Honeycomb Heat Exchanger With Cylindrical Fluid Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers face issues with fluid mixing due to the use of ceramic intermediate walls, leading to inefficient heat exchange and potential contamination between fluids.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design incorporating a cylindrical member between two honeycomb structures, with each structure having its own peripheral and partition walls, and optionally using heat conductive and insulating materials to separate and direct fluid flows.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an intermediate wall made of ceramic material is used to separate flow paths, then the structural separation is achieved, but fluid mixing occurs through pores in the intermediate wall
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cylindrical member as an intermediary structure between the first and second honeycomb structures. This cylindrical member acts as a physical barrier that prevents fluid mixing while allowing heat transfer, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining separation and enabling thermal exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger is divided into distinct segmented sections: a first honeycomb structure for the first fluid, a cylindrical member as a separating barrier, and a second honeycomb structure for the second fluid. This segmentation ensures complete fluid separation while maintaining thermal contact through the cylindrical member's walls.
2Reliability
If a cylindrical member is inserted between honeycomb structures to prevent mixing, then fluid separation is improved, but heat exchange efficiency may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical member is designed with different properties in different regions: the wall material and thickness are optimized to provide adequate separation while maintaining thermal conductivity. The local quality of the cylindrical member's wall structure allows it to function as both a separation barrier and a heat transfer medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The cylindrical member may utilize composite material construction, combining materials with different thermal and mechanical properties. This allows the structure to provide effective fluid separation while maintaining sufficient thermal conductivity for efficient heat exchange between the two fluid streams.
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 design effectively suppresses fluid mixing, enhancing heat exchange efficiency and durability while maintaining separation between fluids.
Implementation Method 1
a heat conductive material disposed between the first honeycomb structure and the first cylindrical member and/or between the second honeycomb structure and the first cylindrical member
Implementation Method 2
a heat insulating material disposed between the second honeycomb structure and the second cylindrical member
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2A
AI summary
A heat exchanger includes a first honeycomb structure 10, a first cylindrical member 20, and a second honeycomb structure 30. The first honeycomb structure 10 has an outer peripheral wall 11 and partition walls 13 that are disposed on an inner side of the outer peripheral wall 11 and define a plurality of cells 12 to form flow paths for a first fluid. The first outer cylinder 20 is fitted into the outer peripheral wall 11 of the first honeycomb structure 10. The second honeycomb structure 30 has an outer peripheral wall 31, an inner peripheral wall 35, and partition walls 33 that are disposed between the outer peripheral wall 31 and the inner peripheral wall 35 and that define a plurality of cells 32 which serve as flow paths for the second fluid, and the inner peripheral wall 35 is fitted into the first cylindrical member 20.