An adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger
By designing an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, which combines a primary heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a secondary heat exchanger, dynamic adjustment of the heat exchange area is achieved. This solves the problem of complex temperature control in traditional heat exchangers, reduces costs, and improves heat exchange efficiency and flexibility.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- JIANGSU CHINA NUCLEAR IND HUAWEI ENGDESIGN & RES
- Filing Date
- 2025-07-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-28
AI Technical Summary
Traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers have a fixed and unadjustable heat exchange area, which leads to complex and costly process medium temperature control, as well as large footprint, making it difficult to meet the precise control requirements of modern petrochemical industries.
Design an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger that achieves dynamic adjustment of the heat exchange area through a combination of a first-stage heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a second-stage heat exchanger. Combined with the flow rate regulation of the common medium, a dual temperature control mechanism is formed.
It enables independent and precise control of the temperature of two media, reduces the number of devices and floor space, lowers investment costs, and improves operational flexibility and heat exchange efficiency.
Smart Images
Figure CN224567979U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of heat exchanger technology, specifically to an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger. Background Technology
[0002] In the petrochemical industry, shell-and-tube heat exchangers are widely used, and their main function is to realize heat exchange between process media and between process media and common media.
[0003] Traditional shell-and-tube heat exchangers are static devices, with core parameters such as heat exchange area fixed and not adjustable. When precise control of the outlet temperature of two process media is required, traditional heat exchange systems often have to be equipped with complex regulating components. This configuration leads to a series of problems, including high investment costs, a large footprint, and a lack of operational flexibility.
[0004] For example, traditional heat exchangers typically require at least three heat exchangers to control the temperature of two process media. The first heat exchanger handles the heat exchange between the two media. Since direct temperature control is difficult, an additional heat exchanger is needed at the outlet of each media to readjust (heat or cool) the process media temperature using a common medium (such as steam or cooling water). This complex system structure further exacerbates the problems of high equipment investment, large footprint, and insufficient operational flexibility, making it difficult to meet the demands of modern petrochemical industries for precise temperature control of process media. Utility Model Content
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger to solve the temperature control problem when two media with precise temperature requirements are exchanging heat. Through the adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger structure, the heat exchange area of a single heat exchanger can be dynamically adjusted, thereby improving the accuracy of temperature control.
[0006] The technical solution of this utility model to solve the above-mentioned technical problems is as follows: An adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger includes a first-stage heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a second-stage heat exchanger connected in sequence; the first-stage heat exchanger and the second-stage heat exchanger are connected through the heat exchange regulator; the first-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and medium two, the heat exchange regulator is used to adjust the heat exchange area of the first-stage heat exchanger, and the second-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and a common medium.
[0007] As a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the first-stage heat exchanger includes a tube box, a tube sheet flange, a shell-side vent, a heat exchange tube, a baffle plate, a second medium inlet, a low-level outlet of the tube box, and a second medium outlet. The tube box is connected to the tube sheet flange, which connects the tube box and the heat exchange tube. The tube box has a first medium inlet, one end of the heat exchange tube is connected to the tube box, and the other end is connected to the heat exchange regulator. The baffle plate is disposed between the heat exchange tubes. The shell-side vent, the second medium inlet, the low-level outlet of the tube box, and the second medium outlet are all disposed on the shell of the first-stage heat exchanger.
[0008] As a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the heat exchange regulator includes a heat exchange regulator gate, a heat exchange regulator actuator, a heat exchange regulator vent, and a heat exchange regulator low-level discharge port. The heat exchange regulator gate is connected to the heat exchange regulator actuator, and the heat exchange regulator gate moves under the drive of the heat exchange regulator actuator to adjust the heat exchange area of the heat exchanger section. The heat exchange regulator vent and the heat exchange regulator low-level discharge port are both located on the shell of the heat exchange regulator and are used to vent and discharge the medium inside the heat exchange regulator, respectively.
[0009] As a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the two-stage heat exchanger includes a two-stage tube box, a two-stage tube sheet flange, a two-stage process vent, a two-stage baffle, two-stage heat exchange tubes, a common medium inlet, a common medium outlet, and a low-level outlet for the two-stage tube box. The two-stage tube box is connected to the two-stage tube sheet flange, which connects the two-stage tube box and the two-stage heat exchange tubes. The two-stage tube box has a medium outlet. One end of each of the two-stage heat exchange tubes is connected to the heat exchange regulator, and the other end is connected to the two-stage tube box. The two-stage baffle is disposed between the two-stage heat exchange tubes. The two-stage process vent, common medium inlet, common medium outlet, and low-level outlet for the two-stage tube box are all disposed on the shell of the two-stage heat exchanger.
[0010] As a preferred embodiment of an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the heat exchange regulator gate partially blocks a section of the heat exchange tube by moving up and down, thereby adjusting the heat exchange area of a section of the heat exchanger.
[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the common medium inlet and the common medium outlet are used for the circulation of the common medium.
[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, medium one flows through the tube side, passing sequentially through the first-stage heat exchanger, the heat exchange regulator, and the second-stage heat exchanger; medium two flows through the shell side, exchanges heat with medium one in the first-stage heat exchanger, and is discharged from the outlet of medium two; the common medium flows through the tube side of the second-stage heat exchanger.
[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, the first tube box is used to distribute medium one to the first heat exchange tube; the second heat exchange tube is the secondary heat exchange area between medium one and the common medium.
[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By dynamically adjusting the effective heat exchange area of the first-stage heat exchanger through a heat exchange regulator, combined with the adjustment of the common medium flow rate in the second-stage heat exchanger, a dual temperature control mechanism is formed, achieving independent and precise control of the outlet temperatures of medium one and medium two. This integrates the traditional regulation system requiring at least three heat exchangers into a single device, reducing the number of devices, lowering investment costs by approximately 30%, and saving approximately 40% of floor space. The heat exchange regulator uses a mechanized actuator, enabling remote control and rapid adaptation to changes in heat load under different operating conditions, thus improving system operational flexibility. The first-stage baffle enhances the turbulence of medium two, improving heat exchange efficiency; the segmented control mode achieves independent temperature control of the two media, further optimizing heat exchange performance. Attached Figure Description
[0015] To more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art can derive other embodiments based on the provided drawings without creative effort.
[0016] The structures, proportions, sizes, etc. illustrated in this specification are only for the purpose of assisting those skilled in the art in understanding and reading the content disclosed herein, and are not intended to limit the conditions under which the present invention can be implemented. Therefore, they have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in the proportions, or adjustments to the size, without affecting the effects and objectives that the present invention can produce, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed in the present invention.
[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger provided in an embodiment of the present invention.
[0018] In the diagram: 1. Medium 1 inlet; 2. First-stage tube sheet; 3. First-stage tube sheet flange; 4. First-stage shell-side vent; 5. First-stage heat exchanger tubes; 6. First-stage baffle; 7. Medium 2 inlet; 8. Heat exchanger gate; 9. Heat exchanger actuator; 10. Heat exchanger vent; 11. Second-stage process vent; 12. Second-stage baffle; 13. Second-stage heat exchanger tubes; 14. Common medium inlet; 15. Second-stage tube sheet flange; 16. Second-stage tube sheet; 17. Medium 1 outlet; 18. Second-stage tube sheet low-level outlet; 19. Common medium outlet; 20. Heat exchanger low-level outlet; 21. Medium 2 outlet; 22. First-stage tube sheet low-level outlet. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this utility model. However, this utility model can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this utility model. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.
[0020] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.
[0021] See Figure 1 This utility model provides an adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, comprising a first-stage heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a second-stage heat exchanger connected in sequence. The first-stage and second-stage heat exchangers are connected via the heat exchange regulator. The first-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and medium two, and the heat exchange regulator is used to adjust the heat exchange area of the first-stage heat exchanger. The second-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and a common medium. By dividing the heat exchange process into two stages and combining it with an adjustable heat exchange area design, the temperature control problem caused by the fixed heat exchange area of traditional heat exchangers is solved. The first-stage heat exchanger first achieves preliminary heat exchange between the two process media, and the heat exchange regulator dynamically adjusts the heat exchange area to control the outlet temperature of one of the media. The second-stage heat exchanger then performs secondary temperature regulation of the other media through the common medium, thereby achieving independent and precise temperature control of the two media while reducing the number of devices and the floor space required.
[0022] In this embodiment, a heat exchanger includes a tube box 2, a tube sheet flange 3, a shell-side vent 4, a heat exchange tube 5, a baffle plate 6, a medium second inlet 7, a tube box low outlet 22, and a medium second outlet 21. The tube box 2 is connected to the tube sheet flange 3, which is used to connect the tube box 2 and the heat exchange tube 5. The tube box 2 is provided with a medium first inlet 1. One end of the heat exchange tube 5 is connected to the tube box 2, and the other end of the heat exchange tube 5 is connected to the heat exchange regulator. The baffle plate 6 is disposed between the heat exchange tubes 5. The shell-side vent 4, the medium second inlet 7, the tube box low outlet 22, and the medium second outlet 21 are all disposed on the shell of the heat exchanger.
[0023] Specifically, section 2 of the tube box serves as the first distribution component after medium 1 enters, and is connected to section 5 of the heat exchange tubes via section 3 of the tube sheet flange, ensuring that medium 1 can uniformly enter each section of the heat exchange tubes to participate in heat exchange; section 5 of the heat exchange tubes is the core area for heat exchange between medium 1 and medium 2, and its number and arrangement determine the initial heat exchange area; section 6 of the baffle plate enhances the turbulence of medium 2 by changing its flow path in the shell side, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the two media; section 7 of the medium 2 inlet and section 7 of the outlet are responsible for the entry and exit of medium 2, respectively, forming a complete shell-side flow loop; section 4 of the shell side vent is used to discharge the gas in the shell side to avoid gas resistance affecting heat exchange, and section 22 of the tube box low outlet is used to discharge the liquid accumulated in the tube box to ensure unobstructed flow in the tube side.
[0024] In this embodiment, the heat exchange regulator includes a heat exchange regulator gate 8, a heat exchange regulator actuator 9, a heat exchange regulator vent 10, and a heat exchange regulator low-level discharge port 20. The heat exchange regulator gate 8 is connected to the heat exchange regulator actuator 9, and the heat exchange regulator gate 8 moves under the drive of the heat exchange regulator actuator 9 to adjust the heat exchange area of a section of the heat exchanger. The heat exchange regulator vent 10 and the heat exchange regulator low-level discharge port 20 are both provided on the shell of the heat exchange regulator and are used to vent and discharge the medium in the heat exchange regulator, respectively.
[0025] Specifically, the heat exchange regulator is the core component for dynamically adjusting the heat exchange area. The regulator's actuator 9 (such as an electric or pneumatic device) drives a gate to move. When the gate rises or falls, it blocks part of the outlet of a section of the heat exchange tube 5, preventing the blocked tube from participating in subsequent heat exchange and thus reducing the effective heat exchange area. Conversely, when the gate moves to reduce the blockage, the effective heat exchange area increases. This mechanical adjustment method can respond to temperature control requirements in real time and quickly adjust the heat exchange intensity. The vent 10 and low-pressure outlet of the heat exchange regulator are used to discharge accumulated gas and liquid, respectively, to avoid affecting the flow of the medium and the accuracy of the regulation.
[0026] In this embodiment, the two-stage heat exchanger includes a two-stage tube box 16, a two-stage tube sheet flange 15, a two-stage process vent 11, a two-stage baffle plate 12, two-stage heat exchange tubes 13, a common medium inlet 14, a common medium outlet 19, and a two-stage tube box low-discharge port 18. The two-stage tube box 16 is connected to the two-stage tube sheet flange 15, which is used to connect the two-stage tube box 16 and the two-stage heat exchange tubes 13. The two-stage tube box 16 is provided with a medium outlet 17. One end of the two-stage heat exchange tubes 13 is connected to a heat exchange regulator, and the other end of the two-stage heat exchange tubes 13 is connected to the two-stage tube box 16. The two-stage baffle plate 12 is disposed between the two-stage heat exchange tubes 13. The two-stage process vent 11, the common medium inlet 14, the common medium outlet 19, and the two-stage tube box low-discharge port 18 are all disposed on the shell of the two-stage heat exchanger.
[0027] Specifically, the second-stage heat exchanger is a key component for secondary temperature control of medium one. After heat exchange and regulation in the first stage, medium one enters the second-stage heat exchange tubes 13 and exchanges heat with the common medium (such as cooling water or steam) in the shell side. The second-stage tube sheet flange 15 ensures a sealed connection between the second-stage tube box 16 and the second-stage heat exchange tubes 13. The second-stage baffle 12 enhances the turbulence of the common medium and improves heat exchange efficiency. The common medium enters through the inlet and exits through the outlet, forming a circulation to continuously provide cooling or heating. The second-stage process vent 11 and low-pressure outlet are used to discharge gas and liquid in the shell side, respectively, to ensure smooth flow of the common medium and the stability of secondary temperature control.
[0028] In this embodiment, the heat exchange regulator gate 8 partially blocks a section of the heat exchange tube 5 by moving up and down, so as to adjust the heat exchange area of a section of the heat exchanger.
[0029] Specifically, the up-and-down movement of the gate directly changes the number of heat exchange tubes 5 involved in heat exchange. When the gate moves downward, more heat exchange tubes 5 are blocked, the number of tubes actually involved in heat exchange decreases, the effective heat exchange area decreases, and the heat exchange between medium two and medium one decreases, thereby causing the temperature of medium two outlet 21 to rise (if medium one is a heat source) or fall (if medium one is a cold source). When the gate moves upward, the blocking decreases, the effective heat exchange area increases, the heat exchange increases, and the temperature of medium two outlet 21 adjusts in the opposite direction, thus achieving precise control of the temperature of medium two.
[0030] In this embodiment, medium one travels through the tube side, passing sequentially through a first-stage heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a second-stage heat exchanger; medium two travels through the shell side, exchanging heat with medium one in the first-stage heat exchanger before being discharged from the medium two outlet 21; and the common medium travels through the tube side of the second-stage heat exchanger.
[0031] Specifically, medium one flows through the tube side, reducing direct contact with the shell side medium and facilitating control of the heat exchange area by adjusting the number of tube side channels. It flows sequentially through three sections, completing the entire process from initial heat exchange to precise temperature control. Medium two flows through the shell side of the first heat exchanger, undergoing indirect heat exchange with medium one in the tube side. After heat exchange, it is directly discharged without entering subsequent structures, simplifying its flow path. The common medium flows through the tube side of the second heat exchanger, enabling centralized secondary temperature correction of medium one after initial heat exchange. By controlling its flow rate, the degree of heating or cooling of medium one can be flexibly adjusted to ensure that the outlet temperature of medium one reaches the target.
[0032] In this embodiment, the first section of the tube box 2 is used to distribute medium one to the first section of the heat exchange tube 5; the second section of the heat exchange tube 13 is the secondary heat exchange area between medium one and the common medium; the common medium inlet 14 and the common medium outlet 19 are used for the circulation of the common medium.
[0033] Specifically, the first-stage tube box 2 receives the medium entering from the medium inlet 1 and distributes it evenly into each of the first-stage heat exchange tubes 5, ensuring a relatively balanced medium flow rate in each heat exchange tube. This avoids localized differences in heat exchange efficiency caused by uneven flow rates and ensures the stability of heat exchange. The second-stage heat exchange tube 13 is the core area for the secondary heat exchange between medium 1 and the common medium. After the first-stage heat exchange, medium 1 transfers heat with the common medium here. By adjusting the flow rate of the common medium (e.g., increasing the cooling water flow rate can enhance the cooling effect, and increasing the steam flow rate can enhance the heating effect), precise control of the temperature at the medium 1 outlet 17 can be achieved. The common medium inlet 14 and outlet form a circulation channel, allowing the common medium to continuously enter and exit the second-stage heat exchanger, providing a stable cold or heat source for secondary temperature regulation and ensuring that the final temperature of medium 1 meets the process requirements.
[0034] The working principle of this utility model is as follows: Medium 1 enters the first tube box 2 through the medium 1 inlet 1. After being buffered and evenly distributed within the first tube box 2, it flows inside the first heat exchange tube 5. Medium 2 enters the shell side of the first heat exchanger through the medium 2 inlet 7 and flows outside the first heat exchange tube 5. The two undergo indirect heat exchange here. A baffle 6 can adjust the flow direction of medium 2 and enhance its turbulence, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency.
[0035] The actuator of the heat exchange regulator drives the gate to move up and down, and partially blocks a section of heat exchange tube 5 through mechanical movement. This dynamically controls the number of tube-side channels of the medium entering the first heat exchanger, and adjusts the effective heat exchange area of the first heat exchanger in real time to ensure that the temperature of the second medium outlet 21 meets the standard.
[0036] After passing through a heat exchanger and a heat exchange regulator, medium one enters the second-stage heat exchange tube 13. A common medium enters the second-stage heat exchanger from the common medium inlet 14, where it undergoes secondary heat exchange with medium one within the second-stage heat exchange tube 13 under the action of the second-stage baffle 12. By adjusting the flow rate of the common medium, the temperature of medium one after the first-stage heat exchange can be adjusted to ensure its outlet temperature meets process requirements. Afterward, medium one is discharged from medium one outlet 17, while the common medium is discharged from the common medium outlet 19.
[0037] In addition, the vent ports such as the first-stage shell vent 4, the heat exchanger regulator vent 10, and the second-stage process vent 11 can discharge the gas in the corresponding area, while the low-discharge ports such as the first-stage tube box low-discharge port 22, the heat exchanger regulator low-discharge port 20, and the second-stage tube box low-discharge port 18 can discharge the accumulated liquid in the corresponding area, ensuring the stable operation of the equipment.
[0038] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.
[0039] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.
Claims
1. An adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger, characterized in that, It includes a heat exchanger, a heat exchange regulator, and a second heat exchanger connected in sequence; The first-stage heat exchanger and the second-stage heat exchanger are connected through the heat exchange regulator; the first-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and medium two, the heat exchange regulator is used to adjust the heat exchange area of the first-stage heat exchanger, and the second-stage heat exchanger is used for heat exchange between medium one and common medium. The heat exchange regulator includes a heat exchange regulator gate (8), a heat exchange regulator actuator (9), a heat exchange regulator vent (10), and a heat exchange regulator low exhaust port (20). The heat exchange regulator gate (8) is connected to the heat exchange regulator actuator (9). The heat exchange regulator gate (8) moves under the drive of the heat exchange regulator actuator (9) to adjust the heat exchange area of the heat exchanger section. The vent port (10) and the low-discharge port (20) of the heat exchanger are both provided on the shell of the heat exchanger, and are used to vent and discharge the medium inside the heat exchanger, respectively.
2. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, The heat exchanger includes a tube box (2), a tube sheet flange (3), a shell-side vent (4), a heat exchange tube (5), a baffle plate (6), a medium inlet (7), a tube box low outlet (22), and a medium outlet (21). The tube box (2) is connected to the tube sheet flange (3). The tube sheet flange (3) is used to connect the tube box (2) and the heat exchange tube (5). The tube box (2) is provided with a medium inlet (1). One end of the heat exchange tube (5) is connected to the tube box (2), and the other end of the heat exchange tube (5) is connected to the heat exchange regulator. The first section of baffle plate (6) is arranged between the first section of heat exchange tubes (5), and the first section of shell vent (4), the second medium inlet (7), the first section of tube box low discharge port (22) and the second medium outlet (21) are all arranged on the shell of the first section of heat exchanger.
3. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 2, characterized in that, The two-stage heat exchanger includes a two-stage tube box (16), a two-stage tube sheet flange (15), a two-stage process vent (11), a two-stage baffle (12), a two-stage heat exchange tube (13), a common medium inlet (14), a common medium outlet (19), and a two-stage tube box low discharge port (18). The two-section tube box (16) is connected to the two-section tube sheet flange (15). The two-section tube sheet flange (15) is used to connect the two-section tube box (16) and the two-section heat exchange tubes (13). The two-section tube box (16) is provided with a medium outlet (17). One end of the two-section heat exchange tubes (13) is connected to the heat exchange regulator, and the other end of the two-section heat exchange tubes (13) is connected to the two-section tube box (16). The two-section baffles (12) are arranged between the two-section heat exchange tubes (13). The two-stage process vent (11), common medium inlet (14), common medium outlet (19) and the two-stage tube box low discharge port (18) are all located on the shell of the two-stage heat exchanger.
4. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 2, characterized in that, The heat exchange regulator gate (8) partially blocks a section of heat exchange tube (5) by moving up and down to adjust the heat exchange area of a section of heat exchanger.
5. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 3, characterized in that, The common medium inlet (14) and the common medium outlet (19) are used for the circulation of the common medium.
6. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that, Medium 1 travels through the tube side, passing sequentially through the first-stage heat exchanger, the heat exchange regulator, and the second-stage heat exchanger; Medium 2 travels through the shell side, exchanges heat with Medium 1 in the first-stage heat exchanger, and is discharged from the outlet (21) of Medium 2; Common medium travels through the tube side of the second-stage heat exchanger.
7. The adjustable shell-and-tube heat exchanger according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first section of the tube box (2) is used to distribute medium one to the first section of the heat exchange tube (5); the second section of the heat exchange tube (13) is the secondary heat exchange area between medium one and the common medium.