Alternating channel heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9657999-B2
Application number	US-201414538375-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 11, 2014
Priority date	Nov 11, 2014
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

A lightweight, high-efficiency alternating channel counter-flow heat exchanger structure is disclosed. A matrix of alternating hot and cold channels defining a heat exchanger structure is provided. A portion of each of the inlets and outlets of each of the hot and cold channels is blocked to prevent fluid flow through the blocked portion, thus creating hot-only and cold-only fluid communication regions on the ends of the heat exchanger structure. Alternating hot and cold headers provided on each end of the heat exchange structure service the respective hot and cold channels. The partial blocking structures on the channel-ends enable a single hot or cold header/plenum to be offset with respect to individual rows of channels and thus service a pair of adjacent rows of alternating hot and cold channels in the matrix of channels. The true alternating channel counter-flow design provides a higher heat transfer rate than a similarly-sized cross-flow design.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger comprising:
a matrix of channels including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, where half of the channels are hot flow channels through which a hot fluid flows in a first direction and half of the channels are cold flow channels through which a cold fluid flows in a second direction opposite the first direction, and hot and cold flow channels alternate in each row and each column to define an alternating channel counter-flow arrangement; and
an end blocker attached at each end of each channel, where each end blocker blocks only a top portion or a bottom portion of the end of the channel to define a blocked portion and an open portion, and the blocked portions and the open portions alternate position in each row and each column.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 further comprising hot fluid headers attached at each end of the heat exchanger, said hot fluid headers providing a flow of the hot fluid to and from the heat exchanger, where the hot fluid headers are configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the hot flow channels and the blocked portions of the cold flow channels.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 wherein the cold fluid is air flowing in a cold air stream moving in the second direction, where the air enters the cold flow channels through the open portions of the cold flow channels, and the air is blocked from entering the hot flow channels by the end blockers on the hot flow channels and the hot fluid headers.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 2 further comprising cold fluid headers attached at each end of the heat exchanger, said cold fluid headers providing a flow of the cold fluid to and from the heat exchanger, where the cold fluid headers are configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the cold flow channels and the blocked portions of the hot flow channels.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 4 wherein the hot fluid and the cold fluid are both liquid.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein each of the end blockers blocks approximately a top half or a bottom half of the end of the channel.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger is constructed of aluminum.

8. The heat exchanger of claim 1 wherein the heat exchanger is constructed via additive manufacturing.

9. An alternating channel counter-flow heat exchanger comprising:
a matrix of channels including two rows and a plurality of columns, where half of the channels are hot flow channels through which a hot fluid flows in a first direction and half of the channels are cold flow channels through which a cold fluid flows in a second direction opposite the first direction, and hot and cold flow channels alternate in each row and each column to define an alternating channel counter-flow arrangement where the hot flow channels have neighboring channels above, below and to either side which are all cold flow channels;
an end blocker attached at each end of each channel, where each end blocker blocks only a top portion or a bottom portion of the end of the channel to define a blocked portion and an open portion, and the blocked portions and the open portions alternate position in each row and each column; and
a hot fluid header attached at each end of the heat exchanger, where a first hot fluid header provides a flow of the hot fluid to the heat exchanger and a second hot fluid header receives a flow of the hot fluid from the heat exchanger, and where the hot fluid headers are positioned over the bottom portion of a top row and the top portion of a bottom row and configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the hot flow channels and the blocked portions of the cold flow channels such that the hot fluid can only flow through the hot flow channels.

10. The heat exchanger of claim 9 wherein the cold fluid is air flowing in a cold air stream moving in the second direction, where the air enters the cold flow channels through the open portions of the cold flow channels, and the air is blocked from entering the hot flow channels by the end blockers on the hot flow channels and the hot fluid headers.

11. The heat exchanger of claim 9 further comprising cold fluid headers attached at each end of the heat exchanger, said cold fluid headers providing a flow of the cold fluid to and from the heat exchanger, where the cold fluid headers are configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the cold flow channels and the blocked portions of the hot flow channels.

12. The heat exchanger of claim 11 wherein the hot fluid and the cold fluid are both liquid.

13. The heat exchanger of claim 9 wherein the channels have a height which is at least 100 times greater than a width.

14. The heat exchanger of claim 9 wherein each of the end blockers blocks approximately a top half or a bottom half of the end of the channel.

15. The heat exchanger of claim 9 wherein the heat exchanger is constructed of aluminum via additive manufacturing.

16. An alternating channel counter-flow heat exchanger comprising:
a matrix of channels including a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns, where half of the channels are hot flow channels through which a hot fluid flows in a first direction and half of the channels are cold flow channels through which a cold fluid flows in a second direction opposite the first direction, and hot and cold flow channels alternate in each row and each column to define an alternating channel counter-flow arrangement where the hot flow channels have neighboring channels above, below and to either side which are all cold flow channels;
an end blocker attached at each end of each channel, where each end blocker blocks only a top portion or a bottom portion of the end of the channel to define a blocked portion and an open portion, and the blocked portions and the open portions alternate position in each row and each column;
a plurality of hot fluid headers attached at each end of the heat exchanger, including hot fluid headers which provide a flow of the hot fluid to the heat exchanger and hot fluid headers which receive a flow of the hot fluid from the heat exchanger, and where the hot fluid headers are configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the hot flow channels and the blocked portions of the cold flow channels such that the hot fluid can only flow through the hot flow channels; and
a plurality of cold fluid headers attached at each end of the heat exchanger, including cold fluid headers which provide a flow of the cold fluid to the heat exchanger and cold fluid headers which receive a flow of the cold fluid from the heat exchanger, and where the cold fluid headers are interspersed between the hot fluid headers on the ends of the heat exchanger and configured to be in fluid communication with the open portions of the cold flow channels and the blocked portions of the hot flow channels such that the cold fluid can only flow through the cold flow channels.

17. The heat exchanger of claim 16 wherein the hot fluid headers attach to hot fluid supply lines on one side of the heat exchanger and the cold fluid headers attach to cold fluid supply lines on an opposite side of the heat exchanger.

18. The heat exchanger of claim 16 wherein the channels each have a width which is approximately equal to a height, and each of the end blockers blocks approximately a top half or a bottom half of the end of the channel.

19. The heat exchanger of claim 16 wherein the heat exchanger is constructed of aluminum via additive manufact

Assignees

• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Newman Robb
• Mccloskey Alex

Classifications

• F28F9/028

  by using inserts for modifying the pattern of flow inside the header box, e.g. by using flow restrictors or permeable bodies or blocks with channels · CPC title

• F28F7/02 Primary

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

• F28F3/005 Primary

  Arrangements for preventing direct contact between different heat-exchange media (F28F3/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F28F3/12

  Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels {(F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title

• F28F2009/0287

  having passages for different heat exchange media · CPC title