Heat exchanger for preheating an oxidizing gas

A heat exchanger for preheating an oxidizing gas comprising:

• a shell having a first manifold at a first end and a second manifold at a second end, and having an inlet and an outlet for respectively permitting the ingress and egress of a first heat exchange fluid;
• at least one tube disposed within the shell for transporting the second heat exchange fluid therethrough and engaging the first manifold and the second manifold at a first side of the first manifold and at a first side of the second manifold;
• an inlet chamber adjacent to a second side of the first manifold, the inlet chamber having an opening for receiving a second heat exchange fluid, the second heat exchange fluid comprising an oxidizing gas;
• an outlet chamber adjacent to a second side of the second manifold, the outlet chamber having an outlet opening therein;
• an outlet tube coupled to the second side of the second manifold passing through the outlet opening in the outlet chamber and configured to receive the second heat exchange fluid,
• wherein the outlet chamber contains an inert atmosphere;
• and
• a gas analyzer in communication with the inert atmosphere and configured to detect the oxidizing gas.

A heat exchanger for preheating an oxidizing gas comprising:

• a shell having an inlet and an outlet for permitting the ingress and egress of a gas selected from the group consisting of flue gas and preheated air;
• at least one tube longitudinally disposed within the shell and configured to receive an oxidizing gas,
• an inlet manifold transversely positioned at an inlet end of the shell and configured to receive a first end portion of the at least one tube;
• an outlet manifold transversely positioned at an outlet end of the shell and configured to receive a second end portion of the at least one tube;
• an inlet end-cap positioned around the segmented inlet manifold and coupled to the inlet end of the shell;
• and
• an outlet end-cap having an axial opening therein, the end-cap positioned around the segmented outlet manifold and sealed to the outlet end of the shell;
• an outlet tube partially inserted into an opening in the segmented outlet manifold and passing through the axial opening of the outlet end-cap,
• wherein the outlet tube is in communication with the at least one tube;
• an inert atmosphere within the outlet end-cap;
• means in communication with the inert atmosphere for detecting the presence of the oxidizing gas within the inert atmosphere;
• and
• means mounted to the outlet end-cap for measuring the temperature of the outlet tube.

A heat exchanger for preheating an oxidizing gas comprising:

• a shell having an inlet and an outlet for permitting the ingress and egress of a heating gas selected from the group consisting flue gas and preheated air;
• a tubular oxidizing gas pathway disposed within the shell, the pathway configured to receive an oxidizer gas at an inlet and to discharge the oxidizer gas at an outlet,
• wherein the tube diameter increases along the direction of oxidizing gas flow, such that the tube diameter at the inlet is smaller than the tube diameter at the outlet, and
• wherein the oxidizing gas pathway is of metallic weld-free construction, such that only weld-free metallic surfaces are exposed to the oxidizing gas.

A heat exchanger for preheating an oxidizing gas comprising:

• a shell having an inlet and an outlet for respectively permitting the ingress and the egress of a first heat exchange fluid;
• a chamber having an inlet for receiving a second heat exchange fluid, the second heat exchange fluid comprising an oxidizer;
• a U-shaped inner tube having a first end and a second end;
• a manifold configured to transfer the second heat exchange fluid from the chamber to the first end of the U-shaped inner tube and to receive the second heat exchange fluid from the second end of the U-shaped tube,
• wherein the end-cap contains a gas atmosphere different from the second heat exchange fluid;
• and
• a chemical detector in communication with the gas atmosphere and configured to detect the presence of the oxidizing gas.