Patent ID: 9631876
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: F02M,F28D,F28F

Claim:
1. A heat exchanger for transferring heat between a first medium and a second medium, the heat exchanger comprising: a stack of heat exchanger plate pairs, each the heat exchanger plate pair consisting of a first heat exchanger plate and a second heat exchanger plate defining an internal volume between the first and second heat exchanger plates, and each the heat exchanger plate pair including an inlet for introducing the first medium into the internal volume and an outlet for discharging the first medium from the internal volume, wherein the first medium flows from the inlet to the outlet along a flow axis extending from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the inlets together form an inlet header through the heat exchanger plate pairs, and wherein the outlets together form an outlet header through the heat exchanger plate pairs, each of the first and second heat exchanger plates having a concave region between the inlet and the outlet with convex protrusions, each of the protrusions of each of the first and second heat exchanger plates contacting one of the protrusions of the other one of the first and second heat exchanger plates so that the concave regions of the first and second heat exchanger plates define the internal volume, the concave area bilaterally partially surrounding the inlet header and the outlet header with a portion of the protrusions arranged bilaterally from the inlet header and the outlet header; an array of fins disposed between and in thermal contact with adjacent ones of the heat exchanger plate pairs, the array of fins defining parallel flow channels along the flow axis between adjacent the heat exchanger plate pairs, wherein the second medium flows through the flow channels along the flow axis, wherein one end of the array of fins includes a first cut-out area with a centrally located portion of the array of fins being shortened relative to two outer portions of the array of fins, which causes the two outer portions of the array of fins to be positioned laterally from two opposing sides of the one of the inlet header and the outlet header such that the first cut-out area bilaterally partially surrounds the one of the inlet header and the outlet header with the two outer portions, and wherein the other end of the array of fins includes a second cut-out area with the centrally located portion of the array of fins being shortened relative to the two outer portions of the array of fins which causes the two outer portions of the array of fins to be positioned laterally from two opposing sides of the other of the inlet header and the outlet header such that the second cut-out area bilaterally partially surrounds the other of the inlet header and the outlet header with the two outer portions, wherein one end of the flow channels defines flow channel inlets for introducing the second medium into the flow channels and the other end of the flow channels defines flow channel outlets for expelling the second medium from the flow channels and wherein the flow channel inlets and outlets that are axially aligned with one of the inlet header and the outlet header are spaced axially away from the one of the inlet header and the outlet header, wherein the two outer portions of the array of fins provide support to maintain separation of adjacent heat exchanger plate pairs and wherein the fins, the inlet header, and the outlet header provide the only support between adjacently stacked heat exchanger plate pairs.