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 fragmented perspective view of a first manifold of the heat exchanger assembly, illustrating 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 top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional top view of another embodiment of the manifold;
FIG. 14 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating one 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;
FIG. 17 is a fragmented side view of the manifold illustrating another embodiment of a port connected to the manifold;
FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional side view of the manifold including separators.
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 52, a plurality of flow tubes 42 fluidly connecting the manifolds 22, 52, and a plurality of heat conducting structures, here illustrated as fins 44. The first manifold 22 includes a first manifold body 24 having a length with a first end 58 and a second end 60. An end cap 26 is shown being attached to each end 58, 60 of the first manifold body 24. The end cap 26 can include a cladding material, and can be joined to the first manifold body 24 using a variety of methods, such as but not limited to, brazing or welding. It can be readily appreciated that the first manifold body 24 can include an end produced as part of an extrusion process. 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 52 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, 52 is interchangeable in the description of the subject invention.
The second manifold 52 includes a second manifold body 54 and defines a hollow cavity 31. The second manifold 52 has a length with a first end 62 and a second end 64 and is in spaced and substantially parallel relationship with the first manifold 22. It can be readily appreciated that though the second manifold 52 is shown as having the same general appearance as that of the first manifold 22, the second manifold 52 can be constructed differently than the first manifold 22, for example, but not limited to, the second manifold 52 can comprise multiple joined pieces. End caps 26 are shown being attached to each end 62, 64 of the second manifold body 54. The end cap 26 can include a cladding material, and can be joined to the second manifold body 54 using a variety of methods, such as but not limited to, brazing or welding. It can be readily appreciated that the second manifold body 54 can include an end produced as part of an extrusion process. Though the heat exchanger assembly 20 is shown throughout the drawings with the manifolds 22, 52 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.
A plurality of flow tubes 42 extend between and fluidly connect the cavities 30, 31 of the manifolds 22, 52 for passing refrigerant between the manifolds 22, 52. Referring to FIG. 2, the outer wall 28 includes a plurality of openings 40 sized for accepting the plurality of flow tubes 42. The openings 40 are typically elongated slots, however different shapes can be used, such as but not limited to, circles and squares. The flow tubes are disposed within the cavity 30 of the first manifold 22 fluidly connecting the cavity 31 of the second manifold 52 to the cavity 30 of the first manifold 22.
Referring to FIG. 2, the first manifold body 24 has an outer wall 28 defining a cavity 30 and an inner partition wall 32 disposed within the cavity 30 adjacent to the outer wall 28. The inner partition wall 32 has a section 34 integrally formed with a portion of the outer wall 28 to define a distribution chamber 36 disposed within the cavity 30. The inner partition wall 32 has a plurality of apertures 38 fluidly connecting the distribution chamber 36 with the cavity 30. The first manifold body 24 is shown being generally cylindrical, however many shapes are possible. Referring to FIG. 9, a first thickness T1 of the inner partition wall 32 and second thickness T2 of the outer wall 28 can be the same or can be different from one another. In addition, the second thickness T2 of the outer wall 28 can be uniform or may vary. Similarly, the first thickness T1 of the inner partition wall 32 can be uniform or may vary. It can be readily appreciated that it may be advantageous to have different wall thicknesses T1, T2 in different locations of the first manifold body 24. A reduced first thickness T1 may be possible because of the lower operating pressure between the cavity 30 and the distribution chamber 36, and can save space and weight. The second thickness T2 may be generally dictated by burst strength requirements. Reduced thickness T1, T2 in the inner partition wall 32 and the outer wall 28 could be used to facilitate formation of the plurality of openings 40 and the plurality of apertures 38, and thicker regions can be used elsewhere to provide structural support, as shown in FIG. 9. Though the cross-section of the outer wall 28 is generally illustrated as being circular, it can be readily appreciated that the outer wall 28 can be a variety of shapes, for instance and referring to FIG. 12, the outer wall 28 can include a protrusion resulting in the outer wall 28 itself defining a majority of the distribution chamber 36.
The distribution chamber 36 has a length generally defined by the length of the first manifold body 24. Modifications can be made to the length of the distribution chamber 36, for instance, by inserting a separator 48 into the distribution chamber 36, which closes off a portion of the chamber 36. Alternatively, the effective length of the distribution chamber 36 can be shortened by selectively eliminating some of the plurality of apertures 38 in an unnecessary area. The distribution chamber 36 is substantially parallel to the first manifold body 24. Referring to FIG. 3, the inner partition wall 32 has a generally C-shaped cross-section. Referring to FIGS. 4-13, it can be readily appreciated that the cross-section of the inner partition wall 32 may have many shapes, including but not limited to, arc-like, linear, D-shaped, and a pyramid. The distribution chamber 36 can be disposed within the cavity 30 directly opposite the plurality of openings 40 where the plurality of flow tubes 42 are inserted into the first manifold body 24. Referring to FIGS. 7-8, it can be appreciated that the distribution chamber 36 can also be located in different positions within the cavity 30 to accommodate variations in plumbing, flow and refrigerant distribution requirements. The plurality of apertures 38 are disposed within the inner partition wall 32 generally run along the length of the distribution chamber 36 and are generally aligned with the plurality of openings 40 in the outer wall 28, but can vary depending on performance requirements. The plurality of apertures 38 can comprise a variety of shapes and sizes, including but not limited to, circles and polygons. A flat ledge 50 can be included along the length of the inner partition wall 32 disposed within the cavity 30, for locating and forming the plurality of apertures 38.
At least one port may be in the first manifold 22 and fluidly connected to at least one of the distribution chamber 36 and the cavity 30. 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 56 and is fluidly connected to the first manifold 22 for introducing refrigerant into the heat exchanger and another one of the ports is an outlet port 57 and is fluidly connected to the second manifold 52 for exiting refrigerant from the heat exchanger assembly 20. Referring to FIGS. 14 and 16, the preferred embodiment includes the port 56, 57 fluidly connected to the distribution chamber 36, either through the end cap 26 or the outer wall 28. Referring to FIGS. 15 and 17, in another embodiment, the port 56, 57 can be fluidly connected to the cavity 30 of the first manifold 22 through the outer wall 28 or through the end cap 26. It can be appreciated that the ports 56, 57 can include a coupler 66. The coupler 66 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 56, 57 can be fluidly connected to the second manifold 52 as described for the first manifold 22, depending on the engineering requirements of a specific application. It can further be appreciated that more than one inlet port 56 can be connected to the heat exchanger assembly 20 to introduce refrigerant into the heat exchanger assembly 20 and more than one outlet port 57 can be used to exit refrigerant from the heat exchanger assembly 20. Referring to FIG. 18, a separator 48 can be inserted within the cavity 30, 31 and/or distribution chamber 36, further dividing the cavity 30, 31 and distribution chamber 36.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a manifold having a first manifold body 24 with an outer wall 28 defining a hollow cavity 30, an inner partition wall 32 with a plurality of apertures 38 and at least one end cap 26. The method includes the step of extruding the first manifold body 24 which has an outer wall 28 and an inner partition wall 32 with the inner partition wall 32 integrally connected to the outer wall 28 to form a distribution chamber 36 within the cavity 30. The method further includes the step of cutting the first manifold body 24 to a predetermined length. Cutting can be accomplished by any means. The method further includes forming a plurality of openings 40 in the outer wall 28. The openings 40 can be formed by a variety of means, including, but not limited to, drilling, lancing or punching. The method further includes forming a plurality of apertures 38 in the inner partition wall 32 aligned with the openings 40 in the outer wall 28. The method further includes inserting a separator 48 into the manifold body 24. It can be appreciated that the separator 48 can be slid into the distribution chamber 36 or the cavity 30 or alternatively that the separator 48 can be inserted through a slot 49 formed in the outer wall 28. It can further be appreciated that more than one separator 48 can be inserted, and the separator 48 can span the distribution chamber 36, the cavity 30 or both 30, 36. The method further includes mounting the end cap 26 to one end of the first manifold body 24.
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
20080023184
