The present invention relates to a finned tube heat exchanger.
As heat exchangers for industrial use, finned tube heat exchangers are typically used. Such a finned tube heat exchanger, which includes a plurality of heat transfer tubes arranged in a direction that intersects a flow direction of heat exchanging air and a plurality of fins (heat transfer plate) disposed in a tube axis direction of these heat transfer tubes, allows a liquid medium to flow in the heat transfer tubes and brings gaseous body (heat exchanging air) into contact with outer circumferential surfaces of the heat transfer tubes and the fins to achieve heat exchange therebetween. The plurality of fins increase a heat transfer area and contribute to an increase in amount of heat transport.
In the related art, various proposals have been made for improving heat exchanging efficiency while suppressing an increase in airflow resistance in such a finned tube heat exchanger (see Patent Literatures 1 to 4, for example). In this type of finned tube heat exchanger, the plurality of heat transfer tubes are arranged at a predetermined pitch and form one tube array, and further, a plurality of tube arrays are arranged in a predetermined direction.
[Patent Literature 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-92306
[Patent Literature 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-237047
[Patent Literature 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-57944
[Patent Literature 4] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-285395
Incidentally, in the finned tube heat exchanger as described above, the plurality of heat transfer tubes are disposed in a regularly arranged manner at a predetermined pitch. Therefore, there is a problem that a flow resistance of the heat exchanging air flowing outside the heat transfer tube may increase and a pressure loss may increase depending on the outer diameter and the pitch of the heat transfer tubes.
An object of the present invention, which has been made in view of such a point, is to provide a finned tube heat exchanger capable of reducing a pressure loss of heat exchanging air while maintaining heat exchanging performance.
A finned tube heat exchanger according to an aspect of the present invention includes: tube arrays in which a plurality of heat transfer tubes are disposed side by side at a predetermined pitch in a first direction that intersects a flow direction of heat exchanging air, the plurality of tube arrays being disposed at a predetermined interval in a second direction that intersects the first direction, in which a predetermined tube array is disposed in an offset manner in the first direction relative to different tube arrays that are adjacent in the second direction, and when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air, the heat transfer tubes in the predetermined tube array are disposed nearer to a side of the heat transfer tubes in the different tube arrays that are adjacent.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce a pressure loss of heat exchanging air while maintaining heat exchanging performance.
Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. A finned tube heat exchanger (tube fin heat exchanger) according to the present invention is suitably used for a radiator of a condenser placed in a geothermal power generation facility, for example. However, the finned tube heat exchanger according to the present invention is not limited thereto and can be applied to an arbitrary heat exchanger such as an air cooled heat exchanger in a petrochemical plant or an oil refinery or an air cooled condenser for an incinerator.
In the following drawings, a first direction in which a plurality of heat transfer tubes are arranged will be defined to as an X direction, a second direction in which a plurality of tube arrays are arranged will be defined to as a Y direction, and an axial direction (extending direction) of the heat transfer tubes will be defined as a Z direction. Each of the X, Y, and Z axes illustrated in the drawing perpendicularly intersect each other. Alternatively, the X direction may be referred to as a left-right direction, the Y direction may be referred to as an up-down direction, and the Z direction may be referred to as a front-back direction in some cases. These directions (front-back, left-right, and up-down direction) are terms used for convenience of explanation, and a correspondence with each of the X, Y, and Z directions may change depending on a posture in which the finned tube heat exchanger is attached. For example, a side on which intake air (heat exchanging air) is suctioned to the finned tube heat exchanger will be referred to as a lower surface side, and an air blow-out side that is the opposite side will be referred to as an upper surface side. In the present specification, a plan view means a case in which the upper surface of the finned tube heat exchanger is seen from the positive side in the Y direction, and a sectional view means a case when seen from the axial direction (Z direction) of the heat transfer tubes unless particularly indicated otherwise.
A finned tube heat exchanger 1 according to the present embodiment (hereinafter, simply referred to as a heat exchanger) is made up of a radiator for air cooled geothermal binary power generation, for example. As will be described later in detail, the heat exchanger 1 realizes heat exchange between a refrigerant flowing inside the transfer tubes 20 and air flowing outside the heat transfer tubes 20.
As illustrated in
The heat transfer tubes 20 have hollow cylindrical shapes (circular tube shapes) with a predetermined outer diameter D (see
A plurality of fins 21 (heat transfer plates) are provided on outer circumferential surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20. The fins 21 have substantially annular shapes when seen from the axial direction (Z direction) of the heat transfer tube 20 and are formed of plate-shaped elements with thicknesses in the Z direction. The fins 21 may be joined to the outer circumferential surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 through tube expansion of expanding a part or an entirety of the outer diameters of the heat transfer tubes 20, for example. Also, the plurality of fins 21 are disposed at a predetermined interval in the Z direction on the outer circumferential surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20. The plurality of fins 21 have the same shapes. Note that the heat transfer tubes 20 and the plurality of fins 21 may be collectively referred to as finned tubes 2.
The plurality of heat transfer tubes 20 (finned tubes 2) thus configured are arranged at a predetermined pitch P1 in the X direction (first direction), and one tube array 22 (see
As described above, the pair of header portions 3 are coupled to axial ends of the heat transfer tubes 20. The header portions 3 have rectangular parallelepiped shapes corresponding to the widths of the tube bundle in the X direction and the Y direction and are made up of tanks that are hollow inside. Axial end portions of the plurality of heat transfer tubes 20 penetrate through side surfaces of the header portions 3. Inner spaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 communicate with inner spaces of the header portions 3. Also, upper surfaces and lower surfaces of the header portions 3 are provided with inlets/outlets 30 for the refrigerant. In other words, the inner spaces of the header portions 3 and the inner spaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 configure flow paths for the refrigerant.
A blower (not illustrated), for example, is disposed to face the upper surface side of the heat exchanger 1 thus configured. The blower suctions air (heat exchanging air) from the lower side of the heat exchanger 1 and feeds the air to the outer space located on the upper side. In other words, the heat exchanging air flows in the up-down direction of the heat exchanger 1. The suctioned heat exchanging air is warmed through heat exchange in the heat exchanger 1 and is then discharged to the outside. In other words, the lower surface side of the heat exchanger 1 is an upstream side, and the upper surface side of the heat exchanger 1 is a downstream side, relative to the flow direction of the heat exchanging air.
In other words, the flow direction of the heat exchanging air is directed from the negative side in the Y direction to the positive side in the Y direction. The X direction that is the first direction intersects the flow direction of the heat exchanging air. Also, the Y direction that is the second direction perpendicularly intersects the first direction and conforms to the flow direction of the heat exchanging air.
Here, a finned tube heat exchanger according to a first embodiment will be described with reference to a comparative example.
In the heat exchanger 1 in the related art, a predetermined tube array 22 is disposed in an offset manner in the X direction relative to different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent in the Y direction as illustrated in the comparative example in
In the case of the staggered arrangement as illustrated in
The blower used for radiator of air cooled geothermal binary power generation as described above, in particular, is driven using power generated by a system. Therefore, a pressure loss is high, and power consumption of the blower increases, and as a result, transmission power is reduced. Thus, reduction of the pressure loss and thus an increase in transmission power have been required.
Thus, the present inventors have focused on arrangement of the heat transfer tubes 20 that are components of the heat exchanger 1 and have achieved the present invention. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the plurality of heat transfer tubes 20 are disposed side by side at the predetermined pitch P1 in the X direction, and the tube arrays 22 are thus formed, as illustrated in
The predetermined tube array 22 from among the plurality of tube arrays 22 is disposed in an offset manner in the X direction relative to the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent in the Y direction. In particular, the heat transfer tubes 20 in the predetermined tube array 22 are disposed nearer to the side of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air.
More specifically, the predetermined tube arrays 22 are disposed nearer to one side (the positive side, for example) by a distance X2 in the X direction beyond the reference position that offsets in the X direction by the half pitch P½ of the predetermined pitch P1 relative to the different tube arrays 22. In other words, the predetermined tube array 22 is disposed at a location that offsets by the distance (P½±X2) relative to the different tube arrays 22.
According to this configuration, the predetermined tube array 22 is disposed with a slight offset from the staggered arrangement, the heat exchanging air flowing in from the lower surface side of the heat exchanger 1 thus does not collide directly against the centers of the heat transfer tubes 20, and it is possible to reduce a pressure loss. Also, even when the predetermined array 22 slightly offsets from the staggered arrangement, the heat exchanging air that has flowed through the tube arrays 22 on the upstream side (the negative side in the Y direction) flows to be attracted to the outer circumferential surfaces of predetermined heat transfer tubes 20 in the tube arrays 22 on the downstream side due to a Coanda effect. Therefore, the heat exchanging air can branch into two left and right parts in the X direction and flow without being biased in the tube arrays 22 on the downstream side. It is thus possible to reduce a pressure loss of the heat exchanging air while maintaining heat exchanging performance.
In the present embodiment, the heat transfer tubes 20 in the predetermined tube array 22 are preferably disposed adjacent to the outer surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent, when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air as illustrated in
According to this configuration, the heat exchanging air that has flowed through the tube arrays 22 on the upstream side flows both left and right sides without being biased on one side in the tube arrays 22 on the downstream side due to a Coanda effect as described above. As a result, it is possible to maintain heat exchanging performance that is equivalent to performance of the staggered arrangement in the related art. Since the flow path area of the heat exchanging air flowing through the tube arrays 22 on the downstream side increases, it is possible to realize reduction of a pressure loss.
Note that in the present embodiment, the amount of offset of the predetermined tube array 22 relative to the staggered arrangement preferably falls within a predetermined range. Specifically, when the distance between the centers of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the predetermined tube array 22 and the centers of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air is assumed to be S, and the outer diameter of the heat transfer tubes 20 is assumed to be D, a relationship of 0.95≤S/D≤1.38 is preferably satisfied.
Here, a relationship of the positions of the heat transfer tubes 20, heat exchanging performance, and the like will be described.
As illustrated in
As S/D is equal to or less than 1.38, the pressure loss ratio gradually decreases as S/D decreases. Also, within the range of 0.95≤S/D≤1.38, the heat exchanging performance ratio is constant at about “1”. As S/D falls below 0.95, the heat exchanging performance ratio gradually decreases. In other words, within the range of 0.95≤S/D≤1.38, it is possible to reduce a pressure loss ratio while maintaining the heat exchanging performance ratio to be equivalent to that in the staggered arrangement in the related art.
Note that in a case in which the heat transfer tubes 20 in the predetermined tube array 22 are disposed in contact with the outer surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent (in a case in which X1=0) when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air as illustrated in
The positional relationship of the tube arrays 22 is not limited to the aspect illustrated in
As illustrated in
As described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce a pressure loss of the heat exchanging air while maintaining heat exchanging performance by disposing the predetermined tube array 22 nearer to one side in the X direction beyond the reference position that offsets in the X direction by a half pitch P½ of the predetermined pitch P1 relative to the different tube arrays 22.
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to
As illustrated in
Also, the inclination angle θ of the heat exchanger 1 is preferably 9 degrees, for example. When this angle is employed, the heat transfer tubes 20 in the predetermined tube array 22 are disposed in contact with the outer surfaces of the heat transfer tubes 20 in the different tube arrays 22 that are adjacent when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air as illustrated in
Also, the shape of the heat transfer tubes 20, the number of disposed heat transfer tubes 20, the layout, and the like are not limited thereto, and changes can be appropriately made in the aforementioned embodiments. Similarly, the number and the amount of offset of the tube arrays 22 can be appropriately changed.
Although the present embodiments and the modification example have been described, the aforementioned embodiments and the modification example may be entirely or partially combined.
Also, the present embodiments are not limited to the aforementioned embodiments and modification example, and various changes, replacements, and amendments may be added without departing from the gist of the technical idea. Moreover, the technical idea may be performed using other methods as long as it is possible to realize the technical idea by the methods based on development of the technique or other techniques derived therefrom. Therefore, the claims cover the entire embodiments that can be included within the scope of the technical idea.
Features of the aforementioned embodiments will be summarized below.
A finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments includes: tube arrays in which a plurality of heat transfer tubes are disposed side by side at a predetermined pitch in a first direction that intersects a flow direction of heat exchanging air, the plurality of tube arrays being disposed at a predetermined interval in a second direction that intersects the first direction, a predetermined tube array is disposed in an offset manner in the first direction relative to different tube arrays that are adjacent in the second direction, and when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air, the heat transfer tubes in the predetermined tube array are disposed nearer to a side of the heat transfer tubes in the different tube arrays that are adjacent.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, the predetermined tube array is disposed nearer to one side in the first direction beyond a reference position that offsets in the first direction by a half pitch of the predetermined pitch relative to the different tube arrays.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, the predetermined tube array is disposed at a reference position that offsets in the first direction by a half pitch of the predetermined pitch relative to the different tube arrays, and the first direction is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a direction that perpendicularly intersects the flow direction of the heat exchanging air.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, the predetermined angle is 9 degrees.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air, the heat transfer tubes in the predetermined tube array are disposed in contact with outer surfaces of the heat transfer tubes in the different tube arrays that are adjacent.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, when seen from the flow direction of the heat exchanging air, the heat transfer tubes in the predetermined tube array are disposed such that at least a part thereof overlaps the heat transfer tubes in the different tube arrays that are adjacent.
In the finned tube heat exchanger according to the aforementioned embodiments, when a distance between centers of the heat transfer tubes in the predetermined tube array and the centers of the heat transfer tubes in the different tube arrays that are adjacent is defined as S, and an outer diameter of the heat transfer tubes is defined as D, a relationship of 0.95≤S/D≤1.38 is satisfied.
As described above, the present invention has an effect that it is possible to reduce a pressure loss of heat exchanging air while maintaining heat exchanging performance, and the present invention is particularly useful as a finned tube heat exchanger used as a radiator for geothermal binary power generation.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-140874 filed on Aug. 24, 2020. The entire content thereof will be included herein.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-140874 | Aug 2020 | JP | national |
This is a continuation application of International Application PCT/JP2021/024091 filed on Jun. 25, 2022 which claims priority from a Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-140874 filed on Aug. 24, 2020, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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Entry |
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International Search Report for PCT/JP2021/024091, mailed on Sep. 7, 2021. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220364799 A1 | Nov 2022 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2021/024091 | Jun 2021 | WO |
Child | 17876075 | US |