Heat exchanger arrangement, method for producing a heat exchanger arrangement, and internal combustion engine having the heat exchanger arrangement

Abstract

A heat exchanger arrangement is provided with a housing provided with a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and designed to be flowed through by the fluid. A heat exchanger is arranged in the housing between fluid inlet and fluid outlet and surrounded by the housing. The heat exchanger is arranged such that the fluid can flow through the heat exchanger. The housing has a seal contour. The heat exchanger is connected with form fit at a fluid inlet of the heat exchanger or at a fluid outlet of the heat exchanger to the seal contour of the housing. In a method of producing the heat exchanger arrangement, a seal surface of the seal contour of the housing is melted and pressed against a seal region of the heat exchanger at the fluid inlet of the heat exchanger or at the fluid outlet of the heat exchanger.

Claims

1. A heat exchanger arrangement comprising: a housing comprising a fluid inlet for receiving a fluid in the form of heated air and a fluid outlet for discharging the fluid in the form of cooled air, the housing formed of a first shell and a second shell; and a heat exchanger arranged in the housing between the fluid inlet of the housing and the fluid outlet of the housing and surrounded by the housing; wherein the heat exchanger is arranged such that the fluid can flow through the heat exchanger; wherein the housing comprises a seal contour formed on at least one of the first shell and the second shell; wherein the seal contour of the housing comprises a meltable and formable plastic material that is materially fused to a seal surface of the heat exchanger at the fluid inlet of the housing or at the fluid outlet of the housing; and wherein a seal surface of the seal contour of the housing toward the heat exchanger is separate from and coplanar to a seal surface of one of the first shell and the second shell toward the other one of the first shell and the second shell.

2. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first shell and the second shell are sequentially arranged in a flow direction of the fluid in an intended use of the heat exchanger arrangement.

3. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the first shell is connected to the second shell at a contact location.

4. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 3, wherein the first shell is welded to the second shell at the contact location.

5. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the seal contour is arranged at an inner wall of the first shell.

6. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 5, wherein the seal contour is integrally formed at the inner wall of the first shell.

7. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the seal surface of the seal contour toward the heat exchanger is aligned with the seal surface of the one of the first shell and the second shell toward the other one of the first shell and the second shell.

8. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is surrounded by the housing.

9. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is completely disposed within only one of the first shell and the second shell of the housing.

10. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a metal flange configured to seal against the seal contour, and wherein the seal contour is arranged at one of the first shell and the second shell.

11. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger is a charge air cooler and the housing is an intake pipe.

12. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the seal contour comprises a region having the seal surface, and wherein at least the seal surface of the region is formed of the meltable and deformable plastic material.

13. The heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 12, wherein the housing and the seal contour are formed of plastic material.

14. A method for producing a heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, the method comprising: melting the seal surface of the seal contour of the housing; materially fusing the seal surface of the seal contour of the housing against a seal region of the heat exchanger at the fluid inlet of the heat exchanger or at the fluid outlet of the heat exchanger; and joining the first shell and the second shell together at the seal surface that is separate from and coplanar to the seal surface of the seal contour of the housing.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising performing melting of the seal surface of the seal contour of the housing during joining of the first and second shells of the housing.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising joining the first and second shells of the housing to each other by welding.

17. An internal combustion engine comprising: a heat exchanger arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the housing is an intake pipe for charge air and wherein the heat exchanger is a charge air cooler arranged in the intake pipe.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages result from the following drawing description. In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated. The drawings, the description, and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person of skill in the art will consider the features expediently also individually and combine them to expedient further combinations.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a section illustration of an intake pipe with integrated charge air cooler with elastomer seal according to the prior art.

(3) FIG. 2 shows a section illustration of a heat exchanger arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 shows a detail of an interface of the heat exchanger arrangement according to FIG. 2.

(5) FIG. 4 shows a schematic process sequence for producing a heat exchanger arrangement.

(6) FIG. 5 shows in exploded illustration an intake pipe with a charge air cooler according to an embodiment of the invention.

(7) FIG. 6 shows as a plan view a shell of the intake pipe in FIG. 5 with indicated stepped section plane A.

(8) FIG. 7 shows a plan view in accordance with the section plane A of the intake pipe and the charge air cooler of FIG. 5 with an indicated section plane B through the intake pipe.

(9) FIG. 8 shows a plan view of the charge air cooler in FIG. 5 in the section plane B.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(10) In the Figures, same or same-type components are identified with same reference characters. The Figures show only examples and are not to be understood as limiting.

(11) FIG. 1 shows a section illustration of an intake pipe 50 with integrated charge air cooler and with an inserted separate elastomer seal between charge air cooler 12 and intake pipe 50 according to the prior art. The elastomer seal 22 must be mounted in a separate assembly step.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a section illustration of a heat exchanger arrangement 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 shows a detail of an interface of the heat exchanger arrangement 100 according to FIG. 2.

(13) The heat exchanger arrangement 100 comprises a heat exchanger 10 surrounded by a housing 52. The housing 52 can be flowed through by a fluid and comprises a fluid inlet 54 and a fluid outlet 56 for the fluid. The heat exchanger 10 is arranged between fluid inlet 54 and fluid outlet 56 so that the fluid can flow through it. The housing 52 comprises, for example, a partially or completely circumferentially extending seal contour 80 to which the heat exchanger 10 is connected with form fit.

(14) The housing 52 is configured, for example, as an intake pipe 50 and the heat exchanger 10 as a charge air cooler 12.

(15) The housing 52 is formed of two shells 58, 60 which, for intended use, are sequentially arranged in the flow direction 90 of the fluid. One shell 58 is welded to the other shell 60 at a contact location 70 between the flange 72 of one shell 58 and the flange 74 of the other shell 60. Optionally, the shells can however also be screw-connected to each other, riveted or connected by clips.

(16) The heat exchanger 10 is surrounded completely by the housing 52 and is completely immersed in the shell 58 which is positioned opposite the shell 60 with the seal contour 80. In this context, the heat exchanger 10 is inserted with an element 24 at its end remote from the seal contour 18 into a receptacle 62 of the shell 58.

(17) In this embodiment, the seal contour 80 is integrally formed as a circumferentially extending rib at the inner side of one shell 60 and surrounds the fluid outlet of the heat exchanger 10 completely. A seal surface 82 of the seal contour 80 toward the heat exchanger 10 is coplanar to a seal surface 76 of one shell 60 toward the other shell 58. This facilitates joining of the components. Of course, the arrangement can also be selected such that the seal contour 80 surrounds the fluid inlet of the heat exchanger.

(18) In this embodiment, the seal surface 82 of the seal contour 80 toward the heat exchanger 10 within the housing is aligned with the seal surface 76 of one shell 60 toward the other shell 58 toward the exterior.

(19) The housing 52 with the seal contour 80 is formed, for example, of plastic material.

(20) The heat exchanger 10 is configured at its end face 14 with a flange 16 and pressed against the seal contour 80. The end face 14 is, for example, the outflow-side end of the heat exchanger where the fluid exits from the heat exchanger 10.

(21) The flange 16 is, for example, a metal flange, for example, of aluminum. The seal contour 80 contacts with the seal surface 82 the flange 16 at the seal surface 18.

(22) Advantageously, the seal surface 82 of the seal contour 80 is melted and plastified in the welding process, in which the two shells 58, 60 are joined at their flanges 72, 74, and pressed against the seal region 18 of the heat exchanger 10 where the seal contour solidifies. When the shells 58, 60 are brought together, the heat exchanger 10 is clamped between the receptacle 62 and the seal contour 80.

(23) FIG. 4 illustrates schematically the process sequence.

(24) In step S100, two shells 58, 60 are provided, one of which is provided with a seal contour 80; the heat exchanger 10 is inserted into the other shell 58.

(25) In step S102, the seal surface 82 of the seal contour 80 is partially melted and pressed against the flange 16 of the heat exchanger 10 in that the shells 58, 60 are brought together. In this way, component tolerances can be compensated.

(26) In step S104, the flanges 72, 74 of the shells 58, 60 are connected to each other, in particular welded, and an air-tight connection between the shells 58, 60 is produced.

(27) FIGS. 5 to 8 show various views of an intake pipe 50 with a charge air cooler 12 in accordance with the afore described heat exchanger arrangement 100.

(28) FIG. 5 shows in exploded view the intake pipe 50 with two shells 58, 60 between which the charge air cooler 12 is arranged. The charge air cooler 12 comprises two separate cooling regions that are separated by an intermediate space 26 that is not flowed through. The seal contour 80 is arranged in the shell 60 and is indicated with dashed lead line.

(29) FIG. 6 shows the intake pipe 50 as a plan view of the shell 58 of the intake pipe 50. The shell 58 comprises four outlet openings, not identified in detail, through which air cooled in the charge air cooler 12 exits from the intake pipe 50. The flow direction 90 of the air is indicated by thick arrows.

(30) An indicated stepped section plane A extends through the shell 60 and the charge air cooler 12.

(31) FIG. 7 shows the plan view of the section plane A with an indicated section plane B. In the left half of the illustration, the section plane A extends through a flow region of the shell 60 while in the right half of the illustration the charge air cooler 12 can be seen inside the intake pipe 50.

(32) At the fluid inlet of the respective cooling region, the charge air cooler 12 is positioned at the seal contour 80 in the shell 60. At the fluid outlet, the charge air cooler 12 is supported on a step of the shell 58, not identified in detail.

(33) The seal contour 80 surrounds, in accordance with the flow direction 90 of the fluid in this embodiment, the fluid inlet of the charge air cooler 12. The section plane B is positioned such that the connection flange 74 of the shell 60 is separated from the shell 60.

(34) It is understood however that the seal contour 80 can also be arranged such that the fluid outlet of the charge air cooler 12 is surrounded.

(35) As can be seen in FIG. 8 in a plan view of the section plane B, the charge air cooler 12 is separated by the intermediate space 26 that is not flowed through into two cooling regions, each with a respective fluid inlet of the charge air cooler 12. The seal contour 80 surrounds each fluid inlet completely.