Scaled heat transfer surface with protruding ramp surface turbulators

Abstract

A heat transfer surface for use along a flowpath along the surface is scaled with rows of turbulators having ramp surfaces protruding into the flowpath operable to generate turbulence promoting vortices. The ramp surfaces may be oriented to present an upward or downhill ramp to the direction of the flowpath along the surface. The present invention is further characterized by triangular side surfaces which precipitous drop off from a top ramp surface to the base of the turbulator along the heat transfer surface. The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a three sided pyramid shaped turbulator with a ramp downhill surface wherein the sharp edge at the intersection of the two precipitous side surfaces is a leading edge into the flowpath on the heat transfer surface. Alternate embodiments include turbulators with triangular and rectangular uphill ramp surfaces.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.