EP1692447B1 - Method and tool for making enhanced heat transfer surfaces - Google Patents
Method and tool for making enhanced heat transfer surfaces Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP1692447B1 EP1692447B1 EP04796148A EP04796148A EP1692447B1 EP 1692447 B1 EP1692447 B1 EP 1692447B1 EP 04796148 A EP04796148 A EP 04796148A EP 04796148 A EP04796148 A EP 04796148A EP 1692447 B1 EP1692447 B1 EP 1692447B1
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Images
Classifications
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F1/00—Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements
- F28F1/10—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses
- F28F1/40—Tubular elements and assemblies thereof with means for increasing heat-transfer area, e.g. with fins, with projections, with recesses the means being only inside the tubular element
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F13/00—Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing
- F28F13/18—Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing by applying coatings, e.g. radiation-absorbing, radiation-reflecting; by surface treatment, e.g. polishing
- F28F13/185—Heat-exchange surfaces provided with microstructures or with porous coatings
- F28F13/187—Heat-exchange surfaces provided with microstructures or with porous coatings especially adapted for evaporator surfaces or condenser surfaces, e.g. with nucleation sites
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21C—MANUFACTURE OF METAL SHEETS, WIRE, RODS, TUBES OR PROFILES, OTHERWISE THAN BY ROLLING; AUXILIARY OPERATIONS USED IN CONNECTION WITH METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL
- B21C37/00—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape
- B21C37/06—Manufacture of metal sheets, bars, wire, tubes or like semi-manufactured products, not otherwise provided for; Manufacture of tubes of special shape of tubes or metal hoses; Combined procedures for making tubes, e.g. for making multi-wall tubes
- B21C37/15—Making tubes of special shape; Making tube fittings
- B21C37/20—Making helical or similar guides in or on tubes without removing material, e.g. by drawing same over mandrels, by pushing same through dies ; Making tubes with angled walls, ribbed tubes and tubes with decorated walls
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B21—MECHANICAL METAL-WORKING WITHOUT ESSENTIALLY REMOVING MATERIAL; PUNCHING METAL
- B21J—FORGING; HAMMERING; PRESSING METAL; RIVETING; FORGE FURNACES
- B21J5/00—Methods for forging, hammering, or pressing; Special equipment or accessories therefor
- B21J5/06—Methods for forging, hammering, or pressing; Special equipment or accessories therefor for performing particular operations
- B21J5/068—Shaving, skiving or scarifying for forming lifted portions, e.g. slices or barbs, on the surface of the material
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
- F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
- F28F1/00—Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements
Definitions
- the invention relates generally to a tube as defined in the preamble of claim 1, and a method as defined in claim 5.
- a tube is known for instance from US 4166498 .
- the invention relates to enhanced heat transfer surfaces that facilitate heat transfer from one side of the surface to the other.
- Heat transfer surfaces are commonly used in equipment such as, for example, flooded evaporators, falling film evaporators, spray evaporators, absorption chillers, condensers, direct, expansion coolers, and single phase coolers and heaters, used in the refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food-processing industries.
- a variety of heat transfer mediums may be used in these applications including, but not limited to, pure water, a water-glycol mixture, any type of refrigerant (such as R-22, R-134a, R-123, etc.), ammonia, petrochemical fluids, and other mixtures.
- heat transfer surfaces work by using the phase change of a liquid to absorb heat.
- heat transfer surfaces often incorporate a surface for enhancing boiling or evaporating. It is generally known that the heat transfer performance of a surface can be enhanced by increasing nucleation sites on the boiling surfaces, by inducing agitation near a single-phase heat transfer surface, or by increasing area and surface tension effects on condensation surfaces.
- One method for enhancing boiling or evaporating is to roughen the heat transfer surface by sintering, radiation-melting or edging methods to form a porous layer thereon. A heat transfer surface having such a porous layer is known to exhibit better heat transfer characteristics than that of a smooth surface.
- the voids or cells formed by the above-mentioned methods are small and impurities contained in the boiling liquid may clog them so that the heat transfer performance of the surface is impaired. Additionally, since the voids or cells formed are non-uniform in size or dimension, the heat transfer performance may vary along the surface. Furthermore, known heat transfer tubes incorporating boiling or evaporating surfaces often require multiple steps or passes with tools to create the final surface.
- the present invention provides a tube having an enhanced heat transfer surface, as defined in claim 1.
- the invention correspondingly provides a method of manufacturing a tube, as defined in claim 5.
- Embodiments of the invention provide an improved heat transfer surface, such as may be formed on a tube, and a method of formation thereof that can be used to enhance heat transfer performance of tubes used in at least all of the above-referenced applications (i.e., flooded evaporators, falling film evaporators, spray evaporators, absorption chillers, condensers, direct expansion coolers and single phase coolers and heaters, used in the refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food-processing industries).
- the surface is enhanced with a plurality of cavities that significantly decrease the transition time to move from one phase to the next, for example to move from boiling to evaporation.
- the cavities create additional paths for fluid flow within the tube and thereby enhance turbulence of heat transfer mediums flowing within the tube. Protrusions creating cavities also provide extra surface area for additional heat exchange. Tests show that performance of tubes according to embodiments of the invention is significantly enhanced.
- Certain embodiments of the invention include a method for using a tool, which can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, having a mirror image of a pattern of grooves desired to formed on the tube surface. Certain embodiments of the invention also include using a tool, which also can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, having a cutting edge to cut through the surface of tube and a lifting edge to lift the surface of the tube to form protrusions. In this way, protrusions are formed without removal of metal from the inner surface of the tube, thereby eliminating debris which can damage the equipment in which the tubes are used. Finally, certain embodiments of the invention include using a tool, which also can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, for flattening or bending the tips of the protrusions, such as a mandrel. The grooves, protrusions and flattened tips on the tube surface can be formed in the same or a different operation. In certain embodiments of the invention, the three tools are secured on a single shaft and the tube surfaces are formed in one operation.
- Heat transfer surfaces formed in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be used in a heat transfer tube or may be formed into flat heat transfer surfaces, such as are used to cool micro-electronics. Such surfaces may be suitable in any number of applications, including, for example, applications for use in the HVAC, refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food processing industries.
- the physical geometries of the protrusions may be changed to tailor the tube to a particular application and fluid medium.
- a tube in accordance with this invention is generally useful in, but not limited to, any application where heat needs to be transferred from one side of the tube to the other side of the tube, such as in multi-phase (both pure liquids or gases or liquid/gas mixtures) evaporators and condensers. While the following discussion provides desirable dimensions for a tube of this invention, the tubes of this invention are in no way intended to be limited to those dimensions. Rather, the desirable geometries of the tube will depend on many factors, not the least important of which are the properties of the fluid flowing through the tube. One skilled in the art would understand how to alter the geometry of the surfaces of the tube to maximize heat transfer used in various applications and with various fluids. Furthermore, although the drawings show the surface as it would be when found on the inner surface of a tube, it should be understood that the surface is suitable for forming a flat surface, such as is used in micro-electronics.
- certain embodiments of the invention include heat transfer surfaces with primary grooves 108 on the inner surface 104 of tube 100.
- the number of primary grooves 108 may vary depending on the application in which the heat transfer surface is to be used and depending on the fluid medium used.
- Primary grooves 108 may be formed by any method including, but not limited to, cutting, deforming, broaching or extrusion.
- Primary grooves 108 are formed on inner surface 104 at a helix angle ⁇ (not shown) to the axis s of the tube 100.
- Helix angle ⁇ may be any angle between 0° and 90°, but preferably does not exceed 70°.
- the preferred helix angle ⁇ will often depend, at least in part, on the fluid medium used.
- the depth of primary grooves 108 should generally be greater the more viscous the liquid flowing through tube 100. For example, a depth of greater than zero, but less than the thickness of the tube wall 102 will generally be desirable. For purposes of this application, the thickness of tube wall 102 is measured from inner surface 104 to outer surface 106.
- the axial pitch of the primary grooves 108 depends on many factors, including helix angle ⁇ , the number of primary grooves 108 formed on inner surface 104 of tube 100, and the inside diameter of tube 100. For purposes of this application, the inside diameter is measured from inner surface 104 of tube 100.
- An axial pitch of 0.5-5.0 mm is generally desirable, with 1.5 mm preferred.
- Protrusions 110 may be cut and lifted from inner surface 104, as shown in FIGS. 2A-C . Layers cut to form the protrusions 110 are preferably at an angle ⁇ to axis s of the tube 100.
- the height e p of protrusions 110 is dependent on the cutting depth t and angle ⁇ at which inner surface 104 is cut.
- the height e p of protrusions 110 is preferably a value at least as great as the cutting depth t, up to three times the cutting depth t.
- the depth of cutting/lifting tool 300 is greater than the depth of primary grooves 108.
- the axial pitch P a,p of protrusions 110 may be any value greater than zero and generally will depend on, among other factors, the relative revolutions per minute between the cutting/lifting tool 300 and the tube 100 during manufacture, the relative axial feed rate between the cutting/lifting tool 300 and the tube 100 during manufacture, and the number of tips 302 provided on the cutting/lifting tool 300 used to form the protrusions 110 during manufacture.
- protrusions 110 have an axial pitch P a,p of between 0.05-5.0 mm.
- the axial pitch P a,p and height will generally depend on the number of protrusions, which height e p decreases as the number of protrusions increases.
- protrusions 110 is dependent on the shape of inner surface 104 and the orientation of inner surface 104 after primary grooves 108 have been cut relative to the direction of movement of cutting/lifting tool 300.
- protrusions 110 have four side surfaces, a sloped top surface (which helps decrease resistance to heat transfer), and a substantially pointed tip 124 ( Fig. 2c ).
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 optionally may be flattened to create boiling cavities 114, as shown in FIGS. 3A-D .
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 may be bent to create boiling cavities 114, as shown in FIGS. 4A-B .
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 may be thickened to create boiling cavities 114.
- the protrusions 110 may be angled toward each other, such as shown in FIGS.5A-B , to create boiling cavities 114.
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 may remain substantially straight (not bent or flattened) and substantially perpendicular to the inner surface 104 of the tube 100 if a condensing surface is desired.
- the creation of boiling cavities 114 may substantially increase the efficacy of the boiling surface.
- the creation of boiling cavities 114 creates a path for fluid flow and increases the transition from liquid to boiling or boiling to vapor.
- protrusions 110 of this invention are in no way intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiment, however, but rather can be formed in any shape. Moreover, protrusions 110 in tube 100 need not be the same shape or have the same geometry.
- secondary grooves 112 may be located between adjacent protrusions 110. Secondary grooves 112 are oriented at an angle ⁇ (not shown) to the axis s of tube 100. Angle i may be any angle between approximately 80° and 100°. Preferably, angle ⁇ is approximately 90°. The depth of secondary grooves 112 is greater than the depth of primary grooves 108.
- Certain embodiments of the invention also include methods and tools for making boiling surfaces on a tube.
- a grooving tool 200 such as that shown in FIG. 6 , is particularly useful in forming primary grooves 108.
- Grooving tool 200 has an outer diameter greater than inner diameter of tube 100, so that when pulled or pushed through tube 100, primary grooves 108 are formed.
- Grooving tool 200 also includes aperture 202 for attaching to a shaft 130 (shown in FIG. 10 ).
- Cutting/lifting tool 300 shown in FIGS. 7A-D and FIGS. 8A-D , may be used to form protrusions 110 and secondary grooves 112.
- Cutting/lifting tool 300 can be made from any material having the structural integrity to withstand metal cutting (e.g., steel, carbide, ceramic, etc.), but is preferably made of carbide.
- the embodiments of cutting/lifting tool 300 shown in FIGS. 7A-D and 8A-D generally have a tool axis, two base walls 312 and one or more side walls 314. Aperture 308 is located through cutting/lifting tool 300. Tips 302 are formed on side walls 314 of cutting/lifting tool 300.
- the tips 302 can be mounted or formed on any structure than can support the tips 302 in the desired orientation relative to the tube 100 and such structure is not limited to that disclosed in FIGS. 7A-D and 8A-D. Moreover, the tips 302 may be retractable within their supporting structure so that the number of tips 302 used in the cutting process can be easily varied.
- FIGS. 7A-D illustrate one embodiment of cutting/lifting tool 300 having a single tip 302.
- FIGS 8A-D illustrate an alternative embodiment of cutting/lifting tool 300 having four tips 302.
- cutting/lifting tool 300 may be equipped with any number of tips 302 depending on the desired pitch P a,p of protrusions 110.
- the geometry of each tip 302 need not be the same for tips 302 on a single cutting/lifting tool 300. Rather, tips 302 having different geometries to form protrusions 110 having different shapes, orientations, and other geometries may be provided on cutting/lifting tool 300.
- Each tip 302 is formed by the intersection of planes A, B, and C.
- the intersection of planes A and B form cutting edge 304 that cuts through inner surface 104 to form layers as a first step to forming protrusions 110.
- Plane B is oriented at an angle ⁇ relative to a plane perpendicular to the tool axis (see FIG. 7B ).
- Angle ⁇ is defined as 90° - ⁇ .
- angle ⁇ is preferably between approximately 40° - 70° to allow cutting edge 304 to slice through inner surface 104 at the desirable angle ⁇ between approximately 20° -50°.
- Angle ⁇ 1 is defined by plane C and a plane perpendicular to tool axis.
- Angle ⁇ 1 determines the angle of inclination ⁇ (the angle between a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube and the plane of the longitudinal axis of protrusions 110) at which protrusions 110 are lifted by lifting edge 306.
- Angle ⁇ 1 angle ⁇ , and thus angle ⁇ 1 on cutting/lifting tool 300 can be adjusted to directly impact the angle of inclination ⁇ of protrusions 110.
- the angle of inclination ⁇ (and angle ⁇ 1 ) is preferably the absolute value of any angle between approximately -45° to 45° relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube. In this way, protrusions 110 can be aligned with the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of the tube or incline to the left and right relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube 100.
- the tips 302 can be formed to have different geometries (i.e., angle ⁇ 1 may be different on different tips 302), and thus the protrusions 110 within tube 100 may incline at different angles (or not at all) and in different directions relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube 100.
- a cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporate cutting tips at two different angles.
- two pairs of cutting tips 318, 320 may be used to create a boiling surface with inclined protrusions 110, such as is shown in FIGS. 5A-C .
- the neighboring tips 318, 320 must have different angles ⁇ 1 . Changing the inclination angle of the protrusions 120 is possible to obtain a particular gap g between protrusions 120 at the opening 116 of the boiling cavity 114, which affects the curved fluid flow s along the surface 104.
- the physical dimensions of cutting/lifting tool 300 may be modified to impact the physical dimensions of resulting protrusions 110.
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 may be flattened or bent using flattening tool 400, shown in FIG. 10 .
- the flattening tool 400 preferably has a diameter greater than the diameter of protrusions 110 on inner surface 104. Thus, when flattening tool 400 is pushed or pulled through tube 100, the tips 124 of protrusions 110 are bent or flattened.
- Flattening tool 400 includes an aperture for attaching to shaft 130.
- the tips 124 of protrusions 110 may achieve a shape similar to the flattened or bent tips 124 shown in FIGS. 3A-D without the use of a flattening tool 400.
- the cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporate tips 302 capable of creating protrusions 110 with a shape similar to protrusion tips 124 that have been flattened, such as shown in FIGS. 4A-B .
- the cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporate a tip 316 for flattening the tips 124 of protrusions 110, as shown in FIG. 9A .
- a cutting/lifting tool 300 as shown in FIG. 9A may be used to create a boiling surface such as that shown in FIG. 9B-C .
- Boiling surfaces for use on heat transfer surfaces may also be achieved by creating protrusions 110 with thickened tips 124. As shown in FIGS. 12A-B , heat transfer surfaces with thickened tips 124 can be used to create boiling cavities 114. Protrusions 110 with thickened tips 124 can be obtained using the following formulas, with reference to FIGS. 13A-B :
- FIGS. 13C-D illustrate an embodiment of a cutting/lifting tool 300 that may be used to create protrusions 110 with thickened tips 124.
- FIG. 10 illustrates one possible manufacturing set-up for enhancing the surfaces of tube 100.
- the tubes 100 of this invention may be made from a variety of materials possessing suitable physical properties including structural integrity, malleability and plasticity, such as, for example, copper and copper alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys, brass, titanium, steel and stainless steel.
- a shaft 130 onto which flattening tool 400 is rotatably mounted, extends into tube 100.
- Cutting/lifting tool 300 is mounted onto shaft 130 through aperture 308.
- Grooving tool 200 is mounted onto shaft 130 through aperture 202.
- Bolt 132 secures all three tools 200, 300, 400 in place.
- the tools 200, 300, 400 are preferably locked in rotation with shaft 130 by any suitable means.
- FIGS. 7D and 8D illustrate a key groove 310 that may be provided on cutting/lifting tool 300 to interlock with a protrusion (not shown) on shaft 130 to fix cutting/lifting tool 300 into place relative to shaft 130.
- the manufacturing set-up may include arbors that can be used to enhance the outer surface of tube.
- Each arbor generally includes a tool set-up having finning disks which radially extrude from one to multiple start outside fins having axial pitch P a,o .
- the tool set-up may include additional disks, such as notching or flattening disks, to further enhance the outer surface of tube. Note, however, that depending on the tube application, enhancements need not be provided on outer surface of tube at all. In operation, tube wall moves between mandrel and the arbors, which exert pressure on tube wall.
- a desirable inner surface 104 includes primary grooves 108, as shown in FIG: 1 . After formation of primary grooves 108 on inner surface 104 of tube 100, tube 100 encounters cutting/lining tool 300, positioned adjacent and downstream grooving tool 200. The cutting edge(s) 304 of cutting/lifting tool 300 cuts through inner surface 104. Lifting edge(s) 306 of cutting/lifting tool 300 then lifts inner surface 104 to form protrusions 110.
- protrusions 110 are formed simultaneously with outside finning and cutting/lifting tool 300 is fixed (i.e., not rotating or moving axially), tube 100 automatically rotates and has an axial movement.
- cutting/lifting tool 300 can also be rotated. Both tube 100 and cutting/lifting tool 300 can rotate in the same direction or, alternatively, both tube 100 and cutting/lifting tool300 can rotate, but in opposite directions.
- cutting/lifting tool 300 should rotate in the same direction of tube 100 to obtain the desired pitch P a,p .
- cutting/lifting tool 300 should rotate in the opposite direction to tube 100 to obtain the desired pitch P a,p .
- protrusions 110 may be produced in a separate operation from primary grooves 108 by using a tube 100 with pre-formed primary grooves 108. This would generally require an assembly to rotate cutting/lifting tool 300 or tube 100 and to move cutting/lifting tool 300 or tube 100 along the tube axis.
- a support (not shown) is preferably provided to center cutting/lifting tool 300 relative to the inner tube surface 14.
- This formula is suitable when (1) the tube 100 moves only axially (i.e., does not rotate) and the cutting/lifting tool 300 only rotates (i.e., does not move axially); (2) the tube 100 only rotates and the cutting/lifting tool 300 moves only axially; (3) the cutting/lifting tool 300 rotates and moves axially but the tube 100 is both rotationally and axially fixed; (4) the tube 100 rotates and moves axially but the tool 10 is both rotationally and axially fixed; and (5) any combination of the above.
- FIG. 5C illustrates these additional paths 114 for fluid travel through tube 100. These paths are in addition to the fluid flow paths created between primary grooves 108. These additional paths have a helix angle ⁇ 1 relative to the tube axis s. Angle ⁇ 1 is the angle between protrusions 110 formed from adjacent primary grooves 108.
- Tubes 100 made in accordance with this invention outperform existing tubes.
- FIGS. 14-16 graphically illustrate the enhanced performance of heat transfer surfaces according to embodiments of the invention.
- FIG. 14 shows the effect of aspect ratio on heat flux.
- FIG. 15 shows the effect of protrusions (fins) per inch on heat flux.
- FIG. 16 compares the heat flux of different types of micro-finned copper heat transfer surfaces.
- the X-axis shows heat flux (W/cm 2 ) and the Y-axis shows the change in temperature minus the temperature of the wall minus the temperature of the bulk ( ⁇ T(°C)-T wall - T bulk )
- the smooth line indicates platinum wire tests with HFE-7100.
- the solid circles represent a tube made of roughened copper with silver solder.
- the open squares represent nichrome surface on a tube.
- the light X's indicate a sample of a tube made according to an embodiment of the invention.
- the crosses indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the dark X's indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the stars indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the dark closed circles indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the closed diamonds indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the solid line with half-hatch marks indicates a sample of a tube made according to yet another alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the solid line with hatch marks indicates a sample of a tube made according to yet another alternate embodiment of the invention.
- the heat transfer surface tested was a flat copper surface with approximately 185 protrusions per inch.
- the protrusions were approximately 0.6096 mm(0.024 inches) in height and 0.0688 mm(0.0027 inches) in thickness.
- the heat transfer surface of the invention is approximately eight times more effective than a rough copper plate and approximately double the effectiveness of the copper foams.
Abstract
Description
- The invention relates generally to a tube as defined in the preamble of claim 1, and a method as defined in
claim 5. Such a tube is known for instance fromUS 4166498 . - The invention relates to enhanced heat transfer surfaces that facilitate heat transfer from one side of the surface to the other. Heat transfer surfaces are commonly used in equipment such as, for example, flooded evaporators, falling film evaporators, spray evaporators, absorption chillers, condensers, direct, expansion coolers, and single phase coolers and heaters, used in the refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food-processing industries. A variety of heat transfer mediums may be used in these applications including, but not limited to, pure water, a water-glycol mixture, any type of refrigerant (such as R-22, R-134a, R-123, etc.), ammonia, petrochemical fluids, and other mixtures.
- Some types of heat transfer surfaces work by using the phase change of a liquid to absorb heat. Thus, heat transfer surfaces often incorporate a surface for enhancing boiling or evaporating. It is generally known that the heat transfer performance of a surface can be enhanced by increasing nucleation sites on the boiling surfaces, by inducing agitation near a single-phase heat transfer surface, or by increasing area and surface tension effects on condensation surfaces. One method for enhancing boiling or evaporating is to roughen the heat transfer surface by sintering, radiation-melting or edging methods to form a porous layer thereon. A heat transfer surface having such a porous layer is known to exhibit better heat transfer characteristics than that of a smooth surface. However, the voids or cells formed by the above-mentioned methods are small and impurities contained in the boiling liquid may clog them so that the heat transfer performance of the surface is impaired. Additionally, since the voids or cells formed are non-uniform in size or dimension, the heat transfer performance may vary along the surface. Furthermore, known heat transfer tubes incorporating boiling or evaporating surfaces often require multiple steps or passes with tools to create the final surface.
- Tube manufacturers have gone to great expense to experiment with alternative designs including those disclosed in
U. S. Patent No. 4,561, 497 to Nakajima et al. ,U. S. Patent No. 4,602, 681 to Daikoku et al. ,U. S. Patent No. 4,606, 405 to Nakayama et al. ,U. S. Patent No. 4,653, 163 to Kuwahara et al. ,U. S. Patent No. 4, 678, 029 to Sasaki et al. ,U. S. Patent No. 4,794, 984 to Lin ,U. S. Patent No. 5,351, 397 to Angeli , Japanese published patent specification no.56-059194 to Hokotani et al. U. S. Patent No. 5,332,034 to Chiang et al. ,U. S Patent No. 5,975,196 to Gaffaney et al. , Japanese published patent specification no.54-068554 to Hirasawa et al. U. S. Patent No. 4,166,498 to Fujie et al. andU. S. Patent No. 3,753,364 to Runyan et al . - While all of these surface designs aim to improve the heat transfer performance of the surface, there remains a need in the industry to continue to improve upon tube designs by modifying existing designs and creating new designs that enhance heat transfer performance. Additionally, a need also exists to create designs and patterns that can be transferred onto tube surfaces more quickly and cost effectively. As described below, the geometries of the heat transfer surfaces of the invention, as well as tools to form those geometries, have significantly improved heat transfer performance.
- The present invention provides a tube having an enhanced heat transfer surface, as defined in claim 1. The invention correspondingly provides a method of manufacturing a tube, as defined in
claim 5. Embodiments of the invention provide an improved heat transfer surface, such as may be formed on a tube, and a method of formation thereof that can be used to enhance heat transfer performance of tubes used in at least all of the above-referenced applications (i.e., flooded evaporators, falling film evaporators, spray evaporators, absorption chillers, condensers, direct expansion coolers and single phase coolers and heaters, used in the refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food-processing industries). The surface is enhanced with a plurality of cavities that significantly decrease the transition time to move from one phase to the next, for example to move from boiling to evaporation. The cavities create additional paths for fluid flow within the tube and thereby enhance turbulence of heat transfer mediums flowing within the tube. Protrusions creating cavities also provide extra surface area for additional heat exchange. Tests show that performance of tubes according to embodiments of the invention is significantly enhanced. - Certain embodiments of the invention include a method for using a tool, which can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, having a mirror image of a pattern of grooves desired to formed on the tube surface. Certain embodiments of the invention also include using a tool, which also can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, having a cutting edge to cut through the surface of tube and a lifting edge to lift the surface of the tube to form protrusions. In this way, protrusions are formed without removal of metal from the inner surface of the tube, thereby eliminating debris which can damage the equipment in which the tubes are used. Finally, certain embodiments of the invention include using a tool, which also can be easily added to existing manufacturing equipment, for flattening or bending the tips of the protrusions, such as a mandrel. The grooves, protrusions and flattened tips on the tube surface can be formed in the same or a different operation. In certain embodiments of the invention, the three tools are secured on a single shaft and the tube surfaces are formed in one operation.
- Heat transfer surfaces formed in accordance with embodiments of the invention may be used in a heat transfer tube or may be formed into flat heat transfer surfaces, such as are used to cool micro-electronics. Such surfaces may be suitable in any number of applications, including, for example, applications for use in the HVAC, refrigeration, chemical, petrochemical and food processing industries. The physical geometries of the protrusions may be changed to tailor the tube to a particular application and fluid medium.
-
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a partially-formed boiling surface on the inner diameter of a heat transfer tube according to an embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the partially-formed boiling surface of the embodiment ofFIG. 1 . -
FIG. 2B is a photomicrograph of a perspective view of the partially-formed boiling surface ofFIG. 2A . -
FIG. 2C is a cross-section view of the partially-formed boiling surface ofFIG. 2A . -
FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a boiling surface on the inner diameter of a heat transfer tube according to an embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 3B is a sectional view of the tube shown inFIG. 3A . -
FIG. 3C is a photomicrograph of a top plan view the boiling surface ofFIG. 3A . -
FIG. 3D is a photomicrograph of a cross-section of the boiling surface ofFIG. 3A . -
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a boiling surface on the inner diameter of a heat transfer tube according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the tube shown inFIG. 4A . -
FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a boiling surface on the inner diameter of a heat transfer tube according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 5B is a photomicrograph of a cross-section of the boiling surface ofFIG. 5A . -
FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of the boiling surface ofFIG. 5A . -
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a tool according to an embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a tool according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 7B is a side elevation view of the tool shown inFIG. 7A . -
FIG. 7C is a bottom plan view of the tool ofFIG. 7A . -
FIG. 7D is a top plan view of the tool ofFIG. 7A . -
FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a tool according to another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 8B is a side elevation view of the tool shown inFIG. 8A . -
FIG. 8C is a bottom plan view of the tool ofFIG. 8A . -
FIG. 8D is a top plan view of the tool ofFIG. 8A . -
FIG. 9A is perspective view of a tool according to another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 9B is a perspective view of a boiling surface formed by the tool ofFIG. 9 . -
FIG. 9C is a photomicrograph of the boiling surface ofFIG. 9 . -
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the manufacturing equipment than can be used to produce heat transfer tubes in accordance with this invention. -
FIG. 11 is perspective view of a tool according to another embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 12A is a perspective view of a boiling surface on the inner diameter of a heat transfer tube in accordance with alternative embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 12B is a photomicrograph of cross-section of the boiling surface ofFIG. 12B . -
FIG. 13A is a sectional view of a boiling surface as it is formed with a cutting tip in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 13B is a sectional view of a boiling surface as it is formed with a cutting/lifting tip in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention. -
FIG. 13C is a sectional view of a cutting/lifting tip according to an embodiment of the invention that may be used to form the boiling surfaces ofFIGS. 13A and 13B . -
FIG. 13D is a perspective view of a cutting/lifting tip according to an embodiment of the invention that may be used to form the boiling surfaces ofFIGS. 13A and 13B . -
FIG. 14 is a graph showing the effect of aspect ratio on heat flux. -
FIG. 15 is a graph showing the effect of protrusions (fins) per inch on heat flux. -
FIG. 16 is a graph comparing the heat flux of different types of micro- finned copper heat transfer surfaces. - It should be understood that a tube in accordance with this invention is generally useful in, but not limited to, any application where heat needs to be transferred from one side of the tube to the other side of the tube, such as in multi-phase (both pure liquids or gases or liquid/gas mixtures) evaporators and condensers. While the following discussion provides desirable dimensions for a tube of this invention, the tubes of this invention are in no way intended to be limited to those dimensions. Rather, the desirable geometries of the tube will depend on many factors, not the least important of which are the properties of the fluid flowing through the tube. One skilled in the art would understand how to alter the geometry of the surfaces of the tube to maximize heat transfer used in various applications and with various fluids. Furthermore, although the drawings show the surface as it would be when found on the inner surface of a tube, it should be understood that the surface is suitable for forming a flat surface, such as is used in micro-electronics.
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , certain embodiments of the invention include heat transfer surfaces withprimary grooves 108 on theinner surface 104 oftube 100. As one skilled in the art will understand, the number ofprimary grooves 108 may vary depending on the application in which the heat transfer surface is to be used and depending on the fluid medium used.Primary grooves 108 may be formed by any method including, but not limited to, cutting, deforming, broaching or extrusion.Primary grooves 108 are formed oninner surface 104 at a helix angle α (not shown) to the axis s of thetube 100. Helix angle α may be any angle between 0° and 90°, but preferably does not exceed 70°. One skilled in the art will readily understand that the preferred helix angle α will often depend, at least in part, on the fluid medium used. - The depth of
primary grooves 108 should generally be greater the more viscous the liquid flowing throughtube 100. For example, a depth of greater than zero, but less than the thickness of thetube wall 102 will generally be desirable. For purposes of this application, the thickness oftube wall 102 is measured frominner surface 104 toouter surface 106. - The axial pitch of the
primary grooves 108 depends on many factors, including helix angle α, the number ofprimary grooves 108 formed oninner surface 104 oftube 100, and the inside diameter oftube 100. For purposes of this application, the inside diameter is measured frominner surface 104 oftube 100. An axial pitch of 0.5-5.0 mm is generally desirable, with 1.5 mm preferred. - Certain embodiments of the invention also include protrusions or
fins 110.Protrusions 110 may be cut and lifted frominner surface 104, as shown inFIGS. 2A-C . Layers cut to form theprotrusions 110 are preferably at an angle θ to axis s of thetube 100. The height ep ofprotrusions 110 is dependent on the cutting depth t and angle θ at whichinner surface 104 is cut. The height ep ofprotrusions 110 is preferably a value at least as great as the cutting depth t, up to three times the cutting depth t. Preferably, the depth of cutting/lifting tool 300 is greater than the depth ofprimary grooves 108. - The axial pitch Pa,p of
protrusions 110 may be any value greater than zero and generally will depend on, among other factors, the relative revolutions per minute between the cutting/lifting tool 300 and thetube 100 during manufacture, the relative axial feed rate between the cutting/lifting tool 300 and thetube 100 during manufacture, and the number oftips 302 provided on the cutting/lifting tool 300 used to form theprotrusions 110 during manufacture. Preferably,protrusions 110 have an axial pitch Pa,p of between 0.05-5.0 mm. The axial pitch Pa,p and height will generally depend on the number of protrusions, which height ep decreases as the number of protrusions increases. - The shape of
protrusions 110 is dependent on the shape ofinner surface 104 and the orientation ofinner surface 104 afterprimary grooves 108 have been cut relative to the direction of movement of cutting/lifting tool 300. In the embodiment ofFIGS. 2A-B ,protrusions 110 have four side surfaces, a sloped top surface (which helps decrease resistance to heat transfer), and a substantially pointed tip 124 (Fig. 2c ). - The
tips 124 ofprotrusions 110 optionally may be flattened to create boilingcavities 114, as shown inFIGS. 3A-D . Alternatively, thetips 124 ofprotrusions 110 may be bent to create boilingcavities 114, as shown inFIGS. 4A-B . In other embodiments, thetips 124 ofprotrusions 110 may be thickened to create boilingcavities 114. In still other embodiments, theprotrusions 110 may be angled toward each other, such as shown inFIGS.5A-B , to create boilingcavities 114. One with skill in the art will understand that thetips 124 ofprotrusions 110 may remain substantially straight (not bent or flattened) and substantially perpendicular to theinner surface 104 of thetube 100 if a condensing surface is desired. However, if a boiling or evaporation surface is desired, the creation of boilingcavities 114 may substantially increase the efficacy of the boiling surface. The creation of boilingcavities 114 creates a path for fluid flow and increases the transition from liquid to boiling or boiling to vapor. - The
protrusions 110 of this invention are in no way intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiment, however, but rather can be formed in any shape. Moreover,protrusions 110 intube 100 need not be the same shape or have the same geometry. - As shown in
FIG. 2A ,secondary grooves 112 may be located betweenadjacent protrusions 110.Secondary grooves 112 are oriented at an angle τ (not shown) to the axis s oftube 100. Angle i may be any angle between approximately 80° and 100°. Preferably, angle τ is approximately 90°. The depth ofsecondary grooves 112 is greater than the depth ofprimary grooves 108. - Certain embodiments of the invention also include methods and tools for making boiling surfaces on a tube. A
grooving tool 200, such as that shown inFIG. 6 , is particularly useful in formingprimary grooves 108.Grooving tool 200 has an outer diameter greater than inner diameter oftube 100, so that when pulled or pushed throughtube 100,primary grooves 108 are formed.Grooving tool 200 also includesaperture 202 for attaching to a shaft 130 (shown inFIG. 10 ). - Cutting/
lifting tool 300, shown inFIGS. 7A-D andFIGS. 8A-D , may be used to formprotrusions 110 andsecondary grooves 112. Cutting/lifting tool 300 can be made from any material having the structural integrity to withstand metal cutting (e.g., steel, carbide, ceramic, etc.), but is preferably made of carbide. The embodiments of cutting/lifting tool 300 shown inFIGS. 7A-D and8A-D generally have a tool axis, twobase walls 312 and one ormore side walls 314.Aperture 308 is located through cutting/lifting tool 300.Tips 302 are formed onside walls 314 of cutting/lifting tool 300. Note, however, that thetips 302 can be mounted or formed on any structure than can support thetips 302 in the desired orientation relative to thetube 100 and such structure is not limited to that disclosed inFIGS. 7A-D and 8A-D. Moreover, thetips 302 may be retractable within their supporting structure so that the number oftips 302 used in the cutting process can be easily varied. -
FIGS. 7A-D illustrate one embodiment of cutting/lifting tool 300 having asingle tip 302.FIGS 8A-D illustrate an alternative embodiment of cutting/lifting tool 300 having fourtips 302. One skilled in the art will understand that cutting/lifting tool 300 may be equipped with any number oftips 302 depending on the desired pitch Pa,p ofprotrusions 110. Moreover, the geometry of eachtip 302 need not be the same fortips 302 on a single cutting/lifting tool 300. Rather,tips 302 having different geometries to formprotrusions 110 having different shapes, orientations, and other geometries may be provided on cutting/lifting tool 300. - Each
tip 302 is formed by the intersection of planes A, B, and C. The intersection of planes A and Bform cutting edge 304 that cuts throughinner surface 104 to form layers as a first step to formingprotrusions 110. Plane B is oriented at an angle ϕ relative to a plane perpendicular to the tool axis (seeFIG. 7B ). Angle ϕ is defined as 90° - θ. Thus, angle ϕ is preferably between approximately 40° - 70° to allowcutting edge 304 to slice throughinner surface 104 at the desirable angle θ between approximately 20° -50°. - The intersection of planes A and C
form lifting edge 306 that liftsinner surface 104 upwardly to formprotrusions 110. Angle ϕ1 is defined by plane C and a plane perpendicular to tool axis. Angle ϕ1 determines the angle of inclination ω (the angle between a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube and the plane of the longitudinal axis of protrusions 110) at whichprotrusions 110 are lifted by liftingedge 306. Angle ϕ1 = angle ω, and thus angle ϕ1 on cutting/lifting tool 300 can be adjusted to directly impact the angle of inclination ω ofprotrusions 110. The angle of inclination ω (and angle ϕ1) is preferably the absolute value of any angle between approximately -45° to 45° relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of tube. In this way,protrusions 110 can be aligned with the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s of the tube or incline to the left and right relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s oftube 100. Moreover, thetips 302 can be formed to have different geometries (i.e., angle ϕ1 may be different on different tips 302), and thus theprotrusions 110 withintube 100 may incline at different angles (or not at all) and in different directions relative to the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis s oftube 100. - For example, as shown in
FIG. 11 , a cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporate cutting tips at two different angles. On a cutting/lifting tool 300 with four cutting tips, two pairs of cuttingtips inclined protrusions 110, such as is shown inFIGS. 5A-C . To create such a surface, the neighboringtips opening 116 of the boilingcavity 114, which affects the curved fluid flow s along thesurface 104. -
- p is the axial pitch of the
protrusions 110; - ϕ is the angle between plane B and a plane perpendicular to tool axis;
- ϕ1 is the angle between plane C of the
tool 300 and a plane perpendicular to tool axis (equal and opposite for eachtip 318, 320); and - t is the depth of cutting.
- While preferred ranges of values for the physical dimensions of
protrusions 110 have been identified, one skilled in the art will recognize that the physical dimensions of cutting/lifting tool 300 may be modified to impact the physical dimensions of resultingprotrusions 110. For example, the depth t that cuttingedge 304 cuts intoinner surface 104 and angle ϕ affect the height ep ofprotrusions 110. Therefore, the height ep ofprotrusions 110 may be adjusted using the expression:
Where: - t is the cutting depth;
- ϕ is the angle between plane B and a plane perpendicular to the tool axis; and
- θ is the angle at which the layers are cut relative to the longitudinal axis s of the
tube 100. -
- Pa,p is the axial pitch of
protrusions 110; - ϕ is the angle between plane B and a plane perpendicular to the tool axis; and
- θ is the angle at which
inner surface 104 is cut relative to the longitudinal axis s of thetube 100. - In certain embodiments of the invention, the
tips 124 ofprotrusions 110 may be flattened or bent usingflattening tool 400, shown inFIG. 10 . Theflattening tool 400 preferably has a diameter greater than the diameter ofprotrusions 110 oninner surface 104. Thus, when flatteningtool 400 is pushed or pulled throughtube 100, thetips 124 ofprotrusions 110 are bent or flattened. Flatteningtool 400 includes an aperture for attaching toshaft 130. - In other embodiments, the
tips 124 ofprotrusions 110 may achieve a shape similar to the flattened orbent tips 124 shown inFIGS. 3A-D without the use of aflattening tool 400. For example, the cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporatetips 302 capable of creatingprotrusions 110 with a shape similar toprotrusion tips 124 that have been flattened, such as shown inFIGS. 4A-B . In other embodiments, the cutting/lifting tool 300 may incorporate atip 316 for flattening thetips 124 ofprotrusions 110, as shown inFIG. 9A . A cutting/lifting tool 300 as shown inFIG. 9A may be used to create a boiling surface such as that shown inFIG. 9B-C . - Boiling surfaces for use on heat transfer surfaces may also be achieved by creating
protrusions 110 with thickenedtips 124. As shown inFIGS. 12A-B , heat transfer surfaces with thickenedtips 124 can be used to create boilingcavities 114.Protrusions 110 with thickenedtips 124 can be obtained using the following formulas, with reference toFIGS. 13A-B : - If:
- ϕ2 is the angle between the projection of a first side of the cutting edge and the direction of tool feed;
- ϕ3 is the angle between the projection of a second side of the tool's cutting edge and the direction of tool feed;
- t is the full depth of cutting; and
- t1 is the depth of cutting for the first side of the tool's cutting edge, then the
protrusion tips 124 will be as shown inFIG. 13B and the gap g may be calculated as follows:
- If the following is true:
protrusion tips 124 will be as shown inFIG. 13B and the gap g may be calculated as follows: -
FIGS. 13C-D illustrate an embodiment of a cutting/lifting tool 300 that may be used to createprotrusions 110 with thickenedtips 124. -
FIG. 10 illustrates one possible manufacturing set-up for enhancing the surfaces oftube 100. These figures are in no way intended to limit the process by whichtubes 100 in accordance with this invention are manufactured, but rather any tube manufacturing process using any suitable equipment or configuration of equipment may be used. Thetubes 100 of this invention may be made from a variety of materials possessing suitable physical properties including structural integrity, malleability and plasticity, such as, for example, copper and copper alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys, brass, titanium, steel and stainless steel. - In one example of a way to enhance
inner surface 104 oftube 100, ashaft 130, onto whichflattening tool 400 is rotatably mounted, extends intotube 100. Cutting/lifting tool 300 is mounted ontoshaft 130 throughaperture 308.Grooving tool 200 is mounted ontoshaft 130 throughaperture 202. Bolt 132 secures all threetools tools shaft 130 by any suitable means.FIGS. 7D and8D illustrate akey groove 310 that may be provided on cutting/lifting tool 300 to interlock with a protrusion (not shown) onshaft 130 to fix cutting/lifting tool 300 into place relative toshaft 130. - Although not shown, when the method and/or tool of the invention is used to create an inner surface of a tube, the manufacturing set-up may include arbors that can be used to enhance the outer surface of tube. Each arbor generally includes a tool set-up having finning disks which radially extrude from one to multiple start outside fins having axial pitch Pa,o. The tool set-up may include additional disks, such as notching or flattening disks, to further enhance the outer surface of tube. Note, however, that depending on the tube application, enhancements need not be provided on outer surface of tube at all. In operation, tube wall moves between mandrel and the arbors, which exert pressure on tube wall.
- The mirror image of a desired inner surface pattern is provided on grooving
tool 200 so that groovingtool 200 will forminner surface 104 oftube 100 with the desired pattern astube 100 engages groovingtool 200. A desirableinner surface 104 includesprimary grooves 108, as shown inFIG: 1 . After formation ofprimary grooves 108 oninner surface 104 oftube 100,tube 100 encounters cutting/lining tool 300, positioned adjacent anddownstream grooving tool 200. The cutting edge(s) 304 of cutting/lifting tool 300 cuts throughinner surface 104. Lifting edge(s) 306 of cutting/lifting tool 300 then liftsinner surface 104 to formprotrusions 110. -
- Where:
- Pa,o is the axial pitch of outside fins;
- Zo is the number of fin starts on the outer diameter of tube; and
- Zi is the number of
tips 302 on cutting/lifting tool 300. - To obtain a specific protrusion axial pitch Pa,p, cutting/
lifting tool 300 can also be rotated. Bothtube 100 and cutting/lifting tool 300 can rotate in the same direction or, alternatively, bothtube 100 and cutting/lifting tool300 can rotate, but in opposite directions. To obtain a predetermined axial protrusion pitch Pa,p, the necessary rotation (in revolutions per minute (RPM)) of the cutting/lifting too1300 can be calculated using the following formula: - Where:
- RPMtube is the frequency of rotation of
tube 100; - Pa,o is the axial pitch of outer fins;
- Zo is the number of fin starts on the outer diameter of tube;
- Pa,p is the desirable axial pitch of
protrusions 110; and - Zi is the number of
tips 302 on cutting/lifting tool 300. - If the result of this calculation is negative, then cutting/
lifting tool 300 should rotate in the same direction oftube 100 to obtain the desired pitch Pa,p. - Alternatively, if the result of this calculation is positive, then cutting/
lifting tool 300 should rotate in the opposite direction totube 100 to obtain the desired pitch Pa,p. - Note that while formation of
protrusions 110 is shown in the same operation as formation ofprimary grooves 108,protrusions 110 may be produced in a separate operation fromprimary grooves 108 by using atube 100 with pre-formedprimary grooves 108. This would generally require an assembly to rotate cutting/lifting tool 300 ortube 100 and to move cutting/lifting tool 300 ortube 100 along the tube axis. Moreover, a support (not shown) is preferably provided to center cutting/lifting tool 300 relative to the inner tube surface 14. -
- Where:
- Xa is the relative axial speed between
tube 100 and cutting/lifting tool 300 (distance/time); - RPM is the relative frequency of rotation between cutting/
lifting tool 300 andtube 100; - Pa,p is the desirable axial pitch of
protrusions 110; and - Zi is the number of
tips 302 on cutting/lifting tool 300. - This formula is suitable when (1) the
tube 100 moves only axially (i.e., does not rotate) and the cutting/lifting tool 300 only rotates (i.e., does not move axially); (2) thetube 100 only rotates and the cutting/lifting tool 300 moves only axially; (3) the cutting/lifting tool 300 rotates and moves axially but thetube 100 is both rotationally and axially fixed; (4) thetube 100 rotates and moves axially but thetool 10 is both rotationally and axially fixed; and (5) any combination of the above. - With the
inner tube surface 104 of this invention, additional paths for fluid flow are created (betweenprotrusions 110 through secondary grooves 112) to optimize heat transfer and pressure drop.FIG. 5C illustrates theseadditional paths 114 for fluid travel throughtube 100. These paths are in addition to the fluid flow paths created betweenprimary grooves 108. These additional paths have a helix angle α1 relative to the tube axis s. Angle α1 is the angle betweenprotrusions 110 formed from adjacentprimary grooves 108. Helix angle α1 and thus orientation ofpaths 114 throughtube 100, can be adjusted by adjusting pitch Pa,p ofprotrusions 110 using the following expression - Where:
- Pa,r is the axial pitch of
primary grooves 108; - α is the angle of
primary grooves 108 to tube axis s; - α1 is the desirable helix angle between
protrusions 110 measured from the tube axis; - Zi is the number of
tips 302 on cutting/lifting tool 300; and - Di is the inside diameter of
tube 100 measured frominner surface 104 oftube 100. -
Tubes 100 made in accordance with this invention outperform existing tubes.FIGS. 14-16 graphically illustrate the enhanced performance of heat transfer surfaces according to embodiments of the invention.FIG. 14 shows the effect of aspect ratio on heat flux.FIG. 15 shows the effect of protrusions (fins) per inch on heat flux.FIG. 16 compares the heat flux of different types of micro-finned copper heat transfer surfaces. The X-axis shows heat flux (W/cm2) and the Y-axis shows the change in temperature minus the temperature of the wall minus the temperature of the bulk (ΔT(°C)-Twall - Tbulk) - The smooth line indicates platinum wire tests with HFE-7100. The solid circles represent a tube made of roughened copper with silver solder. The open squares represent nichrome surface on a tube. The light X's indicate a sample of a tube made according to an embodiment of the invention. The crosses indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The dark X's indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The stars indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The dark closed circles indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The closed diamonds indicate a sample of a tube made according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. The solid line with half-hatch marks indicates a sample of a tube made according to yet another alternate embodiment of the invention. The solid line with hatch marks indicates a sample of a tube made according to yet another alternate embodiment of the invention.
- The heat transfer surface tested was a flat copper surface with approximately 185 protrusions per inch. The protrusions were approximately 0.6096 mm(0.024 inches) in height and 0.0688 mm(0.0027 inches) in thickness.
- The heat transfer surface of the invention is approximately eight times more effective than a rough copper plate and approximately double the effectiveness of the copper foams.
- The foregoing description is provided for describing various embodiments and structures relating to the invention. Various modifications, additions and deletions may be made to these embodiments and/or structures without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
Claims (11)
- A tube (100) having an enhanced heat transfer surface comprising at least one protrusion (110) formed by:at least two primary grooves (108) having a primary groove cutting depth;and at least one secondary groove (112) formed in the surface after the primary groove andhaving a secondary groove cutting depth (t) that is at least as great as the primary groovecutting depth of each of the at least two primary grooves;characterised in that the primary groove, protrusion and secondary groove form a boiling cavity (114) on an inner surface (104) of the tube.
- A tube as defined in claim 1 in which tips of the protrusions (110) are flattened or bent to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A tube as defined in claim 1 in which tips of the protrusions (110) are thickened to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A tube as defined in claim 1 in which the protrusions are angled toward each other to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A method of manufacturing a tube (100) as defined in claim 1 comprising:a. cutting through a surface of the tube to a cutting depth to form primary grooves (108);b. cutting secondary grooves (112) through the surface and primary grooves (108) to a cutting depth (t) at least as great as the cutting depth of the primary groove to form surface layers; andc. lifting the surface layers to form protrusions (110),characterised in that the layers are lifted such that together with the primary and secondary grooves the protrusions form a boiling cavity (114) on an inner surface (104) of the tube.
- A method of manufacturing a tube as defined in claim 5, in which tips of the protrusions (110) are flattened or bent to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A method of manufacturing a tube as defined in claim 5, in which tips of the protrusions (110) are thickened to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A method of manufacturing a tube as defined in claim 5, in which the protrusions are angled toward each other to create the boiling cavities (114).
- A method of manufacturing a tube (100) as defined in any of claims 5 - 8, comprising:a. mounting a tool (200, 300, 400) onto a shaft (130), the tool comprising a tool axis and at least one tip (302, 318, 320) formed by the intersection of at least a first plane (A), a second plane (B), and a third plane (C) and having a cutting edge (304) and a lifting edge (306);b. positioning the tool in the tube;c. causing relative rotation and relative axial movement between the tube and the tool to cut at least partially through an inner surface of the tube to form the layers and primary grooves (108) and to lift the layers to form the protrusions (110) and secondary grooves (112).
- A method of manufacturing a tube as defined in claims 7 and 9 in which the gap g between the protrusion tips is determined by the expressions:ϕ2 is the angle between the projection of a first side of a cutting edge on the tool and the direction of toll feed:ϕ3 is the angle between the projection of a second side of the cutting edge and the direction of toll feed;t is the full depth of cutting; andt1 is the depth of cutting for the first side of the cutting edge.
- A method of manufacturing a tube as defined in claims 8 and 9 in which the gap g between the protrusion tips is determined by the expression:
where:p is the axial pitch of the protrusions 110;ϕ is the angle between the second plane (B) and a plane perpendicular to the tool axis;ϕ1 is the angle between the third plane (C) and the plane perpendicular to the tool axis; andt is the depth of cutting.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US51441803P | 2003-10-23 | 2003-10-23 | |
PCT/US2004/035099 WO2005043062A2 (en) | 2003-10-23 | 2004-10-25 | Method and tool for making enhanced heat transfer surfaces |
Publications (3)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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EP1692447A2 EP1692447A2 (en) | 2006-08-23 |
EP1692447A4 EP1692447A4 (en) | 2008-01-02 |
EP1692447B1 true EP1692447B1 (en) | 2009-06-17 |
Family
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP04796148A Active EP1692447B1 (en) | 2003-10-23 | 2004-10-25 | Method and tool for making enhanced heat transfer surfaces |
Country Status (10)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP1692447B1 (en) |
JP (1) | JP4832308B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101217296B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN1898520B (en) |
AT (1) | ATE434165T1 (en) |
CA (1) | CA2543480C (en) |
DE (1) | DE602004021627D1 (en) |
MX (1) | MXPA06004459A (en) |
PT (1) | PT1692447E (en) |
WO (1) | WO2005043062A2 (en) |
Families Citing this family (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP4554557B2 (en) * | 2006-06-13 | 2010-09-29 | トヨタ自動車株式会社 | Cooler |
DE102009007446B4 (en) * | 2009-02-04 | 2012-03-29 | Wieland-Werke Ag | Heat exchanger tube and method for its production |
CN102679791B (en) * | 2011-03-10 | 2015-09-23 | 卢瓦塔埃斯波公司 | For the heat-transfer pipe of heat exchanger |
US20130180595A1 (en) * | 2012-01-13 | 2013-07-18 | Uop, Llc | Vessel, distribution tray, and method for passing one or more fluids |
CN103851945B (en) * | 2012-12-07 | 2017-05-24 | 诺而达奥托铜业(中山)有限公司 | Internal threaded pipe with rough internal surface |
CN103903658B (en) * | 2014-03-19 | 2016-08-17 | 清华大学 | A kind of end socket with enhanced boiling heat transfer netted groove connection array hole surface |
DE102016006914B4 (en) * | 2016-06-01 | 2019-01-24 | Wieland-Werke Ag | heat exchanger tube |
DE102016006967B4 (en) * | 2016-06-01 | 2018-12-13 | Wieland-Werke Ag | heat exchanger tube |
EP3252419A1 (en) * | 2016-06-02 | 2017-12-06 | ABB Technology Oy | Gravity-assisted heat pipe |
BR112019023597A2 (en) * | 2017-05-12 | 2020-05-26 | Carrier Corporation | HEAT TRANSFER TUBE, HEATING SYSTEM, VENTILATION, AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION, AND METHOD FOR FORMING A HEAT TRANSFER TUBE. |
CN109099741B (en) * | 2018-06-05 | 2020-04-24 | 东南大学 | Heat exchange structure for enhancing boiling |
Family Cites Families (12)
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US3753364A (en) * | 1971-02-08 | 1973-08-21 | Q Dot Corp | Heat pipe and method and apparatus for fabricating same |
JPS538855A (en) * | 1976-07-13 | 1978-01-26 | Hitachi Cable Ltd | Condensing heat transmission wall |
US4159739A (en) * | 1977-07-13 | 1979-07-03 | Carrier Corporation | Heat transfer surface and method of manufacture |
JPS5468554A (en) * | 1977-11-11 | 1979-06-01 | Hitachi Ltd | Manufacturing of condensation heat conducting wall |
JPS5659194A (en) * | 1979-10-20 | 1981-05-22 | Daikin Ind Ltd | Heat transfer tube |
JPS6262195A (en) * | 1985-09-13 | 1987-03-18 | Kobe Steel Ltd | Heat transfer tube |
US5332034A (en) * | 1992-12-16 | 1994-07-26 | Carrier Corporation | Heat exchanger tube |
CN1084876C (en) * | 1994-08-08 | 2002-05-15 | 运载器有限公司 | Heat transfer tube |
JPH11183079A (en) * | 1997-12-24 | 1999-07-06 | Sumitomo Light Metal Ind Ltd | Heat exchanger tube with internal groove and manufacture thereof |
CN1222671A (en) * | 1998-01-07 | 1999-07-14 | 罗四仇 | Machining technology of three-dimensional micro-rib pipe inside outer pipe |
CN2490536Y (en) * | 2001-07-03 | 2002-05-08 | 徐世平 | Screw internal tooth pipe |
CN1200243C (en) * | 2002-10-11 | 2005-05-04 | 西安交通大学 | Internal thread heat-transferring pipe |
-
2004
- 2004-10-25 CA CA2543480A patent/CA2543480C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2004-10-25 WO PCT/US2004/035099 patent/WO2005043062A2/en active Application Filing
- 2004-10-25 CN CN2004800389226A patent/CN1898520B/en active Active
- 2004-10-25 DE DE602004021627T patent/DE602004021627D1/en active Active
- 2004-10-25 PT PT04796148T patent/PT1692447E/en unknown
- 2004-10-25 JP JP2006536840A patent/JP4832308B2/en active Active
- 2004-10-25 EP EP04796148A patent/EP1692447B1/en active Active
- 2004-10-25 AT AT04796148T patent/ATE434165T1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
- 2004-10-25 MX MXPA06004459A patent/MXPA06004459A/en active IP Right Grant
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2006
- 2006-05-19 KR KR1020067009734A patent/KR101217296B1/en active IP Right Grant
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JP2007509311A (en) | 2007-04-12 |
MXPA06004459A (en) | 2006-06-20 |
PT1692447E (en) | 2009-07-13 |
ATE434165T1 (en) | 2009-07-15 |
KR20060113927A (en) | 2006-11-03 |
CN1898520A (en) | 2007-01-17 |
WO2005043062A3 (en) | 2005-07-14 |
DE602004021627D1 (en) | 2009-07-30 |
EP1692447A4 (en) | 2008-01-02 |
EP1692447A2 (en) | 2006-08-23 |
CA2543480C (en) | 2011-01-04 |
CN1898520B (en) | 2012-06-13 |
JP4832308B2 (en) | 2011-12-07 |
WO2005043062A2 (en) | 2005-05-12 |
KR101217296B1 (en) | 2012-12-31 |
CA2543480A1 (en) | 2005-05-12 |
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