Corrugated Partition Heat Exchanger for Easier Thin-Plate Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers face issues with assembly difficulty due to thin plates losing shape support and thick, complex structures with multiple heat transfer plate pieces leading to poor performance.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring a case with paired walls and a partition member that divides the internal space into flow paths, with a corrugated shape intersecting the flow direction, supported by corrugated surfaces on the walls, and a sealing layer to secure the partition member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thin plates are used to form stacked spaces for heat exchange, then heat exchange performance is improved, but assembly difficulty increases because it is difficult to support the thin plates while maintaining their shape
Solution Approach 1:
The partition member is designed as a thin plate with a corrugated shape (wave-like structure) that provides structural support while maintaining thinness. The corrugated configuration allows the thin plate to maintain its shape without additional support structures, enabling both good heat exchange performance and ease of assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The partition member features a corrugated shape with curved wave patterns instead of flat surfaces. This curvature provides structural rigidity to the thin plate, allowing it to maintain its shape during assembly and operation without requiring complex support mechanisms.
2Reliability
If a large number of heat transfer plate pieces are joined to form a heat transfer body, then heat exchange area is increased, but the structure becomes thick and complicated, resulting in poor heat exchange performance
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple heat transfer plate pieces are joined together to form a single integrated partition member with a corrugated shape. This merging approach maintains a large total heat exchange area while creating a unified structure that is thinner and less complex than separately joined plates.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of stacking plates in a simple layered configuration, the partition member uses a corrugated shape that extends in three dimensions. This dimensional approach increases heat exchange area through the wave-like structure while maintaining a compact overall thickness.
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 design provides a simple configuration with improved assembly efficiency and effective heat exchange performance by stabilizing the partition member and enhancing thermal contact between fluids.
Implementation Method 1
A fluid flowing through the first flow path and a fluid flowing through the second flow path flow in a flow direction along a direction in which the walls face each other, and exchange heat with each other via the partition member
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a case having at least a pair of walls; and a partition member having ends supported by the pair of walls, the partition member dividing an internal space of the case into a first flow path and a second flow path. A fluid flowing through the first flow path and a fluid flowing through the second flow path flow in a flow direction along a direction in which the walls face each other, and exchange heat with each other via the partition member. The partition member has a corrugated shape in a direction intersecting the flow direction, and the wall includes a corrugated support surface that supports the end of the partition member, the support surface having a predetermined width in the flow direction.