Heat exchanger

A heat-exchanger package comprising a stacked plurality of rectangular sheet-metal plates and elongate solid prismatic spacers the longitudinal ends of which have planar end faces which are orthogonal to the elongate direction of said spacers, said spacers holding the sheet-metal plates apart from each other so as to form first and second orthogonally related systems of flow passages, with said systems in stacked interlace;

• first pairs of said spacers arranged parallel to each other and in register with first pairs of opposed edges of said plates to define said first-system flow passages, second pairs of said spacers arranged parallel to each other and orthogonal to said first-pair spacers and in register with second pairs of opposed edges of said plates to define second-system flow passages so that only said ends of the spacers of said first pairs are in register with only the ends of the spacers of said second pairs;
• said first system including outermost first-flow passages forming outermost flow passages of said package and intermediate first-flow passages between said outermost flow passages, so that each of said second-flow passages lies between two of said first-flow passages;
• each of the spacers of said first pairs having an outer longitudinal surface facing an outer side of said package, said outer surfaces of the outermost first pairs of spacers being continuous;
• whereby spaced peripherally continuous massive frames are collectively defined (1) by said outermost first-pair spacers, (2) by the longitudinal ends of said second-pair spacers and (3) by parts of said plates lying between said ends of said spacers, each of said frames having an essentially flat outer surface for efficient header connection to the respective ends of the second flow passages.

A heat-exchanger package comprising a stacked plurality of rectangular sheet-metal plates and elongate solid prismatic spacers the longitudinal ends of which have planar end faces which are orthogonal to the elongate direction of said spacers, said spacers holding said sheet-metal plates apart from each other so as to form first and second orthogonally related systems of flow passages, with said systems in stacked interlace;

• first pairs of said spacers arranged parallel to each other and in register with first pairs of opposed edges of said plates to define said first-system flow passages, second pairs of said spacers arranged parallel to each other and orthogonal to said first-pair spacers and in register with second pairs of opposed edges of said plates to define second-system flow passages so that only said ends of the spacers of said first pairs are in register with only the ends of the spacers of said second pairs;
• said first system including outermost first-flow passages forming outermost flow passages of said package, so that at least one second-flow passage lies between two of said first-flow passages;
• each of the spacers of said first pairs having an outer longitudinal surface facing an outer side of said package, said outer surfaces of said outermost first pairs of spacers being continuous;
• whereby spaced peripherally continuous massive frames are collectively defined (1) by said outermost first-pair spacers, (2) by the longitudinal ends of said second-pair spacers and (3) by parts of said plates lying between said ends of said spacers, each of said frames having an effectively continuous essentially flat outer surface for efficient header connection to the respective ends of the second flow passages.