HEAT EXCHANGER TUBE SHEET, A HEAT EXCHANGER AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING A HEAT EXACHANGER TUBE SHEET

• US 20130105127A1
• Filed: 05/06/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HeatMatrix Group B.V.
• Original Assignee: HeatMatrix Group B.V.
• Inventors: Postma, Ron, Van Den Berg, Bart Jan, Sakko, Robert, Dikhoff, Hans Constant
• Granted Patent: US 9,429,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/157
• CPC Class Codes: B21D 53/02 heat exchangers or parts thereof, e.g. radiators, condensers fins, headersmaking finned or ribbed tubes by fixing strip material or the like to tubes B21C37/22
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/053 the conduits being straight
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 7/16 the conduits being arranged in parallel spaced relation F28D7/0008 - F28D7/0058 take precedence; F28D7/02 - F28D7/10 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2225/08 for header boxes
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2255/14 molded
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2265/26 for allowing differential expansion between elements
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 9/14 by force-joining
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49368 with inserted tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49373 Tube joint and tube plate structure

Abstract

In a method of manufacturing a heat exchanger tube sheet sealing elements are arranged on respective ends of heat exchanger tubes. Said ends of the heat exchanger tubes having the sealing elements are arranged at predetermined positions in a mould. Said ends of the heat exchanger tubes are sealed such that a tube sheet material to be casted in the mould does not enter the heat exchanger tubes during casting of the tube sheet material. A tube sheet material is casted in the mould for covering the sealing elements. The tube sheet material is hardened in the mould.

Claims

1. Method of manufacturing a heat exchanger tube sheet, comprising:

arranging sealing elements on respective ends of heat exchanger tubes,

arranging said ends of the heat exchanger tubes having the sealing elements at predetermined positions in a mould,

sealing said ends of the heat exchanger tubes such that a tube sheet material to be casted in the mould does not enter the heat exchanger tubes during casting of the tube sheet material,

casting the tube sheet material in the mould for covering the sealing elements,

hardening of the tube sheet material in the mould.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the mould comprises a bottom, and wherein the bottom is made from a flexible material, for example a material comprising silicones, and wherein said ends of the heat exchanger tubes are sealed by abutting said ends against the bottom of the mould.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said ends of the heat exchanger tubes are sealed by casting a sealing material, for example comprising silicons, into the mould for covering end portions of said ends, and hardening of the sealing material covering the end portions of said ends, and wherein the tube sheet material is cast onto the hardened sealing material, and wherein, after hardening of the tube sheet material in the mould, the heat exchanger tubes, the hardened sealing material and the hardened tube sheet material are integrally removed from the mould, and wherein subsequently the hardened sealing material is removed, for example by pulling off the hardened sealing material from the hardened tube sheet material and said ends or by cutting the hardened sealing material together with end portions of said ends so as to remove the hardened sealing material.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein a metal insert is arranged in the mould, wherein the metal insert comprises a plurality of through holes, and wherein end portions of said ends of the heat exchanger tubes having the sealing elements are inserted into the through holes of the metal insert, and wherein, when the end portions of said ends have been inserted into the through holes of the metal insert, said ends of the heat exchanger tubes are sealed by the sealing elements sealing the heat exchanger tubes and the metal insert with respect to each other, and wherein the tube sheet material is cast onto the metal insert for covering the sealing elements and portions of the heat exchanging tubes extending above the sealing elements.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the through holes each comprise a lower portion having a first internal diameter, a connection portion extending radially from the lower portion, and an upper portion extending from the connecting portion and having a second internal diameter which is greater than the first internal diameter, and wherein the external diameter of the heat exchanger tubes is smaller than the first internal diameter, and wherein the external diameter of the sealing elements arranged on said ends of heat exchanger tubes is greater than the first internal diameter and smaller than the second internal diameter.

6. Method according to claim 4, wherein the metal insert comprises aluminium.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a plastic material, for example an epoxy resin.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a composite material, for example a composite material comprising an epoxy resin, such as an alumina reinforced epoxy resin or fibre reinforced epoxy resin.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger tubes are made of a material that does not bind to the tube sheet material during casting and hardening the tube sheet material in the mould.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger tubes are made of a material that does not bind to the material of the sealing elements during casting and hardening the tube sheet material in the mould.

11. Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger tubes comprise plastic, for example polypropylene.

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein the mould comprises metal, for example iron, steel or stainless steel.

13. Heat exchanger tube sheet obtainable by the method as claimed in claim 1.

16. Method according to claim 5, wherein the metal insert comprises aluminium.

17. Method according to claim 2, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a plastic material, for example an epoxy resin.

18. Method according to claim 3, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a plastic material, for example an epoxy resin.

19. Method according to claim 4, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a plastic material, for example an epoxy resin.

20. Method according to claim 5, wherein the tube sheet material comprises a plastic material, for example an epoxy resin.

14. Heat exchanger tube sheet for holding heat exchanger tubes in a sealed manner, the sheet comprising a body of a plastic material having a first main surface and an opposite second main surface, the body comprising a plurality of through holes, each through hole being defined by a peripheral hole wall extending from the first main surface to the opposite second main surface, and the peripheral hole wall being provided with a peripheral recess, and wherein a resilient sealing element is accommodated in the peripheral recess, the sealing element protruding from the peripheral recess into the through hole, wherein the through holes extend in the body substantially parallel to each other, and wherein the peripheral recesses of adjacent through holes are staggered with respect to each other in the axial direction of the through holes.

15. Heat exchanger comprising a shell having inlets and outlets for the fluids to be heat exchanged, a stack of a plurality of heat exchanger tubes, and a heat exchanger tube sheet according to claim 14, wherein the heat exchanger tubes each have at least one end which is arranged in one of the through holes such that the sealing element clamps said end in a sealed manner.