Heat exchanger having enhanced performance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9366487-B2
Application number	US-201113637635-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2011
Priority date	Mar 31, 2010
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat exchanger including at least one elongate tube ( 3 ) adapted for the flow of a coolant, and at least one collection box ( 5 ) for such a coolant and into which one end of said tube leads, wherein the collection box includes a collector ( 9 ) having an element for receiving the end of said tube, the receiving element including a portion ( 19 ) projecting inwardly and shaped into an area for supporting said tube. According to the invention, the receiving element further includes a connection portion ( 21 ) for the inwardly projecting portion opposite the collector, and said connection portion protrudes on the side of the collector opposite the collection box such that said inwardly projecting portion ( 19 ) and said connection portion ( 21 ) have mutually opposite projecting directions.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger comprising:
elongate tubes arranged in an arranging direction parallel to each other, adapted to the circulation of a coolant fluid; and
at least one collecting box for the coolant fluid into which one end of each of said tubes leads,
wherein the collecting box comprises:
a manifold that receives the one end of each of said tubes,

wherein the manifold comprises:
inwardly protruding portions formed in a retention zone for the tube, each of the portions of the inwardly protruding portions protrude in an insertion direction of the tubes and is in contact with and retains one of the tubes, and
connecting portions that connect a first protruding portion of the protruding portions to a second protruding portion of the protruding portions of the manifold,

wherein each of the connecting portions protrude in a direction opposite to the insertion direction of the tubes, so that the protruding portion and the connecting portion protrude in opposite directions,
wherein each of the protruding portions comprises an orifice that is longer in a direction perpendicular to the arranging direction and the insertion direction than in the arranging direction,
wherein the protruding portions have a smaller thickness than the connection portions, and
wherein the inwardly protruding portions have a shorter length along the insertion direction of the tubes than a length of the connecting portions along the insertion direction of the tubes.

2. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the protruding portions and the connecting portions protrude in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the tube.

3. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the retention zone is arranged to match a shape of an outside of each of the tubes in a vicinity of an end of the tube leading into the collecting box.

4. The exchanger as claimed in claim 3 , further comprising:
bases that connect the connecting portions to other portions of the manifold, situated in an internal envelope plane of the manifold,
wherein the protruding portion is set back from said internal envelope plane, so that said retention zone does not protrude inwardly beyond said internal envelope plane.

5. The exchanger as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the end of the tube protrudes at most by 2 millimeters from said internal envelope plane of the manifold, on a side of the internal envelope plane oriented toward an inside of the collecting box.

6. The exchanger as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the end of the tube is placed on the internal envelope plane of the manifold.

7. The exchanger as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the end of the tube is situated at a distance less than 4 millimeters from the internal envelope plane of the manifold, on a side of the internal envelope plane oriented toward an outside of the collecting box.

8. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the manifold is made of a plate material with a thickness of between 0.8 and 1.8 millimeter.

9. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a cluster of tubes adapted to the circulation of the coolant fluid, wherein the cluster has a spacing pitch of the tubes of between 5 and 15 millimeters.

10. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collecting box comprises a cover.

11. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the collecting box comprises a cover brazed onto the manifold.

12. The exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said tubes are obtained by folding a sheet of material.

13. The exchanger as claimed in claim 12 , wherein said tubes are furnished with corrugations protruding inwardly.

14. A collecting plate for a heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 .

Assignees

• Riondet Christian
• Lesueur Jean-Marc
• Valeo Systemes Thermiques

Inventors

• Riondet Christian
• Lesueur Jean-Marc

Classifications

• F28F9/185

  with additional preformed parts · CPC title

• F28F9/0226

  with resilient gaskets · CPC title

• F28F9/02 Primary

  Header boxes; End plates · CPC title

• F28F9/00

  Casings; Header boxes; Auxiliary supports for elements; Auxiliary members within casings · CPC title

• F28F9/182 Primary

  the heat-exchange conduits having ends with a particular shape, e.g. deformed; the heat-exchange conduits or end plates having supplementary joining means, e.g. abutments · CPC title