Support for heat exchange tubes

An article of manufacture comprising at lease two (a) tube support strips of corrosion resistant material each having a plurality of V-shaped members interconnected end to end, releasable interlock means on a plurality of the apexes of said members to facilitate interlocking said strips with another in a manner so that a plurality of diamond-shaped openings are provided therebetween for accommodating horizontally disposed heat exchange tubes, said means including an integral projection on each of a plurality of apexes and a mating hole in adjacent apexes, each projection being integral in one piece with its associated apex in a manner so as to enable juxtaposed apexes to be in line contact.

A tube bundle comprising a first tube support strip horizontally disposed and having a plurality of V-shaped members interconnected end to end, a first row of horizontally disposed tubes supported by said strip with each tube being in line contact at two spaced locations with each leg of the V-shaped member therebelow, a second tube support strip overlying said first row of tubes and aligned with said first mentioned strip, said strip having a plurality of V-shaped members interconnected end to end, means including a lower apex on said second strip removably interlocked with an upper apex of said first strip so that only said strips cooperate to structurally support the load of tubes thereabove and with line contact between the juxtaposed apexes whereby tubes of said first row may be removed longitudinally without disturbing tubes of said second row, and the V-shaped members on said first mentioned strip cooperating with the V-shaped members on said second strip to define diamond-shaped openings through which said tubes extend.

In heat exchange apparatus comprising a shell containing parallel rows of heat exchange tubes, support structure within said shell for maintaining correct lateral spacing of the tubes and serving as a structural member for supporting the weight of the tubes thereabove, said support structure being defined by a plurality of superimposed, horizontally disposed strips of sheet metal, each strip having a plurality of V-shaped members interconnected end to end, the V-shaped members on one strip cooperating with the V-shaped members on the next adjacent strip to define generally diamond-shaped openings, mating structure on juxtaposed apexes of said strips for removably interlocking adjacent strips with the juxtaposed apexes having line contact, said mating structure on juxtaposed apexes including a protrusion on and integral in one piece with one apex and a mating recess on the adjacent apex, each diamond-shaped opening accomodating one of the tubes, the outer peripheral surface of each tube having line contact with each leg of the V-shaped member therebelow.