Heat exchanger tube, heat exchanger and corresponding production method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9975168-B2
Application number	US-201314375634-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2013
Priority date	Jan 31, 2012
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) by bending a metal strip ( 11 ), said tube ( 1 ) having an internal partition ( 19 ) formed by joining the ends of opposing edges ( 11 a, 11 b ), said partition facing a projection ( 50 ) that extends into the heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) at a joining zone ( 22 ). The method comprises the following steps: locally stamping the metal strip ( 11 ) in order to produce a projection at the joining zone ( 22 ); and bending the metal strip ( 11 ) in order to form said heat exchanger tube ( 1 ), such that the projection extends into the tube ( 1 ). The invention also relates to such a tube ( 1 ) and to a heat exchanger ( 3 ) comprising a bundle of said tubes ( 1 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for producing a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) having two fluid circulation ducts ( 17 a , 17 b ) separated by an internal partition ( 19 ) formed by joining opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) of a metal strip ( 11 ) such that said joined opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) are in direct contact, said opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) each having an end ( 12 a , 12 b ) opposite an inner wall ( 15 ) of the tube ( 1 ) at a joining zone ( 22 ), said method comprising the steps of:
locally stamping the metal strip ( 11 ) to produce a projection ( 50 ) at the joining zone ( 22 );
bending the metal strip ( 11 ) to form said heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) having two fluid circulation ducts ( 17 a , 17 b ) by joining the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) of the opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) at the stamped inner wall ( 15 ) so that the projection ( 50 ) is directed towards the inside of the heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) and such that the tube ( 1 ) has a gap (h e ) between the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) of the opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) and the inner wall ( 15 ) of the tube ( 1 ) corresponding to the projection ( 50 ), wherein the metal strip is dimensioned such that the height (hg) of the projection ( 50 ) is less than the gap (h e ), and
brazing the faces of the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) and the projection within the gap (h e ).

2. The method for producing a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the gap h e is between 30 μm and 200 μm.

3. The method for producing a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 wherein the height h s of the projection ( 50 ) is selected such that the distance between the projection ( 50 ) and the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) is less than 100 μm.

4. A heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) having two fluid circulation ducts ( 17 a , 17 b ) separated by an internal partition ( 19 ) formed by joining opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) of a metal strip ( 11 ) such that said joined opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) are in direct contact, said opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) each having an end ( 12 a , 12 b ) opposite an inner wall ( 15 ) of the tube at a joining zone ( 22 ), wherein the inner wall ( 15 ) has a projection ( 50 ) directed towards the inside of the heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) at the joining zone ( 22 ), and wherein said ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) are joined;
wherein the tube ( 1 ) has a gap (h e ) between the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) of the opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) and the inner wall ( 15 ) of the tube ( 1 ) corresponding to the projection ( 50 ),
wherein the projection ( 50 ) and the faces of the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) are brazed together within the gap (h e ); and
wherein the projection ( 50 ) has a height (h s ) that is less than the gap (h e ).

5. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the gap (h e ) is between 30 μm and 100 μm.

6. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the thickness of the metal strip ( 11 ) is between 0.15 mm and 0.35 mm.

7. A heat exchanger for a motor vehicle, comprising a core of heat exchanger tubes ( 1 ) according to claim 4 .

8. The method for producing a heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the gap h e is between 50 μm and 70 μm.

9. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the height (h s ) of the projection ( 50 ) is selected such that the distance between the projection ( 50 ) and the ends ( 12 a , 12 b ) of the opposing edges ( 11 a , 11 b ) is less than 100 μm.

10. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the gap (h e ) is between 30 μm and 200 μm.

11. The heat exchanger tube ( 1 ) according to claim 4 , wherein the metal strip ( 11 ) of the tube ( 1 ) has a substantially B-shaped cross section having a first large face ( 43 ) and a second large face ( 44 ) which are parallel and interconnected by two small curved faces, with the first large face ( 43 ) being substantially planar along its length between each respective one of the two small curved faces and the internal partition ( 19 ), and wherein the internal partition ( 19 ) originates from the first large face ( 43 ) opposite the projection ( 50 ) positioned on the internal wall ( 15 ) of the second large face ( 44 ).

Assignees

• Valeo Systemes Thermiques

Inventors

• Riondet Christian
• Lesueur Jean-Marc
• Gahon Kevin
• Dehaine Romain
• Burgaud Damien
• Pichenot Yann
• Marchadier Xavier

Classifications

• Y10T29/49391

  Tube making or reforming · CPC title

• B21D53/06 Primary

  of metal tubes · CPC title

• F28F1/00

  Tubular elements; Assemblies of tubular elements (specially adapted for movement F28F5/00) · CPC title

• B21C37/151

  Making tubes with multiple passages · CPC title

• F28F1/022

  with multiple channels · CPC title