U.S. patent application number 14/406417 was filed with the patent office on 2015-06-04 for heat exchanger.
This patent application is currently assigned to LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT. The applicant listed for this patent is LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT. Invention is credited to Michael Bernauer, Steffen Brenner, Stefan Kayser.
Application Number | 20150153115 14/406417 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46758579 |
Filed Date | 2015-06-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150153115 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kayser; Stefan ; et
al. |
June 4, 2015 |
HEAT EXCHANGER
Abstract
The invention relates to a heat exchanger (1) for indirect heat
transfer between a first medium (F1) and a second medium (F2),
comprising: a shell (2) which has a shell space (3) for receiving
the first medium (F1), a heat transfer block (4) which is disposed
in the shell space (3) and which during correct operation is
surrounded by the first medium (F1), wherein the heat transfer
block (4) is designed to cool the second medium (F2) against the
first medium (F1), such that a gaseous phase of the first medium
(G1) forms in the shell space (3). According to the invention a
collecting channel (5) located in the shell space (3) is provided
for drawing off the gaseous phase of the first medium (G1) from the
shell space (3).
Inventors: |
Kayser; Stefan; (Trostberg,
DE) ; Bernauer; Michael; (Truchtlaching, DE) ;
Brenner; Steffen; (Trostberg, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT |
Muenchen |
|
DE |
|
|
Assignee: |
LINDE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Muenchen
DE
|
Family ID: |
46758579 |
Appl. No.: |
14/406417 |
Filed: |
June 6, 2013 |
PCT Filed: |
June 6, 2013 |
PCT NO: |
PCT/EP2013/001670 |
371 Date: |
December 8, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/157 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D 21/0017 20130101;
F28F 9/0265 20130101; F28F 9/001 20130101; F28D 9/0006 20130101;
F28F 13/06 20130101; F28D 7/16 20130101 |
International
Class: |
F28F 9/00 20060101
F28F009/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 6, 2012 |
DE |
10 2012 011 328.5 |
Claims
1. A heat exchanger (1) for the indirect heat transfer between a
first medium (F1) and a second medium (F2), with: a shell (2) which
has a shell space (3) for receiving the first medium (F1), at least
one heat transfer block (4) which is arranged in the shell space
(3) and enveloped by the first medium (F1) during a
design-specified operation, wherein the heat transfer block (4) is
designed for cooling and/or for at least partially liquefying the
second medium (F2) against the first medium (F1) so that a gaseous
phase of the first medium (G1) is formed in the shell space (3),
wherein the at least one heat transfer block (4) is a plate heat
exchanger, characterized in that for extracting the gaseous phase
of the first medium (G1) from the shell space (3), provision is
made for a collecting channel (5) which is located in the shell
space (3).
2. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the heat transfer block (4) is designed so that the first medium
(F1) can rise in the heat transfer block (4) during operation of
the heat exchanger (1), wherein the heat transfer block (4) is
especially designed for conducting the second medium (F2) in
counterflow or crossflow to the first medium (F1) in the heat
transfer block (4).
3. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
a multiplicity of heat transfer blocks (4) in the form of plate
heat exchangers are arranged in the shell space.
4. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the collecting channel (5) is connected to at least one outlet
connector (6) which is provided on the shell (2) so that the
gaseous phase of the first medium (G1) can be extracted from the
shell space (3) through the collecting channel (5) via the at least
one outlet connector (6).
5. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the collecting channel (5) has a wall (W) which defines an interior
space (I) of the collecting channel (5) in which the gaseous phase
of the first medium (G1) can flow towards the outlet connector (6),
and which extends along a horizontal direction of extension (7)
which stretches along an upper side (8) of the shell (2).
6. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that
the collecting channel (5) has an especially box-shaped or tubular
cross section transversely to the direction of extension (7).
7. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that
the wall (W) of the collecting channel (5) has an upper side (9)
and an oppositely disposed lower side (10), wherein the upper side
(9) and the lower side (10) are interconnected via mutually
opposite sidewalls (11) of the wall (W) of the collecting channel
(5).
8. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that
one section of the wall (W) of the collecting channel (5),
especially an upper side (9) of the wall (W), is formed by the
shell (2).
9. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that
the lower side (10) and/or the sidewalls (11) of the collecting
channel (5) have a multiplicity of especially slot-like inlet
openings (12) through which the gaseous phase of the first medium
(G1) can flow into the collecting channel (5).
10. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the collecting channel (5) has two end faces (11a, 11b) which lie
opposite each other along the direction of extension (7), wherein
the spacings of adjacent inlet openings (12) decrease towards the
respective end face (11a, 11b).
11. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 7, characterized in that
the lower side (10) and/or the sidewalls (11) of the collecting
channel (5) have a multiplicity of especially circular inlet
openings (13) through which the gaseous phase of the first medium
(G1) can flow into the collecting channel (5).
12. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the cross section of the collecting channel (5) increases towards
the outlet connector (6) so that a velocity field (v) of the
gaseous phase of the first medium (G1) in the collecting channel
(5) remains essentially constant with regard to value.
13. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the heat exchanger (1) has additional outlet connectors (6) which
are interconnected via the collecting channel (5).
14. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the heat exchanger (1) has a large number of collecting channels
(5) which are connected in each case to at least one outlet
connector (6).
15. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that
the shell (2) has a cylindrical encompassing wall (14) transversely
to the direction of extension (7), which interconnects the two
end-face walls (15) of the shell (2).
16. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that
the at least one outlet connector (6) is arranged on the
encompassing wall (W) of the shell (2), especially on an upper
section, a side section or a lower section (8, 16) of the wall (14)
of the shell (2), or in that the at least one outlet connector (6)
is arranged on one of the end-face walls (15) of the shell (2).
17. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that
the number, distribution, size and/or shape of the inlet openings
(12, 13) on the collecting channel (5) is, or are, selected so that
the velocity field (v) of the gaseous phase of the first medium
(G1) is established essentially uniformly with regard to value in
the collecting channel (5) and especially also in the shell space
(3).
18. A heat exchanger (1) for the indirect heat transfer between a
first medium (F1) and a second medium (F2), with: a shell (2) which
has a shell space (3) for receiving the first medium (F1), at least
one heat transfer block (4) which is arranged in the shell space
(3) and enveloped by the first medium (F1) during a
design-specified operation, wherein the heat transfer block (4) is
designed for cooling and/or for at least partially liquefying the
second medium (F2) against the first medium (F1) so that a gaseous
phase of the first medium (G1) is formed in the shell space (3),
wherein for extracting the gaseous phase of the first medium (G1)
from the shell space (3), provision is made for a collecting
channel (5) which is located in the shell space (3) and extends
along a direction of extension which is oriented parallel to the
longitudinal axis of the shell, and wherein the at least one heat
transfer block (4) is a plate heat exchanger, and wherein the
collecting channel (5) is connected to at least one outlet
connector (6) which is provided on the shell (2) so that the
gaseous phase of the first medium (G1) can be extracted from the
shell space (3) through the collecting channel (5) via the at least
one outlet connector (6), and wherein the collecting channel (5)
has two end faces (11a, 11b) which lie mutually opposite along the
direction of extension of the collecting channel (5), characterized
in that the collecting channel (5) has a cross section transversely
to the direction of extension (7) which increases towards the
outlet connector (6) and the collecting channel (5) has a
multiplicity of inlet openings (12, 13) for extracting the gaseous
phase, wherein the spacings of adjacent inlet openings decrease
towards the respective end face (11a, 11b) of the collecting
channel (5).
19. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 18, characterized in
that the heat transfer block (4) is designed so that the first
medium (F1) can rise in the heat transfer block (4) during
operation of the heat exchanger (1), wherein the heat transfer
block (4) is especially designed for conducting the second medium
(F2) in counterflow or crossflow to the first medium (F1) in the
heat transfer block (4).
20. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 18, characterized in
that a multiplicity of heat transfer blocks (4) in the form of
plate heat exchangers are arranged in the shell space.
Description
[0001] The invention relates to a heat exchanger according to the
preamble of claim 1.
[0002] Such a heat exchanger is featured in "The Standards of The
Brazed Aluminium Plate-Fin Heat Exchanger Manufacturer's
Association (ALPEMA)", third edition, 2010, page 67 in FIG. 9-1. It
has a shell which encloses a shell space, and also at least one
heat transfer block ("core") which is arranged in the shell space
and designed as a plate heat exchanger. Such a design of a heat
exchanger is also referred to as a "core-in-shell" or
"block-in-shell" heat exchanger.
[0003] With such a heat exchanger, a first medium, which forms a
bath enveloping the heat transfer block during operation of the
heat exchanger and rises from the bottom upwards (thermosiphon
effect) in the heat transfer block (along the vertical), can
especially be brought into a direct heat transfer with a second
medium (e.g. a gaseous phase which is to be liquefied or a liquid
phase which is to be cooled) which is preferably conducted in the
heat transfer block in counterflow or crossflow to the first
medium. A gaseous phase of the first medium which emerges during
this collects in the shell space above the heat transfer block and
is extracted via at least one outlet connector provided on the
shell and is perhaps fed to further process steps via an (external)
collecting channel which is provided outside the shell.
[0004] As a result of this type of extraction of the gaseous phase,
there develops in the shell space a heterogeneous velocity field of
the gaseous phase heading towards the outlet connector which
impairs the quality of the gas-liquid separation in the shell
space. This effect can be counteracted by a variation of the number
or the size of the outlet connectors but only to a limited extent,
particularly as the flow characteristics in the external collecting
channel also react to the velocity field of the gaseous phase in
the shell space. Furthermore, the outlet connectors are
pressure-resistant component parts of a ("core-in-shell") heat
exchanger of the type referred to in the introduction and are
therefore constructionally expensive which entails increased
production costs in the case of a plurality of outlet connectors.
Furthermore, by fixing the outlet-connector position on the upper
side of the shell a degree of freedom is taken away during the
construction of the surrounding components (e.g. cold box, field
tubing).
[0005] Starting from here, the invention is therefore based on the
object of providing a heat exchanger which is improved with regard
to the aforesaid problems.
[0006] This problem is solved by means of a heat exchanger having
the features of claim 1.
[0007] Accordingly, it is provided that the collecting channel is
located in the shell space and is designed for extracting the
gaseous phase from the shell space.
[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, provision can
also be made in the shell space for a plurality of heat transfer
blocks or plate heat exchangers which can be operated in parallel
or in series, for example.
[0009] Such plate heat exchangers as a rule have a multiplicity of
plates arranged in parallel with each other and form a large number
of heat exchange passages for media which participate in the
exchange of heat. A preferred embodiment of a plate heat exchanger
has a multiplicity of corrugated plates (so-called fins) which in
each case are arranged between two parallel separating plates of
the plate heat exchanger, wherein the two outermost layers of the
plate heat exchanger are formed by cover plates. In this way, a
large number of parallel channels or a heat exchange passage,
through which a medium can flow, are formed between each two
separating plates or between a separating plate and a cover plate
on account of the fins which are arranged between them in each
case. In adjacent heat exchange passages flowing media can
therefore indirectly exchange heat. Towards the sides, between each
two adjacent separating plates or between a cover plate and the
adjacent separating plate, provision is preferably made for sealing
strips (so-called side bars) for closing off the respective heat
exchange passage. The cover plates, separating plates, fins and
side bars are preferably produced from aluminum and are soldered
together in an oven, for example. Via corresponding headers with
connectors, media can be introduced into the heat exchange passages
or extracted from these.
[0010] The shell of the heat exchanger can especially have an
encompassing (circular) cylindrical wall which in a
design-specified arranged state of the heat exchanger is preferably
oriented so that the longitudinal axis (cylinder axis) of the wall
or of the shell extends along the horizontal. Connected to that
wall, on the end face, the shell preferably has mutually opposite
walls which extend transversely to the horizontal or to the
longitudinal axis.
[0011] Said collecting channel for extracting the gaseous phase of
the first medium is preferably connected (e.g. via a pipe) in a
flow-conducting manner to an outlet connector, which is especially
arranged on an upper side of the shell, so that the gaseous phase
of the first medium can be extracted from the shell space via those
outlet connectors.
[0012] In one embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the
collecting channel extends along a direction of extension which is
oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis (cylinder axis) of the
shell or along the horizontal, and in this case preferably has a
tubular (circular) or a box-shaped (rectangular) cross section
transversely to said direction of extension (longitudinal
axis).
[0013] The collecting channel (with regard to a design-specified
arranged state of the heat exchanger) is preferably arranged in the
shell space along the vertical above the liquid level of the first
medium or above the heat transfer block so that the rising (from
the heat transfer block) gaseous phase of the first medium meets
with the collecting channel.
[0014] The collecting channel preferably has a wall which encloses
an interior space of the collecting channel in which the gaseous
phase can flow towards said outlet connector. In this case, that
section of each wall of the collecting channel which points towards
an upper side of the heat exchanger or points upwards along the
vertical is referred to as the upper side of the collecting
channel, and the oppositely disposed section of the wall of the
collecting channel which points towards the lower side of the heat
exchanger, correspondingly constitutes the lower side of the
collecting channel. The upper and lower sides of the collecting
channel are preferably interconnected by sidewalls of the
collecting channel which are extended along the longitudinal axis
of the shell. At the ends, the collecting channel is preferably
delimited by mutually opposite end faces which in each case
interconnect the upper side, the lower side and the sidewalls.
[0015] A variant of the invention furthermore provides that one or
more of the aforesaid sections of the wall of the collecting
channel can be formed by the shell of the heat exchanger. The upper
side of the collecting channel or the upper side of the wall of the
collecting channel is preferably formed by the shell. The sidewalls
and end faces are therefore correspondingly attached to the shell
away from the shell space.
[0016] For extracting the gaseous phase, the collecting channel
preferably has a multiplicity of inlet openings which are
especially formed on the lower side (bottom) of the collecting
channel and, if applicable, also on the mutually opposite sidewalls
of the collecting channel. In this case, the inlet openings which
are formed on the bottom of the collecting channel are preferably
of a slot-like design, whereas inlet openings provided on the
sidewalls preferably have a circular contour (e.g. holes).
[0017] It is preferably provided that the spacings of adjacent
inlet openings, and particularly the spacings of the inlet openings
provided on the lower side, decrease towards the respective end
face of the collecting channel. That is to say, the two adjacent
inlet openings which are located closer to one of the end faces of
the collecting channel, preferably have a smaller spacing in
relation to each other along the direction of extension of the
collecting channel than two adjacent inlet openings which are
arranged more towards the middle of the collecting channel (with
regard to the direction of extension).
[0018] The number, distribution, size and/or shape of the inlet
openings is, or are, preferably selected so that the velocity field
of the gaseous phase of the first medium in the collecting channel
is established as uniformly as possible with regard to value.
Furthermore, according to one aspect of the invention the
cross-sectional area (and contour, if applicable) of the collecting
channel (in a plane perpendicular to the direction of extension of
the collecting channel) is selected in such a way that a flow field
of the gaseous phase of the first medium which is as uniform as
possible is established in the collecting channel and in the shell
space. This is preferably assisted by a widening/enlargement of the
cross section of the collecting channel towards the outlet
connector and/or by a defined arrangement, shape and size of the
inlet openings on the collecting channel.
[0019] Furthermore, the shell can naturally also have a
multiplicity of outlet connectors which can be connected to a
collecting channel, as previously described, or possibly to a
plurality of collecting channels of the previously described
type.
[0020] The positions, dimensions and orientations of these
collecting channels are preferably selected in this case so that
the velocity field of the gaseous phase of the first medium in the
shell space and in the respective collecting channel is established
as uniformly as possible with regard to value.
[0021] Furthermore, the at least one outlet connector (or even a
plurality of outlet connectors) can be arranged according to the
invention on an upper, a lower and a side section of the
encompassing wall of the shell or on one of the end-face walls of
the shell.
[0022] Further details and advantages of the invention shall be
explained in more detail by the following figure descriptions of
exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures. Advantageous
embodiments of the invention are furthermore disclosed in the
dependent claims.
[0023] In the drawing:
[0024] FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a heat exchanger according
to the invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 shows a further sectional view of the heat exchanger
according to FIG. 1; and
[0026] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a collecting channel of the
heat exchanger according to FIGS. 1 and 2.
[0027] FIG. 1, in conjunction with FIGS. 2 and 3, shows a heat
exchanger 1 which has a transversely lying, (circular) cylindrical
shell 2 which delimits a shell space 3 of the heat exchanger 1. The
shell 2 in this case has an encompassing, cylindrical wall 14 which
is delimited on the end faces by two mutually opposite walls
15.
[0028] A heat transfer block 4 is arranged in the shell space 3
which is enclosed by the shell 2. In this case, it can be a plate
heat exchanger which provides a plurality of parallel heat exchange
passages.
[0029] The plate heat exchanger 4 has in this case a multiplicity
of corrugated plates (so-called fins) which are arranged in each
case between two flat separating plates of the plate heat exchanger
4. In this way, a large number of parallel passages or one heat
exchange passage are/is formed between each two separating plates
(or one separating plate and one cover plate, see below), through
which the respective medium can flow. The two outermost layers are
formed by cover plates of the plate heat exchanger, with sealing
strips (so-called "side bars") being provided towards the sides
between each two adjacent separating plates or between separating
plates and cover plates.
[0030] The shell space 3 is filled with a first medium F1 during an
operation of the heat exchanger 1 so that a liquid phase L1 of the
first medium F1 forms a bath which envelops the heat transfer block
or plate heat exchanger 4, wherein a gaseous phase G1 of the first
medium F1 which develops during operation can collect in the shell
space 3 above the liquid phase L1.
[0031] The first medium (liquid phase L1) F1 can rise in the heat
transfer block 4 (in associated heat exchange passages) and in the
process is partially evaporated, as a result of indirect heat
transfer, by means of a second medium F2 which is to be cooled and
which, for example, is conducted in crossflow to the first medium
F1 in associated heat exchange passages of the heat transfer block
4. The gaseous phase G1 of the first medium F1 which results during
this can discharge at an upper end of the block 4 and rises in the
shell space 3 of the heat exchanger 1 at a determined velocity
v.
[0032] The second medium F2 is directed via a suitable inlet O
(e.g. via a connector on a header) into the heat transfer block or
plate heat exchanger 4 and after passing through the associated
heat exchange passages is extracted from the block 4 via an outlet
O' (e.g. via a corresponding header and a connector which is
connected thereto).
[0033] Arranged on the upper side 8 of the heat exchanger 1, on an
inner side 2a of the shell 2 facing the shell space 3, is a
box-shaped collecting channel 5 which extends along a direction of
extension 7. The collecting channel 5 in this case is especially of
an elongated design and correspondingly has a greater spread along
the direction of extension 7 than transversely to that direction of
extension 7.
[0034] The collecting channel 5 furthermore has a wall W which
delimits an interior space I of the collecting channel 5 and
through which the gaseous phase G1 of the first medium F1 is
extracted from the shell space 3. The wall W particularly has an
upper side 9 which in the present case is formed by the shell 2,
and also two sidewalls 11, projecting therefrom, which extend along
the direction of extension 7 and are interconnected via a bottom
(lower side) 10 of the collecting channel 5 which lies opposite the
upper side 9. Furthermore, the collecting channel 5 or its wall W
has two end faces 11a, 11b which lie opposite each other along the
direction of extension 7.
[0035] For extracting the gaseous phase G1 of the first medium F1
from the shell space 3, provision is now made on the sidewalls 11
and/or on the lower side 10 of the collecting channel 5 for
slot-like inlet openings 12 (slot-like inlet openings on the lower
side 10 in the present case) through which the gaseous phase G1 can
enter the collecting channel 5. The inlet openings 12 in this case
are arranged next to each other along the direction of extension 7,
wherein the distance between adjacent inlet openings 13 along the
direction of extension 7 preferably decreases in each case from the
outlet connector 6 towards the two end faces 11a, 11b of the
collecting channel 5. The longitudinal axes of these inlet openings
12 extend in this case transversely to the direction of extension 7
of the collecting channel 5 in each case.
[0036] Furthermore, provision is made on the sidewalls 11 and/or on
the lower side 10 of the collecting channel 5 in each case for
circular inlet openings 13 (circular inlet openings 13 on the side
walls 11 in the present case) which are also arranged next to each
other along the direction of extension 7. Here also, the distance
between adjacent inlet openings 12 along the direction of extension
7 preferably decreases in each case from the outlet connector 6
towards the two end faces 11a, 11b of the collecting channel 5.
[0037] The collecting channel 5 is also connected to an outlet
connector 6 of the shell 2 which opens into the upper side 9 of the
collecting channel 5 so that the gaseous phase G1 of the first
medium F1 which has made its way via the inlet openings 12, 13 into
the interior space I of the collecting channel 5 can be extracted
from the collecting channel 5 via the outlet connector 6.
[0038] The outlet connector 6 is arranged along the direction of
extension 7 preferably in the middle on the collecting channel 5,
wherein the lower side 10 of the collecting channel 5 preferably
has two sections 10a, 10b which slope downwards towards the outlet
connector 6 and meet preferably beneath said outlet connector
6.
[0039] The cross section of the collecting channel 5 increases
(widens) in each case from the end faces 11a, 11b of the collecting
channel 5 in the direction of the outlet connector 6 in order to
achieve a velocity field v of the gaseous phase G1 of the first
medium F1 which is as homogeneous as possible in the collecting
channel 5 (and in the shell space 3).
LIST OF DESIGNATIONS
TABLE-US-00001 [0040] 1 Heat exchanger 2 Shell 2a Inner side 3
Shell space 4 Heat transfer block 5 Collecting channel 6 Outlet
connector 7 Direction of extension 8 Upper side of the shell 9
Upper side of the collecting channel 10 Lower side of the
collecting channel 10a, 10b Sections of the lower section 11
Sidewalls of the collecting channel 11a, 11b End faces 12 Slot-like
inlet openings 13 Circular inlet openings 14 Encompassing wall of
the shell 15 End-face walls of the shell 16 Lower side of the shell
F1 First medium G1 Gaseous phase of the first medium L1 Liquid
phase of the first medium F2 Second medium I Interior space O Inlet
for second medium O' Outlet for second medium V Velocity field of
the gaseous phase G1
* * * * *