AIR COOLER FOR LIQUIDS

Abstract

 An air cooler for liquids has at least two refrigeration modules (2, 3) mounted in series, each provided with two heat exchangers (10) extending in respective containing planes (P) arranged so as to form a V, with a ventilation unit (12) to generate an air flow through the heat exchangers (10) and with a hydraulic feeding unit (14) to feed a liquid to be cooled through the heat exchangers (10); the hydraulic feeding units (14) of the two refrigeration modules (2, 3) being provided with respective delivery manifolds (15) connected to one another to feed the liquid to be cooled to the relative heat exchangers (10) and with respective return manifolds (16) connected to one another to receive the liquid cooled by the relative heat exchangers (10).

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102021000030377 filed on 01/12/2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The invention relates to an air cooler for liquids.

BACKGROUND ART

[0003] In particular, the invention relates to an air cooler for liquids of the type comprising two heat exchangers, which have an elongated shape, extend upwards from a lower support frame and further extend in respective containing planes arranged like a V with its concavity facing upwards.

[0004] The two heat exchangers are finned pack heat exchangers and are connected to one another, in the area of their free upper ends, by a substantially flat upper wall.

[0005] The cooler is further provided with a ventilation unit to generate an air flow through the heat exchangers.

[0006] The ventilation unit comprises a plurality of fans, which are mounted through the upper wall and are normally distributed in two parallel rows.

[0007] The cooler is further provided with a hydraulic feeding unit to feed a liquid to be cooled through the heat exchangers.

[0008] Generally speaking, the hydraulic feeding unit comprises, for each heat exchanger, a respective delivery manifold to feed the liquid to be cooled to the heat exchangers at a delivery temperature and a respective return manifold to receive the liquid cooled by the heat exchangers at a return temperature, which is lower than the delivery temperature.

[0009] The delivery and return manifolds associated with each heat exchanger are mounted in the area of an end face of the relative heat exchanger and extend parallel to the relative containing plane.

[0010] The delivery and return manifolds associated with each heat exchanger are connected to one another by means of a plurality of feeding ducts extending through the heat exchanger and are further connected to a feeding source for the liquid at the delivery temperature and to a collecting source for the liquid at the return temperature, respectively.

[0011] Known air coolers for liquids of the type described above suffer from some drawbacks, which are mainly due to the fact that increase in the heat elimination power of these coolers requires the installation of at least two coolers mounted in parallel and, as a consequence, the creation of relatively complicated, bulky and expensive hydraulic connections between each cooler and the aforesaid feeding source for the liquid at the delivery temperature and the aforesaid collecting source for the liquid at the return temperature.

SUMMARY

[0012] The object of the invention is to provide an air cooler for liquids which is not affected by the aforementioned drawbacks and can be manufactured in a simple and economic fashion.

[0013] According to the invention, there is provided an air cooler for liquids as claimed in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a non-limiting embodiment thereof, wherein:

figure 1 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for greater clarity, of a preferred embodiment of the air cooler for liquids according to the invention; and

figure 2 is a schematic perspective view, with parts removed for greater clarity, of a detail of the cooler of figure 1.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0015] With reference to figures 1 and 2, number 1 indicates, as a whole, an air cooler for liquids, in particular water or glycolate solutions or oil-based solutions.

[0016] The cooler 1 comprises, in this specific case, two refrigeration modules 2, 3 arranged one after the other in a substantially horizontal direction 4.

[0017] Each module 2, 3 comprises a lower support frame 5, which has a substantially rectangular shape and is aligned with the frame 5 of the other module 2, 3 in the direction 4.

[0018] The frame 5 has two longitudinal members 6, which are parallel to one another and to the direction 4 and are connected to one another, in the area of their free ends, by two cross members 7, which are parallel to a horizontal direction 8, which is transverse to the direction 4.

[0019] The frame 5 supports, in this specific case, two exchange units 9, each provided with two respective heat exchangers 10 of the finned pack type (schematically shown in figure 2), which extend upwards from the frame 5, further extend in respective containing planes arranged like a V with its concavity facing upwards and are connected, at the top, by a substantially horizontal upper wall 11.

[0020] The two heat exchangers 10 are associated with a ventilation unit 12 comprising, in this specific case, two fans 13, which are mounted through the wall 11, are aligned with one another in the direction 8 and are designed to feed a cooling air flow through the fins (not shown) of the heat exchangers 10.

[0021] Each module 2, 3 further comprises a hydraulic feeding unit 14 to feed a liquid to be cooled through the heat exchangers 10 of the relative units 9.

[0022] The unit 14 has, in this specific case, a delivery manifold 15, which is fixed to the relative frame 5 parallel to the direction 4 and is designed to feed the liquid to be cooled to the relative heat exchangers 10 at a delivery temperature, and a return manifold 16, which is fixed to the relative frame 5 parallel to the direction 4 and is designed to receive the liquid cooled by the relative exchangers 10 at a return temperature, which is lower than the delivery temperature.

[0023] The unit 14 further comprises, for each exchange unit 9, a respective feeding circuit 17, which extends from the duct 15 to the duct 16 through the relative exchangers 10.

[0024] The circuit 17 comprises, for each exchanger 10, a respective delivery manifold 18, which is fixed to the frame 5 parallel to the plane P of the exchanger 10 and extends along an end face 19 of the exchanger 10, and a respective return manifold 20, which is fixed to the frame 5 parallel to the plane P of the exchanger 10 and extends along the face 19.

[0025] The manifolds 18 are connected to one another and to the manifold 15 by means of a first straight duct 21, which is connected to the manifold 15 and extends between the exchangers 10 orthogonally to the directions 4 and 8, and of a second curved duct 22, which is connected to the manifolds 18 and to the duct 21.

[0026] The manifolds 20 are connected to one another and to the manifold 16 by means of a first straight duct 23, which is connected to the manifold 16 and extends between the exchangers 10 orthogonally to the directions 4 and 8, and of a second curved duct 24, which is connected to the manifolds 20 and to the duct 23.

[0027] The circuit 17 further comprises, for each exchanger 10, a respective plurality of feeding ducts (not shown) extending from the relative manifold 18 to the relative manifold 20 through the fins (not shown) of the exchanger 10.

[0028] The cooler 1 further comprises a first coupling device 25, which is movable between a coupling position and a release position to couple and release the delivery manifolds 15 of the two refrigeration modules 2, 3, and a second coupling device 26, which is movable between a coupling position and a release position to couple and release the return manifolds 16 of the modules 2, 3.

[0029] The device 25 comprises two clamping jaws 27, each extending around the free ends of the relative manifolds 15 and locked against the other jaw 27 through the interposition of an annular gasket (not shown), which is configured to couple the manifolds 15 in a fluid-tight manner.

[0030] The device 26 comprises two clamping jaws 28, each extending around the free ends of the relative manifolds 16 and locked against the other jaw 28 through the interposition of an annular gasket (not shown), which is configured to couple the manifolds 16 in a fluid-tight manner.

[0031] With reference to what described above, it should be pointed out that:

the manifolds 15, 16 and the direction 4 are incident to the containing planes P of the exchangers 10;

the manifold 15 of the module 2 is connected to a feeding source (not shown) for the liquid to be cooled at the delivery temperature;

the manifold 16 of the module 2 is connected to a collecting source (not shown) for the cooled liquid at the return temperature;

the manifold 15 of the module 3 is closed with a cap (not shown);

the manifold 16 of the module 3 is closed with a cap (not shown);

the manifold 15 of the module 2 and/or of the module 3 is provided with a valve device (not shown) to selectively control the feeding of the liquid to be cooled along the manifold 15; and

the manifold 16 of the module 2 and/or of the module 3 is provided with a valve device (not shown) to selectively control the feeding of the cooled liquid along the manifold 16.

[0032] The cooler 1 features several advantages, which are mainly due to the fact that each hydraulic feeding unit 14 is integrated in the relative module 2, 3 and that, as a consequence, the increase in the heat elimination power of the cooler 1 leads to the series connection of a plurality of modules 2, 3, thus requiring a relatively simple and economic connection of the delivery manifolds 15 and of the return manifolds 16, and does not involve any change in the hydraulic connection of the module 2 to the aforesaid feeding source (not shown) for the liquid at the delivery temperature and to the aforesaid collecting source (not shown) for the cooled liquid at the return temperature.

Claims

1. An air cooler for liquids comprising a first refrigeration module (2) comprising, in turn, two heat exchangers (10) extending in respective containing planes (P) arranged so as to form a V; a ventilation unit (12) to generate an air flow through the heat exchangers (10); and a hydraulic feeding unit (14) to feed a liquid to be cooled through the heat exchangers (10); the hydraulic feeding unit (14) comprising at least one delivery manifold (15) to feed the liquid to be cooled to the heat exchangers (10) at a delivery temperature, at least one return manifold (16) to receive the cooled liquid from the heat exchangers (10) at a return temperature, which is lower than the delivery temperature, and a feeding circuit (17) extending from the delivery manifold (15) to the return manifold (16) through the heat exchangers (10); and characterized in that the delivery and return manifolds (15, 16) are parallel to one another and to a direction (4) that is incident to the containing planes (P), and in that the cooler further comprises at least one second refrigeration module (3) having two said heat exchangers (10), a said ventilation unit (12) and a said hydraulic feeding unit (14); coupling means (25, 26) being provided in order to connect the delivery manifolds (15) of the two refrigeration modules (2, 3) to one another and to connect the return manifolds (16) of the two refrigeration modules (2, 3) to one another.

2. The cooler according to claim 1, wherein the first refrigeration module (2) and the second refrigeration module (3) are connected to one another in series and are aligned with one another in said direction (4).

3. The cooler according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the coupling means (25, 26) comprise a first coupling device (25), which is movable between a coupling position and a release position to couple and release the delivery manifolds (15) of the two refrigeration modules (2, 3), and a second coupling device (26), which is movable between a coupling position and a release position to couple and release the return manifolds (16) of the two refrigeration modules (2, 3) .

4. The cooler according to claim 3, wherein each coupling device (25, 26) comprises two clamping jaws (27, 28), which extend around the free ends of the relative manifolds (15, 16) and are locked against one another through the interposition of an annular gasket, which is configured to couple the relative manifolds (15, 16) in a fluid-tight manner.

5. The cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydraulic feeding unit (14) of the second refrigeration module (3) further comprises a first cap to close the free end of the relative delivery manifold (15) and a second cap to close the free end of the relative return manifold (16).

6. The cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the hydraulic feeding unit (14) of at least one refrigeration module (2, 3) further comprises a first valve device to selectively control the feeding of liquid along the relative delivery manifold (15) and a second valve device to selectively control the feeding of liquid along the relative return manifold (16).

7. The cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the feeding circuit (17) comprises, for each heat exchanger (10), a respective further delivery manifold (18), which is substantially parallel to the containing plane (P) of the heat exchanger (10) and is connected to the delivery manifold (15), and a respective further return manifold (20), which is substantially parallel to the containing plane (P) of the heat exchanger (10) and is connected to the return manifold (16).

8. The cooler according to claim 7, wherein said further delivery manifolds (18) are connected to one another and said further return manifolds (20) are connected to one another.

9. The cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each refrigeration module (2, 3) further comprises a support frame (5); the containing planes (P) of the relative heat exchangers (10) projecting upwards from the support frame (5) and the V-shaped arrangement of the relative heat exchangers (10) having a concavity facing upwards.

10. The cooler according to claim 9, wherein the heat exchangers (10) of each refrigeration module (2, 3) are connected to one another, in the area of their upper ends, by an upper wall (11); the relative ventilation unit (12) comprising at least one fan (13), which is mounted through the upper wall (11).

11. The cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each heat exchanger (10) is a finned pack heat exchanger; the feeding circuit (17) of the hydraulic feeding unit (14) of each refrigeration module (2, 3) comprising, for each heat exchanger (10), a respective plurality of feeding ducts extending through the heat exchanger (10).

Drawing