Flat Tube Heat Exchanger With Folded Reinforcement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchanger tubes face challenges in achieving efficient heat transfer and structural integrity with thin wall materials, often requiring thicker materials for strength and corrosion resistance, which increases material usage and costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of heat exchanger tubes with thin sheet materials (less than 0.15 mm thickness) that are shaped to form narrow and broad sides, with reinforced narrow sides and internal folds, allowing for efficient heat transfer while maintaining structural integrity and corrosion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If thin sheet material (less than 0.15 mm thickness) is used for heat exchanger tubes, then material usage and costs are reduced, but structural integrity and corrosion resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The tube is divided into multiple narrow sides (first narrow side, second narrow side, third narrow side, fourth narrow side) formed by folding the sheet material. This segmentation creates a reinforced structure where the folded edges provide enhanced strength and corrosion resistance at critical locations while maintaining thin wall thickness in the broad sides for efficient heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet material is folded to create local reinforcement at the narrow sides of the tube. The folding process creates thicker material at the narrow sides (where multiple layers overlap) while maintaining thin wall thickness in the broad sides. This local quality variation optimizes the structure by providing enhanced strength and corrosion resistance where needed (at narrow sides) while minimizing material usage in areas requiring heat transfer efficiency (broad sides).
2Quantity of substance
If thin sheet material (less than 0.15 mm thickness) is used for heat exchanger tubes, then material usage and costs are reduced, but corrosion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tube structure is segmented into folded narrow sides and broad sides. The folding creates multiple layers of material at the narrow sides, providing enhanced corrosion resistance at these vulnerable locations through increased material thickness and overlapping layers, while the thin-walled broad sides maintain good corrosion resistance through the inherent properties of the sheet material.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding process creates local quality variations in the tube structure. At the narrow sides, multiple folded layers provide enhanced corrosion resistance where the material is thickest. The broad sides maintain uniform thin wall thickness optimized for heat transfer while still providing adequate corrosion resistance through the material's inherent properties and protective coatings.
Data Source
AI summary
A number of flat tubes, flat tube heat exchangers, and methods of manufacturing both are described and illustrated. The flat tubes can be constructed of one, two, or more pieces of sheet material. A profiled insert integral with the flat tube or constructed from another sheet of material can be used to define multiple flow channels through the flat tube. The flat tubes can be constructed of relatively thin material, and can be reinforced with folds of the flat tube material and/or of an insert in areas subject to higher pressure and thermal stresses. Also, the relatively thin flat tube material can have a corrosion layer enabling the material to resist failure due to corrosion. Heat exchangers having such flat tubes connected to collection tubes are also disclosed, as are manners in which such tubes can be provided with fins.