Heat exchange system

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchange system (1) having a heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) including at least one first heat exchange module (21) with a heat exchanger (3), wherein an outer boundary of the heat exchange modules (2, 21, 22) is formed by an inflow surface (41) and an outflow surface (42) such that, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid (5) and a heat transfer agent (6) flowing through the heat exchanger (3) in the operating state, the transport fluid (5) can be supplied to the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) via the inflow surface (41), can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger (3) and can be led away again from the heat exchange module (2) via the outflow surface (42). In accordance with the invention, in this respect, a cleaning system (7) is provided with a cleaning flap (71).

Description

The invention relates to a modular heat exchange system having a heat exchange module in accordance with the preamble of independent claim 1.

The use of heat exchange systems is known in a number of applications from the prior art which can practically not be overseen. Heat exchangers are used in refrigeration systems such as in common domestic refrigerators, in air-conditioning systems for buildings or in vehicles of all kinds, in particular in motor vehicles, aircraft and ships, as water coolers or as oil coolers in combustion engines, as condensers or evaporators in refrigerant circuits and in further innumerable different applications which are all well-known to the person of ordinary skill in the art.

In this respect, there are different possibilities of sensibly classifying the heat exchangers from very different applications. One attempt is to carry out a distinguishing by the structure or by the manufacture of the different types of heat exchangers.

A division can thus be made in accordance with so-called “finned heat exchangers”, on the one hand, and “minichannel” or “microchannel” heat exchangers, on the other hand.

The finned heat exchangers which have been well-known for a very long time serve, like all types of heat exchangers, for the transfer of heat between two media, e.g., but not only, for the transfer from a cooling medium to air or vice versa, such as is known, for example, from a classical domestic refrigerator in which heat is emitted to ambient air via the heat exchanger for the production of a cooling capacity in the interior of the refrigerator.

The ambient medium outside the heat exchanger, that is e.g. water, oil or frequently simply the ambient air, which takes up the heat, for example, or from which heat is transferred to the heat exchanger, is either cooled or heated accordingly in this process. The second medium can e.g. be a liquid cold carrier or heat carrier or an evaporating or condensing refrigerant. In any case, the ambient medium, that is e.g. the air, has a substantially lower heat transfer coefficient than the second medium, that is e.g. the refrigerant, which circulates in the heat exchanger system. This is balanced by highly different heat transfer surfaces for the two media. The medium with the high heat transfer coefficient flows in the pipe which has a very enlarged surface at the outer side at which the heat transfer e.g. to the air takes place by thin metal sheets (ribs, fins).

FIG. 3 shows a simple example of an element of such a finned heat exchanger which is known per se. In practice, the heat exchanger is formed in this respect by a plurality of such elements in accordance with FIG. 3.

The ratio of the outer surface to the inner surface depends in this respect on the fin geometry (=pipe diameter, pipe arrangement and pipe spacing) as well as on the fin spacing. The fin spacing is selected differently for different applications. However, it should be as small as possible from a purely thermodynamic aspect, but not so small that the pressure loss on the air side is too large. An efficient optimum is at approximately 2 mm, which is a typical value for the condenser and the heat exchanger.

The manufacture of these so-called finned heat exchangers takes place in accordance with a standardized process known for a long time. The fins are stamped using a press and a special tool and are placed in packets with one another. Subsequently, the pipes are pushed in and expanded either mechanically or hydraulically so that a very good contact, and thus a good heat transfer, arises between the pipe and the fin. The individual pipes are then connected to one another, often soldered to one another, by bends and inlet tanks and outlet tanks.

The efficiency is in this respect substantively determined by the fact that the heat which is transferred between the fin surface and the air has to be transferred to the pipe via heat conduction through the fins. This heat transfer is the more effective, the higher the conductivity or the thickness of the fin is, but also the smaller the spacing between the pipes is. One speaks of fin efficiency here. Aluminum is therefore primarily used as the fin material today which has a high heat conductivity (approx. 220 W/mK) at economic conditions. The pipe spacing should be as small as possible; however, this results in the problem that many pipes are needed. Many pipes mean high costs since the pipes (made from copper as rule) are much more expensive than the thin aluminum fins. These material costs could be reduced in that the pipe diameter and the wall thickness are reduced, i.e. a heat exchanger is made with a number of small pipes instead of with a few larger pipes. This solution would be ideal thermodynamically: Very many pipes at small distances with small diameters. A substantial cost factor is, however, also the labor time for the widening and soldering of the pipes. It would increase extremely with such a geometry.

A new class of heat exchangers, so-called minichannel or also microchannel heat exchangers, was therefore already developed some years ago which are manufactured using a completely different process and almost correspond to the ideal of a finned heat exchanger: many small pipes at small intervals.

Instead of small pipes, however, extruded aluminum sections are used in the minichannel heat exchanger which have very small channels with a diameter of e.g. approximately 1 mm. Such an extruded section likewise known per se is shown schematically e.g. in FIG. 2. In practice in this respect, a heat exchanger can already manage, depending on the required heat capacity, with one single extruded section as a central heat exchange element. To be able to achieve higher heat transfer capacities, a plurality of extruded sections can naturally also be provided simultaneously in one single heat exchanger which are connected to one another, e.g. soldered to one another, in suitable combinations, for example via inlet feeds and outlet feeds.

Such sections can e.g. be manufactured in suitable extrusion processes simply and in a variety of shapes from a plurality of materials. However, other manufacturing processes are also known for the manufacture of minichannel heat exchangers such as the assembly of suitably shaped sectional metal sheets or other suitable processes.

These sections cannot, and also do not have to, be widened and they are also not pushed into stamped fin packets.

Instead, for example, sheet metal strips, in particular aluminum strips, are placed between two sections disposed close to one another (common spacings, for example, <1 cm) so that a heat exchanger packet arises by alternating placing of sheet metal strips and sections next to one another. This packet is then soldered completely in a soldering furnace.

A heat exchanger having a very high fin efficiency and a very small filling volume (inner channel side) arises due to the narrow spacings and the small channel diameters. The further advantages of this technique are the avoidance of material pairings (corrosion), the low weight (no copper), the high pressure stability (approx. 100 bar) as well as the compact construction shape (typical depth of a heat exchanger e.g. 20 mm).

Minichannel heat exchangers became established in mobile use in the course of the 1990s. The low weight, the small block depth as well as the restricted dimensions required here are the ideal conditions for this. Automotive radiators as well as condensers and evaporators for automotive air-conditioning systems are today realized almost exclusively with minichannel heat exchangers.

In the stationary area, larger heat exchangers are usually needed, on the one hand; on the other hand, the emphasis here is less on the weight and the compact design and more on the ideal price-performance ratio. Minichannel heat exchangers were previously too limited in dimensions to be considered for this purpose. Many small modules would have had to be connected to one another in a complex and/or expensive manner. In addition, the use of aluminum is relatively high in the extruded sections so that a cost advantage was also practically not to be expected from the material use aspect.

Due to the high volumes in the automotive sector, the manufacturing processes for minichannel heat exchangers have become standardized and have improved so that this technology can today be called mature. The soldering furnace size has also increased in the meantime so that heat exchangers can already be produced in the size of approximately 1×2 m. The initial difficulties with the connection system have been remedied. In the meantime, there are a plurality of patented processes on how the inlet tanks and outlet tanks can be soldered in.

However, above all the price of copper, which has increased greatly with respect to aluminum, has had the result that this technology is also becoming very interesting for stationary use.

In addition to the simple systems in which substantially only one ambient medium, such as air, is available to the heat exchanger for the exchange of heat, so-called hybrid coolers or hybrid dry coolers are known such as are e.g. disclosed in WO90/15299 or in EP 428 647 B1, in which the gaseous or liquid medium of the primary cooling circuit to be cooled flows through a fin heat exchanger and which output the heat to be dissipated via the cooling fins to the air flow partly as sensitive heat and partly as latent heat. One or more fans convey the air flow through the heat exchanger and advantageously have variable speeds. The dissipation of the latent heat takes place by a liquid medium, preferably water, which is matched by its specific values such as conductivity, hardness, carbonate content and is in each case added to the heat transfer surface on the air side as a drop-forming liquid film. The excess water drips into a collection bowl directly beneath the heat exchanger elements. Sprayed heat exchanger concepts are also known where water is sprayed onto the fin heat exchanger and evaporates completely and in this process the evaporation energy is used for the improvement of the heat transfer as in the wetting for energetic optimization. It is also possible to work without a water excess here, but a formation of deposits has to be prevented, for which purposes e.g. VE water is used.

It is understood that other cooling fluids such as oil can also be considered in addition to water in special cases.

The manner of operation in the wetting or spraying of the fins of the heat exchanger results in substantial energy and water savings in comparison with customary methods such as with open cooling towers. However, the restriction in the choice of material of the wetted or sprayed heat exchanger in conjunction with the fin where corrosion may not occur in connection with an electrolyte is disadvantageous.

Hybrid heat transfer is thus understood as the substantial improvement of the heat transfer of fin heat exchangers with pipes by direct wetting or spraying of water. It is above all necessary in this respect to regulate the air speed in the fin packet so that no taking along of water occurs at the fin surface. This is advantageously achieved by a speed regulation of the fans or by other suitable measures.

It is a disadvantage in this respect that the sprayed or wetting water acts as an electrolyte together with dissolved ions, which can result in numerous corrosion problems with the usually used material pairings of copper pipe and aluminum fins of the heat exchanger.

It is known in this respect e.g. to use so-called cataphoretic dip coating as a suitable surface protection for heat exchangers. Furthermore, both the material pairings such as copper pipe and copper fin and aluminum pipe and aluminum fin as well as stainless steel pipe and stainless steel fin are used to master the problems of contact corrosion. It is also known to zinc coat the heat exchangers completely. High demands are made on the quality of the circulation water or spray water in this respect with regard to the pH values, water hardness, chlorine content, conductivity, etc. to prevent deposits from forming, on the one hand, on condensation on the fin due to evaporation and from contents of chemically reactive materials forming which are too high, on the other hand, which can on their part result in corrosion together with the deposits.

To achieve higher heat transfer capacities than are e.g. known with small heat exchangers from automotive engineering or domestic technology, attempts have previously been made to make use of the previously described hybrid technology with larger heat transfer systems.

Another possibility to reach larger heat transfer capacities basically involves trying to achieve greater exchange rates by interconnection of a plurality of individual heat exchange components, e.g. by the connection of Al-MCHX modules.

A problem with all previously known heat exchange systems in this respect is the contamination of the system components of the heat exchange system, which can generally not be avoided in the operating state. The heat exchangers past which the cooling air is conducted using corresponding fans can be contaminated more and more over time by contaminants of all kinds which are contained in the cooling air, which can, for example, have the result that the heat transfer coefficient of the surface of the heat exchanger is reduced so that the heat transfer capacity is reduced. This can result in increased operating costs or, in extreme cases, the heat exchange systems can no longer provide the required heat exchange performance at all, which in worst case scenarios can result in serious damage. For example, that a connected machine to be cooled such as a data processing systems or an internal combustion engine or another machine overheats and is thereby damaged. But also products such as to foodstuffs which are stored in a cold store can go off, for example, with deficient refrigerating.

The heat exchange systems must therefore be cleaned regularly, which is, however, difficult and thus complex and expensive in the known systems. It is furthermore necessary in many known heat exchange systems to open a housing in order e.g. to clean the heat exchanger itself or to clean other major components in the interior of the heat exchanger. The opening of the housings is therefore not only complex and awkward. In this case, the corresponding connected heat engines also have to be taken out of operation since otherwise an opening of the housing of the heat exchange system is not allowed for safety reasons alone or is not possible at all for technical reasons in the operating state.

A further problem is that the cleaning liquid with which the heat exchange system is cleaned, for example water, water mixed with a cleaning agent or another cleaning liquid has to be collected in a complex and/or expensive manner so that it can be disposed of professionally. As a rule, the cleaning liquid contaminated after the cleaning process may not simply be supplied to the sewers. Corresponding complex and/or expensive apparatus, for example, separators, separate channel systems via which contaminated cleaning liquid is led away and supplied to a collection point or other separation and collection systems known per se are therefore provided in the known heat exchange systems which not only take up additional space, but are also expensive in construction and in operation.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an improved heat exchange system which overcomes the problems known from the prior art, which is in particular simple to clean, can preferably also be cleaned in the operating state and with which a contaminated cleaning liquid can be captured or collected and disposed of simply.

The subjects of the invention satisfying these objects are characterized by the features of independent claim 1.

The dependent claims relate to particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The invention thus relates to a heat exchange system having a heat exchange module including at least one first heat exchange module with a heat exchanger, with an external boundary of the heat exchange module being formed by an inflow surface and an outflow surface such that, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid and a heat transfer agent flowing through the heat exchanger in the operating state, the transport fluid can be supplied via the inflow surface to the heat exchange module, can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger and can be led away again from the heat exchange module via the outflow surface. In accordance with the invention, in this respect, a cleaning system is provided with a cleaning flap.

It is thus important for the invention that a cleaning system with a cleaning flap is provided in a heat exchange system of the present invention, said cleaning flap being able to be opened and closed simply so that access is provided to the interior of the heat exchange module which allows cleaning and service work, basically even in the operating state of the heat exchange system, without having to disassemble the heat exchange system.

In a preferred embodiment, the cleaning system of the present invention includes a cleaning opening and/or a dust capturing grid and/or a scraper and/or a washing device whose function is generally known to the skilled person. The heat exchanger can in particular be provided at the cleaning flap and/or the heat exchanger is itself made as a cleaning flap, which in special cases and depending on the application can substantially facilitate service and cleaning work.

The cleaning flap is particularly preferably rotatably supported around an axis of rotation for the opening of the heat exchange module so that the cleaning flap is a collection pan for a cleaning agent in an opened state. It is thereby possible that a contaminated cleaning agent can automatically be collected in the collection pan and can be supplied to a professional disposal without further construction measures.

In another embodiment, a first boundary surface of the first heat exchange module is inclined at a presettable angle of inclination with respect to a second boundary surface of the first heat exchange module. In this respect, the heat exchanger itself can have a supporting function on the formation of the heat exchange module; for example, in that it forms a statically integral construction element of a housing of the heat exchange module. This can, for example, be realized in that the heat exchanger itself forms a housing wall of the heat exchanger module or in that the housing of the heat exchanger module does not have a boundary wall at all the boundary surfaces of the housing so that the heat exchanger itself satisfies a connecting and stabilizing integral static function as a housing component.

In a further simple embodiment, a boundary surface of the heat exchange system can be dispensed with at its housing with the omitted housing wall being formed in the installed state of the heat exchange system by a wall of an installation object, in particular by a wall of a housing.

To increase the heat exchange performance, the heat exchange system can in particular be formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules.

Above all, but not only, in those cases in which the heat exchange system is formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules, the first boundary surface of the first heat exchange module can be inclined at the presettable angle of inclination with respect to the second boundary surface of the first heat exchange module such that the modular heat exchange system can be expanded by a second heat exchange module, in particular in compact construction, with the second heat exchange module preferably being identical to the first heat exchange module. For example, a heat exchange system can thus be provided by two heat exchange modules which are triangular in cross-section and whose first and second boundary surfaces are inclined at 45° to one another, said heat exchange system having a rectangular or square cross-section surface in that the two inclined surfaces are arranged against one another.

The angle of inclination between the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface of the heat exchange module is in this respect between 0° and 180°, specifically between 20° and 70°, preferably between 40° and 50°, and particularly preferably amounts to 45°.

If, for example, the heat exchange modules are therefore made in the form of a parallelepiped having an angle of inclination of 45°, two respective such heat exchange modules can be assembled in a particularly compact manner, e.g. via the inclined surfaces, and can also, if required, be expanded as desired by being strung next to one another.

The heat transfer capacity and/or the power density of the heat transfer can thus be matched in a simple and efficient manner by a modular heat transfer system of the present invention by the regular repetition of preferably identical heat exchange modules or by the removal of identical heat exchange modules.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the first boundary surface of the first heat exchange module is thus inclined at the presettable angle of inclination with respect to the second boundary surface of the first exchange module such that the modular heat exchange system can be expanded by a second heat exchange module, in particular in a compact construction shape, with the second heat exchange module preferably being identical to the first heat exchange module. In this respect, compact construction shape means that two heat exchange modules can be combined with one another in as space saving a manner as possible so that as little free space as possible, preferably practically no free space at all, remains between two combined heat exchange modules.

A particularly important significance thus accrues to those embodiments in accordance with the invention in which the heat exchange system is formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules since the heat transfer capacity can be reduced particularly simply in them, for example, by removal of a heat exchange module.

For the further increase of the power density of the heat transfer between the heat transfer agent and the transport fluid and/or for the increase of a heat transfer capacity between the heat transfer agent and the transport fluid, a cooling device can be provided for the cooling of the heat exchanger, in particular a fan for the generation of a gas flow, and/or the heat exchange system can, as known per se and as initially described in detail, be made as a hybrid system, and a sprinkling device can be formed for the sprinkling of the heat exchanger with a cooling fluid, in particular with cooling water. In this respect, a drop separator can also particularly advantageously be provided for the separation of the cooling fluid.

In this respect, the heat exchanger itself, as known per se from the prior art, can be made by a plurality of microchannels as a microchannel heat exchanger and/or the heat exchanger can also be made as a finned heat exchanger with cooling fins. Specifically, the heat exchange system is made as a combination heat exchange system of the finned heat exchanger and the microchannel heat exchanger if specific demands prefer such a construction shape.

To improve the possibilities of regulating the heat transfer capacity of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention, a sealing, in particular an air sealing, can be provided for the regulation of a flow rate of the transport fluid which can be controlled and/or regulated either manually or via a control unit in dependence on a presettable operating parameter.

Furthermore, a compensation means known per se can very advantageously also be provided for the compensation of thermomechanical strains.

The components of the modular heat exchange system of the present invention, that is, for example, the heat exchangers and/or a supply line and/or an outlet line for the heat transfer agent and/or the cleaning flap and/or any other component of a heat exchanger system, can be connected by a universal connection element to every other component of the heat exchange system so that, for example, a heat exchange module can be added or removed particularly easily. Specifically, the cleaning flap and the inlet tanks and outlet tanks for the heat transfer agent or also sheet metal parts and other modules and components of the heat exchange system are particularly preferably connected to a universal connection element. In this respect, these universal connection elements are particularly well suited both for the vertical installation and for the horizontal installation of the heat exchange systems or of the heat exchange modules.

As a rule, but not necessarily, a control unit, in particular a control unit having a data processing system for the control of the cooling device and/or of the cleaning system and/or of the air sealing and/or of an operating or state parameter of the heat transfer agent and/or of another operating parameter of the heat exchange system is provided for the control and/or regulation of the heat exchange system, such as is known to the skilled person per se from the prior art with existing heat exchange systems.

The heat exchange system or the heat exchange module and/or the heat exchanger and/or a boundary surface of the heat exchange module, specifically the total heat exchange system, is particularly advantageously produced from a metal and/or a metal alloy, in particular from a single alloy, and can in particular be produced from stainless steel, specifically from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy, with a sacrificial metal preferably being provided as corrosion protection and/or with the heat exchange system being at least partly provided with a protective layer, in particular with a corrosion protective layer. Particularly the inlet tanks and outlet tanks are preferably produced for high pressures, for example for operation with CO₂, from very strong materials such as stainless steel.

A heat exchange system in accordance with the invention is specifically a radiator, in particular a radiator for a vehicle, specifically for a land vehicle, for an aircraft or for a water vehicle, or a cooler, a capacitor or an evaporator for a mobile or stationary heating plant, refrigerating plant or air-conditioning plant, in particular a cooler apparatus for a machine, a data processing system or for a building or for another apparatus which can be operated with a heat exchange system.

The invention will be explained in more detail in the following with reference to the drawing. There are shown in a schematic representation:

FIG. 1a a first embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention in the operating state;

FIG. 1b the heat exchange system of FIG. 1a during a cleaning process;

FIG. 2 a heat exchanger having microchannels;

FIG. 3 an element of a finned heat exchanger;

FIG. 4 a second embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention with a lateral cleaning flap;

FIG. 5 a further embodiment in accordance with FIG. 4 with air sealing;

FIG. 6a another embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1a with a universal connection element;

FIG. 6b a universal connection element of FIG. 6a in detail;

FIG. 7 a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention with two heat exchange modules.

FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b show in a schematic representation a first simple embodiment of a heat exchange system in accordance with the invention which is provided as a whole with the reference numeral 1 in the following. In this respect, the heat exchange system is shown in the operating state in FIG. 1a, whereas FIG. 1b shows the same heat exchange system during a cleaning process.

The heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention of FIG. 1a or FIG. 1b includes as a major element a heat exchange module 2, 21 having a heat exchanger 3 for the exchange of heat between a heat agent 6, e.g. a cooling liquid 6 or an evaporating agent 6, and a transport fluid 5, e.g. air 5. The heat exchanger 3 in the present case is a microchannel heat exchanger 3 known per se with a plurality of microchannels 31. The microchannels 31 of the heat exchanger 3 are connected via a connection system, which is not shown in FIG. 1a and FIG. 1b and which is generally known to the skilled person, to a refrigeration machine, likewise not shown, for the exchange of heat transfer agent 6.

The refrigeration machine is flow connected in a manner known per se to the connection system, including an inlet channel with an inlet segment of the heat exchanger 3 and an outlet channel with an outlet segment of the heat exchanger 3, such that the heat transfer agent 6 for the exchange of heat with the air 5 can be supplied from the inlet channel via the inlet segment, through the plurality of microchannels 31 of the heat exchanger 3 and finally via the outlet segment to the outlet channel .

An outer boundary of the heat exchange module 2, 21 is in this respect formed by an inflow surface 41 and an outflow surface 42 such that in the operating state for the exchange of heat between the transport fluid 5, whose flow direction is shown symbolically by the arrows 5, and the heat transfer agent 6 flowing through the heat exchanger 3, the transport fluid 5 can be supplied to the heat exchange module 2, 21 via the inflow surface 41, can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger 3 and can be led away again from the heat exchange module 2, 21 via the outflow surface 42.

So that the heat can be exchanged better between the air 5 and the heat transfer agent 6, a cooling device 10 is additionally provided, in the present case a fan 10, with which a quantity of air 5 can be controlled which is conveyed through the heat exchange module 2, 21 per time unit.

In this respect, a first boundary surface 9, 91, which is formed in the present case by the heat exchanger 3 itself, is inclined with respect to a second boundary surface 9, 92 of the first heat exchange module 2, 21 at a presettable angle of inclination a which amounts to approximately 45° in the present specific example. It is understood that in another embodiment the angle of inclination a can also have a different value, e.g. a value greater or smaller than 45°, e.g., but not only, 25° or 46°. In the simple embodiment in accordance with FIG. 1, in this respect, the second boundary surface 92 is formed by a wall 9 of an installation object which in the present case is a cold store not shown in any more detail.

In accordance with the present invention, a cleaning system 7 with a cleaning flap 71 is furthermore provided as a major element, with FIG. 1 a showing the heat exchange system 1 in the operating state in which the interior, in particular the surface of the heat exchanger 3, gradually becomes dirty. FIG. 1b, in contrast, shows the heat exchange system 1 during a cleaning process.

The cleaning flap 71 is designed as an access flap 71 which is made rotatable around the axis of rotation 711 in accordance with the arrow P so that access is provided by a pivoting of the cleaning flap 71 around the axis of rotation 711, which can be made as a universal connection element 12, for example, said access enabling service and repair and cleaning work simply in the interior without the heat exchange system 1 having to be disassembled or, depending on the specific embodiment, without the heat exchange system having to be switched off. This means that since the cleaning flap can also be opened simply in the operating state, a cleaning of the heat exchange system 1 is also possible in the operating state by the present invention.

FIG. 1b shows a situation in which the heat exchanger 3 is just being cleaned with a cleaning liquid 714, for example with water 714. The cleaning flap 71 was pivoted, starting from the situation of FIG. 1a, by 270° around the axis of rotation 711 such that it acts, in accordance with FIG. 1b, as a collection pan 712 which reliably collects the contaminated cleaning liquid 714 during the cleaning process so that the contaminated cleaning liquid can be led away and disposed off safely, and optionally automatically, so that damage to the environment is avoidable, for example.

A heat exchanger 3, 300 in accordance with FIG. 1 with microchannels 31 is shown schematically in section in FIG. 2. Instead of small pipes such as are used in the classical finned heat exchangers 3 in accordance with FIG. 3, as already mentioned, extruded aluminum sections are e.g. used in minichannel heat exchangers 300 which have very many small channels 31 with a diameter of e.g. approximately 1 mm. The heat exchanger 3 of FIG. 2 can e.g. be manufactured simply in a variety of shapes from a plurality of materials in a suitable extrusion process. In this respect, the heat exchanger 3 in accordance with FIG. 2 can also be manufactured in another embodiment variant not explicitly shown in FIG. 2, by other manufacturing processes such as e.g. by the assembly of suitably shaped sheet metal sections or by other suitable processes.

In contrast to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 shows an element of a finned heat exchanger 3, 301 known per se with cooling fins 32 such as could likewise be used instead of a microchannel heat exchanger 300 in an embodiment of the present invention. The heat transfer agent 6 flows through the tubular element of the finned heat exchanger 3, 301 which, in the operating state, mainly exchanges heat via the cooling fins 32 with the air 5 flowing past. It is understood that in practice the heat exchanger 3 is as a rule made from a plurality of elements in accordance with FIG. 3. In a very special embodiment of the present invention, which is not shown explicitly with reference to a drawing for space reasons, a combination heat exchanger 3, 300 301 is used as the heat exchanger 3. This means that a heat exchange system 1 of the present invention can simultaneously include, in addition to a heat exchanger 300 with a plurality of microchannels 31, a finned heat exchanger 301 with cooling fins 32 for very special applications.

To cope with any even larger heat transfer capacities, the heat exchange system 1 can also be made as a so-called hybrid system 1 whose functional principle is likewise known to the skilled person per se and therefore does not have to be shown explicitly with reference to a separate drawing. In this case, a sprinkling device is preferably provided for the sprinkling of the heat exchanger 3, 300, 301 with an external cooling fluid, in particular with cooling water or cooling oil. Specifically, a drop separator can additionally be provided e.g. in the form of a pan for the separation and collection of the external cooling fluid in the operating state so that the external cooling fluid can be recycled in an external cooling system which serves for the cooling of the external cooling fluid and can be supplied to the heat exchanger 3, 300, 301 again via the sprinkling system for the repeat cooling of the heat exchanger.

A second embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention is shown schematically with a lateral cleaning flap 71 in FIG. 4. The embodiment of FIG. 4 differs in this respect from that of FIG. 1a in that the cleaning flap 71 is provided laterally in accordance with the invention at the heat exchange module 2, 21, i.e. the cleaning flap 71 is representation orthogonally to the surface of the heat exchanger 3. To keep the total construction shape of the heat exchange module 2, 21 as compact as possible, the cleaning flap 71 only covers the cross-section of the heat exchange module, from which the shown triangular shape of the cleaning flap 71 results. In the cleaning or service case, the cleaning flap 71 can be pivoted around the axis of rotation 711 in the direction of the arrow P to open the heat exchange system 1, whereby access is provided to the interior of the heat exchange system 1.

A collection pan 73 is additionally provided in the example of FIG. 4, which can naturally also be omitted if not necessary, for the collection and reliable leading away of the leaning liquid 713 which arises on a cleaning of the heat exchange system 1.

A further embodiment in accordance with FIG. 4 is shown schematically with an air sealing 11 in FIG. 5. The air sealing 11 is preferably made in the form of a sun blind or of a Venetian blind, including individual sun blind elements 111 or Venetian blind elements 111, so that the degree of covering of the heat exchanger 3 can be changed variably, preferably in electronically controlled and/or regulated form, in that the air sealing is removed in a known manner, wholly or partly for example, from the surface of the heat exchanger 3 by gathering together the individual sun blind elements 111 or Venetian blind elements 111 or in that an angle between the individual Venetian blind elements 111 and the surface of the heat exchanger 3 is changed so that the effective passage area for the air 5 can be varied. A regulation of the heat exchange performance of the heat exchanger 3 is thereby possible in a simple manner without changing the flow dynamics in the cooling system.

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a further possible variant is additionally shown for a lateral cleaning flap 71 in accordance with FIG. 4. In contrast to the lateral cleaning flap 71 of FIG. 4 which has a triangular shape, the cleaning flap 71 of FIG. 5 is made rectangular or square such that it approximately covers twice the cross-sectional surface of the heat exchange module 2, 21 and is supported rotatably by 270° around the axis of rotation 711 such that it can simultaneously be used, analog to the embodiment of FIG. 1b as a collection pan 712 for the cleaning agent 713 during a cleaning process.

Another embodiment of a heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention is shown schematically in FIG. 6a in which the cleaning flap 71 is fastened to a universal connection element 12 in accordance with FIG. 6b. The universal connection element 12 is inter alia suitable for the simple and reliable connection of inlet tanks and outlet tanks known per se and not shown explicitly in FIGS. 6a and 6b which serve for the supply or leading away of the heat transfer agent 6 to or from the heat exchanger 3 respectively.

The universal connection element 12 is preferably designed such that it can be connected to the corresponding parts of the heat exchange system 1 particularly simply via a screw connection, for example, or by soldering.

It can serve for the connection of lines which conduct heat transfer agent 6 or can even itself be suitable as a line for the conveying of heat transfer agent 6. It can furthermore be suitable for the connection of sheet metal parts such as the cleaning flap 71 or other parts. In a given modular heat exchange system 1, the universal connection element 12 is preferably made in detail such that it can provide as many different connections as possible simultaneously in one and the same embodiment so that as few differently made universal connection elements as possible have to be used simultaneously in one and the same modular heat exchange system 1.

In the ideal case, the universal connection element 12 is made such that it can simultaneously take over all connection functions between all parts of the modular heat exchange system so that only one single type of universal connection element has to be used in one and the same heat exchange system 1, which hugely simplifies the structure, the expansion or the reduction of a modular heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the invention and thus guarantees very high flexibility of the system.

FIG. 7 finally shows a modular heat exchange system 1 in accordance with the present invention which includes two identical heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22. The two modules are of identical construction shape, with the angle of inclination α having a value of preferably, but not necessarily, 45°. The skilled person will immediately understand that basically any desired number of identical heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22 can be added perpendicular to the double arrow DP, that is parallel to the plane of the drawing. This means that only one single type of heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22 has to be provided to change the heat exchange performance of the modular heat exchange system 1 to provide a system 1 with practically any desired presettable heat exchange performance or to expand it or to reduce the heat exchange performance in an existing system by a reduction of the number of the heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22. The individual heat exchange modules 2, 21, 22 are particularly preferably integrated in the heat exchange system 1 by use of the universal connection elements 12, as was already discussed with reference to FIG. 6a and FIG. 6b. Analog to FIG. 1a or FIG. 1b, the two cleaning flaps 71 are preferably each pivotable by 270° around the axes of rotation for service and cleaning purposes so that the cleaning flaps 71, as already explained a multiple of times above, can simultaneously serve as a collection pan 712 for a cleaning agent 713.

It is understood that the embodiments described within the framework of this application are only to be understood as examples. This means that the invention is not solely restricted to the specific embodiments described. All suitable combinations of the presented embodiments are in particular likewise covered by the invention.

Claims

1. A heat exchange system having a heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) including at least one first heat exchange module (21) with a heat exchanger (3), wherein an outer boundary of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) is formed by an inflow surface (41) and an outflow surface (42) such that, for the exchange of heat between a transport fluid (5) and a heat transfer agent (6) flowing through the heat exchanger (3) in the operating state, the transport fluid (5) can be supplied to the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) via the inflow surface (41), can be brought into flow contact with the heat exchanger (3) and can be led away again from the heat exchange module (2) again via the outflow surface (42), characterized in that a cleaning system (7) with a cleaning flap (71) is provided.

2. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cleaning system (7) includes a dust capturing grid and/or a scraper and/or a washing device, in particular a cleaning opening (72); and/or wherein the heat exchanger (3) is provided at the cleaning flap (71) and/or the heat exchanger (3) is made as a cleaning flap (71).

3. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the cleaning flap (71) is rotatably supported around an axis of rotation (711) for the opening of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) so that the cleaning flap (71) is a collection pan (712) for a cleaning agent (713) in an open state.

4. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a first boundary surface (9, 91) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21) is inclined at a presettable angle of inclination (□) with respect to a second boundary surface (9, 92) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21).

5. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (3) has a supporting function in the forming of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22).

6. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchange system is formed from a plurality of heat exchange modules (2, 21, 22).

7. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first boundary surface (9, 91) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21) is inclined at the presettable angle of inclination (α) with respect to the second boundary surface (9, 92) of the first heat exchange module (2, 21) such that the modular heat exchange system can be expanded by a second heat exchange module (2, 22), in particular in compact construction shape, with the second heat exchange module (2, 22) preferably being identical to the first heat exchange module (2, 21).

8. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the angle of inclination (α) between the first boundary surface (9, 91) and the second boundary surface (9, 92) of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) is between 0° and 180°, specifically between 20° and 70°, preferably between 40° and 50°, and particularly preferably amounts to 45°.

9. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a boundary surface (9) of the heat exchange system is formed by a wall (9) of an installation object, in particular by a wall (9) of a building.

10. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a cooling device (10) is provided for the cooling of the heat exchanger (3), in particular a fan (10) for the generation of a gas flow, to increase a heat transfer capacity between the heat transfer agent (6) and the transport fluid (5); and/or wherein the heat exchange system is made as a hybrid system and a sprinkling device is provided for the sprinkling of the heat exchanger (3) with a cooling fluid, in particular with cooling water, and/or a drop separator is provided for the separation of the cooling fluid.

11. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a sealing (11) is provided, in particular an air sealing (11), for the regulation of a flowthrough rate of the transport fluid (5).

12. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger (3) is formed by a plurality of microchannels (31) as a microchannel heat exchanger (3, 300); and/or wherein the heat exchanger is made as a finned heat exchanger (3, 301) with cooling fins (32) and/or the heat exchange system is made as a combination heat exchange system of the finned heat exchanger (3, 301) and the microchannel heat exchanger (3, 300).

13. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a compensation means is provided for the compensation of thermomechanical strains; and/or wherein a universal connection element (12) is provided for the connection of a component of the heat exchange system.

14. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein a control unit, in particular a control unit with a data processing system for the control of the cooling device (10) and/or of the cleaning system (7) and/or of the air sealing (11) and/or of an operating or state parameter of the heat transfer agent (6) and/or of another operating parameter of the heat exchange system, is/are provided for the control and/or regulation of the heat exchange system in the operating state.

15. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22) and/or the heat exchanger (3) and/or a boundary surface (9, 91, 92) of the heat exchange module (2, 21, 22), specifically the whole heat exchange system, is/are made of a metal and/or of a metal alloy, in particular of a single metal or of a single metal alloy, in particular of stainless steel, specifically of aluminum or of an aluminum alloy with a sacrificial metal preferably being provided as corrosion protection and/or with the heat exchange system being provided at least partly with a protection layer, in particular with a corrosion protection layer.

16. A heat exchange system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the heat exchange system is a radiator, in particular a radiator for a vehicle, specifically for a land vehicle, for an aircraft or for a water vehicle, or is a cooler, a capacitor or an evaporator for a mobile or stationary heating system, a cooling system or an air-conditioning system, in particular a cooler apparatus for a machine, for a data processing system or for a building.