Plate Heat Exchanger Conversion Set for High-Pressure Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Tube bundle heat exchangers face inefficiencies due to laminar flow and thick tube walls, resulting in low heat transmission coefficients, large size, high costs, and increased energy expenses, especially at high pressures above 300 bar.
Innovation Solution
A conversion set incorporating a plate heat exchanger unit with heat exchanger plates of reduced thickness, supported by mounting plates and a tension means flow director forming a cage structure, which absorbs operational forces and directs flow, allowing for improved heat transfer and flexibility in heat exchange surface area without the need for a separate pressure jacket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If tube bundle heat exchangers are used for high pressure applications, then pressure resistance is improved, but heat transmission efficiency deteriorates due to laminar flow and thick tube walls
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the fundamental parameters of the heat exchange structure by replacing thick-walled tubes with thin-walled plates, transforming the flow regime from laminar to turbulent, and changing the pressure containment approach from thick-walled construction to a caged plate packet structure. This allows achieving both high pressure resistance and high heat transmission efficiency simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses thin-walled plates (0.6-1.0 mm thickness) instead of thick-walled tubes to create the heat exchange surface. These thin plates provide large surface area for heat transfer while the external cage structure provides the necessary pressure containment, eliminating the need for thick walls that hinder heat transmission.
2Loss of energy
If tube bundle heat exchangers are designed for adequate heat exchange surface area, then heat transfer capability is improved, but device size and weight increase leading to higher costs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention dramatically increases the heat exchange surface area to volume ratio by transitioning from tubular to plate geometry. The thin-walled plates folded into packet structures provide vastly more surface area within the same envelope, enabling compact high-performance heat exchangers that are both lightweight and highly efficient.
3Loss of energy
If plate heat exchanger units are used to improve heat transfer, then heat transmission coefficient is improved, but pressure resistance deteriorates due to inability to withstand high pressures above 300 bar
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the pressure containment function from the heat exchange function. The plate packet structure is divided into: (1) thin-walled plates for heat exchange, (2) mounting plates for structural support, and (3) tension means flow directors for pressure containment. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while working together as an integrated high-pressure heat exchanger.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a cage structure formed by mounting plates and tension means flow directors as an intermediary between the thin-walled plate packet and the external environment. This cage acts as a mediator that contains the high pressure while allowing the thin plates to maintain their heat exchange efficiency, effectively decoupling the pressure resistance requirement from the heat transmission requirement.
4Ease of manufacture
If conventional plate heat exchanger construction is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but adaptability to existing high pressure housings deteriorates due to need for separate pressure jacket
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the pressure containment function into the plate heat exchanger structure itself through the cage formed by mounting plates and tension means flow directors. This eliminates the need for a separate pressure jacket, making the plate heat exchanger adaptable to existing high-pressure housings while maintaining construction simplicity. The combined structure can be directly installed in conventional high-pressure equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a conversion set for a pipe bundle heat exchanger having a cylindrical housing. Using said conversion set, existing tube bundle heat exchangers can be changed over such that the efficiency and thus the heat transfer thereof is improved, large exchange surface areas are provided, and energy costs are reduced. The conversion set can also be used in high-pressure applications for pressures above 300 bar. According to the invention, the conversion set has at least one plate heat exchanger unit for replacing the tube bundle unit, comprising at least the following components: a plate packet having at least two heat exchanger plates, each comprising at least one through hole and welded to each other in pairs along the periphery thereof or along the periphery of the through holes, two mounting plates each having at least one through hole, wherein one each of the mounting plates is arranged at each end of the plate packet and is connected to each outermost heat exchanger plate of the plate packet, and at least one tension means extending in the longitudinal axis between the mounting plates and connected to both mounting plates, so that the two mounting plates and the tension means form a cage about the plate packet, said cage absorbing the forces arising in the plate packet in the operating state of the plate heat exchanger unit, wherein the outer diameter of the plate heat exchanger unit is adapted to the inner diameter of the cylindrical housing of the tube bundle heat exchanger, and the tension means is designed as a flow director extending at least partially around the periphery of the plate packet.