Thermal energy storage heat exchanger
US4976308A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Feb 21, 1990 |
| Grant date | Dec 11, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 21, 2010 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/14
- WIPO fieldThermal processes and apparatus
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A modified tube and shell heat exchanger is comprised of a tube of heat sink material having micro heat pipes extending outward into the volume between the tube and shell to enable the rapid and efficient transfer and storage of thermal energy into the heat sink from a liquid or gas circulated through the volume. Several embodiments of the invention include modifications to the heat pipes. An alternative embodiment reverses the location of the heat sink to fill the volume between the shell and tube, adapting the tube for fluid flow, and orients heat pipes inward into the tubes and outward beyond the shell in various arrangements. The heat exchanger is further shown embodied in a system for the removal, transfer, storage and dissipation of thermal energy from a heat source for ground-based and space-based applications.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.