Attachment device for heat exchanger

The invention concerns an attachment device (3) for a heat exchanger (2) comprising a core (23) for exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid, said core (23) being provided with collectors (21) for the first fluid, said exchanger (2) comprising a cylinder (25), said cylinder (25) and one of said collectors (21) allowing the passage of said first fluid from one to the other, said attachment device (3) comprising a body, which is set up in order to close said cylinder (25), and an extension which allows the core (23) to be secured to a holder (4).The invention also concerns a cylinder (25) which comprises such an attachment device (3), a heat exchanger (2) which comprises such a cylinder (25) and a heat exchanging module which comprises such a heat exchanger (2).

BACKGROUND

The invention relates to the area of heat exchangers and concerns, in particular, an associated attachment system. It can be used, notably, in the field of motor vehicles.

SUMMARY

Heat exchangers which comprise a heat exchanging core, two collectors and a cylinder which is associated with one of the collectors are known. For their installation, said heat exchangers are provided with attachment devices which allow the heat exchanger to be secured to a holder. Flanges, in general four per heat exchanger, that is to say one at each corner of the exchanger, which have been fixed directly between the heat exchanging cores and the holder, have been known up to now. Furthermore, the cylinder has comprised several parts which serve for defining an interior volume.

One of the problems encountered with said type of installation is that each attachment element constitutes a cost, a production step and an assembly step. Furthermore, each attachment element occupies an important space in the installation environment which is often already particularly congested.

One aim of the invention is to improve said situation. The invention thus concerns an attachment device for the heat exchanger which comprises a core for exchanging heat between a first fluid and a second fluid, said core being provided with at least one collector for the first fluid, said exchanger comprising a cylinder, said attachment device comprising a body, which is set up in order to close said cylinder, and an extension which allows the core to be connected to a holder.

In so doing, one of the parts of the cylinder of the heat exchanger is used to provide an attachment function between said exchanger and a holder which can be, for example, a radiator, a fan-motor assembly or an element of the vehicle chassis. In this way, the element can do without at least one of the four flanges used up to now.

It must be noted that said cylinder and one of said at least one collector allow said first fluid to pass from one to the other.

According to different embodiments, which can be taken together or separately:

said body and said extension are formed from a material,

said material is aluminum or an aluminum alloy,

said body is suitable for serving as a cap for said cylinder,

said extension is a fixing bracket,

said fixing bracket has a cutout which is suitable for securing the core to the holder,

said fixing bracket is configured to allow the exchanger to be attached to the holder by means of screwing, crimping, welding, clipping, etc.

said body is configured to allow said device to be attached to said cylinder by means of screwing, crimping, brazing or bonding.

The invention also concerns a cylinder which comprises an attachment device such as is described above. According to different embodiments, which can be taken together or separately:

said cylinder extends along a main direction of longitudinal extension, the so-called main direction, said cylinder having a first end, the so-called bottom end, and a second end, the so-called top end, said bottom end being opposite said top end along the main direction,

said attachment device is situated in the vicinity of said bottom end,

said attachment device is situated in the vicinity of said top end.

The invention also concerns a heat exchanger which comprises a cylinder such as described above. According to different embodiments, which can be taken together or separately:

said exchanger further comprises flanges and has a form with corners, said flanges being situated at said corners,

one of said corners, which is situated in the vicinity of the attachment device, is free of any flange,

said exchanger is a condenser.

The invention also concerns a heat exchanging module which comprises an exchanger such as described above. According to different embodiments, which can be taken together or separately:

the holder of said first exchanger is a second heat exchanger of said module,

said second exchanger is a radiator,

said module is configured so as to be installed in an engine compartment of a vehicle, notably of a motor vehicle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 2, the invention concerns an attachment device3for a heat exchanger2, notably for a vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle. Said attachment device3is advantageously intended to be used in an engine compartment of such a vehicle.

Said heat exchanger2allows a thermal exchange between a first fluid which circulates inside said heat exchanger2and a second fluid which circulates through the same. In an advantageous manner, said exchanger2is a condenser and the first fluid is a refrigerant fluid which is present in the heat exchanger2in different liquid and/or gaseous phases. In the embodiment shown inFIG. 2, the second fluid is an air flow, notably an ambient air flow which beforehand has passed through a vehicle radiator grille.

Said heat exchanger2comprises a core23for exchanging heat between said first fluid and said second fluid. Said core23comprises, for example, a set of tubes22, which are preferably parallel to one another, inside which the first fluid circulates.

Said core23is provided, moreover, with collectors21for the first fluid. Collectors21are to be understood as elements which have a tubular form allowing said first fluid to circulate inside the tubes22of the core23. To do this, said tubes22open out at each of their ends into one of said collectors21. In other words, said core23is provided with two collectors21which are situated on both sides of the tubes22. One of the collectors21can serve as inlet collector and the other as outlet collector of the first fluid. As an alternative to this, the same collector21can serve for both the inlet and the outlet of the first fluid. Said collectors21can be provided with internal partitions which allow said first fluid to be circulated in several stages in said core23. The bottom part of one of said collectors21can be seen inFIG. 2, in view of the reversed orientation of said figure.

Said core23can furthermore comprise dividers40which are situated between said tubes22in order to increase the surface for exchange with the second fluid.

Said heat exchanger2additionally comprises a cylinder25. Said cylinder25and one of said collectors21, the one that can be seen inFIG. 2, are arranged and configured to allow said first fluid to pass between one and the other.

Said cylinder25is, for example, a vessel with an elongated cylindrical form. It is designed to separate the different liquid and/or gaseous phases of said first fluid. Said cylinder25optimizes the operation of the air conditioning loop in which the heat exchanger2is intended to be used to ensure that purely a liquid phase of said first fluid circulates downstream, the possible gaseous phase remaining blocked in the cylinder25. Said cylinder25can comprise a filter and/or a desiccator.

The cylinder25is made integral with the core23, for example by attaching it by means of brazing or screwing to one of the collectors21of the heat exchanger2so that the refrigerant fluid is able to circulate between the cylinder25and one of the collectors21of said heat exchanger2.

Said cylinder25is configured so as to be closed by said attachment device3according to the invention. Furthermore, the attachment device3allows said core23to be secured to a holder4. In the embodiment shown here, said holder4is a second heat exchanger, notably a radiator, and the condenser2is subject to a collector of said radiator4.

Said attachment device3comprises a body31and an extension35, both advantageously formed from a material. In other words, the body31and the extension35are in one piece.

In particular, said body31comprises a base39and a raised edge33. Said base39is a disk of material which here has a substantially planar, circular form. The edge of said base39is slightly rounded so as to facilitate its insertion into a side wall of said cylinder25. In other words, said base39is a plate, which is extended in a rounded manner by said raised edge33. The raised edge33is designed, preferably, in the form of a ring which is intended to be adapted to the form of a cross section of an internal volume of said cylinder25. Said raised edge33is oriented here in a manner which is substantially orthogonal to said base39.

In other words, the body31, thus constituted by the base39and the raised edge33, is designed to operate as a cap for said cylinder25. Put another way, said body31closes said cylinder25.

It must be noted that the raised edge33and said base39are advantageously formed from a material. Here, said body31is intended to be brazed to the side wall of the cylinder25by means of said raised edge33. As an alternative to this, the body31can be secured to said cylinder25in a non-definitive manner, such that it is still possible for a user to open the cylinder25, for example for a maintenance operation. Said securement between the body31and the cylinder25can therefore be by means of screwing.

Said extension35is here formed from said raised edge33, which it extends in the same direction. It must be noted that said body31and said extension35can be two parts that were initially separate that have been assembled together. The assembly made up by the body31and by the extension35is advantageously an assembly that is sufficiently rigid so that it is capable of resisting different stresses that it may encounter in an engine compartment whilst maintaining its general form and its function of keeping the cylinder sealed.

Said extension35is, for example, a fixing bracket and will be designated as such below. The fixing bracket35is, preferably, a plate, notably a metal plate which is rectangular in form. It has, preferably, rounded edges and ends. Said fixing bracket35has a cutout37(also called a hole, hollow, cavity), which is notably oblong in form and allows the passage of an assembly means. A nut and screw assembly can be implemented, for example.

Said form37thus allows the fixing bracket35and the holder4to be secured. In another embodiment, said fixing bracket35can be fixed to the holder4by crimping, or also by welding. In the case of fixing by crimping or by welding, there is no need for the fixing bracket35to have a cutout37.

The form of said fixing bracket35described here is not limiting. Other forms can be conceived in other embodiments. For example, the fixing bracket35can be curved.

The width of the fixing bracket35is reduced, for example, at the connection between said fixing bracket35and the raised edge33. The elongated form of said fixing bracket35extends, for example, along a main direction which is parallel to an X axis, forming an axis of symmetry of the base39, such that the plane defined by said fixing bracket35is perpendicular to said base39.

In another embodiment, the fixing bracket35has a different orientation with respect to the body31. For example, the fixing bracket35can form an angle of between 0 and 90 degrees inclusive with the base39, this is so that it can be adapted to a particular arrangement of the engine compartment and/or of the holder4.

The attachment device3can be designed in aluminum or in an aluminum alloy, as the remainder of the exchanger.

That being said, said cylinder25extends here along a main direction of longitudinal extension which is referenced by a Y axis, the so-called main direction Y, which is intended to be combined with the X axis of the attachment device3.

Said cylinder25has a first end, the so-called bottom end24, and a second end, the so-called top end26, said bottom end24being opposite said top end26along the main direction. Said bottom end24is intended to be in contact with said liquid phase of the refrigerant fluid whilst said top end26is intended to be in contact with said gaseous phase of said refrigerant fluid.

Said attachment device3closes the cylinder25at the bottom end24, which can be seen inFIG. 2in the top part in view of the reversal of direction in said figure.

Said cylinder25advantageously comprises a base, which is shown in the bottom part and is provided with said attachment device3, and a body, which is less thick and extends said base in an axial manner. The passage of fluid between the core23and the cylinder25can be effected at said base.

Such as illustrated inFIG. 3, the exchanger according to the invention further comprises flanges28and has a form, which here is substantially rectangular, with corners27, said flanges28being situated at the corners27. As can be seen inFIG. 3, said exchanger2is usually provided with four flanges28, that is to say one flange28at each of its corners27. The present invention, thanks to said attachment device3and to its dual function of closing said cylinder25and of fastening it to said holder4, obviates the need for the flange28situated closest to said attachment device3, said flange28being signaled by a cross. In other words, said heat exchanger2in the present invention is characterized in that the corner27, being situated in the vicinity of the attachment device3, is free of any flange28, here the bottom right-hand corner. Furthermore, the bottom right-hand corner includes crossed lines forming an “X” which represents that this corner27does not include a flange28.

The invention also concerns a heat exchanging module, not shown here, for a vehicle, notably a motor vehicle, which comprises a heat exchanger2such as described above. Said heat exchanging module is intended to be integrated in the engine compartment of said vehicle. Said module can comprise the holder4of said exchanger2which here, as already said, is a second heat exchanger, in this case a radiator. Said radiator is configured to operate an exchange of heat between a heat transfer fluid and said flow of ambient air crossing the first exchanger2such that the unwanted thermal energy of the engine is transferred to said ambient air flow.