Heat exchangers
AssigneeReaction Engines Limited
InventorsAlan Bond, Richard Varvill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A heat exchanger which may be used in an engine, such as a vehicle engine for an aircraft or orbital launch vehicle. is provided. The heat exchanger may be configured as generally drum-shaped with a multitude of spiral sections, each containing numerous small diameter tubes. The spiral sections may spiral inside one another. The heat exchanger may include a support structure with a plurality of mutually axially spaced hoop supports, and may incorporate an intermediate header. The heat exchanger may incorporate recycling of methanol or other antifreeze used to prevent blocking of the heat exchanger due to frost or ice formation.
Claims114
A heat exchanger, comprising:
- at least one first conduit section for the flow of a first fluid in heat exchange with a second fluid in a flow path which passes the at least one first conduit section;
- and
- a support for the at least one first conduit section, wherein the at least one first conduit section is mounted at a first location to the support, and the at least one first conduit section at a second location thereon is movable relative to the support in response to thermal change.
A heat exchanger, comprising:
- a plurality of first conduit sections for the flow of a first fluid in heat exchange with a second fluid in a flow path which passes the first conduit sections;
- and
- a support for the plurality of first conduit sections, each of the first conduit sections comprising a plurality of tubes for heat exchange, each first conduit section comprising a spiral section having a plurality of the tubes extending along in a spiral shape alongside and spaced from one another in rows, wherein at least one load element is provided between tubes in mutually radially spaced rows for countering aerodynamic load applied to the tubes.
A heat exchanger, comprising:
- at least one first conduit section for the flow of a first fluid in heat exchange with a second fluid in a flow path which passes the at least one first conduit section, in which each first conduit section comprises a flow path via at least one tube from an inlet to an outlet;
- and
- an intermediate header provided in the flow path between the inlet and outlet for flow communication with an intermediate fluid flow path.
A heat exchanger, comprising:
- at least one first conduit section for the flow of a first fluid in heat exchange with a second fluid in a flow path which passes the at least one first conduit section, wherein each first conduit section comprises a flow path via at least one tube from an inlet to an outlet, wherein at least one of said tubes has first and second portions extending therealong which are formed of different materials to one another.
A support structure for a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger comprising at least one first conduit section for the flow of a first fluid in heat exchange with a section fluid in a flow path which passes the at least one first conduit section, the support structure comprising a generally cylindrical perforated drum structure.
A heat exchanger for cooling a fluid in a flow path and containing a component liable to phase change below a temperature thereof, the heat exchanger comprising a series of tubes for the passage of coolant and an injector for introducing an anti-freeze component into the fluid in the flow path.
A heat exchanger assembly with a longitudinal extent in a longitudinal direction thereof, comprising:
- at least one generally annular heat exchanger module arranged to communicate with a longitudinally extending duct;
- at least one guide vane for turning flow between one and the other selected from (a) generally radial through the heat exchanger module and (b) generally longitudinal along the longitudinally extending duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.