Plate heat exchanger

Abstract

A plate heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat transfer plates, and heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates of the plurality of heat transfer plates, the heat exchange spaces including a plurality of first heat exchange spaces for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces for a third heat transfer medium, and each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in an overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates, wherein the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces is different from the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces. By using the plate heat exchanger according to the embodiments of the present invention, the heat transfer area of each circuit can be optimized, so as to improve the heat exchange efficiency.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A plate heat exchanger, comprising:
 a plurality of heat transfer plates; and   heat exchange spaces formed between adjacent heat transfer plates of the plurality of heat transfer plates, the heat exchange spaces comprising a plurality of first heat exchange spaces for a first heat transfer medium, a plurality of second heat exchange spaces for a second heat transfer medium, and a plurality of third heat exchange spaces for a third heat transfer medium, and each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces being adjacent to one or two of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces in an overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates,   wherein the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces is different from the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces.   
     
     
         2 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the ratio of the greater one of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces to the smaller one of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is greater than 1.05.   
     
     
         3 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the ratio of the greater one of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces to the smaller one of the number of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the number of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is between 1.1 and 5.   
     
     
         4 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 a plurality of groups of first heat exchange spaces and a plurality of groups of second heat exchange spaces are alternately arranged in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates, each group of the plurality of groups of first heat exchange spaces comprises one or more first heat exchange spaces, and each group of the plurality of groups of second heat exchange spaces comprises one or more second heat exchange spaces.   
     
     
         5 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 4 , wherein
 at least two groups of first heat exchange spaces of the plurality of groups of first heat exchange spaces comprise the same number or different numbers of first heat exchange spaces; and/or   at least two groups of second heat exchange spaces of the plurality of groups of second heat exchange spaces comprise the same number or different numbers of second heat exchange spaces.   
     
     
         6 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 with respect to the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces, the plurality of first heat exchange spaces are successively arranged in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates; and/or   with respect to the first heat exchange spaces and the second heat exchange spaces, the plurality of second heat exchange spaces are successively arranged in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.   
     
     
         7 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 a plurality of heat exchange spaces, composed of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, and the plurality of third heat exchange spaces are alternately arranged in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.   
     
     
         8 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a pair of first heat transfer medium ports for the first heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and for the first heat transfer medium to flow out of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces, respectively;   a pair of second heat transfer medium ports for the second heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of second heat exchange spaces and for the second heat transfer medium to flow out of the plurality of second heat exchange spaces, respectively; and   a pair of third heat transfer medium ports for the third heat transfer medium to flow into the plurality of third heat exchange spaces and for the third heat transfer medium to flow out of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces, respectively.   
     
     
         9 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 8 , wherein
 one of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate, one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate; or   one of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper left corner of the heat transfer plate, the other of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower right corner of the heat transfer plate, one of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the upper right corner of the heat transfer plate, and the other of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports is arranged at the lower left corner of the heat transfer plate.   
     
     
         10 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 8 , wherein
 each of the pair of first heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of first openings leading to the plurality of first heat exchange spaces;   each of the pair of second heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of second openings leading to the plurality of second heat exchange spaces; and   each of the pair of third heat transfer medium ports has a plurality of third openings leading to the plurality of third heat exchange spaces.   
     
     
         11 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of first heat exchange spaces and the plurality of second heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the third heat exchange space on either side in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates; and/or
 each of the plurality of third heat exchange spaces is adjacent to the first heat exchange space or the second heat exchange space on either side in the overlapping direction of the heat transfer plates.   
     
     
         12 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first heat transfer medium and the second heat transfer medium are refrigerants, and the third heat transfer medium is a secondary refrigerant.   
     
     
         13 . The plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the first heat exchange space, the second heat exchange space and the third heat exchange space are independent of each other.