FR2661489A1 - WATER BOX AND EXPANSION VESSEL DEVICE FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER, SUCH AS A COOLING RADIATOR, AND HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING SUCH A DEVICE. - Google Patents

Abstract

Water box and expansion vessel device for a heat exchanger, comprising a generally vertical water box (20) suitable for being mounted at one end of a bundle (10) of horizontal tubes (12), and an expansion tank (22) provided at the upper end of the water box and extending horizontally beyond the latter. The expansion tank is separated from the water box and attached to it via a connection pipe (24) opening into the upper end of the water box, a partition wall (50) being provided inside the pipe (24) and the water box (20) to provide two adjacent passages: a liquid degassing passage (78) connecting the expansion tank to the water box and a passage (80) liquid return connecting the expansion tank to at least one upper tube (76) of the bundle.

Description

A Water box and expansion tank device for a

  heat exchanger, such as a cooling radiator

  ment, and heat exchanger comprising this device.

  The invention relates to a water box and

  expansion tank for a heat exchanger, in particular

  link for a radiator of a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine It also relates to a

  heat exchanger comprising such a device.

  Already known from French Patent Application No 85 14966, published under No 2 588 366, in the name of the Applicant, a water box and expansion tank device for a heat exchanger, of the type comprising a box clean general vertical water

  to be mounted at one end of a bundle of horizontal tubes

  zontaux, as well as an expansion tank provided at the upper end of the water box and extending horizontally

beyond this.

  This known device is in one piece, the expansion tank being

  molded in one piece with the water box.

  However, this device is complex to manufacture in practice, because it is necessary to make the expansion tank in two parts, namely a lower part molded in one piece with the water box and an upper part, forming

  cover, attached to the lower part.

  In addition, the connection between the expansion tank and the water box is complex to carry out, in particular as regards

the means for degassing liquid.

  The object of the invention is in particular to avoid the drawbacks

mentioned above.

  To this end, it proposes a device for a water box and an expansion tank of the type defined in the introduction, in which the expansion tank is separated from the water box and attached thereto by means of '' a connection tube opening into the upper end of the water box, and in which a partition wall extends inside the connection tube and in the water box to provide two adjacent passages

  a liquid degassing passage connecting the expansion tank

  sion to the water box and a liquid return passage connecting the expansion tank to at least one upper tube

of the beam.

  A device which is particularly simple to produce is thus obtained since it suffices to attach the expansion tank to the water box via the connection pipe, the partition allowing direct formation of the degassing passage and the passage back

liquid.

  The device allows excellent degassing of the liquid circulating in the heat exchanger and, in addition, the return

  liquid is carried out satisfactorily through

  diary of at least one upper tube of the bundle.

  Furthermore, the exchanger obtained according to the invention has, as in the case of the aforementioned known device, a low

horizontal dimensions.

  Advantageously, the partition separates, in the upper part of the water box, a small chamber which communicates with the expansion tank and with the one or more

upper beam tubes.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the partition comprises a first part which extends in the axis of the tube and which extends inside the water box and a second part which is connected perpendicular to the first part and

  which is located inside the water box.

  Thus, the liquid degassing passage and the passage of

  liquid return can be carried out in a particu-

  smoothly simple thanks to this partition.

  Although the partition can be made independently and then introduced into the connection pipe, it is preferred to manufacture it in one piece

with the water box.

  The connection pipe can be provided according to different

  guidance annuities; in particular it can be substantially

  vertical or even substantially horizontal.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connection pipe is molded with the water box and comprises means for sealingly connecting with a nozzle provided in the lower part of the vase

  expansion and came molding with it.

  Advantageously, the water box has a central partition which divides it into two separate and superimposed compartments

  vertically: an upper compartment into which

  che the connection pipe with the expansion tank and into which also opens an intake pipe

  liquid, and a lower compartment into which

  che a liquid outlet pipe Thus, the device of the invention can be used very particularly in the case of a heat exchanger with U-shaped circulation. In another aspect, the invention relates to a heat exchanger

  heat, in particular a cooling circuit radiator

  dissement of an internal combustion engine, which includes such a device of water box and expansion tank,

  mounted at one end of the tube bundle.

  Such a heat exchanger may include a second box

  mounted on the other end of the tube bundle.

  As a variant, the tubes of the bundle can be U-shaped tubes, all the ends of which connect to the water box device, which then eliminates the second water box.

  In the following description, made only as

  example, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic elevation view of a heat exchanger comprising a water box and expansion tank device according to the invention; Figure 2 is a partial perspective view with cutaway of the heat exchanger of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partial sectional view along line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of part of Figure 1;

  Figure 5 is a view along arrow V of the figure

  re 4 Figure 6 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchanger, in another embodiment, showing the assembly of the expansion tank and the water box Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of 'a heat exchanger, in another embodiment, showing the assembly of the expansion tank and the water box; and

  Figure 8 is a sectional view along line VIII-

VIII of figure 7.

  First, reference is made to FIGS. 1 to 5 which represent a heat exchanger, in particular a radiator for a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, which comprises a water box and vessel device.

expansion according to the invention.

  The heat exchanger shown in these figures includes

  a bundle 10 formed of a multiplicity of tubes 12 of cir-

  culation of liquid arranged in two rows and passing through a multiplicity of vertical fins 14 The heat exchanger further comprises a device 16 for a water box

  and expansion tank according to the invention, mounted at an end

  mite of the beam 10, and a second water box 18 mounted

at the other end of the beam.

  The device 16 comprises a water box 20 with a generally vertical arrangement as well as an expansion tank 22 which is provided at the upper end of the water box and which extends horizontally beyond the latter. expansion tank 22 is separated from the water box and attached

  on this via a connecting pipe

dement 24.

  The water box 20 has, in the usual way, an open face 26 with a generally rectangular outline (FIG. 2) for mounting on the periphery of a manifold 28 La

  water box 18 is mounted in the same way on a collector

  tor 30 (figure 1) The collectors 28 and 30 are plates

  ques provided with holes in which the ends of the tubes 12 are mounted to seal, as is well known

in the technique.

  The water box 20 comprises, for molding, a central partition

  32 (figure 1) which divides its internal space into two compar-

  roofs superimposed vertically and sealingly separated from each other, namely an upper compartment 34 and a lower compartment 36, when the water box 20 is mounted on the bundle 10 The water box 20 further comprises a tube 38 of liquid inlet which opens into the upper part of the upper compartment 34 and a tube 40 of liquid outlet which opens into the

  lower part of lower compartment 36.

  The heat exchanger thus allows the coolant to cool.

  sement to enter the compartment 34 through the tubing 38, to circulate in the upper half of the tubes 12 to

  go to the water box 18, then go around

  current in the lower half of the tubes 12 to reach the compartment 36 and leave the exchanger by the tube, the circulation of the liquid being of the U-shaped type. The expansion vessel 22 comprises an orifice or end piece 42

  filling capable of being closed by a plug 44 provided

  in, for example, pressure relief and low pressure valves

  if we. In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 5, the expansion tank 22 can be formed in one piece by molding and has a horizontal bottom wall 46 providing an orifice 48 in which is fitted, sealed, the tubing connection 24 coming from molding with the water box 20 The tubing 24 thus ensures a connection between the upper compartment 34 of the box

water 20 and the expansion tank 22.

  The device 16 further comprises a partition

  tion 50 (Figures 2 to 5) which extends inside the connecting pipe 24 and partly inside the upper compartment 34 of the water box 20 The partition comprises a first part 52 which extends in the axis of the tubing 24 and which extends inside the upper compartment 34 of the water box as well as a second part 54 which is connected perpendicular to the first part 52 and which is located inside the water box 20 The part 52 comprises two parallel longitudinal edges 56 and 58 connected together, at one end, by a transverse edge 60 whose length corresponds to the internal diameter of the tubing 24 The longitudinal edge 56 has a length corresponding substantially to that of the connecting tube 24 and it is connected, by a shoulder 62, to an edge 64 which extends parallel to the edge 58 The edges 58 and 64 are connected to each other by an edge 66 forming a connection between the parts 52 and 54 Furthermore, the part 54 has a generally rectangular shape limited by two parallel edges 68 and 70

  and by an edge 72 parallel to the edge 66.

  The partition 50 can be introduced thus into the connection tubing 24 through the open face 26 of the water box 20 In the position thus obtained, the edges 56 and 58 of the partition 50 are applied against the internal wall of the tubing 24 , the edge 58 further coming to bear against the manifold 28 Furthermore, the walls 62, 64, 68 and 72 come to bear against the inside of the water box and the edge 70 comes to bear against a seal sealing usually provided on the manifold 28. In practice, it is expected that the partition 50 is developed

  in a single piece with the water box 20.

  The parts 52 and 54 thus delimit, inside the upper compartment 34, a small chamber 74 of generally parallelepiped shape in which opens a tube

upper 76 of bundle 10.

  Part 52 delimits, inside the tubing 54, a liquid degassing passage 78 directly connecting the expansion vessel 22 to the upper compartment 34 and a liquid return passage 80 connecting the expansion vessel 22 to the tube higher 76 through the small

room 74.

  The heat exchanger shown in Figures 1 to 5 works

  operates as follows Coolant flows through the exchanger from the manifold

  2-5 inlet 38 to outlet port 40 in the way

  re indicated above, the circulation being of the U-shaped type, as indicated by the arrows in solid line.

  air or gas bubbles carried by the liquid are sucked

  in the expansion tank 22 thanks to the passage of dega-

  zage 78 This suction is carried out as soon as the liquid is admitted into the upper compartment 34 because

  the intake manifold 38 opens into the upper end

  compartment 34, i.e. close to

  the place where the degassing passage 78 opens.

  The return of the liquid from the expansion vessel 22 takes place through the passage 80, the small chamber 74 and the upper tube 76 as indicated by the arrows in broken lines. It should be noted that the partition 50 can simply be force-fitted inside the tubing, without it being necessary to carry out an operation of

bonding or welding.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 6, to which reference is now made, the connecting pipe 24,

  which came from molding with the water box 20, is connected

  dée, in a leaktight manner, with a nozzle 82 provided in the lower part of the expansion vessel 22 and molded therewith For this purpose, the nozzle 82 has a cylindrical end portion 84 suitable for fitting together, in a sealed manner, with a cylindrical end portion 86 of the tubing 24 A seal (not shown) can be interposed between the tubing 24 and the nozzle 82 As shown in FIG. 6, the expansion vessel 22 has a tab 88 provided with through holes 90 for its attachment to a flange 92 provided on a lateral face of the water box 20. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the connection pipe 24 as well as the end piece 82 are both substantially vertical, which allows a superimposed mounting

  of the expansion vessel 22 relative to the heat exchanger.

  In the embodiment of FIGS. 7 and 8, to which reference is now made, the water box 20 comprises, coming from molding, a substantially horizontal connection tube 124 and the expansion vessel 22 comprises, coming from molding, an end piece 182 substantially horizontal The endpiece 182 has a cylindrical end portion 184 suitable for fitting into a cylindrical internal portion 186 of the tube 124, and with the interposition of an annular seal 194 The vase 22 has a lug 188 for its attachment to a flange 192 provided in the upper part of the box

water 20.

  Inside the tubing 124 is provided a partition

  separation 150 having a first part 152 extends

  dant in the axis of the tubing 124 and a second part 154 connected perpendicular to the first and disposed in a generally vertical direction There is thus produced a degassing passage 178 connecting the expansion tank to the upper part of the water box and a liquid return passage 180 connecting the expansion tank to a tube

upper 76 of the beam.

  Of course it is possible, without departing from the scope of the invention, to provide other orientations of the tubing

connection.

he

Claims (8)

Claims   1 Water box and expansion tank device for a heat exchanger, such as a radiator of a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, of the type comprising a water box (20) generally available vertical suitable for being mounted at one end of a bundle (10) of horizontal tubes (12), as well as an expansion tank (22) provided at the upper end of the water box and extending horizontally at beyond this, characterized in that the expansion tank (22) is separated from the water box (20) and attached thereto by means of a connection pipe (24; 124) opening into the upper end of the water box (20) and in this   that a partition (50; 150) extends inside   of the connection pipe (24; 124) and into the water box (20) to provide two adjacent passages: a liquid degassing passage (78; 178) connecting the expansion tank to the water box and a liquid return passage (80; 180) connecting the expansion tank to at least   an upper tube (76) of the bundle (10).   2 Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the partition (50; 150) household, in the upper part of the water box (20), a small chamber (74; 174) which communicates with the vessel expansion (22)   and with the upper tube (s) (76) of the bundle (10).   3 Device according to one of claims 1 and 2, charac-   terized in that the partition (50; 150) comprises   takes a first part (52; 152) which extends in the axis of the connection tube (24; 124) and which extends inside the water box (20) and a second part   (54; 154) which is connected perpendicular to the first   part and which is located inside the water box.   4 Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, in   which the water box (20) has an open face (26) for mounting on the end of the bundle (10) of tubes (12) via a manifold (28), characterized in that the partition separator (50; 150) is introduced into the connection pipe (24; 124) through the face open (26) of the water box.   Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, in   which the water box (20) has an open face (26)   for mounting on the end of the bundle (10) by the   intermediate of a collector (28), characterized in that   the partition (50, 150) is in one piece with the water box (20).   6 Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, character-   rised in that the connecting pipe (24) is sensitive clearly vertical.   7 Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, character-   rised in that the connecting pipe (124) is sensitive clearly horizontal.   8 Device according to one of claims 1 to 7, character-   laughed in that the connection tube (24; 124) is molded with the water boot (20) and comprises means for sealingly connecting with a nozzle (82; 182) provided in the lower part of the vessel 'expansion (22) and came from molding with him.   9 Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, character-   laughed in that the water box (20) has a central partition (32) which divides it into two separate compartments and vertically superimposed an upper compartment (34) into which the connecting pipe (24) opens   and into which also opens an intake pipe (38)   liquid and a lower compartment (36) in   which opens a liquid outlet pipe (40).   Heat exchanger, in particular radiator of a cooling circuit of an internal combustion engine, characterized in that it comprises a device of water box and expansion tank according to one of the   claims 1 to 8, mounted at one end of the harness (10) of tubes (12).