Heat exchanger vane with partial height airflow modifier

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11209223-B2
Application number	US-201916562638-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2019
Priority date	Sep 6, 2019
Publication date	Dec 28, 2021
Grant date	Dec 28, 2021

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes a stack of flow conduits. Each flow conduit is configured to conduct a fluid. Parting sheets separate adjacent flow conduits in the stack, providing heat transfer between them. Each of the flow conduits includes vanes extending along a vane path and between top and bottom parting sheets. The vanes are separated from one another, thereby creating flow channels. Each flow conduit also includes a plurality of flow modifiers, each adjacent to a corresponding leading edge of a corresponding vane, so as to cause a disrupted portion of a fluid flow to be incident upon the corresponding leading edge. Each of the flow modifiers includes an aerodynamic portion and a gap portion. The aerodynamic portion extends from at least one of the top and bottom parting sheets. The aerodynamic portion does not connect the top and bottom parting sheets due to the gap portion.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system for heat exchange between a first fluid and a second fluid, the system comprising:
a plurality of parting sheets defining a stack of alternating first and second fluid flow conduits, each of the first fluid flow conduits configured to conduct therethrough flow of the first fluid from a first input port to a first output port, each of the second fluid flow conduits configured to conduct therethrough flow of the second fluid from a second input port to a second output port, each of the parting sheets defining the first fluid flow conduits including:
a plurality of vanes, extending:
i) along a respective vane path from a respective leading edge to a corresponding trailing edge; and
ii) between first and second parting sheets of the plurality of parting sheets separating the first fluid flow conduit from two adjacent second fluid flow conduits,

wherein the plurality of vanes are separated from one another in a direction transverse to the vane paths thereby defining fluid flow channels therebetween; and
a plurality of flow modifiers, each adjacent to a corresponding leading edge of a corresponding one of the plurality of vanes such that the corresponding leading edge is within a disrupted portion of the first fluid flow,

wherein each of the plurality of flow modifiers protrudes from at least one of the first and second parting sheets and wherein each of the plurality of flow modifiers does not connect the first and second parting sheets.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of flow modifiers further comprises a flow modifier width measured in the direction transverse to the vane path in the range from 0.006 inches to 0.020 inches.

3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising a leading edge distance measured from the corresponding leading edge to the flow modifier along the vane path, wherein the flow modifier has an axial length measured along the vane path that is between one times and four times the flow modifier width wherein the leading edge distance has a length of at least 1 times the axial length and no more than 2.5 times the axial length.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow modifiers are configured to decrease thermally induced stress on the vanes in comparison to a system not including the flow modifiers.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow modifiers are configured to decrease a pressure drop through the first conduit in comparison to a system not including the flow modifiers.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of flow modifiers further comprises a flow modifier width measured in the direction transverse to the vane path and each of the plurality of vanes comprises a vane width measured in the directions transverse to the vane path, and wherein the flow modifier width is substantially equal to the vane width.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein a second flow modifier is placed between the trailing edge and the outlet port, adjacent to a corresponding trailing edge of a corresponding one of the plurality of vanes.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a height direction normal to the vane path and normal to the vane width, wherein each of the plurality of vanes has a height measured along the height direction that is at least 0.050 inches and no more than 0.5 inches.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the flow modifier further comprises a profile in a cross section of the flow modifier taken through a plane parallel to the parting sheets, wherein the profile is a tear drop profile or an airfoil profile.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a directional flow modifier between the flow modifier and the inlet port with a separation distance therebetween.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flow modifiers further comprises a fillet at the intersection of the flow modifier and at least one of the first and second parting sheets.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flow modifiers further comprises one or more of nickel, aluminum, titanium, copper, iron, cobalt, and alloys thereof.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of flow modifiers further comprises one or more of Inconel 625, Inconel 718, Haynes 282, or AlSi10Mg.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of vanes comprises a vane width measured in directions transverse to the vane path and the corresponding leading edge comprises a leading edge width measured in directions transverse to the vane path, wherein the leading edge width is equal to the vane width proximate a vane terminus and the leading edge width increases along the vane path to a flare terminus proximate to the flow modifier, wherein the flare terminus has a width measured in directions transverse to the vane path greater than the vane width and wherein a profile of the corresponding leading edge in a plane defined by a height and the vane path is elliptical.

15. The system of claim 14 , wherein the flare width is at least 1 times and no more than 4 times the vane width and wherein the leading edge comprises a length from the vane terminus to the flare terminus along the vane path, and the flare distance is at least 1.0 times and no more than 4 times the vane width.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the parting sheets defining the second fluid flow conduits comprises:
a second plurality of vanes, extending:
i) along a respective second vane path from a respective second leading edge to a corresponding second trailing edge; and
ii) between first and second parting sheets of the plurality of parting sheets separating the second fluid flow conduit from two adjacent first fluid flow conduits,

wherein the second plurality of vanes are separated from one another in the direction transverse to the second vane paths thereby defining fluid flow channels therebetween; and
a second plurality of flow modifiers, each adjacent to a corresponding second leading edge of a corresponding one of the second plurality of vanes such that the second corresponding leading edge is within a second disrupted portion of the second fluid flow,
wherein each of the second plurality of flow modifiers protrudes from at least one of the first and second parting sheets and wherein each of the plurality of second flow modifiers does not connect the first and second parting sheets.

17. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a secondary flow modifier and a structural support, the structural support comprising a support leading edge proximate to the first or second inlet port and a support trailing edge proximate to the first or second outlet port,
wherein the secondary flow modifier is adjacent to the leading edge of the structural support such that the corresponding leading edge of the structural support is within a disrupted portion of the first fluid flow, and
wherein the secondary flow modifier protrudes from at least one of the first and second parting sheets and wherein the secondary flow modifier does not connect the first and second parting sheets.

18. A method for making a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
providing a plurality of parting sheets defining a stack of alternating first and second fluid flow conduits to first and second fluids, each of the first fluid flow conduits configured to conduct therethrough flow of the first fluid from a first input port to a first output port, each of the second fluid flow conduits configured to conduct therethrough flow of the second fluid from a second input port to a second output port;
providing a plurality of vanes to the flow of the firs

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Streeter James
• Perez Roberto J

Classifications

• F28F9/0265

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

• F28F9/0268

  in the form of multiple deflectors for channeling the heat exchange medium · CPC title

• F28F9/22 Primary

  Arrangements for directing heat-exchange media into successive compartments, e.g. arrangements of guide plates · CPC title

• F28F2009/224

  Longitudinal partitions · 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