Condenser Tube Coating System with Superhydrophobic Spray

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for coating heat transfer tubes in condensers are inefficient and non-uniform, leading to corrosion, damage, and excessive coating solution usage, particularly when dealing with cylindrical bundles of tubes, where central tubes are difficult to coat and the solution often penetrates internally.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a spray unit, recovery unit, and circulation unit that coats a cylindrical bundle of heat transfer tubes, allowing for uniform application and reuse of coating solution, with rotating units ensuring all surfaces are coated, including central portions, and using a silane-based coating solution to achieve a super-hydrophobic exterior and hydrophilic interior.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If heat transfer tubes are coated one by one with simple spray method, then coating process is simple, but outer surfaces cannot be uniformly coated

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating process simplicityVSAvoidcoating uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple heat transfer tubes are bundled together into a cylindrical bundle before coating, allowing them to be coated simultaneously as a single unit. This merging approach maintains process simplicity while achieving uniform coating across all tube surfaces through rotation and spray distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The cylindrical bundle of heat transfer tubes is rotated during the coating process to ensure all outer surfaces are uniformly exposed to the coating solution. This dynamic rotation mechanism enables comprehensive coverage that would be difficult to achieve with static individual tube coating.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Manufacturing precision

If cylindrical bundle is immersed in coating solution, then coating coverage is improved, but bundle floats due to buoyancy making coating difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating coverageVSAvoidcoating operation difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The spray unit is positioned to spray coating solution from above onto the top surface of the cylindrical bundle. This top-down spraying approach counteracts the buoyancy effect by delivering coating solution directly to the upper surfaces without requiring the bundle to be fully immersed, thus maintaining operational ease while achieving good coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #8Anti-weight (Counterweight)

3Manufacturing precision

If cylindrical bundle is immersed in coating solution, then coating coverage is improved, but coating solution enters internal space of heat transfer tubes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecoating coverageVSAvoidcoating solution loss

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The internal spaces of the heat transfer tubes are excluded from the coating process by using surface spraying instead of immersion. This extraction approach ensures that coating solution is applied only to the outer surfaces of the bundled tubes, preventing entry into internal passages and eliminating coating solution loss and internal contamination.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If heat transfer tubes are coated one by one and then assembled, then coating can be applied, but manufacturing process becomes complex and surfaces may be damaged

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesurface integrityVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Heat transfer tubes are assembled into a cylindrical bundle before the coating process. This preliminary assembly allows the tubes to be coated together in a single operation, simplifying the manufacturing process and preventing surface damage that would occur during separate handling and assembly of individually coated tubes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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 system simplifies the coating process, prevents damage, reduces coating solution usage, and enhances condensation heat transfer by uniformly applying a super-hydrophobic coating, increasing the condensation heat transfer coefficient.

Implementation Method 1

a spray unit disposed at a position spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical bundle and provided to spray coating solution on the cylindrical bundle

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSpray: Fluid Spray

Implementation Method 2

first and second rotating units provided to rotate the cylindrical bundle

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRotation:

Implementation Method 3

uniformly applying a super-hydrophobic coating, increasing the condensation heat transfer coefficient

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Data Source

PatentUS10864546B2System for coating heat transfer tube for condenser

Publication Date: 2020.12.15 DOOSAN HEAVY IND & CONSTR CO LTD

AI summary

A system for coating a heat transfer tube for a condenser is disclosed. The system simplifies a process of coating the heat transfer tube, and is able to uniformly coat a plurality of heat transfer tubes. In addition, the system is economically feasible in that coating solution can be reused by collecting and circulating it. Due to super-hydrophobic coating, the size of a droplet condensed on the surfaces of the heat transfer tubes coated by the system can be reduced, and a condensation heat transfer coefficient can be increased.