Importance

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Abstract

A heat exchange assembly and apparatus and method employing the heat exchange assembly are provided. The heat exchange assembly includes a coolant-to-refrigerant heat exchanger and a heater. The heat exchanger includes a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet for passing a coolant through the heat exchanger, and a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet for separately passing a refrigerant through the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger cools coolant passing through the heat exchanger by dissipating heat from coolant passing through the heat exchanger to refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger. The heater is integrated with the heat exchanger and applies an auxiliary heat load to refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger to facilitate ensuring that refrigerant passing through the heat exchanger absorbs at least a specified minimum heat load, for example, to ensure that refrigerant egressing from the refrigerant outlet of the heat exchanger is superheated vapor refrigerant.

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First Claim