Keel cooler with fluid flow diverter
AssigneeDuramax Marine, LLC
InventorsJeffrey S. Leeson, Michael W. Brakey, P. Charles Miller JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A keel cooler having a standard header with an internal beveled bottom wall, with orifices on the inner wall of the exterior tubes extending into the header, the orifices being in the natural flow path of the coolant flow. The orifices are sufficiently large so as not to restrict the flow of coolant. A fluid flow diverter is additionally provided in the header of the keel cooler for facilitating coolant flow towards both the interior tubes and also towards the exterior tubes.
Claims32
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 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.
A header for a heat exchanger, the heat exchanger having a plurality of parallel tubes having generally rectangular cross sections, said header comprising:
- a generally planar 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, said bottom wall being parallel with respect to said upper wall;
- an end wall having an inner surface and an outer surface, said end wall interconnecting the end portions of said upper wall and said bottom wall and 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, said inclined surface providing access between at least one of the plurality of tubes and said header, said inclined surface and said bottom wall meeting at a junction;
- side walls extending between the side portions of said upper wall and said bottom wall;
- an angled wall extending between the inner surface of said end wall at a point below the connection between said end wall and said upper wall, and said bottom wall;
- and
- a drain plug extending through said bottom wall between the connection of said angled wall and said bottom wall, and between the junction of said inclined surface and said bottom wall.
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, the inner tubes having coolant ports and the outermost tubes respectively comprising an outer wall and a parallel inner wall, each of the inner walls having an orifice in the header for access to the outermost tubes, 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 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 tubes to said header;
- a flow diverter comprising a spine inclined from a first position near the upper wall to a second position near said bottom wall, closer to said inclined surface than said first position and having an apex located at the top of said spine near said upper wall;
- said flow diverter having diverting first and second panels extending downwardly in opposite radial directions from said apex and on opposite sides of said spine at respective angles towards the respective outermost tubes and respectively ending at the inner portion of said bottom wall, said first panel and said second panel having beveled surfaces inclined towards the at least one inner tube and towards the respective orifices to the respective outermost tubes for facilitating flow of coolant between said inlet/outlet and said pair of outermost tubes and into said at least one inner tube;
- and
- side walls extending between the side portions of said upper wall and said bottom wall;
- said side walls, upper wall, flow diverter, bottom wall and inclined surface forming a header chamber;
- said respective orifice being disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening.
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, the inner tubes 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 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 tubes to said header;
- an apparatus for diverting the flow of a fluid entering or exiting said header, said apparatus facilitating fluid flow between said inlet/outlet and both said pair of outermost tubes and said at least one inner tube;
- 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 including an outermost wall and an inner wall;
- the inner surfaces of said side walls, upper wall, apparatus for diverting the flow of a fluid, 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, said orifice being disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening.
A heat exchanger having at least one header, said 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, the inner tubes 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 surface;
- an inclined surface extending between an intersection with the inner portions of said bottom wall and an intersection with said upper wall, and including the open end(s) of the at least one inner tubes to said header;
- a flow diverter disposed in said header comprising a spine extending downwardly at a predetermined angle from an apex located at the top of said spine and having a first panel and a second panel, each of said panels extending downwardly in a radial direction from said apex and said spine at opposite angles and ending at an intersection with the inner surface of said bottom wall, and whereby said first panel and said second panel are additionally angled surfaces being angled towards said plurality of parallel tubes;
- 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 including an outer wall and an inner wall;
- said side walls, upper wall, inclined surface, and bottom wall between the intersections of the flow diverter and bottom wall and the inclined surface and bottom wall, and inclined surface forming a header chamber;
- said inner walls of said side walls each having an orifice for permitting the flow of coolant between said header chamber and the respective outermost tube, said respective orifice being disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening.
An apparatus for diverting the flow of coolant in a header of 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, each of said outermost tubes having an outer most wall and an inner wall, each of said inner walls having an orifice for communication between said outermost tubes and said header chamber, wherein said orifice is disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening, and at least one inner tube located between the outermost tubes, the inner tubes 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 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 tubes to said header;
- 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, and including an outer wall and an inner wall;
- the inner surfaces of said side walls, upper wall, apparatus for diverting the flow of coolant, and bottom wall, and inclined surface forming a header chamber;
- wherein said apparatus for diverting fluid flow in said header is adapted for diverting fluid flow towards the outermost tubes and towards the at least one inner tube in substantially relative equal proportions.
An apparatus for diverting the flow of coolant in a header of 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, each of said outermost tubes having an outer most wall and an inner wall, each of said inner walls having an orifice for communication between said outermost tubes and said header chamber, wherein said orifice is disposed at least partly over said inclined surface and at least partly beneath said inlet/outlet opening, and at least one inner tube located between the outermost tubes, the inner tubes 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 tubes to said header;
- 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, and including an outer wall and an inner wall;
- the inner surfaces of said side walls, upper wall, end wall, and bottom wall, and inclined surface forming a header chamber;
- wherein said apparatus for diverting fluid flow in said header is adapted for diverting fluid flow towards the outermost tubes and towards the at least one inner tube in substantially relative equal proportions and wherein said apparatus is contained within said header chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.