FLAT PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER MODULES

Abstract: A heat exchanger module, such as a solar collector module, comprising a tube sheet (3) connected to a header (4). The tube sheet (3) passes through an opening in the header (4) so that the end of the sheet (5) protrudes a distance into the header (4), the header opening being united to the surface of the tube sheet (3) so that the tendency of the tube sheet (3) to burst or split open in the region of the junction of the tube sheet and header is minimised when the module is under fluid pressure. By the term "tube sheet" is meant a substantially planar sheet having an upper and a lower plastic membrane interconnected by a series of spaced division walls thereby forming a series of tubes arranged generally in a flat plane across the sheet, the tubes being continuous through the sheet and open at the two opposite ends of the sheet. The term also includes a sheet of circular tubes joined in side-by-side relationship.

Description: I I FLAT PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER MODULES" This invention relates to improvements in and to flat plate heat exchanger modules and it relates 5. particularly to the attachment of headers to tube sheets in solar collector panels. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It is customary in solar heaters and similar devices to use a series of tubes through which a fluid 10. which is to be heated is caused to flow and to inter¬ connect these tubes by means of headers at each end so that a common supply of fluid can be fed to the tubes and after heating can be received from the tubes. Various forms of construction of such units can be 15. used but it is known to form the tubes through which the fluid flows by extruding plastic materials to produce a unitary cross-section to form what is known as a tube sheet which has a series of tubes placed side by side and generally formed by having an upper wall and a lower wall 20. spaced apart by a plurality of spaced walls to divide the space between the upper and lower walls into a plurality of tubes longitudinally arranged along the unit one form of such is shown in Australian Patent No. 494,721. OMPI /. IPO ./ _ . The invention relates generally to a module in which a series of tubes are formed in a single planar element and has a header attached to it at each end to allow fluid which is to pass through the tubes to be 5. fed to the open tubes at one end and to leave the open tubes at the other end, so that one header acts as a supply header and the other as a receiving header for the fluids. 2 . In such a module, a considerable problem exists in joining such headers to the tube sheet which as said contains a series of side-by-side tubes, and it is found in practice that if a header is formed of a 5. plastic material and is joined to the ends of the tube sheet that, when pressure fluid is applied to the system, fracture will occur at the junction between the header and the tube sheet which generally is due to fracturing of the walls of the tube sheet itself 10. at the junction, and consequent failure of the header. An object of the present invention therefore is to so construct a junction between headers and a tube sheet to minimise the fracture of either the tube sheet or the header. ' 15. The term "tube sheet" is intended herein to refer to a substantially planar sheet having an upper and a lower plastic membrane interconnected by a series of spaced division walls which then form a module in which the series of tubes are arranged generally in 20. a flat plane across the module which tubes are continuous through the module and open at the two opposite ends of the module. It is also intended to include a sheet of circular tubes joined in side-by-side relationship. 25. A further object of the invention is to control the flow of fluid through the tubes of the module because there is normally a tendency in headers which connect such tubes to have a greater flow at some areas, depending on the pressures fluid flow rates, 30. and fluid entrainment effects existing in the headers. 3 . Other objects will be apparent from the following description which is made with reference to specific forms of the invention but it is to be appreciated the invention is not necessarily limited to the forms 5. described. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a broad form of the invention, there is provided a solar collector module comprising a tube sheet connected at each end to a tubular header, characterised 10. in that the end of the tube sheet is joined to the header such that the end of the tube sheet has its outer surface subject to the fluid pressure in the header to minimize the opening pressure applied by the header to the outer surfaces of the tube sheet. 15. According to a preferred form of this invention the tube sheet module is fitted to a header which extends transversally across the module and which encircles the end portion of the module with the header secured to the module some distance in from its end, 20. whereby the open ends of the tubes in the sheet module are disposed towards the opposite part of the header to the attachment point of the header to the sheet module. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fics.l and 2 show examples of the known art, 25. Fig. 3 shows one form of the present invention in cross-section, Fig. 4 shows a form similar to Fig. 3 in perspective portion, being broken away for clarity/ 4 . Fig. 5 shows a bank of panels, Figs.6 to 8 show further alternatives in cross-section, Fig. 9 shows the invention applied to a tube sheet formed of a plurality of circular tubes, 5. Fig. 10 shows a further preferred form of the invention, and Fig. 11 shows a still further form of the invention. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In explanation of the invention it can be stated that, 10. according to the known art, when pressure is applied to the panel, the pressure within the header 2 produces a stress, called a hoop stress, in the header which tends to open up the header. This is resisted by the tube sheet 1, and as shown, the tube sheet 1 also has applied to it 15. an internal pressure which produces a stress in the walls of the tube sheet 1. The stress in the tube sheet is carried by the walls of the tube sheet, and at the point of entry of the tube sheet to the header, the walls of the tube sheet must additionally carry the hoop stress 20. of the header. This is the reason why previously used junctions have been unsatisfactory because these stresses are concentrated on the walls of the tubular sheet at the junction with the header 2 so that bursting occurred at this junction, whereas in the present invention the header 25. is attached to a part of the tube sheet better able to resist ' the pressure of the fluid and the outward pressure loading of the header at the header-tube sheet junction, due to the greater area of walls of the tube sheet resistin these stresses. As shown in Fig. 2 the header 2 is known to be provided with outwardly extending flanges engaging 5. the outer surface of the tube sheet 1, but again the sheet 1 split and burst under pressure, this bursting occurring a the end of the tube sheet when it is joined to the header. When however according to one form of the invention as shown in Fig. 3 the tube sheet 3 is allowed to project 10. into the header 4, pressure on the outside of the tube sheet end 5 in the- header is equal to the pressure inside of the tube sheet when a fluid is pressurized in the header, so that any bursting forces exerted within the tube sheet at the end of the tube sheet are countered 15. by the pressure on outside of the tube sheet which is now situated well within the header. As stated, the bursting tendency has been found to be greater when the junction is at the end of the tube sheet than further along the tube sheet so that when the header is joined at a 20. point remote from the end of the tube sheet the same bursting problems do not occur. The header 4 is joined to the tube sheet 3 by suitable adhesive, welding, or the like, both the header and tube sheet being formed of a suitable plastics material. The adhesive 6 is 25. applied to the inside of the header on both sides of the tube sheet. A further advantage is that by positioning the end of the tube sheet near the remote wall of the header, the flow into the tube sheet can be controlled 30. by proximity effects and it will be realised that this 6 . gives a much better form of control of flow into the tubes because the main flow takes place in the header around the end part of the tube sheet to give the aforesaid equalizing pressures at the end of the 5. module and also by proximity effects to control the flow into the tubes of the module. When high rates of flow of water are used, for example when the solar module is used for heating the water of swimming pools if the tubes do not project into 10. the header a substantial distance, there is a tendency for the flow of water past the tube ends to draw or entrain the water from the tube, this in certain applications giving a reduced or even reverse flow. The present _ invention overcomes this problem. 15. It will be realised that by appropriately shaping the end of the module or the header that variation in the fiow along a bank of panels having headers 4 and tube sheets 3 is controllable so far as flow into the tubes is concerned and this results in a substantial 20. advantage in the flow control in a tube sheet 3. Fig. 4 shows a perspective part cut away of one panel, and Fig. 5 shows a bank of panels. The same applies at the other end where there is an out-flow of fluid from the tubes into the header 25. and by proximity effects again a control is achieved which can regulate the out-flow from the tubes at any particular position along the headers of a bank of panels. Fig. 6 shows a further alternative where the header 30. 7 has the edges of the opening formed with lips or flanges 8 to engage the tube sheet 9, suitable adhesive again being applied to the inside of the header 7. As shown in Fig-. 7 the tube sheet 10 is located in a pair of parallel ribs 11 formed in the remote end 5. wall of the header 12. This gives additional support of the end of the tube sheet 10 to locate and apply a resistance to any tendency of the tube sheet to split open and also the clearance can give flow control. It is possible also, according to a variation as 10. shown in Fig. 8, to bond the end of the tube sheet 13 to the inner wall of the header 14 opposite to the point of entry of the tube sheet 13 into the header, and to provide apertures 15 into the tubes at appropriate locations within the header to allow the 15. in-flow and out-flow of fluids to and from the tubes. Such a construction adds greatly to the strength of the unit by very firmly locating the header on the end of the tube sheet as it is then attached at two __. diametrically opposite parts of the header, namely at 20. the end of the tube sheet and at the point where the tube sheet passes through a gap between the header edges where the header is attached to the tube sheet remote from the end of the tube sheet. Alternatively instead of attaching the end of 25. the tube sheet to the header along its length the ends of the tube sheet can be attached to the header but leaving gaps for flow to take place into the tubes in the areas between such ends. 30. As shown in Fig. 9, the invention is also applied to a second form of tube sheet 19 which is formed of O PI 8 . a plurality of circular tubes 20 joined at their abutting edges, the tube sheet 19 also protruding into the header 21. In Fig. 10 the header 22 is made from an extruded 5. section, preferably round but is shaped with re-entrant edge opening 23, the header of plastics material being thermoformed into this shape. This gives a greater area of sealing to the tube sheet 24, and allows the tube sheet to be fixed to the header from the outside, 10. by means of the application of a suitable adhesive. Fig. 10 shows the end 24 of the tube sheet 12 extending to be adjacent the opposite wall of the header 22. However as shown in Fig. 11 the end 25 of the tube 15. sheet 26 is adjacent the inturned lip of the opening, this then applying sufficient restraining force to counter¬ act the hoop stress, with the internal fluid pressure in the header acting to assist in maintaining the inturned lips adjacent the surface of the tube sheet 26. 20. The methods of bonding can of course vary greatly but generally it is a simple matter to have an effective join by simply running a bonding compound along the junction between the header and the tube sheet and it will be realised for instance that such a tube sheet 25. can be extruded to have one wall of it transparent and the other wall of a black material, or the other wall can otherwise be formed to make it into a heat absorber. The headers are fixed to each end of this tube sheet and these headers can themselves be tubes slotted to 30. allow the ends of the tube sheet to project into the header a sufficient distance to achieve the required pressure 9. equalizing and flow control. Bonding compound can be positioned along the inside or outside of the header where it joins the tube sheet to seal the header firmly to the tube sheet. The tube can be deformed either 5. inwardly or outwardly where it joins the tube sheet to give a greater area where bonding can take place. From the foregoing it will be realised that a simple and effective form of unit is achieved which will minimise the bursting problems at the junction of 10. the tube sheet and the header previously existing in this type of structure by substantially spreading the hoop stresses of the header over a greater supporting area of material to thereby greatly enhance the strength of the structure. 15. While the invention has been particularly directed to a solar panel, it is to be realised that the invention is applicable to any heat exchange panel made of any suitable plastics material. O w

Claims: 10 . THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1. A heat exchange panel comprising a tube sheet connected at each end to a tubular header, characterised in that at least one end of the tube sheet extends into the header through a longitudinal 5. opening such that the tube sheet resists the hoop stress in the header created by the application of fluid pressure in the header. 2. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 1 characterised in that said header is a tubular member with a longitudinal slot, said tube sheet end passing through said slot to have its end 5. situated within the header, sealing means sealing the slot edges to the surfaces of the tube sheet. 3. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 2, characterised in that said header is formed with re-entrant slot edges so that the outer surface of the header engages and is sealed to said surface of 5. said tube sheet. 4. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 2 or claim 3 wherein said tube sheet extends into the header to have its end adjacent the slot. 5. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 2 or claim 3, characterised in that said tube sheet extends across said header to be adjacent the opposite wall of said header. il . 6. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 5 characterised in that said tube sheet end is situated adjacent said opposite wall such that the clearance therebetween regulates the fluid flow. 7. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 5 characterised in that the tube sheet end is located between internal flanges on the opposite internal wall of the header. 8. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 5 characterised in that the tube sheet end is sealed to the opposite internal wall openings being provided through the surface of the tube sheets to allow controlled flow of fluid through said openings to the interior of the tube sheet. 9. A heat exchange panel as defined in claim 2 characterised in that said slot is formed with parallel extending flanges to engage and support said surfaces of said tube sheet. 10. A heat exchange panel as defined in any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that said tube sheet comprises a plurality of tubes joined at their abutting edges to form a sheet. 11. A heat exchange panel substantially as herein¬ before described with reference to the accompanying drawing

Inventors: HASTWELL P
Applicants: HASTWELL P
Application year: 1980
Main classification: F28F9
IPC codes: F24J2, F28F9