Cooling Apparatus for Fluid

• US 20090020263A1
• Filed: 01/24/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
• Inventors: Hiraki, Hikosaburou, Ohsawa, Akihiro, Tsujimura, Shinji, Chu, Rencai
• Application Number:
  US12/223,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20090020263A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.110
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/05 High pressure loops, i.e. wherein recirculated exhaust gas is taken out from the exhaust system upstream of the turbine and reintroduced into the intake system downstream of the compressor
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/19 Means for improving the mixing of air and recirculated exhaust gases, e.g. venturis or multiple openings to the intake system
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/24 with two or more coolers
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/27 with air-cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/28 with liquid-cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/32 Liquid-cooled heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0435 Combination of units extending one behind the other F28D1/0452 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0477 the conduits being bent in a serpentine or zig-zag
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/02 in which the medium condenses and evaporates, e.g. heat pipes heat pipes used in solar heat collectors F24S10/95; in radiators F28D1/0226; in nuclear reactors G21C15/257
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 21/0003 the heat being recuperated from exhaust gases F28D21/0014 takes precedence

Abstract

An apparatus for efficiently cooling the heat of a hot target without enlarging the size of a cooling device or needing either a piping to connect an evaporation portion and a condensation portion or a steam circulation pump. An exoergic-side heat exchanger has a fluid passage for the target fluid, and stores a coolant for cooling the fluid in the fluid passage through heat exchange. An endoergic-side heat exchanger has at least two coolant passages, the one ends of which communicate with the endoergic-side heat exchanger, and the other ends of which communicate with each other through a common coolant passage. A cooling device cools the coolant by exchanging heat with the coolant passing through the exoergic-side heat exchanger. The coolant passage has a diameter or an equivalent diameter within a range of 2 mm to 16 mm, and all the coolant passages have a substantially identical or equivalent diameter.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus for a fluid, comprising:

an endoergic-side heat exchanger that has a fluid passage for passing a fluid to be cooled and stores a cooling medium for cooling the fluid through heat exchange with the fluid in the fluid passage;

an exoergic-side heat exchanger that has at least two cooling medium passages, one ends of the at least two cooling medium passages being communicated with the endoergic-side heat exchanger and the other ends of the at least two cooling medium passages being communicated with each other; and

cooling means that cools the cooling medium passing through the exoergic-side heat exchanger by heat exchange with the cooling medium,

wherein the cooling apparatus is configured so as to recirculate the cooling medium between the endoergic-side heat exchanger and the exoergic-side heat exchanger,

the cooling medium passages have a passage diameter or an equivalent diameter ranging from 2 mm to 16 mm, and

all the cooling medium passages are formed with a substantially equal diameter or the equivalent diameter.

2. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 1, wherein

an EGR passage that supplies an exhaust gas in an engine exhaust gas passage to an intake passage is provided, and

the exhaust gas passing through the EGR passage passes through the endoergic-side heat exchanger as the fluid to be cooled.

3. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 1, wherein

a turbocharger that compresses an intake air and introduces the compressed intake air to an engine intake air passage is provided, and

the intake air compressed by the turbocharger passes through the endoergic-side heat exchanger as the fluid to be cooled.

4. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 1, wherein the cooling means is a cooling fan.

5. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 4, further comprising:

a radiator through which an engine coolant passes; and

a radiator cooling fan, wherein

the radiator cooling fan is employed as the cooling means.

6. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 1, wherein

a ratio of a volume of the cooling medium to a total volume of the endoergic-side heat exchanger and the exoergic-side heat exchanger is set to a predetermined volume ratio ranging from 20% to 80%.

7. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 1, wherein the cooling apparatus comprises:

a plurality of separate endoergic-side heat exchangers;

a plurality of separate exoergic-side heat exchangers each corresponding to each of the plurality of separate endoergic-side heat exchangers, and wherein

the fluid passages in the plurality of separate endoergic-side heat exchangers are each communicated in series, and

a boiling point of the cooling medium in each of the plurality of separate endoergic-side heat exchangers is set so as to gradually decrease from an upper stream to a down stream of each of the fluid passages.

8. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 7, wherein

each of the plural separate endoergic-side heat exchangers is divided by a partition that allows the fluid to be cooled to pass to an adjoining endoergic-side heat exchanger and does not allow the cooling medium to pass to the adjoining endoergic-side heat exchanger.

9. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 4, further comprising:

a radiator through which an engine coolant passes; and

a radiator cooling fan, wherein

the cooling fan is provided as the cooling means separately from the radiator cooling fan.

10. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 4, wherein

the exoergic-side heat exchanger is formed in an annular shape, and

the cooling fan is arranged as the cooling means inside the exoergic-side heat exchanger formed in the annular shape.

11. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 10, wherein

the cooling apparatus is placed above the engine.

13. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 2, wherein the cooling means is a cooling fan.

14. The cooling apparatus for the fluid according to claim 3, wherein the cooling means is a cooling fan.

12. A cooling apparatus for a fluid, comprising:

an endoergic-side heat exchanger that has a fluid passage for passing the fluid to be cooled and stores a cooling medium for cooling the fluid through heat exchange with the fluid in the fluid passage;

an exoergic-side heat exchanger that has at least two cooling medium passages, one ends of the at least two cooling medium passages being communicated with the endoergic-side heat exchanger and the other ends of the at least two cooling medium passages being communicated with each other; and

cooling means that cools the cooling medium passing through the exoergic-side heat exchanger by heat exchange with the cooling medium,

wherein the cooling apparatus is configured so as to recirculate the cooling medium between the endoergic-side heat exchanger and the exoergic-side heat exchanger, and

the cooling medium passages are capable of passing steam vaporized from the cooling medium in the endoergic-side heat exchanger by absorbing heat of the fluid, and the cooling medium that becomes liquid in the exoergic-side heat exchanger after heat is absorbed with the cooling means.