Heat Exchanger for Controlling the Temperature of a Solid Substance

Abstract

A heat exchanger includes a plurality of tubular, substantially parallel containers (1, 1a) filled with a solid substance. The containers are immersed in a vessel that has openings (4) for letting a fluid flow in and out in order for the containers to be exposed to an oriented fluid stream. The containers are immobilized by means of a retaining plate (2) acting as a vessel closure and are supported by a plurality of guide plates (3).

Claims

1. A heat exchanger, comprising: a plurality of tubularly elongated containers (1, 1a), which are substantially parallel to one another and which are filled with a solid substance containing a metallic component, a fluid being able to flow around the containers (1, 1a) by the containers (1, 1a) being almost completely immersed in a vessel which comprises a fluid inlet opening (4) and a fluid outlet opening (4) for the establishment of an oriented fluid flow in an interior of the vessel; a plurality of guide plates (3) supported at edges on an inner wall of the vessel; and a retaining plate (2) serving as a vessel closure, to which the containers are fixed and through which the containers protrude, characterized in that the containers (1) are supported by the guide plates (3) along a longitudinal extension of the containers (1) in the vessel.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide plates (3) have openings through which the containers (1, 1a) are passed individually.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide plates (3) obstruct a continuous, in particular laminar, fluid flow along the longitudinal extension of the containers (1, 1a).

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the guide plates (3), together with the inner wall of the vessel, form passages (5) for enabling a fluid flow.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that several container variants (1, 1a) with different dimensions, in particular with different pipe diameters, are combined with each other.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the containers (1, 1a) are all connected with each other via a gas line at ends of the containers (1, 1a) which protrude out of the vessel.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that the solid substance in the containers (1, 1a) is capable of storing gas in an interior of the solid substance.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the containers is provided with a temperature sensor.

9. The heat exchanger according to claim 8, characterized in that the temperature sensor is designed as a probe which within the container is guided through the retaining plate into the interior of the vessel.

Description

EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT

[0025] Subsequently, an embodiment of the invention is described in more detail with the aid of some figures. All figures refer to the same embodiment, of which different details are shown in the individual illustrations.

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a heat exchanger in an overall view.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a combination of guide plates.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a detail of an arrangement schema.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows a pipe structure placed on the ends of the containers.

[0030] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged detail view in the area of the retaining plate.

[0031] FIG. 1: a vessel contains containers in two variants 1 and 1a, whose pipe diameters differ from each other. The containers are fixed to a retaining plate 2 and pass through twenty-three guide plates 3. At the end opposite to the retaining plate the vessel is closed by a Klopper head, wherein a distance to the container ends is provided to enable their unhindered expansion.

[0032] The vessel has three fluid openings 4, one is positioned approximately centrally to the vessel's longitudinal extension. To measure the temperature, respectively one probe TS is provided in two containers of the variant 1. The distance between sensor and container end is respectively less than a quarter of the container length.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view in which two adjacent guide plates 3 are shown side by side for illustration purposes, instead of one behind the other as arranged in the vessel. The left half of the view further contains several measurement guide lines, as well as an arrangement schema composed of triangles. In the right half of the view a recess 5 is shown atop of the guide plate, in relation to the dashed circular contour; there, the passage for the fluid flow is thus positioned at the top in cooperation with the vessel wall. Adjacent guide plates are arranged in the vessel respectively rotated by 180? each, causing the changes in direction of the fluid flow and thus causing the flow around the containers to occur predominantly transversely to their longitudinal extension.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates the arrangement schema aimed at a high filling-degree by means of one of the equilateral triangles of which it is composed. In the present embodiment each triangle has at least two sides in common with one side of a neighboring triangle. The center points of the openings in the guide plates, and/or the central axes of neighboring containers, are correspondingly close to each other.

[0035] If one mentally superimposes the left and the right half of FIG. 2, one obtains the complete arrangement schema according to which the containers are fixed to a retaining plate and/or according to which their ends pass through the retaining plate.

[0036] In FIG. 4 a pipe structure is shown which connects all containers of the heat exchanger in a gas-conducting manner. The gas openings of the containers are recognizable as dashed circles 6. The vessel contains thirty-eight containers in total. From each gas opening two distinct conduit paths (without a common section) lead to every arbitrary other gas opening. The pipe structure is also shown from the side on the far left of FIG. 1 as part of the illustration.

[0037] FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view of the container ends in the area in which they pass through the retaining plate 2. Container variant 1 is provided with an intermediate member 7, which is arranged between the pipe section of the container and its gas opening. Both container variants contain an annular disk 8 and a filter disk 9 at the end of their respective pipe section (shown without reference signs for variant 1a). The annular disk serves as a retaining means to prevent displacement of the shaped bodies introduced into the containers (the shaped bodies are not shown in the figures), for example during transport of the heat exchanger. The filter disk as a further retaining means prevents free particles, which may have become detached from the shaped bodies, from being ejected with the gas flow from the containers and thus from the heat exchanger.

[0038] Additionally, the position of a welding seam for fixing of a container to the retaining plate is indicated.