U.S. patent application number 13/080954 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-11 for heat exchange apparatus.
Invention is credited to Chih-Chieh Lu, Wen-Yuan Wu.
Application Number | 20120255708 13/080954 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46965193 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120255708 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Wu; Wen-Yuan ; et
al. |
October 11, 2012 |
HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS
Abstract
A heat exchange apparatus includes an enclosure and a heat
exchanger. The enclosure internally defines a first space and a
second space isolated from each other, and is provided with a first
and a second air inlet communicating with the first and the second
space, respectively. The heat exchanger is arranged inside the
enclosure and located between the first and the second space. By
providing the heat exchanger between the first and the second space
inside the enclosure, heat can be exchanged between the first and
the second space to enable effectively upgraded heat exchange
efficiency, and a device using the heat exchange apparatus is
protected against invasion by foreign matters via the heat exchange
apparatus.
Inventors: |
Wu; Wen-Yuan; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; Lu; Chih-Chieh; (New Taipei City,
TW) |
Family ID: |
46965193 |
Appl. No.: |
13/080954 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/67 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 21/0014 20130101;
F28D 15/0266 20130101; F28D 15/04 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/67 |
International
Class: |
F28F 9/00 20060101
F28F009/00 |
Claims
1. A heat exchange apparatus, comprising: an enclosure being
provided with a first air inlet, a second air inlet, at least one
first space, and at least one second space; the first and the
second space being isolated from each other, and the first and the
second air inlet being communicable with the first and the second
space, respectively; and a heat exchanger being arranged inside the
enclosure and located between the first and the second space; and
having a working fluid filled therein.
2. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
heat exchanger includes a condensing section, a vaporization
section and an interconnection section; the condensing section and
the vaporization section being located in the first and the second
space, respectively, and the interconnection section being located
between the first and the second space with two opposite ends
extended between and connected to the condensing section and the
vaporization section.
3. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the
condensing section and the vaporization section internally define a
first chamber and a second chamber, respectively, and the
interconnection section includes a plurality of pipes; and each of
the pipes of the interconnection section internally defining a
passage communicating the first chamber with the second
chamber.
4. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 3, further
comprising a plurality of radiating fins provided between any two
adjacent ones of the plurality of pipes.
5. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the
heat exchanger includes a plurality of stacked and spaced radiating
fins and a plurality of heat pipes perpendicularly extended through
the radiating fins.
6. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
pipes are equally spaced from one another.
7. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
pipes are unequally spaced from one another.
8. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
enclosure further has a partition plate provided therein; the
partition plate being located between the vaporization section and
the condensing section with peripheral edges tightly abutted on
inner wall surfaces of the enclosure, so as to isolate the first
space from the second space.
9. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
enclosure is formed from a first cover and a second cover, which
are aligned with and connected to each other to together define the
first and second spaces in between them.
10. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the
enclosure is formed from a first cover and a second cover, which
are aligned with and connected to each other to together define the
first and second spaces therein.
11. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the
first chamber and the second chamber are internally provided on
respective facing inner wall surfaces with a wick structure, and
wherein the passages are also provided on respective facing inner
wall surfaces with another wick structure.
12. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the
each of the heat pipes has a condensing end, a vaporization end,
and an internal chamber; the condensing ends of the heat pipes
together defining a condensing section, the vaporization ends of
the heat pipes together defining a vaporization section, and the
internal chambers being provided on respective facing inner wall
surfaces with a wick structure.
13. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the
enclosure further has a partition plate provided therein; the
partition plate being located between the vaporization section and
the condensing section with peripheral edges tightly abutted on
inner wall surfaces of the enclosure, so as to isolate the first
space from the second space.
14. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further
comprising a first and a second forced convection element, which
are aligned with and connected to the first and the second air
inlet, respectively.
15. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 13, further
comprising a first and a second forced convection element, which
are aligned with and connected to the first and the second air
inlet, respectively.
16. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the
enclosure is further provided with a plurality of first vents and a
plurality of second vents; the first vents being formed on the
enclosure between the partition plate and the first air inlet to
communicate with the first space, and the second vents being formed
on the enclosure between the partition plate and the second air
inlet to communicate with the second space.
17. The heat exchange apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein the
enclosure is further provided with a plurality of first vents and a
plurality of second vents; the first vents being formed on the
enclosure between the partition plate and the first air inlet to
communicate with the first space, and the second vents being formed
on the enclosure between the partition plate and the second air
inlet to communicate with the second space.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a heat exchange apparatus,
and more particularly to a heat exchange apparatus that not only
provides upgraded heat exchange efficiency but also restrains
foreign matters from invading into a heat-generating device via the
heat exchange apparatus.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Heat is transferred mainly in three ways, namely,
conduction, convection and radiation. Conduction is the transfer of
heat from a high-temperature point to a low-temperature point via a
medium; convection is the cyclic movement of a fluid, such as air
or water, when being heated to change the density thereof; and
radiation is the direct transfer of heat without using any
medium.
[0003] For fluids, convection is the major and most effective way
of heat transfer. FIG. 8 illustrates a conventional heat exchanger
6, which has a plurality of air guiding ports provided thereon and
is internally divided into a first space 62 and a second space 63.
The air guiding ports include a first and a second air guiding port
611, 612 located closer to one end of the heat exchanger 6, and a
third and a fourth air guiding port 613, 614 located closer to
another opposite end of the heat exchanger 6. The first and the
second air guiding port 611, 612 are located opposite to each other
and communicate with the first space 62; and the third and the
fourth air guiding port 613, 614 are located opposite to each other
and communicate with the second space 63.
[0004] The second and the third air guiding port 612, 613
respectively have a fan 7 aligned therewith and connected thereto.
When the conventional heat exchanger 6 is mounted on, for example,
a communication chassis 8 or a communication cabinet to perform
heat exchange, the fan 7 at the third air guiding port 613 forcedly
draws external air into the second space 63. The air drawn into the
second space 63 is then guided through the fourth air guiding port
614 into the communication chassis 8. Meanwhile, the fan 7 at the
second air guiding port 612 also forcedly draws the heat generated
by electronic elements inside the communication chassis 8 into the
first space 62. The heat drawn into the first space 62 is then
guided through the first air guiding port 611 into an environment
outside the heat exchanger 6 and the communication chassis 8. In
this manner, it is able to achieve the effect of heat exchange to
carry away heat from the communication chassis 8.
[0005] However, while the conventional heat exchanger 6 is able to
achieve the purpose of heat exchange, it could not restrain
external foreign matters from invading into the communication
chassis 8. More specifically, since the third air guiding port 613
communicates the external environment with the second space 63 in
the heat exchanger 6 and the fourth air guiding port 614
communicates the second space 63 with the receiving space inside
the communication chassis 8, foreign matters, such as dust,
moisture, etc., in the external environment tend to be carried by
the air forcedly drawn by the fan 7 to enter into the communication
chassis 8. Such foreign matters invading into the communication
chassis 8 would wet or attach to the electronic elements inside the
communication chassis 8 to cause damage thereof.
[0006] In conclusion, the conventional heat exchanger has the
following disadvantages: (1) failing to restrain external foreign
matters from invading into the communication chassis; (2) having
low heat exchange efficiency; and (3) providing poor heat
dissipation effect.
[0007] It is therefore tried by the inventor to solve the above
problems by developing an improved heat exchange apparatus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A primary object of the present invention is to provide a
heat exchange apparatus that includes a heat exchanger disposed
inside an enclosure, so that heat is exchanged between a first and
a second space, which are defined in the enclosure and isolated
from each other, to ensure effectively upgraded heat exchange
efficiency and restrain foreign matters from invading into a
heat-generating device via the heat exchange apparatus.
[0009] Another object of the present invention is to provide a heat
exchange apparatus that provides excellent heat dissipation
effect.
[0010] To achieve the above and other objects, the heat exchange
apparatus according to the present invention includes an enclosure,
which internally defines at least a first space and at least a
second space isolated from each other and is provided with a first
and a second air inlet corresponding to and communicating with the
first and the second space, respectively; and a heat exchanger
arranged inside the enclosure to locate between the first and the
second space. With the above structural design, the heat exchange
apparatus of the present invention has largely increased heat
exchange efficiency to achieve excellent heat dissipation effect
and is able to restrain foreign matters from invading into a
heat-generating device via the heat exchange apparatus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The structure and the technical means adopted by the present
invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best
understood by referring to the following detailed description of
the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings,
wherein
[0012] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchange
apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an assembled view of the heat exchange apparatus
of FIG. 1;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of a heat exchanger
for the heat exchange apparatus according to the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of the
heat exchange apparatus according to the first preferred embodiment
of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of a heat exchanger
for a heat exchange apparatus according to a second preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 6A is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchange
apparatus according to a third preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 6B is a vertical sectional view of a heat exchanger for
the heat exchange apparatus according to the third preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of the
heat exchange apparatus according to the third preferred embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a conventional
heat exchanger.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0021] The present invention will now be described with some
preferred embodiments thereof and with reference to the
accompanying drawings. For the purpose of easy to understand,
elements that are the same in the preferred embodiments are denoted
by the same reference numerals.
[0022] Please refer to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. A heat exchange apparatus
1 according to a first preferred embodiment of the present
invention includes an enclosure 10 and a heat exchanger 20. The
enclosure 10 is provided with a first air inlet 104, a second air
inlet 105, at least one first space 13, and at least one second
space 14. The enclosure 10 is formed by aligning and connecting a
first cover 101 and a second cover 102 to each other, so that the
connected first and the second cover 101, 102 together define the
first space 13 and the second space 14 in between them.
[0023] The first air inlet 104 and the second air inlet 105 are
formed on the enclosure 10 corresponding to and communicating with
the first space 13 and the second space 14, respectively. The first
space 13 is isolated from the second space 14, i.e., as shown in
FIG. 1, the first space 13 and the second space 14 are not
communicable with each other.
[0024] The heat exchanger 20 is arranged inside the enclosure 10
and located between the first and the second space 13, 14. A
working fluid is filled in the heat exchanger 20. While the
illustrated first preferred embodiment is hereunder explained with
the working fluid being a coolant, it is understood that, in
practical implementation of the present invention, the working
fluid is not necessarily limited to a coolant but can be any other
fluid that can be vaporized to facilitate heat dissipation, such as
purified water, inorganic compounds, alcohols, ketone, liquid-phase
metals, organic compounds, or different combinations thereof.
[0025] The heat exchanger 20 includes a condensing section 21, a
vaporization section 22, and an interconnection section 23. The
condensing section 21 and the vaporization 22 are located in the
first space 13 and the second space 14, respectively; and the
interconnection section 23 is located between the first and the
second space 13, 14 and has two opposite ends connected to the
condensing section 21 and the vaporization section 22,
respectively. While the illustrated first preferred embodiment is
explained with the condensing section 21, the vaporization section
22 and the interconnection section 23 being pipes, it is understood
that, in practical implementation of the present invention, they
are not necessarily limited to pipes but can be designed according
to the space available in the enclosure 10 and the required heat
dissipation effect. For example, the condensing section 21, the
vaporization section 22 and the interconnection section 23 can be
selectively flat plates internally defining a chamber or be any
other configuration having an internal chamber.
[0026] Please refer to FIG. 3 along with FIG. 1. The condensing
section 21 and the vaporization section 22 internally define a
first chamber 211 and a second chamber 221, respectively; and the
interconnection section 23 includes a plurality of pipes, which can
be equally or unequally spaced from one another. Each of the pipes
of the interconnection section 23 internally defines a passage 231
communicating the first chamber 211 with the second chamber 221,
such that, via the passages 231, the working fluid in vapor phase
in the second chamber 221 can flow into the first chamber 211 and
the working fluid in liquid phase in the first chamber 211 can flow
back into the second chamber 221.
[0027] Furthermore, a plurality of radiating fins 25 is provided
between any two adjacent pipes of the interconnection section 23,
so as to assist in and accelerate heat dissipation. In the
enclosure 10, there is further included a partition plate 15
located between the condensing section 21 and the vaporization
section 22. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the partition plate 15 is
formed in the enclosure 10 at a position between the two opposite
ends of the interconnection section 23, such that the partition
plate 15 and the interconnection section 23 form an integral unit
with four peripheral edges of the partition plate 15 tightly
abutted on inner wall surfaces of the enclosure 10. Therefore, the
first space 13 and the second space 14 are separated from each
other by the partition plate 15 to form two independent spaces.
[0028] When hot air flows or is introduced into the second space 14
via the second air inlet 105, heat in the hot air will be
immediately absorbed by the vaporization section 22 of the heat
exchanger 20 located in the second space 14. The liquid-phase
working fluid in the second chamber 221 of the vaporization section
22 is then heated and vaporized by the absorbed heat and transforms
into vapor phase. The vapor-phase working fluid in the vaporization
section 22 automatically flows through the passages 231 to the
first chamber 211 of the condensing section 21, which is located in
the first space 13 and has temperature lower than that of the
vaporization section 22. The vapor-phase working fluid flowed into
the first chamber 211 of the condensing section 21 is cooled and
quickly transforms into liquid phase again; and the liquid-phase
working fluid in the first chamber 211 flows from the condensing
section 21 through the passages 231 back to the second chamber 221
of the vaporization section 22 due to gravity force. Through
continuous vapor-liquid circulation cycles in the heat exchanger
20, it is able to obtain largely upgraded heat exchange efficiency
and accordingly excellent heat dissipation effect. Meanwhile,
external foreign matters are restrained from invading into a
heat-generating device, such as a communication chassis, via the
heat exchange apparatus of the present invention.
[0029] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of the
heat exchange apparatus 1 according to the first preferred
embodiment of the present invention. In this variant, the enclosure
10 is further provided with a plurality of first vents 161 and a
plurality of second vents 162. The first vents 161 are through
holes formed on the enclosure 10 between the partition plate 15 and
the first air inlet 104 to communicate with the first space 13; and
the second vents 162 are through holes formed on the enclosure 10
between the partition plate 15 and the second air inlet 105 to
communicate with the second space 14.
[0030] Further, a first and a second forced convection element 40,
41 are further provided inside the enclosure 10 to align with and
connect to the first and the second air inlet 104, 105,
respectively. The first forced convection element 40 is located in
the first space 13 and has a first air-in side 401 and a first
air-out side 402. The first air-in side 401 of the first forced
convection element 40 is faced toward and connected to the first
air inlet 104 to forcedly guide air into the first space 13.
[0031] The second forced convection element 41 is located in the
second space 14 and has a second air-in side 411 and a second
air-out side 412. The second air-in side 411 of the second forced
convection element 411 is faced toward and connected to the second
air inlet 105 to forcedly guide air into the second space 14. While
the illustrated variant of the first preferred embodiment of the
heat exchange apparatus 1 is explained with the first and second
forced convection elements 40, 41 being centrifugal fans, it is
understood they are not necessarily limited thereto but can be any
other types of fans that can be used to enable forced heat
dissipation.
[0032] When the first forced convection element 40 forcedly draws
in external cold air via the first air-in side 401, the drawn air
is pressurized in the first forced convection element 40 before
exiting the latter into the first space 13. The air then passes the
condensing section 21 to accelerate the cooling of the still hot
vapor-phase working fluid flowed into the first chamber 211 and
then finally flows out of the first space 13 via the first vents
161.
[0033] On the other hand, the second forced convection element 41
forcedly draws in hot air from a heat-generating device via the
second air-in side 411, and the drawn air is pressurized in the
second forced convection element 41 before exiting the latter into
the second space 14. When the hot air passes and contacts with the
vaporization section 22, the latter quickly absorbs more heat from
the hot air before the air finally flows out of the second space 14
via the second vents 162. Therefore, the provision of the first and
second forced convection elements 40, 41 can effectively increase
the speed at which the air circulates in the first and the second
space 13, 14.
[0034] Please refer to FIG. 5 that is a horizontal sectional view
of a heat exchanger for a heat exchange apparatus according to a
second preferred embodiment of the present invention. The heat
exchange apparatus in the second preferred embodiment is generally
structurally and functionally similar to the first preferred
embodiment, except that the heat exchanger in the second preferred
embodiment has a first wick structure 50 provided in the first and
the second chamber 211, 221 of the condensing section 21 and the
vaporization section 22, respectively; and a second wick structure
50 provided in each of the passages 231 of the interconnection
section 23. The first wick structure 50 is formed in the first and
second chambers 211, 221 on their facing inner wall surfaces; and
the second wick structure 50 is formed in the passages 231 on their
respective facing inner wall surfaces. The first wick structure 50
provided in the first and second chambers 211, 221 and the second
wick structure 50 provided in the passages 231 are intended to help
the liquid-phase working fluid to more quickly flow from the first
chamber 211 of the condensing section 21 back to the second chamber
221 of the vaporization section 22, so as to obtain further
improved vapor-liquid circulation efficiency.
[0035] The first and second wick structures 50 can be any one of
meshes, fibers, sintered powder, different combinations of meshes
and sintered powder, and microgrooves.
[0036] Please refer to FIGS. 6A and 6B, in which a heat exchange
apparatus 1 according to a third preferred embodiment of the
present invention is shown. Again, the heat exchange apparatus 1 in
the third preferred embodiment is generally structurally and
functionally similar to the first preferred embodiment, except that
the heat exchanger 20 in the third preferred embodiment includes a
plurality of parallelly stacked and spaced radiating fins 25 and a
plurality of heat pipes 26 perpendicularly extended through the
radiating fins 25. Each of the heat pipes 26 has a condensing end
261, a vaporization end 262, and an internal chamber 264 (see FIG.
6B). A wick structure 50 is provided in the chamber 264 on its
facing inner wall surfaces. The condensing ends 261 and the
vaporization ends 262 of the plurality of heat pipes 26 define a
condensing section 21 and a vaporization section 22, respectively.
And, the condensing section 21 and the vaporization section 22 are
located in the first space 13 and the second space 14,
respectively.
[0037] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a variant of the
heat exchange apparatus 1 according to the third preferred
embodiment of the present invention. In this variant, the enclosure
10 is further provided with a plurality of first vents 161 and a
plurality of second vents 162. The first vents 161 are through
holes formed on the enclosure 10 between the partition plate 15 and
the first air inlet 104 to communicate with the first space 13; and
the second vents 162 are through holes formed on the enclosure 10
between the partition plate 15 and the second air inlet 105 to
communicate with the second space 14.
[0038] Further, a first and a second forced convection element 40,
41 are further provided to align with and connect to the first and
the second air inlet 104, 105, respectively. Since the first and
second forced convection elements 40, 41 are structurally and
functionally similar to those in the first preferred embodiment,
they are not repeatedly discussed herein.
[0039] The above-described heat exchange apparatus 1 of the present
invention can be mounted on a heat-generating device, such as a
communication chassis, an electronic device, or other devices that
require heat dissipation, to effectively provide excellent heat
exchange efficiency while restraining foreign matters from invading
into the heat-generating device and the like via the heat exchange
apparatus 1.
[0040] In brief, the heat exchange apparatus of the present
invention is superior to the prior art heat exchanger due to the
following advantages: (1) capable of restraining or stopping
foreign matters from invading into the heat-generating device via
the heat exchange apparatus; (2) providing good heat exchange
efficiency; and (3) providing good heat dissipation effect.
[0041] The present invention has been described with some preferred
embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and
modifications in the shape, structure, elements or manners of the
described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the
scope and the spirit of the invention that is intended to be
limited only by the appended claims.
* * * * *