Heat exchange – Radiator core type – Deformed sheet forms passages between side-by-side tube means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-29
2003-08-19
Leo, Leonard (Department: 3743)
Heat exchange
Radiator core type
Deformed sheet forms passages between side-by-side tube means
C165S135000, C165S176000, C165S906000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06607026
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heating, ventilation and/or air-conditioning device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Heating, ventilating and/or air conditioning devices are known having a thermal loop equipped with an evaporator, said evaporator consisting of a stack of plates having opposite first and second longitudinal ends some of which have separation elements intended to divert a flow of cooling liquid circulating in an axial direction of the evaporator so as to direct it to a channel region in which it travels from one said end to the other in a longitudinal direction of the plates.
The partition plates and, more generally, the chamber passages in evaporators with brazed plates are designed to meet the requirements of mechanical strength and to promote a balanced distribution of the cooling fluid in the various channels. Likewise, the parts of the coolant ducts close to the inlet and outlet manifolds meet the same requirements, while also seeking to promote turbulence of the flow in order to intensify the heat exchanges.
In its current design, which makes it possible to reconcile mechanical strength and high level of heat exchange, the geometry is a source of turbulence and of breakaway flow of the cooling fluid which are likely to generate noise emission causing discomfort for the user.
The present invention proposes to reduce the flow noise which is generated on the outside by the evaporator.
To this end the invention proposes to limit the vibratory excitation of the partition plates or even of the end plates.
The basic idea of the invention, according to a first aspect, is to limit the excitation in the regions where the cooling fluid arrives on the walls of the exchanger with a speed component perpendicular to the wall, this being obtained by adding stiffening elements which make it possible to limit the response of the wall to the frontal impacts of the fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to a first aspect the present invention provides a heating, ventilation and/or air-conditioning device including a thermal loop equipped with a heat exchanger, said heat exchanger consisting of a stack of orientation plates having first and second opposite longitudinal ends defining channel regions between them in which a cooling fluid travels from one said end to the other in a longitudinal direction of the orientation plates, the first and the second longitudinal ends of the orientation plates having means for directing a flow of the cooling liquid either in an axial direction of the evaporator or, by diverting it, in a longitudinal direction of the orientation plates, in a said channel region, certain orientation plates being axial-orientation plates, and certain orientation plates being partition plates which, at least at one of their ends, divert the said flow of cooling liquid into a said channel region, the heat exchanger also having end plates arranged at its two opposite axial ends, wherein at least one of the first and second longitudinal ends of at least one partition plate and/or of at least one end plate is coupled to at least one of the first and second ends of a said orientation plate by means of a damper element.
This makes it possible to reduce the vibratory amplitudes and/or to guide the fluid.
Heat exchangers generally have a rectangular shape the largest dimension of which is parallel to the direction of the non-diverted flow of the cooling fluid. The orientation plates are generally rectangular and have a length which is parallel to the direction of flow of the fluid in the channels.
The invention applies also to other geometries. That being so, in the sense of the present application, the term “axial” is understood as designating the direction of flow of the cooling fluid when it is not diverted by an orientation plate, and the term “longitudinal direction of the orientation plates” is understood as the general direction of flow of the fluid along the channel or channels, from one longitudinal end of the plates to the other.
According to a first embodiment, at least some of said orientation plates are partition plates which, at least at one end, have at least one separating wall constituting a said separation element and which have at least one rib which constitutes a said stiffening means.
According to a second embodiment, at least some orientation plates are plates called standard plates having, at their first and second ends, at least one boss provided with an aperture allowing axial passage of the cooling liquid and at least certain orientation plates are substantially flat and, at least at one end, have at least one separating wall the thickness of which is greater than twice the thickness of said standard plates, this thickness advantageously being at least equal to the thickness of an end plate, and which constitutes a said stiffening means. The plate may have a substantially constant thickness, or the separating wall may even have a thickness greater than that of the rest of the plate. It is particularly advantageous for the separating wall to be profiled in such a way as to guide the cooling fluid from said axial direction of the evaporator to said longitudinal direction of the plates, which makes it possible to reduce the noise by at least partly preventing the impact due to said speed component.
According to a third embodiment of the invention in its first aspect, the heat exchanger, for example an evaporator, consists of a stack of said standard plates and of partition plates having, at their first and second ends, at least one boss having a bearing face at least one of which has a separation element and at least one flat plate is interposed between the bearing faces of the bosses of two partition plates.
According to another embodiment of the invention in its first aspect, the evaporator consists of a stack of said standard plates, which have a first face, particularly a flat face, and a second face, particularly a flat face, from which said bosses extend, and at least some of said flat plates are interposed between the first faces of two standard plates in such a way as to define two cooling-fluid passage half-channels, one between the first face of one of said two standard plates and a first face of said flat plate and the other between the second face of said flat plate and the first face of the other of said two standard plates.
At least one said flat plate may have at least one cooling-fluid axial passage aperture at one end.
According to another embodiment of the invention in its first aspect, a said stiffening means is a stiffening plate which is interposed between a said end of two plates and which is secured to them.
The embodiments given above make it possible to deal with the problem of the noise from the partition plates, but the invention, in its first aspect, applies equally to the case of the end plates and, to this end, at least one end plate includes at least one said stiffening means.
According to one embodiment, this stiffening means is a stiffening plate integral with one end of said end plate.
According to another embodiment, said stiffening means consists of an edge of the end plate which is folded onto one face of said end plate. Alternatively, at least one transverse edge and/or a longitudinal edge projecting from the end plate may be folded against at least one lateral surface of the heat exchanger.
According to a second aspect, the invention envisages reducing the noise generated by the end plates by decoupling them from the mechanical stresses which they receive.
According to its second aspect, the invention relates to a heating, ventilation and/or air-conditioning device including a thermal loop equipped with a heat exchanger, for example an evaporator, said heat exchanger consisting of a stack of orientation plates having opposite first and second longitudinal ends and defining channel regions between them in which a cooling fluid travels from one said end to the other in a longitudinal direction of the orientation plates, the first and the second longitudinal ends of the orientation plat
Legot Laurent
Naji Said
Leo Leonard
Valeo Climatisation
LandOfFree
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