EP0115455A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Serpentine film fill packing for evaporative heat and mass exchange
Assignee: Baltimore Aircoil Co Inc
•
Filing: 1984-01-18
•
Granted: —
•
Expires: 2004-01-18
Abstract
Abstract A contact body or evaporative heat and mass exchanger packing composed of a plurality of side-by-side thin sheets interlocked with one another. The sheets are grooved with a serpentine-like, continuously-variable, cross section form to produce a plurality of liquid and gas channels between the sheets. The sheets have integrally-formed knobs and sockets specifically located to provide up-spaced alternate sheet support without utilizing adhesives of any type. The sheets are preferably composed of a thermoplastic material of any desired length, being continuously pressure-vacuum formed from long sheet rolls. The groove crests abut adjacent sheets apices at continuously-variable spacings of both greater and lesser dimension than the basic edge spacing of the serpentine grooves. The flat crests or apices of grooves are also infinitely variable in width dimension while maintaining a constant sidewall groove angle. The individual sheets are rotatably oriented to provide ideal bottom edge alternate sheet displacement for enhancing fluid flow.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas P. Carter
- 👤 Edward N. Schinner
- 👤 Richard H. Harrison, Jr.
- 👤 Robert E. Cates
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 00:55
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01J; B01J19/00; B01J19/32; F; F28; F28F; F28F25/00; F28F25/02; F28F25/08; F28F25/087; B01J2219/00; B01J2219/32; B01J2219/322; B01J2219/32203; B01J2219/3221; B01J2219/32213; B01J2219/3222; B01J2219/32224; B01J2219/32227; B01J2219/32255; B01J2219/32258; B01J2219/324; B01J2219/32483; B01J2219/328; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S261/00; Y10S261/11; Y10T; Y10T428/00; Y10T428/24; Y10T428/24628; Y10T428/24669; Y10T428/24694; Y10T428/24702
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
98 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
98 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
133 words
A surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said body being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets having passageways having valleys and ridges formed by said grooves, said passageways extending in a generally curved sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship to one another, wherein the grooves, ridges and valleys vary continuously in width dimension, while maintaining constant groove height and contact sidewall angle relationship as the gas and liquid pass from edge to edge.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
133 words
A surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said body being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets having passageways having valleys and ridges formed by said grooves, said passageways extending in a generally curved sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship to one another, wherein the grooves, ridges and valleys vary continuously in width dimension, while maintaining constant groove height and contact sidewall angle relationship as the gas and liquid pass from edge to edge.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
100 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from top edge to bottom edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
100 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from top edge to bottom edge of said sheets, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the edges of each alternate sheet are spaced away from the edges of the other sheets and held in position by interlocking knob and socket locators formed into the sheet area.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the grooves adjacent the interlocking knobs and socket locators are continuous from edge to edge of each sheet.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
19 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the adjacent sheets are 180° rotatably assembled.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the size of the end-effect region is influenced only by the groove half sheet-height or serpentine amplitude dimension.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
49 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the non-circular cross section the knob crest is non circular and the socket has a circular cone frustum shape to allow said knob to nestle in said socket to provide a clutch-fit -interference when packed tightly together.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
34 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the male locator knob crest is wider in dimension than the valley space between adjacent crest edges of all fill sheet grooves.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
33 words
A fill packing assembly according to Claims 1, 2 and 3, wherein the side edges of serpentine fill sheets end in a vertical flat edging to maintain water transport on the fill sheet.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
113 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said edge to edge orientation being either horizontal or within 30 degrees of the horizontal, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
113 words
Surface-type heat and mass exchanger fill packing assembly having a top, bottom and side edges for use in an evaporative heat and mass transfer apparatus for producing interaction between a liquid and a gas, said assembly being composed of curved or serpentine-grooved, spaced vertically aligned sheets, forming passageways, said passageways formed by said grooves extending in a generally curved, sinusoidal or serpentine path from edge to edge of said sheets, said edge to edge orientation being either horizontal or within 30 degrees of the horizontal, said passageways providing space and surface for liquid and gas interaction, the sheets having the ridges of adjacent sheet grooves forming variable-angle isosceles angular relationship with one another.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
Maintenance schedule is calculated for granted US utility patents.