Heat exchanger

Claim 2

A heat exchanger, comprising: a liquid impingement plate having a liquid carrying channel therein; means for spraying a liquid into said liquid carrying channel; a liquid containment plate disposed in spaced relation to said liquid carrying channel, said liquid containment plate and said liquid impingement plate defining a liquid flow chamber therebetween; liquid inlet means in communication with said liquid spraying means to permit said liquid to flow through said liquid spraying means into said liquid carrying channel; liquid outlet means in communication with said liquid flow chamber to permit said liquid to be removed from said liquid flow chamber; and means for cooling said liquid impingement plate on the side thereof opposite said liquid flow chamber to a temperature at or below the freezing point of said liquid; said liquid carrying channel including means for retaining a portion of said liquid in a frozen state there-within, said retaining means comprising a narrowed channel opening facing said liquid spraying means in spaced relation to said cooling means.

Claim 3

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 1 wherein said liquid impingement plate includes a plurality of liquid carrying channels therein, said liquid carrying channels being disposed in said liquid impingement plate to extend in longitudinally parallel relation.

Claim 4

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 2 wherein said liquid carrying channels are trapezoidal in transverse cross section.

Claim 5

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 1 wherein said liquid spraying means includes a liquid supply tube having a liquid spray orifice therein, said liquid supply tube being disposed with said liquid spray orifice over said liquid carrying channel.

Claim 6

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 2 wherein said liquid spraying means includes a plurality of liquid supply tubes therein, said liquid supply tubes being disposed over said liquid impingement plate to extend in longitudinally parallel relation.

Claim 7

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 5 wherein each of said liquid supply tubes includes a plurality of liquid spray orifices therein, said liquid supply tubes being disposed with said liquid spray orifices over said liquid carrying channels.

Claim 8

The heat exchanger as defined by claim 1 wherein said liquid containment plate is disposed adjacent an environment to be cooled, said liquid containment plate restricting the flow of said liquid to said liquid flow chamber.

Claim 9

A steady state heat exchanger utilizing liquid coolant, comprising: a liquid impingement plate having a plurality of partially closed liquid carrying channels therein, said liquid carrying channels being disposed in said liquid impingement plate to extend in longitudinally parallel relation; a plurality of liquid supply tubes each having a plurality of liquid spray orifices therein, said liquid supply tubes being disposed over said liquid impingement plate to extend transversely of said liquid carrying channels; said liquid supply tubes also being disposed with said liquid spray orifices over said liquid carrying channels; a liquid containment plate disposed over said liquid supply tubes in spaced relation to said liquid carrying channels in said liquid impingement plate, said liquid containment plate and said liquid impingement plate defining a liquid flow chamber therebetween, said liquid containment plate being disposed adjacent an environment to be cooled and restricting the flow of said liquid to said liquid flow chamber; liquid inlet means in communication with said liquid supply tubes to permit said liquid to flow through said liquid supply tubes and to pass through said liquid spray orifices into said liquid carrying channels in said liquid impingement plate; liquid outlet means in communication with said liquid flow chamber to permit said liquid to be removed from said liquid flow chamber for return to said liquid supply tubes through said liquid inlet means; and means for cooling said liquid impingement plate on the side thereof opposite said liquid flow chamber to a temperature at or below the freezing point of said liquid, said cooling means being disposed in remote spaced relation to said environment to be cooled by said steady state heat exchanger; said liquid carrying channels having narrowed channel openings facing said liquid spray orifices in spaced relation to said cooling means.

Claim 10

A steady state heat exchanger utilizing liquid coolant, comprising: a liquid impingement plate having a plurality of partially closed liquid carrying channels therein, said liquid carrying channels being disposed in said liquid impingement plate to extend in longitudinally parallel relation; a plurality of liquid supply tubes each having a plurality of liquid spray orifices therein, said liquid supply tubes being disposed over said liquid impingement plate to extend transversely of said liquid carrying channels; said liquid supply tubes also being disposed with said liquid spray orifices over said liquid carrying channels; a liquid containment plate disposed over said liquid supply tubes in spaced relation to said liquid carrying channels in said liquid impingement plate, said liquid containment plate and said liquid impingement plate defining a liquid flow chamber therebetween, said liquid containment plate being disposed adjacent an environment to be cooled and restricting the flow of said liquid to said liquid flow chamber; liquid inlet means in communication with said liquid supply tubes to permit said liquid to flow through said liquid supply tubes and to pass through said liquid spray orifices into said liquid carrying channels in said liquid impingement plate; liquid outlet means in communication with said liquid flow chamber to permit said liquid to be removed from said liquid flow chamber for return to said liquid supply tubes through said liquid inlet means; and means for cooling said liquid impingement plate on the side thereof opposite said liquid flow chamber to a temperature at or below the freezing point of said liquid, said cooling means being disposed in remote spaced relation to said environment to be cooled by said steady state heat exchanger; said liquid carrying channels having narrowed channel openings facing said liquid spray orifices in spaced relation to said cooling means.

Claim 11

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 wherein said liquid carrying channels are trapezoidal in transverse cross section.

Claim 12

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 9 wherein each of said liquid carrying channels includes a pair of diverging side walls terminating in a bottom interface surface adjacent said cooling means in generally parallel spaced relation to said narrowed channel opening therein.

Claim 13

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 wherein said liquid inlet means includes a manifold extending transversely of said liquid supply tubes.

Claim 14

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 wherein said cooling means is adapted to operate at a temperature at or below the freezing point of said liquid coolant.

Claim 15

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 wherein said cooling means is a central thermal bus in heat exchange relation to said liquid impingement plate.

Claim 16

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 13 wherein said liquid containment plate restricts the flow of said liquid to the side of said liquid containment plate opposite said environment to be cooled.

Claim 17

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 14 wherein said liquid coolant is water and said central thermal bus is ammonia cooled.

Claim 18

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 including spacer means for maintaining said liquid containment plate in spaced relation to said liquid impingement plate.

Claim 19

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 16 wherein said spacer means includes a plurality of posts supporting said liquid containment plate in spaced relation to said liquid impingement plate.

Claim 20

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 including at least one post extending from said liquid containment plate to support each of said liquid supply tubes in spaced relation to said liquid impingement plate.

Claim 21

The steady state heat exchanger as defined by claim 8 including a plurality of side plates enclosing said liquid flow chamber to restrict the flow of said liquid to said liquid flow chamber.