Patent ID: 7775067
Filing Date: 2010-08-17
Classification: F25B,F28D,F28F,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A heat exchanger comprising a pair of header tanks arranged as spaced apart from each other; and a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in parallel between the pair of header tanks and each having opposite ends joined to the respective header tanks, each of the heat exchanger header tanks comprising a header forming plate, a tube connecting plate and an intermediate plate interposed between the two plates, the header forming plate, the tube connecting plate and the intermediate plate being arranged in superposed layers and brazed to one another, the header forming plate being provided with an outward bulging portion extending longitudinally thereof and having an opening thereof closed with the intermediate plate, the tube connecting plate being provided at a portion thereof corresponding to the outward bulging portion with a plurality of tube insertion holes arranged longitudinally of the tube connecting plate at a spacing and extending through the thickness thereof, the intermediate plate having communication holes extending through the thickness thereof for causing the respective tube insertion holes of the tube connecting plate to communicate with interior of the outward bulging portion of the header forming plate therethrough, the heat exchange tubes having their opposite ends inserted into the respective tube insertion holes of the pair of header tanks and brazed to the respective header tanks, wherein the header forming plate of the first of the pair of header tanks has a plurality of outward bulging portions aligned longitudinally thereof and spaced apart from each other, and the header forming plate of the second of the pair of header tanks has outward bulging portions one smaller in number to the number of outward bulging portions of the first header tank so as to be opposed to adjacent two outward bulging portions of the first header tank, all the communication holes of the intermediate plate of the first header tank in communication with each of the outward bulging portions of the first header tank are held in communication by communication portions formed in the intermediate plate, all the communication holes of the intermediate plate of the second header tank in communication with each of the outward bulging portions of the second header tank are held in communication by communication portions formed in the intermediate plate, the first header tank has a refrigerant inlet communicating with the outward bulging portion at one end thereof and a refrigerant outlet communicating with the outward bulging portion at the other end thereof, the header forming plate of each of the header tanks has a wall thickness T, the outward bulging portion of each header tank has a bulging height of H, and H/T is in the range of 0.5 to 1.5.