Plate-Stack Refrigerant Heat Exchanger With Simplified Corrugation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of the wavy corrugation on plates in typical refrigerant heat exchangers increases production costs and complicates the structure, while reducing the gap between plates and the container wall, which can lead to higher costs and complexity in manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerant heat exchanger with a simplified configuration featuring plates with concavo-convex portions that form first and second heat exchange flow passages, where the second heat exchange flow passage extends and bends toward the end portion of the plates downward, and the first heat exchange flow passage extends upward, facilitating production and enhancing heat transfer efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the side end portions of the plates are disposed along the inner wall surface of the hollow container to reduce the gap, then the size of the hollow container is reduced, but the wavy corrugation on the plates becomes complex and the structure of the plate stack becomes more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The plate stack is divided into multiple individual plates with standardized corrugation patterns. Each plate is a separate component that can be manufactured independently using the same mold, then stacked together to form the complete heat exchanger assembly. This segmentation allows the container to be sized appropriately while maintaining simple, manufacturable plate structures.
2Reliability
If complex wavy corrugation is formed on the plates to enhance heat transfer, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing cost and structural complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
All plates in the stack use the same standardized corrugation pattern with uniform wave height, wavelength, and orientation. This homogeneity ensures consistent heat transfer performance across the entire heat exchanger while allowing all plates to be manufactured using a single mold design, significantly reducing tooling costs and simplifying the manufacturing process.
3Reliability
If multiple plate-shaped dissipation members are inserted into the center part of the plates, then heat transmission is enhanced, but the structure becomes more complicated and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat dissipation function is extracted from separate insertable members and integrated directly into the plate structure itself through standardized corrugations. The corrugated plates provide the necessary surface area and heat transfer pathways without requiring additional dissipation members, thereby simplifying the overall structure and eliminating the complexity of inserting and positioning multiple separate components.
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 simplified structure reduces production costs and enhances heat-transmitting efficiency by allowing for a more straightforward assembly process and optimizing the flow of refrigerants, ensuring effective heat transfer between mediums.
Implementation Method 1
a plate stack disposed on an inner lower side of the hollow container, including plates each having a front side and a back side which are stacked to form a first heat exchange flow passage through which a first refrigerant flows and a second heat exchange flow passage through which a second refrigerant flows
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A refrigerant heat exchanger includes: a hollow container having a cylindrical shape; a plate stack disposed on an inner lower side of the hollow container, including plates each having a front side and a back side with a plurality of concavo-convex portions formed thereon which are stacked to form a first heat exchange flow passage through which a first refrigerant flows and a second heat exchange flow passage through which a second refrigerant flows; a supply pipe disposed in an interior space of the hollow container above the plate stack and configured to supply the first refrigerant to the plate stack; and a discharge pipe configured to exchange heat between the first refrigerant supplied from the supply pipe and the second refrigerant flowing through the plate stack and to discharge the first refrigerant. A lower side of the plates has a semi-circular shape along and adjacent to an inner wall surface of the hollow container. An upper side of the plates has a flattened shape having a greater curvature radius than that of the semi-circular shape. A second introduction hole which extends in a plate-stacking direction and into which the second refrigerant is introduced is disposed in an upper portion of the plate stack, and a second lead-out hole which extends in the plate-stacking direction and from which the second refrigerant is led out is disposed in a lower portion of the plate stack. The second heat exchange flow passage extends and bends diagonally downward from the second introduction hole toward the second lead-out hole downward, and the first heat exchange flow passage extends diagonally upward from the second lead-out hole.