Louvered elliptical tube micro-lattice heat exchangers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10502501-B1
Application number	US-201514676794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 1, 2015
Priority date	Apr 1, 2015
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A heat exchanger with non-circular tubes arranged in a louvered fashion. In one embodiment the tubes include a first plurality of hollow members extending in a first direction, a second plurality of hollow members extending in a second direction different from the first direction, and a third plurality of hollow members extending in a third direction different from the first direction and from the second direction, the hollow members of the first plurality of hollow members, the second plurality of hollow members, and the third plurality of hollow members intersecting at a plurality of hollow nodes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger comprising a heat exchanger core, the heat exchanger core comprising:
a first plurality of hollow members extending in a first direction; and
a second plurality of hollow members extending in a second direction different from the first direction,
the hollow members of the first plurality of hollow members and the second plurality of hollow members intersecting at a plurality of hollow nodes,
each hollow member of the first plurality of hollow members and the second plurality of hollow members having:
a length in a longitudinal axis, the length being a largest dimension of each respective one of the hollow members, and
at a point along the length, an elongated cross section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the cross section comprising a smallest diameter in a direction parallel to a minor axis, the minor axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a largest diameter in a direction parallel to a major axis, the major axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the minor axis and the major axis lying in the plane of the cross section, the largest diameter being at least 20 percent longer than the smallest diameter, and
the largest diameter of a first one of the first plurality of hollow members extending in a different direction from the largest diameter of a second one of the first plurality of hollow members.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein:
the heat exchanger core further comprises a third plurality of hollow members extending in a third direction different from the first direction and from the second direction;
the hollow members of the first plurality of hollow members, the second plurality of hollow members, and the third plurality of hollow members intersect at the plurality of hollow nodes; and
each hollow member of the third plurality of hollow members has:
a length in a longitudinal axis, the length being a largest dimension of each respective one of the hollow members, and
at a point along the length, an elongated cross section in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the cross section comprising a smallest diameter in a direction parallel to a minor axis, the minor axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and a largest diameter in a direction parallel to a major axis, the major axis being perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, the minor axis and the major axis lying in the plane of the cross section, the largest diameter being at least 20 percent longer than the smallest diameter.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the elongated cross section of each hollow member of the first plurality of hollow members and the second plurality of hollow members is an elliptical cross section.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the elongated cross section of each hollow member of the first plurality of hollow members and the second plurality of hollow members has a shape of an airfoil.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the elongated cross section of each hollow member of the first plurality of hollow members and the second plurality of hollow members is a rectangular cross section with rounded corners.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , comprising an inlet and an outlet and having a principal external flow direction parallel to a line from the inlet to the outlet,
wherein the core comprises:
a first region comprising hollow members of the first plurality of hollow members;
a second region comprising hollow members of the second plurality of hollow members; and
a third region comprising hollow members of the third plurality of hollow members, the second region being between the first region and the third region, and

wherein:
the major axis of each hollow member of the first region is parallel to the principal external flow direction,
the major axis of each hollow member of the second region is oblique to the principal external flow direction, and
the major axis of each hollow member of the third region is parallel to the principal external flow direction.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , comprising an inlet and an outlet and having a principal external flow direction parallel to a line from the inlet to the outlet,
wherein the core comprises:
a first region comprising hollow members of the first plurality of hollow members;
a second region comprising hollow members of the second plurality of hollow members; and
a third region comprising hollow members of the third plurality of hollow members, the second region being between the first region and the third region, and

wherein:
the major axis of each hollow member of the first region is oblique to the principal external flow direction,
the major axis of each hollow member of the second region is parallel to the principal external flow direction, and
the major axis of each hollow member of the third region is oblique to the principal external flow direction.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 7 , wherein:
the angle between the major axis of a hollow member of the first region and the principal external flow direction has the same magnitude as the angle between the major axis of a hollow member of the third region and the principal external flow direction.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the core has:
an interior core volume including an interior volume of each of:
the first plurality of hollow members;
the second plurality of hollow members; and
the plurality of hollow nodes;

a first surface, the first surface being flat; and
a second surface, the second surface being flat and parallel to the first surface,
the heat exchanger further comprising a first tubesheet and a second tubesheet, each of the first tubesheet and the second tubesheet having a respective plurality of perforations in fluid communication with the interior core volume.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein a first node of the plurality of hollow nodes defines a fourth plurality of hollow members of
the first plurality of hollow members,
the second plurality of hollow members, and
the third plurality of hollow members,
the fourth plurality of hollow members intersecting at the first node, the fourth plurality of hollow members consisting of:
a fifth plurality of hollow members being nearer than the first node to the first surface; and
a sixth plurality of hollow members being nearer than the first node to the second surface;
a cross sectional area of the first hollow node being equal to the sum of cross sectional areas of the fifth plurality of hollow members.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein a first node of the plurality of hollow nodes defines a fourth plurality of hollow members of
the first plurality of hollow members,
the second plurality of hollow members, and
the third plurality of hollow members,
the fourth plurality of hollow members intersecting at the first node, the fourth plurality of hollow members consisting of:
a fifth plurality of hollow members being nearer than the first node to the first surface; and
a sixth plurality of hollow members being nearer than the first node to the second surface;
a cross sectional area of the first hollow node being within 15% of the sum of cross sectional areas of the fifth plurality of hollow members.

12. The heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein a first node of the plurality of hollow nodes defines a fourth plurality of hollow members of
the first plurality of hollow members,
the second plurality of hollow members, and
the third plurality of hollow members,
the fourth plurality of hollow members intersecting at the first node, the fourth plurality of hollow members consisting of:

Assignees

• Hrl Lab Llc

Inventors

• Roper Christopher S
• Kusuda Charles
• Muley Arun
• Page David

Classifications

• F28F2250/02

  Streamline-shaped elements · CPC title

• F28F2210/02

  with particular branching, e.g. fractal conduit arrangements · CPC title

• F28F9/04

  Arrangements for sealing elements into header boxes or end plates {(arrangements for sealing flow lines connectors to header boxes F28F9/0248)} · CPC title

• F28F1/10

  Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses (crimped or corrugated elements F28F1/06, F28F1/08) · CPC title

• F28F1/02

  Tubular elements of cross-section which is non-circular (F28F1/08, F28F1/10 take precedence) · CPC title