Tubular Heat Exchange

Abstract

In one embodiment, the invention relates to a heat exchanger suitable for use with a thermodynamic cycle-based machine such as an engine, an energy conversion machine, a cooling machine or other suitable systems and machines. The heat exchanger can include one or more tubes arranged to form a heat exchanger. In one embodiment, a unitary tube is used. The heat exchanger can include a canister that includes a regenerator material. The canister can be in thermal communication with a working material and a containment vessel having a containment chamber in one embodiment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 599,232 filed Feb. 15, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]Thermodynamic cycle-based machines such as Stirling engines and other devices often use a containment vessel having a containment chamber and heat exchangers along with other components to help convert heat into mechanical motion and to use such mechanical motion to provide cooling or electricity. Conventional heat exchanger assemblies for use with thermodynamic cycle-based machines typically contain many parts that have demanding assembly requirements.[0003]Containment vessels and other components of thermodynamic cycle-based machines are often subjected to extreme temperature environments for extended periods of time. Therefore, exotic materials having properties suitable for use in extreme temperature environments have been used to form heat exchanger assemblies. ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is about a heat exchanger assembly that can be used in various machines such as thermal energy converting or cooling devices. The assembly includes a regenerator section, an acceptor section, and a rejector section. The regenerator section has a first tube section with a regenerator material disposed inside it. The assembly can also have a plurality of regenerator assemblies. The regenerator material can be a gas or other suitable working material. The heat exchanger assembly can be used in various applications such as thermal energy conversion or cooling.

Problems solved by technology

Conventional heat exchanger assemblies for use with thermodynamic cycle-based machines typically contain many parts that have demanding assembly requirements.

Containment vessels and other components of thermodynamic cycle-based machines are often subjected to extreme temperature environments for extended periods of time.

In addition, forming exotic materials into complex shapes such as annular heat exchangers is difficult and costly.

As an example, construction is often challenging because a large heat transfer surface area is usually required to be in contact with working gases.

Tubular or finned designs tend to have high stresses at the interfaces where the geometry varies, have high flow losses at those interfaces and are typically expensive to produce with complicated welds or braze joints.

The tube and fin heat exchangers are typically fluid cooled with the fluid boundary and subsequent tube interfaces adjacent to the high containment vessel of the Stirling cycle which leads to complicated high stress designs.

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