Coolant Heat Exchanger Having A Scraper For Each Heat Exchange Interface Surface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016363385-A1
Application number	US-201615248102-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 26, 2016
Priority date	Aug 22, 2013
Publication date	Dec 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The heat exchanger is adapted for cooling a coolant (e.g., water), used to cool a device or an area (e.g., building interior), such as during periods of peak energy cost and usage, to save energy and energy costs. The heat exchanger includes a coolant storage tank with one or more refrigerant circulators in contact with the floor of the tank. The circulators use a refrigerant having a freezing temperature colder than the coolant, with coolant on the floor of the tank forming a layer of ice thereon. A rotary scraper extends up through the tank floor from each circulator, with the scrapers operating to remove the thin layer of ice from the floor as the ice forms. The resulting ice chips are relatively small and thin, thus having a relatively large surface area for their volume in order to maximize melting and rapid cooling of the coolant.

First claim

1 . A heat exchanger, comprising:
a coolant tank to receive a coolant, the coolant tank, defining a closed structure, having a floor and an interior volume; *a plurality of refrigerant circulators, each of the plurality of refrigerant circulators including the refrigerant path and having a first inlet opening adjacent the periphery to receive a refrigerant to cool the coolant and a second outlet opening adjacent the center thereof to flow the refrigerant out from the refrigerant path; a plurality of perforated baffles disposed vertically within the interior volume of the coolant tank; and at least one ice scraper device to remove ice formed over the floor of the coolant tank from cooling of the coolant by the at least one refrigerant circulator, the at least one ice scraper device including at least one ice scraper blade, the at least one ice scraper blade positioned over the floor of the coolant tank, the at least one ice scraper blade selectively moving over the floor to scrape and remove the ice formed over the floor of the coolant tank.

2 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein each one of the plurality of refrigerant circulators has a periphery and a center and a refrigerant path therein.

3 . The heat exchanger according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a first refrigerant manifold communicating with each of the first inlet openings; and a second refrigerant manifold communicating with each of the second outlet openings.

4 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a coolant inlet manifold communicating with the interior volume of the coolant tank to flow the coolant into the coolant tank; and a coolant outlet manifold communicating with the interior volume of the coolant tank to flow the coolant from the coolant tank.

5 . The heat exchanger according to claim 4 , wherein
the coolant inlet manifold includes a plurality of inlet manifold branches, the plurality of inlet manifold branches including a plurality of spray passages therein to spray the coolant into the interior volume of the coolant tank, and the coolant outlet manifold includes a plurality of outlet manifold branches, the plurality of outlet manifold branches including a plurality of passages of different diameters to receive the coolant to distribute the flow of the coolant from the coolant tank.

6 . (canceled)

7 . The heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant comprises a brine refrigerant to circulate through the at least one refrigerant circulator.

8 - 20 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Said Syed A M
• Siddiqui Muhammad Umar

Classifications

• F25D21/065

  by mechanical means · CPC title

• F28F19/008

  by using scrapers · CPC title

• F28F19/006

  Preventing deposits of ice · CPC title

• F28D9/04

  the conduits being formed by spirally-wound plates or laminae · CPC title

• F28D2020/0069

  Distributing arrangements; Fluid deflecting means · CPC title