PLATE HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract: The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger with a number of heat transfer plates (1) arranged between two end plates (3, 4). Two guiding bars, which extend from one end plate (3) to the other end plate, are formed in one piece of one and the same rod (5).

Description: Plate heat exchanger The present invention relates to a plate heat exchanger having a number of heat transfer plates arranged in a frame comprising two end plates, between which the heat transfer plates are arranged, and two guiding bars, which, spaced from each other, extend from one of the end plates to the other end plate and which are arranged to guide the heat transfer plates. A plate heat exchanger of this kind is described in GB A 2107845. It has a frame comprising two end plates, a supporting column, an upper carrying bar and a lower guiding bar. The carrying bar and the guiding bar are tightened in the supporting column and at the one end plate. Thus, several different components are required to assemble the frame. The cost for producing these components is relatively high and long time is required to assemble the frame. In addition, the storage of the different components will be voluminous. An object of the present invention is to simplify the construction of the plate heat exchanger and to lower the production cost of the same. This object can be obtained by a plate heat exchanger of the introductory described kind, which is characterized in that the guiding bars form parts of one and the same rod, which in one piece extends from one of the end plates, past the other end plate and back to the first end plate. Owing to that the frame of a plate heat exchanger accor¬ ding to the present invention comprises a few different components, namely an integrated carrying and guiding bar and two end plates and means for their assembling, the assembly of the plate heat exchanger becomes very simple. The cost for the production of these components and also the costs for the different working operations required to assemble the frame are reduced compared to known technique. The invention will be described in the following in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which figure 1 shows a view of a plate heat exchanger in accordance with the invention, figure 2 shows a view of an integrated carrying and guiding bar included in the plate heat exchanger according to figure 1, figure 3 shows a view of an alternative pleat heat exchanger in accordance with the invention, figure 4 shows a side view of the plate heat exchanger of figure 3, figure 5 shows a view of an alternative assembly of the frame included in the plate heat exchanger according to fig 3, and figure 6 shows a view of an alternatively shaped frame. The plate heat exchanger shown in figure 1 comprises a pile of several heat transfer plates being clamped together by a frame 2. The heat transfer plates 1 are pressed between two end plates 3 and 4, namely an essentially firm frame plate and a movable pressure plate. For this purpose there is a number of tightening bolts 8 (only shown schematically) between the end plates, which are intended to keep the heat transfer plates together. The frame has a continuous rod 5, which in one piece forms an upper carrying bar and a lower guiding bar, to carry and guide the heat transfer plates 1. The rod 5 first extends through the plate heat exchanger perpendicularly from the one end plate 3 and passes through or next to the other end plate 4. Subsequently, the rod 5 extends principally parallelly to the end plates 3 and 4, in order to, spaced from said first extension, once again pass through the plate heat exchanger to the one end plate 3. In the shown embodi¬ ment, the rod 5 extends through the heat transfer plates 1 but the heat transfer plates 1 may of course only abut towards the rod 5 if desired. A support in shape of a supporting foot 6 is attached to the rod 5, and another supporting foot 7 is attached to one of the end plates. The rod 5 is in a suitable way (not shown) fastened to one of the end plates 3, i.e. the stationary frame plate, and extends freely through the other end plate 4, i.e. the pressure plate. In figure 2 the rod 5 is shown separately. It consists of a bent bar stock having a suitably shaped cross- section, for instance round, depending on how existing recesses of the heat transfer plates are designed. The rod 5 is in the present embodiment essentially U-shaped, one of its legs forming one of the bars, the other leg forming the second bar and the intermediate body, keeping the legs together, forming a supporting column. The rod 5 thus comprises an upper horizontal portion 5A, a lower horizontal portion 5B and a vertical portion 5C. These portions replace in only one component, the three previously used components, namely the carrying bar, the guiding bar and the supporting column. The rod 5 may be further bent, as appears from figure 3, and be provided with a protruding portion 5D, forming a supporting foot integrated with the rod. If the rod 5, according to figure 3, is turned upside down and is supplemented with a detachable supporting foot 6, as appears from figure 5, one and the same kind of rod 5 can be used for several different frames of different size, whereupon the distance, from the lower attachment of the rod in the end plate 3 to the ground, can be altered with different supports for different designs of the frames. In figure 6 a further embodiment of the rod 5 according to figure 3 is shown, which has been bent once more and has thus been provided with an additional protruding portion 5E, forming an integrated support foot, which has a different size from that of the previous pro¬ truding portion 5D. This rod 5 can be turned upside down, in the same way as the rod according to figure 5, such that one and the same rod 5 may be used for two different frames. The protruding portion 5D or 5E, according to figures 3-6, has such a size that the distance between the legs is so much greater in the area of the protruding portion than along remaining portions of the legs, that the heat transfer plates can be inserted in and removed from the plate heat exchanger without the need of inclination to any considerable extent between said bars. The heat transfer plates may thus be inserted and removed verti- cally at the assembly between said bars. In practice the plate heat exchanger may hereby be made shorter, compared to known technique.

Claims: Claims 1. Plate heat exchanger with a number of heat transfer plates (1), arranged in a frame (2) comprising two end plates (3, 4), between which the heat transfer plates (1) are arranged, and two guiding bars, which spaced from each other extend from the one end plate (3) to the other end plate (4) and which are arranged to guide the heat transfer plates, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the guiding bars form parts of one and the same rod (5), which in one piece extends from the one end plate (3), past the other end plate (4) and back to the first end plate (3). 2. Plate heat exchanger according to claim 1, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d i n that the rod (5) extends essentially as an U of which one of its legs forms the one bar and the other leg forms the other bar. 3. Plate heat exchanger according to claim 2, c h a ¬ r a c t e r i z e d i n that at least one of the legs has a protruding portion (5D), arranged to form a support foot of the plate heat exchanger. 4. Plate heat exchanger according to claim 2 or 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that each of the legs has a protruding portion (5D, 5E) arranged to form a support foot of the plate heat exchanger. 5. Plate heat exchanger according to claim 3 or 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n that the distance between the legs is so much greater in the area of the protruding portion (5D, 5E) than along the remaining portions of the legs, that the heat transfer plates can be inserted in and removed from the plate heat exchanger without the need of inclination to any considerable extent between said bars. 6. Plate heat exchanger according to claim 2 -5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d i n means (8) to keep the heat transfer plates (1) together between the end plates (3, 4).

Inventors: JOENSON NILS-AAKE, KNUTSSON ROGER, JOENSON, NILS-AAKE, KNUTSSON, ROGER
Applicants: ALFA LAVAL THERMAL, ALFA-LAVAL THERMAL AB
Application year: 1991
Main classification: F28D9
IPC codes: F28D9, F28F3, F28F9