Heat exchanger bundle

Claim 1

A FLUID HEAT EXCHANGE DEVICE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A CASING HAVING INLET AND OUTLET CONNECTIONS FOR TWO FLUIDS BETWEEN WHICH TRANSFER OF HEAT IS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED, A TUBE BUNDLE DISPOSED FOR IMMERSION IN ONE OF SAID FLUIDS AND THROUGH THE TUBES OF WHICH THE OTHER FLUID IS CIRCULATED, AND MEANS EMBODIED IN SAID BUNDLE TO SUPPORT THE TUBES IN SPACED RELATION AND TO SEAL OFF THE INTERIOR OF THE TUBES FROM THE FIRST-NAMED FLUID, SAID BUNDLE THUS INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: A TUBE SHEET HAVING HOLES THERETHROUGH THROUGH WHICH THE ENDS OF SAID TUBES PASS, EACH OF SAID HOLES BEING COUNTERBORED FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUNDLE TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR CAVITY OF RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION TAKEN AXIALLY OF THE TUBE WHICH PASSES THERETHROUGH, A RETAINER PLATE APPLIED TO THE OUTER FACE OF THE TUBE SHEET TO COMPLETE THE ENCLOSURE OF THE CAVITY, THE CAVITY THUS COMPRISING AN AXIALLY INWARD WALL AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF, AN OUTER CYLINDRICAL WALL FORMED BY THE SIDE WALL OF THE COUNTERBORE, A RADIALLY INNER WALL COMPRISED BY THE OUTER WALL OF THE TUBE, AND AN AXIALLY OUTER WALL COMPRISED BY THE INWARDLY FACING SURFACE OF THE RETAINER PLATE; THE RETAINER PLATE BEING PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING TO FIT THE TUBE END; THE INTERFITTING OF THE TUBE IN THE MAIN BORE OF THE HOLE IN THE TUBE SHEET, THE INTERFITTING OF THE TUBE IN THE OPENING IN THE RETAINER PLATE, AND THE INTERFITTING OF THE CONTACTING FACES OF THE TUBE SHEET AND THE RETAINER PLATE ALL BEING OF CLOSE TOLERANCES; AND ELASTIC O-RING OF UNIFORM CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION ENTIRELY CONTAINED WITHIN BUT OF SOMEWHAT SMALLER CROSS-SECTION THAN THAT OF SAID ANNULAR CAVITY WITH ITS INNER AND OUTER DIAMETRIC BOUNDARIES IN CONTACT RESPECTIVELY WITH THE RADIALLY INWARD AND OUTWARD WALLS OF SAID CAVITY BUT FREE OF ANY SIGNIFICANT PACKING COMPRESSION IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION; WHEREBY UPON SUBJECTION OF THE BUNDLE TO A PREPONDERANCE OF FLUID PRESSURE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE TUBE SYSTEM, THE ELASTIC O-RING WILL FLOW LONGITUDINALLY OF THE CAVITY AND EFFECTIVELY CONTACT AND SEAL THE JUNCTION OF THE MAIN BORE OF THE TUBE HOLE IN THE TUBE SHEET AND THE WALL OF THE TUBE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE CAVITY, AND CONVERSELY UPON SUBJECTION OF THE BUNDLE TO A PREPONDERANCE OF FLUID PRESSURE FROM OUTSIDE OF THE TUBE SYSTEM, THE O-RING WILL FLOW LONGITUDINALLY IN THE REVERSE DIRECTION AND EFFECTIVELY CONTACT AND SEAL BOTH THE JUNCTION OF THE TUBE WALL AND THE OPENING IN THE RETAINER PLATE AND THE JUNCTION OF THE FACES OF THE TUBE SHEET AND RETAINER PLATE AT THE OUTER END OF THE CAVITY.