Importance

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Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus for exchanging heat with liquid material and particularly liquid material under superatmospheric pressure. A preferred embodiment of the apparatus comprises a pressure vessel for holding a body of the liquid material, and having an inlet and an outlet for the liquid material. Inside the vessel is an integral tube assembly for conducting heat exchange fluid into, through and out of a body of the liquid material in the vessel. The tube assembly comprises a heat exchange fluid feed header, a heat exchange fluid discharge header, and a plurality of heat transfer tubes from the feed header to the discharge header. In a preferred embodiment of the apparatus, the headers are coaxially aligned with a normally vertical axis, and are vertically spaced apart. The headers are joined to conduits passing through the top and bottom of the vessel. These conduits in combination with the vessel support the tube assembly. The heat transfer tubes are generally in longitudinally extending radial planes and occupy an arc about said normally vertical axis preferably greater than 270.degree., but less than 360.degree., whereby a wedge shaped longitudinally extending space is provided for access to the backside of the tubes and to the region of the axis. The ends of the heat transfer tubes are joined to lateral ports in the headers. Preferably, each heat transfer tube has an elbow section in the bottom portion thereof in the region of the bottom header, that extends upwardly at an angle to an intersecting radius, which is obtuse, the purpose of which is to minimize sagging of the tube. Also, preferably each heat transfer tube has a laterally offset portion between the bottom and top portions, for the purpose of taking up stresses induced by thermal expansion. In fabricating, transporting and installing the tube assembly, the two headers preferably are fastened to the opposite ends of a removable rigid support piece which is removed after the tube assembly has been installed in the vessel.

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First Claim