Heat exchanger for an annealing furnace for exchanging heat between two fluids

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger (1) for an annealing furnace for exchanging heat between two fluids, comprising a tubular profile which comprises heat exchanger fins on its outside jacket and which is associated on at least one face side (3) with a connecting flange (4) with at least one flow opening (8) for one of the two fluids, especially a hot gas. In order to provide advantageous constructional conditions it is proposed that the profile is a profile tube made of a folded sheet whose heat exchanger fins (7) aligned in the longitudinal direction of the profile are formed by the corrugated profile, especially the corrugated flanks, of the folded sheet.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The invention relates to a heat exchanger for an annealing furnace for exchanging heat between two fluids, comprising a tubular profile which comprises heat exchanger fins on its outside jacket and which is associated on at least one face side with a connecting flange with at least one flow opening for one of the two fluids, especially a hot gas.DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART[0002]In the heat treatment of metallic goods to be annealed, the heat treatment and the optionally necessary subsequent cooling occurs under a protective gas, mostly nitrogen or hydrogen, or a mixture of these gases. In order to ensure a proper protective gas atmosphere which is free from impurities and causes oxidation, the supply and discharge of heat usually occurred previously through high-temperature-resistant heat exchangers made of cast materials or ceramic. Hot gases, especially fuel gases or the like, flow through these heat exchangers or recuperators, with the hot gas passing...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0005]The invention provides an especially simple and cost-effective possibility for producing a heat exchanger which is suitable for an annealing furnace which as a result of its low inherent heat storage capacity can realize especially dynamic temperature fluctuations in the annealing furnace in combination with an especially low material input and thus low weight. Since the profile is a profile tube made of folded sheet, not only the outside jacket surface of the heat exchanger increases in the heat exchanger in accordance with the invention, as is the case in the state of the art, but also the inside jacket surface of the heat exchanger, thus better utilizing the energy contained in the hot gas on the one hand and enabling the realization of higher thermal energy flows with heat exchangers that are of the same size in respect of the state of the art on the other hand. If the same energy quantities need to be transported in relation to the state of the art, the invention offers the advantage that smaller and lighter heat exchangers can now be used. As a result of the lower wall thickness of the heat exchanger in accordance with the invention, the thermal conductivity of the heat exchanger material can virtually be ignored and the efficiency of the heat exchanger increases by a relevant factor.

[0006]In order to enable the better utilization of the energy contained in the hot gas and to improve the heat transfer between the fluids and the heat exchanger, turbulators could be associated with the heat exchanger fins on the inside jacket side of the profile tube and / or on the outside jacket side of the profile tube, which turbulators lead to an improved heat transfer by turbulences applied to the fluid flow.

Problems solved by technology

It is disadvantageous in the known heat exchangers however that they are made of massive heat-resistant material such as cast or ceramic materials, which not only increases the heating time of the heat exchanger as a result of this large thermal mass, but also prevents the application of especially strong dynamic temperature fluctuations as a result of the large heat-storage capacity and reduces the effectiveness of the plant.

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