Patent ID: 8146652

Claim:
A heat exchanger comprising: upper and lower header tanks separated from each other in a vertical direction; and a plurality of heat exchange tube groups positioned in a front-rear direction between the header tanks, each heat exchange tube group comprising a plurality of heat exchange tubes which are positioned at predetermined intervals along a longitudinal direction of the header tanks and whose opposite end portions are connected to corresponding header tanks, and each of the header tanks including two header sections positioned in the front-rear direction and integrated together, wherein each of header tanks comprises a first member to which the heat exchange tubes are connected and a second member which is joined to the first member and covers a side of the first member opposite the heat exchange tubes, and at least one heat exchange tube group is provided between each header section of the upper header tank and a corresponding header section of the lower header tank, wherein the first and second members of each header tank are joined via a partition plate which divides the two header sections into respective upper and lower spaces, and the partition plate includes through holes that establish communication between the upper and lower spaces of each header section, wherein a plurality of through holes are formed in a portion of the partition plate present within a header section in which refrigerant flows into the heat exchange tubes, wherein flanges are integrally formed on a surface of the partition plate facing the heat exchange tubes such that the flanges project toward the heat exchange tubes from circumferential edges of corresponding through holes to completely surround the corresponding through holes.