Patent ID: 9534850
Date: 2017-01-03
CPC Classifications: F28D,F28F

Claim:
1. A tube bundle heat exchanger comprising: a gas inlet chamber adapted to receive a gas into the heat exchanger; a gas outlet chamber adapted to emit the gas from the heat exchanger; an inlet-side tube plate disposed proximate to the gas inlet chamber having a plurality of openings; an outlet-side tube plate disposed proximate to the gas outlet chamber having a plurality of openings; a plurality of tubes, each of the tubes having an inlet end and an outlet end, wherein the inlet end of each tube is welded to a respective opening of the inlet-side tube plate and the outlet end of each tube is welded to a respective opening of the outlet-side tube plate to provide fluid communication of the gas between the gas inlet chamber and the gas outlet chamber, a transition piece extending from each tube and terminating at the tube inlet end of each tube, the transition piece having an aerodynamic inner contour expanding outwardly to the respective opening of the inlet-side tube plate to provide a generally trumpet-shaped inner contour that transitions into the respective opening of the inlet-side tube plate at the inlet end, and the transition piece having an aerodynamic outer contour expanding outwardly to the respective opening of the inlet-side tube plate to provide the generally trumpet-shaped outer contour that transitions into the respective opening of the inlet-side tube plate at the inlet end; the inner contour and the outer contour of the transition piece being formed without gaps or comers to the inlet-side tube plate; and wherein a first portion of the outer contour defines an outer edge that has a first radius and a second portion of the outer contour has a second radius, the first radius being less than the second radius, wherein the first radius is at least 5 mm and the second radius is approximately 60 mm.