Diagonal Gasket Support for Plate Heat Exchangers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plate heat exchangers face issues with material accumulation and flow restriction due to contact points between plates, especially when handling viscous fluids with fibers, leading to potential leakage and deformation, particularly in the diagonal gasket region where asymmetry creates weak mechanical stiffness.
Innovation Solution
A diagonal gasket support system with a corrugated pattern of indentations and protrusions on adjacent plates, permanently joined to provide mechanical stiffness and support, positioned between the diagonal gasket groove and heat transfer surface, and optionally including a by-pass channel to improve fluid flow without disturbing the contact-free product channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If plates are permanently joined together to form a rigid cassette structure, then mechanical rigidity and pressure handling capability are improved, but the complexity of manufacturing and assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into modular cassettes, each comprising a fixed number of plates permanently joined together. This segmentation allows each cassette to be manufactured and tested independently, then assembled into the complete heat exchanger, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural rigidity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple plates are permanently joined together to form a single rigid cassette unit. This merging of multiple components into one structurally integrated unit simplifies handling and assembly while providing the necessary mechanical strength to withstand pressure differences.
2Productivity
If a contact-free product channel is implemented, then material accumulation and flow restriction are reduced, but mechanical support for the gasket becomes more difficult to provide
Solution Approach 1:
Mechanical support for the gasket is provided not in the product flow channel dimension, but in the cooling medium channel dimension. The cooling medium plates bear against each other to provide structural support, while the product channel remains contact-free, thus resolving the contradiction between flow efficiency and mechanical support.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the heat exchanger have different contact characteristics: the product channel maintains contact-free operation for optimal flow efficiency, while the cooling medium channels have controlled contact points to provide necessary mechanical support for the gasket and structure.
3Productivity
If diagonal gasket area is designed with asymmetric pattern, then flow distribution is improved, but mechanical stiffness becomes non-uniform creating weak regions
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger plates incorporate locally optimized patterns in the diagonal gasket region, combining asymmetric flow distribution features with localized reinforcement elements. This allows different parts of the same plate to serve different functions: flow optimization in some areas and mechanical reinforcement in others.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate structure in the diagonal gasket region combines different pattern densities and orientations to create a composite structural design that maintains both flow distribution efficiency and uniform mechanical stiffness, preventing weak regions while preserving flow performance.
Data Source
AI summary
A diagonal gasket support (22) in a heat exchanger cassette adapted for a heat exchanger having a contact-free flow channel (28), where the cassette (11, 29) comprises two plates (12) of the same type, where each plate is provided with a corrugated pattern having a plurality of ridges (19) and valleys (20), characterized in that the diagonal gasket support (22) comprises a plurality of indentations (23) and protrusions (24) positioned adjacent each other along a diagonal gasket groove (21). The advantage of such a diagonal gasket support is that a contact-free support at the diagonal gasket is obtained.