Heat exchanger tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10948245-B2
Application number	US-201716099271-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) having a tube longitudinal axis (A), a tube wall ( 2 ), an outer tube face ( 21 ) and an inner tube face ( 22 ), wherein axially parallel or helically circumferential continuous fins ( 3 ) are formed on the outer tube face ( 21 ) and/or inner tube face ( 22 ) which fins continuously run from the tube wall, and continuously extending primary grooves ( 4 ) are formed between respectively adjacent fins ( 3 ). According to the invention, the fins ( 3 ) along the fin profile are subdivided into periodically repeating fin sections ( 31 ) which are divided into a multiplicity of projections ( 6 ) with a projection height (h), wherein the projections ( 6 ) are formed between primary grooves ( 4 ) by making cuts into the fins ( 3 ) at a cutting depth transversely with respect to the fin profile to form fin segments and by raising the fin segments in a main orientation along the fin profile.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger tube having a tube longitudinal axis, the heat exchanger tube comprising:
a tube wall, an outer tube face and an inner tube face;
axially parallel or helically circumferential fins formed on at least one of the outer tube face or the inner tube face, the fins being formed from the tube wall and extending continuously along tube wall;
continuously extending primary grooves formed between respectively adjacent fins; and
each of the fins are subdivided into a plurality of fin sections, the fin sections of each fin periodically repeating longitudinally along the respective fin such that adjacent pairs of the fin sections are longitudinally spaced-apart from one another along the respective fin by a gap disposed therebetween, each fin section being divided into a multiplicity of projections each having a projection height, wherein the gap between adjacent fin sections of each fin has a greater longitudinal dimension than a dimension of a space defined longitudinally between adjacent projections of each fin section, and
the projections are formed between the primary grooves by making cuts into the fins at a cutting depth transversely with respect to a longitudinal extent of the fin to form fin segments and by raising the fin segments in a main orientation along the longitudinal extent of the fin.

2. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gaps separate the fin sections of each fin and are formed in the respective fin, each gap comprising a secondary groove, the secondary grooves running at a pitch angle, wherein the pitch angle is measured with respect to the tube longitudinal axis.

3. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projections of the respective fin sections are formed by making cuts into the respective fin, the cuts having alternately changing cutting depths.

4. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the projections of each fin section protrudes from the main orientation over an adjacent one of the primary grooves.

5. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fin sections extend in an elongated fashion along the respective fin.

6. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein some of the projections of the respective fin sections have a surface parallel to the tube longitudinal axis at a point farthest away from the tube wall.

7. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projections of the respective fin sections vary with respect to one another in projection height, shape and orientation.

8. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the projections of the respective fin sections has a face which faces away from the tube wall and a tip running to a point at the face.

9. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein one of the projections of the respective fin sections has a face facing away from the tube wall and a curved tip on the face whose local curvature radius decreases starting from the tube wall as a distance from the tube wall increases.

10. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projections of the respective fin sections have at least one of a different shape or a different height from a start of the tube along the tube longitudinal axis as far as an end of the tube located opposite the start thereof.

11. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein tips of at least two of the projections of the respective fin sections are in contact with one another or cross over one another along the longitudinal extent of the respective fin.

12. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein tips of at least two of the projections of the respective fin sections are in contact with one another or cross over one another over an adjacent one of the primary grooves.

13. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the projections of the respective fin sections has a tip which is shaped such that the tip is in contact with the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face.

14. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the projections of the respective fin sections are formed from their respective fins, wherein at least one of the fins differs from the others in at least one of fin height, fin spacing, fin tip, fin intermediate space, fin angle of aperture or twist.

15. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the space defined between adjacent projections of the respective fin sections comprises a cut out notch area of the respective fin, each cut out notch area having a notch depth, the notch depths of each fin section being different from one another.

16. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each gap comprises an area of the respective fin which is free of said projections.

17. A heat exchanger tube having a longitudinal tube axis, the heat exchanger tube comprising:
a tube wall, an outer tube face and an inner tube face facing away from the outer tube face;
a plurality of elongate fins formed from the tube wall and extending continuously along at least one of the outer tube face or the inner tube face; and
a plurality of elongate grooves extending continuously along the tube wall, each groove extending between two adjacent fins;
wherein each of the fins has a plurality of elongate fin sections extending therealong and being longitudinally spaced and separated from one another by respective gaps, each of the fin sections comprising a plurality of projections extending outwardly in a direction away from the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face such that each of the projections has a projection height, adjacent ones of the projections of each fin section being separated from one another by a cut out notched area of the respective fin, and the gap disposed between longitudinally adjacent fin sections has a greater longitudinal dimension than a longitudinal dimension of the cut out notched area disposed between two adjacent projections.

18. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 17 , wherein each cut out notched area of the respective fin sections has a notch depth, the notch depths of each fin section being different from one another.

19. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 17 , wherein each gap comprises an area of the respective fin which is free of said projections.

20. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the plurality of grooves comprise primary grooves, the gaps which separate the respective fin sections of each fin are formed in the respective fin, each gap comprising a secondary groove, the secondary grooves running at a pitch angle measured with respect to the longitudinal tube axis.

Assignees

• Wieland Werke Ag

Inventors

• Gotterbarm Achim
• Lutz Ronald
• El Hajal Jean
• Knab Manfred

Classifications

• F28F1/422

  with outside means integral with the tubular element and inside means integral with the tubular element (F28F1/424 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F1/40 Primary

  the means being only inside the tubular element · CPC title

• F28F1/18

  the element being built-up from finned sections · CPC title

• F28F1/36 Primary

  the means being helically wound fins or wire spirals · CPC title