Cylindrical heat exchanger using heat pipes

Abstract

This invention relates to an improvement in a heat exchanger of the type using heat pipes which permits reduction in size of the heat exchanger and enhancement in heat exchange efficiency and more particularly to a cylindrical heat exchanger principally comprising a cylindrical or polygonal tubular casing provided with openings in the middle parts of its upper and lower sides and in its circumferential side, a transverse partition plate which divides the inside of the casing into upper and lower parts and a group of vertical heat pipes arranged to pierce through the peripheral portion of the partition plate in an annular plan configuration as a whole.

Description

Claims

1. A cylindrical heat exchanger comprising a cylindrical or polygonal tubular casing which has openings in or around the middle parts of both the upper and lower sides and in its circumferential side; a helical duct which swells in a flat helical form on the circumferential side to form a circumferential wall of the casing with the end of its helical form left open; a transverse partition plate which divides the insides of the casing and the duct into upper and lower parts; and a group of heat pipes vertically arranged to pierce through the peripheral area of the partition plate, with the exception of its portion located in the duct and in an annular configuration as viewed in a plan view thereof, said group of heat pipes being arranged, as seen in a plan view, in an annular configuration and divided into many arc-like or chord-like segment blocks by radial array of vertically arranged partition walls; the upper and lower parts of the partition plate inside the casing and the helical duct being arranged to form gas flow passages in a counter flowing manner against each other, the part of the heat pipe group above the partition plate being arranged to serve as radiating portion which allows a low temperature gas to be heated to flow there and to come into contact therewith while the part of the heat pipe group below the partition plate being arranged to serve as heat receiving portion which allows a high temperature gas to flow there thus coming into contact therewith.

2. A cylindrical heat exchanger as defined in claim 1, wherein the opening in or around the middle part of the upper side of said casing is used as intake port for a low temperature gas; the upper part of the open end of said helical duct above said partition plate is used as exhaust port for discharging the low temperature gas; while the lower part of the open end of said helical duct below the partition plate is used as intake port for a high temperature gas; and the opening in the middle part of the lower side of the casing is used as exhaust port for the high temperature gas.

3. A cylindrical heat exchanger comprising a cylindrical or polygonal tubular casing which has openings in the middle parts of both its upper and lower sides and in its circumferential side; a helical duct which swells in a flat helical form on the circumferential side of the casing to form a circumferential wall of the casing with the end of its helical form left open; a transverse partition plate which divides the inside of the casing and the duct into upper and lower parts; and a group of heat pipes vertically arranged to pierce through the peripheral area of the partition plate, with the exception of its portion located in the duct, in an annular configuration as viewed in a plan view; the heat exchanger being characterized in that: said heat pipe group which is annularly arranged is composed of heat pipe group units, each unit consisting of a rectangular sectional configuration of heat pipes, and is formed by arranging the rectangularly grouped heat pipe group units into a polygonal annular configuration; each heat pipe group unit is separated from other units by a radial array of vertical partition walls; and, within each heat pipe group unit, heat pipes are arranged at equal spacing.

4. A cylindrical heat exchanger as defined in claim 3, wherein the upper and lower parts of the inside of said casing and said helical duct separated by said partition plate are formed to serve as gas flow passages in a counter flowing manner above and below the partition plate; and the part of said heat pipe group above said partition plate is arranged to function as radiating portion which allows a low temperature gas to be heated to come into contact therewith flowing therethrough while the part of said heat pipe group below said partition plate is arranged to function as endothermic portion which allows a high temperature gas to come into contact therewith flowing therethrough.

5. A cylindrical heat exchanger as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said heat pipe group unit is of a prefabrication type and is prefabricated into a form of an independent block by arranging a plurality of heat pipes to pierce through a horizontal rectangular partition plate with vertical partition walls provided on both of two opposite sides of the rectangular partition plate; and the independent blocks prefabricated in this manner are connected to the transverse partition plate disposed in the middle part of said casing.

6. A cylindrical heat exchanger as defined in claim 4 wherein there are provided at a suitable spacing many gas flow guide plates which are arranged along the outside part of said radiating portion adjacent to the helical duct in a tilting posture toward said open end of the duct to prevent occurrence of a turbulent flow.

7. A cylindrical heat exchanger as defined in claim 4, wherein rectifiers of an approximate circular conic shape are respectively provided in the middle part of said transverse partition plate on both the upper and lower faces thereof.