Evaporator foil stack

• US 6,536,515 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: NuCellSys GmbH (Mercedes-Benz Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Ballard Power Systems Corporation (Superior Plus Corporation)
• Inventors: Freitag, Oliver, Tischler, Alois
• Primary Examiner(s): LEO, LEONARD R
• Application Number:
  US09/810,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20010045274A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: 165/165, 165/166, 165/167, 165/164
• US Class Current: 165/166
• 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: F28D 9/0093 Multi-circuit heat-exchangers, e.g. integrating different heat exchange sections in the same unit or heat-exchangers for more than two fluids

Abstract

An evaporator stack, in particular for a double evaporator, includes foils for converting a liquid medium into a gaseous medium. The foil stack has at least one foil through which a medium flows and at least one additional foil. The foil stack has an inlet region for the liquid medium and a discharge region for the gaseous medium. The discharge region is designed such that a pressure gradient in the medium over the at least approximately entire width of the discharge region is smaller than a pressure gradient in the medium over the at least approximately entire length of the media foil through which flow occurs.

Claims

1. An evaporator foil stack, comprising:

(a) at least a first media foil having an evaporator region and an outlet region;

(b) at least a second media foil having an evaporator region, an outlet region, and a recess; and

(c) an intermediate foil between the first and the second media foils, said intermediate foil having an opening in the outlet region of the first media foil and the recess in the second media foil, thereby forming a discharge region for a gaseous medium from the evaporator region of the at least first media foil,

wherein a cross section through which flow occurs is larger over an entire width of the discharge region than over a length of the at least first and second media foils, and

wherein the discharge region is arranged in a heated area of the foil stack.

2. An evaporator foil stack according to claim 1, wherein a length of the evaporator region of the second media foil is less than a length of the evaporator region of the first media foil.

3. An evaporator foil stack according to claim 1, further comprising a collecting space for the gaseous medium from the discharge region.

4. An evaporator foil stack according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge region for a gaseous medium from the outlet region of the at least second media foil.

5. An evaporator stack according to claim 4, further comprising a collecting space for the gaseous medium from the outlet region of the at least second media foil.

6. An evaporator stack according to claim 1, further comprising spaces on at least two sides of the stack through which a heating medium flows.

7. An evaporator stack according to claim 6, wherein the discharge region is in heat-conducting contact with a space on at least one side of the stack through which the heating medium flows.