US3033534A

US3033534A - Toroidal heat exchangers

Info

Publication number: US3033534A
Application number: US790016A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert F Caughill; Frank A Disinger
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1959-01-29
Filing date: 1959-01-29
Publication date: 1962-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 1979-05-08

Description

y 1962 R. F. CAUGHILL ETAL 3,033,534

TOROIDAL HEAT EXCHANGERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 29, 1959 INVENTOR-S /?fllzzt jeqyrf cf BY za/ilyaaizzzye'z ATTUFIVEY y 1962 R. F. CAUGHILL ETAL 3,033,534

TOROIDAL HEAT EXCHANGERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. .29, 1959 May 8, 1962 R. F. CAUGHILL ET'AL 3,033,534

TOROIDAL HEAT EXCHANGERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 29, 1959 United States Patent 3,033,534 TDRQIDAL HEAT EXCHANGERS Robert F. Canghill and Frank A. Disinger,.Lockport,

N.Y., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 29, 1959, Ser. No. 790,016 3 Claims. (Cl. 257--235) fatigue and rupture. Total pressure drop of fluids passing through the exchangers should be minimized in the interest of upholding exchanger efliciency at the same time that expansion-contraction problems should be solved.

To these ends, an object of the present invention is to Patented May 8, 1962 "ice tube 14 and the passages 16 are such that a fluid entering at 18 will pass substantially the full length of the tube 14 provide an improved heat exchanger characterized by a minimum prmsure drop of fluids utilized and by a structure in which expansion and contraction of the parts are permitted without incurring undue stresses and strains.

A- feature of the invention pertains to a toroidal heat exchanger utilizing involute tubes arranged in groups or sections. Another feature pertains to a heat exchanger with involute tubes in plate form and of substantially equal lengths alternating with air centering devices about an axis in such a way as to provide uniform air flow through a cross-section ofthe exchanger as well. as uniform fluid flow through all the tube lengths.

The above and other features of the invention willnow bedescribed in detail in the specification and then pointed out more particularly in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger in 'which the present invention is embodied, portions being shown in FIG. 1 and drawn to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a view of a detail in the structure of the assembly of FIG. 1, it being drawn to a still larger scale; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of two tubes superposed and flattened out with air centering devices alternating therewith.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cylindrical casing 10* through which air is passed in the direction of the casing axis to extract heat from fluid such as molten metal circulated within a toroidal heat exchanger tube assembly generally indicated at 12 and located within the casing. V

The heat exchanger assembly .12 comprises 30 groups of tubes, one integrated group being shown in FIG. 2. Ten of these groups are located in each of three planes transverse to the axis of the casing 10. In each group of tubes are placed ten individual tubes 14 such as illustrated and then reverse its direction of flow for discharge from the outlet 20. Inter-posed between these plate-like tubes 14 are air centering devices'22 such as are commonly used in radiators and the like for conveying heat to or from air guided by such devices.

In FIG. 2, ten of the tubes 14, with the requisite number of air centers 22, are constrained to an involute form within a side plate 24. The latter includes two flanged

end portions

26 and 28 and an intermediate arcuate por-- tion 30. The thirty intermediate portions 30 define a central zone coaxial with said casing. The marginal edge 31 (FIG. 4) of each involute plate tube 14 opposite the inlets and outlets 18 and 20 is caused to approach but not contact the arcuate or intermediate portion 30 of the-side plate 24. This provides a clearance A for expansion and contraction purposes between the tubes and the portion 30 extending by the ends-of the tubes, as will be obvious. The side plates 24 of adjacent groups of tubes 14 are in interfacial contact as clearly shown in FIG. 3.'

The inlets 18 of the ten tubes 14 of a given group are connected to a common arcuate inlet tube 32 which extends almost, but not quite, the distance between the

flange plates

26 and 28. The clearance B (FIG. 3) at the ends of this tube 32 permits expansion and contraction.

' An arcuate tube 34 parallel with a-corresponding tube 32 is likewise provided for each group of ten tubes 14, but, in this case, it is adapted to serve as a discharge tube for that particular group, the outlets 20 being connected thereto. A short inlet neck 36 communicates with each arcuate tube 32 and a short outlet neck 38 communicates with each'ar'cuate outlet tube 34. The necks 36and 38 areoffsetinsofar as their radial positions are concerned with respect to the axis of the exchanger or its casing 10.

It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the flanged endportion welding or otherwise.

in FIG. 4. Each tube 14, when flattened out, is in the roll bonded and plate form, being expanded from a flat piece by known methods such as shown, for example, in the United States Patent 2,662,273 granted December 15, 1953, in the name of G. R. Long and entitled Method of Making Heat Exchange Structures. It will be noted that each tube 14 is so formed as to provide eight passages 16, four of which directly communicate with an inlet tube 18 made integral with one end of the tube structure. The other four passages 16 communicate directly with an exit tube 20. The inlet and exit are at one end of the flat supply for the molten metal.

The diameter of the casing 10 is adequate to permit installation of a C-formation intake manifold tube 40. FIG. 3 illustrates how this manifold tube clears the casing 10 as well as the main bodies of the flat tubes 14.

Extending in the direction of the axis of the casing 10 are ten parallel and tapered intake manifolds 42. Each of these serves to connect the C-shaped manifold 40 with the intake neck 36 of each of three groups of tubes. In other words, the main manifold 40 serves asan inlet manifold for thirty groups of tubes or three hundred tubes 14. It will be noted in FIG. 3 that the main manifold 40 is such that the latter clears the exterior periphery of the air centering devices 22 and the exteriorbroad ends of the tubes 14.

, At the other end of the cylinder 10 or adjacent to the other end thereof is located a main discharge manifold 44 similar to the intake manifold 40 and provided with tapered discharge manifolds 46 each of which is connected to the necks 38 of the three groups of tubes.

An extension 47 of the intake manifold 40 passes through an opening 48 of the casing 10' to a source of A bellows type expansion joint 50 seals the space between the casing and the extension 47 and another extension 52 also passes through the casing 10 and a seal is provided by a second bellows type structure 54.

Molten metal enters at 47 and passes from the main intake manifold 40 to the thirty groups of tubes 14 by way of the tapered manifolds 42, arcuate tubes 32 and tube inlets 18. This fluid passes through the tubes 14 giving up its heat to the air which passes in the axial direction of the casing =10. The cooled molten metal then is discharged from the tubes 14 by way of the outlets 20 to the arcuate tubes 34 and then enters the discharge manifold 40 by way of the tapered manifolds 46. Final discharge is by way of the extension 52.

It will be noted that the sole support for the tubes 14, the air centering devices 22 and the manifolding is by way of the side plates 24 as joined to the interior cylindrical wall of the casing 10. The involute shape of the plate or flat tubes 14 and the clearances A, B and others provided permit expansion and contraction without undue stresses and strains being imposed. It should also be noted that the involute tubes define air passages of uniform thickness giving a uniform heat distribution to the components of the exchanger. This eliminates hot spots and contributes to more eificient performance by the heat exchanger.

We claim:

1. A heat exchanger comprising a cylindrical casing with a givenaxis and defining a flow passage for one fluid, groups of flat tubes and fluid centering devices arranged in toroidal form within said casing and in aplane perpendicular to said axis, the said flat tubes and centering devices of each group being arranged alternately, each of said tubes and centering devices being in involute form and extending outwardly toward the periphery of said casing, each of said groups being separately encompassed by side plate means, the opposite ends of said side plate means being fixed to said casing, an intermediate portion of said side plate means extending by the ends of the corresponding tubes and being out of contact with said tubes and centering devices, the intermediate vportions of the side plate means of said groups cooperating in defining a zone centrally within said casing, each said flat tubes having a flow passage for a second fluid and'having an inlet 2. A heat exchanger comprising a casing forming a conduit for one fluid, groups of flat Sided tubes and fluid groupsbeing separately encompassed by side plate means having flat surfaces extending parallel with the flat sides of said tubes, opposite ends of said side plate means being fixed to said casing, an intermediateportion of said side plate means partial-1y defining said central zone, said centering devices being arranged to guide said one fluid into intimate contact with said tubes, said flat tubes being out of contact with said side plate means permitting expansion and contraction of the latter independent of the tubes, each of said flat tubes having an inlet and an outlet for a second fluid located near the inside wall surface of said casing, and inlet and outlet manifolding connected to the inlets and outlets of all the groups of tubes.

3. A heat'exchanger as set forth in claim 2 in which the side plate means of each one of said groups is in interfacial contact with the side plate means of the adjacent groups, and the inlet and outlet manifolding substantially encircles the said groups and comprises ducts located between said groups and the said inside wall surface of said casing.

2,195,259 Ramsaur Mar. 26, 1940 2,655,181 Cooper Oct. 13, 1953 2,656,157 Wasielewski Oct. 20, 1953 2,869,834 Clark et al Jan. 20, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 173,859 Switzerland Mar. 16, 1935 791,051

Great Britain Feb. 19, 1958