STACKED PLATE HEAT EXCHANGERS AND HEAT EXCHANGER PLATES

摘要

A plate-type heat exchanger is comprised of a stack of dished plates, with the plates being sealed at their margins by nesting sidewalls and the plate bottoms being spaced from one another to define a plurality of flow passages. Each of the plates has two pairs of openings. In each of the preferred embodiments, at least one pair of openings is formed in bosses which are joined to the sidewall along a portion of their length, thereby avoiding formation of a bypass channel between the bosses and the sidewall and maximizing the plate area available for heat transfer. The bosses may either be raised or depressed relative to the plate bottom. In some preferred embodiments, one pair of openings is provided with ribs which support the bosses of upwardly adjacent plates in the stack and which provide channels to provide transverse distribution of fluid across the plate.