Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
  • F28D—HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT
  • F28D9/00—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall
  • F28D9/0031—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by paired plates touching each other
  • F28D9/0043—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by paired plates touching each other the plates having openings therein for circulation of at least one heat-exchange medium from one conduit to another
  • F28D9/005—Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall the conduits for one heat-exchange medium being formed by paired plates touching each other the plates having openings therein for circulation of at least one heat-exchange medium from one conduit to another the plates having openings therein for both heat-exchange media
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
  • B01D—SEPARATION
  • B01D53/00—Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
  • B01D53/26—Drying gases or vapours
  • B01D53/265—Drying gases or vapours by refrigeration (condensation)
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F28—HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL
  • F28F—DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F28F17/00—Removing ice or water from heat-exchange apparatus
  • F28F17/005—Means for draining condensates from heat exchangers, e.g. from evaporators

Definitions

• the present invention concerns a plate heat exchanger, specially designed to be applied to air dryers with a cooling cycle.
• the humid compressed air is cooled at the expense of the evaporation heat of a cooling fluid so as to condense the water vapour that it contains and obtain dry air.
• This heat exchange operation is carried out in an exchanger which, for aspects inherent to this invention, is of the plate type and generally comprises, besides the two heat exchange circuits for the aforesaid operating stages, a third circuit for pre-cooling the air entering the exchanger so as to recover the energy supplied to the air during cooling.
• the condensed humidity is removed by a condensate separator which, in practice, is a storage tank provided at the bottom with a condensate drain and an opposite outlet for the dry air which is then sent back into the exchanger for the pre- cooling of the incoming air.
• a condensate separator which, in practice, is a storage tank provided at the bottom with a condensate drain and an opposite outlet for the dry air which is then sent back into the exchanger for the pre- cooling of the incoming air.
• the first is linked to the need to connect the separator to the exchanger, preparing the necessary pipes and the various components and then welding them together.
• the second problem derives from the overall bulk of the assembly and of the respective connecting pipes. Last but not least there is the fact that, with this system, part of the refrigeration units accumulated in the air sent to the condensate separator is dissipated in the environment.
• the technical problem at the base of the present invention is the need to provide a plate heat exchanger structurally and functionally conceived in such a way as to eliminate the inconvenient aspects reported with reference to the prior art described.
• FIG 1 is a perspective view of an exchanger carried out according to the present invention
• FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the exchanger shown in Figure l;
• FIG. 3 is a schematic view in longitudinal section of the exchanger shown in Figure 1;
• Figure 4 is a circuit diagram of the exchanger shown in the previous figures.
• a plate heat exchanger carried out according to the present invention is indicated as a whole by 1.
• the exchanger 1 is specially studied for air dryers and similar uses, where a condensate separating device is normally associated with the heat exchange unit.
• the exchanger 1 comprises a plurality of plates Pl, P2... Pn, divided into two groups Gl and G2, stacked in a pack and included between two end plates 5, 6.
• the plates Pl-Pn and the end plates are welded together in a known way to define a first circuit schematically indicated by 2 for a first fluid, in this case a chilling fluid, and a second circuit schematically indicated by 3 for a second fluid, in this case humid air to be dried.
• a third circuit, for heat recovery schematically indicated by 4, in which the humid air sent into the exchanger is first of all subjected to heat exchange with the cooled air coming out of the second circuit 3 to recover its heat.
• Said circuits 2, 3 and 4 are hydraulically isolated from each other but in mutual heat exchange contact.
• circuits 2 and 3 are in plate group Gl while circuit 4 is in group G2.
• the arrangement is not critical.
• a condensate separator 7 integrated in the exchanger 1.
• a delimited separation chamber 8 communicating with the outside through a pipe 9 that may be intercepted by valve means not represented herein. The air coming out of the second circuit 3 flows into the condensate separator 7 before being sent into the third circuit 4 for the pre-cooling of the incoming air.
• the outlet 9 of the second circuit is connected to the inlet 10 of the third circuit by a pipe 11 which passes through the separation chamber 8.
• the exchanger 1 is obtained by stacking in a pack the two groups of plates Gl and G2, equipped with end plates 5, 6, and inserting the ring element 7a between them. The assembly is then braze welded in a conventional way.
• the exchanger carried out according to the invention may be subjected to numerous modifications and changes, all falling within the same inventive concept.
• a structurally independent ring element 7a as described, for the construction of the condensate separator one or both of the mutually facing plates Pn of the two groups Gl, G2 may present a more protruding perimeter edge, which includes the ring element 7a or part of it.
• the size of the separation chamber may be varied easily, according to different needs, simply by using ring elements with a different axial extension.
• Another advantage of the invention lies in the fact that the condensate separator benefits from the plate groups for the sealed closure of the separation chamber, and therefore it can be carried out with a simple ring of steel plate, it does not require different connections between the exchanger plates, except for the pipe 11, and it involves low load losses.

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ID=37442001

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Cited By (4)

Citations (5)

• 2005
  • 2005-10-14 IT ITPD20050305 patent/ITPD20050305A1/it unknown
• 2006
  • 2006-09-11 WO PCT/IT2006/000657 patent/WO2007043078A1/en active Application Filing

Patent Citations (5)

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