Heat exchange – With external support
Patent
1995-07-18
1998-04-21
Leo, Leonard R.
Heat exchange
With external support
165 78, F28F 9007
Patent
active
057408599
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger.
Plate heat exchangers comprise a stack of plates which are pressed together to define flow spaces between pairs of adjacent plates. Heat exchange media flow through alternate spaces and are in heat exchange via the intervening plate. Typically, adjacent plates are sealed together by an elastomeric gasket which sits in a channel in one or both of the plates. Some or all of the plates may be welded of brazed together, and a metal gasket may be used. The heat exchange media are often fed through the heat exchanger under pressure. Consequently, there is a need to compress the plates together and retain this compression under pressure. This is achieved by clamping the stack of plates in a frame between a head and a follower which are urged together by tie bars.
In some known designs the tie bars are located adjacent and to each side of cut-outs in the upper and lower edges of the plates, the cut-outs being used to locate the plates on upper and lower rails.
U.S. Pat. No. 4 813 478 shows a system in which a tie bar is placed at each of the top and bottom edges of the frame, off-set to opposite sides of a vertical centre-line. Tie bars are also provided on each side, off-set vertically relative to one another.
GB-A-2 052 038 discloses a plate heat exchanger in which the tie bars are positioned at intervals along the vertical side edges of the heat exchanger, located in a head and a follower which compress the plates between them.
However, even compression of the stack of plates is best achieved when the tie bars are as close as possible to the flow spaces between the plates.
According to a first aspect of the present invention a plate heat exchanger is provided comprising a stack of plates which are compressed together between a head and a follower by means of tie bars, at least one plate having a cut-out formed within the plate area and bounded by the outer periphery of the plate and at least one tie bar extending through the cut-out of the plate.
According to a second aspect of the invention a plate heat exchanger is provided comprising a stack of plates which are compressed together between a head and a follower by means of tie bars, at least one tie bar extending through an aperture formed within a plate area, wherein the tie bar extends through an aperture in the body of the plate so as to penetrate the plates in a region surrounded by the flow spaces between the plates, the aperture being sealed from the flow spaces by a seal.
The plates may have upper and lower cut-outs or apertures which locate the plates between top and bottom rails, and the cut-out or aperture through which the tie bar extends is one of the said upper and lower cut-outs or apertures.
Preferably two tie bars are provided, the tie bars extending respectively through the upper and lower cut-outs or apertures in the plate or plates.
Other tie bars may be provided in other locations if desired.
By positioning a tie bar in a cut-out or aperture, which is usually on the centre-line of the plate, even compression of the stack can be achieved, and only a simple modification to the design of the cut-out is required, if at all.
In a preferred embodiment, a rail is tubular and a tie bar extends through the rail.
Other preferred features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying claims.
The invention will be further described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a plate heat exchanger;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of a plate of the plate heat exchanger of FIG. 1 along the line II--II;
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a follower of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1, along the line III--III;
FIG. 4 is a detail from a plate of a heat exchanger of the type seen in FIG. 1, and illustrating a first embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 6 illustrates a third embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 7 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the inve
REFERENCES:
patent: 1727124 (1929-09-01), Lonsdale
patent: 2601974 (1952-07-01), Hytte
patent: 2621028 (1952-12-01), Newhall
patent: 2639126 (1953-05-01), Newhall
patent: 2754093 (1956-07-01), Wennerberg
APV Corporation Limited
Leo Leonard R.
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