Heat exchanger tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10996005-B2
Application number	US-201716099490-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	May 4, 2021
Grant date	May 4, 2021

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger tube having a tube longitudinal axis, wherein fins extend continuously from the tube wall on the tube outer face and/or the tube inner face, or extend axially parallel thereto or in the form of a helix. Continuously extending primary grooves are formed between adjacent fins, said fins have at least one structured area on the tube outer face and/or tube inner face, and the structured area has a plurality of projections of a projection height projecting from the surface, the projections being separated by notches. According to the invention, a plurality of projections are deformed relative one another in pairs to such an extent that cavities are formed between adjacent projections. Furthermore, according to the invention, a plurality of projections are deformed in the direction of the tube wall such that cavities are formed between a respective projection and the tube wall.

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 continuous fins formed from the tube wall on at least one of the outer tube face or the inner tube face;
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;
the 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 the projections are separated by notch formations and wherein each projection has a tip;
a plurality of the projections being shaped with respect to each other in pairs such that cavities are formed between adjacent projections, the tips of two of the projections disposed adjacent one another along the same fin are in contact with one another and are a first pair of contacting projections, and the tips of two of the projections disposed adjacent one another along the same fin are in contact with one another and are a second pair of contacting projections, the first and second pairs of contacting projections being disposed along the same fin, and at least one stand-alone projection is disposed between, and on the same fin as, the first and second pairs of contacting projections.

2. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the notch formations are formed between the primary grooves by cutting the fins at a cutting depth transversely with respect to a longitudinal extent of the fin to form fin layers and by raising the fin layers in a main orientation along the longitudinal extent of the fin.

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

4. 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 the tip of the at least one projection runs to a point at the face.

5. 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 the tip of the at least one projection is curved 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 along the at least one projection.

6. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the two projections of each of the first and second pairs of contacting projections each have a concave face, the concave faces of the two projections of the first and second pairs of contacting projections facing one another and defining the respective cavity therebetween.

7. 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;
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 and separated from one another by respective notch formations, the projections extending outwardly from the at least one outer tube face or inner tube face such that each of the projections has a projection height, first and second pairs of the projections disposed along the same fin each including two projections disposed immediately adjacent one another and shaped to form a cavity therebetween, the projections of the first pair of projections disposed along the same fin have respective tips disposed in contact with one another, the projections of the second pair of projections disposed along the same fin have respective tips disposed in contact with one another, and at least one stand-alone projection is disposed between, and on the same fin as, the first and second pairs of projections.

8. The heat exchanger tube as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the projections of the first and second pairs of projections have respective concave faces which face one another and define the respective cavity therebetween.

Assignees

• Wieland Werke Ag

Inventors

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

Classifications

• F28F1/36

  the means being helically wound fins or wire spirals · 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

• F28F1/18 Primary

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