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US 4,316,434 AGranted
Method and apparatus for improving heat transfer
AssigneeBailey Burners, Inc.
InventorFrank W. Bailey
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBailey Burners, Inc.
InventorFrank W. Bailey
Estimating the term…
Method and apparatus for improving convective heat transfer by mechanically stirring fluid over the outer surface of a heat exchanger. A stirring mechanism is described which revolves rapidly around a heat exchanger surface in a stream undergoing heat transfer. During rotation, the stirring mechanism is supported near an end of the stirred heat exchanger by a central bearing and drive means. It is also supported over an extended length of the stirred heat exchanger surface by the hydrodynamic action of the stirring mechanism relative to the heat exchange surface without need for an additional central support bearing. The stirring mechanism uniformly turbulates the fluid film over the outer surface of the heat exchanger where heat transfer resistance normally occurs without imposing a pressure drop in the fluid stream undergoing augmented heat transfer. Compact and inexpensive heat exchangers are described which may be used in refrigeration, heating-cooling, and energy conservation systems. They offer special advantages where the temperature differential available for convective heat transfer is low and where it is necessary to recover sensible and latent heat energy from combustion products or dirty gaseous streams. Economizer units are described which may retrofit existing heating systems and recover most of the sensible and latent heat energy which these systems now waste in flue products. Special draft control features of these units also allow the adapted heating systems to operate with nearly identical steady-state and seasonal efficiencies.
A process for improving convective heat exchange between a generally cylindrical exchanger and surrounding fluid the steps of
A process for controlling the temperature differential and improving the convective heat exchange between a surrounding gaseous stream and cylindrical heat exchanger the steps of
A process for improving the performance of a cylindrical heat pipe and exchanging heat between two streams through use of the heat pipe, the steps of
An economizer apparatus for useful recovery of sensible and latent heat energy from dirty combustion products comprising a generally cylindrical heat exchanger section which generates a sealed internal annular volume and open tubular volume along the axis of the tubular section, a central bearing support near an end of said generally cylindrical heat exchanger section, a pervious cylindrical stirring mechanism having an open internal diameter larger than the external diameter of said generally cylindrical heat exchanger section and attachment with a single end support baffle, central rotary drive means attached to said end support baffle and mounted for rotation in said central bearing support, said central rotary drive means connected through an extended drive shaft through said open tubular volume along the axis of the heat exchanger section to a drive motor mounted at the lower end of said heat exchanger section, a radial blower element co-axially mounted for rotation and gas induction on the upper face of said single end support baffle, an outer cylindrical housing generating an annular flow area in combination with the central said generally cylindrical heat exchanger and stirring mechanism, upper baffle means sealing the upper end of said cylindrical housing and ducting dirty combustion products to said upper radial blower, lower baffle means for sealing lower end of said cylindrical housing with venting means for combustion products which have undergone useful heat exchange, an inlet port at the lower end of said heat exchanger section communicating with the lower end of said sealed annular heat exchanger volume, an outlet port at the lower end of said heat exchanger section communicating with the upper end of said sealed annular heat exchanger volume.
A process for using a conventional center flue-type water storage tank as a cost-effective heat exchanger for space heating or solar energy storage, the steps of
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.