EVAPORATIVE HYDROPHILIC SURFACE FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER, METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME AND COMPOSITION THEREFOR

摘要

A heat exchanger/evaporator for transferring heat from a first heat exchange fluid to a liquid to be evaporated into a gaseous second heat exchange fluid that includes a thermally conductive element 30 separating a first flow path 34 for the first heat exchange fluid and a second flow path 36 for the second heat exchange fluid. A first surface is on the element 30 in heat exchange relation with the first flow path 34 and a second surface is on the element 30 opposite the first surface and is in heat exchange relation with the second flow path 36. A hydrophilic coating 50 is bonded on part of the second surface and includes a powder of nominally spherically shaped particles including nickel, chromium, aluminum, cobalt and yttrium oxide bonded together with a braze metal predominantly made up of nickel, chromium and silicon and diffused into the nominally spherically shaped particles and the second surface. Also disclosed is a composition useful in forming a hydrophilic surface and a method of making a heat exchanger/evaporator.