Patent Application
20060237180
This application claims priority to German Patent Application Serial No. 10 2005 018 050.7 filed Apr. 19, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The present disclosure relates to an air heat exchanger in air diffuser systems with flexible planar heat exchanger elements, in particular for use in aircraft.
For heating the air, heaters are incorporated in air diffuser systems. For safety reasons, heating elements with high surface temperatures are undesirable in the aircraft industry. Therefore, so-called panel heating elements are being used. Due to their large surface area, the same are capable of transferring a high thermal power despite low temperatures. The objective is to install a rather large surface area on a small space, in order to be able to transfer as much heat as possible. Output of the thermal power should be effected in a controlled way, and inadmissible excess temperatures should be avoided. This is ensured by the use of sensors and fuses. Therefore, the elements should be producible at low cost and should achieve a rather high performance with a low weight and a small size.
Air heaters with a structure as shown in the attached
These prior art systems involve a very high contacting effort, as the individual panel heating elements must be connected with each other via soldering points, plug-in connections and the like. As a result, the risk of defects is substantially increased during the manufacture of such elements. In particular the manufacture of coaxial panel heating elements involves a substantially higher mounting effort as compared to plate-shaped elements.
It is the object of the present disclosure to create an air heat exchanger which is comparatively easier to manufacture and to install.
In accordance with the present disclosure, this object is solved by an air heat exchanger in an air diffuser system comprising flexible planar heat exchanger elements, in particular for use in aircraft, wherein the individual planar heat exchanger elements are connected with each other by means of webs.
In one example, these webs themselves are unheated. Inside these webs, conductors are disposed, which connect the individual heat exchanger conductors in the individual surfaces with each other. The webs only serve the mechanical connection of the planar heat exchanger elements. The corresponding conductors usually, but not necessarily, are electric conductors.
Accordingly, the planar heat exchanger elements can have a variable design in terms of shape, size and heat exchanger performance. Thus, they can result in a much better utilization of the flow cross-section of the air-conducting conduit. In certain portions of round tubes, for instance, flow can be greater, so that they can provide a greater heat exchanger performance.
To effect a uniform surface temperature of the flexible heat exchanger elements in the direction of the traversed length, the same can also be equipped with a variable power density along their length. With a specified maximum temperature, which should not be exceeded, a uniform temperature can thus be adjusted along the length of the tube.
Particularly advantageously, additional heat exchanging bodies are provided, for instance plates and/or ribs. The additional heat exchanging bodies can be used both as supports and as spacers for the planar heat exchanger elements.
The above-mentioned object of the present disclosure is solved in particular by a method wherein, the planar heat exchanger elements are manufactured together with the webs connecting the same as an integral element.
Accordingly, the sensors or other fuses for monitoring the temperature as well as connecting lines leading to the same can be integrated right during the manufacturing process of the planar heat exchanger elements and the webs connecting the same.
Upon manufacture of the planar heat exchanger elements and the webs of each element, the same is bent into its final shape. As far as the heat exchanger element is incorporated in a pipe conduit, the same will afterwards be inserted into the pipe conduit. In accordance with the herein disclosed aspect of the air heat exchanger, it is no longer necessary to connect each individual planar heat exchanger element separately. Rather, it is sufficient to connect the entire planar heat exchanger element to the heat exchanger fluid conduit.
Particularly advantageously, the aforementioned air heat exchanger is used as an air heater, preferably for use in aircraft.
Further details, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be illustrated with reference to an embodiment shown in the figures.
In
In a manner not illustrated here, the webs include unheated conductors, which connect the heating conductors of the individual flexible heat exchanger elements 10. In principle, the unheated webs 14 have the same structure as the individual flexible heating elements 10, whereby they can be manufactured in one and the same work process. This allows simultaneous manufacture of a plurality of flexible heating elements 10 together with the necessary unheated webs 14 in the same process. After the manufacturing process in flat position, as shown in
Advantageously, the planar heat exchanger elements 10 each can have a different width, which is not illustrated here in greater detail. As a result, they are adapted better to the interior of the pipe. As is for instance indicated in
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102005018050.7 | Apr 2005 | DE | national |
