Heat exchange plate

Abstract

A heat exchange plate has protrusions and recesses. The protrusion having a curved outer peripheral surface is surrounded by adjacent protrusions placed at regular intervals on a circle around the protrusion with the same central angle relative to the center of the protrusion. The recess having a curved inner peripheral surface that partially extends to the curved outer peripheral surface of the protrusion is placed in a predetermined arrangement that is deviated by the same pitch from the predetermined arrangement of the protrusions. The recesses provide on the other surface of the plate with the same configuration as the protrusions. The protrusions provide on the surface of the plate with the same configuration as the recesses, so as to provide on the opposite surfaces of the metallic plate with the same pattern of irregularity.

1 . A heat exchange plate, which is formed of a metallic plate and has a predetermined pattern of irregularity, the heat exchange plate being placed on another heat exchange plate having a same structure so as to come into contact with each other on a same side of the heat exchange plate to provide a pair of heat exchange plates, the pair of heat exchange plates being combined to one or more other pair of heat exchange plates integrally with each other to form a heat exchanger in which heat exchange is to be made between first and second heat exchange fluids that come into contact with opposite surfaces of the heat exchange plate, respectively, the heat exchange plate comprising: 
 a plurality of protrusions that are placed in a predetermined arrangement on a surface of the metallic plate; and    a plurality of recesses each of which is placed between two or more protrusions of said plurality of protrusions on said surface of the metallic plate so as to dent in an opposite direction to a protruding direction of said protrusions, said plurality of protrusions and said plurality of recesses providing said predetermined pattern of irregularity;    wherein:    each of said protrusions has a curved outer peripheral surface, one protrusion of said plurality of protrusions is surrounded by adjacent protrusions of other protrusions, said adjacent protrusions being placed at regular intervals on a circle around said one protrusion and with a same central angle relative to a center of said one protrusion;    each of said recesses has a curved inner peripheral surface that partially extends to the curved outer peripheral surface of said protrusions, said recesses being placed in a predetermined arrangement that is deviated by a same pitch from the predetermined arrangement of said protrusions; and    said recesses provide on another surface of said metallic plate with a same configuration as said plurality of protrusions and said protrusions provide on said surface of said metallic plate with a same configuration as said recesses, so as to provide on the opposite surfaces of the metallic plate with a same pattern of irregularity.    
   
   
       2 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said protrusions are placed on a basis of a matrix arrangement in which said protrusions are aligned at regular intervals on lines extending in two directions that are perpendicular to each other, and said recesses are placed on a basis of a similar matrix arrangement to said matrix arrangement of the protrusions, in which on recess of said plurality of recesses is placed in a center of a square defined by four protrusions that are adjacent to each other by a shortest distance;    said protrusions and recesses that respectively continue in diagonal lines of the metallic plate in the matrix arrangement in which the protrusions and recesses are alternated at the regular intervals have a sine wave shape in a cross section of the metallic plate; and    a central portion between closest adjacent two protrusions and a central portion between closest adjacent two recesses are level with an intermediate height between a bottom of said recess and a top of said protrusion.    
   
   
       3 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said protrusions and recesses are alternated to form parallel rows that are in parallel with or perpendicular to sides of the metallic plate having a rectangular or square shape, thus providing the predetermined pattern of irregularity.    
   
   
       4 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 each of said protrusions is provided at a top thereof with a flat surface having a predetermined area.