Heat Transfer Plate With Variable Ridge Width
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In plate heat exchangers, the deformation of heat transfer plates due to differences in ridge and valley widths can lead to reduced pressure performance and increased risk of plate deformation.
Innovation Solution
The heat transfer plate design features a heat transfer area with elongate alternately arranged ridges and valleys, where the top portions of the ridges and bottom portions of the valleys have different widths, and these widths are locally adjusted within the first ridge and valley contact areas to reduce the difference between them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the heat transfer plate uses an asymmetric heat transfer pattern with wider ridges and narrower valleys, then the heat transfer area is increased, but the contact areas between adjacent plates become uneven leading to plate deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the ridge width variable along the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the ridge width is smaller in the regions adjacent to the distribution areas and larger in the central region. This local variation in ridge width compensates for the asymmetric valley widths, creating more uniform contact areas between adjacent plates while maintaining the overall asymmetric heat transfer pattern for enhanced heat transfer performance.
2Temperature
If the heat transfer plate uses a dense herringbone pattern with more contact areas, then the heat transfer efficiency is improved, but the flow resistance and pressure drop increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by varying the ridge width as a continuous parameter along the longitudinal direction of the plate. The ridge width transitions from smaller values near the distribution areas to larger values in the central region. This parameter variation allows optimization of both heat transfer efficiency (through increased contact areas in the center) and pressure drop (through smaller contact areas near the distribution regions where flow velocity is higher).
Data Source
AI summary
A heat transfer plate includes a heat transfer area provided with a heat transfer pattern having elongate alternately arranged heat transfer ridges and valleys, a respective top portion of the ridges extending in a top plane and a respective bottom portion of the valleys extending in a bottom plane. The heat transfer ridges include ridge contact areas within which the ridges are arranged to abut an adjacent first heat transfer plate. Within at least half of the heat transfer area, the top portions of the ridges have a first width w1, and the bottom portions of the valleys have a second width w2, w1≠w2. The top portion of a number of first heat transfer ridges of the heat transfer ridges, within a respective first ridge contact area of the ridge contact areas, has a third width w3, wherein, if w1>w2 then w3<w1, and, if w1<w2 then w3>w1.