Marine Engine Heat Exchanger With Twisted Ridges
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers for marine engines are inefficient due to limited surface area and impractical cylindrical shapes, which hinder their integration into marine environments with size constraints.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger with a housing shell and twisted tubes featuring ridges for increased surface area, along with dividers to direct fluid flow, allowing for improved heat transfer between fluids, and a removable cover for accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If conventional cylindrical heat exchangers are used, then the structure is simple, but the surface area is limited and they do not fit marine environment size constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs curved and twisted tube configurations instead of straight cylindrical tubes. The tubes are bent into complex three-dimensional shapes including twisted sections and multiple bends, which increase the surface area within a compact volume while maintaining structural integrity and heat transfer efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger transitions from a simple two-dimensional cylindrical form to a three-dimensional complex geometry. The tubes are arranged in multiple layers and directions within the housing, utilizing vertical and horizontal spaces efficiently to maximize surface area while minimizing the overall volume occupied
2Productivity
If heat exchanger surface area is increased, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple independent tube bundles, each containing several tubes with specific curved configurations. These tube bundles are arranged in parallel within the housing, allowing the complex heat transfer function to be segmented into manageable units that can be manufactured and assembled separately
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functional elements into an integrated assembly: the curved tubes serve both as heat transfer conduits and structural support, the housing integrates fluid distribution channels and mounting features, and the tube bundles are combined with support structures to form a compact unified unit
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 enhances heat transfer efficiency by increasing the surface area of the twisted tubes, enabling more effective cooling of engine fluids and accommodating diverse marine engine configurations.
Implementation Method 1
The heat exchanger comprises twisted tubes located inside the cavity for carrying a first fluid... each of the twisted tubes having a plurality of ridges made from the material of the tube to increase the surface area of the tube exposed to a second fluid... to increase heat transfer
Implementation Method 2
The ridges made from the material of the tube increase the surface area of the tube exposed to a second fluid... enabling more effective cooling of engine fluids through heat transfer
Implementation Method 3
Dividers inside the cavity direct the flow of the second fluid through the cavity
Implementation Method 4
The heated glycol then flows to a heat exchanger, where the glycol is cooled... This reduces the temperature of the glycol to where it can reenter the engine and absorb heat from the engine again
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger for a marine engine has a housing with an internal cavity. Twisted tubes snake back and forth inside the cavity and carry a first fluid to cool a second engine cooling fluid flowing through the cavity. Each of the twisted tubes has a plurality of ridges to increase the surface area of the tube exposed to the second fluid. Dividers inside the cavity direct the flow of the second fluid through the cavity. The housing may have a removable cover to access the housing cavity.