Heat Exchanger Reactor with Monolithic Non-Linear Conduits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger reactors face challenges in compensating for the different thermal expansion of housing and lines, leading to material stress and the need for complex and costly bellows or sealing solutions.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design with non-linearly arranged lines, such as wavy, helical, or zigzag shapes, monolithically connected to the housing, allowing for deformation and compensating thermal expansion without additional elements, and utilizing additive manufacturing for monolithic construction to enhance sealing and reduce material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If bellows are used to connect pipes to housing for thermal expansion compensation, then thermal expansion can be compensated, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pipe connection function with the housing structure by integrating the pipes directly into the housing wall. The pipes are formed as a continuous extension of the housing material, eliminating the need for separate bellows or expansion joints. This integration maintains thermal expansion compensation capability while significantly reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing material serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, forms the housing walls, and creates the pipe connections simultaneously. The pipe-integrated housing structure performs both containment and connection functions, reducing the number of separate components needed for thermal expansion compensation.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If bellows are used to connect pipes to housing, then thermal expansion can be compensated, but manufacturing cost increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the pipe and housing into a single integrated structure, the patent eliminates the need to manufacture and assemble separate bellows components. The pipes are formed directly from the housing material through additive manufacturing, reducing manufacturing steps and costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the material parameters of the housing material (flexibility, thermal expansion properties) to enable thermal expansion compensation without additional components. The material's inherent properties allow the integrated pipe-housing structure to accommodate thermal changes naturally.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If bellows are used for pipe connections, then thermal expansion can be compensated, but reliability decreases due to wear-prone components
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of pipes into the housing eliminates movable bellows components that are susceptible to wear and failure. The continuous monolithic structure has no joints or moving parts at the connection points, significantly improving reliability and reducing maintenance needs.
4Reliability
If complex sealing solutions are used to prevent fluid mixing, then fluidic isolation is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sealing function into the monolithic structure by forming the pipes as an integral part of the housing. The continuous material structure inherently prevents fluid leakage and mixing without requiring separate sealing components, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable fluidic isolation.
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 compensates for thermal expansion without material stress, eliminates the need for additional compensating elements like bellows, and provides improved sealing and heat transfer efficiency through a monolithic connection, reducing production costs and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
compensating for the different thermal expansion of housing and lines
Implementation Method 2
allowing for deformation and compensating thermal expansion
Implementation Method 3
The second medium transfers thermal energy to the first medium
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a heat exchanger (1) comprising a housing (2, 20), which defines a first volume (V1), and comprising at least one conduit (9, 19), which defines a second volume (V2), wherein the housing (2, 20) has an inlet (5, 25) and an outlet (6, 26) and at least one first opening (7) and at least one second opening (8) located opposite the first opening (7) relative to the housing (2, 20), wherein the at least one conduit (9, 19) extends through the first volume (V1) and connects the at least one first opening (7) of the housing (2, 20) and the at least one second opening (8) of the housing (2, 20), and is connected at the two ends of the conduit to the housing (2, 20) in a fluid-tight manner. In order to provide a heat exchanger which has an improved possibility for compensating for the differential thermal expansion of the housing and the conduits, according to the invention, the at least one conduit (9, 19) does not extend in a linear manner inside the first volume (V1), and the at least one conduit (9, 19) is monolithically connected in the region of the first opening (7) of the conduit and/or the second opening (8) of the conduit to the housing (2, 20).