High-performance thermal control ducts

• US 20040182556A1
• Filed: 10/02/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Peter Jahn
• Original Assignee: Bayer AG
• Inventors: Ochmann, Klaus, Jahn, Peter
• Application Number:
  US10/677,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20040182556A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/166
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/249 Plate-type reactors
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2453 Plates arranged in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2459 Corrugated plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2462 the reactants being in indirect heat exchange with a non reacting heat exchange medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2474 Mixing means, e.g. fins or baffles attached to the plates
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2479 Catalysts coated on the surface of plates or inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2219/2498 Additional structures inserted in the channels, e.g. plates, catalyst holding meshes
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 2300/1838 using fluid heat transfer medium
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/5027 by integrated microfluidic structures, i.e. dimensions of channels and chambers are such that surface tension forces are important, e.g. lab-on-a-chip B01L3/5023 takes precedence; micromixers B01F33/30; microreactors for synthesis B01J19/0093; microcapillary devices in general B81B1/00
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 3/502707 characterised by the manufacture of the container or its components by shaping or joining plastic parts B29C59/00, B29C65/00; by laminating B32B37/00; manufacture of microstructural devices in general B81C
• CPC Class Codes: B01L 7/00 Heating or cooling apparatus autoclaves B01J3/04; Heat insulating devices
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0077 for tempering, e.g. with cooling or heating circuits for temperature control of elements
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 9/0031 the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by paired plates touching each other F28D9/0012, F28D9/0025, F28D9/0081, F28D9/04 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 13/12 by creating turbulence, e.g. by stirring, by increasing the force of circulation F28F13/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/048 in the form of ribs integral with the element or local variations in thickness of the element, e.g. grooves, microchannels

Abstract

High performance thermal control duct for heat exchangers, comprising two sheets, each of which have surface depressions, sandwiched together on both sides of a holed sheet.

Claims

1. High-performance thermal control duct comprised of two sheets or layers which are laid opposite, one on top of the other and which each have one-sided depressions introduced in their parting or contact plane, wherein the height of the individual high performance thermal control duct is no greater than the thickness of the sheets used and the individual depressions are worked into the sheet in a material-removing and/or material-displacing manner and form sharp edges towards the sheet-parting plane and the sheet thickness in the region of the depression is reduced locally up to 90% and depressions having an identical depression area and an identical depression volume lie next to one another in the sheet-parting plane and have no connection to one another, and a plurality of depressions lying next to one another form a depression row or depression chain,

the geometric area of each depression has a greater extent in relation to the sheet width than in relation to the sheet length,

the larger longitudinal axis of each depression is at an angle α

of 5 to 85 degrees to the mid-axis of the depression row or depression chain, one sheet being rotated by 180°

with respect to the other sheet with the result that at least three depressions which are at an identical angle partially overlap and/or intersect one another and form a throughflow duct, the flow cross section of which is in the region where the two sheets face each other and at least one holed sheet as a turbulence exciter is inserted between said two sheets and the throughflow duct is stable under pressure.

2. High-performance thermal control ducts according to claim 1, further comprising an associated delivery inlet and discharge outlet, having flow cross section which are greater than the flow cross section of the high-performance thermal control duct.

3. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 1, wherein the geometric area of the depressions decrease with an increasing distance from the surface of the sheet in which they are formed and form within the sheet, parallel to the longitudinal extent of the depression, walls which steers material flowing through the depressions into the respectively intersecting or overlapping depressions located opposite one another.

4. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 1, wherein the sheet exchange surface is increased by more than 10% in relation to the determined planar sheet surface or layer surface of the flow region of the individual layer by material stripping or material displacement.

5. High-performance thermal control ducts according to claim 1, wherein the sheets have a thickness of from greater than 0.5 mm to less than 50 mm.

6. High-performance thermal control ducts according to claim 1, wherein the center-to-center distance between two adjacent depressions of a depression row is at least as great as the width of the depression at the surface of the sheet.

7. High-performance thermal control ducts according to claim 6, wherein the ratio of depression width to center-to-center distance is from greater than 0,7 to lower than 2.

8. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 1, wherein each depression of one sheet intersects or overlaps with at least 5 depressions of the other or holes of the holed sheet.

9. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 1, wherein said depressions have a depth of from greater than 10% to less than 70% of the sheet thickness.

10. High-performance thermal control duct according- to claim 9, wherein said depth is from greater than 10% to less than 60% of the sheet thickness.

11. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 1, wherein the geometric longitudinal axis of the depressions are at a preferred angle α

of 20 to 70 degrees to the depression row or to the overall flow direction through the duct.

12. High-performance thermal control duct according to claim 11, wherien said angle α

is from 40 to 50 degrees.

13. A method for the thermal control, of gaseous or liquid substances having a viscosity of less than 100 000 mPa.s, which comprises heating or cooling said substances in a heat exchanger having one or more thermal control ducts of claim 1.

14. Method for carrying out chemical reactions which comprises carrying out said reactions in a thermal control duct of claim 1 and even without holed sheet.

15. A plate-duct heat exchanger or in a cross-current heat exchanger comprising one or more thermal control ducts of claim 1 and even without holed sheet.

16. A method for the sterilization of water or of pharmaceutical or biological substances, which comprises sterilizing same in a thermal control duct of claim 1 and even without holed sheet.

17. A photo-bioreactor for the breeding of microorganisms, comprising the thermal control duct of claim 1 and even without holed sheet.

18. A miniaturized flow duct on a chip for diagnostic purposes, wherein said miniaturized flow duct is a thermal control duct of claim 1 and even without holed sheet.