Microchannel Heat Exchange Plate With Corrugated Virtual Air Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microchannel heat exchangers face issues with clogging, pressure drops, and high manufacturing costs due to the presence of fins and complex thermal connections, which reduce efficiency and increase production complexity.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange plate design without fins, featuring corrugated strips that create virtual channels for air flow, allowing for efficient heat exchange with minimal pressure drop and simplified manufacturing, using extrusion and shaping techniques to produce plates with integrated spacers for adjustable compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fins are added to increase heat exchange surface, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of heat exchange surfaces and structural support into a single integrated plate structure with microchannels. The corrugated plate serves both as the heat exchange surface and as the structural framework, eliminating the need for separate fins and reducing device complexity while maintaining heat exchange efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional fin structure to a three-dimensional corrugated plate structure with microchannels. This dimensional change creates internal flow paths within the plate itself, increasing heat exchange surface area without adding external fins, thereby improving heat exchange efficiency while reducing overall device complexity.
2Temperature
If fins are added to increase heat exchange surface, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single plate component that serves as both heat exchange surface and fluid distribution system. This integration reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs while maintaining effective heat exchange performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated plate structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides heat exchange surfaces, creates fluid flow paths through microchannels, and maintains structural integrity. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate fins and support structures, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while achieving effective heat exchange.
3Temperature
If complex thermal connections are made to achieve good thermal connection, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the thermal connection function into the plate material itself through the corrugated structure with microchannels. The continuous plate material provides inherent thermal pathways, eliminating the need for separate thermal connection components or complex assembly procedures, thereby achieving good thermal connection while reducing device complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional microchannel structure is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but clogging and pressure drops occur reducing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces three-dimensional corrugated structures with internal microchannels instead of conventional flat microchannel designs. This dimensional change creates tortuous flow paths that prevent direct line-of-sight clogging while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through extrusion processes, thereby improving reliability and efficiency without sacrificing ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The corrugated plate structure incorporates curved and undulating surfaces that create smooth transitions in fluid flow paths. These curved geometries reduce flow separation and pressure drops compared to sharp corners, while still being manufacturable through standard extrusion techniques, thus improving efficiency while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
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 solution achieves high heat exchange compactness with reduced manufacturing costs, maintaining efficiency by promoting turbulence and increasing the heat exchange surface area while minimizing clogging and pressure drops, allowing for easy adaptation to different operating conditions.
Implementation Method 1
they generate a large heat exchange surface between the plate and the second fluid. The presence of flow paths extending from a secant direction to that of the microchannels ensures a high flow of air with a low pressure drop while ensuring the existence of obstacles between the virtual channels, these obstacles make it possible to break the boundary layers on the structure, causing the appearance of turbulence beneficial to the development of heat exchange coefficient by convection on the surface of the plate
Implementation Method 2
causing the appearance of turbulence beneficial to the development of heat exchange coefficient by convection on the surface of the plate
Implementation Method 3
heat exchange plate for a heat exchange device between a first fluid and a second fluid
Implementation Method 4
the undulations of the bands create a tortuosity favorable to heat exchange between the first fluid circulating in the microchannels and the plate
Data Source
Figure 1~4D
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3~4C
AI summary
Heat exchange plate (2) for a device for exchanging heat between two fluids, said plate comprising strips (B1, B2) between two edges of the plate in a first direction (X), the strips (B1, B2) being placed side by side in a second direction (Y), each strip (B1, B2) comprising at least one fluid circulation channel extending from one end of the plate to the other and opening into the edges of the plate, said strips (B1, B2) having undulations comprising crests and troughs, two directly adjacent strips being arranged relative to one another in such a way that a crest of one strip and a crest of the directly adjacent strip are offset in the first direction (X) and that, in the second direction (Y), the crest of one strip and the trough of the directly adjacent strip delimit flow paths for the other fluid.