Spiral Tube Heat Exchanger Vertical Flow Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat exchangers require a large installation space due to their horizontal design and multiple straight tubes, leading to a complex structure without a compact size, and they are prone to freezing and reduced heat transfer efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A compact heat exchanger design featuring a spiral pipe portion with a vertical central axis, where multiple tubes are positioned with varying distances from the central axis, allowing for efficient heat exchange between cooling water and refrigerant, minimizing installation space, and facilitating easy cleaning and reduced risk of freezing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple straight pipe-shaped tubes are disposed horizontally in the shell, then heat exchange between cooling water and refrigerant can be achieved, but the heat exchanger requires a large installation space and has a complicated structure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from horizontal tube arrangement to vertical spiral tube arrangement, changing the spatial dimension of heat exchange. The spiral pipe portion extends vertically with multiple windings, allowing cooling water to flow vertically while refrigerant flows through the spiral tube, thereby reducing the horizontal footprint and achieving compact installation while maintaining heat exchange efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a spiral curved tube structure instead of straight tubes. The spiral pipe portion winds vertically with a specific curvature radius, creating a compact three-dimensional heat exchange path that maximizes heat transfer surface area within a small installation space, resolving the contradiction between heat exchange efficiency and compact size
2Quantity of substance
If multiple straight pipes are disposed to be longitudinally long in the shell, then heat exchange area is increased, but the number of tubes and tube seats increases, making the structure more complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple straight tube segments into a single continuous spiral tube structure. The spiral pipe portion is formed by continuously winding the tube in a spiral pattern, eliminating the need for multiple separate tubes and their corresponding tube seats, thereby reducing structural complexity while maintaining or increasing the heat exchange area
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tube into different functional portions: a spiral pipe portion for primary heat exchange and straight pipe portions for connection. This segmentation allows the spiral portion to provide compact high-efficiency heat exchange while the straight portions facilitate easy connection and maintenance, reducing overall structural complexity
3Productivity
If cooling water flows through the shell with straight horizontal tubes, then heat transfer occurs, but the cooling water is prone to freezing and rupture
Solution Approach 1:
The spiral curved tube structure prevents cooling water stagnation by creating continuous vertical flow through the spiral windings. This curvature-based design ensures constant water movement, preventing ice formation and reducing rupture risk while maintaining effective heat transfer between the cooling water and refrigerant
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the flow direction from horizontal to vertical through the spiral structure. The vertical downward flow in the spiral pipe portion ensures continuous movement of cooling water, preventing freezing even in cold environments, while the spiral configuration maintains high heat transfer efficiency through increased contact area
4Productivity
If the heat exchanger is designed with horizontal long shell and multiple tubes, then heat exchange function is achieved, but the compact size is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reorients the heat exchange from horizontal to vertical dimension. The spiral pipe portion extends vertically with multiple windings, allowing the heat exchanger to achieve the required heat exchange area by utilizing vertical space rather than horizontal space, thereby achieving a compact horizontal footprint while maintaining full heat exchange functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The spiral tube structure effectively nests multiple turns of the tube within a compact vertical space. The spiral windings are arranged concentrically, allowing the tube to occupy minimal horizontal space while providing sufficient heat exchange surface area, achieving compact size without sacrificing heat exchange function
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 a compact heat exchanger with enhanced heat transfer efficiency between cooling water and refrigerant, minimizes the risk of rupture due to freezing, and allows for easy maintenance by separating components for cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling water can exchange heat with the spiral pipe portion of the tube as much as possible
Implementation Method 2
cooling water that flows into the shell and be discharged outside the shell, and second fluid that is a refrigerant may be cooled by the cooling water while passing through a tube
Data Source
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AI summary
A heat exchanger of the present invention includes: a case in which a space is formed; a tope cover coupled to the top of the case; a lower cover coupled to the bottom of the case; a cooling water inflow pipe guiding cooling water flowing into the space and having an exit end through which cooling water comes out into the space; a tube through which a refrigerant that exchanges heat with the cooling water passes; and a cooling water discharge pipe guiding the cooling water discharged from the space and having an inlet end that the cooling water enters, in which the tube has a spiral pipe portion positioned in the space and spirally wound, the inlet end is positioned to be spaced from the top cover under the top cover, the height of the inlet end is larger than the height of the upper end of the spiral pipe portion, and the height between the exit end and the lower cover is smaller than the height between the inlet end and the lower cover; therefore, it is possible to achieve a compact heat exchanger while minimizing the installation space and the cooling water can exchange heat with the spiral pipe portion of the tube as much as possible.