Method of making a continuous ceramic fiber reinforced heat exchanger tube
AssigneeHexcel Corporation
InventorsMilton F. Custer, Becky A. Simpson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A ceramic heat exchanger tube (1) includes a hollow ceramic outer tube (2) with a corrugated ceramic fiber inner member (8) housed within and secured to the outer tube defining one or more fluid passageways (14) therebetween. The corrugated inner member helps to keep the outer tube from failing catastrophically by momentarily slowing down the initial outwardly expanding movement of the pieces of the failed outer tube. This keeps the pieces of the failed outer tube from being blown outwardly in a shrapnel-like manner to prevent damage to adjoining tubes.
Claims18
A method for making a hollow, ceramic heat exchanger tube comprising the following steps:
- selecting a hollow ceramic outer tube having inner and outer surfaces;
- constructing a corrugated ceramic fiber inner member having a plurality of hinge joints and a plurality of outer contact surfaces;
- positioning said outer contact surfaces against said inner surface of said outer tube through the flexion of said hinge joints;
- and
- affixing said outer contact surfaces to said inner surface of said outer tube to form a heat exchanger tube having at least one fluid flow passageway between said outer tube and said inner member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.