Tube sheet apparatus and heat exchanger

Abstract

An apparatus (e.g., tube sheet) includes a plate piece, a sleeve piece, and a tube piece. The plate piece defines a hole. The sleeve piece has first and second ends; the second end is shaped to fit through the hole for attachment of the sleeve piece to the plate piece. The tube piece also has first and second ends. Inner and outer cross-sectional geometries of the tube piece and the sleeve piece (e.g., in the case of round tubes, inner and outer diameters) are shaped for the first end of the tube piece to fit in the first end of the sleeve piece and to form a continuous interior fluid flow path from the second end of the tube piece through the plate piece when the sleeve piece is disposed in the hole and attached to the plate piece and the tube piece is disposed in the sleeve piece.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 a plate piece defining a hole; and   a tube assembly comprising:   a sleeve piece having first and second ends, wherein the second end of the sleeve piece is shaped to fit through the hole for attachment of the sleeve piece to the plate piece; and   a tube piece having a first end and a second end,   wherein inner and outer cross-sectional geometries of the tube piece and the sleeve piece are shaped for the first end of the tube piece to fit in at least the first end of the sleeve piece and to form a continuous interior fluid flow path from the second end of the tube piece through the plate piece when the sleeve piece is disposed in the hole and attached to the plate piece and the tube piece is disposed in the sleeve piece;   wherein the plate piece, the sleeve piece, and the tube assemblies are a monolithic structure formed using an additive manufacturing process, with the plate piece, sleeve pieces, and tube pieces being composed of different materials and defined by boundaries between the different materials.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first and second ends of the sleeve piece have different first and second inner cross-sectional geometries, respectively, such that a transition between the first and second ends of the sleeve piece defines an interior shoulder; and   an outer cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece matches the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece, and an inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece corresponds to the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece, for the first end of the tube piece to abut the shoulder and to establish a continuous geometry from the tube piece to the sleeve piece for the continuous interior fluid flow path.   
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sleeve piece has a uniform inner cross-sectional geometry; and   the first end of the tube piece has an outer cross-sectional geometry that corresponds to the uniform inner cross-sectional geometry of the sleeve piece, wherein the first end of the tube piece is configured to extend entirely through the sleeve piece, for the continuous interior fluid flow path to be established by the interior of the tube piece.   
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve piece and the tube piece are round tubes and the inner and outer cross-sectional geometries of the tube piece and the sleeve piece are inner and outer diameters of the tube piece and the sleeve piece, respectively. 
     
     
         5 . A heat exchanger comprising the apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the sleeve piece is attached to the plate piece, the first end of the tube piece is fit into the first end of the sleeve piece, and the tube piece is attached to the sleeve piece, and wherein the plate piece defines the hole and plural additional holes, and further comprising plural additional tube assemblies respectively associated with the plural additional holes and attached to the plate. 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . An apparatus comprising:
 a plate piece defining a hole; and   a tube assembly comprising:   a sleeve piece having first and second ends, wherein the second end of the sleeve piece is shaped to fit through the hole for attachment of the sleeve piece to the plate piece; and   a tube piece having a first end shaped to fit in the first end of the sleeve piece, wherein when the first end of the tube piece is disposed in the first end of the sleeve piece, an inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece conforms to an inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece, forming a continuous geometry across an interior transition between the sleeve and the tube piece;   wherein the plate piece and the tube assemblies are a monolithic structure formed using an additive manufacturing process, with the plate piece, sleeve pieces, and tube pieces being composed of different materials and defined by boundaries between the different materials.   
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece is different from an inner cross-section geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece, respectively, such that a transition between the first and second ends of the sleeve piece defines an interior shoulder;   an outer cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece matches the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece, and the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece corresponds to the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece, for the first end of the tube piece to abut the shoulder and to establish the continuous geometry across the interior transition between the sleeve and the tube piece.   
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the sleeve piece and the tube piece are round tubes, the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece is an inner diameter of the second end of the sleeve piece, and the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece is an inner diameter of the first end of the tube piece that is equal to the inner diameter of the second end of the sleeve piece. 
     
     
         10 . A heat exchanger comprising the apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the sleeve piece is attached to the plate piece, the first end of the tube piece is fit into the first end of the sleeve piece, and the tube piece is attached to the sleeve piece, and wherein the plate piece defines the hole and plural additional holes, and further comprising plural additional tube assemblies respectively associated with the plural additional holes. 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . An apparatus comprising:
 a tube piece having a first end;   a plate piece defining a hole; and   a sleeve piece having first and second ends;   wherein the first end of the tube piece is disposed in and attached to the first end of the sleeve piece with an outer cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece conforming to an inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece and forming a first joint;   wherein the second end of the sleeve piece is disposed through the hole of the plate piece and attached to plate piece forming a second joint; and   wherein an inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece conforms to an inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece, forming a continuous geometry across a third, interior joint between the first end of the tube piece and the second end of the sleeve piece;   wherein the plate piece, tube piece, and sleeve piece are a monolithic structure formed using an additive manufacturing process, with the plate piece, sleeve piece, and tube piece being composed of different materials and defined by boundaries between the different materials.   
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first end of the tube piece, defined by the outer cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece, is at least one of brazed, welded, or mechanically coupled to the first end of the sleeve piece, defined by the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece; and   the sleeve piece is at least one of welded, mechanically coupled, or brazed to the plate piece.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve piece is removably attached to the plate piece. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the sleeve and plate pieces are constructed as a single unit with a material gradient marking the boundary of the sleeve and plate pieces. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the tube, plate and sleeve pieces are each made of different materials, a thermal coefficient of the material composing the sleeve piece selected to act as a thermal buffer between the tube and plate pieces. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece defines a first interior opening of the sleeve piece that is wider than a second interior opening of the sleeve piece defined by the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece, such that a transition between the first and second ends of the sleeve piece defines an interior shoulder;   the first end of the tube piece is sized to abut the interior shoulder, with the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece defining an interior opening of the tube piece that matches the second interior opening of the sleeve piece, to establish the continuous geometry across the third joint.   
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein:
 the sleeve piece and the tube piece are round tubes, with the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the sleeve piece defining a first inner diameter of the sleeve piece that is wider than a second inner diameter of the sleeve piece defined by the inner cross-sectional geometry of the second end of the sleeve piece, such that a transition between the first and second ends of the sleeve piece defines an annular interior shoulder;   the first end of the tube piece is sized to abut the annular interior shoulder, with the inner cross-sectional geometry of the first end of the tube piece defining an inner diameter of the tube piece that matches the second inner diameter of the sleeve piece, to establish the continuous geometry across the third joint.   
     
     
         19 . A heat exchanger comprising the apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the tube piece is fluidly coupled to a first fluid source and a volume outside the tube piece is fluidly coupled to a second fluid source, for the tube piece to transfer heat between the first fluid and the second fluid. 
     
     
         20 . (canceled)