BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated, as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger assembly;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first manifold of the heat exchanger assembly, illustrating a header, a tank and an inner partition wall;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional top view of one embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional side view of the manifold including separators.
FIG. 13 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating one embodiment of a port connected to the manifold;
FIG. 14 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating another embodiment of a port connected to the manifold;
FIG. 15 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating another embodiment of a port connected to the manifold;
FIG. 16 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating another embodiment of a port connected to the manifold; and
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the Figures, wherein like numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views, a heat exchanger assembly is generally shown at 20 in FIG. 1. The heat exchanger assembly 20 includes a first manifold 22, a second manifold 24, and a plurality of flow tubes 26 fluidly connecting the manifolds 22, 24. A plurality of heat conducting structures are disposed between the plurality of flow tubes 26, which are illustrated as fins 28. As is known to those skilled in the art, the first manifold 22 may be commonly referred to as an inlet manifold, therefore performing an inlet function, and the second manifold 24 may be commonly referred to as an outlet manifold, therefore performing an outlet function, however, the opposite could be true. Reference to the first and second manifolds 22, 24 is interchangeable in the description of the subject invention.
The first manifold 22 includes a tank 30 having a length, a first end 32 and a second end 34, and a header 36 adjacent the tank 30. The header 36 has a length substantially defined by the tank 30 and the tank 30 and the header 36 are joined to define a hollow cavity 38. An end cap 40 is shown being attached to each end 32, 34 of the first end 32 of the tank 30 and the header 36. The end cap 40 can include a cladding material for joining to the tank 30 and header 36 of the first manifold 22 using a variety of methods, such as but not limited to, brazing or welding.
A second manifold 24 defines a hollow cavity 42. The second manifold 24 has a length with a first end 44 and a second end 46 and is in spaced and substantially parallel relationship with the first manifold 22. It can be readily appreciated that though the second manifold 24 is shown as having the same general appearance as that of the first manifold 22, the second manifold 24 can be constructed differently than the first manifold 22, for example, but not limited to, the second manifold 24 can comprise a single extruded component. The end cap 40 is shown being attached to each end 44, 46 of the second manifold 24. The end cap 40 can include a cladding material, for joining the end cap 40 to the second manifold 24 using a variety of methods, such as but not limited to, brazing or welding. Though the heat exchanger assembly 20 is shown throughout the drawings with the manifolds 22, 24 being vertically oriented, it can be readily appreciated that the heat exchanger assembly 20 can be oriented in a variety ways to accommodate engineering requirements of a specific application, for instance, horizontal.
At least one port may be in the first manifold 22 and fluidly connected to at least one of the distribution chamber 66 and the cavity 38. The port may be an orifice or a tube, as is known in the art. The port may be an inlet, an outlet, or a combination of both. Referring to FIG. 1, one of the ports is an inlet port 72 and is fluidly connected to the first manifold 22 for introducing refrigerant into the heat exchanger and another of the ports is an outlet port 74 and is fluidly connected to the second manifold 24 for exiting refrigerant from the heat exchanger assembly 20.
Referring to FIG. 2, the tank 30 has an outer wall 56 defining a channel 58 and an inner partition wall 60 disposed within the channel 58 adjacent to the outer wall 56. The tank 30 may be manufactured in a single piece, such as by extrusion. The outer wall 56 includes a pair of opposed longitudinal edges 50 each including a flange 62 integral to and extending outward from the longitudinal edges 50 forming a seat 52.
Referring to FIGS. 2-3, the header 36 includes a pair of longitudinal edges 48 with a plurality of openings 54 sized for accepting the plurality of flow tubes 26. The header 36 has a generally arc-like cross-section. The openings 54 are typically elongated slots. It can be appreciated that the plurality of openings 54 can comprise different shapes including, but not being limited to, circles and rectangles. The plurality of openings 54 can be produced by any means, including but not limited to, drilling, lancing or punching. It can be readily appreciated that where the plurality of openings 54 are produced by lancing, it is possible to produce a dimpling effect adjacent the plurality of openings 54, which can facilitate the positioning and joining of the plurality of flow tubes 26 to the header 36. The header 36 can be produced by a variety of processes, including but limited to, stamping. Further, the header 36 can comprise a variety of materials, including but not limited to, an alloy of aluminum.
The plurality of flow tubes 26 are mounted to the header 36 and are disposed within the cavity 38 of the first manifold 22 fluidly connecting the cavity 42 of the second manifold 24 with the cavity 38 of the first manifold 22. In addition, the header 36 can include cladding material, such as but limited to, an alloy of silicon and aluminum. The cladding permits simple brazing of the plurality of flow tubes 26 to the header 36. The longitudinal edges 48 of the header 36 are inserted into the flanges 62 of the tank 30 where the longitudinal edges 48 of the header 36 are positioned adjacent the seats 52 and joined to the tank 30 by a process such as brazing.
Referring to FIG. 2-3, the inner partition wall 60 has a section 64 integrally formed with a portion of the outer wall 56 to define a distribution chamber 66 disposed within the channel 58. The distribution chamber 66 has a length generally defined by the length of the tank 30 and is substantially parallel to the tank 30. Referring to FIG. 3, the inner partition wall 60 has a generally C-shaped cross-section. The distribution chamber 66 is disposed within the cavity 38 directly opposite the plurality of openings 54 where the plurality of flow tubes 26 are inserted into the first manifold 22 body. The plurality of apertures 68 are disposed within the inner partition wall 60 and generally run along the length of the distribution chamber 66. It can be readily appreciated that because the inner partition wall 60 is easily accessible prior to joining the tank 30 and the header 36, a number of configurations are possible. The plurality of apertures 68 can comprise a variety of shapes and sizes, as dictated by engineering requirements for a specific application, including but not being limited to, circles and polygons.
Referring to FIG. 4, a second thickness T2 of the outer wall 56 of the tank 30 and a first thickness T1 of the inner partition wall 60 of the tank 30 can be the same or can be different from one another, and may be primarily dictated by burst pressure requirements. In addition, the second thickness T2 of the outer wall 56 can be uniform or may vary. Similarly, the first thickness T1 of the inner partition wall 60 can be uniform or may vary. A reduced first thickness T1 may be possible because of the lower operating pressure between the cavity 38 and the distribution chamber 66, and can save space, weight, and cost. It may be advantageous to have the second thickness T2 of the header 34 where the plurality of flow tubes 26 are joined be thinner than other portions of the tank 28, as also shown in FIG. 4. Though the cross-section of the outer wall 56 is generally illustrated as being circular, it can be readily appreciated that the outer wall 56 can be a variety of shapes. Referring to FIGS. 5-7, the cross-section of the outer wall 56 can include a protrusion, can be generally rectangular, or include additional structural support elements. Similarly, though the header 34 is generally illustrated as having an arc-like cross-section, it can be appreciated that the header 36 can have a cross-section that is more generally linear.
Referring to FIG. 6, in yet another embodiment, the flange 62 is shown having an L-shaped cross-section, forming a notched seat 52. It can be readily appreciated that the dimensions of the flange 62 can vary depending on the requirements of the application.
Though the preferred embodiment describes the inner partition wall 60 having a C-shaped cross-section, it can be readily appreciated that other configurations are possible. Referring to FIGS. 7-8, the inner partition wall 60 can have an arc-like or linear cross-section, depending on the requirements of the application. Alternatively, the formation of the plurality of apertures 68 can be facilitated by forming a ledge 70 along the length of the inner partition wall 60, as illustrated in FIGS. 9-10. It can further be appreciated that the distribution chamber 66 can be offset from the plurality of flow tubes 26 as illustrated in FIG. 11. This flexibility in the positioning of the distribution chamber 66 makes it possible to accommodate variations in plumbing, flow and refrigerant distribution requirements.
Referring to FIG. 12, a separator 76 can be inserted within the cavity 38 and/or distribution chamber 66 further dividing the cavity 38 and distribution chamber 66.
Referring to FIGS. 13-16, alternative port 72, 74 placements are illustrated. At least one port 72, 74 may be adjacent at least one of the outer wall 56 and the end cap 40 and fluidly connected to at least one of the distribution chamber 66 and the cavity 38, 42. The inlet port 72 may be fluidly connected to the distribution chamber 66, through the end cap 40 or the outer wall 56 of the tank 30. Similarly, both the inlet port 72 and the outlet port 74 may be fluidly connected to the cavity 38 of the first manifold 22 through the outer wall 56 of the tank 30 or through the end cap 40. It can be appreciated that the ports 72, 74 may be fluidly connected to the cavity through the distribution chamber. It can be appreciated that the ports 72, 74 can include a coupler 78. The coupler 78 may be useful for connecting external plumbing to the heat exchanger assembly 20 and may also be useful for manufacturing purposes. It can further be appreciated that the ports 72, 74 can be fluidly connected to the second manifold 24 as described for the first manifold 22, depending on the requirements of a specific application. It can further be appreciated that more than one inlet port 72 can be used to introduce refrigerant into the heat exchanger assembly 20 and more than one outlet port 74 can be used to exit refrigerant from the heat exchanger assembly 20.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a tank 30 having an outer wall 56 defining a channel 58, and an inner partition wall 60 with a plurality of apertures 68. The method includes the step of extruding the tank 30 having the outer wall 56 and the inner partition wall 60 with the inner partition wall 60 integrally connected to the outer wall 56 to form a distribution chamber 66. The method further includes the step of cutting the tank 30 to a predetermined length. Cutting can be accomplished by any means. The method further includes the step of forming a plurality of apertures 68 in the inner partition wall 60. The plurality of apertures 68 can be produced by any means, including but not limited to, drilling, lancing or punching.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a manifold having a tank 30 with an outer wall 56 defining a channel 58 and an inner partition wall 60 with a plurality of apertures 68, a header 36 having a plurality of openings 54, and at least one end cap 40. The method includes the step of extruding the tank 30 having the outer wall 56 and the inner partition wall 60 with the inner partition wall 60 integrally connected to the outer wall 56 to form a distribution chamber 66. The method further includes the step of cutting the tank 30 to a predetermined length. The tank 30 can be cut using any means. The method further includes the step of forming a plurality of apertures 68 in the inner partition wall 60. The plurality of apertures 68 can be produced by any means, including but not limited to, drilling, lancing or punching. The method further includes the step of forming a plurality of openings 54 in the header 36. This step may be accomplished by a variety of means, including but not limited to forming the plurality of openings 54 when the header 36 is formed. The plurality of openings 54 can be produced by any means, including but not limited to, drilling, lancing or punching. The method further includes the step of joining the tank 30 and the header 36. Joining can be accomplished by a process such as welding and brazing, but is not limited to these processes. The method further includes the step of joining the end cap 40 to one end of the tank 30 and the header 36. Joining the end cap 40 can be accomplished by a process such as welding and brazing, but is not limited to these processes.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims. The reference numerals are merely for convenience and are not to be read in any way as limiting.
Patent Application
20080023183
