# US 11,079,186 B2 · Heat exchanger with sets of channels forming checkered pattern

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- Number: US 11,079,186 B2
- Document ID: US11079186B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/083,367
- Filed: 2017-03-28
- Published: 2020-09-24
- Granted: 2021-08-03
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-31
- Assignees: Alfa Laval Corporate AB
- Applicants: Alfa Laval Corporate AB
- Inventors: Kristian Walter; Klas Bertilsson; Fredrik Strömer
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11079186B2

## CPC

- F28F 9/026: {with static flow control means, e.g. with means for uniformly distributing heat exchange media into conduits}
- F28F 7/02: Blocks traversed by passages for heat-exchange media {(F28D7/0008 takes precedence)}
- F28F 21/086: {from titanium or titanium alloys}
- B23K 2101/14: Heat exchangers
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- F28F 21/083: {from stainless steel}
- F28F 2255/18: sintered
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING

## Abstract

A heat exchanger includes a central body with a first set of channels and a second set of channels extending along a main direction through the central body, wherein, in the central body, in any cross-section across the main direction, the channels of the first and second sets form a checkered pattern in said cross-sections, wherein the heat exchanger further includes two inner transition portions, wherein, in respective inner transition portion, among the rows extending along a first direction, are every second, counted along a second direction, row provided with channels being along the main direction increasingly shifted in position in a first direction relative to the other channels such that the checkered pattern of channels is transformed into a line pattern.

## Claims

### Claim 1

Heat exchanger comprising
a central body with
a first set of channels forming part of a first set of fluid pathways through the heat exchanger, and
a second set of channels forming part of a second set of fluid pathways through the heat exchanger,
the channels of the first and second sets extending from a first end of the central body, along a main direction through the central body, to a second end of the central body,
wherein, in the central body, in a cross-section across the main direction, the channels of the first and second sets form a checkered pattern by being arranged alternatingly in a plurality of rows along a first direction extending along a first portion of a perimeter of the pattern and alternatingly in a plurality of rows along a second direction extending transverse to the first direction and along a second portion of the perimeter of the pattern,
the heat exchanger further comprising two inner transition portions of which one extends from the first end of the central body and one extends from the second end of the central body,
the channels of the first and second sets extending from the ends of the central body, in the checkered pattern and into each of the inner transition portions at an inner end of respective inner transition portion, through the respective inner transition portion and to an outer end of the respective inner transition portion,
wherein, in the respective inner transition portion, every second row along the first direction is increasingly shifted in the first direction and relative every other second row of the rows, until the checkered pattern of the first and the second sets of channels at the inner end of the respective inner transition portion is transformed into a line pattern at the outer end of the respective inner transition portion, the channels of the respective set of channels thereby, at each outer end of the respective inner transition portion, being arranged alongside each other in rows that extend along the second direction, with the rows of the first set of channels and the rows of the second set of channels being arranged alternatingly along the first direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein, in the respective inner transition portion, among the rows extending along the first direction, are every other second, counted along the second direction, row provided with channels being, in a plurality of cross-sections, across the main direction, sequentially following each other along the main direction, increasingly shifted in position in a direction opposite the first direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the inner transition portions are integrally formed with the central body.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, further comprising two outer transition portions, one extending from either outer end of the respective inner transition portion, wherein each outer transition portion comprises a first set of channels forming part of the first set of fluid pathways and a second set of channels forming part of the second set of fluid pathways,
wherein the channels of the first and second sets extend from an inner end of the outer transition portion, facing the inner transition portion, through the outer transition portion and out of the outer transition portion,
wherein, in the outer transition portions, the first set of channels and/or the second set of channels are diverted to extend along a third direction respectively a fourth direction extending in parallel with a diversion plane defined by the main direction and the second direction and being transverse to said shift direction of the respective inner transition portion,
wherein the third and fourth directions are different from each other such that the first set of channels extend out of the outer transition portion at a first end portion and the second set of channels extend out of the outer transition portion at a second end portion, the second end portion being separated from the first end portion.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the respective inner transition portion is integrally formed with the associated outer transition portion.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the central body, the inner transition portions and the outer transition portions are integrally formed into a single body.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the heat exchanger further comprising four tubular connection portions, each having a tubular wall portion integrally formed with and extending from an outer envelope surface of respective one of the first and second end portions of respective outer transition portions.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein each channel in the central body continuing through the inner transition portion and continuing into the outer transition portion continue through the outer transition portion as a separate channel to the respective first or second end portion.

### Claim 9 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein, in the outer transition portion, the channels of the first set of channels and/or the second set of channels being diverted to extend along a third direction respectively a fourth direction are curved from the direction from which they exit the respective inner portion to the third respectively the fourth direction.

### Claim 10 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the central body, the inner transition portions and the outer transition portions are formed by additive depositing of a material forming the central body, the inner transition portions and the outer transition portions.

### Claim 11 (depends on 4)

Heat exchanger according to claim 4, wherein the central body, the inner transition portions and the outer transition portions are integrally formed by additive depositing of a material forming the central body, the inner transition portions and the outer transition portions.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the inner transition portion have a length in the main direction being at least 3 times a maximum width of any channel of the checkered pattern in the central body.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein each channel in the central body has a maximum width of less than 3 mm.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the central body and the inner transition portions are formed by additive depositing of a material forming the central body and the inner transition portions.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

Heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the material is a metallic material.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

Heat exchanger according to claim 15, wherein the material is laser or electron sintered during the additive depositing of the metallic material, or sintered in an oven after the additive depositing.

### Claim 17 (depends on 14)

Heat exchanger according to claim 14, wherein the material is a metallic material chosen from the group consisting of titanium or titanium based alloys, tantalum or tantalum based alloys, steel or steel based alloys, stainless steel or stainless steel based alloys.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein each of the channels of the first set of channels has a first cross-sectional area and each of the channels of the second set of channels has a second cross-sectional area, wherein the first cross-sectional area is between 1.1-1.5 times the second cross-sectional area.

### Claim 19 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein each channel in the central body has a maximum width of less than 2 mm.

### Claim 20 (depends on 1)

Heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the central body and the inner transition portions are integrally formed by additive depositing of a material forming the central body and the inner transition portions.