Counter-Current Heat Exchanger Module With Corrugated Wettable Sheets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchange apparatuses, such as evaporative coolers, face limitations in achieving efficient heat transfer and humidity control, often resulting in excessive humidity and suboptimal cooling performance due to their cross-flow configurations and reliance on water evaporation alone.
Innovation Solution
A counter-current heat exchange apparatus utilizing a stack of thermally conductive sheets with corrugated surfaces, where each sheet is angled to create separate pathways for gas flows, allowing for efficient heat transfer between countercurrent gas streams without mass transfer, and enabling the use of different wetting fluids to enhance cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If cross-flow configuration is used in evaporative coolers, then water evaporation can occur, but heat transfer efficiency is reduced and excessive humidity is created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cross-flow configuration to a counter-current flow arrangement where the primary and secondary air streams flow in opposite directions through the heat exchange medium. This inversion allows the cold saturated air stream to efficiently absorb heat from the warm primary air stream, improving heat transfer efficiency while controlling humidity through the counter-current mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchange apparatus is divided into multiple stages with separate wetting zones for the secondary air stream. Each stage contains wettable surfaces that can be independently wetted with water, creating segmented evaporation zones that enhance heat transfer efficiency and provide better control over the humidification process.
2Temperature
If multi-stage indirect cooling is employed, then cooling performance improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat exchange stages into a single integrated apparatus where primary and secondary air streams interact through a shared heat exchange medium. The counter-current flow arrangement merges the cooling and humidification functions in one device, achieving multi-stage cooling performance without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchange apparatus performs multiple functions simultaneously: it cools the primary air stream, condenses moisture from the secondary air stream, and can operate in both cooling and dehumidification modes. The same structural components serve multiple purposes, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining advanced cooling performance.
3Loss of energy
If counter-current flow is implemented, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but boundary layer thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs corrugated heat exchange media with curved and angled surfaces instead of flat planes. The corrugations create turbulent flow patterns that disrupt boundary layer formation, reducing boundary layer thickness while maintaining the benefits of counter-current flow heat transfer efficiency.
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 configuration achieves improved heat transfer efficiency, reduces boundary layer thickness, and allows for both evaporation and condensation processes within the same module, leading to enhanced cooling performance and closer approach to reversible thermodynamic conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The corrugations provide heat transfer between the first and second gas flows such that a temperature change in one of the first and second gas flows causes heat transfer to the other of the first and second gas flows
Implementation Method 2
Evaporative coolers wherein the temperature of an air stream is reduced by the evaporation of water
Implementation Method 3
allows for both evaporation and condensation processes within the same module
Data Source
AI summary
Heat exchange apparatus comprises a plurality of thermally conductive, moisture impervious sheets. Each sheet comprises a plurality of corrugations. The plurality of sheets are disposed in a stack such that each alternate sheet has its corrugations affixed to and disposed at an angle to the corrugations of an adjacent sheet to provide a plurality of separate flow pathways. The plurality of separate flow pathways comprises first predetermined pathways and second predetermined pathways. The stack of sheets have first end portions disposed to provide a first inlets and a first outlets for the first predetermined pathways and second end portions to provide second inlets and second outlets for the second predetermined pathways. The corrugations forming the second predetermined pathways comprise a wettable surface. The first predetermined pathways are adapted for a first fluid flow and the second predetermined pathways are adapted for a countercurrent second fluid flow.