Microtube-strip heat exchanger
USRE33528E · kind E · reissue
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 23, 1989 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 23, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC —)General
Abstract
A new approach to the theory of heat exchanger optimization is presented which shows the advantages of using low Reynolds and Nusselt numbers and low flow velocities along with a novel design, the microtube-strip (MTS) counterflow heat exchanger. The MTS exchanger in the preferred embodiment consists of a number of small modules connected in parallel. Each module typically contains eight rows of one hundred tubes, each of 0.8 mm outside diameter and 0.16 m length. The tubes are metallurgically bonded via the diffusion welding technique to rectangular header tube strips at each end. Caps suitable for manifolding are welded over the ends. Cages are provided to cause the shell-side fluid to flow in counterflow fashion over substantially all of the tube length, and suitable manifolds are provided to connect the modules in parallel. This design results in the highest power densities of any known design for single phase exchangers. Although the MTS exchanger of the present invention is specifically optimized for applications not involving phase changes in the working fluid, the essential concepts and features of this invention can also be advantageously used in applications involving cha…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.