METHODE DE PRODUCTION D'UN ECHANGEUR THERMODYNAMIQUE A ROTOR

ROTOR FOR MOISTURE AND/OR HEAT EXCHANGERS AS WELL AS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURE THEREOF

Abrégé anglais

METHOD OF PRODUCING A ROTARY THERMODYNAMIC EXCHANGER
ABSTRACT OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method for producing a rotor or
similar body for moisture and/or heat exchangers containing a trans-
ferrer mass composed of alternately plane and corrugated layers
with the corrugations extending in axial direction so as to form
a plurality of axial narrow channels extending from end to ends
In order to increase the moisture and/or heat transferring capac-
ity of the exchanger rotor, the continuity of said narrow axial
channels is partially interrupted at predetermined places by the
corrugaged layer or layers being formed with a plurality of strip-
shaped portions displaced relatively to one another in the periph-
eral direction of the rotor for a distance preferably amounting to
between one-half and one-third of the individual corrugations. The
increase of the resistance to flow in the longitudinal direction
of the channels created in this way at the transitions from one
strip-shaped portion to the displaced adjacent portion is kept at
so low a value that said resistance nowhere falls below the re-
sistance to flow in the direction across said channels.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION FOR WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED, ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In the method of producing a wheel-like rotor for trans-
ferring thermodynamic characteristics between streams of gaseous
media composed of a bi-layered web comprising a length of a
flat integral sheet defining the thickness of the rotor and
supporting a corrugated sheet, which web is formed into a cyl-
indrical structure of alternating flat uninterrupted layers and
corrugated layers forming a maze of channels extending axially
through the cylindrical structure and through which channels the
streams of gaseous media are passed in thermodynamic exchange
with one another, as the rotor moves cyclically between the
streams, the improvement comprising:
a) subdividing the corrugated sheet into a plurality of
strips; and
b) adhering said strips contiguously across the entire
width of said integral flat sheet and along the entire length
thereof with the corrugations of contiguous strips being rela-
tively offset lengthwise to produce a maze of disaligned inter-
rupted channels supported between the uninterrupted flat layers
in the formed cylindrical structure and thereby cause the streams
of gaseous media to flow in a random pattern through the rotor,
with consequent increased heat exchange co-efficient thereof.
2. The method according to Claim 1, in which said strips
are offset a distance ranging between one-half and one-third of
the space between the nodes of the corrugations.
3. The method according to Claim 1, in which the corru-
gated strips are first produced from flat strips severed from a
flat sheet and then corrugated and applied in offset fashion to
said integral flat sheet.
4. The method according to Claim 1, in which the width of
said corrugated strips is calculated so as to create a flow re-

sistance in the direction across the channels in the rotor
which is greater than the resistance in the longitudinal di-
rection of the channels.

Description

2 O FIELD OF THE INVENTI ON
This invention relates to a rotatable body for exchangers
; for effecting a change in the physical properties of a gaseous
; medium by interaction with another medium.
More particularly, this invention relates to a rotor or sim-
ilar body for moisture and/or heat exchangers, comprising a moistur,
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and/or heat exchanging mass of alternately plane and corrugated
layers, the corrugations,extending substantially a~ially so as
to form a great number of a~ial narrow channels.
The invention also relates to a method and an apparatus
for manu~acture of the product in consideration.
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MAIN OBJECTS OF THE'INVE~TION
One main object of the invention is to provide a rotor or
similar body of the stated kind which has substantial capacities
of transferring moisture and/or temperature exceeding those of
conventional devices so as to involve considerable savings of
material in the manufacture of the rotor or similar body.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method by
which the rotor or similar body can be manufactured in a highly
accurate manner so as to render a product satisfying very high
demands on quality and endurance.
- ~ill a furth~r object of the invention is to provide an
apparatus for carrying out the method in a reliable manner and
permitting easy change in the dimensions of the individual layers
formed and assembled in the apparatus to be treated further to
take the shape of a rotor or similar body.
S~ORT DES'CRIPTION OF THE ~RAWINGS
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become ,'
apparent from the .ollowing description considered in connection
with the accompanying drawings which form part of this description
and of which~
Fig. 1 is a side ~iew of a rotor made according to ~he in- "'
vention~
Fig. 2 is a side view of a fragment of the rotor shown in
Fig, 1 in a much enlarged scale and shows the alternately plane
and corrugate~ layers of which the rotor--mass is built up.
Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an apparatus
for manufacturing of the web composed of corrugated and plane
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layers of w~ich the rotor acco~ding to the invention is built up.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
~eferring now to the drawings and especially to Figs. 1 and
2 ? the rotor shown therein is formed with a hub 10 which contains
bearings (not shown) for a sha~t supporting the rotor in a frame.
Between the hub 10 and an outer flange 12, the rotor is filled with
a moisture and/or heat exchanging mass composed of thin layers
or webs of, e g., asbestos or cellulose paper, metal, such as alum-
inium or the like, plastic material or other materials havin~ suit-
able properties for the inténded use. If the rotor shall serve
for transfer of moisture, the layers are also impregnated or coated
with a hygroscopic substance, such as lithium chloride, or a solid
sorption agent. When appropriate, the layers are also supplied
with suitable additives so that required mechanical strength of
the individual layers and of the joining between the same is at-
~: tained. Most conveniently, the layers are formed of a plane web
16 and a corrugated web 1~ which are wound up spirally to a cyl-
indrical blank. The corrugations extend axially during the wind-
ing up operation and thus form thereunder a great number of narrow
2Q channels extending from end to end. The spacing between the turns
oE winding of the plane web is preferalby less than S mms., for
example, 1 mm. to 3 mms., which thus constitutes the vertical
height of the corrugations in the interposed corrugated layer.
According to the invention, the corrugated web 1~ (Fig. 3)
comprises a plurality of strips 20, 22, 24 (see also Fig. 2)
which are displaced relatively to one another in the longitudinal
direction, i~e~, in the circumferential direction of the Einished ;
rotor, in such a manner that the continuity of the narrow chan-
nels Eormed by the corrugations is interrupted at the passage
30 between the strips. In this way, the laminary flow of the air
passing -through the rotor will be broken up at the transition be- 3
tween the strips of the corrugated layer so that the :Elow profile
at the inlet t~ a channel with steep temperature and velocity
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gradient is reformed at each such transition, which improves the
transfer capacity of the rotor with respect to both moisture and
heat.
Preferably ? the strips are displaced relatively to one
another by one-half or one-third of the width of one corrugation
or fold length, so that each second or each third layer will be
positioned without displacement relative one another. In deter-
mining the width of the strips, one must take into consideration
that the resistance by too narrow strips 20, 22, 24 may cause the
air to change direction. Therefore, one must always see that the
flow resistance in the direction across the channels is greater
than that in the longitudinal direc~ion of the channei, as other- `~
wise, a tangential flow in zig-zag direction may be produced with-
in the rotor, which results in a mixture of inlet air and outlet
air,
In the preferred embodiment shown in Fig. 3 of an apparatus
I for manufacture of the rotor acco~ding to the invention, a planeintegral web 26 is subdivided by means of a number of diagram-
matically shown knives 28 over its entire width into a suitable
number of strips. By means of two corrugating cylinde~s 30, 32
which consist of a number of toothed cylindrical discs 34, 36
and 38, 40, respectively, the strips are then folded or corrugated
by the discs 34, 36 and 38, 40, which are displaced relatively
to one another a distance equal to the desired displacement of
the strips 20, 22 and 24 in the corrugated web. In order to vary
the degree of displacement, the cylinder discs may be rotated
relatively to one another on the cylinder shafts 42, 44 and locked
in desired position~
After the strips 20, 22 and 24 have been folded or c.orrugated
in the nip between the cylinders 30 and 32, and while they still
are retained in the grooves of said c~linder 30, a glue is applied
to the side averted from the cylinder 30 of the strip portions
20, 22 and 2~ by means of a gluing roller 46 which has one part

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of its periphery immersed in a glue vat 48 and anot~er part bear-
ing agalnst the strips 20, 22 and 24 positioned on the cylinder
39. The lower part of the cylinder 30 forms a nip together with
a pressing roller 52 about which runs a plane layer or web which
is unwound from a supply cylinder (not shown) and which in Fig. 3
is denoted 50 and which forms the layer 16 in the finished rotor
structure (Fig. 2). By the pressing roller 52, the layer 50 is
pressed against the glue-coated nodes of the strips 20, 22 and 24,
so that these nodes are fixed onto the plane layer 50 without
their relative positions being changed.
Thereafter, the thus-formed bi-layered web is wound into a
cylindrical body in l~nown manner, or the flat web may be formed `~
into rotor sectors which thereupon are assembled into a rotor.
After the winding or otherwise forming, the rotor mass is machined
by cutting or grinding, so as to impart to its lateral faces the
required smooth surface. Especially for large rotors, the rotor
mass can also be subdivided into sectors to facilitate transpor-
tation, assemblage and exchange of the rotor parts.
Thus, in the finished rotor mass, the plane layer 16 con-
stitutes a carrier for the folded or corrugated strips 20~ 22 and
24. By the relative displacement of the strips as described, a
considerable improvement of the exchange efficiency is obtained.
It has proved possible to use in a conventional rotor transferrer
type, corrugations which have a height of 2.5 rnms., instead of
1.5 mmns., without impairment of efficiency, which results in a
saving of 40% of ~he cost of material for the rotor with unchanged
thickness of material. ~ith the mentioned corrugation height, the
width of the corrugated strips may be from 5 mms. to 20 mms.
It is obvious to an expert in the art that the rotor mass
may be built up of parallel plane layers, instead of cylindrically
wound layers.
l~hile one more or less specific embodiment of the invention
has been shown and described, it is to be ~mderstood that this is
for the purpose of elucidation only, and that the invention is not
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to be li~ited thereby, but its scope is to be determined by the
appe~ded claims~
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