Spacing Comb with V-Shaped Tabs for Heat Exchanger Coil Positioning
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacing combs for heat exchangers are not easily manufacturable and often fail to meet the design parameters for optimal heat exchange between hot gases and liquid in water heaters or domestic boilers, such as coil spacing and stiffness.
Innovation Solution
A spacing comb made from a metal sheet blank with V-shaped tabs bent at right angles and end wings, allowing for greater length and stiffness, and a method involving shearing and bending to create spacers and end wings that optimize coil spacing and fluid dynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If tabs are made with length greater than pitch using conventional straight configurations, then manufacturing becomes difficult and structural solidity is insufficient, but the invention uses V-shaped tabs inserted one into another to achieve both ease of manufacture and structural solidity
Solution Approach 1:
The tabs are configured with a V-shape (curved geometry) instead of straight lines. This curvature allows the tabs to be inserted one into another while maintaining structural solidity and achieving the required length greater than pitch, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and structural strength
Solution Approach 2:
The V-shaped tabs are inserted one into another in a nested arrangement. This nesting configuration enables the tabs to achieve greater effective length while maintaining structural integrity, and facilitates easier manufacturing through sequential assembly
2Reliability
If coil spacing is optimized for heat exchange, then heat exchange efficiency improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spacing comb is pre-formed with precisely spaced tabs at the required pitch during manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that when the comb is used to space the coils, the optimal spacing for heat exchange is automatically achieved without requiring high precision during the coil winding process itself
Solution Approach 2:
The spacing comb acts as an intermediary tool between the manufacturing process and the final coil assembly. It translates manufacturing capabilities into precise coil spacing, enabling optimal heat exchange efficiency while accommodating standard manufacturing tolerances
3Adaptability or versatility
If tabs are made longer than pitch to improve spacing capability, then coil spacing flexibility increases, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The V-shape configuration enables tabs to be longer than the pitch between them while maintaining manufacturability. The curved geometry allows the tabs to clear each other during insertion, providing spacing flexibility without requiring complex manufacturing processes
Solution Approach 2:
The spacing comb is divided into multiple identical V-shaped tabs that can be manufactured separately and then assembled by insertion. This segmentation allows each tab to be optimized for length greater than pitch while keeping the overall manufacturing process simple and modular
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~6
AI summary
A spacing comb (10) is configured so as to keep the coils (4) of a tubular member (3) of a heat exchanger (1) at a given distance apart from one another and being made from a metal sheet blank (20), which extends along a longitudinal axis (A1) and comprises a base (15); a plurality of tabs (11), which are placed partially side by side along the longitudinal axis (A1), and are configured for being bent at right angles with respect to the base (15) so as to define a plurality of spacers supported by the base (15).