Process for cooling a product in a heat exchanger employing microchannels

A process for cooling a fluid product in a heat exchanger, the process comprising:

• flowing a fluid refrigerant through a set of refrigerant microchannels in the heat exchanger, the refrigerant microchannels having lengths in the range from about 0.5 to about 10 meters;
• and
• flowing the product through a set of product microchannels in the heat exchanger, the product microchannels having lengths in the range from about 0.5 to about 10 meters;
• the product flowing through the product microchannels exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant microchannels,
• the product exiting the set of product microchannels being at a temperature in the range from about −250° C. to about 500° C. and being cooler than the product entering the set of product microchannels.

A process for cooling a fluid product in a heat exchanger, the process comprising:

• flowing a fluid refrigerant through a set of refrigerant microchannels in the heat exchanger;
• and flowing the product through a set of product microchannels in the heat exchanger;
• the product flowing through the product microchannels exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant microchannels,
• the product exiting the set of product microchannels being cooler than the product entering the set of product microchannels;
• the heat exchanger being equipped with a header at the entrance to the microchannels, the refrigerant being in the form of a mixture of vapor and liquid as it enters the refrigerant microchannels, the vapor and liquid being mixed in the header.

A process for cooling a fluid product in a heat exchanger, the process comprising:

• flowing a fluid refrigerant through a set of refrigerant microchannels in the heat exchanger, the refrigerant being in the form of a mixture of vapor and liquid, the vapor and liquid being mixed in the refrigerant microchannels;
• and
• flowing the product through a set of product microchannels in the heat exchanger;
• the product flowing through the product microchannels exchanging heat with the refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant microchannels,
• the product exiting the set of product microchannels being cooler than the product entering the set of product microchannels.