Rolls-royce Corporation

Rolls-royce and Associates Limited

Rolls-royce and Associated Ltd.

Colin I Adderley

John O Fowler

James E Boardman

Simon A Banks

Michael F Wignall

Alistair Calderwood

A plate-fin type of heat exchanger (400) facilitates exchange of heat between two process streams (S1, S2) e.g. high pressure methane and seawater. It comprises a matrix (M) of heat exchange plate elements (200') arranged side-by-side, flow passages (401) for the seawater process stream (S2) being defined between adjacent plate elements. The plate elements (200') are a high-integrity diffusion bonded sandwich construction comprising two outer sheets (101, 103--FIG. 3) and a superplastically expanded core sheet structure (102--FIG. 3) between the two outer sheets. The sandwich construction provides flow passages (117') for the methane process stream. Adjacent plate elements (200') are held in position relative to each other by serrated racks (403) which engage the edges of the plate elements.

Heat exchanger

A plate-fin type of heat exchanger (100) facilitates exchange of heat between two or more process streams (101, 102). It comprises a matrix (M) of two different types of heat exchange plate elements (P1, P2) inter-digitated with each other. Adjacent plate elements are metallurgically bonded together for good thermal contact by an activated diffusion bonding process. The plate elements (P1, P2) are high-integrity diffusion bonded sandwich constructions comprising two outer sheets (201, 203--FIG. 4) and a superplastically expanded core sheet structure (202) between the two outer sheets. The sandwich construction provides flow passages (P) for the process streams. Adjacent plate elements (P1, P2) carry different process streams (102, 102).

A compressed gas storage tank comprises a multi-layer sheet metal sandwich structure with a predetermined pattern of solid state diffusion bonds between all the neighburing layers. After the sheets have been solid state diffusion bonded together in the flat condition, the tank is blow formed between dies under superplastic forming conditions to produce at least one superplastically expanded core layer for containing the compressed gas. The configuration of the core layer is determined by the diffusion bond pattern. The expanded core layer provided internal bracing for the tank to give in rigidity and enable it to withstand the high internal pressures.

Pressurised storage for gases

A compact, high integrity heat exchanger element comprises a core layer through which the heat exchange fluid passes between its inlet and its outlet. The core layer includes a main heat exchange region containing heat exchange surfaces acting as fins. It also has distributor/ collector regions containing flow intercepting features for distributing or collecting the fluid flow over the width of the element. The heat exchange element consists of a minimum of two unitary sheets of metal joined by diffusion bonding in selected places. During manufacture, at least one of the unitary sheets has been superplastically deformed, in at least some of the places where it has not been diffusion bonded, so as to form the core layer complete with all its features in one operation.

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Derby, United Kingdom

Colin I Adderley