PLATE FOR HEAT EXCHANGE ARRANGEMENT AND HEAT EXCHANGE ARRANGEMENT

• US 20200132386A1
• Filed: 05/11/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ALFA Laval Corporate AB (ALFA Laval AB)
• Original Assignee: ALFA Laval Corporate AB (ALFA Laval AB)
• Inventors: MASGRAU, Marcello
• Granted Patent: US 11,448,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 1/124 using fluid fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F24H 8/006 Means for removing condensate from the heater
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 2021/0024 for combustion apparatus, e.g. for boilers
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 21/0007 Water heaters
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 9/0037 the conduits for the other heat-exchange medium also being formed by paired plates touching each other F28D9/0043 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 9/0043 the plates having openings therein for circulation of at least one heat-exchange medium from one conduit to another
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 9/005 the plates having openings therein for both heat-exchange media
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 9/0056 with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside conduits; with centrally arranged openings on the plates
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 17/005 Means for draining condensates from heat exchangers, e.g. from evaporators F28B9/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 2250/104 with parallel flow
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/042 in the form of local deformations of the element
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/044 the deformations being pontual, e.g. dimples
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 3/046 the deformations being linear, e.g. corrugations

Abstract

A plate for a heat exchange arrangement for the exchange of heat between a first and a second medium. The plate has a first heat transferring surface in contact with the first medium and a second heat transferring surface in contact with the second medium. The plate includes an inlet porthole for the first medium; an inlet porthole for the second medium, and an outlet porthole for the first medium. The first heat transferring surface includes a protrusion forming at least one ridge arranged to divide the heat transfer surface into at least a first region in direct thermal contact with the inlet porthole for the second medium, and a second region not in direct thermal contact with the inlet porthole for the second medium. The second region substantially surrounds the first region. The inlet porthole for the first medium is arranged in the first region, while the outlet porthole for the first medium is arranged in the second region. Moreover, the at least one ridge forms at least one elongated transfer channel arranged to convey the first medium from the first region to the second region.

Claims

1. A plate for a heat exchange arrangement for the exchange of heat between a first and a second medium, wherein the plate has a first heat transferring surface arranged in use to be in contact with the first medium and a second heat transferring surface arranged in use to be in contact with the second medium, and wherein the plate comprises:

an inlet porthole for the first medium;

an inlet porthole for the second medium; and

an outlet porthole for the first medium,

wherein the first heat transferring surface comprises a protrusion forming at least one ridge arranged to divide said first heat transferring surface into at least a first region in direct thermal contact with the inlet porthole for the second medium, and a second region not in direct thermal contact with the inlet porthole for the second medium, and

wherein the second region substantially surrounds the first region, wherein the inlet porthole for the first medium is arranged in said first region, wherein the outlet porthole for the first medium is arranged in the second region, and wherein the at least one ridge forms at least one elongated transfer channel arranged to convey the first medium from the first region to the second region.

2. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the inlet porthole for the second medium is completely surrounded by the first region.

3. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the inlet porthole for the first medium, the first region, the transfer channel, the second region and the outlet porthole for the first medium are arranged to convey the first medium from the inlet porthole for the first medium into the first region, further via the transfer channel to the second region and out through the outlet porthole for the first medium.

4. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 3,

wherein the first region and the second region are separated by and share one and the same part of said at least one ridge, and wherein a general flow direction of the first medium through the first and second regions on either side of said part of the at least one ridge, respectively, are substantially parallel.

5. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 4,

wherein the transfer channel is arranged to convey the first medium, between the first region and the second region, in a direction generally opposite to the parallel general flow direction.

6. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the transfer channel is at least 10 times longer than the transfer channel is wide.

7. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein an inlet of the transfer channel, at the first region, is arranged closer to the inlet porthole for the second medium than an outlet of the transfer channel, at the second region.

8. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the inlet porthole for the second medium is located between the inlet porthole for the first medium and an inlet of said transfer channel, at the first region, and

wherein the protrusion is configured to define a restriction between the inlet porthole for the first medium and the inlet porthole for the second medium.

9. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the plate is shaped substantially as a parallelogram, and

wherein the inlet porthole for the second medium and an inlet of the transfer channel are located in close proximity to one edge of the plate, and the inlet porthole for the first medium is located in close proximity to the opposite edge of the plate.

10. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 9,

wherein the transfer channel inlet and the inlet porthole for the first medium are located in close proximity to a line running from a center point of said one edge to a center point of said opposite edge respectively, of the plate.

11. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 9,

wherein the outlet porthole for the first medium and an outlet of the transfer channel are located substantially diagonally opposite each other in close proximity to said one edge and said opposite edge, respectively, of the plate.

12. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the first region and the second region on the first heat transferring surface of the plate are configured with broken longitudinal protrusions for controlling the flow of the first medium.

13. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein the plate is configured with an outlet porthole for the second medium.

14. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1,

wherein a periphery of the inlet porthole for the second medium is folded at an angle of more than 75 degrees with respect to the first heat transferring surface of the plate.

15. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 14,

wherein a height of the fold is less than twice a height of elevations formed by dimples.

16. The plate for a heat exchange arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the second region is formed as a downstream part of the elongated transfer channel.

17. A heat exchange arrangement for the exchange of heat between a first and a second medium, wherein the arrangement comprises:

a plurality of first plates, and

a plurality of second plates according to claim 1, said second plates being mirror copies of said first plates,

wherein the first and the second plates are alternately stacked to form a repetitive sequence of a first flow channel for the first medium and a second flow channel for the second medium,

wherein each first flow channel is defined by the first heat transferring surface of the first plate and the first heat transferring surface of the second plate and each second flow channel is defined by the second heat transferring surface of the first plate and the second heat transferring surface of the second plate,

wherein the inlet porthole for the first medium on the first and the second plates define therebetween inlets for the first medium,

wherein the outlet porthole for the first medium on the first and the second plates define therebetween outlets for the first medium,

wherein the inlet portholes for the second medium on the first and the second plates define therebetween inlets for the second medium,

wherein the heat exchange arrangement further comprises an outlet for the second medium,

wherein the protrusions on the first heat transferring surfaces of the first and the second plates are connected to each other to separate each first flow channel into at least the first and second regions as well as said at least one transfer channel for the first medium, and

wherein each first flow channel is configured in use to direct a flow of the first medium from the inlet for the first medium to the outlet for the first medium, via the first region, the transfer channel and the second region.

18. The heat exchange arrangement according to claim 17,

wherein the edges of the first and the second plates are folded away from the respective surface at an angle greater than 75 degrees in the same direction,

wherein each first flow channel and each second flow channel is completely sealed at all edges, and

wherein the outlet for the second medium in the form of outlet portholes for the second medium on the first and the second plates define therebetween outlets for the second medium.

19. The heat exchange arrangement according to claim 17,

wherein the edges of the first and the second plates are folded away from the respective surface at an angle greater than 75 degrees in the same direction,

wherein each first flow channel is completely sealed at all edges, and

wherein each second flow channel is completely sealed at all but one edge, said one edge being partially folded for defining the outlet for the second medium in form of an outlet for the second medium.

20. The heat exchange arrangement according to claim 19,

wherein the outlets for the second medium are defined at the edges opposite to the edges in close proximity to which the inlets for the second medium are defined.