Tube Bundle Heat Exchanger Deflection Plates

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing tube bundle heat exchangers for degassing polymer solutions often fail to meet strict quality requirements for residual dissolved substances due to uneven heat transfer coefficients, leading to increased production and assembly complexities.

Innovation Solution

A tube bundle heat exchanger design with vertically arranged tubes and deflection plates in the jacket space, where no pipes are present in the deflection areas, creating a strong pressure drop and using identical internals that narrow the passage cross-section, allowing for efficient heat transfer and simplified assembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If deflection plates are installed in the jacket space to create transverse flow, then heat transfer uniformity is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase due to unequal heat transfer requiring unequal installations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat transfer uniformityVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating deflection areas free of pipes in specific local regions of the jacket space, allowing transverse flow only where needed. This localized approach achieves uniform heat transfer in critical areas without requiring complex modifications throughout the entire device, thereby reducing overall assembly complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The jacket space is segmented into deflection areas (free of pipes) and pipe areas. This segmentation allows the heat transfer medium to flow transversely through the deflection areas, creating uniform heat transfer coefficients across different regions without requiring complex internal installations in every tube.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Manufacturing precision

If internals are installed in individual pipes to narrow passage cross-section, then heat transfer is improved, but manufacturing and assembly effort increase due to unequal installations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat transfer coefficientVSAvoidproduction effort
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of installing complex internals within individual tubes, the patent extracts the flow control function to the jacket space by creating deflection areas free of pipes. This eliminates the need for tube internals while achieving the same heat transfer improvement, thereby simplifying manufacturing and assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The deflection plates in the jacket space act as an intermediary mechanism to control flow distribution. Rather than modifying each tube individually, the deflection plates mediate the flow of heat transfer medium to create uniform transverse flow across all tubes, achieving heat transfer improvement without direct tube internals.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of manufacture

If longitudinal flow is allowed through pipes, then assembly is simplified, but heat transfer quality deteriorates leading to uneven product quality

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidproduct quality uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent allows longitudinal flow in pipe areas while creating transverse flow paths through deflection areas free of pipes. This local differentiation ensures that heat transfer medium flows transversely across tube bundles in critical regions, maintaining uniform product quality while keeping the overall design relatively simple.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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 design achieves uniform heat transfer coefficients and reduced residual dissolved substances, simplifying the apparatus design and assembly while maintaining high product quality.

Implementation Method 1

the aim is to have a transverse flow across the pipes by controlling the flow direction of the heat transfer medium in the jacket space

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeat transfer: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

a liquid heat transfer medium is passed through the jacket space between the tubes, which contains the polymer solution and the Relaxation product of the polymer solution is heated

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

The installation causes a strong pressure drop from an inlet pressure of up to 50 bar absolute to the lowest possible vacuum

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPressure drop: Pressure Drop

Implementation Method 4

the dissolved substances are converted into the vapor state by applying heat and, if necessary, reducing the pressure and are then separated from the liquid polymers

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectEvaporation: Evaporation

Implementation Method 5

removing dissolved substances from a polymer solution by degassing... reducing the pressure

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Data Source

PatentEP1938036B1Tube bundle heat exchanger and method for removing dissolved substances from a polymer solution by means of degassing in a tube bundle heat exchanger
Publication Date: 2012.04.18 STYROLUTION
  • EP1938036B1 patent drawingFigure 1~1A
  • EP1938036B1 patent drawingFigure 2~2A
  • EP1938036B1 patent drawingFigure 3~3A

AI summary

The invention proposes a tube bundle heat exchanger (R) for removing dissolved substances from a polymer solution (4) by means of degassing, having a bundle of tubes (1) which are arranged parallel to one another and vertically and are fastened at both ends in each case in a tube base (2), having a fixture (3) in each tube (1) which narrows the free passage cross section through the tube (1), wherein the tubes (1) are traversed by the polymer solution (4), and having a casing space (5) around the tubes (1) which is traversed by a liquid heat carrier (6), having deflecting plates (7) in the casing space (5) which are each arranged in cross-sectional planes of the tube bundle heat exchanger (R) and in each case form a deflecting region (8) for the heat carrier (6), which tube bundle heat exchanger (R) is characterized in that no tubes (1) are arranged in the deflecting regions (8), and in that all the fixtures (3) are of identical design.