Importance

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Abstract

Plate eat exchangers are disclosed which accommodate variations in the relative proportions of liquid and vapour refrigerant, allowing the refrigerant in the two phases to remain in equilibrium throughout the flow path through the heat exchanger. The flow path can be arranged to be boustrophedonic so that it comprises first and second sets of alternating parallel sub-channels in which the resistance to flow of refrigerant fluid along each of the sub-channels of the first set is greater than the resistance to flow along the respective adjacent sub-channels of the second set. The configuration of the channel for the refrigerant through the heat exchanger can be arranged so that the resistance to the flow of refrigerant is greater towards one end than towards the other end. This can be achieved by one or more of the plates having a surface profile which is configured so that the resistance to flow of heat exchange fluid along the channel is greater in one region along the length of the channel than in another region.

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First Claim