JP5856067B2 - Heat exchanger - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat exchanger.

  For example, heat exchangers used in the automobile industry, more specifically in automobile combustion engines, etc., have a heat exchange component and a fluid flow component, while the fluid exchanges heat between the fluids. Circulate. The heat exchange component may be composed of, for example, a tube, a plate, a fin, or a fluid agitator. Many structures and shapes are contemplated. For example, the heat exchanger may include a core composed of a plurality of tubes arranged in a row or parallel to each other. These tubes are adapted to pass the first fluid, while the second fluid flows between the tubes and exchanges heat with the first fluid. Many fluid combinations can be considered depending on whether the fluid is a liquid and / or a gas.

  The heat exchanger has a housing that receives the tube, and the housing has a plurality of walls that form a volume for receiving the tube. Both ends of the housing are normally open so that the tubing can be connected to a fluid collection tank or fluid distribution tank, which consists of one inflow collection tank and one outflow collection tank, also called a collection tank. The first fluid flows through the tube from the inflow collection tank toward the outflow collection tank. The second fluid flows around the tube from the inflow pipe to the outflow pipe and exchanges heat with the first fluid.

  A heat exchanger generally also has two collection plates for holding the tubes, to which are collected fluid collection tanks. The tube is connected to the fluid collection tank through an opening provided in the collection plate.

  In general, a collecting plate is fixed to a housing, and a collecting tank is fixed to the collecting plate by, for example, pressure bonding. For this reason, each collecting plate has means capable of crimping the end face of the collecting tank connected to the collecting plate to the collecting plate. Such a fixing method for the tank is known from, for example, Patent Document 1 (WO2008 / 125309) or Patent Document 2 (EP2,031,338). In Patent Document 2, the collecting plate is mechanically joined. It is composed of two elements.

  In some engines, the available space is limited as to where the heat exchanger is installed. For this reason, it is necessary to manufacture a heat exchanger in consideration of such restrictions. Due to these constraints, for example, it may be necessary to produce a relatively flat heat exchanger. For this reason, a tube is provided that is flat but has a sufficiently large cross-section that has a passage cross-section adapted to the desired flow rate for the fluid. Such a tube has a streamlined cross section, typically a rectangular cross section of 100 mm × 7 mm. Furthermore, for example, in an example in which water, which is a good heat transfer fluid, circulates between tubes, it is preferable that the interval between successive tubes is narrow, for example, 2 to 3 mm or less.

  For this reason, it is necessary to produce a collection plate having elongated openings separated by narrow walls. This width corresponds to the spacing between successive tubes. In this case, the wall separating the openings is very elongated in cross section. That is, these walls are very long in one direction but short in the other two directions. This raises the problem of how to manufacture these walls. With regard to the production of the collecting plate, it is known that the walls between the openings that are thinner than the thickness of the collecting plate can be realized from a relatively thick plate by punching with so-called “straight edge blanking”. For example, an opening having a length of 60 mm and a wall between the openings having a width approximately equal to 2.6 mm can be formed from a 4 mm thick plate. However, when forming a collecting plate having a length of 100 mm and a wall between openings of 2 mm, punching with straight edge blanking cannot be performed. Therefore, it is advisable to use traditional chasing. In this case, the thickness of the collecting plate needs to be thinner than the width of the wall between the tubes, and for the above example, a very thin plate of 0.8 mm to 1 mm would be recommended. Here, if the collection tank needs to be crimped by the collection plate, this collection plate must have sufficient mechanical strength to perform this function. As a result, when the thickness of the collecting plate is increased (for example, to 1.5 mm or 2 mm), the dilemma is that traditional chasing cannot be performed. Therefore, it is difficult or impossible to use a tube with a very long cross section because it is necessary to ensure a sufficient thickness for the collecting plate.

International Publication No. 2008/125309 European Patent No. 2031338

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism that allows the formation of a collection plate having an opening with a very long cross section.

  The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problem, but the present invention is not limited to application to the above-mentioned problem, but also in application to a collecting plate having an elongated opening having a more appropriate cross section. Can provide benefits.

  Accordingly, the present invention comprises an exchange component and fluid flow component, at least one fluid collection tank to which the exchange component is connected, at least one collection plate that holds the exchange component, and a housing that houses the exchange component. The heat exchanger is characterized by having a flange for fixing the collection tank to the housing.

  According to the present invention, the tube holding function and the collecting tank holding function are separated, and two different elements (one on the collecting plate and the other on the flange) perform these functions. Thus, it is possible to provide a collector plate that is thin (usually 0.8 mm) and has a very elongated opening, thereby forming a tube with a streamlined cross section, and thus A flat heat exchanger that hardly takes can be formed. Independently of this, the function of holding the collection tank is secured by a flange. Furthermore, the ease of assembling such a heat exchanger is maintained and each element is secured to a common component independently of each other (ie, without direct pressure transfer between the elements). That is, in this case, it is fixed to the housing.

  In one embodiment, the flange and the collection plate are fixed to the housing independently of each other.

  In one embodiment, the flange and / or collection plate is secured directly to the housing. In this way, the heat exchanger is compact.

  In one embodiment, the flange and collection plate do not contact each other. In this way, not only are they not fixed to each other, but also are not in contact with each other, so there is never a direct transmission of pressure between these two elements.

  An exchange component according to one embodiment includes tubes in which a first fluid (eg, gas) is fluidly connected to tanks and around these tubes a second fluid (eg, liquid). Is flowing. The collecting plate performs a sealing function between the first fluid and the second fluid, and the flange performs a sealing function between the first fluid and the outside of the heat exchanger.

  In one embodiment, the collection tank and the flange are crimped together.

  In one embodiment, the resulting flange is brazed to the housing. This fixing method is robust and inexpensive.

  In one embodiment of this case, the housing has at least one positioning projection adapted to be received in the opening of the flange for holding the flange in the housing, which are mutually connected. It is brazed.

  In this case, it is preferable to provide an opening on the bottom surface of the groove for housing the housing.

  The positioning protrusion according to one embodiment is adapted to be crimped to the fixed wall in order to hold the positioning protrusion in the opening.

  The positioning projection according to one embodiment is deformable to hold the positioning projection in the opening.

  The collection tank and housing according to one embodiment are crimped.

  The collection plate according to one embodiment is brazed to the housing.

  The collecting plate according to one embodiment has a skirt, and the collecting plate is brazed to the housing using a surface along the skirt. This increases the contact surface and ensures that these elements are brazed.

  The overall cross-sectional shape of the pipe is preferably rectangular, and the ratio of the length to the width is preferably more than 5.

  The invention is particularly well applicable to air-water heat exchangers, such as water coolers for recirculation exhaust, or charge air coolers, for example for automotive combustion engines.

  The present invention may be better understood by reading the following description of preferred embodiments of the heat exchanger of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a heat exchanger of the present invention with a fluid collection tank secured to a flange. FIG. FIG. 2 is a detailed view (viewed from above) of FIG. 1. It is a cross-sectional perspective view in the edge part of the height direction of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1, ie, a length direction. It is a cross-sectional perspective view of the edge part of the length direction of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1, and the width direction except a collection tank. It is a perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows a part of heat exchanger of FIG. 1 except a collection tank. It is the perspective view which looked at the heat exchanger of Drawing 1 from the lower part except a collection tank. It is an expanded sectional view of the corner part of the heat exchanger of FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at a part of corner | angular part of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 from back. It is the cross-sectional perspective view which looked at a part of corner of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 from back. It is the perspective view which looked at the corner | angular part of the collection tank of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 from upper direction. It is the perspective view which looked at the corner | angular part of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1 from the inner side. It is a cross-sectional perspective view in the surface of the length direction and the width direction of 2nd Embodiment of the heat exchanger of this invention. It is a perspective view of 3rd Embodiment of the heat exchanger of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the surface (L, h) of 4th Embodiment of the heat exchanger of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing in the surface (L, h) of 5th Embodiment of the heat exchanger of this invention.

  Drawing, more specifically, the heat exchanger 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 includes heat exchange components 2, 2 ′, 3 and these heat exchange components 2, 2 ′, 3. It has a housing 4 for receiving or accommodating, an intake air collection tank 11 and an exhaust gas collection tank 11 ′. The housing 4 has holes 6 and 7 for connecting the water flow pipes 8 and 9. In this particular example, the pipes 8, 9 are a water injection pipe 9 and a drain pipe 8 connected to a water circuit to which the heat exchanger 1 is attached. In this embodiment, the various components of the heat exchanger 1 are brazed together except for the tanks 11, 11 'that are crimped. Thus, the general characteristics of heat exchangers where components are brazed or crimped are known to those skilled in the art.

  The heat exchanger 1 is a so-called “air-water” heat exchanger. That is, it is a heat exchanger in which the fluid that exchanges heat is air and water. For example, a water cooler for the so-called “recirculation” exhaust gas of a combustion engine for motor vehicles or a charge air cooler for such a combustion engine. The water is preferably so-called “cold” water from the cooling circuit of the combustion engine. Usually, water is glycolated.

  The overall shape of the heat exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a parallel pipe type. In order to follow the conventional method and simplify the description, the direction L is a length direction which is the maximum dimension of the heat exchanger 1 and is a direction in which the fluid flows. The direction L is the direction of the width of the heat exchanger 1, and the direction h is the direction of its height (or thickness). From now on, these directions are used in the same way as their values. In other words, L, l, or h indicates the length, width, and height of the heat exchanger 1, respectively, and also indicates the length direction, width direction, and height direction of the heat exchanger 1. , Equivalently. Further, in the drawings, a Cartesian coordinate system (L, l, h) is formed by combining these orthogonal directions. Also, the external (or outside) and internal (or inside) in the description refers to the relative position of the component compared to the outside or inside of the heat exchanger 1.

  The heat exchange component shown in FIG. 3 has a flat tube 2 for flowing air. The large dimension of these tubes 2 (which is the direction of the overall air flow in the tubes) is parallel to the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1 and is orthogonal to the direction of this length L. The cross-sectional shape is a rectangle. The rectangle which is the shape of the cross section of each tube 2 has a dimension parallel to the width l of the heat exchanger 1 and a dimension parallel to the height h of the heat exchanger 1. Each tube 2 has a length approximately equal to the length L of the heat exchanger 1 and a width approximately equal to the width l of the heat exchanger 1. Its dimension parallel to the height h of the heat exchanger 1 (which is its thickness) is lower than the height of the heat exchanger 1, in this particular example it is considerably lower and the tube 2 has its flat shape. ing. As an example, the thickness of the tube 2 is approximately 7 to 8 mm, and the width l of the tube 2 is approximately 100 mm. Further, the space between the tubes (that is, the water flow duct 3) may be, for example, a dimension smaller than 3 mm (parallel to the height h of the heat exchanger 1), for example, approximately 2 mm. Thus, the heat exchanger 1 is compact. The tubes 2 are assembled in parallel to each other, and all the tubes 2 are stacked in the direction of the height h of the heat exchanger 1. This is also called the tube core. The overall dimension of the core parallel to the height h of the heat exchanger 1 is approximately equal to the height h of the heat exchanger 1. The tubes 2 are each assembled parallel to each other and allow the circulation of air in the tubes in the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger as a whole.

  Fins 2 ′ for stirring the air flow are attached in the tube 2, and heat exchange between air and water can be promoted through the wall of the tube 2. This fin 2 'is known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in detail. In this example, the fins 2 ′ are gently undulating, and their cross section is coiled between the walls of each tube 2 when viewed from the end of the length L axis of the heat exchanger 1. It has become.

  A water flow stirrer (not shown) is attached to the water flow duct 3 disposed between the tubes 2. This water flow is preferably against the air flow. That is, the direction opposite to the direction of air flow is preferable. The stirrer is plate-shaped and spans almost the entire lateral area of the tube 2 (the lateral area is the area of the tube 2 defined by the length L of the heat exchanger 1 and the dimension parallel to the width l). And all the spaces between successive tubes 2 to which their stirrers are brazed. The stirrer is also provided between the end tube 2 and the wall of the housing 4. The shape of the stirrer is adapted to disturb the water flow through the stirrer in a known manner to facilitate heat exchange.

  As mentioned above, the heat exchanger 1 has air collection tanks 11, 11 'at each of its ends (in the direction of its length L). On the right side (of FIG. 1) is the intake collection tank 11 and on the left side is the exhaust collection tank 11 '. The end of the air circulation tube 2 is connected to the air collection tanks 11 and 11 '. Accordingly, the internal volume of the tube 2 is fluidly connected to the internal volume of the collection tanks 11, 11 '. In other words, the tube 2 is open to the collection tanks 11, 11 '. The collection tanks 11 and 11 'are connected to a pipe of an air circuit to which the heat exchanger 1 is attached. Air is introduced into the tube 2 by the intake collection tank 11 and collected away from the tube 2 by the exhaust collection tank 11 '.

  The structure of the heat exchanger will be described in more detail in connection with the intake air collection tank 11. The following description applies equally to the heat exchanger with respect to the exhaust collection tank 11 '. The intake collection tank 11 and the exhaust collection tank 11 'are similar in this particular example and are mounted symmetrically. Of course, in other embodiments, the collection tanks may be different.

  The heat exchanger 1 has a collecting plate 10 at its end. The function of the collecting plate 10 is to hold the tube 2 in an appropriate position, guide the air flow between the internal volume of the intake air collection tank 11 and the tube 2, and water is directed toward the inside of the intake air collection tank 11. It is to prevent the flow of air and the flow of water and water from joining together. In other words, the collecting plate 10 reliably seals between air and water. Those skilled in the art often refer to the collector plate 10 as a collector 10 because it is often referred to as a collector.

  In this specific example, the collector 10 is fixed to the housing 4 at its peripheral end face by brazing. More precisely, in this particular example, the collector 10 has a peripheral skirt 10a, and the collector 10 is brazed to the housing 4 along the side of the peripheral skirt 10a. This simplifies the positioning between the two elements before brazing them and also increases the contact area (and hence the brazing area) compared to brazing the collector 10 along the edge. It becomes possible to hold well between the two elements.

  The peripheral skirt 10a is formed by bending the end of the collector 10 and, in this particular example, by bending the entire circumference along the end of the collector 10. Accordingly, the peripheral skirt 10a extends at right angles to the entire surface of the plate forming the collector 10, and is thus parallel to the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1. The peripheral skirt 10a can be bent in the direction (shown in FIG. 4) or in the opposite direction (shown in FIG. 12). In other words, the heat exchanger 1 can be bent outward or inward, respectively. The side to bend will be determined by the available space and the spacing between the collector 10 and the flange 5 described below.

  The collector 10 shown in FIG. 5 is plate-shaped, and is attached at right angles to the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1 in order to receive the end of the tube 2. The collector 10 has a plurality of holes 12. Each hole 12 is associated with the tube 2. The shape of each hole 12 corresponds to the cross-section of the tube 2 and is bordered by a wall, edge 13 or collar 13 that houses the end of the tube 2 to hold these tubes 2 in place. Further, the collar 13 functions to harden the collector 10. The collar 13 extends generally at right angles to the entire surface of the plate forming the collector 10 and thus extends parallel to the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1 and protrudes from these collars 13. 13 ′ faces the inner direction of the heat exchanger 1. In this way, the collar 13 extends from the collector 10 around the tube 2 and is securely fitted around the end of the tube 2. The ends of the tube 2 are smoothly slipped into these collars 13 forming a sliding surface for tight fitting around the tube 2. Each collar 13 forms a contact surface with the end face of the tube 2 associated with it, so that it can be brazed together. The tube 2 is thus brazed to the collar 13 that borders the hole 12 of the collector 10 and is fixed in place. Thus, the ends of the tubes 2 are separated from each other by the collar 13, and the space separating the successive tubes 2 defines a water flow duct 3. Since the collar 13 is brazed to the end of the tube 2 and closes all the space between the tube 2 and the tube 2 at right angles (to the length L direction of the heat exchanger 1), these The collar 13 prevents water from flowing into the volume of the intake air collection tank 11. Furthermore, these collars 13 prevent water from flowing into the tube 2. This type of collector 10 is known to those skilled in the art and need not be described in further detail.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 4 has two walls 15 and 16 that are L-shaped. In other words, each wall 15, 16 has an L-shaped cross section (as viewed from the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1). Each wall 15, 16 is formed in an L shape by bending around a side to form two vanes (15 a, 15 b) (16 a, 16 b) perpendicular to each other. The reason why the walls 15 and 16 are L-shaped is that the manufacture of the heat exchanger is simple and easy to store (they can be stored simply by overlapping the walls together).

  More precisely, each wall 15, 16 in this example has a large vane 15a, 16a and a small vane 15b, 16b. The large vanes 15a and 16a are rectangular plates having dimensions approximately equal to the length L and the width l of the heat exchanger 1, whereas the small vanes 15b and 16b are the length of the heat exchanger 1. It is a rectangular plate shape having a dimension substantially equal to L and its height h. The concept of large and small vanes is introduced here so that each of the vanes (15a, 15b), (16a, 16b) of each wall 15, 16 can be specified differently.

  The water injection pipe 9 and the drain pipe 8 to the heat exchanger 1 are connected to the same side of the heat exchanger 1. In this particular example, the second wall 16 is connected to a small vane 16b.

  The walls 15 and 16 of the housing 4 are fixed to each other so as to surround the heat exchange components 2, 2 ′ and 3. In this particular example, they are brazed. For this reason, each wall 15, 16 has raised end faces 15c, 16c at the free ends of its small vanes 15b, 16b. These end faces 15c and 16c are end faces fixed to the vanes 16a and 15a having the larger walls 16 and 15. These raised end faces 15c, 16c are made by bending small vanes 15b, 16b and extend perpendicularly to the small vanes 15b, 16b from the sides of the bends. The crimping protrusions R are provided to ensure a connection between the raised end faces 15c, 16c and the corresponding large vanes 16a, 15a. By brazing, the contact surfaces can be fixed together and held together.

  Once the walls 15, 16 are fixed, the vanes (15a, 15b), (16a, 16b) of the walls 15, 16 that are formed in an L shape form the four sides of the heat exchanger 1 ( It is called a side surface with respect to the direction of the length L).

  Recall that in this embodiment, the collector 10 is secured to the housing 4 using brazing. More precisely, the outer surface of the peripheral skirt 10a is brazed to the inner surface of the vanes (15a, 15b), (16a, 16b) of the walls 15, 16.

  Next, one particular feature of the walls 15, 16 will be described with reference to FIG. The collector 10 is rounded near the contact area between the raised end faces 15c, 16c of the small vanes 15b, 16b of each wall 15, 16 and the large vanes 16a, 15a of the other walls 16, 15 There is an area where there is a gap with the corner (the two gaps on the diagonal of the heat exchanger 1 are indicated by the same symbol J). Since this gap J exists, there is a risk of water leaking therefrom. For this purpose, each wall 15, 16 has a sealing portion P near each free corner of its large vane 15a, 16a. Each sealing part P protrudes in the direction of the tube 2 from the inner surface of the large vanes 15a, 16a of the walls 15, 16. The protruding portion P has a shape of a lip or a fin. Such a protrusion P can be chased into the walls 15, 16 following its manufacture or can be formed directly during the manufacture of the walls 15, 16. When the contact surface is brazed, the sealing portion P is securely sealed.

  Each of the walls 15 and 16 has two enlarged portions E in the direction of the height h of the heat exchanger 1, and these enlarged portions are provided near the respective ends of the large vanes 15a and 16a. Please note that In this example, these enlarged portions E are formed by subjecting the walls 15 and 16 to chasing. The enlarged portion E is provided in the height h direction of the heat exchanger 1 because the size of the collector 10 is larger than the size of the small vanes 15b, 16b of the L-shaped walls 15, 16. Therefore, these are the enlarged part E (or press part E) for accommodating the collector 10. Such a press E has additional advantages. That is, the length L of the heat exchanger 1 is finished within the range in which the press portion E accommodates the collector 10 in the direction of the height h of the heat exchanger 1. In this way, the press E forms the axial holding means (in this direction L) for the collector 10 and thus all the heat exchange components 2, 2 ′, while the components of the heat exchanger 1 are all It is brazed.

  Furthermore, the heat exchanger 1 has a flange 5 for fixing the collection tank 11 to the housing 4. This flange 5 is arranged next to the housing 4. The flange 5 is fixed to the end of the housing 4 along the periphery of the housing (in this particular example, using brazing). This is thus a generally rectangular peripheral flange 5, which in this particular example is formed of a single element. The flange 5 is fixed to the housing 4 independently of the collector 10, and is not fixed to the collector 10. In other words, the heat exchanger 1 does not have any means for fixing the flange 5 to the collector 10.

  The flange 5 has an internal vertical wall 17 that extends along its entire periphery (in the direction of length L). The internal vertical wall 17 extends from the inside of the walls 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b of the housing 4 and is brazed to them.

  The internal vertical wall 17 is bent outward and in the direction of the heat exchanger 1, thus forming the internal horizontal wall 18 and the intermediate vertical wall 19, and the walls 15 a, 15 b, 16 a, 16 b of the housing 4 are formed from the internal vertical wall 17. A peripheral groove G1 for housing is formed, and thus the function of fixing the housing 4 is achieved. The inner lateral wall 18 is a stop portion for the end portions of the walls 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b of the housing 4.

  The intermediate vertical wall 19 is bent outwardly and in the opposite direction of the bend forming the peripheral groove G1, thus forming the outer horizontal wall 20 and the outer vertical wall 21, from the intermediate vertical wall 19 to the side edge of the end of the collection tank 11 The peripheral groove G2 for accommodating 11a is made, and thus the function of fixing the collection tank 11 is achieved. The side end portion 11a of the collection tank 11 is an end of the collection tank 11 that is fixed to the flange 5 by using the side end portion 11a, and is referred to as a fixed end portion 11a.

  Thus, the flange has two peripheral grooves G 1, G 2 formed by the walls 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 of the flange 5. These grooves G 1 and G 2 have a common wall 19. Each groove G1, G2 is provided for holding the housing 4 and the collection tank 11, respectively, in this particular example, for holding elements. More precisely, the housing 4 and the collection tank 11 respectively have their terminal vertical walls (in the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1) passing through the lateral holes of the peripheral grooves G1, G2, respectively. The peripheral grooves G1 and G2 are inserted in the vertical direction. The peripheral grooves G1 and G2 face in opposite directions. That is, these openings are directed in two opposite directions in the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1. Due to the structure of the peripheral grooves G1, G2 having a common wall 19, the peripheral grooves G1, G2 significantly reduce the size of the heat exchanger 1 and the holding means will be brazed (to the housing 4) (collection tank). The element 4, 11 can be held firmly, whether it is crimping to 11). More specifically, the collection tank 11 and the housing 4 are in fact compactly secured to one another without being directly secured to one another, thereby ensuring a robust assembly and enabling particularly good pressure transmission. To do.

  The flange 5 has a protrusion 22 for crimping the collection tank 11 to the flange 5 on an extension of the external vertical wall 21. These protrusions 22 are adapted to be hooked (bended up) by the fixed end portion 11a. The crimping protrusion 22 is shown in a bent state (ie, in a crimping position) in all figures. Therefore, the collection tank 11 is pressure-bonded to the flange 5.

  In particular in the specific example of the heat exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 4, the collector 10 is fixed to the housing 4 away from the flange 5, more precisely from the free end 17 a of its internal vertical wall 17 by a space d. It has become so.

  The tube 2 is securely held by the collector 10, and the collection tank 11 is securely held (by crimping) by the flange 5 which is itself brazed to the housing 4. Both the collector 10 and the flange 5 are brazed to the housing 4, but in this example are brazed independently of each other, and in this particular example they do not even contact each other. In this way, the pressure received by the flange 5 due to the function of holding the collection tank 11 is not directly transmitted to the casing 11 and the collector 11 connected to the tube 2.

  As long as the pressure applied to the flange 5 is not transmitted to the collector 11, the collector 11 can be formed so that it can receive tubes 2 having a streamlined cross section and separated from each other by a narrow distance. In particular, the collector 11 can be formed by applying a conventional chasing process to a very thin plate. In this chasing process, the collars 13 of the collector 11 are pressed and then punched into their bottom surfaces in a known manner to form holes. As an example, since the plate on which the collector 10 can be formed has a thickness of about 1 mm, the collector 10 can be formed with holes 12 of about 100 mm × 7 or 8 mm with a 2-3 mm spacing between the tubes. . The space occupied by the collar 13 (dimension parallel to the length L direction of the heat exchanger 1) can be approximately 4 mm. Thus, except for the thickness of the strap 14 (1 mm), the collar 13 has a surface of about 3 mm which serves to fit the end of the tube 2 and to braze it.

  Furthermore, since the collector 10 is brazed directly to the housing 4, the corner radius is relatively large, and the manufacture of the collector 10 is simplified. This is important because the correct thickness of the collector 10 is not always easy due to the thickness of the collector 10.

  One additional advantage is that the present invention can be used by simply adding a flange 5 to a thin, less rugged prior art collector for industrial applications.

  A hole 23 for receiving the positioning protrusion 24 protruding in the vertical direction from the vanes 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b of the housing 4 is provided in the inner lateral wall 18 of the flange 5 (that is, the bottom surface of the groove G1). Each positioning protrusion 24 extends to an enlarged portion of the vanes 15a, 15b, 16a, and 16b that support the positioning protrusions 24. One vane 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b may have one or more positioning protrusions 24. All the vanes 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b or only a part of them may have one or more positioning protrusions 24. In this particular example, the heat exchanger 1 has one positioning projection 24 located at the center of each end of the small vanes 15b, 16b of the housing 4 and each end of the large vanes 15a, 16a of the housing 4. And two positioning projections 24.

  The positioning protrusion 24 can be bent or deformed so as to hold the flange 5 by crimping at an appropriate position with respect to the housing 4. Due to the deforming action of the positioning protrusion 24, the positioning protrusion 24 is also surely brazed to the inner surface of the hole 23 to be inserted, and there is no gap due to the attachment with the inner surface of the hole 23, from there. Air can be avoided from escaping. In other words, the hole 23 is securely sealed. Therefore, for example, the inner lateral wall 18 abuts on the end faces of the vanes 15 a, 15 b, 16 a, and 16 b of the housing 4, and the positioning projection 24 can bend with respect to the inner lateral wall 18 by pushing the inner lateral wall 18. . These positioning protrusions 24 may be simply deformed rather than crimped as long as they can prevent any movement with respect to the flange 5 by simple deformation.

  The positioning projections 24 serve to position and hold the flange 5 with respect to the housing 4 during the manufacture of the heat exchanger 1, in particular before and during brazing of its various component components. Is to be able to do that.

  The manufacture of the heat exchanger 1 is thus facilitated. The tubes 2 are stacked and placed around the holes of the collector 10 and around the collector 10, and are held in an appropriate position with respect to the other walls by the crimping protrusions R, the L-shaped walls 15, 16 of the housing 4. And inserted. It should also be noted here that other holding means such as clinching means can also be provided. The flange 5 is arranged at the end of the housing 4 and the positioning projection 24 is inserted into a hole 23 provided for this purpose and is deformed, bent or crimped in order to ensure the holding of the assembly. In this case, everything can be brazed and for this purpose put into the furnace in a known manner. The surfaces to be brazed to the housing 4 (and especially the outer surface of the skirt 10a of the collector 10 and the surface of the groove G1) have consistent dimensions, a large contact area, and good quality brazing. Enable. Then, in this particular example, the intake collection tank 11 and the exhaust collection tank 11 ′ can be crimped to the heat exchanger 1 while being sealed to the bottom surface of the groove G2 that receives the fixed end 11a of the collection tank 11. A ring 27 is arranged. This is the O-ring 27 schematically shown in FIGS.

  One particular feature of the heat exchanger 1 is shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6, and 8-11. The feature is that the receiving portion 25 is provided at the inner groove G1 at the corner of the flange 5.

  In order to facilitate the manufacture of the flange 5 and to improve the brazing quality of the flange 5 to the housing 4 by ensuring a sufficient brazing area including the corner area, the receiving portion 25 is provided. Is provided. In fact, the flange 5 in this particular example is formed by chasing and, as is well known, it is difficult to bend the material at the corners. Thus, due to the receptacle 25, the quality of the material at the corners becomes insignificant, so that an interior with sufficient length, including the corners, to allow a good quality brazing to the housing 4 is achieved. They can be chased in such a way as to form vertical walls.

  Needless to say, the shape of the casing, more specifically, the shape of the corner of the end of the casing 4 conforms to the shape of the flange 5 as shown in FIG. 5, for example (the end of the casing 4 is It comes into contact with the internal groove G1 of the flange 5).

  The collection tank 11 has a raised portion 26 corresponding to the receiving portion 25 of the flange 5 at each corner. The raised portion 26 is accommodated in the receiving portion 25 and serves to securely hold the seal ring 27 in an appropriate position. On the contrary, without this raised portion 26, the seal ring 27 would not have been provided in the corner due to the receiving portion 25 of the flange 5.

  FIGS. 12, 13, 14, and 15 show the second, third, fourth, and fifth embodiments of the flange 5 of the heat exchanger 1. These will be described briefly. Although the symbols used in the previous embodiment are used, certain symbols are marked specially to highlight the most significant differences.

  The shape of the skirt 10a of the collector 10 in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 12 is slightly different. It can be seen that the skirt 10 a is bent to the opposite side, which is the direction of the opposite end of the heat exchanger 1, unlike the skirt 10 a being bent toward the collection tank 11 in the example of the first embodiment. In any case, the collector 10 has a peripheral skirt outer surface that is brazed to the inner surface of the wall of the housing 4, and in this particular example, from the free end 17 a of the inner vertical wall 17 of the flange 5. An outer surface of the peripheral skirt is provided at a position separated by the space d.

  In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 13, two points are different. First of all, the flange 5 does not include a receiving part at the corner. Furthermore, the walls 15 and 16 of the housing 4 have end faces 28 that are bent at 90 ° with respect to the surfaces of the walls 15 and 16 at their ends. The function of this bent end face 28 is to serve as a stop for the flange 5 in order to properly and reliably position the flange 5 with respect to brazing when the flange 5 is attached to the housing 4.

  The tube 2 and the collector 10 in the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 14 may be the same as those described above. The peripheral flange 5 has only a single groove G formed by an internal vertical wall 17 ', a horizontal wall 18' and an external vertical wall 19 ', in which the fixed end 11a of the collection tank 11 is sealed. It is accommodated using a ring 27. The fixed end portion 11a is pressure-bonded to the groove G by a protrusion 22 bent thereon. The flange 5 is brazed to the wall of the housing 4 by the outer surface of the external vertical wall 19 ′. In this way, the fixed end 11a of the collection tank 11 is held inside the housing 4 and is not outside as in the previous embodiment. Therefore, one will choose between these two embodiments depending on the space constraints available for positioning the heat exchanger 1.

  The tube 2 and the collector 10 in the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 15 may be the same as those described above. The peripheral flange 5 has only a single groove G ′ formed by an internal vertical wall 17 ″, a horizontal wall 18 ″ and an external vertical wall 19 ″, in this groove G ′, the fixed end 11a of the collection tank 11 Is accommodated using a seal ring 27. The flange 5 is brazed to the wall of the housing 4 by the outer surface of its external vertical wall 19 ". Further, the fixed end portion 11a of the collection tank 11 is crimped not by the flange 5, but by the casing 4, that is, at the end of the casing 4, and by a projection 22 'bent thereon. In this way, the fixed end 11 a of the collection tank 11 is held inside the casing 4 and is crimped by the casing 4. The flange 5 that fixes the tank 11 to the housing can take pressure and protect the collector 10 in particular without transmitting pressure while the housing 4 is crimped to the fixed end 11a of the collection tank 11. Enable. This is because the collector 10 is fixed independently of the flange 5, and in this particular example, without being in contact with the flange 5, it is spaced from the flange 5.

  The operation of the heat exchanger 1 (regardless of the embodiment) is as follows (since it is known to those skilled in the art, it will be briefly described). Air is supplied to the intake tank 11, flows through the tube 2 (this flow is agitated by the fins 2 ′) and exits the heat exchanger 1 again through the exhaust tank 11 ′. Furthermore, water is supplied to the heat exchanger through the water injection pipe 9 and circulates in the water duct 3 (this circulation is agitated by the stirrer) and again leaves the heat exchanger 1 through the drain pipe 8. go. The flow of air and water is in the direction of the length L of the heat exchanger 1 and in the opposite direction. This is called a “backflow” heat exchanger and the efficiency of such a heat exchanger 1 is very good.

  The heat exchanger 1 has been described in relation to air circulating in the tube 2 and water circulating between the tubes by a stirrer. Needless to say, this can be reversed. That is, water may circulate in the tubes and air may circulate between the tubes. Furthermore, both may be air, both may be water, or other fluids.

  Although the present invention has been described in terms of a preferred embodiment, it will be appreciated that other embodiments may be considered. In particular, the features of the different embodiments described so far can be combined if they are not compatible.

1 Heat Exchanger 2 Tube 2 'Fin 3 Duct 4 Housing 5 Flange 6, 7 Hole 8 Drain Pipe 9 Water Injection Pipe 10 Collector (Collecting Plate)
10a peripheral skirt 11 intake collection tank 11 'exhaust collection tank 11a side end 12 hole 13 collar 15, 16 walls 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b vanes 15c, 16c raised end faces 17, 17', 17 "internal vertical wall 17a Free end 18 Internal horizontal wall 18 ', 18 "Horizontal wall 19 Intermediate vertical wall 19', 19", 21 External vertical wall 20 External horizontal wall 22, 22 'Projection 23 Hole 24 Positioning projection 25 Receiving part 26 Raised part 27 Seal ring, O-ring 28 Curved end face d Space E Enlarged portion G, G1, G2, G ″ Groove h (Height) direction L (Length) direction l (Width) direction R Crimping protrusion

Claims (9)

An exchange and fluid flow component (2, 2 ', 3), at least one collection tank (11, 11') to which the exchange component (2, 2 ', 3) is connected, and the exchange component (2 A heat exchanger comprising at least one collector (10) for holding 2 ', 3) and a housing (4) for housing said exchange component (2, 2', 3), said collection A flange (5) for fixing the tank (11, 11 ′) to the housing (4) is provided , and the collection tank (11, 11 ′) and the flange (5) are pressure-bonded to each other. Heat exchanger.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the flange (5) and the collector (10) are fixed to the housing (4) independently of each other.   The heat exchanger according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the flange (5) and / or the collector (10) are fixed directly to the housing (4).   The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the flange (5) and the collector (10) are not in contact with each other.   The replacement component (2, 2 ′, 3) includes a tube (2), and a first fluid (eg, gas) in the tube (2) is fluidly connected to the collection tank (11, 11 ′). A second fluid (e.g., liquid) flows around the tube (2), and the collector (10) performs a sealing function between the first fluid and the second fluid; The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flange (5) performs a sealing function between the first fluid and the outside of the heat exchanger. The flange (5) is brazed to the housing (4), and the housing (4) is provided on the flange (5) to hold the flange (5) on the housing (4). which has at least one positioning projection is adapted to be received in the hole (23) (24), both elements in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is brazed The described heat exchanger. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the collection tank (11, 11 ') and the housing (4) are pressure-bonded. The heat exchanger according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the collector (10) is brazed to the casing (4). The collector (10) has a skirt (10a), in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that it is brazed to the housing in a plane along the said skirt (4) The described heat exchanger.

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