Patent ID: 8678076

Claim:
A heat exchanger comprising a plurality of stacked plate pairs, each plate pair having a first plate and a second plate, and the first plate in face-to-face contact with the second plate; the first plate comprising: a first plate longitudinal central planar portion and a first plate peripheral edge portion extending from the central planar portion, the central planar portion in a plane above the peripheral edge portion; first plate inlet and outlet manifold members at opposed ends of the longitudinal central planar portion, each of the manifold members comprising: a boss having an inlet or outlet opening; a flange extending from the boss to an outer edge, the flange of the manifold member being in the same plane as the peripheral edge portion; and a protrusion member having a mating surface and extending from the flange or outer edge, and the protrusion member extending above from the plane of the flange; the second plate comprising: a second plate longitudinal central planar portion and a second plate peripheral edge portion extending from the central planar portion, the central planar portion in a plane below the peripheral edge portion; second plate inlet and outlet manifold members at opposed ends of the longitudinal central planar portion, each of the manifold members comprising: a boss having an inlet or outlet opening; a flange extending from the boss to an outer edge, the flange of the manifold member being in the same plane as the peripheral edge portion; and a protrusion member having a mating surface and extending from the flange or outer edge, and the protrusion member extending below from the plane of the flange; wherein: the first plate peripheral edge portion is in contact with the second plate peripheral edge portion to form the plate pair, and the central planar portions and the peripheral edge portions of the first and second plates together define a first set of fluid channel, the first set of fluid channel in fluid communication with the inlet and outlet manifold members; the manifold members of the plate pair spacing apart said plate pair from an adjacent plate pair; and the mating surface of the protrusion member of the first plate in contact with the mating surface of the protrusion member of a second plate on the adjacent plate pair.