US4291754A — Thermal management of heat exchanger structure

Claim 1

Independent Claim 120 words

In a heat exchanger core of the plate and fin type having integral manifolds and heat exchange portions, apparatus defining passages for directing portions of the heat exchanging fluids to selected portions of the heat exchanger about the periphery thereof comprising: a plurality of air passages extending along a selected portion of the heat exchanger manifolds in heat conducting relationship therewith; means for connecting said passages between inlet and outlet manifolds in heat exchanging relation with hot gas passages in the heat exchanger; and means for connecting said passages with the interior of their associated manifolds at selected positions about the periphery of the manifolds for directing a portion of the compressed air conducted by the manifolds through said passages.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 120 words

In a heat exchanger core of the plate and fin type having integral manifolds and heat exchange portions, apparatus defining passages for directing portions of the heat exchanging fluids to selected portions of the heat exchanger about the periphery thereof comprising: a plurality of air passages extending along a selected portion of the heat exchanger manifolds in heat conducting relationship therewith; means for connecting said passages between inlet and outlet manifolds in heat exchanging relation with hot gas passages in the heat exchanger; and means for connecting said passages with the interior of their associated manifolds at selected positions about the periphery of the manifolds for directing a portion of the compressed air conducted by the manifolds through said passages.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 44 words

The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said air passages are between pairs of tube plates and comprise a ring portion extending at least about the outer periphery of the manifolds in a region remote from the heat exchanging section of the heat exchanger core.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 34 words

The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said ring portion surrounds the associated manifold and further comprising plug means for blocking part of the ring portion to direct air through selected associated air fin passages.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 39 words

The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the plug means comprise a pair of opposed tabs affixed to adjacent opposed plates in respective ring portions thereof, and a fin member extending between said plates and connected to the respective tabs.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 50 words

The apparatus of claim 3 or claim 4 wherein the plug means comprise a pair of plugs in each ring portion symmetrically positioned at opposite sides of the manifold for directing air from the ring portion through air passages extending through the heat exchanger core near the opposite sides thereof.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 59 words

The apparatus of claim 3 or claim 4 further comprising, in each of the adjacent tube plates defining said ring portions, respective transition portions adjacent the plug means for defining sealed sections about the associated manifolds outboard of said plug means, said sections closing off said passages from the associated manifolds except in the region of said connecting means.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 22 words

The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the connecting means comprise shaped portions of the tube plates defining openings to the ring portion.

Claim 9

Independent Claim 56 words

The apparatus of any one of claims 1-4 further comprising a plurality of hollow tubular side bars along opposite sides of the heat exchanger and aligned generally in a direction of exhaust gas flow through the heat exchanger between gas inlet and outlet chambers thereof, and means for directing hot exhaust gas to said side bars.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 38 words

The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said hot exhaust gas directing means means comprise a plurality of openings at opposite ends of the side bars communicating directly with gas inlet and outlet chambers, respectively, of the heat exchanger.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 20 words

The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising means for selectively limiting the flow of exhaust gas through said side bars.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 18 words

Apparatus of claim 10 wherein said limiting means comprise sections of reduced cross-sectional area in said side bars.

Claim 13

Dependent Claim 44 words

Apparatus of claim 10 wherein the limiting means comprise sections of reduced cross section adjacent opposite ends of only selected ones of the side bars for restricting the flow of exhaust gas therethrough while permitting unrestricted gas flow through others of said side bars.

Claim 14

Independent Claim 121 words

The method of pre-heating selected peripheral portions of the manifolds of a plate-and-fin heat exchanger core having inlet and outlet manifolds integrally formed at opposite ends of the heat exchanger, comprising the steps of: forming heat exchanger plates with ring portions extending about the manifold sections thereof; selectively sealing said ring, portions from communication with said manifolds; providing openings between said manifolds and a central section of said ring portions outboard of the heat exchanger core for directing air from the manifolds through said ring portions adjacent said central sections for pre-heating said portions; and providing selected finned air passages connected with said ring portions for transmitting air in heat exchanging relationship through the heat exchanger core between said ring portions.

Claim 15

Independent Claim 121 words

The method of pre-heating selected peripheral portions of the manifolds of a plate-and-fin heat exchanger core having inlet and outlet manifolds integrally formed at opposite ends of the heat exchanger, comprising the steps of: forming heat exchanger plates with ring portions extending about the manifold sections thereof; selectively sealing said ring, portions from communication with said manifolds; providing openings between said manifolds and a central section of said ring portions outboard of the heat exchanger core for directing air from the manifolds through said ring portions adjacent said central sections for pre-heating said portions; and providing selected finned air passages connected with said ring portions for transmitting air in heat exchanging relationship through the heat exchanger core between said ring portions.

Claim 16

Dependent Claim 24 words

The method of claim 13 further including the step of selectively blocking the ring portions to separate an inner section from the central section.

Claim 17

Dependent Claim 23 words

The method of claim 13 or claim 14 including directing air between the ring portion central sections through the selected finned air passages.

Claim 18

Dependent Claim 51 words

The method of claim 13 or claim 14 further including the steps of providing hollow tube reinforcing side bars along the sides of the heat exchanger core and directing exhaust gas through at least some of the side bars to positively heat the side bars during operation of the heat exchanger.

Claim 19

Dependent Claim 27 words

The method of claim 16 including the step of limiting the flow of exhaust gas in selected ones of the side bars to control the heating thereof.

Claim 20

Independent Claim 91 words

The method of pre-conditioning selected isolated portions of a heat exchanger core to reduce the temperature differential between said portions and the remainder of said core during a transitional operating phase comprising the steps of: providing passages for a first heat exchanging fluid in said isolated portions; providing openings communicating between said passages and respective adjacent fluid plenums conducting said first fluid; and completing a path for the first fluid through the core between opposed passages for stabilizing the temperature of the isolated portions relative to the remainder of the core.

Claim 21

Independent Claim 91 words

The method of pre-conditioning selected isolated portions of a heat exchanger core to reduce the temperature differential between said portions and the remainder of said core during a transitional operating phase comprising the steps of: providing passages for a first heat exchanging fluid in said isolated portions; providing openings communicating between said passages and respective adjacent fluid plenums conducting said first fluid; and completing a path for the first fluid through the core between opposed passages for stabilizing the temperature of the isolated portions relative to the remainder of the core.

Annuity Stage	Window Opens	Payment Deadline	Surcharge Period Until	Estimated Fee	Status
3.5 Years (Year 4)	1984-09-28	1985-03-30	1985-09-29	$2000.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8)	1988-09-28	1989-03-30	1989-09-29	$3760.00	Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12)	1992-09-28	1993-03-30	1993-09-29	$7700.00	Window Closed / Lapsed

Thermal management of heat exchanger structure

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