JP7649803B2 - Flow Diverter and Cooling System - Google Patents

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed on August 14, 2020, bearing application number 202010816500.8 and entitled "Flow Diverter and Cooling System", and a Chinese patent application filed on August 14, 2020, bearing application number 202021702257.9 and entitled "Flow Diverter and Cooling System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This application relates to the technical field of cooling, and in particular to a flow divider and a cooling system.

Flow splitters are typically installed at the inlet of a heat exchanger in a cooling system to distribute the medium evenly to each heat exchange tube of the heat exchanger for heat exchange.

Conventional flow dividers, main bodies, and flow divider plates are all formed by turning a copper rod. The copper rod is first cut, and then a blade is used to cut multiple flow divider holes in sequence, resulting in low processing efficiency.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a current shunt having the following technical aspects.
A flow distributor including a body and a flow divider plate, the body having a chamber, the flow divider plate being disposed in the chamber, an inlet being formed at one end of the body, and a plurality of flow divider holes being formed in the flow divider plate, the flow divider holes communicating with the inlet via the chamber, the body being formed by metal tube processing, the flow divider plate being formed by metal sheet processing, and the flow divider holes being formed by a single punching of the flow divider plate.

The flow diverter provided in this application can improve processing efficiency by producing the flow diverter holes in the flow diverter plate by punching the metal plate in a single operation.

In one embodiment of the present application, the main body is formed by spinning or water swelling a stainless steel tube. Stainless steel is relatively light, which allows the weight of the main body to be reduced and the cost to be reduced.

In one embodiment of the present application, the flow diverter plate is formed by drawing and punching a stainless steel plate. Stainless steel can reduce the weight of the flow diverter, reducing costs, and the stainless steel flow diverter plate and the main body can be welded by laser welding or argon arc welding, so no welding material is required, the heat-affected area is small, and fixing is achieved by melting the base material, improving the uniformity of the weld and improving the weld strength.

In one embodiment of the present application, a protrusion is provided on the side of the flow divider plate close to the inlet, one side of the protrusion is fixed to the flow divider plate, the other side is spherical, and the flow divider holes are provided around the protrusion. The gas-liquid mixed medium is separated into gaseous medium and liquid medium by gravity, and some of the medium that first comes into contact with the protrusion is reflected by the turbulence caused by the protrusion and mixed with the remaining medium, so that the gaseous medium and liquid medium are mixed and then guided into the flow divider hole along the spherical surface of the protrusion, so that the medium can be uniformly mixed and then distributed in the flow divider hole, and the flow resistance of the medium can be reduced.

In one embodiment of the present application, the protrusion is hemispherical, and the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion is provided toward the inlet. The hemispherical protrusion can ensure the height and arc of the protrusion, preventing the protrusion from being too high or too low, and preventing the arc from being too small or too large.

In one embodiment of the present application, a plurality of cams are provided on the side of the flow divider plate away from the protrusions, uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow divider plate, and the flow divider holes are drilled in the cams in one-to-one correspondence. The outlet pipe can be welded to the cam, which communicates with the flow divider holes to reinforce the weld strength of the outlet pipe, and a portion of the outlet pipe may be inserted into the flow divider holes and a portion of the outlet pipe may be fitted into the outer wall of the cam, allowing it to be applied to outlet pipes of different pipe diameters and increasing the range of application.

In one embodiment of the present application, the flow divider plate has a first side adjacent to the inlet, and a first arcuate segment is provided between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, the first arcuate segment extending from the spherical surface of the protrusion to the first side. The arrangement of the first arcuate segment allows a natural transition between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, and as some of the medium flows to the bottom of the protrusion, the first arcuate segment can act to guide the flow of this portion of the medium.

In one embodiment of the present application, a second arc segment is provided between the inner wall of the flow diversion hole and the first side, and the second arc segment extends from the first side to the inner wall of the flow diversion hole. The arrangement of the second arc segment can further reduce the flow resistance of the medium.

In one embodiment of the present application, the protrusions are tension molded to the flow field plate. Stretch molding simplifies the construction of the flow field plate and reduces the welding process.

In one embodiment of the present application, the axis of the flow diversion hole is inclined with respect to the axis of the inlet, and the inclination angle a is 90° or less. By inclining the axis, the inclination direction of the flow diversion hole is made similar to the flow direction of the medium that flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion before entering the flow diversion hole, thereby reducing flow resistance.

In one embodiment of the present application, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole and the axis of the inlet is 10°. The inclination angle of 10° is relatively close to the flow direction of the medium after it flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion and before it enters the diversion hole, further reducing the flow resistance of the medium.

In one embodiment of the present application, the inner wall of the body is arc-shaped, and the arc of the inner wall of the body is 15 mm or more. The arc-shaped inner wall can reduce the flow resistance of the medium through the chamber.

In one embodiment of the present application, the plurality of flow diverter holes are uniformly distributed around the circumference of the flow diverter plate. The uniform distribution of the flow diverter holes results in a uniform distribution of the media.

The cooling system includes a heat exchanger and the above-mentioned flow divider provided at the inlet of the heat exchanger.

1 is a cross-sectional view of a flow divider provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a current shunt provided in the present application; FIG. 2 is a bottom view of a flow divider provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a body of a flow divider provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a flow diverter plate of a flow diverter provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a front view of a flow diverter plate of the flow diverter provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the process by which a medium flows through a flow divider provided in the present application. FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the cooling system provided in the present application.

1000 Cooling system, 100 Flow diverter, 10 Body, 11 Chamber, 12 Inlet, 13 Inlet pipe, 14 Opening, 15 Outlet pipe, 20 Flow diverter plate, 21 Flow diverter hole, 22 Protrusion, 23 Cam, 24 First side, 25 Second side, 26 Second arc-shaped segment, 27 First arc-shaped segment, 200 Heat exchanger, 201 Evaporator, 202 Condenser, 300 Throttle valve, 400 Compressor.

The present application will now be further described with reference to specific embodiments in conjunction with the above drawings.

The technical aspects of the embodiments of the present application will be described below clearly and completely with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is clear that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and are not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments that a person skilled in the art can obtain based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

It should be noted that when an assembly is said to be "mounted" to another assembly, it may be mounted directly to the other assembly, or there may be an intervening assembly present. When an assembly is said to be "mounted" to another assembly, it may be mounted directly to the other assembly, or there may be an intervening assembly present at the same time. When an assembly is said to be "fixed" to another assembly, it may be fixed directly to the other assembly, or there may be an intervening assembly present at the same time.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. Herein, the terms used in the specification of this application are merely for the purpose of describing specific examples and are not intended to limit this application. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and/or combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of the current divider 100 provided in the present application, Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the current divider 100 provided in the present application, and Figure 3 is a bottom view of the current divider 100 provided in the present application.

The flow diverter 100 provided in this application is applied to a cooling system 1000, and the flow diverter 100 is attached to the inlet of a heat exchanger 200 and is used to distribute the medium evenly to each heat exchange tube (not shown) of the heat exchanger 200. In this embodiment, the flow diverter 100 is attached to the inlet of an evaporator 201, but in other embodiments, the flow diverter 100 may be attached to the inlet of a condenser 202. It should be noted that the medium in this application is a refrigerant.

Furthermore, the flow diverter 100 includes a body 10 and a flow diverter plate 20, the body 10 is designed to be hollow to form a chamber 11, the flow diverter plate 20 is provided in the chamber 11, an inlet 12 is drilled at one end of the body 10, the flow diverter plate 20 is drilled with a plurality of flow diverter holes 21, the plurality of flow diverter holes 21 are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow diverter plate 20, and the flow diverter holes 21 are connected to the inlet 12 via the chamber 11.

The main body 10 is formed by metal tube processing, the flow divider plate 20 is formed by metal plate processing, and the flow divider holes 21 are formed by punching the flow divider plate 20 once. A single punch of the metal plate can form multiple flow divider holes 21, which improves processing efficiency compared to the conventional method of forming flow divider holes by lathe processing of a copper rod.

Furthermore, the main body 10 is formed by spinning or water swelling a stainless steel pipe.

The flow divider plate 20 is formed by stretching and punching a stainless steel plate.

Compared with a brass shunt, the stainless steel body 10 and stainless steel shunt plate 20 can reduce the cost and the weight of the shunt 100. The stainless steel shunt 100 has high pressure resistance and high sealing performance, and can avoid the problem of cracking during ammonia fumigation tests when made from brass material. In addition, the stainless steel shunt plate 20 can be welded into the body 10 by laser welding or argon arc welding, so no welding material is required, the heat-affected area is small, the melting point is high, the uniformity of the welding is improved, and the welding strength is improved. However, the copper body and the shunt plate can only be welded by flame welding or high frequency welding, which requires a relatively deep penetration depth and a long time for welding penetration. It can be understood that if the penetration depth or penetration does not meet the requirements, it will affect the welding strength.

An inlet pipe 13 is provided at the inlet 12, and the inlet pipe 13 is fixed to the inlet 12 by welding. The inlet pipe 13 is used by the user to connect to an external device such as a throttle valve 300.

Referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the body 10 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, in which an opening 14 is drilled at one end of the body 10 away from the inlet 12, the flow diverter plate 20 is provided in the opening 14, and the flow diverter plate 20 and the body 10 are fixed by welding.

Specifically, the inner wall of the main body 10 is arc-shaped. This design can reduce the pressure loss as the medium flows through the chamber 11. If the pressure loss of the medium becomes excessive, the dynamic pressure of the medium decreases, and the medium preferentially flows into the closest diversion hole 21, resulting in uneven distribution of the medium flow rate.

Preferably, the arc of the inner wall of the body 10 is 15 mm or more, and it can be understood that if the arc is too small, it will increase the pressure loss during the medium flow process. The arc of the inner wall of the body 10 is 15 mm, 16 mm, 20 mm or more than 20 mm.

Referring to Figures 5, 6 and 7, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the flow diverter plate 20 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, Figure 6 is a front view of the flow diverter plate 20 of the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application, and Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process in which the medium flows through the flow diverter 100 provided in the present application.

Specifically, a protrusion 22 is provided on the side of the flow dividing plate 20 facing the inlet 12, and the flow dividing holes 21 are provided around the protrusion 22, one side of the protrusion 22 is fixed to the side of the flow dividing plate 20, and the other side is spherical, that is, the side where the protrusion 22 contacts the medium is spherical. The gas-liquid mixed medium flows in from the inlet 12, and the gas-liquid mixed medium separates into gaseous medium and liquid medium due to gravity, and the turbulent flow caused by the protrusion 22 causes the medium that first contacts the protrusion 22 to form a reflection and mix with the remaining medium, so that the gaseous medium and liquid medium are mixed again and distributed uniformly in the surrounding flow dividing holes 21, improving the flow dividing capacity of the flow dividing device 100. In addition, the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 guides the medium to flow into the flow dividing holes 21, and plays a role in guiding the flow, reducing the pressure loss of the medium and improving the flow capacity of the flow dividing device 100.

Furthermore, since the protrusions 22 are formed by stretch forming on the flow diverter plate 20, there is no need to provide the protrusions 22 separately on the flow diverter plate 20, reducing the welding process steps.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the protrusion 22 is hemispherical, and the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion 22 faces the inlet 12, i.e., the bottom surface of the hemispherical protrusion 22 is fixed to the flow divider plate 20, and the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 contacts the medium. By designing in this way, the height and arc degree of the protrusion 22 can be ensured. If the protrusion 22 is a sphere with a relatively small height and arc degree, such as a 1/8 sphere, the height of the protrusion 22 relative to the flow divider plate 20 is too low, the arc degree is relatively small, and it is almost flat, which affects the turbulence and reflection effect, and affects the role of the protrusion 22 in guiding the flow. If the protrusion 22 is a perfect sphere, it reduces the space of the chamber 11, which affects the mixing space of the gaseous medium and the liquid medium.

Continuing to refer to FIG. 5, the flow dividing plate 20 has a first side 24 and a second side 25 arranged opposite to each other, the first side 24 is arranged close to the inlet 12, the protrusion 22 is arranged on the first side 24, and a first arc-shaped segment 27 is arranged between the protrusion 22 and the first side 24, and the first arc-shaped segment 27 extends from the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 to the first side 24 so as to connect the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 to the first side 24. It can be seen that some of the medium flows to the bottom of the protrusion 22, and the first arc-shaped segment 27 can naturally transition between the spherical surface of the protrusion 22 and the first side 24 of the protrusion 22, reducing the flow loss in the process of the medium at the bottom of the protrusion 22 flowing to the flow dividing hole 21.

Specifically, on the side of the flow dividing plate 20 away from the protrusions 22, a number of cams 23 are provided that are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow dividing plate 20, the flow dividing holes 21 are drilled in the cams 23 in one-to-one correspondence, an outlet pipe 15 is provided at the opening of the flow dividing hole 21 located outside the chamber 11, and the outlet pipe 15 and the cam 23 are fixedly connected by welding. It can be seen that by designing in this way, the connection strength of the outlet pipe 15 can be increased.

Furthermore, the outlet pipe 15 may be partially inserted into the diversion hole 21 and partially fitted into the outer wall of the cam 23, which not only reinforces the connection strength but also allows connection to outlet pipes 15 of different pipe diameters. In this embodiment, multiple outlet pipes 15 are connected to multiple heat exchange tubes of the evaporator 201, but in other embodiments, the outlet pipes 15 are connected to different devices according to different connection targets.

The inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 may be stainless steel pipes or copper pipes. The stainless steel pipes are low in cost and are made of the same material as the main body 10, which reduces the difficulty of welding. Since the pipelines of cooling systems are usually copper pipes, by making the inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 copper pipes, users can easily weld them. The flow divider 100 of the present application may select the inlet pipe 13 and the outlet pipe 15 to be made of stainless steel or copper material according to different locations.

Preferably, the axis of the diversion hole 21 is inclined to the axis of the inlet 12, and the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 is 90° or less. After passing through the turbulence caused by the protrusion 22, the medium flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion 22, and the flow direction is inclined to the axis of the inlet 12. If the axis direction of the diversion hole 21 is the same as the flow direction of the medium, the flow resistance of the medium can be further reduced, and if the inclination angle of the axis of the diversion hole 21 to the axis of the inlet 12 exceeds 90°, the medium needs to change direction before entering the diversion hole 21, which can be understood to increase the flow resistance. The included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 may be 90°, 80°, 70°, 50°, 20°, 10°, etc.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 is 10°, and as can be seen from FIG. 7, a is 10°, which is relatively close to the flow direction of the medium before it enters the diversion hole 21 after it flows along the spherical surface of the protrusion 22. Of course, in other embodiments, according to different heights of the protrusion 22, the included angle a between the axis of the diversion hole 21 and the axis of the inlet 12 may be 85°, 45°, 30° or another angle.

A second arc-shaped segment 26 is provided between the inner wall of the flow diversion hole 21 and the first side surface 24, and the second arc-shaped segment 26 extends from the first side surface 24 to the inner wall of the flow diversion hole 21 so as to connect the inner walls of the first side surface 24 and the flow diversion hole 21. Designed in this way, the flow resistance of the medium can be further reduced.

Referring to FIG. 8, a structural schematic diagram of a cooling system 1000 provided in the present application is shown. The present application further provides a cooling system 1000 including a compressor 400, a throttle valve 300, a heat exchanger 200, and the above-mentioned flow divider 100 provided at the inlet of the heat exchanger 200. The heat exchanger 200 may be an evaporator 201 or a condenser 202. The cooling system 1000 of the present application is provided with the flow divider 100 provided in the present application, thereby improving the heat exchange effect of the evaporator 201 and improving the performance of the cooling system.

When the heat exchanger 200 is an evaporator 201, the inlet pipe 13 of the flow divider 100 is connected to the outlet of the throttle valve 300, and the medium is throttled/decompressed by the throttle valve 300 to a gas-liquid two-phase state. The evaporator 201 has multiple heat exchange tubes, and the medium flowing out from the throttle valve 300 is distributed by the flow divider 100 and evenly distributed to each heat exchange tube of the evaporator 201 to make the heat exchange of the evaporator 201 uniform, so as to avoid some heat exchange tubes having a relatively large amount of gaseous medium and some heat exchange tubes having a relatively large amount of liquid medium. When some heat exchange tubes have a relatively large amount of liquid medium and some heat exchange tubes have a relatively small amount of liquid medium, the amount of heat absorbed by the heat exchange tube with a relatively large amount of gaseous medium is relatively small, and the amount of heat absorbed by the heat exchange tube with a relatively large amount of liquid medium is relatively large, which affects the full utilization of the heat exchange area of the heat exchange tube of the evaporator 201, thereby affecting the heat exchange effect and causing a decrease in the performance of the cooling system. The medium flowing out of the evaporator 201 enters the compressor 400, becomes a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous medium, and enters the condenser 202 again.

During the operation, the gas-liquid two-phase medium enters the chamber 11 from the inlet pipe 13, and as it flows, the gaseous medium and liquid medium are separated by gravity, and the turbulent flow caused by the protrusions 22 causes the medium that first comes into contact with the protrusions 22 to be reflected and mixed with the other medium, so that the liquid medium and gaseous medium are mixed again, and after being mixed, they flow uniformly into each of the flow division holes 21 along the spherical surface of the protrusions 22, and are then distributed into each heat exchange tube.

The flow diverter hole 21 in the flow diverter 100 provided in this application is formed by punching the flow diverter plate 20 once, which improves processing efficiency. If stainless steel is used for the manufacture, the welding strength between the flow diverter plate 20 and the main body 10 can be improved, costs can be reduced, and the pressure resistance and sealing performance can be improved while the risk of the brass material cracking due to ammonia fumigation can be reduced. By making the side of the protrusion 22 that comes into contact with the medium spherical, the medium can be mixed uniformly, and the pressure loss during the medium flow process can be reduced, improving the flow capacity.

The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined in any manner, and for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, to the extent that any combination of these technical features is not contradictory, all combinations should be considered within the scope of the present specification.

The above examples merely show some embodiments of the present application, and although the description is specific and detailed, it should not be understood as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make further modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall conform to the scope of the attached claims.

Claims (11)

A flow distributor including a body and a flow dividing plate, the body having a chamber, the flow dividing plate being disposed in the chamber, an inlet being formed at one end of the body, the flow dividing plate having a plurality of flow dividing holes formed therein, the flow dividing holes being connected to the inlet via the chamber,
the main body is formed by metal pipe processing, the flow dividing plate is formed by metal plate processing, and the flow dividing holes are formed by punching the flow dividing plate once;
a protrusion is provided on a side surface of the flow dividing plate adjacent to the inlet, one side surface of the protrusion is fixed to the flow dividing plate and the other side surface is spherical, the spherical surface of the protrusion is provided toward the inlet, and the flow dividing holes are provided around the protrusion;
The axis of the flow dividing hole is inclined with respect to the axis of the inlet, and the inclination angle a is 90° or less;
A flow distributor, wherein an inner wall of the body in the chamber through which the medium flows between the inlet and the flow distributor plate is generally arc-shaped, and a circle corresponding to the arc has a radius of 15 mm or more. The flow divider according to claim 1, wherein the main body is formed by spinning or water swelling a stainless steel pipe. The flow divider according to claim 1, wherein the flow divider plate is formed by drawing and punching a stainless steel plate. The flow diverter of claim 1 , wherein the protrusion is hemispherical, the spherical surface of the hemispherical protrusion facing towards the inlet. A flow diverter as described in claim 1, wherein a plurality of cams are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow diverter plate on the side away from the protrusion, and the flow diverter holes are drilled in the cams in one- to-one correspondence. 2. The flow distributor of claim 1, wherein the flow distributor has a first side adjacent the inlet, and a first arcuate segment is disposed between the spherical surface of the protrusion and the first side, the first arcuate segment extending from the spherical surface of the protrusion to the first side. 7. The flow diverter of claim 6 , wherein a second arcuate segment is provided between the inner wall of the flow diverter hole and the first side, the second arcuate segment extending from the first side to the inner wall of the flow diverter hole. The flow diverter of claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are formed by tensioning the flow diverter plate. The flow divider of claim 1, wherein the included angle a between the axis of the flow divider hole and the axis of the inlet is 10°. The flow divider according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of flow divider holes are uniformly distributed along the circumferential direction of the flow divider plate. A cooling system comprising a heat exchanger and a flow divider according to any one of claims 1 to 10 provided at an inlet of the heat exchanger.

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