Plate heat exchanger with mounting flange

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016313073-A1
Application number	US-201415105396-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 11, 2014
Priority date	Dec 20, 2013
Publication date	Oct 27, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A plate heat exchanger comprises a plate package of permanently connected heat exchanger plates that defines a surrounding wall. Two mounting plates are permanently connected to an end surface of the plate package, in spaced relation to each other. Each mounting plate comprises opposing flat engagement surfaces and a peripheral edge that forms a perimeter of the mounting plate. Each mounting plate is arranged with one of its engagement surfaces permanently connected to the end surface, such that the peripheral edge partially extends beyond the outer periphery of the end surface, to define a mounting flange, and partially extends across the end surface in contact with the same. The mounting plates have a decreasing thickness towards the peripheral edge in predefined intersection regions, which are located where the peripheral edge intersects with the perimeter of the surrounding wall as seen in a normal direction to the end surface.

First claim

1 . A plate heat exchanger, comprising:
a plurality of heat exchanger plates which are stacked and permanently connected to form a plate package that defines first and second fluid paths for a first medium and a second medium, respectively, separated by said heat exchanger plates, said plate package defining a surrounding external wall that extends in an axial direction between first and second axial ends, an end plate permanently connected to one of the first and second axial ends so as to provide an end surface that extends between first and second longitudinal ends in a lateral plane which is orthogonal to the axial direction, and two mounting plates permanently connected to a respective surface portion of the end surface at the first longitudinal end and the second longitudinal end, respectively, such that the mounting plates are spaced from each other in a longitudinal direction on the end surface, wherein the respective mounting plate comprises opposing flat engagement surfaces and a peripheral edge that forms a perimeter of the mounting plate, wherein the respective mounting plate is arranged with one of its engagement surfaces permanently connected to the end surface, wherein the peripheral edge partially extends beyond the outer periphery of the end surface, so as to define a mounting flange, and partially extends across the end surface in contact with the same, and wherein the mounting plate has a decreasing thickness towards the peripheral edge in predefined intersection regions, which are located where the peripheral edge intersects with the perimeter of the surrounding external wall as seen in a normal direction to the end surface.

2 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the respective intersection region has a predefined cross-sectional shape which connects the engagement surfaces by reducing the thickness of the mounting plate from a first thickness, given by the distance between the engagement surfaces, to a second thickness at the peripheral edge.

3 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the cross-sectional shape comprises a portion with continuously decreasing thickness towards the peripheral edge.

4 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the cross-sectional shape comprises a concave portion.

5 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the cross-sectional shape comprises a corner portion having a radius.

6 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 5 , wherein the ratio between the radius and the first thickness is in the range of about 0.2-1.

7 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the cross-sectional shape comprises at least one of a bevel and a plurality of steps.

8 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the decreasing thickness is formed by recesses in the respective mounting plate, wherein the respective recess is formed to extend within each of the predefined intersection regions between the engagement surface that faces away from the end surface and the peripheral edge, as seen in the normal direction to the end surface.

9 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 8 , wherein the respective recess extends along the peripheral edge, as seen in the normal direction to the end surface.

10 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 9 , wherein the mounting plate, intermediate the recesses along the peripheral edge, comprises a peripheral edge surface ( 14 ) which joins and is essentially perpendicular to the opposing engagement surfaces, and wherein the recesses are located along a shoulder between the engagement surface that faces away from the end surface and the peripheral edge surface.

11 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 8 , wherein the respective recess defines a border line to the engagement surface that faces away from the end surface, said border line defining an intersection point with the perimeter of the surrounding external wall ( 4 ), as seen in the normal direction to the end surface, wherein the tangent of the border line at the intersection point defines an angle α that exceeds 0°, and preferably is at least 1°, 5° or 10°, to a transverse direction, which is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, in the plane of the mounting plate.

12 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein the recess has essentially the same cross-sectional shape, as seen at right angles to the border line, along the border line.

13 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein the border line comprises an essentially straight line that defines said tangent.

14 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 11 , wherein the border line is an essentially straight line.

15 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 8 , wherein the respective recess extends from the intersection region into the mounting flange.

16 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the end plate is a sealing plate which is permanently and sealingly connected to one of the heat exchanger plates at one of said first and second axial ends.

17 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the end plate is a reinforcement plate which is permanently connected to a sealing plate on the plate package, wherein the end plate has at least two supporting flanges that extend beyond the perimeter of the surrounding external wall so as to abut on the mounting flange defined by the respective mounting plate.

18 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 17 , wherein the end plate comprises, along its perimeter and as seen in the normal direction of the end surface, concave or beveled surfaces adjacent to the supporting flanges, wherein the concave or beveled surfaces are located to overlap the peripheral edge of the respective mounting plate in the proximity of the intersection regions, and wherein the respective concave or beveled surface is non-perpendicular to the peripheral edge at the overlap, as seen in the normal direction to the end surface.

19 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the mounting plates defines at least one through hole that extends between the engagement surfaces and is aligned with a corresponding through hole defined in the end plate and an internal channel defined in the plate package, so as to form an inlet or an outlet for the first or the second medium.

20 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the mounting flange comprises a plurality of mounting holes adapted to receive bolts or pins for fastening the plate heat exchanger.

21 . The plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger plates are permanently joined to each other through melting of metallic material.

Assignees

• Alfa Laval Corp Ab

Inventors

• Larsson Håkan

Classifications

• F28F9/005

  Other auxiliary members within casings, e.g. internal filling means or sealing means · CPC title

• F28F9/002

  with fastening means for other structures · CPC title

• F28F2230/00

  Sealing means · CPC title

• F28F2225/00

  Reinforcing means · CPC title

• F28F2275/04

  by brazing · CPC title