Cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid by means of surface water

Abstract

A cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid by surface water includes more than one tubes for containing and transporting the fluid in its interior, the exterior of the tube being in operation at least partially submerged in the surface water so as to cool the tube to thereby also cool the fluid. The cooling apparatus also includes at least one light source for producing light that hinders fouling on at least part of the submerged exterior, and at least one optic unit for enhancing the distribution of anti-fouling light on the submerged exterior.

Claims

1. A cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid by surface water, the cooling apparatus comprising: tubes configured to contain and transport the fluid in the tubes, an exterior portion of at least one tube of the tubes being in operation at least partially submerged in the surface water so as to cool the tubes to thereby also cool the fluid; at least one light source configured to generate anti-fouling light that hinders fouling on at least part of the exterior portion submerged in the surface water; and at least one optic guide configured to guide the anti-fouling light towards the at least part of the exterior portion submerged in the surface water, wherein the optical medium includes a rod having a main portion and branch portions, the main portion extending between two sources of the at least one light source, and the branch portions extending from main portion towards the tubes.

2. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one optic guide at least partially lies in between two adjacent tubes of the tubes.

3. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one optic guide comprises at least one optical medium through which the anti-fouling light generated by the at least one light source travels.

4. The cooling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one optical medium comprises spaces filled with at least one of a gas and clear water for guiding at least part of the anti-fouling light through the spaces.

5. The cooling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one optical medium is a light spreader arranged in front of the at least one light source for spreading at least part of the anti-fouling light emitted by the at least one light source in one or more directions having a component substantially perpendicular to the exterior portion of the at least one tube.

6. The cooling apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one optical medium includes a light guide.

7. The cooling apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one optical medium has a light coupling-in surface for coupling in the anti-fouling light from the at least one light source and a light coupling-out surface for coupling-out the anti-fouling light in a direction towards the exterior portion of the at least one tube.

8. A cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid by surface water, the cooling apparatus comprising: tubes configured to contain and transport the fluid in the tubes, an exterior of at least one tube of the tubes being in operation at least partially submerged in the surface water so as to cool the tubes to thereby also cool the fluid; at least one light source configured to generate anti-fouling light that hinders fouling on at least part of the exterior submerged in the surface water; and at least one optic guide configured to guide the anti-fouling light towards the at least part of the exterior submerged in the surface water, wherein the at least one optic guide comprises at least one optical medium through which the anti-fouling light generated by the at least one light source travels, and wherein the at least one optical medium has at least one guiding material with a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the surface water such that at least part of the anti-fouling light is propagated through the at least one optic guide via total internal reflection in a direction substantially parallel to the exterior of the at least one tube before being out-coupled at a light out-coupling surface.

9. The cooling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the optical medium is includes one of glass, glass fiber, silicones and transparent plastic.

10. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one light source includes an internal light source located between the tubes and an external light source located at the external portion of the at least one tube, and wherein the at least one optic guide further comprises a reflector located by the external light source and configured to restrict propagation of light waves away from the external light source and to reflect the anti-fouling light from the external light source towards the exterior portion of the at least one tube.

11. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tubes includes a tube bundle having a width and comprising tube layers arranged in parallel along the width such that each tube layer of the tube layers comprises a plurality of hairpin type tubes having two straight tube portions and one semicircular portion so as to form a U-shaped tube portion, and wherein the tubes are disposed with the U-shaped tube portions concentrically arranged and the straight tube portions arranged in parallel, so that innermost U-shaped tube portions are of small radius and outermost U-shaped tube portions are of large radius larger than the small radius, with remaining intermediate U-shaped tube portions having progressively graduated radius of curvature between the small radius and the large radius.

12. The cooling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tubes are at least partially coated with a light reflective coating.

13. A ship according comprising: an engine; a hull for housing the engine; partition plates, the hull and the partition plates defining a closed box with entry and exit openings; a cooling apparatus for cooling a fluid by surface water to cool the engine, the cooling apparatus being placed in the closed box so that sea water can freely enter the closed box, flow over the cooling apparatus and exit via natural flow through the entry and exit openings, wherein inner surfaces of the closed box in which the cooling unit is placed are at least partially coated with a light reflective coating, and wherein the cooling apparatus comprises: tubes configured to contain and transport the fluid in the tubes, an exterior of at least one tube of the tubes being in operation at least partially submerged in the surface water so as to cool the tubes to thereby also cool the fluid; at least one light source configured to generate anti-fouling that hinders fouling on at least part of the exterior submerged in the surface water; and at least one optic guide configured to guide the anti-fouling light towards the at least part of the exterior submerged in the surface water, wherein the at least one optic guide comprises at least one optical medium through which the anti-fouling light generated by the at least one light source travels, and wherein the at least one optical medium has at least one guiding material with a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the surface water such that at least part of the anti-fouling light is propagated through the at least one optic guide via total internal reflection in a direction substantially parallel to the exterior of the at least one tube before being out-coupled at an out-coupling surface.

14. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one optical medium has a light coupling-in surface for coupling in the anti-fouling light from the at least one light source, the light coupling-out surface coupling-out the anti-fouling light in a direction towards the exterior of the at least one tube.

15. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one optic guide at least partially lies in between two adjacent tubes of the tubes.

16. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one optical medium comprises spaces filled with at least one of a gas and clear liquid for guiding at least part of the anti-fouling light through the spaces.

17. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a light spreader arranged in front of the at least one light source for spreading at least part of the anti-fouling light emitted by the at least one light source in one or more directions having a component substantially perpendicular to the exterior of the at least one tube.

18. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical medium includes one of glass, glass fiber, silicones and transparent plastic.

19. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the optical medium includes a rod extending from the at least one light source towards the tubes.

20. The cooling apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one optic guide further comprises a reflector configured to restrict propagation of light waves away from and to reflect the anti-fouling light towards the exterior of the at least one tube.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings in which corresponding reference symbols indicate corresponding parts, and in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an embodiment of the cooling apparatus;

(3) FIG. 2 is a schematic horizontal cross section view of an embodiment of the cooling apparatus;

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross section view of another embodiment of the cooling apparatus; and

(5) The drawings are not necessarily on scale.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

(6) While the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. It is further noted that the drawings are schematic, not necessarily to scale and that details that are not required for understanding the present invention may have been omitted. The terms inner, outer, along and the like relate to the embodiments as oriented in the drawings, unless otherwise specified. Further, elements that are at least substantially identical or that perform an at least substantially identical function are denoted by the same numeral.

(7) FIG. 1 shows as a basic embodiment, a schematic view of a cooling apparatus (1) for the cooling of a ship's engine, placed in a closed box, defined by the hull (3) of the ship and partition plates (4,5) such that entry and exit openings (6,7) are provided on the hull so that sea water can freely enter the box volume, flow over the cooling apparatus and exit via natural flow, comprising a bundle of tubes (8) through which a fluid to be cooled can be conducted, at least one light source (9) for generating an anti-fouling light, arranged by the tubes (8) so as to emit the anti-fouling light on the tubes (8). Hot fluid enters the tubes (8) from above and conducted all the way and exits once again, now cooled from the top side. Meanwhile sea water enters the box from the entry openings (6), flows over the tubes (8) and receives heat from the tubes (8) and thus the fluid conducted within. Taking the heat from the tubes (8) sea water warms up and rises. The sea water then exits the box from the exit openings (7) which are located at a higher point on the hull (3). During this cooling process any bio organisms existing in the sea water tend to attach to the tubes (8) which are warm and provide a suitable environment for the organisms to live in, the phenomena known as fouling. To avoid such attachment at least one light source (9) is arranged by the tubes (8) and at least one optic unit (2) is arranged by the light source (9) for guiding anti-fouling light towards the submerged exterior of tubes (8). As illustrated in FIG. 1 one or more tubular lamps can be used as a light source (9) to realize the aim of the invention.

(8) FIG. 2 shows a cooling apparatus (1) wherein the optical unit (2) comprises multiple optical mediums (10) through which the light generated by the light source (9) travels and wherein the said optic units (2) at least partially lies in between two adjacent tubes (8). In this embodiment the optical medium (10) is a light guide. In this embodiment the optical medium (10) is in the form of a rod with branches, extending from the light source (9) towards the tubes (8).

(9) FIG. 3 shows an embodiment wherein the light sources (9) arranged on the inner side of the tube (8) bundle are provided with optical mediums (10) that are in the form of light guides whereas the light sources (9) arranged on the outer side of the tube (8) bundle are provided with a light spreader in between the light source (9) and the tube (8) for spreading at least part of the anti-fouling light emitted by the light source (9) in one or more directions having a component substantially perpendicular to the exterior of the tube (8). In this embodiment the cooling apparatus (1) is further provided with reflectors (11) which restricts the propagation of light waves away from and reflects the light towards the tubes' (8) exterior which the light source (9) hinders fouling on.

(10) Elements and aspects discussed for or in relation with a particular embodiment may be suitably combined with elements and aspects of other embodiments, unless explicitly stated otherwise. The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Modifications and alterations may occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof. As fouling may also happen in rivers or lakes, the invention is generally applicable to cooling by means of any kind of surface water.