Modular Plate Heat Exchanger With Individually Removable Elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Plate-type heat exchangers face issues with fouling, maintenance downtime, susceptibility to water hammer events, and reduced efficiency due to metallurgical welding, especially in water-to-water applications, necessitating improved durability and ease of maintenance without increased costs.
Innovation Solution
A modular heat exchanger design with individually removable plate elements, featuring gaskets and bolts for pressure relief, and a smooth internal structure for efficient fluid flow, allowing easy cleaning and maintenance while maintaining efficiency and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If corrugations are formed in plate surfaces to create turbulence for increased heat transfer efficiency, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but fouling and blockage from sediment and contaminants increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different surface qualities to different regions of the plate. The flow distribution area has a smooth surface to prevent fouling and facilitate cleaning, while the flow channels maintain corrugations for turbulence. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by placing smooth surfaces where contaminants accumulate and corrugations where heat transfer is prioritized.
2Reliability
If stacked plate exchangers are cleaned and maintained professionally multiple times a year, then fouling and blockage are removed, but system shutdown time and operational loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plate assembly is segmented into individually removable plates held together by bolts and gaskets. This allows specific plates to be removed for cleaning while others remain in service, eliminating the need for complete system shutdown and enabling continuous operation during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The smooth surface design and modular plate structure enable easy self-cleaning of the exchanger. Plates can be quickly removed and cleaned without requiring professional service or complete system shutdown, allowing operators to perform maintenance themselves with minimal downtime.
3Strength
If metallurgic welding is used to strengthen the plate assembly for water hammer resistance, then structural integrity is improved, but repair difficulty and potential for cracks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces metallurgic welding with a mechanical fastening system using bolts, gaskets, and clamps to join plates and provide structural strength. This substitution eliminates the risks of welding-induced cracks while maintaining water hammer resistance and enabling easy disassembly for repair and maintenance.
4Reliability
If plate thickness and structural reinforcement are increased to withstand water hammer events, then water hammer resistance is improved, but heat transfer efficiency and construction cost decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The plate assembly is divided into multiple thin plates rather than using fewer thick plates. This segmentation allows each plate to remain thin for optimal heat transfer while the collective assembly, reinforced by bolts and gaskets, provides sufficient strength to withstand water hammer events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction combining thin metal plates with flexible gaskets and bolt fasteners. This composite structure provides both the heat transfer efficiency of thin plates and the structural strength needed for water hammer resistance, avoiding the need to increase individual plate thickness.
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 enables efficient water-to-water heat exchange using seawater, withstands water hammer events without efficiency loss, and allows quick maintenance with minimal downtime, ensuring high durability and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
When in use for exchanging heat between a first fluid (e.g., a warm fluid) and a second fluid (e.g., a cold fluid), the two fluids flow through the adjacent flow channels in an alternating manner
Implementation Method 2
Corrugations, which will typically be formed in the surfaces of the stacked exchanger plates to create turbulence in the flow channels for increased heat transfer efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A plate-type heat exchanger and methods of construction and use wherein one or more separate, individual heat exchanging plate elements, through which a heat exchange fluid flows, are used which can (a) withstand pressure surge events, (b) allow the exchanger and the plate elements to be easily cleaned and maintained, and (c) allow the plate elements to be individually and separately removed from the exchanger for cleaning or maintenance while the exchanger remains online and while any other plate elements in the heat exchanger continue to operate.