Heat exchanger

Claim 1

A HEAT EXCHANGE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF GROUPS OF TUBES; CONDUIT MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIORS OF THE TUBES IN EACH GROUP AT ONE END OF SUCH GROUP; A SHELL SURROUNDING SAID TUBES AND HAVING INLET MEANS AND OUTLET MEANS, AND A WALL MEMBER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF AND COMMON TO ALL SAID GROUPS OF TUBES AND DISPOSED BETWEEN THE GROUPS OF TUBES AND SAID CONDUIT MEANS WITH ITS OUTER FACE ADJACENT SAID CONDUIT MEANS, SAID WALL MEMBER HAVING A PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THEREIN THROUGH EACH OF WHICH THE TUBES OF A GROUP COMMUICATE WITH SAID CONDUIT MEANS; AND A PLURALITY OF UNIONS FOR SEALING THE INTERIORS OF THE TUBES IN THE GROUPS TO SAID CONDUIT MEANS AND FOR SEALING THE EXTERIORS OF SAID TUBES IN THE GROUPS TO SAID COMMON WALL MEMBER, EACH OF SAID UNIONS COMPRISING A TUBE SHEET MEMBER TO WHICH THE ENDS OF THE TUBES OF A GROUP ARE FIXED IN LEAKPROOF RELATION, THERE BEING A SEPARATE TUBE SHEET MEMBER FOR EACH UNION IN EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF OPENINGS THROUGH SAID WALL MEMBER, SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER HAVING AN OUTER FACE, AND AN OUTER PERIPHERY DISPOSED WITHIN ONE OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID COMMON WALL MEMBER, THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER BEING SUCH AS TO PERMIT SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER TO PASS ENTIRELY THROUGH THE WALL MEMBER OPENINGS IN WHICH SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER IS DISPOSED, MEANS DISPOSED BETWEEN THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENINGS IN SAID WALL MEMBER AND THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER TO LIMIT RELATIVE INWARD AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER IN SAID WALL MEMBER, CONDUIT MEMBER FIXED IN LEAKPROOF RELATION TO SAID CONDUIT MEANS AND HAVING AN OUTER FACE CONFRONTING THE OUTER FACES OF SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER AND SAID WALL MEMBER, MEANS ACTING BETWEEN SAID CONDUIT MEMBER AND SAID WLL MEMBER TO EXERT AN AXIAL FORCE THEREON TO DRAW SAID CONDUIT MEMBER TOWARD SAID WALL MEMBER AND TO FORCE SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER TO THE INWARD LIMIT OF ITS AXIAL TRAVEL, A FIRST SEALING SURFACE ON THE OUTER PERIPHERY OF SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER ADJACENT ITS OUTER FACE, A SECOND SEALING SURFACE ON THE INNER PERIPHERY OF SAID OPENING IN SAID WALL MEMBER ADJACENT THE OUTER FACE OF SAID WALL MEMBER, A THIRD SEALING SURFACE ON SAID CONFRONTING OUTER FACE OF SAID CONDUIT MEMBER IN OPPOSITION TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND SEALING SURFACES, AND SEALING MEAND DISPOSED IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF SAID SEALING SURFACES TO THEREBY PREVENT FLUID IN SAID TUBES FROME ESCAPING BETWEEN SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER AND SAID CONDUIT MEMBER AND TO FORM A LEAKPROOF SEAL BETWEEN SAID TUBE SHEET MEMBER AND SAID WALL MEMBER WHEN SAID FORCE-EXERTING MEANS IS ACTIVATED.