Patent ID: 7775267

Claim:
An evaporator comprising: a heat exchange core comprising a plurality of tube groups arranged in rows as spaced forwardly or rearwardly of the evaporator and each comprising a plurality of heat exchange tubes arranged in parallel at a spacing laterally of the evaporator; and a lower tank disposed at a lower end of the core and having connected thereto lower ends of the heat exchange tubes providing the tube groups, wherein the lower tank has a top surface, front and rear side surfaces and a bottom surface, the top surface of the lower tank is highest at an intermediate portion and is so shaped as to lower gradually from a highest portion toward the front and rear side surfaces, the highest portion of the top surface is positioned between a front heat exchange tube row and a rear heat exchange tube row of the heat exchange core, the lower tank is provided in each of front and rear side portions thereof with front and rear grooves formed between respective laterally adjacent pairs of heat exchange tubes and extending from the intermediate portion of the top surface with respect to forward and rearward directions to the front and rear side surfaces for causing water condensate to flow therethrough, a rear end of the front groove is positioned before a rear side of the heat exchange tubes in the front heat exchange tube row, and a front end of the rear groove is positioned behind a front side of the heat exchange tubes in the rear heat exchange tube row.