Abstract: A water heater includes first and second cylindrical tank portions, a water outlet stub, and a connecting pipe. The first cylindrical tank portion is capped by a first domed head at a first end of the first cylindrical tank portion and a second domed head at a second end of the first cylindrical tank portion. The water outlet stub is connected to the first domed head. The second cylindrical tank portion is capped by a third domed head at a first end of the second cylindrical tank portion and a fourth domed head at a second end of the second cylindrical tank portion. The first and second domed heads each have an inwardly facing concave surface and an outwardly facing convex surface. The third and fourth domed heads each have an outwardly facing concave surface and an inwardly facing convex surface.

Abstract: A water heater includes an outer casing defining a longitudinal axis, an axial direction being defined as extending along the longitudinal axis. The water heater further includes a combustor for production of hot flue gases, a primary heat exchanger including a tube positioned within the outer casing, and a secondary heat exchanger including a plurality of plates coupled together by brazing to form a brazed plate heat exchanger. The secondary heat exchanger includes a first set of passages defined between the plates, and a second set of passages defined between the plates and alternating with the first set of passages in the axial direction. The primary and secondary heat exchangers are in fluid communication such that the flue gases flow through the second set of passages before being exhausted, and water to be heated flows through the first set of passages to a delivery point for use upon demand.

Abstract: A water heater includes an outer casing defining a longitudinal axis, an axial direction being defined as extending along the longitudinal axis. The water heater further includes a combustor for production of hot flue gases, a primary heat exchanger including a tube positioned within the outer casing, and a secondary heat exchanger including a plurality of plates coupled together by brazing to form a brazed plate heat exchanger. The secondary heat exchanger includes a first set of passages defined between the plates, and a second set of passages defined between the plates and alternating with the first set of passages in the axial direction. The primary and secondary heat exchangers are in fluid communication such that the flue gases flow through the second set of passages before being exhausted, and water to be heated flows through the first set of passages to a delivery point for use upon demand.

Abstract: A method of providing volume production of highly pressure resistant headers (10), (12) is provided and allows the headers (10), (12) to be formed of a header structure (10), (12) with a relatively thin wall portion (32) and a relatively thick wall portion (30). A strip (40) is utilized to provide the desired thickness at the thin wall portion (32) while allowing both the thin wall portion (32) and the strip (40) to have tube slots (34), (42) formed therein by a one step punching operation.

Abstract: Heat exchange inefficiencies found in round tube plate fin heat exchangers are eliminated in an aluminum heat exchanger that includes first and second headers (20), (22) and at least one flattened tube (24), (70) extending between the headers (20), (22). A plurality of generally parallel tube runs are defined and each has opposite edges. A plurality of plate fins (26), (50) are arranged in a stack and each has a plurality of open ended slots (34), one for each run of the tubes (24), (70). Each of the tube runs (24), (70) is nested within corresponding slots (26) and the fins (26), (50) with one of the edges (40) of the tube runs extending outwardly of the corresponding fin (26). The assembly is brazed together.

Abstract: A refrigeration system includes a multiple stage compressor 10 having at least two stages 12,14 for sequentially compressing the refrigerant together with a gas cooler 21 connected to the compressor 10 for receiving compressed refrigerant from the last stage 14 of the compressor to cool the same. An evaporator 18 is connected to the gas cooler 21 via an expansion device to receive cool refrigerant therefrom and cool the fluid stream passing through the evaporator 18. A return passage connects the evaporator 18 to the first stage 12 of the compressor and an intercooler 26 is connected between the first stage 12 and the last stage 14 of the compressor to cool refrigerant compressed by the first stage 12 and direct the refrigerant cooled thereby to the last stage 14 for further compression. The intercooler 26 and the gas cooler 21 are integrated into a single unit 22 and receive a single cooling heat exchange fluid and the gas cooler 21 has a larger heat transfer surface area than the intercooler 26.

Abstract: Heat exchange inefficiencies found in round tube plate fin heat exchangers are eliminated in an aluminum heat exchanger that includes first and second headers (20), (22) and at least one flattened tube (24), (70) extending between the headers (20), (22). A plurality of generally parallel tube runs are defined and each has opposite edges. A plurality of plate fins (26), (50) are arranged in a stack and each has a plurality of open ended slots (34), one for each run of the tubes (24), (70). Each of the tube runs (24), (70) is nested within corresponding slots (26) and the fins (26), (50) with one of the edges (40) of the tube runs extending outwardly of the corresponding fin (34). The assembly is brazed together.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (10) is provided to transfer heat between a first and second fluid flow. The heat exchanger 10 includes a flow path (20) provided in the form of one or more heat exchange tubes (40, 40A-C), and a second flow path (30) provided in the form of one or more serpentine heat exchange tubes (42, 42A-C). The tube(s) (40, 40A-C) is (are) “woven” together with the tube(s) (42, 42A-C) such that they are perpendicular to each other. The heat exchanger (10) can provide particular advantages when used as a suction line heat exchanger in a transcritical cooling system (12).

Abstract: A brazed plate heat exchanger (30) is provided for transferring heat between a first fluid (32) and a second fluid (34), with the first fluid (32) being pressurized to a relatively high pressure. The heat exchanger includes plate pairs (41), with each pair (41) defining a plurality of flow channels (56) for the first fluid (32). Each of the flow channels (56) has a hydraulic diameter less than 1 mm. Reinforcements (62) are provided between each of the plate pairs (41) and are aligned with inlet and outlet openings (46,48) to define inlet and outlet manifolds (50,52) for the first fluid (32).

Abstract: A heat exchanger including a suction line for gaseous or two phase refrigerant output from an evaporator and a capillary tube carrying cooled refrigerant to the evaporator. The suction line includes first and second substantially parallel straight cylindrical portions connected in series, with first and second portions of the capillary tube in series and helically wound around the suction line second and first portions, respectively. A valve for bypassing the capillary tube is responsive to a selected pressure differential between the capillary tube inlet and outlet. A U-shaped portion or accumulator connect the suction line first and second portions. An accumulator alternately is between the evaporator and the suction line portion wound by the capillary tube, with a phase separation chamber connected to an accumulator by a vertical pipe. The accumulator includes a discharge opening to return the oil to the system.

Abstract: Heat exchange inefficiencies found in round tube plate fin heat exchangers are eliminated in an aluminum heat exchanger that includes first and second headers (20), (22) and at least one flattened tube (24), (70) extending between the headers (20), (22). A plurality of generally parallel tube runs are defined and each has opposite edges. A plurality of plate fins (26), (50) are arranged in a stack and each has a plurality of open ended slots (34), one for each run of the tubes (24), (70). Each of the tube runs (24), (70) is nested within corresponding slots (26) and the fins (26), (50) with one of the edges (40) of the tube runs extending outwardly of the corresponding fin (26). The assembly is brazed together.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (10) is provided to transfer heat between a first and second fluid flow. The heat exchanger 10 includes a flow path (20) provided in the form of one or more heat exchange tubes (40, 40A-C), and a second flow path (30) provided in the form of one or more serpentine heat exchange tubes (42, 42A-C). The tube(s) (40, 40A-C) is (are) “woven” together with the tube(s) (42, 42A-C) such that they are perpendicular to each other. The heat exchanger (10) can provide particular advantages when used as a suction line heat exchanger in a transcritical cooling system (12).

Abstract: A method of providing volume production of highly pressure resistant headers (10), (12) is provided and allows the headers (10), (12) to be formed of a header structure (10), (12) with a relatively thin wall portion (32) and a relatively thick wall portion (30). A strip (40) is utilized to provide the desired thickness at the thin wall portion (32) while allowing both the thin wall portion (32) and the strip (40) to have tube slots (34), (42) formed therein by a one step punching operation.

Abstract: An integrated unit (10) in a refrigeration system (100) wherein a low-pressure conduit (18) and high-pressure conduit (36) are in conductive heat exchange relation to each other within an accumulator housing (12). The low pressure conduit (18) and high-pressure conduit (36) may be flat tubes wherein broad sides of the flat tubes are in conductive heat exchange relation to each other. The low-pressure conduit (18) and high-pressure conduit (36) or tubes have longitudinal axes (40, 42, respectively) that extend parallel to one another over a length (44) within the integrated unit (10).

Abstract: The efficiency of a heat exchanger used in applications where heat conduction between rows of conduits located from front to back of the heat exchanger and provided with common fins (42) is increased where the fins (42) are abutted to adjacent tube runs (22,24,26) in each row and extend from the front (28) to the back (30) of the heat exchanger so each fin (42) is common to each of the rows (22,24,26). Heat flow interrupters (56,58) are located in each fin (42) at locations aligned with spaces (27) between the runs (22,24,26). Each heat flow interrupter (56,58) is defined by a slit (62) extending completely through the fin 42 which is characterized by the absence of the removal of any material of which the fin (42) is made at the slit (62).

Abstract: A method of providing volume production of highly pressure resistant headers (10), (12) is provided and allows the headers (10), (12) to be formed of a header structure (10), (12) with a relatively thin wall portion (32) and a relatively thick wall portion (30). A strip (40) is utilized to provide the desired thickness at the thin wall portion (32) while allowing both the thin wall portion (32) and the strip (40) to have tube slots (34), (42) formed therein by a one step punching operation.

Abstract: A heat exchanger (10) preferably provides supercritical cooling to the refrigerant of a transcritical cooling system (12). The heat exchanger (10) includes a pair of elongated headers (20, 22) having longitudinal axes (24, 26) disposed substantially parallel to each other, a plurality of elongated tubes (28) spaced in side-by-side relation along the longitudinal axes (24, 26) of the headers (20, 22), and serpentine fins (30) extending between adjacent pairs of the tubes. Each of the tubes (28) has a first end (31) connected to the header (20) and a second end (32) connected to the other header (22) to the headers (20, 22).

Abstract: Heat exchange inefficiencies found in round tube plate fin heat exchangers are eliminated in an aluminum heat exchanger that includes first and second headers (20), (22) and at least one flattened tube (24), (70) extending between the headers (20), (22). A plurality of generally parallel tube runs are defined and each has opposite edges. A plurality of plate fins (26), (50) are arranged in a stack and each has a plurality of open ended slots (34), one for each run of the tubes (24), (70). Each of the tube runs (24), (70) is nested within corresponding slots (26) and the fins (26), (50) with one of the edges (40) of the tube runs extending outwardly of the corresponding fin (26). The assembly is brazed together.