Spacer Insert for Plate Heat Exchanger Rim Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional plate heat exchangers face issues with gasket deformation and misalignment due to complex plate patterns, leading to potential weak spots and inefficient heat transfer.
Innovation Solution
A spacer is introduced to be positioned between the rim regions of heat transfer plates, featuring a base part with gasket-free and gasket sections, and porous diagonal support sections to align and support the plates, preventing contact at rim regions and ensuring proper sealing and flow paths.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gaskets are positioned between heat transfer plates to seal flow paths, then sealing function is improved, but gasket deformation and misalignment occur
Solution Approach 1:
A spacer is introduced as an intermediary component between heat transfer plates. The spacer includes a rigid base part with gasket support sections that provide precise positioning for gaskets, preventing deformation and misalignment. The spacer acts as a mediator that maintains the sealing function while eliminating the alignment problems associated with direct gasket placement between plates.
2Reliability
If complex patterns are formed at rim and opening areas of heat transfer plates, then sealing and flow path functions are improved, but plate manufacturing complexity and misalignment risk increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing and alignment functions are extracted from the heat transfer plates themselves and transferred to a separate spacer component. The plates can therefore have simpler, less complex patterns while the spacer provides the necessary sealing surfaces and alignment features, including guide sections that ensure proper positioning during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing and alignment functions are segmented into a separate component (spacer) rather than being integrated into the heat transfer plates. This segmentation allows the plates to focus on heat transfer while the spacer handles sealing and positioning, reducing overall system complexity and misalignment risk.
3Strength
If frame plates with significant thickness are used to take up great loads, then structural strength is improved, but overall heat exchanger size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer utilizes composite construction with a rigid base part for structural strength and porous diagonal support sections for additional load-bearing capacity. This composite approach allows the use of thinner overall components while maintaining strength, reducing the weight and size of frame plates needed to handle loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer includes porous diagonal support sections that provide structural reinforcement. These porous sections add strength and stiffness to the spacer, allowing the overall heat exchanger structure to use thinner, lighter frame plates while maintaining load-bearing 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 spacer enhances the rigidity and alignment of heat transfer plates, reducing the likelihood of gasket deformation and misalignment, while allowing for efficient fluid flow and heat transfer by eliminating the need for complex patterns at the rim regions.
Implementation Method 1
The spacer is formed with porous diagonal support sections defining the inner side of a spacer opening (114, 115) relative to the inner hollow (105) and adapted to be positioned in a diagonal area of a heat transfer plate (11) and adapted to allow flow passing between a plate opening (14, 15) and the heat transferring area (13).
Implementation Method 2
The inner hollow (105) may be adapted for the two heat transfer plates to contact in a heat transferring area defined by said two connected heat transfer plates.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
The present invention introduces a spacer adapted to be sandwiched between the rim regions of two adjacent heat transfer plates of a plate heat exchanger, where the spacer is formed with a gasket in the surface adapted to encircle an inner hollow of said spacer.