Heat Transfer Surface That Retains Condensate for Cyclic Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices struggle to execute both condensation and evaporation processes with equal efficiency in a single apparatus, as the processes require different conditions and heat transfer mechanisms, leading to limited efficiency when combined.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus where the condensate film formed during condensation remains on the heat transfer surface and is evaporated during the evaporation process, maintaining a thin, uniform film for efficient heat transfer and storage, utilizing a hygroscopic or surface-enlarging heat transfer surface to ensure effective condensation and evaporation without intermediate steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If film removal measures are applied during condensation, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but additional surface treatments and complexity are required
Solution Approach 1:
The heat transfer surface alternates between condensation mode and evaporation mode in periodic cycles. During condensation, the surface accumulates condensate film; during evaporation, the film is removed and the surface is cleaned. This periodic switching allows the same surface to serve both functions without requiring complex continuous film removal mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal state of the heat transfer surface is dynamically changed between condensation (cooling) and evaporation (heating) modes. By controlling the temperature parameter of the surface, the system achieves efficient heat transfer in both modes without requiring different physical surface structures.
2Productivity
If thin film is formed during evaporation, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but additional dispersion appliances are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The condensate film accumulated during the condensation phase automatically serves as the thin film required for efficient evaporation. The system uses its own condensate product to prepare the surface for the next evaporation cycle, eliminating the need for external dispersion appliances or additional water supply systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The condensation and evaporation processes are merged into a single integrated system where the heat transfer surface performs both functions. The condensate from condensation becomes the film for evaporation, combining what would traditionally require separate systems into one self-sufficient apparatus.
3Volume of moving object
If a single apparatus performs both condensation and evaporation, then compactness is improved, but efficiency of one or both processes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The heat transfer surface dynamically switches between two operational states: condensation state and evaporation state. This dynamic adaptability allows the single surface to optimize for each process separately in turn, achieving high efficiency in both modes while maintaining apparatus compactness through shared hardware.
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 allows both condensation and evaporation processes to occur with equal efficiency on the same heat transfer surface, eliminating the need for additional steps and maximizing heat transfer surface utilization, resulting in a compact and efficient apparatus for cyclic processes.
Implementation Method 1
a condensate film of the working medium which forms during the condensation process remains permanently on the heat transfer surface
Implementation Method 2
is subsequently evaporated from the heat transfer process during the evaporation process
Implementation Method 3
The condensation heat released on this occasion is dissipated to the outside and needs to be supplied to the device from outside
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for executing an alternating evaporation and condensation process of a working medium on a heat transfer surface provided simultaneously as an evaporation and condensation surface. The method is characterized in that, during a respective operating cycle from in each case an condensation process and in each case an evaporation process, a condensate film of the working medium which forms during the condensation process is stored permanently in situ on the heat transfer surface and is then evaporated from the heat transfer surface during the evaporation process. In terms of the apparatus, the heat transfer surface (2) is in the form of an in-situ store for a condensate film (6) of the working medium which covers the heat transfer surface and does not drip off and remains on the heat transfer surface during the condensation process and evaporates during the evaporation process.