Drum type heat transfer apparatus

Claim 1

HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS ADAPTED TO HAVE A FLUID HEAT TRANSFER MEDIUM CIRCULATED THERETHROUGH TO HEAT AN EXTERNAL SURFACE OF SAID APPARATUS TO A UNIFORM PREDETERMINED TEMPERATURE, COMPRISING: (A) CONCENTRIC INNER AND OUTER SHELLS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL LENGTH, SAID SHELLS HAVING A UNIFORM THICKNESS AND THE RADIAL DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID SHELLS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE THICKNESS OF EACH OF SAID SHELLS; (B) FIRST AND SECOND END WALLS AT THE OPPOSITE ENDS OF AN EXTENDING BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER SHELLS, SAID END WALLS BEING FIXED TO SAID SHELLS TO PROVIDE A CLOSED ANNULAR PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN; (C) RADIALLY ORIENTED, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING PARTITIONS WHICH ARE MEMBERS SEPARATE FROM SAID SHELLS BETWEEN AND FIXED TO SAID SHELLS, THE ENDS OF ALTERNATE PAIRS OF SAID PARTITIONS BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT THE FIRST END WALL AND SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED FROM THE SECOND END WALL, AND THE ENDS OF THE PAIRS OF PARTITIONS BETWEEN SAID ALTERNATE PAIRS BEING CLOSELY ADJACENT THE SECOND END WALL AND SUBSTANTIALLY SPACED FROM THE FIRST END WALL; (D) A PLURALITY OF FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS IN THE INTERIOR OF SAID OUTER SHELL FOR CONDUCTING FLUID FROM THE ENDS OF PASSAGES FORMED BY THE SHELLS AND PARTITIONS TO THE NEXT ALTERNATE PASSAGE AND THEREBY DIVIDING THE PASSAGES BETWEEN PARTITIONS INTO TWO INDEPENDENT LABYRINTHINE FLOW CHANNELS WITH ADJACENT PASSAGES BEING IN DIFFERENT ONES OF SAID FLOW CHANNELS, SAID FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND LEGS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID INNER SHELL AND BEING IN FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH THE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE PARTITIONS IN A FIRST ONE OF SAID PAIRS AND THE PASSAGE BETWEEN THE PARTITIONS IN THE ADJACENT ONE OF SAID PAIRS, THE LEGS OF SAID FLUID CONDUCTING MEANS FORMING CLOSURES FOR THE ENDS OF THE PASSAGES WITH WHICH SAID LEGS COMMUNICATE, ONE OF SAID LEGS BEING SPACED FROM THE NEAREST END WALL AND THE OTHER OF SAID LEGS BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE NEAREST END WALL, WHEREBY THE PASSAGES BETWEEN ADJACENT PAIRS OF PARTITIONS ARE SERIALLY CONNECTED TO FORM ONE OF SAID CHANNELS AND THE PASSAGES BETWEEN THE PARTITIONS IN THE PAIRS OF PARTITIONS ARE SERIALLY CONNECTED TO FORM THE OTHER OF SAID CHANNELS; (E) MEANS FOR DIRECTING FLUID TO EACH OF SAID CHANNELS; AND (F) MEANS FOR CONDUCTING FLUID FROM EACH OF SAID CHANNELS.