Abstract: Heat exchange inefficiencies found in round tube plate fin heat exchangers are eliminated in an aluminum heat exchanger that includes first and second headers (20), (22) and at least one flattened tube (24), (70) extending between the headers (20), (22). A plurality of generally parallel tube runs are defined and each has opposite edges. A plurality of plate fins (26), (50) are arranged in a stack and each has a plurality of open ended slots (34), one for each run of the tubes (24), (70). Each of the tube runs (24), (70) is nested within corresponding slots (26) and the fins (26), (50) with one of the edges (40) of the tube runs extending outwardly of the corresponding fin (26). The assembly is brazed together.

Abstract: A method for punching heat dissipating tubes to fins comprises the steps of arranging a plurality of heat dissipating fins in parallel; aligning the via holes of the fins; inserting a plurality of heat dissipating tubes into the through holes formed by the via holes; inserting a plurality of press rods into the recesses of the via holes; positioning the fins upon a fixture; using a plurality of punching plates to impact the press rods to further impact the heat dissipating tubes so that the heat dissipating tubes are clamped tightly by the walls of the via holes; and drawing out the press rods from the recesses. In another case, the press rods can be removed and the recesses are made to extend to the edges of the fins and the punching plates punches the heat dissipating tubes directly.

Abstract: A universal fin for use on a heat exchanger having a known number of vertical and horizontal tube passes. The universal fin has a plurality of openings arranged in equally spaced columns and equally spaced rows. One or more continuous fins having columns and rows of openings equal to the known number of tube passes can be removed from the universal fin and assembled with a tube portion to form the heat exchanger. The openings on the universal fin are configured so that one or more fins can be separated from the universal fin for use on a heat exchanger regardless of the number of horizontal and vertical passes that comprise the heat exchanger.

Abstract: A fluid to gas heat exchanger comprising a plurality of fin-tube elements (6). Each fin-tube element is an integral extrusion and comprises tubes portions (61) for carrying heat exchange fluid and fin portions (62) for dissipating heat. The fin portions and tube portions run in the same direction side by side.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for a refrigerator is disclosed, which has a simple structure, an improved heat exchanging efficiency, and an operating reliability. In the heat exchanger including a refrigerant tube (10) having a plurality of straight parts (11) and a plurality of curved parts (12) which connect the straight parts; and a plurality of fins (20) coupled to the straight parts (11) respectively through a plurality of inner through holes (21), the refrigrant tube (10) has a joining portion of the curved parts (12) and the straight parts (11) coated with a metal layer (110).

Abstract: A universal fin for use on a heat exchanger having a known number of vertical and horizontal tube passes. The universal fin has a plurality of openings arranged in equally spaced columns and equally spaced rows. One or more continuous fins having columns and rows of openings equal to the known number of tube passes can be removed from the universal fin and assembled with a tube portion to form the heat exchanger. The openings on the universal fin are configured so that one or more fins can be separated from the universal fin for use on a heat exchanger regardless of the number of horizontal and vertical passes that comprise the heat exchanger.

Abstract: In the manufacture of a fin and tube heat exchanger coil, a protective coating is applied to selective portions of the tubing in order to prevent corrosion of the fins due to galvanic corrosion and/or to prevent corrosion of the tubing due to formicary corrosion. The coating is applied to selective portions of the tube to include that portion that comes in direct contact with the plate fins or would be exposed to condensate and excluding that portion which is subsequently brazed to return bends.

Abstract: Welds (111a) are provided in areas that are offset from curved portions (111b) where stress concentration is likely to occur. This allows excess stress to be inhibited to occur at the welds at the time of tube enlargement. Therefore, even if the welds are softened and proof stress (mechanical strength) is reduced at the time of welding, as the stress occurring at the welds at the time of the tube enlargement can be prevented from exceeding the proof stress (allowable stress) of the welds, the welded tubes can be adopted in a radiator in which the tubes (111) and the fins (112) are joined together mechanically by tube enlargement. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the tubes can be reduced in comparison with the case when seamless tubes are adopted as the tubes.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing metal fins suitable for use in a heat exchanger which includes providing a coated patterned fin stock having a series of parallel stripes disposed longitudinally across the width of one surface of the fin stock. The stripe pattern is evenly spaced in the central portion of the fin stock, and staggered or more further spaced apart at the edges of said fin stock. The fin stock is passed through a series of forming dies to form or draw a plurality of tube receiving collared holes in the fin stock, followed by slitting or cutting the fin stock longitudinally to form a plurality of fin strips. The staggered spacing compensates for transverse movement of the fin stock during the drawing operation, and assures for accurate positioning of the collars between the fin stripes. The invention also includes the use of the fins in a high density coil design for use in a heat exchanger.

Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a corrugated metal sheet comprising a first side having a plurality of first troughs alternating with a plurality of first peaks, and a second side having a plurality of second troughs alternating with a plurality of second peaks, each trough being formed by a pair of walls, each wall separating the first side from the second side and extending from a first peak to a second peak, the troughs and peaks extending in parallel and defining a longitudinal direction. Each first peak is formed with at least one depression, the depressions in respective peaks being aligned to form at least one tube-receiving channel extending transversely to the longitudinal direction. Each depression has a contact surface formed in the first side and extending laterally over each adjacent first trough. A tube section is received in each tube-receiving channel in substantially conforming contact with the contact surfaces.

Abstract: An improved air center form roll for use in combination with a like form roll to produce an accordion-like folded fin for a heat exchanger core, the form roll being of the type comprising a plurality of form discs abutted one to the other and having a plurality of star-like teeth thereabout. Points of the star-like teeth define a major diameter of the form roll and valleys between adjacent ones of the star-like teeth define a minor diameter of the form roll. The form roll further includes at least one stripper disc having no teeth therearound and interposed between at least two of the plurality of form discs wherein the stripper disc has a diameter less than the minor diameter of the form roll. The improvement to the form roll comprises a modified disc having a plurality of modified star-like teeth thereabout. The modified disc is interposed at each abutment between the stripper disc and one of the abutting form discs.

Abstract: In a manufacturing method of a heat exchanger including a core portion having a plurality of tubes and a plurality of radiation fins connected to surfaces of the tubes, and a tank portion communicating with the tubes, a preheating step, a brazing step, a gradual cooling step and a cooling step are performed in this order. In the preheating step, temperature of the tank portion having a large heat capacity is increased earlier than that of the core portion having a small heat capacity. Therefore, the temperature of the tank portion is rapidly increased, and the temperature of the core portion is obediently increased in accordance with the temperature increase of the tank portion.

Abstract: A dog-bone type heat exchanger having a plurality of fin members for dissipating heat. Each of the plurality of fin members includes a pair of offset surfaces interconnected by a sloped interconnecting surface. The plurality of fins members may be spaced apart at a distance that is less than, equal to, or more than the offset distance between the pair of offset surfaces on each fin member, thereby maximizing the mixing of air flow and the conductive heat transfer of the heat exchanger through an impinging effect.

Abstract: An automatic assembling apparatus for inserting hair pins into holes formed on a heat exchanger including a plurality of flat plate fins and two side panel disposed both sides of said flat plate fins are provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of manufacturing a fin for a heat-exchange module which comprises at least two heat exchangers equipped with fluid-circulation tubes and comprising cooling fins common to the exchangers. The fin consists of a metal strip (14) having a width (L1) divided into at least two heat-exchange regions (18, 20) by at least one series of longitudinal oblong holes spaced apart from one another. In accordance with the method of the invention, at least one series of longitudinal slits (22) is formed, spaced apart from one another, in the metal strip (14), and the longitudinal slits are widened so as to form a series of oblong holes spaced apart from one another. According to one embodiment variant, stampings (24) are formed between the longitudinal slits (22), and these stampings are flattened so as to widen the slits (22) and form the oblong holes.

Abstract: Improved plastic heat exchanger production systems are described. The production systems are arranged to extrude plastic tubing, cut the tubing into segments of desired length and convey the tubing to a plurality of aligned tube inserters. Clip strips are feed through the tube inserters which sequentially automatically insert tube segments into the clip strips. The clip strips are then cut at desired lengths to provide tubing panels of a desired size or sizes. In a preferred system, header pipes are attached to the respective ends of the cut tubing panels to provide completed heat exchanger panels. When desired, heat exchangers having laterally offset tubes may be created by cutting one or more middle clip strips into spacer segments and rotating the spacer segments to laterally offset at least some of the tubes. In another aspect of the invention, improved tube inserters suitable for inserting plastic tubing into a plastic clip strip are described.

Abstract: In the method of manufacturing a heat exchanger, transverse sectional shapes of heat exchanging tubes can be easily formed into elliptical shapes. The method includes the steps of: piling metallic fins, each of which includes collared through-holes, so as to form tube holes, which are formed by connecting the collared through-holes; piercing heat exchanging tubes, whose transverse sectional shapes are circular shapes, through the tube holes; and inserting expanding bullets, whose transverse sectional shapes are elliptical shapes, into the heat exchanging tubes. The heat exchanging tubes are elliptically expanded to and integrated with the metallic fins.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a heat exchanger for a cooling cycle includes the steps of: preparing the pipes and the fins having through-holes through which the pipes are inserted, arranging the fins parallel depth-wise and in several separate groups depth-wise and then inserting the pipes through the through-holes of the fin groups, bending the outer portions of the pipes so that the fin groups separated from each other are piled in layers along the longitudinal direction of air flow and the inner portions of the pipes are arranged in at least two coplanar rows along the longitudinal direction of air flow, and wrenching the bending portion of the pipes to form each pipe row into a zigzag shape.

Abstract: A method of making an evaporator and the resultant evaporator. The resultant evaporator comprises a continuous serpentine tube having an inlet and an outlet. The serpentine tube includes at least one column of parallel tube runs. Each tube run is defined by at least one reverse bend. The column of parallel tube runs has an overall length defined by the distance between the outermost tube runs. The evaporator further comprises a plurality of inner fins attached to the individual tubes. Each inner fin extends between two tube runs defined by opposite ends of a reverse bend. The inner fins have a length less than the overall length the column of tube runs.

Abstract: A heat exchanger assembling apparatus includes a tube loading device for loading tubes of a heat exchanger, in an aligned state, in a tray having partitions at intervals, a fin supply device for supplying fins supplied through a chute to spaces between the partitions for the tubes in the tray, by transferring the tray at intervals, a support supply device for supplying erected supports to spaces between the partitions at the outermost side in the tray, a vision inspector for inspecting whether the fins, the tubes, and the supports are appropriately arranged in the tray without any missing part spaces, a discharging device for discharging the fins, the tubes and the supports from the tray to a table and aligning the fins, the tubes, and the supports with respect to a width direction and a lengthwise direction, a transfer device for gripping the fins, the tubes, and the supports and transferring the fins, the tubes, and the supports to a header assembly table, and a header assembling device.

Abstract: Fins and tubes are brazed by brazing material spread on the inside of bent portions. As the interval between the fins and the tubes does not increase upon melting the brazing material, the tubes and the fins can be easily piled and assembled with each other, and the operability in assembling a heat exchanger can be improved. Further, as the brazing material remains mainly around the bent portions, most parts of the fins and the tubes are not covered with the brazing material, and there is no diffusion of the brazing material at the heating of the brazing step. Accordingly, heat exchanging performance of the heat exchanger can be improved, and even if the thickness of the fins and that of the tubes are reduced, the occurrence of the erosion can be prevented.

Abstract: A method of making a heat exchanger core (56) having a stack of fins (60) having collared holes through which tubes (30) are laced. An overlying fin is supported on an underlying fin by collars (90) around the holes in one of the fins. Leading lengthwise end portions (66) of the tubes are corrugated and each tube is laced, via its leading lengthwise end portion, through a respective set of aligned holes in the fins. Then the tubes are mechanically staked to at least some of the fins in the stack by expanding the cross sections of the corrugated leading lengthwise end portions of the tubes against the collared holes in those fins through which the corrugated leading end portions pass (FIGS. 14-18).

Abstract: A method for transporting heat exchanger fins and forming a core subassembly for a heat exchanger uses a universal fin tray for all subassemblies instead of different tray sizes for different core subassemblies. The method includes indexing core plates forward under a stationary fin stuffing box, loading fins into the universal fin tray, indexing the loaded fins forward one at a time corresponding to the number of fins required, pushing required fins into the fin stuffing box when indexing reaches number required for the core subassembly, and pushing fins out of the fin stuffing box into the plates forming the core subassembly. A universal fin tray size, a stationary fin box, and a stationary cut off are used for all core sizes.

Abstract: A method of assembling a heat exchanger unit (12) that involves an expansion technique for securing a heat exchanger tube (18) to a number of fins (24) without physical intrusion into the tube passage. The method includes forming the tube (18) to have substantially parallel tube portions (26). Pairs of tubes portions (26) may be connected by a bend or an elbow (28) to yield a serpentine tube configuration. Each of the fins (24) is formed to include one or more apertures that are sized to receive the tube portions (26). The fins (24) are then arranged to form a fin pack (22), so that their apertures are aligned to form an aggregate passage through the fin pack (22). The tube portions (26) are then inserted into the aggregate passage, such that the elbow (28) (if present) and/or the ends of the tube (18) remain outside the fin pack (22).