Patent ID: 8296948

Claim:
A method for manufacturing a modular heat exchanger, the method comprising the steps of: assembling and fixturing a headerless core comprising substantially parallel tubes separated by centers that extend parallel to the tubes, at least some of the tubes and the centers being clad with a braze alloy, each of the tubes having oppositely disposed open ends and an oblong cross-section defining oppositely-disposed planar surfaces that are spaced from a longitudinal axis of the tube, each of the centers contacting the planar surfaces of an adjacent pair of the tubes, the headerless core being fixtured so that spacing between each adjacent pair of the tubes and between the open ends thereof is established by the centers so as to establish a pre-brazed tube spacing pattern of the headerless core, the fixturing of the headerless core also minimizing core shrinkage from compaction of the tubes and centers during brazing at a brazing temperature at which the tubes and centers thermally expand by applying a load in transverse directions to the parallel direction of the tubes and the centers that enables the headerless core to expand in the transverse directions during brazing as a result of thermal expansion of the tubes and centers; and brazing the headerless core at the brazing temperature so that the headerless core expands against the load in the transverse directions as a result of thermal expansion of the tubes and the centers, the load maintains pressure on the headerless core in the transverse directions to maintain tube to center contact as the headerless core shrinks due to melting of the braze alloy and softening of the centers, and each the adjacent pairs of the tubes is brazed to a corresponding one of the centers therebetween to form a brazed headerless core having a post-brazed tube spacing pattern.