Offset-Foil Heat Exchange Matrix for Compact Low-Resistance Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchange devices, such as adiabatic coolers and heat recovery wheels, face challenges in optimizing efficiency and reducing volume while maintaining effective heat exchange and humidity control, often resulting in increased energy consumption and bulkiness.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange matrix comprising a plurality of planar foils with strips offset from the main plane, arranged in a configuration that minimizes laminar boundary layer formation, enhancing heat exchange capacity and flow efficiency by ensuring strips are spaced to prevent excessive boundary layer interference and promote turbulent flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional adiabatic coolers use stacks of corrugated plates to optimize cooling efficiency, then heat exchange performance is improved, but device volume increases and becomes relatively voluminous
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from conventional two-dimensional corrugated plate stacking to a three-dimensional structured foil configuration. The foils are formed with multiple offset strips creating a spatially distributed heat exchange surface that utilizes volumetric space more effectively, increasing heat exchange capacity per unit volume without simply scaling up the device size.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchange surface is segmented into multiple offset strips on each foil, where adjacent strips are offset from one another. This segmentation creates a more efficient three-dimensional heat exchange structure that increases surface area within a compact volume, resolving the contradiction between heat exchange capacity and device volume.
2Productivity
If conventional heat exchangers use closely spaced plates to increase heat transfer surface area, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but flow resistance increases and energy consumption rises
Solution Approach 1:
By creating a three-dimensional structured foil with offset strips rather than using closely spaced two-dimensional plates, the invention maintains effective heat transfer surface area while creating larger flow channels. This reduces flow resistance and the energy required to move air through the heat exchanger.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset strip configuration creates locally optimized flow paths where air can move more freely between the strips. This local structural quality improvement reduces overall flow resistance while maintaining heat exchange efficiency, thereby reducing energy consumption.
3Use of energy by moving object
If conventional adiabatic coolers use large volume to reduce flow resistance, then energy consumption is reduced, but device volume increases and becomes bulkier
Solution Approach 1:
The three-dimensional structured foil with offset strips creates efficient flow paths within a compact volume. This spatial configuration reduces flow resistance without requiring a large device volume, simultaneously achieving low energy consumption and compact size.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite structure combining multiple foils with offset strip patterns to create an integrated heat exchange matrix. This composite configuration optimizes both flow characteristics and heat transfer surface area within a compact volume, resolving the contradiction between energy consumption and device volume.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional heat exchangers use simple planar structures for ease of manufacture, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but heat exchange capacity per unit volume is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention forms foils with three-dimensional offset strip structures that can be manufactured using conventional foil forming and shaping techniques. This approach achieves high heat exchange capacity per unit volume without requiring complex manufacturing processes, maintaining ease of manufacture while improving performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset distance between adjacent strips is optimized to balance manufacturing feasibility with heat exchange performance. By controlling this geometric parameter within practical ranges, the invention achieves high volumetric heat exchange capacity while remaining manufacturable using standard industrial processes.
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 matrix achieves higher heat exchange capacity per unit volume and improved flow resistance at typical HVAC air speeds, reducing energy consumption and device bulk while maintaining efficient evaporative cooling and moisture uptake.
Implementation Method 1
each strip is offset from the main plane by a distance that is different from that of its neighbour. The resulting matrix is believed to achieve considerably higher heat exchange capacity per unit volume and is furthermore believed to have a greater efficiency in terms of flow resistance at the air speeds generally encountered in HVAC applications.
Implementation Method 2
A heat exchange matrix comprising a plurality of planar foils with strips offset from the main plane, arranged in a configuration that minimizes laminar boundary layer formation, enhancing heat exchange capacity and flow efficiency by ensuring strips are spaced to prevent excessive boundary layer interference and promote turbulent flow.
Implementation Method 3
As water evaporates into the air stream, the latent heat of evaporation of this water is provided by the cooling of the air stream.
Implementation Method 4
For relatively hot, dry air, this method of cooling can be very efficient. Conventional adiabatic coolers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,792,841 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,658.
Implementation Method 5
Heat exchange may also take place between different media:—gas, liquid and solid media can be interfaced in all combinations according to the performance required.
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchange matrix includes a plurality of generally planar foils including a water retaining material, arranged in spaced, substantially parallel relationship. Each foil defines a main plane having a flow direction and a transverse direction and the foils include strips that extend a strip length in the transverse direction and are separated from each neighboring strip in the flow direction and each strip is offset from the main plane by a distance that is different from that of its neighbor. The matrix may be provided in a flow channel for air to be humidified and cooled.