Marine heat exchanger
AssigneeR.W. Fernstrum & Company
InventorPaul W. Fernstrum
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A marine heat exchanger has a low profile header and cooling tube configuration to minimize drag and maximize heat transfer during use. The cooling tubes extend from at least an underside of the header so that the header vertically disposed cross sectional area is minimized and the cooling tubes are exposed to flowing seawater prior to or along with the headers. The tubes can also extend forwardly of the header to further maximize heat transfer and minimize drag. The header construction is especially adapted for hulls without recesses for header containment.
Claims19
In a marine heat exchanger having a pair of headers separated by a plurality of cooling tubes and a pair of connectors to link the cooling tubes to a marine engine cooling system, the improvement comprising at least a lower plate of each header having a plurality of elongated openings, each opening aligned with and sized to accept an elongated opening in each respective cooling tube, a forward end of each cooling tube extending from the lower plate thereby presenting an exposed heat exchange surface for increased contact with seawater flowing across at least one of the headers.
A marine vessel and marine heat exchanger combination comprising:
- a) a marine vessel having a hull;
- the hull having a pair of connection sites, a hull surface surrounding each connection site being generally coincident with a remainder of the hull surface;
- b) a marine heat exchanger having a pair of headers separated by a plurality of cooling tubes and a pair of connectors linked to a marine engine cooling system, an outer plate portion of each header extending from the hull surface to form a low profile header face, at least a lower plate of each header having a plurality of elongated openings, each opening aligned with and sized to accept an elongated opening in each respective cooling tube, a forward end of each cooling tube extending from the lower plate thereby presenting an exposed heat exchange surface for increased contact with seawater flowing across one of the headers.
A method of installing a marine heat exchanger to a marine vessel having at least a pair of hull openings comprising:
- a) placing, adjacent a hull of the marine vessel, a marine heat exchanger having a pair of headers separated by a plurality of cooling tubes and a pair of connectors to link the cooling tubes to a marine engine cooling system, wherein at least a lower plate of each header has a plurality of elongated openings, each opening aligned with and sized to accept an elongated opening in each respective cooling tube, a forward end of each cooling tube extending from the lower plate thereby presenting an exposed heat exchange surface for increased contact with seawater flowing across at least one of the headers;
- b) attaching the connectors of the marine heat exchanger to a marine engine cooling system through the hull openings so that engine cooling fluid can flow through the headers and cooling tubing to remove heat therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.