Compact heat exchanger

Claim 1

A PLATE TYPE HEAT EXCHANGER HAVING A FRONT SIDE AND A REAR SIDE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A PLURALITY OF GENERALLY PLANAR FLUID PASSAGES DISPOSED IN SPACED GENERALLY PARALLEL SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP ADAPTED TO CONDUCT A FIRST HEAT EXCHANGE FLUID; SAID SPACED PASSAGES DEFINING FLOW PATHS THEREBETWEEN FOR CONDUCTING A SECOND HEAT EXCHANGE FLUID IN A DIRECTION BETWEEN THE FRONT AND REAR SIDES OF SAID HEAT EXCHANGER; EACH PASSAGE AND SAID PASSAGES COMPRISING A PAIR OF METALLIC PLATES DISPOSED IN SPACED GENERALLY PARALLEL SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP, MEANS SEALINGLY CONNECTING SAID SPACED PLATES OF EACH PAIR AT THEIR PERIPHERIES, AN ELONGATED PARTITION WITHIN SAID PASSAGE EXTENDING FROM ONE PLATE TO THE OTHER PLATE DIVIDING SAID PASSAGE INTO A FRONT PORTION AND A REAR PORTION, ONE OF SAID PLATES DEFINING AN INLET OPENING TO SAID PASSAGE, THE OTHER OF SAID PLATES DEFINING AN OUTLET OPENING FROM SAID PASSAGE, ONE OF SAID OPENINGS BEING DISPOSED IN FRONT OF THE FRONT SIDE OF SAID PARTITION, THE OTHER OF SAID OPENINGS BEING DISPOSED BEHIND THE REAR SIDE OF SAID PARTITION, SAID PARTITION DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY REMOTE FROM SAID OPENINGS FOR PROVIDING FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE FRONT AND BACK SIDES OF SAID PARTITION; SAID OUTLET OPENING OF ONE OF SAID PASSAGES BEING DISPOSED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID PARTITIONS FROM SAID OUTLET OPENINGS OF THE PASSAGES