US 12,038,233 B2Granted

Hybrid heat exchanger

AssigneeBaltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.

InventorsEric Guy, Yohann Lilian Rousselet, Kevin Ellsworth Egolf

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Abstract

In one aspect, a hybrid heat exchanger that includes a metallic serpentine tube having an inlet end portion to receive a process fluid, an outlet end portion, and a series of runs and return bends directing the process fluid from the inlet end portion to the outlet end portion of the metallic serpentine tube. The hybrid heat exchanger further includes a thermally conductive polymer body thermally integrated with the serpentine tube. The thermally conductive polymer body has an outer surface to be contacted by a fluid, such as air and/or water. The thermally conductive polymer body is configured to transfer heat between the metallic serpentine tube and the fluid contacting the outer surface of the thermally conductive polymer body. The outer surface of the thermally conductive polymer body includes surface enhancement features that affect flow of the fluid across the outer surface of the thermally conductive polymer body.

Claims43

Dependent claims

A heat exchanger system comprising:

an inlet header to receive a process fluid;
an outlet header;
a plurality of fluid conduits of a first thermally conductive material, the fluid conduits each having an inlet end portion connected to the inlet header, an outlet end portion connected to the outlet header, and an intermediate portion between the inlet and outlet end portions along the fluid conduits, the fluid conduits configured to permit process fluid to flow from the inlet header to the outlet header;
wherein the intermediate portion of each of the fluid conduits includes a series of runs and return bends, each run having a length between two of the bends of the fluid conduit
at least one body of a thermally conductive polymer different than the first thermally conductive material and having an outer surface;
and
the at least one thermally conductive polymer body in thermal contact with the at least one of the runs of each of the fluid conduits for a majority of the length of the at least one of the runs, the at least one thermally conductive polymer body configured to facilitate heat transfer between the process fluid as the process fluid travels through the intermediate portions of the fluid conduits and a fluid at the outer surface of the at least one thermally conductive polymer body.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 17/558,203Filed 21 Dec 2021 · us provisional application
Priority: 23 Dec 2020
Published: US 2022/0196330 A123 Jun 2022
Granted: 16 Jul 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

F28D 1/0477
The conduits being bent, e.g. in a serpentine or zig-zag: the conduits being bent in a serpentine or zig-zag
F28D 1/05383
Assemblies of conduits connected to common headers, e.g. core type radiators: with multiple rows of conduits or with multi-channel conduits
B33Y 80/00
Products made by additive manufacturing
F28F 1/022
Tubular elements of cross-section which is non-circular: with multiple channels