GB1136297A - Improvements in or relating to heat exchangers - Google Patents

Abstract

1,136,297. Plate heat-exchangers. O. CARDELL. 3 Nov., 1966 [9 Nov., 1965; 24 Jan., 1966; 26 Sept., 1966], No. 49266/66. Heading F4S. A plate heat-exchanger comprises spacedapart parallel plates, e.g. 1, 2 and 2, 3 interconnected by wire spacing elements such as 10, 10<SP>1</SP>, respectively resistance welded to said plates. Arrows 8 and 9 indicate the fluid flow directions in a cross-current type exchanger. The spacing elements have curved surfaces, the radius of curvature of which is equal to or greater than half the distance between the parallel plates. Spacing elements 10, 10<SP>1</SP> are arranged in rows and may have either circular (Figs. 5 to 9) or elliptic cross-section (Figs. 2 to 4), the latter shaped elements being placed such that the ellipse minor axis is perpendicular to the plane of the plates. The spacers when of circular cross-section may be either cylindrical (Figs. 5 and 6, 7 and 8) or spherical (Fig. 9) in shape; all forms of spacer having an arcuate uniform surface in contact with the plate surfaces. In other embodiments (Figs. 10, 11) the plates of each pair are interconnected along two opposed curved edges. Plates 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 (Fig. 10) are joined by welds 11, 11<SP>1</SP>, respectively. An alternative arrangement (Fig. 11) has all the plate edges curved in the same direction. They are welded together with the edge (25) of a plate in contact with the convex edge (26) of an adjacent plate (counter or concurrent type heat exchanger). For large plate surface assemblies two or more plates may be joined together (Fig. 12) at flanges (30, 31). In a stack of plate pairs, spacing elements may be disposed between adjacent plate pairs as well as between plates of each pair.