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Heat exchangers for fluid media

  • US 7,661,460 B1
  • Filed: 12/07/2004
  • Issued: 02/16/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2003
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A compact heat exchanger for interchanging thermal energy between two different fluids while maintaining the two different fluids physically separate, and also having capability for adding thermal energy, the heat exchanger comprising:

  • a tubular body comprising two concentric cylindrical heat conductive elements disposed along a longitudinal axis and spaced apart by a selected radial gap, the outer one of the cylindrical elements having an outer diameter of less than 2.00″

    , and the inner one of the cylindrical elements being sized such that the radial gap is less than 0.50″

    ;

    a hollow, heat conductive tubular member wrapped about the inner one of the cylindrical elements and defining a helical path along the longitudinal axis, said tubular member being disposed in and having a diameter filling the radial gap between the two concentric cylindrical elements, and being in thermally conductive contact with both said concentric cylindrical elements and confining a first of the fluids that is fed into the radial gap between the cylindrical elements to a helical path along the longitudinal axis within the radial gap between the turns of said tubular member, the tubular member receiving and confining the second of the two fluids, such that the two fluids flow in interspersed helical paths separated only by the wall thickness of the tubular member;

    first end ports coupled to the opposite longitudinal ends of the radial gap between the cylindrical elements for transporting the first of the fluids along the helical path in the space between the turns of the tubular member;

    second end ports coupled to the interior of the hollow tubular member at the opposite longitudinal ends of the hollow, heat conductive tubular member for feeding the second of the fluids therethrough;

    wherein the first of the fluids is a thermal transfer fluid and the second of the fluids is an at least partially vaporizable refrigerant, andwherein the exchanger further includes a heater element removably positioned in the interior of the interior cylindrical element in thermal exchange relation with the first fluid flowing in the radial gap between the cylindrical elements, the heater element comprising a cylindrical electrical heater substantially filling the interior of the inner cylindrical element and in thermal interchange relation thereto.

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