HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract: A heat exchanger for exchange of heat between two media, especially gas and liquid, in heat pumps and the like, including an elongated, generally cylindrical space (2) passed through by one medium and having an inlet (3) arranged at one end and an outlet (7) at the other end, and a helical wall radially defining said space and delimiting a space through which the other medium is intended to flow. The novelty is that the inlet (3) into the cylindrical space (2) is tangentially arranged, whereby the tangent line through the inlet is generally parallel with a tangent drawn from the helical line of the wall, that between the two ends of the cylindrical space there is arranged a number of bodies (12, 12', 12") securing the intended circulatory movement, substantially blocking the central portion of the space in axial direction and adapted to utilize the interspace (11) between the coil turns as guide elements maintaining the media circulation, by guiding outwardly towards the wall the medium flowing through said space (2).

Description: HEAT EXCHANGER The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for exchange of heat between two media, especially gas and liquid, in heat pumps and the like, including an elongated, generally cylindrical space passed through by one medium and having an inlet arranged at one end and an outlet at the other end, and a helical wall ra¬ dially defining said space and delimiting a space through which the other medium is intended to flow. There are known heat exchangers consisting of a generally cylindrical casing the ends of which are pro¬ vided with respectively an inlet and outlet for one me¬ dium, preferably the gas, and a helical pipe coil, ar¬ ranged within the space in said casing and through which the other medium, preferably the liquid, is allowed to flow. In a manner per se known the -media are suitably • allowed to flow in opposite directions. The hot medium, which enters at one end of the casing, may to begin with have a rotary movement so that it will sweep along the pipe coil but this movement decreases rapidly and the gas flows substantially linearly through the casing, i.e. through the space within the pipe spiral, and this has as a result that the heat exchange in that portion of the casing which is remote from the inlet, will be deficient. The object of this invention is to provide a sub¬ stantially improved efficiency by a modification of heat exchangers of the above-mentioned type. The essential characteristic of the apparatus ac¬ cording to the invention is that the inlet into the cylindrical space is tangentially arranged, whereby the tangent line through the inlet is generally parallel with a tangent drawn from the helical line of the wall, that between the two ends of the cylindrical spaee there is arranged a number of bodies securing the intended circulatory movement, substantially blocking the central portion of the space in axial direction and adapted to utilize the interspace between the coilturns as guide elements maintaining the media circulation, by guiding outwardly towards the wall the medium flowing through said space. Examples of embodiments of heat exchangers accord¬ ing to the invention will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: Fig. 1 is a cross-section through a heat exchanger according to the invention; t Fig. 2 shows, likewise in perspective, an embodi¬ ment of a body maintaining the circulation; Figs. 3 and 4 show two other embodiments of the same body; Fig. 5 shows a cross-section of part of another em¬ bodiment; Fig. 6 shows schematically and on a reduced scale an applied construction according to Fig. 5; and Fig. 7 shows, partly in section, part of still another embodiment of the heat exchanger. In the drawing, 1 designates a generally cylindri¬ cal casing constituting the space or compartment through which one medium, i.e. the gas, passes. Arranged at one end of the casing is a tangential inlet 3 through which the warm gas from a hot gas source, e.g. a compressor in a heat pump, flows into the space 2. Arranged within the casing 1 in the space 2 is a helically wound pipe coil 4 and this has an inlet 5 and an outlet 6. The outlet 7 of the casing 1 may be axial but it may of course also be tangentially arranged. A rotary movement is inparted to the inflo-zing πedium by means of the tangential inlet 3 and to secure this movement during an intial stage a coaxially disposed guide surface 9 is arranged at the end wall 8 of the casing. After having left the inlet opening the medium will thereby be guided by the slot 10 situated between the guide surface 9 and the casing wall 1 and advance j , along the wall of the space 2. After the medium has left the slot 10 between the guide surface 9 and the casing 1 it will pass along the 5 pipe coil 4 and primarily in the interspace 11 between the coil turns. Gradually, as the speed decreases, the influence of the centrifugal force will be reduced so that the medium will instead pass on through the space within the pipe coil, resulting in a considerably reduced 10 heat exchange. In order to avoid this and to maintain the rotary movement there is, according to the invention, arranged at least at one point between the two ends of the pipe coil 4 a body maintaining the circulation. In the em- 15 bodiment according to Fig. 1 this body consists of a washer 12 having a diameter closely joining the inner diameter in the casing 1. The washer is provided with a slit recess 13 and is helically turned so that it can be introduced between the coil turns of the pipe coil 4. 20 As one or more bodies maintaining the circulation, e.g. the washer 12, have been placed at least at one point in the pipe coil 4 the gas still flowing on at a relatively high speed will again be forced into a c helical path whereby it will again come into intimate 25 contact with the pipe coil. Instead of the washer 12 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it is possible, as is shown in Fig. 3, to utilize one or more plugs 12' passed on a rod 14 placed in the free space within the pipe coil. It is also possible to form 30 a plug-like body 12" so that is will fit in the pipe coil 4 and be retained by it. Such a plug should suitably be provided with an inclined end surface 15. The washer 12, like the plugs 12' and 12", makes that the medium will be forced outwards towards the 35 periphery of the space 2, whereby the medium tries to find its way through the interspace 11 between the pipe coilturns. This imparts a rotary movement to the medium. It has been found that an efficiency increase of about 50% is obtained by the arrangement of bodies of the above-mentioned type in a heat exchanger of the embodiment herein concerned, as compared to a heat ex- changer without such bodies. In the embodiment according to Fig. 5, the casing wall 1 itself, instead of the casing wall and the pipe coil 4, is of helical shape so as to constitute a heli¬ cal trough 16 which axially is defined by equally heli- cal ridges 17. As seen radially beyond said wall 16 - 17 there is a space through which the other medium flows. According to the invention there is also in this embodiment a body 12* or 12" preventing axial flow through the space 2 • and adapted to carry the gas in the space 2* outwards towards the helical wall. The embodiment according to Fig. 5 is particularly apt for composite heat exchangers where, as indicated in Fig. 6, several units may be mounted in a common vessel.18 and where the vessel constitutes a through- flow space for the liquid. In the further embodiment according to Fig. 7 the pipe coil 4 instead of the casing wall 1 is itself formed as a casing wall in that the tightly wound pipe turns are welded or soldered together, as is indicated by reference numeral 19. Also in this case there is in¬ serted a preventing body 12' adapted to move the medium in the space 2' outwards towards the helical wall. The invention should not be considered restricted to that described above and shown in the drawing but may be modified in various ways within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims: CLAIMS t> 1. Heat exchanger for exchange of heat between two media, especially gas and liquid, in heat pumps and the like, including an elongated, generally cylindrical space (2) passed through by one medium and having an 5 inlet (3) arranged at one end and an outlet (7) at the other end, and a helical wall radially defining said space and delimiting a space through v/hich the other medium is intended to flow, c h a r a c t e - r i z e d in that the inlet (3) into the cylindrical 10 space (2) is tangentially arranged, whereby the tangent line through the inlet is generally parallel with a tangent drawn from the helical line of..the wall, that between the two ends of the cylindrical space there is arranged a number of bodies (12, 12', 12") securing 15 the intended circulatory movement, substantially block¬ ing the central portion of the space in axial direction and adapted to utilize the interspace (11) between the coil turns as guide elements maintaining the media cir¬ culation, by guiding outwardly towards the wall the 20 medium flowing through said space (2). C 2. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the blocking body con- . sists of a radially slit substantially helically bent washer (12) fitted in a pipe coil (4) v/hich is arranged 25 within a casing and adapted to be passed through by the other medium, said pipe coil defining the helical wall delimiting the central free space. - 3. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the blocking body con- 4 30 sists of a plug (12*) passed on a rod (14) placed in the central free space and having an outer diameter sub¬ stantially joining the inner diameter of said space. 4. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the blocking body con- sists of a cylindrical plug (12") having an inclined end surface (5) facing the flow direction of the medium. 5. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the casing (1) de- fing the cylindrical space (2) has, at its closed end provided with the tangential inlet (3), a coaxially disposed guide surface (9) projecting from an end wall (8) axially into the space (2), radially spaced from the casing wall and adapted to constitute an initial guide for the medium entering through the inlet (3). 6. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the other medium is adapted to flow through a helical pipe coil arranged in a generally cylindrical casing (1) delimiting the through-flow space from one medium. 7. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d in that the generally cylindrical space (2) is delimited by a wall which is provided " with a helical embossment or the like providing at least one helically extending trough (16) delimited by interme¬ diate ridges (17), the blocking body or bodies having a diameter substantially corresponding to the diameter in the space as counted along the ridges. 8. Heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1, c h a - r a c t e r i z e d in that the generally cylindrical space (2} consists of a helical pipe coil (4) with tight¬ ly wound pipe turns which are welded or soldered to¬ gether (19) outside the contact surfaces.

Inventors: MELLSJOE CARL GUSTAF, MELLSJOE, CARL, GUSTAF
Applicants: MELLSJOE CARL GUSTAF, MELLSJOE, CARL, GUSTAF
Application year: 1985
Main classification: F28D7
IPC codes: F28D7, F28F9, F28F13