Welded Plate Heat Exchanger Corner Support Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Welded plate heat exchangers face issues with mechanical stress and potential leaks due to fragile fins and the need for definitive welding to achieve sealing, which limits the ability to perform complete sealing tests before assembly.
Innovation Solution
A plate design with opposing joining sides, support sides, and folded junction panels that allow for self-supporting plate stacks without needing to connect to angle brackets, enabling independent tightness and facilitating complete sealing tests before assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If vertical fins are used to secure plates to side members, then plate connection is achieved, but mechanical strength deteriorates due to fin fragility and weld bead breaks under thermal expansion stress
Solution Approach 1:
The plate is divided into distinct functional zones: a main panel for heat exchange and four corner portions that extend outward. Each corner portion is separately formed and can be independently connected to side members, distributing mechanical stress away from fragile fin-weld joints to robust corner-to-side member connections.
2Stability of the object's composition
If bosses are added to improve rigidity, then structural rigidity is enhanced, but fluid circulation is hindered due to reduced flow section and fouling zones
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding protruding bosses that extend into the fluid flow path, the invention extends corner portions in a planar dimension along the plate surface. The corner portions connect to side members at the plate's perimeter, providing rigidity through distributed structural support without intruding into the central fluid circulation channels.
3Reliability
If plates are welded to angle brackets for sealing, then tightness is achieved, but testing capability is lost as complete sealing tests cannot be performed before assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The plate's corner portions are pre-formed and configured to connect to side members in a standardized manner. This preliminary preparation allows the plate pack to be assembled and tested for tightness before final welding to angle brackets, as the corner-to-side member connections alone provide sufficient structural integrity for testing purposes.
4Strength
If corner portions extend to connect to side members, then plate support is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional forming operations
Solution Approach 1:
The corner portions are formed as an integrated part of the plate itself, merging the heat exchange surface with the connection elements. This eliminates the need for separate corner pieces or additional attachment components, reducing overall device complexity despite the enhanced support capability.
Data Source
AI summary
The plate has a main panel (10) comprising four connection sides and four support sides formed in a rectilinear manner. Joining panels (11a, 11b, 12a, 12b) extend from the connection sides, and connected to joining panels of another plate for forming pipes for circulating fluid, where the junction panels are designed with equal heights. Four support panels (20a-20d) extend from the respective support sides perpendicular to the main panel and connected to respective support panels of the latter plate for holding the plates together in a stack. An independent claim is also included for a heat exchanger.