# US 12,760,975 B2 · Heat exchanger plate module, a plate heat exchanger and a process for the production of the plate heat exchanger > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,760,975 B2 - Document ID: US12760975B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/249,300 - Filed: 2021-10-11 - Published: 2023-12-07 - Granted: 2026-10-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-10-23 - Assignees: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Applicants: Alfa Laval Corporate AB - Inventors: Fredrik Strömer; Håkan Larsson; Arne Borg; Mats Nilsson; Henrik Kockum - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760975B2 ## CPC - F28F 3/12: Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels {(F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence)} - F28D 9/005: {the plates having openings therein for both heat-exchange media} - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) ## Abstract A heat exchanger plate module comprises a pressed heat exchanger plate and a flat plate, and a heat exchanger comprises plural of the modules. The plates comprise first and second longitudinal end portions each having a fluid port, and an intermediate heat exchange portion between the first and second longitudinal end portions. The plates further include a pressed corrugated pattern with alternating tops and bottoms in the thickness direction. The pressed pattern comprises in the first and/or second longitudinal end portions, a first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into the fluid port and/or a second fluid channel pattern bypassing the fluid port. In the intermediate heat exchange portion, a third fluid channel pattern fluidly communicates with the first and/or second fluid channel pattern and comprises longitudinally extending wave-shaped pressed lines that form discrete longitudinal extending fluid channels, when the pressed heat exchanger plate is attached to the flat plate. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A heat exchanger plate module comprising a pressed heat exchanger plate and a flat plate, the pressed heat exchanger plate and the flat plate having two opposite side surfaces, an extension in a longitudinal direction, transversal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the plate, wherein the plates have substantially the same outer shape in the longitudinal and transversal direction, the plates in the module comprising: a first longitudinal end portion comprising at least one first fluid port, a second longitudinal end portion comprising at least one second fluid port, an intermediate heat exchange portion arranged in between the first and second longitudinal end portions, wherein the pressed heat exchanger plate further comprises a pressed corrugated pattern with alternating tops and bottoms in the thickness direction of the pressed plate, the pressed pattern comprising: in the first and/or second longitudinal end portions, a first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into the at least one first fluid port and/or a second fluid channel pattern bypassing the at least one second fluid port, in the intermediate heat exchange portion, a third fluid channel pattern in fluid communication with the first fluid channel pattern and/or a second fluid channel pattern, and comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending pressed lines configured to form discrete fluid channels in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger plate module, when the pressed heat exchanger plate is attached to the flat plate, each of the longitudinally extending pressed lines being a longitudinally extending sinusoidal-shaped pressed line. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 1, wherein the flat plate is attached to the pressed heat exchanger plate along the extension of the first fluid channel pattern, the second fluid channel pattern and the third fluid channel pattern. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 1, wherein the first fluid channel pattern and/or the second fluid channel pattern forms a discontinuous pattern with the third fluid channel pattern with an interrupting portion between the first and/or the second fluid channel patterns and the third fluid channel pattern. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 3, wherein the amount of fluid channels formed by the respective first fluid channel pattern and the second fluid channel pattern in the pressed plate together with the flat plate is less than the amount of discrete flow channels formed by the third fluid channel pattern in the pressed plate and the flat plate. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 1, wherein the first longitudinal end portion comprises-two first fluid ports, and the second longitudinal end portion comprises two second fluid ports. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 5, wherein the respective first and second longitudinal end portions comprise the first and second fluid channel patterns leading fluid flow into the at least one fluid port and/or bypassing the at least one fluid port, and wherein the first and second fluid channel patterns are configured to provide a diagonal or parallel flow between the fluid ports in the first and second longitudinal end portions. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 5, wherein the respective first and second longitudinal end portions comprise the first and second fluid channel patterns leading fluid flow into the at least one fluid port and/or bypassing the at least one fluid port, and wherein the first and second fluid channel patterns are configured to provide a parallel flow between the fluid ports in the first and second longitudinal end portions. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 1, wherein the pressed heat exchanger plate and the flat plate have a thickness of from 0.25 to 5.0 mm, or from 0.3 to 3.0 mm. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The heat exchanger plate module according to claim 1, wherein the pressing depth of the fluid channel patterns is at least 0.5 mm. ### Claim 10 A plate heat exchanger comprising a plurality of stacked heat exchanger plate modules, wherein in the stack the modules are arranged such that every second plate is a pressed heat exchanger plate, and every other is a flat plate, wherein each of the flat and pressed heat exchanger plates has two opposite side surfaces, an extension in a longitudinal direction, transversal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the plate, the flat and pressed heat exchanger plates comprising a first longitudinal end portion comprising at least one first fluid port, a second longitudinal end portion comprising at least one second fluid port, an intermediate heat exchange portion arranged in between the first and second longitudinal end portions, wherein the pressed heat exchanger plate further comprises a pressed pattern forming a corrugated pattern with alternating tops and bottoms in the thickness direction of the pressed plate, the pressed pattern comprising: in the first and/or second longitudinal end portions, a first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into the at least one first fluid port and/or a second fluid channel pattern bypassing the at least one second fluid port, in the intermediate heat exchange portion, a third fluid channel pattern in fluid communication with the first fluid channel pattern and/or second fluid channel pattern, and comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending pressed lines configured to form finned discrete fluid channels in the longitudinal direction of the pressed heat exchanger plate, when the pressed heat exchanger plate is attached to the flat plate, each of the longitudinally extending pressed lines being a longitudinally extending sinusoidal-shaped pressed line. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the flat plate of each module is attached to a pressed plate of the respective module and to a pressed plate of a neighboring module, wherein the first, second and third fluid channel patterns form discrete fluid channels with a contact surface along the length of the fluid channel patterns. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein every second of the pressed heat exchanger plates comprises in the respective first and second longitudinal end portions the first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into at least one of the first fluid port and the second fluid port, and every other of the pressed heat exchanger plates comprises in the respective first and second longitudinal end portions the second fluid channel pattern bypassing the at least one of the first fluid port and the second fluid port. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein every second of the pressed heat exchanger plates, which comprises in the first longitudinal end portion two of the first fluid ports, in the second longitudinal end portion two of the second fluid ports and a first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into one of the first fluid ports and a second fluid channel pattern bypassing one of the first fluid ports, is fixed to the flat plate with a first surface facing the flat plate, and every other of the pressed heat exchanger plates is fixed to the flat plate with a second, opposing, surface facing the flat plate. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the plate heat exchanger is configured so that stacks of at least two heat exchanger plate modules are arranged in parallel by attaching the modules together along two opposing longitudinal sides of the modules, or wherein at least two pressed patterns are arranged in parallel on one plate, each pattern corresponding to the pressed pattern of a pressed heat exchanger plate of a module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the fluid ports are connectable to an external fluid connector. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the plate heat exchanger is configured for heat exchange between two gases. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) The plate heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the plate heat exchanger is configured for high pressure applications. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) Process for the production of a plate heat exchanger according to claim 10, the process comprising cutting a sheet metal material so as to provide two or more metallic plates having an extension in a longitudinal direction, transversal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the plate, pressing at least one of the metallic plates in a pressing tool, whereby the pressing tool is configured to provide a pressed pattern P to the heat exchanger plate, providing a flat plate having corresponding outer shape and dimension as the pressed plate in the longitudinal and transversal direction, providing a heat exchanger plate module comprising a pressed plate and a flat plate, assembling a stack of heat exchanger plate modules such that every second plate is a pressed heat exchanger plate, and every other is a flat plate, joining the modules together to provide a plate heat exchanger comprising the stack of heat exchanger modules. ### Claim 19 A heat exchanger plate module comprising a pressed heat exchanger plate and a flat plate, the pressed heat exchanger plate and the flat plate having two opposite side surfaces, an extension in a longitudinal direction, transversal direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the plate, wherein the plates have substantially the same outer shape in the longitudinal and transversal direction, each plate in the module comprising: a first longitudinal end portion comprising at least one first fluid port, a second longitudinal end portion comprising at least one second fluid port, an intermediate heat exchange portion arranged in between the first and second longitudinal end portions, the intermediate heat exchange portion being bounded by the first longitudinal end portion, the second longitudinal end portion, and first and second opposite edges of the plate, wherein the pressed heat exchanger plate further comprises a pressed corrugated pattern with alternating tops and bottoms in the thickness direction of the pressed plate, the pressed pattern comprising: in the first and/or second longitudinal end portions, a first fluid channel pattern leading fluid flow into the at least one first fluid port and/or a second fluid channel pattern bypassing the at least one second fluid port, in the intermediate heat exchange portion, a third fluid channel pattern in fluid communication with the first fluid channel pattern and/or a second fluid channel pattern, and comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending pressed lines configured to form discrete fluid channels in the longitudinal direction of the heat exchanger plate module when the pressed heat exchanger plate is attached to the flat plate, each of the longitudinally extending pressed lines being wave- shaped so that the longitudinally extending pressed line includes plural portions in each of which the pressed line extends towards the first edge of the plate and then extends towards the second edge of the plate.