Heat recovery apparatus

Abstract

A heat recovery apparatus has an evaporating part for evaporating an internal fluid and a condensing part for condensing the internal fluid evaporated in the evaporating part. The evaporating part and the condensing part are in communication with each other through a looped passage for circulating the internal fluid therethrough. The evaporating part has evaporating heat pipes and evaporating fins. Each evaporating heat pipes has flange portions at longitudinal ends thereof. The flange portions project in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the evaporating heat pipe and have a tubular shape. The evaporating heat pipes and the evaporating fins are alternately stacked and brazed, and the flange portions of the adjacent evaporating heat pipes are coupled to and brazed to each other such that communication portions are provided by the coupled flange portions and longitudinal ends of the evaporating heat pipes.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference numbers and in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat recovery apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an evaporating heat pipe of the heat recovery apparatus according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat recovery apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an evaporating communication portion of a heat recovery apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an evaporating heat pipe of a heat recovery apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an evaporating communication portion of a heat recovery apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a heat recovery apparatus as a related art.

Claims

1. A heat recovery apparatus comprising: an evaporating part for performing heat exchange between an internal fluid and a first fluid, thereby to evaporate the internal fluid; anda condensing part for performing heat exchange between the internal fluid evaporated in the evaporating part and a second fluid having a temperature lower than a temperature of the first fluid, thereby to condense the internal fluid, whereinthe evaporating part and the condensing part are in communication with each other through a looped passage for circulating the internal fluid therethrough, whereinthe evaporating part has a plurality of evaporating heat pipes and evaporating fins, each of the evaporating heat pipes has flange portions projecting from its longitudinal ends in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the evaporating heat pipe and each having a tubular shape,the evaporating heat pipes and the evaporating fins are alternately stacked and brazed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the evaporating heat pipes, and the flange portions of the adjacent evaporating heat pipes are coupled to and brazed to each other such that evaporating communication portions are provided by the flange portions and the longitudinal ends of the evaporating heat pipes.

2. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the evaporating heat pipes is constructed of a first evaporating heat pipe member and a second evaporating heat pipe member each having the flange portions at longitudinal ends thereof,the first and second evaporating heat pipe members are disposed such that the flange portions project in opposite directions, and brazed in a condition arranged between the evaporating fins.

3. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the condensing part has a plurality of condensing heat pipes and condensing fins,each of the condensing heat pipes has flange portions projecting from its longitudinal ends in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the condensing heat pipe and each having a tubular shape,the condensing heat pipes and the condensing fins are alternately stacked and brazed in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the condensing heat pipes, andthe flange portions of the adjacent condensing heat pipes are coupled to and brazed to each other such that condensing communication portions are provided by the flange portions and the longitudinal ends of the condensing heat pipes, the heat recovery apparatus further comprising:coupling members coupling the evaporating communication portions and the condensing communication portions, wherein the evaporating part and the condensing part are disposed close to each other.

4. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the evaporating part and the condensing part are coupled such that the evaporating heat pipes are disposed parallel to the condensing heat pipes, and at least one of the evaporating communication portions is aligned with one of the condensing communication portions.

5. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the condensing heat pipes is constructed of a first condensing heat pipe member and a second condensing heat pipe member each having the flange portions at longitudinal ends thereof, andthe first and second condensing heat pipe members are disposed such that the flange portions project in opposite directions and brazed in a condition arranged between the condensing fins.

6. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 3, wherein each of the coupling members has a pipe shape including stress absorbing portions, and the stress absorbing portions are configured to allow expansion and contraction of the coupling members in a longitudinal direction thereof.

7. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the flange portion of one of the first and second evaporating heat pipe members has a stress absorbing portion, and the stress absorbing portion is configured to allow expansion and contraction in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the evaporating heat pipe.

8. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the stress absorbing portion has a bulge that projects in a radial direction of the flange portion throughout its circumference and allows expansion and contraction in the radial direction.

9. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the stress absorbing portion is provided by a bellows portion.

10. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the evaporating part is disposed in an exhaust gas passage through which an exhaust gas discharged from an engine flows, the first fluid is the exhaust gas,the condensing part is disposed in a cooling water passage through which an engine cooling water flows, and the second fluid is the engine cooling water.

11. A heat recovery apparatus comprising: an evaporating part for performing heat exchange between an internal fluid and a first fluid, thereby to evaporate the internal fluid; anda condensing part for performing heat exchange between the internal fluid evaporated in the evaporating part and a second fluid having a temperature lower than a temperature of the first fluid, thereby to condense the internal fluid, wherein the evaporating part and the condensing part are in communication with each other through a looped passage for circulating the internal fluid therethrough, whereinthe evaporating part has a plurality of evaporating heat pipes, evaporating fins alternately stacked with the evaporating heat pipes, and communication portions at longitudinal ends of the evaporating heat pipes, the communication portions extend in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the evaporating heat pipes and define portions of the looped passage, andthe communication portions have bulges for allowing thermal expansion and contraction as stress absorbing members.

12. The heat recovery apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the condensing part has a plurality of condensing heat pipes, condensing fins alternately stacked with the condensing heat pipes, and communication portions at longitudinal ends of the condensing heat pipes, the heat recovery apparatus further comprising: coupling pipes coupling the communication portions of the evaporating part and the communication portions of the condensing part, whereinthe coupling pipes and the communication portions are aligned with each other.