Device for fixing loops in a component of a heat exchanger constituted by tubes in which a fluid flows

A device for fixing loops in a component (1) of a heat exchanger constituted by tubes (10) in which a fluid flows, the loops being situated in the plane of the heat exchanger and being formed by bends and by mutually parallel vertical lengths (11), at least one tube forms an additional loop (12, 14) leaving the plane of the heat exchanger component and surrounding the vertical lengths (11), the device being characterized in that a notched flat (2) is installed level with the additional loop, said flat being provided with semicircular openings each of which receives a vertical length.

The present invention relates to a device for fixing loops in a component 
of a heat exchanger constituted by tubes in which a fluid flows, the loops 
being situated in the plane of the heat exchanger and being formed by 
bends and mutually parallel vertical lengths, with at least one tube 
forming an addtional loop leaving the plane of the heat exchanger 
component and surrounding the vertical lengths. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The tubes of such a heat exchanger component must be fixed together to 
ensure that said heat exchanger component is sufficiently rigid and to 
maintain the tubes equidistant from one another and in the plane of the 
heat exchanger. 
In order to provide these three functions, manufacturers make use, in a 
manner known per se, of link parts which are applied against the loops and 
manually welded thereto, and this is done at several levels. 
The use of manual welding techniques gives rise to high manufacturing 
costs, to risks of cracking at the welds, and to the necessity of 
deforming each tube in a heat exchanger having spaced-apart tubes in order 
to bring the two lengths of tube adjacent to the link part closer together 
in order to cool said part and thus avoid oxidation thereof. 
Patent document GB-A-No. 942036 describes a panel of horizontal heat 
exchanger tubes in a vertical plane, including an additional loop 
surrounding the tubes of the panel. However, the tubes of the panel are 
not maintained in fixed relative positions and can therefore still be 
subjected to deformation due to differential expansion. 
The present invention seeks to provide a device for fixing together the 
loops in a heat exchanger component which ensures that the tubes are held 
relative to one another in substantially fixed relative positions, while 
still being cheap to manufacture. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention provides a device for fixing loops in a component of 
a heat exchanger constituted by tubes in which a fluid flows, the loops 
being situated in the plane of the heat exchanger and being formed by 
bends and by mutually parallel vertical lengths, at least one tube forming 
an additional loop leaving the plane of the heat exchanger component and 
surrounding the vertical lengths, the device including a notched flat is 
installed level with the additional loop, said flat being provided with 
semicircular openings each of which receives a vertical length, and said 
at least one tube being interrupted to form an additional loop which is 
complete and without fluid flow discontinuity. 
It preferably includes at least one of the following features: 
at least one tab which is welded to one of the vertical lengths; 
two lengths which form two humps surrounding an additional loop in order to 
keep it pressed against the other vertical lengths; and 
two adjacent vertical lengths which form a ring therebetween without fluid 
flow discontinuity, said ring supporting an additional loop constituted by 
two half-loops each pressing against one side of the vertical lengths.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
FIG. 1 shows that the heat exchanger component is constituted by at least 
one tube 10 through which a fluid flows continuously between an inlet and 
an outlet. This tube has multiple loops constituted by bends and straight 
vertical tube lengths 11, these vertical tube lengths are mutually 
parallel and are situated in the plane of the heat exchanger component and 
form a planar array of vertical tube lengths. FIG. 1 shows an additional 
horizontal loop 12 which is more clearly visible in FIG. 2 defined by 
straight horizontal tube lengths integrally joined by reverse bends at 
opposite ends thereof and which surrounds the vertical tube lengths 11, it 
also shows a loop 14 constituted by two horizontal half-loops primarily of 
straight horizontal tube lengths and surrounding the vertical tube and 
surrounding the a horizontal loop 14 contributed by lengths 11, with said 
half-loops being more clearly visible in FIG. 5. 
FIG. 1 also shows the location of a support tab 3, said tab being shown in 
FIG. 4. 
FIG. 2 is a section showing the vertical tube lengths 11 surrounded by the 
additional horizontal loop 12. A notched flat 2 provided with semicircular 
openings or notches, each receiving one of the vertical tube lengths 11 is 
installed level with the additional loop 12, extending along one 
horizontal tube length and facing the other horizontal tube length, but 
being spaced therefrom. This notched flat ensures that the lengths are 
equidistant and, together with the additional loop, participates in making 
the component rigid. 
The additional loop 12 leaves a length 110, takes a turn around the 
lengths, and returns to its starting point in order to reconstitute the 
length 110. 
This loop 12 is supported by two humps 13 each formed from a corresponding 
adjacent vertical tube length 111 and 112, bent outwardly in opposite 
directions and bent around and in contact with the outside of respective 
horizontal tube lengths of the additional loop 12 and more clearly visible 
in FIG. 3. 
FIG. 3, which is a section on III of FIG. 2 shows the additional loop 12, 
the notched flat 2, and the humps 13. 
FIG. 4 shows two tabs 3 welded on a vertical tube length 11, said tabs 
being located along an additional horizontal loop 12 and below that loop 
in order to support it, as shown in FIG. 1. 
FIG. 5 is a section showing the vertical lengths 11 surrounded by the 
additional loop 14 constituted by two horizontal half-loops 14A and 14B. 
The half-loop 14A is formed without flow discontinuity between the two end 
vertical tube lengths 11, and the half-loop 14B is formed without fluid 
flow discontinuity between the two penultimate vertical tube lengths. 
These two half-loops 14A and 14B are supported by a ring 15 made at the 
end of two adjacent vertical tube lengths 114 and 115, said ring being 
clearly visible in FIG. 6. 
Naturally, the two half-loops 14A and 14B could be supported by two 
horizontal humps equivalent to the humps 13 of FIG. 3.