U.S. patent number 3,782,456 [Application Number 05/310,946] was granted by the patent office on 1974-01-01 for heat exchange with resilient liquid accumulator.
Invention is credited to Frederick E. Gusmer.
United States Patent |
3,782,456 |
Gusmer |
January 1, 1974 |
HEAT EXCHANGE WITH RESILIENT LIQUID ACCUMULATOR
Abstract
A heat exchanger with resilient liquid accumulator comprises a
pair of heater blocks back-to-back on opposite sides of heater
elements and having oppositely outwardly opening grooves for a
liquid to be heated. The grooves are closed by spring metal plates
that are held in place by cover plates. The cover plates are
recessed on the outer side of the spring metal plates to permit
expansion of the spring metal plates. The assembly is held together
in sandwich fashion by tie bolts.
Inventors: |
Gusmer; Frederick E.
(Mantoloking, NJ) |
Family
ID: |
23204723 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/310,946 |
Filed: |
November 30, 1972 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
165/164; 165/83;
392/484; 165/168 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28D
7/0041 (20130101); F28F 7/02 (20130101); F28F
3/022 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
F28F
7/02 (20060101); F28D 7/00 (20060101); F28F
3/00 (20060101); F28F 7/00 (20060101); F28F
3/02 (20060101); F28d 007/00 () |
Field of
Search: |
;165/164-165,168-170,83,84 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Myhre; Charles J.
Assistant Examiner: Streule, Jr.; Theophil W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Irvin S. Thompson et al.
Claims
Having described my invention, I claim:
1. A heat exchanger comprising a heat exchange member, said heat
exchange member having a recess therein for receiving a liquid to
be heat exchanged, means for passing a liquid to be heat exchanged
through said recess, a spring metal plate separate from said heat
exchange member and closing said recess, resilient sealing means
disposed between said spring metal plate and said heat exchange
member, and a cover plate detachably secured to said heat exchange
member and bearing against said spring metal plate in a direction
to compress said sealing means between said heat exchange member
and said spring metal plate.
2. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, said cover plate having
a recess therein to accommodate outward deformation of said spring
metal plate.
3. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2, the margins of said
recess in said cover plate bearing against the margins of said
spring metal plate.
4. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, and bolt means extending
through said heat exchange member and cover plate releasably to
retain said heat exchange member and cover plate in assembled
relation with said spring metal plate and sealing means
therebetween.
5. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, said recess comprising a
plurality of parallel grooves in said heat exchange member, and a
continuous groove in said heat exchange member surrounding but
spaced outwardly from said parallel grooves and shallower than said
parallel grooves, said sealing means being disposed in said
continuous groove.
6. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5, the margins of said
grooves being spaced from said spring metal plate in the undeformed
condition of said spring metal plate.
7. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, there being a pair of
said heat exchange members disposed in back-to-back relation with
said recesses opening outwardly away from each other, and means
between said heat exchange members for establishing a temperature
different from the temperature of the liquid in said recesses.
Description
The present invention relates to heat exchangers with resilient
liquid accumulators.
It is an object of the present invention to provide such a heat
exchanger, in which the accumulator will be frictionless.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of such a
heat exchanger that is well adapted to accommodate variations in
the volume of the liquid undergoing heat exchange.
Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a
heat exchanger, which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to
manufacture, easy to install, operate, maintain and repair, and
rugged and durable in use.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent from a consideration of the following
description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in
which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective assembly view of the heat
exchanger according to the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view thereof.
Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown a
heat exchanger with resilient liquid accumulator, according to the
present invention, comprising a pair of metal heater blocks 1
back-to-back. In describing the blocks 1, and the other elements of
the apparatus according to the present invention, excepting only
the tie bolts, it is to be understood that the apparatus according
to the present invention is bi-symmetric about the horizontal
midplane of FIG. 2; that is, the structure above the horizontal
midplane of FIG. 2, except for the tie bolts, is the mirror image
of the structure below the horizontal midplane of FIG. 2.
Therefore, a description of one element will suffice for both.
Each heater block 1 has a plurality of semi-cylindrical grooves 3
extending lengthwise thereof and milled or otherwise formed in the
inner surface thereof. The grooves 3 of the heater blocks 1
register with each other in the assembled position of the parts, to
define between them cylindrical recesses extending lengthwise of
the heat exchanger, in which cylindrical heater elements 5 are
received in close heat exchange contact. Heater elements 5 are of
any conventional type and are comprised by conventional nichrome or
other resistance heating wires, extending lengthwise within a
ceramic casing, in the manner of conventional fire rods and the
like. Of course, the invention is not limited to electrical
heating, and elements 5 can be replaced by heat exchange tubes in
which a liquid passes; or alternatively, the side walls of grooves
3 can themselves provide heat exchange passages for a fluid.
It is further to be understood that, although the present invention
is described and illustrated in connection with heating means in
the grooves 3, the invention is equally applicable to the provision
of cooling means in these grooves. Thus, the grooves 3 can emit
heat or receive heat, and can contain elements that emit or receive
heat, and/or can receive fluids that emit or receive heat.
On the outer side of blocks 1, that is, the side opposite grooves
3, a plurality of parallel deep grooves 7 are milled, cast or
otherwise formed in the material of blocks 1. Grooves 7 extend
lengthwise of the exchanger in parallelism to each other and have
as extended a surface as is convenient, because the grooves 7
receive within them the liquid to be heated or cooled, which of
course is to be heated in the illustrated embodiment. The grooves 7
all communicate at one end with a liquid inlet 9 and at the other
end with a liquid outlet 11, the liquid to be heat exchanged
passing from inlet 9 through grooves 7 and out the outlet 11 in
each block 1. Conventional means (not shown) such as pumps or the
like are provided for moving the liquids along this path; and it is
particularly to be understood that the same or different liquids
may be fed through the blocks 1. Thus, for example, if the same
liquid is fed through both blocks, then it may traverse the blocks
serially, in which case the outlet 11 of one block could be the
inlet 9 of the downstream block.
Surrounding but spaced from the group of grooves 11, there is
milled or cast or otherwise formed in the same surface of the block
1 a continuous groove 13 having rounded corners, in which is
sealingly disposed a continuous O-ring seal 15 of complementary
configuration. Seal 15 in its undeformed condition projects above
the top of groove 13 and is in sealing contact with a spring metal
plate 17 whose length and width are of course somewhat larger than
the length and width of seal 15, so that seal 15 is in continuous
sealing contact entirely about the periphery of plate 17. Plate 17
is preferably of steel, such as carbon steel or stainless steel,
but may also be beryllium copper or other resilient heat resistant
metal, and is sufficiently thin to flex outwardly and inwardly, out
of its normal plane, upon changes in the volume of the liquid which
is confined in grooves 7 by plate 17.
A cover plate 19 has a shallow recess 21 centrally thereof, of a
length and width somewhat less than the length and width of plate
17. In assembled relationship, the margins of recess 21 bear
against the edges of plate 17 continuously thereabout and on the
outer side thereof, to maintain plate 17 in sealing relationship
with its subjacent seal 15. Tie bolts 23 extend through holes 25
aligned in blocks 1 and cover plates 19 to maintain the assembly of
the parts together in sandwich fashion. Bolts 23 have heads 27 at
one end thereof that bear against the outer side of one cover plate
19 and are screw threaded at their opposite ends for screw-threaded
engagement with the holes 25 of the other cover plate 19.
In operation, liquid is passed lengthwise through the grooves 7 in
the manner described above at the same time that heat is supplied
or abstracted in the grooves 3. To promote the heat exchange
between the grooves 3 and 7, the blocks 1 are preferably of
aluminum, although they may also be copper, brass, or even
stainless steel, depending on the heat exchange requirements and
the nature of the fluids handled. Variation in the volume of the
liquids in and adjacent grooves 7 is accommodated by flexure of the
plates 17 bowing inwardly or outwardly in a substantially
frictionless manner. The central recesses 21 in cover plates 19
accommodate outward bowing of plates 17; while the marginal edges
of grooves 7 are spaced inwardly from plates 17 in the undeformed
condition of plates 17, to accommodate inward bowing of the plates
17. The changes in the volume of the liquid undergoing heat
exchange, which may occur by virtue of pressure changes or
gemperature changes or for other reasons, are thus accommodated by
the present invention by means of a structure which, in addition,
to its other advantages, is quite simple and inexpensive.
From a consideration of the foregoing disclosure, therefore, it
will be evident that the initially recited objects of the present
invention have been achieved.
Although the present invention has been described and illustrated
in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood
that modifications and variations may be resorted to without
departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in
this art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations
are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present
invention as defined by the appended claims.
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