Patent ID: 8100171

Claim:
A counterflow heat-exchanger module that forms a first inlet, a first outlet, a second inlet, and a second outlet and includes: A) complementary cover members that provide peripheral oppositely facing generally planar cover sealing surfaces that extend substantially parallel to a sealing plane, the cover members cooperating to enclose an interior chamber; B) a thermally conductive first divider that extends generally parallel to the sealing plane and divides the interior chamber into: i) a first conduit, by which liquid can flow from the first inlet to the first outlet in a first flow direction generally parallel to the sealing plane; and ii) a second conduit, through which liquid can flow from the second inlet to the second outlet in a second flow direction generally parallel to the sealing plane and opposite the first flow direction, the first divider providing thermal communication between liquids in the first and second conduits and being so convoluted as to extend beyond the cover sealing surfaces in a direction generally transverse to the sealing plane and the first and second flow directions and thereby form first and second channels that respectively belong to the first and second conduits and end in channel end openings; and C) a unitary gasket that so engages the first divider as to form a sealing ridge lying in the sealing plane and providing gasket sealing surfaces that mate with both of the cover sealing surfaces to seal the first conduit from the second conduit, the gasket further comprising integrally formed gasket plug portions that extend transversely of the sealing plane from the sealing ridge to plug the channel end openings.