Inventors:
Robert L. Baker - Williamsville NY, US
Arun Suryanarayanan - Tonawanda NY, US
Maulik R. Shelat - Williamsville NY, US
Jeffrey C. Goodband - Niagara Falls NY, US
International Classification:
F25B 29/00
Abstract:
A compressed gas cooling apparatus in which gas from an upstream compression stage enters an inlet section from an inlet opening and flows to a heat exchanger that cools the gas. The cooled gas then flows from the heat exchanger to the outlet section where the gas is discharged from an outlet opening. Pressure drop within the apparatus is decreased by providing the inlet and outlet sections with ever increasing and decreasing cross-sectional flow areas. In order to further decrease pressure drop due to a swirl within the gas flow imparted from the upstream compression stage, the inlet section is provided with first and second subsections wherein the cross-sectional flow area of the first subsection increases at lesser rate than the second subjection. Alternatively, or in addition, the inlet section can be provided with partitions to divide the gas flow into subflows in order to lessen pressure drop from swirl.