Patent ID: 8667683

Claim:
Apparatus for aligning and affixing assembled tubes and baffles in a heat exchanger bundle assembly, said apparatus comprising: a first end plate including means for engaging a first end of a first tube and a first end of a second tube in a heat exchanger bundle assembly; a second end plate including means for engaging the opposite end of each of the first tube and the second tube; and pressure applying means for applying force to the first end of each of the first tube and second tube and also applying force to the second end of each of the first tube and second tube so as to align each of the first tube and second tube along a preselected longitudinal axis of the bundle assembly and to permit alignment of at least one baffle of the bundle assembly in substantially perpendicular orientation to the longitudinal axis, wherein: the first end plate comprises at least one aperture that corresponds with at least one tube opening in at least one tube of the bundle assembly; the pressure applying means comprises at least one rod for insertion through the at least one aperture in the first end plate and the corresponding tube opening of the tube of the bundle assembly, the rod including means for preventing the entire rod from passing through the at least one aperture; and the second end plate comprises at least one aperture that corresponds with the at least one aperture in the first end plate and the at least one tube opening; wherein the first end plate and second end plate are removably attached on opposite ends of the bundle assembly by the rod, and wherein the rod exerts force on the first and second end plates to align the tubes and baffles in substantially parallel orientation to the longitudinal axis of the bundle assembly and aligns the baffles in substantially perpendicular orientation to the longitudinal axis of the bundle assembly.