Charles D Kutscher

6378605, Apr 30, 2002

Dec 2, 1999

09/453386

Charles F. Kutscher - Golden CO
Keith Gawlik - Boulder CO

Midwest Research Institute - Kansas City MO

F28F 124

165181, 165907

The heat exchanger includes a fin and tube assembly with increased heat transfer surface area positioned within a hollow chamber of a housing to provide effective heat transfer between a gas flowing within the hollow chamber and a fluid flowing in the fin and tube assembly. A fan is included to force a gas, such as air, to flow through the hollow chamber and through the fin and tube assembly. The fin and tube assembly comprises fluid conduits to direct the fluid through the heat exchanger, to prevent mixing with the gas, and to provide a heat transfer surface or pathway between the fluid and the gas. A heat transfer element is provided in the fin and tube assembly to provide extended heat transfer surfaces for the fluid conduits. The heat transfer element is corrugated to form fins between alternating ridges and grooves that define flow channels for directing the gas flow. The fins are fabricated from a thin, heat conductive material containing numerous orifices or pores for transpiring the gas out of the flow channel.

20060169019, Aug 3, 2006

Jul 1, 2004

10/549962

Charles Kutscher - Golden CO, US
Eric Kozubal - Boulder CO, US

B21D 53/04

072379200

Heat transfer fins (), and heat exchangers () incorporating such fins (), enhancing heat transfer with acceptable pressure drop increase. The fins () include tabs or secondary fins bent upward and downward from the fin body at a selected bend angle. All or a majority of the tabs are aligned with a simple flow path or with local flow paths for cooling air adjacent the fins () to minimize turbulence and pressure drop. The tabs are planar and generally aligned parallel to the simple flow path or local flow paths and are arranged so as to serve as a plurality of sites for starting new boundary layers by offsetting the tabs such that downstream tabs are not shadowed by upstream tabs. The tabs have a height sufficiently large to extend the tabs out into boundary layers on the fin (). The tabs provide more uniform flow over fins () and shrink wake size behind tubes ().

56924917, Dec 2, 1997

Apr 19, 1996

8/639852

Craig B. Christensen - Boulder CO
Charles F. Kutscher - Golden CO
Keith M. Gawlik - Boulder CO

Midwest Research Institute - Kansas City MO

E04D 1318
F24J 248

126628

An unglazed transpired solar collector using solar radiation to heat incoming air for distribution, comprising an unglazed absorber formed of low thermal-conductance material having a front surface for receiving the solar radiation and openings in the unglazed absorber for passage of the incoming air such that the incoming air is heated as it passes towards the front surface of the absorber and the heated air passes through the openings in the absorber for distribution.