Heat exchanger

Abstract

A heat exchanger having a tube-fin block that is closed by two collecting tanks, whereby the ends of the tubes engage in a bottom of the particular collecting tank and the bottom is closed with a cover. A partition wall secured to the cover is formed transverse to a longitudinal extension of the collecting tank and divides an interior space of the collecting tank into two subchambers. The heat exchanger, which prevents great structural changes for compensating temperature-induced stresses, a first stress decoupling device is formed in the bottom and/or a second stress decoupling device in the area of the partition wall in the cover of at least one collecting tank.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger comprising: a tube-fin block that is fluidically connected to two collecting tanks; tubes having ends that engage in a bottom of each of the collecting tanks, the bottom of each of the collecting tanks being closed with a cover; a partition wall secured to the cover of at least one of the collecting tanks, the partition wall being formed transverse to a longitudinal extension of the at least one of the collecting tanks and dividing an interior space of the at least one of the collecting tanks into two subchambers; and first stress decoupling devices formed in the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks in an area of the partition wall and a second stress decoupling device formed in the area of the partition wall in the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks, wherein, in each of the first stress decoupling devices, a slot that runs in a longitudinal direction of the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks is provided, wherein the slot is expanded by a further slot that runs in the transverse direction of the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks, wherein the slot and the further slot are each formed as through-holes that extend entirely through the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks, wherein the second stress decoupling device is provided in an upper surface of the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks and is formed as a corrugation, wherein a circumferential border of the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks, provided at side surfaces of the cover, is formed as a corrugated flange, and wherein a first one of the two subchambers has a higher temperature than a second one of the two subchambers, and wherein by being formed in the area of the partition wall, the first stress decoupling devices are only located in an area of the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks between a supply connector and an outlet connector, such that a step offset is provided between the two subchambers to relieve stresses transmitted via the bottom to the tubes.

2. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the corrugation is formed V- or U-shaped.

3. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks is lowered in the area of the partition wall in a direction of the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks, and wherein the partition wall is formed between the corrugation and the circumferential border of the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks.

4. The heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein a height of the partition wall resting on the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks corresponds to <50% of a total height of the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks.

5. The heat exchanger according to claim 3, wherein a height of the partition wall corresponds to between 1 and 100% of a height of the circumferential border of the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks.

6. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein a seal or a sealing frame is arranged between the partition wall and the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks.

7. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the first stress decoupling devices of the bottom of the at least one of the collecting tanks are formed as an attenuation elasticity.

8. The heat exchanger according to claim 1, wherein the cover of the at least one of the collecting tanks has one medium inlet connector and two medium outlet connectors, wherein the medium inlet connector is associated with the first one of the two subchambers formed by the partition wall and the two medium outlet connectors are associated with the second one of the two subchambers.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

(3) FIG. 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

(5) FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

(6) FIG. 5 shows an exemplary embodiment of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the invention;

(7) FIG. 6 shows a functional illustration of the heat exchanger of the invention according to FIG. 1;

(8) FIG. 7 shows a functional illustration of the heat exchanger of the invention according to FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows a first exemplary embodiment of heat exchanger 1 of the invention. Heat exchanger 1 has two collecting tanks 2, 3, between which a tube-fin block 4 is disposed. Tubes 5 formed within tube-fin block 4 engage with their respective ends in collecting tanks 2 or 3. Collecting tank 3 has a recess 6, to which in the interior a partition wall 12 attaches, which divides collecting tank 3 into a high-temperature region 31 and a low-temperature region 32. This means that the illustrated heat exchanger 1 has a main circuit, which is realized by high-temperature region 31, and an integrated auxiliary circuit, which is formed by low-temperature region 32. Partition wall 12 in this case prevents the fluids to be cooled from intermixing within collecting tanks 2 and 3. High-temperature region 31 in this case has a medium supply connector 7 and a medium outlet connector 8. Low-temperature region 32 also comprises a medium supply connector 9 and a medium outlet connector 10, whereby medium supply connector 9 is formed on collecting tank 2, whereas medium outlet connector 10 is positioned on collecting tank 3. In contrast, for high-temperature region 31 medium supply connector 7 and medium outlet connector 8 are both disposed on collecting tank 3. Next to recess 6, to which partition wall 12 is attached within collecting tank 3, a V-shaped corrugation 11 (i.e., second stress decoupling device) is routed in cover 13 of collecting tank 3.

(10) A plan view of cover 13 of collecting tank 3 is shown in FIG. 2, from which it emerges that partition wall 12, which runs transverse to the longitudinal extension of cover 13, is formed opposite to recess 6. FIG. 2 also shows that a circumferential border 18 of the cover 13 has a corrugated flange 23.

(11) As is shown in FIG. 3, each collecting tank 2, 3 has a cover 13 and a bottom 14. Bottom 14 in this case has openings 15 into which tubes 5 of tube-fin block 4 extend. Between tubes 5, fins 16 are formed by means of which the heat transfer between the air, flowing along fins 16, of the internal combustion engine and the coolant flowing in tubes 5 is increased. A sealing frame 17 is formed between bottom 14 and V-shaped corrugation 11.

(12) FIG. 4 shows that cover 13 has the circumferential border 18. Cover 13 is connected to bottom 14 via the corrugated flange 23, whereby bottom 14 is clamped under cover 13.

(13) A section of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5, from which it is evident that slots 20 (i.e., first stress decoupling device), which make bottom 14 more movable, are introduced in bottom 14. As shown in FIG. 6, slots 20 comprise a slot 20a in the longitudinal direction of bottom 14, which is expanded by a slot 20b in the transverse direction of the bottom. The mode of action of these slots 20 will be explained in greater detail by using FIG. 6. Because slots 20 of bottom 14 are preferably formed in the area of partition wall 12, they enable a step offset of bottom 14 between high-temperature chamber 21 and low-temperature chamber 22. Stresses transmitted via bottom 14 to tubes 5 are relieved thereby, as a result of which damage to tubes 5 is prevented.

(14) Corrugation 11 of cover 13 has a similar effect, as is evident from FIG. 7. Forces that move bottom 14 relative to low-temperature chamber 22, are applied in high-temperature chamber 21, as a result of which an offset is formed. This offset can be compensated by the movement of cover 13, which is realized by corrugation 11. The expansion arising therefrom at tubes 5 is thus prevented.

(15) It is conceivable that in addition to corrugation 11 of cover 13 and slots 20 of bottom 14, bottom attenuations (not shown further) are introduced also as a mirror image to partition wall 12 or asymmetrically to partition wall 12 in bottom 14; these allow additional elasticity for bottom 14 to compensate such shifts of bottom 14.

(16) The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.