Double dimple pattern heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113814-B2
Application number	US-201414196237-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2014
Priority date	Mar 8, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger including a plurality of heat exchanger plates, wherein each of the heat exchanger plates has a plurality of dimples. The dimples have tops and bottoms. Furthermore, the tops of at least one heat exchanger plate are connected to the bottoms of a neighboring heat exchanger plate. In order to improve the efficiency and stability of the heat exchanger at least part of the dimples are connected to at least one adjacent dimple by a wall section.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchanger plates, wherein each of the heat exchanger plates comprises a plurality of dimples, wherein the plurality of dimples comprise tops and bottoms, wherein the dimple tops of at least one heat exchanger plate are aligned with and connected to the dimple bottoms of a first neighboring heat exchanger plate and the dimple bottoms of the at least one heat exchanger plate are aligned with and connected to the dimple tops of a second neighboring heat exchanger plate, wherein at least part of the dimples are connected to at least one adjacent dimple by a wall section, wherein at least some of the wall sections have the same height as the dimples forming closed dimple pairs and the at least some of the wall sections of the at least one heat exchanger plate are in contact with corresponding wall sections of the first and second neighboring heat exchanger plates to completely block a fluid path where the closed dimple pairs meet, wherein the connection between the dimple tops of the at least one heat exchanger plate and the dimple bottoms of the first neighboring heat exchanger plate keeps the at least one heat exchanger plate and the first neighboring heat exchanger plate spaced apart to form a first flow path therebetween, wherein the connection between the dimple bottoms of the at least one heat exchanger plate and the dimple tops of the second neighboring heat exchanger plate keeps the at least one heat exchanger plate and the second neighboring heat exchanger plate spaced apart to form a second flow path therebetween, and wherein the wall sections together with the adjacent dimples connected by the wall sections form a pattern of closed barriers within the first and second flow paths directing fluid flow across a plane of the at least one heat exchanger plate, wherein at least some of the wall sections protrude in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger plate to a lower height than the dimples.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the dimples or wall sections comprise concave surface sections or convex surface sections.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the wall sections connect three or more dimples.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the dimples or the wall sections are elastically deformable.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least some of the wall sections have a minimum width that is smaller than a maximum width of the dimples.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the dimples comprising tops are arranged in first rows and at least part of the dimples comprising bottoms are arranged in second rows.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein all dimples in each first row as well as all dimples in each second row are connected by wall sections.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein in each first row and in each second row wall sections with the same height as the dimples are arranged alternately with wall sections with a lower height than the dimples.

9. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein at least part of the first and second rows are arranged parallel to an edge of the heat exchanger plate.

10. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein at least part of the first and second rows are arranged at an angle to an edge of the heat exchanger plate.

11. The heat exchanger according to claim 6 , wherein at least part of the first and second rows change direction within the plane of the heat exchanger plate.

12. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the dimples comprising tops are arranged alternately with dimples comprising bottoms along a direction parallel to an edge of the heat exchanger plate.

13. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the dimples comprising tops are arranged alternately with dimples comprising bottoms along a direction inclined to an edge of the heat exchanger plate.

14. The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the tops and bottoms are essentially flat such that a flat plane of a top meets a flat plane of a bottom when heat exchanger plates are connected.

15. The heat exchanger according to claim 14 , wherein the dimples are of similar shapes.

16. A heat exchanger comprising:
a plurality of heat exchanger plates, each heat exchanger plate of the plurality of heat exchanger plates comprising:
a plurality of each dimple of the plurality of dimples comprising:
a top or bottom surface;

a plurality of wall sections, each wall section connecting at least one dimple to at least one adjacent dimple, the connected dimples both having either top surfaces or bottom surfaces;
wherein the wall sections have the same height as the dimples forming closed dimple pairs;
wherein the top surfaces of closed dimple pairs having top surfaces of at least one heat exchanger plate of the plurality of heat exchanger plates are aligned with and connected to the bottom surfaces of dosed dimple pairs having bottom surfaces of a first neighboring heat exchanger plate to keep the at least one heat exchanger plate and the first neighboring heat exchanger plate spaced apart to form a first fluid path therebetween;
wherein the bottom surfaces of dosed dimple pairs having bottom surfaces of the at least one the heat exchanger plate are aligned with and connected to the top surfaces of dosed dimple pairs having top surfaces of a second neighboring heat exchanger plate to keep the at least one heat exchanger plate and the second neighboring heat exchanger plate spaced apart to form a second fluid path therebetween;
wherein the wall sections of the connected dosed dimple pairs of the first and second neighboring heat exchanger plates are in contact with the wall sections of the connected dosed dimple pairs of the at least one heat exchanger plate to completely block the fluid path where the dosed dimple pairs meet; and
wherein the wall sections and dimples of the connected dosed dimple pairs form a pattern of dosed barriers within the first and second fluid paths directing fluid flow across a plane of the at least one heat exchanger plate,
wherein at least some of the wall sections protrude in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger plate to a lower height than the dimples.

Assignees

• Danfoss As

Inventors

• Persson Lars

Classifications

• F28F3/044 Primary

  the deformations being pontual, e.g. dimples · CPC title

• F28F3/083

  capable of being taken apart · CPC title