Plate Heat Exchanger Port Layout for Uniform Flow Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plate heat exchangers fail to efficiently distribute and collect fluid flow across the entire width of the heat exchanger plates while maintaining mechanical stability, considering material consumption and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring alternating channels with fin structures folded back and forth between plates, incorporating distribution and collection structures with inclined interfaces relative to the fin direction, and optimized port configurations to enhance flow distribution and collection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional plate heat exchanger designs are used, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the fluid flow distribution and collection across the width of the plates is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is divided into multiple plates stacked together, with each plate containing distributed channels. The fluid flow path is segmented into multiple parallel channels across the plate width, allowing efficient distribution and collection while maintaining a relatively simple individual plate structure. This segmentation enables improved heat transfer efficiency without proportionally increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plate structure incorporates locally optimized features including specific channel geometries, distributed inlet/outlet ports positioned at corners, and varied channel arrangements in different interspaces. These local quality improvements enable efficient fluid distribution across the plate width while keeping the overall design manageable.
2Stability of the object's composition
If more material is used to improve mechanical stability, then the structure becomes more stable, but material consumption and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single large thick plate, the structure is segmented into multiple thinner plates stacked together. This segmentation achieves the required mechanical stability through the stacked configuration and distribution of loads across multiple interfaces, while using less total material compared to a single solid plate of equivalent stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat exchanger employs a composite structure where multiple plate materials and sealing elements are combined in a stacked assembly. This composite approach achieves mechanical stability through the interaction of multiple components rather than relying on a single heavy material, reducing overall material consumption.
3Productivity
If the number of channels is increased to improve heat transfer, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple channels are created by stacking identical or similar plates, each with its own channel pattern. This segmentation allows the same manufacturing process to be repeated for each plate, maintaining manufacturing ease while achieving high heat transfer efficiency through the cumulative effect of multiple channels in the stack.
Solution Approach 2:
Each plate in the stack serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains fluid channels for heat transfer, and creates sealing interfaces with adjacent plates. This multi-functionality allows a relatively simple plate design to contribute to multiple performance aspects, including heat transfer efficiency and mechanical stability, without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
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 design achieves efficient fluid distribution and collection across the entire width of the heat exchanger plates, improving mechanical stability and reducing material consumption and manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
The components of the plate heat exchangers and especially the heat exchanger plates are typically made of metal but could be made of any other material as long as it is sufficiently strong and has sufficient heat conduction properties
Implementation Method 2
Plate heat exchangers for transferring heat between different mediums, e.g., different fluids or gases
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger includes a stack of heat exchanger plates, and first and second sets of channels. In each channel in the respective set of channels fin structures are between the plates. Each plate includes first and second inlet ports, and first and second outlet ports at a respective corner portion and extending through the stack. A distribution structure is at the respective inlet port and a collection structure is at the respective outlet port. The distribution structure, respectively the collection structure is positioned between the port and the respective fin structure. An internal interface between the respective distribution structure and the fin structure and/or an internal interface between the respective collection structure and the fin structure in the respective channel of the first channel set and/or in the respective channel of the second channel set is inclined relative to both the longitudinally extending fin direction and a transversal direction.