Ceramic Heat Storage Body with Axial Through-Holes
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat storage bodies in heat exchangers, such as alumina balls and honeycomb structures, face issues with pressure loss, insufficient heat exchange due to small specific surface areas, and difficulty in loading due to shape constraints, which limits their heat capacity and operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A heat storage body with a ceramic material featuring through-holes extending in a single axial direction and circular or elliptical cross-sectional shapes, allowing for adjustable specific surface area and heat capacity, and designed to roll easily for dense loading with reduced dead space, featuring one or two curved cylinder inscribed faces on opened end faces for enhanced rolling and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a honeycomb structure is used as the heat storage body, then the specific surface area is extremely large and pressure loss is small, but the heat capacity becomes too small and the time until heat storage amount is saturated is too short
Solution Approach 1:
The heat storage body is divided into multiple independent through-holes (2 to 50 pieces per square inch) extending axially through the spheroid, allowing fluid to pass through the entire structure. This segmentation provides large specific surface area for heat exchange while the spherical outer shape maintains high heat capacity and enables easy rolling for dense loading.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from conventional 2D honeycomb structures to a 3D axial through-hole configuration within a spherical body. The through-holes extend in the axial direction through the sphere, creating heat exchange surfaces in multiple dimensions while maintaining the spherical external form for easy handling and dense packing.
2Ease of operation
If conventional alumina balls are used as heat storage bodies, then the loading operation is easy by throwing, but the specific surface area is small and heat exchange is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heat storage body adopts a spheroid shape with circular cross-sections, enabling easy rolling motion for simple loading operations by throwing. The spherical geometry maintains ease of handling while the internal axial through-holes provide large specific surface area for heat exchange, combining the advantages of both conventional balls and honeycomb structures.
3Volume of stationary object
If honeycomb structures are stacked to avoid dead space, then the loading becomes extremely troublesome, but throwing them increases dead space
Solution Approach 1:
The spheroid shape with circular cross-sections enables the heat storage bodies to roll freely and pack densely when thrown into the heat exchanger, naturally minimizing dead space without requiring manual stacking operations. The spherical geometry allows efficient space utilization through simple gravitational loading.
4Area of stationary object
If the density of through-holes is increased, then the specific surface area is increased, but the structural strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the density of through-holes to a specific range (2 to 50 pieces per square inch in cross-section) to achieve the desired balance between heat exchange efficiency and structural strength. The axial configuration of through-holes through the spheroid maintains structural integrity while providing sufficient surface area for heat transfer.
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
The heat storage body achieves efficient heat exchange with adjustable specific surface area and heat capacity, easy loading, and resistance to contamination clogging, while maintaining structural integrity during handling and operation.
Implementation Method 1
The heat storage body collects heat from the exhaust gas and the gas to be newly supplied is preheated with the collected heat
Data Source
AI summary
A circular columnar body made of ceramics and including a plurality of through-holes extending in a single axial direction Z and having circular or elliptical cross sectional shapes orthogonal to the axial direction at a density of 2 to 50 pieces per square inch in a cross section orthogonal to the axial direction is once hollowed out in a direction X orthogonal to the axial direction Z by a cylinder, and the circular columnar body can also be once again hollowed out in the direction orthogonal to the axial direction Z and the direction X by the cylinder.