A GAS FLOW SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention is directed to a modular gas flow system comprising at least a first and a second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element. The four edges of at least one open face of the first gas flow element is connected in a gas tight manner to four edges of an open face of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element. A valve or a partition is present at the connecting open faces. The gas flow system may be a header of a plate heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A gas flow system comprising at least a first and a second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element, each gas flow element having an interior space, six open faces, eight vertices and twelve edges interconnecting the eight vertices, wherein the four edges of at least one open face of the first gas flow element is connected in a gas tight manner to four edges of an open face of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element at their respective connecting open faces and wherein a valve is present at the connecting open faces which has an open position or positions thereby fluidly connecting the interior space of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element with the interior space of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element to enable a first gas flow to flow from a hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element to the other hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element of the system and wherein the valve has a closed position thereby fluidly disconnecting the interior space of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element with the interior space of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element, or wherein a partition is present at the connecting open faces thereby fluidly disconnecting the interior space of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element with the interior space of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element enabling a second gas flow through the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element and a fluidly disconnected third gas flow through the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the cuboid is a rectangular cuboid.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the cuboid is a square cuboid.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element is a single injected moulded work product.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the four edges of the connecting open face is provided with connecting means to connect to the four edges of the connecting open face of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the means to connect the four edges of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element with the four edges of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element are extensions from the edges of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element first which extension can form a snap-fit connection with the edges of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the valve is a rotating valve as present in a rectangular shaped frame and wherein the rectangular shaped frame is connected to the edges of the connecting face of the first or the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein the partition is a rectangular shaped closed frame and wherein the rectangular shaped frame is connected to the edges of the connecting face of the first or the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein at their respective connecting open faces the four edges of the open face of the first gas flow element is connected in a gas tight manner to four edges of the open face of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element by means of a connecting frame, wherein the connecting frame is provided with means to connect to the four edges of the open face of the first gas flow element and is provided with connecting means to connect to the four edges of the open face of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein the connecting frame comprises a valve or wherein the connecting frame is closed to form the partition.

11. A system according to claim 4, wherein the hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element and/or the optional connecting frame is made of polypropylene (PP) and/or polyoxymethylene (POM).

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the means to connect the connecting frame to the edges of the open faces of the first and second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element is a snap-fit connection.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the remaining open faces of the first or the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element are enclosed in a gas tight manner by an enclosing wall element which is connected to the four edges of the open face or connected to a further cuboid shaped gas flow element or connected to a gas inlet or connected to a gas outlet.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the enclosing wall element is connected to the four edges by means of a snap fit connection, wherein means as present on the enclosing wall form a snap fit connecting with the edges of the open face.

15. A system according to claim 1 as used as a header of a heat exchanger comprising two parallel rows of fluidly connected hollow cuboid shaped gas flow elements, wherein the two rows are interconnected via a number of connecting open faces provided with a partition and wherein the resulting second gas flow and third gas flow are the gas flows exchanging heat in the heat exchanger.

Description

[0032] The invention will be illustrated by the following non-limiting Figures.

[0033] FIG. 1 a hollow cube shaped gas flow element (3). The gas flow element has an interior space (4), six open faces (5), eight vertices (6) and twelve edges (7) interconnecting the eight vertices (6).

[0034] FIG. 2 shows a connecting frame (8) provided with an opening (9) and four edges (10). Along the edges (10) extrusions are seen directed in both directions perpendicular to the plane of the frame. These extrusions are the cantilever snap-fit connections (11) which can connect to an edge (7) of the gas flow element (3) as seen in FIG. 3.

[0035] FIG. 4 shows a detail of a gas flow element (1) at one of its vertices (6) wherein one open face is provided with a connecting frame (8) and a neighbouring open face is provided with an enclosing wall element (15). Both the connecting frame (8) as the enclosing wall element (15) are provided with numerous protrusions (16) in a perpendicular direction with respect to the plane of the connecting frame (8) or plane of the enclosing wall element (15). The protrusions (16) are provided with a sharp edge (17) at its end which are dimensioned such that they form a cantilever snap fit connection with the edge (7). As shown the location of the protrusions (16) of the connecting frame (8) and the enclosing wall element (15) are not at the same positions along the edges of these elements. This makes it possible that neighbouring open faces of a gas flow element (1) can be provided with connecting frames (8), enclosing wall elements (15) or other elements by a snap fit connection on its common edge (7).

[0036] In FIG. 5 a system (12) of two connected gas flow elements (3) are shown as a first (1) and a second (2) hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element. The four edges (7) of at least one open face (5) of the first gas flow element (1) is connected in a gas tight manner to four edges (7a) of an open face (5a) of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (2) by means of a connecting frame (8). In this way the interior space (4) of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (1) is fluidly connected with the interior space (4a) of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (2).

[0037] In FIG. 5 only a connecting frame (8) is shown. In a practical application of the gas flow system the remaining open faces (5) of the gas flow elements (2) and (3) may be enclosed in a gas tight manner by an enclosing wall element which is connected to the four edges of the open face or connected to a further cuboid shaped gas flow element by means of a connecting a frame or connected to a gas inlet or connected to a gas outlet. A next gas flow element can be connected to gas flow elements (2) or (3) at their outer ends forming a linear flow path for the gas or may be connected to an open face at the side resulting in a flow path making a 90° turn.

[0038] In FIG. 5 the connecting frame (8) is provided with a rotating valve (13). The valve (13) can fluidly disconnect interior space (4) from interior space (4a) when in a closed position and can fluidly connect interior space (4) with interior space (4a) in an open position. The valve (13) rotates around an axis and can be operated from at the exterior of the gas flow elements (1) and (2) via axle (14) as the means to operate the rotation of the valve.

[0039] FIG. 6 shows a system of two connected gas flow elements (3) are shown as a first (1) and a second (2) hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element. The four edges (7) of at least one open face (5) of the first gas flow element (1) is directly connected in a gas tight manner to four edges (7a) of an open face (5a) of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (2). A rotating valve (20) is present in a rectangular shaped frame (21). Frame (21) is connected to the edge (7) of the second hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (2). The same edge (7) is connected to the edges of the first hollow cuboid shaped gas flow element (1) as shown.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-section of a plate heat exchanger (20) having hexagonal heat exchange surfaces (21) and wherein heat may be exchanges between a first gas flow (22) and a second gas flow (23). The first and second gas flows will flow via alternating spaces between stacked heat exchanges surfaces (21) from a header to a header. The first gas flow (22) will flow from a header (24) to a header (25). The second gas flow will flow from a header (26) to a header (27). Header (24) is fluidly connected to a gas inlet (28). Header (27) is fluidly connected to a gas outlet (29). Header (25) is fluidly connected to a gas outlet (30) via a valve (31) and header (26) is fluidly connected to a gas inlet (32) via a valve (33). Header (25) is connected via a valve (34) to header (26).

[0041] In FIG. 8 the plate heat exchanger (20) of FIG. 7 is shown in a three dimensional view. Some walls are not shown such to have a better view of the various components of the heat exchanger. A stack (35) of heat exchange surfaces (23) is shown. Header (25) is made of a row of 4 interconnected gas flow elements (1) as shown in FIGS. 1-6 connected by a connecting frame (8). Header (26) is also made of a row of 4 interconnected gas flow elements (1). Header (25) and header (26) are connected to each other by 4 interconnecting frames (8) provided with a rotating valve (13). The four rotating valves (13) are interconnected and are operated by an external positioned motor (36). For the headers not shown but present at the opposite side of the plate heat exchanger the connection of the two rows of gas flow elements may be by means of partitions as present in the connecting open faces, thereby fluidly disconnecting the gas flows through both headers.

[0042] Header (25) is at its far away end connected to a further gas flow element (37) via a connecting frame (8) provided with valve (31). This gas flow element connects header (25) with gas outlet (30). Gas outlet (30) is fluidly connected to gas flow element (37) via an adaptor wall element (38) which is connected to an open face of gas flow element (37) by a snap fit connection as shown in FIG. 4.