Multi-Flow Heat Exchanger Layout for Thermal Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heat exchanger modules are not optimized for heat recovery from exhaust fluids at different temperatures, leading to high costs and space requirements, and they do not effectively manage mechanical stress from large temperature differences.
Innovation Solution
A multi-flow heat exchanger design that integrates multiple fluid flows into a single unit using a separator with cavity-forming elements to minimize heat transfer between adjacent flows, reducing production costs and mechanical stress, and allowing for efficient heat exchange by using a single housing and fewer components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple separate heat exchangers are used for different fluid flows, then heat exchange efficiency for each flow can be optimized, but production costs, material costs, weight, and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heat exchanger units into a single integrated heat exchanger with a common housing. Multiple cool conduits and hot conduits are arranged within the same housing, sharing common end plates and structural components. This merging reduces the total number of separate heat exchanger units needed while maintaining the ability to handle multiple fluid flows with different temperature requirements, thereby reducing production costs, material usage, weight, and space requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The common housing and end plates serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support for multiple conduits, act as thermal management surfaces for different fluid flows, and enable both heating and cooling operations across different conduits. The separator plate also serves dual purposes by both separating fluid flows and providing an additional thermal exchange surface.
2Area of stationary object
If cool conduits are arranged next to hot conduits to save space, then space efficiency improves, but unwanted heat transfer between adjacent conduits increases
Solution Approach 1:
A separator plate is positioned between adjacent cool conduits and hot conduits to act as a thermal barrier. This intermediary element prevents direct thermal coupling between conduits carrying fluids that should not exchange heat, while still allowing the conduits to be arranged in a compact configuration within the housing. The separator plate effectively blocks the harmful heat transfer path while maintaining the space-efficient arrangement.
3Weight of stationary object
If a single housing is used for multiple fluid flows, then material costs and weight are reduced, but managing different temperature gradients and mechanical stress becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The internal volume of the single housing is segmented into distinct zones using separator plates and carefully arranged conduit configurations. Each zone can accommodate conduits with similar temperature characteristics, thereby reducing the thermal gradients that any single structural component must withstand. This segmentation allows the housing to manage multiple temperature gradients simultaneously while limiting the stress on individual components.
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 reduces production and material costs, minimizes heat transfer between fluid flows by up to a factor of 10, and mitigates mechanical stress from temperature gradients, enabling efficient heat recovery while saving space.
Implementation Method 1
A heat exchanging element is arranged between the cool conduit and the hot conduit for exchanging heat between the cool fluid and the hot fluid
Implementation Method 2
The separator limits a fluid flow into or in the cavity or both such as to limit a heat exchange between the further conduit and the respective cool or hot conduit arranged on the same side of the heat exchanging element
Data Source
AI summary
The heat exchanger includes a cool conduit (2,3), a hot conduit (4) and a heat exchanging element (1) arranged between the cool conduit (2,3) and the hot conduit (4). The heat exchanger also includes at least one further conduit (3,2) arranged next to the cool conduit (2,3) or to the hot conduit (4) on a same side of the heat exchanging element (1) as said respective cool or hot conduit. The further conduit is separated from the respective cool or hot conduit by a separator (5) that includes two separating elements (51,52) arranged at a distance to each other and forming a cavity (53) between the two separating elements (51,52). The separator restricts a fluid flow into or in the cavity (53) such as to limit a heat exchange between the further conduit (3,2) and the respective cool or hot conduit on the same side of the heat exchanging element (1).