Patent ID: 9709342
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: F02B,F28D,F28F,Y02T

Claim:
1. A heat exchanger assembly comprising: a housing forming an air intake pipe including an intake pipe opening having at least one cross-section-expanding wall graduation that includes at least one connecting opening, the wall graduation being defined by a plurality of walls forming an inside periphery of the wall graduation, wherein the at least one connecting opening extends from the wall graduation through at least one of the plurality of walls; at least one stack positioned within the housing including tubes that extend in a longitudinal direction and at least one fluid duct that extends at least partially through the stack; an end plate connected to the stack and having at least one fluid passage that is fluidly connected to the at least one fluid duct, the end plate including an end plate top surface; and an integral connecting block attached to the end plate top surface and positioned at least partially within the wall graduation of the housing, connected fluidly to the at least one fluid passage and the at least one connecting opening, and having a length in the longitudinal direction, a width in the transverse direction, and a height, the integral connecting block including, an outer surface, and at least one round media connecting duct that extends from the outer surface toward the at least one fluid passage and that includes a first diameter, wherein one of a front side surface or a back side surface of the outer surface of the integral connecting block is defined by a middle portion and a plurality of peripheral portions that follow the inside periphery of the wall graduation, the plurality of peripheral portions including a top peripheral portion and side peripheral portions, the side peripheral portions being opposite of each other in the longitudinal direction, wherein the middle portion extends across the front side surface in the longitudinal direction to the entirety of each of the side peripheral portions and is in-line in the transverse direction with at least a portion of the at least one round media connecting duct, wherein the integral connecting block is located at one of the longitudinal ends of the end plate top surface and extends partially over the end plate top surface such that a portion of the end plate top surface is below the wall graduation and a portion of the end plate top surface is adjacent to and faces an interior surface of the housing, wherein the stack, the end plate, and the integral connecting block are all inserted into the intake pipe opening after being assembled, and wherein the intake pipe opening is partially open to air flow therethrough and is partially blocked by the integral connecting block and the end plate.