Plate-pin panel heat exchanger and panel components therefor

A plate-fin heat exchanger adapted for use in ocean thermal energy conversion systems, the heat exchanger comprising:

• a plurality of elongated metal plate-fin panels arranged in parallel spaced apart relation, each panel having two rectangular side walls with flat exterior surfaces and a plurality of longitudinally extending fins connecting the interior surfaces of said side walls together in spaced apart relation, said fins creating a plurality of longitudinally extending, laterally spaced, internal passages between the two side walls;
• first and second header chambers disposed at opposite ends of the plate-fin panels, each header chamber including a headering plate having a plurality of parallel slotted apertures, and the corresponding end of each plate-fin panel being inserted through a corresponding one of said slotted apertures and being fastened thereto, whereby the plurality of panels are maintained in said parallel closely-spaced relation;
• rigid support members extending between the first and second header chambers;
• means for dislodging accumulated foreign matter from at least a localized portion of the exterior surface of each panel side wall;
• and
• means mounted on said support members and connected to said dislodging means for moving said dislodging means to traverse the exposed exterior surface of each panel side wall between the header plates of said header chambers, wherein the thickness of and spacing between the side walls of each plate-fin panel are very small compared with the length of the panel, such that the panel could buckle even without the application of external load if unsupported with its longitudinal dimension approximately vertical, and said rigid support members exert an axially outward force against each header plate, whereby each plate-fin panel is maintained in tension in its longitudinal dimension to prevent buckling of said panel.