Brazed plate heat exchanger with a functional component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964361-B2
Application number	US-201314647494-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2013
Priority date	Nov 27, 2012
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A brazed plate heat exchanger with at least one stack of heat exchanger plates and at least one functional component connected by piping physically and in terms of flow to the stack, for example, a collecting tank, in which case the stack executes a settling movement during brazing. Production is achieved in that the plate heat exchanger with the functional component is produced in a vacuum brazing furnace in a single brazing process, in which at least one structure is contained in the piping that compensates for the settling movement of the plate stack. A corresponding production method is also proposed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A brazed plate heat exchanger comprising: a base plate; a stack of heat exchanger plates extending from a first side of the base plate in a stacking direction; a collecting tank joined to a second side of the base plate opposite the first side by way of at least one braze connector; a perforation extending through the base plate and the at least one braze connector to define a fluid flow path extending between the collecting tank and the first side of the base plate at a first location adjacent to the stack of heat exchanger plates; and piping extending from the first location to a second location at an end of the stack opposite the base plate to direct fluid between the stack and the collecting tank, wherein the base plate, the stack of heat exchanger plates, the collecting tank, and the piping are joined together in a single brazing process; and wherein the piping includes a first linear portion, a second linear portion, a third linear portion, a first flexible bent portion connecting the first and second linear portions, and a second flexible bent portion connecting the second and third linear portions, wherein the flexible bent portions compensate for a settling movement of the stack of heat exchanger plates in the stacking direction during the brazing process.

2. The brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the second linear portion and the third linear portion extend substantially perpendicular to the stacking direction, and wherein ends of the second and third linear portions furthest from the second bent portion are pushed together during the single brazing process to compensate for the settling movement.

3. The brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 2 , wherein the second bent portion defines a bending radius and wherein the length of each of the second and third linear portions is a multiple of the bending radius.

4. The brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the base plate includes a flange surrounding the perforation on the first side of the base plate to receive an end of the piping.

5. The brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the piping includes a first part having a fixed end joined to the base plate at the first location and a second part having a fixed end joined to the end of the stack opposite the base plate at the second location, wherein a free end of one of the first and the second parts is inserted into a free end of the other of the first and second parts to accommodate the settling movement.

6. The brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , wherein the piping comprises a pipe end which cooperates with a bushing so that the pipe end can be pushed further in or over the hushing during the single brazing process.

7. The brazed plate heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the piping is provided as a single continuous piece.

8. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the piping further comprises a fourth linear portion extending perpendicularly to the base plate from the second location; wherein the first linear portion extends perpendicularly to the base plate from the first location; the third linear portion extends perpendicularly to the base plate and is arranged between the first linear portion and the fourth linear portion; and wherein each of the first, third, and fourth linear portions is offset from the other ones of the first, third, and fourth linear portions.

9. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 8 , wherein the piping further comprises a 180° bend.

10. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the piping and the braze connector both extend into the base plate at the first location.

11. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 10 , wherein the base plate comprises a first plate providing the first side of the base plate and a second plate providing the second side of the base plate, the first plate having a flange extending outwardly from the base plate at the first location to receive the piping and the second plate having an aperture at the first location to receive the braze connector.

12. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the linear portions comprises a first end and a second end opposite from the first end, wherein the first end is offset from the second end in a direction perpendicular to the stacking direction.

13. The brazed heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the linear portions comprises a first end and a second end opposite from the first end, wherein the at least one linear portion includes a first position before the settling, movement and a second position after the settling movement, such that in the first position, the first end is located in a pre-settling position, and in the second position, the first end is located in a post-settling position, which is displaced from the pre-settling position in the stacking direction.

14. A method for producing a brazed plate heat exchanger according to claim 1 , the method comprising: forming the stack of heat exchanger plates; mounting the stack to the base plate; mounting the collecting tank to the base plate; brazing the stack of heat exchanger plates, the base plate, and the collecting tank in a brazing furnace, in which case the stack executes the settling movement during brazing; and before brazing, adding the piping, which connects the stack of heat exchanger plates to the collecting tank, whereupon the single brazing process is carried out in the brazing furnace during which the settling movement perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger plates is permitted by relative displacement of the piping.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein adding the piping includes adding an at least two-part piping, wherein ends of the piping are pushed one into the other, and wherein the relative displacement of the piping includes relative displacement of the pipe ends.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the relative displacement of the piping includes the pipe bending to compensate for the settling movement perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger plates.

17. The method of claim 14 , wherein adding the piping includes connecting an end of the piping to the plate stack or the collecting tank and inserting the piping in or over a bushing, and wherein the settling movement perpendicular to the plane of the heat exchanger plates is permitted by relative displacement of the end of the piping in or over the bushing.

Assignees

• Modine Mfg Co

Inventors

• Kalbacher Klaus
• Bräuning Thomas
• Weiss Rebecca

Classifications

• F25B39/04 Primary

  Condensers · CPC title

• F28F2275/04

  by brazing · CPC title

• F28D9/00 Primary

  Heat-exchange apparatus having stationary plate-like or laminated conduit assemblies for both heat-exchange media, the media being in contact with different sides of a conduit wall {(F28F3/083, F28F3/086 take precedence)} · CPC title

• B23P15/26

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title

• F28F2265/26

  for allowing differential expansion between elements · CPC title