US Patent 7117935 Support system for tube bundle devices

A tube bundle device such as a heat exchanger or condenser which has parallel tubes in a triangular configuration in which tubes are adjacent and spaced from six surrounding tubes. The tubes in the tube bundle have wire spacer/support elements comprising helically wound material which surrounds at least a portion of the length of each of the tubes; each tube with a spacer/support coil being in contact only with tubes which do not have a spacer/support coil and each tube without a spacer/support coil is in contact only with tubes which have a spacer/support coil.