Liquid cooling apparatus and method therefor
OwnerNeil Eric Paxmaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of cooling a mixture, the mixture comprising a liquid having a gas dissolved therein, the method comprising the steps of providing the mixture along an input mixture line (3); splitting the mixture from the input mixture line into a plurality of heat exchange tubes (6); flowing a heat exchange fluid over the outside of the heat exchange tubes to cool the mixture; re-combining the mixture into an output mixture line (5); characterized in that the temperature of the heat exchange fluid is arranged such that the temperature of the mixture at the point of recombination in the output mixture line is at or below the solution temperature of the gas in the liquid.
Claims40
A method of cooling a mixture, the mixture comprising a liquid having a gas dissolved therein, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing the mixture along an input mixture line;
- splitting the mixture from the input mixture line into a plurality of heat exchange tubes;
- flowing a heat exchange fluid over the outside of the heat exchange tubes to cool the mixture;
- and
- re-combining the mixture into an output mixture line,
- characterized in that the temperature of the heat exchange fluid is arranged such that the temperature of the mixture at the point of recombination in the output mixture line is at or below the solution temperature of the gas in the liquid and in that the diameter of the tubes is less than the diameter of input and output ports of a heat exchanger that includes the heat exchange tubes.
An apparatus for cooling a mixture comprising a liquid having a gas dissolved therein, the apparatus comprising:
- a heat exchanger comprising an input mixture port, an output mixture port and a plurality of heat exchange tubes extending therebetween;
- a heat exchange jacket surrounding the heat exchange tubes and having input and output ports;
- and
- cooling means adapted to flow a heat exchange fluid into the input port, over the heat exchange tubes and out the output port to cool the mixture within the heat exchange tubes;
- wherein the cooling means is adapted to flow the heat exchange fluid at a temperature sufficiently low that the temperature of the mixture at the output mixture port is at or below the solution temperature of the gas in the liquid.
An apparatus for cooling a liquid comprising:
- a heat exchanger comprising an input liquid port, an output liquid port and at least one heat exchange tube extending therebetween;
- a heat exchange jacket surrounding the at least one heat exchange tube having input and output ports;
- a heat exchange pump connected between input and output ports and adapted to circulate heat exchange fluid therebetween;
- a flow rate detector for detecting the rate of flow of liquid in the at least one heat exchange tube, the flow rate detector being in communication with the heat exchange pump;
- the heat exchange pump being adapted to provide heat exchange fluid to the heat exchange jacket only when the flow rate of the liquid in the at least one heat exchange tube is above a reference level.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.