Heat exchanger with cooling fins

Abstract

A heat exchanger comprises heat exchanging tubes ( 3 ) with a profiled inner and/or outer surface, which profiled surface provides at least one cooling fin. The heat exchanging tubes ( 3 ) may each be made of a helically wound profiled strip ( 4 ) with intermeshing profiled edges ( 5, 6 ), which perform both as cooling fins and reinforcement ribs of the tube, such that the heat exchanging capacity is increased and the wall thickness of the tube may be decreased and the heat exchanger will be more efficient and lighter than conventional heat exchangers with cylindrical heat exchanging tubes.

1 . A heat exchanger comprising at least one heat exchanging tube with a profiled inner and/or outer surface, which profiled surface provides at least one cooling fin. 
   
   
       2 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein each heat exchanger tube comprises one or more cooling fins which protrude in a substantially radial direction from the outer wall of each tube. 
   
   
       3 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein a plurality of disk shaped cooling fins are arranged at the outer wall of each heat exchanger tube, which fins are distributed at substantially equal intervals along the length of each tube. 
   
   
       4 . The heat exchanger of  claim 2 , wherein each tube is provided with a helical cooling fin, which extends along at least part of the length of each tube. 
   
   
       5 . The heat exchanger of  claim 4 , wherein each tube is made of a profiled strip which is helically wound such that adjacent strip sections at least partly overlap each other and such that the overlapping strip sections comprise intermeshing profiles that are clamped together and which profiles form the helical cooling fin. 
   
   
       6 . The heat exchanger of  claim 5 , wherein the profiled strip is made of metal. 
   
   
       7 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the a plurality of heat exchanger tubes are arranged substantially parallel to each other between a pair of fluid commingling conduits. 
   
   
       8 . The heat exchanger of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger is installed at an underwater location and is cooled by water surrounding the heat exchanger. 
   
   
       9 . The heat exchanger of  claim 8 , wherein the heat exchanger is a component of an underwater gas and/or crude oil assembly.