Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110011572 | Helical Tube Bundle Arrangements for Heat Exchangers - A heat exchanger comprising helically wound tube bundles is disclosed. The helically wound tube bundles are joined with tube sheets to define a primary working fluid system that is fluidically isolated from a secondary working fluid system. The tube sheets and tubes are formed of the same material, which facilitates their joining by means of joints that are substantially galvanic corrosion-resistant joints. | 01-20-2011 |
20120199330 | STAGED GRAPHITE FOAM HEAT EXCHANGERS - Shell-and-tube heat exchangers that utilize one or more foam heat transfer units engaged with the tubes to enhance the heat transfer between first and second fluids. The foam of the heat transfer units can be any thermally conductive foam material that enhances heat transfer. In an embodiment, a liquid distribution unit is employed that sprays a fluid to maximize the energy transfer through the use of large surface/volume ratio of the sprayed fluid. The spraying can be used in combination with or separately from the foam heat transfer units. Also, the tubes can be helically twisted around the liquid distribution unit so that the sprayed fluid impinges on the tubes. The shell-and-tube heat exchangers described herein are highly efficient, inexpensive to build, and corrosion resistant. The heat exchangers can be configured as an evaporator, a condenser, or for single phase cooling or heating thermal transfer applications. | 08-09-2012 |
20120199331 | SHELL-AND-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGERS WITH FOAM HEAT TRANSFER UNITS - Shell-and-tube heat exchangers that utilize one or more foam heat transfer units engaged with the tubes to enhance the heat transfer between first and second fluids. The foam of the heat transfer units can be any thermally conductive foam material that enhances heat transfer, for example graphite foam. These shell-and-tube heat exchangers are highly efficient, inexpensive to build, and corrosion resistant. The described heat exchangers can be used in a variety of applications, including but not limited to, low thermal driving force applications, power generation applications, and non-power generation applications such as refrigeration and cryogenics. The foam heat transfer units can be made from any thermally conductive foam material including, but not limited to, graphite foam or metal foam. In an embodiment, the heat exchanger utilizes tubes that are twisted around a central foam heat transfer unit. | 08-09-2012 |
20120199334 | HEAT EXCHANGER WITH FOAM FINS - Heat exchangers are described that employ fins made of a heat conducting foam material to enhance heat transfer. The foam fins can be used in any type of heat exchanger including, but not limited to, a plate-fin heat exchanger, a plate-frame heat exchanger or a shell-and-tube heat exchanger. The heat exchangers employing foam fins described herein are highly efficient, inexpensive to build, and corrosion resistant. The described heat exchangers can be used in a variety of applications, including but not limited to, low thermal driving force applications, power generation applications, and non-power generation applications such as refrigeration and cryogenics. The fins can be made from any thermally conductive foam material including, but not limited to, graphite foam or metal foam. | 08-09-2012 |
20120199335 | RADIAL-FLOW HEAT EXCHANGER WITH FOAM HEAT EXCHANGE FINS - A radial flow plate-fin heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat exchange units connected together to form an annular shaped core. The core has a plurality of first fluid passageways that are circumferentially spaced from one another and that extend generally axially from a first end of the core to a second end. Each of the first fluid passageways is defined at least in part by a plurality of fins that include graphite foam. The core also has a plurality of second fluid passageways that are circumferentially spaced from one another and that extend generally radially from the central fluid passageway through an exterior wall of the core. The second fluid passageways are separated from the first fluid passageways so that a first fluid that flows through the first fluid passageways does not mix with a second fluid that flows through the second fluid passageways. | 08-09-2012 |
20120282454 | DIRECT BONDING OF HEAT CONDUCTING FOAM AND SUBSTRATES - A technique for joining porous foam material, such as graphite, metal or ceramic foam, to a substrate is described. The substrate can be metal, a thermoset plastic or a composite material. The substrate has a melting point below that of the foam material. The two are joined together by using the foam to apply heat locally at the surface of the substrate. Some or all of the foam is heated to the appropriate temperature at or above the melting point of the substrate material. The foam and the substrate are then brought together, with the heat from the foam melting or softening the substrate material so that the substrate material infuses into the pores of the foam. As the foam cools below the melting point temperature, the substrate material solidifies to create a mechanical bond between the foam and the substrate. | 11-08-2012 |
20120326879 | CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL, RADIOLOGICAL, AND NUCLEAR WEAPON DETECTION SYSTEM COMPRISING ARRAY OF SPATIALLY-DISPARATE SENSORS AND ENVIRONMENTAL ACUITY - A chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons detection system is disclosed that comprises an array of spatially-disparate hazardous material sensors that all feed into a centralized system control center. This enables the embodiment to receive and coordinate in one place all of the hazardous material sensors spread over a wide area, and, therefore, enables an alarm to be quickly issued in the event of a real attack. To accurately reduce false alarms, the illustrative embodiment requires that at least N of M neighboring stations report an alarm for the same hazardous material within an interval of time, and that the values of at least one of N and M change and are based on at least one environmental factor. | 12-27-2012 |
20130146437 | DEHUMIDIFIER SYSTEM AND METHOD - A condenser or heat exchanger includes a circulation system for moving a cooling fluid, and a graphite foam in thermal communication with the circulation system. The condenser or heat exchanger can be used to remove water, or more particularly freshwater from humid air in tropical, subtropical, and arid climates. | 06-13-2013 |
20140261900 | FRICTION SURFACE STIR PROCESS - A process is described that employs what can be termed a friction surface stirring (FSS) process on the surface of a metal object. The FSS process occurs on some or the entire surface of the metal object, at a location(s) separate from a friction stir welded joint. The FSS process on the surface produces a corrosion resistant mechanical conversion “coating” on the object. The “coating” is formed by the thickness of the material of the object that has been FSS processed. In one exemplary application, the process can be applied to a metal strip that is later formed into a tube whereby the “coated” surface resides on the inside of the tube making it highly resistant to corrosive flow such as seawater. | 09-18-2014 |
20140262173 | PROCESS OF FRICTION STIR WELDING ON TUBE END JOINTS AND A PRODUCT PRODUCED THEREBY - A process of producing shell and tube heat exchangers where the ends of the tubes are secured to a tube sheet while reacting applied FSW forces without introducing a crevice or local deformation near the ends of the tubes. In particular, an interference fit is used to lock the ends of the tubes into the tube sheet without flaring or expanding the tube ends. A FSW process is then used to weld the ends of the tubes to the tube sheet. | 09-18-2014 |