FR2905003A1 - Charge air cooler for transferring heat between coolant and charge air, has heat exchange core having stack of embossed plate pairs with coolant flow paths and elongated spacers with charge air flow paths, and inlet and outlet tanks - Google Patents

Abstract

A charge air cooler (10) comprises a heat exchange core (30) including a stack of embossed plate pairs each defining a circuitous coolant flow path through the core, and elongated spacers interleaved with the plate pairs to at least partially define charge air flow paths (46) between adjacent plate pairs through the core; a charge air inlet tank (32) connected to a first side of the core to direct the charge air into the charge air flow paths; and a charge air outlet tank (33) connected to a second side of the core to collect the charge air from the charge air flow paths. An independent claim is included for a method of assembling the charge air cooler.

Description

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger and to a

  method of manufacturing a heat exchanger, and more particularly to a charge air cooler and a method of manufacturing a charge air cooler. There is still a need to improve heat exchangers. A common area in need of improvement is for charge air coolers that can provide acceptable performance in relation to low coolant flow rates that are conventional in low temperature coolant circuits as can be seen in the literature. It is expected that they will become more and more common for certain engine applications (for example, diesel engine applications) which will be required to increasingly meet emission compliance strategies. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a heat exchanger which has particular use as a supercharger air cooler in engine systems having low coolant flow rates which are conventional in low temperature coolant circuits. The heat exchanger uses a combination of a bridged plate design and a stacked plate design together with inlet and outlet boxes to eliminate air around the core until to the chiller while obtaining a chiller that can be highly industrialized. The design also allows different heart stack heights for different applications by changing the amount of components for the core without requiring any significant changes to the core components.

  The design may furthermore provide particular advantages in which the core components and potentially other components of the heat exchanger are made of aluminum. In some embodiments, the invention provides a charge air cooler for transferring heat between the charge air and a coolant. The cooler may comprise a heat exchanger core comprising a stack of stamped plate pairs. Each pair of plates can define an indirect or sinuous cooling fluid flow path through the heat exchanger core. The heat exchanger core may also include a number of elongated struts interposed with the pairs of plates to define charge air flow paths between adjacent plate pairs through the heat exchanger core. heat. The charge air cooler may also include a charge air inlet box attached to a first side of the heat exchanger core for directing the charge air into the flow paths of the charge air cooler. A charge air and a charge air outlet box connected to a second side of the heat exchanger core for collecting charge air from the charge air flow paths. In other embodiments, the present invention provides a charge air cooler including a charge air inlet box, a charge air outlet box spaced from the input box. , and a heat exchanger core positioned between the input and output boxes and comprising a stack of plate pairs. Each of the plate pairs can define a multi-pass path for the coolant. First and second elongate struts may be positioned between adjacent pairs of plates and may extend between the inlet box and the outlet box on opposite sides of the heat exchanger core to define pathways. flow for the charge air through the heat exchanger core. The present invention also provides a method of assembling a supercharger air cooler, the method comprising the steps of stamping a plurality of plates, stacking the plurality of plates in pairs of plates so that bosses of each pair of plates at least partially define a flow path for a cooling fluid, to interpose a plurality of elongated spacers between the pairs of plates, to fix a charge air intake box to the couples stacked plates for receiving the charge air and distributing the charge air to flow paths defined between adjacent pairs of plates, and attaching a charge air outlet box to the pairs of plates assembled to receive charge air from the flow paths.

Other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger according to some embodiments of the present invention; Figure 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the heat exchanger shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a plate used in the heat exchanger shown in Figure 1; and Figure 4 is a view of a sup plementary embodiment of the heat exchanger of the present invention. Before details of embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the structural details and arrangement of components set forth in the present invention. description which will follow or shown in the accompanying drawings. The invention is susceptible of other embodiments and to be practiced or to be performed in various ways. Also, it should be understood that the phraseology and terminology used in this document is for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as a limitation. The use of the terms "comprising", "including", or "having" and their variants in this document is intended to encompass the items listed after that and their equivalents as well as additional elements. Unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted", "connected", "supported" and "coupled" and their alternatives are used broadly and include mounts, connections, supports and couplings both direct than indirect. In addition, "connected" and "coupled" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

Also, it will be understood that the phraseology and terminology used in this document with reference to device or element orientation (e.g., terms such as "central", "upper", "lower", "forward", " "Back", and so on) are only used to simplify the description of the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that only the device or element mentioned must have a particular orientation. the terms like "first" and "second" are used in this document for descriptive purposes and are not intended to indicate or imply any significance or relative significance.In the embodiment shown in FIGS. the heat exchanger 10 is a charge air cooler 10 configured to receive a charge air flow 12 from a charge air compressor 14 and to provide a charge air flow. a cooled engine 16 for combustion in a heat engine 18 after transferring heat from a charge air stream 12 to a coolant stream 20 supplied by a cooling system 22 associated with the engine 18. many conventional and known types of supercharger air compressors 14 (for example so-called "turbochargers"), combustion engines 18, and cooling systems 22 which are generally used in vehicles and engines. Other applications, all of which may be accepted for use with the heat exchanger 10 of the present invention. Accordingly, a further description of the components 14, 18 and 22 will not be provided in this document. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the heat exchanger 10 may comprise a core 30, a charge air intake box 32 connected to one side of the core 30 to direct the air flow of the air. supercharger 12 in the core 30, and a charge air outlet box 33 connected to the opposite side of the core 30 to receive the cooled charge air stream 16 from the latter and direct the airflow 2905003 In other embodiments, the charge air inlet and outlet boxes 32, 33 may be placed on the same side of the core 30. In some embodiments, In one such embodiment, the charge air inlet and outlet boxes 32, 33 may be integrally formed and may include one or more internal divisions for defining box inlet and outlet portions. in one piece. In other embodiments, the charge air inlet and outlet boxes 32, 33 may be placed on the adjacent sides of the core 30 (e.g., on the upper and left sides, the lower and the lower sides). left, front and left sides, etc.).

The core 30 may include one or more cooling fluid inlet ports 34 and one or more coolant outlet ports 36 for directing the flow of cooling fluid into and out of the core 30. Embodiment 20 shown in Figures 1 and 2, the core 30 includes a single inlet port 34 and a single outlet port 36 located on a common side of the core 30 to define a countercurrent relationship between the flow In other embodiments, the core 30 may comprise two or more of each of the inlet and outlet ports 34 and the flow of supercooling air 12 through the core 30. , 36 and / or the inlet and outlet ports 34, 36 may be placed on a common side of the core 30, or alternatively, the inlet and outlet ports 34, 36 may be placed on different sides of heart 30. In some embodiments In this type of arrangement, the inlet and outlet ports 34, 36 may be oriented to define a cross flow or parallel flow relationship between the cooling fluid flow 2905003 and the supercharging air flow. Through the core 30. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the core 30 comprises a number of stacked plate pairs 40 (14 in the illustrated embodiment) with air-side fins 42 and FIGS. Elongated spacer bars 44, 45 interposed between adjacent plate pairs 40 to define the air flow paths 46 through the core 30. In the embodiment shown, an air-side fin 42 is supported between each adjacent pair of plates 40, and between a pair of spacer bars 44, 45, which seals opposite ends of the heat exchanger core 30. In other embodiments, two or more fins on the air side 42 may be supported between adjacent pairs of plates 40, the core 30 may comprise one or more pairs of adjacent plate pairs 40 having no air-side fin 42 and / or spacer bar 44 placed therebetween Lastly, a single spacer bar 44 may be placed between one or more pairs of adjacent plates 40, a pair of spacer bars 44, 45 may seal adjacent sides of the heat exchanger core 30, and / or three or four spacer bars 44 may be placed between adjacent pairs of plates 40. While a serpentine or corrugated type fin 42 is shown (only the ends are actually represented for simplicity) for the fin In some embodiments, the core 30 may comprise one or more fins 42 having other configurations, for example, lancet and staggered, louvered, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the spacer bars 44, 45 may each have a substantially square cross-sectional shape. In other embodiments, the spacer bar 44, 45 may have a different cross-sectional shape, for example, round, triangular, wedge, rectangular, trapezoidal, or any other polygonal, oval shape, irregular, and others of this kind. In yet other embodiments, the core 30 may comprise a single plate folded or turned on itself so that the opposite ends of the plate come into contact with each other and so that the plate The single embodiment substantially encloses a coolant flow path 49 and maintains coolant in the coolant flow path 49 distinct from the air flow paths 46. In some embodiments of this type the core 30 may comprise a number of adjacent folded or rolled plates, each of which may define a separate coolant flow path 49, and spacer bars 44 and / or air-side fins 42 may be supported in the heart between adjacent folded or rolled plates. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the plate pairs 40 is formed from a pair of stamped or stamped plates 47, 48 which are joined at their periphery to enclose and define a coolant flow path 49 (best seen in Figure 3) for the coolant therebetween. Each of the plates 47, 48 comprises a pair of apertures 50, 52 which are aligned with the corresponding apertures 50, 52 of the other plates to define respective coolant manifolds 54, 56 for dispensing and collecting the coolant fluid. Cooling to and from the flow paths 49.

In this regard, each of the openings 50, 52 is respectively surrounded by a corresponding raised protuberance 58, 60, which faces outwardly from each pair of plates 40 to mate with an adjacent protuberance In alternative embodiments, inserts may be positioned between each of the apertures 50, 52 to at least partially encompass one or both of the fluid collectors 50, 52, 58, 60. Alternatively, the spacer bars 44, 45 may be formed to surround the openings 50, 52 to form a seal between adjacent pairs of plates 40 and to at least partially define one or both of the coolant collectors 54, 56. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a pair of cooling fluid collectors 54, 56 is placed on a common side In other embodiments, the core 30 may comprise a single collector having an internal division, or alternatively, the core 30 may include two or more collectors 54, 56 located on the heat exchanger core 30. the different sides of the heat exchanger core 30. As shown in FIG. 2, each strut bar 44, 45 may be formed to conform to the corresponding end periphery of adjacent plate pairs. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the spacer bars 44 located on one side of the core 30 (i.e., the right side in FIG. 2) comprise profiled portions 64. 66, which wrap around the correspondingly projecting protuberances 58, 60 of adjacent plate pairs 40 to seal the air side of the core 30 of the corresponding end of the core 30. As shown in FIG. shows figure 2, the bars of ent The ends of the reticles 45 located on the opposite side of the core 30 (i.e., the left side in FIG. 2) may have a shape corresponding to the ends of the adjacent plate pairs 40 in order to seal the air side of the core. core 30 at the corresponding end of the core 30. While the spacer bars 44, 45 of the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 2 have a different shape for sealing the differently shaped sides of the core 30, in others In embodiments, the spacer bars 44, 45 may have a similar shape for engaging similarly shaped sides of the core 30. In some embodiments of this type, common spacer bars may be placed on opposing sides of the core 30, eliminating the need for differently shaped spacer bars 44, 45 and simplifying assembly of the core 30. The core 30 may also include a top plate 67 and a bottom plate sandwiching the pairs of plates 40 and spaced fins 42 and spacer bars 44, 45 therebetween. In the embodiment shown, the upper plate 67 has a pair of apertures for receiving the apertures 34, 36, while the lower plate 68 has no apertures to encompass the collectors 54, 56. In other embodiments, one of the orifices 34, 36 (for example, the inlet port 34) may extend through an opening in the upper plate 67 and the other orifice 34, 36 (through for example, the outlet port 36) can extend through an opening in the lower plate 68, or alternatively, the two orifices 34, 36 can extend through the bottom plate 68.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the upper plate 67 engages an upper pair of plates 40 and the lower plate 68 engages a lower pair of plates 40. In other embodiments, a fin 42 may be supported between the upper plate 67 and the upper pair of plates 40 and / or a fin 42 may be supported between the lower pair of plates 40. In still other embodiments, the upper plate 67 can be eliminated and the upper pair of plates 40 can define an apex of the core 30 and / or the lower plate 68 can be eliminated and the lower pair of plates 40 can define the bottom of the core 30 In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, each of the plates 47, 48 comprises a peripheral boss 70 and a plurality of longitudinal bosses 72, 74, 76, 78 and 80 which extend inwardly from the projection perimeter 70 to cooperate with the other plate 47, 48 of the pair of plates 40 to define the coolant flow paths 49 with multiple passages A, B, C, D, E and F for create a cross flow with the charge air flow paths 46 through the core 30. In addition, curved bosses 82 are provided between the adjacent ends of the passages A through E to help direct the flow. cooling fluid from one passage to the next with a uniform distribution of the coolant flow. As shown in FIG. 3, the longitudinal bosses 72, 74, 76, 78 and 80 and the curved bosses 82 define an indirect coolant flow path 49 through each of the pairs of plates 40. In other embodiments, one or both of the plates 47, 48 may have bosses having other configurations and relative orientations for defining an indirect coolant flow path 49. In yet others Embodiments, one or both plates 47, 48 may have other longitudinal protuberances and / or curved protuberances, one or more of which may be hot joined, welded, or brazed to one or both plates. 47, 48 to at least partially define the cooling fluid flow path 49. In some embodiments, one or both of the plates 47, 48 may comprise a number of elevated c-shaped bosses. 84, 86 for reinforcing the connection between the plates 47, 48 and / or acting as turbulators for the cooling fluid flow. While a preferred shape is shown for the plates 47, 48, it will be appreciated that there are many possible shapes for the plates 47, 48 and that the particular shape selected will depend on a number of parameters for each specific application. For example, in some applications, fewer, or more, of multiple passes A to F may be desired. Similarly, in some applications, the bosses 82, 84 and 86 may be removed, or modified as desired. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supercharger air intake and supercharger air inlet boxes 32, 33 each have a peripheral rim 90, 92, respectively, corresponding to, and mates respectively with, the lateral air peripheries 94, 96, of the core 30 defined by the edges 30 of the upper and lower plates 67, 68, the spacer bars 44, 45 and the corresponding ends of the pairs of the plates 40 which surround the inlet and outlet sides of the air flow paths 46 through the core 30. The corresponding peripheries 90, 94 and 92, 96 may be appropriately connected to each other. In this connection, for example by heat-sealing, welding, or soldering, to seal the peripheries 90, 94 and 92, 96 together to prevent or limit leakage of the charge air stream from the heat exchanger 10. and around the flow paths 46. In some embodiments, a gasket or gasket may be positioned between the core 30 and the charge air intake box 32 and / or between the core 30 and the charge air outlet box 34. The charge air intake and charge air outlet boxes 32, 33 may have a suitable structure and, in the illustrated embodiment, the charge air intake and output boxes. charge air 32, 33 are shown as moldings or moldings formed from a suitable material, the charge air inlet box 32 having a suitable air inlet port 100 formed thereon and the outlet box 33 having a suitable air outlet port 102 formed thereon. In this regard, it is important to note that the use of the spacer bars 44, 45 helps define a peripheral surface so that the boxes 32, 33 can be coupled and bonded appropriately with the Although any suitable material for the heat exchanger 10 may be used, in some preferred embodiments it is desirable to form the boxes 32, 33 and the core components from aluminum and bond all the components of the heat exchanger together by using a suitable brazing, welding, or hot-junction operation. An advantage of the structure shown for the core 30 is that it can allow different sizes of the heat exchanger 10 by simply adding or sub-milking the number of pairs of plates 40 and spaced fins 42 and spacer bars 44, 45 without requiring a change in the component configuration for core components 30. This is shown in FIG. 4 which shows a core 30 formed from seven pairs of plates 40 and a corresponding number of intercalated vanes 42 and spacer bars 44, 45. In this regard, it will be appreciated that it is preferred that the charge air inlet box 32 and the air outlet box supercharger 33 are dimensioned so that their peripheries 90, 92 conform to the peripheries 94, 96 of the core 30.

Claims (23)

  1. Charge air cooler for transferring heat between a coolant and charge air, the cooler being characterized by comprising: a heat exchanger core 30) comprising a stack of stamped plate pairs (40), each pair of plates (40) defining an indirect coolant flow path (49) through the heat exchanger core (30), and a plurality of elongate struts (44,45) interposed between the plate pairs (40) for at least partially defining supercharging air flow paths between adjacent plate pairs (40) through the heat exchanger core {30); a charge air inlet box (32) connected to a first side of the heat exchanger core (30) for directing the charge air into the charge air flow paths; and a charge air outlet box (33) connected to a second side of the heat exchanger core (30) for collecting charge air from the air flow paths of the overeating.   A charge air cooler as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that each of the stamped plate pairs (40) defines a plurality of step-wise along the coolant flow paths between the can. the charge air inlet (32) and the charge air outlet box (33). 2905003 16   A charge air cooler according to claim 2, characterized in that a plurality of depressions (84, 86) are formed in a plate of one of the pairs of plates (40) along at least one passage of the plurality of passages.   Charge air cooler according to claim 2, characterized in that arc-shaped protuberances are positioned along the pairs of plates (40) for distributing the cooling fluid between the plurality of passages.   A charge air cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises arcuate protuberances formed along at least one of the plates of each pair of plates (40). ) for directing the coolant through the indirect coolant flow paths (49).   Charge air cooler according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plurality of elongate struts (44, 45) extends between the charge air intake box (32) ) and the charge air outlet box (33) on opposite sides of the heat exchanger core (30).   A charge air cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it further comprises a corrugated fin (42) positioned between two of the plurality of strut bars (44, 45).   A charge air cooler according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the elongated struts (44, 45) seal the heat exchanger core (30). 5   9. Charge air cooler for transferring heat between a coolant and charge air, the cooler being characterized by comprising: an air intake box; supercharging (32); A charge air outlet box (33) spaced from the input box (32); and a heat exchanger core (30) positioned between the input (32) and output (33) boxes and comprising a stack of plate pairs (40), each of which pairs of plates (40) define a multi-pass path for the cooling fluid, first and second elongated struts (44, 45) positioned between adjacent pairs of plates (40) and extending between the inlet box (32) and the outlet (33) on opposite sides of the heat exchanger core (30) for defining flow paths for charge air through the heat exchanger core (30). 25   A charge air cooler according to claim 9, characterized in that each pair of plates (40) defines an indirect coolant flow path (49) through the heat exchanger core (30). . 30   A charge air cooler according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that it further comprises a plurality of substantially parallel bosses (72, 74, 76, 78, 80) formed along at least one of each of the plate pairs (40) defining the multi-pass path for the coolant.   A charge air cooler as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that it further comprises arcuate protuberances formed along at least one of the plates of each of the torques. plates (40) for defining an indirect portion of the coolant path (49).   A charge air cooler according to any one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that it further comprises depressions (84, 86) formed along at least one of the passages of the fluid path cooling (49).   A charge air cooler according to any one of claims 9 to 13, characterized in that it further comprises a corrugated fin (42) positioned between the first and second elongate struts (44, 45) and between pairs of adjacent plates (40). 25   Charge air cooler according to one of claims 9 to 14, characterized in that the elongate struts (44, 45) form a seal between adjacent pairs of plates (40). 30   A method of assembling a charge air cooler, the method characterized by comprising the steps of: stamping a plurality of plates (40); ù stacking the plurality of plates in pairs of plates (40) so that the bosses (70, 72, 74, 76, 2905003, 78, 80) of each pair of plates (40) at least partially define a path flow for a cooling fluid; inserting a plurality of elongated struts (44, 45) between the pairs of plates (40) to attach a charge air intake box (32) to the stacked plate pairs (40) to receive the air supercharging and distributing the charge air to the defined flow paths between pairs of adjacent plates (40); and attaching a charge air outlet box (33) to the assembled plate pairs (40) to receive the charge air from the flow paths.   The method of claim 16 further comprising forming a plurality of passages along the cooling fluid flow path between the pairs of plates (40) and between the bosses ( 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80).   18. A method according to claim 17, characterized in that stamping the plurality of plates (40) comprises forming arcuate bosses (82) along the plurality of plates to define at least partially the plurality of passages.   19. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 18, characterized in that it further comprises forming depressions (84, 86) in the plurality of plates between the bosses (70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80) to form turbulators positioned along the cooling fluid flow path. 35 2905003 20   The method of any one of claims 16 to 19, characterized in that stamping the plurality of plates (40) comprises forming arcuate bosses (82) formed along at least one pairs of stamped plates to define a sinuous flow path.   21. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 20, characterized in that the intercalation of the plurality of elongate struts (44,45) between the pairs of plates (40) comprises positioning the plurality of spacers. elongated (44,45) between the charge air inlet box (32) and the charge air outlet box (33) on opposite sides of the heat exchanger core (30).   22. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 21, characterized in that it further comprises positioning a corrugated fin (42) between two spacers of the plurality of elongate struts (44,45) and along the supercharging air flow path.   23. A method according to any one of claims 16 to 22, characterized in that the intercalation of the plurality of elongated struts (44, 45) between the pairs of plates (40) comprises sealing the opposite sides of the couples. stacked plates (40).