METALLIC POROUS BODY INCORPORATED BY CASTING INTO A HEAT EXCHANGER
The present invention relates to a co-cast heat exchanger element intended for a central heating boiler, which heat exchanger element is made from substantially aluminum, the heat exchanger element being provided with walls which enclose a water carrying channel, and with at least one wall which encloses at least one flue gas draft to which a burner can be connected, at least one wall which encloses the at least one flue gas draft being water-cooled in that it also forms a boundary of the water-carrying channel, while one of the water-cooled walls is provided with heat exchanging surface enlarging pins and/or fins which extend in the respective flue gas draft and is also provided with other heat exchanging surface enlarging metallic porous structures.
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The present invention relates to a co-cast heat exchanger element intended for a central heating boiler, which heat exchanger element is made from substantially aluminum, the heat exchanger element being provided with walls which enclose a water carrying channel, and with at least one wall which encloses at least one flue gas draft to which a burner can be connected, at least one wall which encloses the at least one flue gas draft being water-cooled in that it also forms a boundary of the water-carrying channel, while at least one of the water-cooled walls is provided with heat exchanging surface enlarging pins and/or fins which extend in the respective flue gas draft and is also provided with other heat exchange surface enlarging metallic porous structures.
The present invention also relates to a method for obtaining such a co-cast heat exchanger element and its use in a central heating boiler.
BACKGROUND ARTA heat exchanger according to above described heat exchanger is known from EP 1722172, wherein the cross-sectional surface of the pins and/or fins is smaller than 25 mm2; the heat exchanger being a mono-casting. Such heat exchanger, with pins with a length of e.g. 15 mm and having a greater surface-content ratio, has a low weight. This results optimally in a thermal inertia of 0.16 kg/kW, which makes the heat exchanger element heating up much more rapidly, thereby reducing the time required for obtaining hot water for domestic use. Such heat exchanger, due to the smaller length of the pins and/or fins, has a smaller cross-section of the flue gas draft. This leads to a higher flow velocity of the flue gases and results in a higher heat transfer coefficient and thus a better efficiency.
The known heat exchanger element is already relatively small for a boiler with such an output. When this boiler is used for heating not only central heating water but also domestic hot water, there is still a need for further improving the compactness, and for a still more rapid heating of the domestic hot water.
WO 02/093644 describes a heat exchanger consisting of open-pore metallic foam as an example of a porous structure, wherein the metallic foam is cast together with structural elements (e.g. water channels) in one single step. The use of such a heat exchanger element on its own in a boiler is not possible as the metallic foam would melt by the heat of the flue gases. On the other hand, casting of complex structures together with the already complex open cell foam body (as an example of a metallic porous structure) is a rather difficult job, resulting in a lot of scrap and waste. Therefore, most people consider connecting an (aluminium) porous body to a heat exchanging element in a separate step. Herein, good heat conducting contact between the porous metal body and the solid metal carrier is indispensable for an efficient functioning of the heat-exchanging devices. This is particularly relevant taking into account the fact that only a small percentage of the solid metal carrier is in contact with the porous metal structure. Establishing excellent thermal/metallic contact can reduce the total dimensions of a heat-exchanging device considerably and thereby reduce material costs and space.
The art already describes a lot of applications of porous metal structures in heat-exchanging devices and the method of attaching the porous metallic structure to a carrier. For example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,450 it is stated that direct bonding may be achieved through soldering, active brazing or simply brazing. EP1553379 states that the connection between shell and metal sponge, as an example of a porous metal structure, can be simply made by means of soldering or welding. But the effective quality of these bonds is not always satisfactory.
One can achieve a proper mechanical bond between a porous aluminium body and a solid metal carrier, by, for example soldering, but as this method uses an extra material, heat dissipation from carrier to porous structure, or the other way around can be distorted and the extra material, e.g. Zn, can give corrosion problems at the bonding place and even have the effect of a thermal insulating layer. It also gives an end product which is limited in use for heat applications, i.e. limited by the melting temperature of Zn in the solder.
Sintering, brazing and soldering need working conditions wherein the aluminium-oxides, formed on the surfaces of the porous metallic bodies and the heat exchanging element, have to be removed, e.g. by working in a vacuum oven or by the use of fluxing material. When these aluminium-oxides are not sufficiently removed, no good heat conduction bond can be obtained.
Hence, there is a need for an alternative and easy bonding method that results in a good heat conducting contact between a porous body and a complex solid metal carrier material, wherein heat is easily transported throughout the newly formed structure.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTIONAn aspect of the claimed invention provides a heat exchanger element intended for a central heating boiler having a higher output than the known central heating boilers with comparable dimensions, the intended heat exchanger element being particularly compact and having low weight.
To this end, the heat exchanger element according to the invention is manufactured as a co-casting product from substantially aluminium, the heat exchanger comprising the features of claim 1.
The heat exchanger element has a very flat design, wherein the flue gas draft is wide but not deep (as can be seen in
Also the incorporation of the metallic porous body into the heat exchanger element is a relatively simple method: this porous body is incorporated in the internal sand core of the heat exchanger. Alternatively, the porous body is built in into the (polystyrene) positive model in a lost foam casting process.
Surprisingly, it was found that the porous metallic body was not affected by the hot molten metal, cast onto the porous metallic body and that a good metallic bond was obtained between the porous metallic body and the cast heat exchanger element. And also that the aluminium-oxides present at the surface of the porous aluminium material did not inhibit a good connection between the porous material and the heat exchanger element. The struts or ligaments of the metallic porous body stay intact into the complete co-cast structure and are properly surrounded by the melt (see
Hence, with the heat exchanger element according to the invention, a central heating boiler can be made having a greater output than the known central heating boilers with comparable dimensions, while the same or even a better degree of compactness and thermal inertia is achieved.
The heat exchanger element is manufactured as a co-casting, comprising the steps of claim 5, 6 or 7, and can be manufactured in a relatively quick and efficient manner.
According to a further aspect of the invention, intended for increasing the efficiency of a central heating boiler, comprising a heat exchanger according to the invention, each flue gas draft of the heat exchanger may comprise two opposite walls having pins with a cross sectional surface which is smaller than 25 mm2.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a central heating boiler comprising at least one heat exchanger element according to the invention.
DEFINITIONSThe heat exchanger element is made from substantially aluminium meaning that the heat exchanger element can be made out of pure aluminium or an aluminium alloy. Wherever in this description is referred to metal, aluminium or one of its alloys is referred to. It should be noted that the terms metal, aluminium and aluminium-alloy will be used throughout this text without meaning anything else than aluminium or one of it's alloys.
The term metallic porous material or body differs from pins and fins in that these metallic porous materials/bodies represent a continuous and complex 3-D structure such as e.g. metallic open cell foam, metallic spacer material, folded knitted or woven metal wire structures or knitted wire mesh. Another distinction between the pins and fins and the metallic porous materials lies in the porosity of these structures. A metallic porous material as used in this text has a porosity of 70% or more.
The term co-casting is explained in claim 5, and can be described in short as a two step casting method, wherein the first casting was performed in the production of the porous metallic body, see e.g. WO 01/14086 or EP1733822; the second or co-casting step being described in this patent application. Co-casting, in the light of this patent application, is also to be understood as casting onto a porous metallic object, thereby obtaining the good metallic bond.
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- 1 heat exchanger element
- 2 walls
- 3, 30 water-carrying channel
- 4 core of water-channel
- 5 burner
- 6 combustion chamber
- 7 flue gas draft
- 8 fins
- 9 pins
- 10 porous metallic body
- 11, 110 inlet
- 12, 120 outlet
- 13 long wall of the heat exchanging element 1
- 14 short wall of the heat exchanging element 1
- 15 part of strut of open cell aluminium foam
- 16 part of carrier material cast onto the open cell aluminium foam
- 17 fins in water carrying channel
- A first part of flue gas draft 7
- B second part of flue gas draft 7
- C third part of flue gas draft 7
The present invention will be described with respect to particular embodiments and with reference to certain drawings but the invention is not limited thereto but only by the claims. The drawings described are only schematic and are non-limiting. In the drawings, the size of some of the elements may be exaggerated and not drawn on scale for illustrative purposes. The dimensions and the relative dimensions do not necessarily correspond to actual reductions to practice of the invention.
Preferably, the metallic porous material is an open cell aluminium foam, e.g. as described in WO 01/14086. Using an open cell aluminium foam (completely filled flue gas draft) with a 5 mm cell diameter, and 700 μm strut thickness, having a porosity of 90%, gives a 20% better heat transfer than the same surface provided with pins of 4 mm diameter (e.g. as used in part B and having a porosity of 60%). This better heat transfer can be translated in a reduction of the heat exchanger surface, and also the weight of the heat exchanger element, by 20% and result in a more compact heat exchanger element 1 or, in other words, gives possibilities to miniaturise the heat exchanger element.
In another preferred embodiment, the metallic porous material is a metallic spacer material, e.g. as described in EP1733822.
The flow system of the water carrying channel in
In the present exemplary embodiments of
The heat exchanger element 1 is preferably manufactured by means of a casting process, such as, for instance, sand casting or die-casting. Preferably, use is then made of at least one core to form the water channel and at least one second core for forming the flue gas channel(s). These flue gas draft cores comprising the metallic porous structures. Alternatively, also a lost foam casting process can be used. The metallic porous body sand core is than build in into the (polystyrene) foam positive model. Alternatively, in lost foam casting, the metallic porous body can be build in into the (polystyrene) foam positive model, The metallic porous body will than be filled with the sand used for the lost foam casting, and no separate step for making a sand core is necessary.
The heat exchanger 1 of
In an alternative embodiment, the heat exchanger element 1 is made via a lost foam co-casting method. Here, the production of a metallic porous body containing heat exchanger element comprises following steps. First, a metallic porous body-sand core, obtained as in paragraph 30, is build in into a polystyrene pattern (or positive) of the heat exchanger element and further prepared as known in the art. The “polystyrene pattern—metallic porous body-sand core” hybrid cluster is placed into the casting flask and backed-up with un-bonded sand. After the mold compaction, the polystyrene pattern is poured with the molten metal. Then only a relative simple filter action is needed to remove the un-bonded sand from around, and out of, the cast heat exchanger element. And also the sand of the metallic porous body-sand core needs to be removed. Alternatively, the metallic porous body is built into the polystyrene pattern of the heat exchanger element. Then also the metallic porous body will be backed up with unbonded sand, which will be easily removed after co-casting of the heat exchanger element
Part A of the heat exchanger element, in
A first worked example embodiment as in
An alternative worked example embodiment as in
The flow system of the water carrying channel in
Claims
1. A heat exchanger element (1) comprising walls (2) from substantially aluminium, said walls (2) enclosing at least one water carrying channel (3) and having at least one flue gas draft (7), at least one wall forming a boundary between said water carrying channel (3) and said flue gas draft (7), said at least one wall being provided with fins and/or pins (8,9) which enlarge the heat-exchanging surface and which extend in the flue gas draft (7), characterised in that said heat exchanger element further comprises a porous metallic body (10) from substantially aluminium, said porous metallic body being placed downstream said heat exchanging surface enlarging pins and/or fins (8, 9) in the direction of the flue gas flow, said walls being cast around said porous body to form a co-cast heat-exchanger element.
2. A heat exchanger element (1) according to claim 1, wherein the porous metallic body (10) is an open cell metallic foam.
3. A heat exchanger element (1) according to claim 1, wherein the porous metallic body (10) is a metallic spacer material.
4. A heat exchanger element (1) according to claim 1, wherein at least one cross sectional surface of said pin and/or fin is smaller than 25 mm2.
5. A heat exchanger element (1) according to claim 1, wherein said water carrying channel comprises a parallel path with respect to the flue gas draft.
6. Process for the production of a heat exchanger element for a boiler containing a metallic porous body, said process comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a metallic porous body
- b) putting said metallic porous body in a core box;
- c) closing said core box;
- d) blowing a mixture of sand and binder into the void space in the core box, thereby obtaining a hybrid structure of metallic porous body filled with said sand-binder mix,
- e) hardening said sand-binder mix thereby obtaining a metallic porous body—sand core;
- f) removing the core box;
- g) integrating said metallic porous body—sand core in a flue gas draft sand core;
- h) placing said flue gas draft sand core in a moulding box together with a water side core;
- i) pouring molten metal into said moulding;
- j) cooling of the cast workpiece;
- k) removing the sand cores.
7. Process for the production of a heat exchanger element for a boiler containing a metallic porous body, said process comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a metallic porous body
- b) putting said metallic porous body in a flue gas draft-core box;
- c) closing said flue gas draft core box;
- d) blowing a mixture of sand and binder into the void space in the core box, thereby obtaining a hybrid structure of metallic porous body filled with said sand-binder mix,
- e) hardening said sand-binder mix thereby obtaining a metallic porous body—sand core;
- f) removing the core box;
- g) placing said flue gas draft sand core in a moulding box together with a water side core;
- h) pouring molten metal into said moulding;
- i) cooling of the cast workpiece;
- j) removing the sand core.
8. Process for the production of a heat exchanger element for a boiler containing a metallic porous body via lost foam investment casting, said process comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a metallic porous body
- b) putting said metallic porous body in a flue gas draft-core box;
- c) closing said flue gas draft core box;
- d) blowing a mixture of sand and binder into the void space in the core box, thereby obtaining a hybrid structure of metallic porous body filled with said sand-binder mix,
- e) hardening said sand-binder mix thereby obtaining a metallic porous body—sand core;
- f) removing the core box;
- g) building in said metallic porous body sand core into the polystyrene pattern of the heat exchanger element;
- h) coating of the polystyrene pattern—metallic porous body hybrid cluster with ceramic;
- i) drying the ceramic coating;
- j) placing said polystyrene pattern—metallic porous body hybrid cluster into a casting flask and backing up said cluster with un-bonded sand;
- k) performing mold compaction;
- l) pouring the polystyrene pattern with the molten metal;
- m) cooling of the cast workpiece;
- n) removing the sand cores.
9. Process according to claim 6, wherein said metallic porous body is a metallic foam.
10. Process according to claim 6, wherein said metallic porous body is a metallic spacer material.
11. Process according to claim 6, wherein after step e) said sand core is removed from the periphery of said hybrid structure, thereby obtaining a small border of only metal porous body struts.
12. Process according to claim 6, wherein the metal is aluminium or an aluminium-alloy.
13. A heat exchanger element obtained by the methods as in claim 6.
14. A heating boiler provided with a heat exchanger element according to claim 1.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 8, 2008
Publication Date: Sep 30, 2010
Applicant: BEKAERT COMBUSTION TECHNOLOGY B.V. ( NL-9403 AR Assen)
Inventors: Karel Hubau (Gavere), Johannes Beukers (Egchel), Paul Thijssen (Steyl), Jan Van Peteghem (Groningen), Frank Geelen (Venlo)
Application Number: 12/680,009
International Classification: F22B 37/00 (20060101); F28F 3/12 (20060101); B21D 53/02 (20060101); F28F 7/00 (20060101);