V-Shaped Heat Exchanger Frames for Accessible Radiator Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchanger apparatuses for internal combustion engines in harsh environments, such as those used in hydraulic fractioning, are difficult to maintain and repair due to their configurations, which make radiators hard to access for cleaning and replacement.
Innovation Solution
A V-shaped heat exchanger apparatus with a support pedestal and removably coupled frame assemblies, allowing for easy access and replacement of radiators without disassembling the pedestal structure, featuring air to air and air to liquid radiators with integral frames and fan control units for efficient heat exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radiators are fixedly secured to the pedestal structure in a conventional configuration, then the heat exchanger apparatus provides stable cooling operation, but the radiators become difficult to access for cleaning and repair
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger apparatus is divided into modular frame assemblies that can be independently removed from the pedestal structure. Each frame assembly contains radiators that are fixedly secured to the frame, allowing the entire assembly to be detached and replaced as a unit, thus maintaining cooling stability while improving accessibility for maintenance
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system transitions from a fixed rigid connection to a dynamic removable connection. The frame assemblies are designed with coupling mechanisms that allow them to be securely attached during operation for reliable cooling, and easily detached when maintenance is required, providing adaptability between operational reliability and maintenance accessibility
2Ease of manufacture
If the heat exchanger apparatus is designed as a single integrated structure, then manufacturing and assembly are simplified, but maintenance requires hazardous personnel positioning and extensive disassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The apparatus is segmented into a pedestal structure and multiple frame assemblies that can be manufactured separately and then assembled. This modular approach maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling maintenance workers to access radiators by removing only the specific frame assembly needed, eliminating hazardous positioning requirements
Solution Approach 2:
The radiators are extracted from the fixed pedestal structure and placed within removable frame assemblies. This allows the frame assemblies to be taken out as complete units for maintenance, improving accessibility and safety while the pedestal structure remains intact and simplified in design
3Reliability
If radiators are tightly secured to ensure proper heat exchange, then cooling efficiency is maintained, but removal and replacement of radiators becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The securing mechanism is segmented between the frame assembly and the pedestal structure. Radiators are tightly secured to the frame assembly to maintain heat exchange efficiency, while the frame assembly itself is removably coupled to the pedestal structure through coupling mechanisms that facilitate easy removal and replacement of the entire assembly without compromising the tight securement of radiators to the frame
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 enhances maintenance and repair efficiency by allowing for the removal and replacement of radiators as integral units, reducing the need for hazardous manual intervention and improving operational reliability in dusty conditions.
Implementation Method 1
air flowing through the right opening of the right frame exchanges heat with a respective fluid within each right radiator
Implementation Method 2
air flowing through the right opening of the right frame exchanges heat with a respective fluid within each right radiator
Data Source
AI summary
A V-shaped heat exchanger apparatus providing a support pedestal on which on at least one side thereof a frame assembly is removably coupled to the pedestal structure. The frame assembly includes preferably as a unitary element, a frame and at least one heat exchanger fixedly secured thereto.