Heat exchange – Flow passages for two confined fluids – Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
Patent
1997-11-17
2000-06-06
Flanigan, Allen
Heat exchange
Flow passages for two confined fluids
Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
165167, 165 78, 165DIG365, 165DIG367, F28F 308
Patent
active
060706589
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plate-type heat exchanger. Such heat exchanger is disclosed, for instance, in DE-B-1 064 539.
The invention may be mainly applied in the field of thermo-mechanical industry.
Plate-type heat exchanger devices are well known in the art.
These devices are constituted by a fixed and a movable endplate, one or both of them being provided, according to different applications, with inlet and outlet connections for fluids, and with a pack of metallic plates, generally stainless steel plates, disposed between said endplates.
Said metallic plates, which are bored close to their angled edges in order to allow the circulation of the fluids, constitute the surface of thermal exchange between the fluids and are provided with a series of ribs, in order to increase the surface and the fluid turbulence; said ribs are generally disposed according to a herringbone or a so-called laundress-board pattern.
Furthermore, the periphery of such plates is provided with sealing gaskets made of an elastic, rubber-like material, which delimit and physically separate the pair of channels formed inside of the heat exchanger and within which the fluids flow.
This type of device is generally used in applications of various kinds, e.g. for instantaneously producing sanitary hot water by means of a boiler, with or without buffers, or for swimming-pool heating by means of a boiler, or for a district-heating network.
Obviously, in accordance with particular applications, the devices are differently dimensioned in what concerns the surface and the number of plates, and are provided with different feeding circuits.
The peripheral sealing gaskets play a determinant role in the operativity of plate-type heat exchangers.
In fact, said gaskets need to be made of high quality materials allowing the gaskets to carry out a perfect seal at high temperatures and pressures, as well as to hold their efficiency even after thousands of hours of operation.
Furthermore, they should perfectly match to their suitable grooves which, on their turn, should allow the gaskets to be placed against possibly vertical walls, in order to assure a good support against the thrust which is exerted on the gasket from the inner side of the exchanger and this, particularly, in proximity of the fluid inlet bores.
The background art proposes different solutions in order to allow the gasket to be correctly placed inside of the groove.
A first known solution provides for the use of a suitable glue in order to stick the gasket on the groove's bottom.
This solution involves a plurality of disadvantages and drawbacks, which are due to high material and labour costs for carrying out the sticking operation, as well as to difficulties for upkeeping the plates in the case where a gasket has to be replaced.
In fact, a sticked gasket should be replaced by eliminating, by means of a suitable solvent, the old bonding agent; this operation should be carried out with care, in order to avoid damaging of the plate.
Thereafter, the groove should be carefully cleaned, and a new glue layer is placed in the same; then, a new gasket is placed into the groove and it has to be waited that it perfectly adheres to its seat.
This involves remarkable loss of time and high costs.
According to another known solution, which does not provide for the use of any bonding agents, the periphery of the gasket is provided with a series o substantially cylindrical protuberances which are suitable for being housed, by exerting a pressure on them, into corresponding holes which are present along the external periphery of the plate.
However, this solution involves drawbacks too, since it requires a very high precision for positioning the gasket relative to the plate, in such a way as each protuberance is aligned to a corresponding plate hole.
A further known solution provides for a series of tabs which are made of the same rubber material as the gasket and which are formed on the external periphery of the gasket.
These tabs are inserted, in operation, into ca
REFERENCES:
patent: 2550339 (1951-04-01), Ehrman
patent: 2699324 (1955-01-01), Goodman
patent: 4184542 (1980-01-01), Sumitomo
patent: 4284135 (1981-08-01), Almqvist et al.
patent: 4781248 (1988-11-01), Pfeiffer
patent: 5056590 (1991-10-01), Bohn
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