Inverted heat exchanger device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11236953-B2
Application number	US-201916692728-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 22, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An inverted heat exchanger device includes an exterior conduit elongated and extending around a center axis between a first end and second end. The exterior conduit including a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a center core elongated along the center axis, and plural walls extending between the center core and the interior surface. A first conduit is disposed inside the exterior conduit that includes an inlet, plural core passages, an outlet, and internal manifolds. A first fluid is configured to flow along the first conduit. A second conduit is also disposed inside the exterior conduit. The second conduit includes an inlet, plural core passages, an outlet, and internal manifolds. A second fluid is configured to flow along the second conduit. The plural walls are configured to define the first conduit and the second conduit within the body of the exterior conduit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An inverted heat exchanger device defining an axial direction and a radial direction and comprising:
an exterior conduit elongated and extending around a center axis between a first end and a second end, the exterior conduit comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a center core elongated along the center axis, and plural walls extending between the center core and the interior surface;
a first conduit disposed inside the body of the exterior conduit, the first conduit including an inlet, plural core passages, an outlet, and internal manifolds, the inlet disposed at the second end of the exterior conduit and the outlet disposed at the first end of the exterior conduit, wherein a first fluid is configured to flow along the first conduit, wherein the inlet, the plural core passages, the outlet, and the internal manifolds are fluidly coupled; and
a second conduit disposed inside the body of the exterior conduit, the second conduit including an inlet, plural core passages, an outlet, and internal manifolds, the inlet disposed at the first end of the exterior conduit and the outlet disposed at the second end of the exterior conduit, wherein a second fluid is configured to flow along the second conduit, wherein the inlet, the plural core passages, the outlet, and the internal manifolds are fluidly coupled,
wherein the plural walls are configured to define the first conduit and the second conduit within the body of the exterior conduit,
wherein the plural core passages of the first conduit are configured to be disposed between the interior surface of the body and the internal manifolds of the first conduit;
wherein the plural core passages of the second conduit are configured to be disposed between the interior surface of the body and the internal manifolds of the second conduit,
wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit and the internal manifolds of the second conduit extend continuously from the first end to the second end in the axial direction and
wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit and the internal manifolds of the second conduit are at same radial distances from the center axis.

2. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the plural core passages of the first conduit has a pattern that is the same as a pattern of the plural core passages of the second conduit.

3. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plural core passages of the first conduit are fluidly coupled with each other core passage of the first conduit.

4. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein each of the plural core passages of the second conduit are fluidly coupled with each other core passage of the second conduit.

5. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein a flow area of each of the plural core passages of the first conduit is smaller than a flow area of the inlet of the first conduit and smaller than a flow area of the outlet of the first conduit.

6. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein a flow area of each of the plural core passages of the second conduit is smaller than a flow area of the inlet of the second conduit and smaller than a flow area of the outlet of the second conduit.

7. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the plural core passages of the first conduit are configured to direct the first fluid in at least three different directions within the body of the exterior conduit.

8. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the plural core passages of the second conduit are configured to direct the second fluid in at least three different directions within the body of the exterior conduit.

9. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid is configured to move in a flow path inside the exterior conduit along the first conduit that is substantially the same as a flow path of the second fluid along the second conduit.

10. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the plural core passages of the first conduit and the plural core passages of the second conduit are disposed about and along the center axis of the exterior conduit.

11. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the first conduit and the second conduit have a hexagonal shape about the center core of the exterior conduit.

12. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit are configured to direct the first fluid between the first end and the second end of the exterior conduit.

13. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit are configured to direct the first fluid into the inlet of the first conduit at the first end of the exterior conduit and out of the outlet of the first conduit at the first end of the exterior conduit.

14. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the internal manifolds of the second conduit are configured to direct the second fluid between the first end and the second end of the exterior conduit.

15. The inverted heat exchanger device of claim 1 , wherein the internal manifolds of the second conduit are configured to direct the second fluid into the inlet of the second conduit at the first end of the exterior conduit and out of the outlet of the second conduit at the first end of the exterior conduit.

16. A heat exchanger device defining an axial direction and a radial direction and comprising:
an exterior conduit elongated and extending around a center axis between a first end and a second end, the exterior conduit comprising a body having an exterior surface, a center core elongated along the center axis, and plural walls extending in one or more directions away from the center core;
a first conduit disposed inside the body of the exterior conduit, the first conduit including an inlet, an outlet, plural core passages and internal manifolds defined by the plural walls of the exterior conduit, wherein a first fluid is configured to flow within the first conduit;
a second conduit disposed inside the body of the exterior conduit, the second conduit including an inlet, an outlet, plural core passages and internal manifolds defined by the plural walls of the exterior conduit, wherein a second fluid is configured to flow within the second conduit,
wherein the first fluid is configured to exchange heat with the second fluid as the first fluid flows within the first conduit and the second fluid flows within the second conduit,
wherein a flow area of each of the plural core passages of the first conduit is smaller than a flow area of the inlet and smaller than a flow area of the outlet of the first conduit,
wherein a flow area of each of the plural core passages of the second conduit is smaller than a flow area of the inlet and smaller than a flow area of the outlet of the second conduit,
wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit and the internal manifolds of the second conduit extend continuously from the first end to the second end in the axial direction, and
wherein the internal manifolds of the first conduit and the internal manifolds of the second conduit are at same radial distances from the center axis.

17. An inverted heat exchanger device defining an axial direction and a radial direction and comprising:
an exterior conduit elongated and extending around a center axis between a first end and a second end, the exterior conduit comprising a body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a center core elongated along the center axis, and

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Us Dept Energy

Inventors

• De Bock Hendrik Pieter Jacobus
• Gerstler William Dwight
• Erno Daniel J
• Glessner John C
• Garrigan Neil R
• Rambo Jeffrey

Classifications

• F28D7/0033

  the conduits for one medium or the conduits for both media being bent · CPC title

• F28F7/02

  Blocks traversed by passages for heat-exchange media {(F28D7/0008 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F28D2021/0021

  for aircrafts or cosmonautics · CPC title

• F28F1/42 Primary

  the means being both outside and inside the tubular element · CPC title

• F28F13/08

  by varying the cross-section of the flow channels · CPC title