Helical Heating Chamber Layout for Uniform Fluid Flow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric heaters face challenges in achieving a compact design while ensuring uniform fluid flow and thermal contact, leading to uneven heating due to partial volumes that participate less in the flow or are overheated/underheated.
Innovation Solution
A heating device with a cylindrical heating chamber featuring a concave helical groove on its inner wall and a double helix heating element, where the helical sections have different diameters and non-touching turns, creating a helical free flow space for uniform fluid rotation and maximizing heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a compact heater design is implemented with conventional heating elements, then the device size is reduced, but uniform fluid flow and thermal contact are compromised leading to uneven heating
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is designed with a helical curvature that matches the concave groove in the heating chamber wall. This curved geometry allows the heating element to conform to the chamber wall, maximizing thermal contact area and ensuring uniform heat distribution throughout the fluid flow path while maintaining a compact overall device volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The helical heating element is nested within the concave groove of the heating chamber wall, with the heating element fitting precisely into the grooved structure. This nesting arrangement allows the heating element to be tightly integrated into the chamber structure, optimizing space utilization and ensuring consistent thermal contact without increasing device volume.
2Productivity
If the fluid flow rate is increased to improve heating capacity, then more fluid is heated per unit time, but thermal contact time is reduced leading to underheating
Solution Approach 1:
The helical shape of the heating element within the concave groove creates a tortuous flow path that increases the effective contact time between fluid and heating surface. The curved geometry extends the flow path length within the compact chamber, allowing sufficient thermal exchange even at higher flow rates.
3Ease of manufacture
If a smooth cylindrical heating chamber wall is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but uniform fluid rotation and flow distribution cannot be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The concave groove with helical curvature is formed in the heating chamber wall, providing a structured surface that guides uniform fluid rotation and distribution. While this adds some manufacturing complexity compared to a smooth wall, the groove structure is integrated into the chamber design and enables the desired flow characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The concave groove is localized to specific regions of the heating chamber wall where it is needed to guide flow patterns. The groove structure is strategically positioned to create uniform fluid rotation and distribution without requiring the entire chamber to have complex geometry, thus balancing manufacturing simplicity with flow uniformity.
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 ensures complete and uniform fluid flow, preventing partial volume formation and enhancing heat transfer, resulting in improved heating capacity and uniform thermal contact.
Implementation Method 1
the fluid to be heated comes into contact with the heating element both on the surface of the spiral tube and on the surface of the casing tube
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An electric heating device (1) for a fluid comprises a heating chamber (5), which is enclosed by an approximately cylindrical wall (6) and into which the fluid enters through a supply connector (7) and out of which the fluid exits through a discharge connector (8). In the heating chamber is a heating body (10) comprising a jacket tube (11), in the interior of which tube a heating-wire spiral (12) extends, the two ends of which spiral can be connected to a source for electrical heating energy, wherein the jacket tube comprises a helical helix portion (20) which is arranged such that its longitudinal axis (19) coincides with the central axis of the cylindrical wall of the heating chamber. In order to achieve effective flow through all volume portions of the heating chamber and optimal heat transfer from the heating body to the fluid, a bead is formed in the cylindrical wall of the heating chamber, which bead extends in the axial direction, is helical and is concave with respect to the interior of the heating chamber, and which bead has the same pitch and the same turn direction as the directly adjacent helix portion of the jacket tube.