Techclean direct heat exchange fill
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fill packs in cooling towers are inefficient in terms of heat transfer and require multiple sheets, leading to high costs and maintenance issues.
Innovation Solution
A cross-corrugated fill sheet design with increased flute spacing and novel surface geometry, featuring alternating diagonal and vertical flute segments and microstructures, which enhances heat transfer while maintaining rigidity and reducing sheet count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional fill packs use multiple sheets with standard flute spacing, then structural strength is maintained, but heat transfer efficiency is reduced and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the flute geometry parameters - specifically increasing flute spacing and changing the flute profile shape. These parameter changes allow for reduced sheet count while maintaining or improving heat transfer efficiency, as the optimized flute geometry enhances water distribution and contact surface area per sheet.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces microstructures on the flute surfaces, adding a new dimensional feature to the existing flute geometry. This microstructural dimension enhances the effective heat transfer surface area and water distribution capabilities without increasing the overall sheet count, thereby improving productivity while reducing quantity of substance.
2Quantity of substance
If flute spacing is increased to reduce sheet count, then material costs decrease, but fill pack rigidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the flute spacing parameter to a specific range that balances rigidity requirements with material reduction goals. By carefully selecting the flute spacing parameter and combining it with optimized flute profile parameters, the patent achieves reduced sheet count while maintaining adequate structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structural system by combining the corrugated flute structure with surface microstructures. This composite approach allows the flutes to provide structural rigidity while the microstructures enhance heat transfer functionality, enabling material reduction without compromising strength.
3Productivity
If standard flute geometry is used, then manufacturing is simple, but heat transfer efficiency is suboptimal due to poor water distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the flute geometry parameters including spacing, profile shape, and angle to optimize water distribution patterns. These parameter changes enhance heat transfer efficiency by improving water flow characteristics across the fill pack surface, while still being compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates curved and angled flute profiles rather than straight geometric patterns. This curvature optimization enhances water distribution by guiding flow patterns more effectively across the surface, improving heat transfer efficiency while remaining manufacturable using conventional forming techniques.
4Quantity of substance
If sheet count is reduced to lower costs, then material costs decrease, but fill pack strength and rigidity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes multiple geometric parameters of the flute structure simultaneously - including spacing, depth, angle, and profile shape. These coordinated parameter changes maximize the structural efficiency of each individual sheet, allowing reduced sheet count while maintaining adequate strength through optimized geometry rather than quantity.
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
Improves heat transfer efficiency and reduces material costs by optimizing the number of sheets and enhancing water distribution, resulting in a superior performance-to-cost ratio.
Implementation Method 1
Heat exchangers are well known in industry and are designed to efficiently transfer heat from one medium to another... These cooling towers cause the evaporation of water to remove waste heat and cool water to near the wet-bulb air temperature
Implementation Method 2
Heat exchangers are well known in industry and are designed to efficiently transfer heat from one medium to another... ambient air AA enters at the bottom of hyperboloid cooling tower 10, flows upwardly through the fill pack assembly 14 and exits thehyperboloid cooling tower 10 as heated air HA while the heated water 12h flows, i.e. drips or rains, downwardly through the fill pack assembly 14 and exits the fill pack assembly 14 as cooled water 12c
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A fill sheet and a fill pack manufactured from a plurality of fill sheets for cooling a cooling medium in a cooling tower, each fill sheet having a plurality of flutes extending diagonally from top to bottom of the fill sheet, the diagonal orientation of the flutes resulting from a plurality of alternating longer diagonal flute segments and shorter vertical flute segments, each of the plurality of flutes having the microstructure comprising a plurality of alternating rounded mounds and rounded depressions extending between flat ridge edges and flat valley edges of said flutes.