Heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016363386-A1
Application number	US-201615248198-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 - 7 . (canceled)

8 . A heat exchanger, comprising:
a coolant tank to receive a coolant, the coolant tank having a floor , a plurality of walls, and a top, defining a closed structure having an interior volume; at least one refrigerant circulator disposed adjacent the floor of the coolant tank and in contact with the floor of the coolant tank, the at least one refrigerant circulator having a generally circular configuration and having a periphery and a center and a spiral refrigerant path therein, the spiral refrigerant path 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 from the spiral refrigerant path; and at least one rotary scraper shaft and at least one ice scraper blade extending from each of the at least one rotary scraper shaft.

9 . The heat exchanger according to claim 8 , wherein:
each of the at least one rotary scraper shaft extends through the floor of the coolant tank, and is substantially normal to the floor of the coolant tank; and each of the at least one ice scraper blade having an edge in contact with the floor of the coolant tank, each of the at least one ice scraper blade selectively rotating with the corresponding at least one rotary scraper shaft to remove ice formed over the floor of the coolant tank from cooling of the coolant by the at least one refrigerant circulator.

10 . The heat exchanger according to claim 9 , further comprising:
a plurality of refrigerant circulators, each of the plurality of refrigerant circulators having a said rotary scraper shaft extending concentrically from a corresponding said refrigerant circulator and having at least one said ice scraper blade extending from a corresponding said rotary scraper shaft; a first refrigerant manifold communicating with the first inlet opening of each of the plurality of refrigerant circulators; and a second refrigerant manifold communicating with the second outlet opening of each of the plurality of refrigerant circulators.

11 . The heat exchanger according to claim 8 , 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.

12 . The heat exchanger according to claim 11 , 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 to receive the coolant to distribute the flow of the coolant from the coolant tank.

13 . The heat exchanger according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a plurality of perforated baffles disposed vertically within the interior volume of the coolant tank.

14 . The heat exchanger according to claim 8 , wherein the refrigerant comprises a brine refrigerant to selectively circulate through the at least one refrigerant circulator.

15 - 20 . (canceled)

Assignees

• Univ King Fahd Pet & Minerals

Inventors

• Said Syed A M
• Siddiqui Muhammad Umar

Classifications

• F28D1/06

  with the heat-exchange conduits forming part of, or being attached to, the tank containing the body of fluid · CPC title

• F28D9/04

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

• F28F13/003

  by using permeable mass, perforated or porous materials (F28F13/18 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28D20/02 Primary

  using latent heat · CPC title

• F28F19/008

  by using scrapers · CPC title