Heat Exchanger Pipe Bundle with Segmented Flow Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers for large-scale industrial applications, such as concentrated solar power plants, face inefficiencies and increased pressure losses due to their physical size and weight, making them costly and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring a pipe bundle with multiple layers of pipes, each containing two bends that create three parallel flow path sections, where one section is significantly longer than the others, optimizing space usage and reducing pressure loss without increasing the exchanger's size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the physical size of the heat exchanger is increased to improve heat transfer efficiency, then the heat transfer efficiency is improved, but the weight and space consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe bundle is divided into multiple layers with pipes arranged in a segmented pattern, creating multiple flow paths within a compact structure. This segmentation allows efficient heat transfer across multiple surfaces without proportionally increasing the overall exchanger size and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-plane pipe arrangement to a multi-layer three-dimensional configuration. Pipes are distributed across multiple layers within the container, utilizing vertical and horizontal dimensions to maximize heat transfer surface area while maintaining a compact footprint and reducing overall weight.
2Productivity
If the physical size of the heat exchanger is increased to improve heat transfer efficiency, then the heat transfer efficiency is improved, but the space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe bundle is divided into multiple layers with pipes arranged in a segmented pattern, creating multiple flow paths within a compact structure. This segmentation allows efficient heat transfer across multiple surfaces without proportionally increasing the overall exchanger size and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-plane pipe arrangement to a multi-layer three-dimensional configuration. Pipes are distributed across multiple layers within the container, utilizing vertical and horizontal dimensions to maximize heat transfer surface area while maintaining a compact footprint and reducing overall weight.
3Device complexity
If conventional pipe arrangements are used, then the structure is simple, but pressure losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
Different sections of the pipe bundle have different configurations - pipes in different layers and positions have optimized local arrangements. The bend configurations and flow path lengths are locally optimized to balance pressure loss reduction with structural simplicity, rather than applying a uniform design throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates bends in the pipes that create curved flow paths rather than sharp angular transitions. These curved configurations reduce flow separation and turbulence, thereby reducing pressure losses while maintaining relatively simple pipe connections and overall structural simplicity.
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 reduces pressure loss by up to a factor of three, enabling more efficient and cost-effective heat transfer while minimizing the heat exchanger's weight and space consumption, making it suitable for high-power applications like concentrated solar power systems.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger is configured to provide a heat transfer between the first fluid and the second fluid through the pipe walls of the pipes of the pipe bundle
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger including a pipe bundle to guide a fluid between first and second pipe connectors, the pipes being distributed in layers of pipes, wherein pipes of each of the layers of pipes each includes. A length of a flow path section is at least 1.7 times greater than lengths of two other flow path sections, wherein a first bend of the two bends is provided between the longer flow path section and a first of the shorter flow path section, and wherein a second of the two said bends is provided between the first, shorter flow path section and the other shorter flow path section, and wherein each of the layers of pipes includes two pipe subgroups. The bend between the two shorter flow path sections of the respective pipes in one of the pipe subgroups in the pipe layer is arranged substantially opposite to bends extending between the two shorter flow path sections of pipes in the other pipe subgroup of the same pipe layer.