FR2809486A1 - HEAT EXCHANGE MODULE, IN PARTICULAR FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a heat exchanger module, comprising a main exchanger (1) and at least a secondary exchanger (2) having a body (3, 6), provided with tubes circulating fluid and mounted between two assemblies of manifold members (4, 7), such that a common air stream passes through the respective bodies of said exchangers. At least one manifold member (9) of the main exchanger comprises a projecting part (10) including cutouts (11) for receiving tubes circulating fluid of the secondary exchanger, locking means being provided to lock the secondary exchanger in the position wherein its fluid circulating tubes are engaged in said cutouts. The invention is applicable to motor vehicles.

Description

The invention relates to a heat exchange module, and more particularly to such a module comprising a main heat exchanger. at least one secondary exchanger each having body, provided with fluid circulation tubes and mounted between two sets of collector members, so that a same air flow can pass through the respective bodies of said exchangers. Such exchangers are generally in the form of a body provided with fluid circulation tubes and heat exchange fins with the external medium. This body is connected to at least one manifold assembly that distributes fluid in the circulation tubes. It is known to assemble on one main exchanger, such as a cooling radiator of a motor vehicle engine, one or more secondary exchangers to form an assembly, called still module, ready to be installed in the vehicle. This secondary exchanger is most often constituted by a charge air cooler of the engine, an air conditioning condenser or an oil cooler. The assembly of the secondary exchanger or exchangers on the main exchanger is generally obtained by means of lugs integral with the secondary exchanger and introduced into the manifolds of the main exchanger. it has also been proposed to assemble systems by interlocking or snapping collector assemblies. These known assemblies of primary and secondary exchangers have the disadvantage of requiring expensive operations in time and tooling. On the other hand, the connecting members between the main and secondary exchangers occupy a certain volume which affects the compactness of the module.

In addition, these connecting members have a certain transverse size and therefore do not allow to have the same exchange surface for the main exchangers and secondary.

The present invention aims to overcome these disadvantages. More particularly, the object of the invention is to provide a heat exchange module, the production of which, and in particular the assembly operations, is as simple as possible. The invention also aims to provide such a heat exchange module which, as far as possible, does not include connecting parts between the main and secondary exchangers.

The invention also aims to provide a heat exchange module of lesser thickness than those of the prior art.

The invention also aims to provide a heat exchange module having improved thermal exchange characteristics.

For this purpose, the invention firstly relates to a heat exchange module, comprising a main heat exchanger and at least one secondary heat exchanger each having a body, provided with fluid circulation tubes and mounted between two sets of heat exchangers. collecting members, so that a same air flow can pass through the respective bodies of said exchangers.

According to the invention, at least one collecting member of the main exchanger comprises a projecting part comprising the receiving cutouts of the fluid circulation tubes of the secondary exchanger, the locking means being provided to block the exchanger secondary in the position where its fluid circulation tubes are engaged in said cutouts.

The exchangers are assembled by mounting the body of the secondary exchanger on the collector assemblies of the main exchanger.

This results in a simplification of the mounting of the heat exchange module.

The module may also have smaller dimensions. Indeed, no assembly member overflows the cross section of the exchangers. In addition, bodies can be as close together as desired.

I1 thus also results in a lower thickness for module, and a possibility of having for each exchanger a maximum exchange surface.

Of course, the terms "principal" and "secondary" in no way assume the function of the exchangers to which they apply and are used only for the sake of simplification, the main exchanger here being the one that carries the protruding cutouts and the secondary heat exchanger being the one whose body tubes are engaged in these cutouts' expression 'locking means' as used herein ment intends to encompass in general mechanical means, for example force-fitting or crimping, suitable for immobilizing the secondary heat exchanger (s) with respect to the main heat exchanger.

However, in a particular embodiment of the invention, the locking means are locking means. In a first embodiment, said main heat exchanger collector comprises a projecting portion of a tube collector.

In a second embodiment, said main heat exchanger collector comprises a collector box protruding portion.

Said protruding portion extends substantially over the entire length of the collector member or at the ends of this member.

Another subject of the invention is a tube collector for a heat exchanger, comprising a protruding part comprising receiving cutouts for fluid circulation tubes of a secondary exchanger.

The invention also relates to a manifold for heat exchanger, comprising a projecting portion having receiving cutouts for fluid circulation tubes of a secondary heat exchanger.

Two particular embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of nonlimiting examples, with reference to the appended diagrammatic drawings, in which - FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchange module produced according to FIG. a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a collector box of the exchange module of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a heat exchange module made according to a second embodiment of the invention; and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a collector of the heat exchange module of FIG. 3. The heat exchange module of FIG. 1 is composed of a radiator 1 for cooling a combustion engine. motor vehicle and a condenser 2 air conditioning, these two exchangers are usually plans.

The radiator 1 consists in a known way of a body 3 made from a bundle of fluid circulation tubes and mounted between two collector assemblies 4, the collector assemblies being arranged along two parallel sides of the body and provided with tubings 5 inlet and outlet of cooling fluid.

The condenser 2 also consists of a body 6 made from a bundle of fluid circulation tubes and mounted between two collecting assemblies 7, the collector assemblies being arranged along two parallel sides of the body and provided with tubes ( not shown) refrigerant inlet and outlet.

We will see below that the heat exchangers 1 and 2 are assembled by a mounting according to the invention of the body 6 of the exchanger 2 on the collector assembly 4 of the exchanger The collector assembly 4 of the 1 is conventionally formed of a tube collector 8, in the form of a plate having holes in which are engaged the ends of the tubes of the exchanger, and a manifold 9, generally crimped on the manifold 8, so as to delimit a partitioned volume in which circulates the heat transfer fluid from the inlet pipe to the inlet of the tubes and from the outlet of the tubes to outlet pipe.

The manifold 9 comprises according to the invention two end plates 10 projecting substantially perpendicularly to the planes of the exchangers towards the exchanger 2. Each plate 10 has cutouts in the form of teeth 11 defining two by two a space of shape corresponding to the cross section of a tube of the exchanger 2 for receiving such a tube. The ends of the two teeth 11 of each pair of teeth form notches 12 vis-à-vis to retain the tube engaged between the two teeth. Thus, the exchanger 2 is mounted on the exchanger 1 by locking the tubes of its body 6 on the teeth 11 projections 10 of the manifolds 9.

Reference will now be made to the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 in which only the exchanger 1 has been shown. The same references have been used for the homologous elements of the two embodiments.

The collector boxes 9 are here produced in a conventional manner. On the other hand, the tube collectors 8 are provided along one of their edge with a protruding part comprising teeth 11 identical to those of the boxes 9 FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it will be observed that the teeth 11 extend here on the entire length of the collectors, but they can also extend at their ends. As previously, the tubes of the exchanger 2 are engaged on the teeth 11 to mount this exchanger on the exchanger 1.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and extends to other variants. Thus although only one secondary exchanger is provided here, it would however be possible to provide a second one by adopting the same arrangement as described above on the opposite side to that of the exchanger 2. It would suffice for this purpose to form teeth on both sides of the collector box or tube collector.

Similarly, the arrangement according to the invention can be applied to the two collector assemblies 4 of the exchanger 1 or to one, other connecting means of any known type being then provided at the other collector assembly.

 The exchanger beam 2 can be made from any type of tube, flat or circular section. It can also be at one or more layers.

Claims (8)

<U> Claims </ U> Heat exchange module comprising a main exchanger (1) and at least one secondary exchanger (2) each having a body (3, 6) provided with fluid circulation tubes and mounted between two sets of collecting members. (4; 7), so that a same flow of air can pass through the respective bodies of said exchangers, characterized in that at least one collecting member (8; 9) of the main exchanger comprises a portion (10; 20) protruding with cutouts (11) for receiving the fluid circulation tubes the secondary heat exchanger, locking means (12) being provided for blocking the secondary heat exchanger in the position where its fluid circulation tubes are engaged in said cuts. 2. heat exchange module according to claim 1, wherein said locking means are latching means. 3. Heat exchange module according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said collector member of the main exchanger comprising a projecting portion is a tube collector (8). 4. Heat exchange module according to one of claims 1 and 2, wherein said collector member of the main exchanger comprising a projecting portion is a manifold (9). 5. Heat exchange module according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said portion (20) projecting extends substantially over the entire length of the collector member. 6. Heat exchange module according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said projecting portion (10) extends to the ends of the collector member. 7. Tube collector for heat exchanger, characterized in that it comprises a projecting portion (20) comprising cutouts (11) receiving for fluid circulation tubes of a secondary heat exchanger. 8. Collector box for heat exchanger, characterized in that it comprises a projecting portion (10) having cutouts (11) receiving for fluid circulation tubes of a secondary exchanger.