Heat Exchanger Plate Spacer Layout for Pressure-Balanced Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Heat exchangers with plates made of materials with low Young's modulus experience deformation due to pressure differences between the hot and cold sides, leading to uncontrolled flow resistance and compromised heat exchange efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The plate design features spacers on opposite faces with varying numbers, shapes, and sizes to create perpendicular fluid flow directions, balancing pressure differentials and minimizing deformation, using materials like plastic with low Young's modulus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plates are made of materials with low Young's modulus (e.g., plastic), then manufacturing cost is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but plate deformation increases under pressure difference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the spacers on opposite faces of the plate. Specifically, the spacers on the first face have different characteristics (number, shape, or size) compared to the spacers on the second face. This asymmetric design creates different structural reinforcement patterns on each side, allowing the plate to better resist deformation under pressure differential while maintaining low-cost plastic materials.
2Productivity
If fans are placed on both sides to increase enthalpy and reduce contamination, then heat exchange performance is improved, but pressure difference increases causing plate deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses this contradiction by creating asymmetric spacer configurations on opposite faces. The differentiated spacers provide localized structural support that counteracts the deformation caused by the pressure difference generated during high-performance heat exchange operation with fans on both sides.
3Device complexity
If spacers are made in a single piece with the plate via molding, then device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but deformation resistance is insufficient for low Young's modulus materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains the simple single-piece molding approach while incorporating asymmetric spacer designs. The spacers on opposite faces have different characteristics that provide optimized local reinforcement, enabling the plate to resist deformation even with low-cost plastic materials manufactured in a single molding process.
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
The solution effectively reduces plate deformation and maintains optimal heat exchange performance by balancing pressure loads, ensuring reliable and cost-effective operation.
Implementation Method 1
The plate design features spacers on opposite faces with varying numbers, shapes, and sizes to create perpendicular fluid flow directions, balancing pressure differentials and minimizing deformation
Implementation Method 2
Heat exchangers are devices that are adapted to transfer heat between two different fluids that circulate at different temperatures
Data Source
AI summary
A plate for a heat exchanger, which comprises a plurality of unit cells, each one of the unit cells comprising a first face and a second face which is opposite the first face, the first face and the second face having a plurality of spacers which are arranged so as to produce mutually perpendicular directions of flow between the first face and the second face.The spacers differ between the first face and the second face in terms of number and/or shape and/or size.