Electric Heater Fin Pressing Plate Bypass Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric heaters in new energy vehicles face challenges with low heat exchange efficiency and total heating power due to a large horizontal projection area and lack of additional heat dissipation structures, leading to inefficient use of the heating element's coverage area.
Innovation Solution
The electric heater incorporates a circulation chamber assembly with main flow channels above the flow channel portion, fins, and a fin pressing plate that compressively locates fins, allowing fluid to bypass edges and increase heat exchange area, and includes a heating element positioned below to overlap with the flow channel projection, enhancing heat exchange efficiency and power.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat-plate structure with parallel flow channels is adopted, then the heating element can be directly prepared on the circulation chamber, but the horizontal projection area becomes large and heat exchange efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional flat-plate structure to a three-dimensional structure by adding vertical fins. The fins extend perpendicular to the circulation chamber bottom, creating multiple heat exchange surfaces in the vertical dimension. This allows the heating element to maintain direct contact with the chamber bottom while the fins provide additional heat dissipation area, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and heat exchange efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating structure is segmented into multiple components: the circulation chamber bottom, vertical fins, and heating element. The fins are divided into multiple segments extending upward, each providing independent heat exchange surface. This segmentation increases the total heat exchange area without requiring a larger horizontal projection area, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
2Device complexity
If no additional heat dissipation structure is provided in the main flow channel, then the structure is simple, but the heating element cannot be arranged below the main flow channel and coverage rate is low
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding the heating element horizontally beneath the main flow channel, the patent extends heat dissipation structures vertically upward from the circulation chamber bottom. The fins create a three-dimensional heat exchange network that allows the heating element to maintain a compact horizontal footprint while providing sufficient coverage through vertical extension.
3Area of stationary object
If the horizontal projection area is reduced, then the heater size is smaller, but the heat exchange area and total heating power decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for reduced horizontal projection area by extending heat exchange surfaces vertically through the addition of fins. The fins create multiple heat exchange surfaces stacked in the vertical dimension, maintaining total heat exchange area while reducing the horizontal footprint of the heater.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the functions of the circulation chamber bottom and the heat dissipation structures into an integrated fin assembly. The bottom plate serves as both the structural base and the mounting surface for fins, combining support and heat exchange functions into a single integrated component that maximizes heat exchange area within limited horizontal space.
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 improves heat exchange efficiency and total heating power by increasing the heat exchange area and allowing for a more uniform fluid distribution, resulting in enhanced thermal management capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
two side edges of the fin pressing plate protrude into the main flow channels to allow fluid to flow between the main flow channels and the flow channel portion by bypassing the two side edges of the fin pressing plate
Implementation Method 2
the film heater using thin-film and thick film technologies has advantages of high-power density, high heat exchange efficiency
Implementation Method 3
the fin defines a plurality of fluid channels arranged horizontally... the heat exchange area is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is also improved
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4
AI summary
The present application discloses an electric heater and a circulation chamber assembly thereof and an electric vehicle, the circulation chamber assembly (200) includes a flow channel portion, two main flow channels, and a fin pressing plate (230), the flow channel portion includes a plurality of fluid channels arranged horizontally, the two main flow channels are respectively arranged above two ends of the flow channel portion, and the fin pressing plate (230) is arranged above the flow channel portion, and two side edges of the fin pressing plate (230) protrude into the main flow channels to allow fluid to flow between the main flow channels and the flow channel portion by bypassing the two side edges of the fin pressing plate (230). In the circulation chamber assembly of the present application, the fluid flows between the main flow channels and the flow channel portion by bypassing the edges of the fin pressing plate under the action of the fin pressing plate, so that the fluid can flow through two end regions of the flow channel portion, the heat exchange area is increased, and the heat exchange efficiency is also improved.