Patent attributes
It is known that corrugated plate heat exchangers can have good thermal and hydraulic performance but limitations with regard to operational pressures whilst conventional tube type heat exchangers can achieve high pressure operation but can have high flow pressure losses due to the configuration of such tubes. By arranging a tube stack comprising respective tubes 2a, 3a arranged in layers typically one upon the other with cross junctions 4 between them and intersticial gaps between tubes it is possible to create swirling spinning motion in the flow possibly inside and at least outside the tubes for improved heat exchange with only limited flow restriction. The swirling flow in the heat exchanger matrix outside of the tubes passes along channels formed by the interconnecting intersticial gaps between the tubes and is guided about those tubes for heat exchange. Typically, a multitude of stack layers is combined such that association between the stack layers prevents in operation lateral and vertical movements as well as vibration of the tubes.
