Heat exchange – Flow passages for two confined fluids – Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
Patent
1998-04-27
2000-05-16
Leo, Leonard
Heat exchange
Flow passages for two confined fluids
Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
165DIG365, F28F 310
Patent
active
060623055
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger comprising alternately arranged plates compressed together to a pack, forming closed channels by means of gaskets arranged between the plates, alternately for a heat emitting and a heat absorbing medium. These channels may be supplied with the respective medium through entry and exit openings in the plates aligned with each other, profiles extending from the entry and exit openings, and in the region of these profiles, gaskets for separating the entry and exit openings, respectively, from the heat exchanger surfaces are arranged alternately between pairs of plates.
2. Discussion of the Background
The gaskets of plate heat exchangers of this type are usually arranged in flat gasket grooves supporting the gasket laterally. In a known way, the intake and outlet region of the entry and exit openings on the heat exchanger surfaces as such form the weakest points of the gasket. In this region, a gasket is arranged only in every second channel while the heat transferring medium encountering the adjacent plate flows in each interposed channel, the gasket groove forming an undesired flow resistance. In the region under-flowed in this way, the gasket groove bottom does not obtain a sufficient metallic support. Since it is also flat and not embossed in the conventional way, it may deform plastically and elastically, locally reducing the gasket pressure. The reduced gasket pressure results in that a leakage may occur in this region even at lower pressures of the heat exchange medium as well as in other regions of the gasket.
From the state of the art, structures and measures, respectively, for mitigating or reducing the leakiness in the flow region of the entry and exit openings of the plate are known. A known measure consists in partially enlarging the gasket in this region. However, this possibility is limited, since a plastic deformation of the gasket groove bottom still will occur.
Another solution is disclosed in DE-AS-23 09 743. Here a lateral support of the gasket groove bottom is obtained by a suitable embossment.
The patent document DE 32 39 004 C2 discloses another solution approach. Here the gasket groove bottom is reinforced by additional embossments.
The solution according to GB-PS 1 020 045 goes further than the solutions mentioned above, in that the embossments of the gasket groove bottom is metallically supported by the respective following plate, however, without adapting the form of the gasket to the embossment. In GB 2 128 726 A, a gasket is also fillingly adapted to the embossment.
With this state of the art, the problem of the tightness in the outlet region of the entry and exit openings is solved in a satisfactory manner. However, in all these solutions the known gasket groove remains in its basic form and the advantage of the direct support is traded against a reduction of the flow cross-section for the entering and exiting medium.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the object of the present invention is to provide a plate heat exchanger of the above described type, wherein a safe seal is obtained while obviating a conventional gasket groove in the outlet region of the entry and exit openings of the heat exchanger plates.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a further object of the present invention is to provide a plate heat exchanger wherein a safe seal is obtained while obviating a conventional gasket groove in the peripheral region of the heat exchanger surfaces of the heat exchanger plates.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a still further object of the present invention is to provide a method of producing a plate heat exchanger wherein the gasket is vulcanized in a vulcanization press using a heat exchanger plate as a press mould in the vulcanization press.
According to the first aspect of invention, this object is solved by means of a plate heat exchanger wherein the profiles extending from
REFERENCES:
patent: 3925167 (1975-12-01), Rodgers
patent: 4063591 (1977-12-01), Usher
patent: 4635714 (1987-01-01), Almgvist et al.
patent: 4660633 (1987-04-01), Fischer
patent: 5069276 (1991-12-01), Seidel
EP Technology AB
Leo Leonard
LandOfFree
Plate heat exchanger does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Plate heat exchanger, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Plate heat exchanger will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-250815