Plate heat exchanger

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9879922-B2
Application number	US-201314407567-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 11, 2013
Priority date	Jun 14, 2012
Publication date	Jan 30, 2018
Grant date	Jan 30, 2018

Abstract

A plate heat exchanger includes a plate package having first and second heat exchanger plates. The plates are joined to each other and arranged side by side so that a first plate interspace exists between each pair of adjacent first and second heat exchanger plates, and a second plate interspace is formed between each pair of adjacent second and first heat exchanger plates. The first and the second plate interspaces are separated from each other and provided side by side in an alternating order. Substantially each heat exchanger plate has at least a first porthole forming a first inlet channel to the first plate interspaces. At least two injectors are arranged in a wall portion of the first inlet channel and extend from the exterior of the plate package to the first inlet channel interior, and each injector supplies a fluid to more than one of the first plate interspaces.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plate heat exchanger including a plate package, which includes a number of first heat exchanger plates and a number of second heat exchanger plates, which are joined to each other and arranged side by side in such a way that a first plate interspace is formed between each pair of adjacent first heat exchanger plates and second heat exchanger plates, and a second plate interspace between each pair of adjacent second heat exchanger plates and first heat exchanger plates, wherein the first plate interspaces and the second plate interspaces are separated from each other and provided side by side in an alternating order in the at least one plate package, and wherein each of said number of first heat exchanger plates and each of said number of second heat exchanger plates has at least a first porthole passing through the respective heat exchanger plate, wherein the first portholes are aligned with one another and form a first inlet channel to the first plate interspaces, wherein at least two injectors are arranged in a longitudinal wall portion of the first inlet channel, each injector being received in a through hole extending from the exterior of the plate package to the interior of the first inlet channel defined by the aligned first porthole and each injector being arranged to supply a first fluid to more than one of the first plate interspaces.

2. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are arranged side by side in a row in parallel with the longitudinal extension of the first inlet channel.

3. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are arranged side by side in at least two rows in parallel with the longitudinal extension of the first inlet channel.

4. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 3 , wherein the at least two rows of injectors are arranged on each side of a longitudinal center line of the first inlet channel.

5. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 3 , wherein the injectors in a first row are mutually displaced in view of the injectors in a second row.

6. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are provided with a nozzle providing a spray pattern, whereby the spray patterns of two adjacent nozzles in one row of injectors or in two adjacent rows of injectors are set to have an overlap of 10-70%.

7. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are arranged in the first inlet channel to direct a flow of fluid to the first plate interspaces via a part of the inner longitudinal envelope surface of the first inlet channel, said part corresponding to, as seen in a cross section of the envelope surface transverse the longitudinal extension of the first inlet channel, less than 75% of the cross section of the longitudinal envelope surface.

8. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 wherein each injector is provided with an individual valve or wherein a group of injectors are provided with a common valve.

9. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 8 , wherein the group of injectors comprises injectors from at least two rows of injectors.

10. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the first heat exchanger plates and the second heat exchanger plates are permanently joined to each other.

11. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger plates in the plate package are connected to each other through brazing, welding, adhesive or bonding.

12. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the through hole being formed by thermal reshaping, by cutting, by drilling or by cold forming.

13. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are arranged to direct a supply of the first fluid parallel with the general plane of the first and the second heat exchanger plates.

14. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the supply of the first fluid to the injectors is controlled by a controller.

15. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are provided with a nozzle providing a spray pattern, whereby the spray patterns of two adjacent nozzles in one row of injectors or in two adjacent rows of injectors are set to have an overlap of 30-50%.

16. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two injectors are arranged in the first inlet channel to direct a flow of fluid to the first plate interspaces via a part of the inner longitudinal envelope surface of the first inlet channel, said part corresponding to, as seen in a cross section of the envelope surface transverse the longitudinal extension of the first inlet channel, less than 50% of the cross section of the longitudinal envelope surface.

17. A plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the spray pattern provided by the nozzle of each injector is a fan-shaped spray pattern or a cone-shaped spray pattern.

18. Use of a plate heat exchanger comprising:
supplying a first fluid to a plurality of injectors, the plate heat exchanger including a plate package comprising plural first heat exchanger plates and plural second heat exchanger plates, which are joined to each other and arranged side by side in such a way that a first plate interspace is formed between each pair of adjacent first heat exchanger plates and second heat exchanger plates, and a second plate interspace between each pair of adjacent second heat exchanger plates and first heat exchanger plates, the first plate interspaces and the second plate interspaces being separated from each other and provided side by side in an alternating order in the at least one plate package, each of the plural first heat exchanger plates and each of the plural second heat exchanger plates including a first porthole passing through the respective heat exchanger plate, the first portholes being aligned with one another to form a first inlet channel to the first plate interspaces; and
injecting the first fluid from the plurality of injectors directly into the first inlet channel formed by the aligned first portholes to supply the first fluid to more than one of the first plate interspaces by way of the aligned first portholes.

19. A plate heat exchanger including a plate package, which includes a plurality of first heat exchanger plates and a plurality of second heat exchanger plates, which are joined to each other and arranged side by side in such a way that a first plate interspace is formed between each pair of adjacent first heat exchanger plates and second heat exchanger plates, and a second plate interspace between each pair of adjacent second heat exchanger plates and first heat exchanger plates, wherein the first plate interspaces and the second plate interspaces are separated from each other and provided side by side in an alternating order in the at least one plate package, the plate package also including two end plates provided on opposite sides of the plate package and between which all of the first and second heat exchanger plates are located, each of the plurality of first heat exchanger plates and each of the plurality of second heat exchanger plates including a first porthole that are aligned with one another to form a first inlet channel fluidly connected to the first plate interspaces, the first porthole of each of the first and second heat exchanger plates passing through the respective heat exchanger plate, and first and second injectors configured to supply a first fluid to more than one of the first p

Assignees

• Alfa Laval Corp Ab

Inventors

• Bertilsson Klas
• Nyander Anders
• Zorzin Alvaro

Classifications

• F28F9/027 Primary

  in the form of distribution pipes · CPC title

• F28D9/005

  the plates having openings therein for both heat-exchange media · CPC title

• F28F9/00 Primary

  Casings; Header boxes; Auxiliary supports for elements; Auxiliary members within casings · CPC title

• F28F27/02

  for controlling the distribution of heat-exchange media between different channels ({static flow control means in header boxes F28F9/026}; arrangements of guide plates or guide vanes F28F9/22, F28F25/12) · CPC title

• F25B39/022 Primary

  with plate-like or laminated elements · CPC title