Compact stacked fin heat exchanger

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed in which an air to air heat exchanger keeps two air streams separate through the use of metal fins. Edges of alternating fins are folded so that the end is in the proximity of the adjacent fin and the remaining gap is sealed. The fin stack is held together by interlocking features or through the use of a tube, in which case the fin stacks may be stamped and stacked on alignment stakes during production using the same holes as the tubes. The heat exchanger may have extended use in removing moisture and heat from a hot humid air stream. The heat exchanger has utility in heat recovery ventilation systems, clothes dryer heat recovery or other air to air heat exchanger processes where the pressure difference between the airstreams is less than approximately 5000 Pa.

Description

PRIORITY STATEMENT UNDER 35 U.S.C. §119 & 37 C.F.R. §1.78[0001]This non-provisional application claims priority based upon prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 130,063 filed Mar. 9, 2015 in the name of Jeremy Rice entitled “Compact Stacked Fin Heat Exchanger,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference as if fully set forth herein.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Air to air heat exchangers are used in many heat transfer and heat recovery applications. In applications where heat is desired to be transferred between two separated airstreams without the transfer of moisture, metal foil, often aluminum, is used as the boundary to prevent mixing between the two airstreams. As depicted in FIG. 1, at the edge of the fins 103, it is necessary to block airflow 100 from entering the gap between one pair of fins 103, while allowing the same stream of airflow 101 to enter the neighboring gap. This alternating pattern of allowing airflow to enter...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention allows for tightly packed fin pitches, which results in increased heat transfer in the same volume. This is achieved by separating the fin formation and sealing of the channels, which improves manufacturing efficiency. The fin stack is held together by interlocking fins or rods, with an interference fit. The edges of every other fin are formed into a 90 degree angle to prevent air from entering the channels adjacent to this formation. The coating process helps seal the remaining gaps on the edge and strengthens the fins.

Problems solved by technology

While this method is used quite frequently, the formation of the rolled edge 104 is a time consuming process, since the edge can't be formed with a simple up / down progressive stamping machine, which can add to the product cost.

The heat exchangers tend to be long in the direction of the airflow paths 101, 102 which leads to higher pressure losses.

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