Hygienic heat exchanger
AssigneeSPX Flow Technology Danmark A/S
InventorsOle Poulsen, Knud Thorsen
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hygienic food product to food product heat exchanger (1). The heat exchanger (1) has an elongated and hollow housing (4), a metal tube plate (6) arranged at each of the opposite ends of the elongated housing (4) for defining a closed interior space (10) inside the elongated and hollow housing (4), a plurality of tightly spaced metal tubes (2) axially extending between the tube plates (2) with the ends of the tubes being received in correspondingly tightly spaced holes the tube plates (6) or with the lumen of the tubes being aligned with said correspondingly tightly spaced holes in the tube plates. The metal tubes (2) are sealingly secured to the metal tube plates (6) by a welding joint (20) on the inwardly facing side of the tube plates (6).
Claims20
A method of fabricating a hygienic food product heat exchanger, the method comprising the steps of:
- assembling a tube bundle having a plurality of tubes with a first tube plate, the assembling step includes:
- inserting a respective first end of each tube of the tube bundle through a corresponding hole in the first tube plate, the first end passing from a first side of the first tube plate, through the first tube plate until flush with a second side of the first tube plate;
- hygienically welding each first end of each tube at the second side of the first tube plate, wherein each weld smoothly translates between the second side of the first tube plate and an interior surface of each respective tube;
- and
- hygienically welding each tube at interface between an outer surface of each tube and an edge of the corresponding hole in the first side of the first tube plate, wherein each weld is created from inside the respective tube and smoothly translates between the first side of the first tube plate and the outer surface of each respective tube, wherein each weld extends along a complete circumference of each respective tube, wherein the fabricated hygienic food product heat exchanger is hygienic and free of cracks, crevices and fissures both inside and outside of the hygienic food product heat exchanger.
A method of manufacturing a hygienic food product to food product axial tubular heat exchanger that comprises metal tube plates at each opposite end of an elongated heat exchanger housing and tightly spaced axial metal tubes extending between the tube plates, each of the tubes having a corresponding pair of ends, the method comprising:
- securing and hermetically sealing the metal tube plates at the opposite ends of the elongated heat exchanger housing, wherein an inwardly facing side of each of the metal tube plates smoothly transitions to an inner surface of the elongated heat exchanger housing;
- inserting the ends of the tubes through corresponding holes in the tube plates;
- creating a first welded joint at an inner face of the tube plate, the first welded joint on the inner face of the tube plate being welded from an inside of each respective metal tube and extending in a complete circumference of each tube at an intersection of the inner face of the tube plate and the respective tube;
- and
- creating a second welding joint that is separate from the first welding joint at an outer face of the tube plate, each weld extending along the complete circumference of each respective tube by welding the tubes to the tube plates on the side of the tube plates that faces the interior of the elongated cylindrical housing for providing a smooth transition between the outer surface of a tube and the inwardly facing side of the tube plate.
A method of fabricating a hygienic food product heat exchanger, method comprising the steps of:
- assembling a tube bundle and pair of tube plates;
- hygienically welding each tube of the tube bundle in a complete circumference at each interface between the respective tube and the pair of tube plates;
- disposing the hygienically welded tube bundle and pair of tube plates within a housing;
- and
- securing and hermetically sealing the pair of tube plates at opposite ends of the housing, wherein an inwardly facing side of each of the tube plates smoothly transitions to an inner surface of the housing, wherein the fabricated hygienic food product heat exchanger is hygienic and free of cracks, crevices and fissures both inside and outside of the hygienic food product heat exchanger.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.