Plate Heat Exchanger Side-Mounted Connection Element
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing plate heat exchangers face high production costs and structural constraints due to socket arrangements on the top, limiting design freedom and increasing installation space requirements.
Innovation Solution
The connection piece is positioned on a protruding section of the connection element, allowing routing to the side, with a connection element comprising a sheet metal or forged duct part connected to a connection plate, forming an acute angle with the end plate, reducing the number of components and enabling flexible installation options.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the nozzle is arranged on the top side of the connection element, then the connection is structurally stable, but the installation space requirement along the vertical axis increases and design flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is repositioned from the top side to the side surface of the connection element, changing the spatial dimension of connection. This dimensional shift reduces the vertical axis space requirement while maintaining connection stability through the side-mounted configuration that allows lateral routing of connecting lines.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components (connection plate, channel section, nozzle) are used, then the assembly is modular and easy to manufacture, but the number of parts increases and production costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The connection plate, channel section, and nozzle are merged into a single integrated connection element. This unified structure reduces the number of separate parts and assembly steps while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through formable sheet metal or forged construction, thereby lowering production costs and complexity.
3Strength
If the connection element has a complex multi-component structure, then the structural integrity is enhanced, but the manufacturing cost and production complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connection element is designed as a single integrated component formed from sheet metal or forged material, which maintains structural integrity through continuous material structure while reducing manufacturing cost by eliminating multiple assembly operations and reducing the number of parts that need to be manufactured and assembled.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~8
Figure 9~12
AI summary
The exchanger (1) has bowl-like plates (3) parallel stacked one above the other and stretching flow areas of two media. A connecting element (6) retains a support (13) in an area of an end plate (5). The support is arranged at a section (7) of the connecting element, where the section protrudes with respect to the bowl-like plates. The support is fastened to a connecting plate in an area of an opening on a side of the connecting element, where the side is turned to the bowl-like plates. The element has a channel part that is formed as a deformed sheet metal or forging part or a casting part.