JP7566366B2 - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

In general, in plate heat exchangers, multiple heat transfer plates are brazed together, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1 (Utility Model Registration No. 3222546).

Utility Model Registration No. 3222546

However, cleaning the heat transfer plate stack, which is integrated by brazing or other methods, is a time-consuming process. Also, if any plate is damaged, the entire heat transfer plate stack must be replaced, and replacing each plate individually is difficult.

The present invention aims to provide a heat exchanger in which the plates can be easily cleaned and damaged plates can be easily replaced.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides:
A frame including a pair of opposing side panels and a horizontal frame connecting the pair of side panels;
A plate stack composed of a plurality of plates housed in the frame and sliding along the horizontal frame;
an insert that is removably attached to the frame and presses the plate stack in the frame against the side plate;
A fixing portion that fixes the plate stack to the horizontal frame,
When the insert is removed from the frame, the plate is removable through a mounting space of the insert in the frame;
The present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising:

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the frame further includes a rail provided along the horizontal frame, and each plate has an engagement piece that engages with the rail.

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the rail is notched at a position corresponding to the insert.

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the fixing portion clamps the engagement piece between the rail and the plate to fix the plate to the horizontal frame.

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the insert has a pressing portion that presses the plate stack in the frame against the side plate.

It is preferable that the heat exchanger of the present invention further comprises rollers that support each of the multiple plates so that they can slide freely in the front-rear direction of the frame.

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the roller has grooves formed in the circumferential direction and aligned at a predetermined interval in the axial direction, each of the plurality of plates has a protrusion that engages with the groove, and each of the plurality of plates slides on the roller while engaging with the groove and the protrusion.

In the heat exchanger of the present invention, it is preferable that the fixing part is a door that is removably attached to the front surface of the frame and allows ventilation in the front-rear direction of the frame.

The present invention provides a heat exchanger in which the plates can be easily cleaned and damaged plates can be easily replaced.

1A to 1C are a front view, a side view, a cross-sectional view along line AA, and an enlarged view of part B of a heat exchanger 1 according to a first embodiment. 1A is a front view, a side view, an enlarged front view of part C, and an enlarged side view of part C of the element 50. FIG. 3A and 3B are front and side views of the insert 7. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 with the insert 7 being removed from the frame 3 . FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 with the insert 7 removed from the frame 3. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 with the fixing portion released. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 in a state where one element 50 is sliding within the frame 3. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 in a state in which one element 50 is about to be removed from the frame 3. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 with one element 50 removed from the frame 3. 2 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 1 with one element 50 removed from the frame 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an element 50 and a plate stack 5. FIG. 11A and 11B are diagrams showing other examples of the configuration of the element 50 and the plate stack 5. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger 101 according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the heat exchanger 101. FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged front view of the left portion of FIG. 15 . FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the upper left portion of FIG. 15 . FIG. 16 is a partially enlarged side view of the upper front portion of FIG. 15 . FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 101 with one door 109 removed from the frame 103. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 101 with one element 150 being removed from the frame 103. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 101 with one element 150 removed from the frame 103. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the heat exchanger 101 with another element 150 being removed from the frame 103.

Below, a representative embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to those shown in the drawings. The drawings are intended to conceptually explain the present invention, and therefore may exaggerate or simplify dimensions, ratios, or numbers as necessary to facilitate understanding. In the following description, the same or equivalent parts will be given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions may be omitted.

A. Embodiment 1
A heat exchanger according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 13. FIG.

1. Configuration of the Heat Exchanger 1 The heat exchanger 1 is assumed to be used as an air preheater utilizing exhaust gas, but is not limited to this.
The heat exchanger 1 is substantially rectangular and made of a metal material such as stainless steel. Here, it will be described that the front and rear surfaces of the heat exchanger 1 are flow paths for a fluid on the heat dissipation side (e.g., exhaust gas) and the upper and lower surfaces of the heat exchanger 1 are flow paths for a fluid on the heat receiving side (e.g., air), but the present invention is not limited to this.

The heat exchanger 1 includes a frame 3, a plate stack 5, an insert 7, and a fixing portion 9. These components are described in detail below.

The frame 3 includes a pair of opposing side plates 31, 32. The side plates 31, 32 are substantially rectangular in shape, but are not limited to this.
The frame 3 also includes horizontal frames 33 to 36 that connect the side plates 31, 32. Here, the horizontal frames 33 to 36 connect corresponding corners of the side plates 31, 32 to each other.
Therefore, the front and rear surfaces of the frame 3 are open to serve as flow paths on the heat dissipation side, and the top and bottom surfaces of the frame 3 are open to serve as flow paths for a fluid (e.g., air) on the heat reception side.

The frame 3 may further include rails 37 to 40 provided along the horizontal frames 33 to 36. Here, the rails 37 to 40 are plate-like bodies that protrude inward.
The rails 37 to 40 are cut out at positions corresponding to the inserts 7. Alternatively, each of the rails 37 to 40 may be said to be composed of a pair of left and right plate-like pieces spaced a predetermined distance apart. From the cut-out portions, the inserts 7 and plates 50, which will be described later, are taken out of the frame 3 (see FIGS. 5 and 9).

The frame 3 houses a plate stack 5 .
The plate stack 5 is composed of a plurality of plates (elements) 50. That is, the plurality of elements 50 are stacked in the thickness direction to form the plate stack 5. Adjacent elements 50 are not welded to each other.
As shown in FIG. 2, the element 50 has a generally rectangular shape.

Here, an example of the configuration of the element 50 (elements 50A and 50B) will be described.
As shown in Fig. 12(A), a set of parts 60 is prepared. Parts 60 are made of opposing plate materials 61, 62, and are pressed (bent) into a special shape. The upper and lower edges of plate materials 61, 62 are connected to each other, and approximately L-shaped connecting pieces 63, 64 protrude from the front and rear edges of plate materials 61, 62. Then, element 50A is constructed by joining connecting pieces 63, 64 of plate materials 61, 62 to each other by welding or the like (see Fig. 12(B)).
Therefore, three flow paths 66A to 66C are formed within the element 50A. The central flow path 66A forms a vertical flow path, i.e., a heat receiving side path. The flow paths 66B, 66C on both sides form front-rear flow paths, i.e., heat releasing side paths.
A plurality of elements 50 are stacked in the thickness direction (left-right direction) in close contact with each other to form a plate stack 5 (see FIGS. 12C and 12D). That is, the plate stack 5 made up of the elements 50A is configured so that the fluid on the heat receiving side and the fluid on the heat releasing side do not mix with each other.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 13, an element 50B having a set of parts 60 assembled in a different manner can be used.
That is, an element 50B is formed by joining a set of parts 60 with a plate material 61 (see FIGS. 13A and 13B). The element 50B includes flow paths 67A, 67B in the same direction (front-rear direction) inside, and by stacking a plurality of elements 50B in close contact with each other, a flow path 67C in a different direction (up-down direction) is formed between adjacent elements 50B (see FIGS. 13C and 13D). That is, the plate stack 5 formed of the elements 50B is also configured so that the fluid on the heat receiving side and the fluid on the heat releasing side do not mix with each other.

Returning to FIG. 2, the element 50 has engagement pieces 51-54 at its corners that engage with the rails 37-40. The engagement pieces 51-54 protrude outward in the vertical direction from the corners of the element 50. Here, the protruding pieces are roughly L-shaped, but are not limited to this.

When the element 50 is stored in the frame 3, the engagement pieces 51 to 54 are located outside the rails 37 to 40 (see, for example, Figure 7). Therefore, when the engagement pieces 51 to 54 engage with the rails 37 to 40, the element 50 slides along the horizontal frames 33 to 36 (see Figures 7 and 8).

Furthermore, when the element 50 is stored in the frame 3, the engagement pieces 51 to 54 are located inside the fixed portion 9 (91 to 94) (see, for example, FIG. 7). Therefore, as will be described later, the engagement pieces 51 to 54 can be clamped between the rails 37 to 40 and the fixed portion 9 (91 to 94).

The plate stack 5 is pressed against the side plates 31 and 32 of the frame 3 by the inserts 7 and is integrated therewith.
The insert 7 includes a pair of opposing plate materials 71, 72, a connecting portion 73 connecting the plate materials 71, 72 together, pressing portions 74-77 provided across the corners of the plate materials 71, 72, a handle 78 attached to the front side plate material 71, and a displacement mechanism (e.g., a handle) 79 that displaces the pressing portions 74-77 in the direction of the side plates 31, 32.

The insert 7 can be inserted into and removed from the frame 3 through the notches in the rails 37-40 (see Figure 5). In addition, when the insert 7 is attached to the frame 3, the pressing sections 74-77 are displaced outward (towards the side plates 31 and 32) in response to the operation of the displacement mechanism 79, thereby pressing the plate stack 5 against the side plates 31 and 32.

The plate stack 5 (element 50) is fixed to the frame 3 by fixing parts 91-94 (sometimes collectively referred to as fixing parts 9). Here, the fixing parts 9 are roughly L-shaped plate pieces. The fixing parts 9 press the engaging pieces 51-54 of the element 50 against the corresponding rails 37-40, thereby fixing the element 50 to the frame 3 (horizontal frames 33-36).

The fixing part 9 has a locking mechanism 95 that holds the fixing part 9 in a predetermined position. The locking mechanism 95 is assumed to be a screw member with a handle (see FIG. 1(E)), but is not limited to this.

2. Operation of the Heat Exchanger 1 The operation of the heat exchanger 1 will now be described, particularly from the viewpoint of maintenance.

When in operation, the heat exchanger 1 performs heat exchange, for example, by circulating exhaust gas through the front and rear surfaces of the frame 3 and circulating air through the top and bottom surfaces of the frame 3 (see Figure 4).

Maintenance and part replacement of the heat exchanger 1 are carried out in the following manner.
That is, the pressure applied by the insert 7 to the element 50 is released, and the insert 7 is removed from the frame 3 (see FIG. 5).

Next, the lock mechanism 95 of the fixing portion 9 is released, and the fixing portion 9 is moved away from the element 50, thereby releasing the fixing between the element 50 and the frame 3 (see Figures 6 and 7).
The element 50 is slid toward the center and removed from the frame 3 (see Figures 8 to 11).

After carrying out any necessary cleaning or part replacement, the above-mentioned steps are reversed: insert the element 50 into the frame 3 and slide it towards the side plates 31, 32, and then insert the insert 7 into the frame 3 and secure it.
This allows easy cleaning and part replacement of the insert 7 and the plate stack 5.

3. Effects of the First Embodiment In this embodiment, the elements 50 constituting the plate stack 5 are not integrated by welding or the like, and each element 50 can be removed from the frame 3. Therefore, not only is the maintenance and cleaning of the heat exchanger 1 easy, but by replacing a damaged element 50, the remaining elements 50 can continue to be used.

B. Embodiment 2
A heat exchanger according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

1. Configuration of Heat Exchanger 101 As shown in Fig. 14, the heat exchanger 101 includes a frame 103, a plate stack 105, rollers 107, and a door 109 as an example of a fixing portion.

The frame 103 includes a pair of opposing side panels 131, 132. The frame 103 also includes horizontal frames 133-136 that connect the side panels 131, 132. Therefore, the front and rear surfaces of the frame 103 are open to serve as flow paths for the heat dissipation side, and the top and bottom surfaces of the frame 103 are open to serve as flow paths for the fluid (e.g., air) on the heat receiving side.

The plate stack 105 is housed in the frame 103. For example, as shown in Fig. 21, the element 150 has a substantially rectangular shape.
The plate stack 105 is composed of a plurality of plates (elements) 150. That is, a plurality of elements 150 are stacked in the thickness direction to form the plate stack 105. Adjacent elements 150 are not welded to each other, and therefore each element 150 can be removed from the frame 103.

Here, an example of the configuration of the element 150 will be described.
The element 150 is made of opposing plate materials 151, 152, and may be pressed (bent) into a special shape. The plate materials 151, 152 are spaced apart at a predetermined interval, and are connected at their upper and lower edges by a joining means such as welding (see, for example, FIG. 16 ). Therefore, the element 150 is closed in the up-down direction and open in the front-rear direction. That is, the element 150 forms a flow path in the front-rear direction.

The above connecting portions protrude from the upper and lower ends of the plate materials 151, 152, and form engagement pieces 153, 154 that fit into grooves 171A, 172A of the lower roller 171 and upper roller 172 described below (also see FIG. 17). This makes it easier for the element 150 to slide in the front-rear direction relative to the frame 103 (i.e., easier to remove or insert from the frame 103), and also allows it to be accurately positioned in the left-right direction of the frame 103.

The front and rear edges of the plates 151 and 152 are wider in the thickness direction (horizontal direction) than other parts, forming wide portions 155 and 156 (see, for example, FIG. 21). The wide portions 155 and 156 come into contact with each other when multiple elements 150 are stacked, forming vertical flow paths between the elements 150.

Therefore, the plate stack 105, which is a stack of elements 150, has two flow paths: a front-to-rear flow path formed within the element 150, and a vertical flow path formed between adjacent elements 150. For example, the vertical flow path may be a heat receiving side flow path and the front-to-rear flow path may be a heat dissipating side flow path, or vice versa. In other words, the plate stack 105 is configured so that the heat receiving side fluid and the heat dissipating side fluid do not mix with each other.

A roller 107 is rotatably supported by the frame 103 .
The rollers 107 may include an upper roller 172 disposed above the plate stack 105, and a lower roller 171 disposed below the plate stack 105 (see, for example, FIG. 16). Each of the upper roller 172 and the lower roller 171 includes two rollers, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration.

The roller 107 is attached between the side plates 131 and 132. In other words, the roller 107 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the element 150, which allows the element 150 to slide smoothly.

The roller 107 is formed with circumferential grooves 171A and 172A.
These grooves 171A, 172A engage with the engagement pieces 153, 154 of the element 150. The rotation of the roller 107 makes it easy to pull out and insert the element 150. In addition, the positioning of the element 150 in the left-right direction of the frame 103 becomes easy.

The grooves 171A, 172A are formed at a predetermined interval. It is preferable that the predetermined interval is approximately the same as the width of the wide portions 155, 156, so that a vertical flow path can be formed between adjacent elements 150.

A door 109 is detachably attached to the front of the frame 103. As described above, the door 109 is an example of a fixing part, and is provided to hold the plate stack 105 within the frame 103. For example, the door 109 is held in the frame 103 by being inserted between the holding pieces 137 protruding from the upper and lower horizontal frames 133, 134 on the front side (see FIG. 18).

An opening 191 is formed in the door 109 so as not to obstruct the flow path in the front-rear direction of the plate stack 105. Here, the opening 191 is a slit-like shape that extends long in the vertical direction to correspond to the shape of the flow path in the front-rear direction of the plate stack 105, but is not limited to this.

2. Operation of the Heat Exchanger 101 The operation of the heat exchanger 101 will now be described, particularly from the viewpoint of maintenance.

When in operation, the heat exchanger 101 performs heat exchange, for example, by circulating exhaust gas through the front and rear surfaces of the frame 103 and circulating air through the top and bottom surfaces of the frame 103 (see Figure 14).

Maintenance and part replacement of the heat exchanger 101 are carried out in the following manner.
That is, the door 109 is removed from the frame 103, and the element 150 is released from its holding (see FIG. 19).

Any one of the elements 150 is slid forward and removed from the frame 103 (see Figs. 20 and 21). If necessary, another element 150 is slid forward and removed from the frame 103 (see Fig. 22). Then, any necessary cleaning or part replacement is performed.
In this case, it is sufficient to take out only the desired element 150, so that the work efficiency is improved.

3. Advantages of the Second Embodiment In the second embodiment, since it is possible to take out and insert only the element 150 that requires cleaning or part replacement, in addition to the advantages of the first embodiment, the cleaning and part replacement work is further simplified.
Furthermore, the rotation of the rollers 107 allows the element 150 to be smoothly inserted and removed.

The above describes a representative embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various design modifications are possible, and all such design modifications are included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1,101 Heat exchanger 3,103 Frame 5,105 Plate stack 7 Insert 9 Fixing part 50,150 Plate (element)
107 Roller 109 Door

Claims (8)

A frame including a pair of opposing side panels and a horizontal frame connecting the pair of side panels;
a plate stack housed in the frame and composed of a plurality of plates;
a fixing portion that fixes the plate stack to the frame;
an insert that is removably attached to the frame and presses the plate stack in the frame against the side plate ;
When the plate stack is released from the fixing portion, each of the plates can be removed from the frame in any one of directions substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the pair of side plates face each other .
When the insert is removed from the frame, each of the plurality of plates is removable through a mounting space of the insert in the frame ;
A heat exchanger comprising: The frame further includes a rail provided along the horizontal frame,
Each plate has an engagement piece that engages with the rail ;
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 . The rail is cut out at a position corresponding to the insert ;
3. The heat exchanger according to claim 2 . The fixing portion clamps the engagement piece between the rail and the plate, thereby fixing the plate to the horizontal frame .
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 . the insert has a pressing portion for pressing the plate stack in the frame against the side plate ;
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 . further comprising rollers supporting each of the plurality of plates so as to be slidable in the one direction ;
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 . The roller has grooves formed in a circumferential direction and aligned at predetermined intervals in an axial direction,
Each of the plurality of plates has a protruding piece that engages with the groove,
each of the plurality of plates slides on the roller while the groove and the protruding piece are engaged with each other ;
7. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , the fixing portion is a door that is detachably attached to the frame and allows ventilation in the one direction ;
2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 .