Heat exchanger
US6920920B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 16, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jul 26, 2005 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02E60/50
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A heat exchanger is made from a single piece of metal foil. The foil is coated with catalyst, corrugated with herringbone or skew corrugations, except along narrow flat areas near its edges, and folded back and forth upon itself. The folded metal structure is blocked off, except at regions near the flat areas, and enclosed in a container. A first gas stream flows into one set of folds, in a path which includes the flat areas and the channels formed by the corrugations. A second gas stream similarly flows into the other set of folds. The two streams are in thermal contact, but do not mix. The heat exchanger is especially useful in operating a catalytic fuel reformer, or in other applications involving catalytic processes. Alternative embodiments use straight corrugations to create straight channels that minimize the pressure drop through the heat exchanger.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.