Extruded Heat Exchanger End-Piece for Bulge-Resistant Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plate heat exchangers face issues with outwards bulging of end plates, leading to uneven flow and potential leaks, which necessitate thicker, heavier components to maintain sealing, thereby reducing thermal performance and increasing material consumption.
Innovation Solution
The development of an extruded end-piece for plate heat exchangers featuring a frame part with an inner, outer, and intermediate portion, including cavities that provide structural reinforcement and insulation, allowing for a lighter, more efficient design that maintains sealing without bulging, using extrusion to create a frame part that can be easily adapted for different sizes and designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the frame and pressure plates are made thicker to prevent outwards bulging, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the weight and material consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a honeycomb structure (porous configuration) within the end plates, where multiple hexagonal cells are arranged in parallel between the inner and outer surfaces. This porous-like internal structure provides structural reinforcement to prevent outwards bulging while using less material than solid thick plates, thereby reducing weight while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The end plate is constructed as a composite structure combining an inner plate, an outer plate, and a honeycomb structure in between. This composite design integrates different structural elements to achieve both strength (preventing bulging) and weight reduction, resolving the contradiction between reliability and weight.
2Reliability
If the frame and pressure plates are made thicker to prevent outwards bulging, then the sealing reliability is improved, but the thermal performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The honeycomb structure creates a porous-like configuration with multiple hexagonal cells that reduces the amount of thermal mass in the end plates. This allows heat to pass through more efficiently compared to solid thick plates, thereby improving thermal performance while still providing sufficient structural support to prevent bulging and maintain sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure with the honeycomb core provides a low thermal mass design that enhances heat transfer efficiency. The thin-walled hexagonal cells minimize thermal resistance while maintaining structural integrity, thus improving thermal performance without compromising sealing reliability.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional solid end plates are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the material consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The honeycomb structure is manufactured using established techniques such as bonding pre-formed honeycomb cores between plates or using mold-based forming processes. These methods, while slightly more complex than simple plate fabrication, are still relatively straightforward and result in significant material savings compared to solid end plates of equivalent thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
The end plate is segmented into an inner plate, outer plate, and intermediate honeycomb structure. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured separately and then assembled, which can simplify the overall manufacturing process while reducing material consumption compared to manufacturing a single solid thick plate.
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 extruded end-piece design enhances thermal efficiency, reduces material usage, and prevents leaks by distributing stress effectively, resulting in a lighter, more economical, and hygienic plate heat exchanger solution.
Implementation Method 1
the frame part is extruded and the intermediate portion of the frame part comprises a first number of cavities extending in an extrusion direction of the frame part
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making an end-piece for a plate heat exchanger, wherein the end-piece includes a frame part having inner and outer portions, and an intermediate portion arranged between the inner and outer portions, with the outer wall surface of the inner portion being arranged to face a first surface of a package of heat transfer plates comprising the plate heat exchanger, and the first surface having a center portion and a peripheral portion encircling the center portion. The method includes extruding the frame part with plural cavities in the intermediate portion of the frame part that extend in the extrusion direction of the frame part and that are parallel to the frame part axis, with outer dimensions of the outer wall surface of the inner portion configured to be at least as large as outer dimensions of the center portion of the first surface heat transfer plate package.