Patent Publication Number: US-2009229803-A1

Title: Heat exchanger having reinforcing device

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a heat exchanger, and more particularly to a heat exchanger having an improved reinforcing structure or device for suitably reinforcing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings and for preventing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings from being distorted or deformed or broken. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Typical heat exchangers comprise a receptacle including a chamber formed therein for receiving a heat medium, such as water or fluid, and an inlet and an outlet provided therein for allowing the heat medium or water or fluid to flow into and out of the chamber of the receptacle. The receptacle further includes a number of plates or boards or housings disposed therein, and superposed with each other, and each having a wavy structure arranged to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the wavy plates or boards or housings, and to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to be heat exchanged indirectly with the other heat medium within the chamber of the receptacle. 
     For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,065 to Bertilson et al. discloses one of the typical plate heat exchangers also comprising a receptacle including a number of plates or boards or housings disposed therein, and superposed with each other, and each plate or board including an inlet opening and an outlet opening provided therein and each formed by an inner peripheral flange for allowing the heat medium or water or fluid to flow into and out of the receptacle. 
     However, the plates or boards or housings may have a space formed between the peripheral flanges of the inlet openings and the outlet openings of the plates or boards such that the peripheral flanges of the plates or boards may not sustain a great pressure and may have a good chance to be bent or distorted or deformed or even broken when the pressurized heat medium or water or fluid flows through the inlet openings and the outlet openings of the plates or boards. 
     The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional heat exchanging plates or boards or housings for the heat exchangers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a heat exchanger including an improved reinforcing structure or device for suitably reinforcing the peripheral flanges of the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings and for preventing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings from being distorted or deformed or broken. 
     In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a heat exchanger comprising a first heat exchanging board including an orifice formed therein, and including a peripheral flange formed and located around the orifice of the first heat exchanging board, at least one second heat exchanging board including an orifice formed therein, and including a peripheral flange formed and located around the orifice of the second heat exchanging board, and a reinforcing device disposed between the peripheral flanges of the first and the second heat exchanging boards, and including a bore formed in the reinforcing device and aligned with the orifices of the first and the second heat exchanging boards respectively for suitably reinforcing the first and the second heat exchanging boards and for preventing the first and the second heat exchanging boards from being distorted or deformed, and the reinforcing device including at least one opening formed therein and communicating with the bore of the reinforcing device and communicating with a space formed between the first and the second heat exchanging boards for allowing the heat medium to flow through the spaces between the heat exchanging boards and then to flow into or out of the orifices of the heat exchanging boards. 
     The opening of the reinforcing device may either be a notch or a through passage. The reinforcing device may also include a wavy structure having a number of swellings and depressions formed in the upper portion thereof and also having a number of swellings and depressions formed in the lower portion thereof for communicating the bore of the reinforcing device with the space formed between the heat exchanging boards, and the reinforcing device may also be disposed between the peripheral flanges of the heat exchanging boards for reinforcing the boards. 
     Further objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a partial exploded view illustrating two superposed heat exchanging plates or boards or housings and a reinforcing device for a heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a partial cross sectional view of the heat exchanger as shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is another partial cross sectional view illustrating the other arrangement of the heat exchanger; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating the reinforcing device of the heat exchanger as shown in  FIG. 3 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view similar to  FIG. 4 , illustrating the other arrangement or application of the reinforcing device for the heat exchanger. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings, and initially to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a heat exchanger  1  in accordance with the present invention comprises a number of heat exchanging plates or housings or boards  10 ,  30  disposed and superposed with each other, and arranged to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  with an increased contacting area, and to allow the heat medium or water or fluid to be heat exchanged indirectly with the other heat medium, such as ambient air or the like (not shown). 
     The boards may be formed with a wavy structure (not shown) for increasing the contacting area between the boards and the heat media, and for increasing the heat exchanging effect. The heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  each includes one or more passages or orifices  11 ,  31  formed therein and each formed or defined by a peripheral flange  12 ,  32 , and aligned with each other for controlling or guiding the heat medium to suitably flow through the passages or orifices  11 ,  31  of the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30 . 
     The heat exchanger  1  further includes a reinforcing structure or device  20  disposed between the peripheral flanges  12 ,  32  of every two adjacent heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30 , and the reinforcing devices  20  each includes a ring shaped structure having a bore  21  formed therein and aligned with the orifices  11 ,  31  of the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  respectively for suitably reinforcing the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  and for preventing the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  from being distorted or deformed or even broken. 
     The reinforcing devices  20  each further includes a notch or opening  22  formed therein and communicating with the bore  21  of the reinforcing devices  20  and also communicating with the spaces  23  formed between the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  for allowing the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the spaces  23  formed between the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  and to flow into or out of the orifices  11 ,  31  of the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30 , and the reinforcing devices  20  may thus be used to reinforce the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  and to prevent the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  from being distorted or deformed or even broken. 
     Alternatively, as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the reinforcing devices  201  each may also include a ring shaped structure having one or more through passages or openings  24  formed therein and also communicating with the bore  21  of the reinforcing devices  201  and also communicating with the spaces  23  formed between the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  for allowing the heat medium or water or fluid to flow through the spaces  23  formed between the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  and to flow into or out of the orifices  11 ,  31  of the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30 , 
     Further alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 5 , the reinforcing device  202  may also include a ring shaped structure having a bore  21  formed therein and aligned with the orifices  11 ,  31  of the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30  respectively, and the reinforcing device  202  include a wavy structure having a number of swellings  25  and depressions  26  formed in the upper portion thereof and also having a number of swellings  27  and depressions  28  formed in the lower portion thereof for communicating the bore  21  of the reinforcing devices  202  with the spaces  23  formed between the heat exchanging boards  10 ,  30 . 
     Accordingly, the heat exchanger in accordance with the present invention includes an improved reinforcing structure or device, for suitably reinforcing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings and for preventing the heat exchanging plates or boards or housings from being distorted or deformed or broken. 
     Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous changes in the detailed construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.