HEAT EXCHANGER COMPRISING A SEPARATOR ELEMENT

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102024000005059 filed Mar. 7, 2024, the contents of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, particularly for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising a first distributor and a second distributor and a plurality of parallel, coplanar tubes interconnecting the first distributor and the second distributor, wherein each of the distributors comprises a tubular body, on a side wall of which a plurality of slits is formed, in each of which an end of a respective tube is inserted, wherein at least one of the distributors, hereinafter “partitioned distributor”, comprises a separator element which partitions the inside of the partitioned distributor into a first inner space and a second inner space, the separator element being inserted into a through-hole formed in the side wall of the partitioned distributor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Heat exchangers of this type are used, for example, in HVAC systems with a heat pump.

In such heat exchangers, a separator partition is installed to divide the passages inside the heat exchanger. When there is an internal leakage from the separator (i.e., a seepage between the two internal spaces formed inside the partitioned distributor), this results in a significant performance loss. Detecting such leaks during the production process is highly complex, and the available detection systems often lack the sensitivity to identify small leaks that may negatively affect the performance of the heat exchanger. JP 2016099097 A describes a heat exchanger provided with collectors formed by a plate and a basin assembled together and comprising a separator made up of a pair of plates provided with a protruding structure through a wall of the basin. The plates are joined to each other at the respective central portions so as to define an annular gap around the central portions, interposed between the peripheral edges of the plates. The separator improves leak detection by directing any leakage toward the exterior of the heat exchanger, making it detectable through a simple pressure-tightness test.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to make a similar solution available for heat exchangers provided with tubular body distributors.

This object is achieved according to the present invention by a heat exchanger of the type described hereinabove, wherein the separator element comprises a pair of plates, each of which comprises a central portion and a peripheral edge raised with respect to the central portion, the plates being joined to each other at their central portions so as to define an annular gap around the central portions, interposed between the peripheral edges of the plates, and wherein the peripheral edge of each plate comprises a pair of laterally protruding portions arranged on opposite sides of the plate and interposed between opposite edges of the through-hole.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are also described.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer with the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention, made with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely by way of illustration and not limitation, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heat exchanger;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a detail of a distributor of a heat exchanger according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional perspective view of the detail of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the detail of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 5a and 5b are respectively a cross-sectional view and a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the insertion of a separator element into a through-hole of the distributor;

FIGS. 6a and 6b are respectively a cross-sectional view and a longitudinal sectional view illustrating the separator element completely inserted into the through-hole of the distributor;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a further processing phase;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a first plate of the separator element;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the first plate taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a second plate of the separator element;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the second plate taken along line X-X of FIG. 10, according to an embodiment;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are respectively a perspective view and a sectional view of the separator element according to another embodiment; and

FIGS. 14 and 15 are perspective views of further embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to FIG. 1, a heat exchanger made of metallic material, particularly aluminum, is shown overall denoted by 1. In the illustrated example, the heat exchanger 1 is a heat exchanger for heat transfer fluid-air, particularly an internal condenser of an HVAC system with a heat pump for an electric vehicle.

The heat exchanger 1 comprises at least a first distributor 11 and at least a second distributor 12 and a plurality of parallel, coplanar tubes 13 interconnecting the first distributor 11 and the second distributor 12. Between adjacent tubes 13, fins 14 are interposed, not shown in detail. Two lateral plates 15 and 16 are fixed to opposite sides of the mass formed by the tubes 13.

The above-described elements are joined together in a per se known manner, for example, by braze-welding.

Each of the distributors 11, 12 comprises a tubular body, for example, with a circular cross-section, on a side wall 11a, 12a of which a plurality of slits 17 is formed, in each of which an end of a respective tube 13 is inserted. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, inside at least one of the distributors 11, 12, a

separator element 30 is arranged, partitioning the inside of the partitioned distributor 11 into a first inner space 11′ and a second inner space 11″. The separator element 30 is inserted into a linear through-hole 18 formed on the side wall 11a of the partitioned distributor 11 and parallel to the slits 17 for the tubes 13. The separator element 30 comprises an edge abutting against an internal surface of the partitioned distributor 11 and opposite faces contiguous with respective edges 18′ of the through-hole 18. The separator element 30 is joined to the partitioned distributor 11 by material coupling, particularly by braze-welding.

With reference to FIGS. 8 to 11, the separator element 30 comprises a pair of plates 31, 32, each of which comprises a central portion 31a, 32a and a peripheral edge 31b, 32b raised with respect to the central portion 31a, 32a. As can be seen in FIGS. 3-4, the plates 31, 32 are joined to each other at their respective central portions 31a, 32a so as to define an annular gap G around the central portions 31a, 32a. The annular gap G is interposed between the peripheral edges 31b, 32b of the plates 31, 32 and, therefore, communicates with the external environment through the portion of the through-hole 18 located between the peripheral edges 31b, 32b of the plates 31, 32. Any fluid seepage between the edges of the separator element 30 and the internal surface of the partitioned distributor 11 is thus detectable through the through-hole 18 via a tightness test.

The peripheral edge 31b, 32b of each plate 31, 32 comprises a pair of laterally protruding portions 31c, 32c arranged on opposite sides of the plate 31, 32 and interposed between opposite edges 18′ of the through-hole 18. The laterally protruding portions 31c, 32c are connected to each other by a central protruding portion 31d, 32d of the peripheral edge 31b, 32b. The central protruding portions 31d, 32d are also interposed between the opposite edges 18′ of the through-hole 18. As can be seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the laterally protruding portions 31c, 32c and central protruding portions 31d, 32d of the plates 31, 32 extend outward beyond the through-hole 18, thus protruding with respect to the outer surface of the partitioned distributor 11. The laterally protruding portions 31c, 32c of the plates 31, 32 overlap opposite ends 18″ of the through-hole 18 and are preferably provided with respective crimping appendages 31e, 32e.

Preferably, the plates 31-32 are directly fixed to each other so as to achieve a provisional assembly of the plates 31, 32 before their insertion into the through-hole 18. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 8-11, one of the plates 31, 32 is provided with a hole 33 formed through its respective central portion 31a, and the other of the plates 31, 32 is provided with a button-like protrusion 34 formed on its respective central portion 32a. The hole 33 and the button-like protrusion 34 engage with each other to achieve the provisional assembly of the plates 31, 32 before their insertion into the through-hole 18.

As shown in FIGS. 5a-5b and 6a-6b, the separator element 30, formed by assembled plates 31, 32, is inserted from the outside of the distributor 11 through the through-hole 18, until the edges of the plates 31, 32 abut against the internal surface of the distributor 11 and the laterally protruding portions 31c, 32c overlap ends 18″ of the through-hole 18. Subsequently, the crimping appendages 31e, 32e are deformed against the external surface of the distributor 11, thereby achieving a provisional attachment of the separator element 30 to the distributor 11. Finally, braze-welding is used to achieve the definitive joining of the separator element 30 to the distributor 11.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a further embodiment of the present invention. Elements corresponding to those of the previous embodiment have been assigned the same reference numbers; these elements will not be further described. The embodiment of FIGS. 12 and 13 differs from the previous one in the type of engagement between the plates 31, 32 of the separator element 30. In this embodiment, the engagement between the plates 31, 32 is achieved by cold deformation, which creates undercuts in the central portions 31a, 32a.

FIGS. 14 and 15 show further embodiments of the present invention. Elements corresponding to those of the previous embodiments have been assigned the same reference numbers; these elements will not be further described. The embodiments of

FIGS. 14 and 15 differ from the previous ones in that the plates 31, 32 of the separator element 30 are connected to each other by one or more connection portions 35 made in one piece with the plates 31, 32. The connection portions 35 extend between the central protruding portions 31d, 32d of the peripheral edge 31b, 32b of the plates 31, 32. In this embodiment, the connection portions 35 are bent before inserting the separator element 30 into the through-hole 18, so as to arrange the plates 31, 32 with the central portions 31a, 32a against each other.