Heat exchanger coil with tube insert

Abstract

Provided herein is a heat exchanger configured to heat or cool a liquid, vapor or other medium. The heat exchanger includes a coil of piping comprising a refrigerant from a chiller with the coil of piping defining a cylindrical space in a center portion of the coil of tubing. A return pipe receives the refrigerant from the coil of piping and returns to the chiller via a path through a central axis of the cylindrical space. An insert tube that has at least two connection points to the return pipe substantially fills the cylindrical space inside of the coil of piping and surrounding the return pipe. The coil of piping and the insert tube contact a fluid to be cooled or heated. The increased surface area for the heat exchanger provided by the insert tube causes additional heat to be exchanged with the fluid than a heat exchanger alone.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A heat exchanger configured to cool a liquid, vapor or other medium, comprising:
 a coil of piping configured to receive a refrigerant from a chiller, the coil of piping defining a cylindrical space in a center portion of the coil of tubing;   a return pipe configured to receive the refrigerant from the coil of piping and return to the chiller via a path through a central axis of the cylindrical space; and   an insert tube that has at least two connection points to the return pipe, the insert tube substantially filling the cylindrical space inside of the coil of piping and surrounding the return pipe,   wherein the coil of piping and the insert tube are configured to contact a fluid to be cooled.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the at least two connection points are configured to transfer heat from the return pipe to the insert tube. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the coil of piping and the insert tube are configured to be placed in contact with the fluid to extract heat from the fluid. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising a chiller that supplies cooled refrigerant to the coil of piping. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the refrigerant from the chiller is at a temperature below a temperature of the fluid. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , further comprising a vessel that surrounds the coil of piping, wherein the vessel contains the fluid to be cooled. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the transfer of heat at the connection points is substantially via conduction. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the coil of piping and the insert tube are configured to cause the fluid contacting the coil of piping and the insert tube to be condensed to a liquid. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the insert tube is constructed of a thermally conductive metal. 
     
     
         10 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is configured to be placed into a vessel of liquid to cool the liquid. 
     
     
         11 . A method to cool a fluid, comprising:
 providing refrigerant to a coil of piping from a chiller, the coil of piping defining a cylindrical space in a center portion of the coil of tubing;   returning the refrigerant via a return pipe that receives the refrigerant from the coil of piping and returns to the chiller via path through a central axis of the cylindrical space; and   contacting an insert tube to the return pipe via at least two connection points, wherein the insert tube substantially fills the cylindrical space inside of the coil of piping and surrounds the return pipe,   contacting the coil of piping and the insert tube with the fluid to be cooled.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the insert tube is cooled via the connection points to the return pipe. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising cooling the fluid from contact with the coil of piping and the insert tube. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the refrigerant from the chiller is at a temperature below a temperature of the fluid. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising collected a liquid condensate created when the fluid contacts the coil of piping and the insert tube. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the insert tube is constructed of a thermally conductive metal. 
     
     
         17 . A heat exchanger configured to heat a liquid, vapor or other medium, comprising:
 a coil of piping configured to receive a heating medium from a heating source, the coil of piping defining a cylindrical space in a center portion of the coil of tubing;   a return pipe configured to receive the heating medium from the coil of piping and return to the heating source via a path through a central axis of the cylindrical space; and   an insert tube that has at least two connection points to the return pipe, the insert tube substantially filling the cylindrical space inside of the coil of piping and surrounding the return pipe,   wherein the coil of piping and the insert tube are configured to contact a fluid to be heated.   
     
     
         18 . The heat exchanger of  claim 17 , wherein the at least two connection points are configured to transfer heat via conduction from the return pipe to the insert tube. 
     
     
         19 . The heat exchanger of  claim 17 , wherein the coil of piping and the insert tube are configured to be placed in contact with the fluid to transfer heat to the fluid. 
     
     
         20 . The heat exchanger of  claim 17 , wherein the insert tube is constructed of a thermally conductive metal.