Heat exchanger tube and methods for producing a heat exchanger tube

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9234709-B2
Application number	US-92829410-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2010
Priority date	Dec 22, 2009
Publication date	Jan 12, 2016
Grant date	Jan 12, 2016

Abstract

A heat exchanger tube with a tube axis, a tube wall, a tube outside and a tube inside. Continuously running, axially parallel or helically circling inner ribs are formed out of the tube wall on the tube inside, each inner rib having two rib flanks and a rib tip. A continuously extending groove is formed between adjacent inner ribs. The rib tip has at regular intervals recurring elevations which have an essentially frustopyramidal form. The inner ribs are raised in the radial direction on the contour line which is defined by the transitional edge of a rib flank to the rib tip and protuberances advancing out of the rib flank are formed in this region. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing a heat exchanger tube.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) with a tube axis (A), with a tube wall ( 2 ), with a tube outside ( 21 ) and with a tube inside ( 22 ),
continuously running, axially parallel or helically circling inner ribs ( 3 ) being formed out of the tube wall ( 2 ) on the tube inside ( 22 ),
each inner rib ( 3 ) having two rib flanks ( 31 ) and a rib tip ( 32 ),
a continuously extending groove ( 33 ) being formed in each case between adjacent inner ribs ( 3 ),
the rib tip ( 32 ) having recurring elevations ( 34 ) at regular intervals, and
the elevations ( 34 ) having an essentially frustopyramidal form,

characterized in that the rib flanks ( 31 ) of the inner ribs ( 3 ) are raised in the radial direction on the contour line which is defined by the transitional edge of a rib flank ( 31 ) to the rib tip ( 32 ), in that protuberances ( 37 ) advancing out of the rib flank ( 31 ) in the radial direction are formed in this region and said protuberances ( 37 ) have side surfaces that are coplanar with a surface of the rib flank ( 31 ).

2. A heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that at least one of the flanks ( 36 ) of a frustopyramidal elevation ( 34 ) is of concave form.

3. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the frustopyramidal elevations ( 34 ) project above the depression ( 35 ), lying between two elevations ( 34 ), by 20% to 100% of the height of the inner ribs ( 3 ) at the location of the depression ( 35 ).

4. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that a flank angle of the elevations ( 34 ) is no more than 120°.

5. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that an outer structure ( 4 ) is formed on the tube outside ( 21 ).

6. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the outer structure ( 4 ) is designed in the form of integral, spirally circling outer ribs.

Assignees

• Gotterbarm Achim
• Lutz Ronald
• Beutler Andreas
• Wieland Werke Ag

Inventors

• Gotterbarm Achim
• Lutz Ronald
• Beutler Andreas

Classifications

• B23P15/26

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title

• F28F1/42

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

• B21H7/187

  Rolling helical or rectilinear grooves · CPC title

• Y10T29/49391

  Tube making or reforming · CPC title

• B21C37/207

  with helical guides · CPC title