Heat Transfer Plate Corrugated Edge Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat transfer plate designs in plate heat exchangers often fail to ensure proper alignment of heat transfer plates, leading to potential leaks, especially when plates are rotated or flipped relative to each other, as they lack a flexible guiding solution that can accommodate both configurations.
Innovation Solution
A heat transfer plate design featuring corrugated edge portions with alternating male projections and female recesses on opposite sides, allowing for alignment with adjacent plates regardless of their rotational or flipped orientation, enhancing alignment stability and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If heat transfer plates are stacked with rotating or flipping configurations, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but alignment reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding section is divided into multiple independent guiding elements (first guiding element, second guiding element, third guiding element, fourth guiding element) positioned at different locations on the heat transfer plate. Each guiding element can independently engage with corresponding elements on adjacent plates, providing distributed alignment support that maintains reliability regardless of plate configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding section is designed with universal engagement capability that works for both rotated and flipped plate configurations. The combination of multiple guiding elements with different orientations allows the same heat transfer plate design to reliably align with adjacent plates in any stacking configuration, making the solution universally applicable.
2Device complexity
If simple plate stacking is used, then device complexity is reduced, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding functionality is merged directly into the heat transfer plate structure itself through the corrugated guiding section, eliminating the need for separate guiding mechanisms or additional components. This integration maintains simplicity while achieving precise alignment through the geometric features of the corrugations.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding section utilizes corrugated (curved/wavy) geometric features instead of simple flat surfaces. The corrugations create interlocking profiles that provide precise alignment through their shaped geometry, achieving high alignment precision without adding complex mechanical guidance systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A heat transfer plate comprises first, third and fourth guiding sections. The first and fourth guiding sections each comprise, as seen from a first side of the heat transfer plate, a male projection to engage the first adjacent heat transfer plate for aligning the plate and the first adjacent heat transfer plate, and, as seen from a second side of the heat transfer plate, a female recess to engage the second adjacent heat transfer plate for aligning the plate and the second adjacent heat transfer plate. The third guiding section comprises, as seen from the second side of the plate, a male projection to engage the second adjacent heat transfer plate for aligning the plate and the second adjacent plate, and, as seen from the first side of the plate, a female recess to engage the first adjacent heat transfer plate for aligning the plate and the first adjacent plate.