Plastic material internal heat exchanger
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional coaxial tube heat exchangers made of aluminum are inefficient in reducing weight and production costs when transitioning to synthetic materials, as synthetic materials require thicker walls, increasing weight and cost.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchange device with coaxially disposed flow paths, where at least one flow path is implemented with a synthetic material and the other with metal, such as aluminum, to optimize heat transfer and minimize weight and cost, while maintaining efficient heat exchange performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional coaxial tube heat exchangers are made of synthetic material to reduce cost, then production cost decreases, but wall thickness must increase leading to increased weight
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger combines synthetic material (polyamide or polypropylene) for the outer tube with aluminum for the inner tube. This composite construction allows the synthetic material to provide cost benefits and corrosion resistance, while the aluminum inner tube maintains thin wall thickness for low weight and high heat transfer efficiency. The differential expansion is accommodated through flexible connection elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from uniform synthetic material to a combination of synthetic and metal materials. This parameter change enables optimization of both cost (through synthetic material) and weight (through thin-walled aluminum inner tube), resolving the contradiction between production cost and weight.
2Productivity
If the inner tube diameter is increased for low-pressure refrigerant flow, then heat exchange efficiency improves, but wall thickness and weight increase significantly for synthetic materials
Solution Approach 1:
By using aluminum for the inner tube, the design achieves large diameter for high heat exchange efficiency while maintaining thin wall thickness (1-3mm). Aluminum's high strength-to-weight ratio and thermal conductivity allow the inner tube to be both large and lightweight, unlike synthetic materials which would require thick walls.
Solution Approach 2:
Different materials are assigned to different regions: aluminum for the inner tube where high heat transfer and low weight are critical, and synthetic material for the outer tube where cost and corrosion resistance are priorities. This local optimization resolves the contradiction between efficiency and weight.
3Ease of manufacture
If synthetic material is used for the entire heat exchanger, then cost of production decreases, but heat transfer efficiency decreases due to material properties
Solution Approach 1:
The hybrid construction places aluminum (high thermal conductivity) in the inner tube where heat transfer is most critical, while synthetic material (lower cost) forms the outer tube. This composite approach achieves cost reduction through synthetic material while maintaining high heat transfer efficiency through the aluminum inner tube.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies different materials locally: aluminum in the heat transfer-critical inner region and synthetic material in the outer region. This local quality differentiation optimizes both cost and heat transfer efficiency, resolving the contradiction between these two parameters.
4Weight of moving object
If thin-walled aluminum tubes are used, then weight decreases and heat transfer efficiency increases, but production cost increases compared to synthetic materials
Solution Approach 1:
The outer tube is made of cost-effective synthetic material while the inner tube uses lightweight aluminum. This composite structure achieves overall weight reduction through the aluminum inner tube while controlling cost through the synthetic outer tube, resolving the contradiction between weight and production cost.
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 device achieves efficient heat exchange with minimal weight and cost, comparable to aluminum devices, by utilizing synthetic materials for one flow path and metal for the other, reducing heat loss and maintaining high operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
Heat is transferred from the refrigerant at high pressure to the refrigerant at low pressure
Implementation Method 2
conventional coaxial tube heat exchangers of aluminum are operated according to the counter flow principle which ensures good heat transfer and efficient heat exchange
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a device for heat exchange, in particular in a refrigerant circuit, with at least one first flow path and at least one second flow path, which, in a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the device, are disposed coaxially with respect to one another, and each of which comprises at least one flow channel. The device is realized of a synthetic material.