Heat exchanger baffle

Abstract

A heat exchanger baffle having angled edges for carrying leaf seals.

1 . In a tube and shell heat exchanger that has longitudinal and transverse axes, said longitudinal axis being longer than said transverse axis, said shell enclosing an inner volume of said exchanger, said exchanger having associated with said shell and inner volume a removable bundle containing a channel having a pass partition, at least one longitudinally extending tube, a long baffle, and a tubesheet, said long baffle and said at least one tube extending into said inner volume, said long baffle extending in an essentially flat plane along said longitudinal and transverse axes and dividing said inner volume into at least two sections with a portion of said at least one tube in each section, said long baffle having opposed longitudinally extending edges, said long baffle extending across said transverse axis essentially to but spaced from said shell thereby defining a gap between each of said edges and said shell, the improvement comprising each of said longitudinally extending edges being angled away from said essentially flat plane of said long baffle at a finite angle, and each of said angled edges carrying at least one leaf seal that bridges said gap.  
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said angled edges are both angled in the same direction away from said plane of said long baffle.  
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said two sections in said inner volume are at different pressures and said leaf seal is curved toward the section that contains the higher pressure.  
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said finite angle is from about 20 to about 75 degrees.  
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1  wherein said finite angle is essentially the same for both said edges.  
     
     
         6 . A heat exchanger baffle that extends in an essentially flat plane and has opposed longitudinally extending edges, said edges being angled away from said essentially flat plane at a finite angle.  
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 6  wherein said edges are angled in the same direction away from said plane and said finite angle is essentially the same for both edges.  
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 7  wherein said finite angle is from about 20 to about 75 degrees.  
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 6  wherein each of said angled edges carries at least one leaf seal.