WO2009117885A1

WO2009117885A1 - Heat exchanger assembly

Info

Publication number: WO2009117885A1
Application number: PCT/CN2008/073191
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kaibin Lin; Liyong He
Original assignee: Danfoss Qinbao (Hangzhou) Plate Heat Exchanger Company Limited
Priority date: 2008-03-25
Filing date: 2008-11-25
Publication date: 2009-10-01
Also published as: CN101256057A

Abstract

A heat exchanger assembly comprises: a main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate (20) attached to one end of the main body; and a rear cover (10) attached to the other end of the main body. The plurality of heat exchanger plates are stacked so as to form an inlet air circulating chamber or a combined circulating chamber between two adjacent heat exchanger plates, with the inlet air circulating chamber and the combined circulating chamber being provided alternately. Each combined circulating chamber comprises a refrigerant circulating chamber and an outlet air circulating chamber which are provided side by side and are sealed against each other. The inlet air circulating chamber communicates with each other via a first communicating hole (1) and a second communicating hole (2) of the heat exchanger plates. The outlet air circulating chamber communicates with each other via a third communicating hole (3) and a fourth communicating hole (4) of the heat exchanger plates. The refrigerant circulating chamber communicates with each other via a fifth communicating hole (5) and a sixth communicating hole (6) of the heat exchanger plates. An air-liquid separation means is provided on one end of the main body to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

Description

HEAT EXCHANGER ASSEMBLY

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a heat exchanger assembly.

Background of the Invention

As well known in the art, a heat exchanger assembly is a device used to regulate the temperature within a particular space such as cooling a room or an office. In some applications, it is needed to provided dry regulated air, for example when a heat exchanger assembly is used in a library. In order to keep the environment in a relatively dry condition, drying equipment is usually used to dry the regulated air before discharging it into a room, or the room is additionally equipped with drying equipment. However, the use of drying equipment will result in the increase of cost and take up much room.

Furthermore, in the conventional heat exchanger assembly which comprises a plurality of heat exchanger plates, an air circulating chamber and a refrigerant circulating chamber being provided alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked. With such a heat exchanger assembly, since the heat exchanging area is only limited to one surface of each heat exchanger plate, as a result, the efficiency of heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant is relatively low.

So, there is a need for further improvement of the conventional heat exchanger assembly.

Summary of the Invention

In consideration of the above, the object of the invention is to provide a heat exchanger assembly which can improve the efficiency of heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant and can provide dry regulated air.

To achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the invention there is provided a heat exchanger assembly, comprising: a main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate attached to one end of the main body; and a rear cover attached to the other end of the main body; said plurality of heat exchanger plates being stacked so as to form an inlet air circulating chamber or a combined circulating chamber between two adjacent heat exchanger plates, with the inlet air circulating chambers and the combined circulating chambers being provided alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked; each combined circulating chamber comprising a refrigerant circulating chamber and an outlet air circulating chamber which are provided side by side and are sealed against each other; the inlet air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a first communicating hole which is connected with an air inlet provided on the front cover, and the inlet air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a second communicating hole which is connected with a chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate; the outlet air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a third communicating hole which is connected with an air outlet provided on the front cover, and the outlet air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a fourth which is connected with the chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate; and the refrigerant circulating chambers communicating with each other via a fifth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant inlet provided on the front cover, and the refrigerant circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a sixth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant outlet provided on the front cover.

Preferably, the heat exchanger assembly further comprises air-liquid separation means to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

Preferably, the air-liquid separation means is integrally formed with the main body.

Preferably, the air-liquid separation means is a separate sub-assembly which can be attached to the main body.

Preferably, the air-liquid separation means is provided on one end of the main body.

Preferably, the air-liquid separation means is provided on the rear end of the main body, and the chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate constitute an air-liquid separation chamber, and said air-liquid separation means comprises an element which is disposed in the air-liquid separation chamber to remove the moisture in the circulated air. Preferably, the element is a mesh screen.

Preferably, the element is a baffle.

Preferably, the element is provided in a recess formed on the rear cover.

Preferably, each of the inlet air circulating chambers is separated into two portions at a side where the first and second communicating holes are located, and the two portions communicate with each other at a side away from the first and second communicating holes.

Preferably, an aperture is provided to communicate the adjacent air circulating chambers, the aperture is located on a side opposite to the first and second communicating holes.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a heat exchanger assembly, comprising: a main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate attached to one end of the main body; and a rear cover attached to the other end of the main body; said plurality of heat exchanger plates being stacked so as to form an air circulating chamber or a refrigerant circulating chamber between two adjacent heat exchanger plates, with the air circulating chambers and the refrigerant circulating chambers being provided alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked; the air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a first communicating hole which is connected with an air inlet provided on the front cover, and the air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a second communicating hole which is connected with an air outlet; the refrigerant circulating chambers communicating with each other via a third communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant inlet provided on the front cover, and the refrigerant circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a fourth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant outlet provided on the front cover; wherein an air-liquid separation means is provided on one end of the main body to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

Preferably, the air-liquid separation means is a separate sub-assembly which can be attached to the main body. Preferably, the air outlet is connected with an air-liquid separation chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate, and said air-liquid separation means comprises an element which is disposed in the air-liquid separation chamber to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

Preferably, the element is a mesh screen.

Preferably, the element is a baffle. Preferably, the element is provided in a recess formed on the rear cover.

Preferably, each of the inlet air circulating chambers is separated into two portions at a side where the first and second communicating holes are located, and the two portions communicate with each other at a side away from the first and second communicating holes. Preferably, an aperture is provided to communicate the adjacent air circulating chambers, the aperture is located on a side opposite to the first and second communicating holes.

With the heat exchanger assembly of the invention, the efficiency of heat exchange between the air and the refrigerant can improved, and furthermore dry regulated air can be provided with a relatively low cost.

Brief Description of the Accompanying Drawings

The invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a heat exchanger assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of a front cover;

Fig. 2 A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 2;

Fig. 2 B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 2;

Fig. 2 C is a sectional view taken along line C-C in fig. 2;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the rear cover housing; Fig. 3A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 3.

Fig. 3B is sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 3;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the first heat exchanger plate I;

Fig. 4A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 4;

Fig. 4B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 4; Fig. 5 is a plan view of the second heat exchanger plate II;

Fig. 5 A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 5; Fig. 5B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 5

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the third heat exchanger plate HI;

Fig. 6A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 6;

Fig. 6B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 6; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the fourth heat exchanger plate IV;

Fig. 7A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 7;

Fig. 7B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 7;

Fig. 8 is a front view showing the main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates; Fig. 8A is a schematic sectional view taken along line A-A in fig.8;

Fig. 8B is a schematic sectional view taken along line B-B in fig.8;

Fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing the flow path of air and refrigerant when the number of the heat exchanger plates is an even number; and

Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view showing the flow path of air and refrigerant when the number of the heat exchanger plates is an odd number.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

Reference is now made to Fig. 1 which is a longitudinal sectional view of a heat exchanger assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the heat exchanger assembly comprises a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate 20 and a rear cover housing 10.

Reference is not made to Figs. 2 to 2C. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the front cover plate

20, fig. 2A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 2, fig. 2B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 2, and fig. 2C is a sectional view taken along line C-C in fig. 2.

As shown in figs. 2 to 2C, the front cover plate 20 takes the shape of a shallow rectangular tray with a bottom wall 21 and a side wall 22 surrounding the bottom wall. For ease of description, the part of the bottom wall 21 on the left side of the longitudinal central line x is referred to as a left part, and the part on the right side of the longitudinal central line x is referred to as a right part hereinafter.

As shown in figs. 2 to 2C, at the left upper corner of the left part there is formed a raising portion 23; at the right upper corner of the right part there is formed a raising portion 24; at the right lower corner of the left part there is formed a raising portion 25; and at the left lower corner of the right part there is formed a raising portion 26.

Several holes are formed at bottom wall of the front cover plate which includes: a first hole 1 formed at the left lower corner of the left part; a fourth hole 4 formed at the right lower corner of the left part; a fifth hole 5 formed at the left lower corner of the right part; and a sixth hole 6 formed at the right upper corner of the right part.

Fig. 3 is a plan view which shows the rear cover housing 10, fig. 3 A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 3, and fig 3B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 3.

As shown in figs. 3-3B, the rear cover housing 10 takes the shape of a rectangular tray with a bottom wall 11 and a side wall 12 surrounding the bottom wall. As shown, the recess formed by the bottom wall 11 and the side wall 12 is not a rectangular recess, but takes the shape of an irregular pentagon with a slanted side wall 18 at the right upper part, and a panel portion 19 extends from the slanted side wall 18. And at the right upper corner of the panel portion 19 there is formed a falling portion 13.

The recess is used to accommodate an air-liquid separation element to remove the moisture contained in the regulated air which will be described in detail below.

The plurality of heat exchanger plates are substantially of the same size and are stacked one on top of the other to form a main body. Each heat exchanger plate takes the shape of a shallow rectangular tray with a corrugated bottom wall and a side wall surrounding the bottom wall, the side wall is bent outward at its top to form a peripheral edge.

Fig. 4 is a plan view which shows the first heat exchanger plate I. As shown in fig. 4, the bottom wall 100 is divided into three sections in the up-down direction: an upper section 110, a middle section 120 where corrugations are formed, and an lower section

130; and furthermore, the middle section 120 and the lower section 130 are respectively divided into two areas in the left- right direction by a middle partition portion 140 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger plate I. For ease of description, the part of the bottom wall 100 on the left side of the longitudinal central line x is referred to as a left part, and the part on the right side of the longitudinal central line x is referred to as a right part hereinafter.

Fig. 4A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 4. As shown in fig. 4A, the middle partition portion 140 takes the shape of a ridge 141 on the outer surface 150 of the bottom wall provided by forming a channel 142 on the inner surface 160 of the bottom wall. As shown in fig. 4, the ridge 141 extends from the lower edge of the bottom wall through the lower section 130 and the middle section 120, and merges into the upper section 110. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 4, the corrugations on the left part do not extend to the ridge 141, but ends before reaching the ridge 141, thus leaving a margin which forms a ridge 141 ' , which is adjacent to and to the left of the ridge 141, on the inner surface 160, the ridge 141 extends through the middle section 120, merges into the lower section 130 at its lower part, and terminates at a point where the upper section 110 and the middle section 120 meet.

Moreover, as shown in figs. 4 and 4A, in the left-right direction, the lower section

130 has a raising and falling contour, comprising a left raising portion 131, a middle falling portion 132 and a right raising portion 133. At the right raising portion 133, there is formed a second hole 2.

Fig. 4B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 4. As shown in figs. 4 and 4B, in the left-right direction, the upper section 110 also has a raising and falling contour, comprising a left falling portion 111, a middle raising portion 112 and a right falling portion 113. At the left falling portion 111, there is formed a third hole 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view which shows the second heat exchanger plate π. As shown in fig. 5, like the first heat exchanger plate I, the bottom wall 200 is divided into three sections in the up-down direction: an upper section 210, a middle section 220 where corrugations are formed, and an lower section 230; and furthermore, the middle section 220 and the lower section 230 are respectively divided into two areas in the left- right direction by a middle partition portion 240 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger plate π.

Fig. 5A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5A, the middle partition portion 240 takes the shape of a ridge 241 on the inner surface 260 of the bottom wall provided by forming a channel 242 on the outer surface 250 of the bottom wall. As shown in fig. 5, the ridge extends from the lower edge of the bottom wall through the lower section 230 and the middle section 220 and merges into the upper section 210. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 5, the corrugations on the left part do not extend to the ridge 241, but ends before reaching the ridge 241, thus leaving a margin which forms a ridge 241 ' , which is adjacent to and to the left of the ridge 241, on the outer surface 250, the ridge 241 extends through the middle section 220 and merges into the lower section 230.

Moreover, as shown in figs. 5 and 5A, in the left-right direction, the lower section 230 has a raising and falling contour, comprising a left falling portion 231, a middle raising portion 232 and a right falling portion 233. At the left falling portion, there is formed a first hole 1, and at the right falling portion 233, there is formed a second hole 2.

Fig. 5B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 5. As shown in figs. 5 and 5B, in the left-right direction, the upper section 210 also has a raising and falling contour, comprising a left raising portion 211, a middle falling portion 212 and a right raising portion 213. At the left raising portion 211, there is formed a third hole 3, and at the middle falling portion 212 there is formed a aperture 9.

Fig. 6 is a plan view which shows the third heat exchanger plate HI, fig. 6A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 6, and fig. 6B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 6. The overall structure of the third heat exchanger plate in is substantially the same as that of the first heat exchanger plate I, so only the difference between them is described for the sake of clarity.

As shown in figs. 6-6B, except the second and the third holes 2 and 3, additional holes are also formed in the bottom wall which comprises: a first hole 1 formed at the left raising portion 331 at the left lower corner of the left part; a fourth hole 4 formed at the middle falling portion 332 at the right lower corner of the left part; a fifth hole 5 formed at the falling portion 332 at the left lower corner of the right part; a sixth hole 6 formed at the right falling portion 313 at the right upper corner of the right part; and an aperture 9 at the middle raising portion 312.

Fig. 7 is a plan view which shows the fourth heat exchanger plate IV, fig. 7A is a sectional view taken along line A-A in fig. 7, and fig. 7B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in fig. 7. The overall structure of the fourth heat exchanger plate IV is substantially the same as that of the second heat exchanger plate II, so only the difference between them is described for the sake of clarity.

As shown in figs. 7-7B, except the first, second and third holes 1-3, additional holes are also formed in the bottom wall which comprises: a fourth hole 4 formed at the raising portion 432 at the right lower corner of the left part; a fifth hole 5 formed at the middle raising portion 432 at the left lower corner of the right part; and a sixth hole 6 formed at the right raising portion 413 at the right upper corner of the right part.

The n^th (where n is an odd number which is larger than 3) heat exchanger plate is exactly the same as the third heat exchanger plate, and the m^th (where m is an even number which is larger than 4) heat exchanger plate is exactly the same as the forth heat exchanger plate, so their description is omitted.

When assembling the heat exchanger assembly, the heat exchanger plates are stacked together to form a main body as shown in Figs. 8-8B. In Figs. 8-8B, only four heat exchanger plates (I-IV) are shown for the sake of clarity. Fig. 8A is a schematic sectional view taken along line A-A in fig.8, and fig. 8B is a schematic sectional view taken along line B-B in fig.8.

As shown in figs. 8-8A, the first heat exchanger plate I is located on the second heat exchanger plate II. At the state where the heat exchanger plate I is stacked on the second heat exchanger plate II, the left and right falling portions 111 and 113 of the first heat exchanger plate I are brought into close contact with left and right raising portions 211 and 213 of the second exchanger plate π as shown in fig 8B, and the middle falling portion 132 of the first heat exchanger plate I is brought into close contact with the middle raising portion 232 of the second exchanger plate II as shown in fig 8A, thus forming a first sealed chamber between the first heat exchanger plate I and the second heat exchanger plate II which communicates only with the hole 2 of the first heat exchanger plate I, the holes 1, 2 and the aperture 9 of the second heat exchanger plate II. The first sealed chamber constitutes an inlet air circulating chamber.

Furthermore, in the assembled state, the ridge 141 ' on the inner surface 160 of the first heat exchanger plate I comes into close contact with the ridge 241 ' on the outer surface 250 of the second heat exchanger plate II, thus dividing the lower portion of the first sealed chamber into a left half portion and a right half portion. As noted above, since the ridges 141 ' and 241 ' do not extend to the upper sections 110 and 210 of the first and second heat exchanger plates, thus the left half portion and the right half portion communicate with each through the space defined by the middle raising portion 112 of the first heat exchanger plate I and the middle falling portion 212 of the second heat exchanger plate II.

Furthermore, As shown in figs. 8-8B, at the state where the second heat exchanger plate II is stacked on the third heat exchanger plate HI, the middle falling portion 212 of the second heat exchanger plate II is brought into close contact with the middle raising portion 312 of the third heat exchanger plate HI as shown in fig 8B, and the left and right falling portions 231 and 233 of the second heat exchanger plate II are brought into close contact with the left and right raising portion 331 and 333 of the third heat exchanger plate in as shown in fig 8A, thus forming a second sealed chamber between the second heat exchanger plate II and the third heat exchanger plate HI which communicate only with the third hole 3 of the second heat exchanger plate II and the holes 3-6 of the third heat exchanger plate III. Furthermore, since the ridge 241 of the second heat exchanger plate II comes into close contact with the ridge 341 of the third heat exchanger plate HI, thus the second sealed chamber constitutes a combined circulating chamber which is divided into a sealed left half chamber and a sealed right half chamber, with the sealed left half chamber communicating only with the hole 3 of the second heat exchanger plate II and the holes 3 and 4 of the third heat exchanger plate HI, and the sealed right half chamber communicating only with the holes 5 and 6 of third heat exchanger plate in. The sealed right half chamber constitutes a refrigerant circulating chamber, and the sealed left half chamber constitutes an outlet air circulating chamber.

With regard to the third and the fourth heat exchanger plate in and IV, similar to the first and second heat exchanger plates I and π, when the third heat exchanger plate HI is stacked on the fourth heat exchanger plate IV, a third sealed chamber is formed between the third heat exchanger plate HI and the fourth heat exchanger plate IV which communicates only with the holes 1, 2 and the apertures 9 of the third and fourth heat exchanger plates. This third sealed chamber, like the first sealed chamber, is divided into a right half portion and a left half portion at its lower portion, and the right half portion and the left half portion communicate with each through the space defined by the middle raising portion 312 of the third heat exchanger plate in and the middle falling portion 412 of the fourth heat exchanger plate IV.

With regard to the fourth and the fifth heat exchanger plate IV and V, similar to the second and third heat exchanger plates, when the fourth heat exchanger plate IV is stacked on the fifth heat exchanger plate V, a fourth sealed chamber is formed between the fourth heat exchanger plate IV and the fifth heat exchanger plate V. This fourth sealed chamber, like the second sealed chamber, is divided into a sealed left half chamber and a sealed right half chamber, with the sealed left half chamber communicating only with the holes 3 and 4 of the fourth and the fifth heat exchanger plates, and the sealed right half chamber communicating only with the holes 5 and 6 of fourth and the fifth heat exchanger plates.

The n^th and n+l^Λ (n is an integer which is equal to or larger than 5) heat exchanger plates, when stacked together, have exactly the same arrangement as the third and fourth heat exchanger plates (when n is an odd number) or the fourth and fifth heat exchanger plates (when n is an even number), so their description is omitted.

By arranging the heat exchanger plates in a way mentioned above, two types of chambers, i.e. an inlet air circulating chamber and a combined circulating chamber, are formed alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked, the combined circulating chamber comprises a refrigerant circulating chamber and an outlet air circulating chamber which are sealed against each other.

In the assembled state, the last heat exchange plate, which has a structure as shown in fig. 7, is stacked on the front cover plate 20, the raising portions 23, 24, 25 and 26 of the front cover plate 20 comes into close contact with the raising portions 411, 413, 432 of the last heat exchange plate, and the portion of the front cover plate 20 where the hole 1 is located is also in close contact with the falling portion 431, thus the holes 1, 4, 5 and 6 of the front cover plate 20 align with the corresponding holes 1, 4, 5 and 6 of the last heat exchange plate respectively. The heat exchange plates and the front cover plate are fixed connected with one another in a sealing manner along their periphery which is well known in the art, so its detailed description is omitted.

Furthermore, the rear housing 10 is attached to the main body formed by the heat exchange plates at the side where the first heat exchanger plate is located through welding or any other suitable means such as bonding, and a sealed air-liquid separation chamber is formed between the rear housing 10 and the first heat exchange plate. In order to remove the moisture in the regulated air, as mentioned above, an air-liquid separation element, such as a mesh screen, a baffle and etc, is disposed in the air-liquid separation chamber.

The operation of the heat exchanger assembly of the invention will be described below.

Among the various holes, the holes 1 constitute the inlets allowing the air to be introduced into the inlet air circulating chambers; the holes 2 constitute the outlets allowing the air to be discharged from the inlet air circulating chambers into the sealed air-liquid separation chamber; the holes 3 constitute the inlets allowing the air to be introduced from the sealed air-liquid separation chamber into the outlet air circulating chambers; the holes 4 constitute the outlets allowing the air to be discharged from the outlet air circulating chambers into the room; the holes 5 constitute the inlets allowing the refrigerant to be introduced into the refrigerant circulating chambers; and the holes 6 constitute the outlets allowing the refrigerant to be discharged from the refrigerant circulating chambers into a compressor.

When in operation, as shown in fig.9 which shows the flowing path of the air and the refrigerant, air is respectively introduced into the inlet air circulating chambers through the holes 1, and discharged into the air-liquid separation chamber through the holes 2 after circulating inside the inlet air circulating chambers and being cooled by the refrigerant. After passing through the air-liquid separation element, the air enters the outlet air circulating chambers through the holes 3, and is discharged into the room through the holes 4. And at the same time, the refrigerant is introduced into the refrigerant circulating chambers through the holes 5, and is discharged through the holes 6 after conducting heat exchange with the air.

When the air passes through the air-liquid separation chamber, most of the moisture in the air is trapped by the air-liquid separation element, thus the regulated air is dried.

When a certain amount of water is accumulated in the air-liquid separation chamber, the accumulated water can be discharged through a hole provided in the rear cover housing by removing a spout plug 200, as shown in fig. 1.

As mentioned above, an aperture 9 is formed on some of the heat exchanger plates

(it is not necessary for the first heat exchanger plate and the last heat exchanger plate to be provided with such an aperture). By providing such an aperture 9, the inlet air circulating chambers communicate with one another, and thus the air in the various inlet air circulating chambers can be redistributed, so the air can more smoothly flow through the inlet air circulating chambers.

Please note that the structure of the heat exchanger assembly is not limited to that described above, various modification can be made to realize the same function.

For example, in the embodiment described above, an aperture 9 is formed on some of the heat exchanger plates, however the aperture 9 can be omitted.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, an air-liquid separation element is provided in the chamber between the first heat exchanger plate and the rear cover housing, however the air-liquid separation element can be omitted depending on the particular application.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, as shown in fig. 9, the number of the heat exchanger plates is an even number. However, the number of the heat exchanger plates can also be an odd number, fig. 10 shows a situation where the number of the heat exchanger plates is an odd number.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the air-liquid separation element is provided at a side of the main body which is opposite to the front cover plate. However, it is obvious to one skilled in the art that it is also possible to provide the air-liquid separation element at the same side of the main body as the front cover plate. In this case, the first heat exchange plate can be used as the rear cover plate, if desired.

In the embodiment described above, the air-liquid separation means is formed integrally with the main body of the heat exchanger assembly. However, as an alternative solution, the air-liquid separation means can also be formed as a separate sub-assembly which can be used in combination with the heat exchanger assembly as desired. Thus, such separate air-liquid separation means can be selectively used depending on the specific applications of the heat exchanger assembly.

In the embodiment described above, the heat exchanger assembly comprises two kinds of heat exchange plates, i.e. so called "A plate" shown in figs. 4 and 6 and "V plate" show in figs. 5 and 7, and A plates and V plates are alternatively provided in the direction in which the heat exchange plates are stacked, with the first heat exchange plate being a A plate. However, it is obvious to one skilled in the art that a V plate can also be used as the first heat exchange plate. Furthermore, it is also obvious to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to heat exchange plates of any particular structure, heat exchange plates other than those shown in the figures can also be used with the present invention.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the lower portion of the inlet air circulating chamber is divided into a left half portion and a right half portion. However, the invention is not limited to this, it is also possible that the lower portion of the inlet air circulating chamber is not divided into a left half portion and a right half portion.

And furthermore, the combined circulating chamber does not need to be divided into a refrigerant circulating chamber and an outlet air circulating chamber, but can be formed as a refrigerant circulating chamber which has the same structure as the inlet air circulating chambers; and in this case, the heat exchanger plates may be modified (such as by increasing or decreasing the holes and/or changing the locations of the holes and etc which is obvious to one skilled in the art based on the teaching of the present invention) so as to be adapted to such a application, and the air is discharged directly after passing through the air-liquid separation element.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger assembly, comprising: a main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate attached to one end of the main body; and a rear cover attached to the other end of the main body; said plurality of heat exchanger plates being stacked so as to form an inlet air circulating chamber or a combined circulating chamber between two adjacent heat exchanger plates, with the inlet air circulating chambers and the combined circulating chambers being provided alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked; each combined circulating chamber comprising a refrigerant circulating chamber and an outlet air circulating chamber which are provided side by side and are sealed against each other; the inlet air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a first communicating hole which is connected with an air inlet provided on the front cover, and the inlet air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a second communicating hole which is connected with a chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate; the outlet air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a third communicating hole which is connected with an air outlet provided on the front cover, and the outlet air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a fourth which is connected with the chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate; and the refrigerant circulating chambers communicating with each other via a fifth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant inlet provided on the front cover, and the refrigerant circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a sixth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant outlet provided on the front cover.

2. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1, further comprising air-liquid separation means to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

3. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 2, wherein said air-liquid separation means is integrally formed with the main body.

4. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 2, wherein said air-liquid separation means is a separate sub-assembly which can be attached to the main body.

5. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 2, wherein said air-liquid separation means is provided on one end of the main body.

6. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 5, wherein the air-liquid separation means is provided on the rear end of the main body, and the chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate constitute an air-liquid separation chamber, and said air-liquid separation means comprises an element which is disposed in the air-liquid separation chamber to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

7. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 6, wherein said element is a mesh screen.

8. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 6, wherein said element is a baffle.

9. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 6, wherein said element is provided in a recess formed on the rear cover.

10. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the inlet air circulating chambers is separated into two portions at a side where the first and second communicating holes are located, and the two portions communicate with each other at a side away from the first and second communicating holes.

11. The heat exchanger assembly of any one of claims 1 or 10, wherein an aperture is provided to communicate the adjacent air circulating chambers, the aperture is located on a side opposite to the first and second communicating holes.

12. A heat exchanger assembly, comprising: a main body formed by stacking a plurality of heat exchanger plates, a front cover plate attached to one end of the main body; and a rear cover attached to the other end of the main body; said plurality of heat exchanger plates being stacked so as to form an air circulating chamber or a refrigerant circulating chamber between two adjacent heat exchanger plates, with the air circulating chambers and the refrigerant circulating chambers being provided alternately in the direction in which the heat exchanger plates are stacked; the air circulating chambers communicating with each other via a first communicating hole which is connected with an air inlet provided on the front cover, and the air circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a second communicating hole which is connected with an air outlet; the refrigerant circulating chambers communicating with each other via a third communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant inlet provided on the front cover, and the refrigerant circulating chambers further communicating with each other via a fourth communicating hole which is connected with a refrigerant outlet provided on the front cover; wherein an air-liquid separation means is provided on one end of the main body to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

13. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 12, wherein said air-liquid separation means is integrally formed with the main body.

14. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 12, wherein said air-liquid separation means is a separate sub-assembly which can be attached to the main body.

15. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 12, wherein said air outlet is connected with an air-liquid separation chamber formed between the rear cover and its adjacent heat exchanger plate, and said air-liquid separation means comprises an element which is disposed in the air-liquid separation chamber to remove the moisture in the circulated air.

16. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 15, wherein said element is a mesh screen.

17. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 15, wherein said element is a baffle.

18. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 15, wherein said element is provided in a recess formed on the rear cover.

19. The heat exchanger assembly of claim 12, wherein each of the inlet air circulating chambers is separated into two portions at a side where the first and second communicating holes are located, and the two portions communicate with each other at a side away from the first and second communicating holes.

20. The heat exchanger assembly of any one of claims 12-19, wherein an aperture is provided to communicate the adjacent air circulating chambers, the aperture is located on a side opposite to the first and second communicating holes.