Modular bundle of tubes for a steam condenser, and a steam condenser using such modular bundles

Claim 1

A steam condenser comprising a condenser skin containing a bundle of tubes and being operatively coupled at each end with a water tank, the improvement wherein said bundle of tubes comprises an assembly in parallel of a plurality n of modular bundles of tubes, each of said modular bundle of tubes comprising two perforated end plates, a series of said tubes being fitted into the perforations of said end plates and interconnecting the perforated end plates, a set of intermediate supporting plates distributed between the two perforated end plates, both perforated end plates being of the same size, a reinforcing frame surrounding each perforated end plate which is thicker than the perforated end plate and being fixed along the periphery of the end plate to said end plate, draw bars fitted with length adjusting means interconnecting said perforated end plates, said draw bars being fixed to the reinforcing frames and being distributed along said reinforcing frames, an assembly frame having n windows bearing against and being fixed to the reinforcing frame of each modular bundles of tubes on the outside thereof relative to said tubes to effect assembly of the bundle of tubes at each end by means of said assembly frame, the outer perimeter of the assembly frame having an external extension projecting beyond the reinforcing frame forming the outer perimeter of the assembled bundles of tubes, said condenser skin including a flange, and said assembly frame being fixed to said flange, and the condenser skin comprising a passage through the flange which is the same size at each end of the condenser.