Heat exchange element for ventilating apparatus
A heat exchange element of a heat exchanger prevents losses due to internal pressure non-uniformity. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat exchange sheets which are stacked together. A plurality of airflow guide ribs located between the sheets have connection passages that allow gases to flow between adjacent ducts. The flow of gasses through the connection passages offsets pressure non-uniformity between adjacent ducts. Also, the ribs can be continuously arranged over the length of the heat exchange ducts to increase an area supporting the heat exchange sheets, and thus the sag phenomenon of the heat exchange sheet can be prevented.
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1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a heat exchanger used in a ventilating apparatus. In particular, the present application discloses heat exchange plates which can be stacked to form a heat exchanger.
2. Background
A ventilating apparatus can be used for ventilating an enclosed space. The ventilating apparatus is designed to perform a heat exchange operation in which heat is exchanged between incoming outdoor air and outgoing indoor air before the outdoor air is introduced to the enclosed space. In other words, the ventilating apparatus is a kind of air conditioning apparatuses that ventilates the room such that indoor temperature does not decrease or increase abruptly, even though outdoor air is introduced during the ventilation process.
The ventilating apparatus is configured with a plurality of ducts which can be arranged to cross one another or which can be arranged in parallel. The outdoor air and the indoor air flow in opposite directions through adjacent ducts to accomplish the heat exchange operation.
An important performance factor in this type of ventilating apparatus is to maintain the temperature and humidity of air within the enclosed space. This is accomplished by conducting a heat and moisture exchange operation so that the temperature and humidity of air being sent into the enclosed space is almost equal to that of air being removed from the space.
To this end, the ducts of the heat exchanger must have maximum heat transfer efficiency and moisture permeability. It also helps to form the ducts so that they are as fine and compact as possible for contacting air over the broadest surface area.
In addition to the above, it is desirable to have the heat exchanger produce minimum noise and minimum power consumption in introducing fresh outdoor air and exhausting indoor air for ventilation. For the minimum noise and power consumption, the conduit resistance of an internal heat exchange duct must be low. Unfortunately, as the heat exchanger is configured for maximum heat and moisture exchange, noise and power consumption go up.
In an attempt to balance all of the above factors, a variety of shapes and duct materials have been developed. A related art heat exchange duct is provided with heat exchange “sheets,” and ribs between the sheets help to maintain the multi-stacked arrangement of the heat exchange sheets. Main heat exchange is performed by heat transfer through the sheets. Likewise, moisture exchange is accomplished by moisture permeation between the sheets.
The heat exchange sheets may be made of thin paper, and thus the heat exchange sheets may sag if they absorb moisture. The ribs, which help to support the sheets, are attached to the heat exchange sheets in molten resin form and are then cured. The ribs between the sheets form ducts with the heat exchange sheets and the air flows through these ducts. Different gases (these gases would typically be the outdoor air and the indoor air) flow on opposite sides of each sheet in such a way that they cross each other, or flow in opposite directions In background art heat exchangers, pressure or flow velocity is not uniform in each duct, or even at different locations within the same duct. These localized flow differentials can degrade performance.
The intake heat exchange element 21 includes a heat exchange sheet 211 made of thin paper material. Guide ribs 212 are disposed on one side of a heat exchange sheet 211 such that they are spaced apart by predetermined distances. A frame 213 is provided on edge portions of the heat exchange sheet 211 to maintain the shape of the intake heat exchange element 21.
The guide rib 212 is divided into three sections, i.e., an outdoor air intake section 212a, an intermediate section 212b and an outdoor air exhaust section 212c. The outdoor air intake section 212a and the outdoor air exhaust section 212c are disposed at opposite ends of the intermediate section 212c. The introduction guide rib 212 is formed such that the outdoor air intake section 212a and the outdoor air exhaust section 212b extend at a predetermined angle with respect to the intermediate section 212b.
Similar to the intake heat exchange element 21, the exhaust heat exchange element 22 includes a heat exchange sheet 221, and exhaust guide ribs 222 attached to one side of the heat exchange sheet 221. A frame 223 surrounds the heat exchanger sheet 221. The exhaust guide ribs 222 are also configured with an intake portion 222a, a straight intermediate portion 222b and an exhaust portion 222c.
The intermediate portions 221b and 222b of the intake and exhaust sheets are parallel to one another. However, the intake portions 222a and the exhaust portions 222c of the exhaust guide ribs 222 cross the intake portion 212a and the exhaust portion 212c of the introduction guide rib 212.
In the intermediate sections of the introduction and exhaust guide ribs 212 and 222, where the heat exchange operation is most effectively performed, incoming air and outgoing air flow in parallel and opposite directions to each other. This makes it possible to increase heat exchange efficiency as much as possible. That is, the outdoor air and the indoor air exchange heat with each other best in the straight portions 212b and 222b. The longer the straight portions are, the better the heat exchanger. However, the longer the straight portions get, the lower the flow velocity becomes.
In
The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, and wherein:
An intake air inlet 12 introduces outdoor air and an exhaust air outlet 15 exhausts indoor air to the outside. At the other side of the case 11, an intake air outlet 13 discharges the introduced outdoor air to the indoor space, and an exhaust air inlet 14 introduces the indoor air into the ventilating unit.
An intake passage is provided between the intake air inlet 12 and the intake air outlet 13. Here, the heat exchanger 20 intervenes in the middle of the intake passage. An exhaust passage is also provided between the exhaust air inlet 14 and the exhaust air outlet 15. Likewise, the heat exchanger 20 also intervenes in the middle of the exhaust passage. The outdoor air introduced through the intake air inlet 12 and the indoor air introduced through the exhaust air inlet 14 exchange heat and moisture with each other, without being mixed, while passing through the heat exchanger 20.
Referring to
The heat exchanger 20 includes a plurality of stacked heat exchange plates. The heat exchange plates are configured such that guide ribs are disposed between heat exchange sheets. The stacked structure of the heat exchange sheets and the guide ribs form ducts which guide the introduced indoor air and outdoor air. The ducts through which the indoor air flows and the ducts through which the outdoor air flows are cross-arranged at left and right sides of the heat exchanger, respectively. Therefore, the outdoor air and the indoor air can exchange heat and moisture with each other, without being mixed, while they pass through the heat exchanger 20.
The heat exchange elements are designed to solve flow rate non-uniformity caused by pressure non-uniformity at air intake and exhaust ends. In preferred embodiments, the heat exchanger is shaped like a quadratic prism or a hexagonal prism. The heat exchanger has a structure in which a plurality of heat exchange sheets stacked.
In some embodiments, ribs would only be formed on one side of each heat exchange sheet. In other embodiments, ribs are disposed on both sides of each heat exchange sheet. When ribs are formed on both sides of a sheet, each heat exchange plate would include a heat exchange sheet, a plurality of first ribs arranged on one surface of the heat exchange sheet and guiding a first gas flowing along the first surface of the heat exchange sheet, and a plurality of second ribs arranged on the opposite surface of the heat exchange sheet. The second ribs would guide a second gas flowing along the opposite surface of the heat exchange sheet.
Referring to
Some of the guide ribs are intermittently arranged at intake and exhaust ends of the intake and exhaust guide ribs 4 and 5, as illustrated in
Even in the heat exchange plate having the above configuration, since a predetermined portion of the heat exchange sheet on which the guide ribs are not disposed cannot be supported by the ribs over a wide area, the heat exchange sheet may sag due to moisture contained in the introduced outdoor or indoor air or due to the aging of the heat exchange sheet itself. This sag phenomenon of the heat exchange sheet can cause a portion of the duct to be more narrow than desired (i.e., the height of the duct decreases in a viewing direction of the drawing.)
Referring to
The guide rib is continuously formed without interruptions because the communication hole 40 is provided in the guide rib. Therefore, an area of the paper sheet that the ribs support can increase compared to the embodiment shown in
In the embodiment shown in
A heat exchanger of a ventilating apparatus which makes use of guide ribs with communication holes or connection holes can maintain flow rate uniformity and help to keep pressure uniform within the passageways of the heat exchanger. In addition, since the guide ribs constituting a heat exchanger are continuously formed, they provide better support to the heat exchange sheets. As a result, the sag phenomenon of the heat exchange sheet can be reduced. Furthermore, since the durability of the heat exchanger is strengthened by minimizing the sag phenomenon, the lifetime of the heat exchanger can be increased.
Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.
Although a number of illustrative embodiments have been described, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements which would fall within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
Claims
1. A heat exchanger, comprising:
- a plurality of heat exchange sheets which are stacked on top of one another; and
- a plurality of guide ribs positioned between the heat exchange sheets to form fluid flow ducts between adjacent heat exchange sheets, wherein an aperture is formed in at least one of the guide ribs to allow fluid flow exchange between adjacent fluid flow ducts.
2. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein an aperture is formed in at least one guide rib between each adjacent pair of heat exchange sheets.
3. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the guide ribs are attached to the heat exchange sheets.
4. The heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein guide ribs are attached to two opposite sides of each of the heat exchange sheets.
5. The heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein the aperture is formed by removing a portion of a surface of the at least one guide rib adjacent to the heat exchange sheet to which it is attached such that the surface of the guide rib abutting the heat exchange sheet is discontinuous.
6. The heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein the aperture is formed by removing a portion of a surface of the at least one guide rib opposite the heat exchange sheet to which it is attached such that the surface of the guide rib opposite to the heat exchange sheet is discontinuous.
7. The heat exchanger of claim 3, wherein the aperture is formed in a central portion of the at least one guide rib such that the upper and lower surfaces of the guide ribs are continuous.
8. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a plurality of apertures are formed in the at least one guide rib.
9. The heat exchanger of claim 8, wherein at least two of the plurality of apertures formed in the at least one guide rib have different lengths.
10. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein an aperture is formed in a plurality of the guide ribs located between each adjacent pair of heat exchange sheets.
11. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a height of the aperture varies along a length of the aperture.
12. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one side edge of the aperture is angled.
13. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein at least one side edge of the aperture is rounded.
14. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the aperture is formed by removing an upper surface portion of the at least one guide rib such that the upper surface of the guide rib is discontinuous.
15. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the aperture is formed by removing a lower surface portion of the at least one guide rib such that the lower surface of the guide rib is discontinuous.
16. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the aperture is formed in a central portion of the at least one guide rib such that the upper and lower surfaces of the guide ribs are continuous.
17. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein a length of the aperture is greater than a height of the aperture.
18. The heat exchanger of claim 1, wherein the aperture is formed on the at least one guide rib at a portion of the guide rib which is curved or angled.
19. A heat exchange plate for a heat exchanger, comprising:
- a heat exchange sheet; and
- a plurality of guide ribs attached to at least one side of the heat exchange sheet, wherein an aperture is formed in at least one of the guide ribs to allow fluid flow exchange through the aperture.
20. The heat exchange plate of claim 19, wherein a plurality of guide ribs are formed on two opposite sides of the heat exchange sheet.
21. The heat exchange plate of claim 20, wherein the plurality of guide ribs are formed on the two opposite sides of the heat exchange sheet such that when two heat exchange plates are stacked on top of one another, the guide ribs on the bottom of the upper heat exchange plate are interposed between corresponding pairs of the guide ribs on the top of the lower heat exchange plate.
22. A heat exchanger comprising the heat exchange plate of claim 21.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 12, 2007
Publication Date: Jul 3, 2008
Applicant:
Inventors: Sung Won Han (Seoul), Kyung Hwan Kim (Uiwang-si), Jong Hoon Park (Changwon-si), Woo Ram Lee (Seoul)
Application Number: 11/898,390
International Classification: F28F 3/08 (20060101);