Heat Exchanger Header With Flow-Assisted Self-Cleaning Filter
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing compact heat exchangers face challenges with particulate fouling due to their small channel dimensions, leading to reduced performance and increased operational costs, as conventional filtration methods require frequent servicing or replacement and impose pressure drops that affect system efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of unique geometries in heat exchanger headers that enable back-flushing, cross-flow removal of filter cakes, and turbulent vortical flows for localized cleaning, effectively addressing fouling without the need for frequent maintenance or replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional dead-end filters are used to mitigate particulate fouling, then fouling is reduced, but pressure drop increases and system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the filtration function and the heat exchange function into a single integrated device. The heat exchanger channels themselves serve as the filtration mechanism, eliminating the need for separate dead-end filters. This merging resolves the contradiction by providing fouling mitigation without the additional pressure drop penalty of separate filtration systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger is designed to clean itself through flow-assisted mechanisms. The geometry of the channels and the flow patterns enable automatic removal of particulates and fouling deposits during normal operation, eliminating the need for external filtration systems that would increase pressure drop.
2Volume of moving object
If microchannel heat exchangers are used to reduce size and increase surface area density, then compactness is improved, but channels become clogged by debris
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the microchannels, specifically incorporating varying cross-sectional areas and strategic expansions along the channel length. These parameter changes create flow acceleration zones and pressure differentials that prevent particulate deposition, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving the compact microchannel design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hydraulic principles by designing channels that leverage fluid flow dynamics, pressure gradients, and velocity profiles to prevent fouling. The channel geometry is optimized to create self-cleaning flow patterns that exploit hydraulic forces to remove debris, maintaining compactness while preventing clogging.
3Reliability
If heat exchangers are replaced frequently to maintain performance, then performance is maintained, but operational cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger incorporates self-cleaning capabilities through its channel geometry, which automatically removes fouling deposits during normal operation. This self-service mechanism maintains performance without requiring frequent manual intervention, replacement, or complex servicing procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The channel geometry is designed in advance to prevent fouling accumulation through flow-assisted mechanisms. The preliminary design of the channel cross-sectional variations creates conditions that actively prevent deposit formation, eliminating the need for subsequent maintenance actions or replacements.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If conventional filtration methods are implemented, then fouling is mitigated, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The filtration function is merged with the heat exchanger structure itself, eliminating the need for separate filtration components. The channel geometry is designed to provide fouling mitigation as an inherent feature of the heat exchanger, simplifying manufacturing by removing the need to manufacture, assemble, and maintain separate filtration systems.
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
These geometries allow for extended cleaning intervals, improved flow uniformity, and reduced manufacturing costs by simplifying the cleaning process and maintaining heat exchanger performance over time.
Implementation Method 1
The inlet port and the outlet port are arranged to generate a flowpath of fluid across the screen portion to induce shear forces across the screen portion sufficient to dislodge accumulated particulates and fouling
Implementation Method 2
A fluid is injected on to the screen portion through the inlet port to entrain in a flow path particulates and fouling accumulated on the screen and remove the entrained particulates and fouling through the at least one outlet port
Data Source
AI summary
A header for a heat exchanger and method for cleaning a heat exchanger in a loop without disconnecting loop components is provided. The header is in flow communication with the heat exchanger for distributing fluid through a plurality of adjacent channels. The header is connected between a main heat exchanger inlet nozzle and a channel flow distributor. A filter element is disposed within the header between the nozzle and channel flow distributor. Under normal operation, the filter element removes particulates and fouling material from the main flow stream before it enters the heat exchanger channels. During the cleaning process, fluid is injected on or through the filter element to remove particulates and fouling material through at least one outlet port. The header arrangement allows the filter element to be ‘cleaned in place’ without draining the system and disconnecting the heat exchanger or other components from the flow loop.