Additive Fin Plate Heat Exchanger Headers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fin-plate heat exchanger manufacturing is limited by the size and geometry of soldering ovens, restricting the production of larger heat exchange surfaces, and existing headers with semicircular cross-sections do not optimize fluid flow, leading to inefficiencies and mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing to create headers with curved cross-sectional lines that deviate from circular and elliptical sections, allowing for flow-optimized designs that reduce pressure loss and mechanical stress, and the incorporation of support structures to enhance stability and prevent stress corrosion cracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If conventional soldering oven manufacturing is used, then manufacturing process is simple, but heat exchanger block size is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger block is divided into modular components (headers, heat exchanger cores, distributors) that can be manufactured separately and assembled. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and enables production of larger overall systems by combining multiple modules.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the manufacturing parameters by transitioning from conventional soldering oven processes to additive manufacturing for headers and distributors. This parameter change enables complex geometries and larger sizes that were previously impossible to manufacture with traditional methods.
2Ease of operation
If semicircular cross-section headers are used, then manufacturing is easy, but fluid flow is not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The header cross-section transitions from a simple semicircular shape to an optimized curved profile. The curved design follows fluid flow patterns, reducing turbulence and pressure loss while maintaining manufacturability through additive manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The header geometry parameters are optimized by changing from standard semicircular cross-section to custom curved profiles. This parameter optimization improves fluid flow characteristics, reduces pressure loss, and enhances heat transfer efficiency.
3Area of stationary object
If larger heat exchanger blocks are produced, then heat exchange surface area increases, but mechanical stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The header design implements local quality optimization by varying wall thickness and curvature in different regions. Areas experiencing higher stress have increased thickness or optimized curvature, while lower stress areas maintain thinner walls. This localized adaptation reduces overall mechanical stress while enabling larger heat exchange surfaces.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables the production of larger heat exchanger blocks with improved fluid flow and reduced mechanical stress, leading to energy savings, increased service life, and cost-effective manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
the header is formed at least partially using an additive manufacturing process
Implementation Method 2
The individual passages 1, comprising the structural sheets with the fins 3, the additional structural sheets with the distributor fins 2, the cover sheets 5, and the sidebars 8, are each coated with solder, stacked one on top of the other or arranged accordingly, and heated in a furnace
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The invention relates to a method (200) for producing a plate-fin heat exchanger (100), wherein a heat exchanger block (20) which has heat exchanger passages (1) is provided, and a header (7) is attached to the heat exchanger block (20), said header (7) being formed at least partly using an additive manufacturing method. The header (7) is formed using the additive manufacturing method such that at least one section of a cross-sectional line of a wall surface (71, 72) of the header (7) has a curved course at a cross-sectional position, said course deviating from a circular section and an elliptical section,. The invention likewise relates to a correspondingly designed heat exchanger (200).