F28F DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
Introduced: September 1968
Description
F28F covers structural and functional components applicable to heat-exchange apparatus regardless of their specific application or type. This subclass addresses design elements such as tube arrangements, fin geometries, baffles, supports, sealing devices, and corrosion-resistant coatings that improve heat transfer efficiency or apparatus durability. It encompasses both the mechanical construction details and auxiliary features common to various heat exchangers, including tubes, plates, and matrix elements used across refrigeration, air conditioning, industrial cooling, and thermal management systems. This classification excludes apparatus-specific details covered by more specialized classes (e.g., F28D for plate or frame heat exchangers, F28G for condensers) and focuses instead on universal design principles and modifications applicable across different heat-exchange technologies.
Title
Titles differ between systems:
IPC: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE OR HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
CPC: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
Full Title
Full titles differ between systems:
DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE OR HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
Additional Content IPC
Constructional details of exhaust gas recirculation [EGR] coolers
CPC subdivides this area 2x more granularly than IPC with 16 additional codes.
16 codes are CPC-only extensions.
Note: 16 CPC extensions are marked as secondary classification only.
8 shared codes have differing titles between IPC and CPC.
Child Classifications
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- F28F 1/00 Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements (specially adapted for movement F28F5/00) +2 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 11/00 Arrangements for sealing leaky tubes and conduits (stopping flow from or in pipes in general F16L55/10) IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 13/00 Arrangements for modifying heat-transfer, e.g. increasing, decreasing (F28F1/00 - F28F11/00 take precedence) +3 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 17/00 Removing ice or water from heat-exchange apparatus +1 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 19/00 Preventing the formation of deposits or corrosion, e.g. by using filters +4 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 21/00 Constructions of heat-exchange apparatus characterised by the selection of particular materials +2 CPC IPC+CPC Available in IPC and CPC
- F28F 2220/00 Closure means, e.g. end caps on header boxes or plugs on conduits 2nd only CPC only CPC only
- F28F 2235/00 Means for filling gaps between elements, e.g. between conduits within casings 2nd only CPC only CPC only
- F28F 2250/00 Arrangements for modifying the flow of the heat exchange media, e.g. flow guiding means; Particular flow patterns 2nd only +5 CPC CPC only CPC only
- F28F 2255/00 Heat exchanger elements made of materials having special features or resulting from particular manufacturing processes 2nd only +10 CPC CPC only CPC only
- F28F 2260/00 Heat exchangers or heat exchange elements having special size, e.g. microstructures 2nd only +1 CPC CPC only CPC only
- F28F 2265/00 Safety or protection arrangements; Arrangements for preventing malfunction 2nd only +14 CPC CPC only CPC only
Top Applicants
Top Applicants (IPC)
Class F28,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- VALEO SYSTEMES THERMIQUES FR 1,902
- MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION JP 1,327
- GREE ELECTRIC APPLIANCES 1,152
- MAHLE INTERNATIONAL DE 999
- ALFA LAVAL SE 960
- HANON SYSTEMS KR 917
- DENSO CORPORATION 905
- DENSO CORPORATION JP 802
- CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 787
- XIAN THERMAL POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE COMPANY 762
Top Applicants (CPC)
Class F28,2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT
- VALEO SYSTEMES THERMIQUES FR 1,945
- MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION JP 1,518
- MAHLE INTERNATIONAL DE 1,120
- ALFA LAVAL SE 1,085
- HANON SYSTEMS KR 939
- DENSO CORPORATION JP 900
- LG ELECTRONICS KR 861
- HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND US 795
- DAIKIN INDUSTRIES JP 608
- DENSO CORPORATION 537