US 5,617,737 AGranted

Capillary fluted tube mass and heat transfer devices and methods of use

AssigneeThe Ohio State University Research Foundation

InventorsRichard N. Christensen, F. Bert Cook, Yong-Tae Kang

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Abstract

A capillary twisted fluted tube is formed with an interior helical capillary flute and associated interior helical crest and a complementary exterior helical crest and flute, respectively. Liquid rises in the interior capillary flute and is expelled at or near the top of the tube in fine droplets that promote mass transfer efficiencies as a result of improved vapor-equilibrium. A capillary fluted tube placed in a helical groove of a heat insulating material to expose only one side of the tube to hot combustion products promotes increased capillary rise on one side of the tube with increased expulsion and spatter of liquid from the capillary channel. Exterior tube heat transfer is enhanced by enclosing the tube in a second tube or forming the tube into a winding and enclosing the winding in a cylinder. Contact of the exterior tube crests with the enclosing tube or cylinder improves heat transfer efficiencies as a result of confined flow of heat transfer fluid within the enclosing tube or cylinder. The capillary tube can have multiple sections with separate enclosing tubes and cylinders to take advantage of different heat transfer fluids or direct process-to-process heat exchange for each section.

Claims218

Dependent claims

A capillary twisted fluted tube comprising a thin-wall tube having a longitudinal tube axis defining an interior tube-wall space and having at least one interior helical capillary tube flute formed at least in part to define a helical capillary channel extending for at least a portion of a length of an interior surface of said thin-wall tube;

said interior helical capillary tube flute being formed from a portion of said thin-wall tube, said portion having a center section and opposing side sections, said opposing side sections of said portion of said thin-wall tube being in close proximity to each other and defining a narrow helical capillary channel slit and said center section of said portion of said thin-wall tube formed as a trough and defining said helical capillary channel;
said narrow helical capillary channel slit forming a passage from said helical capillary channel to said interior thin-wall tube space;
said interior helical capillary tube flute being complementary with an outwardly extending, exterior, helical crest on said exterior surface of said thin-wall tube, each rotation of said exterior helical crest about said longitudinal tube axis defining an exterior helical crest turn with adjacent exterior helical crest turns and an exterior surface portion of said thin-wall tube between said adjacent exterior helical crest turns defining an exterior helical flute with said exterior helical flute being complementary with an interior helical crest on said interior surface of said thin-wall tube.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.