Water-cooled charge air cooler with integrated multi-stage cooling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9920686-B2
Application number	US-201514867151-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 28, 2015
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

A charge air cooler includes a plurality of plate assemblies. Each of the plate assemblies includes a unitary first plate and a unitary second plate. The first plate and the second plate each have a channel forming surface. The channel forming surface of the first plate cooperating with the channel forming surface of the second plate to form a first flow channel for receiving a first coolant and a second flow channel for receiving a second coolant. A plurality of fins is interposed between the plate assemblies.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plate for a charge air cooler comprising:
a unitary plate including a channel forming surface;
a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly from the channel forming surface, the protrusions and the channel forming surface cooperating to form at least a portion of a first flow channel and at least a portion of a second flow channel separate from the at least portion of the first flow channel; and
at least one assembly feature formed on the channel forming surface, the at least one assembly feature configured to facilitate attachment of the unitary plate to a cooperating plate, wherein the at least one assembly feature provides rigidity to the unitary plate attached to the cooperating plate when assembled in a stack in the charge air cooler.

2. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are configured to form at least one of a dual cross-flow path configuration and a single cross-flow configuration.

3. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the unitary plate includes a first inlet aperture, a first outlet aperture, a second inlet aperture, and a second outlet aperture formed therein, the first inlet aperture and the first outlet aperture in fluid communication with the at least a portion of the first flow channel, and the second inlet aperture and the second outlet aperture in fluid communication with the at least a portion of the second flow channel.

4. The plate of claim 3 , wherein the first inlet aperture, the first outlet aperture, the second inlet aperture, and the second outlet aperture are linearly aligned with each other along a width of the unitary plate.

5. The plate of claim 4 , wherein the unitary plate and the protrusions form a dual cross-flow path configuration, and wherein the first inlet aperture, the first outlet aperture, the second inlet aperture, and the second outlet aperture are formed in the unitary plate at a substantially central portion with respect to a length of the unitary plate.

6. The plate of claim 5 , wherein the at least a portion of the first flow channel includes a first flow path and a second flow path each extending laterally outwardly from and intermediate the first inlet aperture and the first outlet aperture, and the at least a portion of the second flow channel includes a first flow path and a second flow path each extending laterally outwardly from and intermediate the second inlet aperture and the second outlet aperture.

7. The plate of claim 4 , wherein the unitary plate and the protrusions form a single cross-flow configuration, and wherein the first inlet aperture, the first outlet aperture, the second inlet aperture, and the second outlet aperture are formed in the unitary plate adjacent an edge of the unitary plate.

8. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the first flow channel includes one of two parallel passes and four parallel passes and the at least a portion of the second flow channel includes one of four parallel passes and six parallel passes.

9. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the at least a portion of the first flow channel and the at least a portion of the second flow channel are serpentine.

10. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the protrusions include flow dividers disposed in and configured to divide at least one of the at least a portion of the first flow channel and the at least a portion of the second flow channel.

11. The plate of claim 1 , wherein the unitary plate includes flow turbulators formed on portions of the channel forming surface forming the at least a portion of the first flow channel and the at least a portion of the second flow channel.

12. A charge air cooler comprising:
a plurality of stacked plate assemblies, each of the plate assemblies including a unitary first plate and a unitary second plate, the first plate and the second plate each having a channel forming surface and at least one assembly feature formed on the channel forming surface, the channel forming surface of the first plate cooperating with the channel forming surface of the second plate to form a first flow channel for receiving a first coolant and a second flow channel for receiving a second coolant, wherein the at least one assembly feature of each of the first plate and the second plate is configured to facilitate attachment of the first plate to the second plate, and wherein the at least one assembly feature of each of the first plate and the second plate provides rigidity to a respective one of the plate assemblies in the plurality of stacked plate assemblies;
a plurality of fins, each of the fins interposed between adjacent ones of the plate assemblies;
an inlet tank coupled to a first end of the plurality of stacked plate assemblies, wherein the first flow channel is formed in a portion of each of the plate assemblies adjacent the inlet tank; and
an outlet tank coupled to a second end of the plurality of stacked plate assemblies, wherein the second flow channel is formed in a portion of each of the plate assemblies adjacent the outlet tank.

13. The charge air cooler of claim 12 , wherein each of the first plate and the second plate have one of a dual cross-flow path configuration and a single cross-flow configuration.

14. The charge air cooler of claim 13 , wherein each of the first plate and the second plate includes a first inlet aperture, a first outlet aperture, a second inlet aperture, and a second outlet aperture formed therein, the first inlet aperture and the first outlet aperture in fluid communication with the first flow channel, and the second inlet aperture and the second outlet aperture in fluid communication with the second flow channel.

15. The charge air cooler of claim 14 , wherein the first inlet aperture, the first outlet aperture, the second inlet aperture, and the second outlet aperture are linearly aligned in each of the first plate and the second plate along a width thereof.

16. The charge air cooler of claim 12 , wherein the first flow channel includes one of two parallel passes and four parallel passes and the second flow channel includes one of four parallel passes and six parallel passes.

17. The charge air cooler of claim 12 , wherein the channel forming surfaces of each of the first plate and the second plate include a plurality of protrusions extending outwardly therefrom, the protrusions formed on the first plate of each of the plate assemblies align with the protrusions formed on the second plate of each of the plate assemblies to form the first flow channel and the second flow channel.

18. The charge air cooler of claim 12 , wherein the channel forming surfaces of each of the first plate and the second plate include flow dividers extending outwardly therefrom, the flow dividers configured to divide at least a portion of at least one of the first flow channel and the second flow channel.

19. The charge air cooler of claim 12 , wherein the first flow channel and the second flow channel are serpentine, and wherein each of the first plate and the second plate include flow turbulators formed on portions of the channel forming surface forming the first channel and the second channel, wherein the flow turbulators of the first plate of each of the plate assemblies one of align with and alternate with the flow turbulators formed on the second plate of each of the plate assemblies.

20. A charge air cooling system comprising:
a first coolant circuit conveying a first coolant therethrough;
a second coolant circuit conveying a second coolant therethrough; and
a charge air cooler in fluid communication with the fir

Assignees

• Halla Visteon Climate Control
• Hanon Systems

Inventors

• Somhorst Leo
• Fabian Petr
• Hana Ales
• Bursik Marek
• Sikora Tomas

Classifications

• F02B29/0443 Primary

  Layout of the coolant or refrigerant circuit · CPC title

• F02B29/0462

  Liquid cooled heat exchangers · CPC title

• F01P3/12

  Arrangements for cooling other engine or machine parts · CPC title

• Y02T10/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F28F3/044

  the deformations being pontual, e.g. dimples · CPC title