U.S. patent application number 11/457617 was filed with the patent office on 2006-11-02 for low profile finned heat exchanger.
Invention is credited to Stephen A. Beech, Michael E. Davies, Michael A. Martin, Thomas F. Seiler.
Application Number | 20060243431 11/457617 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27739995 |
Filed Date | 2006-11-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060243431 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Martin; Michael A. ; et
al. |
November 2, 2006 |
LOW PROFILE FINNED HEAT EXCHANGER
Abstract
Low profile heat exchanger including a fin plate having opposite
facing first and second sides and including a plurality of spaced
apart elongate fins that extend outward from the first side and
define a plurality of elongate passages that are open facing on the
second side, and a flat container having spaced apart cover and
shim plates sealably joined about peripheral edges thereof and
defining a fluid conducting chamber, the container having an inlet
opening and an outlet opening in communication with the fluid
conducting chamber to permit a fluid to pass into, through, and out
of the fluid conducting chamber, wherein the first side of the fin
plate is mounted to the shim plate to permit thermal transfer
therebetween and the second side of the fin plate is exposed.
Inventors: |
Martin; Michael A.;
(Oakville, CA) ; Beech; Stephen A.; (Mississauga,
CA) ; Davies; Michael E.; (Stoney Creek, CA) ;
Seiler; Thomas F.; (Milton, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
DYKEMA GOSSETT PLLC
39577 WOODWARD AVENUE
SUITE 300
BLOOMFIELD HILLS
MI
48304-5086
US
|
Family ID: |
27739995 |
Appl. No.: |
11/457617 |
Filed: |
July 14, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
10368896 |
Feb 18, 2003 |
|
|
|
11457617 |
Jul 14, 2006 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
165/170 ;
165/109.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F28F 3/027 20130101;
F28D 1/0308 20130101; F28D 2021/0092 20130101; F28F 3/12 20130101;
F28D 2021/0094 20130101; F28D 2021/0087 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
165/170 ;
165/109.1 |
International
Class: |
F28F 13/12 20060101
F28F013/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 19, 2002 |
CA |
2,372,399 |
Claims
1-21. (canceled)
22. A low profile heat exchanger for heat exchange between a fluid
and air flowing past said heat exchanger, said heat exchanger
comprising: a fin plate having opposite facing first and second
sides, a first end, and a second end, and including a plurality of
spaced-apart elongate fins that extend from the first side and
define a plurality of elongate air passages that are open facing
away from the first side and that run from said first end to said
second end, each fin being a longitudinal row of generally U-shaped
transverse convolutions provided in the fin plate, at least some of
the convolutions in each row being transversely offset along the
row relative to other convolutions in the row; and a low profile
container having a cover plate and further plate sealably joined
about peripheral edges thereof and defining a chamber for
conducting said fluid, the container having an inlet opening and an
outlet opening in communication with said chamber, the first side
of the fin plate and said fins being exposed thereby allowing air
to flow past said first side and said fins during use of said heat
exchanger, the cover plate having an integral sidewall flange
provided about a peripheral edge thereof and extending towards and
sealably brazed to the further plate, wherein the second side of
the fin plate is brazed to the further plate to permit thermal
transfer between the low profile container and the fin plate.
23. The heat exchanger of claim 22 wherein the further plate is a
planar sheet, the cover plate has a substantially planar central
portion, and the integral sidewall flange extends about a
peripheral edge of the central portion.
24. The heat exchanger of claim 23 wherein a lateral connecting
flange is provided at a peripheral edge of the sidewall flange, the
connecting flange having a planar surface that abuts and is
connected to the further plate.
25. The heat exchanger of claim 24 wherein a turbulizer having rows
of fluid flow augmenting convolutions is located in the fluid
conducting chamber.
26. The heat exchanger of claim 24 wherein at least one of the
cover plate and the further plate has a plurality of embossed ribs
formed thereon that extend into the fluid conducting chamber
providing a serpentine flow path therethrough between the inlet and
outlet openings.
27. The heat exchanger of claim 22 wherein the inlet and outlet
openings are formed through the cover plate in locations opposing
the further plate.
28. The heat exchanger of claim 22 wherein a plurality of air flow
passages, that extend through the further plate, the fluid
conducting chamber and the cover plate, are provided through the
low profile container, the air flow passages each being sealed from
the fluid conducting chamber.
29. The heat exchanger of claim 28 wherein said air passages
defined by said fins are in flow communication with the air flow
passages through the low profile container.
30. The heat exchanger of claim 22 wherein said further plate is
made of braze clad aluminum or braze clad aluminum alloy.
31. The heat exchanger of claim 26 wherein said further plate is
made of braze clad aluminum or braze clad aluminum alloy.
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to Canadian Patent
Application No. 2,372,399, filed Feb. 19, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to low profile finned heat
exchangers used for cooling fluid.
[0003] Low profile heat exchangers are typically used in
applications where the height clearance for a heat exchanger is
quite low, for example, slush box coolers in snow mobiles, and
under-body mounted fuel coolers in automotive applications. One
style of known low profile heat exchangers include a louvred plate
that is exposed to air flow, snow and general debris, with a
serpentine tube affixed to and passing back and forth across the
plate. The fluid to be cooled passes through the serpentine tube.
Another style of known low profile heat exchanger includes fins
running transverse to and integrally extruded with top and bottom
walls that are connected along opposite side edges to define a
cavity that is welded shut at opposite ends after extrusion to
provide a fluid cooling container.
[0004] Known low profile heat exchangers can be heavy and can be
relatively expensive to manufacture. Thus, there is a need for a
low profile heat exchanger that is relatively light weight and
relatively cost efficient to manufacture. Also desired is a low
profile heat exchanger that has an improved fluid temperature drop
for its relative size.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] According to the present invention there is provided a low
profile heat exchanger that includes a fin plate having opposite
facing first and second sides and including a plurality of spaced
apart elongate fins that extend outward from the first side and
define a plurality of elongate passages that are open facing on the
second side, and a low profile container having spaced apart cover
and shim plates sealably joined about peripheral edges thereof and
defining a fluid conducting chamber, the container having an inlet
opening and an outlet opening in communication with the fluid
conducting chamber. The first side of the fin plate is mounted to
the shim plate to permit thermal transfer therebetween and the
second side of the fin plate is exposed.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a low profile heat exchanger that includes an extruded
fin plate having a planar support wall with opposite facing first
and second sides and including a plurality of spaced apart elongate
fins that extend outward from the second side and define a
plurality of passages that are open facing away from the second
side, and a separately formed low profile cover plate having a
substantially planar central portion that is spaced apart from the
first side of the support wall, the cover plate and support wall
being joined about peripheral edges thereof and defining a fluid
conducting chamber therebetween with an inlet opening and an outlet
opening in communication with the fluid conducting chamber to
permit a fluid to pass into, through, and out of the fluid
conducting chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be
described, by way of example with reference to the following
drawings.
[0008] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a heat exchanger
according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0009] FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the lines 11-11 of
FIG. 1.
[0010] FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG.
1.
[0011] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the
turbulizer plate of the heat exchanger of FIG. 1
[0012] FIG. 5 is an enlarged scrap view of the portion of FIG. 4
indicated by circle 5 in FIG. 4.
[0013] FIG. 6 is a plan view of the turbulizer plate of FIG. 4.
[0014] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG.
1
[0015] FIG. 8 is a top plan view of a shim plate used in an
embodiment of the heat exchanger.
[0016] FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the lines IX-IX of
FIG. 8.
[0017] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a skeletal barrier plate used
in an embodiment of the heat exchanger.
[0018] FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the lines XI-XI of
FIG. 10.
[0019] FIG. 12 is a top plan view of a heat exchanger according to
another embodiment of the invention.
[0020] FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the lines XIII-XIII
of FIG. 12.
[0021] FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the heat exchanger of FIG.
12.
[0022] FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of an alternative fin plate
for use with embodiments of the heat exchanger of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of the fin plate of FIG.
15.
[0024] FIG. 17 is a bottom plan view of a further alternative fin
plate.
[0025] FIG. 18 is a top plan view of yet a further cover plate for
use with the heat exchanger of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 19 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a heat
exchanger according to the present invention.
[0027] FIG. 20 is a sectional view taken along the lines XX-XX of
FIG. 19.
[0028] FIG. 21 is an exploded perspective view of another
embodiment of a heat exchanger according to the present invention
ad FIG. 21A is a partial sectional view of an assembled portion of
the heat exchanger taken along lines XXIA-XXIA of FIG. 21.
[0029] FIG. 22 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a heat
exchanger according to the present invention.
[0030] FIGS. 23A-23C are sectional views taken along the line
XXIII-XXIII of FIG. 22, each showing a different possible cover
plate and shim plate combination according to embodiments of the
present invention.
[0031] FIG. 24 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of a heat
exchanger according to the present invention.
[0032] FIGS. 25 is sectional views taken along the line XXV-XXV of
FIG. 24.
[0033] FIG. 26 is a side elevational view of the heat exchanger of
FIG. 24.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown an exploded view of
a heat exchanger, indicated generally by reference numeral 10,
according a preferred embodiment of the invention. The heat
exchanger 10 includes a bottom fin plate 12, a shim plate 14, a
turbulizer plate 16, and a cover plate 18. The plates are shown
vertically arranged in FIG. 1, but this is for the purposes of
explanation only. The heat exchanger can have any orientation
desired.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover plate 18 together with
the shim plate 14 define a flattened, low profile container having
an internal fluid conducting chamber 24. The cover plate 18
includes a central planar portion 20 that is generally rectangular
in the illustrated embodiment. A sidewall flange 22 is provided
around all four peripheral edges of the central planar portion 20.
The sidewall flange 22 extends towards the shim plate 14 providing
a continuous sidewall about the fluid conducting chamber 24.that is
defined between the cover plate 18 and the shim plate 14. Outwardly
extending connecting flanges 26 are preferably provided along the
bottom edges of at least one pair of opposing wall portions of the
sidewall flange 22. Each connecting flange 26 has a planar surface
27 that abuts against and is secured to the shim plate 14.
[0036] A pair of fluid flow openings 28 and 30, one of which
functions as a fluid inlet and the other of which is a fluid
outlet, are provided through the central planar portion 20 in
communication with the fluid conducting chamber 24. In one
embodiment, cylindrical fittings 32, 34 having flow passages
therethrough are provided for openings 28,30. The fittings 32, 34
may have annular flanges 36 sealably connecting the fittings to the
cover plate 18.
[0037] In a preferred embodiment the cover plate 18 is of unitary
construction and made of roll formed or stamped aluminum alloy that
is braze clad.
[0038] The shim plate 14 is simply a flat plate having a first
planar side that faces an inner side of the central planar portion
20 of the cover plate 18, and an opposite planar side 37 that faces
and is connected to the fin plate 12. The shim plate 14 is
substantially rectangular in the illustrated embodiment, having a
footprint that is approximately the same as the footprint of the
cover plate 18. Shim plate 14 is, in a preferred embodiment, made
from a braze clad aluminum or aluminum alloy sheet.
[0039] The fin plate 12 is, in one preferred embodiment, a unitary
structure formed from extruded aluminum or aluminum alloy. The fin
plate 12 includes a flat support wall 38 having a first planar side
40 facing and secured to the shim plate 14, and an opposite facing
side 42 on which is provided a plurality of elongate, parallel fins
44. Mounting flanges 46 having securing openings 48 therethrough
may be provided along opposite side edges of the support wall 38 to
allow the heat exchanger to be mounted to a surface.
[0040] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the fins 44 each run
substantially from a first end to a second end of the support wall
38, and define a plurality of elongate passages 50 therebetween.
The side of the fin plate 12 facing away from the shim plate 14 is
open such that alternating fins 44 and passages 50 are exposed so
that in use, air can flow through the passages 50 and over fins 44.
In some applications, other substances such as water and snow and
other debris may be thrown against the exposed fins and passages.
In the heat exchanger shown in FIGS. 1-3, the fins 44 are straight
fins, that each extend a uniform distance at a perpendicular angle
from the outer planar side 42 of the fin support wall 38, and which
run from one end to an opposite end of the heat exchanger.
[0041] The turbulizer plate 16 is located in the fluid conducting
chamber 24 to augment fluid flow therein and thereby increase the
efficiency of heat removal from the fluid. With reference to FIGS.
4,5, 6 and 7, in a preferred embodiment, the turbulizer plate 16 is
formed of expanded metal, namely aluminum, either by roll forming
or a stamping operation. Staggered or offset transverse rows of
convolutions 64 are provided on turbulizer plate 16. The
convolutions have flat bottoms and tops 66 to provide good bonds
with cover plate 18 and shim plate 14, although they could have
round tops, or be in a sine wave configuration, if desired. Part of
one of the transverse rows of convolutions 64 is compressed or roll
formed or crimped together to form transverse crimped portions 68
and 69 (crimped, as used herein, is intended to include crimping,
stamping, roll forming or any other method of closing up the
convolutions in the turbulizer plate 16). Crimped portions 68,69
form a barrier 62 to reduce short-circuit flow inside the fluid
conducting chamber 24. The barrier 62 is represented using phantom
lines in FIG. 7, and runs between the flow openings 28 and 30 so
that fluid entering at one opening 28 or 30 simply cannot take a
straight path through the convolutions 64 in the fluid chamber 24
and exit at the other flow opening 30 or 28, but rather must take a
more circuitous route. In the illustrated embodiment in which the
two flow openings 28, 30 are located near a common end 60, the
barrier 62 extends from close to the common end 60 to a point 72
that is set off from the opposite end 58 of the heat exchanger 10
such that a substantial portion of the fluid flowing into the
chamber 24 from opening 28 must flow in a U-shaped flow path around
point 72, as indicated by arrow 74, prior to exiting the chamber 24
through opening 30 (in the case where opening 28 is the inlet and
opening 30 is the outlet for chamber 24). In a preferred
embodiment, the cover plate 18 and the shim plate 14 are formed
from braze clad aluminum, and the heat exchanger 10 is constructed
by assembling the parts in the order shown in FIG. 1, clamping the
parts together and applying heat to the assembled components in a
brazing oven, thereby sealably brazing the cover plate side wall
flange 22 about its lower end to the shim plate 14 with the
turbulizer plate 16 sandwiched between the cover plate 18 and shim
plate 14, and brazing the shim plate 14 to the support wall 38 of
the fin plate 12. Soldering could, in some applications, be used in
place of brazing from connecting the components together. Other
metallic materials, for example steel, and non-metallic polymer
materials could be used to form some or all of the components of
the heat exchanger for some embodiments. Polymer components could
be thermally bonded together, ultrasonically bonded, or bonded
using adhesive or other means.
[0042] The heat exchanger 10 can conveniently be used as a
low-profile device for cooling a fluid that passes through the
fluid flow container defined by the cover plate 18 and shim plate
14, with heat from fluid being conducted away from the fluid to
exposed fins 44, which in turn are cooled by air passing there
through. In some applications, the cooling of exposed fins 44 is
assisted by other substances such as snow and water that gets
thrown against the exposed fins 44. The heat exchanger 10 can be
used, for example, as an engine coolant cooler in a snowmobile, or
as an underbody mounted fuel cooler in an automotive application,
although these examples are not exhaustive.
[0043] The heat exchanger 10 can be manufactured in different sizes
relatively easily by extruding longer fin plates 12 and roll
forming correspondingly longer shim and cover plates 14,18.
Although the cover plate 18 has been described above as having an
integrally formed sidewall flange 22, in some embodiments, separate
sidewalls may be used. Furthermore, in some embodiments, shim plate
14 could be omitted, and in its place the upper side of the support
wall 38 used as the bottom wall for the fluid conducting chamber
24. Although the heat exchanger 10 has been illustrated as being
rectangular, it could also have different shapes--for example it
could have a circular disc-like configuration in some
applications.
[0044] A variety of different types of turbulizers or flow
augmentation means can be used in the fluid conducting chamber 24,
and in some applications, the turbulizer plate 16 may not be
present. Furthermore, a short-circuit barrier different than
crimped barrier 62 could be used in some embodiments. In this
regard, FIGS. 8 and 9 show a further shim plate 78 that could be
used in place of shim plate 14 in the heat exchanger 10. The shim
plate 78 has a central elongate baffle wall 80 extending
transversely upward therefrom to the cover plate 18 (not shown in
FIG. 8). The baffle wall 80 is positioned between locations at
which the flow openings 28 and 30 are provided through the cover
plate 18 (such locations being illustrated by the phantom lines 28'
and 30' in FIG. 8) such that baffle wall causes the fluid in
chamber 24 to follow an indirect U-shaped flow path as indicated by
flow arrow 82. The baffle 80 is preferably formed from a portion of
the shim plate 78 that has been stamped out along three side edges
and then pivoted, upwards about a fourth side edge that remains
connected to the rest of the shim plate 78, leaving a rectangular
opening 84 through the shim plate 78 that is sealably blocked by
the support wall 38. Separate turbulizer plates, can be located on
opposite sides of the baffle wall 80.
[0045] FIGS. 10 and 11 show a skeletal baffle plate 86 that can be
used in place turbulizer plate 16 between shim plate 15 and cover
plate 18 in a further alternative embodiment of heat exchanger 10.
The positions of flow openings 28 and 30 relative to the skeletal
baffle plate 86 are illustrated by phantom lines 28' and 30' in
FIG. 10. The skeletal baffle plate 86 includes an outer rectangular
frame 88 that is dimensioned to snugly fit within the sidewall
flange 22 of the cover plate 18. The skeletal baffle plate 86 has a
height H (see FIG. 11) that conforms to the height of the fluid
chamber 24, and includes alternating substantially parallel baffle
walls 90,92. Baffle walls 90 extend from a first end wall 94 near
where the flow openings 28, 30 are positioned, to close to an
opposite end wall 96. Alternating baffle walls 92 extend from the
opposite end wall 96 to close to the first end wall 94, such that
baffle walls 90 and 92 collectively define a serpentine back and
forth flow path through the fluid chamber 24, as illustrated by
flow arrows 98 in FIG. 10 (which assume that opening 28 is the
higher pressure opening). In alternative embodiments, baffle walls
such as those provided by skeletal baffle plate 86 could instead be
provided by embossed ribs formed on the shim plate 14 or on the
cover plate 18 or on both, and in many applications embossed ribs
on the cover and/or shim plate will be preferred to a separate
baffle plate as it reduces the number of components that need to be
assembled. Numerous examples of embossed cover plate configurations
suitable for use with the heat exchanger 10 are presented
below.
[0046] In some applications, it may be desirable to use a fin plate
that is lighter weight than extruded fin plate 12. With reference
to FIG. 12-14, a further embodiment of a low profile heat
exchanger, indicated generally by reference numeral 100, is shown
in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the invention.
The heat exchanger 100 is similar to heat exchanger 10, except for
differences that will be apparent from the following description.
Heat exchanger 100 has a generally rectangular footprint, and as
best seen in FIG. 13, similar to heat exchanger 10, is a lamination
of a fin plate 102, a shim plate 104, and a cover plate 106. In the
illustrated embodiment, the cover plate 106 includes a rectangular
central planar ribbed portion 108 that is roll formed or stamped
from braze clad aluminum or aluminum alloy. A sidewall flange 110
extends continuously about an outer periphery of the central planar
portion 108 towards the shim plate 104, with an out-turned edge 112
of the sidewall flange 110 having a planer portion facing and
sealably connected to the shim plate 104. The shim plate 104 and
cover plate 106 of the heat exchanger 100 collectively define
therebetween a fluid conducting chamber 113 that includes a flow
path between a first flow opening 114 and a second flow opening 116
that are provided through the cover plate 106 at diagonally
opposite corners thereof. On of the flow openings 114, 116 is a
fluid inlet into the fluid conducting chamber 113, and the other is
a fluid outlet. In the embodiment illustrated, each opening 114,
116 is provided with a corresponding fitting 122 that is brazed to
the cover plate 106 and which has a flow passage through it that is
parallel to the plane of central portion 108.
[0047] The flow path between the openings 114, 116 is broken up
into a serpentine back and forth route by alternating embossed
baffle ribs 118 and 120 formed in the central portion 108 of the
cover plate 106. In particular spaced apart parallel ribs 118
extend from a first end 124 of the cover plate 106 to close to, but
spaced apart from the opposite end 126 of the cover plate 106.
Alternating parallel ribs 120 extend from the end 126 to close to,
but spaced apart from the first end 124. As best seen in FIG. 13,
each of the ribs 118,120 includes a pair of opposed elongated
sidewalls 128 that are joined together along their distal edges by
a flat portion 130 having a planar surface for forming a good bond
with the shim plate 104.
[0048] Brackets 132 may be brazed to the cover plate 108 to permit
the heat exchanger 100 to be fastened in place. The brackets 132
shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 each have a substantially rectangular
central body with a portion that extends beyond the cover plate
having a securing hole 134 therethrough. The bracket center body
132 located on the cover plate 108 is dimensioned to run between
two adjacent ribs 120,118, and preferably includes opposed
positioning tabs 136 that extend into the ribs 120, 118 to assist
in positioning and securing the bracket 132 in place. In some
applications, due to its light-weight configuration, the heat
exchanger may be sufficiently supported by tubing connected to the
inlet and outlet fittings, and additional brackets not
required.
[0049] The shim plate 112 is simply a flat rectangular plate formed
from braze clad aluminum or aluminum alloy. The fin plate 102 is
secured to a side of the shim plate 112 that is opposite the fluid
chamber 113 for drawings heat away from the fluid chamber, and is
substantially rectangular, covering substantially the entire shim
plate. The fin plate 102 has one side that is secured to the shim
plate 104 and an opposite side that is exposed. As best seen in the
sectional view of FIG. 13 and the bottom plan,view of FIG. 14, the
fin plate 102 includes a plurality of spaced apart elongated hollow
fins 138 that extend outward from and run the length of the shim
plate 104, each formed by a generally U-shaped wall. The fins 138
define a plurality of open faced air passageways 140, that are
spaced apart by closed-face passageways 142 located within each fin
138. The transverse ends of the fin plate 102 may be open so that
the closed-face passageways 142 are open at opposite ends thereof.
Each of the U-shaped fins 138 is connected to an adjacent fin 138
by a planar connecting wall 144 that is secured by brazing to the
shim plate 104. In effect, the U-shaped fins 138 and connecting
walls 144 collectively form a square-corner corrugation. As seen in
FIG. 14, the fins 138 are formed to have a uniform size, but with
soft undulating curves along their length to assist in interrupting
the boundary layer of any air flowing therethrough. The fins 138
are preferably light-weight and roll-formed or stamped from
aluminum or aluminum alloy. In the illustrated embodiment, the
alternating open-faced and closed-face passages 140,142 each have
substantially the same cross-sectional area, however different
relative areas could be used depending on the application. Also,
different fin profiles could also be used, for example, V-shaped
fins could be used.
[0050] FIG. 15 shows an example of a further fin plate structures
146 that could be used on the underside of shim plate 14, 104 of
the heat exchangers 10, 100. The fin plate 146 has a first side 148
that is brazed to the shim plate, and a second exposed side 150. A
plurality of open-faced air passageways 152 run from a first end
154 to a second end 156 of the fin plate 146 between elongate fin
structures that are made up of staggered or offset transverse rows
of convolutions 158. The convolutions have flat tops 160 to provide
good bonds with the shim plate 14,104, although they could have
round tops, or be in a sine wave configuration, if desired. In a
preferred embodiment, the fin plate 146 is formed of expanded
metal, namely aluminum, either by roll forming or a stamping
operation.
[0051] FIG. 17 shows a bottom view of yet another possible fin
plate configuration. The fin plate 162 of FIG. 17 is the same as
fin plate 102, except that the hollow U-shaped fins 164 (which
define spaced-apart open-faced passages 166), are arranged in back
and forth herringbone pattern.
[0052] In addition to the cover plates 18, 106 described above,
many other planar cover plate configurations are possible. By way
of example, FIG. 18 illustrates a further possible cover plate 168
according to the present invention that is identical to the cover
plate 18, with the exception that the alternating embossed ribs 170
and 172 extend in a direction that is relatively perpendicular to
the ribs 118 and 120 of cover plate 106, and the ribs 118 and 120
each formed with undulating curves along there length, defining a
transverse serpentine flow path as illustrate by arrows 174 between
flow openings 114 and 116. Instead of the embossed baffle ribs
being formed on the cover plate, they could alternatively be formed
on the shim plate, in which case the shim plate would have a plan
view similar to that shown in FIG. 18, but without flow openings
formed therethrough. Alternatively, both the cover plate and shim
plate could have embossed ribs formed thereon that sealably abut
together to define the flow path through the fluid chamber, in
which case both the cover and shim plate would have a top and
bottom plan view, respectively, similar to the plan view of FIG. 18
(with the shim plate not having flow openings therethrough), with
the embossed ribs 170,172 on each of the cover and shim plate each
having a depth of about one-half the fluid chamber height. It will
be appreciated that many different patterns of embossed ribs and
other types of embossed flow augmenters or barriers could be
provided the cover or shim plates.
[0053] By way of example, FIGS. 19 and 20 show a further heat
exchanger 190 that is substantially identical to heat exchanger
100, except that it has a cover plate 192 in which are embossed a
plurality of dimples 194. The dimples 194 extend to and engage the
shim plate 104, thereby providing flow augmentation in the fluid
chamber 113.
[0054] Yet another heat exchanger, indicated generally by reference
numeral 200, is shown in exploded view in FIG. 21. Heat exchanger
200 is substantially identical to heat exchanger 100, with the
exception of differences that are apparent from the drawings and
the following description. The cover plate 202 of heat exchanger
200 does not include embossed ribs thereon for defining the flow
path within fluid chamber 113, but rather, a corrugated baffle
plate 204 (formed from aluminum of another suitable material) is
secured in the fluid chamber 113 between the cover plate 202 and
shim plate 104. The corrugated baffle plate 204 includes a
plurality of substantially parallel pairs of first and second
barrier walls 206A,206B that run from one end 208 to an opposite
end 210 of the fluid chamber 113. The barrier walls 206A and 206B
in each pair are joined together along upper first longitudinal
edges thereof by a planar wall that abuts against and is secured to
the inside of the cover plate 202. (Orientational terms like
"upper" and "horizontal" being used herein for explanatory purposes
only as the heat exchanger can have any orientation in use). The
pairs of barrier walls are joined together along their lower edges
by a further wall 214 that abuts against and is secured to the shim
plate 104--in particular, the barrier wall 206B of one pair is
connected at the lower edge thereof to lower edge of the barrier
wall 206A of the adjacent barrier wall pair. A transverse flow
opening 216 is provided at the end of each barrier wall 206A near
the end 208 of the heat exchanger, and a transverse flow opening
218 is provided at the end of each barrier wall 206B near the
opposite end 210 of the heat exchanger 200. Thus, parallel
alternating flow passages are defined in fluid chamber 113 by the
barrier walls 206A, 206B, with the barrier wall openings 216, 218
permitting serpentine back and forth fluid flow through the
passages form one flow opening 116 to the other flow opening 114
(or vice versa, depending on which is the high pressure
opening).
[0055] With reference to FIG. 21A, in one embodiment, the
corrugated barrier plate 204 includes planar horizontal portions
220 forming its outer longitudinal edges, and the portions 220 are
sandwiched between the lower connecting flange 26 of the cover
plate 202 and the shim plate 104.
[0056] With reference to FIGS. 22-23C, further alternative cover
plate and shim plate configurations for the heat exchanger 200 will
now be discussed. Turning first to FIGS. 22 and 23A, in one
embodiment the cover plate 230 is dish shaped, having a central
planar portion 240 having an integral, peripheral, downwardly
extending flange 242 that defines an angle of slightly greater than
90 degrees with respect to an inner surface of central planar
portion 240. The shim plate 236 is identical, except that it does
not have openings 116, 114 formed therethrough, and the downwardly
extending flange 244 of the shim plate 236 is nested within and
supported by the flange 242 of the cover plate 240, with fluid
chamber 113 being defined between the planar central portions of
cover plate 240 and shim plate 236. The fin plate 102 (shown having
fins with rounded corrugations rather than square) is secured to a
lower surface of the planar central portion of the shim plate 244.
The shim plate flange 244 could be truncated just at or under the
bottom edge of cover plate flange 242 to minimize any adverse
effect on air flow through fin plate 102.
[0057] FIG. 23B shows a similar configuration, except that the shim
plate 238 has an upwardly turned peripheral flange 246 that extends
in the opposite direction of cover plate flange 242, and which has
an outer surface that is nested within and brazed to an inner
surface of cover plate flange 242. The configurations shown in
FIGS. 23A and 23B could be easily "flipped over" with the fin plate
being placed on the opposite side, as shown by phantom line 102' in
FIG. 23B. Furthermore, in some embodiments, fin plates may be used
on both sides of the heat exchanger.
[0058] FIG. 23C shows a further configuration in which the cover
plate 234 and shim plate 248 are identical (except that there are
no flow openings in the shim plate), each having an abutting flange
250,252 formed about a central planar portion thereof.
[0059] FIG. 24 shows a further heat exchanger 260 that is identical
to heat exchanger 100 except for the differences noted below. The
cover plate 262 of heat exchanger 260 includes a plurality of air
flow openings 264 punched therethrough. Each of the openings 264 is
aligned with a respective opening 268 provided through the shim
plate 266. Each cover plate air flow opening 264 is surrounded by a
wall 265 about its peripheral edge that extends from the cover
plate to the shim plate to seal the air opening off from the fluid
chamber 113. The walls 265 are preferably extruded from the cover
plate material when the openings 264 are punched. Aligned openings
264, 268 are located at areas where the fin plate 102 does not
contact the shim plate, so that the aligned openings are not
completely blocked by the fin plate 102. In some embodiments,
corresponding openings may be punched through the fin plate 102. As
illustrated in FIG. 26, in use, air can flow through the openings
268,264, thereby allowing air to flow through sealed off sections
of the fluid container defined by the shim and cover plates. As
indicated in FIG. 26, the heat exchanger may be angled relative to
the direction of travel (arrow 270) in some applications to improve
performance by increasing the attack angle at which air hits the
fin plate 102.
[0060] Many components of the heat exchanger of the present
invention have been described as being made from aluminum or
aluminum alloy, however it will be appreciated that other metals
could suitably be used to form the components, and in some
applications non-metallic materials might be used, including for
example thermally bondable, ultrasonically bondable, and adhesive
bondable polymers. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art,
many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of
this invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.
Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in
accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
* * * * *