Evaporator tube
AssigneeHigh Performance Tube, Inc.
InventorKlaus K. Rieger
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heat transfer tube for use in a refrigeration evaporator. This tube includes an outer surface with axially spaced bent fins which form and enclose annular tunnels. The bent fins have top edge portions which have peripherally spaced sets of notches of different sizes on the same fin convolution and refill gaps for fluid flow to the tunnels for heat transfer through the annular wall. The concept of placing different pore sizes next to each other on the same fin allows a more efficient use of the tube's surface area for evaporative heat transfer.
Claims8
A heat exchanger tube for use in an evaporator tube or tube bundle comprising:
- an annular wall or base member having an inner surface, an outer surface and an elongate axis,
- an inner rib on the inner surface of the annular wall,
- a plurality of axially spaced fin convolutions on the outer surface of the annular wall,
- sectors having precisely sized and designed indentations located at specific intervals along an extreme outer edge of the axially spaced fin convolutions, wherein
- each of the precisely sized and designed indentations on an individual fin having a different designed depth or size than an immediately adjacent indentation,
- each fin convolution being bent over so that a tip of each convolution is brought into contact or overlapped contact to a side of an adjacent fin convolution and defines therewith an elongated circumferential tunnel or enclosed cavity,
- each bent over fin convolution being of curvilinear cross-section over substantially its entire height starting from a skewed plane normal to the elongate tube axis, and
- each of said indentations on said bent over fin convolution forming precisely, different shaped and sized pore openings communicating with said tunnel,
- the pore openings allowing a media or refrigerant to continuously fill and flow inside the tunnels whereby the heat exchanged through the inner surface, the base member and the fin convolutions will promote and sustain a nucleate boiling process in the media at a maximum efficiency over a wide range of heat fluxes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.