Heat exchanger having metal wire screens, and method of making stack of screens therefor

A heat exchanger comprising:

• means providing a chamber,
• a stack of metal wire screens transversely filling said chamber,
• sealant means arranged between adjacent screens in the same endless pattern and located inwardly of the edges of said screens to provide a barrier enclosing an inner region of said stack surrounded by an outer region of said stack,
• means clamping said stack of screens to compress said barrier, including bars arranged over said barrier at opposite ends of said stack, tie rods passing through holes in the bars at least at one end of said stack, penetrating the various screens and also said barrier, and at such one end of said stack having threaded ends on which nuts are screwed to bear against such bars,
• means for conducting the flow of a first fluid through said inner region from end to end, and
• means for conducting the flow of a second fluid through said outer region from end to end,
• a layer of gasket material wrapped around said stack to prevent fluid bypassing the screens at the extremities of their said edges,
• whereby heat is exchanged between said fluids by way of conduction through the metal wires of said screens.