Heat exchanger

Abstract

The invention relates to a novel heat exchanger with a plurality of basic heat exchanger bodies, comprising flat heat exchange tubes—connecting at least one supplying or distributing pipe and at least one discharging or collecting pipe to one another, able to be flowed through by a liquid and/or gaseous heat exchange medium, equipped on the outside with heat exchange fins and arranged parallel to one another —, the distributing pipe and the collecting pipe being formed as elongate, tank-shaped hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies which are equipped with at least one supply line and/or discharge line for the heat exchange medium and in which there is arranged or can be arranged in each case a diverting chamber insert with a plurality of distributing and collecting chambers that are identical to one another for supplying partial streams of medium on a quantitatively individual basis to the heat exchange tubes and for discharging the medium from the heat exchange tubes, and the walls bounding said chambers bearing against the inner wall surfaces of the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, characterized in that the distributing and collecting chambers, respectively arranged such that they are spaced apart from one another, being formed as diverting chambers (7, 7′) for the heat exchange medium (wtm, wtm′), which are respectively attached to the outlet opening (102) of one (10, 10′) of the heat exchange tubes (10, 10′, 10″) and to the inlet opening (101) of a next heat exchange tube (10′, 10″), or one which is respectively neighboring the same, respectively connect these two heat exchange tubes (10, 10′; 10′, 10″) hydraulically to one another and furthermore at least bear with their respective bounding wall (70, 70′) in each case against the inner wall surfaces (401, 402)—the cnes having the heat exchange tubes opening into them and the two lateral ones—of the hollow distributing and diverting body (4) and the hollow collecting and diverting body (4′) and are enclosed altogether by said bounding wall (70, 70′) and by said hollow body inner wall surfaces (401, 402), and in that they divert the heat exchange medium (wtm) flowing through them respectively from one heat exchange tube (10, 10′) into a next one or into the respectively neighboring heat exchange tube (10′, 10″) substantially by 180°, for instance in the form of a half-circle, C or U. It also relates to the soldering of devices, pipes and/or components preferably provided for the novel heat exchanger.

Description

The invention relates to a novel gas and/or liquid heat exchanger with heat exchange tubes and fins arranged in between. In the case of previously known heat exchangers of this type, high production costs are incurred in particular in the manufacture of small series, because of an ever increasing amount of manual work and degree of skill of the production personnel and owing to the resultant higher number of rejects. To achieve a respectively desired constrained conduction of the heat exchange fluid through the heat exchange tubes, the latter are connected to one another by means of tube bends or the like, which are fastened to the ends of the tubes, usually soldered onto them.

Typical applications are heat exchangers for cooling, heating and air conditioning devices of all kinds. The highly diversified market comprises a large number of system manufacturers for “industrial air conditioning” or for customized cooling and/or heating systems.

In the case of heat exchangers for the exchange of heat between gases, usually air, and liquids, such as in particular water, oil or coolant, the liquids are supplied and discharged through a system of pipes, usually at least one distributing pipe and at least one collecting pipe, which are mechanically and hydraulically connected to one another by a plurality of heat exchange tubes. The gas, usually air, flows over fins, which are indirectly in contact with the heat exchange liquid system or circuit. Flat tubes have advantages as heat exchange tubes because of the good surface/volume ratio and are therefore used in large quantities in heat exchangers in automotive engineering.

For heat exchangers that operate with relatively high medium pressures or when the heat exchange tubes are fastened in the collecting pipe and distributing pipe by means of a widening technique, round tubes are favorably used.

As prior art in this area, reference is made to DE 101 03 584 A1, which describes a heat exchanger with a heat exchanger body comprising flat tubes that are widened at their ends and soldered together there and fins arranged in between. This heat exchanger body is respectively closed off in the upward and downward directions by a distributing tank and a collecting tank, which are attached to it in a sealing manner and through which the heat transfer fluid is respectively supplied and discharged. Specific conduction of the heat transfer medium in a way individually suited to the heat exchange tubes is not possible with these heat exchangers, which also have other major disadvantages, such as the use of plastic parts.

In the case of the heat exchanger according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,199, 401 B1, supply and discharge of the heat exchange medium in a way individually suited to the heat exchange tubes is made possible, a medium conducting and apportioning device being arranged on the elongate, common heat exchange medium supplying and discharging tank fitted on the heat exchanger body, which is formed with heat exchange tubes that are only upwardly open.

A major disadvantage of these heat exchangers is that they are relatively inflexible with respect to medium conduction and all their component parts can only be produced individually, which although profitable for the case of mass production, is not for order-specifically flexible production of small series of heat exchangers that are different with regard to their structural design, size and intended use, as increasingly required today.

The present invention has set itself the object of providing a heat exchanger, in particular made of aluminum material, in which the previously customary constrained flow conduction by means of connecting lines, tube bends or the like, routed outside the heat exchanger body, between the heat exchange tubes is relocated into the distributing pipe and the collecting pipe themselves, and in this way the great effort required for manipulation during soldering, with all the disadvantages involved, can be replaced by a method of production that requires either only few manipulations or is automated entirely.

The subject matter of the invention is consequently a heat exchanger according to the precharacterizing clause of claim 1, the invention consisting in that the heat exchanger has the features mentioned in the characterizing clause of claim 1.

In the case of the novel heat exchanger, therefore, an insert with medium diverting chambers, which is to be arranged or is arranged in a distributing pipe and collecting pipe, as known for example from customary heating radiators, takes the place of a large number of tube bends which connect the ends of the heat exchange tubes to one another and are to be attached or are attached fluid-tightly to said ends, said insert taking over the function of the fluid diverting tube bends or the like described above that have previously been used for the respectively desired constrained conduction of the heat exchange medium from heat exchange tube to heat exchange tube.

The novel heat exchangers allow production in which there is no longer any need for the previously laborious manual work involved in soldering, welding or adhesive bonding of a large number of connecting pipe pieces to the heat exchange tubes, which significantly reduces the production costs in particular in the case of materials that are complex, and consequently costly, to connect, such as aluminum, high-grade steel or the like. Furthermore, the novel type of construction of the heat exchangers makes appropriate and easily accomplished automation possible, simplifies manufacture and in this way dispenses with the need for much of the manual work, which is never entirely free from errors.

In addition, from a small number of basic modules that are completely flexible in their dimensions, in particular “length”, to be specific flat tubes, hollow medium supply and discharge bodies and diverting chamber bodies, and with furthermore a few types of plug elements and attaching pipes or pipe stubs, it is possible to produce heat exchangers of virtually any size, length, thickness and/or height and any kind of medium conduction and distribution for an extremely wide variety of purposes.

In the case of a preferred embodiment of the novel heat exchanger according to claim 2, it is ensured by means of a common supporting element that each of the diverting chambers is arranged at the correct location —correct in each case for the transfer and diversion of the heat exchange medium from one heat exchange tube into the next in accordance with a respectively provided medium conduction concept.

If, as provided according to claim 3, the diverting chambers for the heat exchange medium are arranged on a common connecting strut, which at the same time forms a kind of dividing wall dividing the diverting chambers in the throughflow direction, a particularly favorable flow of the heat exchange medium can be achieved, whereby energy savings are accomplished in respect of the heat exchange medium recirculation-pumping device.

If a customary conduction of the heat exchange medium is provided, simply meandering back and forth, it is favorable if the heat exchange medium diverting chambers are constructed in such a way that their contour respectively coincides substantially with the inner cross-sectional contour of the distributing and diverting cavity and the collecting and diverting cavity, as disclosed in detail by claim 4.

However, it may also be provided in the case of possibly desired additional use of the hollow distributing and diverting body as a hollow medium collecting body or medium return channel that the contours of the diverting chambers take up for example only approximately that half of the inner cross section of said cavities where the heat exchange tubes leave or enter, and the rest of the cross-sectional area of the distributing cavity is indeed available as a collecting cavity for the return of the heat exchange medium to a heat exchange medium discharge, which in this case is then arranged for example above the heat exchange medium supply.

It is particularly preferred—in particular with regard to the desired simplification of production—if, as provided according to claim 5, the inner cross section of the hollow distributing and diverting body and hollow collecting and diverting body and the cross section of the contour of the diverting chamber insert have a square or rectangular shape coinciding substantially with one another, preferably with rounded corners. Such shaping has the advantage that the arcuate walls of the medium diverting chambers can have substantially a simple basic rectangular shape, and therefore be bent from sheet metal in an extremely simple way, this type of manufacture having the advantage that it only causes low costs.

In addition, the heat exchange tubes running between the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body may also be arranged for example in two or more rows next to one another or obliquely offset in relation to one another, with the further advantage, for example in comparison with round-tube hollow (distributing and) collecting bodies, that the heat exchange tubes can have an entry or inlet termination that is straight in each case and can all be of the same length as one another.

As far as the closing of the open ends of the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies is concerned, terminating or attaching caps, terminating or attaching plugs or similar terminating or attaching elements that have a simple, rectangular or square cross section and, if appropriate, internal medium conductions may be provided for this, as well as those which are provided with medium supply and discharge pipe stubs or the like, as appropriate for the respective requirement on the basis of the respectively intended conduction of the heat exchange medium within the novel heat exchanger. For details in this respect, reference should be made to claim 6.

It has already been mentioned briefly above with reference to claim 4 that the hollow distributing and diverting body may be designed in such a way that it is suitable not only for the supply but also the return and discharge of the heat exchange medium from the heat exchanger. In this respect, reference is made to the particularly preferred embodiment of the novel heat exchanger according to claim 7.

In order to avoid the undesired heat flow, occurring in the case of a heat exchanger of the embodiment just described, provided according to claim 7, between the heat exchange medium supplied to the heat exchange tubes and the heat exchange medium discharged from the heat exchange tubes in the medium discharge cavity or channel, the arrangement of a heat flow inhibiting insulation between the diverting chambers in the distributing and diverting cavity and the heat exchange medium discharge channel according to claim 8 is favorable.

It is particularly efficient if, for the fluid-tight termination of the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies there are provided, according to claim 9, modular terminating or attaching elements that can be inserted into or fitted onto their open ends in the manner of plugs or caps and fluid-tightly soldered in.

In order to terminate the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies of for example a number of heat exchangers that are arranged parallel to one another and/or are connected in parallel and are to be charged with heat exchange medium or from which heat exchange medium is to be disposed, modular multiple terminating or attaching elements may be used, in each case having a number of common terminating or attaching elements and able to have an extremely wide variety of arrangements of supply and discharge pipe stubs, internal medium conduction channels and the like.

A type of configuration of the novel heat exchanger that is particularly preferred and makes uniform and intensive heat exchange possible is disclosed in claim 10. There, the diverting chambers in the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies of the two diverting chamber inserts are alternately arranged in such a way that a series of three, five or seven heat exchange tubes are sequentially flowed through respectively one after the other before the heat exchange medium reaches the respective discharge from the hollow collecting and diverting body and is passed from there to the outside via a corresponding pipe stub or the like.

In order to supply all the heat exchange tubes as simultaneously and uniformly as possible with heat exchange medium at the same temperature level, it is favorable if inflow openings for the heat exchange medium freshly arriving in the heat exchanger are arranged in the heat exchange tubes respectively provided for the running in of the medium, above the diverting chamber insert in the distributing and diverting cavity.

An entirely analogous construction may also be provided in the hollow collecting and diverting body, which is arranged in an entirely analogous way in each case where the outflow openings of the respectively “last” tube of a series of heat exchange tubes to be sequentially flowed through by the heat exchange medium open out. For details in this respect, reference is made to claim 11.

Claim 12 provides more information on the arrangement of these inflow and outflow openings, respectively assigned to the inlet openings of the heat exchange tubes, in relation to the diverting chamber insert and in the just mentioned heat exchange medium inflow and outflow channel.

It is preferred, according to claim 13, for the separation of the diverting insert from the medium inflow channel to provide a dividing wall or the like of its own, which on both sides bears inwardly against the side walls of the hollow distributing and diverting body and is supported in the upward direction on the upper inner wall of the latter. This dividing wall, favorably having the cross-sectional shape of a T—in this case an inverted T—, has respectively on the right and left of its vertical T bar, in the horizontal bar, the inflow openings for the heat exchange medium. In an entirely analogous way, the collecting and diverting cavity is advantageously also equipped with an identical dividing wall with outlet openings.

A design variant of the diverting chamber insert that can be produced in a low-cost and uncomplicated manner by using a simple T profile, and is therefore particularly preferred within the scope of the invention, forms the subject matter of claim 14.

For the purpose of making production highly efficient, claim 15 discloses advantageous modular embodiments of the attaching and connecting elements between the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, for example of heat exchange bodies connected in series and/or in parallel.

Claim 16 is concerned with a particularly preferred way of combining the novel heat exchange bodies with one another to form larger units, within the scope of the invention, which is made easier in particular by the use of the modular terminating and connecting elements already described in more detail further above.

Furthermore, claim 17 concerns a particularly preferred novel method, within the scope of the invention and designed in particular for aluminum as the heat exchanger construction material, for the material-integral fluid-tight connection of devices to pipes and of pipes to one another in general and for the connection of the various components of the novel heat exchanger, such as in particular the module terminating, attaching and connecting elements, such as in particular plug, cap and sleeve modules to the hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, to the supply and discharge pipes and pipe stubs and the like specifically.

Finally, claims 18 to 20 relate to configurational variants that are particularly preferred within the scope of the novel soldering method according to claim 17 and require no further explanation because of the clear way in which they are formulated.

The invention is explained in more detail on the basis of the drawing, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 respectively show in several views and detailed representations three different embodiments of a heat exchanger according to the invention, with various types of internal conduction of the heat exchange medium,

FIGS. 4 to 6 show in an analogous way three variants of heat exchangers that are fundamentally similar to the heat exchangers shown in

FIGS. 1 to 3 and are combined to form larger units,

FIG. 6 showing a combination of two heat exchangers with different heat exchange media.

FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively show a compact block of in each case three heat exchangers according to the invention, connected in one case sequentially and in one case in parallel with regard to heat exchange medium conduction, and

FIG. 9 shows a heat exchanger as can be used in particular for air-conditioning systems of motor vehicles and refrigerating vehicles, and

FIG. 10 shows a special form of a soldering strip that is used with preference according to the invention, and its manufacture.

The heat exchanger 1 shown in FIG. 1a to 1f substantially comprises an upper hollow distributing and diverting body 4 of rectangular cross section and also a lower hollow collecting and diverting body 4′ of an identical rectangular cross section and, arranged between the same, flat heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″, which mechanically and hydraulically connect said hollow bodies to one another respectively via inlet openings 101 and outlet openings 102—connected material-integrally, in particular by soldering, to the same—and between which finely corrugated heat exchange fins 110 are arranged.

The distributing and diverting cavity 4 is terminated at the front right by an attaching element with a pipe stub 42 for the supply of the heat exchange medium wtm and at the rear left simply by a fluid-tight plug element 41. The lower collecting and diverting cavity 4′ is conversely terminated at the front right by a customary terminating plug 41 and on the left by an attaching plug 410 with a pipe stub 42 for the discharge of the heat exchange medium wtm.

Pushed into the distributing and diverting cavity 4—congruent with its inner cross section Qi or bearing all around against its inner wall—is an elongate diverting chamber insert 700, which has a number of diverting chambers 7, which have for instance arch-like or arcuate walls 70 and are respectively spaced apart from one another. These chambers are open toward the inlet and outlet openings 101, 102 of the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″.

In an entirely analogous way, an—advantageously identical—diverting chamber insert 700′ with diverting chambers 7′ bounded by arcuate walls 70′, which are open toward the outlet and inlet openings 102, 101 of the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″, is arranged in the hollow collecting and diverting body 4′.

FIGS.1f and 1g show the diverting chamber inserts 700, 700′ and their situation in more detail: they are respectively formed by a T profile 71, the T horizontal bar parts 712 protruding away laterally from the T vertical bar 711 on both sides respectively being cut into transversely as far as the vertical bar 711 at intervals and then also respectively for a distance to the right and left along the vertical bar 711, with the effect that spaced-apart webs 7120, in which the T profile structure is unchanged, then remain intact. The lugs 7121 produced in this way, extending from said web 7120, are bent arcuately downward, in each case toward the foot end of the T bar 711, and respectively bear inwardly against the base wall 401 of the distributing and diverting cavity 4 and the collecting and diverting cavity 4′ with the inlet and outlet openings 101, 102 of the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″. In this way, the arcuate walls 70, 70′ of the diverting chambers 7, 7′ for the conduction of the heat exchange medium wtm from one heat exchange tube to the next are formed.

It is clearly evident from FIG. 1 that the diverting chamber inserts 700, 700′ are formed in a completely analogous way to one another and only the diverting chambers 7, 7′ are respectively arranged offset in relation to one another. The diverting chamber walls 70, 70′ bear laterally against the two side inner walls 402 of the hollow bodies 4, 4′ and, respectively toward the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″, against the base wall 401 of the hollow distributing and diverting body 4 and of the hollow collecting and diverting body 4′.

From the basic body, the heat exchanger 1 according to FIGS. 2a to 2f is constructed substantially in the same way as the heat exchanger 1 according to FIG. 1 —with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same. In the case of this one, however, the construction is modified in such a way that two pipe stubs 42, that is one each for the supply and discharge of the heat exchange medium wtm in the attaching plug module 410 are arranged at the front top right, and that the hollow distributing and diverting body 4 is divided by a flat T profile 6 with an upwardly pointing vertical bar 611 into an upper heat exchange medium discharge channel 45 and a supplying and diverting channel 44 corresponding to the contour of the hollow heat exchange medium distributing and diverting body 700 already known in principle from FIG. 1, a correspondingly “flatter” diverting chamber insert 700 being inserted in this channel 44 entirely by analogy with FIG. 1, which insert is supplied with heat exchange medium wtm through the lower pipe stub 42 of the attaching plug 410 arranged at the top right, in the same way as already represented in FIG. 1. The profile shape, corresponding to a “flat” inverted T, of the dividing profile 6 defining the medium discharge channel 45 has the advantage that the same can be supported—resting on the diverting chamber insert 700 —by means of the short vertical bar 611 on the upper inner wall 403 of the distributing and diverting cavity 4 and with its horizontal bar 612 on both sides on the side walls 402.

As far as the hollow collecting and diverting body 4′ is concerned, its inner cross section is dimensioned in precisely the same way as the inner cross section of the supply channel 44 in the hollow distributing and diverting body 4. This ensures that the two diverting chamber inserts 4, 4′ are likewise dimensioned identically to one another and consequently a minimization of the production expenditure is also achieved here. In order to minimize the heat flow between freshly supplied heat exchange medium and heat exchange medium conducted through the heat exchange tubes, a heat insulating sheet 67 is arranged between the diverting chamber insert 4 and the dividing profile 6.

In the case of the heat exchanger 1 shown in FIGS. 3a to 3f—with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same—, the basic construction of the same likewise corresponds to the heat exchangers 1 according to FIGS. 1 and 2, although here an inner cross-sectional division is provided both in the distributing cavity 4 and in the collecting cavity 4′, to be precise the diverting chamber inserts 700, 700′ there respectively bear against the base wall 401 of these hollow bodies 4, 4′ with the inlet and outlet openings 101, 102 of the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″—taking up approximately 60% of the inner cross-sectional area Qi of the two just mentioned hollow bodies 4, 4′, that is the part cross section qi—the diverting chambers 7, 7′ being arranged offset with respect to one another in such a way that the heat exchange medium wtm—respectively beginning from the distributing and diverting cavity 4—flows through a first heat exchange tube 10, then passes from a diverting chamber 7′ of the lower diverting chamber insert 700′ first into a second neighboring heat exchange tube 10′, is then conducted through a diverting chamber 7 of the upper insert 700 into the next-but-one heat exchange tube 10″ and, coming out of the same, is respectively conducted via one of the outlet openings 451 in the dividing profile 6 dividing the collecting and diverting space 4′ into the discharge channel 45 in remaining cross section qa of the collecting and diverting cavity 4′, from where it can flow away to the bottom left via the discharge pipe stub 42 of the attaching plug module 410.

Formed in an analogous way in the upper distributing and diverting cavity 4, in the cavity remaining free above the diverting chamber insert 700 there, kept free by the T dividing profile 6 and having the part cross section qa, is a heat exchange medium supply channel 44, from which heat exchange medium wtm is respectively introduced via a first of the inlet openings 441 punched into the dividing profile to the inlet opening 101 of a “first” inlet tube 10 of a first series 100 of three neighboring heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″, and then the other heat exchange tubes, in each case three of them, of a next tube series 100 are supplied in the same way, respectively through the next inlet opening 441 of the dividing profile 6 and via a supply opening 10 offset by three heat exchange tubes, and so on.

Here, too, the T shape of the dividing profile 6 is favorable, because it makes support of the same possible on the respectively upper and lower outer inner wall 403 of the hollow distributing and diverting body 4 and the hollow collecting and diverting body 4′, and consequently securement of the medium inflow channel 44 and outflow channel 45 in the two cavities 4, 4′.

In FIG. 3b, the streams of heat exchange medium within the diverting chambers 7, 7′ and those through the supply and discharge channel 45 are indicated by arrows.

In the case of the double heat exchanger 1/1 according to FIGS. 4a to 4d, two heat exchangers 1 analogous to the heat exchanger shown in FIG. 1—with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same—are arranged one behind the other, the two distributing and diverting cavities 4 and the collecting and diverting cavities 4′ of the same being connected to one another by in each case a modular connecting element 415 and 416 soldered or pressed into them, in one case permitting throughflow of the medium and in the other case fluid-tight. By means of corresponding arrangement of the diverting chambers 7, 7′ of the diverting chamber insert 700, 700′, the internal conduction of the heat exchange medium wtm through the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″ is designed there in such a way that the heat exchange medium is introduced via the inlet pipe stub 42 arranged on the bottom left attaching plug 410 and is discharged via the outlet pipe stub 42 of the bottom right attaching plug 410.

Also in the case of the double heat exchanger 1/1 of FIGS. 5a to 5d, two heat exchangers 1 of the type already shown in FIG. 2 are arranged—with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same—with heat exchange medium supply channels 44 and discharge channels 45 arranged in the distributing cavities 4 and they are each in themselves flowed through by the heat exchange medium wtm supplied at the top right and left via the respectively lower pipe stubs 42 in the two attaching plug modules 410. The combination of the two heat exchangers 1, here simply of a mechanical nature, takes place by means of “blind” connecting plug modules 416 that are inserted on both sides into the two upper hollow distributing and diverting bodies 4, in particular soldered in. After running through all the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″ of each of the two heat exchangers 1, the heat exchange medium wtm is respectively discharged via the upper outlet pipe stub 42 of the left and right upper terminating plug modules 41 of the distributing and diverting cavities 4 of the two heat exchangers 1.

The heat exchanger unit 1/1 of FIGS. 6a to 6g, formed by the two heat exchangers 1, 1′ that are likewise only mechanically connected to one another by means of fluid-tight connecting plug modules 416, are arranged in series and form separate units, are in turn each in themselves identical to the simple embodiment of the heat exchanger 1 according to FIG. 1, in this case the “longer” heat exchanger 1, on the right, being one which is operated with water as the heat exchange medium wtm and the “shorter” heat exchanger 1′, on the left, being one which is operated with oil as the heat exchange medium wtm′. Here, the simply mechanical connection between the two heat exchangers 1, 1′ of different types is produced by the fluid-tight connecting plug module 416, soldered into the distributing and diverting cavities 4, and the likewise fluid-tight connecting plug module 417, soldered into the collecting and diverting cavities 4′, which module carries the two supply pipe stubs 42 for the two different heat exchange media wtm and wtm′.

In FIG. 7, an example of a parallel or block arrangement of a total of three heat exchangers 1 of the type according to FIG. 1, connected in series with respect to the heat exchange medium flow, is shown —with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same—, the right-hand openings of the three distributing and diverting cavities 4 and the right-hand openings of the three collecting and diverting cavities 4′ in this case being attached by means of a triple connecting plug module 418, having a supply stub 42 for the heat exchange medium wtm into the rear heat exchanger 1 and a connecting channel 436 between the middle heat exchanger and the front heat exchanger.

The left-hand openings of the three lower collecting and diverting cavities 4′ are closed in an entirely analogous way by means of an identical triple connecting plug module 418 soldered in there, with heat exchange medium conduction 436 from the rear heat exchanger in FIG. 7 into the middle of the three heat exchangers 1, and the discharge of the medium wtm taking place via the pipe stub 42 there. The closure of the two other openings of the distributing cavity 4 and the collecting cavity 4′ takes place by means of “blind” triple closure plug modules 420.

A block arrangement of three heat exchangers 1, connected in parallel with one another with respect to the flow of the heat exchange medium wtm, is shown in FIG. 8—with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same: it can clearly be seen there how at the top right the openings of the three distributing and diverting cavities 4 and at the bottom left the openings of the three collecting and diverting cavities 4′ are respectively terminated in their interior by triple terminating plugs 419, with in each case heat exchange medium supply lines 437 leading to all three heat exchangers and heat exchange medium discharge lines 437 leading away from all three heat exchangers 1.

Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows a special form 1′ of a heat exchanger 1 according to the invention—with the meanings of reference numerals otherwise remaining the same—, in which the formation with hollow distributing bodies 4 and hollow collecting bodies 4′ and with heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″ connecting the same is analogous to the heat exchangers of the previous figures.

However, no diverting chamber inserts are provided there. Here, the introduction of the pressurized, liquefied cooling gas used as heat exchange medium wtm takes place via the in this case lower distributing cavity 4, through expansion nozzles 8 protruding and opening out into the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″ and directed upward here, and via pitched roof-like turbulence plate vortexing bodies 80 arranged above the same in their vicinity in the interior of the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″, with chicane openings 81 with “louvers” 82, which are flowed through by the spontaneously evaporating cooling liquid/gas mixture flowing out from the nozzles 8, which in this way evaporates particularly uniformly, flows through the heat exchange tubes 10, 10′, 10″ and is ultimately collected in a gaseous state in the hollow collecting body 4′—lying at the top here—and returned to the compressor via a discharge pipe stub 42.

In order to provide a uniform distribution, in terms of quantity and pressure, of the supplied, pressurized heat exchange medium wtm to the expansion nozzles 5 over the entire length of the heat exchanger 1 or of its hollow distributing body 4, fitted in the same is an elongate wedge-like insert 470, “falling away” as it becomes more remote from the medium inlet stub 42.

Finally, FIG. 10 schematically shows the manufacture of a soldering metal strip for the connection of tubes made of aluminum by soldering respectively via an inner cone and outer cone at their ends. The soldering metal strip BL, shown there in its stages of manufacture, is introduced into the gap between these two cones with a filling comprising abrasive material particles AP to support the creation of a fluid-tight soldering somewhat in the manner of frictional welding. The starting material is a strip foil of soldering metal with a cross-sectional shape approximately akin to the capital letter “W” with two longer outer flanks AF and a shorter middle part MT, arranged between the same and bent twice here in a zigzag form.

By leading the lower part of the W strip BL between rollers pressing the same together to a height corresponding to the height hmt of the middle W part MT, see the arrows in the figure indicating the exertion of pressure, the strip takes on a cross-sectional shape rather similar to a Y, the foot FY of the Y here having six times the thickness of the original strip material and—extending from this—two Y arms YA protruding obliquely upward and downward.

Then a “strand” of the abrasive material powder AP is introduced into the angular space WR of this Y strip and then, as likewise indicated by arrows, the two free arms AY of the Y strip above the strand are pressed together until the material is compact. The soldering metal strip BL obtained in this way has, for example, a thicker lower foot zone UZ and a thinner upper arm zone OZ and also a “bulging” middle zone MZ, filled with the abrasive particles.

This soldering metal strip BL is introduced for example into the gap, widening slightly from inward to outward, between the inner cone and outer cone of two tube ends to be soldered to one another, heating takes place, for example somewhat above the soldering metal melting temperature, under simultaneous exposure to ultrasound, thereby creating many “fresh” zones, that are therefore capable of being wetted, of the aluminum surfaces of the cones, and a stable, fluid-tight soldered connection of the two tubes to one another is thereby ensured, formed virtually only with aluminum on the inside, since the “thin” arm zone OZ is inserted there, precluding any risk of local Al—Zn element formation there.

Claims

1-20. (canceled)

21. A heat exchanger, comprising:

at least one supplying or distributing pipe and at least one discharging or collecting pipe; a basic heat exchanger body formed of flat heat exchange tubes connecting said supplying or distributing pipe and said discharging or collecting pipe to one another, said head exchange tubes being formed to carry therein a heat exchange medium in liquid and/or gaseous phase, and having heat exchange fins on an outside thereof disposed parallel to one another; said distributing pipe and said collecting pipe being formed as elongate, tank-shaped hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies equipped with at least one supply line and/or discharge line for the heat exchange medium and each configured to receive therein a diverting chamber insert with a plurality of mutually identical distributing and collecting chambers for supplying partial streams of medium on a quantitatively individual basis to said heat exchange tubes and for discharging the medium from said heat exchange tubes, said chambers having bounding walls bearing against inner wall surfaces of said hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies; said distributing and collecting chambers, respectively spaced apart from one another, defining diverting chambers for the heat exchange medium (wtm, wtm′), said diverting chambers being respectively connected to an outlet opening of one of said heat exchange tubes and to an inlet opening of a respectively neighboring heat exchange tube, fluidically connecting said two heat exchange tubes to one another and bearing with a respective bounding wall thereof in each case against the inner wall surfaces of said hollow distributing and diverting body and said hollow collecting and diverting body, and being enclosed altogether by said bounding wall and by said hollow body inner wall surfaces, and said diverting chambers diverting the heat exchange medium (wtm) flowing through them respectively from one heat exchange tube into a respectively neighboring heat exchange tube substantially by 180°.

22. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein said diverting chambers are configured to divert the heat exchange medium in a half-circle, a C-form, or a U-form.

23. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein a plurality of or all of said medium diverting chambers, or said bounding walls thereof, are connected to one another by way of connecting struts of a substantially rigid diverting chamber insert configured to be inserted into said hollow distributing and diverting body and into said hollow collecting and diverting body.

24. The heat exchanger according to claim 23, wherein said substantially rigid diverting chamber insert is configured to be pushed into said hollow distributing and diverting body and into said hollow collecting and diverting body.

25. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein said medium diverting chambers are divided by way of a dividing wall, septum or the like-preferably formed by the connecting struts of the diverting chamber insert or by part thereof and extending in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the diverting chamber insert.

26. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein said diverting chamber inserts are formed transversely to the longitudinal extent in such a way that they are substantially conformal in cross section or contour either with the entire inner cross section of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body or at least with a part of the same arranged in the vicinity of the inner wall having the heat exchange tubes, and can be inserted or are inserted, in particular can be pushed or are pushed, into the hollow distributing and diverting body and hollow collecting and diverting body.

27. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein an inner cross section of said hollow distributing and diverting body and said hollow collecting and diverting body and a cross section or a contour of the diverting chambers or of said diverting chamber insert has a substantially square or rectangular form, optionally with rounded corners.

28. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein, for the fluid medium-tight termination of the open ends of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, terminating elements having a cross section corresponding to the inner cross section of the same and preferably soldered in there, in particular plug modules or cap modules or else attaching elements, are provided, one of which elements in each case has a medium supply and the other a medium discharge pipe stub.

29. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein medium diverting chambers or a diverting chamber insert are or is arranged in the hollow distributing and diverting body, the contour of which chambers or insert substantially takes up a partial cross-sectional region that is made to face or assigned to the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes in the hollow distributing and diverting body and preferably amounts to approximately 40 to 60% of its inner cross-sectional area, and in that the remaining partial cross-sectional region forms a medium discharge channel for the heat exchange medium flowing through the heat exchange tubes and the medium diverting chambers of the hollow collecting and diverting body and finally leaving the same and being passed (returned) into said medium discharge channel in the hollow distributing and diverting body.

30. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein a heat insulating layer or the like is arranged in the hollow distributing and diverting body, having the medium discharge channel, between the bounding walls of the diverting chambers or between the diverting chamber insert and the medium discharge channel or its channel dividing wall, separating it from the diverting chamber insert.

31. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein, for the fluid medium-tight termination of three open ends of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, closure elements having a cross section corresponding to the inner cross section of the same and preferably soldered in there, are provided, and furthermore only one attaching element, which has both a medium supply and a medium discharge pipe stub.

32. The heat exchanger according to claim 31, wherein said closure elements are plug modules.

33. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, which comprises a plurality of tube series, formed with an uneven number, at least three, of mutually neighboring heat exchange tubes that are hydraulically connected to one another via diverting chambers, respectively alternating and arranged offset in relation to one another, in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body, the first heat exchange tube of a tube series in each case opening into the hollow distributing and diverting body and the last heat exchange tube of the same opening into the hollow collecting and diverting body for the heat exchange medium.

34. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein both in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body, medium diverting chambers or a diverting chamber insert are or is respectively arranged, the contour of which chambers or insert substantially take or takes up a partial cross-sectional region that is made to face or assigned to the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes in the hollow distributing and diverting body and in the hollow collecting and diverting body and preferably amounts in each case to approximately 40 to 60% of the inner cross-sectional area, and in that the remaining partial cross-sectional region of the two hollow bodies respectively forms an inflow channel with inflow openings, respectively arranged at a distance from one another, for the heat exchange medium into the respectively first heat exchange tubes of the tube series and outflow channel with outflow openings, respectively arranged at a distance from one another, for the outflow of the heat exchange medium from the respectively last heat exchange tubes of the tube series.

35. The heat exchanger according to claim 34, wherein said inflow and outflow openings in said inflow channel and in said outflow channel are respectively arranged between the bounding walls of the medium diverting chambers or their outer sides, substantially in a position in front of the inlet openings of the first heat exchange tubes and in front of the outlet openings of the last heat exchange tubes of the tube series.

36. The heat exchanger according to claim 35, wherein said inflow channel and said outflow channel are respectively formed by a dividing wall that bears against said diverting chamber insert, on both sides respectively bears laterally against the lateral inner walls of the hollow distributing and diverting body and of the hollow collecting and diverting body and is preferably formed by the cross bar of a T profile, the vertical bar of which is supported on the inner wall, remote from the heat exchange tube, of the hollow distributing body and hollow collecting body.

37. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein the individual diverting chamber insert is formed on the basis of a T profile, the vertical bars of which respectively bear against the base wall of the distributing and diverting cavity and the collecting and diverting cavity, where the inlet and outlet openings of the heat exchange tubes are located, and the cross bar of which respectively reaches on both sides laterally as far as the lateral inner walls of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, and in that, for the formation of the bounding walls of the medium diverting chambers, at intervals—corresponding respectively to the intervals from one another of mutually neighboring heat exchange tubes to be hydraulically connected to one another—the T horizontal bar is respectively cut into, punched into or the like transversely as far as the T vertical bar and then along the same while leaving an arcuate web, and the cross-bar lugs formed in this way are curved or bent concavely or arcuately in a direction until they bear with their free ends against the base of the hollow distributing and diverting body and the hollow collecting and diverting body, or up to the foot end of the T vertical bar, thereby forming the bounding wall of the diverting chambers, having the form of a diverting arc.

38. The heat exchanger according to claim 21 configured to be charged with a coolant or cooling fluid that cools greatly on expansion, that can readily evaporate and is under pressure, as the heat exchange medium, wherein expansion nozzles extending from a distributing cavity that can be supplied with the envisaged heat exchange medium wtm, in particular cooling medium, protrude into the heat exchange tubes and arranged in the same, respectively above the nozzles, are evaporation chicanes, formed with preference integrally from sheet metal and preferably substantially roof-like, equipped with distributing openings and louvers.

39. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein, for a modular, sequential and/or serial fluid medium-tight combination of two or more hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies with one another or for the supply and disposal of heat exchange medium of a number of sequentially and/or serially arranged heat exchangers together, fluid-tight terminating connecting elements, attaching connecting elements, attaching elements with medium ducts or terminating elements, preferably in the form of plugs and respectively having the outer contour or inner contour corresponding to the inner cross section or the outer cross section of said hollow bodies are fitted in or on, preferably soldered in or on, into the openings of said hollow bodies or onto the same.

40. The heat exchanger according to claim 21, wherein hollow distributing and diverting and collecting and diverting bodies, heat exchange tubes, diverting chamber inserts, dividing profiles and all the attaching, connecting and terminating elements as well as supply and discharge pipe stubs are produced from aluminum or from an aluminum alloy and these components, with the exception of the diverting chamber inserts and the dividing profiles, are connected to one another, preferably by means of soldering, in a material-integral and fluid medium-tight manner.

41. A method for connecting workpieces in a fluid-tight manner, which comprises:

providing a two-phase or multi-phase soldering metal system having, as a primary component, a respective soldering metal forming a matrix and having embedded in the matrix fine particles of an inorganic abrasive material that can be wetted with the soldering metal melt or with the eutectic soldering metal/aluminum melt forming during the soldering operation, that breaks a superficial aluminum oxide skin by creeping under it, that is insoluble in the metal melt and has a non-metal or semi-metal character, from the group of silicates, hard substances based on transition metal carbides and/or nitrides, or spinels;

introducing the soldering metal system between topographical regions of the workpieces to be soldered to one another, that are heated to a temperature at or above a melting temperature of the soldering metal;

after appropriate relative positioning of the workpieces, to be soldered relative to one another, pressing the workpieces against one another with simultaneous application of pressure and relative displacement by small distances in a range from 0.05 to 1 mm with at least one of a linear, rotating, and oscillating movement, rubbing against one another with surface contact;

just prior to being soldered, bringing the surfaces of the workpieces to be connected to one another into a metal-blank state by mechanical means, by removing a surface oxide film;

wherein the two-phase or multi-phase soldering metal system is one of the following: a) a soldering metal strip produced by multiple longitudinal folding of a strip-like foil of the soldering metal, which is to be introduced or is introduced into a gap provided for the soldering connection between the devices and/or pipes to be connected, with a tubular space extending substantially along its longitudinal middle zone (MZ) between the two outer flanks (AF) connected to one another on both sides of the middle zone along the two edge zones, of the strip by seal welding or cold welding, which space is filled with the particles of the abrasive material; or b) a strip-shaped soldering metal foil, into which a multiplicity of particles of the abrasive material that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with soldering metal or eutectic melt, are introduced, in particular rolled, from one or both sides; or c) a paste comprising particles of the soldering metal uniformly distributed in a fluid or oil evaporating substantially without any residue at temperatures up to a maximum of 250° C. and particles of the abrasive material that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with metal melt, wherein: the soldering metal particles have a particle size of from 0.05 to 0.5 mm, with preference from 0.1 to 0.3 mm; and a quantity ratio of soldering metal to abrasive material particles that break the oxide skin and can be wetted with metal melt being between 3:1 and 30:1, with preference between 5:1 and 10:1.

42. The method according to claim 41, wherein:

the relative movement of the workpieces to be connected material-integrally to one another by the soldering metal, is generated by optionally rotating stroke, impact or shock wave on at least one of the same with simultaneous exertion of a pressure; or

by oscillating relative movement of the workpieces to be connected material-integrally to one another by way of the soldering metal by means of ultrasound acting on at least one of the same, with preference with a frequency of between 25 and 50 kHz.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the soldering metal strip filled in a longitudinal middle zone thereof with the abrasive material particles, according to variant a) thereof, is manufactured by longitudinal folding of a strip foil to form a cross-sectional shape substantially corresponding to the letter W, with a W middle part folded one or more times in a zigzag manner arranged between its outer flanks, the two W outer flanks protruding above the middle part of the W, after which the two W outer flanks are pressed together to the height of the W middle part and the W middle part lying between them is itself pressed together in a first stage to a Y cross-sectional shape, which is then introduced in a second stage over the entire strip length into the angular space between the two arms reaching up obliquely away from each other of the Y strip, thereby forming a powder strand of the abrasive material particles, after which, in a third stage, the two obliquely reaching up Y arms are pressed against one another in a material-compacting manner, thereby forming a soldering metal strip having a bulge of its middle zone filled with the abrasive material particles.