Heat exchange – Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections – With manifold type header or header plate
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-01
2001-01-23
Leo, Leonard (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Side-by-side tubular structures or tube sections
With manifold type header or header plate
C165S153000, C165S173000, C165S178000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176303
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is related to and claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. Hei. 10-33335, filed on Feb. 16, 1998, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat exchanger for a refrigerant cycle in which carbon dioxide (CO
2
) circulates. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a header tank of the heat exchanger.
2. Description of Related Art
In the recent years, instead of flon, CO
2
is used as a refrigerant in a refrigerant cycle (hereinafter, referred to as CO
2
refrigerant cycle). In the CO
2
refrigerant cycle, a pressure of CO
2
refrigerant at a discharging side of a compressor exceeds the critical pressure, and is approximately 10 times of a pressure of flon refrigerant at the discharging side of the compressor. Therefore, in the CO
2
refrigerant cycle, a sufficient strength is necessary at a brazing portion of a heat exchanger. For example, in a conventional radiator described in JP-U-55-10073, as shown in
FIGS. 7A
,
7
B, insertion holes
25
into which flat tubes
11
are inserted are formed in a tank plate
20
a
of a header tank by press-punching, and a header cover
20
b
is brazed to the tank plate
20
a
. Therefore, it is difficult for the conventional radiator to be used in the CO
2
refrigerant cycle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heat exchanger which has a sufficient pressure tightness, and is readily manufactured with simple workability.
According to the present invention, in a heat exchanger, a tank portion of a header tank has insertion holes into which a plurality of tubes are inserted at predetermined position, each of the insertion holes has a hole width in a width direction perpendicular to both of a longitudinal direction of the tubes and an extending direction of the tank portion, and the hole width is approximately equal to a tank width of the tank portion in the width direction. Therefore, the tank width can be made smaller relative to the tubes, and pressure tightness of the tank portion can be improved.
Further, the tank portion of the header tank is integrally formed by extrusion or drawing of an aluminum material, and the insertion holes are formed by shaving the tank portion after the extruding or the drawing. Thus, the workability of the heat exchanger can be improved while the pressure tightness of the tank portion of the header tank can be improved.
Preferably, the tank portion has an inner wall forming a tank passage in which a fluid flows, and a supporting portion extending in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tubes to connect the inner wall of the tank portion and to partition the tank passage into a plurality of spaces. Further, a communication pass through which the spaces of the tank passage communicate with each other is formed in the supporting portion by shaving the supporting portion. Thus, the pressure tightness of the tank portion of the heat exchanger can be further improved.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3411196 (1968-11-01), Zehnder
patent: 3670812 (1972-06-01), Bemrose
patent: 4722387 (1988-02-01), Aurand
patent: 5172761 (1992-12-01), Lyon
patent: 5320165 (1994-06-01), Hughes
patent: 5743329 (1998-04-01), Damsohn et al.
patent: 2013804 (1971-10-01), None
patent: 840451 (1960-07-01), None
patent: 55-10073 (1980-01-01), None
Kobayashi Osamu
Yamamoto Ken
Yamauchi Yoshiyuki
Denso Corporation
Harness Dickey & Pierce PLC
Leo Leonard
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