Compact heat exchanger

A heat exchanger comprising:

• a fins and tubes heat exchanger, comprising a plurality of stacked fins penetrated by tubes designed to couple to an external thermal fluid, the fins being configured to transfer heat between the external thermal fluid flowing in the tubes and a fluid flowing in between the fins;
• a plates heat exchanger comprising a plurality of stacked plates configured to transfer heat from one side of the surface of the plate to the other side of the surface of the plate;
• a bypass compartment defining an enclosure enclosing at least one side of the fins and tubes heat exchanger, the bypass compartment comprising an open side facing the at least one side of the fins and tube heat exchanger;
• an inlet zone;
• and
• an outlet zone;
• wherein,
• the fins and tubes heat exchanger being coupled to the plates heat exchanger such that fins of the fins and tubes heat exchanger are each coupled to a corresponding plate on an edge of the fin and one of the edges of the fin faces the open side of the bypass compartment,
• plates of the plates heat exchanger are each coupled to a fin of the fins and tubes heat exchanger on an edge of the plate, one of the edges of the plate faces at least one of the inlet zone and the outlet zone, each coupled plate and fin defines a gap with an adjacent coupled plate and fin, and either
• (i) the portion of the gap between two adjacent plates facing the inlet zone is open, and the portion of the gap between two adjacent plates facing the outlet zone is blocked such that the gap defines an inlet pathway or
• (ii) the portion of the gap between two adjacent plates facing the outlet zone is open, and the portion of the gap between two adjacent plates facing the inlet zone is blocked such that the gap defines an outlet pathway,
• the inlet pathways and outlet pathways being alternately stacked,
• enabling the fluid in the inlet pathway and the fluid in the outlet pathway to be in mutual heat exchange propinquity.