Heat exchange – Flow passages for two confined fluids – Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-04
2001-06-12
Lazarus, Ira S. (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Flow passages for two confined fluids
Interdigitated plural first and plural second fluid passages
C165S167000, C165S153000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244334
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to heat exchangers of the type formed of stacked plates, wherein the plates have raised peripheral flanges that co-operate to form an enclosure for the passage of heat exchange fluids between the plates.
The most common kind of plate type heat exchangers produced in the past have been made of spaced-apart stacked pairs of plates where the plate pairs define internal flow passages with some type of turbulizer located therein. The plates normally have inlet and outlet openings that are aligned in the stacked plate pairs to allow for the flow of one heat exchange fluid through all of the plate pairs. A second heat exchange fluid passes between the plate pairs, and often an enclosure or casing is used to contain the plate pairs and cause the second heat exchange fluid to pass between the plate pairs.
In order to eliminate the enclosure or casing, it has been proposed to provide the plates with peripheral flanges that not only close the peripheral edges of the plate pairs, but also close the peripheral spaces between the plate pairs. One method of doing this is to use plates that have a raised peripheral flange on one side of the plate and a raised peripheral ridge on the other side of the plate. Examples of this type of heat exchanger are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,268 issued to F. D. Armes and U.S. Pat. No. 4,327,802 issued to Richard P. Beldam. In order to complete these heat exchangers, top and bottom mounting plates are attached to the stacked plate pairs and inlet and outlet fittings are mounted in these plates.
A characteristic of these self-enclosing plate-type heat exchangers produced in the past, however, is that the space or height between the end plate pairs and their adjacent mounting plates is usually less than the space inside the plate pairs. It is difficult to get efficient heat transfer in these small spaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, a shim plate turbulizer is provided that can be used both between the plate pairs and between the stack of plate pairs and any end or mounting plates, so the overall efficiency of the heat exchanger is improved.
According to the invention, there is provided a plate type heat exchanger comprising first and second core plates, each core plate including a planar central portion, a first pair of spaced-apart bosses extending from one side of the planar central portion, and a second pair of spaced-apart bosses extending from the opposite side of the planar central portion. The bosses each have an inner peripheral edge portion and an outer peripheral edge portion defining a fluid port. A continuous ridge encircles the inner peripheral edge portions of at least the first pair of bosses and extends from the planar central portion in the same direction and equidistantly with the outer peripheral edge portions of the second pair of bosses. Each core plate includes a raised peripheral flange extending from the planar central portion in the same direction and equidistantly with the outer peripheral edge portions of the first pair of bosses. The first and second core plates are juxtaposed so that one of: the continuous ridges are engaged and the plate peripheral flanges are engaged; thereby defining a first flow chamber between the engaged ridges or peripheral flanges. The fluid ports in the respective first and second pairs of spaced-apart bosses are in registration. A third core plate is located in juxtaposition with one of the first and second core plates to define a second fluid chamber between the third core plate and the central planar portion of the adjacent core plate. Also, a turbulizer engages at least one of the core plates. The turbulizer is in the form of a shim plate having a pair of fluid ports in registration with a pair of the core plate ports, a shim plate central planar portion, and a peripheral edge portion coterminous with the respective continuous ridge or raised peripheral flange on the adjacent core plate. The shim plate central planar portion includes flow augmentation projections disposed on one side only of the shim plate central planar portion and of a height equal to the height of the respective continuous ridge or raised peripheral flange.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3240268 (1966-03-01), Armes
patent: 4002201 (1977-01-01), Donaldson
patent: 4327802 (1982-05-01), Beldam
patent: 4815532 (1989-03-01), Sasaki et al.
patent: 4815534 (1989-03-01), Fuerschbach
patent: 4872578 (1989-10-01), Fuerschbach et al.
patent: 5114776 (1992-05-01), Cesaroni
patent: 5193611 (1993-03-01), Hesselgreaves
patent: 5291945 (1994-03-01), Blomgren et al.
patent: 5307869 (1994-05-01), Blomgren
patent: 5327958 (1994-07-01), Machata et al.
patent: 5587053 (1996-12-01), Keith
patent: 5638899 (1997-06-01), Blomgren et al.
patent: 0 742 418 A2 (1996-11-01), None
Evans Bruce L.
Wu Alan K.
Lazarus Ira S.
Long Manufacturing Ltd.
McKinnon Terrell
Ridout & Maybee LLP
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