Heat transfer plate and plate heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10724802-B2
Application number	US-201615764053-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A heat transfer plate that has a base plate; a fluid distribution plate that is arranged on a first end section of the base plate, and a fluid collection plate that is arranged on a second end section of the base plate, the fluid distribution plate comprising a base edge that faces a heat transfer section of the base plate, a distal part that is located at a distance from the base edge, a fluid passage edge that comprises an extension in a direction from the base edge, towards the distal part, a closed edge that comprises an extension in the direction from the base edge, towards the distal part, and fluid distribution channels that extend from the fluid passage edge to the base edge, for leading fluid from the fluid passage edge to the heat transfer section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat transfer plate possessing an outermost periphery, the heat transfer plate comprising
a rectangular base plate with two longer sides, two shorter sides and four concave corner cutouts, each of the concave corner cutouts being positioned between one of the longer sides and one of the shorter sides of the base plate, the base plate having a first end section at one of the shorter sides, a second end section at the other shorter side, and a heat transfer section that is located between the first and second end sections, the heat transfer section of the base plate being corrugated, the first end section of the base plate not being corrugated so that the first end section of the base plate is flat, the second end section of the base plate not being corrugated so that the second end section of the base plate is flat,
a fluid distribution plate that distributes a fluid over the heat transfer section, the fluid distribution plate being separate from the base plate and being arranged on the flat first end section of the base plate at the one shorter side of the base plate so that the fluid distribution plate and the flat first end section of the base plate overlie one another,
a fluid collection plate that collects the fluid from the heat transfer section, the fluid collection plate being arranged on the flat second end section of the base plate at the other shorter side of the base plate so that the fluid collection plate and the flat second end section of the base plate overlie one another,
the fluid distribution plate comprising:
a base edge that faces the heat transfer section of the base plate,
a distal part that is located at a distance from the base edge,
a fluid passage edge that permits fluid flow and that extends in a direction from the base edge towards the distal part, the fluid passage edge being a part of the outermost periphery of the heat transfer plate,
a closed edge that is closed to fluid flow and that extends from the base edge towards the distal part, and
fluid distribution channels that extend from the fluid passage edge to the base edge, for leading the fluid from the fluid passage edge to the heat transfer section, the fluid distribution plate being corrugated so that corrugations of the fluid distribution plate define the fluid distribution channels,
wherein the fluid passage edge comprises a first section that is further away from the base edge of the fluid distribution plate than a second section of the fluid passage edge, the fluid distribution channels including fluid distribution channels intersecting the first section of the fluid passage edge and fluid distribution channels intersecting the second section of the fluid passage edge, and the fluid distribution channels intersecting the second section have a higher flow resistance in relation to the length of the fluid distribution channel than fluid distribution channels intersecting the first section.

2. A heat transfer plate according to claim 1 , wherein
fluid distribution channels at the second section have a smaller mean cross-sectional area than fluid distribution channels at the first section and/or fluid distribution channels at the second section comprise a restraint.

3. A heat transfer plate according to claim 1 , wherein the base edge of the fluid distribution plate extends from a first base end to a second base end of the fluid distribution plate, the distal part being located, as seen along a direction that is perpendicular to a line that extends from the first base end to the second base end, between the two base ends.

4. A heat transfer plate according to claim 3 , wherein the distal part is a first distal tip that is a part of the fluid distribution plate positioned furthest from the base edge of the fluid distribution plate as measured in a direction perpendicular to the base edge of the fluid distribution plate, the line that extends from the first base end to the second base end is a first line, a second line extends from the first base end to the first distal tip, and a third line extends from the second base end to the first distal tip, the first, second and third lines forming an acute triangle.

5. A heat transfer plate according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid passage edge of the fluid distribution plate comprises at least one edge section that extends from a first point on the fluid passage edge to a second point on the fluid passage edge, the second point being located closer to the base edge of the fluid distribution plate than the first point.

6. A heat transfer plate according to claim 1 , wherein the distal part is a first distal tip and the closed edge is a first closed edge, the first closed edge and the fluid passage edge intersecting at the first distal tip, the fluid distribution plate comprising
a second distal tip that is located at a distance from the base edge,
a second closed edge that extends from the base edge to the second distal tip, the second closed edge and the fluid passage edge intersecting at the second distal tip and
the fluid passage edge extending from the first distal tip to the second distal tip, the first and second distal tips being parts of the fluid distribution plate positioned furthest from the base edge as measured in a direction perpendicular to the base edge.

7. A heat transfer plate according to claim 1 , wherein fluid distribution channels at the first section are wider than fluid distribution channels at the second section.

8. A heat exchanger comprising a number of heat transfer plates according to claim 1 , that are joined to each other to form a plate stack that has alternating first and second flow paths for a first fluid and a second fluid in between the heat transfer plates, wherein
fluid passage edges of fluid distribution plates in the first fluid path and at a first end of the plate stack form a fluid inlet for the first fluid into the plate stack,
fluid passage edges of fluid collection plates in the first fluid path and at a second end of the plate stack form a fluid outlet for the first fluid from the plate stack,
fluid passage edges of fluid collection plates in the second fluid path and at the first end of the plate stack form a fluid outlet for the second fluid from the plate stack, and
fluid passage edges of fluid distribution plates in the second fluid path and at the second end of the plate stack form a fluid inlet for the second fluid into the plate stack.

9. A heat exchanger according to claim 8 , wherein the fluid distribution plates of every second heat transfer plate comprises respective
two distal parts that are located at a respective distance from a base edge of the fluid distribution plate,
a fluid passage edge that has an extension between the two distal parts, and
two closed edges that are located at a respective side of the fluid passage edge,
the fluid distribution plates of every other, second heat transfer plate comprises respective
two distal parts that are located at a respective distance from a base edge of the fluid distribution plate,
a closed edge that has an extension between the two distal parts, and
two fluid passage edges that are located at a respective side of the closed edge.

10. A heat exchanger according to claim 8 , comprising spacers that are located between adjacent heat transfer plates, along the longer sides of the base plate and along portions of the base plate where closed edges of the fluid distribution plates are located.

11. A heat exchanger according to claim 10 , wherein the spacers are separate from the base plate and the fluid distribution plates, and wherein the spacers comprise tabs that engage the fluid distribution plates.

Assignees

• Alfa Laval Corp Ab
• Alfa Laval Packinox

Inventors

• Courtial Mathieu
• Graille Gilbert
• Alenda Franck
• Fralonardo Laurent
• Bussonnet Pierre-Xavier

Classifications

• F28D9/0068

  with means for changing flow direction of one heat exchange medium, e.g. using deflecting zones · CPC title

• F28F9/026

  with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits · CPC title

• F28F9/0221

  Header boxes or end plates formed by stacked elements · CPC title

• F28D9/0062 Primary

  the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by spaced plates with inserted elements (F28D9/0012, F28D9/0025, F28D9/0081, F28D9/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• F28F9/0265

  by using guiding means or impingement means inside the header box · CPC title