US 3,976,129 AGranted

Spiral concentric-tube heat exchanger

OwnerMarcus M. Silverinventor

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Abstract

A composite tube composed of an inner tube extending through and spaced from an outer tube by radial partition walls is coiled helically. The helical composite tube coil is housed in a tank having an interior silvered reflective surface and evacuated to minimize heat loss through the tank wall. A carburetor supplies a combustible gas mixture to one end of the inner tube, the gas mixture burns in such tube, and a centrifugal blower draws the combustion gas through the tube. A vaporizable liquid is supplied under pressure to the end of the outer tube adjacent to the centrifugal blower for passage of the vaporizable liquid through the outer tube in the direction opposite the flow of combustion gas through the inner tube for vaporization of the combustible liquid under pressure, such as for producing superheated steam from water.

Claims1

Dependent claims

A heat exchanger comprising a helically coiled outer tube, only a single inner tube extending through the interior of said outer tube and helically coiled similar to said outer tube, a plurality of partition sheets spaced circumferentially of said tubes and bridging substantially radially between said single helically coiled inner tube and said helically coiled outer tube, said partition sheets, said single inner tube and said outer tube constituting and extruded integral unit, a sealed cylindrical insulating tank having opposite domed ends and subatmospheric pressure within it, housing said inner and outer tubes helically coiled about the axis of said tank for deterring transfer of heat through the exterior of said outer tube between ambient atmosphere exteriorly of said tank and the fluid in the space between said inner tube and said outer tube, and means supplying fluid to the space between said single inner tube and said outer tube and supplying fluid to the interior of said inner tube such that the difference between the temperature of ambient atmosphere and the temperature of the fluid supplied to the space between said inner tube and said outer tube is less than the difference between the temperature of ambient atmosphere and the temperature of the fluid supplied to the interior of said inner tube, for transfer of heat through the wall of said inner tube between the fluid within said inner tube and the fluid in the space between said inner tube and said outer tube.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.