Patent Application
20070215334
The invention relates to a heat exchanger and more particularly to a heat exchanger having a tank wherein a main body of the tank is produced from a planar sheet which is folded to form a pair of spaced apart sidewalls and a bottom wall joining the sidewalls.
An air-cooled fin-type heat exchanger for a vehicle is well known in the art. A common use for the heat exchanger is reducing the temperature of various working fluids such as engine coolant, engine lubricating oil, air conditioning refrigerant, and automatic transmission fluid, for example. The heat exchanger typically includes a plurality of spaced apart fluid conduits or tubes connected between a pair of tanks. One of the tanks includes an inlet of the heat exchanger and the other tank includes an outlet of the heat exchanger. A plurality of fins is interposed between adjacent conduits. Air is caused to flow across the fins by a cooling fan or a motion of the vehicle. As the air flows across the fins, heat in the fluid flowing in the tubes is conducted through the walls of the tubes, through the fins and transferred or “exchanged” into the airflow. The fluid flowing from the outlet of the heat exchanger has a lower temperature than the fluid flowing into the inlet of the heat exchanger.
The heat exchanger for the vehicle is typically constructed with aluminum fins, tubes, headers and side supports to minimize a weight thereof. The tanks are generally made of plastic and are sealed to the aluminum core assembly using a rubber gasket. Several problems exist with these heat exchangers, including difficulties with post consumer recycling, a high amount of material usage, and the creation of gasket warranty issues.
More recently, all aluminum heat exchangers have been developed in an attempt to overcome these problems. However, problems also exist with all aluminum heat exchangers such as a heightened complexity of the manufacture and assembly processes, for example.
It would be desirable to produce a heat exchanger for a vehicle wherein a complexity of manufacture and assembly is minimized.
Harmonious with the present invention, a heat exchanger wherein a complexity of manufacture and assembly is minimized has surprisingly been discovered.
In one embodiment, a tank for a heat exchanger comprising: a center wall having a plurality of tube openings formed therein, each of the tube openings adapted to communicate with a heat exchanger tube; a first sidewall extending laterally outwardly from the center wall; a second sidewall extending laterally outwardly from the center wall and substantially parallel to and spaced apart from the first sidewall, wherein the center wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall are integrally formed; an elongate cover having a first end, a second end, a first edge and a second edge, the first edge joined to the first sidewall and the second edge joined to the second sidewall, a first baffle sealingly engaging the center wall, the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the first end of the cover; and a second baffle sealingly engaging the center wall, the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the second end of the cover.
In another embodiment, a heat exchanger comprising: a first tank having an inlet and a plurality of tube openings formed therein, the inlet adapted to be in communication with a source of coolant; a second tank having a plurality of tube openings and an outlet formed therein, the outlet adapted to be in communication with the source of coolant, wherein at least one of the first tank and the second tank further comprises a cover having a first end and a spaced apart second end, a center wall, a first sidewall, a second sidewall, a first baffle sealingly engaging the center wall, the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the first end of the cover, and a second baffle sealingly engaging the center wall, the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the second end of the cover, the center wall, the first sidewall, and the second sidewall integrally formed, wherein the cover is joined to the first sidewall and the second sidewall; and a plurality of tubes having a first end and a second end, the first end of each of the tubes is in fluid communication with one of the tube openings of the first tank and the second end of each of the tubes is in fluid communication with one of the tube openings of the second tank.
In yet another embodiment, a method of making a tank for a heat exchanger is disclosed, comprising the steps of: providing a substantially planar sheet having a plurality of tube opening formed therein; bending the sheet at a first bend line and a second bend line to form a center wall, a first sidewall, and a second sidewall; providing a first baffle and a second baffle; positioning the first baffle between the first sidewall and the second sidewall to form a fluid-tight seal between the first baffle and the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the center wall; positioning the second baffle between the first sidewall and the second sidewall to form a fluid-tight seal between the second baffle and the first sidewall, the second sidewall, and the center wall; providing a cover having a first edge and a second edge; positioning the first edge of the cover on the first sidewall over the first baffle and the second baffle and the second edge of the cover on the second sidewall over the first baffle and the second baffle; and joining the cover to the first sidewall, the second sidewall, the first baffle, and the second baffle to create a fluid tight seal therebetween.
The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:
The following detailed description and appended drawings describe and illustrate various exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description and drawings serve to enable one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any manner. In respect of the methods disclosed, the steps presented are exemplary in nature, and thus, the order of the steps is not necessary or critical.
The first tank 14 includes an inlet fitting 18 and a plurality of outlets or tube openings 19 formed therein, as more clearly shown in
The cover 36 has a generally U-shaped cross section and includes a first lip 44 and a spaced apart second lip 46. The lips 44, 46 extend from a first end 48 of the cover 36 to a second end 50 of the cover 36. The lips 44, 46 are adapted to be brazed to respective sidewalls 32, 34 to create a fluid tight relationship along the entire length of the cover 36. It is understood that other methods of joining the sidewalls 32, 34 can be used such as welding, for example. The lips 44, 46 can be brazed to the sidewalls with the cover 36 face up as shown in
A first baffle 52 and a second baffle 54 are respectively disposed at a first end and a second end of the first tank 14 between the first sidewall 32 and the second sidewall 34. The first end 48 of the cover 36 is adapted to receive an upper wall 53 of the first baffle 52. The first baffle 52 is sealingly connected to the first sidewall 32, the second sidewall 34, the center wall 37, and the first end 48 of the cover 36 to maintain a fluid tight relationship therebetween. The second end 50 of the cover 36 is adapted to receive an upper wall 55 of the second baffle 54. The second baffle is sealingly connected to the first sidewall 32, the second sidewall 34, the center wall 37, and the second end 50 of the cover 36 to maintain a fluid tight relationship therebetween. It is understood that if the desired orientation of the cover 36 is that shown in
A plurality of indentations 56 is formed in the sidewalls 32, 34 of the first tank 14. The indentations 56 are adapted to receive the baffles 52, 54 and militate against relative movement between the baffles 52, 54 and the first tank 14. The baffles 52, 54 include a pair of spaced apart tabs 60 that are received by respective slots 62 formed in the sidewalls 32, 34. The tabs 60 and the slots 62 also militate against relative movement between the baffles 52, 54 and the first tank 14.
As shown in
A method of forming the first tank 14 will now be discussed.
Baffles 52, 54 are inserted between corresponding indentations 56 and the tabs 60 of the baffles 52, 54 are inserted into respective slots 62. The cover 36 is disposed on the first tank 14 so that the first edge 44 of the cover 36 abuts the first sidewall 32 and the second edge 46 of the cover 36 abuts the second sidewall 34. The tabs 27 are then caused to be bent inwardly to abut the cover 36 and militate against relative movement between the cover 36 and the first tank 14. The sidewalls 32, 34, cover 36, and baffles 52, 54 are then brazed together to form a fluid tight seal. The same method of forming the tank 14 described for the embodiment in
The second tank 16 is formed substantially the same as described above for the first tank 14. For the second tank 16, the receiver 26 and the bracket 28 replace the pin 22 and bracket 24 of the first tank 14. Further the inlet 18 included on the first tank 14 is replaced by an outlet 21, the fluid outlets 19 are replaced by the fluid inlets, and the fluid drain off 25 is replaced by the degassing outlet 29. The configuration of the tanks 14, 16 is clearly shown in
In use, the coolant from the source of coolant is caused to flow through the inlet 18 and into the first tank 14. The coolant flows through the outlets 19 and into the tubes 12. As the coolant flows through the tubes 12, air flowing over the tubes 12 heat to be transferred from causes the coolant, as is well known in the art. The coolant then flows into the second tank 16 through the inlets and exits the second tank 16 through the outlet 21.
The use of the sheet 63 to form each of the tanks 14, 16 minimizes a complexity of manufacture and assembly of the tanks 14, 16. Further, the use of the pin 22, the bracket 24, the receiver 26, and the bracket 28 for mounting the unit to the vehicle minimizes the need for secondary pins and brackets used for mounting. The use of baffles 52, 54 further minimizes manufacture and assembly complexity by eliminating the need for end caps that must be attached to the ends of the tanks 14, 16.
The use of indentations 56 as a guide for inserting baffles 52, 54 facilitates an alignment of the baffles 52, 54 and maintains the baffles 52, 54 in a desired position once inserted.
From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.
