Plate-Stacked Heat Exchanger Flow Paths for Compact High Heat Transfer
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional plate-stacked heat exchangers face challenges in increasing heat exchange capacity without enlarging their size, making them unsuitable for installation in limited spaces such as vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The heat exchanger design includes flow path bulging portions and expanded portions on heat exchanger plates, allowing for increased heat transfer area while maintaining a compact shape, with features like header bulging portions and symmetrical flow paths to enhance heat exchange efficiency and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the core unit is lengthened in the refrigerant flow direction and enlarged in the ventilation direction to increase heat exchange capacity, then the amount of heat exchanged increases, but the size of the heat exchanger increases making it difficult to secure installation space in limited spaces such as vehicles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional planar plate structure to a three-dimensional structure by forming flow path bulging portions that protrude from the plate surface. This dimensional change allows the heat exchange flow path to utilize space in the thickness direction, effectively increasing the heat exchange capacity without proportionally increasing the overall heat exchanger volume. The flow path bulging portions create additional heat transfer area within the same footprint by exploiting the third dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow path bulging portions are formed by folding or bending the plate material itself, creating a nested structure where the heat exchange flow path is contained within the plate thickness. This nesting approach allows the heat exchange pathways to be embedded within the plate structure, maximizing space utilization and increasing heat transfer area without significantly increasing the external dimensions of the heat exchanger.
2Productivity
If the flow path area is increased to improve heat exchange efficiency, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but the heat exchanger becomes larger
Solution Approach 1:
The flow path bulging portions extend in the thickness direction of the plate, allowing the heat exchange flow path to occupy three-dimensional space rather than being confined to a two-dimensional plane. This enables increased flow path area and heat transfer surface area without increasing the footprint area of the heat exchanger, as the expansion occurs primarily in the vertical dimension rather than the horizontal dimensions.
3Productivity
If the core unit is enlarged to increase heat exchange capacity, then the amount of heat exchanged increases, but the complexity of the heat exchanger structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The plate structure is segmented into distinct functional regions: flow path forming portions with bulging sections for heat exchange, header portions for fluid distribution, and communication holes for connectivity. This segmentation allows each region to be optimized independently while maintaining overall structural integrity, enabling increased heat exchange capacity through modular repetition of the bulging flow path units without proportionally increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flow path forming portions and header portions are merged into a single integrated plate structure, eliminating the need for separate components. The communication holes directly connect the header portions of adjacent plates, creating integrated flow paths without requiring additional piping or connecting elements. This merging reduces structural complexity while maintaining enhanced heat exchange capacity.
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 high heat exchange rates with improved heat transfer efficiency and compactness, reducing flow resistance and ensuring even circulation of heating media, thus enhancing the heat exchanger's performance in limited spaces.
Implementation Method 1
heat transfer between the first heating medium flowing through the flow path forming portions and the second heating medium flowing outside the flow path forming portions is promoted
Implementation Method 2
The flow paths can be expanded by the flow path forming portion-side expanded portions
Data Source
AI summary
A plate-stacked heat exchanger is proposed which exchanges heat with high heat exchange efficiency in flow paths each including an internal space bulging outward between two heat transfer plates. A flow path forming portion includes a plurality of flow path bulging portions that bulges outward of a heat exchanger plate and forms heat exchange flow paths of a first heating medium therein, and a header portion includes a communication hole communicating with the header portion of an adjacent heat exchanger plate, and a flow path forming portion-side expanded portion expanding from the communication hole toward the flow path forming portion, and the flow path forming portion-side expanded portion communicates with the plurality of heat exchange flow paths. Consequently, heat can be exchanged in a greater width. Therefore, a high heat exchange rate can be obtained.