Water head for an evaporator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10697717-B2
Application number	US-201214434986-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2012
Priority date	Oct 10, 2012
Publication date	Jun 30, 2020
Grant date	Jun 30, 2020

Abstract

Embodiments of a water head for an evaporator in a HVAC system are provided. The water head may have a fluid entrance and a fluid exit in a side-by-side arrangement on one end of the water head, and a distribution chamber and a collection chamber in a top-down arrangement on opposite side of the water head. The distribution chamber and the collection chamber are configured to be in fluid communication with inlets and outlets of a heat exchanging tube bundle respectively. The distribution chamber and the collection chamber can be configured to have continuously smooth surface contours to help reduce pressure drop and fluid separation, and promote advantageous distribution of the process fluid among heat exchanging tubes when a process fluid flows between the fluid entrance or the fluid exit, and the distribution chamber or the collection chamber respectively.

First claim

What claimed is:

1. A water head for an evaporator comprising:
a fluid entrance;
a fluid exit, the fluid entrance and the fluid exit positioned in a side-by-side fashion relative to a direction defined by a length of the water head;
a distribution opening;
a collection opening, the distribution opening and the collection opening positioned in an under-over fashion relative to the direction defined by the length of the water head, the fluid entrance and the fluid exit being at an external side of the water head, the distribution opening and the collection opening being at a shell-facing side of the water head, a depth of the water head extends from the external side to the shell-facing side of the water head;
a distribution chamber;
a collection chamber; and
a partition separating the distribution chamber from the collection chamber in the direction defined by the length of the water head, the partition including a plurality of pockets to accept heat exchange tubes,
wherein on the shell-facing side of the water head, there is a height of the distribution chamber, and there is a height of the collection chamber,
the height of the distribution chamber extends from the partition to a bottom inner wall of the water head,
the height of the collection chamber extends from the partition to a top inner wall of the water head,
at the shell-facing side of the water head, the distribution opening and the collection opening are generally rectangular-shaped,
the height of the distribution chamber is larger than the height of the collection chamber,
the fluid entrance and the fluid exit are circular-shaped, a diameter of the fluid entrance is larger than the height of the distribution chamber or the height of the collection chamber, and a diameter of the fluid exit is larger than the height of the distribution chamber or the height of the collection chamber,
wherein the fluid entrance is in fluid communication with the distribution opening through the distribution chamber, the fluid exit is in fluid communication with the collection opening through the collection chamber,
the distribution chamber is configured to have continuously smooth surface contours connecting the fluid entrance and the distribution opening,
the collection chamber is configured to have continuously smooth surface contours connecting the fluid exit and the collection opening,
the water head is configured to form a first flow path from the fluid entrance to the distribution chamber through the depth of the water head in the direction defined by the depth of the water head,
the water head is configured to form a second flow path from the collection chamber to the fluid exit through the depth of the water head in the direction defined by the depth of the water head,
the water head is configured to direct a process fluid entering the fluid entrance in the direction defined by the depth of the water head and then direct the process fluid to turn in the direction defined by the length of the water head,
the water head is configured to direct the process fluid to flow in the direction defined by the length of the water head and then direct the process fluid to turn in the direction defined by the depth of the water head to exit the fluid exit,

wherein the distribution chamber has a reversed-funnel-like transition in the direction defined by the depth of the water head from the fluid entrance to the distribution opening, the reversed-funnel-like transition gradually enlarges from the fluid entrance to the distribution opening,
wherein the collection chamber has a funnel-like transition in the direction defined by the depth of the water head from the collection opening to the fluid exit, the funnel-like transition gradually decreases from the collection opening to the fluid exit, and
wherein the continuously smooth surface contours of the distribution chamber are configured to expand a fluid flow in the direction defined by the length of the water head, or the continuously smooth surface contours of the collection chamber are configured to contract a fluid flow in the direction defined by the length of the water head.

2. The water head of claim 1 , wherein the distribution chamber is configured to have a conically shaped portion concaved into the collection chamber, the conically shaped portion is configured to direct a portion of a fluid toward the distribution opening when the fluid flows between the fluid entrance and the distribution opening.

3. The water head of claim 1 , wherein the collection chamber is configured to have a conically shaped portion concaved into the distribution chamber, the conically shaped portion is configured to direct a portion of a fluid toward the fluid exit when the fluid flows between the collection opening and the fluid exit.

4. A method of directing a process fluid in a water head of an evaporator that comprises
a fluid entrance;
a fluid exit, the fluid entrance and the fluid exit positioned in a side-by-side fashion relative to a direction defined by a length of the water head;
a distribution opening;
a collection opening, the distribution opening and the collection opening positioned in an under-over fashion relative to the direction defined by the length of the water head, the fluid entrance and the fluid exit being at an external side of the water head, the distribution opening and the collection opening being at a shell-facing side of the water head, a depth of the water head extends from the external side to the shell-facing side of the water head;
a distribution chamber configured to have continuously smooth surface contours connecting the fluid entrance and the distribution opening;
a collection chamber configured to have continuously smooth surface contours connecting the fluid exit and the collection opening; and
a partition separating the distribution chamber from the collection chamber in the direction defined by the length of the water head, the partition including a plurality of pockets to accept heat exchange tubes,
wherein on the shell-facing side of the water head, there is a height of the distribution chamber, and there is a height of the collection chamber,
the height of the distribution chamber extends from the partition to a bottom inner wall of the water head,
the height of the collection chamber extends from the partition to a top inner wall of the water head,
at the shell-facing side of the water head, the distribution opening and the collection opening are generally rectangular-shaped,
the height of the distribution chamber is larger than the height of the collection chamber,
the fluid entrance and the fluid exit are circular-shaped, a diameter of the fluid entrance is larger than the height of the distribution chamber or the height of the collection chamber, and a diameter of the fluid exit is larger than the height of the distribution chamber or the height of the collection chamber,
wherein the fluid entrance is in fluid communication with the distribution opening through the distribution chamber, the fluid exit is in fluid communication with the collection opening through the collection chamber,
wherein the distribution chamber has a reversed-funnel-like transition in the direction defined by the depth of the water head from the fluid entrance to the distribution opening, the reversed-funnel-like transition gradually enlarges from the fluid entrance to the distribution opening,
wherein the collection chamber has a funnel-like transition in the direction defined by the depth of the water head from the collection opening to the fluid exit, the funnel-like transition gradually decreases from the collection opening to the fluid exit, and
wherein the continuously smooth surface contours of the distribution chamber are configured to expand a fluid flow in the direction defined by the length

Assignees

• Trane Int Inc

Inventors

• Hartfield Jon Phillip
• Ring Harry Kenneth
• Wang Gang
• Liu Ruitao

Classifications

• F25B39/02 Primary

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F28D2021/0071

  Evaporators · CPC title

• F25B2339/0242

  having tubular elements · CPC title

• F28D7/1607

  with particular pattern of flow of the heat exchange media, e.g. change of flow direction (F28D7/1623, F28D7/1638, F28D7/1661, F28D7/1676, F28D7/1692 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28F9/0214

  having only longitudinal partitions · CPC title