HEAT EXCHANGER
First Claim
1. A heat exchanger comprising:
- a plurality of stacked plate members each plate member being provided with at least one fluid channel therein, each plate member having a channel inlet and a channel outlet associated with each channel of the plate member;
a plurality of chambers, the chambers being provided between opposed major faces of respective adjacent plate members, the chambers containing a sorbent material;
a thermal fluid inlet in communication with a plurality of the channel inlets and a thermal fluid outlet in communication with a plurality of the channel outlets; and
a sorbate inlet and a sorbate outlet in communication with each of the chambers, the fluid channels being provided in fluid isolation from the chambers.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention relates to the field of heat-driven cooling devices, heat pumps or thermal transformers, in particular to those devices, known as sorption devices, which employ an ad- or absorbent material as a chemical compressor to raise the pressure of a refrigerant gas. This invention is particularly concerned with a heat exchanger suitable for use as a generator in a sorption device. Embodiments of the invention provide a heat exchanger comprising: a plurality of stacked plate members each plate member being provided with at least one fluid channel therein, each plate member having a channel inlet and a channel outlet associated with each channel of the plate member; a plurality of chambers, the chambers being provided between opposed major faces of respective adjacent plate members, the chambers containing a sorbent material; a thermal fluid inlet in communication with a plurality of the channel inlets and a thermal fluid outlet in communication with a plurality of the channel outlets; and a sorbate inlet and a sorbate outlet in communication with each of the chambers, the fluid channels being provided in fluid isolation from the chambers.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A heat exchanger comprising:
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a plurality of stacked plate members each plate member being provided with at least one fluid channel therein, each plate member having a channel inlet and a channel outlet associated with each channel of the plate member; a plurality of chambers, the chambers being provided between opposed major faces of respective adjacent plate members, the chambers containing a sorbent material; a thermal fluid inlet in communication with a plurality of the channel inlets and a thermal fluid outlet in communication with a plurality of the channel outlets; and a sorbate inlet and a sorbate outlet in communication with each of the chambers, the fluid channels being provided in fluid isolation from the chambers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 33, 35, 36, 39)
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5. (canceled)
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27. (canceled)
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38. (canceled)
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40. (canceled)
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41. (canceled)
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42. A method of cooling a reservoir in a sorption device comprising:
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providing a plurality of plate members, each plate member having at least one fluid channel provided therein, the at least one channel having a channel inlet and a channel outlet; providing a thermal fluid inlet in communication with the at least one channel inlet and a fluid outlet in communication with the at least one channel outlet; providing a plurality of chambers between the plate members, the chambers being provided in fluid isolation from the at least one channel; providing a sorbent material in each of the chambers; providing a sorbate inlet and a sorbate outlet in fluid communication with the chambers; connecting the sorbate inlet and sorbate outlet to at least one reservoir thereby to form a closed system; connecting the fluid inlet and fluid outlet to a fluid source; providing a quantity of sorbate in each chamber; passing a thermal fluid at a first temperature through the channels thereby to cause adsorption of the sorbate on the sorbent material; passing a thermal fluid at a second temperature through the channels thereby to cause desorption of the sorbate from the sorbent material.
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43. (canceled)
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44. (canceled)
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45. (canceled)
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46. A sorption generator comprising:
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a plurality of stacked plate members each plate member being provided with a series of fluid channels therein and comprising a first plate element and a second plate element in mutual abutment thereby to define the series of fluid channels, wherein one or both of the first and second plate elements are provided with a series of open channels thereon, each plate member having a channel inlet and a channel outlet associated with each channel of the plate member; a plurality of chambers, the chambers being provided between opposed major faces of respective adjacent plate members, the chambers containing a sorbent material, wherein a spacer is provided between respective opposed plate members thereby to define a portion of a wall of each chamber; a thermal fluid inlet in communication with a plurality of the channel inlets and a thermal fluid outlet in communication with a plurality of the channel outlets; and a sorbate inlet and a sorbate outlet in communication with each of the chambers, the fluid channels being provided in fluid isolation from the chambers.
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Specification