Patent ID: 6896037

Claim:
A header for a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger having a plurality of parallel tubes having generally rectangular cross sections, the tubes including a pair of outermost tubes and at least one inner tube located between the outermost tubes, said at least one inner tube having coolant ports, said header comprising: an upper wall having an end portion, opposing side portions, an inner portion and an inlet/outlet opening for permitting the flow of coolant between an inlet/outlet and said header; a bottom wall having an end portion, opposing side portions and an inner portion; an end wall having an inner surface and an outer surface interconnecting the end portions of said upper wall and of said bottom wall, said end wall being perpendicular to said upper wall and said bottom wall; an inclined surface extending between the inner portions of said bottom wall and said upper wall, and including the open end(s) of the at least one inner tube to said header; an angled surface disposed in said header extending between the inner surface of said end wall and the inner portion of said bottom wall; and side walls extending between the side portions of said upper wall and said bottom wall, said side walls being extensions of the outermost tubes of the heat exchanger, said outermost tubes include an outer wall and an inner wall; the inner walls 4 said outermost tubes of said header, said upper wall, said angled surface, said bottom wall between the intersection of said angled surface and bottom wall, and said inclined surface forming a header chamber; said inner walls of said outermost tubes each having an orifice for permitting the flow of coolant between said header chamber and the respective outermost tube, and said respective orifices being disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening.