Patent ID: 8365812

Claim:
A shell and tube heat exchanger, comprising: a shell having an inlet port on the lower surface of the shell and an outlet port on the opposed upper shell surface for flow of a heat exchanger fluid through the shell from bottom-to-top, wherein the outlet port is larger than the diameter of the inlet port; a plurality of tubes disposed within the shell adjacent the inlet port, the tubes being adapted for flow of a fluid to be heated or cooled therethrough, wherein the plurality of tubes are axially aligned in a plurality of rows; and a perforated impingement baffle plate disposed between the shell inlet port and the tubes normal to a direction of fluid flow from the inlet port into the shell and defining the first baffle plate encountered by the fluid flow from the inlet port, said perforated impingement baffle plate having a substantially rectangular contour and being elongated along a transverse axis thereof, wherein each of the perforations include a perforation axis that is parallel to the axes of the axially aligned tubes, the perforations each being identical in diameter, the baffle plate having sufficient surface area to divert heat exchanger fluid flow from the inlet to provide uniform distribution around the tubes and wherein the perforations permit sufficient heat exchanger fluid flow between the baffle plate and the tubes to prevent stagnation, fouling, and corrosion of the tubes, the plurality of perforations defining a continuous and regular rectangular grid having uniform transverse spacing and uniform longitudinal spacing, wherein a ratio of transverse pitch between transversely adjacent ones of said plurality of perforations and longitudinal pitch between longitudinally adjacent ones of said plurality of perforations is approximately 1.54, the transverse pitch between transversely adjacent ones of said plurality of perforations being approximately 50 mm, and the longitudinal pitch between longitudinally adjacent ones of said plurality of perforations being approximately 32.5 mm.