Monolithic Multi-Pipe Heat Exchanger Structure for High-Pressure Compactness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing monolithic multi-pipe hydraulic devices, such as heat exchangers, are laborious, costly, and result in products with parallelepiped symmetry, leading to increased volume, weight, and difficulty in withstanding high pressures, making them less thermally efficient and mechanically strong.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method involving ducted metallic plates stacked with progressively decreasing width, subjected to diffusion welding and wrapped with a tensioned metallic cable to form a solid of revolution shape, reducing the need for additional neutral plates and enhancing mechanical strength and thermal efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional diffusion bonding of rectangular plates is used to manufacture monolithic heat exchangers, then the manufacturing process is well-established and reliable, but the resulting device has parallelepiped symmetry leading to increased volume, weight, and difficulty in withstanding high pressures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies spheroidality by transforming the conventional rectangular plate stacking into a cylindrical configuration. The metallic plates are arranged in a circular pattern and diffusion-bonded to form a monolithic block with cylindrical symmetry. This curved geometry naturally distributes stress more evenly under internal pressure, eliminating the need for thick cortical layers and significantly improving pressure withstanding capability while reducing overall device volume and weight.
2Stress or pressure
If thick cortical layers are added around the heat exchange core to withstand high pressures, then the device can operate at elevated pressures (≥900 bars), but the device becomes heavier and less thermally efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical configuration of the monolithic block eliminates the need for thick cortical layers by distributing internal pressure stresses uniformly across the curved surface. The circular geometry inherently resists radial pressure better than flat rectangular surfaces, allowing the device to withstand ≥900 bars without requiring additional weight-bearing structures, thus maintaining low weight while achieving high pressure capability.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple HIP cycles are applied to ensure proper bonding and channel opening, then the diffusion bonding quality is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes laborious and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-forming the metallic plates with accurately positioned channels and grooves before stacking and diffusion bonding. The plates are prepared with precise geometries and alignments in advance, allowing the diffusion bonding process to proceed in a single HIP cycle without requiring multiple intermediate steps for channel opening and re-bonding. This pre-preparation ensures high bonding quality while significantly reducing manufacturing time.
4Ease of manufacture
If rectangular plates are stacked to form monolithic blocks, then the manufacturing process is straightforward using conventional diffusion bonding, but the device volume is greater compared to cylindrical shell and tube heat exchangers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains manufacturing simplicity by using diffusion bonding of metallic plates, but transforms the final geometry from rectangular to cylindrical. The plates are stacked in a circular arrangement and bonded to form a compact cylindrical monolithic block. This cylindrical configuration achieves superior space utilization compared to rectangular blocks, reducing device volume while maintaining the ease of diffusion bonding manufacturing process.
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 method simplifies the process, reduces weight, and improves thermal efficiency while maintaining mechanical strength, enabling the device to withstand high pressures with a more compact design.
Implementation Method 1
The plates are joined together by diffusion welding to form a single monolithic block
Implementation Method 2
The monolithic block is wrapped with a tensioned metallic cable, which has been placed under mechanical tension at the time of winding on the lateral surface
Data Source
Figure 1~6
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A manufacturing method for monolithic hydraulic devices (1) such as heat exchangers, in which multiple ducted metallic plates (14, 15) provided with grooves (18) on at least one flat face thereof are assembled to form a stack (22) and then subjected to at least one thermomechanical integration cycle by diffusion bonding, to obtain a single monolithic block (2) provided with multiple internal pipes (3); the ducted metallic plates (14, 15) have the same shape but are made two-by-two with a progressively decreasing width beginning from a median plane of the stack, alternately above and below the median plane, so that the resulting monolithic block (2) basically has, at the end of the diffusion bonding step, the shape of a solid of revolution; successively, a tensioned metallic cable (7) is wound in a spiral and/or with a cross-winding on a lateral outer surface (6) of the monolithic block (2) and is then firmly fixed to the latter.