Heat exchanger tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10976115-B2
Application number	US-201716098672-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Apr 13, 2021
Grant date	Apr 13, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to heat exchanger tube having a longitudinal tube axis; axially parallel or helically circumferential continuous fins are formed from the tube wall on the outer tube face and/or inner tube face, and continuous primary grooves are formed between adjacent fins; the fins have at least one structured zone on the outer tube face and/or inner tube face, said structured zone being provided with a plurality of projections which project from the surface an have a height such that the projections are separated by notches. According to the invention, the projections are arranged in groups which are periodically repeated along the extension of the fin. Furthermore, at least two notches between the projections within the group have a varying notch depth in a fin.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. 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;
axially parallel or helically circumferential fins disposed on at least one of the outer tube face or the inner tube face, the fins being formed from the tube wall and extending longitudinally and continuously along the tube wall;
continuously extending primary grooves formed between respectively adjacent fins;
the fins having at least one structured region on the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face, each
structured region having a multiplicity of projections which project from the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face with a projection height, wherein adjacent projections are separated by notch formations and each notch formation has a notch depth;
the projections being arranged in groups, the groups periodically repeating longitudinally along the respective fin; and
each group including at least two notch formations with notch depths different from one another, each of the two notch formations being disposed between two adjacent projections within the respective group.

2. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the notch depth of the two notch formations vary from one another by at least 10%.

3. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a maximum notch depth extends at as far as the tube wall.

4. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the notch formations 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 profile.

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

6. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a sub-section of the fin is unchanged between the groups.

7. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein some of the projections have a surface parallel to the longitudinal tube axis at a location furthest away from the tube wall.

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

9. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the projections has a face facing away from the tube wall and a tip running to a pointy at the face.

10. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the projections has a face facing away from the tube wall and a curved tip on the face, the curved tip having a local curvature radius which decreases starting from the tube wall as a distance from the tube wall increases.

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

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

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

14. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the projections 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.

15. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each notch formation comprises a cut-out area of the respective fin extending transversely with respect to a longitudinal extent thereof.

16. 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 circumferentially 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;
each fin having at least one structured region, the structured region including a plurality of projections disposed one after another along a longitudinal extent of the fin, each adjacent pair of projections being separated from one another by a notch formation comprising a cut-out area of the respective fin extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal extent thereof, the projections extending outwardly from the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face such that each projection has a projection height, the projections being arranged in groups one after another in a periodically repeating manner along the longitudinal extent of the respective fin, at least two of the notch formations located within each group having respective notch depths which are different from one another.

Assignees

• Wieland Werke Ag

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F28F1/36 Primary

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

• F28F1/18

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

• 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