Wind tunnel and heat exchanger therefor

• US 6,725,912 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Aero Systems Engineering, Inc. (Calspan Aero Systems Engineering, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Aero Systems Engineering, Inc. (Calspan Aero Systems Engineering, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jauch, Carl E., Moll, Thomas G., Marksberry, C. Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): ATKINSON, CHRISTOPHER MARK
• Application Number:
  US09/574,088
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• Field of Search: 165/140, 165/144, 165/166, 165/167, 731/47
• US Class Current: 165/144
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 9/02 Wind tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 9/04 Details

Abstract

A wind tunnel and a heat exchanger for use in the wind tunnel. The heat exchanger is a plate-fin type heat exchanger having at least one heat exchanger unit with an inflow end and an outflow end, and air flow section and a coolant flow section. The air flow section includes fins generally aligned with the air flow through the exchanger and the coolant flow section includes fins defining a coolant passageway.

Claims

1. A wind tunnel comprising:

a flow generating member;

a test section;

a flow path from said flow generating member to said test section; and

at least one plate-fin heat exchanger unit positioned in said flow path and having;

an air inflow end,

an air outflow end,

a peripheral edge,

a plurality of air flow sections each having a plurality of first heat transfer fins generally aligned in said first direction and each defining a plurality of air flow passageways generally parallel to said first direction wherein air enters said inflow end, flows through said air passageways in a first direction and exits from said outflow end, and

first and second coolant flow sections positioned adjacent to and on opposite sides of said plurality of air flow sections, each of said first and second coolant flow sections including a first section having a plurality of fins defining a plurality of first coolant passageways for directing coolant through said first coolant passageways in a first coolant passageway direction perpendicular to said first direction, a second section having a plurality of fins defining a plurality of second coolant passageways for directing coolant through said second coolant passageways in a second coolant passageway direction parallel to said first direction and perpendicular to said first coolant passageway direction and a third section having a plurality of fins defining a plurality of third coolant passageways for directing coolant through said third coolant passageways in a third coolant passageway direction perpendicular to said first direction and parallel to said first coolant passageway direction.

2. The wind tunnel of claim 1 wherein said first section defines a coolant inflow section, and second section defines a coolant outflow section and said third section joins said first and second sections.

3. The wind tunnel of claim 2 wherein said peripheral edge includes a coolant edge section, said first section includes an inlet at said coolant edge section and said second section includes an outlet at said coolant edge section.

4. The wind tunnel of claim 3 wherein said coolant edge section includes a coolant manifold.

5. The wind tunnel of claim 1 including a plurality of units positioned in side-by-side relationship in a direction perpendicular to said first direction.

6. The wind tunnel of claim 1 including at least one heat exchange module comprised of a plurality of said heat exchanger units positioned in side-by-side relationship in a direction perpendicular to said first direction.

7. The wind tunnel of claim 6 wherein each of said heat exchange modules includes a peripheral edge having a coolant manifold edge section and an opposite edge section.

8. The wind tunnel of claim 7 including a first module set comprising a plurality of said heat exchange modules positioned in side-by-side relationship in a direction perpendicular to said first direction with said manifold edge sections aligned with one another.

9. The wind tunnel of claim 8 including a second module set comprising a plurality of said heat exchange modules positioned in side-by-side relationship in a direction perpendicular to said first direction with said manifold edge sections aligned with one another.

10. The wind tunnel of claim 9 wherein the opposite edge sections of the modules in said first module set are connected with the opposite edge sections of the module in said second module set.

11. The wind tunnel of claim 1 wherein said first heat transfer fins define a plurality of air flow passageways with a generally rectangular cross-sectional configuration.

12. The wind tunnel of claim 1 wherein each of said first, second and third coolant passageways includes a coolant inlet end and a coolant outlet end.

13. The wind tunnel of claim 12 wherein the outlet ends of said first coolant passageways and the inlet ends of said second coolant passageways are connected and the outlet ends of said second coolant passageways and the inlet ends of said third coolant passageways are connected to form a plurality of substantially continuous coolant flow paths through each of said first and second coolant sections.

14. A wind tunnel comprising:

a flow generating member generating a flow path;

a test section in said flow path; and

a plate-fin heat exchanger in said flow path comprised of a plurality of plate-fin heat exchanger units in which each of said heat exchange units includes;

a plurality of heat exchanger plates, said plates being generally planar, being adjacent to and spaced from one another and being aligned generally parallel to said flow path and to one another;

a first pair of said plates defining a first coolant section and a second pair of said plates defining a second coolant section wherein each of said coolant flow sections includes a manifold end having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet and an opposite closed end;

a plurality of fins extending between each of said first pair of plates and said second pair of plates to define a plurality of first coolant passageways extending in a direction perpendicular to said flow path, a plurality of fins extending between each of said first pair of plates and said second pair of plates to define a plurality of second coolant passageways extending in a direction parallel to said flow path and perpendicular to said first coolant passageways, and a plurality of fins extending between each of said first pair of plates and said second pair of plates to define a plurality of third coolant passageways extending in a direction perpendicular to said flow path and parallel to said first coolant passageways;

at least one of said plurality of plates positioned between said first pair of plates and said second pair of plates;

a plurality of air flow sections, at least one of said air flow sections defined by one of said first pair of said plates and one of said at least one plate and the other defined by at least one of said second pair of plates and said at least one of said plates;

each of said air flow sections including a plurality of fins extending between its respective plates and in a direction generally parallel to said flow path.

15. The wind tunnel of claim 14 including a plurality of said heat exchange units positioned in side-by-side relationship with coolant sections of adjacent said units being directly adjacent to one another.

16. The wind tunnel of claim 14 wherein each of said first, second and third coolant passageways includes a coolant inlet end and wherein the outlet ends of said first coolant passageways and the inlet ends of said second coolant passageways are connected and the outlet ends of said second coolant passageways and the inlet ends of said third coolant passageways are connected to form a plurality of substantially continuous coolant flow paths through each of said first and second coolant sections.