against the direction of gravity. As described above, the hole area of the outlet manifold 320 may also be adjusted to maintain the pressure drop of the heat exchange medium 1 at the low level.

[0053]In an embodiment of the present invention, the inlet manifold 310 and the outlet manifold 320 may be connected to one side of the first header tank 210 and one side of the second header tank 220, respectively. The inlet manifold 320 and the outlet manifold 320 may face each other in the height direction.

[0054]Alternatively, in another embodiment of the present invention, the inlet manifold 310 and the outlet manifold 320 may be connected to one side or the other side of the first header tank 210 and the second header tank 220, respectively. In this case, the inlet manifold 320 and the outlet manifold 320 may be diagonally opposite to each other in the height direction.

[0055]The heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present invention may use a coolant having a low temperature as the heat exchange medium 1. The heat exchanger may be a cooler that introduces the coolant having a low temperature into the second header tank 220 and lowers an external air temperature through the heat exchange with external air in the plurality of tubes 100.

[0056]However, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present invention may be applied without limitation to the heat exchanger that flows the heat exchange medium 1 by the pump and needs to maintain the pressure drop of the heat exchange medium 1 at the low level.

[0057]In this way, the heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present invention may improve heat exchanger performance by maintaining the low pressure drop of the heat exchange medium 1, which may be accompanied by a forced flow of the heat exchange medium 1 by the pump.

[0058]First, the pass flow in which the heat exchange medium 1 flows through the inlet manifold 310, the plurality of tubes 100, and the outlet manifold 320 may be a single pass flow.

[0059]The heat exchange medium 1 introduced into the inlet manifold 310 may be divided into the paths divided within the inlet manifold 310 and flow into the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120, respectively. The heat exchange medium 1, which flows against the direction of gravity in the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120, respectively, may flow through each of the paths divided within the outlet manifold 320 and be collected at the outlet manifold 320.

[0060]That is, the heat exchange medium 1 may form the simple single pass flow that is not complicated, thus preventing a pressure loss that occurs during a flow process of the heat exchange medium 1.

[0061]In addition, the pressure drop of the heat exchange medium 1 may be maintained at the low level by designing the optimal hole areas of the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340, which are formed at a connection part between the inlet manifold 310 and the second header tank 220.

[0062]The heat exchange medium 1 flowing through the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120 in the plurality of tubes 100 disposed in two rows from front to back may have different temperature differences with respect to the external air. This temperature difference may result in a difference in the heat exchange performance between the first-row tube 110 and the second-row tube 120. External air may be introduced into the second-row tube 120 through the first-row tube 110, and the temperature difference between the heat exchange medium 1 and air in the second-row tube 120 may be smaller. Under the condition that the flow rate of the heat exchange medium 1 is the same, the heat exchange performance in each row may differ due to the temperature difference with respect to external air.

[0063]Therefore, the hole areas of the front branch hole 330 and the rear branch hole 340 within the outlet manifold 320 may be adjusted to sufficiently secure the flow rate to the second-row tube 120, thereby maintaining the temperature of the entire plurality of tubes 100 to be low. This configuration may improve the heat exchanger performance.

[0064]The embodiments of the present invention have been described above for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. Therefore, those skilled in the art will fully understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described in the detailed description above. Accordingly, an actual technical scope of the present invention is to be defined by a technical spirit of the appended claims. In addition, it is to be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.