Plate Heat Exchanger Bolt Locking to Prevent Recess Dropout
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Bolts in plate heat exchangers tend to drop out of recesses during handling or operation, leading to instability and potential failure of the heat exchanger.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of a heat exchanger design with recesses in the end plates that accommodate bolts and feature locking devices with locking sections and engaging sections to secure the bolts in place, preventing them from dropping out.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bolts are used to connect end plates to heat transfer plates, then the connection strength is improved, but the bolts tend to drop out of recesses during handling
Solution Approach 1:
A locking device is introduced as an intermediary component between the bolt and the recess. The locking device includes a locking section that engages with a locking feature in the recess, preventing the bolt from dropping out while maintaining the connection strength provided by the bolt.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system is segmented into distinct functional components: the bolt provides clamping force, the locking device prevents dropout, and the locking feature provides anchorage. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromise.
2Reliability
If locking devices are added to prevent bolt dropout, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking feature is formed locally in the recess at the critical location where bolt retention is needed. The locking device is only positioned at the end plate, not throughout the entire heat exchanger assembly. This localized approach provides reliability improvement with minimal increase in overall complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention introduces a heat exchanger including a stack of heat transfer plates positioned between two end plates in which recesses formed in edge regions are adapted to accommodate bolts reaching from a first to a second of said two end plates, said at least one of said recesses formed with locking features adapted to engage with a locking device including an opening, where the locking device is to be positioned on the respective end plate with the opening aligned with the recess in such a manner that a bolt positioned in the recess also can project through said opening. This prevents the bold from falling out of the recesses.