A counter-flow heat exchanger is provided that includes: a first fluid path having a first supply tube connected to a first transition area separating the first fluid path into a first array of first passageways, with the first array of first passageways merging at a first converging area into a first discharge tube; and a second fluid path having a second supply tube connected to a second transition area separating the second fluid path into a second array of second passageways, with the second array of second passageways merge at a second converging area into a second discharge tube. The first passageways and the second passageways have a substantially helical path around the centerline of the counter-flow heat exchanger. Additionally, the first array and the second array are arranged together such that each first passageway is adjacent to at least one second passageway.

An apparatus with a thermal reservoir liquid that acclimates to room temperature in a building over time. A heat exchange conduit routes tap water through the reservoir liquid, cooling or warming the tap water on demand relative to water that is respectively heated or chilled in attic or exterior wall pipes by weather conditions. This provides a flow of water from a cold water tap that is tolerable for hand washing and is better for delicate clothes washing than either hot or frigid water from the supply pipes, and is done without powered refrigeration or heating. The thermal reservoir liquid is contained in a tub that can be made of a material with at least 10 or 1000 times lower thermal conductivity than that of the conduit, enabling fabrication of the container from plastic or other low-cost material.

The present invention relates to the field of heat exchangers, especially those having a plurality of tubular fluid channels formed as intertwined coils, with each of the centre paths of the coils forming a helix, and to a reactor for supercritical water oxidation comprising such a heat exchanger.

The flow reactor includes three flow passages including a first flow passage, a second flow passage, and a third flow passage which spirally circulate within a space formed between an inner tube and an outer tube. The flow passages are compartmented by an inner heat transfer body and an outer heat transfer body. The heat transfer bodies spirally circulate, have a screw-like cross-sectional shape in an axial cross-sectional view, and are assembled in a screw-like configuration. By changing the shapes of a male-thread portion and a female-thread portion, the flow passage area of the first flow passage is changed, the second flow passage and the third flow passage are spirally formed, and heat exchange and reaction take place through the heat transfer bodies.

A system of capturing waste heat includes a heat recovery unit (20) having a heat exchanger (35) arranged to transfer heat between a fluid circulating in a refrigerant loop (60) and a fluid circulating in a solar loop (70) and another heat exchanger (39) arranged to transfer heat between the fluid in the solar loop (70) and a fluid circulating in a water loop (50). Controllable first, second, and third three-way valves (V1-V3) provide or prevent, depending on fluid temperatures, an A-B, B-C, and A-C flow path through the valve. The first valve (V1) is arranged in the water loop (50) upstream of the second heat exchanger (39). The second (V2) is arranged in the solar loop (70) upstream of the second heat exchanger (39). The third valve (V3) is arranged in the solar loop (70) between the first and second heat exchangers (35, 39).

An apparatus with a thermal reservoir liquid that acclimates to room temperature in a building over time. A heat exchange conduit routes tap water through the reservoir liquid, cooling or warming the tap water on demand relative to water that is respectively heated or chilled in attic or exterior wall pipes by weather conditions. This provides a flow of water from a cold water tap that is tolerable for hand washing and is better for delicate clothes washing than either hot or frigid water from the supply pipes, and is done without powered refrigeration or heating. The thermal reservoir liquid is contained in a tub that can be made of a material with at least 10 or 1000 times lower thermal conductivity than that of the conduit, enabling fabrication of the container from plastic or other low-cost material.

A spiral heat exchanger features: a cold fluid inlet manifold, a hot fluid inlet manifold and at least one spiral fluid pathway. The cold fluid inlet manifold receives cold fluid and provide cold inlet manifold fluid. The hot fluid inlet manifold receives hot fluid and provide hot inlet manifold fluid. The at least one spiral fluid pathway includes cold spiral pathways configured to receive the cold inlet manifold fluid and provide cold spiral fluid pathway fluid, and hot spiral pathways configured to receive the hot inlet manifold fluid and provide hot spiral fluid pathway fluid. The cold spiral pathways and the hot spiral pathways are configured in relation to one another to exchange heat between the cold spiral pathway fluid and the hot spiral pathway fluid so that the hot spiral fluid pathway fluid warms the cold spiral fluid pathway fluid, and vice versa.

The invention relates to a condensation heat exchanger which comprises:at least two concentric bundles (5, 5) of tubes made from a material that is a good thermal conductor, inside which tubes a heat-transfer fluid is intended to circulate, each bundle of tubes (5, 5) comprising a series of tubes (50, 50) in the form of an arc of a circle, the tubes of each bundle (5, 5) being arranged in parallel planes with a gap (53, 53) between two adjacent tubes (50, 50),a single collector (6) made of a material that is a good conductor of heat and to which the two ends (51, 51, 52, 52) of each tube (50, 50) of the various bundles (5, 5) are connected, this collector (6) being equipped with inlet (61) and outlet (62) couplings. This exchanger is notable in that the collector (6) comprises several partitions delimiting various channels, which allow the fluid that is to be warmed up to be made to circulate in the various successive bundles from the outermost bundle to the innermost bundle.

A helical heat exchanger assembly comprises a tube having first and second ends, a length, an inner diameter and a cross-section incorporating the inner diameter, and a thermally conductive tube insert having a length and an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the tube, the tube insert having first and second ends and comprising a single helix extending along the length of the tube insert and twisted around a central axis. The tube insert is sealed within the tube by sealing an outer edge of the helix to an inner surface of the tube to form fluid-tight first and second fluid flow paths defined between opposing sides of the helix and the inner surface of the tube, respectively. A plurality of inlet and outlet fluid ports are positioned for passage of a first and second fluid into and out of the tube. The helix has a predetermined pitch which may be less than or greater than the tube inner diameter and defines a length of the first and second fluid flow paths, wherein the pitch of the helix may be constant or variable along the length of the tube insert.

A helical heat exchanger assembly comprises a plurality of helical heat exchangers, each helical heat exchanger comprising a tube having first and second ends, a length, an inner diameter and a cross-section incorporating the inner diameter, a thermally conductive tube insert having a length and an outer diameter substantially equal to the inner diameter of the tube, the tube insert having first and second ends and comprising a single helix extending along the length of the tube insert and twisted around a central axis. The tube insert is sealed within the tube by sealing an outer edge of the helix to an inner surface of the tube to form fluid-tight first and second fluid flow paths defined between opposing sides of the helix and the inner surface of the tube, respectively. A plurality of inlet and outlet fluid ports are positioned for passage of a first and second fluid into and out of each tube. A first manifold connects each of the first ends of the heat exchanger tubes and a second manifold connects each of the second ends of the heat exchanger tubes, wherein at least one of the first or second manifolds includes baffles to direct fluid flow within the manifold such that at least some of the helical heat exchangers may be arranged in series, or in parallel, within the heat exchanger assembly via the baffles. Each helix has a predetermined pitch which may be less than or greater than the tube inner diameter and defines a length of the first and second fluid flow paths within each heat exchanger tube, wherein the pitch of the helix may be constant or variable along the length of the tube insert.