Spiral-passage heat exchanger

Patent · Tue Jun 10 00:00:00 EDT 1980

OSTI ID:5778256

Chubb, T A

A spiral passage chemical converter-heat exchanger is formed by a cross-sectionally rectangular housing containing a pair of rows each containing a plurality of side-by-side passages. The rectangular housing is wound into a spiral with the innermost row forming inlet passages and the outermost row forming outlet passages. Thermal contact exists between inflow passages and outflow passages. The outer end of the spiral is connected with an inlet and an outlet. The inlet joins the innermost row of passages and the outlet joins the outermost row of passages. The inner end of the spiral is capped, with a common wall separating the upper and lower passages slotted so that fluid flows from the inlet passages to the outlet passages. As can be seen when the structure is in a spiral, the inlet passages are between the outlet passages with the outlet passages forming the outer exposed surface of the spiral and the inlet passages forming the surface of the opening through the spiral at the center. A concave sunlight reflector will focus sunlight into the central opening of the spiral thereby heating the fluid in the inlet passages. Since the outlet passages are separated by the inlet passages in the spiral and are in thermal contact therewith, the solar heated outlet fluid will heat the input fluid as it circles the spiral to the outlet passages. Thus, the outlet passages aid in heating the inlet fluid during passage to the inner end of the spiral. The inlet passages may contain a porous catalyst which is prevented from escaping by a suitable structure at each end of the inlet passages for dissociating a fluid for storage of heat for future use.

• Assignee: Secretary of the Navy
• Patent Number(s): US 4206746
• Application Number: TRN: 82-003595
• OSTI ID: 5778256
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 10 Mar 1978; Other Information: PAT-APPL-876447
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
42 ENGINEERING
HEAT EXCHANGERS
DESIGN
SOLAR REFLECTORS
SPIRAL CONFIGURATION
CATALYSTS
CERAMICS
FLUID FLOW
HEAT TRANSFER FLUIDS
PLATINUM
POROSITY
THERMAL CONDUCTION
CONFIGURATION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
EQUIPMENT
FLUIDS
HEAT TRANSFER
METALS
PLATINUM METALS
SOLAR CONCENTRATORS
SOLAR EQUIPMENT
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
141000* - Solar Collectors & Concentrators
420400 - Engineering- Heat Transfer & Fluid Flow
140505 - Solar Energy Conversion- Photochemical
Photobiological
& Thermochemical Conversion- (1980-)