Heat exchange apparatus

Claim 1

APPARATUS COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE CATALYTIC COMBUSTION CELL FORMED OF A PAIR OF CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL PLATES HAVING THE FACING SURFACES THEREOF COATED WITH A CATALYST SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF A NOBLE METAL CATALYST AND A NONPRECIOUS METAL OXIDE CATALYST FOR COMBUSTING A FUEL DISCHARGED BETWEEN SAID PLATES, ORIFICE MEANS POSITIONED BELOW SAID PLATES FOR DISCHARGING FUEL SUPPLIED THERETO BETWEEN SAID PLATES, AND A HOUSING ABOUT SAID PLATES HAVING COMBUSTION AIR INLETS THEREIN TO PERMIT A FLOW OF AIR INTO SAID HOUSING TO MIX WITH FUEL DISCHARGED FROM SAID ORIFICE TO INITIATE FLAMELESS COMBUSTION AS THE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE PASSES IN CONTACT WITH SAID CATALYST AND OVER THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID PLATES TO REMOVE HEAT FROM THEM AS IT IS GENERATED BY CATALYTIC COMBUSTION, SAID CATALYST THEREBY BEING KEPT BELOW THE FLAME IGNITION TEMPERATURE OF THE FUEL-AIR MIXTURE AND HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN SAID PLATES AND THE AIR FLOWING OVER THE OUTER SURFACES OF SAID PLATES OCCURRING SO AS TO HEAT SAID AIR, WHEREBY FLAMELESS CATALYTIC COMBUSTION OCCURS DIRECTLY ON ONE SIDE OF A HEAT EXCHANGE SURFACE THAT IS COOLED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE BY THE FLUID TO WHICH HEAT IS BEING TRANSFERRED SO AS TO PREVENT FLAME IGNITION DUE TO OVERHEATING OF THE CATALYST AND AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDE EFFICIENT HEAT TRANSFER.