Nested-Flow Heat Exchangers for High Surface Area Reactors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heat exchangers and chemical reactors face high capital costs and energy inefficiencies due to complex construction techniques and material requirements, particularly in processes like Steam Methane Reforming, Water Shift Reaction, Haber-Bosch, and urea production, where energy conversion is low and capital investment is significant.
Innovation Solution
The nested-flow technology involves the nesting of circular tubes with spacers to create open flow channels, allowing for efficient heat transfer and chemical reactions, reducing costs by optimizing hydraulic diameter and flow area, and incorporating phase change jackets for energy management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If printed circuit etching technologies are used to construct heat exchangers with small hydraulic diameters, then heat transfer area per volume increases, but construction complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies nesting by placing multiple heat exchanger tubes of different diameters concentrically within each other, creating a nested-flow configuration. This allows achieving high heat transfer area per volume ratios without requiring complex printed circuit etching, as the nested circular tubes provide efficient heat transfer surfaces while maintaining manufacturability through standard tube construction techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional flat plate heat exchangers to three-dimensional nested circular tube configurations. By utilizing the radial dimension and creating concentric flow paths, the design achieves high heat transfer area per volume while using simple cylindrical geometries that are easier to manufacture than etched plates.
2Ease of manufacture
If standard construction techniques and materials are used instead of complex printed circuit etching, then capital investment decreases, but heat transfer performance may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nested tube configuration allows standard construction techniques to achieve high heat transfer performance by maximizing the use of available surface area through concentric arrangement. Multiple tubes nested within each other provide extensive heat transfer area without requiring expensive etching processes, as each tube can be manufactured using conventional tube drawing and welding techniques.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes heat transfer performance by carefully selecting tube diameters, wall thicknesses, and nested configurations to achieve desired heat transfer coefficients. By adjusting these geometric parameters, the design maintains high heat transfer efficiency while using standard construction materials and methods rather than expensive etched plates.
3Area of stationary object
If smaller hydraulic diameter tubes are used, then heat transfer area per volume increases, but pressure drop and pumping requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The nested tube design provides multiple flow paths with different hydraulic diameters, allowing optimization of the balance between heat transfer area and pressure drop. Smaller nested tubes provide high heat transfer area where needed, while the overall configuration maintains adequate flow areas to limit excessive pressure drops compared to single small-diameter tube designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple nested tube sections, each contributing to the total heat transfer area. This segmentation allows the flow to be distributed across multiple paths, reducing the velocity and pressure drop in any single path while maintaining high overall heat transfer area through the combined nested configuration.
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
This approach results in more cost-effective heat exchangers and chemical reactors with improved energy efficiency, reduced non-desirable product formation, and lower corrosion impacts, enabling higher production rates and energy savings.
Implementation Method 1
Heat exchangers are used to transfer heat (thermal energy) from one process flow to another
Implementation Method 2
incorporating phase change jackets for energy management
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a technology based upon the nesting of tubes to provide chemical reactors or chemical reactors with built in heat exchanger. As a chemical reactor, the technology provides the ability to manage the temperature within a process flow for improved performance, control the location of reactions for corrosion control, or implement multiple process steps within the same piece of equipment. As a chemical reactor with built in heat exchanger, the technology can provide large surface areas per unit volume and large heat transfer coefficients. The technology can recover the thermal energy from the product flow to heat the reactant flow to the reactant temperature, significantly reducing the energy needs for accomplishment of a process.