Shell-and-plate heat exchanger and refrigeration apparatus

Abstract

A shell and plate heat exchanger includes a shell having an internal space, a plate stack housed in the internal space, a refrigerant inlet provided in a lower portion of the shell, and a partitioning member arranged between the plate stack and the refrigerant inlet. The partitioning member extends along a first direction that is a stacking direction of the plate stack. The plate stack is divided into three sections in the first direction, a central heat exchange section, a first heat exchange section closer to one end in the first direction than the central heat exchange section, and a second heat exchange section closer to the other end in the first direction than the central heat exchange section. The partitioning member has a plurality of communication holes that are open toward the plate stack at positions facing the central, first and second heat exchange sections.

1 . A shell-and-plate heat exchanger, comprising:
 a shell having an internal space;   a plate stack housed in the internal space and including a plurality of heat transfer plates stacked and joined together, the shell-and-plate heat exchanger being configured to cause heat exchange between
 a refrigerant that has flowed into the internal space of the shell and 
 a heating medium that has flowed into a heating medium channel of the plate stack; 
   a refrigerant inlet provided in a lower portion of the shell and allowing the refrigerant to flow into the internal space; and   a partitioning member arranged between the plate stack and the refrigerant inlet, the partitioning member extending along a first direction that is a stacking direction of the plate stack,   the plate stack being equally divided into three sections in the first direction,
 a section in the middle in the first direction being a central heat exchange section, 
 a section closer to one end in the first direction than the central heat exchange section being a first heat exchange section, and 
 a section closer to the other end in the first direction than the central heat exchange section being a second heat exchange section, and 
   the partitioning member having a plurality of communication holes that are open toward the plate stack at positions facing the central heat exchange section, the first heat exchange section, and the second heat exchange section.   
     
     
         2 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the partitioning member includes a first partition plate extending along the first direction,   an internal channel through which the refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet flows is formed below the first partition plate, the internal channel including
 a first channel extending along the first direction, the first channel guiding the refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet to spaces under the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section, and 
 a second channel guiding the refrigerant that has turned back at ends of the first channel in the first direction and passed through the first channel to a space under the central heat exchange section, and 
   the communication holes include
 a first communication hole formed in the first partition plate, the first communication hole communicating with the first channel and being open toward the plate stack, and 
 a second communication hole formed in the first partition plate, the second communication hole communicating with the second channel and being open toward the plate stack. 
   
     
     
         3 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the partitioning member includes
 a first partition plate extending along the first direction, and 
 a second partition plate disposed below the first partition plate and extending along the first direction, 
   a downstream end of the refrigerant inlet is connected to the second partition plate,   an internal channel through which the refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet flows is formed between the first partition plate and the second partition plate,   the communication holes include a first communication hole formed in the first partition plate, the first communication hole communicating with the internal channel and being open toward the plate stack, and   the second partition plate has a plurality of second communication holes communicating with the internal channel and being open in a direction opposite to the plate stack.   
     
     
         4 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the partitioning member includes a first partition plate extending along the first direction,   an internal channel through which the refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet flows is formed below the first partition plate,   the communication holes are formed in the first partition plate, the communication holes communicating with the internal channel and being open toward the plate stack, and   the shell-and-plate heat exchanger further comprises a stirring member disposed in the internal channel and configured to stir a liquid refrigerant and a gas refrigerant contained in the refrigerant.   
     
     
         5 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the partitioning member includes
 a first partition plate extending along the first direction, and 
 a second partition plate disposed below the first partition plate and extending along the first direction, 
   an upper channel is formed between the first partition plate and the second partition plate,   a lower channel through which the refrigerant that has flowed in from the refrigerant inlet flows is formed below the second partition plate,   the communication holes include an upper communication hole formed in the first partition plate, the upper communication hole communicating with the upper channel and being open toward the plate stack, and   the second partition plate has a plurality of lower communication holes communicating with the upper channel and the lower channel.   
     
     
         6 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 a variation between
 a degree of dryness of the refrigerant made to exchange heat in the central heat exchange section and 
 a degree of dryness of the refrigerant made to exchange heat in each of the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section is 70% or less, and 
   a variation between
 a mass flow rate of a liquid refrigerant made to exchange heat in the central heat exchange section and 
 a mass flow rate of the liquid refrigerant made to exchange heat in each of the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section is 30% or less. 
   
     
     
         7 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 6 , wherein
 the variation between
 the degree of dryness of the refrigerant made to exchange heat in the central heat exchange section and 
 the degree of dryness of the refrigerant made to exchange heat in each of the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section is 40% or less, and 
   the variation between
 the mass flow rate of the liquid refrigerant made to exchange heat in the central heat exchange section and 
 the mass flow rate of the liquid refrigerant made to exchange heat in each of the first heat exchange section and the second heat exchange section is 20% or less. 
   
     
     
         8 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the refrigerant inlet is formed in a lower portion of the shell at a central position in the first direction.   
     
     
         9 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the refrigerant inlet is formed in a lower portion of the shell at a position shifted in the first direction from a central position in the first direction.   
     
     
         10 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 a diameter d1 of the communication holes at positions closest to the refrigerant inlet and a diameter d2 of the communication holes at positions farthest from the refrigerant inlet are such that d1<d2.   
     
     
         11 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein
 the partitioning member includes a first partition plate extending along the first direction,   the refrigerant inlet is formed in a lower portion of the shell at a position shifted in the first direction from a central position in the first direction,   one end of the first partition plate in the first direction is a first end, and the other end is a second end,   a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the first end is longer than a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the second end,   when viewed in a plate thickness direction of the first partition plate,
 a region of the first partition plate closer to the first end than the refrigerant inlet is a first region, and 
 a region of the first partition plate closer to the second end than the refrigerant inlet is a second region, and 
   a diameter d3 of the communication holes formed in the first region and a diameter d4 of the communication holes formed in the second region are such that d3>d4.   
     
     
         12 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 5 , wherein
 the refrigerant inlet is formed in a lower portion of the shell at a position shifted in a stacking direction from a central position in the first direction,   one end of the second partition plate in the first direction is a first end, and the other end is a second end,   a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the first end is longer than a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the second end,   when viewed in a plate thickness direction of the second partition plate,
 a region of the second partition plate closer to the first end than the refrigerant inlet is a first region, and 
 a region of the second partition plate closer to the second end than the refrigerant inlet is a second region, and 
   a diameter d5 of the lower communication holes formed in the first region and a diameter d6 of the lower communication holes formed in the second region are such that d5>d6.   
     
     
         13 . The shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein
 the refrigerant inlet is formed in a lower portion of the shell at a position shifted in the first direction from a central position in the first direction,   one end of the first partition plate in the first direction is a first end, and the other end is a second end,   a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the first end is longer than a distance from the refrigerant inlet to the second end,   when viewed in a plate thickness direction of the first partition plate,   
       a region of the first channel closer to the first end than the refrigerant inlet is a first region, and 
       a region of the first channel closer to the second end than the refrigerant inlet is a second region, and
 a channel width L1 of the first region and a channel width L2 of the second region are such that L1>L2. 
 
     
     
         14 . A refrigeration apparatus including the shell-and-plate heat exchanger of  claim 1 , the refrigeration apparatus further comprising:
 a refrigerant circuit through which refrigerant to exchange heat in the shell-and-plate heat exchanger flows.