Modular once-through flow channel smoke cooler

Abstract

This invention discloses a modular straight-through flow channel flue gas cooler, belonging to the technical field of gas-liquid heat exchangers. The equipment adopts an insert-type modular structure, allowing the gas-liquid heat exchange plates to be directly extracted from the shell. When a plate malfunctions or is damaged, it can be repaired and replaced independently without disassembling the main shell, simplifying the operation process, effectively shortening equipment downtime, and reducing manual maintenance costs. It is particularly suitable for continuous production conditions. Furthermore, both the liquid and gas medium flow channels have open inlets and outlets. Combined with a flow guide and removable end caps, cleaning of the liquid medium flow channel can be performed simply by removing the end caps. The cleaning medium can directly reach the interior of the flow channel, eliminating blind spots and effectively removing scale and impurities, continuously ensuring heat exchange efficiency and extending the equipment's service life.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of gas-liquid heat exchanger technology, and in particular to a modular straight-through flue gas cooler. Background Technology

[0002] Gas-liquid heat exchangers are core equipment in industries such as industrial flue gas heat exchange, chemical production, HVAC, and fluid cooling, with a wide range of applications. Currently, most integrated heat exchangers on the market have the heat exchange plates fixed to the shell as a single unit. While structurally robust, this design has significant drawbacks. The heat exchange plates cannot be individually disassembled and replaced; any partial damage necessitates a complete shutdown for repairs, resulting in high maintenance costs and prolonged downtime. Furthermore, the medium flowing through the channels over a long period easily accumulates scale, dust, and various deposits. Traditional equipment has a closed channel structure, making internal cleaning difficult. This buildup of fouling increases thermal resistance, continuously reducing heat exchange efficiency, and can also cause pipe blockages and increased system energy consumption.

[0003] Existing detachable heat exchangers are cumbersome to disassemble and assemble, and their sealing structures are easily damaged during repeated disassembly, resulting in poor sealing reliability. To address this, the industry urgently needs a new type of heat exchanger that combines modular replaceability with easy cleaning of the flow channels. Therefore, this application proposes a modular straight-through flow channel flue gas cooler. Through a modular plug-in structure combined with an open flow channel and detachable end caps, it solves the problems of difficult maintenance, cleaning, and poor adaptability of traditional equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: To provide a modular straight-through flue gas cooler to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] Technical solution: A modular straight-through flue gas cooler includes a shell, into which at least one gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly is inserted. The gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly includes multiple layers of unidirectional liquid medium channels, and unidirectional gas medium channels are formed between adjacent liquid medium channels. The inlet and outlet of the gas medium channels and the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channels are both open. Guide portions are fixedly provided on the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly located on both sides of the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channels, and end caps are detachably provided on the guide portions.

[0006] Furthermore, the liquid medium channel has a hollow, transparent structure when projected onto a vertical plane along the fluid flow direction.

[0007] Furthermore, the housing at the inlet and outlet of the gas medium flow channel is provided with a passage for the gas medium to pass through.

[0008] Furthermore, the gas medium flow channel is arranged perpendicularly to the liquid medium flow channel.

[0009] Furthermore, a support frame for supporting the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly is provided inside the housing.

[0010] Furthermore, a first sealing part is provided between the support frame and the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly.

[0011] Furthermore, multiple liquid medium flow channels are connected in parallel to form a liquid medium flow channel group, and the multiple liquid medium flow channel groups are connected through a flow guiding chamber provided in the flow guiding part.

[0012] Furthermore, multiple gas-liquid heat exchange plates are arranged in a row or matrix within the housing.

[0013] Furthermore, the guide section or the end cap is provided with an inlet pipe, and the guide section or the end cap is provided with a drain pipe.

[0014] Furthermore, the guide sections on adjacent gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assemblies are connected by guide pipes.

[0015] Beneficial effects:

[0016] Compared to traditional equipment, this application offers several significant advantages, greatly enhancing its overall practicality and ease of maintenance. Firstly, the equipment employs an insert-type modular structure, allowing the gas-liquid heat exchange plates to be directly extracted from the casing. When a plate malfunctions or is damaged, repair and replacement can be performed independently without disassembling the main casing, simplifying the process, effectively reducing equipment downtime, and lowering manual maintenance costs. This makes it particularly suitable for continuous production environments. Secondly, both the liquid and gas medium flow channels have open inlets and outlets. Combined with the guide section and removable end caps, cleaning of the liquid medium flow channel can be performed simply by removing the end caps. The cleaning medium can directly reach the interior of the flow channel, eliminating blind spots and effectively removing scale and impurities, continuously ensuring heat exchange efficiency and extending the equipment's service life.

[0017] Meanwhile, the vertical arrangement of the gas and liquid media channels creates counter-current heat exchange, effectively enhancing the heat transfer effect. The parallel liquid media channels, combined with the connecting structure of the guide chamber and guide pipes, ensure uniform media distribution and flexibly adapt to different flow requirements. The support frame, first sealing part, and second sealing part within the shell form a double-seal protection, effectively preventing media cross-flow and leakage, and improving equipment operational stability. Furthermore, the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assemblies can be arranged in rows or matrices, allowing for flexible configuration adjustments based on the heat exchange load. The equipment is highly adaptable and can be widely used in industrial flue gas heat exchange, chemical industry, HVAC, and other fields. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the port position of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly structure of the present invention.

[0021] The attached figures are labeled as follows: shell 100, gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200, liquid medium flow channel 300, gas medium flow channel 400, guide section 500, end cap 600, port 700, guide chamber 800, liquid inlet pipe 900, liquid outlet pipe 1000, and guide pipe 1100. Detailed Implementation

[0022] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid obscuring the invention.

[0023] The proposed solution is a modular, straight-through flue gas cooler, comprising a housing 100. At least one gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 is inserted within the housing 100. Each gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 includes multiple layers of unidirectional liquid medium channels 300. A unidirectional gas medium channel 400 is formed between adjacent liquid medium channels 300. Both the inlet and outlet of the gas medium channel 400 and the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channel 300 are open. Guide portions 500 are fixedly installed on the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assemblies 200 located on both sides of the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channel 300. End caps 600 are detachably installed on the guide portions 500. The liquid medium channel 300 has a hollow, transparent structure when projected vertically along the fluid flow direction. The housing 100 at the inlet and outlet of the gas medium channel 400 has an opening 700 for gas medium passage. The gas medium channel 400 is arranged perpendicularly to the liquid medium channel 300. A support frame for supporting the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 is provided inside the housing 100. A first sealing part is provided between the support frame and the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200. Multiple liquid medium flow channels 300 are connected in parallel to form a liquid medium flow channel group, and the multiple liquid medium flow channel groups are connected through a flow guiding chamber 800 provided in the flow guiding part 500. Multiple gas-liquid heat exchange plate assemblies 200 are arranged in a row or matrix inside the housing 100. A liquid inlet pipe 900 is provided on the flow guiding part 500 or the end cap 600, and a liquid outlet pipe 1000 is provided on the flow guiding part 500 or the end cap 600. The flow guiding parts 500 on adjacent gas-liquid heat exchange plate assemblies 200 are connected through a flow guiding pipe 1100.

[0024] The core of this application is modular design. The gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 adopts an insert-type assembly structure, which can be completely extracted from the inside of the shell 100 and replaced individually. At the same time, the open flow channel, the guide part 500 and the detachable end cover 600 make it easy to clean the liquid medium flow channel 300. It takes into account both the two major performances of module replacement and flow channel maintainability, and can be widely used in various working conditions such as chemical production, HVAC, industrial flue gas heat exchange, and fluid cooling.

[0025] The shell 100 serves as the external load-bearing base of this heat exchanger. It adopts a sealed box-type structure. Depending on the medium temperature, corrosiveness, and operating pressure, the shell 100 can be made of materials such as carbon steel, stainless steel, or corrosion-resistant alloys. The shell 100 forms a continuous heat exchange chamber. Operating spaces for gas flow and module insertion / removal are reserved on the side walls and ends. The overall structure has high strength and can adapt to complex installation and operating environments in industrial settings.

[0026] Several sets of support frames are fixedly installed inside the housing 100. These support frames extend along the insertion / removal direction of the gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200 and are mainly used to support and position the insert-type gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200. The support frames can be designed as either sliding rail type or support seat type: the sliding rail type is suitable for large-size applications with multiple plate assemblies, reducing frictional resistance during the pulling and retraction of the gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200, and facilitating module removal and installation; the support seat type has a simple structure and strong load-bearing capacity, suitable for small heat exchange equipment with a single or few plate assemblies. All gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assemblies 200 are overlapped and placed on the support frames to achieve precise positioning and stable support.

[0027] A first sealing part is provided at the contact surface between the support frame and the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200. The first sealing part adopts a temperature-resistant and media-corrosion-resistant rubber sealing strip, polytetrafluoroethylene sealing gasket, or graphite sealing element. On the one hand, it can fill the assembly gap to prevent cross-flow and leakage of gas and liquid media inside the housing 100, ensuring that the gas and liquid media strictly follow the preset flow channels; on the other hand, it can buffer the vibration generated during equipment operation, reduce wear between the module and the support frame, and extend the service life of components.

[0028] On the wall surface of the shell 100 corresponding to the inlet and outlet of the gas medium flow channel 400, a through-type port 700 is provided. The port 700 is a dedicated channel for the gas medium to enter and exit the heat exchanger. The port 700 can be equipped with flanges, quick couplings, reducers and other accessories according to the specifications of the external pipeline, to meet the pipeline docking requirements of different pipe diameters and different connection methods. The gas medium enters the shell 100 from one side port 700, flows through each group of gas medium flow channels 400 to complete heat exchange, and then exits from the other side port 700. The airflow is well-distributed and the flow resistance is small.

[0029] The core heat exchange unit of this application is the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200. This component has an independent modular structure and is assembled inside the shell 100 using an insert-type installation method. It can be directly extracted from the shell 100 as a whole according to usage requirements, enabling individual maintenance and replacement without disassembling the main structure of the shell 100, demonstrating significant modularity. At least one gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 can be inserted into a single shell 100, providing strong equipment expandability. The overall heat exchange capacity can be adjusted by adding or removing modules as needed.

[0030] The gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 is composed of multiple stacked liquid medium channels 300. Each liquid medium channel 300 is designed for unidirectional flow, allowing the liquid medium to flow stably only in a predetermined direction. The gaps between adjacent liquid medium channels 300 naturally form gas medium channels 400, which are also designed for unidirectional flow. These two types of channels are arranged alternately to form a continuous gas-liquid heat exchange channel. The vertical projection of the liquid medium channel 300 along the fluid flow direction is a hollow, transparent structure. This structure significantly increases the contact area between the channel wall and the liquid medium, enhancing heat exchange efficiency and providing ample flow space for the cleaning medium. The cross-section of the liquid medium channel 300 can be rectangular, circular, semi-circular, parallelogram, elliptical, or other shapes to adapt to liquid media with different viscosities and cleanliness levels.

[0031] The gas medium flow channel 400 and the liquid medium flow channel 300 are arranged perpendicularly to each other, creating a counter-current heat exchange pattern. Counter-current heat exchange allows the hot and cold media to maintain a large temperature difference throughout the process, maximizing the heat exchange effect and making it the preferred layout for industrial gas-liquid heat exchange. In this equipment, both ends of the gas medium flow channel 400 and the liquid medium flow channel 300 are open, without any blocking components. This open design not only reduces the resistance to medium flow but also serves as a key structure for channel cleaning, allowing the cleaning medium to directly enter the channel interior and completely eliminate cleaning blind spots.

[0032] On the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200, at both sides of the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium flow channel 300, a flow guide 500 is fixedly installed. The flow guide 500 is integrated with the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 and moves synchronously with the plate assembly. The internal cavity of the flow guide 500 forms a flow guide chamber 800, which is directly connected to the open inlet and outlet of all the liquid medium flow channels 300 below, undertaking the functions of liquid medium diversion, collection, and guidance. The flow guide 500 can be made into an integrated cavity structure or a pipeline flow guide structure. The integrated cavity structure has good pressure bearing performance and is suitable for medium and high pressure medium conditions; the pipeline flow guide structure is lightweight and flexible in layout, and is mostly used in low-pressure small heat exchange modules.

[0033] The end cap 600 and the flow guide 500 are connected by fasteners, making disassembly and assembly simple.

[0034] To ensure the overall sealing performance of the equipment, a second sealing part is provided at the mating position between the flow guide section 500 or the end cover 600 and the housing 100. The second sealing part uses corrosion-resistant sealing gaskets, sealing rings and other components, which can effectively seal the assembly gap between the module and the housing, preventing the liquid medium in the flow guide chamber 800 from leaking outwards, and also preventing the gas medium inside the housing 100 from moving around or leaking outwards, thus ensuring the sealing performance of the equipment under pressurized operation.

[0035] The flow channel cleaning function of this equipment relies on the aforementioned structure: when scale, impurities, and deposits accumulate in the liquid medium flow channel 300 after long-term operation, there is no need to remove the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200. Simply remove the end cap 600 on the guide section 500 to connect the cleaning equipment to the guide chamber 800. The cleaning medium enters the open liquid medium flow channel 300 through the guide chamber 800, flushing the inner wall along the entire flow channel. The dirt is discharged from the other end of the flow channel along with the cleaning medium. The open flow channel combined with the open guide chamber 800 enables thorough cleaning without any dead angles. After cleaning, the end cap 600 is reassembled and sealed, and the equipment can resume normal operation. The cleaning process is simple and efficient.

[0036] The gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200 contains multiple independent liquid medium flow channels 300 connected in parallel to form a liquid medium flow channel group. This parallel structure disperses the liquid medium flow rate, reduces the medium velocity and pressure loss within a single flow channel, and significantly increases the total liquid flow of a single plate assembly, making it suitable for high-flow-rate liquid heat exchange conditions. After entering the guide chamber 800, the liquid medium within the same flow channel group is evenly distributed to each of the parallel liquid medium flow channels 300, completes heat exchange, and then converges into the guide chamber 800 on the other side. This ensures uniform medium distribution and collection, and a balanced flow channel load.

[0037] When the heat exchange stroke of a single liquid medium flow channel group is insufficient, multiple liquid medium flow channel groups can be connected end to end through the flow guiding chamber 800 inside the flow guiding section 500, forming an extended liquid flow path. The extended flow channel prolongs the residence time of the liquid medium in the heat exchange module, allowing for more complete gas-liquid heat exchange and further improving the overall heat exchange efficiency. Technicians can flexibly combine the number of flow channel groups according to the actual heat exchange requirements.

[0038] When the heat exchange area of ​​a single gas-liquid heat exchange plate group 200 cannot meet the operating requirements, multiple gas-liquid heat exchange plate groups 200 can be inserted inside the shell 100, mainly in the form of row arrangement and matrix arrangement.

[0039] The first type is a row arrangement: multiple gas-liquid heat exchanger plates 200 are arranged in a single row along the direction of medium flow, with uniform spacing between the plates. The liquid and gas media flow linearly through each plate in sequence. This arrangement method simplifies pipe connection, provides clear airflow and liquid flow paths, and reduces equipment maintenance difficulty. It is suitable for heat exchanger systems with medium heat exchange capacity and linear layout.

[0040] The second type is a matrix arrangement: multiple gas-liquid heat exchange plate groups 200 are densely arranged in rows and columns inside the shell 100, with multiple modules set in both the horizontal and vertical directions, maximizing the use of the internal space of the shell 100 and multiplying the total heat exchange area. This form is mainly used in scenarios such as high-flow-rate, high-power industrial flue gas heat exchange and chemical medium heat exchange.

[0041] The two arrangement methods will change the flow trajectory of the liquid medium within the 300mm liquid medium channel. The row arrangement is mainly linear series flow, while the matrix arrangement can realize a composite flow mode of zoned parallel and overall series. It can be flexibly selected according to the on-site installation space, medium flow rate and heat exchange index.

[0042] When multiple gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assemblies 200 are arranged inside the shell 100, the flow guides 500 or end caps 600 on two adjacent gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assemblies 200 are connected through flow guide pipes 1100. The two ends of the flow guide pipes 1100 are sealed and connected to the flow guides 500 on both sides through flanges, joints and other structures, and the inside of the pipe is connected to the flow guide chamber 800.

[0043] With the help of the flow guide pipe 1100, the liquid medium flow channels 300 of different modules can be connected in series, and the liquid medium can flow through multiple gas-liquid heat exchange plate assemblies 200 in sequence to continuously complete heat exchange. The flow guide pipe 1100 adopts a detachable connection form. When it is necessary to replace a gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly 200, it is only necessary to disconnect the flow guide pipe 1100 at the corresponding position to remove the target module without affecting the normal assembly of other modules, fully demonstrating the flexibility of modular design. The flow guide pipe 1100 can be selected as a straight pipe, a bent pipe, etc. according to the plate spacing to adapt to different layout spaces inside the shell 100.

[0044] Normal heat exchange operation process:

[0045] During operation, the liquid medium enters the guide chamber 800 inside the guide section 500 through the inlet pipe 900. After being evenly distributed in the guide chamber 800, it enters each parallel liquid medium flow channel 300 and flows along a unidirectional path. Simultaneously, the external gas medium enters the equipment through the outlet 700 on one side of the shell 100 and is distributed to each independent gas medium flow channel 400 for unidirectional flow. Since the two types of flow channels are arranged perpendicularly to each other, the gas and liquid media form counter-current heat exchange, and the heat is transferred through the channel walls. After heat exchange, the liquid medium collects in the guide chamber 800 on the other side and is discharged from the drain pipe 1000; the gas medium flows out from the outlet 700 on the other side of the shell 100. If it is a multi-module combined equipment, the liquid medium flows through the guide pipe 1100 sequentially through each group of gas-liquid heat exchange plate groups 200 to achieve multi-stage continuous heat exchange.

[0046] Replacement procedure for gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200:

[0047] When a gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200 malfunctions or is damaged and needs replacement, first shut off the medium pipeline valve to depressurize and cool the equipment. Then disconnect the flow guide pipes 1100 on both sides of the module, release the limiting positions of the second seal and fasteners, and use the sliding structure of the support frame to smoothly pull the gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200 out of the housing 100. After removing the faulty module, push the new gas-liquid heat exchanger plate assembly 200 along the support frame into the housing 100 for positioning. Reset the first and second seals, reconnect the flow guide pipes 1100, and tighten the seals. The module replacement is then complete. The entire process does not require disassembling the main body of the housing 100, resulting in high operational efficiency.

[0048] 300 Cleaning Process for Liquid Media Flow Channels:

[0049] When scale or blockage occurs in the equipment after long-term operation, a cleaning operation should be performed. First, shut off the inlet and outlet valves of the medium and depressurize. Remove the end cap 600 on the guide section 500 and connect the high-pressure cleaning pipeline to the guide chamber 800. After starting the cleaning system, the cleaning medium is rushed into the open liquid medium channel 300 at high speed, thoroughly flushing the inner wall of the channel. The dirt is discharged from the other end of the channel with the cleaning medium. After cleaning, clean any remaining impurities in the guide chamber 800, reinstall and tighten the end cap 600 to restore the seal, and the equipment can be put back into use.

[0050] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, various equivalent transformations can be made to the technical solutions of the present invention, and all such equivalent transformations fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular straight-through flue gas cooler, characterized in that, The device includes a housing (100), into which at least one gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly (200) is inserted. The gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly (200) includes multiple layers of unidirectional liquid medium channels (300). A unidirectional gas medium channel (400) is formed between adjacent liquid medium channels (300). The inlet and outlet of the gas medium channel (400) and the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channel (300) are both open. A flow guide (500) is fixedly provided on the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly (200) on both sides of the inlet and outlet of the liquid medium channel (300). An end cap (600) is detachably provided on the flow guide (500).

2. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid medium flow channel (300) has a hollow and transparent structure when projected onto the vertical plane along the fluid flow direction.

3. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 2, characterized in that, The housing (100) at the inlet and outlet of the gas medium flow channel (400) is provided with a passage (700) for the passage of gas medium.

4. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 3, characterized in that, The gas medium flow channel (400) is arranged perpendicularly to the liquid medium flow channel (300).

5. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (100) is provided with a support frame for supporting the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly (200).

6. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 5, characterized in that, A first sealing part is provided between the support frame and the gas-liquid heat exchange plate assembly (200).

7. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple liquid medium flow channels (300) are connected in parallel to form a liquid medium flow channel group, and the multiple liquid medium flow channel groups are connected through a flow guiding chamber (800) provided in the flow guiding part (500).

8. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple gas-liquid heat exchanger plates (200) are arranged in a row or in a matrix within the housing (100).

9. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that, An inlet pipe (900) is provided on the flow guide (500) or the end cap (600), and a drain pipe (1000) is provided on the flow guide (500) or the end cap (600).

10. The modular straight-through flue gas cooler according to claim 8, characterized in that, The flow guides (500) on adjacent gas-liquid heat exchanger plate groups (200) are connected by flow guide pipes (1100).

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