Heat exchangers and methods of making the same

Abstract

Heat exchanger designs incorporating helixes and methods for making heat exchangers incorporating helixes are provided herein. In preferred embodiments, the heat exchanger comprises a plurality of fluid A channels each formed from a tube spiraled into a helix to form a plurality of helixes wherein the plurality of helixes are arranged in a hexagonal packing arrangement in a packing plane perpendicular to the axes of rotation of the plurality of helixes and wherein the pitch of each helix in the plurality of helixes is matched to an exterior diameter of the tube such that each helix in the plurality of helixes has a sealed interior that forms a plurality of fluid B channels.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a plurality of fluid B channels in a heat exchanger matrix;   a plurality of fluid A channels in the heat exchanger matrix where each fluid A channel in the plurality of fluid A channels is comprised of a hollow tube that spirals around the outside of a fluid B channel from the plurality of fluid B channels and forms a helix, and wherein each spiral in the helix is close enough together to adjacent spirals so that an exterior of the tube in each spiral is continuously touching an exterior of the tube in each adjacent spiral such that the exterior of the tube the forms the helix forms an interior of the fluid B channel.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid B channels have a longitudinal axis that is straight. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the fluid B channels are all the same size diameter. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of helixes are arranged with their longitudinal axis in a plurality of parallel rows and wherein each row in the plurality of rows is offset from an adjacent row by an exterior diameter of one helix. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 4 , wherein the offset of each row alternates back and forth such that the longitudinal axes in every other row align. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 5 , wherein the rows are separated by less than an exterior diameter of one helix. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the tubes have a round exterior. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising a header that is coupled to the plurality of fluid A channels and has openings where the plurality of fluid B channels pass through the header. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein the plurality of fluid B channels have a packing plane that is perpendicular to their longitudinal axis and the plurality of fluid B channels are arranged in a hexagonal packing arrangement. 
     
     
         10 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a plurality of helixes wherein a longitudinal axis of rotation of each helix in the plurality of helixes is parallel and wherein each helix in the plurality of helixes is formed by a hollow tube that spirals around the longitudinal axis of rotation and wherein each tube forms a fluid A channel and wherein the pitch of each helix in the plurality of helixes is matched to an exterior diameter of the tube that comprises the helix such that each helix in the plurality of helixes has a sealed interior and each sealed interior forms a fluid B channel.   
     
     
         11 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the longitudinal axis of rotation of each helix is straight. 
     
     
         12 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the fluid B channels all have a same size exterior diameter. 
     
     
         13 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of helixes are arranged with their longitudinal axis of rotation in a plurality of parallel rows and wherein each row in the plurality of rows is offset from an adjacent row by an exterior diameter of one helix. 
     
     
         14 . The heat exchanger of  claim 13 , wherein the offset of each row alternates back and forth such that all the longitudinal axes of rotation in every other row align. 
     
     
         15 . The heat exchanger of  claim 14 , wherein the rows are separated by less than an exterior diameter of one helix. 
     
     
         16 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , wherein the tubes have a round exterior. 
     
     
         17 . The heat exchanger of  claim 10 , further comprising a header that is coupled to the plurality of fluid A channels and has openings where the plurality of fluid B channels pass through the header. 
     
     
         18 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 a plurality of fluid A channels each formed from a hollow tube spiralled into a helix to form a plurality of helixes wherein the plurality of helixes are arranged in a hexagonal packing arrangement in a packing plane perpendicular to axes of rotation of the plurality of helixes and wherein the pitch of each helix in the plurality of helixes is matched to an exterior diameter of the tube such that each helix in the plurality of helixes has a sealed interior that forms a plurality of fluid B channels.   
     
     
         19 . The heat exchanger of  claim 18 , wherein the fluid B channels are all the same size diameter. 
     
     
         20 . The heat exchanger of  claim 18 , wherein the fluid B channels have different size diameters. 
     
     
         21 . The heat exchanger of  claim 18 , wherein a bend radius of the hollow tube of the helix is varied along a length of the helix. 
     
     
         22 . The heat exchanger of  claim 18 , wherein a plurality of fluid A channels are intertwined to create a single fluid B channel.