CN217034612U - Dehumidifying cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a dehumidifying and cooling system which comprises a heat exchanger, a first circulating unit, a second circulating unit, a condensing unit, a control unit and a sensing unit. The first circulation unit is connected to one side of the heat exchanger and includes a first supply line, a first return line, and a first working fluid; the second circulating unit is connected to the other side of the heat exchanger and comprises a second supply pipeline, a second return pipeline and a second working fluid, and the temperature of the first working fluid is lower than that of the second working fluid; the condensing unit is arranged on the second return pipeline; the control unit is coupled to the first circulation unit; the sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit and comprises a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor, wherein the humidity sensor is used for sensing the humidity of the working environment, and the temperature sensor is used for sensing the temperature of the second working fluid.

Description

Dehumidifying cooling system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a dehumidifying cooling system, and more particularly, to a dehumidifying cooling system having a secondary side cooling pipeline with an automatic dehumidifying function.

Background

A Cooling Distribution Unit (CDU) is a mechanical Cooling device that is quite common in the industry. Generally, in order to modularize the cooling distribution unit to simultaneously meet the cooling requirements of a plurality of different devices, a primary side cooling pipeline and a plurality of sets of secondary side cooling pipelines are usually disposed on two sides of the heat exchanger, and each set of secondary side cooling pipelines are connected in parallel, so that even when one of the sets of secondary side cooling pipelines needs a relatively strong or relatively low cooling capacity, an operator can adjust the primary side working fluid in the primary side for carrying away heat of the heat exchanger, and the cooling requirement of the secondary side can be met while the cooling capacity is taken into account.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In an industrial environment, humidity is a significant factor affecting the efficiency of a machine and the service life of components, and since the secondary cooling pipeline is directly connected to an operating equipment, dehumidification of the working environment in which the secondary cooling pipeline is located is required to maintain the efficiency of the equipment operation. However, if the dehumidification device is additionally installed on the secondary side cooling pipeline, on one hand, the available space inside the equipment is greatly reduced, and on the other hand, the additional Power consumption is also increased, so that the overall Power Usage Efficiency (PUE) is reduced.

The inventor is diligent in research and develops a dehumidifying cooling system with a secondary side cooling pipeline having an automatic dehumidifying function, so as to achieve the effects of reducing power consumption and occupying volume.

The utility model provides a dehumidifying and cooling system which comprises a heat exchanger, a first circulating unit, a second circulating unit, a condensing unit, a control unit and a sensing unit. The first circulating unit is connected to one side of the heat exchanger and comprises a first supply pipeline, a first return pipeline and a first working fluid, wherein the first working fluid sequentially flows through the first supply pipeline, the heat exchanger and the first return pipeline; the second circulating unit is connected to the other side of the heat exchanger and comprises a second supply pipeline, a second return pipeline and a second working fluid, wherein the second working fluid sequentially flows through the second supply pipeline, the heat exchanger and the second return pipeline, and the temperature of the first working fluid is lower than that of the second working fluid; the condensing unit is arranged on the second return pipeline; the control unit is coupled to the first circulation unit; the sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit and comprises a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor, the humidity sensor is used for sensing the humidity of the working environment, and the temperature sensor is used for sensing the temperature of the second working fluid.

In an embodiment, the first circulation unit further includes a temperature control valve and an adjusting pipeline, the temperature control valve is disposed on one of the first supply pipeline and the first return pipeline, and the adjusting pipeline is connected between the temperature control valve and the other of the first supply pipeline and the first return pipeline.

In an embodiment, the first circulation unit further includes an auxiliary valve, and the auxiliary valve is disposed on the regulating pipeline.

In an embodiment, the second circulation unit further includes a second working fluid storage tank and an exhaust valve, the second working fluid storage tank is disposed on the second supply pipeline, and the exhaust valve is disposed on the second working fluid storage tank.

In an embodiment, the second circulation unit further includes at least one auxiliary pump, and the auxiliary pump is disposed on the second return line.

In an embodiment, the condensing unit includes at least one condensing element and a condensate tank, and the condensate tank is disposed below the condensing element.

In an embodiment, the condensing unit further includes a drain line and a drain valve, the drain line is communicated with the condensed water tank, and the drain valve is disposed on the drain line.

In an embodiment, the condensing element is a fin, and the second return pipe passes through the condensing element.

In an embodiment, the sensing unit further includes a first flow meter and a second flow meter, the first flow meter is disposed on one of the first supply line and the first return line, and the second flow meter is disposed on one of the second supply line and the second return line.

In an embodiment, the heat exchanger is a plate heat exchanger.

Therefore, the dehumidifying and cooling system can detect the humidity of the working environment through the humidity sensor, and control the flow of the first circulating unit flowing through the heat exchanger through the control unit, so as to control the temperature of the second working fluid and further enable the condensing unit arranged on the land of the second return pipe to condense the water vapor in the working environment, thereby achieving the effects of automatically dehumidifying and reducing power consumption.

In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the utility model more comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of an embodiment of a dehumidified cooling system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the dehumidified cooling system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of FIG. 2;

fig. 4 is a schematic view of the piping arrangement of fig. 1.

[ notation ] to show

1 dehumidifying cooling system

100 heat exchanger

200 first cycle unit

210 first supply line

220 first return line

222 first recirculating upstream section

224 first reflux downstream section

230 regulating pipeline

232 auxiliary valve

240 temp. control valve

300 second cycle unit

310 second supply line

320 second return line

330 second working fluid storage tank

332 exhaust valve

340 auxiliary pump

350 check valve

400 condensing unit

410 condensing element

420 condensate water tank

430 drain line

432 water discharge valve

500 control unit

510 temperature control valve driving unit

600 sensing unit

610 humidity sensor

620 temperature sensor

630 first flowmeter

640 second flow meter

700 filter unit

F1, F2 working fluid

Detailed Description

The foregoing and other technical matters, features and effects of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings. It is worth mentioning that the following embodiments refer to directional terms such as: up, down, left, right, front or rear, etc., are directions with reference to the attached drawings only. Accordingly, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. Further, in the following embodiments, the same or similar components will be given the same or similar reference numerals.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary dehumidifying cooling system according to the present invention. The dehumidifying cooling system 1 of the present embodiment includes a heat exchanger 100, a first circulating unit 200, a second circulating unit 300, a condensing unit 400, a control unit 500 and a sensing unit 600, wherein the first circulating unit 200 is connected to one side of the heat exchanger 100, the second circulating unit 300 is connected to the other side of the heat exchanger 100, the condensing unit 400 is disposed on the second circulating unit 300, the control unit 500 is coupled to the first circulating unit 200, and the sensing unit 600 is electrically connected to the control unit 500.

Referring to fig. 2 to fig. 4, fig. 2 is a front view of the dehumidifying cooling system of fig. 1, fig. 3 is a rear view of fig. 2, and fig. 4 is a schematic view of the pipeline configuration of fig. 1. Specifically, the dehumidifying cooling system 1 is, for example, a cooling distribution unit that can be installed in a server or an industrial equipment rack, and the primary side cooling pipeline of the first circulation unit 200 and the secondary side cooling pipeline of the second circulation unit 300 respectively flow through the heat exchanger 100 to achieve the effect of reducing the equipment temperature. As shown in fig. 4, the heat exchanger 100 is, for example, a plate heat exchanger, which can reduce the blocking of the working fluid inside and is easy to clean, and can change the heat transfer requirement for the change of the number of devices by only increasing or decreasing the number of internal flow channel plates. Of course, in other possible embodiments, the heat exchanger 100 may be a shell-and-tube, heat-pipe or fin-and-tube heat exchanger, which is not limited by the present invention.

In addition, as shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, the first circulation unit 200 includes a first supply pipe 210, a first return pipe 220 and a first working fluid F1, in this embodiment, the first working fluid F1 is, for example, ice water, and the first supply pipe 210 is connected to an ice water supplier. When the dehumidifiable cooling system 1 is in operation, the first working fluid F1 flows through the first supply line 210, the plates inside the heat exchanger 100, and the first return line 220 in sequence to remove heat inside the heat exchanger 100. On the other hand, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 4, the second circulation unit 300 includes a second supply pipe 310, a second return pipe 320 and a second working fluid F2, in this embodiment, the second supply pipe 310 and the second return pipe 320 are used to connect to an equipment end, wherein the equipment end is, for example, a refrigeration back door, a water-cooled panel or a water-cooled server, and the second working fluid F2 is, for example, cold water. When the dehumidified cooling system 1 is in operation, the second working fluid F2 flows through the second supply line 310, the plates inside the heat exchanger 100, and the second return line 320 in sequence and transfers heat to the heat exchanger 100, thereby reducing the temperature at the equipment side. It should be noted that although the first working fluid F1 and the second working fluid F2 both pass through the heat exchanger 100, no fluid exchange occurs between the two, and the working temperature of the first working fluid F1 is about 7-11 ℃ and the working temperature of the second working fluid F2 is about 15-17 ℃ in actual operation, in other words, the temperature of the first working fluid F1 is lower than that of the second working fluid F2, but the utility model is not limited to the types of the first working fluid F1 and the second working fluid F2 and the specific working temperature range.

As shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, the first circulation unit 200 further includes a regulating pipeline 230 and a temperature control valve 240, wherein the temperature control valve 240 is disposed on one of the first supply pipeline 210 and the first return pipeline 220, and the regulating pipeline 230 is connected between the temperature control valve 240 and the other of the first supply pipeline 210 and the first return pipeline 220, in this embodiment, the temperature control valve 240 is disposed on the first return pipeline 220, and the regulating pipeline 230 is connected between the temperature control valve 240 and the first supply pipeline 210. With such a configuration, the first circulation unit 200 can control the heat transfer rate per unit time of the first circulation unit 200 relative to the heat exchanger 100 and the temperature of the second working fluid F2 by controlling the flow rates of the first working fluid F1 flowing from the first supply line 210 into the heat exchanger 100 and bypassing directly into the first return line 220, respectively, by means of the temperature control valve 240.

As shown in fig. 4, the temperature control valve 240 is, for example, a three-way valve, and the first return line 220 is divided by the temperature control valve 240 into a first return upstream section 222 connected between the heat exchanger 100 and the temperature control valve 240 and a first return downstream section 224 connected from the temperature control valve 240. Preferably, the first circulation unit 200 further comprises an auxiliary valve 232, wherein the auxiliary valve 232 is, for example, a shutoff valve and is disposed on the regulating pipeline 230. Therefore, the first circulation unit 200 can freely adjust the heat transfer amount relative to the heat exchanger 100 by using the temperature control valve 240 and the auxiliary valve 232 in combination. For example, when the second circulation unit 300 requires a higher heat transfer efficiency, the user can close the auxiliary valve 232, and the first working fluid F1 flowing through the first supply line 210 will all flow into the heat exchanger 100 and flow out along the first return upstream section 222, the temperature control valve 240 and the first return downstream section 224 in sequence; in contrast, when the second circulation unit 300 requires only 80% of the heat transfer efficiency of the former, the user may open the auxiliary valve 232 and adjust the temperature control valve 240 such that the flow rate of the first working fluid F1 flowing through the regulating line 230 is 20% of the maximum flow rate of the first working fluid F1, thereby achieving a reduction in the heat transfer to the heat exchanger 100. On the other hand, the second circulation unit 300 is configured as a closed loop with a constant flow rate, and in order to prevent the heat transfer capability of the second circulation unit 300 from being reduced due to the loss of the second working fluid F2 during the operation, the second circulation unit 300 preferably further includes a second working fluid storage tank 330 and an exhaust valve 332, wherein the second working fluid storage tank 330 contains sufficient spare second working fluid F2 and is disposed on the second supply pipeline 310, and the exhaust valve 332 is disposed on the second working fluid storage tank 330 for exhausting the gas in the second working fluid F2 to prevent the gas from adhering to the heat exchanger 100. Preferably, the second working fluid reservoir 330 is connected to a refill bag. With the above configuration, the second supply line 310 and the second return line 320 always have a constant amount of the second working fluid F2 therein, so that the heat transfer capability can be maintained.

As shown in fig. 4, the sensing unit 600 preferably includes a first flow meter 630 and a second flow meter 640, wherein the first flow meter 630 is disposed on one of the first supply pipeline 210 and the first return pipeline 220, and the second flow meter 640 is disposed on one of the second supply pipeline 310 and the second return pipeline 320, in this embodiment, the first flow meter 630 is disposed on the first return downstream section 224 of the first return pipeline 220, and the second flow meter 640 is disposed on the second supply pipeline 310. With such a configuration, a user can know the flow rates of the first working fluid F1 and the second working fluid F2 through the flow rate signals detected by the first flow meter 630 and the second flow meter 640 at any time, and supplement the first working fluid F1 or the second working fluid F2, which are reduced due to evaporation or dissipation, in a manual or automatic manner.

In addition, in order to make the second working fluid F2 have a fixed flow direction and pressure, as shown in fig. 4, the second circulation unit 300 preferably further includes at least one auxiliary pump 340, and in this embodiment, the number of the auxiliary pumps 340 is two, for example, and the auxiliary pumps are respectively disposed on two downstream branches of the second return pipeline 320 relative to the heat exchanger 100. Furthermore, the second circulation unit 300 preferably further includes at least one check valve 350, and the number of the check valves 350 is two in the embodiment, and the check valves 350 are disposed at the downstream end of the corresponding auxiliary pump 340 to prevent the second working fluid F2 pressurized by the auxiliary pump 340 from flowing toward the heat exchanger 100 again.

In order to control the humidity of the working environment of the equipment side within a desired range, the dehumidified cooling system 1 of the embodiment detects the humidity of the working environment through the condensing unit 400, the control unit 500 and the sensing unit 600, and selectively dehumidifies the working environment. As shown in fig. 4, the condensing unit 400 is disposed on the second return pipe 320 and includes at least one condensing element 410 and a condensed water tank 420, wherein the condensing element 410 is, for example, a fin with high heat transfer capability and is disposed in a plurality of numbers in the embodiment, the second return pipe 320 is disposed through the condensing elements 410, and the condensed water tank 420 is disposed below the condensing elements 410 for accommodating water droplets dropping from the condensing element 410. Preferably, the condensing unit 400 further comprises a drain line 430 and a drain valve 432, wherein the drain line 430 is connected to the condensate tank 420, preferably located at the bottom of the condensate tank 420; the drain valve 432 is disposed on the drain line 430 to control whether the condensed water can pass through the drain line 430, without the user manually removing the condensed water.

On the other hand, the control unit 500 of the present embodiment is, for example, an industrial computer and includes a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), wherein the PLC is electrically connected to the temperature control valve 240, the auxiliary valve 232, the exhaust valve 332 and the drain valve 432, and can control the valve bodies according to a programmed program. As shown in fig. 4, the control unit 500 preferably includes a temperature-controlled valve driving unit 510 for driving the temperature-controlled valve 240 to change the flow rate of the first working fluid F1 flowing through the heat exchanger 100 as described above.

In addition, as shown in fig. 3 and fig. 4, the sensing unit 600 further includes a humidity sensor 610 and a temperature sensor 620, wherein the humidity sensor 610 is, for example, an electronic temperature and humidity sensor capable of detecting the temperature and humidity of the working environment of the second circulation unit 300; the temperature sensor 620 is, for example, a contact thermocouple, and is used to detect the temperature of the second working fluid F2 in the second return line 320.

As shown in fig. 3, the dehumidified cooling system 1 may further include a filtering unit 700, wherein the filtering unit 700 is, for example, a filter and is disposed on the first return line 220, and is capable of filtering the first working fluid F1 flowing through the heat exchanger 100, so as to prevent impurities or foreign substances possibly entrained during the circulation process from contaminating the supply source of the first working fluid F1 (if the first circulation unit 200 is also designed as a closed circulation loop).

How the dehumidified cooling system 1 of the present embodiment dehumidifies the operating environment of the second circulation unit 300 will be described in detail below. First, the control unit 500 detects the relative humidity of the current working environment and the corresponding dew point temperature of the relative humidity, such as 18 ℃, through the humidity sensor 610. Then, the control unit 500 measures whether the temperature of the second working fluid F2 in the second return line 320 is lower than the dew point temperature through the temperature sensor 620, and if the temperature of the second working fluid F2 in the second return line 320 is lower than the dew point temperature, the water vapor in the working environment will be condensed on the condensing element 410 when passing through the condensing unit 400 disposed on the second return line 320, which means that the condensing unit 400 has the dehumidification function; if the temperature of the second working fluid F2 in the second return line 320 is higher than the dew-point temperature, which means that moisture in the working environment cannot be effectively condensed on the condensing element 410, the control unit 500 drives the temperature-controlled valve 240 through the temperature-controlled valve driving unit 510, so that the flow rate of the first working fluid F1 flowing through the regulating line 230 is reduced, and if necessary, the auxiliary valve 232 can be completely closed to allow the first working fluid F1 flowing through the first supply line 210 to completely flow through the heat exchanger 100, thereby increasing the heat transfer effect of the first circulation unit 200 on the heat exchanger 100, and further decreasing the working temperature of the second working fluid F2 to reach the target dew-point temperature.

Similarly, if the temperature sensor 620 detects that the temperature of the second working fluid F2 is too low, the control unit 500 may also drive the temperature control valve 240 and open the auxiliary valve 232, so as to increase the flow rate of the first working fluid F1 flowing through the regulating pipeline 230, thereby increasing the temperature of the second working fluid F2. In fact, the operating temperature of the second working fluid F2 is maintained at 1 to 3 ℃ lower than the dew point temperature of the working environment, i.e. 15 to 17 ℃ as described above, so that the configuration of the dehumidifying cooling system 1 does not increase excessive power consumption when having dehumidifying capability.

In summary, the dehumidifying cooling system 1 of the present invention can dehumidify the working environment at the same time at the cooling device end by configuring the condensing unit 400 on the second return line 320 without additionally installing an active dehumidifying component, thereby not only saving the power consumption and the occupied large volume required by the dehumidifying device, but also maintaining the dryness of the device and avoiding the damage caused by moisture.

While the utility model has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments are illustrative of the utility model and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model. It should be understood that various changes and substitutions equivalent to those of the above embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims (10)

1. A dehumidifiable cooling system, comprising:

a heat exchanger;

a first circulation unit connected to one side of the heat exchanger and including a first supply line, a first return line, and a first working fluid, wherein the first working fluid sequentially flows through the first supply line, the heat exchanger, and the first return line;

a second circulation unit connected to the other side of the heat exchanger and including a second supply line, a second return line, and a second working fluid, wherein the second working fluid sequentially flows through the second supply line, the heat exchanger, and the second return line, and the temperature of the first working fluid is lower than that of the second working fluid;

a condensing unit configured on the second return pipeline;

a control unit coupled to the first circulation unit; and

and the sensing unit is electrically connected to the control unit and comprises a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor, the humidity sensor is used for sensing the humidity of a working environment, and the temperature sensor is used for sensing the temperature of the second working fluid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first recycling unit further comprises a temperature control valve disposed on one of the first supply line and the first return line, and a regulating line connected between the temperature control valve and the other of the first supply line and the first return line.

3. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 2, wherein the first circulation unit further includes an auxiliary valve, and the auxiliary valve is disposed on the regulating line.

4. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 1, wherein the second circulation unit further includes a second working fluid storage tank disposed on the second supply line, and an exhaust valve disposed on the second working fluid storage tank.

5. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 1, wherein the second circulation unit further includes at least one auxiliary pump, and the at least one auxiliary pump is disposed on the second return line.

6. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 1, wherein the condensing unit includes at least one condensing element and a condensate sump, and the condensate sump is disposed below the at least one condensing element.

7. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 6, wherein the condensing unit further includes a drain line and a drain valve, the drain line is connected to the condensate tank, and the drain valve is disposed on the drain line.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the at least one condenser is a fin, and the second return line is disposed through the at least one condenser.

9. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit further includes a first flow meter and a second flow meter, the first flow meter being disposed on one of the first supply line and the first return line, and the second flow meter being disposed on one of the second supply line and the second return line.

10. The dehumidified cooling system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is a plate heat exchanger.

Images