CONDENSING DEVICE AND CONDENSING SYSTEM HAVING THE SAME

Abstract

A condensing device includes two end caps each having two openings, a barrel connected to and disposed between the end caps, a heat exchanger disposed in the barrel, and a condensing unit mounted to one end cap. The heat exchanger includes a passage and a vortex chamber each cooperating with a respective one of the openings of each of the end caps to define a flow channel to permit fluid to flow therethrough. A cooling chip module of the condensing unit includes a heat absorbing plate disposed at an end proximate to the one end cap, and a heat dissipating plate disposed at an opposite end.

Claims

1. A condensing device comprising: a barrel including two end portions opposite along an axis; a cap unit including two end caps detachably and respectively connected to said end portions, each of said end caps having two openings spaced apart from each other; a heat exchanger disposed in said barrel and between said end caps, and including a surrounding wall that extends along the axis and that defines a passage therein, and a plurality of fins that extend radially from said surrounding wall, said surrounding wall cooperating with said barrel to define a vortex chamber therebetween, said passage cooperating with one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a first flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said vortex chamber cooperating with the other one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a second flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said fins being adapted to conduct heat exchange with the fluid flowing through said first flow channel and said second flow channel; an annular vortex generating member surrounding the axis, mounted between one of said end caps and said heat exchanger, and including a plurality of blades that are formed at an outer surface thereof and that are adapted to guide the fluid in said second flow channel to generate a vortex; and at least one condensing unit mounted to a selected one of said end caps of said cap unit and including a cooling chip module that includes a heat absorbing plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module proximate to the selected one of said end caps and adapted for absorbing heat of the fluid, and a heat dissipating plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module distal from the selected one of said end caps along the axis and adapted to dissipate heat absorbed by said heat absorbing plate.

2. The condensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said end caps further has an inner tube body extending along the axis and defining a tube defined channel therein, and an outer tube body surrounding said inner tube body and cooperating with said inner tube body to define an annular channel therebetween, said tube defined channel cooperating with said passage and one of said openings of each of said end caps to define said first flow channel, said annular channel cooperating with said vortex chamber and the other one of said openings of each of said end caps to define said second flow channel.

3. The condensing device as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least one condensing unit further includes a heat dissipating module in thermal contact with said heat dissipating plate, said heat dissipating module including a heat dissipating path that is in fluid communication with said second flow channel and that is adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough.

4. The condensing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said at least one condensing unit further includes a heat absorbing module in thermal contact with said heat absorbing plate, said heat absorbing module defining a heat absorbing path that is in fluid communication with said first flow channel and that is adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough.

5. The condensing device as claimed in claim 3, comprising two of said condensing units, each of said condensing units being mounted to a respective one of said end caps, said outer tube body of each of said end caps defining a heat absorbing path that is open toward said heat absorbing plate, that is in spatial communication with said first flow channel, and that is adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough.

6. The condensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said barrel, said end caps, said heat exchanger, and said annular vortex generating member are made of metal materials.

7. The condensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surrounding wall has inner and outer surfaces radially opposite to each other and said fins are grouped into two sets that extend respectively and radially from said inner and outer surfaces of said surrounding wall.

8. A condensing system comprising: a plurality of condensing devices, each of said condensing devices including a barrel including two end portions opposite along an axis, a cap unit including two end caps detachably and respectively connected to said end portions, each of said end caps having two openings spaced apart from each other, a heat exchanger disposed in said barrel and between said end caps, and including a surrounding wall that extends along the axis and that defines a passage therein, and a plurality of fins that extend radially from said surrounding wall, said surrounding wall cooperating with said barrel to define a vortex chamber therebetween, said passage cooperating with one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a first flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said vortex chamber cooperating with the other one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a second flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said fins being adapted to conduct heat exchange with the fluid flowing through said first flow channel and said second flow channel, an annular vortex generating member surrounding the axis, mounted between one of said end caps and said heat exchanger, and including a plurality of blades that are formed at an outer surface thereof and that are adapted to guide the fluid in said second flow channel to generate a vortex, and at least one condensing unit mounted to a selected one of said end caps of said cap unit and including a cooling chip module that includes a heat absorbing plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module proximate to the selected one of said end caps and adapted for absorbing heat of the fluid, and a heat dissipating plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module distal from the selected one of said end caps along the axis and adapted to dissipate heat absorbed by said heat absorbing plate; and a connecting device including a plurality of connecting sets, each of said connecting sets being detachably connected to adjacent two of said condensing devices.

9. A condensing system comprising: at least one condensing device including a barrel including two end portions opposite along an axis, a cap unit including two end caps detachably and respectively connected to said end portions, each of said end caps having two openings spaced apart from each other, a heat exchanger disposed in said barrel and between said end caps, and including a surrounding wall that extends along the axis and that defines a passage therein, and a plurality of fins that extend radially from said surrounding wall, said surrounding wall cooperating with said barrel to define a vortex chamber therebetween, said passage cooperating with one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a first flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said vortex chamber cooperating with the other one of said openings of each of said end caps to define a second flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough, said fins being adapted to conduct heat exchange with the fluid flowing through said first flow channel and said second flow channel, an annular vortex generating member surrounding the axis, mounted between one of said end caps and said heat exchanger, and including a plurality of blades that are formed at an outer surface thereof and that are adapted to guide the fluid in said second flow channel to generate a vortex, and at least one condensing unit mounted to a selected one of said end caps of said cap unit and including a cooling chip module that includes a heat absorbing plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module proximate to the selected one of said end caps and adapted for absorbing heat of the fluid, and a heat dissipating plate disposed at an end of said cooling chip module distal from the selected one of said end caps along the axis and adapted to dissipate heat absorbed by said heat absorbing plate, at least one filtration device connected to and in fluid communication with said condensing device and adapted to filter the fluid passing therethrough to capture moisture, oil mist, dust, particles, and a combination thereof in the fluid; and a connecting device including at least one connecting set detachably connected between said at least one condensing device and said at least one filtration device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a conventional heat exchange device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 1454650;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a condensing device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the embodiment;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the embodiment;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of the embodiment taken along line V-V in FIG. 4;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a schematic sectional view of the embodiment taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4;

[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modification of the embodiment;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a schematic sectional view of the modification of the embodiment;

[0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a condensing system including a plurality of the condensing devices of the embodiment being serially connected by a connecting device;

[0020] FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating another condensing system including a plurality of the condensing devices of the embodiment being connected in parallel by a connecting device;

[0021] FIG. 11 is a schematic sectional view of the embodiment being connected to a filtration device; and

[0022] FIG. 12 is a schematic sectional view of the embodiment being connected to a plurality of filtration devices by a connecting device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4, an embodiment of the condensing device according to the present disclosure includes a barrel member 2, a cap unit 3, a heat exchanger 4, an annular vortex generating member 5, and two condensing units 6.

[0024] The barrel member 2 includes two end portions 21 opposite along an axis (X).

[0025] The cap unit 3 includes two end caps 31. The end caps 31 are detachably and respectively connected to the end portions 21 of the barrel member 2. Each of the end caps 31 has an inner tube body 312 extending along the axis (X) and defining a tube defined channel 311 therein, and an outer tube body 314 surrounding the inner tube body 312 and cooperating with the inner tube body 312 to define an annular channel 313 therebetween. The outer tube body 314 of each of the end caps 31 defines a heat absorbing path 315 that is adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough and that has two annular portions 316 spaced apart from each other. In this embodiment, the annular portions 316 of each of the end caps 31 are diametrically opposite to each other and each of the annular portions 316 defines an opening 317. For each of the end caps 31, one of the openings 317 is in fluid communication with the tube defining channel 311, and the other one of the openings 317 is in fluid communication with the annular channel 313. In this embodiment, the tube defining channel 311 is not in fluid communication with the annular channel 313.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the heat exchanger 4 is disposed in the barrel member 2. The heat exchanger 4 is connected to and disposed between the inner tube bodies 312 of the end caps 31, and includes a surrounding wall 42 that extends along the axis (X) and that defines a passage 41 therein, and a plurality of fins 43 that extend radially from the surrounding wall 42. The surrounding wall 42 cooperates with the barrel 2 to define a vortex chamber 44 therebetween. The tube defined channel 311 cooperates with the passage 41 and one of the openings 317 of each of the end caps 31 to define a first flow channel adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough. The annular channel 313 cooperates with the vortex chamber 44 and the other one of the openings 317 of each of the end caps 31 to define a second flow channel adapted to permit fluid to flow therethrough. The fins 43 are adapted to conduct heat exchange with the fluid flowing through the first flow channel and the second flow channel. In this embodiment, the surrounding wall 42 has inner and outer surfaces radially opposite to each other, and the fins 43 are grouped into inner and outer sets that extend respectively and radially from the inner and outer surfaces of the surrounding wall 42.

[0027] Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 6, the annular vortex generating member 5 surrounds the axis (X), is mounted among one of the end caps 31, the barrel 2 and the heat exchanger 4, and includes a plurality of blades 51 that are formed at an outer surface thereof and that are adapted to guide the fluid in the second flow channel to generate a vortex in the second flow channel.

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the condensing units 6 are mounted respectively to the cap units 3. In the following description, since the structures of the condensing units 6 are the same, only one of the condensing units 6 and the corresponding one of the cap units 3 will be described for the sake of brevity. In this embodiment, the condensing unit 6 is mounted to the outer tube body 314 of the end cap 31, and includes a cooling chip module 61 and a heat dissipating module 62. The cooling chip module 61 has a heat absorbing plate 611 disposed at an end of the cooling chip module 61 proximate to the outer tube body 314 and adapted for absorbing heat of the fluid, a heat dissipating plate 612 disposed at an end of the cooling chip module 61 distal from the outer tube body 314 along the axis (X) and adapted to dissipate heat absorbed by the heat absorbing plate 611, and a thermoelectric cooling chip 613 being clamped between the heat absorbing plate 611 and the heat dissipating plate 612. The heat dissipating module 62 is in thermal contact with the heat dissipating plate 612, is not in contact with the end cap 31, and includes a heat dissipating path 621 that is in fluid communication with the second flow channel and that is adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough.

[0029] It is worth noting that the fluid may be liquid, gas, mixtures of liquid and gas, mixtures of liquid and particles, mixtures of gas and particles, or mixtures of particles, liquid and gas. An advantage of employing mixtures of liquid and gas in form of the fluid resides in that a flow velocity of the fluid is relatively high.

[0030] In addition, in this embodiment, the barrel member 2, the end caps 31, the heat exchanger 4, the annular vortex generating member 5, and the heat dissipating module 62 are made of aluminum or other metal materials having a relatively high thermal conductivity, e.g., cooper.

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6, after the condensing unit 6 is energized, the heat absorbing plate 611 of the cooling chip module 61 will absorb heat of the fluid based on Peltier effect, and the heat dissipating plate 612 will dissipate heat absorbed by the heat absorbing plate 611. Since the heat dissipating plate 612 is not in contact with the end cap 31 and the barrel member 2, heat transfer to the end caps 31 can be reduced and deferred. In this embodiment, the heat absorbing path 315 is open toward the heat absorbing plate 611 and is in spatial communication with the first flow channel. In this way, heat of the end caps 31 and the fluid flowing through the heat absorbing paths 315 can be absorbed by the heat absorbing plates 611 of the cooling chip modules 61 to reduce the temperature of the end caps 31. Since the barrel member 2 and the heat exchanger 4 are in thermal contact with the end caps 31, and since the annular vortex generating member 5 is in thermal contact with the heat exchanger 4 and the barrel member 2, all of the barrel member 2, the heat exchanger 4, and the annular vortex generating member 5 will be cooled down through heat transfer of the heat dissipating modules 62 and the fluid flowing through the heat dissipating paths 621.

[0032] In this way, the heat dissipating plates 612 of the cooling chip modules 61 dissipate heat outwardly of the condensing devices 6. In this embodiment, the heat dissipated by the heat dissipating plates 612 is absorbed by the fluid flowing through the heat dissipating paths 621 so as to achieve a cooling effect.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4, when the fluid (indicated by the dashed arrows) having a relatively high temperature flows through the second flow channel of the condensing device of the present disclosure, it is introduced into the second flow channel through the lower left one of the openings 317, goes past the annular vortex generating member 5 so as to form a vortex in the vortex chamber 44, and then flows around the outer set of the fins 43 extending from the outer surface of the surrounding wall 42 to perform heat exchange. In this way, the fluid with a relatively high temperature can conduct heat exchange with the barrel member 2, the end caps 31, the heat exchanger 4, and the annular vortex generating member 5 so as to achieve the purpose of quick and significant cooling.

[0034] When the fluid (indicated by solid arrows shown in FIG. 4) having a relatively high or low temperature flows through the first flow channel of the condensing device of the present disclosure, it will come into contact with the heat absorbing plate 611 of the condensing unit 6, and the inner set of the fins 43 formed on the inner surfaces of the surrounding wall 42 and the heat exchanger 4. As such, the fluid in the second flow channel will perform heat exchange with the heat absorbing plate 611, the end caps 31, and the inner set of the fins 43 of the heat exchanger 4. In a case that the fluid indicated by the solid arrows has a relatively low temperature, the temperature of the fluid in the second flow channel can be further reduced. On the other hand, in a case that the fluid indicated by the solid arrows has a relatively high temperature, the purpose of cooling can be similarly achieved.

[0035] It is worth noting that, since the temperature of the fluid can be significantly reduced by using this embodiment, in a case where the fluid is gas, the majority of the gas will be condensed into liquid so that humidity of the gas can be reduced.

[0036] It should also be noted that the number of the condensing units 6 is not limited to two, and the configuration of each of the end caps 31 is also not limited to the example shown herein. In a modification of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, only one condensing unit 6 is employed to be mounted to one of the end caps 31, and the heat absorbing paths 315 shown in FIG. 4 are omitted. In this modification, the condensing unit 6 further includes a heat absorbing module 63 disposed between the cooling chip module 61 and the one of the end caps 31, and in thermal contact with the heat absorbing plate 611. The heat absorbing module 63 defines a heat absorbing path 631 that is in fluid communication with the first flow channel and that is adapted to permit the fluid to flow therethrough. Thus, the effect of heat absorption and heat dissipation can also be achieved.

[0037] FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate respectively two condensing systems each including a plurality of the condensing devices of the present disclosure and a connecting device 7.

[0038] The connecting device 7 includes a plurality of connecting sets 71. Each of the connecting sets 71 is detachably connected to adjacent two of the condensing devices. In the example shown in FIG. 9, each of the connecting sets 71 includes a tube and at least one C-shaped clamp. Note that each of the connecting sets 71 may be modified to include other members that are capable of connecting adjacent two of the condensing devices. Since a person having ordinary skill in this art can derive the configuration of the connecting sets 71 from the abovementioned description, further details of the same is omitted and the present disclosure is not limited to the example shown herein.

[0039] In this way, during the assembly of the condensing system, the condensing devices can be connected in series by the connecting sets 71 as depicted in FIG. 9, or connected in parallel by the connecting sets 71 as depicted in FIG. 10, so that the temperature of the fluid flowing through the condensing system can be reduced.

[0040] It should be noted that the connection among the condensing devices and the connecting device 7 of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate respectively another two condensing systems each including at least one filtration device 8 connected to the condensing device of the embodiment by the connecting device 7. The filtration device 8 is in fluid communication with the condensing device, and is adapted to filter the fluid passing therethrough to capture moisture, oil mist, dust, particles, or a combination thereof in the fluid. The filtration device 8 described above may be a cyclone type separation filter module disclosed in Taiwanese Patent No. 1589344, or a cyclone filtration device disclosed in Taiwanese Patent Publication No. 201912230. Since the main feature of the present disclosure does not reside in the filtration device 8, a person having ordinary skill in the art can derive the configuration of the filtration device 8 from the abovementioned description, and further details of the same is omitted.

[0041] Thus, the condensing system of the present disclosure can be widely applied in the field of cooling, filtration, or processing, and can be connected to a vacuum machine (not shown) or a mold unit (not shown) if desired. In the case that the condensing system is applied in a machining process, e.g., vacuum extrusion, vacuum forging, vacuum casting, or vacuum injection, in addition to reducing of the temperature of the fluid or the mold unit, the condensing system of the present disclosure can also condense the fluid in the form of gas into liquid so that dryness and cleanliness of the fluid is enhanced, and thus the quality of products being processed is improved.

[0042] Through the above description, the advantages of the embodiment can be summarized as follows:

[0043] First, by virtue of the design of the annular vortex generating member 5 that generates a vortex in the second flow channel and the structure of the first flow channel that is not in fluid communication with the second flow channel, the duration of time that the fluid conducts heat exchange with the heat exchanger 4 can be increased significantly without decreasing the flow amount of the fluid.

[0044] Second, by virtue of the design of the condensing unit 6, the heat dissipating plate 612 is not in contact with the end cap 31 and the barrel member 2 and thus quick and significant temperature reduction can be achieved.

[0045] Third, the present disclosure can be modularized to be widely applied in the field of cooling, filtration, or machining. Furthermore, the effect of reducing the temperature of the fluid can be achieved, and the cleanliness and dryness of the fluid is enhanced, so the quality of the products being processed is improved.

[0046] In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

[0047] While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiment, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.