Thermal energy storage heat exchanger
AssigneeWright State University
InventorAmir Faghri
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A modified tube and shell heat exchanger is comprised of a tube of heat sink material having micro heat pipes extending outward into the volume between the tube and shell to enable the rapid and efficient transfer and storage of thermal energy into the heat sink from a liquid or gas circulated through the volume. Several embodiments of the invention include modifications to the heat pipes. An alternative embodiment reverses the location of the heat sink to fill the volume between the shell and tube, adapting the tube for fluid flow, and orients heat pipes inward into the tubes and outward beyond the shell in various arrangements. The heat exchanger is further shown embodied in a system for the removal, transfer, storage and dissipation of thermal energy from a heat source for ground-based and space-based applications.
Claims54
A heat exchanger comprised of
- a shell having one or more inlets and one or more outlets adapted for cooling fluid flow;
- a tube disposed within said shell defining an annular volume between said tube and said shell, said annular volume adapted for cooling fluid flow;
- a heat sink disposed in said tube;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes extending outward from said heat sink into said annular volume,
- said plurality of heat pipes and said tube adapted to exchange thermal energy between said cooling fluid and said heat sink.
A thermal energy management system for removing, transferring, storing and dissipating thermal energy from a heat source comprised of:
- a closed loop circuit communicating with a heat source, said closed loop circuit further comprised of piping, one or more pumps, and a heat exchanger;
- a cooling fluid in said closed loop circuit circulated by said one or more pumps;
- said heat exchanger further comprised of a shell having one or more inlets and one or more outlets, at least one tube disposed within said shell and defining an annular volume therebetween, said annular volume communicating with said closed loop circuit through said one or more inlets and said one or more outlets, a heat sink enclosed in said tube, and a plurality of heat pipes extending outward from said heat sink into said annular volume, said plurality of heat pipes and said tube adapted to exchange thermal energy between said cooling fluid and said heat sink.
A heat exchanger comprised of
- a shell having one or more inlets and one or more outlets adapted for fluid flow;
- a tube disposed within said shell defining an annular volume between said tube and said shell, said annular volume adapted for fluid flow;
- a heat sink disposed in said tube, said heat sink further comprising a bath of thermally conductive material and one or more containers of phase-change material, said one or more containers immersed in said bath of thermally conductive material;
- a plurality of heat pipes extending in generally radial orientation outward from said heat sink into said annular volume;
- said plurality of heat pipes and said tube adapted to exchange thermal energy between fluid flowing through said annular volume and said heat sink.
A heat exchanger comprised of
- a shell having one or more inlets and one or more outlets adapted for fluid flow;
- one or more tubes disposed within said shell defining a volume between said tube and said shell, said volume adapted for fluid flow;
- one or more heat sinks disposed in one or more of said one or more tubes;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes extending outward from at least one of said one or more heat sinks into said volume;
- said plurality of heat pipes and said one or more tubes adapted to exchange thermal energy with a fluid flowing in said volume.
A heat exchanger comprised of:
- a shell;
- one or more tubes disposed within said shell and defining a volume between said one or more tubes and said shell, at least one of said one or more tubes adapted for fluid flow;
- a heat sink disposed within said volume;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes extending inward from said heat sink into at least one of said one or more tubes;
- said plurality of heat pipes and said one or more tubes adapted to exchange thermal energy with a fluid flowing in at least one of said one or more tubes.
A heat exchanger comprised of
- a shell;
- one or more tubes disposed within said shell and defining a volume between said one or more tubes and said shell, said one or more tubes adapted for fluid flow;
- a heat sink disposed within said volume;
- and
- a plurality of heat pipes extending from said one or more tubes outward through said heat sink beyond the outer surface of said shell, said plurality of heat pipes and said one or more tubes adapted to exchange thermal energy between a fluid flow in said one or more tubes and said heat sink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.