HEAT EXCHANGER WITH EXTRUDED TANKS
A heat exchanger having a pair of extruded tanks in which the tanks have a configuration which facilitates manufacture and the securement of support rails to the tanks for securing the tanks together.
This application claims priority and the benefit of 35 USC §119(e) to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/916,323, filed 16 Dec. 2013.
SCOPE OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to heat exchanges and, more particularly, to a heat exchanger with extruded tanks configured to facilitate securement of the tanks together by rails to the side of the tanks; more preferably, to a preferred configuration for an extruded tank for a heat exchanger.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONHeat exchangers are well known and useful as vehicle and equipment radiators. A disadvantage of previously known heat exchangers is the difficulty of configuring tanks at opposed ends of a heat exchanger towards avoiding leakage in use. Another disadvantage of known heat exchangers is to maximize the available area which can be used for media flow therethrough as, for example, to maximize the area available for air flow therethrough in, for example, an air cooled heat exchanger or radiator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONTo at least partially overcome these disadvantages of previously known devices, the present invention provides a heat exchanger of extruded tanks in which the tanks have a configuration which facilitates manufacture and the securement of support rails to the tanks securing the tanks together.
In one aspect, the present invention provides a heat exchanger comprising:
a first tank and a second tank,
each tank comprising an extruded member formed by extrusion along a longitudinal having exterior surfaces comprising a front face, back face, right side face and left side face, a top end and bottom end,
a passageway extending longitudinally through the extruded member open at each of the top end and the bottom end,
end plates provided with one end plate closing each passageway at each respective of the top end and bottom end,
each passageway defined within interior surfaces comprising a front surface and a rear surface,
the front surface being planar and having a right lateral edge and a left lateral edge,
the rear surface extending from the right lateral edge of the front surface to the left lateral edge of the front surface defining the passageway there between,
a header plate defined on each tank between the respective front face and the front surface portion of each passageway,
each header plate having an array of apertures therethrough into the respective passageway,
a plurality of tubes extending from the first tank to the second tank,
each tube having a first end and a second end,
the first end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective aperture of the first tank and the second end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective aperture of the second tank.
Preferably, each second surface is a concave surface opposed to the respective the front surface.
Preferably, the right lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the right side face,
the left lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the left side face,
proximate a junction of the right side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the right side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending right corner portion,
proximate a junction of the left side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the left side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending left corner portion,
a plurality of respective blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank or the left corner portion of each tank,
an upper frame member having a first end and a second end,
a lower frame member having a first end and a second end,
each frame member extending between the tanks to securely couple the tanks together with the tubes extending between the tanks,
the first end of each frame member secured to the first tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the first tank and the second end of each frame member secured to the second tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the second tank.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:
Reference is made to
The second tank 12 comprises an elongate extruded tube 16 having an elongate passageway 17 longitudinally therethrough which is closed at each of its ends by end caps 18 and 19. The tube 16 of the second tank 12 is best shown in
The tube 16 defines a planar header plate 20 formed between the front face 73 and the interior front surface 77 of the passageway 17. The header plate 20 has an array of apertures 22 which extend therethrough to provide communication through the header plate 20 into the passageway 17. On each of the right side face 70 and the left side face 71, a plurality of blind bores 83 extend inwardly laterally into the respective triangular sections 81 and 82 to receive bolts, such as the bolt 79 and its lock washer 80 shown on
The first tank 11 comprises an elongate extruded tube 24 having an elongate passageway 25 longitudinally therethrough which are closed at each of its ends by end caps 26 and 27. The tube 24 of the first tank 11 is best shown in
The tube 24 of the first tank 11 is effectively identical to the tube 16 of the second tank 12 with a notable exception of firstly that the tube 24 includes a longitudinally extending baffle 30 which extends rearwardly from the header plate 110 to define two longitudinally extending parallel portions of the passageway 25, namely, a front passage 28 and a rear passage 29. At the top and the bottom of the extruded tube 24, the baffle 30 is partially cut away to provide at each end a space for the end caps 26 and 27 to be engaged to the first tank 11 to close the front passage 28 and the rear passage 29 with the end caps 26 and 27 to be flush with or preferably slightly recessed into the top face 95 and bottom face 96 to facilitate welding the respective top face 95 and bottom face 96 of the tube 24.
Secured to the tube 24 of the first tank 11 are an inlet nipple 31 and an outlet nipple 32.
The inlet nipple 31 comprises a cylindrical tube 128 with an open outer end 129 carrying a cylindrical boss 130 about which a cooling fluid delivery tube (not shown) may be clamped in a known manner as to provide for communication of fluid to the heat exchanger 10 from an engine (not shown) to be cooled. Similarly, the outlet nipple 32 comprises a cylindrical tube 131 with an open outer end 132 and a raised boss 133 thereabout for connection as by clamping of a cooling fluid return tube (not shown), to return cooling fluid to the engine to be cooled. Each of the inlet nipple 31 and outlet nipple 32 have their cylindrical walls suitably cut away such that each nipple may be brazed or welded to the first tank 11 and provide appropriate communication, with the front passage 28 in the case of the inlet nipple 31 and the rear passage 29 in the case of the outlet nipple 32. As can be seen in the cross-sectional view of
Reference is made to
While
A preferred manner of sealably engaging the tubes of the core 15 to the header plates 20 and 110 is to utilize resilient sealing grommets similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,354 to Lesage, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein.
Reference is made to
In the preferred embodiment, the apertures such as the apertures 122 through the header plate 20 have been shown to be cylindrical. This is not necessary and the tubes can be of other shapes such as oval about which preferred resilient oval grommets may be provided to sealably engage each tube to the header plate.
Each of the tubes 16 and 24 are preferably extruded from aluminum or alloys of aluminum.
While the invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, many modifications and variations will now occur to those skilled in the art. For a definition of the invention, reference is made to the appended claims.
Claims
1. A heat exchanger comprising:
- a first tank and a second tank,
- each tank comprising an extruded member formed by extrusion along a longitudinal having exterior surfaces comprising a front face, back face, right side face and left side face, a top end and bottom end,
- a passageway extending longitudinally through the extruded member open at each of the top end and the bottom end,
- end plates provided with one end plate closing each passageway at each respective of the top end and bottom end,
- each passageway defined within interior surfaces comprising a front surface and a rear surface,
- the front surface being planar and having a right lateral edge and a left lateral edge,
- the rear surface extending from the right lateral edge of the front surface to the left lateral edge of the front surface defining the passageway there between,
- a header plate defined on each tank between the respective front face and the front surface portion of each passageway,
- each header plate having an array of apertures therethrough into the respective passageway,
- a plurality of tubes extending from the first tank to the second tank,
- each tube having a first end and a second end,
- the first end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective aperture of the first tank and the second end of each tube sealably engaged within a respective aperture of the second tank.
2. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein each second surface is a concave surface opposed to the respective the front surface.
3. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2 wherein each second surface is a chord of a circle in any cross-section normal the longitudinal.
4. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 3 wherein each second surface is a semicircle in any cross-section normal the longitudinal.
5. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 4 wherein the right lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the right side face,
- the left lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the left side face,
- proximate a junction of the right side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the right side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending right corner portion,
- proximate a junction of the left side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the left side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending left corner portion,
- a plurality of respective blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank or the left corner portion of each tank,
- an upper frame member having a first end and a second end,
- a lower frame member having a first end and a second end,
- each frame member extending between the tanks to securely couple the tanks together with the tubes extending between the tanks,
- the first end of each frame member secured to the first tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the first tank and the second end of each frame member secured to the second tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the second tank.
6. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5 wherein the blind bores comprise a plurality of respective right blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank and a plurality of respective left blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the left corner portion of each tank.
7. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 6 wherein the blind bores comprise a plurality of respective right blind bores for each tank extending from the right face into the right corner portion of each tank and a plurality of respective left blind bores for each tank extending from the left face into the left corner portion of each tank.
8. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 7 wherein each frame member is coupled to a right blind bore and to a left blind bore on each tank.
9. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 7 wherein each tank is extruded from aluminum or an alloy of aluminum.
10. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 9 wherein the first tank includes a longitudinally extending baffle extending from the interior front surface to the interior rear surface and dividing the passageway into a right passage and a left passage,
- a first set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the right passage and a second set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the left passage.
11. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 10 wherein the first tank including an inlet port in communication with the right passage and an outlet port in communication with the second passage.
12. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 11 wherein the baffle is integral with each tank and extruded with each tank.
13. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the right lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the right side face,
- the left lateral edge of the front surface is proximate a juncture of the front face and the left side face,
- proximate a junction of the right side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the right side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending right corner portion,
- proximate a junction of the left side face and the rear face, the second surface is spaced inwardly from both the left side face and the rear face defining a longitudinally extending left corner portion,
- a plurality of respective blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank or the left corner portion of each tank,
- an upper frame member having a first end and a second end,
- a lower frame member having a first end and a second end,
- each frame member extending between the tanks to securely couple the tanks together with the tubes extending between the tanks,
- the first end of each frame member secured to the first tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the first tank and the second end of each frame member secured to the second tank by bolts engaged in the blind bores in the second tank.
14. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 13 wherein the blind bores comprise a plurality of respective right blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the right corner portion of each tank and a plurality of respective left blind bores for each tank extending from one of the exterior faces into the left corner portion of each tank, and
- wherein each frame member is coupled to a right blind bore and to a left blind bore on each tank.
15. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein each tank is extruded from aluminum or an alloy of aluminum.
16. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first tank includes a longitudinally extending baffle extending from the interior front surface to the interior rear surface and dividing the passageway into a right passage and a left passage,
- a first set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the right passage and a second set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the left passage.
17. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 15 wherein the first tank includes a longitudinally extending baffle extending from the interior front surface to the interior rear surface and dividing the passageway into a right passage and a left passage,
- a first set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the right passage and a second set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the left passage,
- wherein the baffle is integral with each tank and extruded with each tank.
18. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 16 wherein the first tank including an inlet port in communication with the right passage and an outlet port in communication with the second passage.
19. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 5 wherein each tank is extruded from aluminum or an alloy of aluminum.
20. A heat exchanger as claimed in claim 19 wherein the first tank includes a longitudinally extending baffle extending from the interior front surface to the interior rear surface and dividing the passageway into a right passage and a left passage,
- a first set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the right passage and a second set of the apertures through the header plate of the first tank opening into the left passage,
- wherein the baffle is integral with each tank and extruded with each tank.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 9, 2014
Publication Date: Jun 18, 2015
Inventor: Daniel R. Pawlick (Toronto)
Application Number: 14/564,439