This invention relates to a tubular heat exchanger for an indirect gas-fired air handling unit and more particularly to a turbulator for insertion into the tubes of the tubular heat exchanger.
A turbulator is a device that is positioned inside the tubes of a tubular heat exchanger. The turbulator prevents laminar gas flow from developing inside the heat exchanger tubes. Turbulent gas flow is preferred because turbulent gas flow inside the heat exchanger tubes promotes heat being transferred from the heated combustion gas to the tube material. High turbulence, however, also causes resistance to the gas flow through the heat exchanger tubes in the form of a pressure drop along the length of the heat exchanger tubes.
An indirect gas-fired air handling unit of the present invention includes a drum and tube heat exchanger comprising a drum combustion chamber and a tubular heat exchanger. The combustion chamber is fitted with a burner. The heated combustion gas from the burner in the combustion chamber flows through the tubes of the tubular heat exchanger before exiting through the exhaust flue. Flip-up-down single H-type turbulators of the present invention are inserted in the heat exchanger tubes to increase heat transfer from the heated gas to the heat exchanger tubes. The flip-up-down single H-type turbulators of the present invention also reduce manufacturing time for the drum and tube heat exchangers.
Further objects, features and advantages will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the drawings and the appended claims.
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The material for the turbulators 40 is stainless steel conforming to ASTM A240 Gr.409, Gr.304, or Gr.316 and has a thickness between 0.030 inch and 0.060 inch. The width of the longitudinal strip 42 conforms to the diameter of the particular heat exchanger tube 38. The width of the tabs 44 and 46 is between 40% and 60% of the width of the longitudinal strip 42. The length of each pair of the tabs 44 and 46 is approximately twice the length of the outside diameter of the tube 38 and between 4 inches and 7 inches. The total length of all of the tabs 44 and 46 is between 50% and 80% of the length of the longitudinal strip 42. The tabs 44 and 46 are bent at an angle 52 to the plane of the longitudinal strip 42 of between 15° and 25°. While the FIGS. illustrate tabs 44 and 46 that are essentially rectangular in shape, tabs in the shape of squares, triangles, circles, ellipses, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, or other geometric shapes are useful in implementing the present invention.
As previously indicated, the flip-up-down single H-type turbulators 40 of the present invention are intended for installation in the indirect gas-fired air handling unit 10, as for example the Price AW-I air handling unit. The AW-I air handling unit 10 has a heat release of 250 MBTU/hr. up to 6 MMBTU/hr. of heat output. The AW-I air handling unit 10 with prior art spiral turbulators has an efficiency of approximately 80%.
When the flip-up-down single H-type turbulators 40 of the present invention are installed in heat exchanger tubes 38 the AW-I air handling unit 10 in place of conventional spiral turbulators, a 4% increase in heat transfer occurs as evidenced by a drop in the flue temperature from 620° F. to 480° F. The flue gas pressure drops approximately 0.65 inch of water column (w.c.) as measured across the heat transfer tubes 38 when using the flip-up-down single H-type turbulators 40 of the present invention.
The flip-up-down single H-type turbulators 40 also produce increased performance even with burners that have a cylindrical flame. A cylindrical flame is longer in the direction of the length of the drum combustion chamber 34 than it is wide at the root of the flame. An efficiency of greater than 83% occurred when using a GP C-Series burner manufactured and sold by C.I.B. UNIGAS S.p.A., Via L. Galvani, 9-35011, Campodarsego (PD), Italy. Other burners have a short flame relative to the size of the flame root at maximum fire. A burner with a long cylindrical flame is able to effectively impart radiant energy onto the interior of the drum combustion chamber 36 which is on a parallel axis. At the same heat release, a burner with a short and wide flame is not able to effectively impart radiant energy onto the interior of the drum combustion chamber 36. This means that if the heat exchanger 37 needs to exchange the same amount of energy, the heat exchanger tubes 38 will need to transfer more with the short and wide flame. The H-type turbulator 40 allows for more energy to be transferred by the heat exchanger tubes 38 when the drum combustion chamber 36 is not as effective because of the flame shape. However, even when the flame is cylindrical, a shape which allows for good heat transfer through the drum, the H-type turbulators 40 still allow for improved heat transfer in the tubular heat exchanger 37. The H-type turbulators 40 ensure that laminar flow does not set up inside the heat exchanger tube 38, thereby ensuring that good heat transfer can take place between the hot flue gasses and the wall of the heat exchanger tube 38 due to the turbulent flow.
The effect of the additional pressure drop on the C-Series burner (a cylindrical flame burner) is balanced by balancing the orifice size on the tubular heat exchanger 37. The orifice of the tubular heat exchanger 37 is downstream of the heat exchanger tubes 38 which contain the turbulators 40. The orifice size can be increased when using a C-Series burner to reduce the pressure drop the orifice imparts on the flow of hot flue gases, to offset the increased pressure drop that the H-type turbulator 40 imparts on the flow of hot flue gases.
The flip-up-down single H-type turbulator 40 is easy to manufacture. The H-shaped cut 48 (
While this invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that variations and modifications can be affected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein and as described in the appended claims.
The present application claims priority from Provisional Patent Application No. 62/335,330, filed on May 12, 2016, the disclosure of which is relied upon and incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62335330 | May 2016 | US |