Patent ID: 7448436

Claim:
A heat exchanger for performing heat exchange between an external fluid flowing outside thereof and an internal fluid flowing therein, comprising: a core portion having a first core section and a second core section, the first core section and the second core section being disposed in a core width direction that is substantially perpendicular to a flow direction of the external fluid, the core portion including a plurality of tubes arranged in at least one row in the core width direction, the tubes defining first passages in the first and second core sections and second passages in the first and second core sections, one of the first passages and the second passages being disposed upstream of the other with respect to the flow direction of the external fluid; an introducing portion connected to a first end of the core portion and in communication with the first passages for introducing the internal fluid in the first passages; a discharging portion connected to the first end of the core portion and in communication with the second passages for discharging the internal fluid from the second passages; a collecting portion connected to a second end of the core portion, the collecting portion including a first collecting space and a second collecting space, the first collecting space is in communication with the first passages of the first core section and the second collecting space is in communication with the first passages of the second core section; a distributing portion connected to the second end of the core portion, the distributing portion including a first distributing space and a second distributing space, the first distributing space is in communication with the second passages of the first core section, and the second distributing space is in communication with the second passages of the second core section; and a communicating part including a first communicating portion and a second communicating portion, wherein the first communicating portion is disposed to allow communication between the first collecting space and the second distributing space, and the second communicating portion is disposed to allow communication between the second collecting space and the first distributing space.