Heat exchange plate

Abstract

A heat exchange plate has a main heat transfer section and a fluid guiding portion having first and second sub-patterns of irregularity, respectively. The second pattern of irregularity includes projections and recesses. At least a part of straight or curved lines along which the projections and recesses are aligned has an end located in a predetermined position of an edge of the plate, which forms at least one of inlet and outlet portions and another end that does not coincide with the end located on a boundary between the fluid guiding portion and the main heat transfer section.

1 . A heat exchange plate, which is formed of a metallic plate having a predetermined pattern of irregularity, the heat exchange plate being to be combined to one or more other heat exchange plate having a same structure so as to be placed one upon another to form a heat exchanger in which heat exchange is to be made between heat exchange fluids that come into contact with opposite first and second surfaces of the heat exchange plate, respectively, the heat exchange plate comprising: 
 (i) a main heat transfer section serving as a central portion having a first sub-pattern of irregularity for forming a part of the predetermined pattern of irregularity and (ii) at least one fluid guiding portion having a second sub-pattern of irregularity which is different from the first sub-pattern of irregularity and form a remaining part of the predetermined pattern of irregularity, said fluid guiding portion being disposed in a predetermined position over a predetermined area in a vicinity of an edge of the plate, which forms at least one of inlet and outlet portions for the heat exchange fluids in cooperation with an edge of the other plate combined with the heat exchange plate to form the heat exchanger;    wherein:    the second sub-pattern of irregularity of the fluid guiding portion comprises a plurality of projections provided on the first surface of the plate in a predetermined aligned state and a plurality of recesses denting in an opposite direction to a projecting direction of the projections, each of said recesses being placed in an intermediate position between two or more projections;    each of said projections comprises a top portion having a substantially flat section with a predetermined area and an outer peripheral portion having a substantially conical surface or curved surfaces, said projections being aligned in a straight or curved line so that one of the projections is surrounded by the other projections that are placed at regular intervals;    each of said recesses comprises a bottom portion having a substantially flat section with a predetermined area and an inner peripheral portion having a curved surface that is continuously connected to the outer peripheral portion of each of the projections with which the recess is surrounded, said recesses being aligned in a straight or curved line in parallel with an aligning line of the projections; and    at least a part of a plurality of straight or curved lines along which said projections and said recesses are aligned on the fluid guiding portion has an end that is located in said predetermined position of the edge of the plate, which forms said at least one of inlet and outlet portions, and another end that does not coincide with said end and is located on a boundary between said fluid guiding portion and said main heat transfer section.    
   
   
       2 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said plate has a square or rectangular shape;    said at least one of inlet and outlet portions for the heat exchange fluids is provided on a part or over an entire length of at least one of edges of the plate; and    said projections and said recesses of said fluid guiding portion are aligned linearly in a direction that is parallel or perpendicular to the edge of the plate.    
   
   
       3 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 said projections are aligned at predetermined intervals on a basis of a matrix arrangement in two directions that are in parallel or perpendicular to the edge of the plate and at right angles to each other, and each of said recesses is placed in a center of a minimum square area defined by four projections located in respective four corners of the square area so as to provide a similar matrix arrangement to the matrix arrangement of the projections;    said projections and said recesses provide a substantially sinusoidal wave in cross-section of the plate in aligning directions along which said projections and said recesses are aligned at regular intervals for the matrix arrangement; and    an intermediate portion between the projection and another projection adjacent thereto on the first surface of the plate and an intermediate portion between the recess and another recess adjacent thereto on the first surface thereof are placed in an intermediate level between the bottom portion of said recess and the top portion of the projection in the projecting direction of the projections.    
   
   
       4 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 said at least one of inlet and outlet portions for the heat exchange fluids is provided in a form of an opening formed in the plate, for at least one of the heat exchange fluids; and    said projections and said recesses in the fluid guiding portion are aligned on a basis of a curved arrangement in which lines of alignment for the projections and recesses are directed from an outer edge of said opening to the boundary between said fluid guiding portion and said main heat transfer section, and then gradually curved from a perpendicular direction to the outer edge of the opening toward a perpendicular direction to the boundary between the fluid guiding portion and the main transfer section.    
   
   
       5 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein: 
 said plate has a square or rectangular shape;    said at least one of inlet and outlet portions for the heat exchange fluids is provided in a form of an opening formed in the plate, for one of the heat exchange fluids and is provided on a part or over an entire length of at least one of edges of the plate for another heat exchange fluid; and    at least part of said projections in the fluid guiding portion are placed on the basis of said curved arrangement and simultaneously placed in a vicinity of a line connecting the predetermined position of the edge of the plate to the boundary between said fluid guiding portion and said main heat transfer section so as to be aligned linearly, and no recess is placed in a linear arrangement of the projections.    
   
   
       6 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein: 
 each of the projections of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which project from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding projection, which projects from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the recess formed on the first surface of the plate; and each of the recesses of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which dent from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding recess, which dents from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the projection formed on the first surface of the plate, thus providing a same sub-pattern of irregularity on the opposite surfaces of the plate.    
   
   
       7 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 2 , wherein: 
 each of the projections of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which project from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding projection, which projects from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the recess formed on the first surface of the plate; and each of the recesses of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which dent from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding recess, which dents from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the projection formed on the first surface of the plate, thus providing a same sub-pattern of irregularity on the opposite surfaces of the plate.    
   
   
       8 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 3 , wherein: 
 each of the projections of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which project from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding projection, which projects from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the recess formed on the first surface of the plate; and each of the recesses of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which dent from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding recess, which dents from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the projection formed on the first surface of the plate, thus providing a same sub-pattern of irregularity on the opposite surfaces of the plate.    
   
   
       9 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein: 
 each of the projections of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which project from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding projection, which projects from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the recess formed on the first surface of the plate; and each of the recesses of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which dent from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding recess, which dents from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the projection formed on the first surface of the plate, thus providing a same sub-pattern of irregularity on the opposite surfaces of the plate.    
   
   
       10 . The heat exchange plate as claimed in  claim 5 , wherein: 
 each of the projections of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which project from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding projection, which projects from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the recess formed on the first surface of the plate; and each of the recesses of the second sub-pattern of irregularity of said fluid guiding portion, which dent from the first surface of the plate, has a same shape as a corresponding recess, which dents from the second surface of the plate so as to correspond to the projection formed on the first surface of the plate, thus providing a same sub-pattern of irregularity on the opposite surfaces of the plate.