Method for circulating conditioning gas e.g. de-icing gas, in heat exchanger, involves introducing conditioning gas at bottom end or top end of set of passages outside of normal operation of heat exchanger

摘要

The method involves operating a heat exchanger (10) in a normal mode to perform heat exchange between a fluid circulating in a set of passages (18) and another fluid circulating in another set of passages (20), where each of the former set of passages includes a top end (12), a bottom end (14), and a section of fins. A conditioning gas is introduced at the bottom end or the top end of the former set of passages outside of normal operation of the heat exchanger, and the conditioning gas is removed through an outlet located between the ends of the former set of passages. An independent claim is also included for a heat exchange comprising plates.