Heat Exchanger Module Using Phase-Change Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger systems, such as air dryers, face inefficiencies in energy usage and increased costs due to continuous refrigerant cooling circulation, which complicates temperature adjustment and reduces durability, especially when using indirect cooling methods with large cold storage tanks and separate pumps.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger module unit that employs a phase-change material, like paraffin, disposed between the movement paths of a fluid and a heat medium for indirect heat exchange using latent heat, eliminating the need for continuous heat medium circulation and separate cold storage tanks and pumps, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous refrigerant cooling circulation is used, then cooling function is maintained, but energy usage efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The phase-change material undergoes phase change in advance to store cooling capacity, enabling the system to provide cooling function without continuous refrigerant circulation. The material absorbs heat during phase change (melting) and releases it during phase change (freezing), creating a preliminary cooling effect that eliminates the need for continuous operation of the refrigeration system.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the phase transition properties of the phase-change material (between solid and liquid states) to store and release thermal energy. During melting, the material absorbs latent heat from the fluid, providing cooling. During freezing, it releases the stored heat. This phase transition mechanism enables the system to maintain cooling function while dramatically reducing energy consumption compared to continuous refrigerant circulation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If indirect cooling method with large cold storage tank and pump is used, then temperature adjustment is enabled, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary components (large cold storage tank and separate pump) from the indirect cooling system. By directly placing the phase-change material in contact with the fluid passage, the system achieves temperature adjustment functionality without requiring these additional components, thereby simplifying the overall device structure and reducing cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the cold storage function and the heat exchange function into a single integrated structure. The phase-change material is directly disposed in the fluid passage, combining the roles of thermal energy storage and heat transfer medium, eliminating the need for separate cold storage tanks and circulation pumps, thus reducing device complexity while maintaining temperature adjustment capability.
3Productivity
If multiple module units are connected, then heat exchange capacity is increased, but direct spatial contact between fluid and heat medium occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the heat exchange system into multiple independent module units, each containing its own phase-change material and fluid passage. This segmentation allows the system to increase heat exchange capacity by connecting multiple units while maintaining the spatial separation between fluid and heat medium within each modular unit, preventing direct contact even when scaled up.
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 configuration maximizes energy usage efficiency, reduces operational costs, and improves durability by leveraging the cold storage effect of the phase-change material, allowing stable heat exchange without direct contact between the fluid and heat medium, even when multiple module units are connected.
Implementation Method 1
The foregoing is accomplished by disposing the phase-change material between the movement paths of the fluid and the heat medium and performing heat exchange between the fluid and the heat medium by indirection heat exchange through the phase-change material
Implementation Method 2
a phase-change material, like paraffin, disposed between the movement paths of a fluid and a heat medium for indirect heat exchange using latent heat
Implementation Method 3
performing heat exchange between the fluid and the heat medium by indirection heat exchange through the phase-change material
Data Source
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AI summary
A heat exchanger module unit that provides heat exchange between a fluid and a heat medium by indirect heat exchange through a phase-change material disposed between movement paths of the fluid and the heat medium movement paths, includes: a multiple number of plates having a partition, which is formed with a through-hole through which the fluid and the heat medium move, are stacked with a spacing gap, through which the fluid and the heat medium move, at one side of the partition; the spacing gaps are selectively connected through a connector connecting the respective through-holes so as to form a fluid passage and a heat medium passage through which the fluid and the heat medium move independently respectively; the spacing gap, in which the phase-change material is received, is located and disposed between the spacing gaps forming the fluid passage and the heat medium passage through which the fluid and the heat medium move respectively such that heat exchange is made between the fluid and the heat medium through the phase-change material. One of the fluid and the heat medium is disposed at one side of the phase-change material and another phase-change material is disposed at the opposite side thereof.