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 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: Improved condensate drainage is achieved while compact size is retained in a condenser/evaporator for use in a heat pump system in a construction having first and second, curved, generally congruent tubular headers (10), (14) with one of the headers (10) being an upper header and the other of the headers (14) being a lower header. A first row of elongated tube slots (18) is located in the upper header (10) while a second row of elongated tube slots (20) is located in the lower header (14). Each tube slot (18) in the first row has a corresponding tube slot (20) in the second row and corresponding tube slots (18), (20) in the rows are aligned with one another. Elongated, straight, flattened tubes (22) extend between the headers (10), (14), in parallel with each other and a first port (32) is provided for refrigerant in one of the headers (10) and a second port (36) is provided for refrigerant in the other of the headers (14).