HEAT EXCHANGE ELEMENT AND PROCESS FOR PRODUCTION THEREOF

ELEMENT ECHANGEUR DE CHALEUR, ET METHODE DE FABRICATION CONNEXE

English Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a heat
exchange element, especially a structural element, for
a heat-pump heating system, a solar-heating installation
or an evaporating unit. The element consists of a
conduit-pipe system carrying one or more liquid or
gaseous heat-exchange media, and of a support plate to
which the pipes are secured heat-conductingly by means
of a cold wire joint. It is characterized in that the
edge areas of a wire-structure having at least one group
of parallel wires are pressed into areas of the support-
plate adjacent the pipe.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A heat-exchange element, especially a structural
element, for a heat-pump heating system, a solar-heating
installation, or an evaporator unit, consisting of a
conduit-pipe system comprising at least one pipe carrying one
or more liquid or gaseous heat-exchange media, and of a support-
plate to which the pipe is secured heat-conductingly by means of
a cold wire joint, characterized in that the edge areas
of a wire-structure having at least one group of parallel
wires are pressed into areas of the support-plate adjacent
the pipe.
2. A heat-exchange element according to claim 1,
characterized in that the wire structure is a wire lattice.
3. A heat-exchange element according to claim 1
characterized in that a wire (8) is wound, spirally and
under pre-load, onto the ends in particular of the
pipe (3), the said wire thus forming an external thread
serving to connect the said pipe to supply or return
lines or to connect lengths of the pipe together.
4. A heat-exchange element according to claim 3,
characterized in that a threaded sleeve (12), with left
and right-hand threads, is used to join the pipes together.

Description

~L8764
This invention relates to a heat-exchange element,
more particularly a structural element for a heat-pump
heating system, a solar-heating installation or an evaporator
unit, consisting of a conduit-pipe system carrying one
or more, liquid or gaseous, heat-exchange media, and of
a support-plate to which the pipes are secured heat-
conductingly by means of a cold wire joint.
German A-24 61 2~9 discloses a heat-exchange
element consisting of a tubular electrical heating element
having a wire wound spirally around its exterior. The
tubular heating element is secured to the support-plate
by pressing the crests of the wire-spiral thereinto.
The said reference also discloses a pipeline system for
cooling or heating media in which a support plate having
grooved depressions is connected to ancther support-plate
by wire-spirals which, in this case, act as connecting
elements.
~ In the first of the above-mentioned solutions,
these are not pipes through which a liquid or gaseous
heat-exchange medium flows; instead they are tubular
heating elements which are filled with an appropriately
compacted insulating material, usually magnesium oxide.
The pressure required to secure the tubular heating element
to the support-plate may be then transferrea there without
aifficulty. In the case of the hollow pipes needed for
said heat-exchange elements, the requirements are different.
Especially in the case of thin-walled pipes, such as are
required for the purpose in question, special precautions
must be taken to prevent random deformation of the pipes.
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In the second of the above-mentioned solutions,
two plates must be used, one of them provided with approp-
riate depressions. Two ducts capable of carrying a heat-
exchange medium are formed. However, since no pipes are
used, difficulties arise in connecting the said ducts to
a corresponding pipe system.
Heat-exchange elements are used, for example, to
recover heat from solar-heating installations, for storing
heat, for example, in the ground, for heating purposes,
floor-heating for example, and or cooling purposes,
in evaporators for example. They generally consist of
support-plates or the like to which pipes constituting
a pipeline system are attached. This attachment may be
by soldering or welding, but this is relatively costly
and is also restricted to specific materials. In the case
of aluminum, which because of its good heat-conductivity
and resistance to corrision, possibly in the form of
alloys, welding or soldering is usually difficult. In
other designs, clips are welded to the support-plate to
hold the pipes. These designs have the disadvantage that
heat-transfer to the pipe through the clips is very poor.
~oreover, a considerable amount of labour is involved in
fitting the clips.
It is the purpose of the invention to provide a
heat-exchange element of the type in ~uestion, which
will permit hollow pipes to be fitted to the support-plates,
or other supporting structures, by cold-pressing, without
random deformation of the pipes by the pressure applied.
This purpose is by a heat-exchange element, especially a
structural element, for a heat-pump heating system, a
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solar-heating installation, or an evaporator unit, con-
sisting of a conduit-pipe system carrying one or more
liquid or gaseous heat-exchange media, and of a support-
plate to which the pipes are secured heat-conductingly by
means o a cold wire joint, characterized in that the
edge areas of a wire-structure hav]Lng at least one group
of parallel wires are pressed into areas of the support-
plate adjacent the pipe.
Preferred examples of embodiments of the invention
are explained hereinafter in conjunction with the drawings
attached hereto, wherein:
Fig. 1 is a diagrammatical representation
of an example of embodiment in which a wire
lattice is used to secure a pipe;
Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the desig~
according to Fig. l;
Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a design in
which two pipes are fitted snugly to a
support-plate;
Fig. 4 shows two pipe-ends joined by means
of a sleeve.
In the example of the embodiment illustrated in
Fig. 1, a lattice 31 is used to secure a pipe 30 to a
support-plate 13. A triangular cross-section is imparted
to pipe 30 by die-pressing, thus increasing the heat-
conducting surface between the pipe and the support-plate.
At the same time, the wires of lattice 31 are pressed
into support-plate 13 in such a manner that they are
anchored to the material itself, as shown in Fig. 2.
End 32 of the pipe is not triangulated, i.e. it retains
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its circular cross-section in order to facilitate connection
to another pipe or hose~
Fig. 3 shows that it is also possible to secure
more than one pipe to support-plate 13, for instance
pipes 26,27. In this case, pipe 26 may be used to carry
a liquid heat-exchange medium, while pipe 27 is arranged
in an evaporator-condenser circuit. In this way, one
circuit or the other may be used to recover heat,
depending upon the outside temperature and the heat-
output required. It is also possible, with this design,
for pipes 26,27 to carry gaseous or liquid heat-exchange
media in counterflow, thus making it possible to improve
heat-recovery.
Pipes 26,27 are secured by means of a wire spiral
28 which is larger in diameter than the two pipes placed
together. Now if apress-~ie or press-ram, comprising~a cross-
sectionally U-shaped recess, is used to press the assemb-ly
to support-late 13,~the two cross-sectionally triangular pipes
are fitted snugly together. At the same time, and without
any special precautions being taken, base-loops 29 are
pressed out of thè said wire-spiral 28 and anchor themselves
into the material of support-plate 13.
Now, as shown in Fig. 4 a wire 8, wound under
pre-load upon a pipe 3 and secured thereto by soldering,
acts as a helical thread. The ends of a pipe can thus
be connected to each other, or to feed or return-lines,
by threaded sleeves 12, one end of which has a left-hand
thread and the other half a right-hand thread. Rotating
the said sleeve in one direction thus draws the ends of
the pipe thereinto and produces a leakproof seal. This

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is a very simple and highly effective union, substantially
more reliable than other methods of uniting pipes. It
is also possible to connect hoses to the pipes, the great
advantage of which is that, when the joint is tightened,
S the hose-material is pressed into the spaces between the
turns of wire. This improves the sealing action and makes
it quite impossible for the hose to slip off.
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