Patent attributes
An exchange apparatus comprised of hollow perfluorinated thermoplastic tubes fusion bonded into a perfluorinated thermoplastic material to form unified terminal end blocks is disclosed. The hollow tubes are shaped by plaiting the tubes into cords and thermally annealing the cords to set the bends of the plait. The apparatus can have a housing bonded to the unified terminal end blocks. In use a first fluid enters the hollow tubes at openings in a first unified terminal end block, flows through the lumens of the tubes, and exits the tubes through a second unified terminal end block. A second fluid enters the housing, is separated from the first fluid by the wall of the tubes, and substantially fills the space between the inner wall of the housing and the outer diameters of the hollow tubes. Energy is transferred between the first and second fluids through the tube walls.
