Heat exchanger closure bar with shield

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11221186-B2
Application number	US-201916515830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2019
Priority date	Jul 18, 2019
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

A heat exchanger for managing thermal energy between a flow of a first fluid and a flow of a second fluid includes first and second parting sheets and a closure bar extending between the first and second parting sheets. The closure bar includes an elongate body, a shield positioned upstream from the body relative to a direction of the flow of the first fluid, and a support connecting the shield to the closure bar.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger for managing thermal energy between a flow of a first fluid and a flow of a second fluid comprising:
a first parting sheet;
a second parting sheet; and
a closure bar extending between the first and second parting sheets, wherein the closure bar comprises:
a body having a body height extending between the first and second parting sheets, and an elongate length transverse to the height;
a shield positioned upstream from the body relative to a hot flow direction of the first fluid, the shield having a shield height greater than the body height; and
a support connecting the shield to the closure bar.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises:
a first surface that faces into the hot flow direction of the first fluid; and
a second surface on an opposite side of the body from the first surface.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein a first portion of the support is connected to and extends from the first surface of the closure bar, wherein a second potion of the support is connected to and extends from the shield.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the shield is spaced from the body by a gap.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the shield comprises a plurality of shield portions.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 5 , wherein each shield portion of the plurality of portions is separated from an adjacent shield portion by an opening in the shield.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the opening in the shield is angled relative to the hot flow direction.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the support comprises a cylindrical, cuboid, or spherical shape, and wherein the support has a height that is less than the shield height and less than the body height.

9. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises a rectangle with rounded corners.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises a bullnose.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises an airfoil.

12. A method of managing thermal energy in a heat exchanger, the method comprising:
impinging a flow of a first fluid onto a closure bar of the heat exchanger, wherein the closure bar comprises:
a body comprising:
a first surface that faces towards the flow of the first fluid, the first surface extending primarily along an elongate length, the first surface having a body height transverse to the elongate length; and
a second surface on an opposite side of the body from the first surface; and

a shield positioned upstream from the body relative to a direction of the flow of the first fluid, wherein the shield is spaced from the body by a gap and has a shield height greater than the body height;

absorbing thermal energy, with the shield, from the flow of the first fluid;
impeding, with the shield, the flow of the first fluid to the body of the closure bar; and
diverting, with the shield, a portion of the flow of the first fluid away from the first surface of the closure bar.

13. A closure bar of a heat exchanger, the closure bar comprising:
a body comprising:
a first surface that faces towards a flow of a first fluid, the first surface extending primarily along an elongate length, the first surface having a body height transverse to the elongate length; and
a second surface on an opposite side of the body from the first surface;

a shield positioned upstream from the body relative to a direction of the flow of the first fluid, wherein the shield is spaced from the body by a gap and has a shield height greater than the body height; and
a support connecting the shield to the closure bar, a first portion of the support is connected to and extends from the first surface of the closure bar, wherein a second potion of the support is connected to and extends from the shield.

14. The closure bar of claim 13 , wherein the shield comprises a plurality of shield portions.

15. The closure bar of claim 13 , wherein each shield portion of the plurality of portions is separated from an adjacent shield portion by an opening in the shield.

16. The closure bar of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises a rectangle with rounded corners.

17. The closure bar of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises a bullnose.

18. The closure bar of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional shape of the shield comprises an airfoil.

Assignees

• Hamilton Sundstrand Corp

Inventors

• Retersdorf Alan
• Army Donald E

Classifications

• F28F7/00

  Elements not covered by group F28F1/00, F28F3/00 or F28F5/00 · CPC title

• F28D9/0062

  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

• F28F2240/00

  Spacing means · CPC title

• F28F19/002 Primary

  by using inserts or attachments · CPC title

• F28F13/00 Primary

  Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing (F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence) · CPC title