Heat exchanger having different flowing paths

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes a number of plate sets disposed one above the other or superposed with each other, and each plate sets includes an upper plate and a lower plate for forming one or more conduits between the upper and the lower plates, and for forming one or more ducts between the lower and the upper plates of different plates, the plates include an opening communicating and coupled to the conduits for receiving one heat medium, and an orifice communicating and coupled to the ducts for receiving a different heat medium and for separating the heat media from each other, and for allowing the heat media to have different flowing quantity from each other.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularly to a heat exchanger having two or more different or uneven fluid flowing paths or passages having different cross section areas or different volumes for guiding and allowing the heat medium and/or other heat exchanging fluids to flow through the fluid flowing paths or passages with different flowing speeds and/or different contact areas, and for facilitating the heat exchanging effect.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical heat exchangers comprise a receptacle including a chamber formed therein for receiving a heat medium, such as water or fluid, and an inlet and an outlet provided therein for allowing the heat medium or water or fluid to flow into and out of the chamber of the receptacle. The receptacle further includes a number of plates or boards or housings disposed therein, and superposed with each other, and each having a wavy structure arranged to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the wavy plates or boards or housings, and to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to be heat exchanged indirectly with the other heat medium within the chamber of the receptacle.

The formation or the provision of the wavy structure of the plates or boards or housings is arranged for increasing the contacting area between the plates or boards or housings and the heat media, and for increasing the heat exchanging effect. The plates or boards or housings of the receptacle further includes one or more openings or passages formed therein, for controlling or guiding the heat medium to suitably flow through the plates or boards or housings.

The plates or boards or housings may be disposed and superposed with each other, and the plates or boards or housings may be randomly or selectively disposed one above the other. Normally, two flowing paths or passages are formed in the receptacle and include the same cross section area or the same volume for receiving two different heat exchanging fluids and for allowing the different heat exchanging fluids to evenly flow through the fluid flowing paths or passages with the same flowing speed and for allowing the different heat exchanging fluids to uniformly contacted with each other.

However, the heat dissipating or absorbing or exchanging rate of the different heat exchanging fluids, such as water, heat or cold media, or the like may be different from each other, such that the heat exchanging rate between the different heat exchanging fluids may be different, and such that the heat exchanging effect may not be facilitated.

The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional heat exchanging flowing paths or passages for the heat exchangers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger including two or more different or uneven fluid flowing paths or passages having different cross section areas or different volumes for guiding and allowing the heat medium and/or other heat exchanging fluids to flow through the fluid flowing paths or passages with different flowing speeds and/or different contact areas, and for facilitating the heat exchanging effect.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat exchanger comprising a first plate set including a first plate and a second plate disposed below the first plate for forming at least one conduit between the first and the second plates of the first plate set, and a second plate set including a first plate disposed below the second plate of the first plate set, for forming at least one duct between the first plate of the second plate set and the second plate of the first plate set, the first and the second plates of the first and the second plate sets include an opening communicating and coupled to the conduit formed between the first and the second plates of the first plate set for receiving a first medium, and the first and the second plates of the first and the second plate sets include an orifice communicating and coupled to the duct formed between the first plate of the second plate set and the second plate of the first plate set for receiving a second medium and for separating the first medium and the second medium from each other, and for allowing the first medium to have a greater flowing quantity than that of the second medium.

The first plates and the second plates each include a wavy structure having a plurality of depressions formed between a plurality of bulges, and the depressions of the first plate of the first plate set are disposed above the bulges of the second plate of the first plate set for forming the conduit between the first and the second plates of the first plate set, and the depressions of the second plate of the first plate set are disposed above the bulges of the first plate of the second plate set for forming the duct between the second plate of the first plate set and the first plate of the second plate set.

The depressions of the first plates of the first and the second plate sets and the bulges of the second plates of the first and the second plate sets include a triangular cross section, and the bulges of the first plates of the first and the second plate sets and the depressions of the second plates of the first and the second plate sets include a trapezoidal cross section.

Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view illustrating a heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating two of the heat exchanging boards or plates of the heat exchanger that are superposed with each other;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the heat exchanger; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial perspective view similar to FIG. 3, illustrating the operation of the heat exchanger.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-2, a heat exchanger 1 in accordance with the present invention comprises one or more heat exchanging assemblies or plate sets 10, 11 alternatively superposed with each other and each including two heat exchanging boards or plates 12, 13 disposed and superposed with each other for allowing the upper or first plate 12 to be disposed above the lower or second plate 13 which is disposed above the upper or first plate 12 of the other or lower plate set 11. The plates 12-13 each include a wavy structure 20 arranged to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the wavy boards or plates 12-13 with an increased contacting area, and to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to be heat exchanged with the other heat medium, such as ambient air, other heat media or water or fluid or the like.

The formation or the provision of the wavy structure 20 of the boards or plates 12-13 is provided for increasing the contacting area between the heat media flowing through the boards or plates 12-13, and for increasing the heat exchanging effect. For example, the boards or plates 12-13 each include one or more depressions 21, 23 formed or defined between one or more bulges 22, 24 respectively, in which the depressions 21 of the upper or first plate 12 are arranged and secured and disposed above the bulges 24 of the lower or second plate 13 for forming one or more conduits 30 between the bulges 22 and the depressions 23 of the upper or first plate 12 and the lower or second plate 13 of one of the plate sets 10, 11.

The conduits 30 formed between the upper or first plate 12 and the lower or second plate 13 of the upper or one of the plate sets 10, 11 are communicating or coupled with each other and provided for receiving various cold or heat media therein. Similarly, the depressions 23 of the lower or second plate 13 are arranged and secured and disposed above the bulges 22 of the first or upper plate 12 of the other or lower plate set 11 for forming the ducts 31 between the bulges 24 of the lower or second plate 13 of the upper plate set 10 and the depressions 21 of the upper or first plate 12 of the lower plate set 11. The ducts 31 formed between the lower or second plate 13 of the upper plate set 10 and the upper or first plate 12 of the lower plate set 11 are also communicating or coupled with each other and provided for receiving various cold or heat media therein. The heat media may be selected from water, various fluid, ambient air, or other heat media.

The plates 12-13 each further include one or more openings 14 and one or more orifices 15 formed in such as the corner areas thereof, and aligned with each other, for controlling or guiding the heat medium to suitably flow through the openings 14 or the orifices 15 of the boards or plates 12-13. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the openings 14 of the plates 12-13 are communicating or coupled to the conduits 30 that are formed between the upper or first plate 12 and the lower or second plate 13 for receiving one of the cold or heat media 80 therein, such as water or other fluid.

The orifices 15 of the plates 12-13 are communicating or coupled to the ducts 31 that are formed below the second or lower plate 13, or formed between the second or lower plate 13 of the upper set 10 and the upper or first plate 13 of the lower set 11 for receiving the other cold or heat media 88 therein, such as ambient air or other heat media that are different from the cold or heat media 80 flowing through the conduits 30 of the plates 12-13. The cold or heat media 80, 88 may thus flow through the conduits 30 and the ducts 31 of the plates 12-13 respectively and separately, and will not be mixed or blended with each other, for heat exchanging with each other.

The first cold or heat medium 80 may flow through the conduits 30 and the openings 14 of the plates 12-13 respectively, and the second cold or heat medium 88 may flow through the ducts 31 and the orifices 15 of the plates 12-13 respectively, and the first and the second cold or heat media 80, 88 may be heat exchanged with each other via the plates 12-13 that are preferably made of excellent heat exchanging or conductive materials, such as metal, aluminum, copper, or the like.

It is to be noted that the conduits 30 of the plates 12-13 may include a volume or cross section or area greater or more than that of the ducts 31 of the plates 12-13 for allowing the first cold or heat medium 80 to have a greater flowing quantity than that of the second cold or heat medium 88, and for allowing the cold or heat medium 80 to have a greater contact area with the other cold or heat medium 88, and thus for allowing the cold or heat media 80, 88 of different heat exchanging characteristics, such as the different heat dissipating or absorbing or exchanging rate, to flow through the conduits 30 of the plates 12-13 and the ducts 31 of the plates 12-13 that have different volumes or cross sections or areas.

For example, the depressions 21 and the bulges 24 of the plates 12-13 for forming the conduits 30 include a smaller or triangular cross section, and the bulges 22 and the depressions 23 of the plates 12-13 for forming the ducts 31 include a greater or trapezoidal cross section, and the depressions 21 of the plates 12 are aligned with and attached to the bulges 24 of the other plates 13, and the bulges 22 of the plates 12 are aligned with and attached to the depressions 23 of the other plates 13 for forming the conduits 30 and the ducts 31 of different volume or cross section or area between the plates 12, 13.

The heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention may include a number sets 10 of plates 12-13 alternatively superposed with each other. The plates 12-13 each preferably includes a mirror symmetric structure or identical structure to allow the plates 12-13 to be made with the same mold device (not shown), such that the manufacturing cost for the heat exchanger may be suitably decreased.

Accordingly, the heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention includes two or more different or uneven fluid flowing paths or passages having different cross section areas or different volumes for guiding and allowing the heat medium and/or other heat exchanging fluids to flow through the fluid flowing paths or passages with different flowing speeds or flowing quantities and/or different contact areas, and for facilitating the heat exchanging effect.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising:

a first plate set including a first plate and a second plate disposed below said first plate for forming at least one conduit between said first and said second plates of said first plate set, and

a second plate set including a first plate disposed below said second plate of said first plate set, for forming at least one duct between said first plate of said second plate set and said second plate of said first plate set,

said first and said second plates of said first and said second plate sets including an opening communicating and coupled to said at least one conduit formed between said first and said second plates of said first plate set for receiving a first medium, and

said first and said second plates of said first and said second plate sets including an orifice communicating and coupled to said at least one duct formed between said first plate of said second plate set and said second plate of said first plate set for receiving a second medium and for separating said first medium and said second medium from each other, and for allowing said first medium to have a greater flowing quantity than that of said second medium.

2. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first plates and said second plates each include a wavy structure having a plurality of depressions formed between a plurality of bulges, and said depressions of said first plate of said first plate set are disposed above said bulges of said second plate of said first plate set for forming said at least one conduit between said first and said second plates of said first plate set, and said depressions of said second plate of said first plate set are disposed above said bulges of said first plate of said second plate set for forming said at least one duct between said second plate of said first plate set and said first plate of said second plate set.

3. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2, wherein said depressions of said first plates of said first and said second plate sets and said bulges of said second plates of said first and said second plate sets include a triangular cross section, and said bulges of said first plates of said first and said second plate sets and said depressions of said second plates of said first and said second plate sets include a trapezoidal cross section.