Split Heat Pipe Exchanger with Damper Assembly for Reheating Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Passive heat exchangers in ventilation systems, such as wraparound heat pipe systems, often provide excessive heat exchange under certain conditions, leading to overheating, and existing solutions like shutoff valves and bypass dampers are not finely tunable to adjust heat exchange effectively.
Innovation Solution
A heat exchanger design featuring a damper assembly with a single actuator that adjusts between heat exchange and bypass configurations, allowing air to flow through either the heat pipe or bypass plenums, thereby controlling the heat transfer by selectively blocking or permitting airflow through the heat pipe segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If passive heat pipe system is designed with excessive heat exchange capacity for typical conditions, then heat exchange during typical operating conditions is improved, but excessive reheating occurs under certain conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the heat pipe system adjustable rather than fixed. A damper assembly with actuators dynamically controls the airflow through the heat pipe plenum, allowing the system to transition between different operational states (full heat exchange, partial heat exchange, or bypass mode) based on real-time temperature and humidity conditions, thereby preventing excessive reheating while maintaining high capacity when needed
2Object-affected harmful factors
If shutoff valves are installed to reduce heat exchange capacity, then excessive reheating is prevented, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control function into the existing damper assembly structure that is already part of the ventilation system. Rather than adding separate shutoff valves and control mechanisms, the invention integrates the heat pipe airflow control into the damper assembly, using the same actuator infrastructure to control both the damper blades and heat pipe plenum airflow, thereby reducing overall system complexity
3Object-affected harmful factors
If bypass dampers are installed to direct air flow, then excessive reheating is prevented, but device complexity and maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by using actuators that are already integrated into the damper assembly control system. The same actuators that control the damper blades also control the heat pipe plenum airflow, eliminating the need for separate maintenance procedures for additional control mechanisms. The system leverages existing actuator infrastructure to provide automated control, reducing maintenance burden
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
This solution prevents excessive reheating by disabling or reducing the heat exchange capacity of the heat exchanger, maintaining optimal temperature conditions in ventilation systems while minimizing maintenance and backpressure.
Implementation Method 1
A heat pipe system includes a refrigerant. The heat pipe system includes a first heat pipe portion and a second heat pipe portion.
Implementation Method 2
The heat pipe system includes a first heat pipe portion and a second heat pipe portion such that the refrigerant can flow through the heat pipe system
Data Source
AI summary
A heat pipe heat exchanger is used in combination with a damper assembly to selectively control an amount of heat exchange provided. A divider defines discrete heat pipe plenums and bypass plenums within a duct, and the heat pipe system is configured so that all of the coils of one portion of the heat pipe system are received in the heat pipe plenum(s), while the bypass plenum(s) are free of any coils. The damper assembly includes adjustable heat pipe dampers aligned with the heat pipe plenums and adjustable bypass dampers aligned with the bypass plenums.