Plastic tube heat exchanger with novel header construction

Claim 1

AN IMPROVED HEAT EXCHANGER APPARATUS COMPRISING IN COMBINATION; A HOLLOW RIGID METALLIC UNIT HAVING AXIAL AND TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS, SAID HOLLOW UNIT COMPRISING AN END PORTION AND HAVING A GIVEN COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION, AN ELONGATED BUNDLE OF FLEXIBLE TUBULAR ELEMENTS WITH CONTINUOUSLY HOLLOW INTERIORS FORMED OF AN ORGANIC POLYMERIC COMPOSITION POSITIONED IN SAID HOLLOW UNIT IN A GENERALLY ALIGNED RELATIONSHIP, SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS COMPRISING OPEN END PORTIONS, SAID END PORTIONS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS LYING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY COPLANAR ARRANGEMENT TRANSVERSELY OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND ADJACENT SAID END PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER COMPRISING A COMPOSITE HEADER ASSEMBLY COOPERATING WITH THE OPEN ENDS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS AND THE END PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT, SAID COMPOSITE HEADER ASSEMBLY CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO COOPERATE WITH A FLUID CONDUIT ELEMENT TO MAINTAIN FREE FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SUCH A FLUID CONDUIT ELEMENT AND THE INTERIORS OF THE HOLLOW TUBULAR ELEMENTS, WHILE PREVENTING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE FLUID IN SUCH A FLUID CONDUIT ELEMENT AND SPACE DEFINED BETWEEN THE EXTERIORS OF SAID HOLLOW TUBULAR ELEMENTS AND THE INTERIOR OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT, SAID COMPOSITE HEADER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A FIRST ANNULAR HEADER MEMBER OF ORGANIC POLYMERIC PLASTIC COMPOSITION HAVING A COEFFICIENT OF THERMAL EXPANSION SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER THAN THAT OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT, SAID FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER SURROUNDING THE OPEN END PORTIONS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS, SAID FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER AND THE EXTERIORS OF THE OPEN END PORTIONS OF SAID TUBULAR ELEMENTS BEING JOINED TO EACH OTHER IN FLUID TIGHT RELATIONSHIP, SAID FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER POSITIONED ADJACENT THE OPEN END PORTION OF AND INSIDE THE HOLLOW UNIT, SAID FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER HAVING DIMENSIONS WHICH CORRESPOND TO THE TRANSVERSE DIMENSIONS OF THE HOLLOW UNIT, SUCH THAT A GIVEN CLEARANCE EXISTS BETWEEN THE INSIDE OF THE HOLLOW UNIT AND THE NEAREST PORTION OF THE FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER, AT ALL TEMPERATURES UP TO AND INCLUDING THE MAXIMUM OPERATING TEMPERATURE OF THE APPARATUS, SAID HEADER ASSEMBLY FURTHER COMPRISING A SECOND HEADER MEMBER OF RIGID METALLIC COMPOSITION HAVING AN ANNULAR PORTION EXTENDING TO A POSITION FOR ABUTMENT AGAINST ONE SIDE OF SAID FIRST ANNULAR MEMBER, SAID SECOND MEMBER PROVIDED WITH ANOTHER PORTION ADAPTED TO BE COUPLED IN FLUID TIGHT RELATION TO A FLUID CONDUIT, SAID ANOTHER PORTION HAVING A FLUID PASSAGEWAY THERETHROUGH CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO PROVIDE FREE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A FLUID CONDUIT COUPLED WITH SAID ANOTHER PORTION, THROUGH THE SAID ANNULAR PORTION AND THE INTERIORS OF THE HOLLOW TUBULAR ELEMENTS OF THE BUNDLE, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER COMPRISING FIRST SECURING MEANS COOPERATING WITH THE ANNULAR PORTION OF SAID SECOND HEADER MEMBER TO MAINTAIN THE SECOND HEADER MEMBER IN POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND PREVENT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER OUT OF THE OPEN END PORTION OF SAID HOLLOW UNIT, SAID COMPOSITE HEADER ASSEMBLY FURTHER COMPRISING A THIRD HEADER MEMBER OF RIGID METALLIC COMPOSITION AND ANNULR CONFIGURATION, SAID THIRD HEADER MEMBER IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND POSITIONED FOR ABUTMENT WITH AN OPPOSING SIDE OF SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER COMPRISING SECOND SECURING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND SAID THIRD HEADER MEMBER TO MAINTAIN SAID THIRD HEADER MEMBER IN POSITION IN SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND LIMIT AXIAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ABUTTING FIRST HEADER MEMBER INWARDLY OF THE OPEN END PORTION OF THE HOLLOW UNIT, SAID SECOND AND THIRD HEADER MEMBERS COOPERATING WITH SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER TO LIMIT ITS AXIAL POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID HOLLOW UNIT AND PERMIT TRANSVERSE MOVEMENT OF SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER RELATIVE TO THE HOLLOW UNIT, AND THE SECOND AND THIRD MEMBERS TO ACCOMMODATE EXPANSION AND CONTRACTION OF SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER UNDER VARYING TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS TO WHICH THE APPARATUS IS SUBJECTED, SAID APPARATUS FURTHER COMPRISING A FIRST SEALING MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER AND THE HOLLOW UNIT TO PREVENT PASSAGE OF FLUID BETWEEN SAID FIRST HEADER MEMBER AND SAID HOLLOW UNIT.