Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02873831 2014-12-09
Title
HEAT EXCHANGER WITH EXTRUDED TANKS
Scope of the Invention
100011 This invention relates to heat exchanges and, more particularly, to
a heat
exchanger with extruded tanks configured to facilitate securement of the tanks
together by
rails to the side of the tanks; more preferably, to a preferred configuration
for an extruded
tank for a heat exchanger.
Background of the Invention
100021 Heat exchangers are well known and useful as vehicle and equipment
radiators. A
disadvantage of previously known heat exchangers is the difficulty of
configuring tanks at
opposed ends of a heat exchanger towards avoiding leakage in use. Another
disadvantage of
known heat exchangers is to maximize the available area which can be used for
media flow
therethrough as, for example, to maximize the area available for air flow
therethrough in, for
example, an air cooled heat exchanger or radiator.
Summary of the Invention
100031 To at least partially overcome these disadvantages of previously
known devices,
the present invention provides a heat exchanger of extruded tanks in which the
tanks have a
configuration which facilitates manufacture and the securement of support
rails to the tanks
securing the tanks together.
100041 In one aspect, the present invention provides a heat exchanger
comprising:
100051 a first tank and a second tank,
100061 each tank comprising an extruded member formed by extrusion along a
longitudinal having exterior surfaces comprising a front face, back face,
right side face and
left side face, a top end and bottom end,
100071 a passageway extending longitudinally through the extruded member
open at each
of the top end and the bottom end,
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100081 end plates provided with one end plate closing each passageway at
each
respective of the top end and bottom end,
100091 each passageway defined within interior surfaces comprising a front
surface
portion and a rear surface portion,
100101 the front surface portion being planar and having a right lateral
edge and a left
lateral edge,
100111 the rear surface extending from the right lateral edge of the front
surface portion
to the left lateral edge of the front surface portion defining the passageway
there between,
100121 a header plate defined on each tank between the respective front
face and the front
surface portion of each passageway,
100131 each header plate having an array of apertures therethrough into the
respective
passageway,
100141 a plurality of tubes extending from the first tank to the second
tank,
[0015] each tube having a first end and a second end,
100161 the first end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective
aperture of the first
tank and the second end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective
aperture of the
second tank.
100171 Preferably, each second surface is a concave surface opposed to the
respective the
front surface.
100181 Preferably, the right lateral edge of the front surface portion is
proximate a
juncture of the front face and the right side face,
[0019] the left lateral edge of the front surface portion is proximate a
juncture of the front
face and the left side face,
100201 proximate a junction of the right side face and the rear face, the
second surface is
spaced inwardly from both the right side face and the rear face defining a
longitudinally
extending right corner portion,
100211 proximate a junction of the left side face and the rear face, the
second surface is
spaced inwardly from both the left side face and the rear face defining a
longitudinally
extending left corner portion,
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100221 a plurality of respective blind bores for each tank extending from
one of the
exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank or the left corner
portion of each tank,
100231 an upper frame member having a first end and a second end,
100241 a lower frame member having a first end and a second end,
100251 each frame member extending between the tanks to securely couple the
tanks
together with the tubes extending between the tanks,
100261 the first end of each frame member secured to the first tank by
bolts engaged in
the blind bores in the first tank and the second end of each frame member
secured to the
second tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the second tank.
Brief Description of the Drawings
100271 Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become
apparent
from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings
in which:
100281 Figure 1 is a schematic exploded pictorial view of a heat exchanger
in accordance
with the present invention;
100291 Figure 2 is a top perspective view of an extruded tube which is an
element of a
first tank of the heat exchanger of Figure 1;
100301 Figure 3 is a front view of Figure 2;
100311 Figure 4 is a top cross-sectional view along section line 4-4' in
Figure 3;
100321 Figure 5 is a right side view of Figure 2, the opposite left side
being a mirror image;
100331 Figure 6 is a rear view of Figure 2;
100341 Figure 7 is a bottom perspective view of an extended tube, an inlet
nipple and an
outlet nipple which are elements of a second tank of the heat exchanger shown
in Figure 1;
100351 Figure 8 is a front view of Figure 7;
100361 Figure 9 is a rear view of Figure 7;
100371 Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view along section line 10-10' in
Figure 9;
100381 Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view along section line 11-11' in
Figure 9;
100391 Figure 12 is a right side view of Figure 7;
100401 Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view along section line 13-13' in
Figure 12;
100411 Figure 14 is a bottom view of Figure 7;
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100421 Figure 15 is a schematic horizontal cross-sectional view through an
assembled
heat exchanger as shown in Figure 11 schematically illustrating flow;
100431 Figure 16 is an axial cross-sectional view through a first prior art
grommet;
100441 Figure 17 is an enlarged exploded portion of a horizontal cross-
sectional view
through an end portion of the heat exchanger shown in Figure 1 but assembled
and
illustrating a manner of sealable connection of two tubes of the core to the
header plate of the
second tank utilizing prior art grommets of Figure 16;
100451 Figure 18 is an axial cross-sectional view through a second prior
art grommet;
100461 Figure 19 is an enlarged exploded portion of a horizontal cross-
sectional view
through an end portion of the heat exchanger shown in Figure 1 but assembled
and
illustrating a manner of sealable connection of two tubes of the core to the
header plate of the
second tank utilizing prior art grommets of Figure 18; and
100471 Figure 20 is a schematic partial cross-sectional top view of the
juncture of the
assembled heat exchanger of Figure 1 but assembled and showing a top rail to
the second
tank by the use of threaded bolts.
Detailed Description of the Drawings
100481 Reference is made to Figure 1 which illustrates a schematic
pictorial view of a
first embodiment of a heat exchanger 10 in accordance with the present
invention. The heat
exchanger includes a core 15 which is to be sealably engaged at a first end
202 with a first
tank 11 and sealably engaged at a second end 200 with a second tank 12. The
first tank 11
and the second tank 12 are secured together by a top rail member 13 and a
bottom rail
member 14. The core 15 is schematically illustrated as but a rectangular box
and will be
described in greater detail later, however, can be assumed to be identical to
a core as
disclosed in U.S. Patent 5,205,354 to Lesage, issued April 27, 1993, the
disclosure of which
is incorporated herein by reference.
100491 The second tank 12 comprises an elongate extruded tube 16 having an
elongate
passageway 17 longitudinally therethrough which is closed at each of its ends
by end caps 18
and 19. The tube 16 of the second tank 12 is best shown in Figures 2 to 6. The
tube 16 has
an external rectangular shape including a right side face 70, left side face
71, an interior or
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front face 73, an exterior or rear face 74, a top face 75 and a bottom face
76. The
passageway 17 through the tube 16 has interior surfaces of a constant cross-
sectional shape
as seen in Figure 4 of a general "D" shape having a planar interior front
surface 77 and a
semi-circular interior rear surface 79. The front surface 77 is disposed
parallel to and spaced
from the front face 73 and has a right lateral edge 140 proximate a juncture
of the right side
face 70 and the rear face 74 and a left lateral edge 141 proximate the
juncture of the left side
face 71 and the rear face 74. The rear surface portion 79 extends from the
right lateral edge
140 to the left lateral edge 141 as a concave surface opposed to the front
surface 77,
preferably as a chord of a circle normal the longitudinal and as a semi-circle
as shown. As
seen in end view in Figures 2 and 4 proximate the junction of the rear face 74
of the tube 16
and the right side 70, the rear surface 79 is spaced inwardly from both the
right side face 70
and the rear face 74 defining a right, generally triangular portion 81
extending along the
length of the tube 16. Similarly, adjacent the junction of the rear face 74
and the left side
face 71, the rear surface 79 is spaced inwardly from both the left side face
71 and the rear
face 74 defining a left, roughly triangular portion 82 extending along the
length of the tube
16.
100501 The tube 16 defines a planar header plate 20 formed between the
front face 73 and
the interior front surface 77 of the passageway 17. The header plate 20 has an
array of
apertures 22 which extend therethrough to provide communication through the
header plate
20 into the passageway 17. On each of the right side face 70 and the left side
face 71, a
plurality of blind bores 83 extend inwardly laterally into the respective
triangular sections 81
and 82 to receive bolts, such as the bolt 79 and its lock washer 80 shown on
Figures 1 and 20,
for coupling of the upper rail 13 and the lower rail 14 to the tube 16 of the
second tank 12.
Additionally, on the rear face 74, blind bores 84 extend inwardly forwardly
into the
respective triangular sections 81 and 82 to optionally receive bolts to couple
the tanks to
other components (not shown).
[0051] The first tank 11 comprises an elongate extruded tube 24 having an
elongate
passageway 25 longitudinally therethrough which are closed at each of its ends
by end caps
26 and 27. The tube 24 of the first tank 11 is best shown in Figures 7 to 14.
The tube 24 has
CA 02873831 2014-12-09
an external rectangular shape including a right side face 90, left side face
91, an interior or
front face 93, an exterior or rear face 94, a top face 95 and a bottom face
96. The
passageway 25 through the tube 24 has a constant cross-sectional shape as seen
in Figure 14
of a general "D" shape having a planar interior front surface 97 disposed
parallel to and
spaced from the front face 93 and a semi-circular interior back surface 99.
Proximate the
junction of the rear face 94 of the tube 24 and the right side face 90, a
right generally
triangular portion 101 extends along the length of the tube 24. Similarly,
adjacent the
junction of the rear face 94 and the left side face 91, a left roughly
triangular portion 102,
seen in end view in Figure 14, extends along the length of the tube 24. The
tube 24 includes
a planar header plate 110 defined between the front face 93 and the front
surface 97 of the
passageway 25. The header plate 30, 110 has an array of apertures 122 which
extend
therethrough to provide communication through the header plate 110. On each of
the right
side face 90 and the left side face 91, blind bores 103 extend inwardly into
the respective
triangular portions 101, 102 to receive bolts for coupling of the upper rail
13 and the lower
rail 14 to the tube 24 of the first tank 11. Additionally, on the rear surface
94, blind bores
104 extend forwardly into the respective triangular sections 101, 102 to
receive bolts.
100521 The tube 24 of the first tank 11 is effectively identical to the
tube 16 of the second
tank 12 with a notable exception of firstly that the tube 24 includes a
longitudinally
extending baffle 30 which extends rearwardly from the header plate 110 to
define two
longitudinally extending parallel portions of the passageway 25, namely, a
front passage 28
and a rear passage 29. At the top and the bottom of the extruded tube 24, the
baffle 30 is
partially cut away to provide at each end a space for the end caps 26 and 27
to be engaged to
the first tank 11 to close the front passage 28 and the rear passage 29 with
the end caps 26
and 27 to be flush with or preferably slightly recessed into the top face 95
and bottom face 96
to facilitate welding the respective top face 95 and bottom face 96 of the
tube 24.
[0053] Secured to the tube 24 of the first tank 11 are an inlet nipple 31
and an outlet
nipple 32.
100541 The inlet nipple 31 comprises a cylindrical tube 128 with an open
outer end 129
carrying a cylindrical boss 130 about which a cooling fluid delivery tube (not
shown) may be
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. ,
clamped in a known manner as to provide for communication of fluid to the heat
exchanger
from an engine (not shown) to be cooled. Similarly, the outlet nipple 32
comprises a
cylindrical tube 131 with an open outer end 132 and a raised boss 133
thereabout for
connection as by clamping of a cooling fluid return tube (not shown), to
return cooling fluid to
the engine to be cooled. Each of the inlet nipple 31 and outlet nipple 32 have
their cylindrical
walls suitably cut away such that each nipple may be brazed or welded to the
first tank 11 and
provide appropriate communication, with the front passage 28 in the case of
the inlet nipple
31 and the rear passage 29 in the case of the outlet nipple 32. As can be seen
in the cross-
sectional view of Figure 10, the tube 24 is cut away so as to provide
communication from the
front passage 28 into the inlet nipple 31 with a rear end 134 of the inlet
nipple 31 disposed at
the location of the baffle 30 and closed in part by an end cap 135. In an
analogous manner as
can be seen in the cross-section of Figure 11, the tube 24 is also cut away
such that the outlet
nipple 31 is in communication merely with the passage 29 rearward of the
baffle 30 with a
rear end 134 of the outlet nipple 32 suitably closed by an end cap 137.
100551 Reference is made to Figure 15 which illustrates a schematic
horizontal cross-
section through the assembled heat exchanger 10 in which the core 15 is
schematically
illustrated to comprise but two tubes, namely, a first front tube 140 and a
second rear tube
142. Counter current fluid flow is shown in Figure 15 wherein fluid from the
inlet nipple 31
(not shown in Figure 15) will enter the front passage 28, flow through the
front tube 140 to
the passageway 17 in the second tank 12, and flow via the second tube 142 from
the second
tank 12 to the first tank 11 into the rear passage 29 and, hence, out the
outlet nipple 32 (not
shown in Figure 15).
100561 While Figure 15 illustrates the core 15 as comprising but two
tubes 140 and 142,
in accordance with the present invention, the core 15 preferably comprises a
plurality of
tubes with each tube extending from sealed engagement in an aperture 22 in the
header plate
of the second tank 12 to sealed engagement in a corresponding aperture 122 in
the header
plate 110 of the first tank 11.
100571 A preferred manner of sealably engaging the tubes of the core
15 to the header
plates 20 and 110 is to utilize resilient sealing grommets similar to that
disclosed in U.S.
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. .
Patent 5,205,354 to Lesage, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein.
Figure 16 shows
a first prior art grommet 66 which is useful to properly seat and seal in each
header plate an
end of an appropriate cooling tube. The grommet 66 includes an internal
rounded lip 68
which is intended to be snap-fitted through an aperture 22 or 122 in one of
the header plates
20 or 110 such that the header plate 20 shown comes to be received within a
groove 67
between the internal rounded lip 68 inside the header plate 20 inside the tank
11 and an outer
linear lip 70 on the grommet 66 to be disposed and engage the outside of the
header plate 20
as seen in Figure 17.
100581 Figure 17 illustrates in a schematic partial cross-sectional
view of two grommets
66 in accordance with Figure 16 secured to the header plate 20 with a
respective tube 140
and 142 extending through each grommet 66 to sealably engage each respective
tube 140 and
141 in a respective aperture 22 and thus to the header plate 20. Figure 17
illustrates the
baffle 30 extending from the header plate 20 as occurs in the case of the
first tank 11.
Preferably, as shown for proper sealing of the grommets 66, the internal
rounded lip 68 of
each grommet 66 is spaced laterally from the baffle 30.
100591 Figure 18 shows a modified prior art grommet 166 compared to
that in Figure 16
in which the rounded lip 68 has been eliminated such that when the grommet 166
is pushed
into and through the header plate 20, the grommet 166 does not extend on the
inside of the
header plate 20 radially outwardly of the circumference of the aperture 22 as
seen in Figure
19. In Figure 19, the distance between an edge of each aperture 22 and the
baffle 30 may be
zero. In a preferred configuration of the present invention, the grommet 166
as illustrated in
Figure 18 can be used within the apertures 22 which are adjacent to the baffle
30 whereas the
grommet 66 as shown in Figure 16 can be used in other of the apertures 22.
100601 Reference is made to Figure 20 which schematically illustrates
the juncture of the
top rail 13 to the second tank 12 by the use of threaded bolts 79 preferably
with a lock
washer 80 disposed about the shank of each bolt 150. The top rail 13 includes
a top plate 143
from which side flanges 144 and 145 depend extending downwardly on either side
of the top
plate 143 along the length of the top plate 143. The side flanges 144 and 145
have openings
146 therethrough through which the bots 150 extend. Rather than provide the
top rail 13 as
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one element, the top plate 143 may be eliminated and one or both of the side
flanges 144 and
145 be provided as separate frame members to join the tanks 11 and 12. In
Figure 20, the
core 15 is not shown. The blind bores 83 in the tank 12 to receive the bolts
79 are drilled
into one of the triangular sections 81 and 82. Since the bolts 79 extend from
the side faces 70
and 71 of the extruded tube 16, the provision of the heads 150 of the bolts 79
and the lock
washers 80 to extend forwardly or rearwardly from the assembled heat exchanger
10 does not
restrict the overall height or width of the heat exchanger 10 as is
advantageous to ensure that
a maximum cross-sectional area for horizontal air flow through the core 15. In
contrast,
insofar as the bolts might be provided to extend longitudinally into the top
face 75 or bottom
face 76 of the extruded tube 16, then the heads of the bolts would extend
upwardly, would
increase the overall height of the heat exchanger 10, and would
disadvantageously where
heat exchangers 10 may be stacked upon each other, reduce the horizontal area
available for
air flow.
100611 In the preferred embodiment, the apertures such as the apertures 122
through the
header plate 20 have been shown to be cylindrical. This is not necessary and
the tubes can be
of other shapes such as oval about which preferred resilient oval grommets may
be provided
to sealably engage each tube to the header plate.
100621 Each of the tubes 16 and 24 are preferably extruded from aluminum or
alloys of
aluminum.
100631 While the invention has been described with reference to preferred
embodiments,
many modifications and variations will now occur to those skilled in the art.
For a definition
of the invention, reference is made to the appended claims.
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