Bitumen-Filled Wire Tube Heat Exchanger for Stable Thermal Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire tube heat exchangers in refrigeration appliances face inefficiencies due to thermal ballast issues from pliable energy storage bags, which can leak or collapse, affecting heat exchange efficiency regardless of installation position and are difficult to manufacture.
Innovation Solution
A wire tube heat exchanger with two layers of wires and a refrigerant tube, where bitumen is used to ensure close thermal contact and is heated to adhere to the wires and tube, providing a solid and effective energy storage medium that maintains contact without leakage risks, with protruding ribs for enhanced heat exchange and a flexible cushion for pressing bitumen through gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pliable bags are used to accommodate the energy storage medium, then close thermal contact between the wires/refrigerant line and the energy storage medium can be ensured, but there is a high risk of the bags leaking if improperly handled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the energy storage medium from liquid (in bags) to solid (bitumen). This parameter change eliminates the leakage risk inherent in liquid-filled bags while maintaining thermal contact through the molding process that forms bitumen around the wires and refrigerant line.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the reusable but fragile plastic bags with a solid bitumen material that is molded directly into the heat exchanger structure. This eliminates the need for separate containment bags and their associated leakage risks.
2Ease of operation
If pliable bags are used for energy storage, then they are well suited for horizontal installation, but in vertical installation position the bags collapse and limit their effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the energy storage medium from liquid-filled bags to solid bitumen. This parameter change provides structural support that prevents collapse under gravity in vertical installations while maintaining thermal contact through the molding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure where bitumen is molded around the wires and refrigerant line, forming an integrated heat exchanger assembly. This composite construction provides both structural integrity for vertical installation and optimal thermal contact.
3Reliability
If bitumen is used to fill the intermediate space, then close thermal contact is guaranteed and leakage risk is eliminated, but the bitumen layer is vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bitumen layer with the wire structure by molding the bitumen directly around the wires and refrigerant line. This integration creates a unified structure where the wires provide structural support to the bitumen layer, protecting it from damage while maintaining thermal contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests the bitumen within the structure formed by the two layers of wires and refrigerant line. This nesting arrangement provides mechanical protection to the bitumen layer while allowing it to maintain close thermal contact with all heat exchange surfaces.
4Reliability
If the bitumen is pressed through the gaps between wires to ensure thermal contact, then intensive heat exchange is achieved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the bitumen pressing action during the initial molding process, before final assembly. The bitumen is heated and pressed through the wire gaps as part of the formation process, creating permanent thermal contact channels that eliminate the need for separate pressing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses temperature as a parameter to facilitate the pressing process. By heating the bitumen to a plastic state, it becomes flowable and can be pressed through the wire gaps more easily, reducing the required pressing force and simplifying manufacturing.
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 solution ensures efficient heat exchange regardless of installation position, reduces the risk of damage, and enhances energy storage capacity while maintaining operational efficiency by extending compressor operating phases without increasing total operating time.
Implementation Method 1
Bitumen can be easily made plastic by heating, so that it can cling to any contour of the wires or the refrigerant tube
Implementation Method 2
an intensive heat exchange between the wires or the refrigerant pipe on the one hand and the bitumen on the other hand is possible
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6
AI summary
The invention relates to a wire tube heat exchanger, in particular for a household refrigerator, comprising two layers (2; 3) of wires (2a, 2b, ...; 3a, 3b, ...) and a coolant tube (5) extending in an intermediate space (4) between the layers (2; 3). The intermediate space (4) is at least partially filled with bitumen (6). The bitumen (6) is heated and pressed through the gaps between the wires (2a, 2b, ...) into the intermediate space (4).