FR2900466A1 - Reservoir for a heat exchanger e.g. condenser useful in an air conditioning installation for a motor vehicle, comprises a wall delimiting an internal space closed by an external wall, and an opening emerging from the internal space - Google Patents

Abstract

The reservoir (4) for a heat exchanger e.g. condenser useful in an air conditioning installation for a motor vehicle, comprises a wall (26) delimiting an internal space (30) closed by an external wall (32), and an opening (60) emerging out of the internal space and a tank. The external wall has a thickness (3-30 mm) higher than the wall delimiting the internal space. The opening emerges radially and parallely with respect to an axis of the wall delimiting the internal space in which the opening has a functional element. The reservoir (4) for a heat exchanger e.g. condenser useful in an air conditioning installation for a motor vehicle, comprises a wall (26) delimiting an internal space (30) closed by an external wall (32), and an opening (60) emerging out of the internal space and a tank. The external wall has a thickness (3-30 mm) higher than the wall delimiting the internal space. The opening emerges radially and parallely with respect to an axis of the wall delimiting the internal space in which the opening has a functional element. The functional element comprises pressure sensors, filling valve and plug. The reservoir is made up of aluminum alloy. Independent claims are included for: (1) a heat exchanger; and (2) a process of manufacturing a reservoir.

Description

Improved tank for heat exchanger and heat exchanger

corresponding

  The invention relates to a tank for a heat exchanger, for example a condenser, traversed by a refrigerant, and more particularly for a condenser of an air conditioning system for a motor vehicle.

  The invention is more particularly concerned with a tank traversed by a refrigerant fluid of a cooling circuit, comprising a wall delimiting a generally cylindrical interior space.

  An air conditioning installation for a motor vehicle comprises a circuit called cooling or closed refrigeration, in which circulates the refrigerant. In a refrigeration circuit of this type, the coolant is set in motion by a compressor and sent, in the superheated vapor phase, to the condenser. The cooling fluid is then successively cooled or "desuperheated", condensed in a hot liquid phase, then "subcooled" in a cold liquid phase.

  The cooled condensed coolant is then sent via an expander to an evaporator where it exchanges heat with an air flow. In the evaporator, the refrigerant is transformed into the vapor phase, while the airflow is cooled to provide conditioned air. The refrigerant flow in the vapor phase then leaves the evaporator to gain the compressor, and start a new cycle.

  The condenser used in this type of installation conventionally comprises a bundle of tubes mounted between two manifolds, so that condensation and cooling of the condensed refrigerant is effected as the latter progresses in the tubes. beam. It is known to add to the condenser a reservoir connected to one of the collector boxes of the condenser and adapted to be traversed by the coolant.

  The document FR 2 754 887 thus describes a condenser comprising a removable reservoir made in the form of a replaceable cartridge provided with a fitting adapted to cooperate with a base of conjugate form which is integral with the collecting box and is connected to this last via an inlet manifold and an outlet manifold for the coolant.

  The technical evolution in the technical field of tanks has led to the increasing use of elements generally placed outside the tank and which make it possible to fulfill control and maintenance functions.

  This type of arrangement is expensive both in design and in terms of additional components imposed by this design. In addition, this type of design requires a particular assembly which weighs down the manufacturing process of the tank and the cooling circuit in general.

  The invention aims to improve the situation. For this purpose, the invention proposes a reservoir for a heat exchanger through which a cooling fluid passes through a cooling circuit, comprising a wall delimiting a generally cylindrical internal space. This tank is closed by an end wall integrally formed with the cylindrical wall and which has at least one opening opening into the interior space.

  In one embodiment, the end wall has a thickness greater than that of the wall defining the interior space.

  Such a tank is more convenient to assemble and to achieve in that it allows to directly integrate elements in the thick end wall in particular in the opening that opens into the interior space.

  The end wall may have a thickness between 3 mm and 30 mm and said opening may open out of the reservoir substantially radially with respect to the axis of the cylindrical wall or substantially parallel to the axis of the wall. cylindrical.

  This type of opening and thickness allows for a very wide range of tanks.

  In one embodiment, the aperture receives a functional element that can be selected from the groups that include the pressure sensor, the level indicators, the fill valves and the plugs. The tank according to the invention can be made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

  The invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a tank for a heat exchanger which comprises the steps of:

  a) providing a block of metallic material, having a selected thickness, b) stamping said block of metallic material with a punch of selected section cooperating with a matrix, along an axis substantially orthogonal to said surface, to forming a reduced-thickness side wall smaller than the chosen thickness of the block and an end wall of the tank having a thickness substantially equal to that of the block,

  c) cut the end of the tank opposite the end wall to a length chosen for the tank, and d) make at least one opening in the end wall opening into the interior space.

  Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear better on reading the following description of examples, given by way of non-limiting illustration, taken from the drawings in which:

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a cooling circuit comprising a reservoir according to the invention;

  - Figure 2 shows a schematic view of a device for manufacturing a portion of a tank according to the invention;

  Fig. 3 shows a tank portion made with the aid of the device of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shows a partially cutaway view of a reservoir obtained with the aid of the device of Fig. 2; and

  FIG. 5 shows a partially cutaway view of a variant of the reservoir of FIG. 4.

  As can be seen in FIG. 1, a cooling circuit comprises a condenser 2, a tank 4, a pressure reducer 6, an evaporator 8 and a compressor 10. This cooling circuit can in particular be used in an air conditioning installation. 'a motor vehicle. The tank 4 can be made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.

  As mentioned above, the condenser 2 receives at an inlet 12 a coolant set in motion by the compressor 8 in the superheated vapor phase.

  The condenser 2 comprises a bundle of tubes 14 substantially parallel to each other, between which spacers 15 or fins are arranged. The tubes 14 of the bundle penetrate at their ends two manifolds 16 and 18, the manifold 16 receiving the inlet 12. The tubes 14 and the fins 15 are made of aluminum or aluminum alloy. The tubes 14 are generally flat, but could take any other form that the skilled person will consider.

  The manifold 16 has a partition wall 22 and the manifold 18 has a partition wall 20. The partition walls 22 and 20 are located substantially at the same level in the manifolds 16 and 18. These walls divide the condenser 2 in two parts C and S.

  In part C, or part of condensation, the refrigerant is condensed. The manifold 18 has an outlet 24 of the part C which is connected to the inlet of the tank 4. After being condensed in the part C, the refrigerant passes through the tank 4 in which it is dehydrated.

  The reservoir 4 is arranged substantially vertically, parallel to the manifold 18. The reservoir 4 is generally cylindrical in shape, and has a side wall 26 which is connected in a lower part to a base 28 which is well known to the person skilled in the art. job. The side wall 26 defines an interior space 30 which is closed at the top by a thick wall 32 which will be described below.

  The wall 32 houses a functional element 34 which communicates with the interior space 30. The functional element 34 is in the example described a pressure sensor, but it could be replaced by a level indicator, a filling valve and or still a plug.

  The refrigerant is then reintroduced into the condenser 2 via an inlet 36 that includes the manifold 18.

  The inlet 36 is connected to the part S or part of subcooling. In part S, the dehydrated and filtered coolant is subcooled and its temperature decreases. The refrigerant then leaves the condenser 2 through an outlet 38 of the part S that includes the manifold 16 and joins the expander 6.

  The regulator 6 decreases the pressure of the refrigerant, before the heat exchange with the air to be cooled in the evaporator 8. At the outlet of the evaporator 8, the heated refrigerant is then sent back to the compressor 10 in order to start a new cooling cycle.

  FIG. 2 shows a device 40 which is used for the manufacture of the tank 4 of FIG. 1. The device 40 comprises a punch 42 and a die 44.

  The punch 42 has a selected section. In the example described here, the section of the punch 42 is circular in order to produce a cylindrical side wall 26. This section could nevertheless be of any other form. The section of the punch 42 is provided to correspond substantially to the internal diameter which is desired for the side wall 26.

  The die 44 is a solid block 46 which has a recess 48. The recess 48 is provided to correspond substantially to the outer diameter which is desired for the side wall 26.

  The recess 48 and the punch 42 thus cooperate so that, when the punch 42 is introduced into the recess 48, these two elements constitute a negative of the desired shape for the side wall 26, which has a thickness el of the order of 3 mm.

  To make the side wall 26, a metal block 50 is disposed on the block 46 centrally relative thereto. The metal block 50 has a section which is slightly greater than that of the recess 48, on the one hand to allow it to rest on the block 46 above the recess 48, and on the other hand to provide the material necessary for producing the side wall 26.

  The metal block further has a thick e2 important, between 3 mm and 30 mm or more if necessary. The metal block 50 is preferably made of aluminum or aluminum alloy 6000 series, but it could also be made of copper or steel suitable for stamping.

  Thus the side wall 26 is made by stamping the metal block 50 by the punch 42 in the recess 48 in a direction indicated in the figure by an arrow F, until the desired length for the side wall 26 is reached. The stamping is thus performed along an axis substantially orthogonal to the surface of the metal block.

  During this stamping, the thickness of the metal block 50 is preserved, so that a side wall 26 closed at its end by a thick wall which constitutes the wall 32, as shown in FIG.

  As can be seen in this figure, edges 52 which correspond to the excess of the metal block 50 remain, and it remains only to cut, if necessary, radially the side wall 26 to the desired height. The necessary machining operations can then be carried out in the part opposite to the thick wall 32 in order to provide the connection to the base 28.

  FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a portion of a reservoir 4 made using the device 40 of FIG. 2. The upper part of the reservoir 4 has been torn off in order to better show the interest and the functionalities of the thick wall 32.

  Indeed, the wall 32 is here pierced with a through opening 60, substantially at the center of the cylinder defined by the wall 26 and along the axis X-X of revolution of this cylinder. The opening 60 thus crosses the entire thick wall 32 and opens on one side into the inner space 30, and on the other side outside the tank 4, substantially parallel to the axis XX . The opening 60 is provided with a tapping which allows for example to accommodate the functional element 34 described above or to connect a connector directly into the thick wall 32.

  Indeed, as seen in this figure, the thickness e2 of the thick wall 32 is much greater than the thickness el of the wall 26, which allows to come to directly house one or more elements directly, and no longer by adding bridles as was known from before.

  FIG. 5 shows a variant of the reservoir of FIG. 4, in which the opening 60 is made in a bent manner. Thus, although a portion 62 always opens into the interior space 30, a portion 64 of the opening 60 opens out of the tank radially relative to the axis XX of the cylinder defined by the wall 26. This allows extend the possibilities of housing and connection of elements within the thick wall 32.

  One could also consider making an inverted stamping in the wall 32 to create a conduit that would extend partially in the interior space 30 to achieve the portion 62. It would then be possible to use a metal block of lower thickness that of Figure 5 to achieve the wall 32, since only the thickness to achieve the portion 64 is then necessary.

  This inverted stamping could be achieved by placing at the bottom of the recess 48 of the die 44 a punch of the desired diameter for the portion 62, and performing the stamping in the same manner. Then, when the punch 42 approaches the bottom of the recess 48, the portion 62 will naturally be formed and it will only be necessary to pierce it to make it open into the interior space and to make a part 64 connected to it. .

  The scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it encompasses all the variants that the skilled person will consider, especially on reading the following claims.

Claims (11)

claims   Tank for a heat exchanger, comprising a wall defining an interior space closed by an end wall characterized in that the end wall is integrated with the wall (26) delimiting the interior space (30) and comprises at least one opening (60) opening into the interior space (30).   2. Tank according to claim 1, characterized in that said end wall (32) has a thickness (e2) greater than that (el) of the wall (26) defining the inner space (30).   3. Tank according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the end wall (32) has a thickness (el) between 3 mm and 30 mm. 20   4. Tank according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said opening (60) opens out of the tank (4).   5. Tank according to claim 3, characterized in that the opening (60) opens substantially radially relative to the axis (X-X) of the wall (26) defining the interior space (30).   6. Tank according to claim 3, characterized in that the opening (62) opens substantially parallel to the axis (X-X) of the wall (26) defining the interior space (30). 1115   7. Tank according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said opening (60) receives a functional element (34).   8. Tank according to claim 7, characterized in that the functional element (34) is selected from the group consisting of pressure sensors, level indicators, filling valves and plugs.   9. Tank according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is made of aluminum or aluminum alloy.   10. Heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a reservoir according to one of the preceding claims.   11. A method of manufacturing a tank for a heat exchanger, characterized in that it comprises the steps of: a) providing a block (50) of metallic material, having a selected thickness, b) stamping said block ( 50) of metal material using a punch (42) of selected section cooperating with a matrix (44), along an axis (XX) substantially orthogonal to a surface of said block (50), until formation of a side wall (26) of reduced thickness less than the selected thickness of the block (50) and an end wall (32) of the tank (4) having a thickness substantially equal to that of the block (50), c) cutting the end (52) of the reservoir (4) opposite the end wall (32) to a length chosen for the reservoir (4), and d) providing at least one opening (60) in the wall of end (32) opening into the space (30) defined by the side wall (26).