Segmented heat exchanger
AssigneeRaytheon Technologies Corporation
InventorsIsabella Snyder, David W Gerlach, Nathan A Snape
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method can comprise dividing a heat exchanger design into a plurality of modules, the plurality of modules arranged in a grid, each module in the plurality of modules including: a first fluid conduit defining an inlet, an outlet, and a heat-transfer surface, and a first flow direction, and a second fluid conduit defining a second inlet, a second outlet, a second heat-transfer surface, and a second flow direction, the second flow direction different from the first flow direction; and determining a heat-transfer augmenter arrangement for the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit of each module in the plurality of modules based on a stress threshold of the module in the plurality of modules.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- dividing a heat exchanger design into a plurality of modules, the plurality of modules arranged in a grid, each module in the plurality of modules including:
- a first fluid conduit defining an inlet, an outlet, and a heat-transfer surface, and a first flow direction, and
- a second fluid conduit defining a second inlet, a second outlet, a second heat-transfer surface, and a second flow direction, the second flow direction different from the first flow direction;
- and
- determining a heat-transfer augmenter arrangement for the first fluid conduit and the second fluid conduit of each module in the plurality of modules based on a stress threshold of the module in the plurality of modules.
A design process, comprising:
- receiving, via a processor, boundary conditions for designing a modular heat exchanger, the modular heat exchanger comprising an M×N grid of modules, each module including at least two of a first fluid conduit defining a first flow direction interleaved and at least two off a second fluid conduit defining a second flow direction, the at least two of the first fluid conduit interleaved between the at least two of the second fluid conduit, the boundary conditions including a stress threshold envelope;
- determining, via the processor and through a simulator, a desired heat-transfer coefficient for each heat-transfer surface in each fluid conduit of the modular heat exchanger based on the boundary conditions;
- and
- in response to determining the desired heat-transfer coefficient, designing a heat-transfer augmenter arrangement for each fluid conduit in each module of the modular heat exchanger.
A modular heat exchanger, comprising:
- a grid of heat exchanger modules, the grid of heat exchanger modules comprising:
- a first side disposed laterally opposite a second side,
- a first plurality of fluid conduits, each fluid conduit in the first plurality of fluid conduits extending from the first side to the second side, each fluid conduit in the first plurality of fluid conduits extending through a first set of modules in the grid of heat exchanger modules,
- a first fluid conduit of a first module in the grid of heat exchanger modules, a second fluid conduit of a second module in the grid of heat exchanger modules, and a third fluid conduit of a third module in the grid of heat exchanger modules defining a respective fluid conduit in the first plurality of fluid conduits, and
- a first heat-transfer augmenter arrangement of a first heat-transfer surface in the first fluid conduit being different from a second heat-transfer augmenter arrangement of a second heat-transfer surface of the second fluid conduit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.