All welded plate heat exchanger
AssigneeDelaware Capital Formation, Inc.
InventorsAchint P. Mathur, Chuanbao Gu, Jason Michael Fulmer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to an all-welded plate heat exchanger comprised of a plurality of plates welded together to form cassettes that are stacked one upon the other so as to provide primary and secondary alternating channels through which fluids are adapted to flow for exchanging heat. The primary channels provided within the cassettes connect at opposite ends with inlet and outlet openings. The cassettes are welded along two opposing sides via resistance seam welding. Baffle clips are fastened between the cassettes to partially close off the sides of the secondary channels provided between the cassettes. Two inlet headers, two outlet headers, a top cover member and a bottom cover member enclose the stacked cassettes.
Claims19
A heat exchanger comprising an outer housing and a plate pack assembly located within said housing, said housing including a top cover member and a bottom cover member, a primary inlet header and a primary outlet header each of which is connected to said top cover member and said bottom cover member and are located at opposed ends of said plate pack assembly, a plurality of secondary inlet headers and a plurality secondary outlet headers each of which is arcuate in cross section and extends vertically for connection to said top cover member and said bottom cover member, said secondary inlet headers being located at one side of said plate pack assembly and said secondary outlet headers being located on the opposite side of said plate pack assembly, said plate pack assembly comprising a plurality of generally rectangular cassettes stacked one over the other with a top cassette located adjacent said top cover member and a bottom cassette located adjacent said bottom cover member, each of said cassettes including a first heat transfer plate and a second heat transfer plate, said first and second heat transfer plates each being formed with a pair of laterally spaced side flanges and a pair of opposed end flanges, said end flanges being in a plane offset vertically from the plane of said side flanges, said first and second heat transfer plates being joined together by a continuous weld along said side flanges, said first heat transfer plate and said second heat transfer plate each having a body portion formed with depressions on opposite sides thereof that provide first and second fluid passages for fluid flow between the heat transfer plates of adjacent cassettes, said first fluid passages communicating with said primary inlet header and said primary outlet header and serving as passages for a primary fluid in alternate spaces of said stacked cassettes and said second fluid passages communicating with said secondary inlet header and said secondary outlet header and serving as passages for a secondary fluid in remaining spaces of said stacked cassettes, each of said alternate spaces for said primary fluid being provided by said pair of end flanges formed with each cassette at the opposed ends of said each cassette and each of said remaining spaces being provided by said side flanges of adjacent cassettes, shim means for filling said remaining spaces between the side flanges of the top cassette and the top cover plate and the flanges of the side flanges of the bottom cassette and the bottom cover plate, and baffle means located in said remaining spaces between said top cassette and said bottom cassette for directing said secondary fluid through said second fluid passages, said baffle means being maintained in position within said remaining spaces by vertical support bars secured to said top and bottom cover members along each side of said plate pack assembly.
A heat exchanger comprising an outer housing and a plate pack assembly located within said housing, said housing including a top cover member and a bottom cover member, a primary inlet header and a primary outlet header each of which is connected to said top cover member and said bottom cover member and are located at opposed ends of said plate pack assembly, a secondary inlet header and a secondary outlet header each of which is connected to said top cover member and said bottom cover member and are located at opposed sides of said plate pack assembly, said plate pack assembly comprising a plurality of generally rectangular cassettes stacked one over the other with a top cassette located adjacent said top cover member and a bottom cassette located adjacent said bottom cover member, each of said cassettes including a first heat transfer plate and a second heat transfer plate, said first and second heat transfer plates each being formed with a pair of laterally spaced side flanges and a pair of opposed end flanges, said end flanges being in a plane offset vertically from the plane of said side flanges, said first and second heat transfer plates being joined together by a continuous weld along said side flanges, said first heat transfer plate and said second heat transfer plate each having a body portion formed with depressions on opposite sides thereof that provide first and second fluid passages for fluid flow between the heat transfer plates of adjacent cassettes, said first fluid passages communicating with said primary inlet header and said primary outlet header and serving as passages for a primary fluid in alternate spaces of said stacked cassettes and said second fluid passages communicating with said secondary inlet header and said secondary outlet header and serving as passages for a secondary fluid in remaining spaces of said stacked cassettes, each of said alternate spaces for said primary fluid being provided by said pair of end flanges formed with each cassette at the opposed ends of said each cassette and each of said remaining spaces being provided by said side flanges of adjacent cassettes, shim means for filling said remaining spaces between the side flanges of the top cassette and the top cover plate and the flanges of the side flanges of the bottom cassette and the bottom cover plate, and baffle means located in said remaining spaces between said top cassette and said bottom cassette for directing said secondary fluid through said second fluid passages.
A plate pack assembly for a heat exchanger having a top cover member and a bottom cover member, said plate pack assembly comprising a plurality of generally rectangular cassettes stacked one over the other with a top cassette located adjacent said top cover member and a bottom cassette located adjacent said bottom cover member, each of said cassettes including a first heat transfer plate and a second heat transfer plate joined together along a pair of laterally spaced side flanges, said first and second heat transfer plates each being formed with depressions on opposite sides of each of said heat transfer plates which provide first and second fluid passages for fluid flow between the heat transfer plates of adjacent cassettes, said first fluid passages serving as passages for a primary fluid in alternate spaces of said stacked cassettes and said second fluid passages serving as passages for a secondary fluid in remaining spaces of said stacked cassettes, each of said alternate spaces for said primary fluid being provided by a pair of spaced and parallel end flanges formed with each cassette at the opposed ends of said each cassette and each of said remaining spaces being provided by the side flanges of adjacent cassettes, shim means for filling said remaining spaces between the side flanges of the top cassette and the top cover plate and the flanges of the side flanges of the bottom cassette and the bottom cover plate, and baffle means located in said remaining spaces between said top cassette and said bottom cassette for directing said secondary fluid through said second fluid passages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.