Heat exchange device

Claim 1

A heat exchanger comprising structural elements comprising a shell having an opening and a removable end portion and a hollow rotor shaft insertable within the shell and, when positioned within said shell, extending beyond the shell through an opening in the shell concentric to the vertical axis of the shell; support means being connected to, and supporting a structural element; flow directing elements insertable in said shell and positioned within said shell between the rotor shaft and the shell comprising: a plurality of hollow disklike members connected to the rotor shaft, a plurality of disklike partitions comprising a plurality of sections, and partition support means which means connects said partitions to said shell and holds said partitions in interleaved spaced relation to said hollow disklike members, said hollow disklike members and said disklike partitiOns each having a central opening, a distal edge and a surface extending from said central opening to said distal edge, the plane of which central opening being displaced from, but substantially parallel to, the plane of said distal edge and, when in place within the shell, said plane of said central opening being above said plane of said distal edge, both of said planes being substantially perpendicular to said vertical axis of said shell, said hollow disklike members having a top portion, a bottom portion, a distal edge portion connecting said top portion and said bottom portion at the distal edge of a said hollow disklike member, and at least one substantially radial baffle for directing flow of a heat transfer fluid within a said hollow disklike member and coacting with said hollow rotor shaft which hollow rotor shaft has an inlet opening and an outlet opening communicating with said hollow disklike members whereby said hollow rotor shaft, said hollow rotor shaft openings and said hollow disklike members form a tortuous conduit for the passage of a heat transfer fluid, said hollow disklike members and said hollow rotor shaft forming a heat conductive surface and together with said disklike partitions and said shell forming a second tortuous conduit for the passage of a product fluid whereby said product fluid exchanges heat with said heat transfer fluid through the heat conductive surface of said rotor shaft and said hollow disklike members; and one of said structural elements being adapted to suitable means to impart thereto rotational motion about the vertical axis of the shell so that the product fluid is subjected to agitation while exchanging heat with the heat transfer fluid.