Heat exchangers

A heat exchanger having a rotor for generating a stream of a first working fluid and for effecting a heat exchange between said first working fluid passing through said rotor and a second working fluid, said rotor being rotatably supported in said stream of first working fluid and comprising:

• a plurality of hollow annular passage means for containing said second working fluid, said annular passage means coaxially disposed in planes extending perpendicularly to the rotor axis and spaced in predetermined intervals therealong;
• a plurality of blades comprising thin plate members and operating as a fan and fin to exchange heat between said first working fluid and said second working fluid contained within said annular passage means, said blades secured and thermally coupled to said annular passage means and positioned coaxially with respect to said rotor to form a blade surface extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotor;
• a single distribution-suction passage means having a first opening at one end thereof and a single concentration-delivery passage means having a second opening at one end thereof, said distribution-suction passage means and concentration-delivery passage means being secured to said annular passage means and positioned in an opposing relation to each other with respect to the axis of said rotor, and intercommunicating with said hollow annular passage means to form a system of internal ducts in said rotor so that each portion of said second working fluid flowing through said heat exchanger travels through a path of equal length regardless of which one of said plurality of hollow annular passage means said portion of said second fluid flows through, said second working fluid flowing from a port means to said distribution-suction passage means through said plurality of hollow annular passage means to said concentration-delivery passage means, and then to said port means communicated by said openings with said distribution-suction passage means and concentration-delivery passage means, said port means and distribution-suction means for sucking said second working fluid into said annular passage means, and said port means and concentration-delivery means for delivering said second working fluid from said annular passage means, said blades impelling said first working fluid by fan-like operation and exchanging heat between said first working fluid and second working fluid by fin-like operation.

In a heat exchanger, a rotor having an inlet and outlet port, generating a stream of air through said rotor and exchanging heat between said fluid and air flowing through said rotor, said rotor comprising:

• a single distribution-suction passage communicating with said inlet port, said distribution-suction passage generally aligned along the longitudinal axis of said rotor, said fluid flowing from said inlet port through said distribution-suction passage;
• a plurality of annular, hollow ring passages, each generally disposed on a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis of said rotor, each of said annular, hollow ring passages communicating with said distribution-suction passage at a first position on each annular, hollow ring passage, said fluid flowing through said distribution-suction passage into each of said annular, hollow ring passages;
• a plurality of solid thin arced plates coupled between each of said annular hollow ring passages and having surfaces generally parallel to said longitudinal axis, said solid thin arced plates collectively operating as a fan to generate said stream of air through said rotor as said rotor is rotated, and each operating as a fin thermally coupled to said annular, hollow ring passages so that heat is withdrawn from said fluid within said annular, hollow ring passages, coupled to said plurality of solid thin arced plates and transferred to said stream of air;
• and
• a single concentration-delivery passage communicating with each of said plurality of annular, hollow ring passages at a second position, said second position being diametrically opposed to said first position with respect to said longitudinal axis of said rotor, said fluid flowing from said plurality of annular, hollow ring passages to said concentration-delivery passage and thence to said outlet port.