Heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger comprises at least a pre-cooling unit, or pre-exchanger, having a longitudinal development along at least a first longitudinal axis, and at least a cooling unit, or evaporator, having a longitudinal development along at least a second longitudinal axis and connected to the pre-exchanger in order to define a fluid-dynamic circuit for the circulation of a fluid, such as air, in said pre-exchanger and said evaporator. The first longitudinal axis and said second longitudinal axis are angled with respect to each other by an angle comprised between 45° and 135°.

1 . A heat exchanger comprising:
 at least a pre-cooling unit, or pre-exchanger, having a longitudinal development along at least a first longitudinal axis; and   at least a cooling unit, or evaporator, having a longitudinal development along at least a second longitudinal axis and connected to said pre-exchanger in order to define, in said pre-exchanger and said evaporator, a fluid-dynamic circuit for the circulation of a fluid, wherein said fluid-dynamic circuit comprises first and second channels for the circulation of a respective first and second fluid, wherein the circulation channels of the pre-exchanger have a main development along said first longitudinal axis and the circulation channels of the evaporator have a main development along said second longitudinal axis, wherein said first longitudinal axis and said second longitudinal axis are angled with respect to each other by an angle comprised between 45° and 135°, wherein the channels of the pre-exchanger and the channels of the evaporator are directly connected to each other, and are geometrically and dimensionally corresponding to each other, so that an outlet of the channels of the pre-exchanger is an inlet of the channels of the evaporator and vice versa.   
     
     
         2 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 1 , wherein said first longitudinal axis and said second longitudinal axis are orthogonal with respect to each other. 
     
     
         3 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 1 , also comprising a condensation separation unit, or separator, associated to said pre-exchanger and to said evaporator in correspondence to their contiguous peripheral walls, wherein said separator has a box-like shape defined by a casing and comprises an expansion chamber defined in turn by said casing and by said contiguous peripheral walls of said pre-exchanger and said evaporator. 
     
     
         4 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 3 , wherein said expansion chamber extends from an end where said air exits from said evaporator according to a predominant development in a direction substantially parallel to said second longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         5 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 3 , wherein said expansion chamber extends from an end where said air exits from said evaporator according to a predominant development in a direction substantially parallel to said first longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         6 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 4 , wherein said end where said air exits from said evaporator is configured to make said air exit parallel to said first longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         7 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 4 , wherein said end where said air exits from said evaporator is configured to make said air exit parallel to said second longitudinal axis. 
     
     
         8 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 4 , wherein said evaporator is provided with a deflecting baffle plate disposed in correspondence to said end where said air exits from said evaporator and suitable to define an obligatory path for said air. 
     
     
         9 . The heat exchanger as in  claim 1 , also comprising a condensation separation unit, or separator, and connection means able to connect, hermetically and removably, at least one of the following pairs: said pre-exchanger with said evaporator, said evaporator with said separator, and said pre-exchanger with said separator, the separator having a closed box-like shape defined by a hollow body which delimits an expansion chamber. 
     
     
         10 . A method comprising:
 drying a fluid, wherein the drying includes circulating the fluid in a fluid-dynamic circuit of a heat exchanger inside a pre-cooling unit, or inside a pre-exchanger and then inside a cooling unit, or inside an evaporator, wherein said fluid flows in said pre-exchanger mainly in a direction parallel to a first longitudinal axis of development of the pre-exchanger, and in said evaporator mainly in a direction parallel to a second longitudinal axis of development of the evaporator, said first longitudinal axis and said second longitudinal axis being angled, with respect to each other, by an angle comprised between 45° and 135°, preferably about 90°.