Coiled Heat Exchanger Spacing Using Elastic Spacer Preload
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers face challenges in maintaining efficient heat exchange due to strain induced by pressurized liquids and thermal variations, leading to deformation of thin-walled hollow elongated members and alterations in gap size, which increases manufacturing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a coiled hollow elongated member with spacers that are designed to be compressed by the elastic force of the coil, allowing for preloading to counteract the Bourdon effect, eliminating the need for separate ties and optimizing gap size through adjustable coil pitch and rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If ties or retaining devices are used to maintain gap size, then the gap between adjacent turns is maintained, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coiled hollow elongated member serves itself by using its own elastic force to maintain the gap size between adjacent turns, eliminating the need for external ties or retaining devices. The member's inherent elasticity allows it to automatically compensate for dimensional changes while maintaining the required gap precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the hollow elongated member by coiling it into a spring-like structure, which fundamentally alters its mechanical properties. This coiling transformation enables the member to exhibit elastic behavior and self-adjustment capabilities, allowing it to maintain gap size without additional components.
2Reliability
If the hollow elongated member is made thin-walled, then the heat exchange efficiency is improved, but the member deformation under pressurized liquid increases
Solution Approach 1:
By coiling the hollow elongated member into a spring-like structure, the invention fundamentally changes its mechanical parameters. The coiled configuration transforms a rigid, potentially fragile thin-walled structure into a flexible, self-supporting element that can withstand internal pressure without deforming, while maintaining the thin walls necessary for efficient heat exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The coiled hollow elongated member is designed to be flexible and dynamic, performing like a coil spring that can elastically deform under pressure and then return to its original shape. This dynamic behavior allows the thin-walled structure to accommodate pressure variations without permanent deformation, maintaining both structural integrity and heat exchange efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If numerous parts are assembled to maintain gap size, then the gap is maintained, but the manufacturing cost and labor increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the functions of the hollow elongated member and the gap-maintaining mechanism into a single integrated component. The coiled structure inherently provides both the fluid conduit function and the gap maintenance function, eliminating the need for separate ties, spacers, or retaining devices, thereby significantly reducing assembly complexity and manufacturing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The coiled hollow elongated member is designed to automatically maintain the gap size through its own elastic properties, without requiring external assistance from additional components. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex assembly processes involving multiple parts, reducing both labor costs and manufacturing complexity.
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 results in a simpler, low-cost, and highly efficient heat exchanger with reduced material and labor costs, maintaining consistent gap size and enhancing heat exchange efficiency by utilizing the coiled member's elastic deformation to compress spacers between turns.
Implementation Method 1
the spacers and the coil pitch in fact are designed to produce elastic deformation of the coiled hollow elongated member, which produces a preloading force when the spacers are positioned between the adjacent turns
Implementation Method 2
the pressurized liquid flowing inside the coiled hollow elongated member produces a force which tends to part the turns and uncoil the hollow elongated member. This is known as the Bourdon effect
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A method of producing a heat exchanger having a hollow elongated member (3) for conducting a liquid, and coiled about an axis (A) to form a number of adjacent turns (13) and a gap of predetermined size between the adjacent turns (13). The method includes the steps of coiling the hollow elongated member (3) about the axis (A) with such a coil pitch that the adjacent turns (13) either contact one another or are spaced apart by a distance smaller than the predetermined size of the gap; and inserting spacers between the adjacent turns (13); the spacers being designed to define the predetermined size of the gap, and to generate in the coiled hollow elongated member (3) a compressive force (F) along the axis (A).