Method of manufacturing a concentric tube heat exchanger
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorGeorge A. Coffinberry
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for manufacturing a concentric-tube heat exchanger which includes at least a pair of concentric tubes disposed one within the other to form an annular longitudinally extending flow channel in which a plurality of heat transfer promoting fins reside. The method includes the step of applying a radially directed force to one of the pair of concentric tubes in sufficient magnitude to permanently deform the tube into engagement with the plurality of heat transfer promoting fins.
Claims13
A method for use in fabricating a heat exchanger adapted to transfer heat between first and second fluids, said heat exchanger comprised of at least a pair of longitudinally extending concentric tubes, one of said tubes disposed within the other to form a longitudinally extending annular flow channel therebetween and plurality of heat transfer promoting fins disposed within said annular flow channel, said method comprising the steps of:
- disposing one of said tubes within the other of said tubes to form a first longitudinally extending channel therebetween;
- inserting a plurality of spacer members into said flow channel at circumferentially spaced apart locations so as to form a plurality of longitudinally extending flow segments between said plurality of spacer members;
- positioning a plurality of heat transfer promoting fins within said plurality of flow segments;
- and
- applying a radially directed deforming force to said pair of tubes in sufficient magnitude to achieve permanent deformation of said pair of tubes to retain said spacing members and said heat transfer promotion fins securely disposed within said annular flow channel.
A method for use in fabricating a heat exchanger adapted to transfer heat between first and second fluids, said heat exchanger including a first longitudinally extending cylindrical wall member, a second longitudinally extending cylindrical wall member disposed within said first cylindrical wall member to form therebetween a first longitudinally extending annular flow channel, a third longitudinally extending cylindrical wall member disposed within said second wall member to form therebetween a second longitudinally extending annular flow channel, first and second pluralities of radially extending heat transfer promoting fins disposed within said first and second annular flow channels respectively, first and second pluralities of longitudinally extending spacer members disposed within said first and second flow channel respectively, a pair of fluid inlet and outlet headers disposed at spaced apart ends of said heat exchanger, said method comprising the steps of :
- disposing said second cylindrical member within said first cylindrical member to form said first longitudinally extending flow channel therebetween;
- inserting said first plurality of spacer members into said first flow channel at circumferentially spaced apart locations so as to form a first plurality of longitudinally extending flow segments between said first plurality of spacer members;
- positioning said first plurality of radially extending heat transfer promoting fins within said first plurality of flow segments;
- and
- applying a radially directed deformation force to one of said first and second cylindrical wall members, said force applied in sufficient magnitude to permanently deform said one of said members into abutting surface contact with said first plurality of heat transfer promoting fins and said first plurality of spacer members.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.