Patent ID: 11874071
Assignee: ALFA LAVAL CORPORATE AB
Field: Thermal processes and apparatus (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  B  C | IPC B  C  F

Claim 0:
1. A heat exchanger plate configured to be arranged between and brazed to two other heat exchanger plates in a plate heat exchanger configured for evaporation of a first fluid, the heat exchanger plate comprising:
a heat exchanger area extending in parallel with an extension plane of the heat exchanger plate;
an edge area extending around the heat exchanger area;
a number of portholes extending through the heat exchanger area;
a peripheral rim surrounding a first porthole of said number of portholes and extending transversely to the extension plane from a root end to a top end with a rim height H perpendicular to the extension plane, the peripheral rim including an inner surface facing inwardly toward a region surrounded by the peripheral rim and an outer surface facing outwardly away from the region;
at least one restriction hole extending through the peripheral rim to throttle the first fluid passing through the at least one restriction hole, the at least one restriction hole being premade before the heat exchanger plate is arranged between and brazed to the two other heat exchanger plates via joints of braze material so that an entirety of both the inner surface and the outer surface of the peripheral rim from the top end of the peripheral rim to the root of the peripheral rim is a free surface that is free of contact with the two other heat exchanger plates, the at least one restriction hole possessing a hole height h perpendicular to the extension plane, the relation h/H being at most 30%; and
the heat exchanger plate possessing a thickness, the peripheral rim forming a transition portion to the heat exchanger area, and the transition portion being concavely curved with a radius of curvature equal to or less than 3 times the thickness of the heat exchanger plate so that the braze material is attracted toward the transition portion due to capillary forces.