Internals in a helically coiled heat exchanger for suppressing gas vortices

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger for indirect heat exchange between a first and second medium having: a shell, extending along a longitudinal axis and surrounding a shell space for receiving the first medium, and a plurality of tubes coiled helically onto a core tube which extends along the longitudinal axis in the shell space forming a tube bundle. The tube bundle comprises a number of tube layers lying one on top of the other in the radial direction. The second medium is conducted within the tubes to exchange heat indirectly with the first medium. The at least one distributor arm distributes a liquid phase of the first medium to an upper side of the tube bundle. The at least one distributor arm has, opposite from the upper side, a bottom with through-openings, so that the liquid phase can be passed to the upper side of the tube bundle. From an underside of the bottom of the at least one distributor arm, and at least one directing element projects in the direction of the upper side of the tube bundle and extends along the longitudinal axis toward the upper side of the tube bundle. The at least one directing element extends in a circumferential direction of the tube bundle over at least half the width of the bottom of the at least one distributor arm and/or the at least one directing element projects along the longitudinal axis into a gap of the tube bundle arranged between two tube layers of the tube bundle.

1 . Heat exchanger ( 1 ) for indirect heat exchange between a first and a second medium (M, M′), having:
 a shell ( 5 ), which is made to extend along a longitudinal axis (z) and surrounds a shell space ( 6 ), which serves for receiving the first medium (M), 
 a plurality of tubes ( 30 ), which are in each case coiled helically onto a core tube ( 300 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ), which extends along the longitudinal axis (z) in the shell space ( 6 ), so that the tubes ( 30 ) form a bundle of tubes ( 3 ) of the heat exchanger ( 1 ) which is arranged in the shell space and comprises a number of tube layers ( 4 ) lying one on top of the other in the radial direction (R) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), the second medium (M′) being able to be conducted through at least one tube ( 30 ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), so that heat is exchangeable indirectly between the first medium (M) and the second medium (M′), and 
 at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) for distributing a liquid phase (F) of the first medium (M) to an upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) facing the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ), the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) having opposite from the upper side ( 3   a ) a bottom ( 200 ) with through-openings ( 205 ), so that the liquid phase (F) can be passed to the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) by way of the through-openings ( 205 ), characterized in that, from an underside ( 200   a ) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) that is facing the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), at least one directing element ( 22 ) projects in the direction of the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), the at least one directing element ( 22 ) extending in a circumferential direction (U) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) at least over half of the respective width (B) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) and/or the at least one directing element ( 22 ) projecting along the longitudinal axis (z) into a gap ( 31 ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) that is arranged between two tube layers ( 32 ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ). 
 
     
     
         2 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) is formed so as to prevent a cross flow of the gaseous and/or liquid phase (F) of the first medium (M) on the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ). 
     
     
         3 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) is formed as a directing plate ( 22 ). 
     
     
         4 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) extends along the circumferential direction (U) of the bundle of tubes. 
     
     
         5 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) has two side walls ( 203 ,  204 ), which lie opposite one another in the circumferential direction (U) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), extend in each case along the radial direction (R) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), the at least one directing element ( 22 ) extending in the circumferential direction (U) of the shell ( 5 ) from one side wall ( 203 ) to the other side wall ( 204 ). 
     
     
         6 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) has in a plane running perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis (z) a curvature, in particular a curvature with a constant radius of curvature (R′). 
     
     
         7 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the heat exchanger ( 1 ) has a number of directing elements ( 22 ), which project in each case from an underside ( 200   a ) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) that is facing the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) in the direction of the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ), the directing elements ( 22 ) in each case extending in a circumferential direction (U) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) at least over half of the respective width (B) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) and/or the at least one directing element ( 22 ) in each case projecting along the longitudinal axis (z) into a gap ( 31 ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) that is arranged between two tube layers ( 32 ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ). 
     
     
         8 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the directing elements ( 22 ) are arranged next to one another in a radial direction (R), along which the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) extends from the core tube ( 300 ) toward the shell ( 5 ). 
     
     
         9 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) forms a channel ( 22 ) that extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis (z), with a wall ( 220 ), the channel ( 22 ) being in flow connection with at least one through-opening ( 205 ) of the bottom ( 200 ). 
     
     
         10 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 9 , characterized in that the channel ( 22 ) is formed by a tube ( 22 ) with in particular a circular cross section. 
     
     
         11 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) forms a plurality of channels ( 22   a ) that extend in the direction of the longitudinal axis (z) and have respective walls ( 22   b ), neighboring channels ( 22   a ) forming common walls ( 22   b ) or the walls ( 22   b ) of neighboring channels ( 22   a ) being adjacent to one another, the respective wall ( 22   b ) bounding a region (B′) of the shell space ( 6 ) between the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) and the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) into which at least one through-opening ( 205 ) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) opens out. 
     
     
         12 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 11 , characterized in that the channels ( 22   a ) are formed in cross section in an n-gonal manner, n being greater than or equal to  3 , and in particular n being equal to 4 or equal to 6. 
     
     
         13 . Heat exchanger according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the at least one directing element ( 22 ) is formed by a wall ( 22 ) which extends along a periphery ( 200   b ) of the bottom ( 200 ) and surrounds a region (B′) of the shell space ( 6 ) between the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) and the upper side ( 3   a ) of the bundle of tubes ( 3 ) into which the through-openings ( 205 ) of the bottom ( 200 ) of the at least one distributor arm ( 21 ) open out.