Heat exchange – With agitating or stirring structure
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-09
2001-08-14
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
With agitating or stirring structure
C165S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273183
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to heat exchangers, and in particular, to turbulizers used in heat exchangers.
BACKGROUND OF THE ART
In heat exchangers made from multiple, stacked, tubes or plate pairs defining flow passages therein, it is common to use turbulizers located in the tubes or between the plates inside the plate pairs to enhance heat transfer, especially where a liquid, such as oil, passes through these flow passages. These turbulizers are commonly in the form of expanded metal inserts and they have undulations or convolutions formed therein to create turbulence in the flow and in this way increase heat transfer in the heat exchanger.
While conventional turbulizers do increase heat transfer, a difficulty with these turbulizers is that they also increase flow resistance or pressure drop inside the heat exchanger. In fact, the flow resistance increases even more than the heat transfer gain produced by the turbulizer, because only a part of the increased turbulence caused by the turbulizer is effective in promoting heat transfer. The balance is wasted in inefficient eddies or vortices.
The present invention periodically interrupts the convolutions in the turbulizer to form non-convoluted pressure recovery zones located between the convolutions. Surprisingly, this substantially reduces the pressure drop caused by the turbulizer without appreciably reducing heat transfer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a turbulizer for a heat exchanger comprising a planar member having a plurality of longitudinal parallel rows of convolutions formed therein. The convolutions are interrupted to form longitudinal neutral channels between groups of adjacent rows of convolutions.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat exchanger comprising a pair of back-to-back plates having joined peripheral edges and raised central portions defining a flow passage therebetween. The central portions define spaced-apart inlet and outlet openings. A turbulizer as described next above is located in the flow passage between the inlet and outlet openings.
REFERENCES:
patent: Re. 35890 (1998-09-01), So
patent: 2360123 (1944-10-01), Gerstung et al.
patent: 2990163 (1961-01-01), Farrell
patent: 4712612 (1987-12-01), Okamoto et al.
patent: 5036911 (1991-08-01), So et al.
patent: 5209289 (1993-05-01), Haushalter
patent: 5560425 (1996-10-01), Sugawara et al.
So Allan K.
Stefanoiu Dan Constantin
Zurawel Peter
Lazarus Ira S.
Long Manufacturing Ltd.
McKinnon Terrell
Ridout & Maybee
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