Heat Exchanger Fin Cooling via Boundary Layer Overlap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers face inefficiencies in cooling heat generating components arranged in depth along the air flow direction, particularly the leeward side, due to inadequate heat exchange between cooling air and heat dissipating fins, as high-speed air often bypasses the fins without effectively transferring heat.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger design involves optimizing the distance between adjacent fins, fin length, and cooling air flow rate to ensure temperature boundary layers overlap, with baffle and partition plates guiding the air to decelerate and uniformly flow through the fins, thereby enhancing heat exchange efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large amount of cooling air is blown into the plate shaped heat dissipating fins at a high speed, then high cooling efficiency is expected, but the cooling air passes in the central portion between the fins, resulting in that the heat exchange between the cooling air and the fins is not effectively performed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the flow rate parameter of cooling air from high speed to low speed, and optimizes the distance between adjacent fins and fin length parameters. This parameter change causes temperature boundary layers to overlap, making the fin surface temperature close to the outlet air temperature, thereby effectively performing heat exchange even at reduced flow rates
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates different flow conditions in different regions by controlling the cooling air flow rate and fin geometry. The temperature boundary layers from adjacent fins overlap in the low flow rate region, creating uniform heat exchange throughout the fin structure, including the leeward side that was previously ineffective
2Volume of moving object
If the distance between adjacent fins is set to be small, then the fin structure is compact, but the front portion of the heat dissipating fin is hit by cool air while the back portion is not hit by the cool air
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the distance between adjacent fins and fin length parameters to specific ranges that enable temperature boundary layer overlap. This parameter optimization ensures uniform temperature distribution across the entire fin structure, including both front and back portions, while maintaining compact dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a dynamic temperature boundary layer interaction where the boundary layers from adjacent fins overlap and merge. This dynamic interaction ensures that cooling effect propagates through the entire fin structure, making the back portion as effective as the front portion
3Area of stationary object
If the length of the heat dissipating fin is long, then the heat dissipation area is increased, but the back portion of the heat dissipating fin in the air flowing direction is not hit by the cool air
Solution Approach 1:
The invention optimizes the fin length parameter to a specific range that, when combined with reduced cooling air flow rate and optimized fin spacing, enables temperature boundary layer overlap. This ensures that even long fins achieve uniform cooling from front to back, making the leeward side as effective as the windward side
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 design effectively lowers the surface temperature of fins and increases heat dissipation efficiency, ensuring that the heat generating components are cooled uniformly, even when air flows at high speeds, by reducing the temperature difference between the fin surface and the central air flow.
Implementation Method 1
When the cooling air passes through the fins, the temperature of a portion of the cooling air is raised by the heat transferred from the fin
Implementation Method 2
heat transferred from the heat generating component through the base plate to the plate shaped heat dissipating fins
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger including a base plate portion with at least one heat generating component thermally connected thereto; at least one fin portion comprising a plurality of fins thermally connected to said base plate portion, arranged in parallel at a prescribed angle along a longitudinal direction of said base plate portion; an inlet portion through which a cooling fluid is introduced to each of said at least one fin portion; a baffle plate portion and a partition plate portion guiding said cooling fluid so that the cooling fluid is decelerated to be uniformly flown through fins in said at least one fin portion; and an outlet portion to evacuate the cooling fluid.