Gas-handling apparatus and method

Claim 2

The combination according to claim 1 wherein said refrigerating unit includes a condensing unit therefor, some of said second conduit connections couple said condensing unit to one side of said auxiliary evaporator and others of said second conduit connections couple the other side of said auxiliary evaporator to said refrigerating unit and to said primary evaporator.

Claim 3

The combination according to claim 1 wherein a heat exchanger for said gas is coupled regeneratively to said first-mentioned conduit connections.

Claim 4

The combination according to claim 1 wherein said expansion valve and a third conduit connection are coupled between said primary evaporator and said refrigerating unit in bypassing relation to said auxiliary evaporator.

Claim 5

The combination according to claim 5 wherein said expansion valve is provided with means for preventing its complete closure.

Claim 6

The combination according to claim 1 wherein said primary evaporator includes a heat exchanger structure having flow means associated with the structure for inducing serpentine heat exchanging paths of said gas and of said refrigerant fluid therethrough.

Claim 7

Gas-handling apparatus comprising a primary evaporator, first conduit connections for establishing a flow path for a compressed gas and the like through said evaporator, second conduit connections for establishing a flow path of a refrigerant fluid through said primary evaporator in heat-exchanging relation with said gas path, a refrigerating unit coupled to said second conduit connections, and an auxiliary evaporator coupled between said refrigerating unit and said primary evaporator, said primary evaporator including a heat exchanger structure having flow means associated with the structure for inducing serpentine heat-exchanging paths of said gas and of said refrigerant fluid therethrough, said heat-exchanging means including a plurality of sheath tubes and inner tubes mounted spacedly within said sheath tubes, and flow means for conducting one of said gas and said fluid sequentially through one group of the group of sheath tubes and the group of inner tubes and for conducting the other of said gas and said fluid in parallel through at least some of the remainder of said tubes.

Claim 8

The combination according to claim 8 wherein said inner tubes are each provided with a plurality of heat transfer spines extending transversely between each coaxial tube and the associated sheath tube.

Claim 9

The combination according to claim 8 wherein said flow-conducting means are arranged to couple said inner tubes in series and said sheath tubes in series-parallel.

Claim 11

The combination according to claim 1 wherein said expansion valve is coupled in an inlet portion of said refrigerant flow path relative to said primary evaporator, and said pressure-sensitive means are coupled in an outlet portion of said refrigerant flow path relative to said primary evaporator.

Claim 12

The combination according to claim 12 wherein said pressure-sensitive means are coupled between said primary evaporator and said auxiliary evaporator.

Claim 13

The combination according to claim 1 wherein said primary evaporator includes a heat exchanger structure having flow means therein for inducing a serpentine heat-exchanging patH in the flow of at least one of said gas and of said refrigerant therethrough.

Claim 14

The combination according to claim 7 wherein said serpentine heat-exchanging paths are coaxial.

Claim 15

The combination according to claim 4 wherein auxiliary evaporator and said heat exchanger are each shaped to define coaxial heat-exchanging paths therethrough.