JP5365364B2 - Heat exchanger and water heater - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger of a type configured to set an array of a plurality of tube portions for heat exchange using a spacer, and a hot water apparatus using the heat exchanger.

  The present applicant has previously proposed a heat exchanger described in Patent Document 1 as a specific example. As shown in FIG. 9, the heat exchanger described in this document has a casing 7 </ b> A into which combustion gas flows, a heat transfer tube 8 accommodated in the casing 7 </ b> A, and a spacer 9. The spacer 9 is formed by bending a metal wire, and has a base end portion 90 and a plurality of protrusion portions 91 protruding from the base end portion 90 in a substantially horizontal direction. The plurality of projecting portions 91 are inserted between the tube portions 80, whereby the vertical dimension of the gap between the tube portions 80 is set to a predetermined value. A support member 6e having a plurality of upright portions 69 is provided in the casing 7A, and the heat transfer tube 8 is supported by the support member 6e. The plurality of upright portions 69 are configured to abut against the base end portion 90 of the spacer 9, whereby the spacer 9 is detached from the plurality of tube portions 80, and the axial length of each tube portion 80. It is prevented from moving in the direction. According to such a configuration, the spacer 9 can be appropriately fixed by simple means, and the heat transfer tube 8 can be stably supported. Further, if the auxiliary member 68 is connected to the upper part of the upright portion 69, the plurality of tubular body portions 80 are surrounded by the upright portion 69 and the auxiliary member 68, so that the vertical direction of the multiple tubular body portions 80 is increased. It is also possible to prevent misalignment.

  However, the prior art still has room for improvement as described below.

  That is, the plurality of protrusions 91 of the spacer 9 are all inserted between the plurality of tube portions 80, and the spacer 9 is exposed to the outside of the plurality of tube portions 80. Only the base end 90 is provided. The upright portion 69 of the support member 6e is provided so as to abut on such a base end portion 90. However, according to such means, in order to stably fix the spacer 9, the upright portion 69 is provided. It is necessary to form a long dimension along the base end portion 90, and the vertical height dimension H of the support member 6e increases. Therefore, there is still room for improvement in reducing the size and weight of the support member 6e and reducing the component cost. Further, in the prior art, although the auxiliary member 68 is connected to the upright portion 69 to prevent the vertical displacement of the plurality of tube portions 80, the number of parts is reduced and the manufacture is facilitated. From the viewpoint of achieving this, it is also preferable to eliminate the need to use parts such as the auxiliary member 68.

JP 2008-151473 A

The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances as described above, and includes the simplification of the spacer displacement prevention structure that defines the gaps between the plurality of tube portions and the size reduction of the parts used. It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger that can be appropriately designed and a hot water apparatus including the heat exchanger.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention takes the following technical means.

  The heat exchanger provided by the first aspect of the present invention includes a casing into which a heating fluid flows, a plurality of tube portions for heat exchange accommodated in the casing and arranged in a certain direction, A plurality of protrusions that can be inserted between the tube parts, and a spacer having a base end part that supports or connects the plurality of protrusions in series. At least one of the plurality of protrusions is not inserted between the plurality of tube parts, and protrudes to the outer surface side of the tube part located at the end in the fixed direction. The protruding protrusion is arranged, and the casing or the inside thereof is provided with an engaging portion that engages with the protruding protrusion so as to restrict the movement of the spacer.

  According to such a configuration, the movement of the spacer is appropriately restricted by the engagement between the engagement portion and the protrusion portion, and the protrusion portion includes a plurality of protrusion portions arranged in a certain direction. Since the tubular portion protrudes from the outer surface side of the tubular body portion located at the outermost end in a certain direction, the engaging portion is largely bulky in the vicinity of the tubular body portion located at the outermost end. It can be configured as not. More specifically, unlike the upright portion 69 of the prior art, the engaging portion does not need to be configured to extend in a long dimension in a direction in which a plurality of tubular bodies are arranged. Therefore, it is advantageous for simplifying the structure for preventing the positional deviation of the spacer, reducing the size and weight, and reducing the manufacturing cost of the heat exchanger.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of tube portions are arranged in the vertical direction, and the protruding protrusion is positioned below the lowest tube portion of the plurality of tube portions. In the casing, a support member that contacts the lower surface of the lowermost tube portion and supports the tube portion is fixed, and the engagement portion is provided on the support member. ing.

  According to such a structure, the engaging part for restricting the movement of the spacer is provided by effectively using the support member that supports the tube part, and the structure is rational and heat exchange is performed. This is suitable for suppressing an increase in the total number of parts of the vessel.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the support member has an upright wall that forms a recess having an upper surface opening shape into which the protruding protrusion enters, and the upright wall is the engaging portion, The movement of the spacer in the horizontal direction is restricted by the engagement between the standing wall and the protruding protrusion.

  According to such a configuration, the structure for restricting the movement of the spacer in the horizontal direction can be made very simple.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the spacer has an additional protruding protrusion located above the uppermost tube portion of the plurality of tube portions, and the upper wall of the casing The portion abuts or approaches the additional protruding protrusion from above, and restricts the upward movement of the additional protruding protrusion and the plurality of tube portions.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to appropriately regulate the movement of the plurality of tube portions in the vertical direction, but as a means for that purpose, the upper wall portion of the casing and the support member are used. Therefore, it is not necessary to use a member corresponding to the auxiliary member 68 of the prior art. Therefore, an increase in the number of parts can be avoided. As a further important effect, the size of the gap between the upper wall portion of the casing and the uppermost tube portion is defined to a desired size by using an additional protrusion, and the amount of heating fluid passing through the gap is determined. The resistance during passage (corresponding to so-called exhaust resistance) can be set to an appropriate value. If the size of the gap is inappropriate, there is a problem that the heat exchange efficiency is reduced or the upper wall of the casing is overheated. According to the above configuration, such a problem is preferably prevented. It is possible. In addition, an additional protruding protrusion is interposed between the upper wall portion of the casing and the uppermost tube portion so that the upper wall portion and the tube portion are not in direct contact with each other over a wide area. The effect which suppresses the heat transfer (heat dissipation) from a body part to an upper wall part is also acquired.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the casing, a wall portion facing the outer surface of the tube portion at the endmost portion is formed with a recess for allowing the protruding protrusion to enter, and the recess is formed. A region is the engaging portion.

  According to such a configuration, the movement of the spacer can be regulated using a predetermined wall portion of the casing, and there is no need to use a dedicated member for regulating the movement of the spacer. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the number of parts and reduce the manufacturing cost.

  The hot water device provided by the second aspect of the present invention includes a heating fluid supply means, a heat exchanger for performing hot water heating using the heating fluid supplied from the heating fluid supply means, It is characterized by using the heat exchanger provided by the 1st side surface of the present invention as the heat exchanger.

  According to such a configuration, the same effect as described for the heat exchanger provided by the first aspect of the present invention can be obtained.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the hot water apparatus provided with the heat exchanger to which this invention was applied. It is II-II principal part sectional drawing of FIG. (A) is front sectional drawing of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 1, (b) is the A section enlarged view of (a). It is a plane sectional view of the heat exchanger shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the spacer used for the heat exchanger shown in FIG. (A) is the top view of the spacer shown in FIG. 5, (b) is the front view, (c) is the right view. (A) is a perspective view which shows the supporting member used for the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 1, (b) is VIIb-VIIb sectional drawing of (a), (c) is (a ) Is a sectional view taken along the line VIIc-VIIc. (A) is front sectional drawing which shows the other example of the heat exchanger to which this invention was applied, (b) is the B section enlarged view of (a). It is principal part exploded sectional drawing which shows an example of a prior art.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1-7 has shown the example of the hot water apparatus as a hot water supply apparatus provided with the heat exchanger to which this invention was applied, and a structure relevant to this. As shown well in FIG. 1, the hot water device WH of the present embodiment includes a combustor 3, a primary heat exchanger 1, and a secondary heat exchanger HE. The secondary heat exchanger HE corresponds to an example of a heat exchanger to which the present invention is applied.

  The combustor 3 is, for example, a gas combustor, and is disposed in a can body 30 to which combustion air is supplied from a blower fan 31, and burns fuel gas supplied from the outside via a gas pipe 32. The primary heat exchanger 1 is for recovering sensible heat from the combustion gas generated by the combustor 3, and is configured using a heat transfer tube 11 having a plurality of fins 12, for example.

  The secondary heat exchanger HE is for recovering latent heat from the combustion gas that has passed through the primary heat exchanger 1, and is mounted on the upper portion of the can body 30. The secondary heat exchanger HE includes a casing 7, a plurality of heat transfer tubes T, a support member 6, and a plurality of tube spacers S. The plurality of heat transfer tubes T have a plurality of helical tube portions 5 accommodated in the casing 7.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bottom wall portion 70a and the front wall portion 70b of the casing 7 are provided with an intake port 71 and an exhaust port 72 for combustion gas, and pass through the primary heat exchanger 1 upward. The burned gas enters the casing 7 through the air supply port 71 and passes through the gaps 59 between the plurality of spiral tubular body parts 5, and heat is recovered at that time. The combustion gas from which heat has been recovered is discharged from the exhaust port 72 to the outside of the casing 7. When the latent heat is recovered from the combustion gas by the spiral tube 5, a drain (condensed water) is generated and dropped onto the bottom wall 70 a of the casing 7. The bottom wall portion 70a is inclined in a front-down manner, and is provided with a drain outlet 73 at a position closer to the front portion (see FIG. 3). As a result, the drain dripped onto the bottom wall portion 70 a from the spiral tubular body portion 5 flows into the discharge port 73 and is discharged to the outside of the casing 7.

  As shown in FIG. 4, each spiral tubular body portion 5 is formed by laminating a plurality of loop portions 50 connected in a series of substantially oval shapes in plan view in the vertical direction through a plurality of gaps 59. It has the structure. The sizes of the loop portions 50 of the plurality of spiral tubular body portions 5 are different from each other, and these are arranged in a substantially concentric overlapping winding shape. In each spiral tube portion 5, the straight tube portion 50a is substantially horizontal, and the plan view semicircular arch-like tube portions 50b located at both ends of each spiral tube portion 5 are in a horizontal plane. It is inclined with respect to it. A part of the extended tube portions 51 and 52 connected to the lower and upper ends of the plurality of spiral tube portions 5 are drawn to the outside of the casing 7, and the headers 55A and 55B for entering and discharging hot water are used. Connection with is planned. As shown in FIG. 1, in this hot water apparatus WH, when water enters the header 55A, the water flows through each heat transfer tube T and is heated, and then the connection pipe 18 is passed from the header 55B. Then, it flows into the heat transfer tube 11 and further heated. Next, the heated hot water is discharged from the hot water outlet 14 and supplied to a desired hot water supply destination through an appropriate pipe (not shown).

  The spacer S is for setting the vertical gap 59 between the loop portions 50 of the plurality of heat transfer tubes T to a desired dimension. The spacer S has the same basic configuration as the spacer described in Patent Document 1 described above, and is formed by bending a metal wire, and has a configuration as shown in FIGS. have. More specifically, the spacer S is formed in a series of a plurality of protrusions 20 which are formed in a substantially U shape in plan view and are arranged at intervals in a certain direction (vertical direction in the drawing). And a plurality of base end portions 21 having a semicircular arch shape in front view. As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of protrusions 20 are inserted, for example, from one side between the tube portions 50 a. However, the total number of protrusions 20 is larger than the total number of tube parts 50a in the vertical direction (in the drawing, the total number of protrusions 20 is 8, and the total number of tube parts 50a in the vertical direction is 7), The protrusions 20 located at the lowermost end are protruding protrusions 20a that are not inserted between the tube portions 50a but are protruded below the lowermost tube portion 50a ′. . Further, the protruding portion 20 located at the uppermost end is not inserted between the tube portions 50a, and the protruding portion 20b (the main protruding portion 20b) arranged so as to protrude above the uppermost tube portion 50a ″. This corresponds to an example of an additional protruding protrusion in the invention.

  The support member 6 is for fixing and supporting the plurality of heat transfer tubes T, but also serves to regulate the movement of the spacer S. The support member 6 is configured by, for example, pressing a stainless steel plate, and has a configuration as shown in FIG. More specifically, the support member 6 includes a bottom plate portion 60 provided with positioning holes 60a and 60b, a pair of first upstanding walls 61 erected from both lateral edges of the bottom plate portion 60, and a bottom plate portion. 60. A second standing wall 62 erected from one longitudinal edge of 60, a pair of receiving plate parts 63 connected to the upper end of the first standing wall 61, and erected from one side edge of the pair of receiving plate parts 63 A pair of stopper pieces 64 is provided. The first and second upright walls 61 and 62 form a recess 65 having an upper surface opening shape. As will be described later, the recessed portion 65 is a portion for fitting the protruding protrusion 20a of the spacer S, and the first and second standing walls 61 and 62 are connected to the protruding protrusion 20a inserted in the recessed portion 65. It plays a role of engaging and restricting its movement, and corresponds to an example of an engaging portion in the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the support member 6 is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 70 a of the casing 7 using means such as welding. The pair of receiving plate portions 63 are set to have a substantially horizontal upper surface, and the plurality of tubular body portions 50a are arranged such that the protruding protrusions 20a of the spacer S enter the recessed portions 65. 63. As shown in FIG. 2, the lowermost tube portion 50a ′ is sandwiched between the second upright wall 62 and the stopper piece 64, and thereby, in the horizontal direction (the projections 20 of the spacers S are formed). Positioning in the longitudinal direction) is intended. Therefore, the 2nd standing wall 62 is useful for both the movement regulation of the spacer S and the movement regulation of the pipe part 50a. As shown in FIG. 7, the second upright wall 62 has an asymmetric shape, but this is an interference between the bottom end base portion 21 of the spacer S and the second upright wall 62. This is because the second standing wall 62 is made as close as possible to the tubular body part 50a on the receiving plate part 63. One end 20a 'of the protruding portion 20a of the spacer S near the base end comes into contact with the second upright wall 62, and the spacer S comes off from the plurality of tube parts 50a by this contact. Is prevented.

  2 and 3, the upper wall portion 70c of the casing 7 is provided with a downward convex portion 74 that comes into contact with the protrusion 20b from above. This convex part 74 is provided by press work, for example. In this embodiment, only one spacer S and one support member 6 are provided, but the helical tube portion 5 of each heat transfer tube T is an extended tube portion fixed to the casing 7. Since it is also supported by 51 and 52, there is a large difference in the size of the gap 59 between the loop portions 50 between the place where the spacer S or the support member 6 is provided and the place where it is not. There is no such trouble. However, it goes without saying that the spacers S and the support members 6 may be provided at a plurality of locations.

  Next, the operation of the hot water device WH provided with the above-described heat exchanger HE will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the protruding protrusion 20 a located at the lowermost end of the spacer S is fitted into the recess 65 of the support member 6, and the first and second protrusions forming the recess 65 are formed. It is engaged with the upright walls 61 and 62. The engagement between the protruding protrusion 20a and the first upright wall 61 causes an action of preventing the spacer S from moving in the longitudinal direction of each tubular body 50a. Further, the engagement between the protruding protrusion 20a and the second upright wall 62 causes an action of preventing the spacer S from coming off from the gap 59 between the tube portions 50a. Therefore, the relative movement of the spacer S with respect to the plurality of tube portions 50a can be prevented, and the mounting state can be properly maintained. On the other hand, as a means for preventing the movement of the spacer S in this way, if a means for providing the support member 6 with a recess 65 into which the protruding protrusion 20a is fitted is required, it is necessary to form the support member 6 in a large size. Thus, the support member 6 can be reduced in weight and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition to the function of preventing the spacer S from moving, the support member 6 also has a function of supporting the plurality of tube portions 50a so as not to move in the horizontal direction. Compared with the case where the member and the support member for the tube body part 50a are separately provided, the configuration is rational, and it is suitable for reducing the total number of parts of the heat exchanger HE.

  The plurality of tube parts 50a are in a state of being pressed downward so as not to float upward by the upper wall part 70c of the casing 7 via the protruding protrusions 20b. Accordingly, it is possible to appropriately prevent the plurality of heat transfer tubes T from being displaced in the vertical direction, and an effect of making it difficult to generate vibration noise of the heat transfer tubes T can be obtained. Since the upper wall portion 70c of the casing 7 is used as a means for preventing the plurality of tubular body portions 50a from floating upward, it is not necessary to separately use a dedicated member for preventing the increase in the number of parts. This is even more preferable. Further, when the upper wall portion 70c of the casing 7 is brought into direct contact with the uppermost tube portion 50a ″, the contact area is large, and the uppermost tube portion 50a ″ is directed toward the upper wall portion 70c. The amount of heat transfer increases and heat dissipation loss occurs. However, if the protruding protrusion 20a is interposed between the tube body portion 50a "and the upper wall portion 70c, such a situation is appropriately suppressed. Furthermore, since the size of the gap between the upper wall portion 70c and the uppermost tube portion 50a "is accurately defined to a predetermined size using the spacer S, the upper wall portion 70c It is also possible to set the amount of combustion gas passing through the gap with the uppermost tube portion 50a "to a desired appropriate amount so as to obtain high heat exchange efficiency while preventing the exhaust resistance from becoming excessive. it can.

  FIG. 8 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are given the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the bottom wall 70a of the casing 7 is subjected to press working or the like to form a recess 78 in the bottom wall 70a, and the protruding protrusion 20a is fitted into the recess 78. ing. The bottom wall portion 70a is also provided with a convex portion 77 that partially protrudes upward. On the convex portion 77, the lowermost tubular portion 50a ′ is placed, and a plurality of tubular portions 50a. Is supported.

  According to this embodiment, the part corresponding to the support member 6 of the said embodiment is unnecessary, and can reduce the total number of parts of a heat exchanger. As can be understood from the present embodiment and the above-described embodiments, in the present invention, the engaging portion that engages with the protruding protrusion is provided inside the casing using a member different from the casing. Any of the case where it is provided in the casing itself may be sufficient.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. The specific configuration of each part of the heat exchanger and the hot water apparatus according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

  The engagement portion referred to in the present invention may be a portion that engages with the protruding protrusion so as to restrict the movement of the spacer, and can be configured as a shape other than the recess. In the above-described embodiment, two protrusions located at the uppermost end and the lowermost end of the plurality of protrusions of the spacer are protruding protrusions, but one of these is inserted between the tube parts, Only the other side may be a protruding protrusion. In the case where the uppermost protrusion is the protruding protrusion, an engaging portion that engages with the protruding protrusion may be provided on the upper side of the casing. Of course, the direction in which the plurality of tube portions are arranged may be, for example, a vertically inclined direction or a substantially horizontal direction other than the vertical direction, and the present invention can also be applied to such a case. The protruding protrusion of the spacer does not necessarily have the same shape and size as the other protrusions. The spacer does not have to be formed by bending a metal wire. For example, a plate-like or bar-like member is used as a base end, and a plurality of plates or shafts having a certain thickness from the base end are used. It is also possible to use a structure in which the protrusions are arranged in a comb-like shape.

  As the plurality of tube portions for heat exchange, for example, a straight tube shape other than the spiral shape can be used. The casing only needs to accommodate a plurality of tube portions for heat exchange, and a heating fluid such as combustion gas may flow into the casing, and the specific shape and size thereof are not limited. In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is not applied to the primary heat exchanger for sensible heat recovery, but the heat exchanger according to the present invention may be of any type for sensible heat recovery and latent heat recovery. . The heat exchanger according to the present invention can also be used for sensible heat recovery. The hot water device as used in the present invention means a device having a function of generating hot water, and is used for various types of hot water supply devices for general hot water supply, bath hot water supply, heating, snow melting, and the like, and hot water supply. It is a concept that includes a wide range of equipment for producing hot water. As the heating fluid, for example, exhaust gas from a gas engine or a fuel cell can be used other than the combustion gas.

Claims (6)

A casing into which the heating fluid flows;
A plurality of tube portions for heat exchange accommodated in this casing and arranged in a certain direction;
A spacer having a plurality of protrusions that can be inserted between the plurality of tube parts and a base end part that supports or connects the plurality of protrusions in series;
A heat exchanger comprising:
Of the plurality of protrusions of the spacer, at least one protrusion is not inserted between the plurality of tube parts and protrudes to the outer surface side of the tube part located at the extreme end in the fixed direction. It is assumed that the protruding protrusions arranged as
The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein an engagement portion that engages with the protruding protrusion is provided in the casing or in the casing so as to restrict movement of the spacer. The plurality of tube portions are arranged in the vertical direction, and the protruding protrusion is located below the lowermost tube portion of the plurality of tube portions,
In the casing, a support member that contacts the lower surface of the lowermost tube portion and supports the tube portion is fixed,
The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the engaging portion is provided on the support member. The support member has an upright wall that forms a recess having an upper surface opening shape into which the protruding protrusion enters, and the upright wall is the engaging portion.
The heat exchanger according to claim 2, wherein movement of the spacer in the horizontal direction is restricted by the engagement between the rising wall and the protruding protrusion. The spacer has an additional protruding protrusion located above the uppermost tube portion of the plurality of tube portions,
The upper wall portion of the casing abuts or approaches the additional protruding protrusion from above, and restricts the upward movement of the additional protruding protrusion and the plurality of tube portions. The heat exchanger according to claim 2 or 3.   In the casing, a wall portion facing the outer surface of the tube portion at the endmost portion is formed with a recess for allowing the protruding protrusion to enter, and the recess forming region is the engaging portion. The heat exchanger according to claim 1. A hot water apparatus comprising heating fluid supply means and a heat exchanger for performing hot water heating using the heating fluid supplied from the heating fluid supply means,
A hot water apparatus, wherein the heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 5 is used as the heat exchanger.

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