Method and means for miniaturization of binary-fluid heat and mass exchangers

A method of heat and mass transfer comprising:

• introducing a vapor into a support structure through an inlet port upwardly over a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced coolant groups on the support structure wherein each coolant group is comprised of a pair of horizontal spaced hollow headers with a plurality of small diameter hollow coolant tubes extending between the headers and in fluid communication with the headers,
• interconnecting the header assembly and the coolant groups so that all of the coolant groups will be fluidly connected with each other,
• arranging the coolant tubes of each group at right angles to each other,
• confining the small diameter hollow coolant tube to about 1.587 mm in diameter or less and spacing the hollow coolant tubes to approximately 3.175 mm to yield an extremely high coolant-side heat transfer coefficient, introducing a coolant fluid into the lowest coolant group through an inlet port for the coolant fluid;
• flowing the coolant fluid through the coolant groups and exit through an exit port at the top of the coolant groups;
• and
• introducing a dilute solution of fluid downwardly over the coolant groups so as to run counter-current with respect to the vapor, wherein the dilute solution is comprised of a dilute solution of ammonia and water, and the vapor is ammonia.

A method of heat and mass transfer comprising:

• introducing a vapor into a support structure through an inlet port upwardly over a plurality of horizontal vertically spaced coolant groups on the support structure wherein each coolant group is comprised of a pair of horizontal spaced hollow headers with a plurality of small diameter hollow coolant tubes extending between the headers and in fluid communication with the headers;
• interconnecting the header assembly and the coolant groups so that all of the coolant groups will be fluidly connected with each other;
• arranging the coolant tubes of each group at right angles to each other;
• introducing a coolant fluid into the lowest coolant group through an inlet port for the coolant fluid;
• flowing the coolant fluid through the coolant groups and exit through an exit port at the top of the coolant groups;
• introducing a binary solution of fluid downwardly over the coolant groups so as to run counter-current with respect to the vapor, wherein the binary solution is comprised of a fluid pair of non-volatile and volatile absorbents;
• wherein the exchanger has an envelope volume of 0.0077 M3 or less;
• wherein the exchanger has a heat rejection rate of 19.28 Kw or more;
• and
• wherein heat and mass exchange occurs simultaneously at the same location on the surface of the coolant tubes.

A method of intermixing a vapor and a fluid to cause the vapor to intermix with the fluid to acquire by absorption certain physical properties of the fluid, comprising,

• forming a horizontal first grid of closely spaced narrow diameter hollow tubes;
• placing a plurality of similar grids in a horizontal position and in close vertical spaced relation to the first grid and to each other;
• fluidly interconnecting the tubes of each grid, and each grid passing a coolant fluid through the fluidly interconnected grids;
• passing a vapor upwardly for movement through the grids;
• taking a first fluid and continuously disbursing the fluid substantially over the first grid wherein the first fluid will releasable cling to the tubes of the first grid, and thence drop sequentially to releasably cling sequentially to the tubes of remaining grids;
• maintaining an open space between each grid so that when quantities of the first fluid sequentially release from the tubes of the first grid, they can fall directly and freely by gravity for impingement on a lower grid to be physically intermixed by the impingement phenomenon;
• and
• continuing the impingement phenomenon as quantities of said first fluid progressively drop by gravity onto the grids;
• whereupon each impingement phenomenon will progressively and sequentially mix the first fluid with the upwardly moving vapor.