Heat Exchanger Tank Structure with Staggered Inlets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger designs suffer from uneven flow speed distribution of the heat exchange medium, leading to inefficiencies in heat exchange due to faster flow rates near inlets causing imbalanced heat transfer, resulting in higher temperatures and reduced overall heat exchange efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger tank structure features differently positioned inlet and outlet openings for adjacent small tanks, connected via short pipes to a header tank, ensuring varied flow speeds within tubes, and the use of brazing and welding for integration, allowing for easier assembly and uniform heat exchange across units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the heat exchange medium inlet is positioned at the center of each small tank, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the flow speed becomes uneven across tubes causing deteriorated heat exchange efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the inlets of adjacent small tanks at different longitudinal positions rather than symmetrically at the same center position. This asymmetric arrangement creates varied flow path lengths for different tubes, balancing the flow speed distribution across all tubes and improving overall heat exchange efficiency while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by giving each small tank a unique inlet position tailored to its specific location in the array. This localized differentiation ensures that tubes at different positions experience appropriate flow speeds, with tubes farther from the inlet receiving compensatory benefits from the staggered arrangement, thereby optimizing heat exchange performance across the entire heat exchanger
2Productivity
If multiple units are placed in parallel to increase heat exchange capacity, then the overall heat exchange capacity increases, but the flow speed imbalance is amplified causing non-uniform heat exchange distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the heat exchanger into multiple independent units, each with its own small tanks and tube bundles. This modular segmentation allows each unit to be optimized independently with staggered inlet positions, and when assembled in parallel, the units work together to achieve both high capacity and uniform heat exchange distribution across the entire system
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the parallel arrangement problem by introducing a longitudinal position dimension for inlet placement. Instead of all inlets being at the same transverse center position, they are staggered along the longitudinal axis, adding a dimensional variable that balances flow distribution across multiple parallel units and ensures uniform heat exchange
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 achieves a more uniform heat exchange distribution across the heat exchanger, enhancing overall performance by ensuring faster flow speeds near inlets and slower speeds near outlets, resulting in consistent air flow temperatures and improved heat transfer efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat exchange medium passage and a second heat exchange medium passage are formed in the heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
an air flow for cooling is circulated over the flat tubes
Implementation Method 3
each of the connection openings 9 of the header tank 8 is connected with the opening 7 of each of the small tanks 4 via a short pipe 6
Implementation Method 4
an opening portion is formed at a center of each tank in a longitudinal direction to bond the opening portion of the tank with that of the header by welding
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide a tank structure that heightens an amount of heat exchange overall when a unit 5 including a small tank 4 at both ends of a core 3 is stacked in a thickness direction of the core and oil is supplied to a tube 2 of the unit 5 via a header tank 8, even if flow speed distribution of the oil differs in each of the tubes 2. Positions of each of openings 7 of the small tanks 4 of the unit 5 are arranged to be different from each other in an axial line direction of the small tank 4.