Patent ID: 7007749

Claim:
A housing-less plate heat exchanger for transferring heat between at least a first fluid and a second fluid and including an first inlet manifold to distribute the first fluid, a first outlet manifold to collect the first fluid, a second inlet manifold to distribute the second fluid, and a second outlet manifold to collect the second fluid, the heat exchanger comprising: a plurality of heat exchange plates stacked to enclose flow channels for the first and second fluids between the plates, each of the heat exchange plates including a first inlet opening aligned with the first inlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the first inlet manifold, a first outlet opening aligned with the first outlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the first outlet manifold, a second inlet opening aligned with the second inlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the second inlet manifold, and a second outlet opening aligned with the second outlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the second outlet manifold, the heat exchange plates arranged into a first stack of the heat exchange plates and a second stack of the heat exchange plates; a first intermediate plate pair sandwiched between the first and second stack of heat exchange plates and including a first fluid port extending laterally from the heat exchanger to transfer the first fluid between the heat exchanger and a device other than the heat exchanger, each plate of the intermediate plate pair comprising a first inlet opening aligned with the first inlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the first inlet manifold, a first outlet opening aligned with the first outlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the first outlet manifold, a second inlet opening aligned with the second inlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the second inlet manifold, and a second outlet opening aligned with the second outlet opening of an adjacent heat exchange plate to define the second outlet manifold, the intermediate plates joined to enclose a first chamber, the first chamber opening to the first fluid port and to one of the first fluid inlet and outlet manifolds to direct the first fluid between the first fluid port and the one of the first fluid inlet and outlet manifolds; and a barrier located between the plates of the intermediate plate pair to separate the first fluid from the second fluid wherein the barrier comprises embossed features formed on the intermediate plates.