Micro-keel cooler for maritime vehicle

Abstract

A micro-keel cooler for cooling a coolant flowing through a heat-generating component of a maritime vehicle. The cooler includes an inlet adapted to receive the coolant at a first temperature and an outlet adapted to output the coolant at a second temperature less than the first temperature. The cooler further includes a plurality of tubes fluidly coupled to an inlet mixing chamber of the inlet and an outlet chamber of the outlet and configured to direct the coolant from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, and a plate coupled to the inlet and the outlet and disposed adjacent to the tubes, the plate configured to direct a fluid over at least a portion of the tubes to cool the coolant flowing from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, the fluid having a cooling temperature that is less than the first temperature.

1 . A micro-keel cooler for cooling a coolant flowing through a heat-generating component of a maritime vehicle, the micro-keel cooler comprising:
 an inlet adapted to receive the coolant at a first temperature, the inlet including an inlet mixing chamber;   an outlet adapted to output the coolant at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the outlet including an outlet mixing chamber;   a plurality of tubes disposed between and fluidly coupled to the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet chamber and configured to direct the coolant from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber; and   a plate coupled to the inlet and the outlet and disposed adjacent to the plurality of tubes, the plate configured to direct a fluid over at least a portion of the plurality of tubes to cool the coolant flowing from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, the fluid having a cooling temperature that is less than the first temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet mixing chamber is defined by a first half, a second half that is complementary to the first half and coupled to the second half, and an endcap coupled to the first half and the second half. 
     
     
         3 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of tubes includes a first array of tubes and a second array of tubes, the first array of tubes welded to the first half and the second array of tubes welded to the second half. 
     
     
         4 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 2 , wherein the first half and the second half are welded together. 
     
     
         5 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 1 , further comprising a first bracket coupled to the inlet and a second bracket coupled to the outlet, wherein the plate is coupled at a first end to the first bracket and at a second end to the second bracket. 
     
     
         6 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 5 , wherein the plate is fastened at the first end to the first bracket and at the second end to the second bracket. 
     
     
         7 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 1 , further comprising a hydrodynamic surface coupled to the plate, wherein the hydrodynamic surface is configured to direct the fluid over the plurality of tubes. 
     
     
         8 . The micro-keel cooler of  claim 1 , further comprising an inlet endcap coupled to the inlet to enclose the inlet mixing chamber and an outlet endcap coupled to the outlet to enclose the outlet mixing chamber. 
     
     
         9 . A method of manufacturing a micro-keel cooler for cooling a coolant flowing through a heat generating component of a maritime vehicle, the method comprising:
 providing an inlet and an outlet, the inlet adapted to receive a coolant at a first temperature and including an inlet mixing chamber, and the outlet adapted to output the coolant at a second temperature less than the first temperature and including an outlet mixing chamber;   securing a plurality of tubes to each of the inlet and the outlet such that the plurality of tubes is disposed between and fluidly coupled to the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet mixing chamber, the plurality of tubes configured to direct the coolant from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber;   enclosing the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet mixing chamber with endcaps; and   removably coupling a plate to the inlet and the outlet, such that the plate is configured to direct a fluid over at least a portion of the plurality of tubes to cool the coolant flowing from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, the fluid having a cooling temperature that is less than the first temperature.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein providing the inlet and the outlet comprises coupling a first half of the inlet and/or the outlet to a complementary second half of the inlet and/or the outlet. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the securing the plurality of the tubes to the inlet and the outlet is performed after coupling the first half of the inlet and/or the outlet to the second half of the inlet and/or the outlet. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein removably coupling the plate to the inlet and the outlet includes disposing a first end of the plate in a first bracket disposed on the inlet and disposing a second end of the plate in a second bracket disposed on the outlet. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising coupling a hydrodynamic surface to the plate, wherein the hydrodynamic surface is configured to direct the fluid over the plurality of tubes. 
     
     
         14 . A method of manufacturing a micro-keel cooler for cooling a coolant flowing through a heat generating component of a maritime vehicle, the method comprising:
 providing a first inlet half, a complementary second inlet half, a first outlet half, and a complementary second outlet half;   coupling a first array of tubes to the first inlet half and the first outlet half;   coupling a second array of tubes to the second inlet half and the second outlet half;   forming an inlet by coupling the first inlet half to the second inlet half, the inlet adapted to receive a coolant at a first temperature and including an inlet mixing chamber;   forming an outlet by coupling the first outlet half to the second outlet half, the outlet adapted to output the coolant at a second temperature less than the first temperature and including an outlet mixing chamber;   enclosing the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet mixing chamber with inlet and outlet endcaps, respectively; and   removably coupling a plate to a bottom of a plurality of tubes formed by the first array of tubes and the second array of tubes, wherein the plate is configured to direct a fluid over at least a portion of the plurality of tubes to cool the coolant flowing from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, the fluid having a cooling temperature that is less than the first temperature.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein forming the inlet comprises welding the first inlet half to the second inlet half and forming the outlet comprises welding the first outlet half to the second outlet half. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein removably coupling the plate comprises removably coupling a first end of the plate to the inlet and a second end of the plate to the outlet. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising coupling a hydrodynamic surface to the plate, the hydrodynamic surface is configured to direct the fluid over the plurality of tubes. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein removably coupling the plate to the inlet and the outlet includes disposing the first end of the plate in a first bracket disposed on the inlet and disposing the second end of the plate in a second bracket disposed on the outlet. 
     
     
         19 . A cooling system for cooling a heat-generating component of a maritime vehicle, the cooling system comprising:
 a reservoir adapted to store a coolant at a cooling temperature;   a pump configured to pump the coolant from the reservoir through the heat-generating component of the maritime vehicle;   a heat exchanger fluidly coupled to the heat-generating component and to the reservoir, the heat exchanger comprising a micro-keel cooler, the micro-keel cooler comprising:
 an inlet configured to receive the coolant from the thrust assembly after the coolant flows through the thrust assembly such that the coolant has a first temperature greater than the cooling temperature, the inlet including an inlet mixing chamber; 
 an outlet configured to output the coolant at a second temperature less than the first temperature, the outlet including an outlet mixing chamber; 
 a plurality of tubes disposed between and fluidly coupled to the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet chamber and configured to direct the coolant from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber; and 
 a plate coupled to the inlet and the outlet and disposed adjacent to the plurality of tubes, the plate configured to direct a fluid over at least a portion of the plurality of tubes to cool the coolant flowing from the inlet mixing chamber to the outlet mixing chamber, the fluid having a temperature that is less than the first temperature; and 
   piping configured to direct the coolant at the second temperature from the outlet of the micro-keel cooler to the reservoir.   
     
     
         20 . The cooling system of  claim 19 , wherein at least one of the inlet mixing chamber and the outlet mixing chamber is defined by a first half, a second half that is complementary to the first half and coupled to the second half, and an endcap coupled to the first half and the second half, and wherein the plurality of tubes includes a first array of tubes and a second array of tubes, the first array of tubes welded to the first half and the second array of tubes welded to the second half.