Ribbed tubeless heat exchanger for fluid heating systems including a rib component and methods of manufacture thereof

A method for heating a production fluid disposed in a vessel, comprising:

• providing a tubeless heat exchanger, comprising:
• a tubeless heat exchanger core disposed at least partially within the vessel, the tubeless heat exchanger core comprising an inner casing and an outer casing disposed around the inner casing, the inner and outer casings defining therebetween a flow passage for a thermal transfer fluid to flow, the tubeless heat exchanger core further comprising a core inlet arranged to receive the thermal transfer fluid and a core outlet arranged to provide the thermal transfer fluid, the core inlet and core outlet being fluidically connected to the flow passage, and at least one of the core inlet and core outlet being disposed on the inner casing;
• and
• wherein each of the outer casing and the inner casing has an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the respective inner surfaces face each other and define therebetween the flow passage for the thermal transfer fluid to flow from the core inlet to the core outlet and wherein at least a portion of the respective outer surfaces are arranged to be contacted by the production fluid, and wherein the flow passage defines a circumferential path comprising at least one pass around a perimeter of the heat exchanger core, and wherein the inner casing and the outer casing have a cone shape or a cylinder shape;
• providing the thermal transfer fluid into the core inlet to transfer heat from the thermal transfer fluid to the production fluid through at least a portion of both the inner and outer casings;
• providing an outlet member, which penetrates the vessel and which fluidically connects the core outlet through the vessel to provide the thermal transfer fluid outside of the vessel;
• and
• providing a conduit fluidically connected to the heat exchanger core, and arranged to provide the thermal transfer fluid to the heat exchanger core, the conduit having a conduit outlet end fluidically connected to the core inlet and a conduit inlet end arranged to receive the thermal transfer fluid,
• wherein the conduit is configured to provide the thermal transfer fluid from the conduit inlet, along the conduit to the conduit outlet and the core inlet to the flow passage,
• wherein the conduit comprises a conduit outer surface, at least a portion of the conduit outer surface also arranged to be contacted by the production fluid, and
• wherein the flow passage comprises a flow passage guide, the flow passage guide comprising a rib to guide the flow of the thermal transfer fluid along the flow passage from the core inlet to the core outlet.

A fluid heating system having a hydronic, steam or thermofluidic boiler, for heating a production fluid using a thermal transfer fluid, the production fluid being contained in a vessel, comprising:

• an electric blower configured to receive ambient air and electrical input power and to provide output source air;
• a combustion system configured to receive the source air from the electric blower and to receive fuel and to provide the thermal transfer fluid at a combustion system exit;
• a heat exchanger configured to receive the thermal transfer fluid from the combustion system exit and configured to be in thermal communication with the production fluid to provide convective heat exchange from the thermal transfer fluid to the production fluid, and to provide output exhaust gas to an exhaust flue having an exhaust flue inlet, further comprising:
• a tubeless heat exchanger core disposed at least partially within the vessel, the tubeless heat exchanger core comprising an inner casing and an outer casing disposed around the inner casing, the inner and outer casings defining therebetween a flow passage for a thermal transfer fluid to flow, the tubeless heat exchanger core further comprising a core inlet arranged to receive the thermal transfer fluid and a core outlet arranged to provide the thermal transfer fluid, the core inlet and core outlet being fluidically connected to the flow passage, and at least one of the core inlet and core outlet being disposed on the inner casing;
• and
• wherein each of the outer casing and the inner casing has an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the respective inner surfaces face each other and define therebetween the flow passage for the thermal transfer fluid to flow from the core inlet to the core outlet and wherein at least a portion of the respective outer surfaces are arranged to be contacted by the production fluid, and wherein the flow passage defines a circumferential path comprising at least one pass around a perimeter of the heat exchanger core;
• and
• wherein the flow passage comprises a flow passage guide, the flow passage guide comprising a rib to guide the flow of the thermal transfer fluid along the flow passage from the core inlet to the core outlet.