Tube-in-shell heat exchanger with linearly corrugated tubing

Abstract

A tube-in-shell heat exchange apparatus is disclosed for passing two fluids in countercurrent linear heat exchange having a tubular shell, a pair of header caps closing opposite ends of the shell, a pair of tube plates positioned at the ends of the shell defining inlet and outlet headers with the header caps, the header caps having an inlet opening in one and an outlet opening in the other opening into the inlet and outlet headers, each tube plate having a plurality of spaced openings, a plurality of heat exchange tubes, one for each of tube plate opening, having opposite end portions reduced in diameter and increased in wall thickness and fitted and sealed in the tube plate openings, the tubes each having intermediate portions linearly corrugated or convoluted to provide equally spaced deep corrugations extending in a straight line parallel to the axis of the tubes and forming a plurality of linear flow passages, and the shell having an inlet opening at one end and an outlet opening at the other end inside the space between the tube plates, whereby one fluid may be passed from the header cap inlet through one header into and through the linearly corrugated tubes and out through the other header and the header cap outlet, and an other fluid may be passed through the shell inlet and the space between the linearly corrugated tubes and out through the shell outlet. The nesting of the tubes in the heat exchanger minimizes by-pass of the fluid and controls the velocity essential to achieving turbulent flow and attendant high rates of heat transfer. The attainable heat transfer per unit of length in relation to point size is extremely high with linearly corrugated or convoluted tubes.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.